Author Topic: The Smash Pad - kittens and cleaning and stools - oh my! (Read 52876 times)

Seith · « **Reply #120 on:** November 22, 2012, 01:21:05 pm »

That's gonna be fun. And yes, there will be pics of that for anyone interested.

Seith · « **Reply #121 on:** November 23, 2012, 05:04:50 pm »

Went back to the shop last night to pick up where I left off and get those brackets recessed so that we could put the television in and test fit the glass. Borrowed a dremel tool from a friend of mine and finished the slots for the television clips. Called my dad and brother down to help lift the television in, and almost immediately snapped the MDF at the top of the brackets after letting go of the television:

Let me tell you, the months and months of hard work and sweat making this thing up to this point all flashed before my eyes as the television tipped back. It was like time slowed down to a crawl.

Luckily.... luckily... we were able to keep the television from crashing down into the cab and ending the project altogether. We struggled to get it up and over the brackets and out of the cab, and after much wiggling and frantic speech back and forth, we got the poor boy out of there.

Had it not been for the help of my Dad and brother, that would most definitely have been it. Kudos to both of them for stepping up and saving my project.

We got the brackets off by taking a hatchet and hammer to them:

And a final shot of the night:

So the plan now is to find some angle clips and bolt them to the inner walls, and then bolt the television to them.

Looking for feedback on that plan; is there a better way than that?

Seith · « **Reply #122 on:** November 26, 2012, 10:48:34 am »

I should note that although I want to bolt angle clips to the inner walls of the Smash Pad for monitor mounting, I want to avoid visible bolts on the outside walls. Any ideas for how I could achieve that and still maintain enough of a hold to be able to support a CRT screen?

Seith · « **Reply #123 on:** November 30, 2012, 10:43:00 am »

Someone I was speaking to said that angle clips could be attached with some PL or liquid nail. Would metal bond well enough to MDF to carry the weight of the CRT television? Perhaps if I created more surface area by having the angle clips welded to a sheet of metal that could be Liquid Nailed to the inner wall of the cab. Someone else mentioned I could make a metal frame to have the TV bolted to and Liquid Nail that to the inner wall.

Any suggestions from BYOACers?

Le Chuck · « **Reply #124 on:** November 30, 2012, 12:22:52 pm »

Problem with MDF is that you're not bonding to the entire thickness, more just the top layer. That's why when you hacked off the brackets it looked like it pulled off the top layer with glue (because it did). So if you're doing a small bracket you're not going to want to glue IMO. I'd look at getting the same mounting hardware that's used for undermounting joysticks and hiding the bolt heads. Drill them in and glue the hell out of those and you'll get a stronger platform that way without busting through the far side I'd wager.

Seith · « **Reply #125 on:** November 30, 2012, 04:36:11 pm »

Quote from: Le Chuck on November 30, 2012, 12:22:52 pm

Problem with MDF is that you're not bonding to the entire thickness, more just the top layer. That's why when you hacked off the brackets it looked like it pulled off the top layer with glue (because it did). So if you're doing a small bracket you're not going to want to glue IMO. I'd look at getting the same mounting hardware that's used for undermounting joysticks and hiding the bolt heads. Drill them in and glue the hell out of those and you'll get a stronger platform that way without busting through the far side I'd wager.

Thanks LeChuck, I may try that, it sounds like it'd make more of a bond with the inner wall if I were to go that route. Something like a threaded insert?

Le Chuck · « **Reply #126 on:** November 30, 2012, 04:52:23 pm »

Quote from: Seith on November 30, 2012, 04:36:11 pm

Quote from: Le Chuck on November 30, 2012, 12:22:52 pm
Problem with MDF is that you're not bonding to the entire thickness, more just the top layer. That's why when you hacked off the brackets it looked like it pulled off the top layer with glue (because it did). So if you're doing a small bracket you're not going to want to glue IMO. I'd look at getting the same mounting hardware that's used for undermounting joysticks and hiding the bolt heads. Drill them in and glue the hell out of those and you'll get a stronger platform that way without busting through the far side I'd wager.

Thanks LeChuck, I may try that, it sounds like it'd make more of a bond with the inner wall if I were to go that route. Something like a threaded insert?

Egg-xactly

steinar-t · « **Reply #127 on:** December 01, 2012, 06:33:15 am »

What if you made this part in plywood? And maybe let it go deeper into the cab, leaving more material.

Seith · « **Reply #128 on:** December 04, 2012, 10:09:13 am »

Also a good suggestion. I would have to screw the plywood onto the inner walls from the inside, as at this point PL and clamps would not be a viable option due to the fact that I don't have clamps that would reach in far enough to hold the piece to the wall during drying. And if i'm drilling into the inner walls anyway, maybe threaded inserts are the better choice.

I did get some threaded inserts when I bought the joystick under-mounting kit with my U360s in the wrong size earlier on in the build, maybe those can be put to use after all...

Seith · « **Reply #129 on:** January 14, 2013, 01:59:05 pm »

So I was speaking to my father over the holidays (as a good son does) and he said he had an idea for mounting this monitor - his idea was to mount angle clips on drawer sliders to allow the monitor to slide in and out of the cab for easy mounting/dismounting for transport. I had a look at Home Depot's prices and I could snag the required hardware for about 15$.

My question to the BYOAC massive: Is it worth putting it on sliders? My concern is stability, drawer sliders are weight-rated at up to 100lbs, but that's spread out over the length of the slider, not at a specific point that the angle clip would be connecting on. I really just want this monitor mounted and sturdy is all.

Seith · « **Reply #130 on:** February 14, 2013, 08:03:03 am »

So I generated a high-quality PNG file from my Inkscape drawing of the control panel artwork and brought that on a stick to Staples after triple-checking the file was the correct size on my computer (width should be 32 1/8", check) and they said it would be a couple days as their color printer has a queue. A few days go by and I get the results rolled up in a long bag. I ask the lady at the desk, "is this the same size as the file as I requested?" and she says "yes, it was printed 1:1." Okay, i figure, I pay my 35 bucks and am out of there.

I get the printout home and first thing I do is unroll it on my bedroom floor and measure. 31 1/4"

I am headed back to Staples today to hopefully get a reprint done, wish for some understanding for me.

Seith · « **Reply #131 on:** February 15, 2013, 02:15:05 pm »

OK, so after getting my artwork misprinted twice, the third time I had to walk them through clicking "print actual size" and I now have properly-sized artwork.

gotta do some crazy things sometimes to get what you want. Luckily it didn't cost me any more than I initially paid.

Pics to follow after work.

PL1 · « **Reply #132 on:** February 15, 2013, 03:52:19 pm »

Quote from: Seith on February 15, 2013, 02:15:05 pm

I had to walk them through clicking "print actual size" and I now have properly-sized artwork.

I refer to this type of thing as the "curse of competency".

Scott

mcseforsale · « **Reply #133 on:** February 15, 2013, 04:11:23 pm »

Dammit! Didn't you know you were supposed to go home and rebuild your cab to match the art they printed for you?

I weep for the future..

AK

Seith · « **Reply #134 on:** February 15, 2013, 04:12:06 pm »

Quote from: PL1 on February 15, 2013, 03:52:19 pm

Quote from: Seith on February 15, 2013, 02:15:05 pm
I had to walk them through clicking "print actual size" and I now have properly-sized artwork.

I refer to this type of thing as the "curse of competency".

Scott

The worst was they said the first misprint was due to my file being mis-sized but they would reprint it free anyway.

Seith · « **Reply #135 on:** February 15, 2013, 04:13:22 pm »

Quote from: mcseforsale on February 15, 2013, 04:11:23 pm

Dammit! Didn't you know you were supposed to go home and rebuild your cab to match the art they printed for you?

I weep for the future..

AK

Old and busted: "build around your monitor"
New hotness: "build around your staples-printout"

PL1 · « **Reply #136 on:** February 15, 2013, 04:26:16 pm »

Quote from: mcseforsale on February 15, 2013, 04:11:23 pm

Dammit! Didn't you know you were supposed to go home and rebuild your cab to match the art they printed for you?

Dude!! What is wrong with you??!!??

Sounds like you think the world revolves around them.

Everybody knows it revolves around ME.

Scott

Le Chuck · « **Reply #137 on:** February 15, 2013, 06:18:04 pm »

Quote from: PL1 on February 15, 2013, 03:52:19 pm

Quote from: Seith on February 15, 2013, 02:15:05 pm
I had to walk them through clicking "print actual size" and I now have properly-sized artwork.

I refer to this type of thing as the "curse of competency".

Scott

Feel your pain. I get ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- printed at kinkos all the time and I've learned never to drop it off. A few of the folks there have gotten to know me and just hand me the mouse when I come in so I can do the print settings myself. I'd say they print correctly the first time about 30% of the time and that's with me standing there saying, "you set it up wrong and we're going to have to redo it."

At least they're really good natured about it and I make sure and be nice to all of them because they could probably just tell me to take a hike.

Seith · « **Reply #138 on:** February 18, 2013, 06:48:46 am »

Got the monitor mounted the other day, after the MDF bracket fiasco I decided to go with angle clips:

Put wood spacers up top to help angle it some:

Seith · « **Reply #139 on:** February 18, 2013, 06:52:01 am »

Installed cellar bolts to rear access hatch for easy removal:

Not pictured: wood butts behind door to hold it in place when latching bolts

Also switched out the yellow coin reject button with a red one from Happ:

Took out my template piece and sandwiched the artwork between it and some yoga mats so as to not have the fiancee yell at me about cutting on the floor:

Dismantled the control panel for artwork application:

Seith · « **Reply #140 on:** February 21, 2013, 06:08:28 pm »

Teaser pic of the finished CP:

mcseforsale · « **Reply #141 on:** February 23, 2013, 02:14:15 pm »

Remember....nice, neat wiring. Nerd fodder.

AJ

Seith · « **Reply #142 on:** February 26, 2013, 08:35:59 am »

Oh, it's neat alright. Pics of the inside soon.

Teaser pic #2:

Seith · « **Reply #143 on:** February 28, 2013, 02:38:16 pm »

Man, warm weather can't come fast enough! Idle hands tend to play, and i've been spending the time tweaking and touching up my frontend. Much of that time has been spent getting PC games up and running in a fashion that is transparent to the end-user. This undertaking has relied heavily on a few key programs:

1. Joy2Key - I cannot stress enough how wonderful this program is to anyone setting up an arcade with U360s in it. It just works so seamlessly, and unlike any other solution i've tried.
2. Ultramap - Andy's software really does work a dream; it's exactly as I would have wanted it to work. Commandline into a batch script, have UM point to the cfg file that's needed for the game (I have been doing separate files for each game), and boom, you have a 2-way stick for games like VVVVVV, 4-way for Pac-Man clones like Chompston, and analog for games like SYNSO2.
3. Fraps - Easy-to-use video capture software that I have running on my main desktop. Part of my PC Game list building is making sure it works just like the rest of the frontend, and in 90% of cases, the PC games I am adding to the machine do not have corresponding preview videos on emumovies.com, so i've put it on myself to create the movies for my frontend to give it that cohesive, unified feel I am going for. Fraps is great for most of the games I have been adding, as it hooks in nicely and gives me the F9 on/off functionality I need. Video output is nice and clear and gives me a raw file that I can then shape in my video editing software.
4. Camtasia Studio - This comes with a screencapture program that works for any games that won't allow Fraps to hook into them properly. While I do find it takes up more resources than Fraps, it works just as nicely and the output at the end of it all is just as usable. It also gives me the ability to capture part of the screen instead of the whole thing, which is good for low-resolution games that just provision a percentage of the screen space for their game (an example is the PC Game "Cave Of No Return" which does not have a full-screen mode, and leaves the edges of the screen visible to whatever is behind the game window)
5. Corel VideoStudio Pro - What I use to produce the final product, I can chop out a 30-second bit of the gameplay output and usually 7 seconds of the title screen, arrange them on the timeline how I want, and fade to and from black between transitions. The result is this:

I hope to be able to upload the created videos (some 60-odd games at this point) to emumovies.com for users to use in their builds in the future. They are not high-quality, but they look fine on low-resolution monitors.

6. AutoIT - I have gotten pretty good at utilizing this free set of scripting tools to automate things that certain PC games require to begin playing; for example, one of the games I have on my cab is called "Focus" and when the executable is run, there is a splash screen that allows you to change the configuration of the game before playing it. This is not desirable for my players to have to go through anytime they run the game, so I created a script that calls the executable, moves the mouse to the "Start Game" button relative to the window, and left-clicks. Boom, user is in the game, they don't have to worry about pesky menus. Another good use for it is to help hide the mouse for games that don't require mouse control, but also that don't manage mouse input in-game (i.e. you are playing, but you can bring your cursor into view, and in some cases, clicking or right-clicking on the screen affects gameplay by bringing up menus that are otherwise unneeded). I just have the script go into a loop that moves the mouse cursor to the 1024x768 co-ordinates anytime it is not there, and include a script that allows for dummying-out mouseclicks, just to be safe. I hope to be able to share some of my scripts with the community when the project is finished.

Just the other day I had my fiancee come in to my home office and I asked her to try navigating the interface with the control panel. I explained the controls as I had coded them to work with MALA and she picked up on it pretty quick. She then proceeded to navigate to the SNES section and browsed through the "All Games" list until settling on the game "ChessMaster", which she then played for about an hour

I think I got wife-approval! She played Clue for the SNES after that.

Can't wait to move the cab to our house. Like I said, i'm anticipating the end of april to be good enough weather-wise.

mcseforsale · « **Reply #144 on:** February 28, 2013, 03:18:17 pm »

Looks good, man. I'm now just starting to work seriously on the software for my cab. I "finished" the damn thing 7 months ago. Then, I was building the Fistful of Quarters... Watching your software tweaks with interest.

AJ

Seith · « **Reply #145 on:** February 28, 2013, 04:10:34 pm »

Thanks, dude

It's not the flashiest build, but with the amount of time and effort I am putting into the software and frontend, it really feels like something I can call my own and can be satisfied that I have stood apart enough from the rest of the cabs with my PC game collection. In the end, I guess it makes me happy as long as it's fun to play on.

I have a friend down south who wants me to clone the drive and mail it to him when i'm done so he can build his own cabinet. It feels good to know i'm inspiring more projects like mine.

Seith · « **Reply #146 on:** March 02, 2013, 12:59:59 pm »

Teaser pic #3 of the completed control panel.

Seith · « **Reply #147 on:** March 05, 2013, 10:20:42 am »

Got back to the shop last night to check some minor things off:

Got the coin switch mounted on the coindoor properly now
Brought the control panel and PC to the cab
Panel mounted and P1Coin wired to coin switch with quick disconnects
PC installed and power line wired to cab power button
Monitor glass installed temporarily (plans to make a bezel out of black posterboard once it makes it home)
Installed sub and hooked up speakers and control to it
Various cleanup

So that still leaves some things to do before I call it 99.9% done:

Wire coin return button light
Make bezel out of posterboard and install
Get marquee printed at gameongrafix ($$)
Hook control panel up to PC

I am doing the first full power-on tonight once a couple of those list items are taken care of. Wish me luck.

dandro · « **Reply #148 on:** March 05, 2013, 10:27:45 am »

this is looking great! can't wait to see more as it unfolds.

Seith · « **Reply #149 on:** March 05, 2013, 02:15:20 pm »

Quote from: dandro on March 05, 2013, 10:27:45 am

this is looking great! can't wait to see more as it unfolds.

Thanks dude! Yours is coming along nicely as well, have popped in periodically to see where you are at with it. Gotta say, love the space you are putting it in as well!

dandro · « **Reply #150 on:** March 05, 2013, 03:49:21 pm »

appreciate that!

If you have any suggestions or comments I am open to feedback

Seith · « **Reply #151 on:** March 06, 2013, 11:42:25 am »

Got to my dad's place yesterday to do some more work.

Found out that there is an issue with either the power bar or the IEC320 plug that won't allow for power to pass through to the devices when plugged in... so instead I just plugged my speakers, television and PC into an extension cable just to power everything on and see how it goes. PC plugged in, powered on fine from the arcade buttonpress, no surprises there. Speakers powered on when I plugged them in, didn't have to access the speaker control PCB. Great.

The nervewracking part of the cabinet was putting the television on power. It hadn't been plugged in since being decased and moved multiple times, and this was not only my first time working with televisions, but my dad's also, so novices all around. Plugged it in, and... nothing.

I pulled out the button strip that was still connected to the TV and pressed the "power" button, and heard a snap noise. Still no picture.

That's when I remembered; when I originally got this television off of my dad back in 2009 the same thing happened, it didn't power on right away. I had to leave it plugged in for a short time for it to gather a charge, and then try to power it on. So we went upstairs and watched some Curling (Northern Ontario vs. Southern Ontario) for about 20 minutes, came back to it and tried again... and it powered on!

I was so happy to see the television working that I had my dad take up the 2-player reins and fired up the inaugural round of Street Fighter 2 Championship Edition. Ken (me) vs. Bison (dad), and he won after three rounds.

I coulda kicked his ass but I went easy on him

Pics to come soon...

jmike · « **Reply #152 on:** March 06, 2013, 11:48:07 am »

Glad the TV worked for you.
Thanks for sharing this important info. The TV I'm working with was decased about 5 months or so and hasn't been turned on. I'll know what to do if it doesn't turn on right away.

Seith · « **Reply #153 on:** March 06, 2013, 11:52:48 am »

No problem! Feels so good to be at the home stretch of this project.

dandro · « **Reply #154 on:** March 06, 2013, 12:40:23 pm »

the ol' warm up the monitor routine... YAY, glad it's working man! home stretch! home stretch!

Seith · « **Reply #155 on:** March 07, 2013, 03:53:14 pm »

Last night got back to my father's place to try and sort out why power was not going to the smart strip; when I installed the IEC320 breakout box, it came with a spot to put a 250V fuse. Said fuse blew, so I replaced it, and the smart strip lit up again. However, as soon as I went to go power the cab up again, the fuse blew AGAIN. It was at that point that my critical thinking skills came into play and I surmised that the smart strip would not have needed a fuse between it and the wall power if I hadn't wired it to the IEC320 breakout box, so why am I trying to wedge one in there? So I fashioned together a solution: took two identical short lengths of 16AWG stranded wire, stripped the ends and twisted it all together to make a fuse-sized bar. Tinted the ends with some solder and wedged it in where the fuse went. Fired it up... and SUCCESS!

Have to pick up another spool of hookup wire to get the light behind the coin return button to light up. That's next week's work.

Oh yeah, here are some more pics:

Uh oh... games on a screen... fingers crossed i will have the fortitude to be able to finish the project.

mcseforsale · « **Reply #156 on:** March 07, 2013, 04:17:36 pm »

Dude. No. Like any other arcade project, it will never be finished.

AJ

Seith · « **Reply #157 on:** March 07, 2013, 04:21:14 pm »

Quote from: mcseforsale on March 07, 2013, 04:17:36 pm

Dude. No. Like any other arcade project, it will never be finished.

AJ

I know. This is the worst-case scenario. This project could have recovered from wet MDF, a slipped router, dropping the monitor glass, or even an electrical fire to some degree of restoration, but the screen coming on? There is no saving it from itself. I played about an hour straight of Super Crate Box. God help us all.

dandro · « **Reply #158 on:** March 07, 2013, 04:22:05 pm »

Quote from: mcseforsale on March 07, 2013, 04:17:36 pm

Dude. No. Like any other arcade project, it will never be finished.

AJ

I always have this in my mind "at what point would I consider my build, done".. seems the answer is never, unless you start a new project to keep your own paws off of it!

mcseforsale · « **Reply #159 on:** March 07, 2013, 04:33:51 pm »

I thought it was when I started building the next one. I was wrong.

AJ

Quote from: dandro on March 07, 2013, 04:22:05 pm

Quote from: mcseforsale on March 07, 2013, 04:17:36 pm
Dude. No. Like any other arcade project, it will never be finished.

AJ

I always have this in my mind "at what point would I consider my build, done".. seems the answer is never, unless you start a new project to keep your own paws off of it!


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