Metacab the Elder - the saga begins

Wow - long time no work. Since Metacab Jr. reached playable completion, I've slacked mightily and had another son. Primarily due to the latter, I still haven't finished the bezel issue on Metacab Jr. but that's another story.

In much more exciting news, I've finally started moving forward on Metacab Jr's big brother, Metacab (Sr.).

The plan (which has swum in my head long before reaching the state it's at now) is to make a horizontal multi-cab that can play just about everything from MAME to console emulators

19" CRT TV for monitor (I don't want to have to cut a hole in the back which eliminates the 21" CRT Computer monitors I have from the equation :)

swiss-army control panel (not literally, just in the way it combines everything in a single board). This took a lot of thinking but I've finally settled on a design which has all of the following: 2x Trackball, 2x spinner, 2x 8/4-way switchable joysticks with red ball tops, 2x 6-button player buttons, side/front buttons for pinball (L/R/plunger), utility buttons for coin 1/2, P1/P2, pause, quit.

Front USB for if/when I get some console controller adapters, as well as for StepMania dance pads I've got.

speakers w/ subwoofer (cheapo computer-style should be fine)

I originally was hoping my brother-in-law would build it for me in exchange for my wiring up a cabinet for him but he's gotten too busy with refinishing a sweet 60's muscle car ('69 mustang? I can't remember exactly... ) as well as his busy schedule with work/kids so it just didn't work out timing-wise.

Instead I responded to an ad on Craig's List for empty arcade cabinets for sale locally & stopped by to a nice guy named Marty here in Minneapolis who had several for sale. I was initially torn between a black (i think, converted) Tiger-Heli cab and an old golf game with blue side art and chrome t-molding.

Then I saw it... a classic Taito cab with the manufacturer painted out but otherwise identical to this arkanoid pic:



I'll post better pics later but for now here's some crappy camera phone pics taken with my blackberry pearl: (love the crumbliness I get in low light?)





It was originally a vertical (golf game, I think) but came with monitor glass (featuring taito logo - cool!) and an old 19" vertical plastic bezel which sadly won't fit on Metacab Jr. Coin door in tact on the front though it will need a new lock to keep it closed. Other than some very minor scratches and rubbed off paint it's in great shape! no water damage, etc. I already touched up the black with marker and used a Magic Eraser to get all the scuffs off an it's looking awesome already.

More later as I get time... Control panel design is already nearing the end of concept phase... So hopefully I can post on that soon.