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Mamey Madness 2!   -Feb 09, 2006
 

OWe've even had more changes in the Judges.  Welcome Stingray to the judging circle.  To commemorate the moment, we have been busy behind the scenes selecting new winners.  There is even some talk of getting a prize package together for "the best cabinet of the year".  Stay tuned for more, and check out the new Mamey page!  

Mamey Madness!   -Jan 31, 2006
 

Okay, new Judges are IN THE HOUSE!  Welcome markrvp, DrewKaree, missioncontrol and Grumley to the fray!  All are new except for Grumley and myself, so hopefully this will breath a little life into the ole Mameys!  In other news my latest cocktail cabinet is nearing completion.  Not much left to do on it! 

Let's Get Moving!   -Jan 3, 2006
 

Maybe I just needed a short break from the whole cab thing, since I've been right back into it lately!  The holidays were busy, but did give me some time to get a lot done on the housecab.  I'm excited to see it done, and start on the yet unnamed joustcab.  I also have a Jakks (I think they got their name from me!) handheld unit, and might just hack it into a bartop unit, we'll see.  Thanks to Matthew I now have some excellent shots of a real joust cabinet.  Hear that Edge?  I'll just make my own! :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE!   -Dec 31, 2005
 

Ah, glad to be here for another year!  I've got some progress done on the cabinet, but nothing worth snapping a pic of, maybe later today.  In other news we have a new Mamey winner in the Sound category!  Also we'll have a couple of new judges for the Mameys joining us within a couple of weeks.  I'm going to try and find some time to revamp those pages, since they are quite popular, and I haven't given them a facelift in almost 4 years!  Check out the Mameys!

BEST WISHES   -Dec 24, 2005
 

Merry Christmas everyone!  My BYO project this season was my first gingerbread house.  Jeez I can see why they charge so damn much for them in the stores...they take forever to put together from scratch!!  Ah well, hopefully my monstrosity holds together until Christmas day!  So as I head to the hot tub to soak in another Christmas eve, I bid you all happy holidays. 

---Whoa, only 22 posts since last Christmas!  I've surely been slacking.  Okay, I'll have to put some more effort out this year.  Starting with the 2 new cocktails I'm working on.  I'm going to have some updates on one of them over the holidays here, so stay tuned!

Progress.   -Nov 24, 2005
 

Things are coming along smoothly on the "first cabinet made in a while".  While I've been working on the House cab, I also came up with a design for the next cocktail.  One much like a joust cocktails.  Here's a peek at the design to whet your whistles:

  Cottage X2.   -Nov 14, 2005
 

Wedding and honeymoon was fine.  Wilma destroyed our Hotel, so we went to Dominican instead.  Easy come, easy go. 

Finally some new news!  I just got a special request to make an exact copy of the Cabin' arcade cabinet!  2 years later, and the owner is still using it.  He now wants one for his basement here in town, which will probably be called HOME ARCADE  I ordered the parts from Ultimarc today, and am trying to find the old blueprint files so I can order the wood.  Should go easier this time, as long as I can remember how I did everything!!  We'll see if he wants the exact same graphics on there or not, plus it will give me an excuse to -finally- get the artwork for "the beast" cab done.  The computer will have duplicate 80 gig drives, so that if one goes flukey, the duplicate can be swapped into the primary position, and you don't have any down time (well unless something blows up).

Oh and Brett stop reading this page, you're giving me the creeps man, seriously. :)

  Still Ticking.   -Oct 19, 2005
 

Well last couple of days as a bachelor!  My 'wife' and I have finally decided to make it legit.  4 kids too late but ah well.  Oh and of course we booked our vacation for the 23rd of October in Cancun, Mexico.  Yes, yes, during hurricane season.  Just for kicks look up the path of hurrincane Wilma... argh.

Cab wise I know I have been -awful- quiet, but I've just been tinkering with them in my spare time.  I've added power switches and startup buttons to all of my remaining cabs, and little things like that.  If I survive the 'holiday' to eye of the hurricane, I promise to get at least one more cab project done this fall!  Honest!  I'm still thinking a dedicated jukebox would be a neat idea, but since I could stick an i-pod onto a speaker and have it sound pretty good, I think a jukebox is a bit of overkill, no?  We'll see.  "Till we meet again!"

  Whoa.   -Sept 20, 2005
 

Well I sold off the slot game.  It was real cool, but one of my daughters got all weird-addicted to it, which was the exact opposite to the reason that I got it (to teach them that gambling was a waste of money in the long run).   I still have 2 cabs sitting in the garage waiting for me to do something cool to them, and I know I really should.  May the happy gods grant me time to give you guys another project. 

Oh, and for the tirade below, I received a grand total of 2 e-mails about it, which is less than almost any other posting.  Still, I hope I helped those 2 people, and maybe more that I didn't hear from.

  I have found the light -Aug 13, 2005   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

I posted a note on BYOAC a short time ago, and I got a few requests for clarifications, so I thought I would reprint here what I sent as a reply.  Basically is a wee bit 'o preachin.  No, I haven't discovered the holy blessedness that is Jesus Christ (although, hey, maybe I will...but don't e-mail me about it, I don't want to be rude!).  Anyway, it sort of explains why my productivity is waaaay down on my projects: I'm just too busy building a successful life/business, and lovin every minute of it!  If you're not into personal-improvement programs, read no further, but on the odd chance that this might help someone, I thought I'd post it:

I've actually loaned the book out, and damn if I can remember the exact name, but I'm 99% sure it was called Personal Power.

It was pretty boring, and I had to force myself to read it, much less three times over. But every time I read a chapter I thought "hmmm, I never thought of that" at least once, so it was worth it.

What it basically does, in a nutshell, is teach you to set goals. In fact, you print out your goals, and post them on a wall somewhere. I laminated them and put them in the shower. My goals were something like 1) quit hospital job within 3 years 2) get out of debt 3) live in a $400,000 house 4) buy a cottage 5) drive a BMW 6) have a happy home life 7) go on a real vacation

... I'm actually onto version 2 of the list, which includes "stop and smell the roses", "$50,000 in cash in the bank", "be happy all the time" etc

So the idea is, your brain starts to accept these things as fact, and instead of consciously thinking of a way to make them come true, your brain just guides you to those goals. Like if you decide you want a certain kind of car, you all of a sudden start seeing them -everywhere-, whereas you didn't see them before, because your brain is now thinking about them unconsciously. They were always there, you just didn't see them. That's the idea of his book. You will start to see opportunities that were there, but you never thought of them.

Oddly enough, I had given up on the list after a year or so, thinking it was stupid, and I took it down. However, about 6 months ago I came across it and read it, and realized that I had reached 90% of the goals!!! The only ones I didn't have were the cottage (don't want one now), and the BMW (which I have on order). That's when it really sunk in that it worked. I mean, I knew I was doing sooo much better than I had been, but I didn't really think that I had achieved the goals that seemed like fairy tales when I wrote them down. Literally. How could I go from a hospital stock-boy to a member of standing in the community, with a 6 bedroom house, hanging out with lawyers and politicians, money in the bank, and almost no debt...all at 35! It was a long road, but it was sooooo worth it just for reading a book and sticking a piece of paper on the wall.

Sorry if this is long winded, but some of the other things that were in that book hit home too. It talked about the people who wouldn't try the system, and would mock it, but would ultimately stay stuck in the same rut. They did, and they are. I loaned the book to 3 other people at that job, and all of them returned it after only a couple of chapters. "too boring", they said. Well, they're all still at that job, complaining about the same things, and literally telling me "how lucky I am". It's weird.

It also said that if you say things like "yeah, but that's him, it wouldn't work for me", then you have already set your path to defeat.

I dunno, I really can't guarantee it would work for you, but geez, for the sake of reading a book (I've never given him a cent more than the price of a used copy of that book), and sticking a page on the wall, I think it's worth a try. All I can find on Amazon is "personal power II". I'm sure it was version one, I don't know if version 2 is any better, I might buy a copy someday, but I know the one I read is gold :)

  Enough! -July 1, 2005   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Just to let everyone know that I am not in touch with Oscar controls, and don't have any secret way of getting in touch with them.  I've received at least one e-mail a day looking for answers, and all I can say is that Kelsey is a stand-up kind of guy.  If he says he's busy, well I rather tend to believe him.  Some of the e-mails are polite, but I've got a couple that are downright nasty, and I can only imagine what kind of mails are piling up with him!

  Raving HS -June 22, 2005   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Wow, I must have got farked or something over my comments.  I'd just like to verify that the D.F. mentioned below refers to hmmm, Doug....ummm....Freeslner.  Yeah.  Doug Freeslner.  You Sleasebag Doug. 

On a serious note, I would like to clarify that I do not speak on behalf of Oscar USA.  Rumours have a way of getting started that way, and I want to let everyone know that I am only speaking my own thoughts and opinions. 

The remainder of the Oscar stock will be up on Ebay over the next couple of days.  I got WAAAAY too many people 'ignoring' the "CANADA SHIPPING ONLY" on the store page, and ordering from places like lickspank missouri.  Other than that, I'd like to thank you all for your patience, patronage and support! (I can't believe you people read this! :)  )

  Raving BS -June 12, 2005   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Many of you know about a certain sleaseball that is forcing changes to the Mame community.  In fact, it is such a change, that I don't believe that I can say "Mame community", it may have to be "Mame(tm) community".  I'm not sure what's going on, but Mamedev seems to be unsure what's going on, and the sleaseball in question is apparently buying himself approval.  Unfortunately, I do believe that there are a lot of 'influential' people in the scene that  cannot afford to pass up a bribe attempt, and I fear that it will hurt the community quite badly.  So to that end it looks like there will be some changes.  I will probably not be offering Oscar Controls products much longer, since that could be seen as "profiting" off the scene.  What stock I have left will be sold off in the next couple of weeks.  Oscar USA might also be closing for an indefinite period, as stated on their website.  I will be going back to purely enjoying this for what it should be: a hobby.

One thing is for sure, I'm 99% positive I make more money per year than D.F. does, so you can sleep easier knowing I will never be bribed! :)  Does he want to bribe me?  Probably not, but it makes me feel better.  Now I'm off to play the new demo of BF2 that just downloaded.  See you all on the battlefield!

  Blog? -May 23, 2005   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Greets go out to Pete, Chris, J-rok and Drewkaree and of course Dean (cuz I know he's still checking out this page even though I don't update enough!!) :)  Here's the pic of the new slot, which has turned out to be a big hit with everyone, even though I need to get more tokens for it!  Turns out this silly rambling I've been doing since 1999 is now called a blog.  Ah well, so be it :)  Welcome to Zakk's blog (previously known as news pile!) :)  It's been a long damn time since I did a new project, and I swear I will start one soon, and give everyone a reason to check back!!

  Sameole -May 10, 2005   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Picked up my Pachislo game today, it's actually a lot of fun.  I'll have a pic a little later.  Now I just have to figure out if getting the kids hooked on gambling machines is wrong! :)

  Backorder (again) -May 7, 2005   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

V2's are on backorder again, although Vortex's are still in stock. I can't believe the demand for the new spinners!!   What's new...let's see... I have put a deposit on a slot machine for the gameroom that should be delivered any day now, and I am still knee-deep in the tank construction, although it is coming along quite well.  My apologies to any emails I haven't replied to yet, I've (as always) been busy with work. 

  Backorders -April 11, 2005   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

All of the Backorders have been sent, so anyone awaiting a spinner should get it very soon.  Everything is back in stock, although I am running low on the 'natural' finish engraved knobs.  Sorry again for the delay in getting caught up on the orders. 

  Time marches on -April 8, 2005   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

So you may wonder what projects are -actually- making any progress?  Well, there are 3 on the go, but none are arcade related.  I am redesigning a living room, a complete backyard, and building up the fishtank.  It's taking all my free time reworking this house. I feel bad about not having more cab updates, so I fill in these bits with snippits of "what I'm doing now" kinda stuff.

In other news, Mame now has a new license agreement that anyone building a cab should read over, and newer Golden Tee's have been added, which are actually pretty fun. 

  Snags -March 29, 2005   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Easter has taken its toll on the mail it seems, the replenishment order from Oscar USA is running a bit late, so there are a few backorders piling up for the USB interfaces.  They -should- have been here Monday, but now I'm being told Wed.  My apologies to anyone still waiting. 

Hoi! -Mar 21, 2005   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

All of the snow looks to be melting out there, and I will soon be able to move another cab into the new shop.  Ya ya, I say that all the time, but for real this time.  I've been in Law classes for the past while which has kept me busy, but three more weeks and I'm free :)  First will be a smaller single player cab for myself.  I have decided on one that will play most of the non-simultaneous games.  So there will be a spinner, trackball, tron-style stick and a wico leafswitch.  Perfect for the games I play.  The model is in the design stage, and I will do a mockup as soon as I get the dongle for 3Dmax working.  In other news, Mame now emulates Golden Tee, and while I never cared much for the game (it's golf!), I know it has a lot of people excited.

Ouch! -Mar 3, 2005   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Ahem, well glad that hangover is gone! :)  Well let's see, what has been happening... There will be a new Mamey winner tonight in the cocktail category.  Ive been stuck in law classes lately, which may explain my lack of updates, but then again maybe not!  I'm on the prowl for new pinball games, but haven't found any spiffy good ones (missed out on a star wars at the last auction...).  Elsewhere my first crop of homemade liverock is curing in a bin in the garage, right up against the two arcade machines crying for an upgrade.  I GOTTA get at them soon, although I really would like to do a dedicated jukebox...things to do things to do...

Who's been drinking? -Mar 2, 2005   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Helllo people. Oh and a healthy F@CK YOU out to Dave Foley at Ultracade.  A little harsh, but hey, you know you deserve it.  My apologies to all of the family viewers out there, but that phrase came from my 6 year old, so there you go.  That's all there is for updates...there are a couple of new pics up on the "BEAST" cab page, but damn, I'm too drunk on $500 Mexican tequila right now to figure out how to link it, so go search yerself :)  Oh, an then buy a Vortex, it's good Karma for the soul.  Seriously.

Finally! -Feb 06, 2005   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

A couple of tidbits!  First, a new Spinner from Oscar has been released, and of course that has me all excited!  I'll be installing one onto a cabinet as soon as I get one.  Secondly I finally finished the Defender cab.  That took forever!  However, totally worth it since it's a hell of a lot of fun.  I can see why I never got good at it in the arcades, it would have cost me a fortune!  So now my cabinets are all done, time to start a new one?

MMP LOADER -Jan16, 2005   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

There has been a couple of updates to the frontend menu loader.  My friend Joao has made a bug fix and a new html version.  I haven't been able to fully test it due to lack of time, but I've held off on posting it long enough.  If you have any suggestions or feedback, feel free to use the contact info on the page. Check it out HERE.

Finally! -Jan16, 2005   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Got the 'Beast' done, and logged a few hours on it this weekend.  Well more like a few minutes.  I'll do some serious playing and testing this week I have promised myself :)  Check it out in the cab section.  Also in other news two new Mamey's have been awarded by the judges.  Check out the new winner in the EVERYTHING ELSE category and the SOUND cat!  Congrats to all!

Welcome to 2005! -Jan12, 2005   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Hoped to have more cab updates ready, but while I've created a custom metal bracket to mount the 21" monitor, I haven't mounted it in the cab.  As soon as my living room is painted, I'll plunk that in.  Promise :)

  Happy New Year! -Jan1, 2005   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

New Year's greetings to everyone.  My new year's resolution is to be able to play all the cabs in my arcade SOOOON.  Dammit.  Good resolution if I do say so.

  Merry Christmas! -Dec 24, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

All I wanted for Christmas eve was to flake out for a couple of hours in the hot tub!  As you can see below I even had to dig that out of a snowdrift!  Ah well, the stockings are set by the chimney, er and all that crap.  Time now for wife wine and Tub soaking.  Merry Christmas to all!!!!!!

  Clock is Ticking -Dec 23, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Well, we got about 3-4 feet of snow here yesterday (!!!), so I've been busy cursing and shoveling.  The DHL guy did a delivery anyway, and while I was expecting a minipac, lo and behold I got an ArcadeVGA card, an Xbox interface and a couple of nice switchable joysticks.  Unfortunately, Andy at Ultimarc is waaaay too nice a guy to rip off so I actually admitted to the goof up :)  Sure is tempting to try and wire up one of the monitors I have in the garage to the mame machine and try out that card and maybe just pay for it and save shipping it back...decisions decisions.  Ah well, I'll think about it while soaking in the hot tub and nursing my sore muscles.  Damn damn snow.  Ah well, snowboarding tomorrow should make up for it!  Oh, and in case I don't add to this dy the 25th, MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

  It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas -Dec 18, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Here's a pic of the Mspac cocktail.  I set it into a little alcove at the bottom of the stairs in the basement.  Now I just need a couple of chairs for there and it's perfect!  Defender cabinet is finally done, and Vortex's are back in stock.  Now to put up a wall and also work on that goldenaxe cab.  All it needs is the monitor and computer and it's done, so I really should stop putting it off, eh?

  A Room With a View -Dec 6, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

The new house is a blast!  I took a few shots: The layout for the new bar/arcade, the back side of the house, and the view looking down over our little part of the city from the deck.  Lots of work ahead of me to get that bar ready, but it's all fun! It will fairly closely match the setup that I did in 3DMax (Oct news item below), but I might have to sell off the big mame machine and build a smaller version for in there.

  Startup -Dec 1, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

I'm in the new place, and internet has been connected, but of course my e-mail addy was linked to my old high speed account, so I'll see if I can get that address back, but for now e-mail may be bouncing back.  Growing pains!!

  Shutdown -Nov 29, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

I'll be out of touch for the next few days, at least until I get the comp set up in the new place.  Any e-mail will be on hold till then.  Also the Oscar Store will be shut, I will get the orders I have now out the door tomorrow, but any new ones won't be shipped until Friday at the earliest.  Thanks for your understanding!

  Countdown -Nov 22, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Well 8 days left to moving day.  Some small progress on the Defender cab so that it will be functional in the new room.  A couple of new Mamey award winners have been voted in.  Christmas is coming!  And for those that asked, yep Jr is doing quite well.  I'm still trying to figure out who is responsible for the red hair, but eh, I get to call him the drunken Irishman because of it :)  I tell you, he gets mesmerized by the tv when the xbox is going.  I think he'll make a great games player!

  Deux -Nov 9, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Adding yet again to hobbies and misc, I went and picked up an Xbox today to celebrate the release of Halo 2.  I picked up the see-thru box just to be different.  So far my eyes are just killing me, so I am fairly sure computer monitors are much easier on your eyes than TV's.  Gaa, it would be awful if I can't do 20 hour game marathons on the tv any more.  Still, this is my first real console since the atari 2600, and as such I'm enjoying it quite a bit.  We're getting the PS2 for the kids for Christmas, so I guess we'll have the best of all worlds!  Now I just need to somehow free up more time to play this damn thing...

  Stuff -Oct 29, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

There may be no end to my crazy hobbies.  I ordered a 125 gallon reef tank for my diningroom  yesterday.  My wife wants it in the new arcade room, but hell that would make less room.  I figure if I just put it in the dining room and fill it with water, what's she going to do, move it?  Again, not arcade related news, but I feel bad when I don't post anything here, even if it is just filler!

  Small Update -Oct 25, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Picked up the computer board today to finally get my defender machine up and running.  Kinda want it done before the move.  Another working Jamma cab showed up today too, that's three extra cabs sitting in the garage...which argh means a total of 7 cabs and one pinball to haul around on moving day :(  Ah well, I'm sure the moving company won't mind...  In other news... I've got the order sitting on my desk for the system for the Golden Axe cabinet.  I'm debating whether to put the machine together now (it's so close) or wait till after the move.  On one hand it would be more likely to get broken during the move, but on the other hand I don't think I'll have much time to work on it after... decisions decisions.  I need an assistant!!  Thanks to the regs who are sticking with me during this "slow period of few updates".  I'll make it up to you, I'm sure. :)

  USB's back -Oct 13, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Oscar USB interfaces should be arriving at the shop today.  Sorry for the delay to everyone awaiting orders, they should be out by the end of the day.

  New bar plans -Oct 6, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Been fiddling around with the layout in the basement of the new house, and there is enough space to split a room and make a nice 15X15 bar/arcade.  Here is a rough render of it.  Completion date?  Early 2005.

  Things should pick up -Oct 5, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Okay, back in the saddle a bit.  Two tentative projects are in the design phase, and one other one is in the early-early stage.  Another empty cabinet showed up yesterday, so now I have two of them out in the garage.  I'm currently working on plans for my new bar/arcade, which will be able to hold only 3 vids 1 pin, a couple of slot machines and a sweet poker table.  I've started snooping around for a glass front commercial bar fridge, instead of putting in a tap.  Tough part is going to be getting the wet bar functioning.  I'll post a mockup when I get a moment free!

  Still at it! -Sept 22, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Halifax was nice, thanks for asking :)  Now I come back to voice messages saying there is a couple of cabinets to pick up for free!  I'll have to see what I end up with, but I -think- it's going to be a cocktail and a countertop unit!  What fun!  In the meantime I started working on my new pin.  I ordered new rubbers for the playfield, and started cleaning everything.  It works well except for the knocker (which is missing), the saw motor (which is burned out I'm sure) and the outhole coil, which is my last big fix before I am ready to put it into play.  If anyone has more tips on fixing one wonky coil, feel free to drop me a line, as I'd hate to wreck something else while trying to debug!  Oh and here's some pics of the new beast:

as you can see it is a bit dirty, but damn is it fun (even with the bad coil trouble!)

  Back in a bit -Sept 12, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Well off to sunny Halifax for a week, I won't be able to respond to e-mails until then.  I should get there just in time for that damn hurricane to slide up the coast and blast me off the map.

  Slowly gettin back into it -Sept 11, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Holy f*ck it's the middle of September already!!!  A nice new pinball game shows up tomorrow, and I've started plans for the new bar/arcade.  I did a few more updates to the Defender cab, just to get it finished.  I'll probably start putting some effort back into the Golden axe cab, since It's depressing seeing it sitting there without the monitor, so there is going to be some updates soon. 

  Still here -Aug 27, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Again, not much to report, sorry.  I got another house, but have been busy trying to sell mine so that I'm not stuck with 3 mortgages, so that's what's been taking my attention.  Hard to tear apart a monster cabinet with tools and whatnot all over when you are showing people the house!  I'll start messing it up when it sells, oooh and then the new house has a juicy double garage that will make a niiiice workshop (well the part that doesn't have my wife's van parked in it!!). 

Oh and Brett, buy MY house, it's nice... gets you back into a civilized city and out of hickville!  I know someone who could help you sell yours! :)

  Still here -Aug 17, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Sorry guys, very little to report on the arcade front.  Real life is taking a toll on me, I don't have time, energy or willpower to finish up the last cab, much less start the next one.  I am hoping that things will somewhat slow down so that I can get a couple more cabs done.  In the meantime I'll just settle for going to the Judas Priest concert tomorrow, how 80's is that?? I'm also still trying to get the new house, so bear with me through this quiet time.  No worries, I'll be itching to get back at it!

  Wasshappenin -Aug 5, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Well we're trying to buy a new house... which kind of explains my absence and lack of progress on cabinets.  It would be cool if we get this house, the main entertainment area would have a full bar, pinball and arcade games.  It's been hell trying to get this house, with lots of competition and shenanigans, but it looks like we might get it.  If so, you're all invited to a hot tub party :)

  Ebay rant -July 27, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

I've done a lot of dealings on E-bay, and sooner or later I'm bound to run into a twit or two.  I sell this perfectly good minidisc recorder to some guy.  He writes me saying it doesn't work and half-accuses me of running a faulty auction.  I ask him to read the instructions and make sure he's running it properly since it's a bit harder than downloading an mp3.  He assures me he's tried everything and demands a refund plus money to ship it back.  Okay, I oblige.  I get the unit back, hooked it back up and yup, it works perfectly.  But OH!  he happened to forget to return the blank discs!  So I paid to have a guy steal blank discs from me.  Guess I'll put the unit back into my stereo stack even though I don't use it any more...:sigh: why can't people just RTFM!!!!!!

Okay, that's it for my rant. :)

  Back to Business -July 25, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Aluminum Engraved knobs are back in stock for those of you who e-mailed about them. I'm feeling better, but not good enough to run a marathon :)  Thanks for the get well wishes I received today. 

  Ow ow ow -July 23, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Well, went for the big "V" operation today.  Let me say to you guys thinking of, or being pushed into doing it, that they whole "it's one little cut, no big deal"...is a huuuuuge lie.  Lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie.  I feel like I got socked with a bag of doorknobs.  I don't know why they lie about it, I just know that they do.  You know the end of "Breaveheart"?  That's all I could think of while it was going on.  Now I may wake up tomorrow morning feeling just fine, but for tonight, they lied oh how they lied.

 On a proper cabinet note, I may have made a deal to build 4 more machines.  I think if I do that, they will be based on the mameroom plans (slightly altered).  so stay tuned, cuz I can't hobble around here forever, and I'll be itchin to start cabin'.

  Stuff -July 14, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Chances are good that Beast Cab (aka Golden Axe Ultimate) will be out the door soon.  I took a bit of time to shop it around and got quite a few bites, so now I just have to figure out who will get it.  The new project that will be based on the UAII plans is already sold for Christmas, so I'll have to start some plans for that, and while I'm at that one I should probably do up 2, since I can see those moving pretty easy, plus I'm out of empty shells!  I'm also doing up a quick tutorial on how to make your own cab mobility/leveller system.

  Stuff -July 7, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

The jukebox got auctioned off last night at an ALS charity event.  Kinda makes you feel good when you can help a worthwhile cause like that.  (Check out the jukebox page here).  Elsewhere I have started in on the wiring for the beast cab, the mini-pac wiring harness is just a tad short to do an extra-wide panel, so I'll be splicing in some new wire tonight.  Other than that things are pretty quiet.

  Still Goin!! -June28, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Howdy everyone!  Still plenty happening over in the cab section, I'm well into the "beast" cabinet now, which has transformed into a Golden Axe 2 project, I've just picked up a custom jukebox system that needs a bit of tweaking before it goes out, and I will be starting a "from plans" cabinet next.  Oscar orders are brisk, and everyone seems to be in a good mood.  So all is well in MMP land, for today.

  Summer freezin! -June19, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Except for the fact that real estate is booming, and I'm making money hand over fist, this summer sucks!  It's so cold out I could see my breath out there, and that is just nuts!  So I went out and got myself a new floor standing drill press.  Ahh, I feel better already.  This thing is a monster, but finally I can do complete panels without having to resort to a hand drill for some of the holes.  (and hey, it's got a laser pinpoint system!).  Still cranking away on Golden Axe, getting ready for the auction, hopefully I can get it done on time!!

  Summer be sizzling -June 7, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Added a few more pics to the tattoo section (thanks for the new submissions guys!).  I've been busy trying to get my pool and yard in useable shape, so any cabinet progress has been slow.  I might be donating a cab to a charity benefiting those suffering ALS.  Seems like a worthwhile cause, so keep tuned for updates.  If I do donate one, it will probably be the new Golden Axe cab, since they want one for a July 7th charity golf tournament.  That puts the pressure on, but I think I can pull it off.  Oh and if you haven't tried these yet, here's a nice way to kill an hour or so with just you and your printer. Click HERE.  So for the latest activity, be sure to sloop over to the BEAST project! OH! and I finally reached 100,000 hits on the counter!  Glad to think that I've helped even half that number of people over the past while, and I'm looking forward to still being here when I hit 200,000!!!!!

  Hot Diggity Dog -June 3, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Had a pinball machine that needed some work, but I traded it to someone who was interested in going to the effort of restoring it properly, so I ended up with a new toy: A Williams Slugfest!  The kids and I are having a blast with it, however, I still have my sights set on a real pinball game, so I'll probably sell this one or trade it for a nice pin.  It makes me wish I had a bigger game room area!  Gaa, I gotta move!

Oh, and the Oscar store is back up and running (thanks Garrett!).  That's what I get for using a hotmail account for business!!  Sorry about the momentary inconvenience!

  Troubles Continue -May 18, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Note to anyone trying to get in touch with me:  The mameworld e-mail looks like it's finally gone tits up, so if you have me in your bookmarks with the mameworld addy, update it to the new one listed down a few posts.

Congrats go out to my buddy Dean and his new pride and joy.  Baby arrived a couple of nights ago and is doing fine!  Happy birthday!!!!

And speaking of proud pappys, here is little Zakk, much recovered from his early close call:

  Stuff -May 13, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Artwork for the cabin cab is at the printers and I've done most of the internal wiring (power switch etc).  Aardware is hand delivering the computer components they recommended this evening.  We've decided to add pinball buttons to the cab, as I have finally taken the effort to figure out vpinball and pinmame...it's a lot of fun!  Hats off to edgedamage who is helping me out finding tables for it.

And in other news, my shiny new copy of Project Arcade showed up today!  It's a killer book, if you are thinking of making one of these cabs and want a bit of a hand doing it, don't hesitate to buy it!  New york time's bestseller list for sure

  Sights to See -May 11, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Welcome to yet another flood of RGVAC sightseers.  It's been a while since the last time, but even though I will again assure you that almost every conversion I do on these cabinets can be undone (yes even the ugly panel on the Gravitar), I'm sure some of you will be...difficult.  Just know that I am a fan of the original games (check out the defender restoration), and I do my best to use old generic cabs, or build my own.  Anyway, I hope some of you enjoy your stay anyway, as all are welcome :) 

If it makes you feel better, the wood on one side of the control panel of the gravitar was demolished when I got it, and the damn thing was rotting to pieces in the oh-so-perfect safety of a wet windy chicken barn (true story).

Hangin out. -May 7, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

I'm still around and making updates, just keep watching cabin cab and 'the beast' in the cabinet section.  I've been going crazy here setting up a nice welding station for myself.  I've been looking for excuses to weld anything to anything.  Oh!  and don't forget to get a copy of John St. Clair's new book, I think you might like it, check out the website here.

E-mail trouble fixed? -May 1, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

I got tired of waiting for mameworld to fix the e-mail trouble, so I redirected the main mail link to the mmp e-mail, and voom the e-mail started back up!  I thought you guys didn't care anymore ;)  seriously, I went from 5-10 e-mails per day directly related to mame cabs to 1 every 2-3 days!  So to anyone who didn't get a reply from me in the past while, please shoot me another message, as I DO try to reply to all my e-mail as soon as time allows.

I might do a quick how-to of welding... just the quick tips, since it has become such a lifesaver for me... any time I need a custom bracket or harness, I just weld one up and go!  Also, I did my first plexiglass top with a router instead of saw, knife and drill, and it worked awesome!  Thanks go out to Kelsey at Oscar controls for giving me the incentive to try both the welder and the router in that manner... too cool.

As we surf into a new summer here, I look forward to a lovely few months of construction in the shop, with my newfound skills that I hope to share with you all.  Game on!

E-mail trouble -April 25, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Ive been getting calls and messages from people saying that I am not returning their e-mail.  Seems as though there is a problem with the mameworld e-mail server or something, since I've heard this from 5 people so far.  (perhaps more since I might not be getting their mails!).  Anyway, if you e-mailed me and haven't heard back, try mmpproducts@rogers.com

Gets yerself spinnin -April 17, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

New shipment in from Oscar, so just reminding you to get that Oscar Spinner today!  Lots of tempest style, engraved or natural knobs, and extras!!

Invaders mame is gone, off to a happy home.  I'm starting to work on the graphics for my new cocktail project, so that it can move along.   

Some Stuff Gets Done! -April 14, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Space Invaders Mame is done, and ready to go out on the weekend.  Cabin Cab is next to be completed, and has some good progress.  Not much else happening around here except a new release of mame.  Although there is noise in the air of a new project order.  If not I might finally get to work on "The Beast". 

  Sights to See -April 3, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Some good progress on the SI and the cabin cab, I've been trying to work equally on both.  The SI is closer to completion since it was already a finished cab (of course).  And if you're looking for an interesting read on how one controller company in the sc33n3 deals with irate customers, check out this thread on BYOAC (do it before it gets clipped or deleted) :)  Check out some of the info on the site there if you haven't visited before.

  Lockit  -Mar28, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

I ordered a few oddball items from some of the guys at BYOAC.  First, to follow up on the awesome black player buttons, I grabbed a bunch of round key barrel locks off of Peale.  These things are just so much more "coin op" than regular key locks (at least to me).  If you are interested in getting some for yourself, contact Peale through BYOAC or drop me a line.

Second, I got a couple of token mechs, along with a few hundred tokens.  I figure that way I can just keep a dish of tokens for playing games, and I won't borrow out of it to feed the parking meters :) Why do I buy these things?  I just DON'T KNOW!

  Update  -Mar23, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

There are updated pics of the cabin cab up.  It's coming along pretty damn nicely.  Just waiting on the t-molding now.  Should be some new pics of the Space Invader cab up soon too.  New spinner knobs (black anodized) are available in the Oscar Store.  Did my first bit o' welding today.  Man, I suck. Well, the pieces stuck together so maybe I don't suck that much, but it wasn't pretty... Fire is goooood though :)  Oh, here's a pic of the two current projects... find more details in the CAB section.

  So It Continues  -Mar17, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Yet another cabinet is about to get the MMP treatment.  The Space Invaders cab is coming in from storage and work will begin shortly.  This one has to be done fairly quickly, so I will work on it at the same time as the Cabin' Cab, and my own project will have to go on the back burner.  Ah well, the new owner of the SI cab is a bit of a collector, so the project will have a good home, and I know he won't be painting the sides with a black roller any time soon. 

  Weld!  -Mar13, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Went out and got myself a new toy.  There has been enough instances around here where it would have saved me countless hours to have been able to fabricate my own mounts, slings, panels etc.  Soooo I went out and got a self feed wire welder.  I think I'll spend a bit of time alone now getting acquainted with this new fella :)

  Saga ends  -Mar12, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

Thank you to everyone that wrote during the past week.  We finally have Zakk Jr home with us, and it's the best feeling in the world.  His sisters are as thrilled as we are to have him home, and it's great to be able to hold the little guy whenever I can.  After what he's been through the past week, he doesn't even cry anymore... he just looks at us like "what are you going to jab me with now?".  He's battle-scarred like crazy, tract marks and bruises all over him...argh so hard not to feel guilty or helpless... Looks like it turned out for the best though, so it might be business as usual around here from now on.  Zakk Jr is headed for hockey school and Zakk Sr is headed for the snippage surgery.  After a run-in like that, I'm going to count my blessings and have my pet spade or neutered :)  God bless everyone on this day...our heartfelt thanks.

  Star Wars fun  -Mar 9, 2004   EMAIL A NEWS ITEM
 

For you guys that have a nice 'bought' copy of Battlefield 1942 lying around, there's a new mod to breathe some new life into it.  Check out Galactic Conquest.  New maps are released this Friday, so it's a good grab!  I've been marching around Hoth in an AT ST to take my mind off things, not the perfect solution to dealing with personal strife, but not a bad one either!

OLD NEWS RELOCATED HERE