Well I Tried......

The last three or so days I've had some killer headaches. I think a full work day on the computer followed by more time on the computer has taken it's toll. No doubt the fact that I have stopped wearing my glasses at work in connection with the new light bulbs have all contributed to this problem. Anyway I promised myself that I would not start another project until my MAME project has been completed. Something I thought should be an easy task as all that is left is the installation of the monitor. Now I will need help lifting the monitor into place, and I will need help to figure out the angle....but once that has been done is really a quick project. I thought to make this project run smoother I would complete the shelf build in advance. So last night I went out and bought some screws. I went down stairs with my splitting headache and began to work. Long story short I split the 2x4 supports, stripped the screws, and cracked the particleboard shelf. Sooooooooo now I need more 2x4 supports, a new shelf, and new screws. I'm glad I didn't paint the bezel as I had planned.

I guess the one blessing is that the shelf I had wasn't the correct size. It was in fact smaller then I had needed which resulted in my screwing two 2x4 supports together. Now I will get a shelf that is the correct size and use one 2x4 support per side. I'll post the pics I've taken tonight, and I hope to resume this project on the weekend.

I Really Can't Stall This Much Longer

No big secret to anyone that has ever read this but my MAME project has stalled.
Looking at the dates between posts I'm honestly kind of floored by it.
Video games truly aren't one of my deepest passions, all be it I do enjoy them.
The idea of the MAME cabinet was really born out of a childhood dream. None the less to come so far and stall really is ashame.

I've updated my spending to reflect the most recent parts I purchased.
I have partially removed one of cases for my Sony monitors and began to assemble the shelf it will sit on. I've purchased bolts to mount the shelf inside the cabinet. Once completed i'll need the help of a friend, but once lifted inside the MAME project is complete.

I will post some pictures tonight. I've made a promise to myself that I will not start any other project until this project is complete.

Spending Update

DETAILED INFO :

Marvel vs. Capcom = $75
Cabinet Delivery = $60
IPAC = $66
Buttons = $18 (purchased an extra 6 buttons)
Paint & Rollers = $20
Varsol = $5
Spray Paint = $10
Light fixture = $15
Wire = $12
S-Video card = $0 free
Sony PVM 2530 25" monitor = $60
Bolts for Monitor = $9

total spent " $350

Update to Spending

Not much to report, I'm still stuck with a 110lb monitor I can't lift into place.
Not really much as happened other then this MASSIVE stall.
However there were a few small things.

Thanks to the guys over at CGCC again I was able to get video cards with S-Video out for free. They are used to send the signal from my computer to the SONY PVM 2530'S picked up. I have purchased three Sony PVM monitors, delivered they cost me $175.
So that's about $60 each !

How To Install The Monitor

Had the brother in law over on Sunday. He can build just about anything this guy and is super handy..........in fact, he's everything I'm not when it comes to tools.
I was stumped on how to go about installing the monitor. I didn't know how I would get the angle correct, I measured it 100 ways, but nothing made sense to me. The monitor isn't light, its 100lbs! As per my brother in law the best thing to do would be have two guys lift it into place. Simply eyeball it to see which angle looks best, then draw two lines directly under the monitor. From there we would just rip down some wood to use as supports. Build the shelf, install monitor, make sure it doesn't fall out and MAME is done.

My 2nd, 2009 is my wedding. Its been the one thing that has consumed me for the last several weeks. Once the wedding is over and life goes back to normal I will %100 complete this project. It's been along while now,but I'm very happy.
I look forward to perhaps getting some new goodies at the next auction.

Monitor Issues

When I had my three Sony PVM monitors delivered I was so excited. Right away I had gone downstairs with my PC under my arm and completed control panel in the other hand. I cleared a spot on the floor and began putting everything together. As said all over the net it's best to make sure everything works together prior to doing the install. These new 25" monitors would be a huge step up from the 19" CRT I was going to use. Not only is bigger better, but it would be identical in size to the monitor removed from the cabinet. So I cleared a spot on the basement floor, hooked up the PC and some speakers to back of the monitor. Next step was making sure my new video card was installed correctly, and hooking up my control panel to the IPAC.

With all said and done I fired everything up, there were a few configuration issues. The video card had two display options, 800 x 600 (I think) and something else. I had to fiddle with this to make sure the entire screen was filled. The text on screen was also very difficult to read. These Sony monitors were/are? considered good monitors, they are meant for professional studio use. However with age and changes in technology they pale in comparison to today's monitors. Perhaps a combination of things, I'm unsure, but the picture needed work.

I had to make a couple of changes to get things the way I liked.
The resolution of the video card had to be adjusted.
To make the text readable I had to adjust the font size in MAME.
The same was required for Windows, much of the text on screen was not readable.
When these few steps were taking I could clearly see what game is was selecting, and able to read easily my on screen options. Now came time to adjust the monitor itself. It had a very "green" look to it. The Sony PVM monitors have a "reset" button on the front control panel. There is also an option for GREEN or PURPLE, DARKNESS, and I believe HUE. Each option has a + and - button used to get the desired effect. Sadly all the options on the left of my monitor don't work! The RESET doest do anything, and any adjustment that requires you to press "+" doesn't work.

Sadly this monitor (1 of 3) has been of no use to myself. I have it up for sale on the local Kijiji for $75. (What I paid) I'm in the process of trying to de-case the monitor. The guys over at the Build Your Own Arcade forums have provided some great advice. I might be able to swap out the defective part with a part from another working monitor. Make the required adjustments and then swap the part back into place. Once I have the desired look the monitor would remain stationary in the arcade cabinet, so constant adjustments would not be required. Its a great idea, perhaps a little out of my range...but as is the monitor is money wasted. So why not try to learn something and try to salvage it ?

When I discovered the one monitor wasn't working as I had hoped I went outside to the garage and began the "not so pleasant" task of hauling the remaining two 110lb monitors into the basement. Sadly by having the monitors delivered (saving me about a 2 or 3 hour round trip) I had purchased them sight unseen.....UNTESTED! I wanted to make %100 sure that this problem was exclusive to only the one monitor....It was!
I'm happy to say the other two monitors work flawlessly, they can be read clearly and easily. MAME looks great on them, the size is perfect and the colors vivid. I am very happy with the overall results.

I've decided to hang onto my 19" CRT in the event that I MAME a cocktail cabinet in the near future. The other two Sony PVM's will also remain with me. I figure worst case I will keep the broken one to source parts from, the other can be used for future projects or made available to my brother & friend whomever does a MAME project first.

New Monitor In The House .....

So more of the same for myself. The wedding takes up just about all the free time I have. Its not often I even get time to watch a movie, let alone get downstairs to spend hours of something that the wife hates. Funny how life works out like that!
My dad had/has an older 25" RCA TV that he is going to part with,however when he decides to do this is the big question. Oddly he finds it totally fine to have his 50" Toshiba projection TV sit in the dining room! ( I don't get it! )

Anyway I was able to pick up three SONY PVM-2530 monitors for a great price. Not to mention they were delivered right to my door for an extra $25. That was great as it would have taken me about an 1.5 hours each way to get them, and would have cost me more then $25 in gas! (SWEET)

These monitors are HEAVY! I think they are about 116lbs each. They have an S-Video input on the back which is great. I can wire them directly from the PC video card right into the S-Video. And thanks to "altcharacter" over at CGCC I'll be picking one up today.

On Friday with a friend of mine I did make sure the monitor will fit into the Dynamo cabinet. It will be tight, but it will fit. I had to remove the trim that holds the bezel in place,but I will reinstall it when the monitor is in place. However I do think the placement of the monitor will be difficult. I say that more based on the overall weight of the item. I don't care if I have to cut a new bezel, in fact the bezel that came off the cabinet sucks anyway. I just think moving around this 116lb monitor in a tight area will pose some unique challenges. None the less this (along with installation of the new video card) is all that remains for the MAME project to be completed.

I must say that is an exciting thing, I was surprised in some ways I was able to pull it off. It was daunting at first, but I think I learned allot. I even think had I made this a priority it could have been done way sooner. Nothing was really that hard. I think 2 months of solid weekend work could have done the job. But whatever it took I'm excited. In June after the wedding I will finish the basement which has been a dream since I got the house. I'm excited for the auction next week (March 28th). I had wanted to pick up a Showcase cabinet, but I think space wise it simply isn't a wise choice. But now having these two other Sony monitors a few more cabinets couldn't hurt! (I'm sure the wife will see it otherwise) Id also like to a cocktail cabinet, I have my 19" PC monitor that I could use in that. I've picked up another IPAC so I have to do at least one more project !