MAME Over

Constructacon · 7th July 2007, 6:36 PM

As I've had to put The New Black on hold for a while I've decided to kick along another of my projects - a full size MAME arcade cabinet.

About 2 years ago I decided to look into the whole MAME thing as I loved the arcade as a kid growing up in the 80's and early 90's. MAME can work off just your keyboard but I found that it lacked in feeling.

Enter the MK 1 design. I bought a basic set of buttons and joysticks off ebay and created this desktop version as a rough draft. It sat on top of an ironing board in front of the computer to allow you to play.

Control of the buttons was through a keyboard hack. This involves disassembling a keyboard and drawing up the matrix table for every key press. Every key on the keyboard connects 2 contacts on a film sandwich that run to a small circuit board. It was then just a matter of wiring 1 side of each button up to the corresponding terminals on the circuit board. The use of terminal blocks (in the centre of the picture) make this easier. That way you only have to solder 1 wire to each terminal rather than about 5 or 6. While crude, this desktop solution is a cheap way to get into the MAME scene for those interested and MUCH more fun than just playing with a keyboard.

EDIT: Below are links which will jump you forward to each update (and associated comments)
07/07/2007
23/09/2007
11/10/2007
21/10/2007
02/01/2008
25/04/2008

Constructacon · 7th July 2007, 6:37 PM

While the desktop unit is fine for a bit of fun, I've decided to step up to the next phase. MK2 has begun! Because I'm well over 6ft tall I wanted to make this cabinet proportional to me for comfort. This plan is the largest I could make it so it would still fit through the internal doors in the house.

I started with 2x sheets of 2400x1200 18mm MDF from my local hardware mega-store. I had them first cut 500mm off the top, then rip the remaining sheets down the middle. They even kindly forgot to charge me for the cuts. The sheets now fit in the back of our hatchback and are the perfect size to work on.

The first cuts were for where next to the display. If you look closely you can see where the tv will sit.

The control panel supports were then mounted to the front edge. By doing it this way I saved heaps of wastage and get more use out of the sheets. While I dropped out of my engineering degree, by just eyeballing it I don't think these will come off.

I then filled the outside of the join with wood putty. This will be sanded back smooth later once it's dry and painted.

After the first side is cut, the second side is cut roughly into shape and then clamped to the top of it. When trying to hold large objects together ratchet straps come in real handy.

I then used a flush trim bit on my router to trace around the bottom template.

It turns this.....

...into this.

A new bit for my router - a slot cutter for the T-moulding around the edges.

I routed a groove almost completely around the edge of each side plate.

I screwed on battons 18mm from the edge to allow flush mounting of external pannels. At this point I decided to test assemble to ensure that the 68cm TV will fit inside.

Stay tuned for the next update.

Constructacon · 7th July 2007, 6:37 PM

Small update time. Unfortunately Real Life(TM) has been interfering recently so not a great deal has moved forward on the cabinet. However, I'm happy with what small gains I've made.

I've enclosed the front bottom of the control deck. This was more difficult than anticipated due to the small surfaces.

This was fixed with 2 metal brackets in the corner. I then ground off the screws protruding through. All screw holes and the small gap at the end of the face will be wood puttied later and sanded smooth. I've tried to make this section as bulletproof as possible at this is what will be taking the most force on the cabinet.

I've also put the back half of the top of the cabinet on. In the center I've cut a hole and routed a lip on the inner edge to match up to a 150mm fan. I'm thinking of forgoing the fan and just letting the hot air vent itself with a grill covering the hole.

Apart from my recent birthday presents, the mailman (and courier) brought me some new toys for the cabinet :clap:

One Ipac controller. This is so much easier than using the keyboard hack. As you can see each side has all it's inputs for a joystick, 8 buttons, a start button and coin button. While I can have 8 buttons per player, I'll on be using 6.

2 illuminated credit buttons. Ah... I remember when games were 20c each. Those were the days. The flash makes them look really washed out. They're really a much deeper red.

I've decided to go with a purple and blue theme similar to the MAME logo. The blue buttons are actually a dark blue (I couldn't get it to photograph right). I'm not sure if I'm happy with the colour. I may end up buying lighter blue buttons and finding another use for these. In the same parcel came 14m of black T-moulding.

I've also decided to go with the name MAME Over for the project. I've also been putting together a custom marquee for the lightbox in Photoshop - but more on that in a later post.

As always, comments, praises or criticisms are welcomed. Bye for now.

Butcher9_9 · 7th July 2007, 7:38 PM

looks good

hope you have a nice large space to put it in

Suki · 7th July 2007, 9:22 PM

Very, very cool my friend.
Yeah, I remember two bob in the slot, too.
Hope you get the light box and external paint just so. It deserves it.

ojk007 · 7th July 2007, 10:08 PM

loving this mod, oh and props on a username.

Real Life™ is a total bitch, i have a program... Hermit® that seems to slow it down, but nothing works quite as well as CyanideSE to get rid of it... havent tried it but apprently theres some nasty side effects..

alvarez · 9th July 2007, 2:53 PM

Mind if I ask how much all this set you back?
I too am A huge fan of the arcade Ive been wanting to make up one of these myself for a while.

Good job on making up the plan youself got any technical drawings you want to share.

Cant wait to see how this comes together. Youre doing a good job but the correct tools always help.

Im realy interested in this. But Ill let you finnish it rather than ask what youre going to do next.

s4mmy · 9th July 2007, 3:49 PM

Looks awesome!

ps. love the "A night at the roxbury" poster.... one of my favourite movies!

dexster · 9th July 2007, 10:13 PM

nice work

my 2 cents worth, i noticed u 'only' had 5 buttons for player 1 and 2 , on the mk1 design

if u want i would add another button on the top row of buttons on each players side, simply for sf2 action

u choose if u want to round it down or not

edit: btw... do u have any 'plans' for this, or dimensions etc i would be able to get my hands on???
i play all of my mame games through my snes controller using a smart adapter , it works well but it is only time b4 i set up a cabinet

elvis · 11th July 2007, 11:49 AM

Good to see another MAMEr in action.

Some reference sites for you:

1) My own first cabinet build log:
http://benchmark.mameworld.net/cab1/

There have been other cabinets since, but the build logs aren't done yet.

2) Aussie Arcade:
http://www.aussiearcade.com.au

Australia's best resource for arcade collectors and cabinet builders.

Keep up the good work. It's looking great so far.

Turorit · 11th July 2007, 10:53 PM

Wikkits, I liek it!
Keep us posted mate!

I was born in 1991, so I don't remember any of these MAME arcade things. There was some street fighter thing at the fish and chip shop, but I don't think I ever played it, I was only 4 at the time.

elvis · 12th July 2007, 7:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turorit

I was born in 1991, so I don't remember any of these MAME arcade things. There was some street fighter thing at the fish and chip shop, but I don't think I ever played it, I was only 4 at the time.

Hot damn I'm getting old...

GooSE · 14th July 2007, 2:06 AM

The I-PACs are great, aren't they?

Like you, I've been using a hacked up keyboard for a while, but ghosting/masking gave me the shits. Instead of buying an I-PAC I've taken it upon myself to design and build my own version using a USB-capable PIC microcontroller. I'll make the circuit and software freely available. I just need to decide whether to emulate a USB keyboard or a USB joystick (digital x/y axis).

alvarez · 25th July 2007, 10:17 PM

No updates on this project yet, I hope its still running.

Im very interested in your project as well goose, If i may suggest perhaps you emulate a keyboard. Im sure digital X,Y axis would feel out of place in a retro arcade.

flain · 31st July 2007, 3:20 AM

Have you considered using a real arcade monitor in it? More expensive but you can get them new or second hand

heres a place that sells the monitors:
http://www.zax.com.au/wellsgardner.html

and the card to drive it here:
http://www.ultimarc.com/avgainf.html

7th July 2007, 6:36 PM	#1
Constructacon Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Brisbane, QLD Posts: 209	MAME Over - Updated 21/10/07 As I've had to put The New Black on hold for a while I've decided to kick along another of my projects - a full size MAME arcade cabinet. About 2 years ago I decided to look into the whole MAME thing as I loved the arcade as a kid growing up in the 80's and early 90's. MAME can work off just your keyboard but I found that it lacked in feeling. Enter the MK 1 design. I bought a basic set of buttons and joysticks off ebay and created this desktop version as a rough draft. It sat on top of an ironing board in front of the computer to allow you to play. Control of the buttons was through a keyboard hack. This involves disassembling a keyboard and drawing up the matrix table for every key press. Every key on the keyboard connects 2 contacts on a film sandwich that run to a small circuit board. It was then just a matter of wiring 1 side of each button up to the corresponding terminals on the circuit board. The use of terminal blocks (in the centre of the picture) make this easier. That way you only have to solder 1 wire to each terminal rather than about 5 or 6. While crude, this desktop solution is a cheap way to get into the MAME scene for those interested and MUCH more fun than just playing with a keyboard. EDIT: Below are links which will jump you forward to each update (and associated comments) 07/07/2007 23/09/2007 11/10/2007 21/10/2007 02/01/2008 25/04/2008 __________________ MAME Over - Custom built arcade cabinet This season's mod - The New Black Previous work - Got Milk? Last edited by Constructacon; 25th April 2008 at 1:42 PM.

7th July 2007, 6:37 PM	#2
Constructacon Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Brisbane, QLD Posts: 209	While the desktop unit is fine for a bit of fun, I've decided to step up to the next phase. MK2 has begun! Because I'm well over 6ft tall I wanted to make this cabinet proportional to me for comfort. This plan is the largest I could make it so it would still fit through the internal doors in the house. I started with 2x sheets of 2400x1200 18mm MDF from my local hardware mega-store. I had them first cut 500mm off the top, then rip the remaining sheets down the middle. They even kindly forgot to charge me for the cuts. The sheets now fit in the back of our hatchback and are the perfect size to work on. The first cuts were for where next to the display. If you look closely you can see where the tv will sit. The control panel supports were then mounted to the front edge. By doing it this way I saved heaps of wastage and get more use out of the sheets. While I dropped out of my engineering degree, by just eyeballing it I don't think these will come off. I then filled the outside of the join with wood putty. This will be sanded back smooth later once it's dry and painted. After the first side is cut, the second side is cut roughly into shape and then clamped to the top of it. When trying to hold large objects together ratchet straps come in real handy. I then used a flush trim bit on my router to trace around the bottom template. It turns this..... ...into this. A new bit for my router - a slot cutter for the T-moulding around the edges. I routed a groove almost completely around the edge of each side plate. I screwed on battons 18mm from the edge to allow flush mounting of external pannels. At this point I decided to test assemble to ensure that the 68cm TV will fit inside. Stay tuned for the next update. __________________ MAME Over - Custom built arcade cabinet This season's mod - The New Black Previous work - Got Milk?

7th July 2007, 6:37 PM	#3
Constructacon Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Brisbane, QLD Posts: 209	Small update time. Unfortunately Real Life(TM) has been interfering recently so not a great deal has moved forward on the cabinet. However, I'm happy with what small gains I've made. I've enclosed the front bottom of the control deck. This was more difficult than anticipated due to the small surfaces. This was fixed with 2 metal brackets in the corner. I then ground off the screws protruding through. All screw holes and the small gap at the end of the face will be wood puttied later and sanded smooth. I've tried to make this section as bulletproof as possible at this is what will be taking the most force on the cabinet. I've also put the back half of the top of the cabinet on. In the center I've cut a hole and routed a lip on the inner edge to match up to a 150mm fan. I'm thinking of forgoing the fan and just letting the hot air vent itself with a grill covering the hole. Apart from my recent birthday presents, the mailman (and courier) brought me some new toys for the cabinet :clap: One Ipac controller. This is so much easier than using the keyboard hack. As you can see each side has all it's inputs for a joystick, 8 buttons, a start button and coin button. While I can have 8 buttons per player, I'll on be using 6. 2 illuminated credit buttons. Ah... I remember when games were 20c each. Those were the days. The flash makes them look really washed out. They're really a much deeper red. I've decided to go with a purple and blue theme similar to the MAME logo. The blue buttons are actually a dark blue (I couldn't get it to photograph right). I'm not sure if I'm happy with the colour. I may end up buying lighter blue buttons and finding another use for these. In the same parcel came 14m of black T-moulding. I've also decided to go with the name MAME Over for the project. I've also been putting together a custom marquee for the lightbox in Photoshop - but more on that in a later post. As always, comments, praises or criticisms are welcomed. Bye for now. __________________ MAME Over - Custom built arcade cabinet This season's mod - The New Black Previous work - Got Milk?

7th July 2007, 7:38 PM	#4
Butcher9_9 Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Perth , East Vic Park Posts: 1,676	looks good hope you have a nice large space to put it in __________________ I7 3820 ,X79 UD3, 4X8GB@1600mhz, GTX680, 3X Dell 3008wfp 30" LCD/ Spyder3Express , Adaptec 51645, 256gb Vertex 4 , 61.56TB Internal, 750GB External & 40TB Backup Sever, Z2300, G19 and M950 Acer 1430 11" notebook with 4GB DDR3 and 500GB HDD Sales $3200+, Purchases $500+

7th July 2007, 10:08 PM	#6
ojk007 Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Melbourne! Posts: 1,275	loving this mod, oh and props on a username. Real Life™ is a total bitch, i have a program... Hermit® that seems to slow it down, but nothing works quite as well as CyanideSE to get rid of it... havent tried it but apprently theres some nasty side effects.. __________________ @ojkelly

7th July 2007, 9:22 PM	#5
Suki Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 619	Very, very cool my friend. Yeah, I remember two bob in the slot, too. Hope you get the light box and external paint just so. It deserves it.

9th July 2007, 2:53 PM	#7
alvarez Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Geelong 3218 Posts: 2,565	Mind if I ask how much all this set you back? I too am A huge fan of the arcade Ive been wanting to make up one of these myself for a while. Good job on making up the plan youself got any technical drawings you want to share. Cant wait to see how this comes together. Youre doing a good job but the correct tools always help. Im realy interested in this. But Ill let you finnish it rather than ask what youre going to do next.

9th July 2007, 3:49 PM	#8
s4mmy Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Melbourne Posts: 1,724	Looks awesome! ps. love the "A night at the roxbury" poster.... one of my favourite movies! __________________ “I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.” ― Bill Gates “Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.” ― Bill Gates

11th July 2007, 11:49 AM	#10
elvis Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Brisbane Posts: 19,872	Good to see another MAMEr in action. Some reference sites for you: 1) My own first cabinet build log: http://benchmark.mameworld.net/cab1/ There have been other cabinets since, but the build logs aren't done yet. 2) Aussie Arcade: http://www.aussiearcade.com.au Australia's best resource for arcade collectors and cabinet builders. Keep up the good work. It's looking great so far. __________________ Child's Play Charity

11th July 2007, 10:53 PM	#11
Turorit Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Adelaide, South Aust. Posts: 188	Wikkits, I liek it! Keep us posted mate! I was born in 1991, so I don't remember any of these MAME arcade things. There was some street fighter thing at the fish and chip shop, but I don't think I ever played it, I was only 4 at the time.

14th July 2007, 2:06 AM	#13
GooSE Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Sydney Posts: 6,397	The I-PACs are great, aren't they? Like you, I've been using a hacked up keyboard for a while, but ghosting/masking gave me the shits. Instead of buying an I-PAC I've taken it upon myself to design and build my own version using a USB-capable PIC microcontroller. I'll make the circuit and software freely available. I just need to decide whether to emulate a USB keyboard or a USB joystick (digital x/y axis).

25th July 2007, 10:17 PM	#14
alvarez Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Geelong 3218 Posts: 2,565	No updates on this project yet, I hope its still running. Im very interested in your project as well goose, If i may suggest perhaps you emulate a keyboard. Im sure digital X,Y axis would feel out of place in a retro arcade.

31st July 2007, 3:20 AM	#15
flain Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 1,788	Have you considered using a real arcade monitor in it? More expensive but you can get them new or second hand heres a place that sells the monitors: http://www.zax.com.au/wellsgardner.html and the card to drive it here: http://www.ultimarc.com/avgainf.html