Quoted from 58

That WoW decal was put there in your honor my friend!~

Marty

So who's the Robotron sticker in honor of  ....      


Steph

Still no confirmations for the next projects, although I have 2 prospects. If any of you have anything you want, anything from a complete cab to simply a control panel build or wiring job, let me know.

I am free starting now until mid-September (I am rebuilding my bathroom then...). PM me.

OK...I just spoke to one of the prospects and convinced him NOT to buy another MAME (!!!???!!!). Yup... he already had one but set up with a vertical monitor, and he wanted a horizontal one as well. I told him to save 1000-1500$ and just turn the monitor around and reconfigure it. I know I am there to sell them and (hopefully) make a bit of coin, but one of my golden rules is don't get yourself in a financial bind just to buy something you basically already have. If you spend all your money on a machine and are then strapped for cash, you will hate it after. Take it from somebody who knows...

So, all this being said, if anybody has a little something they need to be done, let me know.

Ian

Quoted from Sparky

he already had one but set up with a vertical monitor, and he wanted a horizontal one as well. I told him to save 1000-1500$ and just turn the monitor around and reconfigure it.
Ian

My original setup (many years ago!) could do both:

http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Garage/9000/arcade/mon.htm

Mike

OK guys... let me make something clear before I get any more... let me say ... weird requests. Please allow me to give you a breakdown of a basic MAME game:

- cabinet = average 100$ if original arcade cab, 200$ in materials if custom
- cab hardware and paint = 75$
- standard joysticks and buttons = 65$
- cp hardware and wood = 50$
- computer = anywhere from 150$ to 1000$
- monitor = starts at 100$
- IPAC = 60$
- OptiPAC = 40$
- Trackball = 75$
- wiring = 30$
- General art = anywhere from 75$ to 500$ for a full package
- keyboard = 20$
- speakers = from 60$ to 200$
- new t-molding = 20$

Now, other options:
- Tornado spinner = 175$ (last I bought one)
- Tron stick = 150$ these days
- Custom multi-button joysticks I build = anywhere from 150$ to 800$ (I mess you not, has 15 buttons on it alone!!)
- Aluminum diamondplate cpo = average 100$ plus LOTS of labor
- custom Sparky Pinmame CP attachment = 150$ plus labor
- cp lighting system = 80$ for lighting and 3$ for every translucent button

...and a whole other list of things I can put down but I won't.

So let's consider a basic cab... cabinet, paint, CPU, IPAC OptiPAC, 3 sticks, 18 buttons total, small trackball, refurbished monitor, basic speaker system, CP, and 50$ of art (basically a marquee and a small CPO)... total in parts alone is roughly 900$. There is about 30 hours minimum of work in there, including the computer setup and to make sure that it runs flawlessly.

I unfortunately cannot spend my little spare time at roughly 3.33$/hour to build a MAME so that it comes to less than a thousand dollars. I especially cannot build a custom oak cabinet with all the trimmings including a 21" monitor, spinner, Tron stick, 3" trackball, and enough sticks and buttons to play fighter games for less than 1000$ (yes... this was actually an actual request...).

Please consider these costs when thinking of getting a MAME. Yes, it is actually surprising what it can come up to, and most think it is cheap to build one. Guess again...

Estimate labor costs to be at 15-20$ for an hour's work. A basic MAME si about 30 hours of work minimum, if not much work is needed on the cab. Yes, it is a lot of labor, but I deliver them "plug and play", so it costs more, but it is less hassle for you.

So in conclusion, when considering a MAME, first thing to ask yourself is what is the budget for the MAME you can spare without hurting your day-to-day finances (or else you end up hating the thing...). THEN see what you can get...

Please don't hesitate to contact me for any questions. You would be surprised of the advice I can give in the matter. Yes, I am out to make a few bucks, but not by screwing anyone into buying a MAME he/she can't afford, or in some cases I have had, don't even need!!!

And I also can fix or customize a MAME you already have... no problem there.


Sparky

Quoted from Sparky

So let's consider a basic cab... cabinet, paint, CPU, IPAC OptiPAC, 3 sticks, 18 buttons total, small trackball, refurbished monitor, basic speaker system, CP, and 50$ of art (basically a marquee and a small CPO)... total in parts alone is roughly 900$. There is about 30 hours minimum of work in there, including the computer setup and to make sure that it runs flawlessly.
Sparky

Yep I love this..  When folks try to sell their MAME at cost for about 1000-1200$, everybody thinks it's waaaay too expensive and they can build one cheaper...  Yeah right...  I think most of the confusion comes from the fact that they can run MAME on their regular computer and it didn't cost them a thing...  Therefore how expensive can it be to get a big empty wooden box to play the games....  It's a bit more complicated and expensive than that!!

You summed it up nicely!!  

Mike

I am merely trying to keep people informed. There is often a misconception that MAME prices follow the prices of original vids... not so. I am merely offering my services to people who do not want to trouble themselves... I am not there to go against those companies that offer the 5000$ mames with warranties.

2 local orders are in.. I am booked solid until March easy. 1 upright and one... cockpit!!!

Hmm... looks like I have interest in another super-control panel. So Cheg... do I build one?    I found it fun to build just a control panel. It was easy... just LOOOOONG.

Well, sorry to say, but Alien Arcade Ressurections is officially closing it's doors. After having 47 requests for MAMEs and pinball restos, and ending up with a single paid job, I have decided to call it quits. I guess I shot myself in the foot by building Loafer's MAME, because I have had a lot of people contact me saying ''well, if you charged him 200$, why charge me 1200?''. They guy offering me 50$ to fix a pinball playfield worse off than the Playboy I am doing kind of was a bit too much. Mostly newbies that run into our site and take a quick look. This, combined with the fact that every single person wants transport included, I cannot keep doing it. It is too time-consuming and doesn't pay.

I will keep the door open for special requests for close friends, but other than that, I am done. Besides, there is plenty of info on the site to help everyone along on any project.

I will have less and less time in the future anyways, as I will be opening a real company along with my cousin, unfortunately not pinball related, but I should be making good money for a change...  

50$ to fix a playfield worse than your playboy hi hi hi, very funny  
I estimate the restoration of your playboy playfield with clearcoat to 400$-600$ or wait for CPR for repro !!

Quoted from Sparky

After having 47 requests for MAMEs and pinball restos, and ending up with a single paid job, I have decided to call it quits.  ...
[snip]
....They guy offering me 50$ to fix a pinball playfield worse off than the Playboy I am doing kind of was a bit too much.

Major bummer---Not to distract from your situation but what you went through is only a tiny snippet/scale of what happened to all the brave individuals that tried to breathe more life into the pinball.. All the parts / decals / plastics repro people of the last five years that  all gave up  because nobody opened up their wallets to buy the parts that they said they wanted.  

Anybody who works in retail, on a day-in day-out basis deals with the chiseling bastards who have nothing better to do than try to ruin your day.  i still havn't developed the thick enough skin to deal with them constantly.

Sadly, you will encounter even more in your new venture. Only gets worse when the client actually has the money  

Good luck.