shanzo

To be fair, you saved me asking the same question.

Id be surprised if you needed more than 8 per player(a b x y lb rb lt rt). I personally prefer 6 button layouts as an 8 button layout on a bartop would be very crowded I think.

Can't wait to see some progress pics

Yeah I think other than the artwork the most important design elements is t moulding and then led lighting.

Yeah it runs the led layout and patterns. I haven't used it before but am going to try soon I think. Normal led buttons are very easy to install.

The best USB adapter(encoder) is the ipac2 but a cheaper and in my book just as reliable is the xin-mo encoder but you would have to check if it had enough inputs.

Brad, that's really interesting regarding windows 10. Very handy to know as I'm about to embark on my big build for myself. In regards to those using raspberry pi I have found that mame2003(.79 I think) is the best set if you are using a a pi2 or 3. I think I might make a thread if there is interest from anyone wanting to follow the build. It's going to be a custom design 4 player ledblinky enabled bigbox with only arcade(no consoles). I've built about 5 cabinets before but woodwork isn't really my thing but I feel the quality has improved lately. I've included a pic of the last bartop I built.

The Day of the tentacle themed is my latest and made a few changes from the Neo Geo Style(thicker side panels, 2.1 powered speakers instead of USB powered, bezel art instead of a hard plastic trim). the design was a 2 player bartop instructable I found on google with a few small changes to suit the screen I had. I also cut some extra panels with a couple hinges on the back for access and a removable panel underneath in case any of the micro switches needed replacing. Im not very good at woodwork but found this was an enjoyable way to improve at it. The art I just printed on gloss paper at home and tiled them(slight lines maybe visible in the photos) onto the cabinet, it looks ok considering how much cheaper it is but I would recommend adhesive vinyls for a better look. In regards to tools the most important for me was a square, drill, jigsaw and circular saw.

I think the bartop arcade needs a minimum of 500mm width. I've built a few and just finished another one and its a two player bartop at that width and I find it quite comfortable for two adults. If you are buying one Setup then go with a friend so you can if youre happy with it. If you are building it yourself(I recommend as it's a great sense of achievement when it's done) then def buy some cardboard and make a mock-up cabinet before hand so you can get it how you like.

Can confirm this takes a very long time. Takes evenings on end per system especially when editing images to create clear logos of missing games.

I've had the same issue updating games not in the db. I used the same workaround.