Bubble Bobble Bartop

[shadow05]

Thanks to lots of inspiration from this great site, I decided to take the plunge and build a Bubble Bobble themed bartop arcade.

I'm not going to breakdown the full step by step process as there are loads of great threads on here that cover that so I will just share some of the key facts and tips I found helpful.

I have loved building this project and hope you like the outcome..
Very happy to answer any questions or discuss any details

Here's a breakdown of all the costs and parts I used:

£50 -  Bartop - Pre-Cut Kit
£22 - MSI 2.8GHz Pentium 4 PC
 - 3 x Blue Fans
 - Blue Backlight
£20 - Asus Monitor
£8 - Powered Speakers
£42 - IPAC2 & Wiring Kit
£32 - 2 x Sanwa JLW-TM-8 Ball Top  Joysticks
£20 - 14 x Gold Leaf Buttons
£3 - 3 x LED Buttons
£3 - 1P & 2P Start Buttons
£3 - Extension Lead
£5 - Right Angle USB & Jack Connectors
£10 - Various wires, fixing blocks, wire clips, crimp connectors. PCB feet etc.
£10 - Wood Primer & Sandpaper
£20 - Car Paint & Lacquer
£75 - Vinyl Artwork & Marquee
£10 - Perspex Screen
£10- 12mm Chrome Trim
= £343 Total Project Costs

[shadow05]

Few more pics...

The company I used for the artwork printed two control panels so I put one on the back..

[shadow05]

A few mid build pics..

[BobA]

Nice looking cab.  Love your Bubble Bobble graphics. 

[emphatic]

Very cute! But no bezel around the screen makes it look unfinished. 

[shadow05]

Hi Both, thanks for your comments :-)

@emphatic - You can see the finished bezel in the first few photos.
I only finished it in full last night but will take some better pictures in the daylight.

[monkeychunkuk]

Nice build what's next?

[bsam]

nice cab

look like my BB got a little brother.

http://www.bsam.dk/BB_DS.html

Greeting from Denmark
Michael

[shadow05]

Hi Michael,
Your cab looks great, I really wanted to do a control panel similar to yours but just couldn't find the space on a bartop.
However, your design does make me think I could incorporate something into the marquee.. :-)

[severdhed]

Great work

[rablack97]

Where did you get this, £10- 12mm Chrome Trim

....i'm assuming it's 5/8" t-molding or is it stick on?

[shadow05]

Hi rablack97,
Unfortunately I couldn't get hold of any t-moulding this size so had to go with stick on - its stuck down pretty well as I sealed and primed the edges of the mdf but I do fear it will need replacing over time: http://bit.ly/17E7nk3

[shadow05]

Great work

Thank you :-)

[rablack97]

Here's some 5/8 t-moulding chrome...it's expensive, but here it is..

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SEA-RAY-5-8-INCH-CHROME-T-HATCH-INTERIOR-BOAT-TRIM-MOLDING-10-FT-/190761433043

[shadow05]

Here's some 5/8 t-moulding chrome...it's expensive, but here it is..

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SEA-RAY-5-8-INCH-CHROME-T-HATCH-INTERIOR-BOAT-TRIM-MOLDING-10-FT-/190761433043

Thank you for your help, I think 5/8 is about 15.8mm so it would be slightly to big for the 12mm kit I purchased tho.

[rablack97]

wow that's a 1/2" kit, that thin, still look good though

[johnnygal2]

Good work. Great looking bartop! 

[shadow05]

Can anyone help me with the fixing of the marquee?
Are there any threads that show how to fix this in place?
Many thanks

[mgb]

Typically the marquee is held in place using angle
stock.
if you took some angled aluminum, maybe 3/4" and
polish it and it would look real nice with the chrome t molding.

[DarakuTenshi]

I love it' it's a great theme to go with.

[mike boss]

That is fu*king cool as sh*t !

[sho]

Nice execution, don't know how I missed this.
Mind me asking where you got the Bubble Symphony art at print quality?

[shadow05]

Hi Sho,
Thank you - the artwork can be downloaded from this site: http://zonaarcade.forumcommunity.net/?t=45266890

I found the CP art to be a bit tight so changed it but the PSD files contain hi-res layers of all the Bubble Bobble elements.

Enjoy :-)