exnihilo

*Edit* Links to work-posts and picture-posts at the bottom of this post.

You guessed it, my project, a stand-up arcade machine. Old school style like MK, Streetfighter, Galaga, so on and so forth.

Building the cabinet from scratch.

Parts for the PC (a little over powered, but hey):

Asus P5N-E Sli 650i
Intel e4300 (had it up to 3.0 Ghz before)
2x1 GiB HyperX 6400
WD 250 GiB AAJS
Ati 4670
Antec Earthwatts 430w
Wireless network card, etc...

Monitor will be a Viewsonic 19" 1920x1440 (I'll keep the res down a bit though; 1280x1024)

Joystick(s) will be purchased as a whole, assembled piece.

Well, I'm posting this here, now, but the project will not commence until I get all the pieces together and a plan of action going.

Maybe I can get it into the MOTM, that would be pretty cool.

This thing will be more then just an arcade. Music, streaming media, possible (extra) NAS, etc...

I will defiantly keep this thread updated as things roll in.

Any ideas, recommendations, experiences.

Thanks for looking!

cg

01- First Sketchup drawings.
02 - Second Sketchup drawings.
03 - Desktop/frontend solution.
04 - Pics - Parts.
05 - Pics - Wood.
06 - Wood - Side panels cut.
07 - Pics - Test fit CP/Coin door lighting.
08 - Sideart idea #1.
09 - Sideart idea #2.
10 - Pics! Bezel, etc...
11 - Pics! Almost ready for finishing.
12 - Power! One switch + many components.
13 - Couple of pics, almost ready for sanding and marquee pieces.
14 - Pics. Parts primed and ready for more.

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Build Log: MAME, Kill, Destroy
Tarantulas(the bugs, not the computer accessories.)
Kansas Overclocker
Pumpin' it till it Hertz!

Nhb93

Sounds like a lot of fun. That's got to be a few thousand cheaper than the premade arcade cabinets they sell in some catalogs. I might have to do something like that with my old PC. Pics are obviously a must. Good luck and have fun with it.

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We Are Gr33n Machine

Puscifer

I love the idea and would love to see it when it comes together. I've actually had a plan in my head to do something very similar once I got the time and money together. I wasn't planning on making it into an actual gaming machine though, I just want to build the box with a TV in it and more or less just use it as a cabinet for my TV, HTPC and whatever consoles I have at the time I build it. I was going more for looks than the actual functionality of an arcade machine, though I figured an HTPC would still be plenty capable of running some emulators. If you get this going I will definitely vote for ya for MOTM, I can't wait to see it.

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hyponerve

i love mame, good luck man

you have to name your project also.lol

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★★★★ "Nothing lasts forever-not even stars"☆☆☆☆

exnihilo

Thanks, and thanks again guys! Yeah, pics, definitely. I'll also post things like the marque graphics and such. Luckily, I have access to back-lit stock and an HP5500 .

My pops is a gamer from wayyyy back. His favorite, Galaga, so when I ran this idea by him he was all gung-ho about it. (He's the one with the tools, lol)

I wanted to do MDF, but plywood will really help keep the costs down, and it done right, no one will be able to tell.

If anyone subscribes, please remember, this will be slow to start. However, once it gets going, it's on. I have some $$ right now, and the weather will soon turn to crap, so I'm imposing a deadline on myself of about late October. Between work, school and life, this is will be fit somewhere in between.

My father and I only have one common day off together and we work vastly different shifts.

Man, just talking about makes me excited for it!

I may even snag a coin door off of ebay, lol. They go for about $10, and since it'll be just for looks, it's pretty much a shoe-in.

Does anyone know where I can get T-molding from? About 3/4"?

cg

__________________
Build Log: MAME, Kill, Destroy
Tarantulas(the bugs, not the computer accessories.)
Kansas Overclocker
Pumpin' it till it Hertz!

exnihilo

Thanks!

I did name it. It's MAME, Kill, Destroy .

cg

__________________
Build Log: MAME, Kill, Destroy
Tarantulas(the bugs, not the computer accessories.)
Kansas Overclocker
Pumpin' it till it Hertz!

hyponerve

lol at me

hey man it's nice that you and your dad can do stuff like that

good luck

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★★★★ "Nothing lasts forever-not even stars"☆☆☆☆

HAFenvy

Check out this site... you might get some ideas from it for a PC based arcade console build

http://arcadecontrols.com/arcade.htm

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sublimejhn

Nice, I have wanted to do this for a long time but I don't have an abundance of wood/tools and even if I did I don't think I would trust myself trying to build a halfway decent cabinet. You are making me want to try it again though :/

Just a question, why did you not go with the model with the track ball?? Golden tee is a favorite in a lot of bars, seems like if you are going to have an arcade in your home you would want that option!!

http://www.xgaming.com/tankstick-arcade-game.shtml

citat3962

My dad and I built a 4 Cubic foot internal volume Subwoofer box with MDF and an internal amp. It was a fun project to get out all the wood working tools we never use and build something.. even if it's just a box with routed edges and an internal structure.

When I get into a house I really want to build something like this. The Idea floating in my head is to build it like one of those Ms. PacMan Bar table games though...

Subbed to this one. GL on your project!