Nerfz Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 So I have been researching like crazy! I want to do this the cheapest and best way possible. But I had a couple of questions. So from my research.. I am going to build my cabinet from scratch. It will include an old computer I have and a screen. ( How is an LCD vs old tv? I heard some people like using old tv's better?) Also going with a I-PAC2 board and making my own control board. ( Does anyone have links to the best places to buy the controls? Single buttons and track ball? Anything I am missing, input or suggestions would be greatly appreciated... Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BL4Z3D247 Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 So I have been researching like crazy!I want to do this the cheapest and best way possible. But I had a couple of questions. So from my research.. I am going to build my cabinet from scratch. It will include an old computer I have and a screen. ( How is an LCD vs old tv? I heard some people like using old tv's better?) Also going with a I-PAC2 board and making my own control board. ( Does anyone have links to the best places to buy the controls? Single buttons and track ball? Anything I am missing, input or suggestions would be greatly appreciated... Thanks! I believe the only reasons people like the CRT TVs over LCD is because that gives you a more arcade feel to it and they work better with light guns. There are light guns that work with LCDs but they're more expensive. LCD will obviously look better and will be smaller(thinner) than a CRT TV. As for controls, I'm not sure as I've never bought any but I found this while doing a quick google search and it seems like a good place to start and maybe compare prices and check out reviews. At least until someone else that has bought controls before chimes in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayC Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Ultimarc.com Is the place to go...as you will get an I-Pac then you might as well get the rest from there too. Very fast shipping and top notch customer service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craiganderson Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 And realize that an "old computer" is not going to be able to handle the newer systems. But there are more knowledgeable folks on here that can explain those requirements better than I can. have fun! craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerurver Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Hi Nerfz, What kind of cabinet do you want to build? a little one like a bartop? of a full one? Greets, Groover Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nerfz Posted April 9, 2015 Author Share Posted April 9, 2015 Thanks for all the replies! I am going to build a full cabinet (To get that old school feel.). I am descent with woodworking and in the IT field so I hope it wont be to bad. Also when I say older I mean a core 2 duo with 2 gigs of ram and a 250G hard drive.. Should work right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerurver Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Hai Nerfz, A core 2 duo will work fine with the most (older) games. the 2 gigs will do if you work with a small winXP, i use a 95 mb version, and shell it then, so the cabinet will boot into hyperspin in 20 seconds from bios. beware that some 3d games will not run smooth, and if you have a videocard on board you can forget nice features like hlsl with mame. and this feature makes a lcd like a crt. the ipac2 is a very good choice, i build some cabinets with this nice piece of hardware, its worth it! i use zippy swithes with old school model buttons, the are a bit harder to push, if you like fighting games, my advise is to take other buttons like sanwa. greets, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nerfz Posted April 9, 2015 Author Share Posted April 9, 2015 Cool thanks a lot Gerurver! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shitoken Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Guys one thing confusing me is I want to know is when building arcade machine do you still need to play some games with joystick/controls or all systems will work with arcade sticks? Because I saw on youtube those machines are only builded with arcade sticks, or they do have setup wireless joysticks which cannot see in video? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HazzardActual Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Most of us have xbox 360/ps3/4 controllers hooked up. I have 360s myself and they work great. but to be honest I only really use em for newer systems, and your core 2 duo wont be able to run the newer stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shitoken Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 Most of us have xbox 360/ps3/4 controllers hooked up. I have 360s myself and they work great. but to be honest I only really use em for newer systems, and your core 2 duo wont be able to run the newer stuff Do you mean on desk you have arcade sticks like a normal arcade machine and on the side you have hooked xbox/ps controllers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhatter3339 Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 check out Tornado Terrys, Suzohapp, Holland computers, Paradise arcade shop, and Jammaboards.com. That's where I get most of my stuff. Ive built a handfull of arcades and it gets easier with each one. Wood for the cabinet usually takes just two sheets of 4x8 plywood $100. The buttons, joysticks, and trackball usually around $200. The trackball is the most expensive part 100 to 150 depending on if you want it to light up and what size the ball is!! Oh and I get my T-molding from T-molding.com that's usually $25. I use self adhesive vinyl to cover most of the arcade and that's another $75. I could even give you dimensions of my arcades if you like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtcd Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 Working on building my first Hyperspin pedestal cabinet now. I bought all my buttons (SuzoHapp) and sticks (Sanwa) from focusattack. They had a good selection and really great customer service. I had a couple of minor issues (e.g. ordered a convex button and a concave one came instead), they fixed everything right away at obviously no cost to me. Would definitely order there again. They sell IPac stuff too. Got the trackball directly from SuzoHapp. Watch out and make sure you double-check the shipping from there. I picked Fedex freight for $6 because even though they had UPS ground, no price was listed. When I contacted them to ask how much UPS Ground was, they told me it was $20. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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