Blake's Mame Cabinet

2007-12-19T14:18:00.000-08:00

There's not much new to report today - since almost all of the construction is finished on the cabinet, save for aesthetic appeal, it's hard to say what else I can do for a while. I'm still recovering from yesterday's horrific attacks and if you want to help, please donate either blood or money.

Although there wasn't any construction today on the cabinet, I did place an order with Happ Controls (now that their website is working once again after pages got reshuffled). I ordered quite a few extra buttons just to insure that I'll have what I need for the layout I want and I'll also have replacement buttons. Also, due to monetary constraints, I haven't ordered the trackball, but when I do order it, if I'm in need of some more buttons, I can order them then (due to the $25 minimum order requirement).

Below is the e-mail receipt I received from Happ. Also, I've added picture on the side of the parts I ordered - the top picture is the Horizontal Microswitch Pushbutton (LONG HORZ PB in receipt). The 2nd picture is of the 1-4 player buttons that are used (I'm only using players 1 and 2 (HORZ PB 1 & 2). The third and final is the Happ Super Joystick which I chose because of advice found on Build Your Own Arcade Control's joystick page.

Once the order arrives, I'll be able to put together a rudimentary control panel (I'll have to acquire some sort of material to use). I'll have the joysticks and all the buttons, so I'll be able to start on the wiring and using a mouse until the trackball arrives, everything should be testable.

Order Lines:

Line # Item #
Description

Qty        Price
Extended

1
58-9111-L1PLY HORZ PB WT WITH MS & NUT 1

1         $1.75
$1.75


PLAYER W/LONG WHITE BEZEL

2
58-9111-L2PLY HORZ PB WT W/MS & NUT 2 PLYR
1         $1.75

$1.75



3

58-9111-L      LONG HORZ PB WHITE W/.187 MS
&    4
$0.95
$3.80


NUT

4
58-9122-L      LONG HORZ PB BLUE W/.187 MS
&     4

$1.65
$6.60


NUT

5
58-9133-L      LONG HORZ PB GREEN W/.187 MS
&    2
$1.65
$3.30


NUT

6

58-9155-L      LONG HORZ PB YELLOW W/.187
MS     2
$1.65
$3.30


& NUT

7
58-9166-L      LONG HORZ PB BLACK W/.187 MS
&    5

$1.65
$8.25


NUT

8
58-9177-L      LONG HORZ PB ORANGE W/.187
MS     2
$1.65
$3.30


& NUT

9

58-9100-L      LONG HORZ PB RED W/.187 MS
&      4
$0.95
$3.80


NUT

10
50-6084-00     SUPER JOYSTICK,4&8 WAY
BRACKET    2

$13.20
$26.40


,HUB,SUB ASSY BLACK SHAFT

11
58-9144-L      LONG HORZ PB PURPLE W/.187
MS     2
$1.65
$3.30


& NUT

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Order Total:
$65.55

Also, I might be able to acquire a 25" TV for the project at no cost which will be greatly appreciated. The only thing I need the TV to be able to do is accept S-Video input. After I have the control panel and TV in place, I'll just have to work on the computer and get it up and running.

2007-12-19T14:08:00.000-08:00

8:30am - I was rudely awakened by some road work happening just a few houses down and across the street, but since I was up, I decided to make the most of the day. I headed off to Home Depot where I wanted to pick up some slides for a drawer and some sort of latch. I ended up buying 2 sets of 12" European Drawer Slides at a cost of $4.98 each. For some reason I thought that each set would have slides for just one side rather than both (yes, a stupid mistake). I'll probably be taking one set back later tonight. I also picked up a magnet catch for $0.96 that mounted nicely and would hold the drawer close. I'll probably pick up another magnet when I return the drawer slides. Total cost: $11.74

9:00am - I came back and started to work on the keyboard drawer. I took the front coin door/panel and took about 2 1/2" out of it from which the front of the keyboard drawer would be made. It took a lot of trial and error and ultimately was probably harder to put in than it was worth, but I do now have a drawer in my cabinet directly underneath the control panel. As stated above, the drawer is held closed by one magnet, but I plan on adding another on the other side later today (see picture for magnet close-up). Here are a couple pictures of the drawer.

After installing the drawer to my satisfaction, I attached the base to one side of the cabinet along with one panel. I then stood it up and attached the other side of the cabinet to the base and the panel. I then took a little stepladder and added the top panel to strengthen the cabinet sides as I added all the other panels.

The cabinet is now almost fully completed and is quite sturdy and stable. The only thing that hasn't been put in is the monitor shelf (although I did add the two 2x2's that will hold the monitor shelf. I also reinforced these 2x2's with the L brackets that I bought on the 29th. See pictures below:

Obviously the control panel is not in place, nor is the control panel box as they will not be installed until all the controls are wired. Speaking of which, today my KE-72 arrived along with the IOX-36 and some cables that were ordered from Hagstrom Electronics. The box was quite heavily battered, which was not Hagstrom's fault, but rather UPS (although a FRAGILE sticker might have helped).

And finally, here are some pictures of the cabinet with all the panels in place and the drawer fully functional. Payday is Wednesday and controls should be ordered from Happ Controls then. Once those arrive, I can get them working with the KE-72 and my computer and then the final step will be to get the computer and TV for the cabinet. Of course the cabinet needs quite a few finishing touches still.

3:00pm - I just added the two pictures to the right - I made up a crude holder for the Speaker Panel (above the monitor panel). I also added two cross-supports for the monitor panel to prevent any possible sagging that could occur from the 25" TV that will be added later. In the pictures you can see the completed cabinet with the monitor shelf added along with the speaker panel as well as the control panel box and panel in place (although they are removable). Also, the two pictures show the drawer in use - it doesn't come out too far, but it's far enough to access the keyboard that will be placed there. I just have to find an acceptable knob or handle to pull the drawer out.

2001-09-09T13:59:00.000-07:00

Work has finally started up again. Today I headed over to Home Depot and picked up three 8 foot 2x2 pieces of wood and some Elmer's Wood Glue. Total cost: 3 x $1.74 + 3.97 + tax = $9.88. I came back and cut the 2x2's to the requisite length and then nailed them onto the sides of the cabinet (see pictures). The 2x2's were first glued into place via Elmer's wood glue and then when the glue had dried enough, they were nailed from the other side. Since I plan on covering the outer sides with a contact paper, or something similar, it doesn't really matter if there's nails on that side.

I also reinforced the bottom stand for the cabinet by putting some screws through the two endplates into the middle ones - it's now almost indestructible.

The pictures are:

This is a shot of the side of the cabinet before all of the 2x2's have been placed on it. You can see how I had originally planned to use scrap pieces of the 1/2" particle board, but it was brought to my attention that 2x2's would probably work better (and I'm sure they will be infinitely better.
This is a shot of the base of the cabinet. You can see the two extra screws that I put into it to further strengthen the base. As I stated earlier, this base holds over 250 pounds easily and is a great base plate. I had thought that I should add a "X" shape in the middle with some more pieces of the particle board, but it's so sturdy as is, I'll probably just leave it.
A shot of the cabinet side with all of the 2x2's around it. They are all placed 1" in from the edge of the cabinet since all of the 1/2" pieces of particle board are to be recessed 1/2". The only piece that is not recessed 1" is the piece that will hold the controls - see bottom picture...
A shot of the cabinet side (again) with the 2x2's glued and nailed in from the other side. You can see the control box sitting on top of the ledge which has a 2x2 underneath it, flush with the cut of the cabinet side. This will provide an easy target to hammer into when the time comes to put the control box on.

Tomorrow...the box might see some further assembly. I have to figure out where to put the 2x2's for the monitor/tv shelf. Once that is done, assembly can continue, but I'm pretty unsure as of now where to put the shelf. What I'll probably do instead is to work on a drawer that will go in the front of the cabinet for easy keyboard access. Oh yeah, my order from Hagstrom should arrive tomorrow (see August 31st entry), but I won't be waiting on pins & needles. There might also be a new design sometime soon.

2001-09-07T13:59:00.000-07:00

Today I had a final in my Economics class and treated myself afterwards with a trip to Frys. There I priced motherboards, processors, RAM, and a new hard drive. It seems as if the best way to go is a bundle motherboard/processor/ram which I will most likely get for $180. Then I just need to add a power supply ($30), video card ($70) and a hard drive (I'll be replacing one from my current computer with a bigger sized one, so the cost is minimal). I'm not sure about a sound card yet - the motherboard has an on-board sound card, but I'll most likely go with an authentic Sound Blaster Pro 32.

Construction continues tomorrow...can't wait (as I'm sure you can't either).

2001-09-05T13:49:00.000-07:00

10:30am - I got to work early this morning on cutting the third piece of wood which included the second side to the cabinet along with the monitor/television stand and a back panel. With some experience cutting the first piece last week, this cut session went quite a bit faster. After making all of the requisite cuts, I started in on the base panel. I wanted it to be extra strong since it would be holding up the whole cabinet - computer, television, controls and all. The original plans called for 4 support beams beneath the main base panel, which I have completed, but I plan on adding a couple more stabilizing supports. I would be working on it right now, but while doing preliminary construction work on the sides of the cabinet, I misfired with the hammer and caught the side of my finger, right near the fingernail, breaking the skin apart from the nail. Once bandaged, I put in the last nail I was working on and called it a day. Construction will continue this weekend. Pictures have been taken and will be posted in a couple of days.

5:30pm - Work continued on the project. I took the two sides of the cabinets, and cut out the angled/curved section where the monitor face will be. I had waited on this because I wanted to get both sides of the cabinet equal before attempting this fine cut. On the first side, I used a sliding protractor and made a 1/4 circle which then angled down to the point marked for the cut and then towards the side. Once you see the pictures, you'll know what I mean.

The pictures are:

This is a shot of one side of the cabinet. I made the final cuts including the part that curves near the top. I also put in 3 reinforcing pieces of wood to which I will install the pre-cut panels. These three panels should provide ample support for the cabinet as I install it to the base (see right column pictures).
A close up of the other side of the cabinet - same as the first...
Just a shot of both sides of the cabinet back-to-back. The final construction should go quite smoothly as the panels seemed to fit in perfectly.
A shot of the cabinet base from the top. It's quite strong which surprised me. Both a friend and I were able to stand on it without the slightest hint of it giving way. Regardless, I'm going to add one more cross beam.
This is a shot of the cabinet base laying on its side. You can see the two supports that reach all the way from the "bottom" to the "top" of the base. The two cross-supports help as well. Each of the 4 supports is held in place by 3 screws. One more thing to add is a screw or nail through the side supports into the middle supports.
A shot of the base lying upside-down. Looks pretty good don't it?

2001-09-04T13:41:00.000-07:00

Today, work continued (finally) after much more research. I didn't have enough time to pull out the saw or do any woodwork, so I took out the control panel board and proceeded to figure out how I was going to lay out the buttons. I took the control panel templates from LuSiD and modified them extensively. They were essentially used for a crude layout and for approximating the sizes of the boxes (trackball and joystick). The basic layout mirrored the 1st mock-up I did but instead of the "1" button being between 2 & a, it is slightly below "a." This way, I am able to use 2, 3, 4 & a, b, c for fighting games that take 6 buttons and use 1, a, b, & c for NeoGeo type games. For games with only two buttons required, buttons 1 & a can be used. I figured out that I'll place 2 buttons above the trackball and then the spinner will be above those two buttons. I have some pictures of the first layout and spent some more time later tonight finalizing the layout. Pictures will be coming in a couple of days (my camera-to-PC cable is in San Diego and the cabinet is being built in Orange). I also sketched out some blueprints for future use by others who need some sort of guide to go by. Scans will be coming soon as well (scanner is in S.D.).

As a side note, I've been playing way to much Bump 'n' Jump lately.

Addendum: I continued my work on the control panel and finalized the positioning of all the buttons - there will be 4 spare buttons located on the control panel for future ease of use and I'm thinking about putting two buttons on the side of the control panel box for use in pinball-type games. I have finalized the blueprints and will put them up online once I have them scanned in.

The pictures are:

A shot of the control panel as it lays outside. Note the trackball in the middle, bottom with the two player controls on each side. Each one features a joystick and 7 buttons.
The control panel inside - I thought it would work better without the sun glare.
A close-up of the right-side player's control panel. Note the slightly offset 2nd buttons (top and bottom) with the more offset 1st button on the far left.
A close-up of the left-side player's controls. Same as the right. Both players are expected to be right handed or proficient with these controls as a lefty.
A close up of the trackball and left-hand controls. You can see that the controls are on a 22.5º angle coming off of the trackball outline. From my impromptu tests, the controls will work quite nicely.
These blueprints are the layout for the control panel that I will be using. In the middle, on the bottom is the trackball with the spinner above it. Between the two, are two buttons (left and right click for the trackball). On the top line are 8 little slashes - these are all buttons. 4 of them will be used, 4 will be left as spares - the buttons will be Player 1, Spare, Esc, Spare, Spare, Pause, Spare, Player 2.
These blueprints (on yellow paper) is the layout for the joysticks and buttons. This layout will be placed within the first layout - there are two hashes indicating their locations. The large box is the joystick (4/8 way) and the buttons are laid out as can be seen. The first button is offset from the others by 1/2 inch and the two buttons in the middle of the 6 are offset by 1/4 inch. These layouts have not been tested, but should work out quite well.

2001-09-03T13:41:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the extremely quick replies from Kelsey working at Oscar, I have figured out how I am going to set up the spinners for my cabinet. I will most likely go with model 1 which can be connected to the serial port. Alternatively, I could go with the model 2 spinner and connect it through an OptiPAC which would then again be connected through the serial port (up to 4 spinners can be connected to an OptiPAC, allowing for further upgrades in the future). The problem is, that if I buy a model 1 and then decide to upgrade in the future, I could run into some wiring problems, thus a model 2 would probably be the smart way to go, but the OptiPAC controller would have to be added to the cost of the spinner.

As of September 3:
Model 1 = $49.00
Model 2 = $45.00
OptiPAC = $39.00

Therefore, Model 2 + OptiPAC = $84.00 for a spinner with future upgradeability...
Model 1 = $49.00 - no upgrade ability unless modifications to the spinner were made.

It's a toss up right now and might be a spur of the moment decision when I decide to purchase the spinner, but I'm definitely going with the spinner from Oscar. I just haven't run across a dual-spinner cabinet, nor do I see a reason to add 2 spinners. Playing games like Arkanoid requires only 1 spinner, so until I find a reason to have 2 spinners, I might just go with Model 1 using a dual-mouse driver.

The top picture to the left shows the know I'll probably go with (there are other knobs available). The 2nd picture shows a Model 2 spinner connected to an OptiPAC.

I also had a bit of free time on my hands, so I made a new mock-up of the control set-up I'll probably use (very bottom picture - old mock-up is the 3rd picture). I used a NeoGeo template for the layout of the red button along with the top row of yellow, green, and blue. I then looked at a Streetfighter layout which has them laid out in a row of 3 with another row directly below. I'm not quite sure which one I'm going to use. The 1st mock-up (with the numbers and letters) probably is more ergodynamic with the buttons in the 2 rows slightly off-set to make up for the different lengths of your fingers, but you have to think that the people who design the arcade games know what they're doing when they lay out the game for a massive rollout. I'll probably end up using some scrap wood to test both layouts and see what works best. But I've pretty much settled on the fact that each person will have 7 different buttons, each configured for each separate game.

2001-09-02T13:19:00.000-07:00

I've been playing around with MAME on my Windows 2000 computer and I am quite pleased with the results. The controls are awkward using a keyboard, but will be easily remedied with controls from Happ. Speaking of which, I've researched some of the products I will be ordering when I have the spare cash:

3" Trackball (Blue Translucent) - $88.20
Trackball Mounting Kit (Black) - $10.00
Pushbuttons with Horizontal MicroSwitch - 29 x $0.95 = $27.55
- 3 Red, 5 White, 5 Blue, 5 Yellow, 5 Green, 3 Black, 3 Purple (Possibly fewer of each color depending on final layout)
1-4 Player Pushbuttons with Horizontal MicroSwitch (1 of each) - 4 x $1.75 = $7.00
Super Joystick (4 and 8 way) - 2 x $13.20 = $26.40

Total cost of controls: $159.15 - not ordered - just listed here as a reminder to myself in the future. Plus I also will need a coin door and quite possibly some guns for the cabinet in the future. Luckily they are all carried by Happ.
As you can see in the pictures to the left, there's a couple of different layouts I'm toying with. All of the NeoGeo games function off of four buttons as seen in the "single" example, but I want to have an "ultimate" layout at an angle for games like Streetfighter. I just created this mock-up of a possible layout. I could easily use 1, 2, 3 & 4 for NeoGeo games (the a, b & c shouldn't get in the way) and then use 2, 3, 4 & a, b, c for Fighting games that use 6 buttons. I would then probably set it up so that games that only require 2 or 3 buttons use a & b or a, b & c respectively. If anyone has any experience with a setup similar to this or has any suggestions, an e-mail would be much appreciated.

I have also been looking into Spinner controls to use for games such as Arkanoid, but it appears that I either need to make one (most likely choice) or I can buy one from Happ for $121. Seems a bit expensive, but if all else fails...

I just found a great alternative to the Happ controls spinner at a much better price. The Oscar Spinner runs from $45-$50 and seems to be just what I need. The only question is, will it work with my KE72T or do I have to somehow rig it up to be an alternate control alongside the trackball/mouse? I'm not really high on purchasing a ME4 or an OptiPAC, but if I must, I'll go with the OptiPAC which will allow for installation of additional spinners/trackballs if need be. Once again, if anyone has any experience, please, e-mail me.

Also, if you are building one of these things yourself, stop by Build Your Own Arcade Controls - they have almost all types of every component covered and reviewed - an absolute godsend - a spectacular site.

2001-09-01T13:13:00.000-07:00

Since I've pretty much got everything on the hardware/controls side figured out (or so I hope), I've started looking into different MAME options and front-ends for MAME. I've decided that the easiest way to go is probably good ol' MAME with a frontend of ArcadeOS (see pictures below for screenshots), but I've been having problems setting the software up. Unfortunately, there isn't much documentation on the net for helping with the setup of software. I'm currently experiencing some problems on my main machine, but I'm assuming that it's both a combination of the OS and hardware I'm using (Windows 2000 and an ATI All-in-Wonder 128 Pro running on an Athlon Thunderbird chip).

I also tried using my brother's computer and did some experimenting with AdvanceMAME and AdvanceMenu - with some different results. The problem with the Advance ports were that while they probably have some great features, they are quite complex and would not work with the monitor I had (even though it was in the list of supported monitors). Also, the graphics card (on-board SiS) was supported, so I'm figuring that's not the problem. MAME and ArcadeOS work to a point, but I have problems running the more complex games.

I wish there were some in-depth documents to help with software set-up, but as everyone's system differs so much, these documents may not be of much help. When I finally get around to building the computer part of my cabinet, I will keep detailed documentation of the software installation and configuration on the machine. I'll probably enlist some help via e-mail of LuSiD, whose computer I pretty much intend to use as a guide to building mine (although mine will be a little bit faster).

Here's what I'm planning to do in the computer arena:

AMD Duron 800-900 MHz (depending on cash situation at the time)
128 or 256 Megs ram (see above note)
12-20 Gig HD (see above note)
ATI Rage Fury 32 meg.
Ethernet card
Creative Awe64
Generic CD
Windows98 SE
~~DOS 6.0~~ (I will most likely use the Win98 DOS system rather than DOS 6.0 - thanks George from L.A. for the helpful hint)

2001-08-31T11:17:00.000-07:00

Today I placed an order with Hagstrom Electronics for their KE-72T encoder board (pictured to the left - top board) which will take the inputs from the buttons, joysticks, and trackball and then convert them into a language MAME will recognize. I decided on the KE-72T because it is the top-of-the-line encoder board and allows 72 separate connections without matrices, and thus, no ghosting. With 72 discrete inputs, it allows for future upgrades (think 4 players) along with great control for all involved.

Along with the KE-72T, I ordered a KE-TBH3 cable which connects the encoder board to the Happ Controls trackball that I plan on purchasing (still haven't decided on the exact trackball). Also, I purchased 2 KE-MM6 cables to connect the KE-72T to the computer properly and although they are probably cheaper at Fry's or a similar store, they were only $5.95 each and compatibility is guaranteed. A small price to pay for technical support and guaranteed compatibility.

When I ordered the products, I was extremely pleased with the level of customer support on the other end. I got through to a representative on the first ring and was able to place my order quickly and efficiently. Since I'm still in the process of building the cabinet, there was no rush on these products (especially since I don't even have any of the pushbuttons, joysticks, or other controls). They are going to be shipped UPS ground and should arrive in a week. Since I am receiving these as a birthday present, they will not be added to the total cost thus far, but are added up below:

KE-72T: $139.95 + KE-MM6 x 2: ($5.95 x 2): $11.90 + KE-TBH3: $9.95 = $161.81 + shipping (unknown right now).

After ordering, I was also informed that I would be receiving an IOX-36 breakout board free of charge (pictured to the left - bottom board). This was a great addition as I was contemplating buying one anyways, but since cash is tight at the moment, I held off on it (if all else failed, I would have bought 2 at a later time). Many thanks to Hagstrom for including this great accessory free!

The KE-72T Features:

72 Input, programmable interface to your PC keyboard input.
Features 72 individual inputs.
-T Option for Track Ball signal conversion to PS/2 mouse protocol.
RS-232 Port receives ASCII characters and outputs to the Keyboard Port.
Each input can be programmed to emulate any standard key or Macro sequence of up to 32 keystrokes
Supplied with PC application "KE72LOAD" used to configure the KE72

2001-08-29T08:57:00.000-07:00

The trip to Home Depot will take place later today (currently 12:30am...). I plan on hitting the sack soon and will be looking forward to getting started tomorrow.

9:45am - Went to Home Depot to pick up some 5/8" particle board. Unfortunately, it was just me at the store and getting 3 sheets onto the cart took some doing and the employees just standing around didn't offer to help. No worries - I accomplished the feat and took the sheets to the front to pay, only on arriving at the cashier, I learned they were 1/2" instead of 5/8". Not wanting to go put the sheets back and then get three new ones, I settled on the 1/2" and paid. Total cost: (3 x $10.98 + tax) = $35.41.

10:30am - Arrived at my house, unloaded the wood and set to work. I was able to cut out all pieces on 2 of the 3 boards. The third will have to wait until next week. The main accomplishment was that I got the control panel box cut out and assembled (after one bad try). One side of the cabinet is cut out along with most of the base plates. Work will continue next week as I need to make another trip to Home Depot to get some hinges for the control box top, for easy access to the interface under the controls. I also need some L brackets to reinforce the cabinet in pretty much every place I think it's needed.

8:30pm - Headed off to Home Depot once again - picked up some "L" corner brackets along with a couple of braces and some hinges for the control panel so that I can easily access the underside once it's all in place. Total cost for this trip: $10.35.

The pictures are:

Just a shot of the garage floor as I was just about to finish up. The control panel box can be seen at the top of the picture. Lying around on the floor are the plans used to build the box.
These are just some of the panels I cut out. Most notably the coin door and some of the rear panels for the cabinet. The only uncut board can be seen on the ground as I was just about to sketch out the cuts for next week.
This is one side of the cabinet. It's just a rough outline as I will cut away above the ledge that can be seen on the left to create a place to drop in the TV. Also, the upper-right corner will be cut off diagonally - 16 inches down, and 16 inches to the left.
This is the box that most of the control wires will sit in. The control panel will be hinged and rest on top of this box. Holes will be cut to allow for the wires to pass through to the guts of the system.
I made most of the cuts using the table saw pictured with the help of the two Tote-A-Horses (great products).
Cuts that were too long for the table saw were made with the rotary saw lying on the ground.
A shot of the garage from the driveway. One side of the cabinet is pictured in the back with the control panel box in the foreground. On the left side of the picture is the board that will make the other side of the cabinet.

2001-08-28T08:01:00.000-07:00

While surfing the web a couple of days ago, I stumbled across a couple of pages dedicated to a marvelous construct known as a MAME cabinet (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator). After some extensive research into the idea of a MAME cabinet and the costs associated with building such a great machine, I decided to embark on a mission to build one of my own.

This is the start of the journal I will be keeping as I make progress throughout the project. I will be utilizing my latest toy - my Canon PowerShot S110 - to visually keep track of my progress.

Useful Links:

Lusid's Arcade Flashback (using the .PDF design from this site for the basic cabinet design) (Since 2001, this site has gone offline)
Russ Mame Cabinet (good controls info - uses PDF design above)
Build Your Own Arcade Controls FAQ (self-explanitory)
Scott's Unicade (great controls set-up - probably going to go this route - see pic to the left)