Nerdbloke

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.

SKG Soft – Home.

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…

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.

A very nice looking cocktail arcade machine: Dr. Action’s Distraction Contraption – a set on Flickr.

http://www.hyperspin-fe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2944

Wow, check out the vids on this page of some super-dooper fancy pinball emulation.

Especially this vid – wow!

Not the same as the real thing but at ~$6K for an “Addams Family” pinball machine (and another few thousand to fix it up) it’s as close as I am going to get.

HyperPin, VP9, and Dream Pin a work of art!!!

Finnally got around to installing some VP9 tables… VP8 didnt really impress me too much, but VP9 blew me away. Must say these guys did a great job.

via Hackall – hyperpin.

available from: http://keio.dk/retroadapter.html

http://www.instructables.com/id/USB-Game-Pad-With-Tilt-accelerometer-Mouse/

Uses a Teensy chip + accelerometer. I don’t think I’ll need the accelerometer, but I wonder if one can hook up the N64 hat-stick outputs to the teensy…

I think would be great for the SNES and N64 controllers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pfcy-XTety4

Lyrics:

Neo Geo, Neo Geo. Four bright buttons and two joysticks.
Neo Geo, Neo Geo. Cool red cab and a name that sticks.
No one quite did 2D fighters like you did.
No one quite did runnin’ and gunnin’ like you did
No one quite did Puzzle Bobble like you did
I’ll always love my four slot model cause I, I…
I played that cab for hours on end to the point where that thing was my only friend.

With a heavy machine gun in my hand I beat Metal Slug over and over again.
Youre 32 bits of endless fun. Youre a 1990 revolution.
Youre ahead of the game. You are the best. Youre the SNK king of MVS.
Youre an attractive machine in a pretty red dress.
When Im playing as Mai I wanna give you a kiss.
Forget Chun Li when theres Shiranui.
She’ll knock you out with those big ninja bees

…