And so it begins...

Welcome all you explorers. For those who haven't guessed, this blog is going to follow the creation of an arcade machine, from the slow start, to a hopefully successful finish. So far, I have decided on the plans to follow, purchased most of the parts, and scoped out all the best links on the web. Here's what I have in mind so far:

I'll be building the cabinet myself, using a TV for the screen, and connecting this to a low-powered PC that runs MAME. Specially purchased buttons/joysticks will complete the look.

Using Ultimate Arcade I Cabinet DIY plans from Mame Room

Creating a two-player cabinet (as opposed to a four-player cabinet)

Each player will have one joystick, and six action buttons. There will also be 1-player and 2-player buttons, a button on each side of the machine for pinball flippers, and a power button. These were ordered from the top team at Ozstick

I'm undecided on the computer hardware at this point. I'm probably looking at something like a p3 733, which should run most MAME games, as well as SNES and SEGA games. I might even try and fit a few N64 games in there.

Other things I have bought include a coin slot, an IPAC keyboard interface (an interface between the buttons and the computer, so that hitting a button appears just like a keyboard stroke - see Ultimarc for more info), and a black overlay, for protecting the control panel. All puchased from Ozstick.

Here's some of the hardware I purchased. Clockwise from the top-left, we have the coin slot, most of the buttons, 1Player and 2Player Start buttons, IPAC keyboard interface, and one of the joysticks:



To save those of you who are new to the game having to search the web too much, here are some links I highly recommend:

Build Your Own Arcade Controls - One of the best arcade resources on the net

Ozstick - Australian Arcade Suppliers

Ultimarc - Creators of the IPAC keyboard interface

Arcade Art - Lots of nice artwork to stick on your cabinet

Arcade Paradise - A great tutorial on building your own cabinet

How to build an arcade cabinet for use with MAME - Another excellent tutorial

RetroBlast - Some nice reviews on arcade hardware

Mame Room - Home of the popular Ultimate Arcade Cabinets

T-Molding - The best way to give your cabinet that final touch