*SPECIAL* cabinet for DRACER

Hi All,

 

Updated 31/05

 

As many of you would no doubt remember, Brad is a high profile survivor of the Kinglake fires who lost nearly all of his material posessions, part of which included a number of arcade machines.

 

Fortunately one cabinet survived because it has been sitting at my place waiting for Brad to decide what he'd like me to do with it.

 

He contacted me the other day and said that he wants it to be converted into an awesome MAME cab that he can keep so he and his family can enjoy it for some time to come.

 

Anyone who knows Brad would agree with me in saying he is a great bloke who would not hesitate to help anyone out, so I reckon we should now do the same for him.

 

In short, what I would like to do is call for contributions from AA members so I can put this cabinet together and present it to Brad. I know a lot of you expressed your willingness to help out in some way, so here is your opportunity to do just that!

 

Note that I am donating my time to put the cabinet together for Brad and the only cost I expect him to foot is for petrol in his ute to come over and pick the cabinet up!

 

Here are some pics of the cabinet:

http://www.ozstick.com.au/temp/dracer1.jpg http://www.ozstick.com.au/temp/dracer2.jpg http://www.ozstick.com.au/temp/dracer3.jpg

 

 

Following is a list of the items I am looking for so I can do the conversion:

 

Control Panel

Brad would like a 2 player 6 button layout. If anyone has a spare control panel (an empty panel would be perfect) with that layout to fit this cabinet then it would be great if you would consider donating it. We are happy to do a swap for the existing panel which just happens to include two working rotary joysticks in very good condition.

_________________________________________

 

Artwork / Marquee

I know there are some very clever artists out there so it would be awesome if someone could put together a marquee, instruction card and maybe even some side art for the cabinet and arrange for it to be printed. Members can feel free to contribute to the printing costs as I'd expect it may cost more than a few bucks to get done.

 

You'd be best to liaise with Brad to work out what sort of artwork would be appropriate.

_________________________________________

 

Software setup

Brad asked me ages ago to look into using Hyperspin as the FE for this cabinet, however I've not used if before so I have no idea where to start. So I need someone to put their hand up and configure a HDD (or indeed the whole PC) with a kick butt FE, MAME and ROMs after I have installed a stripped version of XP on it.

 

It would probably be best to tie the FE artwork in with that of the marquee etc, so communication with whoever does the artwork would be a good idea.

_________________________________________

 

Joysticks, pushbuttons, I-PAC etc

Obviously I already have all this stuff in stock, however I'd like to think that a few people could donate a few bucks to cover the cost of fitting out the control panel, considering I am already donating a lot of time on this project!

_________________________________________

 

Monitor

If anyone has a monitor they are willing to donate then please let me know - it's probably important to nut this out early as it may dictate how the PC needs to be set up. I did one of these cabs for Brad last year (which he lost to the fire) and fitted a 19" Dell PC monitor into it quite easily, so that might be the easiest way to go.

_________________________________________

 

PC Hardware

We will need a PC capable of running Hyperspin and obviously with enough RAM and a HDD large enough to store all the ROMs, pics etc. I know a few AA regulars who seem to come across a lot of old PC hardware quite easily so maybe one of them could be coaxed into a contribution.

_________________________________________

 

Speakers - added 31/05

A reasonable set of 2.1 speaker with a wired/wireless remote would be great. I can mount the satellites up under the marquee and hide the subby inside the cab, then run the remote externally so Brad or his kids can crank the sound up/down without having to open up the cab.

_________________________________________

Other bits & pieces - added 31/05

There's a few small extras such as a cam lock for the front door, a new rear panel and a powerboard for all the electrics to plug into (one of those nifty ones with the master socket), however these are minor expenses and we can easily cover them with a small donation or two.

_________________________________________

Anything else I've left out!

No doubt there is - if so please let me know and I will add it.

_________________________________________

 

Where to from here??

I will update this post so everyone is aware of how we are progressing with fulfilling the list above and acknowledge those who have made a contribution. I'll also make further posts to update everyone on how the cabinet itself is coming along - all going well I'd like to think we should be able to knock it over fairly quickly, however there are quite a few things that need to come together so that can happen.

_________________________________________

 

How to contribute

1/ If you are able to provide goods, funds or time to this project them please reply to this thread so we keep interest going.

 

2/ Most importantly, PM ME to confirm that you're wanting to help. I will not broadcast how funds and goods are being collected anywhere other than via PM as I don't want stuff simply showing up unannounced.

 

3/ Once I get your PM I will reply to you to advise how to proceed with fulfilling your pledge. I expect to be inundated with offers for help so bear with me if i take a while to get back to your PMs.

 

Once again I wish to stress that I will receive NO PERSONAL GAIN from doing this - I just want to give something back to a fellow AA member who deserves it!

 

I look forward to hearing from a LOT of you very soon.........

 

Cheers,

Chris

Edited May 31, 2009 by OzStick

I have a pc here p4 1.8 gig 512 meg ram and I will hunt up a hdd for it probably got a 20 -40 gig laying round here somewhere to

I will have a play with setting up hyperspin if I get stuck I will ask for help

so thats the pc side done

I will look for a 19-21 inch monitor this week will keep ya posted on it

I may also have a new cp for that exact same cab think it is only 3 button setup though will check it out and post some pics of all the goodies I can scrounge up

i can donate a 120 gig HDD with tiny xp to the cause

 

i can add the romset of mame 1.24 also to the hdd. pretty sure ive got the artwork files too

 

if it hasnt already been covered that is

G'day Chris. I have one more 21" monitor spare. Same one you grabbed off me last time. If you think it will shoehorn into that cab then it is all yours. Can pick up from Box hill same as last time.

Ill pay for the joysticks and buttons, just pm me your paypal and how much $$

if the 21" is too big I have a 19" CRT PC monitor. Let me know,

if the 21" is too big I have a 19" CRT PC monitor. Let me know,

 

PM SENT !!!!!!!!!!

:( playing with hyperspin on my pc dont think it will run on a 1.8 cpu it would bog it down looks like its mala or something similar

I am happy to pay for the IPAC, let me know costs and paypal address pls Chris

Thanks for all the offers so far guys and to those who have PMed me with pledges for support.

 

To anyone else keen to help out, may I remind you to please PM me to formalise your offer - I have a list of items for which contributions are required so I can then mark them off as we go.

 

I have a pc here p4 1.8 gig 512 meg ram and I will hunt up a hdd for it probably got a 20 -40 gig laying round here somewhere to

I will have a play with setting up hyperspin if I get stuck I will ask for help

so thats the pc side done

I will look for a 19-21 inch monitor this week will keep ya posted on it

I may also have a new cp for that exact same cab think it is only 3 button setup though will check it out and post some pics of all the goodies I can scrounge up

 

OK Dave,

 

Your offer for a P4 1.8 is fantastic and if you reckon MaLa will run better than Hyperspin AND you're offering to do the setup then that would be the way to go!

 

I assume you're able to weave some magic with MaLa? I've seen a few excellent configs of it and this one from YouTube would be a perfect substitute for the Hyperspin setup that Brad had in mind:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKwMvsLspD8&feature=related]YouTube - Arcade MAME front end: MALA and video snaps from Emumovies[/ame]

 

If you need a bigger HDD then get in touch with Narf as he's offered a 120Gig HDD and he is happy to preinstall TinyXP along with a full set of ROMs, artwork and whatnot which would make your job a lot easier.....

 

Once you've had a look at it and worked out which way to go please PM me so I can advise on how to get the hardware to me.

 

if the 21" is too big I have a 19" CRT PC monitor. Let me know,

 

I'm pretty sure that 21" WOULD be too big to fit, so your offer of a 19" is perfect. Please PM me to formalise your offer!

 

Cheers,

Chris

Edited May 31, 2009 by OzStick
Auto Merged Double Post.

np chris

 

ive got tiny xp on there just needs mame dumped on it :cool:

np chris

 

ive got tiny xp on there just needs mame dumped on it :cool:

 

that would be great Narf will pm you with the details to post I am also going to put a few consoles in there to Atari 2600,Nes,sega mastersystem and Sega Megadrive

dave im sure i have those also and daphne im sure too

 

ill go start doing the mame turd now onto the HDD

Is this cab going to be for vertical or horizontal games ?

I have a monitor that is 17.5" viable glass inc plastic it looks like a 21".

ok HD is done

 

full mame setup (90 gig) with tiny xp

 

all good to go dave. it turned out to be a 160 gig so go hard mate with the last 50 odd gigs :)

 

in tuesdays mail due to public holiday :D

ok HD is done

 

full mame setup (90 gig) with tiny xp

 

all good to go dave. it turned out to be a 160 gig so go hard mate with the last 50 odd gigs :)

 

in tuesdays mail due to public holiday :D

 

I will pack it with Atari 2600 roms...... oh wait they are only about 3 meg:lol

Monday Update!

 

All is going well, I'm now getting onto arranging the artwork which will possibly take the most time to sort out. If anyone has suggestions for themes then please feel free to share them here and even include graphic samples if you wish. What I'd like to have is:

Marquee - to be backlit.

Control Panel Overlay - reverse printed on textured vinyl and stuck to the panel.

Side Art - to take up the top half or so of both side panels.

 

We also need to rattle Brad's chain so he has input into the theme and design of the artwork - after all it's his cabinet!

 

Contributions have been coming in but I'd still like to see a few more $$ to cover some finishing items such as powerboard, t-moulding (may get something blingy), cam lock etc.

 

We're now pretty right for hardware and really the only other item I need to arrange is speakers and I'm open for suggestions there as well. I'm thinking some 2.1 speakers with a wired or wireless remote with satellites small enough to fit in behind the marquee.

 

Is this cab going to be for vertical or horizontal games ?

Both please Dave!!!! Add as many games as you can that will make use of the classic 2 player Street Fighter type layout, which I suppose is pretty much everything. Brad's kids are reasonably young so you may need to create game categories or something to make it easy for them to find their faves......

 

It's been awesome so far, but keep the ideas and support coming peeps!

Cheers,

Chris

Happy to send some $$$ PM sent for info on how to donate :)...

If you want something a bit faster I have a 3ghz P4 and heatsink lying around. Was going to ebay it, but happy to give something back to the boards :) Only problem is I don't have an appropriate motherboard for it lying around :(

Pm sent sir

ive found a old 12 amp i had for mame projects also

 

will be added to the HD package

If you want something a bit faster I have a 3ghz P4 and heatsink lying around. Was going to ebay it, but happy to give something back to the boards :) Only problem is I don't have an appropriate motherboard for it lying around :(

 

Will fly with the 1.8 for the moment unless we can source a mobo