First Old Skool Arcade Bartop

[The Frog]

Hi guys! I have always, since I can remember, loved the arcades. Playing classics like double dragon, cable, forgotten worlds, 1942, etc at arcade parlours with friends. Even having a teenage party with friends at Timezone (Australian arcade) and playing Ninja Turtles with three other friends on unlimited credit... good times 

Recently finding out about MAME and other emulators, and then BYOAC, I decided to build my own cab.... which was quickly squashed by the prison warden (wife  ) about not having enough room  . Next best thing was a bartop which I managed to get past and approved! 

Over the last month or two I have been researching, drawing, and buying items for a bartop. I decided to do something between the Widowmaker and Weecade. I thought the shoulder space of the Widowmaker was great and also having a flat cp.

I have modelled a bartop which seems to cover all the bases. I wondering whether you guys could help point any issues out which I have seen or overlooked.

I managed to get a second hand computer from work  , which has specs of dual core cpu, 2 Gb ram, and 250Gb hard drive, and buy a second hand 19" 4:3 viewsonic LCD. I plan to run hyperspin with MAME as main emulator. The theme is still up in the air, something with Old Skool Arcade on the marquee is my initial thoughts.

[DirtyDachshunds]

Looks good.  Keep us posted.

[The Frog]

After birth of 2nd kid and many sleepness nights I managed to get working on bartop!!  I have put together the main wood frame and now looking setting up monitor and cp.

[Unstupid]

Are you surface mounting your joysticks, because those Joystick holes look a little small?

[The Frog]

Still undecided on whether to surface mount or underside mount the joysticks I used a 20mm hole for the joystick shaft to poke. The website ozstick showed that this is a good size. Is 20mm big enough??

[Cougar888]

I guess it depens on the joystick. I use U360's and the hole for them is 28mm, they are under-mounted and just miss the sides when at full throw. I may fit a restrictor anyway as the throw is a bit much.

[Unstupid]

yup.. really depends on what kind of joystick, how you plan on mounting it, ant the thickness of your control panel as well as the sheet of lexan on top of your control panel.  My Happ Competition joysticks have shafts that are 15mm in diameter.  A 20mm hole will only allow 2.5mm movement in any direction.  No way that would work with a bottom mount.  

[The Frog]

The joysticks I have bought are Sanwa JS01 which look to have 10-12mm shaft diameter, so 4-5mm clearance should be fine. I have 12mm MDF panel for CP with 4mm lexan plastic cover, do you think the if recess the MDF 4-5mm that it would be an issue with strength???