Chris's MAME Cabinet

<body> <p>This page chronicles the conversion of an empty Super Contra cabinet into a MAME cabinet and jukebox.</p> <h2>What is MAME?</h2> <p>MAME stands for <b>Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator</b>. It is designed to emulate, via software, the actual hardware found in classic arcade games of the '70's, '80's, and '90's, and the emulated hardware is then able to run the original software for those games. Many of these game machines were converted into new machines as arcade operators chased one trend after another; others were unceremoniously dumped into landfills as they broke down. Thus, many classic games are getting more and more difficult to find.</p> <h2>What is a MAME Cabinet?</h2> <p>Although MAME does an excellent job of emulating the original computer hardware of the classic games, a keyboard or PC joystick is a poor substitute for real arcade controls. Thus, may MAME enthusiasts hae taken to constructing MAME cabinets.</p> <p>A MAME cabinet is a cabinet constructed to look like an original arcade cabinet, or an actual empty arcade game cabinet converted to MAME by installing a PC instead of the game's original boards. Empty cabinets can often be had inexpensively or even free from arcade operators, who often simply discard old games.</p> <p>If you decide to take the route of converting an actual arcade cabinet for your own MAME cabinet, please be careful not to destroy the very history MAME attempts to preserve! Read the <a href="http://www.arcadecontrols.com/arcade_manifesto.shtml" target="_new"> Build Your Own Arcade Controls Manifesto</a> before starting.</p> <h2>Where can I find out more about MAME?</h2> <p>The official home page for MAME is at <a href="http://www.mame.net" target="_new">http://www.mame.net</a>. Comprehensive information about the games playable by MAME can be found at <a href="http://www.mame.dk" target="_new">http://www.mame.dk</a>. Information about building MAME cabinets is collected at <a href="http://www.arcadecontrols.com" target="_new">the Build Your Own Arcade Controls FAQ</a>, and information about all of the other utilities, sites, and companies involved in the MAME hobby can be found at <a href="http://www.mameworld.net" target="_new">MAMEWorld</a>.</p> <p><a href="cabinet.htm">Next: The Original Cabinet</a></p> </body>