Golden Tee 2005 Fore MAME conversion - Complete!

[welshjpc]

After a failed speculative bid on a “candy cab” on eBay. I wondered if I could afford an arcade machine, I had been a fan of MAME for a few years and knew I have the PC and electrical abilities to do build one so why the hell not? But how to start? Having looked around, there were a few flat pack options that I considered but after a chance e-mail to the boss of Candy Cabs, Mike Cox (mike@candycabs.com) he said he could sort me a golden tee cab, controls, audio amp and PC Monitor for £400 + VAT & Delivery... Now that was a serious consideration.....
(pic 1)
So that's what arrived at my house. The wife was not best pleased, she was concerned that it would end up as an eyesore that I'd never get working... surely not... Got to thank Mike for fitting the monitor, he had to doctor the rear door. The wife would have been right! Disaster averted!!
(pic 2)

[welshjpc]

I painted the monitor and test fitted the controls (well, as many as I could as I was two holes short), as well as taking out the old JAMMA loom & power wiring.
I cut the two missing holes and sprayed the panel, I then sent it to be covered in light grey perspex... I had been preparing the Windows XP Pro PC that was going to be the brains of the operation for a while, much trial and error with programs (such as CMPRO and ROMLister), resulting with me manually culling the games list on Maximus Arcade from about 7000 games to under 400. I knew that although this would be a laborious task it would be well worth it, as it has been proven.

I decided on Maximus Arcade as it seemed extremely user friendly, some people express concern that it is (relatively) processor hungry but I am more than happy that the system running it will be more than a match for it's requirements. Also I have seen a few comments about it no longer being supported. So far I have had no problems with it, I am only using it for MAME – I am considering the Sega System 2 in the future but now am more than happy with what I bought it for – I think my next project would be MAME & SS2 (with AIM-TRAKs). But that will be a long way off, if ever!

I find the multiple button assignments through Maximus' options fantastic. I quit out of a game by holding the P1 credit & P1 start button, not a button press that I will do often.
I can shut down the “arcade” holding P1 & P2 button 6 for three seconds – something that won't happen by accident very often! No need to install extra buttons other than the basic layout, I decided that the minimalist look would be better for my tastes.

[welshjpc]

While waiting for the cover to return I began fitting the much nicer new chrome t-molding. When the cover did turn up I then started wiring the controls up....
Tidy! Notice holes where I'd tried to fit the OPTI-PAC a little lower before realising that it wouldn't fit into the cab – D'oh! Now needed to fit the earth loom.

[welshjpc]

That is the wiring done, the control panel is fairly modular as there are only the two USB leads connecting to the PC skeleton within the cabinet. Notice I've left an earth wire from P2 joystick so should I need to it's there! I had to move the I-PAC2 a little when trying to fit the cabinet as I forgot how bulky the PS/2 wire was, good job I made sure I had spare wiring! And also yes, the P2 button didn't have a collar on, Mike from Candy Cabs promised a few in the post.
The inside of the cabinet, everything is screwed down and the PC power button is connected to the “service” switch in the compartment where the coin mech used to live. The volume dial is routed into there also, kept locked from my 4 year old who thinks louder is better...
All I was waiting on was a few button collars and the trackball mounting bolts from Mike @ candycabs. Having showed him a picture of what I needed he seemed surprised that he seemed to send the wrong trackball mount and promised me a new one. I had already spent far too much time getting the current one sorted so having looked at a few previous threads on BYOAC I decided to strap it, and I just happened to know a damn good strap with very little play nor wear – an old RAF issue belt.....

[welshjpc]

That will withstand any heavy handed trackball users! I made sure it is not impeding on the movement of the trackball although the picture does look like it might be – it definitely isn't!

Mike did send me an audio amp, and this was fitted under the control panel as so:

Now this is all pretty much done then, as mentioned earlier the volume control and PC power switch are connected as the picture below

The PC power is the far right white switch. The volume is connected to the red taped potentiometer (thats how it arrived, it works and so I'm not messing around with it!). Yes that is a 4 port USB port for should some inevitable glitches occur I can connect the small factor keyboard and mouse (stored in the cash box panel). The locks will arrive any day, as will the smoke joystick ball toppers. For a first attempt I'm quite pleased with it!

[welshjpc]

The LED display on the top of the cab is active but however is telling me that the bar called the Hungry Fox has a Gumbo Grab this weekend and some cash prizes for upcoming tournaments.

The following was the response from my asking for some way of altering the display, I even offered to pay for any required software:

Jamie,
The LED sign was for commercial purposes only. We do not provide any tools or support to change the sign. The sign was used when this version of Golden Tee Golf was online and operating contests.
Scott Allie
Technical Service Director  Ext. 147
Incredible Technologies, Inc.
Ah well.

Anyway, this is my first machine and it works. The wiring is all tidy and the PC parts are all mounted well. This machine would survive an earthquake and still work perfectly. The control panel is only connected by the USB connection from the IPAC & the PS/2 connection from the JPAC which makes things nice and neat.

Right then, time to do the “Thank you's”

Mike Cox @ www.candycabs.com –   smashing bloke, lots of help. Sent me the wrong trackball mount by accident but sent me a replacement.

Www.bositools.co.uk for my 28mm circular holesaw. B&Q, homebase – none of them had any idea!

Www.arcadeworlduk.com for T-moulding & wiring

www.ultimarc.com for I-PAC2 & OPTI-PAC cards – MAME conversions wouldn't exist without these!

Levi Dilly at Trent Plastics (levi@trentplastics.co.uk) – Great custom control panel cover.

PlastiKote Glitter spray, great stuff.

I am currently waiting for my graphic designer to finish the work on the sideart and the marquee for the cabinet and will happily give you his details once he has proven his worth!

[welshjpc]

Okay, I'm a moron. I got all confused with the names of Ultimarc's awesome products. I think I've edited it correctly now.

IPAC2 - the thing I connected all of my joystick & player buttons into

OPTIPAC - the thing that my trackball is connected into.

Noobs eh?  Sorry to all of you proper arcade building types. 

[Peja]

Nice looking cab welshjpc.  I am just getting done with my cab finally after 2 years but there are things I need to change as well. (like you said in the other thread)  Just keep on going until you get it 100% finished.  I stopped and started other projects.  I'm bad about that and am finally on the last leg of finishing my cabinet for good.....well sort of.

[ABACABB]

You might want to browse around on some of the pinball forums.  That LED display appears to be very similar to a pinball DMD.  I could be totally wrong on this but it is worth a try.  If it is similar, there is a pinball guy that makes a controller (see pinDMD) to drive those types of displays through a USB 2.0 port on your pc.  That would easily incorporate into your cab and you can have it display whatever you wanted and change it whenever you wanted pretty easily.

[welshjpc]

Having no luck with the LED bank, think I'll just let it continue displaying the "welcome to the hungry fox, gumbo grab tournament next week" etc. It still looks better then no display at all.

Just incredibly frustrating that Incredible Technologies CAN program the board but have no interest in letting me program my own, despite me offering to pay for the software....  .....

[welshjpc]

Sad times, have had to put my beloved Golden Tee cab on eBay.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=181233103596

Know anybody in the Oxfordshire area that would like an awesome early Christmas present?

[welshjpc]

One update I forgot to include -

I added a pause button underneath the Player 1 controls (see pic) by using a mini headphone jack & socket for easy release.

Its come in really useful as I now use the button combination P1 Start & Pause to exit game back to the Maximus menu, it's not a button press that is going to be made by accident.