Since my last post nearly a month ago, I spent two of those weeks working on the computer. With a little help from my Dad, I was able to get my new 500gb hard drive configured as the master drive on my system with a fresh copy of XP loaded up. It was more work, but I'm glad I went that route and ditched the old 40gig drive. We then installed the new video card and were able to get the TV up and running with a nice picture. Dad says he didn't do much, but I sure did enjoy his moral support, and having his camaraderie was even better. I then spent the next several evenings loading up the games. All 18 dvd's worth. (A big thanks goes out to Brett). Once I was satisfied that the Mame program was running smoothly, I downloaded and installed my front end program. This was an easy choice as I had done extensive research back in September as to which program I wanted to use. I ended up using GameEx. I can't say enough good things about this program. Very easy to use, and highly customizable. It really presents a slick interface for the user. In addition, it has a built in digital jukebox program, picture viewer, and many other cool add ons. Here is a typical menu shot for choosing a game:
It provides a nice little screenshot to preview the game, and when you select one, such as one of my old favorites "Golden Axe", it tells the brief history, game summary, control layout, and orginal cabinet and marquee artwork Pretty cool.
GameEx proved so easy to use, that I set up two other emulators under a separate menu. I now have the entire Atari 2600 and Nintendo game catalog loaded up. Counting Mame games, I think I'm up to about 5000 games. Will I ever play all the games you ask? Absolutely not! Who has that kind of time??! It's just kinda cool to say you have them at your fingertips in case anyone ever comes over and says, 'I remember this game from when I was a kid....do you have it?'With the computer side of things under control, I felt I could log a few hours out in the garage on the cabinet construction. Here is what I was able to accomplish yesterday:
First I finished the base and attached a side to check for fit:
I then added the other side and the back panel:
A front view, with the monitor shelf installed:
It's starting to take on some size, but still fits nicely in front of the car in the garage. I'm also pleased with the sturdiness of it. Considering I designed the placement of the braces and framework, it appears more than strong enough. Under test, the monitor shelf even held my entire body weight! I'd rather it fail now, than later when I'm putting the TV on for the first time.Over the next few weeks I'm hoping for more progress. After finishing up a few more of the cabinet panels, I will set the TV in for size and placement, start building a keyboard drawer of some kind, and figure out what to do for a sound system/speaker placement.
