I'm looking to custom modify a video game cabinet (you know...the
things you see in the arcades?) to convert it into an Internet Kiosk
for our showroom.  Here is what I need to know:

What would be the best way to go about doing this?  Are there
instructions already on the web to do this?
What is the best game cabinet to buy?  Where can I purchase them from?
 Can you purchase empty game cabinets?
What is the best way to design an interface for this cabinet?  We were
thinking the best solution would be a Golden Tee type game (with a
giant mouse ball and few buttons).  Do you have any reccomendations of
tried and true custom mods?

Exactly how would we go about mapping the interface to a standard PC?

Further clarification availible if needed.  We'll be more than happy
to increase our fee if the answer is quite thorough.

Thanks!

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Request for Question Clarification by maniac-ga on 14 Oct 2004 17:30 PDT

Hello Thehouseboardshop,

Sounds like a good idea but let me ask a few questions to make sure
the answer you get is all the information you need.

[1] Do you want a "new" cabinet or is "used" OK?

For a new example:
  http://www.x-arcade.com/htm/cabinet.shtml
is an example of a "new" product that is already built to handle a
variety of console games (e.g. X-box, Gamecube) as well as PC's.

For a used example:
  http://www.mameworld.net/pc2jamma/cab.html
has several good suggestions on where to find a cabinet to adapt for use.

Of course, you could build your own - see
http://directory.google.com/Top/Games/Coin-Op/Arcade_Games/Cabinets/Constructing/
for several sites describing that approach (mix of construction /
recondition used cabinets)

[2] Do you have an existing PC / operating system you wish to use or
are you looking to buy new equipment?

I can certainly point you to suggestions at sites for both Windows and
Linux kiosks but if you want one (and not the other) I can focus the
answer in more depth on the OS you are interested in.

[3] Adapting the interface can be done several different ways. Perhaps
the most straight forward is to adapt the joystick / trackball plus
buttons to look to the OS just like a mouse. X-arcade has joysticks
that can do that directly. Depending on the used cabinet you get, it
may also be straight forward (or complex) to adapt an existing unit. I
would generally suggest getting a unit that already works with a PC
but if you really want it to look like an old arcade machine, I can go
that way as well. Please explain your preference on this approach.

[4] Do you need some suggestions on security / locking down your
system? Putting a kiosk to be used by the public can cause some
problems if you are not careful. I can provide suggestions for that as
well.

[5] If you have a price range for this project, that would be helpful.

Please post a question clarification so I can get started on an answer.
  --Maniac

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Clarification of Question by thehouseboardshop-ga on 15 Oct 2004 06:29 PDT

I think we found what we were looking for last night.  Sorry.

I think we have decided to go with building a custom unit using
http://www.happcontrols.com/ and going with a custom cabinet we will
just have to build.

Unless we can find a centipede cabinet :)

poor old video game. which game was it? hopefully it wasn't pac-man,
that would be a tragedy.