8/18/2003

Paid for SASE, shipping and packaging for complete MAME set on 17 CD-r's. I got the contact name (see Special Thanks page) from FreeMameRoms.com

Cost for this day: $7.44

9/5/2003

Found empty Kangaroo Cab at All About Amusement in Austin, TX. Picked it up, cleaned outside, removed light/speaker, removed feet, removed coin mechs (internal), removed wiring harness, installed light bulb for marquee.

Cost for this day: $30

9/6/2003

First trip to Home Depot. Bought:
24x24 plexiglass for bezel ($12.17)
2 industrial L-brackets for TV shelf ($.64)
Plywood for TV shelf/keyboard ($9)
A #1 square recess bit (cab uses them) ($2.50)
I also hit the auto parts store for 2 12-volt bulbs (series 168) for the coin slots ($1.60)

Cost for this day: $25.91

9/7/2003

Magnavox 20" TV @ Circuit City. Installed TV shelf, brace for TV, speakers, power strip, and casters.

Cost for this day: $118

9/9/2003

Touched up sideart with red, blue black and green Sharpies. Got a desk fan for inside the cab at a Goodwill.

Cost for this day: $2.00

9/12/2003

Ordered a custom HotRod SE from Hanaho.

Cost for this day: $120

9/24/2003

Received HotRod SE, ordered flourescent light off Ebay

Cost for this day: $3.99

9/25/2003

Ordered Sapphire Motherboard and Athlon XP 2400+ CPU from NewEgg.

Cost for this day: $134.45

9/27/2003

Home Depot: hardware to hang HotRod and 1 1/8" drill bit for buttons. Kinko's to print off the bezel (5 copies @ .99), got an extra HAPP button for the power switch.

Cost for this day: $16.28

10/10/2003

Office Depot for a great rebate deal on 512 PC2100 RAM: $54

Cost for this day: $54

Note: This cost does not factor in all the things I had already, here is a list of those things and estimated cost:

230W power supply $40
10 gig Hard Drive $30
Sheilded 6-ft composite video cable $10
Headphone-to-RCA audio adapter
$3 Keyboard $10
Mini Optical Notebook Mouse $25
Keyboard shelf tracks $5
Speakers $15
Lamp assembly $7
Casters $15
Power Strip $7
12v A/C Adapter $5
TOTAL: $172 or $689.64 total from scratch

P.S., I did not factor in gas, electricity, or even my own time. But I did spend close to 50 hours on this project, and drove over 150 total.

Granted, a lot of this stuff most people either have already or can get cheap, if not free after rebate from CompUSA, OfficeMax, and the rest. Here are some tips on saving money, most of which are obvious.

1. Dupster Dive! This may sound bad to you, but it worked for me. I live in a huge apartment complex, and I kepy my eye on the curbs around move-out days. I found 4 junked computers, all of which have parts useful in a MAME cabinet, even if they don't boot up: sound cards, hard drives (that's where I got mine), fans, ATX switchs, IDE cables, CD-Rom drives, and power supplies (me again). I even found an old eMachine that runs, I will turn that into a PacMAME bartop, someday..
2. Buy Online Ebay and message boards can give you great prices, new or used. I got the bulk of this project off the internet, and probably saved myself 40%. Before you buy anything, just check Ebay, you never know. Plus Ebay is about the only place to get original hardaware.
3. Consolodate Try to kill two birds with one stone. For example, I saved a lot of money by getting a motherboard with built-in TV out. Most motherboards have onboard sound, which is more than enough for MAME. Also, if you don't want to buy a mouse (or don't have room), get an old keyboard with a fingerpad or trackball. Finally, you can combine functions of the cabinet. Make it a gameroom TV, a kitchen internet kiosk, or a recroom jukebox. If breifly considered putting a mini fridge in mine, that would be ~ahem~ practical use of space.
4. Less is more MAME needs a quick CPU (I would say at least 1.5ghz, but not much else. You only need a HD (as small as 8 gig for all games), and 256 of RAM. If your motherboard has onboard sound and TV-out, you don't need any drives, PCI cards, anything, meaning you don't need much of a power supply.
5. Choose Composite I read a lot of places that S-video is the only way to make MAME on a TV work well. Just to compare, I hooked up my 9700TX with s-video and my MAME computer with composite (yellow RCA). No difference I could tell. Arcade games are grainy because they are old. If you want perefect arcade reporduction, get a $700 arcade monitor. If you want it to look great and save lots of money on a TV, get one with compsite inputs, it will look great.
6. Borrow This is a no-brainer. I borrowed power tools to do the job, I suppose I could have bought them.
7. Measure 3 times, cut once This not only applies to the shelves and supports you will cut, but also to all the holes you will drill and screws you will screw. The inside of many cabinets is made from MDF, and once you screw in a screw and back it out, it won't hold anymore. You have to be sure. Also, make sure nails/screws used on the inside are not going to poke through to the side art. Lastly, make sure the TV you buy will fit into your cabinet and also (if you have a bezel), that the whooe screeen is visible. My original bezel blocked the screen because it was made for a 19-inch vertical. Also, measure whatever controls you buy to make sure they will fit; height, depth and width. Lastly, when you drill a hole for a button, make sure you factor in the couple inches the HAPP button will stick out, plus the wires.


THAT BEING SAID:

7. Don't scimp! Know where to spend the extra money. Locking casters that support 150lbs each are not cheap, but buy them. It may be tempting to put your old 15 inch monitor in your GALAGA cabinet, but it looks shabby. Spend the extra money to get name-brand electronics, especially the TV. I know that Wal-Mart has a 19" TV for $89. But if you look, Best Buy and Circuit City will have 20" for $120 or less. Spend the extra bucks and get a good brand (Sharp always last forever for me), and also get an inch or two bigger.