i'm thinking about building an arcade cabinet for my kids...

anyway im going to either gut a retro duo or a retron 3...im pretty much just going to have the cart slots in the front where a coin box normally goes...still in the early planning stages

im not to sure how to build the arcade sticks though...the whole cabinets going to be wood...i know the basic idea for building the controls....you just solder button switches to the contacts on a existing controller right?....im kinda mystified about how to make a d-pad into an arcade stick though...anyone know a good source for arcade sticks?...or how to videos?

also any ideas on what the button layout should look like?

I'm in the process of making one.  I am using an original NES motherboard.  Hooking up the controller is really easy.  You just need to connect the buttons to the correct pin and the other to ground.  Same with the D-Pad.

For button layout, I did something like this:

[D-Pad]    [B] [A]

But I'm making a bartop, so a full sized cabinet will have a lot more options.

If you wait a bit, I'll be making an instructable with full instructions on how I made mine.  No guarantee's it will be finished soon, I'm just working on it in my spare time.

Parts:
ultimarc.com
groovygamegear.com
quarterarcade.com
ebay.com

Great resource for anything custom arcade:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/i...

I stumbled upon arcadecontrols about 5 years ago and ended up making a MAME cabinet after seeing all the awesome cabs on there.  All I did was buy an old Muse cabinet (google it; I don't wanna type a novel) and an X-Arcade (dual, with trackball) and then I cantilevered the X-Arcade off the the cabinet, and mounted an LCD to it.  It really depends on your personal preference.  I admit, the X-Arcade was a cop-out in some ways, as was the LCD monitor.  For me, the pros outweighed the cons though, and that's why that's a great website to browse, so you can see all the different ways people implement arcade cabinets. 

i found a really cheap easy design im going to copy..... http://www.willyliliana.com/NES%2...
this is super easy for the simple fact it uses retail arcade sticks and i wont have to gut a system...

I don't think the NES Advantage is all that great (the turbo is nice though) compared it to real arcade controls. Nintendo made their own arcade controls, but the Advantage doesn't use them. I recently saw someone selling a VS Unisystem control panel (populated with all controls) for I think $60. I remember because I was tempted to get it (and convert my Playchoice to a VS). That would be more authentic but higher maintenaince - http://www.mikesarcade.com/cgi-bi.... I don't like the buttons much, but the Playchoice joysticks are pretty good (I imagine the VS Unisystem uses the same part). If you're interested, I could find that ad for you. But there are more common arcade controls that are cheap to buy new.

And yeah, wiring the controls up would simply be wiring the switches up to the IC in the NES controller, fairly simple.

i had an advantage a few years back i remember it as a great controller...i'm going to have to find the snes equivalent though...

i have no doubt a real arcade stick would be better...but im looking at this as a easy summer project to do with my kids...its going in there room anyway
if this was for me id make a full mame cabinet

Make both!

lol...not enough time space or money...who knows i might enjoy it so much ill make 2

i think i found the sticksi want to use... http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Arcade-Fighting-Stick-Super-N...

theres an identical version for the genny so i figure i could store a genny and sticks in the cabinet encase i ever wanna switch the system out