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CABINET DESIGN There are two common cabinet designs that users tend to focus on when building their Arcade Machine . The design of the cabinet is based on the scope of the project. The Upright Machine is probably the most widely known while the Cocktail cabinet is gaining in popularity. PANEL DESIGN Designing the panel is the most difficult task when constructing a MAME arcade machine. You need to take into account buttons as well as how the buttons will connect or function with the computer. Arcade controls While finding the right buttons and joysticks is crucial for personal enjoyment, choosing the right layout is the harder choice. First you need to account for the total number of players. Afterwards, you have to figure out which games you plan on playing on the unit. Different games require different amounts of buttons. Typically a six button layout will cater to almost every game. Extra buttons to add include 'Start' buttons for each player and an optional coin button. This will allow you to add coins (or credits) to the particular player without having to create a coin drawer interface. In order to control direction, the user must pick the right Joystick . There are three main kinds of joystick #4-way The joystick is able to move in 4 directions: UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT #8-way The Joystick can move in 4-way as well as: UP-LEFT, UP-RIGHT, DOWN-LEFT, DOWN-RIGHT #all motion. The Joystick can move in a free circular motion Joystick movement is important when trying to design a machine that fits into a certain vintage. A lot of older machines had 4-way while newer ones use all motion. This should not be underestimated: an 8-way joystick can not always replace a 4-way joystick. For example: a game uses a 4-way joystick where the game character can jump (or move vertical after a horizontal move like in Pacman ), it is often intuitive for players to move the joystick diagonally. However if the game was not designed for an 8-way joystick, no direction is detected and instead of moving the game character will stay put - rendering the game less playable. There are joysticks on the market that are able to switch between 4-way and 8-way modes. Control panel interfaces This is the true core of the arcade machine and potentially the hardest thing to create. There are really two ways of doing this with one being the hard way and the other being easy. Keyboard Hack The Keyboard Hack requires the extraction of the control board of a keyboard and then the soldering of the arcade buttons to the actual solder points of individual keys on the keyboard. Therefore, one may solder a blue arcade button to the connection point of the 'b' key. Please see "How to hack a keyboard for use in MAME" in the external links section for an indepth reference. Custom interface boards An easy alternative to the classic "keyboard hack" into an interface board that is detected by the computer as a standard PS/2 or USB keyboard. The two most popular units are the iPac by Ultimarc and the KeyWiz by Groovy Game Gear . A newcomer, ThrustVector Controls , produces an interface with such innovative features as variable rate autofire and macros with adjustable delay between each keystroke. MONITORS Having the right monitor for your cabinet is crucial to enjoyment of the game as the wrong monitor can completely destroy the video aspect of the game. Computer monitors A Computer Monitor is the easiest way to go. Although cheaper than a true arcade monitor, cost can still be an issue as you increase the size of the display. The only other issue is the creation of a custom mount. Constructing the mount is one of the few opportunities to go hammer and nail on a project like this. Using a computer monitor also guarantees that you will be able to run an operating system as computer monitors can handle a high enough Resolution . Arcade monitors If the cabinet comes with a monitor, then this is the way to go. If it doesn't, the mounts may still be there so all you would need to do is purchase one. Having an actual arcade monitor adds to the overall classic feel of the unit. The two issues with using an arcade monitor are Video Resolution and interfaces. TV sets Using a TV set as the display device for the cabinet is sort of a compromise between the Computer and Arcade monitors. It´s much more easy to find and configure than the arcade monitor, and can run an OS much more easily. It also feels a lot more like an arcade display than a computer monitor, and can be much less expensive than one at sizes bigger than 20". The unit´s video adaptor must have a TV-Out port, in this case (Composite or S-Video, for almost all TV sets). CUSTOMIZATION This is the final point of construction. There are many things one can do at this point like changing the t-molding, re-enamaling the metal exterior parts, changing the marquee, or general painting. This really just has to do with personalization.
EXTERNAL LINKS
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