This page shows a diagram of all the hardware architecture that makes up my MAME cabinet SpiffMAME. As you can see there are several pieces of hardware apart from the PC.
The PC is a Duron 1700MHz running Gentoo Linux, but I have made a lot of customization of the software. The graphics adaptor is a Matrox G400 dual head, to which a Hantarex MTC900 lo-res arcade monitor is connected. A relay controlled by the parallel port of the PC provides power to the monitor. This configuration allows the monitor to be turned on and off under software control, and in this particular case it allows the monitor to be off until the kernel framebuffer is initialized, setting a mode suitable for the low frequency needed by the monitor.
The sound in the cabinet consists of some old Trust PC-speakers and a subwoofer. These (along with the marquee backlight) are powered from a second relay.
The control panel and service panel, as well as the coin inputs are all wired to an old keyboard controller (keyboard hack) connected to the PC. I spent a great deal of time mapping out the keyboard matrix in order to avoid any blocking caused by simultaneous activation of too many switches. I am currently working on designing a new custom-made keyboard controller for use with SpiffMAME. This will allow the machine to be powered on by pressing a certain combination on the control panel.
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