Last post here (Ironically)

Well, I have finally found a free website / space provider that does a decent job in regards to template customization and content management (and smart-phone friendliness).  I have created a new site at the following link:


http://bennysarcadelife.wix.com/index/


It still retains a bloggish-feel, but allows me to add / update specific pages much easier.   I'll keep this blog up for a few more month, so my VAST number of subscribers (HA!) can get transitioned.  Hopefully the new site will get 'the arcade dream' out to more people. 

Finally back!

Okay . . . wow.   It’s been a frickin’ year since I posted.  Can’t believe so much has happened and I haven’t documented anything.  If you’ve been keeping up with the web / podcast stuff Rick and I have been working on, you know that it’s been dead for some time.  Rick’s had continuing medical issues, and combined with me landing my dream job and keeping busy with the family stuff, it just wasn’t working out to keep the podcast going.  Maybe I’ll push a solo cast in the future, but I want to focus on the arcade and other ‘at-home’ projects.

Arcade life – my older son and I have been diving into the world of RC cars lately, but I’ve had a little time to tinker here and there in the gameroom over the winter.  I purchased a back-lit keyboard for the Horizons cab, and finally customized / installed bezels for the ceiling black lights (bezel pics to come soon). 

The mural is slowly moving forward again as well.  After installing furniture sliders on the pinball machine, I was able to move it out enough so that I could start on the planet Saturn.  The moon is going to need another coat of white paint with Rit color brightener to make it reflect better under black light.  That reminds me – I’ll be adding a new section that includes some tech / how-to posts for you home gamers out there.  That’s about it for now.  Since the weather is improving, I should be able to start on the cocktail cab soon.

Let's talk PINBALL!!!

So the wife thought it would be a cool idea if I looked into getting a pinball machine this year, since the tax return was so good (I know, she really is AWESOME!!).  After weeks of research and looking around for the 'right' machine, I ended up getting a Gottlieb Surf Champ pinball machine, straight out of 1976!

Save for a couple of minor items, the pin looks and play great!  I'm just happy of the fact that the arcade is actually starting to look like an 'arcade', instead of a basement with one lonely cabinet.  Livin' the retro-gaming dream for sure!!  Next up, getting the basic build of the cocktail cab started!!

Have buttons, now let's build that next cab!

Finally got the buttons in for Rick's future cocktail cabinet.  We ended up getting an 18-button set up for his cab:  2 players, with 6 action buttons each,  1 & 2-player start buttons, buttons for 1 and 2-player credits, and a couple buttons to incorporate a pause and escape for MAME.  He's inheriting a couple of 8-way joysticks via my first cabinet, that was disassembled long ago.

I'll hopefully be able to get my cocktail going soon, but I want the nice pac-man style joysticks and I've been pinching pennies to get other things fixed around the house.  The plan is to get the supplies by mid-spring.  In the meantime, I now have the 1 and 2-player start buttons for my Horizons cab from this last shipment, so no more holes in the control panel - yea!!!

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!!

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/

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:

www.retromamearcade.net

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