Jump to content
Due to a large amount of spamers, accounts will now have to be approved by the Admins so please be patient. ×
IGNORED

Mame cab questions......


Recommended Posts

First off, please don't be too harsh if I ask a question that has been asked before......

 

OK - so I've got the green light from the Minister for Finance to build / buy a cocktail mame machine. That's a great start I reckon!

 

Now for some questions - given the fact that I don't have many tools to actually build a cab - what do you guys think of this :

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ARCADE-TABLETOP-COCKTAIL-CABINET-DIY-FLAT-PACK-/260834460433?pt=AU_CoinOp&hash=item3cbaf20311

To me this cuts out a lot of dramas - carpentry, glass, painting (yes I know that's fun, but try explaining to the boss that to build the sub $1000 toy you need to spend much $$$ first)

 

Have many people used a LCD in this style of cab (i.e. vertical not horizontal)?

 

Has anyone added jukebox functionality to a cocktail cab?

 

Is ebay the best place to source a PC, monitor etc?

 

I'm sure I have other questions but that's it for now! Thanks in advance for the help I've already got from this site and for the help I'm sure I'll receive as I go on this journey.

 

Pete

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrators

That's not a bad price when compared with some other vendors especially as it includes glass top and clips.

 

Plenty of people have used LCD's in this but your mileage will vary on the viewing angle dependent on brands and models of the monitor.

 

Cheers,

Brad

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My two cents, from a recent convert to the awesome world of MAME cabs.

 

1) You will find that an empty pre-built cab will be much cheaper. Especially if you find someone on here to sell you one. Things for for cheap on these boards all the time. Attached is a link to an empty cab on ebay, just so you can watch it and get a feel for how much they go for. It does have a proper arcade monitor in it though, so that drives the price up. I know that one is not a cocktail cab, but you can also find them for sale on these boards or on ebay, keep your eyes open. Sadly, they are not as common as upright cabs.

 

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Arcade-Cabinet-Suit-Mame-/260840534553?pt=AU_CoinOp&hash=item3cbb4eb219

 

Just to give you an idea, I paid $550 or so for mine when I bought it off ebay and that was a fully complete LAI large upright cabinet, with 25 inch arcade monitor, all buttons and sticks etc and the MAME computer inside it, which was an old 1.6 ghz P4 with an ArcadeVGA hooked up to a JPAC. There would also be some people who say i overpaid at that price :)

 

2) As for LCD. I don't like them much, but heaps of people are totally happy with them. Suffice to say, you will not get the TRUE look and feel of an old arcade cab if you use LCD. Have you considered using an old CRT monitor instead? If you wanna do this all out and get your best bang for buck, read a little about using a Jomac universal chassis and an old TV tube. Although i guess that depends on your level of electronics skill. If you are just thinking of hooking a PC straight up to the monitor, personally, I would find a good quality CRT monitor. They are cheap as chips and a dime a dozen these days.

 

3) I have no idea about jukebox stuff :) Other people will be able to help you there.

 

4) Ebay is great, but ask in the wanted forums here first. I would also recommend posting a wanted ad for an empty cocktail cabinet shell, see what comes up. People on these forums are great and are always willing to help. A lot of them also sell things damn cheap :) Also take into account that if you want to play any of the late 90s games, a more powerful PC will be in order.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have many people used a LCD in this style of cab (i.e. vertical not horizontal)?

 

Pete

 

I'm nearly finished my cocktail cabinet. I used a HP LCD Monitor, but in horizontal. The viewing angle is not good and I wouldn't do this again. The viewing angle from either end (or Portrait mode I guess you would say) is a lot better. CRT will give you a lot better picture but weight was an issue I wanted to avoid for my cab.

 

If I had the choice over again, I would make an upright only if I was going to use LCD.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've got a cocktail cab sitting in my loungeroom now setup for mame with vertical LCD monitor.

 

Someone gave me the tip that the LCD will have a better viewing angle from one end and as my cocktail is setup for one player only and pushed against wall that worked out fine.

 

Juke box would be easy enough if your running mame with a frontend. I haven't got mine setup that way.

 

I like the look of the classic cabs over the flat pack creations. I'd get a cocktail if it was to be in your lounge room, or an upright if in the garage. Empty uprights are far easier to come by than cocktails, and cheaper as well.

 

As for finding PC's and monitors hit ebay, gumtree, local papers for the deals. Ebay can be a PITA though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Someone gave me the tip that the LCD will have a better viewing angle from one end and as my cocktail is setup for one player only and pushed against wall that worked out fine.

 

 

LCD in horizontal but upside down is also a lot better than the right way up - but vertical is really the way to go. One other thing that stopped me from changing to vertical though was being able to play other console games on the cabinet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

From my limited experience the way you go would depend on what you want to get out of it. If you're after classic games at the cheapest price, then namastepat hit the nail on the head. It also all depends on how many tools you've got and how much time is on your hands. Some people (myself included) are more about the project than the end result, in which case buying a 2nd hand older cab is probably the go as there's a lot of rebuilding and customisation required. This is a comparatively cheap option as well because wood is expensive. You tend to learn a lot in the process as well.

Having seen an LCD in a cocktail cab I reckon it's CRT all the way. You lose a lot of colour and brightness at the angles you play at but it doesn't make it unplayable. I think if you saw the two next to each other the CRT would sell you. Plus, if you go the 15kHz route, the old-school authenticity can't be beaten. Again though, this is more stuffing around and $$$$. Modern games look worse as well from interlacing.

As long as the commercial department has approved of the option you proposed then that's probably the 'safest' way to go. You have a complete shell waiting for all the electrical goodies, which seems to win the females over better than bits of MDF scattered all over the place. It also justifies further funding because the end product is much clearer. It also means you can't stuff up a cut and glue ererything together to find one peice is too short, necessitating major modifications. Not that this ever happens though :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I took the bidding up to $65. I think I'll give this one a miss. Doesn't say if the monitor works, I'm assuming it doesn't - prob too late to be asking questions of the buyer at this stage.

 

Must keep an eye out for more of these on ebay. May actually go for a drive over to Wacol to see these guys and have a look at what they sell.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...