I am considering setting up some kind of MAME cabinet in my new residence, but I am beginning my research now. It seems there are any number of ways to go, from totally custom and tricked-out, to prebuilt systems. From the project pages I've read, some people go crazy with custom cabinets with every type of controller and button configuration, custom marquees, maple finish, etc... While some people just plop down 3 grand for an ArcadePC and they're done with it.

I think I want to go somewhere in the middle. I'm good with electronics, but lack enough power tools or expertise to be building my own cabinet. So I'd likely have to start with an old arcade machine, or find someone who has nice prebuilt cabinets, etc. There are enough howto's and FAQ's abound that I think I can handle adding on new buttons and joysticks and so forth. I think I'd basically like to (somehow) get a cabinet set up, drop in a quasi-cheap PC, and hook up some controls. My absolute maximum price range is $1,000.

Is this doable? I've seen people pour several grand into some of these projects, and they're even saving money by building their own cabinets. I would have to somehow find a cabinet, and hope that the monitor is good enough... Then interfacing the graphics with the monitor would be a problem.. etc. The main thing I'm concerned with is the controls, I wouldn't even care much if I just had a PC in a big wooden box with a big monitor on top. Or in other words, the arcade "look" isn't as important as the arcade "feel."

So, has anyone attempted to build (or successfully built) some kind of MAME cabinet? If so, what tips can you offer a newbie? It looks like something I could get into, minus the part where you actually build the cabinet. :)