The Jabba MAME cabinet

[Jabba]

I am sure some of you will know what MAME is, but for those that don't, its a programme that allows you to run actual arcade machine roms on a decent spec PC.

There are now over 6,000 games emulated including all the old classics, galaga, kong, pacman and my all time favorite Defender.

Anyway even though they are 100% arcade accurate, its just not the same playing them on a PC, as the controls are wrong and a PC monitor doesn't have the right resolution for the proper effect.

What I have at last just got my hands on is a MAME cabinet at an absolute bargin price off Ebay, including 15KHZ arcade monitor, working coin slots and three different controller boards.

Full details here:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Custom-Built-Arcade-Machine-For-MAME-With-3-Panels_W0QQitemZ280040299586QQihZ018QQcategoryZ394 5QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Anyone who is interested in having a copy of the software, (its 12 DVD's) can send me a PM, it is the complete MAME Version 109 collection though with over 6,216 games !

Pictures off Ebay and at the JW HQ (setting it up in progress) !!

http://www.motorworld.net/userfiles/jabba/mame/m1.jpg
http://www.motorworld.net/userfiles/jabba/mame/m2.jpg
http://www.motorworld.net/userfiles/jabba/mame/m3.jpg
http://www.motorworld.net/userfiles/jabba/mame/m4.jpg
http://www.motorworld.net/userfiles/jabba/mame/m5.jpg
http://www.motorworld.net/userfiles/jabba/mame/m6.jpg
http://www.motorworld.net/userfiles/jabba/mame/m7.jpg
http://www.motorworld.net/userfiles/jabba/mame/m8.jpg
http://www.motorworld.net/userfiles/jabba/mame/m9.jpg
http://www.motorworld.net/userfiles/jabba/mame/m10.jpg
http://www.motorworld.net/userfiles/jabba/mame/m11.jpg
http://www.motorworld.net/userfiles/jabba/mame/m12.jpg
http://www.motorworld.net/userfiles/jabba/mame/m13.jpg
http://www.motorworld.net/userfiles/jabba/mame/m14.jpg
http://www.motorworld.net/userfiles/jabba/mame/m15.jpg
http://www.motorworld.net/userfiles/jabba/mame/m16.jpg
http://www.motorworld.net/userfiles/jabba/mame/m17.jpg
http://www.motorworld.net/userfiles/jabba/mame/m18.jpg
http://www.motorworld.net/userfiles/jabba/mame/m19.jpg
http://www.motorworld.net/userfiles/jabba/mame/m20.jpg

[sameerrao]

Looks cool! 8)

[Erez]

thats just so fucking cool! 8)

[Fleischmann]

F**king awesome idea Jabba. I remember spending half my pocket money on arcade games as a kid. Caddilacs and Dinosaurs, The Punisher and the legendary Metal Slug series, bring it on!! Great purchase.

[MIHALS]

I guess that car game is OutRun on your machine :hmm: :D

I loved to play Double Dragon II, Final Fight and Wrestling :lol:

I have 2 DVDs with MAME games, so if you like, let me know Jab :wink:

[Minacious]

So if I come to the UK you're going to let me come over for a little 2-player old school arcade action, right? :D

[dutchmasterflex]

Wow.. awesome new toy ;) Pretty damn sweet how you can swap out the controls to have both joy stick and driving games.

[gis]

Jabba thats fucking awesome,im sooo jelous :P

[Toronto]

oh so very cool..... i would get frogger on that bad boy and not move for hours, days, maybe weeks :D

[yg60m]

Funny idea :D I wouldn't have think to that !

[5vz-fe]

I wanna play pac man in that!!

[PATo355]

hahahahaha , that is crazy , looks fantastic , just discovered mame some months ago and im crazy playing old games ... nothing like street fighter 2 , the original outrun or the mortal kombat 2 ... its the bomb , emulation is perfect , although PC monitor has TOO MUCH resolution for the games ... needs to be played in a standard tv ... great buy looks mad ...

[ARMAN]

HO-LI-SHIT :shock: Nice toy Jabba! :P

[TopGearNL]

WOW what a piece of machinery :shock:

Looks pretty cool though! :D

[novass]

Damn thats nice! I saw one of those some time ago and desperately wanted one and I still do! I didnt know it came with an attachable wheel though, thats freaking sweet!

[Jabba]

although PC monitor has TOO MUCH resolution for the games ... needs to be played in a standard tv ... great buy looks mad ...

Thats why it has a 15 KHZ arcade monitor and a special VGA card for the PC that outputs 320x240 @ 15 KHZ (it wont work on a pc monitor)

Youre right though, the games just don't look right on a PC monitor and the difference an arcade monitor makes is amazing. A TV is somewhere in between the two, according to everything I have read.

[ldin]

bitchin good deal jabba, i have seen many people build these, but man this has to be one of the best hands down, and damn good price too! one of these weekends i have been telling myself i have got to make one...not as crazy, just enough to play 1942 and streetfighter and ima be a-ok...have fun with it!

[MartijnGizmo]

Wow, just wow! :shock:

The guy should've sold the Mrs. :lol:

[gigdy]

pretty sweet, not quite this.. http://www.racketboy.com/roomplay/2006/04/x-men-6-player-arcade-best-cabinet.html

ps any one know where i can get this ^^ for my pc?

[PATo355]

although PC monitor has TOO MUCH resolution for the games ... needs to be played in a standard tv ... great buy looks mad ...

Thats why it has a 15 KHZ arcade monitor and a special VGA card for the PC that outputs 320x240 @ 15 KHZ (it wont work on a pc monitor)

Youre right though, the games just don't look right on a PC monitor and the difference an arcade monitor makes is amazing. A TV is somewhere in between the two, according to everything I have read.

Most games work on Standard Resolution , even the latest from SEGA :

STANDARD RESOLUTION

HORIZONTAL VERTICAL
Scan Frequency: 15.72 KHz Scan Frequency: 60.0 Hz
Scan Period: 63.6 µSec Scan Period: 16.7 mSec
Active Video: 46.9 µSec Active Video: 15.3 mSec
Video Delay: 11.9 µSec Video Delay: 1.2 mSec
Sync Pulse: 4.7 µSec Sync Pulse: 0.2 mSec
Scan Line: 456 Pixels Screen: 262 Lines
Resolution: 336 Pixels Resolution: 240 Lines
Clock Freq: 7.16 MHz

Info from : http://www.klov.com/ an amazing page to research about old arcade games .

[TT]

This is a dream! I'd relly like to have one of those myself too!!

[saadie]

sweeet ... :)

it must be fun taking out all the coins ?
or do you have a string atached? :mrgreen:

[Jabba]

although PC monitor has TOO MUCH resolution for the games ... needs to be played in a standard tv ... great buy looks mad ...

Thats why it has a 15 KHZ arcade monitor and a special VGA card for the PC that outputs 320x240 @ 15 KHZ (it wont work on a pc monitor)

Youre right though, the games just don't look right on a PC monitor and the difference an arcade monitor makes is amazing. A TV is somewhere in between the two, according to everything I have read.

Most games work on Standard Resolution , even the latest from SEGA :

STANDARD RESOLUTION

HORIZONTAL VERTICAL
Scan Frequency: 15.72 KHz Scan Frequency: 60.0 Hz
Scan Period: 63.6 µSec Scan Period: 16.7 mSec
Active Video: 46.9 µSec Active Video: 15.3 mSec
Video Delay: 11.9 µSec Video Delay: 1.2 mSec
Sync Pulse: 4.7 µSec Sync Pulse: 0.2 mSec
Scan Line: 456 Pixels Screen: 262 Lines
Resolution: 336 Pixels Resolution: 240 Lines
Clock Freq: 7.16 MHz

Info from : http://www.klov.com/ an amazing page to research about old arcade games .


I dont know what your point is there as that is what I have just said.

To achieve the STANDARD RESOLUTION though correctly you will need a graphic card that outputs 320x240 (or whatever the game runs at) at 15 khz and a monitor that will accept that frequency.

As we know most PC graphic cards wont support such a low resolution and PC monitors work at 31 KHZ.

Thats why you need an Arcade VGA Card and a 15 khz arcade monitor to make the emulation 100% perfect.

Which you can get here for just the job !

http://69.73.188.100/~jultimar/monfaq.html

[MIHALS]

you're making me install the MAME proggy and play some good old game now Jabba :mrgreen:

[evoWalo]

just mad mad mad cool. to think the processor of my cellphone could probably power that arcade. :mrgreen:

[PATo355]

although PC monitor has TOO MUCH resolution for the games ... needs to be played in a standard tv ... great buy looks mad ...

Thats why it has a 15 KHZ arcade monitor and a special VGA card for the PC that outputs 320x240 @ 15 KHZ (it wont work on a pc monitor)

Youre right though, the games just don't look right on a PC monitor and the difference an arcade monitor makes is amazing. A TV is somewhere in between the two, according to everything I have read.

Most games work on Standard Resolution , even the latest from SEGA :

STANDARD RESOLUTION

HORIZONTAL VERTICAL
Scan Frequency: 15.72 KHz Scan Frequency: 60.0 Hz
Scan Period: 63.6 µSec Scan Period: 16.7 mSec
Active Video: 46.9 µSec Active Video: 15.3 mSec
Video Delay: 11.9 µSec Video Delay: 1.2 mSec
Sync Pulse: 4.7 µSec Sync Pulse: 0.2 mSec
Scan Line: 456 Pixels Screen: 262 Lines
Resolution: 336 Pixels Resolution: 240 Lines
Clock Freq: 7.16 MHz

Info from : http://www.klov.com/ an amazing page to research about old arcade games .


I dont know what your point is there as that is what I have just said.

To achieve the STANDARD RESOLUTION though correctly you will need a graphic card that outputs 320x240 (or whatever the game runs at) at 15 khz and a monitor that will accept that frequency.

As we know most PC graphic cards wont support such a low resolution and PC monitors work at 31 KHZ.

Thats why you need an Arcade VGA Card and a 15 khz arcade monitor to make the emulation 100% perfect.

Which you can get here for just the job !

http://69.73.188.100/~jultimar/monfaq.html

Haha , nothing , i know its the same you said , but when i read the low resolution i started to see if the new games also used that low res , its incredible that games like sega rally 2 , ridge racer V , and Ferrari F355 look so freaking sweet in arcade with a lower resolution than a television !

There were other resolutions standards for arcade with much more pixels , but looking into many games never found one that used them .

Can you post pictures with popular games ? I would love to see them !!!

[Jabba]

just mad mad mad cool. to think the processor of my cellphone could probably power that arcade. :mrgreen:

Well for some games yes, but there are some like like SF 2049 which even my conroe wont touch yet, well it will, but 4 FPS isnt really playable.

The latest estimation to run this game at full speed is a 10 GHZ processor, this is due to the emulation of the heavy 3D hardware.

[Jabba]

although PC monitor has TOO MUCH resolution for the games ... needs to be played in a standard tv ... great buy looks mad ...

Thats why it has a 15 KHZ arcade monitor and a special VGA card for the PC that outputs 320x240 @ 15 KHZ (it wont work on a pc monitor)

Youre right though, the games just don't look right on a PC monitor and the difference an arcade monitor makes is amazing. A TV is somewhere in between the two, according to everything I have read.

Most games work on Standard Resolution , even the latest from SEGA :

STANDARD RESOLUTION

HORIZONTAL VERTICAL
Scan Frequency: 15.72 KHz Scan Frequency: 60.0 Hz
Scan Period: 63.6 µSec Scan Period: 16.7 mSec
Active Video: 46.9 µSec Active Video: 15.3 mSec
Video Delay: 11.9 µSec Video Delay: 1.2 mSec
Sync Pulse: 4.7 µSec Sync Pulse: 0.2 mSec
Scan Line: 456 Pixels Screen: 262 Lines
Resolution: 336 Pixels Resolution: 240 Lines
Clock Freq: 7.16 MHz

Info from : http://www.klov.com/ an amazing page to research about old arcade games .


I dont know what your point is there as that is what I have just said.

To achieve the STANDARD RESOLUTION though correctly you will need a graphic card that outputs 320x240 (or whatever the game runs at) at 15 khz and a monitor that will accept that frequency.

As we know most PC graphic cards wont support such a low resolution and PC monitors work at 31 KHZ.

Thats why you need an Arcade VGA Card and a 15 khz arcade monitor to make the emulation 100% perfect.

Which you can get here for just the job !

http://69.73.188.100/~jultimar/monfaq.html

Haha , nothing , i know its the same you said , but when i read the low resolution i started to see if the new games also used that low res , its incredible that games like sega rally 2 , ridge racer V , and Ferrari F355 look so freaking sweet in arcade with a lower resolution than a television !

There were other resolutions standards for arcade with much more pixels , but looking into many games never found one that used them .

Can you post pictures with popular games ? I would love to see them !!!

Well sorry for not understanding you correctly in that case.

Like you I was puzzled how something so low-res could still look so good, now that I can see it running at the correct native resolution.

Here is the answer it would seem :

"Older game boards had very basic video circuitry which was constrained in resolution for two reasons: firstly most available early monitors were based on TV designs and so had the same frequencies, and also because memory was expensive and higher resolutions require much more RAM. There were some very clever designs around, which used the concept of "sprites" to work around the memory limit, but resolutions were still limited. The simplicity produces sharply-defined but low res graphics."



They used trickery to produce "sharply-defined but low res graphics." and the results look great IMO.

[PATo355]

Yes its amazing , i still miss the arcades , since the 2000 they started dissapearing , never saw a new machine , most locals closed , it was so good , much better than playing playstation in home ... I remember 12 years ago playing MK2 in the arcades when i was 13 years , it was just great time !

[Jabba]

Yeh I couldn't put my finger on why it just wasn't the same at home, I would say the heavy controllers are just as essential as the monitor to create the arcade effect though.

I can remember the days when I was about 8 years old having to beg my sister for another 20p to have one more go, and when I didn't have any more money left, I just used to stand there watching other people play, obviously this was way before consoles or home computers, and the technology seemed almost like magic at the time (especially to an eight year old).

[PATo355]

Yeh I couldn't put my finger on why it just wasn't the same at home, I would say the heavy controllers are just as essential as the monitor to create the arcade effect though.

I can remember the days when I was about 8 years old having to beg my sister for another 20p to have one more go, and when I didn't have any more money left, I just used to stand there watching other people play, obviously this was way before consoles or home computers, and the technology seemed almost like magic at the time (especially to an eight year old).

Well i used to do exactly the same in from 1988 to 1996 probably , even tho i had the atari , nintendo , super nintendo , gameboy and the playstation all within a year of the launch ... it was just not the same , i still prefer to play a good round of MK2 in one of the few arcades that are left ( hours from my home sadly ) than play the last fighting game in my Computer or console , its just another experience .

[Jabba]

Is it down to the controllers then in your case would you say or something else ?

[PATo355]

Is it down to the controllers then in your case would you say or something else ?

Many things actually , those controllers are the best but also i can say that playing those games costed money , even till the Super Nintendo games were very expensive , so your dad would buy you 6 per year not more probably , so you HAD to play them and enjoy em , with the 3do and Playstation it was all free , you can get copies everywhere , so you ended up having 1000 of games and never enjoying anything ... The things that you pay for are always the most enjoyed , even more if its your money ...

Was the same when kid in the arcades , you were happy that you got lets say a pound so you will spend it in the arcades , games were like a privilege , an event , a kid walking thru those big flashy machines it was the best !

Plus in the fighting games you ended playing with a lot of other guys who you could learn , not the same in the consoles . In the Arcades the guy won and you lost 10 cents , so it was like a revenge , i must beat him , in the PS you lost and who cares ...

Of course with mame everything is free again , but it brings you memories at least , i would love to own a cabinet like yours , but when i work i will probably get one , its just so sweet :)

[Jabba]

a kid walking thru those big flashy machines it was the best !



Yep them were the days.

I have a few other arcade machines that I might turn into mame cabinets if I get the time, but I guess shipping them to where you are, will always be a pain.

Anyway until then, I may offer a front end for arcade machines (no keyboards required to select the games etc) up for ISO download, it will be much more than 6,000 mame games though, as there is also all the emulators for super nintendo, genesis, sega CD, atari and others maybe over 10,000 games in total, I also have a sega dreamcast emulator and every game that was ever written for it, sadly those total over 60 gigs though.

I know its not the same as having a cabinet, but I bet this would still be better than mame32 for an aracde experience.

http://www.jabbasworld.net/userfiles/jabba/mame/101.jpg
http://www.jabbasworld.net/userfiles/jabba/mame/102.jpg
http://www.jabbasworld.net/userfiles/jabba/mame/103.jpg
http://www.jabbasworld.net/userfiles/jabba/mame/104.jpg

[PATo355]

Well thanx for the offer , but i did some research a year ago for a MK2 original arcade game with the original jamma cabinet , it was dirty cheap , 400 dollars in good condition , guess how much the shipping was ? 700 dollars for USPS cheapest service !!! That ruins all the fun ...

I might get a cabinet here in Chile maybe , hard to find an original one , i even saw a hand made one !!! Will search for it , since my father has a furniture fabric , i might get the wood and stuff there ... could be a good idea ....

Like this one http://www.flickr.com/photos/abandc/sets/72157594306934926/
http://www.geocities.com/lusosarge2000/eindex.html

http://dmoz.org/Games/Coin-Op/Arcade_Games/Cabinets/Constructing/

Im interested in the frontend ... can you play fullscreen ? And what is the advantage over the mame32 ? It looks much more friendly since you dont have to see a list of 6000 games to search what you really have downloaded !!!

60 Gigs is a lot , no dvd image with just the mame games ? that would be sweet !

[Jabba]

Yep I have detailed plans on how to build the cabinets, and thats the way to go if you have the time, and you will get the best result for sure. I am only going to convert the jamma ones I have here, to get some experience and save alot of time.

The front end it totally designed to play at full screen, and to completely hide windows, remember its meant for cabinets, which wouldn't have a keyboard or mouse, from starting up, you would never know that windows is underneath it. You can also use it as a juke box with MP3's and I guess as a video player if you wanted to do that.

A full mame collection (version 109) is now over 50 gigs and 12 DVD ISO'S as it would include all CHD files, samples, artwork etc as well as all the roms of course.

[PATo355]

Wow , its huge , but for a proyect i bet a sempron or celeron , 512 ram and any videocard should run it , plus 160gb hard drives are dirty cheap right now , will see if i get in mood to build one in summer ... But i think its a good idea to have a game party room in your house and stick one of those , works as a jukebox too :)

Any link to your detailed plans ?

[Jabba]

Well as we have said, it depends how perfect you want it, so an Arcade vga would be my choice (for correct arcade resolutions) especially as they are quite cheap anyway.

Those specs would be fine for most games, but as I said in my other post, there are some games (SF 2049 for example) that even my conroe wont run, or at 4 fps anyway which is the same as wont run LOL, they estimate that a 10 GHZ processor will be required to play this at full speed, as the emulation of the 3d hardware is very heavy going.

I might post the cabinet plans up later.

[PATo355]

Haha do you like san francisto 2049 ? Dont really like it , my fav car games are the sega ones , sega rally does not appear to be working on my pc either :S

[TransAm]

Nice addition to Jabba Towers there! :wink: