LumberJocks

A MAME game

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Project by GaryK posted 1749 days ago 3141 views 10 times favorited 32 comments Add to Favorites Watch

How about something for little kids and big kids alike!

MAME? (acronym for Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator)

“What’s that?”, I asked myself after seeing the projects of fellow lumberjocks:

Greg Wurst and Tim Dorcas

It turns out that some people wrote computer emulators for all the various CPU’s (6502, Z80, 6800…)
and dumped the ROM’s from the original vintage arcade games and got the games to work on a regular PC.

I had never heard of it before so I want to thank both of them for their posts.

This is my version of a MAME cabinet. Actually it’s my second one (it was the same design as the Greg and Tim’s). I decided that the first one was just too big and heavy with a 26” color TV in it, so I broke it apart and used the wood to make this smaller version. I used 1/2” plywood instead of 3/4” MDF to keep the weight down. The entire thing weighs about 80 lbs. With 3” wheels it is real easy to move around.

The smaller version has a 17” LCD monitor. I did make the bezel removable so that I can fit a bigger monitor in the future if I wanted to. This allowed me to decrease the depth and height. I think that it ended up the perfect size for inside the house. The upper part contains the speakers since no game is complete without sound!

After a little bargain hunting on ebay, I found a steering wheel, stick shift, and a spinner for about$50. If I were to buy them new it would have cost $431!

If you look at the 5th picture you can see that I installed an extra switch to play Commodore 64 games. It basically just sets shift key on the keyboard controller to use multiple inputs for right joystick.

With about 20,000 C64 games and about 6000 arcade games, that brings the total up to about 26,000 games.

The software is great in that it allows you to organize all your favorites in one place. It also includes a history for each game along with all the details of the original game including pictures of the machine itself, the motherboard and a lot of other things.

In the last picture you can see my 16 month old daughter playing. I have no doubt that she will be better at it than I ever was or will be.

I never knew how much I missed all those old games.

-- Gary - Never pass up the opportunity to make a mistake look like you planned it that way - Tyler, TX




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32 comments so far

View Scott Bryan's profile

Scott Bryan

27253 posts in 2020 days


#1 posted 1749 days ago

This is a really nice project. I wondered what you had been busy with. Now I can see that you have been playing “video games”. :)

The artwork is pretty cool as well. Enjoy it while you can. I am sure that you will have to schedule time on it when your daughter gets a little older.

-- Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful- Joshua Marine

View rikkor's profile

rikkor

11296 posts in 2072 days


#2 posted 1749 days ago

Holy cow! Have you ever done anything simple? As usual, very impressive.

View brunob's profile

brunob

2274 posts in 2367 days


#3 posted 1749 days ago

Very Cool as usual. Thanks for the post Gary.

-- Bruce from Central New York...now, if you'll pardon me, I have some sawdust to make.

View Dick, & Barb Cain's profile

Dick, & Barb Cain

8682 posts in 2497 days


#4 posted 1749 days ago

Very nice Gary!

This would be up my Grandson’s alley, he’d love something like this.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

View Patrick Jaromin's profile

Patrick Jaromin

346 posts in 2030 days


#5 posted 1749 days ago

Very cool….some day, when I actually have some time I gotta build me one of these! Thanks for the post.

-- Patrick, Chicago, IL http://www.TenonAndSpline.com/blog

View Karson's profile

Karson

34396 posts in 2598 days


#6 posted 1749 days ago

Cool Gary.

-- I've been blessed with a father who liked to tinker in wood, and a wife who lets me tinker in wood. Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

View MsDebbieP's profile

MsDebbieP

18335 posts in 2358 days


#7 posted 1749 days ago

ok Gary.. is there ANYTHING that stumps you???

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

View john's profile

john

2247 posts in 2579 days


#8 posted 1749 days ago

Nice work ! Do you have any progress pictures ?

-- John in Belgrave (Website) http://www.extremebirdhouse.com , http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=112698715866

View PurpLev's profile

PurpLev

7819 posts in 1846 days


#9 posted 1749 days ago

yeah, those ‘old games’ are the best… or maybe it’s just nostalgia. I liked the idea of building up an arcade looking box for it though – much cooler then playing those on my laptop… lol – but then again, you need to stand up for that…

in the future when I have the space for it – I’ll definitely adopt this idea – it just looks too cool!

Thanx for sharing, and thanx Greg and Tim for the design!

-- ㊍ When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

View robbi's profile

robbi

176 posts in 2153 days


#10 posted 1749 days ago

This is crazy! I have never heard of this before, but very cool. You are very talented.

-- robbi-Yadahooty!

View GaryK's profile

GaryK

10263 posts in 2186 days


#11 posted 1749 days ago

Scott – It’s happening already. Here she is at my first machine. She’s only 16 months old!
.
.

.
.
.
John – No, no progress pictures. Greg and Tim did a good job covering that.

-- Gary - Never pass up the opportunity to make a mistake look like you planned it that way - Tyler, TX

View NedB's profile

NedB

612 posts in 1763 days


#12 posted 1749 days ago

that’s really cool. I could see one of those out in my shop… lol

-- Ned - 2B1ASK1 http://nedswoodshop.blogspot.com

View Chardt's profile

Chardt

158 posts in 1799 days


#13 posted 1749 days ago

My first computer was a Commodore 64. And I have an emulator for it as well. So now I have all the old C64 games that I used to play as well. Forbidden Forrest, Summer games, Impossible mission, Lode Runner…Ah, memories of Jr. High.

-- When my wife ask's what I have to show for my wood working hobby, I just show her the splinters.

View GaryK's profile

GaryK

10263 posts in 2186 days


#14 posted 1749 days ago

Chardt – The C-64 was my third computer. My first was a Timex Sinclair ZX81 I bought for $99 and had to build myself. My second was a Vic-20.

Lode Runner is my favorite all time game.

-- Gary - Never pass up the opportunity to make a mistake look like you planned it that way - Tyler, TX

View Greg Wurst's profile

Greg Wurst

769 posts in 2030 days


#15 posted 1749 days ago

I’ve been meaning to build another panel for a steering wheel and light guns for some time now. The DOS emulation is weak to non-existent, so I’d have to boot into Windows and run a 32bit version of MAME to use them. Just haven’t gotten around to it yet, although I do have the force feedback steering wheel sitting inside the cabinet. I also need to figure-out a good way to integrate the foot pedal, although I may just have it sit on the floor. I look forward to seeing your sub-panel, and great work on the cabinet!

-- You're a unique and special person, just like everyone else.

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