Sun-Leaf-Water, slim woody style cab - UPDATE - 90% done

[darcyp]

So I got into this hobby last year, when I decided to build a desktop controller. I learned a lot building it, and over the past year I have had a lot of fun playing with it. However, this June I moved into a nice, large 3 bedroom house, which means that I now have the space to own an upright cab.
Portability was a concern, and I have no idea how you guys get some of the cabs I have seen from room to room. That and the fact that I already had a 22' lcd I could use, I decided to make a slim cab, and what better design to steal than the woody. Although not exact, it is clearly very inspired by the woody, I just changed a few things I thought would work better for me.
I have a lot of stuff from my old desktop build, a gpwiz, happ trackball, competition joys and a turbo twist 2. I also bought a tornado terry's replica ms pac man stick for a dedicated 4 way. I also got some clear happ buttons and I'm going to see how I fare wiring those up. (the cleanliness of wiring jobs on these boards astounds me)
Anyway, here are some pictures of what I have so far. This has been a few weeks in the making, and I have pretty much gotten to the point where I can't do much more until I receive my t molding and slot cutting bit from groovy game gear. Any questions or need for more pics and I would be happy to answer.

[eds1275]

looking great so far! Are you using glue as well as brackets?

[darcyp]

not for the most part, although i wish i had. i find it is a lot easier to align the pieces with wood glue, whereas i have had to remount things with the l brackets a few times. not a big deal, and it all comes out the same, but it might have saved a little time.

[jimmy2x2x]

How are you finding the brackets for stability, is there any sway when you push the side panel?

What are the holes for in the control panel, the ones above the joystick/6 button arrays

Looking great btw, keep us posted!

[darcyp]

no sway whatsoever. i think it helps that it is made of mostly plywood, i did it to keep the weight down, but it also holds screws much better than mdf. my control panel box (which is made of mdf) is glued with no brackets, and it is holding great as well.
those 2 extra holes are for a 4 way joy on the left, and a turbo twist 2 spinner on the right. i really like my golden tee and bowling games, so i knew i didn't want anything above the trackball. i played around and found these positions most comfortable, as my wrist lies between the joy and buttons for both of them, and i can use player 1 buttons for the spinner and player 2 for the 4 way. it might end up looking a little weird being asymmetrical, but as long as it plays well i am good with it. i am an idiot however, and didn't take into account the space for the joys underneath that panel. as you can see in the one pic, i will have to take a dremel to the joys to make everything fit.
i couldn't find much info on the ins and outs of dealing with led wiring and resistors and what have you, so i will post what i did. (thank god i only have single color leds) i made a mounting block for my ledwiz, and attached the resistors straight into it, taping over each resistor as i went. i ended up with some nice leads to solder my led wire to, and little to no chance of a short.
thanks for all the kind words by the way!

[darcyp]

well after getting my slot cutter bit, i went on a tear and managed to almost finish my cabinet. obviously i am still missing my marquee, however that is currently being designed by a friend of mine, so it shouldnt be much longer.
as i expected, painting was probably my least favorite part of the project. it takes a long time and it is messy. however, i think it came out great.
i have also attached a picture of how i wired up my coin return buttons to give credits. the switch is wired up with the normally closed terminal, so when the return button is pressed it releases the switch. after that it was just a whole lot of glue.
i am having a problem with my leds though. i only want them to light up during mame to indicate used buttons for each game. i feel like i have ledblinky all set up properly, however it does not work. the only way it works is if i add a specific game to the control editor list and manually edit the leds i want lit. what is the trick to get ledblinky to light active buttons for any mame game i play?

[drventure]

What happened to the CP artwork? Just an experiment. It was different. Hadn't seen something like that before.

Nice job overall though. Those slim cabs have a nice proportion to them, while not being refrigerator sized!

[ragnar]

Nice job with the t-molding and buttons!  I love how the colors work with the black cab.

[EvilNuff]

Pretty quick work, nice.   I too am interested to hear how best to light active buttons for the chosen game...

What artwork are you planning to add?  Looks a bit ...maybe dry...with it all black and no artwork?  What inspired the mixed color t-molding? 

[darcyp]

What happened to the CP artwork? Just an experiment. It was different. Hadn't seen something like that before.

Nice job overall though. Those slim cabs have a nice proportion to them, while not being refrigerator sized!

that was my old desktop unit. i did hate to get rid of it, but it wasn't deep enough to play golden tee or to fit in the 4 way and spinner.
i wasn't too sure about my lack of artwork, but i knew that i couldn't ask my friend to paint full side art for me, and i couldn't pay what he might charge somebody who isn't a friend. i thought an all black cab would look funny with a super bright control panel, so i decided to go a little understated and let the buttons and t molding do the work. that being said, i think the marquee will tie the whole cab together and it will look a lot less bland once it is in.
thanks for all the nice words guys!

[severdhed]

looks good.  i like the all black look., i have nothing against control panel artwork when done right, but i see alot of examples that are just too busy for my taste, plain is better.  i like the clear buttons with colored plungers, they look really nice