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Author Topic: Wide-Body Taito Classic: 1/12/12 UPDATE!! STENCILS!!  (Read 47408 times)

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VanillaGorilla

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Wide-Body Taito Classic: 1/12/12 UPDATE!! STENCILS!!
« on: February 04, 2011, 12:08:35 am »
UPDATE 1/10/12: STENCILS!!:http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=109040.msg1242127#msg1242127

UPDATE 2/20/11: LIGHTED VOLCANO BUTTONS!!: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=109040.msg1163398#msg1163398

UPDATE 2/11/11: Atari MAXI trackball re-build: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=109040.msg1161109#msg1161109

Hey there everybody! I'm grateful to share progress so far on my current project, a multi-emulator cab, which was in another life, a Taito Jungle Hunt. I played the ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- out of this game, amongst so many others, as a 10 year old on Friday nights at the bowling alley while my dad bowled in a league night there. Over the course of a couple of years, they also had a Crazy Climber, a Front Line, Zookeeper --  I have since then considered this cab design an archetype of the era. One to eventually own someday.

I picked up this cabinet at a Super Auction outside Milwaukee WI in about 2005. It was a water-damaged gut job; a basket-case with nothing inside besides random bits of wire harness, the glass items, brackets, etc.  A someday MAME project candidate. I paid $100 with fees, strapped it into the pick-me-up truck, and drove her back down to Chicagoland. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of her intact as purchased. Wasn't much to look at, trust me. It had been converted to a "Spiker" at one point before its demise, with custom [blow torch] button holes in the original control panel and a Leland Corporation generic control panel overlay.







Trust me, this thing was not coming back as a restoration. It was too far gone. Someone had also taken the term 'kick panel' a bit too literally. The area above the coin door was kicked in two; The coin door frame was bent at the impact area too.

 

It was cool to peel off the Striker decals from the marquee and control panel to see that it was actually a Jungle Hunt at one point. It's a bittersweet feeling to realize you cant always bring something back as it once was; Sometimes you just have to cut ties and move bravely forward. If you need a marquee and bezel for a Jungle Hunt , PM me....

So I tore it down. I had a plan. I loves me some vertical games; I loves me some horizontal games; I hates me some vertical games all shrunk up on a horizontal monitor. I have always liked the IDEA or a rotating monitor, but I found most implementations falling short somehow, or too overwrought for ME to implement; I wanted to keep things somewhat simple, for the sake of maintainability. I didn't want to end up with an arcade version of a Rube Goldberg device.

It was sitting in front of me. Literally. On my desk, I had an I-Inc 28" 1920x1200 LCD display. I tested Dig Dug and Scramble on the monitor via MAME, since I had them sitting in the office. Vertical games looked awesome on this thing, with no compromise in scale in a side by side comparison. I thought, "What if I could cram this thing into the TAITO?" Well, you can't...Unless you go wide-body!

I thought, I need to replace water damaged and broken panels already; since this thing basically bolts together, I could keep the side panels, and mill up new kick, speaker, and top panels, and any other various horizontal parts as needed at a scale large enough to house this huge LCD, and not look ridiculous. I still wanted this thing to fit thru a typical doorway. So I started to super-size it:



I measured all of my existing panels, and adjusted the dimensions to accommodate the additional width of the lcd panel, and cut and routed wider replacements out of 3/4" lightweight MDF. I added about 4.5 inches to the carcass to create a 26.5 inch interior width.




I used a Harbor Freight handheld router to cut the tongue and groove joinery, and lap/stack joints. That thing is worth MUCH more than the $25 I paid for it. If you need a router for arcade projects, it is the hot setup on the cheap. Its about the size of a tall beer can, and its easy to get into tight spaces. It works better than the laminate router I paid $200 for 15 years ago. I cant say how long it will last, but for $25, it doesn't have to...

The side panels had a sriously bad case of press board acne. Every area that had been abraded, scratched or scuffed in any way, and had subsequently gotten wet, had swollen like blisters. The lower 3 inches had swollen up like a sponge. Repairing this was a complete waste of time. I spent hours filling and sanding and priming and sanding and priming and sanding and filling and priming and sanding , when I could have just traced these and cut new LIGHTWEIGHT MDF panels.But somehow, to me, these side panels were the 'soul' of the cabinet. They HAD to remain. So I suffered through it, sucked it up and got it done.

I didn't take any pics of the sides before I got started, so I found this pic, which is somewhat representative of what mine looked like, except mine looked MUCH worse:



This is after removing the damaged finish and identifying repair areas:



repairing and priming:









rough finishing interior panels:









I mad an entirely new base, the old one looked like a mushroom. I made it taller by 1.5 inches while I was at it:





Trying to keep the cat out of the wet paint:



More soon...
« Last Edit: January 12, 2012, 01:03:05 pm by VanillaGorilla »

mgb

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic
« Reply #1 on: February 04, 2011, 12:54:31 am »
Man, I love those Taito cabinets.
Good luck with the project. Looks like you've got a lot of work done so far.

VanillaGorilla

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic
« Reply #2 on: February 04, 2011, 01:56:42 am »
Thanks for the luck, its been good so far! I will get caught up to real-time shortly with the pics and thread.

These are the other dedicated inhabitants of the future game room:

Stern's Scramble(w/ generic side stencil):



Atari's Dig Dug:





VanillaGorilla

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic
« Reply #3 on: February 04, 2011, 02:19:37 am »
This is just to give you a sense of what the difference in width looks like:



See the extra space to the right of the marquee?



I cut the hand openings with a forstner bit and a jigsaw. Real satisfied with how the black finish on these replacement panels came out. Canyon Black rattle-can to the rescue! I applied 2 coats of grey primer, and 3 coats of satin black, both rust-oleum products:




I had to cut in half, the molded plastic hand-holds to fit the new wider, upper back panel:



Another process I failed to document: restoring the coin door assembly; I had to straighten the frame and refinish it, as it had been bent by a disgruntled vidiot:



Hey, its looking like a cabinet again!! These cabinets are like erector sets. Just a bunch of carriage bolts and angle irons. Brilliant simplicity. I could set it up and break it down in an hour or less....And the additional width is pretty subtle, but I could already see the benefit of the increased width for the control panel:



Here is my simple VESA mount. Its made of light-weight MDF, Just like the rest of the new panels. It is installed at a 30 degree angle. I spent a bunch of time mocking up the display at different angles/heights/depths to see what worked best across a wide array of games. This felt like the sweet spot.



And here is the display installed.  Its hung level and feels very secure. The controls are easily accessible from the back, or with a little reach up thru the coin door opening. Not too shabby:



I also fit up the T molding , textured black, just to see where there might be fit/grip issues. Its good for the most part. Ive marked a couple spots to deal with. I will have to add contact adhesive to these spots once the side art is completed. 



Oh, and got the resto stenciling kit a while back, for the sides and kick panel, from gamestencils.com.I cant wait to apply it once weather permits!! :cheers: Im taking votes / suggestions on color combos. I am leaning hard towards doing a non-standard color combo:

« Last Edit: February 04, 2011, 02:47:20 am by VanillaGorilla »

VanillaGorilla

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic
« Reply #4 on: February 04, 2011, 02:34:28 am »
Taito color combos for reference:

emphatic

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic
« Reply #5 on: February 04, 2011, 05:50:23 am »
Are you going with a custom color on the stencils, as this is a custom width TAITO cabinet? I would go with white and metallic purple. Build is coming along nicely.  :applaud:

mgb

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic
« Reply #6 on: February 04, 2011, 08:56:39 am »
I like the jungle hunt green.
Have you thought about how you're gonna handle the rotating of the monitor.
I guess you will have to pull it and rotate as needed?
its looking good

VanillaGorilla

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic
« Reply #7 on: February 04, 2011, 09:12:39 am »
It isn't going to rotate, thats the beauty...The 28" lcd is large enough, even when oriented horizontally, to allow old vertical games to play without any 'shrink' as well. And the other unexpected benefit, in my opinion, is having the real estate to play with the background and bezel graphics turned on in MAME:
« Last Edit: February 04, 2011, 11:25:37 am by VanillaGorilla »

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic
« Reply #8 on: February 04, 2011, 09:20:18 am »
What I great idea! I like how you're going to retain the stencil for the sides.
***Build what you dig, bro. Build what you dig.***

VanillaGorilla

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic
« Reply #9 on: February 04, 2011, 09:21:42 am »
Emphatic - White and metallic purple, huh? In which orientation (background/foreground)? BTW - Ricky is the man! Trailer Park Boys was the best TV series ever made.  :notworthy: :notworthy: I have a life sized Bubbles door poster in my office!!!

Thanks for the encouragement! I agree, the original graphics on these things leave little to improve upon...Except maybe for color combos. I may do the background color as a gradient/fade, and then stencil over that...dunno yet!

I am also loving the ScanRez2 scanline effect in MAME!! I know its not perfect, but, its damn close enough to get me to stop hating LCD panels for classic arcade gaming..Seriously, if the mameDevs could come up with some sort of bloom filter, like exists in AAE, oh man I'd be a happy camper...
« Last Edit: February 04, 2011, 11:11:22 am by VanillaGorilla »

emphatic

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic
« Reply #10 on: February 04, 2011, 11:37:38 am »
Yeah, Ricky is boss.  ;D Bubbles is "probably the smartest guy in the whole park".  :blah:

I didn't give the color combo much thought (which one would be best for back/front) other than that it would look great together. A fade would look great I think if you can pull it off.  :cheers:

I don't use the MAME scanlines at all, I got myself a hardware scanline generator instead. For more info and lots of pictures see here: http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=33454

It's powered from the sync signal going into the monitor and depending on what resolution it's getting, the scanlines' thickness vary. If you output all arcade games in 480p it will give you a near perfect result, and for frontend etc you can go higher in res and the scanlines will be smaller (still look pretty cool though. Here's a Dreamcast running through it on an LCD screen (my photo):


VanillaGorilla

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic
« Reply #11 on: February 04, 2011, 11:52:22 am »
Yes, I saw the SLG3000 on your site earlier this week. Thats a dream come true piece of hardware. I am so ready to pull the trigger and buy one, but in this application, I need the scan lines to rotate. Pac Man with horizontal scan lines is pretty greasy. I look forward to what a hardware device like that might be able to do in the future. I have a 20" rotating Dell SIPS LCD intended for a vert cabinet project. Maybe next, I'll do a vertical display cab with the SLG3000...Thats a thought.

Its nuts how much cpu horsepower is needed for the effect overlays and such in MAME, but I'm glad the PC I built for this project is a quad core Phenom II running @ almost 4Ghz. I have headroom for ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- like that. Not to mention, PC games, Dreamcast emulation, etc... Crazy Taxi via NullDC is just like the arcade on this monitor, its a blast!
« Last Edit: February 04, 2011, 11:59:20 am by VanillaGorilla »

VanillaGorilla

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic
« Reply #12 on: February 04, 2011, 05:14:58 pm »
The original side panels had stop dadoes routed to retain the bezel glass and speaker panel. Since I was changing the geometry of the monitor area, I had to fill that dado. You can see the part I left behind, I only filled what might be seen from the viewing area. Bondo is my friend to the end. :)

I installed an mdf cross member below the LCD panel, to provide an area for the bottom of the bezel to eventually sit (and provide secondary support for the display), and replicated the stock Taito speaker grille up above. I want this cabinet to look new, but also look 'original' .


I duplicated the speaker grille openings, warts and all. The Taito speaker openings are only 'round-ish'.


I just traced them onto a new mdf panel, and routed them out freestyle.



The speakers that I planned to use are 4.5" diameter speakers, but they are great speakers by JL Audio. Unfortunately, since they are 2-way speakers, they require some clearance depth @ the face as well. This meant I had to build adapter plates to mount them behind the 6" stock speaker openings, to account for their smaller size, and increased depth requirement. No biggie, it worked out great.




I re-used the existing threaded inserts that the marquee retaining bracket attaches to, and put them into the new speaker panel. I cut a 3/16" dado for the plexi bezel to fit into also. I also cut and drilled from aluminum angle, a new marquee retainer bracket, and painted it satin black.




« Last Edit: February 04, 2011, 05:41:13 pm by VanillaGorilla »

VanillaGorilla

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic
« Reply #13 on: February 04, 2011, 05:36:05 pm »
I also test fit a piece of smoked plexi to use as a bezel. I think I like the way that works, and I'm gonna use it. I was on the fence, but the smoked plexi has a nice look when the cabinet is powered down. Very stealthy!


I've learned that I don't work very well from plans/drawings...I'm taking more of a mockup-revise-modify approach, and its serving me well so far. Its a relaxing creative process to sort of 'sketch' as I go...

One thing I have found: You move into a different pricing category with most materials when you exceed the 24" width threshold. Plexiglass, Plywood, veneer,vinyl, control panel overlays, all seem to have an upper limit of about 24" in one dimension, before stepping up into a higher pricing category. Ah well, getting exactly what you want is never cheap.
« Last Edit: February 04, 2011, 05:49:29 pm by VanillaGorilla »

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic
« Reply #14 on: February 04, 2011, 06:29:47 pm »
Wow this is some high quality work!  In a way you started at less than zero but it is turning out great.

I have my eye on that "Pirate Pete" color combo -- don't anyone else use that!  8)

cmoses

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic
« Reply #15 on: February 09, 2011, 06:08:12 pm »
WOW I really liked what you did with this so far.  My first cabinet was a Taito cab, green in color, also beat up pretty bad.  It had been converted to 1943 Battle of Midway and they had covered up the Taito artwork with gray laminate.  I was able to get off the laminate but the glue had ruined the sides.  I liked the cabinet but also found it a little to small so I upgraded to a NFL Blitz one.  I wish I had kept the Taito, maybe making it a wide body would be a good project.  I did keep the laminate sides so I would have a good template if I ever needed one.

Can't wait to see the finished project.

VanillaGorilla

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic
« Reply #16 on: February 10, 2011, 11:47:11 am »
WOW I really liked what you did with this so far.  My first cabinet was a Taito cab, green in color, also beat up pretty bad.  It had been converted to 1943 Battle of Midway and they had covered up the Taito artwork with gray laminate.  I was able to get off the laminate but the glue had ruined the sides.  I liked the cabinet but also found it a little to small so I upgraded to a NFL Blitz one.  I wish I had kept the Taito, maybe making it a wide body would be a good project.  I did keep the laminate sides so I would have a good template if I ever needed one.

Can't wait to see the finished project.

Hey - Thanks! I always wondered what happened to your Taito cab.. I was following your thread a couple years ago, then 'poof' no updates  :'( I almost replaced my carriage bots with screws like you did, but then I changed my mid, I might like to take it apart someday to move it, so I kept my options open and just polished the carriage bolts....

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic
« Reply #17 on: February 10, 2011, 01:39:37 pm »
VanillaGorilla,

I ended up selling the Taito cabinet once I got the Blitz cabinet, as I did not have room for two cabinets.  I am very happy with my choice of the bigger more versatile Blitz cabinet, although I will always like those Taito's because it was my first cabinet.  I was able to get a 27" aracde monitor in the Blitz cabinet and love the way vertical games look on there.  Basically they show at full 19" size.

So are you going to have a custom metal control panel made for the wide body?  What controls are you planning for it?

Keep up the good work.

VanillaGorilla

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic
« Reply #18 on: February 10, 2011, 02:53:59 pm »
On my 28" widescreen, verticals display at their full original height as well. That was the whole point for me using it. I'll be building swappable panels out of MDF and aluminum sheet. The first one will have a u360, tempest spinner, and Missile Command 4.5" track ball, with 6 buttons :) Stay tuned!!

VanillaGorilla

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic
« Reply #19 on: February 10, 2011, 03:50:53 pm »
Marquee lighting time! I had to re-configure the marquee lighting, since the old fixture was now too narrow for the wide body. First I cut a piece of 1/4 plywood, centered and drilled a finger hole for inserting and removing the mounting panel easily. I painted it bright flat white. I ran a dedicated 12v circuit off of the PC power supply, up to the top of the cabinet. I got myself 10 daisy chained 12v  3-light led modules, attached them to the mounting board and presto! Marquee lighting that should last a lifetime, and stays cool as a cucumber. I got them from hong kong, they cost about $2 for 20 modules, but I waited about 8 weeks for them to arrive. Just go buy 'em from RandyT, unless you're a big cheapskate and have all the time in the world to wait for them  ;D ...Next time, I will order them domestically:



Its a nice light. Its super bright. It's not as authentic as bayonet bulbs, but I think I jumped off of the authenticity bridge a while ago, sooo...  ;D


« Last Edit: February 11, 2011, 01:45:30 pm by VanillaGorilla »

VanillaGorilla

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic
« Reply #20 on: February 10, 2011, 04:09:45 pm »
While on the subject of lighting, I ran a 5v circuit to the coin door from the PC power supply, and replaced my bayonet bulbs with LED drop ins.

Let there be light!



The LED's are SO much brighter than what they replaced, I love them.
« Last Edit: February 11, 2011, 01:44:58 pm by VanillaGorilla »

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic
« Reply #21 on: February 10, 2011, 04:32:16 pm »
This really is shaping up well! :applaud: Did you decide on the colors for the sides yet?

VanillaGorilla

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic
« Reply #22 on: February 10, 2011, 04:36:54 pm »
Thanks again Emphatic...Still taking suggestions on colors, everybody..  I'll do mockups in Photoshop once I have a few....

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic: UPDATED 4.5" Atari trackball re-build
« Reply #23 on: February 11, 2011, 02:02:15 pm »
I'm working on rebuilding the Atari Missile Command 4.5" trackball assembly. I bought a non-working assembly from QuarterArcade.com for $30 a couple years ago. ..



I finally dug it out of the closet and had to reflow the solder joint on one capacitor that was bent over from being manhandled, and the X molex connector. They were both obviously broken solder joints, so it was a simple repair.  
I got a complete rebuild kit from David @ Ram Controls (for a great price & in record time -- it shipped in less than a day :applaud: :applaud:).

Here is the original boulder, I mean ...ball next to the replacement, what a difference!!



The original Japanese bearings are now replaced by Chinese models. Funny how commodity manufacturing shifts geographically over the years...



I took some pics of the process:

Before:

The aluminum frame is fine, it could withstand a Missile attack, I think:



Get a load of those skeezy rollers! ;D The bearings sounded like sandpaper:



These bearings were overdue, i'd say. This one didn't even move:


After:

The tolerances on the shafts and bearings is very tight. You may want to consider this if you decide to rebuild one of these..I probably could have benefitted from a press.



Now its as smooth as glass:



This thing is AWESOME!!! I lubed it up again with some 3-in-1 oil, (I originally spun the bearings on a drill and oiled them up before re-assembly). It spins so niiiiice! I cant wait to play some Missile command and Kick! with this puppy!! I will wire it up according to the schematic on the wiki, and attach it to the pc with GGG's optiWiz. I only wish I had a replacement plexi top panel for it, cause the original has some cracking. Can these be found? If anyone has one/or can make me one, please PM me. Im thinking, lit it up with an led, it'll look really cool!
« Last Edit: February 11, 2011, 02:38:01 pm by VanillaGorilla »

mgb

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic: UPDATED w/ 4.5" Atari trackball re-build
« Reply #24 on: February 12, 2011, 12:31:36 am »
Awesome.
I think the large Atari trackballs are so mucch better than the typical 3 inch ones available now

cmoses

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic: UPDATED w/ 4.5" Atari trackball re-build
« Reply #25 on: February 13, 2011, 11:31:00 am »
VanillaGorilla,

If you can't find a replacement plexi top for it you might want to look in your local area for a place that sells plexi glass.  I found a shop locally that does plexiglass for when I get a control panel top.  They will cut to size and even do the button holes as long as I have measurements for them.  I would think they could easily replicate the piece you have since you have a template for them to follow.  I found the shop through the glass shop I was using.  I had asked the glass shop if they do plexi and they said no, but recommended the other place.

I can't wait to see your different control panels.

MinerAl

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic: UPDATED w/ 4.5" Atari trackball re-build
« Reply #26 on: February 14, 2011, 01:10:11 pm »
Nice trac-ball restore!  What will you use to interface it?  Long ago when dinosaurs roamed these boards, I used an Ultimarc Opti-PAC.  Here's the thread where I got it all to work.  There are a few others of that vintage of me messing with the my giant balls *snicker*  

If you want something with a little more character than your black 4.5" ball, look into EPCO candlepipn bowling balls.



I still use one of these as the trac-ball on my MAME machine, and as the mouse on that computer.
« Last Edit: February 14, 2011, 01:12:43 pm by MinerAl »

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic: UPDATED w/ 4.5" Atari trackball re-build
« Reply #27 on: February 14, 2011, 01:25:49 pm »
Hey MinerAl! Your thread was what got me to buy it in the first place back in 2006, so thanks!  :notworthy: Using the pin diagram from the wiki, I hooked it up to my rev1 optiWiz from groovy game gear. It works great. I'm in the process of building a control panel to house it, probably the biggest PITA because of the sheer size of the thing. I had looked into the candlepin balls, but I got such a good deal from dave @ ram controls ($40 for the ball, rollers and bearings, SHIPPED), I couldn't pass it by. I kind of like the black as well, its got vintage cred, its what I remember from my youth, and it still makes me smile when I look at it....Just wish I had 2 more so I could set up an atari football cocktail! The X's and O's football was a favorite as a kid....

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic: UPDATED w/ 4.5" Atari trackball re-build
« Reply #28 on: February 14, 2011, 02:51:25 pm »
Beautiful rebuild and documentation! Makes me want to go find some old beat down arcades, so I can breathe some new life into them.  :cheers:

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic: UPDATED w/ 4.5" Atari trackball re-build
« Reply #29 on: February 15, 2011, 09:41:17 am »
I love this thing.  My next major project is a Taito restoration/MAME for my son.   I'm planning on dropping the biggest CRT possible in the cabinet but I am curious as to how your 28" monitor is going to look - so far it looks GREAT.  I want to cram a 2P 6 button + 3" trackball on the CP and it's going to be tight.... your 4.5" is a BEAST - so awesome.   8)

Maybe I can add an inch or 2 to the width...  hmmmm....

Good to know it can be easily disassembled.  I'm thinking about taking it apart and sanding and painting everything as it lays flat to avoid runs with the paint, etc.  I may also be doing side art that covers the entire side panels and coin door panel and I think this would be easier to do with each piece individually.   :cheers:

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic: UPDATED w/ 4.5" Atari trackball re-build
« Reply #30 on: February 16, 2011, 03:03:02 pm »
Thanks guys, love the feedback!! Bringing something back from the brink, to some useful purpose is a noble task in my book. I find it really gratifying.

I had some time to work on a control panel! This is where it gets slippery....now I can do other things with the cabinet BESIDES work on it. Now I can play on it and that spells trouble!

I like control panels made from MDF or plywood, but I prefer metal. But metal is a pain to work with at home in most instances..wood is just more conducive to weekend warrior/spare time projects. Finding someone to make you a control panel, for a reasonable price is also a real challenge (If they'll even call you back!). I decided to take matters into my own hands and wound up with what I find to be the best of both worlds; I'm using lightweight MDF for the bulk of the control panel, and fabricating aluminum mounting plates for the joysticks, trackballs, and specialty buttons (volcano buttons, leaf buttons).

The next challenge was finding pieces of aluminum sheet that are:

1) Thick enough
2) Inexpensive
3) Readily available

At first, I couldn't find anything around me (western burbs of Chicago)... It was either way too much material that I had to buy, or what the hardware store carried wasn't thick enough, and what I found on-line was too expensive...And then Eureka! It may seem like an odd solution, but it fills the bill of requirements:

Anyways, a picture is worth more than mere words, so...



The lowly aluminum mud hawk! One of my most useful tools whilst remodeling my home, its paid for itself many times over. Its the right material & thickness (about 3mm), a 13x13 hawk costs all of $12, and there are a bottomless stack of them at my local home improvement mega-store! Time to start cutting and drilling!
« Last Edit: February 16, 2011, 03:07:56 pm by VanillaGorilla »

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic: UPDATED w/ 4.5" Atari trackball re-build
« Reply #31 on: February 16, 2011, 03:12:41 pm »
I bought a cheapo set of harbor freight hole saws for the job, for like $5.99. I wanted to get something I didn't care about destroying while exploring my hypothesis ;D They paid off; the aluminum hole saws like butter, even better if you provide just a TOUCH of 3-1 oil to the cutting surface. The threaded mounting plate where the handle attaches provides an ideal centering guide for the hole saw, it was really easy to do:



After drilling out the center hole, I used the plexi from the trackball assembly to template the mounting bolt holes, and I drilled those out also. I ended up using a flat file to square out the holes for the carriage bolts to seat properly, without spinning..



I laid up the cut aluminum on top of the trackball assembly and it fit very well. I am quite pleased, this took all of 20 minutes, while I've been thinking about how I was going to deal with it for years  :cheers: Amazing the time you can waste in your head, if I just got off of ---my bottom--- more often, the things I could achieve  :banghead: :banghead:


Another shot, for perspective..



« Last Edit: February 16, 2011, 03:19:02 pm by VanillaGorilla »

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic: UPDATED w/ 4.5" Atari trackball re-build
« Reply #32 on: February 16, 2011, 04:01:00 pm »
Next I cut the top MDF panel @ 26.5" wide x 10" deep. I then cut the 13x13 aluminum panel to the required dimensions to provide clearance for mounting bolts, and the wheel encoders that stick out of the sides of the main trackball frame assembly. I also abraded the surface with a #40 grit sandpaper to provide something for the bondo to bite into:


 
Harbor Freight to the rescue once more, this time its the $24 trim router! I used this to rough out the opening in the panel, and provide a recessed mounting area:



I used a contact adhesive to attach the aluminum to the MDF, and then countersunk pan head screws along the perimeter:



Then, a judicious application of Bondo filler:



...as the egg timer starts, and we wait for it to dry, so we can begin to sand it out! I was careful to save my scraps of aluminum, as I can use them for mounting other small items, and maybe a joystick or 2. ;)
« Last Edit: February 16, 2011, 04:17:07 pm by VanillaGorilla »

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic: UPDATED w/ 4.5" Atari trackball re-build
« Reply #33 on: February 20, 2011, 03:29:43 am »
Missile command  :drool  Scramble  :drool :drool and Centipede in Dr Zero's thread .... man, that along with Galaxian just about sums up my videogame youth. Very jealous.
Click a pic for a video tour 

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic: UPDATED w/ 4.5" Atari trackball re-build
« Reply #34 on: February 20, 2011, 11:39:41 pm »
Added p1 & p2 start Atari Volcano switches!! I got 2 tall and 2 short ones off of ebay for $14. They're still really grungy, as the macro shows  :o



They'll get completely cleaned up in the end, but for now they're good enough for a test fit. I used a scrap from the trackball mounting plate, to recess mount these as well.



I bondo'd the mount into the control panel, routed and recessed like the maxi. Then I wired up the required resistors in line with the 5v lead. Heat shrink for protection, and a quick connect, just like they were done originally.






Mounted and test-lit:



SWEET! I cannot express how much pleasure it brings me to have these buttons. They just scream arcade to me; They're like the cherry (switches) on top of the sundae!



« Last Edit: February 20, 2011, 11:51:56 pm by VanillaGorilla »

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic: UPDATED w/ 4.5" Atari trackball re-build
« Reply #35 on: February 21, 2011, 12:00:56 am »
Did the same routine for the joystick mount. Still using scraps left over from the trackball! :P I'm such a cheapskate! Dust washer will sit UNDER the control panel, like they should  8):



This was not my finest hour in terms of cutting precision, but in the end, this is not a cosmetic feature so i'm not going to sweat it too much. It does what it's supposed to do:



 My drill bit got away from me making the mounting plate for the joystick, and tore up the aluminum around the opening. Bondo to the rescue! I lugged up the mount with 8/32 panhead screws, and used the lock nuts to hold the bolts to the plate, and provide clearance for the dust washer under the control panel.


« Last Edit: February 21, 2011, 12:13:03 am by VanillaGorilla »

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic: UPDATED 2/20 LIGHTED ATARI VOLCANO BUTTONS!!
« Reply #36 on: February 21, 2011, 04:28:41 am »
Wow, hot pink nipples.  8) Great work on the mounting plate. :applaud:

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic: UPDATED 2/20 LIGHTED ATARI VOLCANO BUTTONS!!
« Reply #37 on: February 21, 2011, 04:03:10 pm »
I love me some hot pink nipples! I have a hard time getting past the black areolas though... :lol :lol

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic: UPDATED 2/20 LIGHTED ATARI VOLCANO BUTTONS!!
« Reply #38 on: February 22, 2011, 09:41:20 am »
Clearly no one else appreciated that joke, ah well...back to arcade controls, THAT'S why we're here!

Heres the obligatory perspective shots, I love these!





Here's one from the top down. You can see everything installed and in use here: 2 volcanoes, Atari Tempest spinner, U360, 6 buttons, and the Atari Maxi Trackball...



The black overspray is from painting the underside before I attached the controls for these pictures. This will ultimately be covered in polycarbonate coated vinyl, once I get some inspiration for the graphics.






This one is for the classics mostly. I will be doing a 2 player fighter layout next, with a couple of semitsu LS 32's, or sanwa JLF's, and 8 buttons per player. After that, I am going to do a 360 degree steering wheel set up.
« Last Edit: February 22, 2011, 10:04:12 am by VanillaGorilla »

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Re: Wide-Body Taito Classic: UPDATED 2/21 w/ CONTROL PANEL PORN!!
« Reply #39 on: February 22, 2011, 11:28:18 am »
Looks fantastic!  That trackball is ridiculously awesome.