How to Build a MAME Arcade Machine for Your Home

August 7, 2008

Building your own MAME arcade machine is not as difficult as it may seem. However, it is rather easy to get lost and become confused given all the different components, decisions, and information available online.

By reading this simple overview you will gain a good understanding of how all the parts and pieces come together to create your very own arcade cabinet. There are many different ways to get to the end product but all arcade machines are essentially made in the same fashion (especially for our purpose). These are the basic components that will come together to make your arcade machine:

  • Cabinet Generally made out of plywood or medium density fiberboard (MDF) the cabinet can come in many different designs and types. All cabinets essentially do the following:
    • - House the computer
    Support the display (monitor/ TV) and the speakers
    Allow the control panel to be mounted
    Are often finished with side art, marquees (signs at the top) and/or coin doors

  • Control Panel Like cabinets, control panels can come in all sorts of designs and can provide different levels of functionality based on the arcade controls you decide to include. Basically the control panel is a piece of wood or MDF that has been drilled and cut so that all the individual arcade controls can be mounted (joysticks, trackballs, buttons, etc.).

  • Interfaces & Wiring Once all the arcade controls are securely mounted to the control panel board it is time to connect them together via wiring. All of the controls are wired to what is called an interface card. The interface card then connects to the computer either through the PS2 port or the USB port. Once connected to the computer your arcade controls act as input devices such as a mouse, keyboard, or game pad depending on how they are connected/ what the controls do.

    • There are many different types of interface cards and it is important to make sure you know what you have and what parts you need, that is why after reading this you should check out Planning and Designing your Arcade Machine at buildahomearcade.com.

  • Computer Nothing too fancy here, most MAME arcade machines use an average PC. Your arcade can play regular computer games, if the game itself is configured to use the controls. MAME is what is known as an emulator which basically tricks the computer into thinking it is an arcade machine. Emulators then use ROMs, which are the individual games, to allow you to play arcade/console games on your PC. This site doesnt offer any ROMs but a simple Google search for MAME ROMs or ROMs in general should provide you with more than enough information. You also should check out the home of the Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator.

    • In summary the cabinet is essentially just that- a cabinet for all the parts. A good arcade cabinet will provide:

  • Good support for your display

  • Room for the speakers

  • A place for the control panel to be mounted

  • Room for the computer inside
    • The control panel is simply a piece of wood or MDF that has all the arcade controls securely mounted to it. These controls are then wired together and to some sort of interface card. This interface card then connects the arcade controls to the PC as input devices like a mouse, keyboard, or game pad. Using your computer you then run a PC game or an emulator with a ROM of your choice loaded in order to play. As long as your arcade controls are configured properly within the game, you should be able to successfully play the game using your new arcade controls.

    The basic goal of a MAME arcade machine is to use arcade controls (joysticks, buttons, trackballs, etc.) to act as input devices (like a mouse, keyboard or game pad) while playing games (PC or ROMS) off your computer.

    For more information on any of these components check that particular part in the main guide of buildahomearcade.com

    Why Build Your Own Arcade Machine?
    For years the thought crossed my mind about having my own arcade machine at home. I always dismissed it because I figured that it was either too expensive to buy or far too complicated to build. Well, as Ive recently discovered, they are surprising...

    Free Arcade Games
    Arcade games are an age-old tradition. They have existed as a term since the heyday of the pinball machine, and even earlier in many cases. There are several websites that offer free arcade games including solo player, multi-player, action, adventure...

    Classic Arcade Games
    The new millennium is the millennia of PC games. But before PCs became a household phenomenon, the only games of its kind that kids knew, and a whole generation of Americans have grown up playing, were arcade games.Arcade games consist of a simple, y...

    Real Arcade Games
    Real arcade games are very popular in the public places where people are likely to be waiting for something. They are a great way to kill time, and can be found in video arcades, restaurants, bowling alleys, college campuses, laundromats, movie theat...

    80s Arcade Games
    The 1980s are considered to be the golden age of arcade games. It was in 1972 that the first electronic arcade games with coin slotting machines came into the limelight with Atari inventing the game called Pong, which was a ping-pong game. This game ...

    Basketball Arcade Games
    When arcade games gained popularity in the 1970s, they were the traditional type like the first pinball games, Pac-Mac, Pong, and Space Invaders. However, over time, the creators of these games realized they had to innovate and improve constantly to ...

    Off Road Racing Games
    Among many racing game aficionados some of the most challenging and realistic games are the off road racing games. The rough terrain, the unexpected switches between mud and gravel as well as the appealing cars and scenery make these games fascinatin...

    Your Answering Machine is a Method of Telephone Sales
    The tele-selling industry sub-sector often called Telemarketing breaks down their category by incoming telemarketing and out-going telemarketing. Out going telemarketing is what folks got so angry about and why we ended up with all the Federal Regula...

    New to Gaming - All You Need to Know About Flash Gaming Sites
    Interested in gaming, there are sites that let you play for no cost. All you need to have is Macromedias Free Flash Player. Whew! According to Computer Gaming World, there are 80 gazillion free Flash games sites in the cyber world.Popular sites are: ...

    How To Get Your Phone Call Returned
    When selling your product face to face with a customer, they have no choice but to hear you out completely. Ask yourself this question, If they were listening to you describe your product on their personal voice mail, would they hear you out, or woul...

    Topics: Buy Pc Games |