First Build: WeeCade based Bar Top [Finished 7/13/11]

[DrChek]

So I finally decided to take the plunge and start my first arcade build project.

While I'd love to do a full sized cabinet, I don't have the room or the experience to take on such a big project so I've settled upon a single player bar top based upon the popular WeeCade plans. My main goal here is to build a compact cabinet capable of playing the golden era arcade titles as well as a few of the classic 8/16-bit console games. The design is centered and sized around a 15" LCD monitor. I plan on making it out of 1/2" plywood except for the control panel which will be 3/4".


At this stage I have spec'd out all the internals and modified the original WeeCade plans for my build. Here is a list of the stuff I have already gotten:

15" LCD Monitor
Intel D510MO Mini-ITX Motherboard (Dual 1.6 GHz Atom)
PICOPSU-80 w/ Power Adapter (Fanless power supply)
1GB DDR2 Memory
16GB SATA Solid State Drive
Lexan for Bezel and Marquee

Control wise I'm planning on using the UltraStik 360 coupled with 8 push buttons. I've started to fool around with button layouts and at this point this is what I'm leaning towards:


I'm sure I'll have many questions as I start the cabinet build phase, but at this point I'm looking for a way to mount some USB ports on the back of the cabinet for keyboard/mouse/gamepads. Does anyone know of a good place to get a USB hub that can be flush mounted on the back panel?

Also, with regard to the U360 shift button functionality, when you hold the shift button and press another, does a normal button 8 press also get reported?

[javeryh]

Do not put your "Pause" button so close to your "Exit" button!  Maybe you could find room on the front of the CP for one or the other?  It also looks like you have plenty of room to put 3 buttons on the right and only the exit button on the left.

Try here for USB (and many other) flush mounting options:  http://www.frontx.com/

 

[TOK]

Do not put your "Pause" button so close to your "Exit" button!  Maybe you could find room on the front of the CP for one or the other?  It also looks like you have plenty of room to put 3 buttons on the right and only the exit button on the left.

Try here for USB (and many other) flush mounting options:  http://www.frontx.com/

 

I say put all of the admin buttons on the front or side and use the space for a second stick for Robotron, Black Widow, Rescue, etc. 

[DrChek]

I say put all of the admin buttons on the front or side and use the space for a second stick for Robotron, Black Widow, Rescue, etc. 

I want to keep at least two of the buttons (start and coin) "near" the player buttons to use as shoulder buttons for the SNES games. Exit and pause could move to the front since they are general to all emulations.

It would be nice to have a second joystick/spinner but I'm trying to keep it simple for my first build and honestly I think the extra money may be better used elsewhere.

[javeryh]

I say put all of the admin buttons on the front or side and use the space for a second stick for Robotron, Black Widow, Rescue, etc. 

I want to keep at least two of the buttons (start and coin) "near" the player buttons to use as shoulder buttons for the SNES games. Exit and pause could move to the front since they are general to all emulations.

Why not just go for a 6 button layout instead - you could play all of the fighters too and if you add a USB port for a second controller you could do 2P when you wanted. 

[DrChek]

Why not just go for a 6 button layout instead - you could play all of the fighters too and if you add a USB port for a second controller you could do 2P when you wanted.  

A couple of points. Unlike the WeeCade, my monitor will be a smaller 15", which means that my control panel is a full 2" narrower so I don't think I could ever fit a second player on the CP. Also, this being my first build I wanted to keep it fairly simple and low cost. 6 player buttons would be nice, but most games I'm going to play would never use the extra two, plus fighters are kind of boring with only 1P.

I generally like the layout I started with, but I agree that the pause and exit button need to be separated. This is my current line of thinking:



The MAME setup is labeled in the picture. For 2P alternating control games, the start button would be shifted to a 2P start button.

Atari 2600:
B 1 = Button
Coin = Difficulty P1
Start = Reset

NES:
B 1 = B
B 2 = A
B 3 = B Turbo
B 4 = A Turbo
Start = Start
Pause = Select

Genesis:
B1/B3 = A
B 4 = B
B 2 = C
Start = Start

SNES:
Turns out I can't do a 1-to-1 on this since the controller has 8 buttons and I need to at least keep Exit for exiting. Thankfully most games I will be playing don't need all 8 buttons (Mario games...) so I can map them on a game by game basis.

I also will have lots of shift function options for hidden controls.

I could still move the Coin/Shift button and/or the Exit button to the front panel, but I like the symmetry of '4 corner' buttons.

[DrChek]

When I got home today the LCD I had scored for this machine ($15 eBay) had been delivered. I was anxious about not really knowing what condition it would be in, but I figured for $15 I'd give it a try. Luckily it is in excellent condition and I'm excited to actually have a piece of what will become my mini-cade in hand.

Now I'm debating whether it's worth it to try and remove all the plastic casing around the LCD in order to get the Screen right up against the Lexan bezel I'm going to make. Looking at it is seems the be held together by just a few screws.

[emb]

When I got home today the LCD I had scored for this machine ($15 eBay) had been delivered. I was anxious about not really knowing what condition it would be in, but I figured for $15 I'd give it a try. Luckily it is in excellent condition and I'm excited to actually have a piece of what will become my mini-cade in hand.

Now I'm debating whether it's worth it to try and remove all the plastic casing around the LCD in order to get the Screen right up against the Lexan bezel I'm going to make. Looking at it is seems the be held together by just a few screws.

15 bucks for an LCD! Nice find!

[LeedsFan]

I really like the design of the Wee-Cade.  To be honest on a small bartop I don't see the point in having separate pause and exit buttons. If you really want a pause button I would hide it on the back door where you can just reach round to press it. For exit I'd stick with pressing P1 and P2 Start, although I see you don't have a P2 start button planned.

[DrChek]

I really like the design of the Wee-Cade.  To be honest on a small bartop I don't see the point in having separate pause and exit buttons. If you really want a pause button I would hide it on the back door where you can just reach round to press it. For exit I'd stick with pressing P1 and P2 Start, although I see you don't have a P2 start button planned.

I mostly agree, except that I need a "SELECT" button for NES/SNES. I have access to shifted buttons for things like 2P start when a game has alternating player controls.

Thinking about it more, I can get what I need done with less admin buttons leaving me with more player buttons. Here is my latest idea...

[DrChek]

I've gotten all the internals assembled and working and my controls are on the way. Hopefully this weekend I can start on the cabinet.

[Pitman]

nice, ima hopefully going to be finishing my weecade based cab today.

As for the exit button, why not have tha underneath the control panel? I should be able to show you where I mean in my thread IF i finish today

[DrChek]

Started work on my bartop cabinet this morning with help from my dad who has a great workshop in his backyard.

First we used a full sized print-out of the side panel as a template and marked the corners of the shape on the 3/4" pine plank.

The Lexan for the bezel came in handy in getting a smooth curve connecting the points we marked on the large radius curved part of the side panel.


Shape outline completed, now on the the cutting...



Ideally we would have liked to cut the two sides together, but the jigsaw blade wasn't long enough to cut through 1 1/2" of wood, so we cut the first side, then used that to draw the second side. This made the second side a fraction of an inch bigger all around with respect to the first one (which we expected) so we had to use the belt sander to sand the second side to match the first.



After we had two matching sides, we routed a radius on the outside edge of each side since I didn't want to do T-molding on this small cabinet.



The last step of the day was to install the bracing. Next time we'll start cutting the 1/2" cross panels to connect the two sides. These panels will all be 1/2" birch plywood with the exception of the control panel which will be the same 3/4" pine used for the sides.

[emphatic]

Very nice. Are you going to paint this, or use some sort of oil?

[DrChek]

Finished construction on the cabinet today.

I used T-Nuts and external flat head machine screws on panels that need easy access, the back, the controls and the top. The rest have no external fasteners visible.


Here are completed shots.



Now I'm waiting for my controls to come in so I can cut the control panel.

[DrChek]

Very nice. Are you going to paint this, or use some sort of oil?

It will be painted and eventually artwork on the sides, marquee and control panel.

[The Habbler]

I love how clean that looks with the wood grain. I know you already have your plans for what to do with it, but i am inspired now to build one and stain it to match my bar now.

[jholman76]

Knotty pine is a good look.I'd just sand and seal it. Perfect for a log cabin owner.

As for USB, I used a neutrik USB adapter. B&H photo had them cheap.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/561202-REG/Neutrik_NAUSB_W_B_NAUSB_B_USB_Female_Type_A.html

Just drill a hole and screw in. Worked great. When I get my web hosting back up you will have to check out what I did with the same weecade idea.

Good work thus far.

Joe

[DrChek]

Knotty pine is a good look.I'd just sand and seal it. Perfect for a log cabin owner.

As for USB, I used a neutrik USB adapter. B&H photo had them cheap.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/561202-REG/Neutrik_NAUSB_W_B_NAUSB_B_USB_Female_Type_A.html

Just drill a hole and screw in. Worked great. When I get my web hosting back up you will have to check out what I did with the same weecade idea.

Good work thus far.

Joe

I hear y'all about the wood grain, but I really want this to be styled like a classic arcade cabinet. In fact, the first coat of satin black is already on it. I did feel a little bad about covering the wood grain though.

As far as the USB issue, I've figured out a low cost alternative, but you'll have to wait until that step of the process to see it.

So I'm painting the cab this week while waiting for my controls to arrive. Already have all the internals, the bezel and screen waiting to be installed.

My biggest issue now is the power supplies. Both the motherboard and the monitor have inline, laptop style power transformers and the speaker system has a wall-wart type. Anybody have any clever idea on dealing with those in a compact cabinet where space is at a premium? I have a computer style AC inlet socket that will mount on the back panel. inside I was planning to wire that to a small power strip where thing would be plugged in. Seems inelegant.

[LeedsFan]

That looks a really good build!  Gratz!!!  

Regarding the cutting of the side panels... (which is late now anyway as you have completed it)...  I have tried to cut two pieces together using a jigsaw and it doesn't seem to work. The blade can bend and flex particularly as you go round curves. This results in one piece being slightly off compared to the other and the edges not being square. Maybe it's my technique as I'm not great at woodworking.

Best thing I've found is to finish one side piece so that you are happy with it, and then roughly cut out your second piece similar but with a little extra all the way round. (In fact this is exactly what you did but then you used the belt sander).  Stick the first piece on the second with some double sided tape so that it sits "within" your second piece. There should be the little extra lip all the way round. Then use a router with a flush trim bit to get rid of the extra. This results in a second piece that perfectly matches your first. It would certainly make the trimming of the curved section much simpler... I cannot imagine how you managed that with the belt sander.   

[DrChek]

Started working on marquee art ideas. Here is my space invaders inspired first draft.


And here is my initial CP design

[emphatic]

While I like the shift-key way of quitting games, I think you will find that it's way too easy to exit a game by accident with the buttons so close together. Best to use coin + button #6, as that will require two hands to do = no chance of mistakes.

[DrChek]

Worked on a couple of things this week. First I painted the cabinet. I used a Latex Satin Black. So far the cabinet is dry, but feels tacky. Hopefully after a week or two of curing the paint will harden up. If not I guess I'll have to sand and paint again with oil paint. Hate the thought of that.

I also got to work on my Lexan bezel. I masked off the screen area with painter's tape and sprayed a couple of coats of Krylon Fusion black. I can't tell you how good this thing turned out.



So one mistake I made was not cutting all my holes in the panel before painting. One thing that I had worried about was the speaker panel. It is only 3 3/8" deep, an I thought that cutting full holes for the speakers would have weakened the panel too much. I thought about cutting Donkey Kong style slots for the speakers but since the speaker panel is the one panel that is permanently fastened in place (the top panel is removable for speaker access) that would have been difficult. In the end I went with a hole pattern.

First I taped my printed pattern into place and drilled guide holes with a 1/16" bit.



I followed with a slightly larger bit, which made the back/inside of the panel look like it had been shot with a machine gun. No problem though since this will be behind the marquee and was easily sanded smooth.



Finally I drilled with the 5/16" bit to get the holes to their final diameter. After a bit of cleanup with sandpaper I'm very pleased with how they came out, and the speaker panel remains structurally sound.

[DrChek]

And it's DONE!

A few pics a hadn't posted yet:

The insides.


The control wiring.


THE FINISHED PRODUCT!




Not perfect, but in the end not bad at all for my first build I think. Sure is damn fun to play with!

[BobA]

Great looking little cab.  Have fun playing it 

[Woodshop Flunky]

This is nothing but slick!  Looks awsome! 

Great!  Now I'm going to have to build a WeeCade.

[LeedsFan]

This looks really good! Love the artwork, especially the side art. Lovely little cab.   

[dandare]

Very nice work my friend looks great!

Welcome to the Weecade club!

[empardopo]

Awesome! 

[Worthing Gooners]

Another great looking project. Well played   got me even more enthused about getting stuck into mine.
Ps. That artwork is exactly what I propose on mine. I may be pm'ing you at some point. Thanks.

[CREDO]

It looks great. gratz. 

[swearmanc]

Where did you get that printed template at to cut out the sides?  I'm tearing my hair out over hear trying to convert mm to inches, then convert decimals to fractions so I can measure everything out - having that template would make it so much easier!

I'm guessing its in the autocad files on the weecade site, but I don't have autocad :-(  Can you e-mail me the template you used please?

swearmanc at gmail dot com

[JDFan]

There is a copy of the full size template located here ( http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=129616.0;attach=275481 ) -- Can't remember exactly what thread I found it in but had downloaded it a while back -- It is a fairly large file because it is made for creating the artwork so is @300PPI but is in .psd format instead of dwg so can be printed from photoshop ( hopefully you have photoshop or another program capable of handling .psd files (If not post here and I'll see about converting it to jpg for you.)

EDIT : Had a bit of time so went ahead and converted to JPG and uploaded for you : It is 18.897x21.653 inches @300PPI so should be ready to print (You can print it on a regular printer in pieces and tape together by printing with no scaling and then printing each section by adjusting the position on the paper) - figure it will take approx 6 pages of 8.5 x 11 paper to print and then just tape the sheets together.

EDIT 2 : I went ahead and broke it into 4 8.5x11 sheets so you can print on regular paper just in case you did not have the proper tools to do it.

[swearmanc]

Thanks dude!  Weekend project here we come!

[Baezl]

I know this is an old topic but are the sides for this build smaller than the weecade?  Anyone got more info like measurements for the inside? 

Thanks

Luis

[DrChek]

UPDATE: Artwork files are now linked in the first post.