Video Game Tips and Tricks

Hi, this guide is for the beginers and also for everyone else too because I can tell you, I have been doing this for 27 years and I always learn something from someone all the time!

Most people have thought about building their own game for home. Do yourself a favor and read all of this before lifting your first tool.

TIPS:

SAFTEY FIRST: ALWAYS WEAR PROTECTIVE GEAR

THIS MEANS EYES, CLOTHING, GLOVES. ALSO BE SURE TO KEEP ALL LONG SLEEVES CLOSE AND TIGHT TO YOUR ARMS SO THEY DONT GET HUNG UP IN WHAT EVER MACHINE YOU MAY BE USING!

EVERYTHING IS REPLACEABALE EXCEPT YOUR BODY PARTS!

First I strongly reccomend you do ALOT of research before you spend your hard earned dollars! Then do some more. This will undoubtedly save you some money. Some of the best ways to save some dough is start with an old arcade cabinet. My estimation of this would be an old NBA game because of the large oversize control panel and they are 25 inch size monitors. You can lay that bad boy out with 2 sets of controls and a 4 way and a spinner and a trackball with no modifications to the original size of the control panel-just to the top part.

If you intend to go full out then I reccomend any midway game like a MK2 or better and using the old control panel as a guide just build a new panel that has the width you want. The original metal trim will be the same and best of all you can knock the old panel apart for the patterns.

Also a J pac works really nice for these cabinets because it was made to plug right in to the JAMMA harness of the machine so almost 50% of your wiring is already done! On some machines with an over/under coind door I like to remove the coin doors and install a blank one piece door so you can mount your computer directly inside the door for easy access, can you say "NO MOVING THE MACHINE" of If moneys tight, just remove the money box from the inside as the coin door is in 2 pieces, one piece is the door the other the coin box!

The monitors can be used with your mame and I reccomend the ultimarc video card, it will aloow full size vertical games to be played on the monitor-as far a a vertical game could be shown on a horizontal monitor, this will not happen with most video cards out there. If you have the bucks buy an arcade style monitor made to be used with a computer, they are high dollar but give the best results possible. also with a computer style arcade monitor they usually dont need the ultimarc card so this will save you some money that you can use towards the computer monitor cost!

Control panels can be built from 3/4 MDF or plywood, use lexan not plexi, plexi will crack on you when you try to drill it. When drilling holes in both wood and lexan drill the holes part of the way through and then drill from the other side, this gives you a clean start to the hole on both sides with no "punch through" edges. If you build your control panel first you can use the control panel to help drill the holes in the lexan. Start by clamping the lexan to the control panel. Using a router with a flush cut bit that has a bearing roller guide, remove excess lexan around the edges of the control panel. After doing this, with the lexan still clamped on the bottom of your wood, use your drill press (assuming you have one, you can still use a hand drill) apply your 1 1/8th hole saw down through the new existing holes you already cut out on your panel and they will guide you to the lexan, this will make for perfect alingment of your lexan holes to control panel holes, remember to drill the hole only part of the way through the lexan, when you have drilled them part way, remove the lexan from the control panel and finish the holes from the opposite side of the lexan.

This will yeild as smooth of a cut as can be expected. Lexan is somewhat soft and you bit will clog easily and you will need to stop and clear the bit for each use. Its a bit of a pain but anything less will result in poor hole cutting.

MORE INFO:

Button hole size for Happ buttons = 1 1/8th

Center hole for the stick needs to be 1 3/16th when using 3/4 wood with a lexan cover.

Carriage bolts if used are 1-1/2 , 10 24 thread, nuts are 10-24 also

Happ USB PS2 ready trackballs use your mouse driver-no optipac needed.

Tornado Spinners are also USB ready-no opti pac needed

When building a mame system the power supply in a used game is not needed so remove or unplug it. The power you will be using comes directly from the computer power supply, do no unplug the power to the monitor.

If buying and using an older monitor be sure to use an isolation transformer, if not youll blow up monitor chassisand then its dead. Late model monitors dont use them, if in doubt add an isolation transformer because they will both work with an isolation transformer.

12-12-2007 The new Vista is not working out to well from all the people I have talked to, most are reverting back to XP. Most of you will be using XP anyway just as these are getting cheap but I put this here to forewarn you of the Vista pitfall.

Well your pretty much on your own from here, good luck and good building!

Terry!

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Orignal From: Video Game Tips and Tricks