Build an Arcade Cabinet...am I Crazy?

Okay, so I've decided I need an arcade cabinet.  I initially thought this was one of the usual faddy ideas I have but after three weeks this one hasn't gone away so I guess I have to build a cab now.  Luckily I have a really cool Wife :-)

I have long been of a fan of the old 16 bit and 8 bit games consoles and computers and have been picking up both games and machines from ebay here and there but due to a lack of space in our home, I've now decided that it would make more sense to build an arcade cabinet which contains a PC loaded with emulators of my favourite games consoles and games.

There is no budget as such so I will be trying to do this on the cheap, although I have this week listed a shed load of retro gear on ebay to raise funds for this;

Commodore 1541 floppy drive
Commodore 1541 floppy drive
Commodore 1541 II floppy drive
Commodore 64+NIC  (Ethernet Adapter!)
Commodore Amiga 500
Commodore 64 C
Empty Commodore C64c case
25 x New Old Stock 5.25" Floppy Disks
Empty Amiga 600 Empty Box in Good condition
2 x Commodore 64 Datasette
Commodore 1701 Video Monitor
Various Amiga disks

My inspiration to build an arcade cabinet has come from the brilliant Koenig Project Mame Website (http://www.koenigs.dk/mame/eng/) where you can download plans for making your own machine from MDF (below)

The main snag with this option is that I am not know for being any good with DIY and the prospect of accurately cutting MDF sheets in a straight line to the required size does not fill me with confidence.  A way round this is to order the MDF sheets all cut to size from the web (local timber merchants won't do it), the only two cuts will then be the sides where I needs to give the cab it's distinctive shape. 

Plan B - If I chicken out on this (and depending on how the ebay auctions go) I might decide to order a smaller "Midi" sized arcade cab from Rich's Bartop Arcade's on ebay (Rich's Bar Top Arcades on eBay).  Perhaps a bit too small but no cutting required!

Plan C (and this is very unlikely) is that I may order a full size, flat pack arcade machine from The Retro Pit (The Retro Pit).  This would give me a full size cab with no wood working skills required, however it doesn't include a hidden shelf for a keyboard and mouse like the Koenig design does and I quite fancy playing the odd game of C&C Red Alert or some of the Chris Sawyer games.  This is way more than I want to spend!

In terms of what I have already it's so far;

• A PC good enough to run emulators for the systems I am a fan of
• A viewSonic VP201s 20" LCD monitor (4:3 aspect ratio) which I managed somehow to win boxed on 3bay for £16 and should arrive any day.  I wanted a 4:3 because the older 16 Bit and 8 Bit games look ridiculously stretched on widescreen.  Other 20" LCD's which were 4:3 and I'd heard were good are Dell 2007FP, Phillips 200P3, Samsung Syncmaster 214T and I have been keeping an eye out for any of these four at the right (cheap) price.

...and 

• An LED Stereo VU Meter which I'm kind of not sure what I'll do with.  It's a small circuit which blinks the LED's according to the music / sound you play through it.  I'm thinking I may add more LED's and  use this in the Marque.  Anyway it was only £6.99
  

Once I decide on the cab itself I plan to run Windows XP with Maximus Arcade front end (http://www.maximus-arcade.com) and emulators for SNES, Mega Drive, Amiga, C64, PS1 to start off with.  Depending on the quality of video through the LCD I may well purchase a scanline generator.

Still yet to decide on colour scheme / artwork but have a few ideas floating around...

At the moment everything hangs on the eBay auctions and how well they do (or don't!) -  they begin to end on Saturday morning......

 

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