Punisher Cabinet... THE RESURRECTION!

[leapinlew]

Major setback last night, the control panel does not work right 

I gutted my X-arcade to fit the existing control panel, and now the controls only work for the Xbox, no emulators  I traced my steps, and there is NO reason why they shouldn't work. I extended some wires for buttons to fit the larger footprint of the existing panel, but I see no problems there. Like I said, the control panel works fine when playing Xbox games, but not working for emulators......   

So now I either figure it out, or I have no arcade cabinet for my cookout 

Luckily, X-arcade has a test program online that I will try tonight. 

Otherwise I am in crap's creek 

Good luck. I've used a couple x-arcade encoders and joysticks and I can say that I despise them. After banging my head on the wall with my driving arcade - I dumped the whole x-arcade and used the trusty iPac.

[NeoFlynn]

Hopefully it works out for you I want to see this final product

[reptileink]

95% done here, just some minor tweaks....and to fix the control panel. Wanted to share it though:




What it's all about:



Almost there!

[mgb]

That's really coming along good

[dawolv]

Very nice

[WhereEaglesDare]

Wow, very impressive.  Your CP looks great!   

[Rick]

AWESOME WORK - Love the cab - love the Punisher.

I found this thread WAY too late to offer, but if you ever need scans of Punisher stuff, I have a pretty good compliment of the original comics I could scan for you.  I've got everything from Punisher #2 up to (almost) present day at home - including a few of the graphic novels and such.  (My personal fav cover is the War Zone #1 cover...  I think.  I have too many favs to list when it comes to the Punisher.)  Personally, I love your choice of the "Big Nothing" Punishers on your marquee and now you have me thinking I want to change up my cab idea...  Hmmmm....  (No, I wouldn't be copying your idea - more of an 'homage' to the original.  Wink wink.)

Awesome.  Awesome.  Awesome!

Rick

[reptileink]

So after a couple of years collecting dust in the garage, I have decided to renovate this cabinet. I have started moving all emulators/roms over to PC with Maximus Arcade as the front end. All controls are not wired, so that's the next project. After that, new bezel and general maintenance as the speakers somehow have slipped their mounts and the cheap under cabinet light I was using broke. Theme will stay the same however. I am sure to have questions going forward, so I thought I would ressurect this build from the depths. Last I was building it, I was under a serious time crunch as I wanted it to be working for a cookout I was having (hence the Xbox controllers)

Stay tuned!

[Rick]

So after a couple of years collecting dust in the garage, I have decided to renovate this cabinet.

Dude, you took so long, I no longer have my Punisher comic collection. (Seriously, I sold off 20+ cases of comics a few years ago.)

Can't wait to see progress on this one!

[reptileink]

Yea, this thing has been taken apart and put back together a couple times..lol. The TV was removed as my kids wanted one for their bedroom until I finally claimed it back..lol. Then I bought the PC which sat on top of my beer fridge in the garage for the better part of 2 years. I had always been hesitant about wiring the control panel as I am not the smartest at that. I bought an Ipac 2(?) I think it is about a year ago, so hopefully things go smooth there. I have scaled down all the games inside, still having an issue getting Project 64 to work right without keyboard help  Still not sure I am going to do side art. I had a couple of the "War Zone" skulls printed out on vinyl decal paper, but the installation was horrendous, so I they sat rolled up in a box for again, the better part of 2 years until I just ditched them. The sides on this cabinet are all jacked up anyway, so not sure side art would look good with bumps underneath. We'll see.

I am trying to grab a Carn-Evil off Craigslist, but can't get there until the weekend, and the guy has people chomping at the bit to get it.

I have no room in  the house, and don't hang out in the garage much during the winter here in New England, lol, so playing time as it is is slim.

[reptileink]

So I went out to the garage and got a good look at this poor cabinet that's been sitting for over 4 years. Started digging through it all, and starting to wonder if it's worth even revamping. 

T-molding is all come loose and now won't seat right ( I am thinking heat gun can fix this?) My shoddy paint job is chipping on all the edges/corners of the cabinet and I feel if I grabbed a putty knife, I could just lift all the 3 layers of paint I did. The plexi on the bezel needs to be re-done as it was a bit smaller than I wanted it. I have a plain CRT TV in there that is impossible to completely hide as I need to still to turn it on after firing up the system with a remote control. I never de-cased the tv as I don't want to mess with the high voltage (had a friend die from a TV accident).

I've been switching the whole system over to PC, and now have lost the Ipac2 I bought way back then (I am sure it's somewhere, but it's like a needle in the haystack at my place). The Marquee is a tad too short, so it shows a bit of the wood underneath and some light does get through.

The controls are X-Arcade stripped out of the factory CP and placed into mine. The wiring I saved, but it's a jumbled mess and not sure I even have enough to connect it all to the Ipac.

I guess what I am asking is this, is it really worth all this trouble to save this cabinet? I can't really sell it as I am sure nobody is going to want it, but i hate to break it up and throw it away.

It was my first cabinet, and admittedly, I rushed it.

I know it's ultimately my choice, but just want to hear some thoughts. 

[Malenko]

I guess what I am asking is this, is it really worth all this trouble to save this cabinet? I can't really toss it as I am sure nobody is going to want it, but i hate to break it up and throw it away.

Totally worth it.

Wiring/IPAC:
Wiring an IPAC is easy, if you want to make it even easier, just order a cheap jamma loom from ebay and cut it from the edge connector. BAM all the wires you need, you have a sweet ground loop, and all the wires are crimped with a QC.

Paint:
sand it down, re prime, re paint. easy peasy lemon squeezey

marquee:
get it reprinted the right size on translight, from stpcore

TV:
just scrape/drill a tiny hole for the IR receiver so you can use the remote


no point in giving up over a couple minor things 

[Slippyblade]

Sounds like an excuse for a NEW BUILD!

[reptileink]

I do have a bartop in mind that I want to build, but I plan on doing that either way...lol.

However, we are building a chicken coop right now as well, so the project fund is a little tight...lol.

How smooth would I need the sides to be to apply side art? Also, what grit sandpaper should I be usuing to remove/smooth out the old paint? T-molding I can probably heat, or just get new stuff, it seems that some of the t-molding seams are worn out, so they aren't grabbing the t-mold, any tricks for this? Hot glue??

I am thinking maybe just getting an LCD screen instead, but I do love that old CRT feel.

Jamma loom? Hmm, looks like a good way to accomplish that. Just grabbed one for $12 shipped on Ebay.

[reptileink]

Jamma loom is coming in today, and I wound up grabbing a 27" LCD tv that my Dad was no longer using. Best part, it has the VGA hookups for the PC, so no adapters needed!!! I was trying to stay tried and true with my CRT tv in there, but I will now be able to make a nice bezel out of MDF instead of the ragged matte board in there now.

Also still looking for some tips on sanding/painting. While I have done my fair share of painting in the past, I am not that versed on the random grits I might need to re-sand this cabinet. I think a finger nail would probably peel most of it off at this point.    Should I get it back down to laminate, should I sand the laminate first before priming? Any help is appreciated! 

[Malenko]

get a random orbital sander

step 1
60 grit the whole side

step 2
100 grit the whole side

step 3
prime the whole side
150 grit the whole side

repeat step 3 as desired

step 4
300-400 grit the whole side
paint desired color

repeat step 4 as desired

hand sand 1000 grit whole side
final coat of paint


its how you go from this:


to this:


to this:

[reptileink]

I have one of those little black and decker sanders: http://www.toolbarn.com/blackanddecker-qs900.html?ad=6791998563

Would this do the trick, or do I need something bigger?

[Malenko]

my orbital sander is only 5"

[reptileink]

Sorry to hear that Malenko.... 

In all seriousness, when I hear the word "orbital", it makes me think of those giant round buffer wheels, so wanted to make sure...lol. This one just kinda vibrates, does not "orbit"....

[Malenko]

Sorry to hear that Malenko.... 

Malenko is Russian slang for small package


The more time you put into the finish, the better off it'll be. I spent a ton of hours on the sides of this cab because it was so beat up. I got the black paint finish looking fantastic, then covered it up with art anyway.


If youre going to take the time to redo the cab, then TAKE YOUR TIME, and do it right 

[reptileink]

Yep, that's the plan this time....lol. Like I said previous, I was rushing as I wanted it playable for a big cookout I was having (turns out, rushing it still made it not fully playable). Had to play it with the xbox controllers which really killed the arcade feel (of course).  Even if I were to cover it with side art I would take my time as I want a nice smooth surface to adhere it to. 

[reptileink]

What about rollers? What is the best type for cabinets? Or do you brush? I don't have a spray gun, so that's out

[Rick]

What about rollers? What is the best type for cabinets? Or do you brush? I don't have a spray gun, so that's out

Foam rollers work best, in my opinion. Use black satin paint, and you won't go wrong.

[Malenko]

i roll all my cabs

[reptileink]

Yea, I rolled this one as well, but I think it was a thick knap. Just wondering if the thinner knap is better or not.

I test fit the LCD screen last night...HOLY HELL is it a lot bigger than the TV that was in there....lol. It's going to be awesome though, the games look much better on it. I was using an old desktop monitor to set up the test rig. Plugged in the LCD last night and wow what a difference!

Looked all over for the Ipac I bought a couple years ago with no luck Going to have to bite the bullet and buy a new one. Of course, after I install it, I'll probably find the first one. Oh well, spare parts for the next cab.... 

[reptileink]

Good news! Found the Ipac down in my workshop! That saved me $50!

Maximus is almost set up, so now I need to move the project out of the living room and into the garage where I can start dismantling the cabinet (again) to prep for paint and what not.

[reptileink]

I was supposed to start this around August, but the damn chicken coop kept me busy (and still is). I figured I better get out in the garage while I can as winter is fast approaching, and there goes any chance if I want to repaint (unheated garage)

So tonight I decided to finally sit down and try my hand at wiring this Ipac2.   Proud to say, we have SOME success!! I can get it to work with individual emulators but not Maximus. NOTHING works in Maximus. I tried under the preferences menu, but something isn't right. Gotta do more reading on it. I was pretty excited as I've never tackled an electronics project like this. I did make one gaff, I forgot to wire the start button with my daisy chain of ground wires. No biggie, I'll just add it to the player 2 daisy chain. Threw a quick connector on there tonight to test. Some MAME games are not acknowledging my start button though. Accepts the coin button just fine, but have to click the mouse to start. Also. most buttons not working in MAME either. Will have to take a look at the configuration. I tried NES, and once I mapped the buttons, it worked great!

Just a couple quick cell phone pics



Once I unpacked the Jamma harness. Not going to lie, I was intimidated, but it was pretty simple.



That Jamma harness made everything 1,000 times easier as it had all the connectors I needed (plus the daisy chain!) Need another one for player 2 though.

I do have an Ipac2 question though. There are 2 Ps2 ports on each row of the board (p1 and p2), yet I only have one Ps2 keyboard input on the PC. Do I need to use two wires, and if so, where do I put the 2nd player one? (sorry, my computer jargon is not up to par)

[Malenko]

What's an SB port?  If you mean the ps2 port, one has a male to male wire going from it to the pc, the other is a pass through port for you to plug a keyboard into.

[reptileink]

Yea, I meant a Ps2 

It was a long hour and a half of wiring, my brain was tired by then...lol.

So the one on the player 2 side is an input? Great!

Another thing I noticed was that the board does not have an "end" or "home" option. Do I need to assign those as well through the "ALT" option?

[reptileink]

Spent some time in the garage last night. Took out the modded Xbox, excess wire/t-molding, the faulty light, and whatever brackets, screws, and junk accumulated in the bottom of the cabinet these past couple years..lol.

However, had a scare when I booted up the PC. It wouldn't go past a boot screen. I am no computer expert and could not figure out why this just started. I used it fine about a week ago, and it's been just sitting in my garage.    I finally got it to operate and it wiped out the whole computer! I started with basically a factory fresh install (all game stuff gone, personal settings, etc). 

Luckily, a system restore and disk check restored everything back to the way it was. The guy I bought the PC off of has some "Whistler" Operating system that boots up in tandem with Windows XP (you have to select which you want to load). Just nervous now that this just happened out of the blue, but don't want to get a whole other PC as this one has been great. I guess I will make a backup on an external drive just in case everything gets lost again and hope for the best.

Good news is, I got the controls working (somewhat) in game on Maximus, but they don't work for the Maximus front end (switching systems). I have a thread in the Maximus section if anyone wants to take a look.

[RxBrad]

The guy I bought the PC off of has some "Whistler" Operating system that boots up in tandem with Windows XP (you have to select which you want to load).

Whistler was the codename for the old beta tests of Windows XP.  Must be he was dual booting that with some other OS.

[reptileink]

Good to know!

I am not advanced enough to try and remove it.

[RxBrad]

Good to know!

I am not advanced enough to try and remove it.

When you install the OS, doing an advanced install and formatting the hard drive would probably do it.  Would probably take some Google-fu to figure out how to change it without reinstalling again.

[reptileink]

I don't plan on messing with it. I plan on having Maximus boot up at startup eventually. Thanks for the info though!

[reptileink]

Well, after looking over the paint, and re-setting all the t-molding, I decided it didn't look half bad. Seeing as how it lives in the garage in New England, we'll get to use it probably 5 months out of the year anyway.

So I got to installing the Xin-Mo, trimming some game lists, configuring controls, and mounting the t.v., this is where we are at. Just got to work on a bezel, and plexi on front.

Couple annoying things:

1. Can't get Mame32 to work with the controls. Maybe I'm stupid, but I can't seem to configure them?? I thought Mame pretty much saw the Xin-Mo as a keyboard encoder, but it doesn't recognize the controls. Checking out the Mame files, even when I find a controller tab, I don't even see options for coin up, etc.

2. SuperNintendo, while 4 way system seems to have an issue with "charging" in games like Killer Instinct. I move the joystick left to hold "back", and the character seems to go diagonal lower left. Might just need a more precise hand. I know in the SNES emu that you can enter DL, DR, UL, UR, so might just need to check that out again.

3. Need to upgrade the controls as they are still the gutted X-Gaming ones and aren't very smooth or accurate, but get the job done.

Other than that, it's been a fun week. Had a big cookout yesterday, and it was a hit with grownups and kids alike. Still some tweaking on the frontend and game lists, but happy I can play it now.

[yamatetsu]

1. Can't get Mame32 to work with the controls. Maybe I'm stupid, but I can't seem to configure them?? I thought Mame pretty much saw the Xin-Mo as a keyboard encoder, but it doesn't recognize the controls. Checking out the Mame files, even when I find a controller tab, I don't even see options for coin up, etc.

From the 'Why can't MAME remember my keyboard configurations?' thread :

More details can help clarify thinigs.

1. What type of encoder? (keyboard-style like an IPac? gamepad-style like a Xin-Mo?)

I think MAME should recognize the Xin-Mo automatically. If not, try to start a game, hit TAB to get to the config menu,  go to 'Input (this Game)' and hit enter. Go one line down to '1 Player Start', hit enter, hit the 1 player start button on your CP. If nothing happens, MAME doesn't recognize your controller.

[thameslives]

Hi, I really like how you added menus for controls into your bezel.  Would you be willing to send me hi-res images of the individual menus (i.e. Nintendo, MAME, etc.)?

Thanks,
Brian

[reptileink]

Sadly, it was an old PowerPoint file that someone (I'll find out who), sent to me back when I was building it. I highly doubt I still have it, but I will check for you. Sorry for the late response, I didn't think anyone read this thread anymore.

Just have the plexi left. I had the piece I originally had cut for this one, but a couple years of being moved around the garage left a lot of scratches and swirls on it I plan on painting the back to black out the space where the monitor is.

On a side note about the panel menus. I will be creating a new one, as my updated one was too small, and not high res enough.

EDIT: It came from Don. Profile: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=profile;u=21476