Main Page

2009-09-21T14:38:05Z

Saint: Added File Repository

__NOTOC__
{{Welcome}}
<div style="background:#f9f9f9; padding:0px; border:1px solid #aaaaaa; margin-bottom:5px;">
{| cellpadding="10" width="100%" style="background:#f4f4f4"
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==Gallery of Projects==
* [[Examples|Examples of Various Cabinet Projects]]

==Main Arcade Cabinet Portals==
* [[Basics|Arcade Cabinet Basics]]
* [[Building|Cabinet Design and Building]]
* [[Controls|Control Panels and Interfaces]]
* [[Video|Monitors and Video]]
* [[Finishing|Finishing and Artwork]]
* [[Vendors|Vendors - Where you buy your stuff from]]
* [[Software|Software, Emulators]] & [[Utilities]]
* [[Using Consoles In an Arcade Machine]]
|valign="top"|

==Site Index==
* [[:Category:Index|Site Index]]
* [[Special:Popularpages|Most Popular Pages]]
* [[Glossary]]
* [[Community Portal]] - To add or edit pages!
* [[Contents]] - Old Contents/Index page

==External Links==
* [http://arcadecontrols.com Main BYOAC Web Site]
* [http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/ BYOAC Discussion Forum]
* [http://files.arcadecontrols.com/ BYOAC File Repository]
* [[Project Arcade|Project Arcade - The Book]] - Written by Saint - the BYOAC sponsor
|}
</div>

[[Category:Portals]]

Hiding Windows

2008-03-09T00:41:14Z

Saint: /* Making Your Own Bootskin for XP using Bootskin_Free */

{{DisclaimerSoftware}}

==Introduction==
To create the illusion that your home arcade machine is a 'real' arcade machine, it would be nice to be able to hide the familiar Windows PC look and feel. Nobody wants to see the Windows logo when your cabinet is turned on; it's kind of like being caught with your pants down. There are several ways of achieving this, let's have a look at your options...

''note: this article deals with hiding various parts of the operating system when the computer is in start-up phase. To hide the windows user interface and select games take a look at the [[Front-Ends|front-end software]] article.''

==Instant Sheller==
Before following this guide consider trying [http://www.gameex.net/Community/InstantSheller/tabid/73/Default.aspx Instant Sheller] by Tom Speirs to automate the process of hiding cursors, boot screen, startup/login/shutdown screens, setting auto login and hiding the desktop.

==Replacing Your BIOS Logo==

Some modern BIOSes support changing the logo that is the very first thing displayed when your computer turns on. It should be noted that there’s not too much to be gained from doing this as most computers are so fast that the image is only momentarily flashed and your display device normally won’t have got up to operating specifications before the BIOS screen disappears. If yours can be changed, there will be an utility to do this on the motherboard manufacturer’s website.

Some (but not all) ASUS brand motherboards support this feature. Support for this feature in other brands is unknown.

= [[Image:OS windows icon.gif]] Hiding Windows XP =
== Replacing Your Boot Screen ==

The boot screen is the Windows XP logo on a black background with a little blue progress bar underneath it. Before making any changes, be sure to create a System Restore point before attempting these methods. While not a "Get Out Of Jail Free" card, it can save you from yourself. This way, in case something goes wrong, restarting your computer, pressing and holding F8 until the Operating System menu appears and selecting “Last Known Good Configuration” should get you back to your previous state in most cases.

You can modify your boot screen in these ways:

=== '''BootSkin''' ===
: This product inserts a driver file into the XP startup sequence that displays an image instead of actually loading a driver.

:: Pros:
::* It does not patch or access any operating system files.
::* If something goes wrong, it is simple to fix.
::* You can customize both the screen and the progress bar.

:: Cons:
::* Relies on BIOS and driver manufacturers strictly obeying certain guidelines.
::* If the system is incompatible, you'll likely get a "blue screen of death".

=== '''BootXP''' ===
: This alters resources and some other bits in a file called “ntoskrnl.exe”.

:: Pros:
::* You can customize both the screen and the progress bar.

:: Cons:
::* '''''If something goes wrong, you will need an original Windows XP CD to put it right and knowledge of how to use the recovery console.'''''
::* It accesses and patches a critical operating system file.
::* You get really ugly and slow nag screens every time you want to change your boot screen if you don’t pay for it.

=== '''Slimm Boot-Logo / The Microsoft Way''' ===
: There is an undocumented switch in Microsoft Windows XP’s operating system settings file. Slimm Boot-Logo simply flicks the switch.

::* '''''You can also set this switch manually. Go to My Computer >Properties >Advanced >Startup and Recovery >Settings. Select “Edit startup options file”. Add “ /bootlogo /noguiboot” to your default operating system (there must be a space between each switch) and add a 16-color 640 x 480 pixel BMP file called "boot.bmp” to your Windows directory.'''''

:: Pros:
::* Simple, safe, simply asks the operating system to use a custom boot screen.
::* No illegal or unrecommended patching of any file.
::* Least chance of anything going wrong (your changed settings can be checked before you reboot. After performing the change, go to My Computer >Properties >Advanced >Startup and Recovery >Settings. If you still have “Microsoft Windows XP” in the combo box at the top, everything should work fine next time you boot.

:: Cons:
::* No progress bar on custom boot screen.
::* Have to convert your image to 640 x 480 pixels and 16 colors yourself.
::* If it goes wrong you will need an original Windows XP CD to put it right.

:::* '''If something goes wrong: You need to rebuild the “boot.ini” file using the instructions in [http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;330184 this knowledge base article]'''

=== Making Your Own Bootskin for XP using Bootskin_Free ===
This may work for other "skinning" softwares but I have only used Bootskin.<br>
This is a description of how to make your own Bootskin for win XP.

The bootskin is composed of 3 parts. The main image, the progress bar,<br>
and a little script (for lack of a beter term) to tie the two together.<br>
These are then placed into a folder and zipped.

*Start by making a folder for your bootskin.
*Rename it to Whateveryoulike.bootskin

I use Photoshop to make my images, but you can use any program that will allow
you to change color modes and save a profile of an indexed color palet.

*Main Picture is 640 x 480 (72dpi)
*Make it "Indexed color" - 16 Colors
*Save color loader table (Image->Modes->Color table->Save)
*Save as BMP - 4 bit - Imagename_Bootskin.bmp (Imagename is whatever you want it to be called)
*Make sure that you save this in your new bootskin folder.

*Progress bar is 22 x 9 (72dpi)
*Index color - load color table from BKG image (Image->Modes->Color table->load)
*Save as bmp - 4 bit - Imagename_Progress.bmp (imagename is whatever you want it to be called)
*Save this in your bootskin folder.

Next you will need to open notepad and make a description for the bootskin program
to know how to put your bootskin together.<br>Here is a description of what needs to be inside.<br>

[BOOTSKIN] = what it is <br>
Type = (I do not know what this is for. When I read about this it said to use 0 and it works)<br>
Name = title of Bootskin (inside quotes)<br>
Author = You (inside quotes)<br>
Description = Description (inside quotes)<br>
Progressbar = the name of the progress bar file +.bpm<br>
Progressbarx (y)= X & Y Coordinates (in pixles) for where the progress bar is on the screen<br>
Progressbarwidth = How wide (in pixles) do you want your progress bar to be.<br>
Screen = The name main image + .bmp <br>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is the last one that I did. You can use it to get yourself on track.<br>
Open notepad and copy - paste the script below.<br>

[BootSkin]<br>
Type= 0<br>
Name = "Blackout"<br>
Author = "MYX"<br>
Description = "Blackout Theme based skin"<br>
ProgressBar= BO_Progress.bmp<br>
ProgressBarX = 140<br>
ProgressBarY = 400<br>
ProgressBarWidth = 360<br>
Screen= Blackout_Bootskin.bmp<br>

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Once you have finished filling out your tweaks, save it as bootskin.ini<br>
You will have to type the .ini.<br>
This changes it from a txt document into a configuration document.

Make sure all 3 parts are in your Your.bootskin folder.<br>
Then you have to zip the folder.<br>
*Right click on the folder.
*When the menu comes up select send to -> Compressed (zipped) Folder

Now that your bootskin is zipped you can put it into the bootskin program.<br>
In Bootskin, I have found that when I navigate to where the folder is many times the bootskin folder does not show up. In the name box, if you start to type the name of the bootskin folder, it will appear and then you can select it. Not sure why this is.

Clear as mud? Good.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

=== '''A Hardware Solution For Hiding BIOS & Boot Screens''' ===

: This may be set-up dependant thus it may or may not work for your setup. In the first step, a cheap or even free part is recommended. This will make testing this method easier on the wallet.

:# You must be using an AGP video card in your PC. Add a PCI video card to your system (use the cheapest model you can find - it may not even have to work, so you may be able to find a free card!)
:# Go into the BIOS setup screen of your PC, and find the "Video Card" setting. Change it to "PCI" instead of AGP.
:# Reboot your PC

: The BIOS messages and boot screen should now be output only to the PCI card. The monitor, still plugged into the AGP card, should stay blank until Windows starts. If any BIOS changes are needed, you'll have to plug the monitor into the PCI card, so ensure your PC's BIOS settings are configured prior to attempting this step.

== Replacing Explorer With Your FE In XP ==

To almost completely bypass Windows and its trimmings, you may want to set up your [[Front-Ends| front end]] as a shell.

: '''Note: To do this automagically during startup in XP your computer may be a part of a workgroup, but it CAN'T be part of a domain.'''

Here is the process to follow in order to set up your front end as a shell:

*You must have at least 2 users with admin privileges
*Open the user that will be auto logged in to the account that will be running your front end as a shell. This user should have admin rights.
*Set XP to automate the login process.
*#Click start >run >type <pre>control userpasswords2</pre>
*#Deselect the '''Users must enter a username and password...''' checkbox.
*#Click '''Apply'''
*#Enter the user & pass you want to login with & click '''OK'''
*#Click '''OK''' again
* Configure your front end... this is not a trial run, so make sure it's the way you want it. You can always get the explorer back, but it will take a minute or two to do so.
* Open '''regedit''' and find
<pre>HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\IniFileMapping\system.ini\boot</pre>
* Find a string entry called '''Shell.'''
* Change the first 3 letters (which should read SYS) to USR. The path after USR will look different for your system, but it should appear similar to this: USR:BLAH\BLAH\BLAH. This tells windows to ignore the system’s shell values and load up a shell value on a user by user basis. If you don’t do this it will never even look for the shell value in the current user key, meaning the next part won’t ever be seen.
* Now (still in regedit) open these registry folders as follows:
<pre>HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon</pre>
* If you can't find '''Shell''' create a string entry and name it '''Shell'''.
* Set the string entry to the name and directory location of your front end, for example <pre>C:\arcade\mamewah.exe</pre> YOURS may be different, use YOUR OWN path to the exe!
* Log out as the auto-login user and log back in as another user with administrative rights. (You DID create 2 accounts with adminstrative priveledges as was suggested, right? )
* If you want to limit the access of the auto log-in user set the auto-login user to a '''standard user'''

===What to do if you removed the taskbar and want it back===

Should you ever care to go back to the way things were, after firing up your front end, simply hit ctrl alt del and run regedit again, and delete the shell entry you created. POOF! Everything’s back to “normal” again!

If you just want the taskbar back temporarily then do the following:

# Exit your front end and go back to your taskbar-less desktop.
# Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete.
# In Windows XP the task manager appears. On Windows 2000 you need to press the "Task Manager" button as an extra step.
# Click on the "New Task" button.
# At the "Create New Task" window type "explorer" and hit OK.

===Launching Programs/Utilities in the background===

If you set your [[Front-Ends| front end]] as a shell you may notice that other programs you had set to startup on Boot are no longer loading in the background.
* [[Other_Software#Utilities | XYNTService]] will allow you to continue to load any programs that don't already support launching as a System Service.

===Alternate Method Without Messing With The Registry===

You can achieve a similar affect as the above (although not as "complete", and may or may not be acceptable to you) with the following steps:

# Put a shortcut to your FE's .exe file in “Startup” folder.
# Hide all windows desktop icons. You will need to [http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx download and install the Microsoft PowerToy TweakUI] and change the Desktop settings.
# Set desktop to black or use a wallpaper image of your choice
# Auto hide task bar.

==Returning to Explorer once FE Quits==

* If you would like the Explorer shell to start up after you quit your frontend, this is possible. Here is how to do it using Mamewah as an example. Keep in mind, that this is only possible if the frontend that you use supports launching an application on exit. Also, the location of the option to do this won't be in the same place everytime, Mamewah is just used as an example.

# Go to your Mamewah folder and edit your mamewah.ini file
# Near the bottom of the list of options is app_to_run_on_exit enter explorer.exe next to it and save the file.

Now, everytime you quit Mamewah, it will exit back to the Explorer shell.

Edit:
From
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=22da901a92d294b12067b40fa135b06e&topic=53467.40
posted there by Capthowdy

Edit your mamewah\ctrlr\default.ini

EXIT_WITH_CHOICE

EXIT_TO_WINDOWS "DIK_ESCAPE"

EXIT_AND_RUN_APP

EXIT_AND_REBOOT

EXIT_AND_SHUTDOWN

guess where "DIK_ESCAPE" needs to be! That's right...make it look like this:

EXIT_WITH_CHOICE

EXIT_TO_WINDOWS

EXIT_AND_RUN_APP "DIK_ESCAPE"

EXIT_AND_REBOOT

EXIT_AND_SHUTDOWN

== Getting rid of the "Loading settings" Popup screens ==

* The following will hide the dialog box that appears that the beggining of Windows startup informing you that the system is "Loading Settings".

To do this,follow these steps:

# Go to, Start Menu -> Run and enter regedit
# Navigate to entry: <pre>HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>Software>Microsoft>Windows>CurrentVersion>Policies>System</pre>
# If there is an entry for "DisableStatusMessages" set it to 1 (the digit one)

* If there is no entry, right-mouse click the "System" word, and select New->DWORD value, and enter "DisableStatusMessages", right-mouse to edit the value of it, and enter 1 (the digit one).

==Hiding The Mouse Pointer While Logging Into Windows==

*After having everything else stripped out of Windows, seeing the cursor briefly while Windows boots up is a real experience killer. Here is how to get rid of it! Please make sure you read this thoroughly before you start, as you might get stuck with an invisible pointer, and that won't be fun to get back to normal!

# Download this version of TweakUI, it has a special option that we are going to need. http://www.systemsmedic.com/DownloadFiles/TweakUIXP.exe (dead link -- company closed October, 2007)
# Once this is installed, go to Control Panel>Mouse>Pointers and change all of your cursors to a cursor file that is invisible, and save this to a scheme of your choice, Ex. "Mame cursors". See TIP at the bottom for some extra info on the cursor.
#Save the scheme, but don't apply it yet, as it will be hard to navigate Windows with an invisible pointer.
#The last thing to do is to apply the settings to make the cursors invisible. Go back to the cursor screen in the Windows Control Panel, load your scheme and hit apply. It'll be hard, if not impossible to see your cursor, depending on which type of cursor you made, which is why this is the last step. Squint your way into your start menu and open TweakUI. If you can't see the cursor, just hit the Windows key on your keyboard to bring up the start menu. (If your keyboard doesn't have a "Windows key", you can alternatively get the start menu by pressing '''Ctrl + Esc'''.) Go to the LOGON option, and somewhere there is the option to copy your wall paper etc. across to the Logon Screen. Check that, and hit apply or press Alt+A.

*If you have made an invisible cursor and you can't seem to get around Windows once you exit your FE, you can just log out of the current user and log into the computer as an administrator and all those settings should be untouched. To do this without a mouse, just hit Win+L and it will bring up the login menu (Win is the windows key on the keyboard, right between Ctrl and Alt. Another useful hotkey is Win+R which brings up the Run menu.

TIP: When you download Mamewah, the zip contains an invisible cursor, so you can use that one if you'd like. Also, you can make a cursor that is just a dot, so that it is almost invisible but it can be used to navigate if needed.

===Alternate Change Cursor Method (Without TweakUI)===

NOTE: This method was tested to work with Windows 2000 and Windows XP.

1. Open up regedit.exe

2. Go to the following key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Cursors
3. Here you can change the assigned mouse cursor files for your the current user. You can change them all but in my experience the following three do the job for cursor concealment:

::* "AppStarting"
::* "Arrow"
::* "Wait"

NOTE: At this point it is a good idea to backup this branch in case you change your mind.

4. Change the values you wish to replace with the name of the cursor you wish to have instead. Write it using a FULL PATH, for example: ''"c:\temp\my_special_cursor.cur"''

Make sure what you writing is correct and prefer changing spaces to something else if your cursor file is using them.

5. Close regedit.exe and reboot your machine.

===Changing the Cursor Shape During the Logon Screen===

For this you need to change the assigned cursor values for the ".DEFAULT" user account. The registry key is:

HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Cursors

If the "Cursors" key does not exist then create it yourself. At the "(Default)" value type a title for the cursor scheme (e.g. "My Special Cursors"). Create REG_EXPAND_SZ entries for the cursor types you wish to change. Use the values mentioned in the previous section as a guide. Reboot your machine for changes to take effect.

== Welcome/Startup/Shutdown/Background Color ==

* To hide the Welcome Screen (where you'd normally log in) you'll need to change from the default windows XP welcome screen to the other style by going to Control Panels >User Accounts >Change the way users logon or off. Deselect the “Use Welcome Screen” checkbox.

* To change the login background color from blue to black (to better hide it), use regedit again and navigate to
<pre>HKEY_USERS\DEFAULT\Control Panel\Colors\Background</pre>
The 3-digit RGB color for black is 0 0 0.

* If this causes the "Classic" login screen to appear that prompts for a password, the login can be automated as follows:

#Click start >run >type <pre>control userpasswords2</pre>
#Highlight the user you want to log into automatically, then deselect the '''Users must enter a username and password...''' checkbox.
#Click '''Apply''' and you'll be asked to verify the username and password to log in automatically
#Click '''OK''' again and the next time you restart your computer, you'll automatically be logged in without having the classic prompt or Welcome Screen.

== Removing pop-up bubbles ==

* In Windows XP, you occasionaly get pop-up bubbles with all kinds of useful (or less useful) information. In the application of running an arcade machine, we use low resolutions, like 640x480 or even 640x288. In these resolutions Windows XP tries to be helpful and lets you know via a pop-up bubble that your resolution setting is not ideal for this videocard. (Another bubble that can come up because of the low resolution is from the Start menu indicating it cannot show all items on the Start menu because of the low resolution.
We need to live with this, so there is no point in these bubbles coming up everytime.)

* To turn ALL (!) bubbles off follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then press ENTER.

2. Navigate to the following subkey:
<pre>HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced</pre>

3. Right-click the right pane, create a new DWORD value, and then name it EnableBalloonTips.

4. Double-click this new entry, and then give it a hexadecimal value of 0.

5. Quit Registry Editor. Log off Windows, and then log back on.

These steps disable all Notification Area balloon tips for this user. There is no way to disable balloon tips for specific programs only.

==Hide Desktop Icons==

To hide all of your desktop icons look for the following registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoDesktop

Set it to 1 to hide the icons, 0 to show them (this is the default).

= [[Image:OS windows icon.gif]] Hiding Windows 98 =

Hiding Windows 98 is lots easier than hiding Windows XP.

== Replacing Your Boot Screen ==
* Create a black picture with in BMP format, RGB encoded, 320x400 resolution, 256 colors in MS Paint or another paint application
* Do NOT try to save pictures in 16bit or 32bit colors or such, because it may crash Windows.
* Replace logo.sys, logow.sys and logos.sys with your new picture (these are actually bmp files, which were renamed to sys).

Here is more in-depth info about replacing:
[http://www.annoyances.org/exec/show/article02-011 Replace the Ugly Startup and Shutdown Screens].

Here is a post with lots of good links to logos and free editing tools:
[http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=38262&st=0&p=314806&#entry314806 Animated/static Win9x/ME logos and free tools to create/edit/manage animated/static logos].

===Special concerns when using the ArcadeVGA===
When using a custom boot screen logo with the ArcadeVGA video card, the boot resolution is 320x200. This results in only the top half of the image being visible. However, Windows still requires an image that is the full 320x400 pixels. A simple way to handle this is to make a standard sized boot screen image, resize it vertically 50%, then paste two copies (stacked vertically) into a new 320x400 BMP image.

== Hiding The Mouse Pointer While Logging Into Windows ==
You can doing the same way as Windows XP.

== Hiding The taskbar ==
Coming Soon.

==See Also==
* [[Software]]

[[Category:Software]]
[[Category:Index]]

Game Room

2006-08-11T16:23:32Z

Saint: /* Home Game Rooms (Examples) */ (spelling)

__NOTOC__
==>>!!THIS PAGE IS VERY MUCH IN THE DEVELOPMENT STAGE.!!<<==
<div style="background:#f9f9f9; padding:0px; border:1px solid #aaaaaa; margin-bottom:5px;">
{| cellpadding="10" width="100%" style="background:#f4f4f4"
|style="width:50%" valign="top"|
Building your own arcade cabinet is a great way to bring back the gaming excitement of your youth. If you are sick enough, you can go to the next step. Build your own home arcade. There are many factors to consider such as mood, space, and electricity. Some people like to make a sports bar and incorporate a full bar and AV equipment, while some people like to have the dark room just lit by the games themselves. The Game Room can be a truly creative expression. Below are some links to help you create your ultimate game room.

==The Real Thing==
If you are going to build a game room, in addition to the MAME cab, you might want to also bring home the real thing too. Owning and collecting real arcade machines and pinball machines sits right on the border of insanity. It is like having a whole room of tempermental children. But at the same time, collecting and restoring can become a great hobby. There are many ways to come across and purchase the originals that captured our childhoods.
* [[Arcade_Auctions_1 | <b>Arcade Auctions</b>]]
* [http://collectibles.listings.ebay.com/Arcade-Jukeboxes-Pinball_Arcade_W0QQfromZR4QQsacatZ13715QQsocmdZListingItemList <b>ebay - Arcade Machines</b>]
|valign="top"|
==Decor==
==Home Game Rooms (Examples)==
Build it and they will come... Here are several examples of folks who took the plunge and built not only their own game, but the whole game room too.<br>(Please feel free to add a link to your game room)

[http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=47410.0 saint's gameroom!]

|}
</div>

Game Room

2006-08-11T16:23:09Z

Saint: /* Home Game Rooms (Examples) */ -- added saint's gameroom

__NOTOC__
==>>!!THIS PAGE IS VERY MUCH IN THE DEVELOPMENT STAGE.!!<<==
<div style="background:#f9f9f9; padding:0px; border:1px solid #aaaaaa; margin-bottom:5px;">
{| cellpadding="10" width="100%" style="background:#f4f4f4"
|style="width:50%" valign="top"|
Building your own arcade cabinet is a great way to bring back the gaming excitement of your youth. If you are sick enough, you can go to the next step. Build your own home arcade. There are many factors to consider such as mood, space, and electricity. Some people like to make a sports bar and incorporate a full bar and AV equipment, while some people like to have the dark room just lit by the games themselves. The Game Room can be a truly creative expression. Below are some links to help you create your ultimate game room.

==The Real Thing==
If you are going to build a game room, in addition to the MAME cab, you might want to also bring home the real thing too. Owning and collecting real arcade machines and pinball machines sits right on the border of insanity. It is like having a whole room of tempermental children. But at the same time, collecting and restoring can become a great hobby. There are many ways to come across and purchase the originals that captured our childhoods.
* [[Arcade_Auctions_1 | <b>Arcade Auctions</b>]]
* [http://collectibles.listings.ebay.com/Arcade-Jukeboxes-Pinball_Arcade_W0QQfromZR4QQsacatZ13715QQsocmdZListingItemList <b>ebay - Arcade Machines</b>]
|valign="top"|
==Decor==
==Home Game Rooms (Examples)==
Build it and they will come... Here are several examples of folks who took the plunge and built not only their onw game, but the whole game room too.<br>(Please feel free to add a link to your game room)

[http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=47410.0 saint's gameroom!]

|}
</div>

2006-03-09T03:41:18Z

Saint: Up through the L's this time

Glossary

2006-03-09T03:32:20Z

Saint: Up to the "E"s

Glossary

2006-03-09T03:18:48Z

Saint: More definitions, defined a few internal and external links in some defs

Glossary

2006-03-09T03:11:52Z

Saint: Added multiple definitions ~~~~

{{TOCabc}}
==A==
*'''Analog''', Analog data is data considered to be continuously variable -- that is, data that is not simply on or off (see ''digital''). Temperature is a good example of analog data.
==B==
*'''Bemani''', synonymous with the rythm and dance game genre. Originally from ''Be''at''Mani''a - the first rythm game in the genre.
*'''Bezel''', A shroud surrounding the monitor of an arcade cabinet so as to frame the monitor and hide the inner workings of the arcade cabinet.
*'''Bucking magnet''', A magnet that is glued to the back of a speaker magnet to counteract the magnetic field the speaker produces. Normally used to allow placement of speakers close to monitors without the speaker's magnetic field distorting the monitor's picture.
*'''BYOAC''' short for "Build Your Own Arcade Controls". Also the name of the website and community that spawned this Wiki.
*'''BYOACer''' a member of the Build Your Own Arcade Controls community.

==C==
* '''Cab''' Short for "Arcade ''cab''inet".
* '''Cap-kit''', Capacitor Kit - The capacitors (electronic components) on monitor circuit boards tend to go bad after a while, causing color and picture distortion. Replacing the capacitors (and other related electronic components) will often fix such problems. The collection of capacitors and other components that are needed to repair the monitor are referred to as a "cap-kit."
* '''CP''' Short for "[[Control panel]]"
* '''CPO''' Acronym for "Control Panel Overlay." A CPO is a piece of vinyl or similar material originally used to cover the metal or wood control panel, display control instructions and branded game art.

==D==
*'''DDR''' Dance Dance Revolution. A series of dance arcade games made by Konami. The series is named ''Dancing Stage'' in Europe, however many Europeans refer to the games by the DDR name.
*'''DIY''' Do It Yourself.
*'''DPI''' Dots Per Inch. Printing term used to describe the resolution of an image. For digital files, it may be better to think of DPI as pixels per inch.

==E==
*'''Emulator''' A piece of software designed to make one computer act as another computer or arcade hardware. See also [[Emulators]].
==F==
*'''Front End''' Software GUI used to launch game roms in one or more emulators
==G==
*'''GUI''' Acronym for "Graphic User Interface". A front end is an example of a GUI for MAME. The basic MAME is without a GUI, MAME32 is a version with a GUI.
==H==
''-No entries yet-''
==I==
''-No entries yet-''
==J==
*'''JAMMA''' - '''Japanese Amusement Machine Manufacturers' Association'''
A trade association based in Japan; it also the namesake of a trade show hosted in Japan; additionally, JAMMA is a wiring standard for arcade machines.

==K==
*'''Keyboard Encoder''' - A device used to interpret signals from arcade buttons and joysticks into standard keystroke signals

==L==
*'''Leaf Switch''' - A switch type commonly used on older buttons and joysticks. It consisted of two metal contacts, that when united, completed a circuit.
*'''Leafs''' - Short form for ''leaf switch''

==M==
*'''MAME''' Acronym for "Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator". See also [[Arcade_Emulators#MAME|Arcade emulators]].
*'''Multimeter''' A multimeter is an electronic measuring instrument that combines several functions in one unit. The most basic instruments include an ammeter, voltmeter, and ohmmeter. See the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multimeter Multimeter Wikipedia entry]

==N==
*'''NOS''' Acronym for "New Old-Stock." This term is most commonly used to describe original, unused vintage items for sale or auction. Many times unused stock may be found stored away untouched for years. NOS items are not reproductions, they were manufactured by the original manufacturer and should be close to perfect condition.
==O==
*'''OEM''' Acronym for "Original Equipment Manufacturer." An OEM was the originator of a specific part. Parts from an OEM should be more accurate than reproduction parts made for the aftermarket. Reproduction parts are usually not considered 100% fully interchangeable with parts from the OEM.
==P==
*'''Port''' A port can be either a connection on a computer circuit board or a remake of a game/application on another system than the first release. For example the arcade game Pac-Man was ported from the Arcade to various home computer systems.
==Q==
''-No entries yet-''
==R==
*'''RGVAC''' Acronym for the usenet newsgroup rec.games.video.arcade.collecting. This is a newsgroup for arcade collectors and those interested in restoring arcade cabinets to their original form. Regulars to the newsgroup aren't too fond of people that convert rarer arcade cabinets into ermulator cabinets.
*'''ROM''' Acronym for "Read Only Memory". ROMs contain program code, graphics and sound data that is used by the arcade hardware to run the games. Think of it as a CD on a chip. Many emulators require ROM image files to work.

==S==
''-No entries yet-''
==T==
''-No entries yet-''
==U==
''-No entries yet-''
==V==
*'''VOM''' Acronym for Volt-Ohm-Milliemmeter. See multimeter entry.
==W==
''-No entries yet-''
==X==
''-No entries yet-''
==Y==
''-No entries yet-''
==Z==
''-No entries yet-''
==0..9==
''-No entries yet-''

Talk:CD Ripping

2006-03-09T03:06:08Z

Saint:

I'm not sure this Wiki is the right place for this article. I assume the info is meant for Jukebox cabinets, however encouraging people to rip CDs might not be legal. Opinions? [[User:Felsir|Felsir]] 14:17, 8 March 2006 (EST)

:I don't think "legality" is an issue here - creating mp3's of you CD's is completely legal if you own them. Its also a required process if you own an Ipod or similar.
:However, I'm not sure this is the best place either. I appreciate the link to jukeboxes (I am building one myself) but there are so many of these guides already availble I feel a summary and a link would be better. Also because there are many ways to skin a cat, and people are not always in agreement. [[User:Silver|Silver]]

::Yeah, I wasn't sure if the legality really is an issue here, but the article 'feels' out of place to me. If others agree I would make this a candidate for deletion. [[User:Felsir|Felsir]] 15:02, 8 March 2006 (EST)

Well, I know where I took the sources from, and I'd guess just because it's not all from one place, and modified by myself, it's still parts of a copyrighted work.

I think perhaps just a link to the BYOAC page, if anything.

If it's decided that this should be here, I'd have no problems redoing it myself, since there's some things I'd like to add/change/fix/etc. - DK

Personally, I see no reason to take this off. CD Ripping is legitimate, though like anything COULD be made illegitimate. So can a baseball bat. --[[User:Mahuti|mahuti]] 21:43, 8 March 2006 (EST)

I'm OK with this being here. I do not want warez links however. [[User:Saint|saint]] 22:06, 8 March 2006 (EST)

MediaWiki:Sidebar

2006-03-09T03:04:22Z

Saint:

User:Saint

2006-03-06T03:38:25Z

Saint:

User:Saint

2006-03-06T03:36:30Z

Saint: Figured I should post a page about me :)

Founder and owner of the Build Your Own Arcade Controls FAQ website, often referred to as BYOAC or arcadecontrols.com. Hint -- you're here right now :) Also wrote a book that is basically the portable version of BYOAC called [http://www.projectarcade.com/ Project Arcade].

Main Page

2006-03-03T02:20:15Z

Saint:

== Welcome to the BYOAC Wiki! ==

The BYOAC Wiki is one of three main sections of the [http://arcadecontrols.com/ Build Your Own Arcade Controls website], which primarily (but not exclusively) concerns itself with building or buying authentic arcade controls and connecting them to your computer to play arcade style games with real arcade controls instead of a keyboard or mouse. Read "[[BYOACWiki:About|What's this all about?]]" to learn how the Wiki section of BYOAC came about and what it's for, or if you're already familiar with Wikis then dive right in - welcome!

''For editors: [[Help:Contents| Here is some basic help on editing our Wiki site.]] More basic MediaWiki documentaion can be found [http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Editing here]. If you'd like some more in-depth editing info, have a look [http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Contents#For_editors here] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTML_element here]. You can begin by adding articles, or by correcting any pages that may require attention. Pages with requests for correction can be found in the [[:Category:Cleanup|Cleanup Section. ]]''

A full table of contents is located at the '''[[Contents]]''' page. You can see a list of every current wiki page on the [[Special:Allpages| All Articles page]].

== General sections of this wiki: ==

* '''[[Contents#The_Basics| The Basics]]'''
* '''[[Contents#Building_Materials| Building materials]]'''
* '''[[Contents#Tools| Tools]]'''
* '''[[Contents#Arcade_Art| Arcade Art]]'''
* '''[[Contents#Arcade_Control_Hardware| Arcade Control Hardware]]'''
* '''[[Contents#Interfacing_Controls_With_Your_PC| Interfacing Controls With Your PC]]'''
* '''[[Contents#Video| Video]]'''
* '''[[Contents#Software| Software]]'''
* '''[[Contents#Miscellaneous| Miscellaneous]]'''

2006-02-28T18:47:25Z

Saint:

== Welcome to the BYOAC Wiki! ==

The BYOAC Wiki is one of three main sections of the Build Your Own Arcade Controls website. Read "What's this all [[about]]" to learn how this section came about and what it's for, or if you're already familiar with Wikis then dive right in - welcome!

----

For editors, [http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Contents#For_editors here's] some help on editing MedaWiki Sites.

The full table of contents that was on this page has been moved to the [[Contents]] page.

General sections of this wiki:

* '''[[Contents#The_Basics| The Basics]]'''
* '''[[Contents#Building_Materials| Building materials]]'''
* '''[[Contents#Tools| Tools]]'''
* '''[[Contents#Arcade_Art| Arcade Art]]'''
* '''[[Contents#Arcade_Control_Hardware| Arcade Control Hardware]]'''
* '''[[Contents#Interfacing_Controls_With_Your_PC| Interfacing Controls With Your PC]]'''
* '''[[Contents#Video| Video]]'''
* '''[[Contents#Software| Software]]'''
* '''[[Contents#Miscellaneous_.28for_now.3F.29| Miscellaneous]]'''

MediaWiki:Sidebar

2006-02-24T22:51:46Z

Saint:

MediaWiki:Sidebar

2006-02-24T22:50:22Z

Saint: