Hello!

I got a couple more parts today, and now is the time to set up the computer.

This is the monitor.  It’s a 19″ 4:3 monitor.  I couldn’t go widescreen with this because it wouldn’t fit in the case.  Also, most of the old arcade roms are in 4:3 mode anyway, so there’s no problem.

There’s a debate about LCT vs CRT screens in an arcade machine.  CRT screens are absolutely better.  They make the old arcade games look really authentic.  If you can get an original arcade tube, that’s even better.  For me though, the LCD is good enough.  Plus I just don’t have the space for a huge CRT — our place is small.

Next up, I need to install the video card.  I have a massive high-end video card in my PC now, but for this I need something simple.  I chose a low-end ATI card pictured here.

The only problem is I couldn’t get this card working.  No picture, no nothing.  D’oh!  It looks like I need to keep my current card in the PC and just swap it out later.

 

 

 

And another minor stumbling block.  My video card only has DVI out, while my monitor only has VGA in.  <sarcasm> I love computers.</sarcasm>

So I had to go to my basement and see if I had the correct adapter.  Luckily, I did!  Stumbling block averted!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ll be taking the guts of the computer out of the case soon enough.  But for installing Windows and setting up everything, it’s better to work in the case.

Now to hook up the keyboard and mouse to the computer so I can start working.  This computer was originally a PC game machine, and then repurposed to a server (at which point I got rid of the keyboard).  Now that I’m setting it up as a arcade machine, I needed a keyboard so I could install everything.  I went to Amazon.com and bought the cheapest one I could fine.  Here’s how it showed up:

Of course the keyboard is broken.  Why wouldn’t it be?  Sometimes I ask myself why do I even bother.

My wife’s computer has a keyboard, but I needed to wait until she was done working so I could use that one until I got a replacement keyboard.  I also set up remote desktop so I could work on the machine from my Mac.

Here’s a picture of the guts of the computer:

Not bad for an arcade machine.  I built this computer myself two or three years ago.  It will go to good use.

Next up, install Windows 7 and start installing ROMS.  And a couple of hours later…

The first thing I wanted to get working was the Dragon’s Lair emulator (known as DAPHNE).  It wasn’t that hard to set up (thankfully)

Not a bad day of effort for the machine!