North Coast Customs ( Formely Mameroom) - Anyone ever dealt with them or their cabs?

jim109

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North Coast Customs ( Formely Mameroom) - Anyone ever dealt with them or their cabs?

Hi all!

A friend is thinking about picking up one of North Coast Customs upright custom built mame machines and wanted to ask here if anyone had any experience with them. I'm definately interested in what kind of quality the machines are, whether they stand behind their products, etc etc. Any input is appreciated.

Also, if there are other companies that produce custom machines like this that are good/bad/better.. I would be interested in other options as well.

Thanks!!!

Jim

Edit: Here is a link to them for those that aren't familiar with them: http://www.mameroom.com/home.asp
 
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A co-worker of mine recently purchased an upright 2 player cab (with trackball & spinner). Here's my take on the whole deal...

The Good:
1) Scott is very easy to deal with. He responds to emails & phone calls, and will answer any questions you might have.
2) The games are assembled & shipped quickly (something lik 2 weeks from order to arrival, and that was during the xmas/new years season).
3) Nice & simple frontend. Snapshots/movies were provided for a ton of games.
4) Good quality controls.

The Bad:
1) Uses some MAME derivative build 0.62, which is WAY out of date.
2) Some of the configuration files were wrong. I noticed MK & Missile Command were not correctly mapped. I have no idea how many total configs may be wrong; I certainly didn't try every game.
3) I saw some bubbling on the control panel overlay.

Overall, I'd say they're good. For the price, I'd like to see the artwork be applied a bit better, and the controls sorted out. It's not that any of this was a big deal...just that for the price, I'd expect it to work "out of the box". In my experience, I had to spend some time configuring things.

PM me if you have any other questions.
 
How sturdy was the completed unit? Looking at their instructions for their kits, it looks like they are put together like cheapo Ikea furniture and might not be that strong. It also mentions having to remove the monitor and computer if your going to move it. The units they assemble themselves might be different though.

Thanks much for the feedback!!

Jim


A co-worker of mine recently purchased an upright 2 player cab (with trackball & spinner). Here's my take on the whole deal...

The Good:
1) Scott is very easy to deal with. He responds to emails & phone calls, and will answer any questions you might have.
2) The games are assembled & shipped quickly (something lik 2 weeks from order to arrival, and that was during the xmas/new years season).
3) Nice & simple frontend. Snapshots/movies were provided for a ton of games.
4) Good quality controls.

The Bad:
1) Uses some MAME derivative build 0.62, which is WAY out of date.
2) Some of the configuration files were wrong. I noticed MK & Missile Command were not correctly mapped. I have no idea how many total configs may be wrong; I certainly didn't try every game.
3) I saw some bubbling on the control panel overlay.

Overall, I'd say they're good. For the price, I'd like to see the artwork be applied a bit better, and the controls sorted out. It's not that any of this was a big deal...just that for the price, I'd expect it to work "out of the box". In my experience, I had to spend some time configuring things.

PM me if you have any other questions.
 
From what I saw, it looked solid. 3/4 in mdf, from the looks of things. No complaints from a sturdiness standpoint.

I don't know why you'd remove the monitor and/or PC to move it, though. Then again, I didn't get a look inside the cabinet.
 
Dptwiz can build you a new cab and you can install your own mame stuff so it would be made to your own prefrence.

Kevin
 
This topic has me thinking of one thing: Pimp my cab! There's a reality show for ya...

Taking old crappy cabs and returning them to their old selves.
 
I don't know why you'd remove the monitor and/or PC to move it, though.

If a person has stairs like I do you bet removing the monitor makes sense. My old MAME cab was a nut buster going up or down stairs with a 27" TV that was framed in to it. Made my Star Wars feel light. I now have a 27" tri-res which sits in there unmounted - ready to be yanked if I ever have to move it outside again.
 
If a person has stairs like I do you bet removing the monitor makes sense. My old MAME cab was a nut buster going up or down stairs with a 27" TV that was framed in to it. Made my Star Wars feel light. I now have a 27" tri-res which sits in there unmounted - ready to be yanked if I ever have to move it outside again.

There is a difference between removing them for weight and "having to remove the monitor and computer if your going to move it."

I agree, lighten the load, move it easier. But "HAVE TO"? That sounds like they're not mounted properly.
 
Dptwiz can build you a new cab and you can install your own mame stuff so it would be made to your own prefrence.

Kevin

I assumed if they're looking at NorthCoast that they want a full solution, not a partial DIY project...?
 
There is a difference between removing them for weight and "having to remove the monitor and computer if your going to move it."

I agree, lighten the load, move it easier. But "HAVE TO"? That sounds like they're not mounted properly.

Are we possibly over analyzing the "HAVE TO" part?
Maybe it's meant in the context that if you HAVE TO move it the monitor can be removed? I dunno :pcguru:
 
He may do it all the way too, I don't know :) He would need to contact him. It would be nice to be able to get something you exactly want than what they have to offer you. Isn't mame just a PC with card for controls? <-- Obvious I'm not a mamer :)

Kevin


I assumed if they're looking at NorthCoast that they want a full solution, not a partial DIY project...?
 
This topic has me thinking of one thing: Pimp my cab! There's a reality show for ya...

Taking old crappy cabs and returning them to their old selves.

Yeah, but they don't restore cars to "their old selves" on Pimp My Ride - they fix them up with a lot of flashy crap like speaker systems and upgrade them with new technology...

...so, in other words, it's nothing like making a MAME cab. ;) [/sarcasm]
 
In reference to the OP, I bought a Christmas tree at a local lot and saved quite a bit of money compared to "North Coast"

LOL

But seriously folks, Scott is a good guy and his cam-lock cabs are probably better than most BUSH furniture, but I would take a cab from Brett (DPTwiz) any day of the week over cam-locks.

Here's an example... I realize it's an LCD but when size and weight are a concern, this cab is perfect.

http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=115519
 
Yah they are definately looking for a full solution that you can plug in and play and are willing to pay the money to get it so a cab kit definately won't work unfortunately.

Thanks for the input all!!

Jim

I assumed if they're looking at NorthCoast that they want a full solution, not a partial DIY project...?
 
Is that something that DPTwiz does on the side or does he have a company/website that does it?

Thanks!

Jim


In reference to the OP, I bought a Christmas tree at a local lot and saved quite a bit of money compared to "North Coast"

LOL

But seriously folks, Scott is a good guy and his cam-lock cabs are probably better than most BUSH furniture, but I would take a cab from Brett (DPTwiz) any day of the week over cam-locks.

Here's an example... I realize it's an LCD but when size and weight are a concern, this cab is perfect.

http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=115519
 
Are we possibly over analyzing the "HAVE TO" part?
Maybe it's meant in the context that if you HAVE TO move it the monitor can be removed? I dunno :pcguru:

Oh, most definitely over analyzing. I'm sure he meant to say "If moving this cab, you may want to consider removing the monitor and/or PC to reduce the weight of the cabinet" or similar. "Have to" is more than likely just a poor choice of works.
 
Quote from the manual:

"- Remove monitor and PC equipment before moving assembled unit "

That kind of worries me that they aren't that sturdy. Could just be a precautionary recommendation though.

Jim

Oh, most definitely over analyzing. I'm sure he meant to say "If moving this cab, you may want to consider removing the monitor and/or PC to reduce the weight of the cabinet" or similar. "Have to" is more than likely just a poor choice of works.
 
Is that something that DPTwiz does on the side or does he have a company/website that does it?

Thanks!

Jim

Brett builds the cabs, I buy from him and do the rest. It is something I do on the side, I do everything from New and Refurbed 60 in 1's, Cocktails, Multi-Williams and MAME.
 
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