Arcade Machine Update

[AndyC]

I had to put this on hold for a couple of months, but the control panel is finished. Been picking at it in front of the TV for a few evenings, between work and housework. Hooked it up this weekend, and everything works. Now I just need to build the rest of the cabinet.

Here are some pictures of the panel closed, open and hooked up to the computer that will eventually form the guts of the machine.







Post Edited (06-18-05 14:10)

[Mr_Vindictive]

I was actually going to make a post about this soon to see how things were going Andy.  Looks great!  I really can't wait to see it once it's in the cabinet and all.

[Blue.Brutal]

You know, I'm going to have to do something like this some day when I have more time and money.  Playing Pac Man on my GBA (and my computer) and Ms. Pac Man on my cell phone just isn't the same.

[Andrew]

Wow, that is some nice work on the control panel.  Probably the hardest part of the entire project too.  I mean, putting a LCD screen inside the box at the right angle and such is all just gravy at this point.

[dean]

Looking good, got a name for that sucker yet?

[AndyC]

Nope, still no name. When I think of a good one, I google it and, lo and behold, somebody's beaten me to it. I'm thinking more in the direction of what I want to do for sideart, and hoping a name comes out of that.

The wiring was not so bad. I did the soldering on the circuit boards elsewhere, since my wife is in the family way and shouldn't breathe that stuff. But most of the wiring was just a matter of measuring, cutting, crimping and connecting. Very repetitive, but not too hard. I marked all the terminals with a pencil ahead of time. It was kind of funny - I was wiring in front of the TV for a couple of evenings while my wife was sitting beside me, knitting. Quite a few similarities.

I wish I could afford to put an LCD monitor in this thing. It would be so much easier. Alas, the best deal I could get was on a bulky old 21" CRT monitor. I got it cheap, partly because somebody handled it roughly and partly because I'd done a favour for the guy who sold it to me.

Hopefully, I can get the rest of the cabinet done soon, but home improvement projects are likely to take precedence for the summer.

[Neville]

Are you using that to give regular PC games a different feel or to play MAME? I've heard of MAME users who have turned their PCs into real arcades as well. Looks like a hell of a task, but the results must be worth it.

Looking good, AndyC, keep us informed.

[AndyC]

Right now, it's strictly for MAME. The classic arcade games are the ones I like best, and I'm really trying to recreate that arcade feel.

Of course, it's pretty easy to add console emulators and games later on, and launch them from the same front end program.

[Neville]

If the computer is fast enough, adding Zinc should be a though. It emulates 3D fighting arcades such as the Street Fighter EX series, Tekken 1-3 and some others. A neat emulator, but very demanding in terms of hardware. With my old system (Athlon XP 1800 and a 32 Mb Nvidia) the Capcom titles went fine, but not the Tekken series.

[Scottie]

Andy, umm, can---can I come over and play....?