Building a MAME Arcade Console

**cynical2** · **04-29-08, 05:42 PM**

Wow...Bill, when you said you were working on an arcade I had no idea it was this elaborate. Awesome!

When are you having a party?

**wbassett** · **05-23-08, 11:22 AM**

Anytime! The weather is getting nice so it is time for a cookout and house party!

Now all I need is that pool table!

**wbassett** · **06-11-08, 10:57 AM**

A bit of an update-
Shooting games and light guns. Right now there are really only two companies that are the only viable options to getting a light gun- ActLabs and EMS. Both have their pros and cons.

The other way some people have gone is to use a PS2 GunCon2 lightgun, but you have to have a TV because they have to tie into the video signal or the guns won't work... again some pros and cons. The GunCon2's work great, but using a TV with a PC isn't the greatest. For MAME a TV looks fine, and is actually pretty close to the old EGA/CGA resolutions, but if you plan on playing any newer games or any PC games, it's not going to look that good.

So lightguns are a bit of an ongoing issue. Right now the EMS LCD TopGun just got new beta drivers that are being said to work well and definitely better than the old drivers (which didn't work for most people at all). There is a current PC Mame Wii mote Driver project going on to develop a driver for the Wii mote. If that works (which it should) it opens up a ton of possibilities, some of which I'll show below.

Time to generate some excitement! (Warning, a ton of images)

EMS has new drivers that from what I hear seem to work very well. I am not making light of that at all, that is very good news. The Wii technology is also very interesting. It opens up a lot of potenial as well as 'cuts the cord' and will let us go wireless.

Most will opt for something like this... simple and easy yet not too bad looking.

Where the Wii really excites me is the potential to customize. As I mentioned in an earlier post, and others have also mentioned... airsoft guns! For those that may think I'm nuts or it's too hard or impractical-

This is the first one I ever saw someone do. Yes that is the Robocop gun, but it is actually based on a real gun, the automatic M93R. The biggest problem with this gun is although it looks cool, in reality it is way too front heavy. After five minutes of game play your hand would get tired pretty quick. (Robocop was a machine and just a movie

Movies tend to make lots of impractical things look really really cool!)
http://kotaku.com/gaming/wii/a-bangi...gun-233839.php

Next up is an excellent build and design. The only problem is the size. The AK47 is a large rifle and these airsoft guns are 1:1 scale. This is a very clean conversion, but again unless you are Arnold, Sly, or Jesse, this won't be fun to use for hours at a time that's for sure... but man would it be a cool novelty!
http://imakeprojects.com/Projects/wii-ak47/

This one is most excellent, but in a couple of ways a bit overkill. First he used a very expensive airsoft gun for this conversion. I skimmed through his blog and if I recall he did say he had problems with it as an airsoft gun, so using something this expensive would make sense if it was broken and no longer worked for it's primary use. Second I feel some things could have been done a bit easier, but overall this is excellent.
http://forum.bongofish.co.uk/index.p...c=1208.msg6715

Now keep in mind these are Wii guns for the Wii. If the PC Mame Wii mote project works (which it will) then it opens the door to a ton of options.

Rifles by far will be the easiest because of the room they have inside.
These are all of my guns waiting for electronics to be fitted inside.

Here is one I have that really has potential-

This a closeup of the LAM unit. The Wii mote electronics would fit nicely in here.

Here are some other M4A1 varients that also would make good Lightgun candidates. The last one is an actual version of the M16, the Patriot. What is nice about these over the AK47 is they are a bit smaller in size and the collapable stock really trims them down. Plus if you want, just pull the stock out for a full size shooter.

Here is one that is not only a unique gun, but also has tons of potential because of the enormous amount of room inside. This is the P90 (Stargate machinegun)

I also have a G3A3, but like the AK, this is huge (it is actually bigger than an AK47), so it's not something I would want to use for a lightgun. To give some size perspective, that's the Topgun shown to give an idea how big this thing really is.

I also have a Navy Seal MP5 coming, and this is an all around sweet gun. I held one at a local store and have also held the real thing before. This is one cool gun, but I don't have it yet.

Some of the very interesting potential and designs I have been working is to replace the Wii mote AA batteries with the USB rechargeable battery pack. This will easily fit in the magazine of an M16, and with some work should be able to be fitted in an MP5 mag. A 9V plug can be used like the guy in the link above used, but I like the idea of positive and negative metal contacts. Slide the mag in, contact is made, and you have power to the Wii! You could recharge the batteries by plugging in the USB cable, or just eject the mag, grab a clip that is already charged up, and slide it in and you have a fresh set of batteries all ready to go!

**wbassett** · **06-11-08, 10:58 AM**

Okay that's some rifles, here are the pistols.

Some of these would be very cool, but unfortunately they don't all have enough room inside to house the electronics.

Here are the larger handguns... the Magnums. All these as well as the up coming pictures are all 1:1 scale.
Bottom is the Desert Eagle .44 Magnum, which is a huge gun. Middle of course needs absolutely no introduction... Dirty Harry's famous Smith and Wesson .44 Magum revolver. Top is the .44 Automag from Sudden Impact. As cool as the middle one is, there is no way I can see this one being converted to a Lightgun.

and a shot with the Topgun for size perspective.

Here are some other very cool contenders, but these are getting to be a bit small inside, although probably can be modified to work. On the left is the famous James Bond Walther P99. One has a rail system and extended mag, and the tiny gun is a Walther P22 (way too small for what we need). The picture to the right... yep, Lara Croft's Tomb Raider guns. These are actually my wife's from her Lara Croft costume she wore for Halloween one year so I'd have to buy some more if I want to mod this model gun.

One thing to note: All the guns I have shown are very inexpensive... the most expensive one was no more than $30!

Some other interesting options... Say you want a shotgun... no problem, pick the style you want!

Seriously, once the bugs are worked out, the options are limited only by your imagination!

Airsoft isn't the only way to go either, but I am very intrigged with the electronics in them. Most of the electric guns will do semi or full auto, and the pistons and air chambers provide a built in recoil. The Desert Eagle kicks so hard it actually moves your hand. Of course nothing like the real gun, but compared to the Topgun's recoil it hits ten times as hard.

Okay, airsoft is cool, but don't forget about... ready? Nerf! Yes Nerf guns! Granted these won't look like real combat guns but there are some very very cool Nerf guns out there and once dressed up with some paint, nobody would even guess it's a Nerf gun! I think these actually have a Halo look to them-

Then there are water guns! Here is one my son and I made into a quazi sorta Star Wars Storm Trooper looking gun (kinda).

Last up is a very unique gun, and rare too, so as much as I would love to convert these I probably won't. This is a type of airsoft gun, but the modular style and design is actually the exact same as a 1970's console light gun!
This is a secret agent 'kit' I made for my son. Don't worry, he's 20 now and I made this for him when he was 16 or 17, so he wasn't a tot or anything like that.

Here is the above gun in various stages of its modular design. You can probably see why I like this one so much and there is enough room inside to the electronics too!

So yes I am very excited! Either way- if the EMS drivers end up working best, or if the Wii mote Mame project works, I will be retro fitting some of these as lightguns. Right now though I like the wireless capability and the Wii mote lends itself a little easier to being modded. Plus I can get them much cheaper in price.

I know there were a lot of images, but we really are on the cusp of some very cool options. The sky and your imagination is the limit!

**wbassett** · **06-11-08, 11:11 PM**

I spoke to Les at Happ.

I called in reference to R0R3 USB Optical Light Gun Interface Board (http://www.r0r3.com/productsusbopticalgun.htm). I tried getting ahold of Jack J. McCauley at ROR3 about a half dozen times (not a good sign right there) and he is never at his number and I haven't received a call back from him.

I figured okay, since they list Happ and Happ guns specifically and have them listed as their 'customers', I figured I'd call Happ and see what they had to say about the ULGI. I got ahold of Les at Happ very easily and quickly.

In a nutshell... Les said yes he has heard of ROR3 and the ULGI but they haven't received any for testing.

Les was fantastic to talk to and did tell me that they are supposed to be getting an interface from a different company to check out that will allow their arcade guns to be connected directly to a PC. He sent me some information and it looks pretty good from the overview pdf.

We talked about the current state of guns for MAME and really the biggest problem is we are such a small community that third party companies don't see any money making a PC lightgun just for us MAME users. I can confirm this sentiment because yesterday I was on the phone with Namco and they flat out were not interested and even said their company does not take product suggestions from outside the company. I tried explaining I wasn't making a suggestion, rather asking if they had any plans on making a PC compatable light gun and he pretty much said he couldn't discuss anything about whether the company was working on any projects. In other words, no.

Les and I also talked about some of the issues with the few actual PC lightguns, mainly driver issues, accuracy problems, and durability (some guns just need to be dropped once and that's it, game over). He agreed that there is a pretty big difference between consumer version guns as compared to commercial arcade guns and reliability and durability is a big factor and one reason why there is such a price difference.

Basically, with a Happ gun you'll probably have it for life. (I said that, not Les) Sure they could break, anything can, but at a public arcade they also get ten fold the use and abuse any of us could possibly give them.

All in all, this is very good news. The interface will accept multiple guns too (natch... we are after all talking about the real deal here and most real arcade shooters have two guns) as well as

Multiple Video Support
The design supports input from both standard PC VGA connectors and arcade
low/med resolution molex connectors.
The design supports all arcade video resolutions:
•Low Res 320x200 15.75KHz
•Med Res 512x384 24.5 KHz
•Std Res 640x480 31 KHz
•SVGA 800x600 35.1 KHz
•XGA 1024x768 37.5 KHz

Built in Audio Amplifier
The design has a 2 channel stereo amplifier built in.
•Mini Stereo Input Cable (PC Compatible)
•Molex 0.100” Speaker Out Connector
•Integrated heat sink, no fan required
•35W Stereo Amplifier
•Proven circuit design used in over 50,000 units in the coin-op market

Gun Support
The design supports existing off the shelf light guns.
•Molex 8 pin 0.100” Connectors
•Works with Happ & Betson / Imperial Guns &
Rifles
•No Modifications to guns or board required

Input Support
The design supports 24 digital inputs.
•3x Molex 10 pin 0.100” Connectors
•All inputs debounced
•Allows board to be used as only I/O adapter,
connecting coin inputs, start buttons, etc

Output Support
The design supports 8 outputs.
•2x Molex 6 pin 0.100” Connectors
•Supports 5v and 12v outputs
•Works with industry standard coin counters
•Supports guns with built in force feedback solenoids

System Interface
The design uses USB 2.0 HID.
•Standard USB Connector
•Interfaces to system as HID Standard 2 axis,
joysticks
•No Drivers Required
•Works with Linux, Windows and other OS

Power Support
The design uses standard power inputs.
•Logic powered by USB
•PC HDD style input for 12v & 5v power (used for
outputs and audio amplifier
•2 pin Molex 0.156” 24v connector for force feedback power

Firmware Upgradeability
The design uses Cypress PSoC field upgradeable processor.
•Firmware updatable via 5 pin Molex 0.100” input connector

This looks like very good news!

Now keep in mind this isn't something Happ made, it's a different company that is working with Happ.

Those of us into arcades and MAME are all are excited and enthusiastic about our hobby, but sometimes we forget how small we really are as a community. The fact that a company is stepping up to work with Happ to try and deliver a product we can use with a PC and Happ's guns, and it's pretty much plug and play... well this is actually incredible news if you ask me.

Some may say the price is too much, but these really are the Ferarris and Holy Grail of light guns that everyone wants. Only draw back... sorry LCD cab owners, this is CRT only.

Les did say that it should work with a PC monitor, and I see in the product information it will indeed support up to 1024x768 37.5 KHz.

No price yet, this is basically hot off the presses and I'd really like to thank Les for being so helpful and informative.

Area51 or Time Crisis anyone and with the real arcade guns?

**wbassett** · **08-04-08, 07:34 PM**

It's been awhile, so I thought I'd throw a quick update.

I just snagged this!

It was a whopping $26 plus shipping for the complete control panel!

The more I dig through my rom list the more games I uncover that I completely forgot about. Some games I remember dumping countless quarters in. Others were extremely fun but mainly a game I played until my main game came available. This is one of them.

Spy Hunter is loads of fun but I wasted valuable quarters on it that I would rather use on my mainstay game... Defender! Now that I don't have to worry about dropping quarters, and I scored a real arcade control panel, I am looking forward to getting this baby up and running!

Some of the other dedicated panels I'm looking for are a Battlezone control panel, a Tron panel, and I am currently building a Star Wars flight yoke.

So even though I may not have posted lately, I've been pretty busy.

**natlight** · **08-05-08, 10:51 PM**

WOW! You have really put a lot of work into your MAME cab. I have been planning to build one for the past year and will get started on the build in the next couple months. I already have around 2k games and have been playing them on my home pc. I just purchased a refurbed 2 gig dell for $50 that I will use to run the cab.

A couple questions for you.
Would you choose a different cabinet style if you were to do it over again? I originally picked the same one as you but I have seen a couple others that have peeked my interest recently.

I plan on building my own control panel. What special controls would you suggest adding? I'll definitly add track ball for golden tee but I'm confused on my light gun choices and any other analog devices that I may need. What would you suggest?

I'm also toying with the idea of building 2 cabinets. A stand up for regular games and a Spy Hunter sit down for driving/flying games. Do you think this would be a good idea? Have you run into any problems with the driving games on the stand up? I would think it could be difficult to incorperate a stick shift on the stand up cabinet.

Thanks.

**wbassett** · **08-05-08, 11:28 PM**

Quote:

natlight wrote:

WOW! You have really put a lot of work into your MAME cab. I have been planning to build one for the past year and will get started on the build in the next couple months. I already have around 2k games and have been playing them on my home pc. I just purchased a refurbed 2 gig dell for $50 that I will use to run the cab.

Actually I really don't have that much work in it at all. The last picture of the Spy Hunter cab is just a picture of the actual arcade cab. I just got the control panel. It hasn't arrived yet, but when it does I'll take a picture of the actual panel and replace the stock photo above.

A couple questions for you.
Would you choose a different cabinet style if you were to do it over again? I originally picked the same one as you but I have seen a couple others that have peeked my interest recently.

Honestly, after thinking about it, I probably would get the same kit again. It is expensive compared to getting a gutted arcade cabinet, but I like the design and looks and it is super easy to assemble.

When I get this one completely done I am thinking about making a sit down driving/flight cab and between the two I think just about all bases will be covered. For the sitdown cab, I'll probably build that out of a gutted M.A.C.H. 1 cab that I found locally for $150, but it needs a lot of work.

I plan on building my own control panel. What special controls would you suggest adding? I'll definitly add track ball for golden tee but I'm confused on my light gun choices and any other analog devices that I may need. What would you suggest?

I am building a modular control panel so I can swap out controls for specific games... like Spy Hunter for one!

I've seen many people build their cab and then spend the next year on the control panel. That seems like a waste to me. A perfectly good cab just sitting there unable to be used. That's why I got a TankStick. This way I can play now while I build my cp.

Most people seem to go with a single panel designed to be able to play everything. This is my opinion, but most look too 'busy', and some refer to them as 'Frankenpanels'.

The TankStick is cool, but very much like the all in one universal panel. The joysticks are fine, but they are 8-way sticks, which are horrible for games that use a 4-way stick, like Pac-man and games like that. So definitely get yourself a 4-way stick as well as a good 8-way.

I definitely recommend a trackball, and I have a spinner that I need to mount yet.

I'm also toying with the idea of building 2 cabinets. A stand up for regular games and a Spy Hunter sit down for driving/flying games. Do you think this would be a good idea? Have you run into any problems with the driving games on the stand up? I would think it could be difficult to incorperate a stick shift on the stand up cabinet.

Thanks.

If you have the room for two cabs, I say go for it! A sit down driver is always the best experience and most fun if you ask me.

Light guns... this is probably the weakest link when it comes to controls. Right now there are the ActLabs guns, and the EMS TopGun. Both have pros and cons. I have one of the original Topguns and the Topgun is okay but there are a lot of things I don't like about it.

Happcontrols is going to be selling an interface that will allow us to connect actual arcade guns to a PC via USB.

They are also testing an even newer interface that uses sonic sensors instead of IR tech (the TopGun) or scanline tech (ActLabs). This one is very interesting and will work with any type of display, not just CRT. I'll know more about it in a couple weeks probably.

**natlight** · **08-07-08, 08:34 PM**

Thanks for all the info and please keep us updated on any info you get on the sonic sensors.

**wbassett** · **10-04-08, 01:30 AM**

For the past eight to ten months I have been totally swamped with work. Needless to say I haven't done much with the arcade but I have been able to do research and read the dominate acade forums.

My conclusions... Well let's say there are a bunch of elitists out there just like on any forum.

Does anyone actually remember in detail their favorite arcade game when they were younger? What do you remember exactly? Was it the profile of your favorite arcade game? Did you notice the scan lines on those awful low res CGA monitors? Did anyone ever notice that lag bolts actually showed on the top of the console? How about this? We remember certain games because they were fun to play an that's it. We didn't care if the machine was falling apart as long as it worked.

Where I am going with this is the home arcade is much like a home theater... its a nostalgia thing and something a person does because they want one. Often though what we remember and what we build are totally different things. The arcade machines I see people build look nothing like what we used to play. Some do go to the effort of doing a total restoration on classic machines, but many build monstrosities that look nothing like the original. Yet they argue that a person must use an authentic arcade monitor, while they have a control panel the size of the landing deck on te USS Enterprise... no arcade looked like that!

I am using a 22" Trinitron PC monitor in my arcade and you know what? It looks great. Fact is most games had 19" monitors. I also see people slam using LCD monitors, and only because they like a PC monitor don't have the scan lines that a CGA or EGA monitor had. They say that programmers actually used that when they programmed the games. No.. that was just the resolution they had available.

Look at modern arcade games and PC games. They are all higher resolution, and why? Because the technology is there for it. I actually like the cleaner crisper look of a better monitor. But... for those that really feel they must have an authlentic arcade monitor just for the scan lines... well guess what? You can make MAME add scan lines if that's your cup of tea.

I'm also a model builder. Well I used to be. I loved doing kit bashing to make a model 'look' like what I remember and thought it should look. Thing is, if you actually watch a show on FX for Star Trek or Star Wars, those models didn't have anywhere near the detail that we remember. Yeah sure now with CGI they have lots of detail, but back in the day when they actually used models, many would be surprised to know most were built from paper and cardboard and had pretty much slopped on paint... in other words people strive to build a model like the 'real' prop and end up creating something nothing like the original. The same goes with a home arcade.

So where my thoughts are now is don't worry about getting something 'exactly' right, in fact if you do you just might be disappointed.

Building an arcade is about fun and nostalgia. If you want to use an LCD monitor, then go for it! Just keep in mind you won't be able to use certain things like a conventional light gun for shooter games. As long as you keep in mind you may have to use some different tech, but if it provides the same 'feel'... who cares?

I mentioned guns... what about driving games? Do you really need an authentic arcade steering wheel to get the same feel? Absolutely not. In fact it is probably ten fold more difficult to to hook up an arcade monitor than a PC monitor or LCD monitor.

Also people add LEDs and other fancy/'cool' things, but to be honest, they look cool at first but after awhile they can become an annoyance.

I am a firm believer in KISS... a term I learned in the military and that is 'Keep It Simple Stupid'. Building an arcade is actually extemely easy, but it can become an obsession very quickly.

I suggest to go with the basics for your first machine and then after playing it for awhile decide if you want an aircraft landing strip size console or if you can get by with a bit less... or perhaps even a swapable system.

I will have some more detailed tutorials coming soon and try to cut through some of the insane and sometimes fanatic ideas about what an arcade is. Shh... don't tell anyone this secret... but it's what ever you want it to be and what makes you happy and is fun to play! You can go basic, total authentic retro, or ultral high tech... it's all good!

**natlight** · **10-08-08, 06:07 PM**

Amen to that! I've been on some of those forums and got bashed when asking about using LCD TV's or monitors. I am planning on a MAME cabinet that will also run an xbox. I want HD for the xbox and would never dream of dropping 3-400 on old arcade monitor when I can get an LCD one for the same price and make it multipurpose.

**wbassett** · **10-08-08, 08:48 PM**

natlight thanks for the comment. I know I was a bit harsh but really no more than some that insist only this, or only that should be used. They have every right to their opinion, and my opinion is this is a really cool project that sometimes is turned into a chore by some, but others make it a labor of love. Like I said, it's all good and if anyone builds an arcade cab and has fun with it, that's great and what the goal really is all about!

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