The MAME Controller Lives

Of all the pictures I've ever posted on bosticks.com, few have drawn more interest than these pictures from 2005 of my home-made MAME controller. It seems that a bunch of buttons connected by a spaghetti-maze of wires have a weird universal appeal.

Some years ago, John Perry gave me a box of video game buttons and joysticks, a controller chip that would connect them all to a single USB connector, and some loose cables. After one day in the wood shop and one hour of comically amateur cabling, I came up with the bulkiest (and perhaps most unsightly) video game control panel ever. (It wasn't really supposed to be a wood shop project, but when the only tool you have is a hammer...)

In preparation for an upcoming party, I've dusted off the beast, installed the latest and greatest MAME package, and set it all up in what is quickly becoming the game room. I'm happy to report that Robotron 2084 works as well as ever.