Re: I want to build the ultimate MAME cabinet - Lots of Questions and Opinions needed! (long)

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: : 1) I have 3 cabinets - 1 is a jamma unit with a 19 inch mon, 2 8way joysticks with 6 buttons per player; 1 is a non-jamma 4 player World Soccer Finals that has a 27 inch mon, 4 8way joysticks with 2 buttons per player; the last is a spare non-jamma with a 19 inch mon, 2 8way joysticks and 3 buttons per player. : : My question is which would you use to build the MAME out of. I kind of want to use the World Soccer Finals due to its 27 mon, it's cool cabinet shape (larger than a standard cabinet) and it's wicked built in speaker system / grill going all the way across the cabinet (plus volume adjustment knob) vs just 2 grills like on most cabinets. Though this is an original in pritty good shape (would it be a bad idea to totally modify the current cabinet and lose this game altogether since I would totally rewire it to only run off a PC - I could maybe even convert this unit to a jamma and build a PC2Jamma connector - though I'd still be permantly hacking the original cabinet). Or should I use my spare unit and convert it to jamma and then build a jamma connector? : Long sentence. I would go with the 27inch first. But consider how easy it is to swap control panels. This really helps when you want so many configurations. You will consider adding more as you go. : : 2) I read somewhere that ArcadeOS needs to beep 3 times before turning on a arcade monitor connected to a PC - why?? It almost sounded like a arcade mon can only display DOS. Can it actually fry a monitor if I were to fire up Windows on the arcade mon?? : It will fry an arcade monitor if you run it at 5times the frequency... yes... btw, there is a 27inch vga monitor on ebay (just passed, but you could probably email the guy... look down a few pages). This might be a good match for the cabinet. : : 3) I am planning on buying a new PC to run this on - what would you suggest is the lowest I should settle for? Also, I plan on running AracdeOS with MAME DOS. If in fact a arcade mon can't handle non-DOS, I would not even plan on installing Windows95 - can AracdeOS and MAME DOS run without Windows?? I tried once closing my Windows, went to DOS and tried my MAME DOS - it didn't work?? : Go for a the most speed as you can afford. I wouldn't go under 1ghz because the prices are so low. : : 4) I want to use 8way joysticks, though heard that there is some type of "mask" or "plate" that can be built that temporarily converts it to a 4way. Does anyone have a jpg of this mask or a webpage that talks about it. : Add a seperate 4-way...only real answer. : : 5) I want the ultimate control panel capable of playing almost every game, and thus want a 4 player setup. I want 6 buttons per player (can't think of any games that use more than that??), plus each player to have a start. My question is whether that will be all I need? I've seen other MAME cabinets where each player also had a ALT, ESC, ~ button - why???? All I think I'll need is a "O" and a "K" button on top of my description above - is there any other buttons that I'll need. Keep in mind that I plan on having easy access to the inside where I will have a mouse and keyboard to do the odd / unfrequent adjustments. In another words, I don't want buttons for absolutely every fucntion I'll every need if it will only needed on 1 or 2 games out of 3000+. : MK64 : : 6) Do all ROMS run through MAME DOS / AracdeOS use the same button setup?? Is there anything I need to know to program a 4 player unit? I read somewhere it is a good idea to reprogram the default CTRL and ALT buttons normally set for player 1 button1 and button2 - why?? : : 7) I'd love to have sometype of steering wheel that I can quickly disconnect when not in use, along with pedals and shifter. Is this possible (can I use a joystick as a shifter)? Anyone got some jpg of current models that have this? : This is where the different control panels come in. : : 8) Lastly, is there any other things you'd suggest for my ultimate control panel. I know some would suggest a trackball and spinner, though I'm more into the late 80s and 90s games and can't think of any that use that. I also like some of the classic 80s, though other than Tron and Centipede, can't think of any need for these - am I wrong? : tons of them. Most had joysticks also. Load mame32 and sort for trackball : : Sorry for the length, though I am almost ready to start my project and want the most info to get it right the first time. : : Thanks

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