Mikes Mini Mame
- Project Type: Bartop/Countertop Arcade Cabinet
- Construction Method: Scratchbuilt
- Monitor Type: 15" LCD TFT
- Interface Type: UltraStik 360
- Special Controls: SpinTrak, AimTrak, UltraLux & Pac-Drive
- OS: Windows XP stripped down using nLite
- Front End: MaLa
Contents
Introduction
Hello everybody,
My name is Michael, I am 34, I live in Cyprus and I am a sys-admin by profession.
This is my second build after a restoration of an old cab back in 2005.
I decided on sharing the details for this latest arcade cabinet in case others might find the read useful or entertaining.
However, the real reason is to keep a record of the build process which for me, is actually more satisfying than finally owning the finished cabinet.
Work started in Nov 2010, with most of the electronics sourced in advance from various locations.
This page will be getting updated following the actual build which in turn heavily depends on my sparce spare time. (so be patient...)
The Mini Mame Cabinet
As you may have guessed from the category this is a Bartop/Countertop/Coffee-tabletop/Whichever-suits-you-besttop project.
The need for a mini, compact, carry-around cabinet rose firstly out of the obvious practical reasons from such a small size. Secondly, I found myself curious as to whether the functionality and look and feel of a full sized cab could be successfully scaled down to such a degree.
To help me better visualise my concept I used the free Google Sketchup tool which on numerous occasions proved invaluable. See design section below.
Design
And some X-ray Pics!
Computer HW
Coming soon...
Motherboard
I went for the Intel D510MO mini-itx form factor (170mm x 170mm) for the following reasons:
1. Small size that would fit the cab and allow room for other components.
2. Ability for passive cooling. (no cpu fan)
3. Extremely low power consumption. (less heat in a wooden cab is a good thing)
4. Can happily run the majority of the mame games without additional hardware. (i.e. graphics cards)
Full specs here.
Controls
Coming soon...
Software
Coming soon...
Woodworking
Let the building begin...
