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Author Topic: **COMPLETED***Just plain old ARCADE CLASSICS slim w/rotation (Lots of photos!)  (Read 53840 times)

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DNA Dan

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Well here it is fellas.... I began this quest by inadvertantly browsing the forums and first reading about CRT monitor availability. I have been wanting to build a cab for about 10 years now, but life always seemed to take me another direction. Well after reading about the lack of CRT availability, and how parts are increasingly becoming difficult to find, I decided NOW is the time, now is the place for the ARCADE. I spent about a week or two heavily engrossed in this site, scouring all the ins and outs, the uppers, the downers, the successes and the failures. Upon reviewing my needs for a cab I decided I would make a slim cab, something similar to Knievel's Evolution. Despite wanting that CRT authenticity, I decided LCD was going to suit my needs better for a slimmer cab. In realizing the limitation of monitor size, I then added in the rotation, which is where the story begins....

I bought an HP LP2065 off ebay and decided to play with the rotation setup first, since I figured that was going to be the most difficult part of the process. The circuit design for the rotation was hashed out over a weekend with virtualy all the credit going to DaOld Man which can be found HERE: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=110207.0

First series of photos shows how I prepared the monitor to test the rotation ability. Again all of this is based on the LP2065. First thing to do was remove the mounting nut. I decided I would use the monitor's rear bracket because it seemed to be centered on the weight of the monitor. Once this nut was removed, I took the whole bracket apart from the monitor shoe bracket. I then took a screwdriver and sheared off the fixed pin that allows users to rotate the monitor 90 degrees. (We'll be doing that through electronics.) After this pin was sheared off, I then drilled 4 holes to mount a 3" lazy susan bearing from www.vxb.com. My thought with the lazy susan bearing and why the ones from Lowes or Home Depot had failed people in the past was two fold 1) The quality at box stores just plain sucks and 2) It contained too much surface area. So I went with this higher quality 1/4" bearing from VXB which can hold 200 lbs and actually has some meat to it. Now I don't know how well this will hold up, I guess we'll see later on.

Once the bearing was mounted, I then drilled an access hole behind the release lever so I could mount the hinge. I mounted it to a scrap piece of wood, clipped on the monitor and what do you know? It works! Pretty smoothly too.
« Last Edit: November 03, 2012, 01:35:44 pm by DNA Dan »

DNA Dan

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation
« Reply #1 on: March 19, 2011, 01:17:09 am »
In the cab the monitor will be mounted to a piece of circular wood using the same holes as the lazy susan bearing, I just wanted to see if that bearing was up to the job being mounted sideways.

Now that I have some confidence in the mechanics of the rotation, I started on the circuit. First was the assembly of the PWM board which will be used to control the speed of the rotation. It comes in an "assemble yourself" type electronics kit with everything you need but a soldering iron. Here are some photos of the kit and my assembled PWM module.

Still waiting on Solarbotics for the secret motor driver, motor and wheel. Limit switches are on their way too.

DNA Dan

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation
« Reply #2 on: March 24, 2011, 01:02:10 am »
I received the rest of my electronics from solarbotics. I would not recommend this company if you're in a hurry. I paid $10 for shipping and it took 8 business days. Calgary is only about 8 hours from my house by car, so that's about 1 day per hour driving! I have since found a website that has a lot of the same motors here. http://www.pololu.com/ more about that later..

I assembled the secret motor drive and the circuit previously proposed by DaOld Man. It works! The PWM board adjusts the speed of the motor nicely. It seem good using both the 5V and 12V sources from a molex connector. The GM3 is rated primarily for 6V, but with the PWM you can pulse it lower. I don't think this motor is that strong so I may be trying another motor from that website stated previously. In regard to the GM3 and 5V, I don't think you would need a PWM anyway. It spins at about the correct speed if it's turning a 20-28" disc. I haven't tried it yet, because I need to make the bracket, but it seems about right. Since I have the PWM, I can use a stronger motor and play with the speed irregardless of the gear ratio. (as long as I watch the current it draws.)

Back to the mechanics, I disassembled the proof of principle and began with the structure of the rotation. I cut a 24" round from 5/8" particle board. The entire cabinet will be made of 5/8" particle board laminated with Wilsonart black. I just could not find any MDF in 5/8"! Anyway, after cutting the circle out, I cut a base plate 25" wide. This gives me roughly 1/2" on each side of the rotating disk. There is a reason for the size, but I will touch on that later in the build. Centering the bracket and pulling up screws I attached the monitor mount to the disk, then to the lazy susan bearing as done previously. I bought a flange mounted single bearing to support the weight of the monitor, but one bearing did not seem supportive enough due to left and right deflection. I purchased another bearing and I will mount them on the lower quarter lines of the cirlce. This should stabilize it real nice. I set them in far enough so I can have some grease on it and it won't interfere with the traction of the motor. The motor will be mounted further out on the disk.

For the motor I took a solid piece of poplar and cut out a "U" where the motor will mount. I then used a screen door hinge on the remaining piece so that I can mount the board with some tension. The wheel will then "ride" up and down on the disk hopefully providing enough traction and taking up any runout on the lazy susan bearing. Before I go any further with completing the lazy susan I need the flange bearing and potentially my laminate. I was thinking of laminating the backside where the bearing will ride because I don't know how particle board holds up to grease. Will this make it swell? Anyway, that's all for today. Good the weekend is coming up so I can make more substantial progress!
« Last Edit: March 24, 2011, 01:06:02 am by DNA Dan »

javeryh

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation
« Reply #3 on: March 24, 2011, 10:10:06 am »
Keep going!!  I love all the details.  After a 3 year delay, this summer I am going to be attempting this so I need as much info as possible.  :cheers:

DNA Dan

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation
« Reply #4 on: March 24, 2011, 08:19:02 pm »
I had some time to do some prototyping for the cabinet design. I am simply drawing it in MS Word and making the lengths of the lines in inches/10 by moving the decimal. I cut out a rough approximation out of large sheets of cardboard I had laying around. Some things to note in the proportions:

1) The real limit to a slim, rotating cab is the top angle of the monitor. You have to account for the lazy susan, the wood and the monitor. This at a minimum is 6", so in order to not have the viewing angle too steep, the cab needs to be deeper at the base.

2) Due to the depth issue of #1,  I will be looking at mounting the motor on the bottom of the disk. This isn't ideal however the weight of the monitor resting on the flange bearings is greater than the screen door hing pushing the motor against it.

3) I am fairly tall, so I have my CP pretty high. I want to keep the bezel uniform all around, so I don't know where else to throw in the vertical dimension other than the base. Right now the TOP of the CP is sitting about 41-42"

4) I am not so certain about the motor. I ordered a backup plan which I will most likely use and involves a USB interface, autohotkey ability, serial port ability, etc. It also has PWM built into the circuit. I know it's not the most cost effective way to do this, but I just don't trust the plastic gears in the GM3 over time and the secret motor drive can only handle 1.5A. Not enough for a beefy motor.

5) I think I am going to play with increasing the bezel height a bit, but keep the same angles. The problem here is it starts to look too thick relative to the monitor top -> to wall dimension.

Comments on the proportions would be welcomed... I know sketchup or Adobe would be more precise, but I am a hands-on guy and the prototype lets me actually "feel" the proportions.
« Last Edit: March 25, 2011, 11:30:16 am by DNA Dan »

javeryh

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation
« Reply #5 on: March 25, 2011, 11:13:57 am »
That looks completely in proportion to me.

DNA Dan

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation
« Reply #6 on: March 25, 2011, 04:09:02 pm »
I think I am going to pull the sides by the top of the monitor toward the player a bit, but still keep the monitor recessed as far back as it is. In the prototype I was more concerned with how the viewing angle felt. The side just looks too thin at that spot. I'd like to give it more of an arcade appearance and not so much a "slim" appearance. I think I will also make this a gradual curve to soften it up a bit.

Hopefully I will have my flange bearings tomorrow to try the monitor rotation out. I am going to cut out the cab pieces this weekend! As a noob with this is seems like 90% of this is in the planning.

DNA Dan

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation
« Reply #7 on: March 25, 2011, 08:28:59 pm »
Here is the revised profile. First shot is before on left, after on right. I basically kept the same profile but extended the height 2" and the marquee area by another 3". This accounts for tipping the top of the monitor area by 3" forward. I think I will still keep the monitor recessed as is shown in the second photo because it's a better viewing angle. The second shot shows the older profile ON TOP of the new profile and you can see the monitor angle in blue.

Looking back at Knievel's design, I see he put the extra height in the "admin panel". Since I don't think I will be using admin buttons, the bezel will come all the way down to the control panel at a steeper angle. If I had a criticism of Knievel's design it would be how vertical the monitor is in his cabs. On the other hand, having played with the most appealing angles involved, I see why it was done that way.

The reason I want the side to look beefier is because the width is ~26-27". I think the top was just too dinky before.
« Last Edit: March 25, 2011, 08:33:28 pm by DNA Dan »

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation
« Reply #8 on: March 25, 2011, 11:22:25 pm »
Looks good!

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation
« Reply #9 on: March 25, 2011, 11:58:30 pm »
a rough approximation out of large sheets of cardboard I had laying around

I think cardboard is underutilized in the arcade world.  We wanna see x-arcade slapped in there now.



Its looking pretty good.  Planning is never overrated.  I can see from just your mock up that I will be watching this one.
On the other side of the screen, it all looks so easy.  -Kevin Flynn

DNA Dan

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation
« Reply #10 on: March 26, 2011, 01:03:01 am »
Aw dude that is a crack up!  :laugh2: :laugh2: :laugh2: Hopefully I end up with something a little more inspiring. I should post the mock up in the FS section. I didn't know it was it's own genre.

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation
« Reply #11 on: March 26, 2011, 11:12:28 am »
More on the monitor dimensions:

I wanted the rotation mechanism (aka the disk) to be completely concealed. That is to say, I don't want to be able to see the circle inside the bezel. Working with the monitor's longest dimension from screen edge to screen edge of 16", that is the smallest the opening could be. The highest point of visibility of the rotating mechanism is when the monitor is at exactly 45 degrees. Doing some calculations to figure out the smallest circle that can contain a 16" square led me to the 24" disk size. 24" is a little bigger, which I am hoping will still conceal the the disk in the corner when the monitor is exactly at 45 degrees and you have a decent chance of seeing the inside of the cabinet from the tilted viewing angle. The 25" interior cab dimension was decided based on the disk size to give some clearance for both sides of the disk to turn freely. There is a possibility I could reduce the disk size, since after all that isn't the part which will be up against the bezel, but the bezel portion is just a mirror image of the disk size, so I figured I would use the largest disk size possible to give the motor the most leverage.

How will the disk be concealed at the monitor's face? For this I plan on using a piece of matte or perhaps laminate cut into the shape of the disk then glued to the face of the monitor's bezel. This will ride just below the glass. Hopefully you won't know the monitor even rotates until the switch is flipped!

DNA Dan

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation (Lots of photos!)
« Reply #12 on: March 27, 2011, 12:30:06 am »
Started on the cab tonight and reworked the design again. Lowered the top of the CP down 1 inch, it felt too high. I also decided to keep the same reveal around the monitor as the cab, as a result I cut deeper into the top of the monitor angle. To offset this and keep the angle I like, I pulled the CP slot forward 1 inch. Once I had this all set, standing in front of the monitor felt like I was looking down. I realized the space I needed to increase in dimension was between the CP and the bezel. I realize now why Knievel has the admin panel there. It pushes this dimension up and gives some functionality so you don't really think about it. I decided to make a 3 1/2" bracket there above the CP where the bezel glass will sit. No plans to use it for buttons, but who knows. It definitely feels just right now. I also changed the lower angle under the CP from 45 to 35 degrees. I want to see more of the t-molding while viewing the cab from the front. It softens the look under there.

I cut out one side rough, then used a 2X6 clamped in various ways to make that perfect straight cut. I had a brand new Freud 1" trim bit that I used and MAN! Whoever invented the flush trim bit deserves a medal. I took my time making straight cuts and curves with the router. Once one side was done, BAM I set the depth and cut the other one off the first template. Easy as pie. This was so much fun, I can see why some of you guys have made 2-3 cabs! :cheers:

Anyway, some shots to track progress. First ones show how I setup the fence for the router. (Don't mind my ghetto saw horses!) Rough cut, then clean cut. Trick here is to measure twice, cut once making lots of small passes. Don't bite too much off or you will burn the bit in the material. Also, make sure your fence is true and you know the EXACT dimension from the edge of your router to the edge of the blade. Next shot is the copy of the other side. Triple side shot is the evolution of the design. First one is on the left, middle one is first revision, last one is the actual cut wood. Final shot is both identical halves. Still waiting for parts to try the monitor rotation, so I will have to focus on the cab build for now.  
« Last Edit: March 27, 2011, 12:32:39 am by DNA Dan »

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation (Lots of photos!)
« Reply #13 on: March 27, 2011, 12:44:43 am »
Starting to take a form of its own now.
The router is most definitely our best friend!

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation (Lots of photos!)
« Reply #14 on: March 29, 2011, 01:34:48 am »
Got the second flange installed and needed to shim the lazy susan bearing by 1/8" so the height was level all around. So far using that bearing and two single bearing flanges is a $10 solution for a rotating monitor. I painted both sides of the disk with that Zinsser mildew primer just so that no grease would penetrate the wood. I suppose using plywood might be better for this piece, but it's heavier than the 5/8" particle board I had on hand.

Now back to the electronics.... I mounted the PWM board and Secret Motor Drive to the hinged motor arm (Photo 3). I think the screen door hinge provides just enough tension to the wheel. Anything more would probably be too much tension. I mounted the arm on top the back piece and secured with with a few screws. I finally got to try out the motor! Plugged the circuit in and nothing happened at 5V. Made sure the PWM module was cranked up all the way, still nothing. Switched to 12V connection and voila! It works. Well sort of. ...

First of all the motor is not supposed to be continuously run at 12V. Since this is just for a few seconds, it probably won't hurt it too much. I played with the switch turning it back and fouth, and I really didn't need to throttle down the motor at all. Like I said before, if you use the GM3 motor you don't need to slow it down. It's geared pretty low. Once in a while I could hear the internal clutch kicking in on the motor. Not good. It seems this motor setup is probably not strong enough for this type of bearing. I think it would work okay in cases where you have a single axle for the rotation, but what I was after was a cheap rotation solution. Which could be mounted to a monitor's existing mechanism. This comes at a cost however because you will need to buy a stronger motor to overcome the friction. The bearing isn't tight, it's just that the combination of the ball bearings in the lazy susan, then the two flange bearings, there's too much friction going on. I used some bicycle wheel hub grease which may have not been the best choice of lube, however I wanted something that wasn't going to evaporate out. If I were to try this route again I would use lighter oil on the bearings. But even without doing so, I think the GM3 motor while perhaps doable, just really isn't a robust solution.

All is not lost however, I have the pololu motor which should be here tomorrow with 10X the power, metal gearbox and is meant to run at 12V. The downside is I need to ditch the secret motor drive so I can use a driver that can handle more amps. I went for an all in one solution, but it wasnt' cheap. This is closer to a $100 solution but that includes the motor, mounting bracket, hub, wheel, and motor driver which can be talked to through USB, serial port, command line, or RJ45. It also has built in PWM which is all software controlled. More on that later. .. RIP GM3
« Last Edit: March 29, 2011, 01:37:18 am by DNA Dan »

DNA Dan

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation (Lots of photos!)
« Reply #15 on: April 01, 2011, 12:36:37 am »
After my disappointing tests with the Solarbotics GM3 motor, I decided to revisit the bearings I used to support the weight. I concluded that they were a huge source in my friction problem so I took them out. I went to a local hardware store and found some regular caster wheels that had a nut on the axle so I could remove it from it's housing easily. I took the wheel apart, then used a small angle bracket and press fit it on the axle. I could now mount the wheel recessed in the back panel. I know they make these things, but I don't know what they are called nor could I find anything locally. Anyway, this greatly reduced my friction load to the point that I think the GM3 would work... however I have bigger plans. (More on that later.) The recessed wheels or the wheels riding on the edge of the disk is definitely the way to go.

I bought the highest gear ratio of the pololu metal motors and man, let me tell you this thing is AWESOME!!! You can just feel the weigh of the guts on this thing. The mounting with a straight shaft was easier than the GM3 90 degree angle using the same method as I did before. Now to control this sucker I bought their simple motor driver which is even better than the motor! It's 18V7Amps and typically runs on 12V. It cost ~$33 USD.  It has TTL,Serial, RC, Analog, USB, etc. you name it. You can basically talk to this thing however you want. My plan is to talk to it with Autohotkey via USB. It comes with a complete software interface that is super slick to use. It was very easy to use and has tons of tweaks.

I put in some pieces of wood to make a hard limit, then used a magnetic catch on my stops. Once I started using the motor I realized that the limit stops were actually braking the motor, so I removed the magnets and it is SOLID on the stops. There is a "Learn" function in the software so I will actually know the voltage change for your stops. I could not believe how awesome this thing was, so I made a video for you all to see. The first two rotations are at 50% speed, the third 80% and the last one 10%. Anyone want to control their rotation with a joystick? It's doable with this controller! I definitely think this setup is 10X better than the previous one and I am definitely going with this setup. Next up I need to make some progress on the cab, the rotation is done for now.
« Last Edit: April 01, 2011, 12:38:50 am by DNA Dan »

DNA Dan

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation (Lots of photos!)
« Reply #16 on: April 01, 2011, 12:40:26 am »
Never posted a video link so lets see if this works.



First two rotations are at 50% speed, then 80%, then 10%. This is being controlled through the software interface via USB cable. It's a single little board, two arcade microswitches and a motor w/wheel. That's it!

Don't mind my Frosty the Snowman pajamas. Frosty is dope.
« Last Edit: April 01, 2011, 12:44:59 am by DNA Dan »

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation (Lots of photos!)
« Reply #17 on: April 01, 2011, 06:43:10 am »
 :applaud: :applaud:

Good job!

Is that monitor center of the disc? It looks like it might be a little off center top to bottom in horizontal, but it might be just the angle of the video.

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation (Lots of photos!)
« Reply #18 on: April 01, 2011, 11:13:36 am »
It's centered on the disk, but not with laser precision. I cut the circle freehand with a jigsaw, so it's not 100% round either. Also the back plate is not the same size as the disk. It's 25" wide, but not tall. I left this room at the top so I could put the motor's wheel there. The top depth is critical because the cab is slim and the wheel might actually hit the back of the cab. Hopefully this isn't an issue down the road.

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation (Lots of photos!)
« Reply #19 on: April 01, 2011, 01:49:09 pm »
I'm not sure you're going to want to slam the monitor to a stop like it does at 80% or even the 50% speeds.  You might want to consider getting some of those microswitches with the arms on them to give the motor a chance to stop less violently.
If there's bees in the trap I'm catching em
By the thorax and abdomen
And sanding the stingers down to a rough quill
Then I dip em in ink, and I scribble a bit
But if it they wriggle then I tickle em until they hold still
Lemme say it again
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I use bees as a mf'n pen

DNA Dan

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation (Lots of photos!)
« Reply #20 on: April 01, 2011, 02:15:53 pm »
Yea I think I am going to get a cabinet "soft close" device or something spring loaded. In the long run without it the controller may burn up. It's also bad on the tire.

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation (Lots of photos!)
« Reply #21 on: April 01, 2011, 06:18:12 pm »
YOu could also add two more slow down limit switches.

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation (Lots of photos!)
« Reply #22 on: April 01, 2011, 06:29:05 pm »
Ah yes good point. The software has a "acceleration" and "deceleration" adjustment as well. I haven't quite figured out if it knows how close it is to the switch or not. The software acts as though it has an encoder on the motor. Perhaps that's a feature I did not purchase with the motor. At any rate, a what type of switch would I use to trigger a deceleration event? Some type of leaf with a roller at the end?

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation (Lots of photos!)
« Reply #23 on: April 01, 2011, 08:01:13 pm »
Well, I dont know what kind of software you are using, but I thought about doing this with MRotate, and I would do it with switch inputs that would make a few degrees before stop. This would kick in a slower speed until stop is made.
I would probably use a roller switch as you mentioned, or a photo emitter receiver such as a mouse or trackball optic (only bigger).
Is the software you are using packaged with the motor you bought? Or is it something you can share?

DNA Dan

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation (Lots of photos!)
« Reply #24 on: April 01, 2011, 10:59:37 pm »
Here's a link to the software and the controller I am using. http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/1372/resources

Anyone can download it, however it was all grayed out and unusable until I plugged the board into the USB cable. The limit switch is set to brake immediate, so I think I will just try to cushion the impact a little bit. The stop actually sounds harder than it really is. I need to get back to the cabinet before I finish the finer details of the rotation. It's hard to play around with it because the motor is on the back and the support wheels protrude out the back. I'd rather just get the cab to the point I can play with the motor more instead of building a rig for it.

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation (Lots of photos!)
« Reply #25 on: April 04, 2011, 12:38:48 am »
Got stymied by the weather this weekend. I am waiting for some 65 degree weather so I can do my lamination and start assembly, but mother nature was not cooperating. I got most the pieces cut, ordered some more items, and made a custom sound bar out of my old 6.1 speakers. I also completed the base. I think I've decided for a majority of pieces to just screw in from the sides into the edges, then just cover the screw heads with laminate. I hope this doesn't cause the laminate to prematurely bubble at those spots. Anyone have any issues doing this?

I know when done right, laminate never blisters off. Damn weather. :banghead:

Oh yeah, I also found out that a good match to Wilsonart Matte Black #60  laminate is Rustoleum in FLAT black. Not the professional kind. I know it sounds weird, but I tried Satin and the black looks much deeper. For durability might just hit the inside with some clear matte lacquer after painting it flat.
« Last Edit: April 04, 2011, 12:42:05 am by DNA Dan »

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation (Lots of photos!)
« Reply #26 on: April 09, 2011, 09:30:54 pm »
Great video of your rotating lcd

great stuff

can't wait to see more
 :cheers:



Never posted a video link so lets see if this works.



First two rotations are at 50% speed, then 80%, then 10%. This is being controlled through the software interface via USB cable. It's a single little board, two arcade microswitches and a motor w/wheel. That's it!

Don't mind my Frosty the Snowman pajamas. Frosty is dope.

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation (Lots of photos!)
« Reply #27 on: April 10, 2011, 11:55:07 pm »
Finally a break in the weather this weekend gave me the chance to start my lamination.  :notworthy:

I didn't want to have to piece together the small 1/2" reveal which is all around the cab interior with scraps, because internal bracing would have to be a longer span and if a piece needed to go half on, half off the laminate, it could pose problems later. In addition, I was not very happy with how the painting was going. Rustoleum flat black matches very well, but once you touch it, it shows shadows and oils from your hands. Shooting it with some satin clear lacquer completely changes the color to a much deeper black. I only had two full 4'X8' sheets and doing all the pieces front and back wasn't going to make it. I decided since I am already in this for a small fortune, I might as well just start by laminating the interior of the cab, then purchase more laminate for the outside. This way I don't really have to paint many pieces. Once I started on the laminate I just went to town! This stuff is so easy and fun to work with. For the laminate noobs, I have two sage pieces of advice: 1) A laminate trimmed edge is very sharp! I cut the palm of my hand pretty deep while rubbing my hands over it to make sure it was all set. 2) If you are facing two sides at a 90 degree, make sure the trim bit is set as shallow as you can get it to trim the laminate. Also, run down these cuts fairly quickly.

I laminated the interior of the back wall just up to the control panel, then the entire backside face. I started assembly with one side laying down, truing up the base and securing it with countersunk wood screws. I had completely assembled the base by itself prior to attaching it. I know some people like to do the shelf part, then fill it it with 2X4s later, but I worked on this while I was waiting on the weather and it was completely finished. I will rely on the outside laminate pieces to cover up all the screws heads. I decided this route was easier than a dado cut.  I then used a biscuit jointer down one back side, with wood screws in between. (I know this is overkill, but it completely removes the need for clamping.) I had cut some scrap prior to doing this so I could maintain the depth of the jointer to keep the 1/2" reveal even on both sides. The scrap was used to set the depth for the other side. Now that the meat of the cab is completed, I figure smaller interior pieces can be slipped into place by using a Kreg jig.

Glue, biscuits and screws were sort of a pain, but I didn't need to invest in 10 long wood clamps and once I had stuff lined up, the screws secured it real easy. I feel like I have more control with screws rather than try to clamp 3 large pieces with several clamps. My woodworking skills are good, but not THAT good.  If I had more energy I'd still be out there, but alas, my back is killing from bending over so much. I was having so much fun assembling it. I sure hope it's just as much fun playing it! That's it for this weekend, I think I got a fair amount completed.
« Last Edit: April 10, 2011, 11:58:07 pm by DNA Dan »

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation (Lots of photos!)
« Reply #28 on: April 11, 2011, 07:25:38 am »
Wow, good job on the laminate! Cant wait to see this baby finished.
And playing the games will be just as much fun as building it, and if it's not, just start on another cab for a friend or relative. A jukebox for the wife would be a fun and worthy project too.

DNA Dan

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation (Lots of photos!)
« Reply #29 on: April 15, 2011, 01:14:44 am »
It was a productive week. Got some more items ordered and quite a bit done.

1) Installed some leveling feet on the bottom of the cab.
2) Installed the top of the cab.
3) Installed the control panel resting area.
4) Test fit the speaker panel.
5) Test fit the monitor aparatus.

Took quite a bit of time making sure the proper reveal was showing around the cab. Some areas you have to account for additional distance, like where the marquee is. The trick is making sure you don't cram the finished corners too close to the t-molding radius edge. I had to throw the monitor on there just to get a feel for the angle and height. I am pleased to say it feels comfortable. My eyes are about level with the top of the monitor. This includes an "admin panel" to take up the extra height. By the time I accounted for the lazy susan aparatus, the monitor depth, some bezel space, 1/4 inch glass, then 1/2" reveal, there wasn't enough depth for the motor to fit on the top. I took the wheel off the motor and the actual motor is still too "thick". I removed the motor and got it test fit pretty good, leaving about 1 inch behind the rotating aparatus. This means I need to relocate the motor to the bottom of the disk. I just don't really see a motor fitting on top of a slim cab unless your lazy susan is really thin, or you recess the monitor into the disk somehow.

Anyway, the usual allotment of photos, I hope you enjoy them. Should be a productive weekend coming up.

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation (Lots of photos!)
« Reply #30 on: April 15, 2011, 01:28:20 am »
Looking great so far keep up the good work!

So once again, we find that evil of the past seeps into the present like salad dressing through cheap wax paper, mixing memory and desire.

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation (Lots of photos!)
« Reply #31 on: April 15, 2011, 09:16:23 am »
Looks great.

What angle is your monitor at?

javeryh

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation (Lots of photos!)
« Reply #32 on: April 15, 2011, 03:05:46 pm »
Really great job so far.

DNA Dan

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation (Lots of photos!)
« Reply #33 on: April 15, 2011, 05:05:03 pm »
Looks great.

What angle is your monitor at?

Exactly 15 degrees from the back of the CP vertical plane. I found going further would not fit the rotation aparatus as I built it (Even with the motor relocated). You could bring the bottom forward, but that makes the cab deeper. This is tricky with these slim cabs because the monitor is in a more vertical postion from a normal cab, the result is you get "extra" space on the face of the cabinet which needs to be taken up by an "admin" panel or somethng. The more the monitor is angled, the lower this height can be.
« Last Edit: April 16, 2011, 01:28:05 pm by DNA Dan »

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation (Lots of photos!)
« Reply #34 on: April 16, 2011, 11:13:33 pm »
Got a lot more done on the cab today....

1) Relocated the pololu motor to the bottom of the rotation aparatus.
2) Panted the rotation mechanism flat black
3) Built the control panel box - painted the interior flat black.
4) Laminated the control panel box
5) Installed the Marquee lights - Novamatrix from GGG with 2 added links for a total of 8 LED modules.
6) Laminated/Installed the Admin panel - Leaving buttons out for now, will revisit this later once CP is figured out
7) Started mounting 6.1 speakers but ran out of screws....

Off to Home Depot tomorrow to order up two more sheets of black laminate. I just love working with that stuff. It gives such a professional look with very clean lines. I need to start my CP layout and get some artwork ordered up. Things are progressing nice. I have to say using the sides of the cab to mount whatever you want is nice. All these screws will be covered by the laminate. Also, making use of the Kreg jig mini is just awesome for pieces you want to be able to remove later. I am using both techniques to add permanent and non-permanent pieces.

The usual round of photos ....
« Last Edit: April 16, 2011, 11:16:22 pm by DNA Dan »

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation (Lots of photos!)
« Reply #35 on: April 17, 2011, 09:59:53 am »
Looking good!  :applaud: 6.1 speakers though?  :dizzy:

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation (Lots of photos!)
« Reply #36 on: April 17, 2011, 11:54:21 am »
You know it's strange. I have this creative 6.1 Audigy card and speakers that are like 10 years old. The speakers all join at the Sub, then there's 3 wires going from the sub to the sound card; Front, Center/sub, and Rear. At first I wired the speakers into two groups of 3 each, and just used them as L/R front channel with the sub plugged in. The sound was very bright, in your face with not much bass. Turning the sub all the way up barely gave the "thud" in Donkey Kong. So I unsoldered the speakers and set them up like 6.1 using all the channels on the sub connection. Low and behold the rear speaker channel is sending a different crossover frequency than the fronts. It's almost as though they are acting as a mid bass. Same thing with the center channel. It's the same sound coming out of all speakers, the center and rear just have more bass to them. I guess it's not a true 6 channel system and the sub is just splitting the channels? If it were completely by frequency I would expect the rears to play different parts, but it doesn't seem to be splitting the sound that way. I dunno, I know it sounds strange, but I just decided to go with this route because I could get more low end out of it. I will probably also use the cab as a jukebox and the 6.1 setup definitely sounded better for regular music.  

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation (Lots of photos!)
« Reply #37 on: April 18, 2011, 10:47:06 am »
Looking good!  :applaud: 6.1 speakers though?  :dizzy:

That's a worst-case Ontario, dude.   :cheers:

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation (Lots of photos!)
« Reply #38 on: April 18, 2011, 04:13:55 pm »
Got a lot done?  You are a madman!  It would take me 2 days minimum to do all that.  I've been building a standalone cp for 10 weeks now.  Won't have to wait long for the finished product at this rate. 

DNA Dan

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Re: Just plain old ARCADE - Slim, LCD, w/rotation (Lots of photos!)
« Reply #39 on: April 20, 2011, 12:38:28 pm »
Started working on the CP top and button layout. Posted a few threads but didn't get any replies.  I am sure most the veterans are sick of these questions. Ordering the art I started thinking the CP box is maybe too wide. I know there are several schools of thought on this, and opinions vary, but I have about 4" on each side of the box to the edge of the cab. Adding in the CP top (Which is a finished width of 36"), 5/8" overhang on either side makes it like 4 5/8" from the edge of the cab. I am only going for 6 buttons for each player, trackball in the middle, and spinner up high in the center. It's nice and spaced out right now, but almost feels like too much room. I am thinking of cutting the box by 6 " and having only ~2" overhang on each side. Your thoughts/opinions on this? Reason I am hesitant is the proportion of the cab may look awkward with a smaller CP. It's a tall cabinet and I don't want it to look like a slim building. :dunno

Other areas I am looking for feedback:
1) I am thinking of admin buttons just below the monitor: 25 cents, 1P, Exit, (on left side), then Pause, 2P, 25 cents,  (on the other side). I have moron friends and want to keep it as simple as stupid can be. I also don't know if I like the coin up being tied to 1P start.

2) How many buttons on the spinner? Two on the right, anything on the left?

3) Do I have dedicated buttons for the trackball? or do you just map to player 2 controls?

Thanks!
« Last Edit: April 20, 2011, 12:43:38 pm by DNA Dan »