Automated Cabinet

[darthpaul]

This is just a taste of my almost completely automated cabinet. I have been working with Ken "DaOld Man" Rager to transform my current cabinet into an automated one. The pictures below are just a tease, more to come.

[brad808]

"Completely Automated Cabinet" being what exactly? Is this for auto rotation of the monitor? Automated control panel?

[darthpaul]

Automated monitor rotation, control panel rotation, auto switching joysticks from 4 to 8 way, auto retractable light guns, auto retractable pedals and shifter. The only thing I couldn't automate is the steering wheel, that is going to have to be manually added and removed.

[DCsegaDH]

Wow! I can't wait to see more of this build

[brad808]

Automated monitor rotation, control panel rotation, auto switching joysticks from 4 to 8 way, auto retractable light guns, auto retractable pedals and shifter. The only thing I couldn't automate is the steering wheel, that is going to have to be manually added and removed.

Ok now you have my attention! 

[Le Chuck]

This is exactly the type of innovation that keeps me glued to this forum. Can't wait to see the execution. Good teasers. 

[darthpaul]

I'll add another, this is the compartment that holds the light gun, there is one on each side of the cabinet. I'm using a servo to raise and lower the gun, the hardest part was making everything light enough so the servo would be able to raise it. In order to make things as light as possible I also replaced the USB cable that came with the Aim-Trak kit with a thinner one from Pololu, I checked with Andy from Ultimarc if it would be OK and he said there should be no problem. I am automating it with DaOld Man's yet to be released plug-in, controlchoose. I'll let DaOld Man explain how it works when all the kinks are worked out.

[Nacimroc]

Really looking forward to this aswell. The more info you can give us on servo/actuator set ups etc the better please   . Would love to try something like this in time but I've no idea about setting one up.

[darthpaul]

Since this was my first build and being someone who likes a challenge, I decided I wanted a rotating monitor and rotating control panels. The monitor's rotation was motorized and operated with a DPSTswitch and the control panels were rotated by opening the front door and revolving the panels by hand.
Here is what it originally looked like.



I was happy with the result, of course there were things I wish I had done better but it didn't turn out too bad. Then one day I read about DaOld Man's StartCom and  MRotate and everything changed. I contacted Ken about MRotate who generously helped me to automate my monitor rotation. When I mentioned to him that I also have rotating control panels, he commented how cool it would be to automate them and that one comment was the start of this difficult crazy journey.

More to come....

[vcoleiro1]

Got to love the Light Sabre in the Pool Cue rack - lol

[darthpaul]

It was a great space saving solution.

[Green Giant]

I see you have been doing some work with George.

How are Astro and Elroy doing?

[darthpaul]

 

[darthpaul]

My George Jetson moment is my gear train for the motorized rotating control panel. This is the fourth and final design. My first design was a little crazy and it did kinda work;



My second design used a chain and sprockets, this was where I realized it would have been much easier to have planned motorizing it from the start. I needed room for the chain to turn the panels so I had to rout out a large section of the side of the cabinet, which was easier to do than shorten each panel. This design worked much better than the first and I ultimately could have used this as my final design but there were other problems that caused me to redesign it.



At this point DaOld Man (Ken) had started on the plug-in that would control the rotation, we decided on using a code wheel and optical encoder.



The birth of CPRotate:
The way it would work is, as the motor rotated, a sprocket would turn the code wheel through the use of a pulley. The optical encoder would "read" code wheel and transfer the counts to CPRotate. Specific counts for each panel were entered into CPRotate and when that count was reached CPRotate would tell the Motor Driver to stop.
The biggest problem I was having was getting the panels to consistently stop at the same position because of play in the chain drive. There was also the issue of a panel lock, the initial plan was to use a solenoid that would push a rod through the end of the control panel into a hole in the side of the cabinet. Because I couldn't get the panels to always line up perfectly I decided to drop the chain and sprockets for a direct drive method.



 

I mounted the motor to the inside of the side panel of the control panels attaching it to the side of the cabinet panel through the use of a socket. Because of the weight of the motor, the panels were way out of balance and I proceeded to try and add weight to each panel to balance everything out which made everything that much heavier. This design failed as well, there was too much stress on the motor shaft which ended up breaking and I still couldn't get the panel to consistently stop in the same position for the solenoid lock to work.
Before I go any further, there are many details I left out and if anyone has any questions I will be more than happy to answer them.   

[Bender]

I've been thinking about this (automated rotating CP) for a while, and even started a couple prototypes, my biggest problem was locking it into place with no play
Then then I saw Ond's rotating monitor and it hit me, with a stepper motor inside the center of the rotating CP you could have a direct drive with precise control and no pay and no need for a locking mechanism, so essentially the stepper motor would rotate with the CP if that makes any sense

I'm really psyched to see someone actually doing this
Looking forward to your progress!!

[drventure]

Nice. I'm working through some of these same issues with my radio cabinet build right now.

Where'd you source the motors, rods, gears?

My struggle right now is connecting a threaded rod to the motor shaft of the motor I'm using to lift the cabinet top.

Saw an interesting take on it where they used vinyl tubing to help damp vibration.

But I may end up just getting a real linear actuator and being done with it...

Cool build. I like the gun tray pop up idea!

[darthpaul]

I've been thinking about this (automated rotating CP) for a while, and even started a couple prototypes, my biggest problem was locking it into place with no play
Then then I saw Ond's rotating monitor and it hit me, with a stepper motor inside the center of the rotating CP you could have a direct drive with precise control and no pay and no need for a locking mechanism, so essentially the stepper motor would rotate with the CP if that makes any sense

I'm really psyched to see someone actually doing this
Looking forward to your progress!!

Yes, the locking of the panels was my biggest headache. I tried the motor inside the panels and although it wasn't a stepper, weight and the momentum of the panels turning may be a problem. I finally came up with this design for my lock, it looks like some sort of torture device. I'm using an actuator to raise and lower it and is triggered by a relay(DaOld Man's design) connected to printer's parallel port and controlled by CPRotate.

[Green Giant]

So are you going to make a robotic interface to stand in front of the machine and automate the playing as well?

That way a user can virtually feel like they are playing.

[darthpaul]

Nice. I'm working through some of these same issues with my radio cabinet build right now.

Where'd you source the motors, rods, gears?

My struggle right now is connecting a threaded rod to the motor shaft of the motor I'm using to lift the cabinet top.

Saw an interesting take on it where they used vinyl tubing to help damp vibration.

But I may end up just getting a real linear actuator and being done with it...

Cool build. I like the gun tray pop up idea!

The motor that rotates the CP is just a windshield wiper motor and I'm using an actuator(ebay) to operate the CP lock. Purchased the gears here https://sdp-si.com/eStore/, the motor drivers here http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/711
The wiper motor has a threaded shaft and I epoxied a shaft extender on it, I then found a 1/2" drive socket that that was the same size as the extender, I think it is 3/8", I then shaped the hub of the gear to fit in the 1/2" socket.
The picture shows two sockets jammed together as a test before purchasing one with all the correct dimensions.



Here are the actuators I'm using, they only have a 4" stroke which was enough for what I needed them for.

[darthpaul]

So are you going to make a robotic interface to stand in front of the machine and automate the playing as well?

That way a user can virtually feel like they are playing.

My goal is for someone to just worry about what game they want to play and not try and figure out what controls are needed or what buttons need to be pressed, it has lighted buttons, 4 or 8 way joystick.

[drventure]

My goal is for someone to just worry about what game they want to play and not try and figure out what controls are needed or what buttons need to be pressed

I always thought the ultimate in this would be to have each button mounted on a motorized lift.

When you select a game, only the used buttons would be "up".

The rest would drop down under the CP and little cover doors would slide in place to cover the holes.

I'm counting the days years till someone pulls that one off. 

[Yvan256]

My goal is for someone to just worry about what game they want to play and not try and figure out what controls are needed or what buttons need to be pressed

I always thought the ultimate in this would be to have each button mounted on a motorized lift.

When you select a game, only the used buttons would be "up".

The rest would drop down under the CP and little cover doors would slide in place to cover the holes.

I'm counting the days years till someone pulls that one off. 

Make that multi-colored buttons in each spot instead of colored lighted ones and you got a deal.   

[darthpaul]

My goal is for someone to just worry about what game they want to play and not try and figure out what controls are needed or what buttons need to be pressed

I always thought the ultimate in this would be to have each button mounted on a motorized lift.

When you select a game, only the used buttons would be "up".

The rest would drop down under the CP and little cover doors would slide in place to cover the holes.

I'm counting the days years till someone pulls that one off. 

No buttons but the Shifter raises and lowers.

[SammyWI]

Very cool setup.  Please keep us updated.

[Le Chuck]

Wow.  Seriously, the possibilities this opens are fantastic. Keep it coming.

[darthpaul]

If you insist. All the rotating control panel cabinets I had seen required opening the front door to rotate the panels and mine was no different, having a Flight Stick required it. In order to create a motorized revolving CPs, opening the front door wouldn't fly. The solution I came up with was creating a bump-out to make room for the Flight Stick to rotate. Since this is a Star Wars themed cabinet, this is the solution I came up with:





Another problem I had with the rotation and this was probably due to poor design on my part, was, I had to have a space under the monitor large enough for the joysticks to clear under. In order to hide this space, I created a flap that would fold up when I wanted to rotate the CPs, then I would fold it back down when the panels were in position. Now I also had to devise some method of have this flap open automatically when the panels are ready to rotate, then close went the rotation was complete. I have been having some problems with this because it involved linkage that tied into the CP lock, I finally got it working correctly today. The following are older pictures of the linkage, I just had to do some tweaking to get it working just right.

[darthpaul]

OK, here are some pictures of the pedals, they are automated to be pushed out from beneath the cabinet when a driving game is chosen. I am using a servo to activate a switch to turn on the actuator that pulls a rod(lever) pushing the pedals out from beneath the cabinet (sounds a little like Mouse Trap). At the same time the shifter raises up out of it's compartment. When you exit the game, the same thing happens but in reverse.
The pedals are heavily modified Pole Position pedals, I replaced the pot that came with it with linear pots on both the gas and brake and kept the micro switch on the brake.

[stefano]

Congratulations for plan such sophisticated mechanisms.

I like simpler designs like a vertical slim arcade cabinet for example... Too much options and we finish never enjoying the games... this is my humble opinion.

[jimmy2x2x]

Really interesting project, any chance of a video or two showing it in action?

Thanks

[drventure]

Really interesting project, any chance of a video or two showing it in action?

+1 to that!

@stefano

Too much options and we finish never enjoying the games

True, but keep in mind, to many, the process of +building+ the cabinet is just as much, if not more, fun than the games you can end up playing on the cabinet!

Personally, I love all the mechanical, rotating screen, folding, popup this-or-that designs floating around here. Definitely keeps me coming back.

[darthpaul]

Congratulations for plan such sophisticated mechanisms.

I like simpler designs like a vertical slim arcade cabinet for example... Too much options and we finish never enjoying the games... this is my humble opinion.

Yes, behind the scenes so to speak, it is somewhat complicated but the end result, due to the automation involved, makes it a much simpler cabinet to use. The only real option there is, is what game you want to play, again, due to the automation involved(thanks to DaOld Man), the cabinet is configured for each game.

[darthpaul]

Really interesting project, any chance of a video or two showing it in action?

Thanks

That is a given, I just need a little more time to put some makeup and lipstick on it before it's ready for it's close up 

[Le Chuck]

True, but keep in mind, to many, the process of +building+ the cabinet is just as much, if not more, fun than the games you can end up playing on the cabinet!

+ eleventy billion

[darthpaul]

Guilty as well, I'm already thinking about a sit-down racer.

[drventure]

You come up with a sit down racing cabinet that automatically folds up into a "normal" piece of furniture, and I just might have to blatantly copy your design!

I might get away with having one of those in my house 

[darthpaul]

Let's not get crazy now 

[RyoriNoTetsujin]

You come up with a sit down racing cabinet that automatically folds up into a "normal" piece of furniture, and I just might have to blatantly copy your design!

I might get away with having one of those in my house 

You mean, like this?

Probably not quite what you have in mind... but not a bad idea, either.

[drventure]

That's great!

No, not quite what I had in mind, but pretty damn slick, none-the-less.

[darthpaul]

An update on my Steering wheel progress. The plan is to have a detachable wheel with the column rising and lowering out of site behind a sliding door.
Here is the wheel and column I'm using, I won it for a $1.00 on ebay, I have tested it with my opti-pac and it works fine.



Here is my new column mounted on the front of the cabinet. The column will raise and lower with a linkage that is attached to the pedal linkage.



This how I'm going to enclose it, I had to bump out the coin door 2" to make everything fit and I think it looks better.




Next I have to make the sliding door, which with some luck, will be operated by a servo.

[TopJimmyCooks]

Surprised I hadn't seen this until now.  one thing I would consider on the guns is to have them slide out on racks Robocop style rather than flip down.  Also, the guys doing rotating gates on their joysticks need to look into your worm drive actuators- those are perfect for that application, especially if there's a smaller version. 

Very interesting stuff. something I would seriously consider is using this cab as a prototype and working out all the bugs and questions, then maybe redoing the cabinet in a final version.  I'm very interested to see how the cp panel drive works.