December

DECEMBER ! That is the goal that I have set for myself. My MAME project will be done & playable for the month of December. Its been in the basement collection dust for about 45 days now. I cant say I'm happy about it,but that is the reality. I think part of the problem is that Ive let little things slow me down. Thanks to B1 I got the required cherry switches that I needed. But with that came the issue that I was lacking quick connects, it was suggested that from a repair stand point they would be ideal. The Source (Radio Shack) sells them,but they are slightly costly. Plus they come in mixed packaging, %50 of the contents I have no use for. Now I just figure I will attach the wire as I planned and for safety reasons use some
electrical tape to cover the connections. What good is this project if I'm not using it ? I guess sometimes despite our best efforts we are creatures of habit. And be it time with the wife,the dog,family,friends,etc etc there isn't always time for projects. I'm sure most of the guys over @ CGCC find that to be the case ! For me the "better haplh" doesn't always feel its the best use of my time. Then there are the nights where I'm tired,etc. The point being.....sometimes despite our best efforts things don't always pan out the way we plan them.

With that being said I decided to give myself a deadline. I thought to myself if I set a firm date it would give me something to strive towards. That onto itself could be the motivation I need. I have most of the elements ready to go, I know (mostly) how I want to finish off the cabinet. Really to date the sticking point has been adding on the remaining cherry switches and wiring the joysticks/buttons to the IPAC.

I think once the buttons/joysticks are wired up the testing wont take more then a day or so. Just a few bugs I need to work out and perhaps a couple of adjustments to MAME itself. The monitor itself could be a bit of a challenge. I have some wood to mount supports and will need to cut a bezel out of cardboard. I think to get the monitor at a good height could be an issue. I'm thinking simply to make a shelf, then from there I can tilt the monitor,etc.

I wont get into detail now as I will details the steps on my blog as I have been doing. I guess I really just wanted to point out the December is D-Day ! Ive got to be done for Dec.

Inspired

Forgive me as this post might be a lil......well.....um.......all over the place.
Time isn't in abundance as of late, people these days seem to live busier lifestyles. For myself that couldn't be more true. A lady at work pointed something out to me that your days will naturally follow a path. For example, if I go to work for my shift which is 7am til 3:30pm I will get a ton of stuff done on any given day. When my shift is over I'm full of energy and I have plenty of hours before bed. If I go to work for the shift my lazy ass likes, 10am - 6:30 pm I do nothing. If on a Saturday or Sunday I decided I'm going to hit the couch........lets just say its hard to break the cycle.

On Saturday night I was watching TLC's Trading Spaces and one of the projects the designer did was a coupon book for the owner of the other house. It had coupons pertaining to a relationship she was trying to spark.

I have decided I need a coupon book like this to make use of my toys! Its not everyday the wifey will rock out a set with me on Rock Band. Even getting in a game of Bust-A-Move (her favorite) inst easy! With the help of this trusted little companion it might help me to play with some of my stuff. You know a coupon for a game or two of Foosball,etc.

My brother now has the bug for coin-op collecting,but I don't know how often he would swing by to play a few games,etc. Sadly many of my friends don't share the in the interest at all. Some of the ones that do don't drive (I know lame for 25+) or simply don't have time. In part I'm hoping when my basement is complete these "investments" will see some major use.

I will point out that even with minor use I am still happy with my purchases. Even over and above the fact that, "yes, they look cool." I have realized its not about the quantity of play that matters so much as it is the quality. I don't need to use something everyday for it to be valuable. Something I preach to the people at work who think I'm stupid for having an extensive and expensive sneaker collection. They are dumbfounded that I wear less then %50 of the collection.

Anyway rant aside, today was a me day. The wife and I played a set of Rock Band, I went downstairs fired up the Neo-Geo and played a few games of Bust-A-Move and some King of Fighters. I felt inspired to really move forward (again) with my MAME project.

I'm still hunting for a larger monitor,but until I find one am sticking with my 19".I have the wood I need to install the monitor supports. When the wiring is complete that will be the next project. I've asked my brothers (both electricians) if they can get me the quick disconnects, but I will still source out a electronics supply store on my own. Once in my possession I feel I can wire up the IPAC quickly and resume/complete my testing.

Again thanks to the guys at CGCC I was told one way to possibly get my machine to boot right up into MAME. Ive put it off for the simple reason that the computer is still in use for other reasons as of now. However rest assured when the testing is complete that will be the 1st thing I try.

As always I will post my pictures, progress, and whatever else I do for anyone to check out. I'm really enjoying the project and think my brother will end up doing something similar with his Showcase cabinet.

Off Pause

The idea is to get this MAME project back on track this weekend. Its stalled for long enough but now the cold weather is here! At a minimum id like to get the cherry switches installed, which in reality is no more then 20 minutes. If time is available id like to wire up the IPAC,but ill be happy to simply install the switches.

You've Got Mail !

Cherry switches are in! Thank gosh! I'm so excited!
(I know that sounds lame.)

B1 one of the good folks @ www.cgcc.ca has sent me along the cherry switches I needed to complete my arcade controls. The long weekend that just passed left me rather busy, but Id like to think this week I will get working on them. I don't expect it to take much time. Once the controls are wired to the IPAC I can begin to test them with MAME.

A little more computer configuration is needed, it would be ideal if I could get the machine to boot up right into MAME. Id like to hide the windows environment as best I can.

Cherry Switch

Thanks to B1 @ the www.cgcc.ca site I have some cherry switches on the way.
I'm very grateful to him for this. The Starburst auction is this week, but I will be unable to attend. I have a wedding to go to so no games for me! I would have liked to go to the auction, then the Playdium store for some parts.....but it just isn't in the cards. But again thanks to B1 I have the most important part I need on the way.
Upon its arrival I will wire up the joysticks and begin testing the IPAC.

thanks again !

Game On Pause

Really busy as of late so the MAME project has stalled again. I dont think it will be long until I resume. Im very eager and really want it completed. It suffered a few minor dings on its journey to the basemtn. None the less, thats an easy fix.
Im going to pick up some quick connects and rewire the buttons. Once thats done ill wire up the joysticks and begin testing the controls.

The MAME Cabinet

The other day a friend of mine came over and we were able to move the MAME cabinet inside. It suffered a few little scratches and dents during its journey, but nothing that cant be fixed. It wasn't so bad moving it once gutted, it was rather easy in fact. We put it in its part time home for now. I installed the marquee light, the marquee, and the bezel that covered the monitor hardware. I also installed the drawer that once held the Marvel vs. Capcom board. I added the control panel just to see how it looks, again I'M happy with the results. If time permits this weekend id like to complete the wiring. Ive decided to just cut out the micro switches that were attached to wiring harness prior removed. I had wanted to get some new/used ones, but it didn't pan out. Once the wiring is complete ill need to move the control panel upstairs and begin my second round of testing. Make sure everything in MAME is configured the way I like it. Id also like to change my settings so the PC boots right into MAME. Ive read that you can disable the Windows load screens, but to me that's not a big deal. If I can figure it out I will, if not I'll leave it as is. The drawer that held the Jamma board has to remain in the cabinet, as the control panel attaches to it. I dint think I will be able to stand up my PC inside. However I don't see an issue resting it on its side fan side up. I need to install a small shelf of sorts to hold the sub woofer for the speakers. This will give me access to turn the volume up & down if needed. I'm going to leave the back door off to help with cooling, and simply mount the power bar on the back. Once turned on the PC will boot up, and the speakers and marquee will also turn on.