Author Topic: Discs of Mame - Discs of tron cab - Complete (Read 17990 times)

Los Abrazos Rotos · « **on:** March 26, 2012, 05:35:07 am »

I thought it was about time I started a thread for my first build so here goes!

I decided to build something with the feel of the discs of tron cabinet that also serves as a Mame machine. Purists can look away now..

The cabinet is the same shape as the arcade machine but half the depth. I have all the parts now - I bought the DOT joystick cover and found an old 4/8way leaf joystick on ebay & converted it. The push/pull spinner came from Apache controls & the control panel is an old playchoice 10 that I have modified. The artwork is an altered version of the original & is nearly ready to print - It includes the UV section in a simpler form. Pics to follow soon!

Anyway, I've finished designing it and started putting it together - input welcome, especially on what to use for my screen. I'm plaaning to sandwich the artwork between two pieces of glass or perspex but am unsure about using a tint, I'm worried it will obscure my artwork & how it will react with UV light.

Los Abrazos Rotos · « **Reply #1 on:** March 26, 2012, 05:37:15 am »

More pics:

TopJimmyCooks · « **Reply #2 on:** March 26, 2012, 09:13:51 am »

looks good. space the control panel out further than the front of the cab or people will bump their head on the marquee. Also, suggest you trim back the 1x1's at the corners of the marquee so they don't cast square shadows on your marquee image.

Le Chuck · « **Reply #3 on:** March 26, 2012, 09:19:42 am »

Quote from: Los Abrazos Rotos on March 26, 2012, 05:35:07 am

I'm plaaning to sandwich the artwork between two pieces of glass or perspex but am unsure about using a tint, I'm worried it will obscure my artwork & how it will react with UV light.

Tint the bottom one, have to top one be clear. Then your screen is tinted but your artwork isn't. Ditto TJC's advice about the control panel, gotta bring the CP out some or folks will be bouncing their skulls off your marquee. Can't wait to see the art. Nice start.

Los Abrazos Rotos · « **Reply #4 on:** March 26, 2012, 09:29:55 am »

The control panel extends further than the marquee, its an old steel playchoice 10 one - I flattened the raised part from the top & cut 1cm from it

Los Abrazos Rotos · « **Reply #5 on:** March 26, 2012, 09:50:27 am »

Quote from: TopJimmyCooks on March 26, 2012, 09:13:51 am

Also, suggest you trim back the 1x1's at the corners of the marquee so they don't cast square shadows on your marquee image.

Thanks, good tip

wp34 · « **Reply #6 on:** March 26, 2012, 10:15:15 am »

I like your design. You can see the influence of DOT but it still looks unique.

Los Abrazos Rotos · « **Reply #7 on:** March 26, 2012, 10:29:07 am »

Thanks! Its the exact shape of DOT & almost the same height - as long as I get the artwork right I think its gonna look pretty good.

Los Abrazos Rotos · « **Reply #8 on:** March 26, 2012, 11:10:28 am »

Slots cut for PSU and vents, tomorrow slots for the speaker grills

wp34 · « **Reply #9 on:** March 26, 2012, 11:40:17 am »

Have you played around with a UV light source yet? I tried a cheapo Black Light this weekend and it would not light up my Tron repro handle at all. It also didn't do anything for white T-shirts so I'm sure it was the bulb.

Los Abrazos Rotos · « **Reply #10 on:** March 26, 2012, 11:41:42 am »

Yeah, I have one bright enough to light a small town - hopefully it still works. What light were you using?

wp34 · « **Reply #11 on:** March 26, 2012, 07:35:10 pm »

I believe it was this one.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&rlz=&q=westinghouse+black+light+bulb&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=17245471204720723113&sa=X&ei=s_xwT97aFMSOsAKTxYziDg&ved=0CJsBEPMCMAI

The girl at the checkout told me they didn't work well and suggested I buy one of the new CFC ones. I figured for $2 even if it didn't work for my Tron my kids would think it is fun. I'm taking it back.

http://www.elightbulbs.com/Westinghouse-37924-13MINITWIST-MINI-BLACK-Twist-Screw-Base-Compact-Fluorescent-Light-Bulb

Los Abrazos Rotos · « **Reply #12 on:** March 27, 2012, 07:55:55 am »

Something like this should do the job

http://www.glowvinyl.co.uk/uv-blacklight-600.htm

Los Abrazos Rotos · « **Reply #13 on:** March 30, 2012, 07:45:49 am »

The perspex for the screen/UV section arrived today - a business down the road bend it to the right shape for £10. I went with 2 sheets of 5mm to sandwich my artwork, the top clear, the bottom slightly tinted. Next I'll complete the artwork and get it printed.

wp34 · « **Reply #14 on:** March 30, 2012, 09:10:56 am »

Quote from: Los Abrazos Rotos on March 30, 2012, 07:45:49 am

The perspex for the screen/UV section arrived today - a business down the road bend it to the right shape for £10. I went with 2 sheets of 5mm to sandwich my artwork, the top clear, the bottom slightly tinted. Next I'll complete the artwork and get it printed.

That turned out really good. I like the look of that perspex.

TopJimmyCooks · « **Reply #15 on:** March 30, 2012, 09:14:28 am »

looks like they got a nice, consistent sharp bend. Very nice. What a great vendor to have close access to.

Los Abrazos Rotos · « **Reply #16 on:** March 30, 2012, 10:03:44 am »

Pretty good isnt it.. This is my first effort at a cabinet & its hard to tell if its going to look rubbish when its finished $:-\$

I'm cautiously optimistic

Los Abrazos Rotos · « **Reply #17 on:** March 31, 2012, 08:02:54 am »

Time to test the tron joystick. Its an old leaf switch one with a 4/8 way restrictor I picked up from ebay for £5 - I just had to modify it slightly. It works perfectly & feels just like the tron stick, or at least the tron stick as i remember it.

Los Abrazos Rotos · « **Reply #18 on:** April 02, 2012, 03:17:24 am »

A little snapshot of the artwork. Its not quite finished yet, I'm just sorting out the colours

Los Abrazos Rotos · « **Reply #19 on:** April 07, 2012, 02:06:20 am »

Lots of progress this week. Painting has come out way, way better than I thought it would - the gloss finish is incredible. You cant really see that in the picture though.

wp34 · « **Reply #20 on:** April 07, 2012, 07:50:06 am »

Looking good.

Los Abrazos Rotos · « **Reply #21 on:** April 08, 2012, 04:28:46 am »

More progress. The coin door is in, I havn't found a bally midway door yet so this will do for now.

I've also taken a set of sony speakers to pieces & put the bass section in the bottom of the cab & the other two speakers below the marquee. Finally I've put the speaker grills in place.

Los Abrazos Rotos · « **Reply #22 on:** April 10, 2012, 09:20:14 am »

Artwork is here! Lots of marquees, I made several as a couple of them sucked. The one with the border looks really good!

Now to stick it on... This I am not good at

wp34 · « **Reply #23 on:** April 10, 2012, 11:00:30 am »

Where did you have it printed? Was it printed with UV-reactive ink?

Los Abrazos Rotos · « **Reply #24 on:** April 10, 2012, 11:03:34 am »

got it done by http://www.pixartprinting.co.uk/ for £45 delivered - ridiculously cheap. Its not UV ink, I just couldnt find anyone that would do it. Its on backlit film wo with a bit of lighting I should be able to give it a bit of a glow. Thats the plan anyway.

wp34 · « **Reply #25 on:** April 10, 2012, 11:12:19 am »

Cool. It already looks good unlit.

Quote from: Los Abrazos Rotos on April 10, 2012, 11:03:34 am

got it done by http://www.pixartprinting.co.uk/ for £45 delivered - ridiculously cheap. Its not UV ink, I just couldnt find anyone that would do it. Its on backlit film wo with a bit of lighting I should be able to give it a bit of a glow. Thats the plan anyway.

Los Abrazos Rotos · « **Reply #26 on:** April 10, 2012, 11:25:40 am »

Thanks very much. Im pleased, I was a total photoshop noob until a month ago. I wasnt aware of the RGB/CMYK thing with printing so they are not the colours I actually wanted.. I changed them all at the last minute... Doh.

RetroRik · « **Reply #27 on:** April 13, 2012, 10:41:33 am »

Hi Los..

I finally got over here from the Retro Gamer forum.

I have just posted my build which you kindly commented on over there..

Liking your build mate. Looking good.

RIK

Los Abrazos Rotos · « **Reply #28 on:** April 13, 2012, 06:59:25 pm »

Hi Rik, good to see you here

More progress.. I've just stuck my screen artwork to thescreen and tested it with a uv light - as I had hoped it looks pretty awesome. My camera doesnt take good pictures in the dark but you get the idea.. Backlighting the whole thing really works well.

wp34 · « **Reply #29 on:** April 13, 2012, 07:23:53 pm »

That looks really awesome.

gbeef · « **Reply #30 on:** April 14, 2012, 03:10:45 pm »

Very nice effects! AWESOME!

Los Abrazos Rotos · « **Reply #31 on:** April 16, 2012, 12:15:52 pm »

Control panel overlay is on.. I didnt get it quite straight but its a miracle its on at all! In hindsight I should have made a control panel instead of using an old one, In fact I might do that anyway.

It looks pretty good though!

Los Abrazos Rotos · « **Reply #32 on:** April 16, 2012, 01:52:40 pm »

Fitting them in the cabinet now. Naturally its not going quite to plan

Santoro · « **Reply #33 on:** April 18, 2012, 04:31:34 pm »

Love it... looks great!

Los Abrazos Rotos · « **Reply #34 on:** April 28, 2012, 03:28:09 am »

Huge steps forward this week - all the electrical bits are in & working. I'm just waiting for a some new UV lights to arrive as mine as dangerous! What else... I decided to vector and redraw the marquee, top and side panels & reprint as I wasn't happy with them. They look great this time around, although I need a softer backlight, the one I have is a bit harsh. Oh, also I cut some more of the UV section out as it just wasnt big enough. I'm happy with it now & it lets more light out.

All my joystick parts arrived, I finally tracked down a suitable illuminated thumb button for the joystick.. I also got some goldleaf microswitches which I'm really happy with - this cab is almost microswitch free! Oh, I also picked up a Sanwa wireless trackball which fits nicely ontop of the control panel and lives in the coin door when not in use.

I just need to install the tron joystick, get a mains powered hub & the new UV lights and this is as good as done... Sinistar next I think..

I'm pretty happy with how this is turning out for a first build - more pics to come when its finished.

RetroRik · « **Reply #35 on:** April 28, 2012, 05:04:46 am »

That is excellent Los.. Very well done indeed.

I could imaging that sitting in the corner of my living room...

I might have to re-think whether to go for an upright or control panel design again... $:-\$

RIK

RetroBorg · « **Reply #36 on:** April 28, 2012, 08:38:00 am »

Nice!

Los Abrazos Rotos · « **Reply #37 on:** April 30, 2012, 02:05:58 pm »

Time to get the Tron Joystick together. I've printed, laminated & stuck the 'deflect' joystick insert and fixed an illuminated button in place. As soon as its dry I'll hook it up...

Los Abrazos Rotos · « **Reply #38 on:** May 01, 2012, 05:34:11 am »

Thats the joystick hooked up& working. I decided to put some uv LEDs in there at the last minute, it looks pretty nice...

I just need the UV striplights to arrive now!

Santoro · « **Reply #39 on:** May 01, 2012, 09:36:24 am »

The whole thing looks great, I especially love the artwork - great job!

wp34 · « **Reply #40 on:** May 01, 2012, 11:40:40 am »

That looks fantastic. Retro and new all at the same time. Nicely done.

Los Abrazos Rotos · « **Reply #41 on:** May 03, 2012, 05:13:51 pm »

Well, just about finished.. I got 3 UV lights on ebay for 99p and have installed 2 of them in the cab. Everything is working as it should, the apache push/pull spinner is amazing.

It really has come out well, discs of tron feels exactly like the arcade version to play. I kinda lucked out on the joystick, another ebay bargain - I think it might actually be a tron stick as it appears to be restricted in exactly the same way.

It was worth every penny to make this, I cant believe after 20 years I can play this game as it was meant to be played again. Thanks to everyone who offered help and advice.

Santoro · « **Reply #42 on:** May 03, 2012, 07:43:25 pm »

*santoro drools.*

rockyrocket · « **Reply #43 on:** May 04, 2012, 10:56:33 am »

Man I love it well done!.
It just is not possible to overdo UV is it.

DaOld Man · « **Reply #44 on:** May 04, 2012, 10:57:17 am »

That cab looks great!
Good job!

Los Abrazos Rotos · « **Reply #45 on:** May 04, 2012, 11:00:30 am »

Quote from: rockyrocket on May 04, 2012, 10:56:33 am

Man I love it well done!.
It just is not possible to overdo UV is it.

Nope! I'm on the cusp

Le Chuck · « **Reply #46 on:** May 04, 2012, 11:13:02 am »

Holy crap, my childhood called, it wants that cab

Los Abrazos Rotos · « **Reply #47 on:** May 04, 2012, 12:14:51 pm »

Better start building then! This is quite a simple one to build in some ways, the shape is pretty simple,, The complex part was working out how to accommodate the UV part. I like the solution I've come up with.

I know what you mean about the childhood thing - this game pretty much raised me!

Santoro · « **Reply #48 on:** May 04, 2012, 12:23:04 pm »

How did you mount the bezel art behind the glass?

Los Abrazos Rotos · « **Reply #49 on:** May 04, 2012, 12:42:39 pm »

Its sticky back vinyl. I stuck it to a piece of tinted 5mm acrylic sheet then carefully cut out the shapes with a craft knife. I then put a second layer of 5mm clear acrylic on top - this part can be lifted out easily and is held in place by the steel control panel & a screw at the top.

Los Abrazos Rotos · « **Reply #50 on:** May 24, 2012, 04:08:45 am »

So, I've got this completely up and running with GameEx as the front end & windows completely hidden. GameEx is absolutely superb by the way.

I ran into a few problems with my control panel - I knew I shouldn't have used it from the start... I wasn't happy with the position of my spinner, It was just too close to the stick. Also the angle of the control panel wasn't exactly how I wanted it.

I decided to move the spinner up a little & slightly left, that way its completely out of the way. I then slightly altered my CPO and printed a new one out.

I dont know how I didn't see that problem coming when I drew it...

After that I built a slightly altered copy of the Control Panel from MDF. Its a million times better, more comfortable, lighter. The joysticks are fixed underneath with screw-in dynafix inserts.

I think I can call this thing finished now..

JayB · « **Reply #51 on:** May 24, 2012, 05:06:29 am »

That's absolutely brilliant.

rockyrocket · « **Reply #52 on:** May 25, 2012, 03:44:41 am »

Nice, well done!

Hammerfist · « **Reply #53 on:** October 02, 2012, 02:28:58 am »

Gotta bump this just to compliment the nice form of the cab (and everything else in it for that matter). If someone would present me with a sketch of that profile, I would be a bit doubtful but MAN that came out great!

hannasp · « **Reply #54 on:** September 24, 2017, 03:00:28 pm »

I am starting a new build for Discs of Tron, but have had trouble sourcing artwork for the joystick insert. Would you be willing to share your art files? Thank you.


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