Here is where you will find reviews and also places to buy various MAME cabinet components that I have either tried myself or own.

Posted 6/22/2003

A couple weeks ago I was searching trackballs on eBay, I happened to come across the one you see pictured to the right. It has a ps/2 plug and comes with 3 Happ buttons w/switches and a heavy duty mounting plate. I decided to use the "buy it now" feature since the price was only $59.00. What I got (in 2 days) was an awesome 3" Imperial trackball, of course the first thing I did upon receiving it was open it up to see if the parts were heavy duty or garbage. The bearings and rollers are first class all the way, this has a better feel than the Happ version that is $180.00. If you get the chance to snag one of these for your MAME cabinet you will be extremely happy with the feel and quality. I do like the fact that it's sensitivity is lower than a regular PC trackball, that will eliminate "backspin" cause by the optical wheel moving too fast.

Cost: $59.00 + $10.00 shipping

Ratings

Feel: 9

Construction: 9

Value: 10

Where to get it: username gamers-den on eBay, you will have to check from time to time

 Posted 6/22/2003

If you are building a MAME machine there is one item you have to buy which is a keyboard encoder. What this unit does (It's called the I-PAC) is convert your manual contact buttons into keystrokes so MAME can understand them. This unit needs no power or drivers, it plugs right into your ps/2 port, has a pass through for your regular keyboard, and easy screw connections.

It is already programmed for MAME's default keystrokes and works with USB too. I have had one in my cabinet for a few years now and this thing has never, ever screwed up even once.

The best, period. Don't even think about Hangstrom's encoder.

Cost: $39.00 + $11.00 shipping from UK

Ratings

Construction: 10

Value: 10

Ease of use: 10

Where to get it: http://www.utimarc.com

You can read more about this product here.

Posted 6/22/2003

My newest review will be the Tornado Spinner by SlikStik, it has yet to arrive after one week. I then went to the site to ask customer service if it had shipped and I received an e-mail stating that a part was back ordered and the spinner might not ship for a week or two.

Needless to say I am unimpressed so far but we will see what happens when the spinner arrives.

Update July 9th 2003 - Well, today the spinner finally arrived. I first noticed it was packed very well. So well in fact I had to really look for the knob in all that plastic. I ordered the standard silver knob with the Tornado, I didn't like the curved top version. It was prettier to look at but didnt feel like an arcade spinner.

The weight of this spinner is very impressive and I noticed the heavy duty construction right away. Even the optical wheel is aluminum and everything is held together with allen key screws for easy adjustments. I sat there spinning this thing for about half an hour, just playing with it and looking at it from all angles. The U shaped bracket that holds the whole thing together is brilliant, this whole spinner is as simple as can be with 1 part that moves. The teeth are cut into the wheel as rectangles and by that I mean the teeth dont taper at the end like a lot of optical wheels do. This makes for a more accurate wheel.

This spinner is as smooth as silk and I decided to clock the spin time. I gave it a good flick and sent it spinning, then I started the stop watch. This isnt a typo by the way - It spun for 3 minutes and 55 seconds before it came to a stop. It has a heavy feel just like a true spinner should.

Hats off the SlikStik for making the best spinner I have ever come across. Well done and it was worth the wait. 

Cost: 89.00 + $10.00 Shipping

 Where to get it: http://www.SlikStik.com

Posted 6/23/2003

For joysticks and buttons, look no further than Happ Controls. They are a Chicago based company that supplies arcade manufacturers with original and replacement parts. They have everything you need as far as buttons and joysticks go, their trackballs and spinner however are very pricey and I would recommend checking out either place mentioned in the reviews above for those.

A competition joystick (recommended) only costs about $12.00 and buttons are only $1.75 each with switches. They have pre-printed 1 through 4 player start buttons too, very cool for a MAME cab. Be sure to get a 7/8" flat drill bit before you try to install any buttons or sticks into your cabinet's control panel.

Cost: Varies with product but shipping is lightning fast.

Performance: 10

Value: 9

Installation ease: 9

Where to get it: www.happcontrols.com

Posted 6/23/2003

I just received my act-labs gun a few days ago (6/27/03) and I couldn't wait to plug it up and see if this was worth the money or just an inaccurate MAME accessory. My initial opinio was mixed because I plugged it up and it required no drivers or installation whatsoever. One of the coolest games fur a gun is Zero Point so I started a game and began to fire away.

I noticed in the middle of the screen the gun was pretty close but toward the edges it was way off. I read no instructions and thought to myself, well this was a waste of time and money. Then there was a breakthrough, I decided to watch te Quicktime movie on the CD that explained how to calibrate the gun.

When you start a game in MAME you have to look at where the edges of the actual play area are and remember them, then you point the gun at the middle of the screen and push the calibration switch forward on the right side of the gun.

The screen will go completely white at this point. You then move the gun from left to right, stopping at the actual play area edges, you them move the gun to the midlle and do the same thing for the top and bottom edges.

Now the gun is shooting almost exactly where you point every time. You do have to calibrate for each game every time because the screen sizes are different but this only take a few seconds and is so easy. Now I see what a cool toy this really is and how no MAME cabinet is truly a MAE cabinet without a few items.

Trackball - Spinner - two 8 way sticks - 4 way stick - diagonal 4 way - 2 button trigger stick - 6 buttons per player - light gun - side mounted buttons for pinball games -