I have been thinking of ways to build a very compact MAME arcade machine. Something that is only marginally wider than a large LCD computer monitor, perhaps 15 cm deep and maybe only 50cm high. Not to heavy, so it can be mounted on a wall, something like a dart board.

I don’t want to cramp the players by having a really tiny control panel, so the machine would need a mechanism to allow the control panel itself to unfold so that it can neatly (and easily) assemble into a larger control panel. I want the control panel to host at least two players with each player having access to one joystick and six buttons. More buttons would be required for coins and player start. The control panel will also need to contain a trackball.

Not being mechanically inclined, I could not envisage how how this could happen. I had a vague memory of coming across a book that outlined all the advances and knowledge in mechanical devices. My googling skills led me to this wonderful book:  Mechanisms and Mechanical Devices Source (Edition 4).

It is chock full of mechanical nerd goodness. More linkages, levers, pulleys and cams than you could poke a lever at. Here is a sample I snagged from page 93:

There are another 551 pages just like this, but different! Fantastic.

My 5 year old MAME arcade machine is struggling a bit. All the reconfigurations over the last 5 years have left the operating system in a bit of a confused state. It is struggling to recognise some of the USB devices (light guns, SNES pads etc), and is asking to be re-authenticated.

I’ve decided to replace the WinXP with Ubuntu.

The games that are big with the kids right now are:

• Metal Slug (1,2,3,4,5 and X)
• RodLand
• Galaga
• Frogger

As long as I can get these games to work we are onto a good thing.

How To:

1. I was going to do a fiull write up but this is easier…go here and follow these instructions.
2. Result:
   
   Yay! It works.

TODO:

1. Install emulators for Atari, NES, SNES and N64..?
2. Configure all the above:
3. Figure out why having a USB keyboard plugged in causes phantom keyboard commands. Whenever a keyboard is plugged in every game gets phantom commends for joystick-left. Ruins every game. Not a big drama as I have simply unplugged the keyboard. But it means that for debugging/installing I have to dive into the guts of the machine before I slide open the keyboard tray.
4. Figure out why the drivers I have written for the LCD TopGun’s are so … clunky. They definitely work and track OK, but they don’t have very good targeting at the moment. Very gross movements, as if their are only 32-ish pixels/points spread evenly across the screen that the guns are aware of.
5. Get tinted, hardened glass to cover screen
6. Get marquee printed:
   

SKG Soft – Home.

I followed this guys instructions to clean out the dust from the CPU fan and exhaust. Got a 20+ degree Celsius drop in temps. Fantastic.

Acer Aspire 5315 Random Shut Down Problem Fixed! – YouTube.

A great set of construction shots of someone’s Virtual Pinball setup.

I’ve got to convince wifey that this is the next thing to go in the games room. I already have two arcade machines in there but I would LOVE a pinball emulator like this one…

Hackin’ The Junk yard – Page 1 of 4.

I’ve always wanted a electric car, but this might make a more sensible start…

What is Cabrio?

Cabrio is a graphical front end for emulators, specifically designed for use in arcade cabinets. It allows you to select games via an intuitive, attractive interface which is easy to use with limited controls, such as a joystick. Cabrio is made available under the GNU General Public License, meaning anyone can freely download the source code and even contribute to development.

Where can I get it?

Check the download section for the latest releases.

So how do I get it to work?

See the quick-start guide for a brief, straight-to-the-point installation guide. More detailed documentation can be found in the support section.

And who is responsible for all this?

Cabrio is developed by Steve Maddison. Feel free to contact me if you have comments and suggestions or, even better, you have bug fixes/patches or are otherwise interested in contributing to the Cabrio project.

via Cabrio – Home.

I was installing win7 on wifey’s new PC yesterday but the CD had been damaged.

I still had the Win7 iso file. I figured if I could dump them all onto a USB thumb-drive to install.

Found instruction here to make the USB bootable: http://www.intowindows.com/how-to-install-windows-7vista-from-usb-drive-detailed-100-working-guide/

I grabbed the beta for Battlefield 3 the other day. The installation complained about the out-of-date graphics drivers, but I went to install them nothing worked.

Solution here: http://www.hardwareheaven.com/windows-7-vista-radeon-display-drivers/205392-new-ati-driver-crashes-my-computer.html

Instructables user [killbox] seems to have come across a process that actually makes magnetic silly putty “better”, depending on your specific needs. He had tons of fun making a batch of magnetic putty, but thought that the addition of iron oxide made it stiff and a bit slow moving for his tastes.

He tried to find a household item that could act as silly putty thinner, but after trying various oils, gylcerin, and rubbing alcohol, he came up empty handed. Undeterred, he researched how silly putty itself is made, and based on its list of ingredients, decided to seek out some sort of silcone-based lubricant.

He headed out to the local sex shop, and spent some time browsing through the “personal lubricant” section, in hopes of finding what he needed. He settled on ”Gun Oil”, a silicone lubricant that also contained Dimethicone, an item on the ingredient list of the lubricant he initially used to make the batch of magnetic putty.

via Enhance your magnetic silly putty with personal lubricants – Hack a Day.