I think I, or my DreamAuthentics cabinet, may be cursed...

[Invincer]

Okay, I am sooo sick and tired to this point of the problems or delays, I am about to the point where I just don't want it anymore. I went with DreamAuthentics to make my tricked out cabinet because of what I found online as to their rep, and regardless of how good their quality may be, sometimes the wait can just sour the whole thing.

A timeline:

2/19/09: After having talked with them, and arranged a payment plan with the majority paid before shipment and the rest over the next couple months; they send me an initial invoice

2/20/09: An initial payment made (Total cost to be around $5600). Estimate given to me of a 6 to 7 week timeframe for completion and delivery (Yeah, right!)

2/22/09: After seeing some youtube videos of arcades online, and seeing Headkaze's LED plug-in for GameEx for the lighted buttons etc; I inquired to them if it was possible to add lighted buttons on to the cabinet. They explained it would add about $750, and would require much more work; but I wanted it tricked out, so here we go (Not going to add all emails or payment info to the timeline from here on unless it is pertinent as an event).

2/25/09: They send me a picture of a 3 player Sting layout to ask if it is fine so they can drill it out.

3/4/09: They ask for better high resolution artwork for the Invincer comic character on the cab; so I contracted out for an artist to do a high res image

3:9:09: They ask if I have the artwork yet, I tell them I will have it shortly, and I even asked if the wait on the artwork will be a holdup on completion. They said it would not.

3/13/09: I send them the artwork

3:16:09: They send me back the CP, Marquee, and side artwork with my custom image on it. I likey.

3/18/09: They send me an email saying they will email me when the CP is done to let me know where they are placing everything.

3/20/09: They are starting to drill my CP. They say it could take some time because so much is going on it.

4/2/09: I inquired how things are coming along...

4/3/09: They say everything is going great and they will be putting the artwork on soon. They are hoping to get it out this month to me ( , sorry; couldn't resist the urge there)

4/16/09: They say things are going good. I have a lot that is going on my control panel so it is going to take patience. They inquired about whether I wanted multi-color light buttons, or ones that stayed the same lighting color. Of course with the ability to do the LED plug-in add-ons, I want the multi-color. I inquired about a completion date. They said it would be hard to say because of the work involved.

4/24/09: They say the arcade is coming along great. Right now they are working on the control panel, I have a lot of wiring that is needed which takes time. They said they had to order the lighted buttons so those should be coming in. It will definitely be next month sometime. They will let me know when they know. They promise the wait is worth it.

5/8/09: They are still working on the lighted buttons, there are so many on the cp that they had to order more. They should be coming in soon. They thank me for my patience. I am getting a bit impatient and inquire about a timeline. They will get back with me.

5/9/09: They said they are waiting on the RGB lighted buttons to come in from the supplier. The lighted buttons are out of stock with the supplier so they are waiting for him to get some in. They say this can sometimes happen with suppliers and companies like them just have to wait; this is out of their control. They apologize for the delay but there is really nothing to do except wait. They have the same-color lighted buttons in stock if I want to get them instead. I waited this long though, so not wanting to just settle for the cheapo ones. I ask if they have only one supplier. They will check. They don't know when they will be back in stock so we must wait...

5/21/09: They let me know the lighted buttons are now in stock and they have the lighted buttons on order. It shouldn't take to long to get them. They will keep me updated.

5/22/09: They are expecting to get the lighted buttons in next week. Not too much longer now... I am losing patience and getting very frustrated at this point. They say they just need to wire all of them when he gets the buttons in. The lady I was dealing with sent the production manager an e-mail letting him know to make this a top priority as soon as the buttons come in; the owner is aware as well. So hopefully not too long.

Thursday 6/4/09: Great news they say, they are going to get the cabinet out next Thursday. They inquire where to put the rotary sticks and some buttons, which I email back my wants on the placement and asked about the shipping of it. As for shipping, they use NAVL Specialized Transportation. How it works is when it leaves the factory on Thursday, then they will send me an e-mail with the tracking number and shipping information. They will then call me when they are close to my area and set up the delivery time and date to make sure I will be there. I asked for a picture of the CP so I could try to set up my custom one in CPWizard and how long does shipping take usually..

Friday 6/5/09: They said they can get me a pic Tuesday or Wednesday. As for shipping, it depends on the truck and how many arcades they pick up from them. They deliver as they go so it could take up to 7 business days. They will call me.

Thursday 6/11/09: They email me that they are sorry for the delay; just got out of a production meeting. The special lighted ball top optical joystick order that came was missing one of the joysticks so the production manager is not happy. He got on the phone right away and they are overnighting the joystick tomorrow. He should then have the cp all finished and can get me a picture on Monday. They called another shipping company to come get the arcade at the beginning of next week. They said they paid them a little more to get it delivered by the end of next week. If the arcade would of been picked up today by the normal shipping company it would of taken up to 7 business days anyway. They emphasized again that they paid another shipping company (CEVA) which is more expensive to get this to me by the end of the week.

Tuesday 6/16/09: They sent me the pictures today. They wanted to test the control panel and monitor for 48 hours to make sure everything is working good since I have so much wiring on the control panel. The shipping company will be picking the arcade up tomorrow; they are located in IN so it shouldn't take more then 2 or 3 days to get to me in GA. They again thank me for my patience (which is pretty much gone at this point). As soon as they pick the arcade up the production manager will send me an e-mail with the tracking number and shipping info. The shipping company will then reach out to me to set up time and day of delivery.

Wednesday 6/17/09: I asked about the cup holders (for the light guns I have) and the steering wheel which attaches to the spinner for driving games which weren't on the pics

Thursday 6/18/09: They said the cup holders are inside and I can attack with velcro or screws. The wheel is on order and they will send when they get it, but didn't want to hold up the order for it to arrive. Asked about the shipping info and whether it will finally be here Friday or Saturday. Then they send me the shipping website and tracking number. I am NOT a happy camper! It says delivery date estimated as 6/25/09 late next week. I also notice they paid for only 5 day economy... so much for paying more to make sure it arrives quicker I guess! I email them fairly irate at this point.

Friday 6/19/09: They email me back apologizing profusely, and emailed the shipping company to see if it could get here faster. The shipping company emailed back.

Due Date: 6/25/09 THR

Pcs: 1

Wt: 430

Dims: 48x40x78

Destination: Savannah, GA.

The unit was picked up yesterday and arrived back to their dock last evening. It was moved to the packing department and has been packaged for shipping. It will depart on the hub truck tonight. They said that it should be in Atlanta by early Monday morning, and I should expect the delivery Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. The due date is 6/25/09, but they should be way ahead of schedule... Finally, huh?

Monday 6/22/09: I went online to track the shipping info. Should be in Atlanta Monday morning they had said, remember? Well, not exactly. Monday morning it scanned in .... IN SAN DIEGO!!!!!! Good luck getting here from the west coast Tuesday or Wednesday night I would say now! I emailed DreamAuthentics telling them it was about as far from "Atlanta on Monday" morning as is possible. They replied back they hope it is a data error and will get back with me when they find out what has happened. That was around 1PM yesterday, and I have not heard back from them, yet...

Tuesday 6/23/09: Haven't heard anything back from DreamAuthentics yet. I checked the tracking again this morning, I don't think it is a data error. It scanned in this morning in Los Angeles! Well, I was wrong about being as far from Atlanta as it could be because LA is even further than San Diego! I emailed DreamAuthentics again... nothing as far as replies so far.

I have to tell you, this has been such a nightmare I am about ready to say the Hell with it. How much would you take before you just gave up entirely and canceled the whole damn thing?

[Tom Speirs]

I really dont know if the wait is acceptable or not. I guess youd need to compare it with another company that does the same thing really, and there is not too many. I know you cant really compare with the likes of DreamArcades and similar as they dont do the same kind of customisations and sell more in bulk. So youd really need to compare like to like, it may well be normal for such a product, after all it is rather specialist? I know I had to wait about half a year for my reconditioned Funhouse pinball machine, but what I got after that time is phenomenal. Just an example. I would say though from what you have written, despite a few errors there communication seems spot on to me.

So end of the day is it acceptable, I dont know, maybe not, but at least they reply to your emails!!

[iano]

Jesus, thats a horror story. They sure know how to charge too.

[Invincer]

Well the communication was adequate until yesterday and today I guess. No replies or phone calls; they probably don't know what to say at this point; I wouldn't. If they would have told me somewhere around the beginning it could take 6 months, then things might not have been so bad. But the "estimates" wore down my patience entirely. Now the shipping issue is just the "over the boiling point" part of it all. I think I am going to email them that if it isn't here before the weekend, then don't bother. There were a few other companies that said they could do it for me. Now I am wondering if i should have used one of them. They keep saying how blown away I will be with the end results, that it is going to have to blow me away just to barely get the bad taste out of my mouth right now. When (and if) it gets here it had better be nirvana itself or it is going back...

Regardless of how great it may be, how could I in good conscious ever recommend the company to anyone after what this has been like in getting it?

By the time I get it, MAME should be able to play the arcade game Virtual Mortal Kombat 23...

[Tom Speirs]

the "estimates" wore down my patience entirely.

Yeah thats primarily where they messed up I think. If theyd said to you right at the beginning "this is an incredibly specialist product what with your requests, its going to take 5 months" Im guessing you wouldnt be so pissed! So whoever told you otherwise at the company should probably get a slapped wrist.

[celly]

That's a bunch of crap. They should at least cut you a price deal for all the heartache on your end they've put your through with this. Hopefully a speedy delivery the rest of the way will "uncurse" you.

[bkenobi]

Yeah, but if you built it yourself, you might not be done now and (based on what you described going into your cab) you could have spent around the same amount in parts, shipping, and time. I personally enjoyed building mine (well, converting anyway), but if that's not your thing, it can be hell doing it yourself too.

Just as an example...I just retiled my kitchen back splash. I personally considered it a royal pain in the arse, but there are contractors that I could hire to do it and they actually enjoy the work (and get paid well for doing it). To each their own...

Anyway, custom work can't be put on the same time line as standard production work because one-off stuff is always subject to supply and other unforeseen changes. That said, 6 months does seem a bit long unless you were constantly making changes to the design. I think I saw your cab pics over at BYOAC and it does look nice!

[Invincer]

We we will see... I just got this email from them.

Hi Charles, I did talk with Ceva and it was accidentally put on the wrong

trailer and subsequently went to California. I have been assured that the

cabinet will be back in your area and ready for delivery this Thursday.

They should be calling you tomorrow to set up a delivery time. This is also

a good time to let them know about any steps or extenuating circumstances

out of the normal that they should know about so they can be prepared.

Wow, wouldn't want to be in the road to get in their way if they are going to make it from Los Angeles to Savannah in 2 days!!! At this point, I will believe it when I see it. They have till this weekend otherwise don't bother.

BKENOBI: Part of the reason I used the company was to get it done in much less time than trying to do something I am not familiar with doing. The electronics, software, stuff like that, no probs. But for me, woodwork is like another language and would have been a joke. I figured they knew what they are doing, and if the pictures do it justice, it should be A1. But if is going to take over 4 months, don't tell me it can be customized and done and delivered in 6 to 7 weeks. That is my main point.

[bkenobi]

No, I totally agree. I was just saying that when someone gives a time frame for a fully custom job, that's basically a hopeful guess. If they knew they weren't going to make 6-7 weeks, they should have said so. Blowing past that by 6-7 weeks is WAY beyond what they said, so I would be pretty upset too. The only other point I was throwing out there was that if you made a bunch of changes to the initial design after they started, they may have been set back and thus the schedule would have to slide. I don't know if that's the case or not, so...

Anyway, hopefully it will show up soon and you can enjoy the cab instead of stewing over the ridiculous delay(s).

[Invincer]

Well I did ask for the changes on the lighted buttons to make a bit more work, but not enough to ever tell me it wuld take more than an extra week of production. The initial order was February 19th; the upgraded buttons added on the 22nd 3 days later. So no design changes that should ever have slowed down production.

It will be interesting to see whether they can get it here Thursday as they are saying now, all the way cross country in 2 days. If I were them, there is no way I would quote me a time. I would have just said ASAP, and offered something extra sent as an "apology item" or a $500 or $1000 reduction in payment after all this. SOME kind of gesture or something. Oh well, we will see what happens. Will let you know what the next tracker reading says. Probably needs to be Texas by tomorrow morning to have a chance.

One thing extra that should make my cab special.... How many people can say their arcade cabinet took a cross country leisurely site seeing trip from coast to coast... I guess before my first racing game on it, it will need an oil change... after going from Indianapolis to San Diego to LA cross country to Savannah...

[Invincer]

Okay, I know this is a bit off subject; but it was so hilarious after reading from after a long day of work I had to share it. I had gone to Google maps to see the driving distance of my cab being shipped and realistically how long it might take. Most of you are probably familiar with their map layouts. Driving directions street by street and turn by turn. It gives the total drive time by car and a USA map to show the drive route.

Anyways, I thought in being funny I might ask it for driving directions from Honolulu, Hawaii to Savannah, Georgia, just to see what it said. I about fell out of my chair when it gave the drive time and route. Then, when I had climbed back into the chair and read the turn by turn directions and got to that #15, I laughed myself to the floor again. I could tell you what it says, but if you want a good laugh you should go see what it says for yourself

Priceless

[Endaar]

Honestly, if the company did anything wrong, it's simply that they misestimated the timeline. Maybe I missed something, but assuming the cabinet shows up within the next few days as promised, it will have taken a little more than four months start to finish. They claimed 6-7 weeks before the addition of the lighted buttons. I'm going to assume they buy the buttons from GGG, since both the Electric ICE and NovaGem buttons do not seem to be available anywhere else. GGG was out of both types of buttons for upwards of six weeks, so if I'm right, that delay was out of their control.

The communication seems to have been reasonable, which is all you can ask for. I'm not saying you shouldn't be upset at the delay, but it shouldn't leave such a sour taste in your mouth as long as the final product is as expected.

Endaar

[Lawrence]

Oh man... You weren't kidding. #15 on Google Maps was hilarious. I laughed so hard I couldn't see through the tears. You can even click on #15 for more details.

I'm going to try a few other places to see if it gives similar funny results.

[Invincer]

lol

Try Tokyo, Japan to Savannah, GA (or anywhere in the USA as the destination...

[Invincer]

I tried... I really did. Even after all this hassle I tried being patient. But at this point I think I really need to consider fate is trying to tell me something.

This is unbelievable. After contacting me that they could bring it tonight (The Ceva shipping company that sent it to the wrong coast), I wait up and they are here with it at 11:30PM; but it is 2 guys that it was dropped off to in Atlanta and they can't lift it and they have no dolly, no pallet mover, nothing on the truck to move it with. They don't know anything about taking it apart to get in the door, so it would have to come around the back to get in my sliding glass doors anyway. Doesn't matter though if they can't get it off the truck. One guy thinks he can move it if they can just get it on his back (460 or more pounds with the pallet and this is a short scrawny teenager). It ain't happening... So the driver talks to his boss on the phone, and they are going to take it to some other moving company Atlantic Freight to have them try to deliver it in the morning. They give me a number to call to get it set up. I call the number and they say they are booked solid, don't know when or if they can deliver it tomorrow; and can't tell me a time when they could. I have at this point had it with the whole nightmarish experience. I think I am about ready to just say forget it. I think fate is telling me to forget it! Unbelievable...

[bkenobi]

You had it within 100ft of your house, so at least you were able to check it out, right? It'll work out and now you get a free story to tell your guests.

[gryhnd]

Invincer's next addition to the game room: kegerator with optional I.V. delivery system

[Brian Hoffman]

So whats the word now? I want to see pictures of your cab after all the heartache you went through.

At least the guys didn't try and unload it and drop it.

[Invincer]

Damn Brian; how'd you know! I got home and it was sitting in front of my door... Just kidding of course.

Well it's here, and it looks awesome I admit. I setup logmein this morning when it got here (the company called them and they seemed to have a whole different tune than last night and got it here before 10), and from work started moving MAME files to the cab (don't tell my Boss) from my other computer (had to make the most of the time I wasn't here). Unfortunately I see working with a control panel, especially this one, may be a bit more difficult than a gamepad on my big screen. I moved all my config stuff from GameEx over but it crashes when I start MAME. I am sure I will figure it out, if I start MAMEui the game can start but the controls seem a bit off. I guess it's time to start trying to learn about the CFG magiciaan, ROMlister etc.

Unfortunately I had 13 messages from friends wanting to know if I got it yet. It really isn't playable or for show yet; but they will start knocking soon. Oh well...

My only real disappointment is the lack of power emachine that came in it. It seems it is like buying a Ferrari, and when you get it home you find it came with a V4 engine. I will have to start changing the engine out soon as I can I guess.

At least I have the weekend to start figuring things out. I will have to get Cyberball working though, I spent so many quarters on it back in the day.... and Rastan....and Metal Slug, and... the list goes on...

In regards to the TunnelVision theme I have the files zipped, just have to upload to the website if there is room and upload a little montage to youtube to show all he backgrounds with names. That way anyone interested in ones they see on the avi montage can just download what they want and rename it to the appropriate bak file. I will try to get that up before I go to bed..... IF I go to bed tonight..

[Tom Speirs]

Im glad you finally got it, and it worked out in the end. Despite the problems, if I lived in the US and money wasnt an issue, Id consider buying one. I dont see any other companies doing the quite the same right now. Mainly because its a proper arcade product, with actual arcade monitor etc. The company is honestly decent as far as I know. I deal with them; they license GameEx. Although it sounds like they have made a few mistakes with your order, which is obviously not on.

In regards to the theme, email me if you want some web space. I can setup an ftp account with relating web space very quickly.

[lingpanda]

Damn Brian; how'd you know! I got home and it was sitting in front of my door... Just kidding of course.

Well it's here, and it looks awesome I admit. I setup logmein this morning when it got here (the company called them and they seemed to have a whole different tune than last night and got it here before 10), and from work started moving MAME files to the cab (don't tell my Boss) from my other computer (had to make the most of the time I wasn't here). Unfortunately I see working with a control panel, especially this one, may be a bit more difficult than a gamepad on my big screen. I moved all my config stuff from GameEx over but it crashes when I start MAME. I am sure I will figure it out, if I start MAMEui the game can start but the controls seem a bit off. I guess it's time to start trying to learn about the CFG magiciaan, ROMlister etc.

Unfortunately I had 13 messages from friends wanting to know if I got it yet. It really isn't playable or for show yet; but they will start knocking soon. Oh well...

My only real disappointment is the lack of power emachine that came in it. It seems it is like buying a Ferrari, and when you get it home you find it came with a V4 engine. I will have to start changing the engine out soon as I can I guess.

At least I have the weekend to start figuring things out. I will have to get Cyberball working though, I spent so many quarters on it back in the day.... and Rastan....and Metal Slug, and... the list goes on...

In regards to the TunnelVision theme I have the files zipped, just have to upload to the website if there is room and upload a little montage to youtube to show all he backgrounds with names. That way anyone interested in ones they see on the avi montage can just download what they want and rename it to the appropriate bak file. I will try to get that up before I go to bed..... IF I go to bed tonight..

I'm curious if you knew this build would include an emachine? I imagine not? Is that something that can be customized from them?

[Invincer]

I suspected it wouldnt be much of a computer. they told me it was their best model, but when I heard onboard video and only 1 gig memory I had my worries. A stinking emachine of a 300 dollar variety Idid not expect. There is no room for a card to put up my betabrite sign i had purchased I knew there would be some upgrading needed, but not the starting from scrath and build a whole new rig for it. Dont get me wrong, it looks and feels awesome, theres just a long way to go to get it where i want it powerwise

I did get some MAME games to work some while some friends were here. We were talking about MJ and the subject came up of the video game he was on, and we played it. That game was so wrong on so many levels...

[Invincer]

Okay, there is no way as crappy as the emachine is in there that I can live with that little engine that couldn't. I am going to upgrade the guts, going on newegg now, not wanting to go crazy (the arcade cost enough by itself, so budget is now limited). Any opinions or recommendations on these selections? I want to be able to emulate some systems from this century actually too.

SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223F - OEM

Rosewill TU-155 II 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply - Retail

POWERCOLOR AX4870 512MD5 Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4 - Retail

MSI P45 Neo3-FR LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400 - Retail

How difficult would it be for me to install XP and remap the controls to a fresh install on a new system? never dealt with controls like these on a cab before, so it is worrisome because I don't have any ideas what I may run into...

[headkaze]

Looks good to me, the E8400 is a nice budget CPU that will allow you to overclock. You want to aim for around the 4Ghz mark and the E8400 can reach that when it's overclocked. Another option is the E8700 as you might not want to run the machine overclocked all the time. I'm no expert on it but it does create more heat in the chip which is a problem in an arcade cab if there is not sufficient cooling. Check out BYOAC as there are a few threads over there about overclocking.

Also don't forget you really need to get a 64-bit OS too. Either XP 64, Vista 64 or Win7 64. You get a substancial boost running the 64-bit compiled version of Mame.

2 Gig RAM running in dual channel mode is perfect and 500W PSU should be ample. You might want to consider a nice big terrabyte drive too as its very easy to fill up drives on a cab. The video card sounds fine also.

One final thing I don't know how well they cool their cab's but I have two beefy fans with variable speed dials that blow air out the back of the cab just behind the PC. I also keep the lid off the PC and have an air grill just behind the monitor. It's important to keep the air flowing.

[Invincer]

Thanks for the input Headkaze it was extremely helpful. I had assumed to NOT use the 64 bit OS; thinking I wanted the compatibility of the 32 bit (the same reason of using XP instead of Vista). With the 64 bit, won't there be a ton of emulators I will be unable to use? And MAME is fully functional with the 64 bit architecture?

Yes, coolong is an issue I am worried about. In a cab in the Summer with heat indexes in Savannah reaching 110 degrees it HAS to be an issue. I wish we used Celsius instead of farenheit because then it would be only 36.6 degrees. Would it be a good idea to try water cooling it or might that be bad inside a cab where moisture might build up?

The inability to upgrade anything on the emachine is the worst part of all. I already have three 1.5 terrabyte seagate HDs completely filled with ROMs for dozens of emulators I have been collecting since I ordered the cab. (Plus two 500 GB externals full, so time to get another 1.5er). But I can't put these in this machine. There is no serial port which I need for the betabrite sign I purchased to use on the super LED plugin that a GENIUS must have made (now if I can just figure out how to get all my buttons to flash) and no place to install a serial card. I have a 2nd monitor of the 7" touchscreen variety I wanted to install above the main screen, this thing has no second video out and can't install any cards. I have 3D edimensional glasses I wanted to test out, but not on this card (was for the TV but would be cool on the cab too... doubtful it would work though because the screen isn't high enough of a refresh rate).

I also have some ambient lighting ordered from http://www.arfx.nl/ for the back of the cab to bathe the room in cab game lights...2 topguns for MAME... there's more but at least these should work on the emachine. For some reason my Xwife says I tend to go overboard and take things to the extreme. Any idea what she might have meant by that? I haven't a clue.

I have no idea if what they used for the cab controls. Are these things difficult to install on a fresh OS? I can't imagine it would be a simple plug and play...