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Wednesday, October 30, 2013

And the next arcade cab is . . . .

So, I'm about done with the second RetroMameArcade podcast, and my podcast partner in crime, Rick, is going to build a side-by-side player cocktail cab for his first project.  I figured it was fitting that I start working on my next cab as well, since the Horizons cab is done (WooHoo!).  My plan is to do a traditional, pac-man style cocktail, with actual pac-man joysticks, etc.

I'll be showing progress of the build in the cabs section of the blog, as well as the RetroMameArcade website.  Hopefully I'll be purchasing supplies (pushbuttons, MDF Panels, etc.) within the next couple of weeks.  I'm pretty stoked!!

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Busy Life, but happy . . .

So, I added a couple pics of the Horizons cab in the cabinets section.  SOOOOOOO CLOSE!!!  All that's left now is the filler panel between the control panel and glass / bezel.  I also need to figure out what to do with the edges of the arcade side panels, since I failed to route out grooves for T-molding in the beginning of the project.  Other than some protective trim around the base, that'll be it!!  WooHoo!!

I'll be helping my friend Rick build his cabinet next, and my plan is to also begin building my cocktail cab at the same time (we're planning on buying buttons / sticks from Suzo-Happ soon).  Slow-going but still fun.

The podcast has really become an inspiration for me in this hobby.  We've been getting great feedback so far, and we're working towards completion of episode 2.  We're really hoping to fill the MAME niche in the podcasting world.  It's been a major time juggle to fit in chances to record content for it, but we're determined to keep it going!  I finally got it set up on iTunes, so check out the link on the home page:

http://www.retromamearcade.net/

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Stuff

So, the oldest son is now off to college, and now I can move the treadmill / exercise machine into his room, allowing me access to the right side of the north wall mural in the arcade.  I've been doing a little bit of touch-up of the mural in the meantime:  finished my final coat of paint of the black-light reactive stars, as well as begin painting in the land-masses of planet Earth.  Along with this, the Horizons Cab is almost done!!  I will add pics to the 'Cabinets' section of the blog soon.
I have also added a new section to the blog, called 'Game Room'.  This is where I will show additions / mods to the arcade itself that aren't arcade cab specific.  I plan to upload pics of the bezels I installed on the black lights for the mural shortly.

Other news:

The first RetroMameArcade Podcast is completed.  It's available for streaming on the website:


It will also be available on iTunes very soon (just gotta finish the RSS feed info, etc).  

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

So it's early in the morning . . .

It's one of those nights where you're tired, but actually don't feel like sleeping.  I stayed up late to chat and hang out with my stepson, who'll be leaving for college in another month or so.  We talked cars, games, etc.  I'm finally starting to rest, now that I'm on a CPAP machine.  It turns out I have really bad sleep apnea, and the CPAP is slowly bringing me back to having energy to burn some midnight oil.  Tonight I decided to get a 'master' computer set up with all my MAME  game roms.  It took some time, as I have a few THOUSAND!  Also the fact they were originally on CD when I got them several years ago increased the task time.  Being able to finally get them fully onto a machine (as well as most of them on a jump drive) will make downloading them to the other PCs MUCH easier.

The RetroMameArcade podcast is almost ready - funny how almost everything I plan ends up taking longer than I think.  It's been a learning experience, but also fun.

Been starting to work on the black light bezels for the ceiling, as well as the black light fish tank.

Also (if I'm lucky), the Horizons cab will be done within the next two weeks. . . .WOOHOO!!!

Wish I had more, but I've had lots of home / garden projects to take care of, as well as rebuilding my old Kawasaki 650 motorcycle.

More later.  Live the arcade dream!!

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Not necessarily slacking . . . .

I actually have a decent reason for not posting for a couple of months.  I've been working on a MAME-based project with a good friend of mine.  No, it's not a cab or anything like that.   It's actually a web site for MAME enthusiasts called RetroMameArcade.net.



It's still under construction, but the cool part of it all is that the web site will be a supplement to our upcoming podcast.  The podcast (still in process) will be available soon -  the plan is to have it up on iTunes, etc. by mid-June.  It's going to cover pretty much all things MAME-ish.  From general tech, to desktop control panel construction, to cabinet and and MAME-based arcade builds (real surprise there).

We're hoping to make it fun (and a little sassy).  I've been using my midnight oil over the past few weeks, tweaking the sound and production of the podcast.  We're still creating content, and figuring out the details of what true direction we're going to have the podcast take.

Can't wait for the first podcast to hit iTunes . . . I'll keep you posted!!

Thursday, January 31, 2013

New and improved blog . . . well, it will be soon.

   I ditched my arcade web site, as I wasn't utilizing the web space enough to make it worth the expense.  But since Blogger allows us the option to add pages, etc., I'm basically going to move the web site over to the blog.

   So soon I will have a few 'pages' set up for you the check out.  There'll be a page dedicated to my arcade cabinets, showing the build progress, stats and costs for each one, etc. I'll also have a Tech Tips & Tricks page, as well as a page dedicated to all things MAME.  I'll probably add another page for the game room itself, showing how it's being decorated, lights & wiring, nick-nacks, etc.

   Overall, it will create a more complete arcade blog experience.  I'm going to post a bunch of pics for the Horizon cabinet build soon, as it's basically a finished project.  Keep checking in!

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Christmas Vacation, My Ass . . .

Well, here's a surprise.  Didn't get time to work on anything arcade-related.  Too much stuff going on with family holiday get-togethers, housework / home repairs and taking care of the baby while the daycare was closed.  Baby brought home an awesome cold / sinus infection for the holidays, and we've all been getting it. The wife and I are still sick.

While I haven't had time to actually 'work' on it, I have been thinking the directions I'm wanting to take with the game room.  I've decided to nix the idea of a cabinet that's dedicated to the 3d Pinball! game that I have.  Even though it's a great emulator, it's not the same as a real pin.  I've also chosen to forego making a sister cabaret cab to the Horizons cab.  The reason is simply that while a cabaret cab is enjoyable, it's not the most comfortable cab to play at.  I would rather have another full-size upright.  Also, the cocktail cab I will should cover all of those vertical-screen games that the Horizons cab isn't designed for.  So my thinking has gone to actually have one REAL cab in the arcade.  Something like a Space Invaders, Robotron, Berzerk, Missile Command or Defender.  I wouldn't mind an Asteroids or Lunar Lander cab, but they're actually too tall to fit in the basement with the suspended ceiling.  Here's the list of what games I want included in the game room (currently):

1.  MAME cabaret cab (Horizons - 95% complete).
2.  MAME cocktail cab (0% complete).
3.  MAME 4-player, full-sized upright cab (0% complete).
4.  Original, real arcade cab (when time & money allows).
5.  Real pinball machine or cockpit / driver-style MAME cab (still pondering)

There is room for only 4 cabs in this game room in its current setup, and I figure the pinball machine, etc. will be last on my 'to-do' list.  Once the baby gets a little older and the teenager moves out on his own, I'll be able to reorganize a couple areas to potentially add more cabs.

That's what I've got for now.  Live the Arcade Dream!!