| This is what my Mame cabinet looked like when I bought it. |
Here is a profile
of the original
cabinet.
of the original
cabinet.
| I had a piece of 3/4" MDF cut to the same dimensions as the original control panel. I used my Craftsman rotary tool with the Dremel attachment to cut a groove for the T-Moulding. |
I created a very quick
graphic in Photoshop
for the control panel. I
created it in about a
couple of minutes, but
it took about 30
minutes to save the
130MB .EPS. I took it
to my local Kinko's
and they printed it on
vinyl for me.
graphic in Photoshop
for the control panel. I
created it in about a
couple of minutes, but
it took about 30
minutes to save the
130MB .EPS. I took it
to my local Kinko's
and they printed it on
vinyl for me.
| This is the beginning of the project. Here, I have begun to remove the original parts and pieces. |
Here is another shot
with my new control
panel temporarily in
place.
with my new control
panel temporarily in
place.
| New control panel with new fluorescent light. |
These are the speakers
and crossover that I
used.
and crossover that I
used.
| These are the speakers installed. |
Close up of the speakers
installed.
installed.
| This is the receiver that will drive those speakers. It is a Kenwood KRX-1000 THX receiver. |
Since I was going all
out I couldn't leave
out a subwoofer. It is
a Mission 70AS.
out I couldn't leave
out a subwoofer. It is
a Mission 70AS.
| Ahhhhhhh.....finished the painting. |
In this photo you can
see the birth of the
Mame machine.
see the birth of the
Mame machine.
| It wasn't very easy getting that TV in there by myself. |
I am really happy with the
side art. At this point I
am almost done. I only
need to get a bezel and
wireless keyboard.
side art. At this point I
am almost done. I only
need to get a bezel and
wireless keyboard.
| This is the finished cabinet. |
Close up of the
completed control
panel.
completed control
panel.
| I would say that the control panel went through a serious change. |
This is a side by
side of the overall
cabinet.
side of the overall
cabinet.
Questions or comments? Email me. dinotheo@yahoo.com
After some investigation on the web I made up my
mind on what I wanted to do. Here is a summary of
what I wanted:
mind on what I wanted to do. Here is a summary of
what I wanted:
- Ability to play old and most new games.
- A large screen.
- 2 joysticks with 6 buttons each.
- A trackball.
- A spinner.
- Working coin door.
- Ability to double up as a jukebox.
I broke down my project into 4 smaller projects:
Cabinet
I decided that I would give my cabinet a complete overhaul. I began by stripping everything
that was in the original cabinet. It also had some serious gashes, nicks, scratches and
missing chunks of wood. I began by stripping everything out of the original cabinet. I then
filled all the nicks and scratches with wood putty. After I filled in and sanded all the
blemishes I prepared to paint the cabinet. I picked up some Sherwin Williams Industrial
Enamel Alkyd (Oil) in Black. I also got a foam roller with a 3/16" nap. The foam
roller will give you a very smooth finish. I was very happy with the way the
painting turned out. I really prefer oil paint over water when I go with any type of
gloss finish. NOTE: If I had to do it again I would also paint the edges of the
cabinet. I really didn't paint the edges because I figured that the T-Moulding
would just cover the edges. Afterwards I found out that the T-Moulding might
have some minor gaps from which you can see the unpainted wood. I had to go
along the T-Moulding with a very fine paintbrush to cover-up these minor gaps.
that was in the original cabinet. It also had some serious gashes, nicks, scratches and
missing chunks of wood. I began by stripping everything out of the original cabinet. I then
filled all the nicks and scratches with wood putty. After I filled in and sanded all the
blemishes I prepared to paint the cabinet. I picked up some Sherwin Williams Industrial
Enamel Alkyd (Oil) in Black. I also got a foam roller with a 3/16" nap. The foam
roller will give you a very smooth finish. I was very happy with the way the
painting turned out. I really prefer oil paint over water when I go with any type of
gloss finish. NOTE: If I had to do it again I would also paint the edges of the
cabinet. I really didn't paint the edges because I figured that the T-Moulding
would just cover the edges. Afterwards I found out that the T-Moulding might
have some minor gaps from which you can see the unpainted wood. I had to go
along the T-Moulding with a very fine paintbrush to cover-up these minor gaps.
Computer
I already had a Soyo 6BA+III motherboard and a Pentium III-450 so I decided to go with
these. I decided that I wanted to go with a television as my display device. I have another
computer with Mame. On a computer monitor I thought that Mame looked "too good".
Plus I wanted a big screen. A 19" monitor costs as much or more that a 27" TV. I was
researching various 25 and 27" TV's with S-Video input. I decided on the Toshiba 27A41.
This TV has a very small footprint. In fact it is smaller than most 25" TV's. I picked it up for
$280 at my local Best Buy.
these. I decided that I wanted to go with a television as my display device. I have another
computer with Mame. On a computer monitor I thought that Mame looked "too good".
Plus I wanted a big screen. A 19" monitor costs as much or more that a 27" TV. I was
researching various 25 and 27" TV's with S-Video input. I decided on the Toshiba 27A41.
This TV has a very small footprint. In fact it is smaller than most 25" TV's. I picked it up for
$280 at my local Best Buy.
Sound System
Since I am an audiophile nut, I have a lot of "old" equipment leftover from upgrades.
I decided to use an old receiver and subwoofer for my arcade cabinet. I used an old
Kenwood KRX-1000 THX receiver and a Mission 70AS subwoofer that were
previously in my bedroom system before I upgraded it. The subwoofer is at the
bottom of the cabinet. It uses the entire cabinet as a chamber and it sounds
awesome. Much better than I ever imagined that the sub could perform.
I decided to use an old receiver and subwoofer for my arcade cabinet. I used an old
Kenwood KRX-1000 THX receiver and a Mission 70AS subwoofer that were
previously in my bedroom system before I upgraded it. The subwoofer is at the
bottom of the cabinet. It uses the entire cabinet as a chamber and it sounds
awesome. Much better than I ever imagined that the sub could perform.
Control Panel
The control panel was probably the trickiest part of the overall project. This had to have
the most planning. I had to squeeze quite a few buttons and controls on the control panel.
Also even a minor screw up here would be quite noticeable.
the most planning. I had to squeeze quite a few buttons and controls on the control panel.
Also even a minor screw up here would be quite noticeable.
Here is a a bit of advice: Don't bother with Plexiglas. Polycarbonate (aka Lexan) is far
superior. The stuff is virtually indestructible.
superior. The stuff is virtually indestructible.
I began by cutting the wood portion of the control panel. I then placed this wood on top
of a large piece of polycarbonate. I traced around the piece of wood with scoring tool.
When I finished cutting out the polycarbonate I clamped it to the wood. I used a power
sander with 150 grit sandpaper to sand down the wood and polycarbonate so that they
met perfectly.
of a large piece of polycarbonate. I traced around the piece of wood with scoring tool.
When I finished cutting out the polycarbonate I clamped it to the wood. I used a power
sander with 150 grit sandpaper to sand down the wood and polycarbonate so that they
met perfectly.
Another piece of advice: Get an I-pac and an Opti-Pac. They are fairly inexpensive and
make hook-up sooooooooooo easy!
make hook-up sooooooooooo easy!
Finishing
In this area I will lump all the "little" things that were completed in order to enhance the
appearance of the cabinet.
appearance of the cabinet.
I had the marquee printed by a local graphics printing shop. The marquee was printed on
Dura-Trans. It is a semi-transparent material. The marquee looks great. The graphic is
mostly dark so it doesn't let much light through. The exception being in the middle of the
graphic where it shows a light shining. Since this area doesn't have much ink most of the
light from behind the marquee shines through this one point.
Dura-Trans. It is a semi-transparent material. The marquee looks great. The graphic is
mostly dark so it doesn't let much light through. The exception being in the middle of the
graphic where it shows a light shining. Since this area doesn't have much ink most of the
light from behind the marquee shines through this one point.
I had the side art printed up on vinyl which was top laminated. It is great. The dimensions
of the side art are 12" x 36". Each piece cost me almost $70.(It was around $22/foot) I
wanted it to be a little bigger but it would have seriously increased the cost since the shop
charged per foot, rounded up. So 13" is charged as 2 feet. Kinko's on the other hand
charged me per inch for the control panel graphic.
of the side art are 12" x 36". Each piece cost me almost $70.(It was around $22/foot) I
wanted it to be a little bigger but it would have seriously increased the cost since the shop
charged per foot, rounded up. So 13" is charged as 2 feet. Kinko's on the other hand
charged me per inch for the control panel graphic.
I also replaced all of the original T-Moulding. The new moulding gives the cabinet a nice
finished look.
finished look.
The original coin door was pretty much destroyed. So it was off to eBay to find a
replacement. I found one for $18.
replacement. I found one for $18.
- Cabinet
- Computer
- Control Panel
- Finishing
