Also be sure to pull out the old T-Molding.Īfter you get everything pulled apart start your rebuild. Take your time and don't just RIP everything out, many of the parts you will be able to sell on E-Bay and get your money back if they are in good shape.
Be sure to be careful with the monitor as they are very dangerous. Start by stripping down everything from your cab down to the bare bones. If you followed my path you have almost as much work cut out as if you had built it from scratch. If you did a prefab, you hardly need instructions from me.
If you decided to go from scratch, start with your plans, build a scale model, then build your full scale. Whichever starting point you went with, go with it. Finally if you want more than 2 players be sure that the machine has an accommodating control deck or space for you to build one. If you like classic games a classic cabinet is awesome, if you like fighters an more modern style games try to find a Midway cabinet. Be sure to get something that is within your skill to refurbish and something that will have the space you need for the parts you want.
The downside is that you will be limited to certain hardware limitations based on dimensions. Especially if you look for something that's not working. This can have some good benefits, namely being cheap. The last option is to find a used machine locally. The downside is that they are not 100% customizable and can be expensive to ship to your home or shop. These can be ordered online for a considerable amount of scratch, straightforward to put together, and look good to boot. It also requires that you have a pretty good work space and better than average woodworking skills. However, this method requires allot of time, planning, and tools. If you chose you could make it accommodate a big screen TV. For one you can make it custom to whatever size or shape that you want. This offers the biggest set of positive and negative factors. The first obvious choice is to build one from scratch. You have three basic options for a cabinet, each with their own pro's and con's. If you have any questions, would like help or advice, or just would like some more details. This is mostly aimed for the "How to make an Aracade" part of it all.
In this DIY Tutorial I'm not going to go to much into the software or the actual PC that runs this.
In fact I have had so many requests since I did mine I had to add them to my list of services for my company Digital Elite PC. not only does it look 100% better than anything I could have bought, but I had total control over the parts that went into it, and I already have several people lined up to get me to build them one as well. I decided to go with the good ol' fashioned DIY approach with mine and I'm glad I did. Now MAME cabinets are pretty common among hobbiests and you can even order pre-made parts and systems from various places. Of course when you are a kid you always get great ideas an never capitalize on it when you have the chance. When I was a kid I had the great idea of putting an NES in a cabinet and using the NES Advantage as a controller. I have basically always wanted to do one even before MAME was around. Hey guys, this is a basic little step-by step for building your own home arcade.