Whats Left ? Detailed Spending

Here is a checklist of what still remains on my MAME project.
Ive also included a checklist of what the project has cost to date.

DETAILED SPENDING

Marvel vs. Capcom = $75(fully working cabinet less one microswitch)
Cabinet delivery = $60IPAC = $66( $39 + $17 shipping + $10 fees)
Buttons = $12(twelve Japanese hori buttons @ $1 each)
Paint & Rollers = $20Labour = free

TOTAL = $233 * To date I've spent about 7 hours on the cabinet. I'm sure things could have been done faster, but inexperience plays a part. The machine has been fully gutted,cleaned,and mostly painted *

REMAINING WORK

Finish painting cabinet
Clean,prep & paint control panel
Install joysticks & buttons
Wire up controls & connect to IPAC
Test completed control panel in MAME
Install computer, light fixture, and speakers
Remove computer monitor bezel and paint
Cut new bezel for monitor
Install computer monitor
Install marquee

There could be more the eludes me right now, but that is for the most part what remains.

Progress

As par for the course time has been hard to come across as of late. The MAME project is well underway, however hit somewhat of a standstill. This weekend however I plan on spending some hours alone with the machine. (Does that sound nasty ?)
Painting might even be completed today, then next of the list is remove the adhesive from the control panel. Wiring up the controls is going to be a major project for me, and I think very time consuming. Its important to get the controls completely wired and test everything before moving it into the cabinet.
If things go really well, I'll be able to remove the bezel from my monitor and paint that also. As usual my progress and pictures will be posted.

Painting, Monitor, Wiring

The MAME project is coming along well, and I'm pleased with the results thus far.
The control panel has proven to be a real challenge, and the adhesive doesn't come off easily. However when time permits I plan on getting this cleaned and ready to go. For now the cabinet has been %100 gutted, the coin door and remaining wiring have been removed. Ive taped out the front and it is now ready for paint. The two sides are done, each received two coats of paint. I used a bathroom paint I had in the house that has a semi-gloss finish to it. Its a pale (baby blue) type color. The front will receive the same treatment at some point this week. Once all the painting has been completed ill move the cabinet into the house to begin wiring and set up.

I'm leaning towards using the side art from Donkey Kong Jr. Ive sent off the files to a friend who's father can print them for me. I'm waiting on the quote, then I can decide. If I don't use that art I will make my own custom art, but want that retro feel. All the files I will be using can be found on www.localarcade.com .

The monitor will be my greatest challenge. Ill need to disassemble my computer monitor (which will be used in the MAME cabinet). Its a 19" flat screen, and all be it id like 25" it will have to do. Sadly my video card doesn't support video out, and when I replaced it with a "better" card the results were poor. I'm going to cut the bezel out of poster board. Ill remove the bezel from my monitor, center it, trace it, then cut it out. Once in place ill need to hold the monitor secure, and install a shelf. I don't think this part will be easy.

Ill post the pictures of the painted cabinet shortly.

Prime & Paint

I have the cabinet about %90 gutted. All that remains are a few wires that I should get to on Friday. My IPAC came in today, and id like to begin wiring the controls on sat. (but I'm not sure if ill get the chance)Tomorrow I'm off to the Home Depot for some paint and accessories, I plan on completing the painting then. Id like to paint the sides of the cabinets with two coats. Ill need to tape off the front, then prime and paint that also. As mentioned I'm thinking about a second shade of blue, but might keep it simple and use what I have. It will come down to what it looks like painted with the tape removed.

More pics

Strip n' Stuff

So Ive come along way in the creation of my MAME cabinet as of late.
Ive removed the joysticks,buttons and entire control panel. I'm still in the process of cleaning the plexi and control panel. I purchased some a black vinyl sticker I plan on using under the plexi. I'm hoping it will hide a few imperfections. The adhesive on the control panel has proven to be a bitch! I'm yet to fuss with it more.
Ive removed the monitor and stored it safely in my basement for future use in other machines. Ive removed the coin door, marquee, and speakers from the cabinet. I'm still in the process of removing all the wiring, but I hope to complete that in the next day or so. Ive filled a few holes, but been rather impatient in fixing every minor scratch and dent. I havent decided if I will revisit this, or just see if the paint hides them. The cabinet has been taped and is ready for paint. There is still some wiring id like to remove before I begin that. Over and above that I'm very happy! My JPAC came in today, its at my parents. Ill pick that up and perhaps on the weekend begin testing the controls. That's it for now !

Thanks for reading!

The final four

I was having a little trouble with the buttons for player two. Four of them didn't want to leave home. I decided at that point to remove the control panel and work with it on the floor. I dint know that it was a major help, but I managed to get all the buttons off. I then removed the metal brackets on the side (they keep the control panel locked in place) I also separated the plexi from the control panel. Once all that was done I started to remove the overlay. This has proven to be a major pain, and will be another thing that requires major "sweat equity." I purchased some goo gone and left it on for about 10 minutes. But this glue just doesn't want to move. Sat I was involved in a car accident with my wife, we are both OK, but we are in pain. So for now the project will need to take a back seat. Ill search the web for ideas of removing the remaining glue.

Take me away!

"All the King's horses, And all the King's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again!"

that's sorta how I felt when I took a look inside my machine. I know I can pull this apart, but can I put it back together ? That part could be tough, so I decided I would map out everything. I labeled each micro switch with a number. I indicated the number placement on the underside of the control panel. I did the same with the joysticks and there respected micro swtiches. This way I know button one goes here and its red, green, blue, etc. All in all i feel confident I will be able to rebuild the machine.

What I started with

So my cabinet itself was everything I wanted. Two players, 6 buttons per side, plus your player 1 and 2 star buttons. I needed to remove everything so I could begin to restore the control panel. Once the control panel has been refinished Ill reassemble it and wire it to the IPAC.

The cabinet itself

Here is a picture of the cabinet itself. The idea here is to (depending on cost) get some custom side art done. The cabinet itself will be a blue similar in color to Donkey Kong. The front of the machine will feature a second shade of blue. The cabinet interior will be black,as will the t-moulding and coin door. I plan on doing the control panel (seen above) in flat black. I might do it two tone also, and the under half a nice blue. But that hasn't been decided as of yet.

Marquee

The first thing I did when I started work on the cabinet was remove the marquee. Nothing really special here, simply remove four screws and I was done.
I cleaned the plexi with goo gone, wiped the marquee with soapy water and thats about it. I did notice that the marquee for Marvel vs. Capcom was nothing more then a computer print out. The other marqee, X-Men vs. Street Fighter is nice. It has a small crack in it & fits a little small. I think for now I will indeed use it, but black out some areas with poster board to compinsate for the size difference.

Work On The Cabinet Begins

So with the IPAC on route from the UK I decided to start working on the MAME cabinet. Last night I removed the marquee which in actuality was nothing more then a computer print out on paper for Marvel vs. Capcom. It was taped over a X-Men vs. Street Fighter marquee that had a crack in it. I removed all the tape that was on the plexi, removed the adhesive with goo gone then cleaned the plexi. I had wanted to remove the control panel but was unable to do so. There seems to be two bunches of wires that run into the jamma board. I unplugged them, but found there were still additional wires connecting the control panel to the board. Forgive me if I don't have the correct terms, but I think some of the extra wires were for the extra buttons. I did unplug that, but found that MORE wires were running to a place I couldn't locate. My garage is full, so at this time I'm unable to move the cabinet around. If I were able to I could open the back door and see if perhaps this was a ground or something. I plan on taking another crack today as I really would love to remove the control panel. However I think ill just remove the buttons and joysticks then unbolt the panel. I noticed the cabinet doesn't have any keys, I'm so hoping I don't have to drill out the lock. Non MAME related I began that task of drilling out the lock on my Foosball table..........I broke 5 drill bits! I hope the back of this machine has nothing more then screws keeping the back door on.

IPAC is on the way

I figured that since I have some vacation time coming up in the next week it would be a good idea to order my IPAC now. I was trying to find one locally via www.cgcc.ca, but opted to just order one instead. I'm hoping it arrives prior to my vacation so i can begin to fiddle with it. At which point I will construct a test panel and work out all the kinks in MAME. As usual I will post my results here !

Cabinet Construction

As I noted in previous posts time has been hard to come by as of late. As much as I would like to do certain things, other things take priority. Such is the case with MAME. Its rare I get an hour or two to myself, let alone two hours to disappear upstairs to the computer. With that said I don't want to stall this project any further. So Ive decided I would move forward in the building and repair of my MAME cabinet. After taking a closer look I noticed the cabinet is in better shape then I thought. The sides will need some minor touch up with auto body filler, the t-moulding is fine. The buttons and joysticks are fine, with the exception of two that have cigarette burns on them. The control panel overlay will need to removed, and the panel itself cleaned and painted. Ive decided to go with a two tone blue paint job. Borrowing inspiration from a Donkey Kong machine, with a twist. Ill do the sides one shade of blue, the front another. Ill leave the bottom black, the coin door will also remain black. Ill remove the heavy duty locks, as the machine is now for home use. The t-moulding will also remain the same, as its in good shape. Ill do a custom marquee & simply paint the control panel.

With the exception of my ROM testing not being completed I'm pretty happy with MAME thus far. Ive got as far as the letter "S" in testing. I think I've got most of the options configured for optimal performance. One the cabinet itself is ready Id like to alter windows so it boots right into MAME. Id also like a way to hide the mouse cursor. I seen the option in MAME, but it didn't seem to work. Id love to just rip through my ROM testing, but I don't know when that will happen. I plan on ordering the IPAC in the next week or so. Reading some other blogs I noticed another hobbyist was building a cabinet. But prior to completing his project he built a test control panel, hooked it via the IPAC and fully tested MAME. I had never thought of that, but it makes so much sense. Mame sure everything works with the controls the way its meant to, then move it into the machine. Since my machine is wired for JAMMA I can simply disconnect the controls, follow the wires and connect them to the IPAC. I'm hoping its as easy as I made it sound! Once that's done I should be in a position to move all the components over to the cabinet.

That's it for now, I'm looking forward to making some serious progress on this. I really like the idea of having a MAME machine. The ability to play most of the games I loved as a kid the way they were meant to played is awesome! I'm also really excited about making this cabinet look as good as I can. Id really like to be done this project and end up with a showpiece. The best part is I really feel I can do it.
Of course Ill post pics and results here on the blog.

MAME steps

STEP 1 : Format The Computer

I started lastnight by formating my computer, simple right ? Well I was tired, wasnt really paying attention and created a partition. When all was said and done I wouldnt have the space for the games & music i'd want. So I had to do this twice, the second time was a charm ! apx 70 gigs of free space remain.

STEP 2 : Transfer Mame Software + Roms from Cpu to External

I had to take Mame and the roms from my newer,faster PC and but them onto my external HDD. From there I would be able to (1) store them (2) and transfter them to my older,dedicated Mame cpu. This step, despite taking some time went ok !

STEP 3 : Install MAME

This was a botch ! There really is nothing to the install of mame ! one click your done..I mean you have to configure it..but the install itself is easy. Once I did the install I moved over my roms.
Well being that it was apx 1am @ this time I installed Mame onto the extrnal HDD, and ended up moving the ROMS from one location on the external to another ! this was a b**ch!
I just ended up dumping that entire folder, installing Mame on the correct drive on my PC. I will begin to move the roms on thursday. (as I have some much earned free time)

STEP 4 : Transfer the ROMS

Not much to say here, haven't had much time to do anything. I did manage to get into the office (where my computer is) and move the Roms into the correct folder. Next step will be to move the remaining parts of Mame, be it cabinet pics, marquess, etc.

STEP 5 : Transfer Remaining Data

There are a few elements to MAME, be it artwork,flyer's,marquees,cabinet pics,etc.
Once I moved over the ROMS I placed the remaining data in the required folders.

STEP 6 : The Custom ROM Set

MAME has so much to offer, all the games from your childhood available with the push of a button or click of a mouse. Its great to bring these classics as you remember them right into your home office, family room, basement, or wherever you choose to enjoy them. My objective is to build a full size arcade style cabinet to give me that feel I'm looking for. With that said, 6000 + games to pic from can be rather daunting, or even take sometime just to find the ones I want.
I have decided to customize my "favorites" and select only games I know I like & enjoy. When my MAME loads up I will be able to select from this list of personal favorites, however the other games are still available.

** I've now gone through MAME and using Google & KLOV I've completed my customized ROM set. In the weeks to come I am going to begin testing the games for performance issues **

STEP 7 : Locate the CHD's

Some games required additional storage in there original state, games like Killer Instinct reallied on an internal hard drive. MAME is still able to play these games, however you need a CHD. For a few games on my list I will require CHD's. I'm now on the quest to locate them.

** I've mannaged to locate the CHD's for another build of MAME. I don't know that they will work on my build, but since I cant find them CHD's for v.124 I thought I would give this a try. That's the final step to my custom ROM set **

With the soon to be MAME cabinet now in my garage I have the motivation to finish this project. I expect big things from myself, and really feel I will have a pristine machine when all is said and done. The goal is to have a classic themed machine painted in two tones of blue. The accents will be flat black, and the side art is yet to be determined. I'm still on "step 8" of the MAME process.

STEP 8 : Testing The ROMs

As noted prior I have selected all my "favorites" from my ROM set. I'm now in the process of testing each game & noting any flaws, etc. Ive made it as far as "S" on my list. So far I'm pleased with the results and looking forward to playing the machine when its completed. All my results will be recorded and imputed using Microsoft Excel. The idea being that I can print this out and store it near the machine. If you want to play a certain game of my favorites you can look on the list to find my notes. If the game has some flicker in the screen or audio problems you will see it listed.

STEP 9 : Load The CHDs

Ive downloaded the CHDs needed for a few games in my favorites. While doing the testing I noticed a few other titles on my list show a warning "One of the CHDs or ROMs are missing." Once I've completed testing ill go back, get the missing CHDs and install them.

** Ive noticed the some MIDWAY titles, namely the Mortal Kombat franchise & NBA Jam don't play well. The animation is very very choppy. It could be my computer, but technically my P4 should run MAME well. I'm hoping that via some other emulator I can faithfully reporduce these games. I know these titles were released on the N64. However Im yet to try a N64 emulator and these titles. The Killer Instinct franchise sticks out to me as something id really like on my MAME. I do know the both KI1 & KI2 require CHDs. I have them downloaded,but am yet to install them. I'm hoping that when I do they will play flawlessly. Over and above that, there are very few games that I want that need CHDs. Off the top of my head I think the only other one is NFL Blitz. **

Step 8 & 9

With the soon to be MAME cabinet now in my garage I have the motivation to finish this project. I expect big things from myself, and really feel I will have a pristine machine when all is said and done. The goal is to have a classic themed machine painted in two tones of blue. The accents will be flat black, and the side art is yet to be determined. I'm still on "step 8" of the MAME process.

Step 8 : Testing The ROMs

As noted prior I have selected all my "favorites" from my ROM set. I'm now in the process of testing each game & noting any flaws, etc. Ive made it as far as "S" on my list. So far I'm pleased with the results and looking forward to playing the machine when its completed. All my results will be recorded and imputed using Microsoft Excel. The idea being that I can print this out and store it near the machine. If you want to play a certain game of my favorites you can look on the list to find my notes. If the game has some flicker in the screen or audio problems you will see it listed.

Step 9 : Load The CHDs

Ive downloaded the CHDs needed for a few games in my favorites. While doing the testing I noticed a few other titles on my list show a warning "One of the CHDs or ROMs are missing." Once I've completed testing ill go back, get the missing CHDs and install them.

** Ive noticed the some MIDWAY titles, namely the Mortal Kombat franchise & NBA Jam don't play well. The animation is very very choppy. It could be my computer, but technically my P4 should run MAME well. I'm hoping that via some other emulator I can faithfully reporduce these games. I know these titles were released on the N64. However Im yet to try a N64 emulator and these titles. The Killer Instinct franchise sticks out to me as something id really like on my MAME. I do know the both KI1 & KI2 require CHDs. I have them downloaded,but am yet to install them. I'm hoping that when I do they will play flawlessly. Over and above that, there are very few games that I want that need CHDs. Off the top of my head I think the only other one is NFL Blitz. **

Cabinet Ideas & Testing Results

With the summer upon us time becomes harder to come by. With so much to be done outside and around the house fun things like restoring an arcade cabinet take a back seat. Now that isn't the intention per say, but its a reality of life. As is I have not resumed my MAME testing. I'm still at the "S" part of my list. I feel comfortable with the settings and adjustments I've made. Id like to make some alterations to windows (to hide the windows endowment) but that really wont be an issue until the computer gets moved to inside the cabinet. As I noted I was able to pick up a "Marvel vs. Capcom" from the auction. Its a nice Dynamo cabinet, that I dont think will require much work. I'm leaning toward cosmetically altering the cabinet to resemble a vintage Donkey Kong cabinet. I love the blue color and the white t-moulding, however I dont think ill replace the t-moulding. I'm hoping to find the time this weekend to conclude testing the Roms, and perhaps start tearing apart the cabinet.

Auction Results

I was able to pick up a working Marvel vs. Capcom from the auction. Its in OK shape, it will need work but that was expected. I paid $25 more then I thought, but in reality it has a working monitor. (something I didn't think Id get) So ill gut this machine and use it for my MAME. Ill save the monitor as my two existing machines have the same size monitor. The board I will sell via Kijiji or Ebay. All in all I cant complain.

was a good auction !