Build Your Own Arcade Control Center FAQ
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CHANGE HISTORYUpdated!
12/xx/99
PC-Arcade disappears
PC-Arcade, the stand-alone arcade console vendor, appears to have disappeared.  Anyone have any information on them?
12/20/99
CustomArcade Arriveth!
Yes!  Yes!  Yes!  My CustomArcade arrived, and *WOW* -- review coming after I stop playing... Don't hold your breath! :)
Tis the season for giving . . .
I-PAC Home Page and update
I-PAC has a new home, and due to some savings in shipping and such, can now be had for $49!  The I-PAC is an arcade controls interface that will be reviewed here shortly :)
CustomArcade sets a record!
OK - so it was a person who set the record, but they were using a CustomArcade controller :) From CustomArcade...
Ron Corcoran of Snipercade has set a NEW World Record for Bosconion using our CustomArcade Controller!! Head over to Mark Longridge's site. Congratulations Ron!!
New Arcade Cabinet Project
Added B.A.C. (Build My Own Arcade Cabinet) project to the examples page.  This is a just-getting-started build-from-scratch Dutch cabinet.  This is #104 on our list now!
Links added to Manifesto
Added the following two depressing links to the manifesto page - most of you will have seen these already, they're not new.

Arcade junkyard
Arcade graveyard

Gerald Gorman's Cabinet added
*Finally* added Gerald Gorman's cabinet to our collection, and it's quite a project!  A very nice rotating monitor, custom designed artwork, PowerRamp and gamepad hack, definitely a must-see :)  This is project #105 on the list now!
ArcadeOS
ArcadeOS has been updated to version 2.33.  Some of the highlights include:
  • Added user definable 'Shift' functions.  For each emu you can now have 6 'shift functions' - these are triggered by holding down 'Start 1' and pressing one of the (3) player1 or (3) player2 buttons.  This lets you access an emulators 'extended' functions (Pause,UI,config etc.) from a standard JAMMA setup.
  • Keys to remap can now be set per game
  • Added PSX pad support(!)
MAME Update
An interesting bit in the newest MAME release - from the what's new file ...
Added the possibility to use a multiple keys or joysticks sequence to drive a generic action. This can be handy with consoles or cabinets with a limited number of buttons, to reuse all buttons with only one extra button, like a shift key. For example the COIN1 action can be mapped to the "Player 1 Fire" plus the "Extra Shift Button". It can also be used to map Q*Bert movements to joystick diagonals (since the orginal used a joystick rotate 45 degrees).  [Andrea Mazzoleni]
There's a thread on the message board about this new feature.
Contest Roundup
Don't forget there are several places you can win arcade consoles these days - a roundup of the ones I know of (anyone have more?  Let me know!)
  • SniperCade's MAME Deca2000 contest - a picture of the prize can be found here :) Prize from CustomArcade.
  • MonroeWorld's Classic Gaming Gauntlet  begins tomorrow - prizes from CustomArcade and Stick-It
  • JoseQ's Emuviews regular HotRod giveaway will be drawn on Christmas day this month, there will be 11 winners (1 HotRod, 10 CDs)
More To Come!
Ugh - there's more to come, but this is the third day I've tried to finish this update and if I don't upload it soon it'll get moldy :)  Stay tuned!  Could... could it be... a giveaway from BYOAC?  Hmmmm...
12/15/99
Holy Freebees Batman!
Found around the net . . .
Update delays ...
My vacation from work begins Saturday, and until then I'm up to my elbows in things at work, hence the dearth of updates.  Stay tuned, update probably Saturday or Sunday, a few new projects, maybe a review or two depending on the post office!
12/10/99
Happy Channukah!

Free cabinet in Philly, PA

From:    James S. Bright
Topic:   FREE: Cabinet in Philly, PA
Sent:    Fri, 10 Dec 1999 22:17:57 -0500

I have an empty Q*Bert cabinet that you can have for free. It still does have the monitor and the power supply. Everything else is pretty much gone. The side art is in very bad shape, and there is some water damage to the cabinet. It would be best suited for a MAME machine, but it could be restored if you put enough effort into it.  First person that can show up to pick it up gets it. I'll be around most of Saturday (tomorrow) and Sunday. I'd like to get it out of the basement this weekend if possible.

12/9/99
I-PAC now available!
Andy Warne's I-PAC (Interface for PC to Arcade Controls) is now available!  "The I-PAC is a small board which allows connection of arcade controls such as buttons and joysticks to a keyboard port on a PC motherboard. It was designed to use inside an arcade games cabinet with the PC board also mounted inside. It was designed so that a normal keyboard would only be needed for game loading and configuration, not for gameplay."  I was lucky enough to get my hands on one of Andy's I-PAC's, which I unfortunately haven't been able to hook up yet.  Over the holiday break I'm going to build a test rig, and the I-PAC will be the first interface I test with it :)  In a nutshell, it's a $56 non-programmable interface designed around the MAME standard - $56 includes shipping and cable, and looks to be an excellent choice!  The web page is temporary until Andy can get a permanent site up.
OptiMAME update
Andy G's updated OptiMAME to be in synch with MAME V36 beta 11.  Also included, his take on a generic 15khz driver is back, supporting triple buffering, 256 height games (SmashTV, Terminator 2, R-Types, use Page-Up and Page-Down to center the screen) as well as all the other OptiMAME enhancements.
New arcade cabinet
am sent me an email indicating "Another victim of your site!" :)  am's cabinet uses a 21-inch TV with SCART RGB input, using Tom Engdahl's VGA to TV converter circuit.  This is a keyboard hack project, with some permanent and some swappable controls.  Interesting approach, and well worth a visit.  This makes 103 projects now! :)
Hanaho CD shipping!
The Capcom Coin-Op Classics CD promised with purchase of a HotRod including the legal Capcom roms and a customized version of MAME32 is now shipping from Hanaho!  There's a bit of a backlog, so it may be a while before the CD catches up to everyone.
Pole Position controls...?!
What?  Pole Position with a joystick or keyboard isn't cutting it?  Someone might have the cure for what ails ya coming soon ... :)  Ask me no questions I'll tell you no lies, but this weekend might have some good news! :)
Sales round the net...
  • Crystal Castles cabinet /w jamma harness & power supply 10$(or free w/o pwr supply). I'm in Irving, Tx. Come and get it,or I'll have to break it up over the weekend.  Jeff Hewitt
  • Happ Controls Airplane Joystick
  • An interesting item... NINTENDO SUPER SYSTEM ARCADE
  • Crystal Castles Trackball assembly
  • RocketCADE is selling some components - a Hagstrom LP24 (slightly-used) and a HappControls serial trackball interface
  • Free cabinet:
      • From:  Teaganm
      Topic: FREE: Asteroids Cabinet in Connecticut
      Sent:  Thu, 9 Dec 1999 18:13:56 -0500
      Free Asteroids cabinet. Just the stripped cab. Must be picked up by next week or it turns to firewood. Email teaganm@yahoo.com for details.
Miscellaneous...
You might have noticed the pace of updates slowing a tad - it's the holidays and end of year catching up with me.  I'm a computer geek by trade, and last minute end-of-year activity at work is eating into my spare time :)  Good news however is that my private email address that I use to correspond with people is finally stable again.(!)  Also, a couple of folks have sent me stuff that I need to convert to HTML before I can post it, which will be a small bit before I have the time.  Look for Gerald's arcade cabinet, and some good advice from Scott on monitor adjustment.  Gah, 106 messages in my "arcade FAQ" folder to sort through!  More to come!
12/7/99

Happy Channukah!

I-PAC now available!
Andy Warne's I-PAC (Interface for PC to Arcade Controls) is now available!  "The I-PAC is a small board which allows connection of arcade controls such as buttons and joysticks to a keyboard port on a PC motherboard. It was designed to use inside an arcade games cabinet with the PC board also mounted inside. It was designed so that a normal keyboard would only be needed for game loading and configuration, not for gameplay."  I was lucky enough to get my hands on one of Andy's I-PAC's, which I unfortunately haven't been able to hook up yet.  Over the holiday break I'm going to build a test rig, and the I-PAC will be the first interface I test with it :)  In a nutshell, it's a $56 non-programmable interface designed around the MAME standard - $56 includes shipping and cable, and looks to be an excellent choice!  The web page is temporary until Andy can get a permanent site up.
OptiMAME update
Andy G's updated OptiMAME to be in synch with MAME V36 beta 11.  Also included his take on a generic 15khz driver is back, supporting triple buffering, 256 height games (SmashTV, Terminator 2, R-Types, use Page-Up and Page-Down to center the screen) as well as all the other OptiMAME enhancements.
New arcade cabinet
am sent me an email indicating "Another victim of your site!" :)  am's cabinet uses a 21-inch TV with SCART RGB input, using Tom Engdahl's VGA to TV converter circuit.  This is a keyboard hack project, with some permanent and some swappable controls.  Interesting approach, and well worth a visit.  This makes 103 projects now! :)
Hanaho CD shipipng!
The Capcom Coin-Op Classics CD promised with purchase of a HotRod including the legal Capcom roms and a customized version of MAME32 is now shipping from Hanaho!  There's a bit of a backlog, so it may be a while before the CD catches up to everyone.
Pole Position controls...?!
What?  Pole Position with a joystick or keyboard isn't cutting it?  Someone might have the cure for what ails ya coming soon ... :)  Ask me no questions I'll tell you no lies, but this weekend might have some good news! :)
Sales round the net...
Miscellaneous...
You might have noticed the pace of updates slowing a tad - it's the holidays and end of year catching up with me.  I'm a computer geek by trade, and last minute end-of-year activity at work is eating into my spare time :)  Good news however is that my private email address that I use to correspond with people is finally stable again.(!)  Also, a couple of folks have sent me stuff that I need to convert to HTML before I can post it, which will be a small bit before I have the time.  Look for Gerald's arcade cabinet, and some good advice from Scott on monitor adjustment.  Gah, 106 messages in my "arcade FAQ" folder to sort through!  More to come!
12/3/99
(The "no life" update)
For sale and stuff... (second update of evening)
Wasn't planning an update tonight, but... I've got no life :)
PSXEmu did a mini-review of the USB SmartJoy adapter (Playstation to USB adapter).  Thanks to Emulation HQ for the lead!
Hanaho vacation!
The folks at Hanaho are taking time off for the holidays, so if you are intending to purchase a HotRod or ArcadePC, order soon (before December 16th)!
Classic Gaming Gauntlet begins!
MonroeWorld's Classic Gaming Gauntlet contest begins December 21st - prizes include offerings from Custom Arcade (grand prize #1) and StickIt (grand prize #2), among others!
Atari 2600 trackballs
Nivo posted a message about a web site he found selling Atari 2600 trackballs, and other vintage Atari/C=64/etc joysticks and controllers.  Thanks Nivo! :)
Sleepy . . . :)
A new project or two to add, reviews coming down the pipeline of the CustomArcade and the ZipStick, and I'm going to an arcade auction tomorrow...  Here's hoping I find that $300 sit down StarWars cabinet! :)
12/2/99
Update OK
The move went smoothly, back to normal operations... (11:15 PM)
Ultimate Arcade Machine Mark II!
Skygodd (of the Ultimate Arcade Machine) has begun work on his new machine, the Ultimate Arcade Machine Mark II!  It's a keyboard hack with arcade monitor using ArcadeOS and the monitor rotates :)  Looks like an excellent project!  This makes project #101!
MORE free cabinets!
Skygodd has yet more free cabinets available - 3 to be exact: Visit his web site for more details (click the for-sale link).  This information was given to me on 11/30, so I hope they haven't been given away yet :)  He also has some nice machines for sale.
Arcade Paradise update
Arcade Paradise has been made Netscape friendly, so if you haven't had a chance to visit, now you can :)
New arcade project
Bourdo passed on to me his new arcade cabinet, Bourdo's MAME Millennium Cabinet!  I really like the looks of this thing, with an extended control panel that exceeds the width of the cabinet on the left and right sides.  As I've pondered my own design, before swappable panels started to surface, I thought about something similar.  This cabinet is a PC2Jamma/ArcadeOS type of project.  This is project #102!
ZipStick move
ZipStick has a new URL, and would like to announce that they are selling their shells (the console without the electronics to hack your own pads and such) at a $10 discount till the end of the year.  Good time to buy if you're thinking of this route.
More to come...
There's more to come, including some things that people have sent me a few days ago, but it's midnight :)  More to come!
Not a real update, but . . .
Just a quick rundown of a few items that are kind of timely... We are in the middle of moving from one location on Speedhost to another, so there *may* be a small interuption in some parts of the FAQ, such as the message board.  No problems anticipated, but if you see them I'll be working on them (11 PM Eastern).

 
 

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