Bartop build...'Black Ops' finished (look at the pretty lights)

[ninjasquirrel]

Thanks for the compliments guys, I just wish it hadn't taken me sooo long to get this point!

Well good news, I went and bought a new 3.5m to 3.5m shielded cable from the local electric store, and so far so good.  I took the stereo pot out of the equation and just ran the cable from the amp input to the music source (in this case a ipod shuffe) the humming was gone and the volume wasn't too crazy.  It was easy enough to use the volume  on the player itself to control the overall volume.

Tonight I was also able to solder and wire all of player 2's LEDs, so maybe another free night or two this week and the buttons will all be wired up. Tedious work, but fulfilling once you see sections finished.

[ninjasquirrel]

Well good news... I have FINALLY finished the build and am in the process of tweaking the software.  I was actually able to finish construction and test run it the weekend of the 15th, I had no choice, that was my family Christmas get-together so we had to entertain the kids somehow 

There are a couple small touches that need to be addressed.  The volume knob still needs to be wired in line along with the backlight for it, vinyl stickers for the coin insert buttons need to be made and applied, etc.  As far as the software goes...let the headache begin.  I have hyperspin running on it right now with ledblinky in the background.  A couple of issues there but I will address them in the blinky thread I guess.  The still snaps, boxart, and wheel art have been downloaded for both SNES and NES console systems but no video snaps as of yet.  I had to use Clrmamepro to sync all the artwork with the correct ROM names (interesting trying to figure all that mess out) When it comes to MAME, I used romlister to make a more refined list, renamed the mame.xml file in the databases folder in hyperspin to mame2 and named my newly created list mame.xml. This worked to load the refined .xml as the main list but is there a better way?

Things that I need help with or questions that I haven't answered yet, feel free to comment on your experience-links, posts, pics, etc:
1. wheel art for mame games? don't know if the hyperspin ftp has many of them (haven't checked on their forum yet)
2. need a good tutorial on making themes (last time i played with frontends without a cab i was using mala, liked the freedom of it, but wanted to try hyper for awhile) kind of want a less distracting generic theme to display video snaps etc but without the 'wheel' look
3. anyway to get ledblinky to work in zsnes or nestopia? (again haven't tried the blinky thread yet, just getting a jump start while it's on my mind right now)

And yes, I haven't taken final pics yet, but I will this week before i get stoned for an update without pics 

[Nephasth]

Can't wait to see the final pics!

3. anyway to get ledblinky to work in zsnes or nestopia? (again haven't tried the blinky thread yet, just getting a jump start while it's on my mind right now)

If you are running any non-MAME emulators, click the "Controls Editor" option on the "Tools" menu. This app will allow you to configure the controls, colors, voices, and input codes for the FE or any emulator or game. Unlike MAME, other emulators must be configured manually. If an emulator or game is not configured, no controls will light up. You can also define default colors/intensities and define controls as 'Always On'.

Configuring Other Emulators (not MAME)

 This is a manual process. Since there is no way for LEDBlinky to know the control-input mapping (button assignments), or specific controls, or button colors for each emulator or individual game, you must provide the information manually using the LEDBlinky Controls Editor.

LEDBlinky and the Controls Editor provide a number of features to ease the configuration of emulators and games. Each time you play an unknown game (one for which no unique controls are defined), the Emulator and ROM/Game name is stored. From the Controls Editor import menu, you can display the list of unknown games and select which you wish to import. You can then define the controls. Controls for player 1 can be copied to players 2, 3, and 4. If the controls for one game are similar to another, you can copy the entire ROM/Game.

It is not necessary to define the controls for every game - using the Controls Editor you can define a default set of controls for each emulator (or even a default for all emulators).

A full description on how to use the Controls Editor is provided in the Installation and Configuration Guide (pdf).

[griffindodd]

1. wheel art for mame games? don't know if the hyperspin ftp has many of them (haven't checked on their forum yet)

Yep they have a lot I think my wheel art count stands at about 6,000+. Get yourself a platinum membership and use HyperSync to pull everything down for your list, it's worth it. Also you can do the same over at EmuMovies with their downloader

2. need a good tutorial on making themes (last time i played with frontends without a cab i was using mala, liked the freedom of it, but wanted to try hyper for awhile) kind of want a less distracting generic theme to display video snaps etc but without the 'wheel' look

There's a little application for making themes in Hyperspin at the web site, it's pretty easy to use, I've made a few here and there although it's been a while so I couldn't write you a how-to, check it out in their downoads section.

3. anyway to get ledblinky to work in zsnes or nestopia? (again haven't tried the blinky thread yet, just getting a jump start while it's on my mind right now)

I just set LED Blinky to use my default template for other emulators, so the buttons just stay lit the colors I chose for my cab layout, didn't bother doing an animation just a static color set.

Also I had to turn of 'button flash' on LEDBlinky as it was lagging the heck out of my games, something to be aware of

[ninjasquirrel]

Nephasth and griffindodd-thnx for the help fellas, I'm still working on getting all my emulators to look all fancy with led's and all but I'm definitely pointed in the right direction now.

Ok, sorry it took so long with the holidays and all but here are a couple pics of the fully constructed bartop!   I will take some more within the next day or two with the buttons, marquee, joy surrounds, etc lit up and looking all fancy and all    If you guys have any questions about the final construction since I kind of skimmed past the progress pics during the last phase, just let me know and I'll clarify the best I can.

I wrapped the aluminum back with automotive door trim and mitered the corners.  It closes up any little gap I had between the back and side pieces after screwing it all together...I was quite happy with the way it actually came together.

















The last pic shows the bottom with the attached rubber bumper feet, this elevates the whole bartop to allow both airflow in through the two fans and the base speaker to pump it's sound down (gives a nice thud during the low base hits  )

Thanks to all for keeping up with the build and keeping me motivated during the on going drawn out process.  It's not completely finished, but it's definitely playable...ok so that's all I do now, I won't lie!  I should have finished every little thing on it before I made it playable 
Like I said I'll post lit up pics this week to show what the thing looks like in all it's glory, so keep checking back!

[mcseforsale]

Amazing.
Just amazing.


Nominate for mame-y.  Any seconds?


AJ

[MameMaster!]

WOW. Really cool. Nice work! 

[jmike]

Amazing.
Just amazing.


Nominate for mame-y.  Any seconds?


AJ

Second!
 
 Was worried you weren't going to finish/or post finished pics. Glad you came back. Great job. Looking forward to seeing it fully lit.


 

[Termin8tor]

 

[BobA]

Great work.  The styling and shape of your bartop are very innovative and really stand out. 

[Louis Tully]

.

[yotsuya]

Thanks to all for keeping up with the build and keeping me motivated during the on going drawn out process.  It's not completely finished, but it's definitely playable...ok so that's all I do now, I won't lie!  I should have finished every little thing on it before I made it playable 
Like I said I'll post lit up pics this week to show what the thing looks like in all it's glory, so keep checking back!

Since this was posted yesterday (1/1/2013), and he specifically said it's not completely finished, it's not eligible for this year's UAC Awards. Next year, though, I expect it to sweep the category.

[emphatic]

Congrats on finishing! I don't think the photos do it justice though.

[griffindodd]

A most excellent build, well done Sir, I tried to nominate you for the bartop awards but because you've been such a Sally Slackass you'll have to wait until next year now  (when you'll get my vote again)

[Well Fed Games]

Somehow I hadn't been following this build- it looks fantastic! Really nice, sleek design. 

[SpaceHedgehog]

Really nice work. I particularly like the slimness on the vertical part housing the monitor and way you've presented the marquee and the monitor at the front. I also like the matte finish. Great job all round 

[opt2not]

Well lookie-here, it's finished!  Congrats man, it looks great. 

Can't wait to see pictures of it fully lit and running!

[ninjasquirrel]

Thanks for all the compliments fellas! It took long enough  but I'm glad I'm just down to the finishing touches...it's almost bitter sweet though too.  Once one of these cabs are done and you realize it's possible to bring it to life and everything works, it feels like you need to build another just for fun!! I believe I've definitely been bitten by the bug...

And yes the cab is complete as far as anyone besides me could tell but here is a list of the things I need to complete by THIS WEEKEND (gave myself a deadline so it will get done 

1. Wire a mic/headphone jack into the back of the bartop so that the wifey doesn't complain I'm blasting the classics too loud(I have one from an old comp that plugs into the motherboard audio header, gotta see if everything lines up but I should be ok)
2. Wire the volume control/stereo pot inline with the stereo audio cable (and hope the static doesn't come back)
3. Replace the normal coin buttons on the front of the panel with the red illuminated ones (still have to make 1 more)
4. Tap into the 5v rail to light the red plexi that backlights the volume knob

But besides those few tiny things and the never ending tweaking of software, the book is almost closed.  Many have said it in the past, but I agree that the journey is as much fun as the destination when it comes to something like this.
I'll get those pics by this weekend and will have those few last issues resolved.

[mcseforsale]

I hear ya.  I just finished a build for a family member, dropped it off for x-mas weekend and now I'm bored.  I'm gonna build a weecade and sell it to one of my friends who keeps bugging me.  "You know, I'm getting the basement finished and one of these would be excellent.".  YEAH RIGHT!  Pay Up Sucka!  No more working for free.

AJ

[Bender]

So awesome to see this  finished up
One of my favorite builds
Great work!  

I know I asked awhile ago but I'm curious how the rubber finish holding up now?

[ninjasquirrel]

Thanks Bender and the finish is amazing! It is an automotive finish so it's made to resist heat, cold, chemicals, scratches, scuffs, etc.  Besides the price, I have no complaints at all. If you've ever painted with a flat paint as opposed to a eggshell or gloss finish, you'll know that it gets 'dirty' easier because of the slight texture but it is simply to give one quick wipe with a damp cloth and all is good.  If you're looking for this type of finish, I would definitely recommend this product, I am very pleased.  And the best part is it feels like velvet...oooh plush!

[ninjasquirrel]

Alright so over the last couple of days I think I've finished my checklist, except for number 2. I think I'm going to try and modify a griffin powermate to make this process cut and dry...sort of.

1. Wire a mic/headphone jack into the back of the bartop so that the wifey doesn't complain I'm blasting the classics too loud(I have one from an old comp that plugs into the motherboard audio header, gotta see if everything lines up but I should be ok)
2. Wire the volume control/stereo pot inline with the stereo audio cable (and hope the static doesn't come back)
3. Replace the normal coin buttons on the front of the panel with the red illuminated ones (still have to make 1 more)
4. Tap into the 5v rail to light the red plexi that backlights the volume knob

Without a long winded explanation, here are the money shots with all the LEDs on and the thing blazing with all it's glory.  If you look closely at the first pic in the lower right hand corner you can see the newly installed mic/headphone jack (having a few issues with the jack sensing but easy to bypass manually).











This pic shows the custom volume knob I made (the o-ring hides the set screw to attach it to the stereo pot shaft)














After all of the construction is where I want it to be, I've been working hard on the software.  So far I have MAME, Snes, Nes setup on hyperspin with game vids, etc.  All three have scanlines applied for authenticity, I've eliminated the loading ROM description writing in Nestopia and ZSnes (had to use a .exe editor for Nestopia ! ) and soon will have dreamcast and atari 2600 hopefully up and running. I still need to play with ledblinky for the console emulators but all in due time. If you guys have any questions about anything I've done during the build etc just get with me and I'll do my best to help out.  I may keep the thread open for a little while longer until the software is closer to being finished so I can get help from you all.

[DaOld Man]

Very nice.
 

[Le Chuck]

Those buttons are...they're...sniff...beautiful!   

[griffindodd]

Those buttons are...they're...sniff...beautiful!   

Hey you, stop wasting time posting on completed builds and get back in that garage and start speederbike welding or it gets the hose again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[griffindodd]

Oh and BTW Squirrel. Your photos are total arcade cab porn.

[Nephasth]

This looks amazing with all the LEDs lit up!

My only complaint is the white player start buttons. Black player imprinted buttons given the same treatment as the rest of your buttons (perhaps with white discs instead of green or red) would really polish this thing off.

[SpaceHedgehog]

lovely 

[BobA]

Great looking bartop.   One of the best.   Have to agree that the white player buttons would look alot better in black with some sort of light treatment.   

[ninjasquirrel]

It's funny how during a build many small things can distract you from a larger picture.  I agree with you guys 100 percent about the player buttons    Just kind of overlooked that, worrying about everything else.  Going with what Nephasth and BobA were saying, I'm thinking about replacing the white with some extra black concave ones I have...what do you guys think about the lighting? Go with a red disk, green, smoked, clear??  I also had an idea of cutting out a player graphic on the top of the push button and lighting it from behind ( so instead of the white button with a black player character, they would be black with the character physically cut out and lit from behind)
Thoughts?
On the same note, I think I ran out of led outputs on my ledwiz so I might have to keep the player buttons lit all the time if I go that route.

[Nephasth]

As far as your LEDWiz dilemma, maybe hook up your player button LEDs to the same outputs respectively as your coin button LEDs?

[PL1]

Black player imprinted buttons given the same treatment as the rest of your buttons (perhaps with white discs instead of green or red)

Nep nailed it -- use white discs w black imprint buttons.

Lighting through the player imprint will be way more effort and probably not work as well as you'd like, but if you have a spare button to fiddle with . . . 


Scott

[Alphacowboy]

If you can find someone local with a cnc router, have the player silhouette cut out of the button.  Then use the craft melt-able clear plastic (or opaque)  used for stained glass crafts.  Melt it and pour it into the cap of the button and then sand off and polish the tops.  Might work... lol

[Shortbus]

WOW !  I mean,,,,WOW 

[Nephasth]

Thought about this build today. Have you gotten a chance to tackle your player buttons?

This is by far, my favorite bartop.

[swaffar]

I was following this thread for the longest time, but somehow missed its completion.  Thanks to the 2013 BYOAC User Choice Award thread, I saw your nomination and caught up with the final product.  VERY impressive.  Best of luck in the awards.  I'm sure you'll have some stiff competition from quizz_kid's R-Kaid Revelation.  I'm honestly torn between the two.

[mcseforsale]

True that.  I think this thing should sweep most categories.

AJ

I was following this thread for the longest time, but somehow missed its completion.  Thanks to the 2013 BYOAC User Choice Award thread, I saw your nomination and caught up with the final product.  VERY impressive.  Best of luck in the awards.  I'm sure you'll have some stiff competition from quizz_kid's R-Kaid Revelation.  I'm honestly torn between the two.

[ninjasquirrel]

Thanks for the recognition guys! I've been out of the game for awhile now, off and on this whole year, but I'm getting the itch pretty bad to start another project so keep a lookout for something coming out this year 
swaffer- I hear ya...R-Kaid made a fantastic machine, breaking out of the 'normal' idea of an arcade, I was quite impressed.  We'll see how it goes down 

[Generic Eric]

Thanks to all for keeping up with the build and keeping me motivated during the on going drawn out process.  It's not completely finished, but it's definitely playable...ok so that's all I do now, I won't lie!  I should have finished every little thing on it before I made it playable 
Like I said I'll post lit up pics this week to show what the thing looks like in all it's glory, so keep checking back!

Since this was posted yesterday (1/1/2013), and he specifically said it's not completely finished, it's not eligible for this year's UAC Awards. Next year, though, I expect it to sweep the category.

So close
Would nominate/vote again

[yotsuya]

So close
Would nominate/vote again

It's eligible. Make sure you vote for it come February! I know I will.