First Time Multi-Cade Build, What To Buy?

MikMan48

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Hi everyone, I recently purchased a completely empty Street Fighter Hyper Fighter Z back cabinet that had been redone in Mario Bros theme. This is my first arcade project so I am a beginner for sure. All of the guts are missing so I started reading about multi-cade applications as it will be used casually in my garage with friends. I grew up playing pinball machines in my Dad's garage and have always wanted an arcade machine

Before joining this site I read thru just about all the information in this section of the forum but most seemed to be back from around 2020

From the forum here it seems most common suggestions are the "x in 1" type systems, Pandora's Box, or BitKit were the main ones I saw listed

From the Pandora route it seems there was a lot of varying opinions on which one is the go to, with most being the DX JAMMA in either the 3000 in 1 (blue) or 5000 in 1 special (pink). It seemed the newer 10th Anniversary edition (red) wasn't well received

The "X in 1" systems seemed to have a lot of mixed reviews depending on where you order them from and the manufacturer you pick. After looking thru Ebay and Amazon I turned my attention more towards arcade based sites like Retro Active Arcade or DIY Arcade as I would think they would sell a more credible products for the arcade community but I am not sure. They had an 138 in 1 for the Horizontal monitor that mine has that seemed to have a great game list

As a new guy trying to sort thru all of these options what would you suggest? I would like to be able to buy one of the complete kits for the buttons/joysticks and all the associated harnesses and power supply but I'm unsure the route to go. My only requirement is I would like to have Mario Bros to play since that is what the cabinet is done up as, and I would like to use an original monitor and not have to upgrade to a new LCD

Any advice, opinions or experiences would be appreciated😊
 

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Honestly if you just want to stick to the basics then you have two options. If you want a cab dedicated to vertical titles, get a 60-in-1. If you want a bit more variety and more horizontal titles (that's kind of where the z-back excelled at) then get a pandora's box clone. The original Pandora's box company 3H has apparently been shut down.
 
Don't worry about what anybody else has done. Decide which games YOU want to play, and work from there. That'll tell you what board/setup and controls you need.
 
My advice for anyone planning to build a Multicade, is to run everything on a PC first. You can run both Vertical and Horizontal games in MAME. Then, once you realize what you can do, the rest will fall into place.

Start here: Get a front end called, "Launchbox". It the nicest and easiest menu system you can get. It's free, but I recommend the paid version, which has lifetime upgrades. It's really well done and worth every penny. It can automatically point you to the emulators out there.

Lastly, I'd avoid the all in one "kits" with joysticks, buttons, etc included. Do your homework and read up on build your own arcade controls with parts. There are plenty of vendors out there with better quality parts. And it's fun to make your own!

Good luck!

Del
 
Honestly if you just want to stick to the basics then you have two options. If you want a cab dedicated to vertical titles, get a 60-in-1. If you want a bit more variety and more horizontal titles (that's kind of where the z-back excelled at) then get a pandora's box clone. The original Pandora's box company 3H has apparently been shut down.

Thank you Don! I would like a bit of variety but I read mixed reviews how vertical titles will play on a horizontal monitor if I went the Pandora route? I did not know the company had closed down, I did notice some parts sites didn't list them anymore
 
Don't worry about what anybody else has done. Decide which games YOU want to play, and work from there. That'll tell you what board/setup and controls you need.

That is very true, I appreciate the insight! I am just looking for common titles to enjoy, but the quality of play seems to be the major thing disputed between the different options. Who doesn't love having more options to play as well?
 
My advice for anyone planning to build a Multicade, is to run everything on a PC first. You can run both Vertical and Horizontal games in MAME. Then, once you realize what you can do, the rest will fall into place.

Start here: Get a front end called, "Launchbox". It the nicest and easiest menu system you can get. It's free, but I recommend the paid version, which has lifetime upgrades. It's really well done and worth every penny. It can automatically point you to the emulators out there.

Lastly, I'd avoid the all in one "kits" with joysticks, buttons, etc included. Do your homework and read up on build your own arcade controls with parts. There are plenty of vendors out there with better quality parts. And it's fun to make your own!

Good luck!

Del
Thank you Del! I will look into a PC but that seems a little more than I'd like to get into right now but I will start to research it as well

Thank you for the kit feedback as well, I already started researching better options to piece it together myself after your post. This is a first for me so I'm trying to dip my feet in

Thank you everyone for the feedback! When I start to restore it/put it together I will put a thread together as well
 
As a new guy trying to sort thru all of these options what would you suggest?
I'm going to provide my own opinion. It might not sound like something you want to hear so you can take it or leave it....

I would save yourself the grief and sell that cabinet. I know it's not always about money but when all is said and done, you are going to have invested far more time and money into it than it will ever be worth to anyone else. It will just be another franken-multi-cade among the thousands out there that others have kludged together.

Instead, I would spend the time tracking down and original Pac-Man or Ms Pac-Man cabinet (they are relatively easy to find) and installing a BitKit 2. This way you get the best of both worlds:

1. Over 100 vertical and horizonal games to keep your attention for thousands of hours.
2. You own an an original cabinet that has actual value to others.

BONUS: You get the benefit of learning how a real arcade machine works.

Good luck with your project either way. Multi-cades can be neat but only if they are done in a very specific way. And I rarely ever see anyone pull it off well.
 
I'm going to respectfully disagree with @TheYeti. I started this hobby with PC emulation and a HotRod joystick. I put that into a home made show case/pedestal setup and then migrated to real cabinets. The first was a Dedicated Ms Pacman, but the next couple were multicades running MAME or multiboards all of which needed repair. These really allowed me to get my hands dirty and learn without fear of destroying anything valuable. It also lead me to learn what I liked and didn't like as far as vintage games go.

Most of the guys here are more into 80's classics (but that's changing a little) the guys at Arcade Projects and Neo Geo forums are far more into 90's fighters and japanese imports (cabs, games and controls) not to mention the wacky build your own arcade forum guys - each community will have a strong bias. We are focused on restoring and collecting vintage games and keeping them as original as possible.

Having a cheap box to begin with allows you to fill it with a Pandora as @DonPanetta suggests, turn off the games you don't want or don't have controls setup for and decide how you feel after you play a while. It's easy to drop in a super cheap LCD or CRT TV with and adapter from VGA out. Once you are committed to a game list and control setup you might decide to get dedicated CGA display and correct arcade hardware, but for cheap and fun you can start off easily.

I built many emulation based cabinets in the old days, many using super cheap or free PC parts. That's more labor intensive than a Pandora, but honestly it was a great learning experience. If that is the route you decide to go you'll find better help other places, like the BYOAC forum. Whatever you decide I'm sure it'll be fun. Be careful, getting a free empty Z-back was one of my first cabs that lead me to restoring, buying and selling hundreds of games over more than a decade!
 
When I first got into this hobby
I'm going to respectfully disagree with @TheYeti. I started this hobby with PC emulation and a HotRod joystick. I put that into a home made show case/pedestal setup and then migrated to real cabinets. The first was a Dedicated Ms Pacman, but the next couple were multicades running MAME or multiboards all of which needed repair. These really allowed me to get my hands dirty and learn without fear of destroying anything valuable. It also lead me to learn what I liked and didn't like as far as vintage games go.

Most of the guys here are more into 80's classics (but that's changing a little) the guys at Arcade Projects and Neo Geo forums are far more into 90's fighters and japanese imports (cabs, games and controls) not to mention the wacky build your own arcade forum guys - each community will have a strong bias. We are focused on restoring and collecting vintage games and keeping them as original as possible.

Having a cheap box to begin with allows you to fill it with a Pandora as @DonPanetta suggests, turn off the games you don't want or don't have controls setup for and decide how you feel after you play a while. It's easy to drop in a super cheap LCD or CRT TV with and adapter from VGA out. Once you are committed to a game list and control setup you might decide to get dedicated CGA display and correct arcade hardware, but for cheap and fun you can start off easily.

I built many emulation based cabinets in the old days, many using super cheap or free PC parts. That's more labor intensive than a Pandora, but honestly it was a great learning experience. If that is the route you decide to go you'll find better help other places, like the BYOAC forum. Whatever you decide I'm sure it'll be fun. Be careful, getting a free empty Z-back was one of my first cabs that lead me to restoring, buying and selling hundreds of games over more than a decade!
When I first got into this hobby 10 years ago it was on BYOAC. Great forum and great group of guys over there. I still keep in touch with a few of them.

I had lots of fun budling some mame machines (3/4 scale Donkey Kong, 1/2 scale Q*bert, multi-cade mini coleco) but sold 2 of them and the other is collecting dust.

Ultimately, the more I got into this hobby...the harder I was pulled into the real machines.

So my advice was purely coming from my own experience. My mame days were fun and all but I got quickly sucked into the real thing and hardly ever look back. I leave all my mame stuff on handheld now. The real full-size machines are far more compelling.

Each person is going to do whatever gives them fulfillment. But in my opinion, all roads eventually lead to the real thing. Mame can be a great way to fill in the gaps but nothing can ever beat the feeling and satisfaction of fixing, owning, learning and playing an authentic game.
 
Thank you everyone for the comments and input!
 
When I first got into this hobby

When I first got into this hobby 10 years ago it was on BYOAC. Great forum and great group of guys over there. I still keep in touch with a few of them.

I had lots of fun budling some mame machines (3/4 scale Donkey Kong, 1/2 scale Q*bert, multi-cade mini coleco) but sold 2 of them and the other is collecting dust.

Ultimately, the more I got into this hobby...the harder I was pulled into the real machines.

So my advice was purely coming from my own experience. My mame days were fun and all but I got quickly sucked into the real thing and hardly ever look back. I leave all my mame stuff on handheld now. The real full-size machines are far more compelling.

Each person is going to do whatever gives them fulfillment. But in my opinion, all roads eventually lead to the real thing. Mame can be a great way to fill in the gaps but nothing can ever beat the feeling and satisfaction of fixing, owning, learning and playing an authentic game.

What he said.
 
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