Checkered Past (now a disposed of project)

[Malenko]

First off, Haruman said it was ok to do this to a Pole Position. So if anyone has an issue with me doing this to a PP cab, PM him.

That being said....


YAY! 5,000th post. Yes I waited till I got back from Taiwan to post this. (I'll have to post pictures after this, because then the picture post would have been #5,000)

Ok, so I started off with 3 Pole Position cabs, 1 fell off the truck, down to 2.

The cab in the best shape got scrubbed down and cleaned out, cleaned up all the wiring and dirt; its waiting for Haruman to figure out if the PP2 board is any good and how to run power without the ---smurfy--- AR2. On to the last PP cab. It had NO wiring in it, no pedals, a monitor with a busted neck board, cracked yoke, busted chassis, No speakers, basically the wood and a broken monitor. I mean even the wheel lacked the encoder board.

Here are the AFTER shots. The before shots are in the "restorations" section under "pole position triplets"



I started by removing the old monitor, and cleaning everything. This is probably the worst smelling cabinet Ive even owned. I wiped out the bottom with bleach water, and ended up slopping primer all over the inside to cover the smell. You cant really see it, but when I post up pix, I know someone is gonna ask "why is it white in the bottom?"
I also removed the stuff from the marquee area and put a regular florescent fixture up there.


above: the bottom before I painted it. It smells like Xouchie punched it 3 weeks ago.

The Monitor is a de-cased 27" TV. Yeah, I squeezed a 27" monitor into a pole position! I rank this up there with a 32" monitor in a KI2 cab To make it fit I had to pull the 2 little strips of wood off of the front of the monitor area, and use a hacksaw to cut the metal tabs off of the corners. Not all the tab just half of it, so I had something to brace to the insides of the cab. The TV has component input as well, and I plan to use it if not it also has S-video. I soldered to wires from the chassis to arcade push buttons. 1 for power, 1 for input; just in case I put a dreamcast in there or something.


above: the inputs. I used a regular composite (V/L/R) wire for the component connection, I'll eventually buy the right wire....maybe.


above: there isnt much clearance for the neck tube for a 27" CRT inside a Pole Position


above: the power/input soldering

I have a 2.1 speaker system in there, 1 speaker up top, and the sub woofer and speaker sitting on the little shelf above where the pedals go. This allows the sound to cleanly leave the cab through the 2 speaker openings and for the base to have a little bump.


For the wheel, I tried to strip out a USB ball mouse first but it just wasn't moving consistently, or very well at all. I actually got a laser mouse hacked to bits this morning (pictures pending) and it work MUCH better. The only down side being that the wheel  uses the up/down instead of the left/right because I couldnt get the board to sit in the opening the other way. The mouse hack might be temporary if I end up getting a PC wheel. I mean I really want the PP cab to play pole position, but I'd rather player the model 2/model 3 etc ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- more. I'm still not 100% sure what to do about the pedals. I mean I can put switches down there, but then the gas is either all on or all off. Im leaning towards a  PC wheel because of that. I also have a Dreamcast Steering wheel, I may use that with a USB adapter.


above: the USB ball mouse hack, mouse button hacked to shifter, same as new hack, I just dont have any pix

The shifter is soldered into the left mouse button. I actually have a 4 button mouse in there, so I may solder into the other inputs or use the $15 encoder from Vigo in this. The pedals really have me wondering... maybe an A-pac, I really don't know. I'll be drilling holes into the shroud for the camera buttons, now before you throw a hissy fit remember 2 things, the shroud is pretty rough to begin with, and Haruman said it was ok. I may use the buttons I got from Nephasth that are clear and wire colored LEDs into them. I think it'll look neat.


I'll post more when more work is done, I'm still in the middle of getting the PC (AMD dual core 2.3)  together and seeing if I need to buy a video card for it for model 3 stuffs. I cant wait to figure out how to get Cruisn USA, Pole Position, SCUD Racer, etc all running without wanting to punch a baby.


proof of concept, a sega dreamcast via composite input


EDIT:
I always liked how people tracked how expensive their cabs were to make. So here's mine:
NEW Blood red T-Molding: $30
Pole Position Cabinet: $100
Logitech PS3 Wheel: $150
Red fans:$25
florescent fixture:$10
Vigo Encoder:$15
LED wiring and stuffs:$35
Dowel Rod for plugging my mistakes $4
EMUMovies LIFETIME subscription $60
4 way shifter (not installed yet) $42
Extra wires for the ZD encoder: $5
Plexiglass for the monitor and shroud: $20
Artwork printed for the shroud: $33
------------------------------------
Total so far: $509

free stuffs:
OTHER 27" (Sony)
27" TV (RCA)
Computer
old mouse for hack I didnt use
old DC wheel that broke and I rage smashed.

[HaRuMaN]

I only said it was OK since I have one now 

[BadMouth]

I have a Megatouch XL that was filled with roach crap....and roaches. (yay ebay!)  
I've scrubbed everything but the mobo.  It still stinks because of the mobo.
Reminds me that it's probably time to switch out the box of baking soda inside.  

I'm envious that you were able to seal off the stank.



Pole Position boards are notorious for breaking down.  
Even if it was complete, I'd MAME it just to have something reliable.  

Don't even consider not using analogue pedals.  
Things will be technically playable, but won't play well and will make you want to punch a baby.  (especially pole position)

Make sure you test out the games on that PC before sinking money into 270 degree controls.
A 2.3ghz dual core isn't going to run Cruis'n USA or Model 3.
If it's an AM3 socket , Newegg has a 3.2Ghz processor on sale occasionally for $65 (3.4Ghz triple that I use is around $90).
If it's an older socket, you might be better off just making it for older 360 degree wheel games.

[Malenko]

Ok, so Wheel is installed. All joking aside, it seriously looks like a magic trick.  The wheel is a interact concept 4 wheel for dreamcast, and the wheel doesnt separate from the body, at all. Im not sure exactly how I got it in there and Im not sure I could get it back out.


above: wheel installed to CPO, with VMU hidden behind the CPO

the best part about the VMU is it locks the wheel in behind the CPO, I had to notch the wood that the CPO bolts into in order to make it fit. you actually have to put the VMU in after you close the CP or else its really hard to get it to close.


above: CP re-installed into cab, you can see the wood notch


above: CP closed (sans bolts) with VMU in place

OK, so I covered the CP in "black leather texture" contact paper, was gonna do some faux carbon fiber, and I still might, but Im kinda antsy to get this pig running/playing. Im probably going to "rice" up the control panel overlay with car product stickers, and since I havent finalized a name or theme, its all up in the air. I was thinking  Rice Racer or something, iunno.


Here is where I currently stand. ignore the electrical tape holding the marquee in, Im trying to locate another bracket, heh. There is a dreamcast running in there, and I'll probably keep it in there too, I''ll just put the DC on top of the PC so you can swap the wheel from the trio-linker and plug it in the DC. I will be installing my spare PP shifter in there, wont be used  on DC games but will be for PC. I am still trying to figure out where exactly I wanna drill the holes in the CPO bezel for the camera buttons. in all the sit down cabs they are on the left, but it just feels more natural for them to be on the right above where the shifter will be.

[HaRuMaN]

Where are the  ?

 

[Malenko]

Where are the  ?

 

quiet you! go mail out my triolinker! I sure the flames will be fanned when that shroud gets drilled.
Dont you have a pole position to restore?

[HaRuMaN]

I have the box right here with me at work...   

[emphatic]

Nice work getting that TV in there.

[Malenko]

Nice work getting that TV in there.

Thanks, I was kinda thinkin my thing is to jam giant CRTs where they dont belong

Slight update:
Put together a nice dual core 2.66 cpu with a beefy video card and (2)250 GB HDs, got win7 64 on it, patched/updated, loaded up and configured all the software and......

they dont have a win7 64 driver for the trio linker plus =( I just wiped the drive and installed win7 32bit (and dropped down to 4 GB of ram) so Im in the midst of setting up the software side of everything again. I did however find the time to put red Tmolding on the front half of the cab. I dont wanna spend much on this machine and at the same time , get rid of old parts I dont want collecting fdust anymore.

black tmolding:


left side done:


both sides done:


I think the red tmolding looks really good on there. I need to find my square head bit so I can steal the marquee and monitor glass brackets off the other pole position, which BTW is for sale:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=115662.0

[Malenko]

Welp, another set back. The gas pedal stopped working. Its not the trio linker, I plugged the wheel back into the dreamcast and it doesnt work there. Using the DC wheel with the trio linker was why I wiped the machine and went with Win 7 32bit


Now Im going to scrap the DC idea and look for a PS2 , XBOX, or PC wheel.

[HaRuMaN]

Lol... I have an Xbox wheel if you wants

[BadMouth]

Now Im going to scrap the DC idea and look for a PS2 , XBOX, or PC wheel.

I'd steer clear of the Xbox wheel.  I'm pretty sure force feedback doesn't work in M2 or Supermodel with it.  (vibration maybe, real ffb no)
Another thing to keep in mind is that Logitech profiler can make life easier.

[emphatic]

Red t-molding looks great! 

[Malenko]

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Logitech+-+Driving+Force+GT+for+PlayStation+2+and+PlayStation+3/8781213.p?id=1205246213512&skuId=8781213

That's the wheel I got. This free/scraps project is getting expensive. I built a little shelf and mounted the wheel but I removed the old metal control panel, I just cant make use of it because the shifter is molded into the wheel base and cant be separated. I used cable holder thingies and mounted the power splitter and ran a small extension cord to plug the speakers, TV, and marquee light , but just so I ran 1 cord to the main power splitter (internal neatness) not because I needed extra outlets. No way Im letting this thing catch fire, too much time and money sank into it.

I also drilled 6 holes (so far) into the control panel shroud, power and input for the TV and the 4 camera view buttons for Daytona/ Cruisn USA. I could only find a 1" spade bit so now I've got to gently make the holes slightly bigger. I originally was going to use the buttons I got from Nephasth and back light them with an LED to match up with the button color but I think Im gonna cheap out and just use the scrap buttons I have in the right colors.  If I cant figure out a way to make the control panel look pretty, there might be a 2 PP cabs for $100 deal in the BST section.

[opt2not]

Thanks, I was kinda thinkin my thing is to jam giant CRTs where they dont belong

Just like all men, we like jamming giant things into places they don't belong.    

[gbeef]

very nice.
the red T-molding makes a big difference. and that wheel is pretty decent.

[Malenko]

so the buttons came out just a tad crooked, I plan to fix that with a dremel next paycheck (yeah, this project is getting mega asspensive)  Im also going to stop by pepboys and see if they have any ricer stickers. Do you guys have any you wanna get rid of?

[Malenko]

moved the power and input buttons from the shroud to the top back of the machine where you cant see them.

I have an idea on how to close up the CP, but I know its going to be a pain in the butt. I know the "camera" buttons are crooked, but its gonna be fixed now that I have a dremel, besides, the holes are just place holders.


Speaking of camera buttons, this is my idea for mine:

now I just need to get and wire up green, yellow, and red LEDs. Does anyone have a spare blue,yellow, and green button? I just need the outside "barrel" not the inner button or spring...I dont even need any switches.


Yes I know, crooked button syndrome but I didnt have a great angle to drill at and you cant see them so, *shrugs*


CPU is a Intel Core2Duo @ 2.66 with 4GB of RAM, I will be putting Win7 64 back on there and upping the RAM back to 8GBs. Nvidia 9800GT vid card and a 250 GB HD.

[Malenko]

new coin up button is made, Im not sure if Im gonna keep it the way it is, or if Im just gonna put fake coin mech buttons in the coin doors instead. Set up and ran Cruisn USA and Cruisn World, they ran perfect on the core2duo 2.66   and this is on the 32bit windows, should run even better on win7 64 (dont know how much impact the extra 4 GB of ram will have) Now to start figuring out how to set up a front end, I guess I could use the dpad on the wheel, but I just think it'd be neater to use the wheel

There really arent as many games in MAME that will work with my set up as I thought. Fortunately there are other emulators that run even more games I love.

Ive already gotten Cruisn' USA, Cruisn' World, Daytona USA (all of em), and Sega Rally all running pretty great. I think Im going to need some adjustments to make them closer to the real thing. All the model2 stuff feels pretty good, but for some reason the steering is really touchy and weird in the Cruisn games. Im going to stop adding games until I get the ones already on there running how I want them to. After the tweaks comes the front end. Over the holiday weekend Im really hoping to get the CP figured out, if not finished.  Its going to be really weird to not have a shifter on he panel, but I cant justify spending $80 or more on a 4 gear shifter.

I will post some more pix if I take any.

[Malenko]

picture update


Cruis'n running:


Ghetto light reflector:


PP marquee installed (for now):


original "bezel" cut to fit. This is the one that was torn up:

[Malenko]

Shroud redone.


Nephasth is helping me out big time by wiring me up some LEDs. Hes amazing and I'm mega grateful for his assistance. Wheel is gonna get "final mounted" this weekend, then I start cardboard cut outs to make the CP cover.

[NiN^_^NiN]

Hey man great work im loving it so far

As an idea for the CP I know exactly what you can do I have done this a few times myself for my car.

You can get a piece of foam and cut around the wheel and then curve it so it seems to fit the cp nicely then use some spray on glue and use black vinyl I used this in my car previous to replace the side panels in the boot (im talking about foam that you lay on not Styrofoam) I think the black vinyl will give you a nice touch and it's quite cheap depending where you can get it (I can get marine grade vinyl from the local hardware store for $10 a meter so if you only get a small cut off it will be real cheap)

Hopefully that will give you an idea for the CP 

[Malenko]

do you have a link to this foam stuff? its got potential, I'm just not sure what to look for.

THANKS!

[NiN^_^NiN]

I don't have a link but it's furniture foam the same stuff in a couch pillow etc

http://www.foamnfabric.com/pictures/DSCF0006a.JPG

I've use it before to shape out something I liked then I wrapped it in vinyl and it keeps a nice shape but it's also soft and can be squished but it be very cheap and easy option for you.

Hell you could probably use a pillow and trim it to the shape for your project is you couldn't find the foam offcuts.
Now if you don't like the idea of the surround around the wheel being soft and squishable then your other option is to use wood or another rigid material.

[Nephasth]

[Malenko]

YOU ROCK!

[Malenko]

So Windows 7 Enterprise 64 bit is installed. Nvidia driver didnt like 8 GB of system ram, so I bumped my computer upstairs from 3GB to 4GB and took 2 of the 1GB sticks and put it in this machine (I'm posting from the PP cab , heh) so it has 6GB. I still have (2) 512 sticks left over.

I still need to set up all the software on this again and decide on a front end. Found my old fat PS2 so that'll go in here on top of the PC; Im just not sure if PS1 games can be played with the USB wheel on the PS2; if they cant I'll just use a PS1 emulator on the PC.

good specs for a freebie computer,eh?

Still waiting for Haruman to scan his PP1 shroud art, so I can whip something up in photoshop. maybe this weekend after the software set up I'll finally figure out where I want the wheel mounted.  Nephasth came through big time on the LEDs and Im all antsy in the pantsies to install them. At least it *FEELS* like it starting to come together.

[Nephasth]

Nephasth came through big time on the LEDs and Im all antsy in the pantsies to install them.

You should have them come Monday or Tuesday, so I better see them installed on Wednesday!

[HaRuMaN]

Still waiting for Haruman to scan his PP1 shroud art

 

[Malenko]

some progress now. Nephasth came through BIG TIME with the prewired LEDs.

I took a button, that I ironically bought from Nephasth, and have the cut a channel where the hole was drilled for an LED


ooohhh look at the pretty UMK3 screen burn on my MKII


inserted and waiting to be plugged in


everything wired up, including Vigo's encoder. I cant say much about the encoder, its just for coin up, start, and camera views. I might run a wire down near the coin door to act as a service mode button




Lights on, lit up:


Lights OFF , lit up:



2 distance shots. me likey.





As you can see, I have yet to figure out how I want to final mount the wheel. I am just not sure if Im gonna make people stand or build a seat addon for adult, so kids can stand there.

Anyone know where I can order some tinted plexi fairly cheap?

[Nephasth]

Wow! Those turned out great! They look much better actually installed in the buttons.

For the tinted plexi, I'm sure you've already checked them out, but I'll be going with TAP Plastics' Solar Grey for the Two-Headed Beast. Two sheets cut to size for me would run around $30 I believe.

[yotsuya]

Wow! Those turned out great! They look much better actually installed in the buttons.

For the tinted plexi, I'm sure you've already checked them out, but I'll be going with TAP Plastics' Solar Grey for the Two-Headed Beast. Two sheets cut to size for me would run around $30 I believe.

Nep, you raise the bar for me when it comes to wiring! I like what you did there.

Did you not use resistors on those LEDs?

[Nephasth]

Yea, the resistors are soldered into the harness next to the large connector. Got some heat shrink tubing over them. They're 460 ohm resistors, all LEDs are wired in parallel.

[yotsuya]

I see, so you have them that far back. Interesting.

[Malenko]

Nep, you raise the bar for me when it comes to wiring! I like what you did there.

That's an understatement, the work is sooooo professional. I hope to have some time this weekend to tinker with the cab, the LEDs have motivated me

[Malenko]

ok, so I took the trashed pole position marquee and trimmed it down, and put a 7" LCD up there, dunno if its gonna stay or not. It really all depends on if I can get the model 2 and 3 marquees to show on that panel without a lot of hassle.  I also hacked apart some speakers and wired them into the existing PP speakers but they didnt sound good at all, so I put the PC speakers back in.

[Nephasth]

ok, so I took the trashed pole position marquee and trimmed it down, and put a 7" LCD up there...

Me likey!

Definitely bumps this project up a notch!

[Vigo]

How has the LCD marquee been treating you? Has it been worth the effort? It looks absolutely awesome, BTW. 

[opt2not]

Wow, did you ever go over budget with this project.
Looks pretty awesome though!

[Malenko]

I started to work on the cab again because monday I wwill be taking over the duties of a coworker that is departing, so I know I wont have a ton of time to do anything.

I got a newer Sony Trinatron flat CRT TV to replace the beat up RCA I have in the cab. Its not mounted, Im still working out some of the kinks.



That's 640x480 over component. I'm sure I can get it running 800x600 with no issues.

[Uncle Monkey]

Pretty sweet man.....

[Malenko]

TV Cut down, it should be a TIGHT fit on the sides.

Before :


After "weight loss":


Still need to solder wires to the input and power buttons, that or fill the holes I drilled in the top of the cab, heh

[BadMouth]

see you got the CRTs stockpiled 

[Pinball Wizard]

What are you using to emulate things like Crusin' USA and the Daytona stuff?

[Malenko]

see you got the CRTs stockpiled 

I have the 27" I pulled out of the MAME position, another 25" that has composite and Svid inputs, a 19" with NO inputs other than coax, and a 42" plasma  I wish ppl pn my criagslist gave them away like everyone else's craigslists.

What are you using to emulate things like Crusin' USA and the Daytona stuff?

The  Cruis'n games (USA and World) in MAME and Daytona in Model 2. I haven't even attempted a front end yet. You have any luck with the cab you got from me?

so I got the TV in:


I flipped the PolePosition glass over and painted it black where the art was. If you flip it over you can't tell I painted the back. I put it in the cab upside down and I think it looks pretty awesome. I *MAY* still end up buying some tinted plexi. I think the end result is pretty neat.


I am probably going to fill in the buttons up top, I even bought a dowel rod today to patch it up, I may leave a button up there to exit games, who knows! Tomorrow Im going to take the Dyson to the basement and clean all the dust and dirt out of the cab. While at work Im going to work on the molex to coindoor wiring, which includes both coining up and lighting the lights.

[Nephasth]

so I got the TV in...

Jesus! How much lube did that take? Looks good, nice n' tight.

I am probably going to fill in the buttons up top...

Where are you moving them to?

[Malenko]

so I got the TV in...

Jesus! How much lube did that take? Looks good, nice n' tight.

I am probably going to fill in the buttons up top...

Where are you moving them to?

I hear with enough KY you can put a Cadillac in a dog house. The buttons up top were for TV power and input. The TV I have now powers on automatically when I reach in the coin door and turn on the power strip. I havent really ever changed inputs so there isnt a need for the buttons (and I can change the input with the remote control) I might leave the red one up there though, the idea of reaching up to exit a game seems like a great idea to me. I havent gotten that far yet though. The LED you made me are still the best part of this project.

[Pinball Wizard]

You have any luck with the cab you got from me?

Been super busy lately so I haven't put much time into it. I have gathered some parts for mame, and think I can use an arcade monitor in it. Tested one of the several monitors you gave me. It powers on, but I haven't had a chance to give it a good video picture. Will hopefully be done before April 7th

[Malenko]

I find it hilarious that I spent 5 hours working on this today and you cant even tell. So after I put the new TV in I cleaned out the cab of all the dust and plastic scraps from trimming the TV and got it totally cleaned out inside.

I also rerouted most of the wires and bundled them together. I am still going to tap 12v for the coin door lights, but I'm not going to hook up the mechs, the coin button below the start button is fine for me (I plan to put as many games on free-play as possible anyway)

Here's the Windows 7 ratings screen:

the 5.9 is the hard drive, its a SATA drive so the transfer rate is fine for playing some arcade racing games. Everything else scores a 6.2 or better, which isn't bad for a free computer. Also note, this is back on Svideo display because the component in stopped working on the TV I put in there and I cant be bothered to take it back out.

All those shots of Daytona and Cruisn running, heres the 24hr GT game running:

Note that the 7" LCD has been removed from the marquee area, while it being up there was neat, getting the marquees to change was a bit of a pain and to me, not worth it. I also want as little extra stuff running in the background as possible. I think Im going to need to run some sort of gamepad to keyboard mapper so I can hit the button on the top of the cab to exit games.

Here's the back of the TV:

I cut a little piece of plastic out of the back of the TV shell and put it back in place, I kinda like it, even if you cant ever really see it.

And down here's the bottom where the computer sits:

I put a blue cold-cathode light above the gas pedal on the inside, it lights up the entire inside of the cab which is great for when you need to look in there, and when the rooms dark it lights up the pedal area, I think its pretty nifty.


I grabbed a surprise form the Home Depot for the back of the cab, if it works I'll take a pic and post it, if it doesnt, you'll never know what it was =D
 

[Nephasth]

Note that the 7" LCD has been removed from the marquee area, while it being up there was neat, getting the marquees to change was a bit of a pain and to me, not worth it.

Damn, I was really liking that feature.

[Malenko]

Damn, I was really liking that feature.

I wouldn't be opposed to putting it back up there, once everything else is squared away. Its just causing too many problems I dont wanna deal with right now (like on random boot ups the VGA because the primary display and that makes me want to club a baby seal.)

[Malenko]

All this talk of blue glows at night and I never took any pix, until now:


I also installed hyperspin, Im not sure if I'm gonna keep it or go MaLa, Its mighty pretty. However I do need to make an intro video. I am having issues selecting games with the wheel, but I think I can dial down the sensitivity on the wheel using the logitech profiler. Or I can just map the game selection to the Dpad build into the wheel. Another thing I need to do is map the escape key to the button up top, using joy2key or something of the same ilk.






and I need to make some custom graphics for it too.

[Malenko]

goodness how time flies. Ive been pulling 50 hour weeks for a while so progress has slowed to a crawl.
I do have an art request thread up:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=119908.0
so feel free to check that out and chip in if you can.  I'm going to change a few things around with how you navigate the front end, no more wheel, going to use the VR buttons instead.

I did get the last of the t molding around the gas pedals changed out:


while watching a little motocross on the TV:

[Nephasth]

Updates?

[HaRuMaN]

Updates?

I think this one fell off a truck, too...

[Malenko]

Updates?

I think this one fell off a truck, too...

I'll throw you off a truck! :p

I am working far too much to make any *real* progress, but I have bought some more plexi including a piece to replace the pole position monitor glass and a piece to go behind the buttons. I am working on some art, and I've attached what I think I'm going to use. Prolly wont change the marquee mostly because I'm pretty terrible at photoshop =) The instruction card is going to go under the monitor and will be roughly the same size as whats attached here. I got some frog tape so I'll tape off what needs to be transparent and paint the rest black. I'll try to update before too long

[Malenko]

decided to make the colors a little brighter and the logo pop a little more. I made this a little too big and I need to resize it down a bit to make it fit.

[Purple Tophat]

TV Cut down, it should be a TIGHT fit on the sides.

Before :


After "weight loss":


Still need to solder wires to the input and power buttons, that or fill the holes I drilled in the top of the cab, heh

Wicked!!! This is exactly what I've been looking to do! Do you know exactly how wide it ended up being once you got that part of the case off from around the glass? Was there any hazard of electrical shock whatsoever? Probably not, right?

I have a 27" TV that I want to use, but the case is a bit too wide to fit on my cabinet. My opening is only 24.5".

[Malenko]

Wicked!!! This is exactly what I've been looking to do! Do you know exactly how wide it ended up being once you got that part of the case off from around the glass? Was there any hazard of electrical shock whatsoever? Probably not, right?

I have a 27" TV that I want to use, but the case is a bit too wide to fit on my cabinet. My opening is only 24.5".

I can measure when I get home, but I believe the opening is exactly 25" and the TV trimmed down was 24 15/16th" lol I had to take out the speaker area and wood that the glass leans against in order to get the tube in there.  I secured the tube in place but I dont think I needed to, its got NO WHERE to go.  You can always turn the TV sideways like I did in KI2MAME (link in sig)

[Purple Tophat]

Yeah I'd hate to bust it all up and then find out that it's like 1/4" too wide to fit!! Maybe I'll see if I can unscrew it to get at the glass to measure without having to break anything. I mean, the TV was only $10, so it wouldn't be a big loss, but to be honest, it's nicer than a couple of the bedroom TVs I have, so I don't want to break it unless I know it'll fit.

I'm still confused though. I thought there was something with some huge capacitor where if you take the case apart, you risk death by electrocution. I'm kind of scared to take the case apart!!!

I guess I could always go with a 25", but I just like the idea of having a 27" in there better! Hehe!!

[Malenko]

I'm still confused though. I thought there was something with some huge capacitor where if you take the case apart, you risk death by electrocution. I'm kind of scared to take the case apart!!!

That's the anode cap, you only need to disconnect that if separating the tube from the chassis. I checked and the opening is exactly 24 inches, and there is no daylight between the TV and the sides, but there are light scratches on the side where I slid it in , lol. I did some work tonight, pix coming soon.

EDIT: 24 inches wide NOT 25 inches

[Malenko]

So here's me working in photoshop for the shroud art:


And for a mere $33 (ouch! $11 a pop) Kinkos printed me out 3 copies:


Clamped the plastic down with 1 of the copies taped to the back:


drilled out the button holes:


Wired it all back up, I think it looks pretty good!




I'm working on the instruction card that is going go below the monitor. Now to figure out how to add Model 2 and Model 3 games to MaLa. I'm not loving Hyperspin that much.

[Nephasth]

Wow!

The shroud really looks polished now.

[TopJimmyCooks]

Pretty soon you'll be done and you can roll it out, set it in the back of the truck and  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

[BadMouth]

That panel looks awesome with the illuminated buttons! 
Very original. 

[HaRuMaN]

Pretty soon you'll be done and you can roll it out, set it in the back of the truck and  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hahahahahaha

[Purple Tophat]

Love it! Looks great! And thanks for the advice on the monitor!

[Malenko]

Decided to stop dragging my feet on this and get some ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- done.

First I reprimed the insides, then I found a better way to mount the wheel. I used to have the wheel on a shelf and the wheel sticking through the whole in the front. Little back story to that, I had to cut a line from the top to the hole then pry the metal apart and slide the wheel in, good times. When the wheel was on the shelf it worked but it didnt leave much finger room between the shelf and the shroud. Well I eliminated the shelf and I put screws in the wheel housing from the front of the metal CP. Then I JB Welded a blank outlet cover plate behind the control panel, then filled the gap in with JB weld.  Ghetto as hell, but it works and its behind the scenes, and has much better finger clearance all around.

Reprimed:


Computer in, and wires tidy:

Yes, thats a tiny speaker inside, Im waiting to grab 2 new 6x9s for the inside.



Next Ghetto-ness, the shifter. When I got the shifter from UncleT everything was fine, it was either in storage or my first attempt to mount this thing that I broke 2 cherry switches. I couldnt find 2 replacement switches, they are oddly small, so I hacked them, kinda. I basically mounted 2 regular joystick cherries:

then I just decided to just replace the 2 working ones with 2 more regular sized cherries, so all 4 gears felt the same:


Then I mounted the shifter to the control panel , I had to drill 4 bigger holes but in a pinch this could still be converted back to a PP if for some odd reason I ever wanted to. Once the wheel was secure, and the shifter was bolted in, I mounted it to the machine, and ran the shifter wires to the Zero Delay encoder that was originally used for just the camera buttons.

you can see the blank plate in all its ghetto glory!

Re-added the blue cold cathode behind the pedals for the glow:


Cruisn World for no apparent reason:


You cant really see in the cab, but the back door being off and the flash makes it look like you can. That's where the 6x9 is going to go.



I also installed all the locks (keyed the same) and the only things left do do are the front end set up and wiring in 2 new 6x9s

[BadMouth]

I couldnt find 2 replacement switches, they are oddly small, so I hacked them, kinda.

For future reference, radioshack sells that size. 

Cab looks good. 

[griffindodd]

Here's a Marquee idea using that little LCD screen for your dynamic Marquees, just a thought to embed it in generic 'driving' art, it would be cool if the outside marquee art was still illuminated as it would blend with the LCD art, very rough idea attached.

[Malenko]

hmmmmm.........

[Malenko]

new Marquee?

[Well Fed Games]

"Checkered Past" is a brilliant name for this cab- love it! Really coming together nicely.

[yotsuya]

I love the name - but keep working on the font!

[msinks]

Any post-project suggestions or regrets, Malenko?  I'm getting ready to start an extremely similar project with a gutted Pole Position cabinet and a Driving Force GT wheel.  It seems like everything revolves around mounting the steering wheel.  Is the angle of the wheel comfortable mounted on the original steel panel?  How's the room behind for your hands?  I keep flip flopping on whether I want to mount the wheel further out with a custom panel or whether to just reuse the existing panel like you did.

[Malenko]

Well project isnt done, Im hoping it will be soon though.

As for the wheel, I have as much clearance as I could squeeze out of the shaft of the wheel. Hands clear fine, and rare occasions my fingers will rub where it says "Malenko Motorsports" between the start and camera buttons, I doubt this would have happened if I used a vinyl overlay and not removed 14/" of clearance by using plexi there. I need to update this thread (and probably will tonight) I pulled the CRT and put a 24" LCD in there instead, and there is a 7" LCD in the marquee that will change when a game is selected.

The angle of the wheel is actually really good, but Im too tall for the cab to race for long periods of time, I race comfortably from a stool. My only regret really is using a PS3 wheel instead of genuine arcade parts, but this was so much easier. If you have the skill I say got for the custom panel, I just didnt want to sink anymore money into this   If you have any questions or want any specific pictures of anything, let me know.

[Malenko]

Heres some better pictures. I still havent set up all the software yet, I plan to add PS1 and PS2 driving games, and some PC games too.

Here is the LCD installed, with vesion 1.0 Marquee:


This is with all the stuff put back where it belongs:


Heres the cab, with the bar stool I use:


Trusty wireless mouse on the button bezel:


I still need to cover the CP with something:

[opt2not]

Very cool Malenko!

You driving cab guys got me to put one of my cab up for sale so that I can join the driving cab club!
Been drooling over these builds for a little while now, it's time to get one

[msinks]

Thanks for the update, Malenko.  I think I will end up mounting my wheel the same way that you mounted yours.  I just don't think that there's a good way to make the control panel look good without keeping the guts of the Driving Force completely hidden.  It's time to start my own project thread and stop hijacking yours!

BTW, that shroud looks great with the lighted buttons. 

[Malenko]

Thanks for the update, Malenko.  I think I will end up mounting my wheel the same way that you mounted yours.  I just don't think that there's a good way to make the control panel look good without keeping the guts of the Driving Force completely hidden.  It's time to start my own project thread and stop hijacking yours!

BTW, that shroud looks great with the lighted buttons.

Hijack away, no ones reading this one anyway.  I actually have an extra print out of the shroud if you want it. You can just print some small logo out and tap it overtop my name.

[Vigo]

Hijack away, no ones reading this one anyway.

Does looking at the pictures count for anything? I love how it is looking, BTW. Very sexy. The shredded font seems to fit very well with the marquee.

[Malenko]

No pictures this time, since it looks pretty much the same (just cleaner)
Just a software update. Using HyperLaunch 3, I've added the following games/systems:

Nintendo GameCube (Dolphin 4), these occasionally stutter a little, and more to be added later, its just time consuming to rip games from the GC with a network cable.
Auto Modelista
Burnout 2:Point of Impact
Crash Nitro Kart
F-Zero GX
Mario Kart Double Dash

Sega Dreamcast:
18 Wheeler American Pro Trucker
Crazy Taxi
Crazy Taxi 2
Daytona USA
Demolition Racer : No Exit
F1 World Gran Prix
Flag to Flag
Hydro Thunder
Metropolis Street Racer
Monaco Grand Prix (might have to delete this one, I cant find my legit disc)
Roadsters USA
San Francisco Rush 2049
Sega GT (Xbox version is better )
Sega Rally Championship 2
Sno-Cross
Test Drive 6
Test Drive V-Rally
Tokyo Xtreme Racer
Tokyo Xtreme Racer 2
Vigilante 8 - 2 Offensive (might remove this one, its too twisted metal not enough racing)

Nintendo 64:
Automobili Lamborgini
California Speed (might remove, its kinda crummy)
Carmageddeon 64
Cruisn Exotica
Cruisn USA
Cruisn World
Destruction Derby 64
Diddy Kong Racing
F1 Pole Position
F1 World Gran Prix
F-Zero X
GT 64
Indy Racing 2000
Lego Racers
Mario Kart 64
Mickey's Speedway (might delete, not only is it kind of annoying, I cant find my cart)
MCR
Nascar 99
Nascar 2000 (should add this game like 6 times, because everytime I buy a bundle on ebay, this game is included, that and Kobe Bryant's Courtside)
Offroad Challenge
PennyRacers (fantastic game)
Rally Challenge
ReVolt
Roadster Trophy
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiidge Racerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr 64
Rush 2
SCARS (SUX)
San Francisco Rush
San Francisco Rush 2049
Top Gear Over Drive
Top Gear Rally 2
V Rally 99
WipeOut 64 (might dleete, hate this game, lol)

All added to the existing Model 2 and MAME lists puts me at 114 playable games, I still need to add Playstation and maybe Playstation 2, I dont know if theres enough horsepower under the hood for this clunker to run PCSX2. Adding playstation should put me around the 150 game mark.

[opt2not]

No Outrun 2?

OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast has a windows version that would be great on your cab.

[Well Fed Games]

And while you're at it- Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit II had a GC release with controller support... my favorite racing game! 

[Vigo]

Nice list! It looks like a good chunk of fun racing games. I might have to reference that list for good console racers. Looking forward to the PS1 titles as well. 

[BadMouth]

Nice list! It looks like a good chunk of fun racing games. I might have to reference that list for good console racers. Looking forward to the PS1 titles as well. 

Not narrowed down to "good" and is a work in progress, but....
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aq37CSO6oe1fdGNQUGN5UU1QeTl0ZFQ3WkFKYTR1aWc#gid=5

There are a quite a few good arcade ports for the N64 that aren't playable in MAME and N64 emulators don't require much of a PC.

[Malenko]

nice list! Seems I pegged most of the N64 games w00t!  I kept N64 legit, mostly so I can compare wheres it better to play, on an N64 with an actual controllers or sitting on a stool in front of my race cab with a PS3 wheel.

I still cant figure out how to get SuperModel 3 set up, like configuring the wheel n stuffs. Why cant it have a GUI like Model2

As for PC games, I havent even started that process yet, I'll need to install Steam and install a ton of games. Probably do No CD /Steam cracks for all the games I have through steam and on disc. Then the nightmare of adding them to HyperSpin

[Vigo]

Nice list! It looks like a good chunk of fun racing games. I might have to reference that list for good console racers. Looking forward to the PS1 titles as well. 

Not narrowed down to "good" and is a work in progress, but....
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aq37CSO6oe1fdGNQUGN5UU1QeTl0ZFQ3WkFKYTR1aWc#gid=5

There are a quite a few good arcade ports for the N64 that aren't playable in MAME and N64 emulators don't require much of a PC.

Thanks for the link. I know you were working on a comprehensive racing list, but didn't realize you had gotten this far on it. Really great reference material you put together! I will be using this when I revamp the mini racer cab I made for my Dad. Thanks!

[BadMouth]

I still cant figure out how to get SuperModel 3 set up, like configuring the wheel n stuffs. Why cant it have a GUI like Model2

I started to set it up from scratch again, but so many things were a PITA that I gave up and copied the files from my old setup.
There is a crazy process of pressing combinations and sequences of buttons you have to go through to change the cabs to US.
I think I'm just going to upload my nvram and cfg files instead of explaining it. ...actually I'll do that this evening.

I just got it running widescreen for the first time last night and it's pretty sweet.
I want to redo the driving cab info thread and make tutorials for the emulators, but there are just so many damn little things that need tweaked, I'm afraid that I might never get it done if I spend half my time documenting.

There is a GUI version out there (not supported by Bart), but I haven't tried it.
It's usually available from shady sources.  I'd keep the anti-virus on.

[BadMouth]

Thanks for the link. I know you were working on a comprehensive racing list, but didn't realize you had gotten this far on it. Really great reference material you put together! I will be using this when I revamp the mini racer cab I made for my Dad. Thanks!

It's not just me.  It's a group effort.  Well Fed Games did Gamecube because he has the wheel for it.  Fursphere is contributing to PS2/PS3/PC stuff.
I bugged Redketchup to work on the Xbox section since he has a hacked xbox based cab that uses a good xbox wheel, but haven't heard back.

Here is the thread if anyone else would like to join in:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,134588.0.html

[BadMouth]

I think I'm just going to upload my nvram and cfg files instead of explaining it. ...actually I'll do that this evening.

Better late than never.  These aren't perfect, but should still help you out.
At least the regions are set to US.

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B637CSO6oe1fdEhJbjN1MEN0VzQ&usp=sharing

I'll post a link in the driving forum whenever I have the emulator set up and know they're good settings.
The cfg file still has my old setup with JOY2 as the shifter. 
All the nonsense with the ! on the neutral input basically says "if none of these buttons are pressed, you're in neutral"

[monkeychunkuk]

Awesome machine

[Malenko]

Awesome machine

WAS pretty great.  Guts have been stripped, and cab has been disposed of (no one wanted to come get it for free). One day I'll get a sit down cab.

[pbj]

Burn baby burn

[Malenko]

Burn baby burn

close. cut into small enough pieces to fit in my trash can.

[yotsuya]

Awesome machine

WAS pretty great.  Guts have been stripped, and cab has been disposed of (no one wanted to come get it for free). One day I'll get a sit down cab.

I would have given you that extra Maximum Speed I had if you lived closer. Ended up selling it to some dude for $225 who turned it into a $1395 CL frankenracer.

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/vgm/4439964810.html