Arcade dilemma

[Osbo]

Should I sacrifice a working Popeye to make a MAME machine? or a DigDug for that matter? Each cabinet is 200 bucks if I decided to get one, but I don't know about gutting a working machine... Opinions? Thoughts?

Edited July 15, 2006 by Osbo

[jay2068]

I can't belive what I'm reading! Don't mame any arcade machine build one of your own!

 

I need the Dig Dug! I have a working Dig Dug PCB but no cabinet.

 

If the condition of the units are really bad and are too far from restoring then I would say go ahead and MAME it.

 

Every day more and more older machines are lost to the dump, flood, fire, old age and MAMEing!

 

In the end it's up to you, it's just sad to see older machines disapear.

 

If you do decide to gut them I would be interested in the guts.

[Osbo]

well if I get one or the other one, I will probably not gutted, but is so hard to find an empty cabinet, is like people don't list them for sale... I'm just looking for the cabinet without the PBCs... oh well, I guess I'll keep on looking

[NE146]

If you're going to "mame" a machine (i.e. make it into a fancy computer case), use a generic JAMMA cab. End of story

[Osbo]

If you're going to "mame" a machine (i.e. make it into a fancy computer case), use a generic JAMMA cab. End of story

 

I though about using a jamma cab, but the cabinet I want has to be a pacman or ms pacman or a galaga. I don't like cabinets that put the monitor right up to your face.

[[d2f]Iggy*SJB]

Exactly how does one, "MAME" a cabinet?

If I didn't have to actually mod the cabinet....and make everything to fit the existing machine, I wouldn't mind doing it to my Paddle Battle. It would depend on what all needs to be done, though.

[Osbo]

Well, looks like I got lucky. I found a guy selling a street figther 2 converted into a Mame machine using the original monitor (seems kinda small though), 299 bucks for it. I don't like the cab, but is a start.

[Flack]

I haven't looked, but does Superauctions have any auctions near your neck of the woods? I've picked up non-working games at their auctions for $5-$10 before.

[Osbo]

Hi Flack, yeah I was checking their website the other day and the next one is

Aug 5th. The guy selling the Mame maching says he used a regular computer monitor, but the mame machine has a i-pac. I think I'm going to wait a little bit see if I can find a gutted cab, since I have the computer already.

[tta583]

Hi Flack, yeah I was checking their website the other day and the next one is

Aug 5th. The guy selling the Mame maching says he used a regular computer monitor, but the mame machine has a i-pac. I think I'm going to wait a little bit see if I can find a gutted cab, since I have the computer already.

 

 

Have you tried calling an operator? When I decided to start messing with arcades I just called an operator that has a few games in a local pizza place. They had 4 complete but non working games and an empty Taito cab (in wonderful shape). They were more than happy to sell them all to me for a fair price. I also wrangled a couple monitors out of them (in need of a cap kit).

 

brent

[Osbo]

Well, no, I didnt' call an operator. I did spoke a while ago with a guy that restores arcades and had a gutted pacman for 75 bucks, but that was a while ago.

 

The mame machine I found, not good, he's using a computer monitor instead of the original arcade monitor.

 

I found some plans on the net, and as soon as I get some extra cash, I'm building my own.

[MaximRecoil]

I would never "MAME" a dedicated pre-JAMMA cabinet; unless it was a temporary solution until I found a correct, working boardset for the cabinet. In such a case I wouldn't do anything to it that couldn't be undone, and I'd only run games on it that fit the particular control scheme of the cabinet and the monitor orientation.

 

For example, if you had a complete Donkey Kong with a non-functioning boardset; it wouldn't hurt anything to temporarily unhook the original wiring harness, set a PC with an Ultimarc ArcadeVGA video card in there on the floor, hook it all up through a keyboard encoder and play some Donkey Kong ... or Pac-Man or Galaga or any of the other games that work with a vertical monitor and a button count of one or none.

[Osbo]

I'm building my own, I placed the order with ultimarc for the parts Tuesday and I'm hoping in getting the wood today. I'm using plans that I found for a galaga machine on the net.

[yuppicide]

I might buy this:

 

http://www.mameroom.com/UAIIEkit_info2.asp

 

under $500, brand new, easy to put together, and I paint it how I want.

[Osbo]

I totally dislike cabinets like that big big time... I'm going with a midway pac/galaga cab since most of the games I play are vertical shooters

[scotty]

word of caution.... Mameoom cabinets look nice when they are put together, but they use 1/2" MDF instead of the standard 3/4".