A Little Rage *Officially Finished! 03/09/13*

[DaOld Man]

Thanks guys for the kind comments.
I have found that when you get away from this hobby it takes a while to get back into the swing of things, but once you do its hard to hold back. Ive got to work 12 hour shifts this weekend, but Im really itching to get back on this project. I have cut out the lower marquee panel and cut out a hole for the speaker bar.

Here is a pic pf the speaker bar sitting on the bottom panel (Panel not mounted in cab yet.) You can see where I marked the cutout.
I dont have a pic of the cutout yet, but I cut it out with my jigsaw and need to do some more tweaking.
The idea is to have the speaker part sticking through the panel and flush with the panel.
Hopefully this will work, i will try to get some more pics when I get the cutout tweaked to a rageful satisfaction. Maybe next week I can get more done.
Until then I hope everyone has a nice weekend. Think about me while Im slaving away at the aluminum rolling mill!   

[DaOld Man]

Ok.. I know you guys think this project has fallen off the edge of the world or something, and I admit this project is going very sloooww... even for me.
Anyway, here is a little update:

Here is the front of the cabinet thus far.
Excuse the picture, for some reason the cab looks skewed. It is the camera or most likely the photographer.




Here is the CP thus far. I decided to put a curve on the front edge. Still need to drill the control holes, but you can see my scribbles on how Im trying to decide how to place the controls.
Got to decide if I want it to hinge out towards the front of not. Hmmmm.



I have the marquee box finished, and have a seperator to mount the light source to. (havent decided yet what kind of light source, maybe a 40 watt flourescent twisty bulb.)
I also plan to use two aluminum angle pieces to make the marquee retainer. I have the pieces cut, but need to drill and tap the mounting bolt holes.

Here's a shot of the speaker box. (Needs a good dusting)
 


Here is another shot of the marquee area, with top cover removed.



And a shot of the back door, partially open.



And lastly, but not leastly. a hinge.



Now I need to mount the monitor mounting method, decide how Im going to mount the CP, Cut out the CP, then I think I will be ready to paint this little beast.
I have also modified my LAN connector to incorporate a USB plug. I will post a pic next.

[DaOld Man]

Here is the modified LAN connector that will mount on the back side of the cab.

I cut out a hole for a panel mount USB 2.0 plug. (Not real happy with the repaint job.)



And here is the backside with the ethernet cable connected to the lan plug. The scotch tape is to seal the plugs in hopes of keeping dust out (I promise the tape is not holding the plugs in LOL, but Im not above doing something like  that).



Stay tuned, maybe this job will be finished before my grand daughter gets to old to play it. LOL

[jennifer]

     Keeping the dust out?... Jennifer gets concerned, your not off your meds or something (are you?)...Giggle... Nice work on that cab.

[DaOld Man]

(Switching to my Mayor Adam West voice).
Yeah I ran out of the meds, but how did you know? Wait a minute, are YOU that voice in my head? I was beginning to wonder who you really were.... LOL.
Thanks for the comments.

[darthpaul]

Glad to see progress Ken, looking good, now if only I could find time to finally finish mine.

[DaOld Man]

Thanks Darthpaul!
I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving.
Just a quick little update on this project which is travel at the speed of snail.
I have shamelessly stolen a coin door idea from Louis Tulley. (Thanks Louis!)

First I bought soem sheet metal and a bar stock from Lowes, and had a friend who welds good fab up a door for me.
I then cut holes for the Groovey Game Gear coin buttons and two USB ports:


Here is test fitting the buttons and usb ports:



I touched up the corners, trying to get a good radius on outside corners, and using bondo, I put a radius on the inside corners. I wasnt real happy with teh results so I did some more work on the inside raduis of the corners. (sorry no pic.)



And here it is after 3 coats of spray can primer. I plan to spray at least two coats of hammered black tomorrow, then I can get another pic of the buttons test mounted again:



One more shot of primered coin door.



Corners are still little rough, Im hoping the hammered paint will cover that better.

I plan to have the buttons and the usb port screws hold this fake door to the front of the cabinet, by going through the mdf panel.

[darthpaul]

I like that, it's always more rewarding to make something instead of buying it, I just wish it didn't always take so long to make it

[jennifer]

   Usb ports on the coin door...Never seen that before, (or someone make there own coin door), But that sure is cool looking,...Oh Jen
gets it now, the coin cups are missing and those are fake coin holes... Clever.

[DaOld Man]

   Usb ports on the coin door...Never seen that before...

Yep, the usb ports are so the player can plug in a controller, also it sort of looks like coin return slots.
Got the home made coin door idea from Louis Tulley, since a real coin door would look too big on the smaller cabinet. And the usb port was originally Darthpauls idea.

And darthpaul: trust me I completely understand about slow work. How long has this project being going?
I need to steal Louis Tulleys work speed.

[Nephasth]

Old man, that is going to look beautiful with a hammered finish!

[darthpaul]

And darthpaul: trust me I completely understand about slow work. How long has this project being going?

I'm just dragging it out because I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I ran out of things to build 

[DaOld Man]

Ok, here's a slight update:

Got 4 coats of black hammered paint on the coin door:


Here is test mounted in the front of the cab:


Here it is from a little far back:


And here is the back view. (I dont have the bolts installed in the usb ports yet.):


Im pretty happy with the coin door.
Here is a pic of the boards I mounted to the bottom, the PC motherboard will fasten to these, and they should allow the air from the back fan to blow under the motherboard, and come up onto the hard drive:


Here is a pic of how I mounted the LCD monitor, using 1/2" EMT conduit and hanger straps:


Close up of the monitor mounting method:


Im pretty happy with the monitor mount too.
Today was even happier for me. I went to the mail box and got a package from Groovy Game Gear.
These are illuminated stealth pushbuttons. They are a bit smaller than regular pushbuttons.
It would be neat if GGG offered stealth P1, P2 start buttons, but I couldnt find them if they do.
I ordered these early Friday morning and got them today. Super fast shipping, thanks GGG!


Well, thats it for now, looks like it is fixing to rain, so I may have to wait a while to do more work. (My work area is small (12 X 16 feet), so I have to pull my riding mower out to get enough room to work on the cab.)

[kahlid74]

Looking good man, keep it up!  I love the black hammered paint look.

[DaOld Man]

Thanks kahlid!!

I had to hook up the lighted coin buttons to get a quick preview:


The camera does not do them justice, but they are a little bright. Im thinking of putting in a pot insid eteh cab so the brightness can be adjusted.

On the usb ports, I taped the holes in the coin door for 4/40 bolts.
The bolts fasten the usb port to the metal plate, then go through the mdf. On the backside, I will attach 4/40 nuts to hold the coin door to the front of the cab. The reason I tapped the metal plate is that I plan to ground the plate through one of the bolts, so tapping the plate should  give an electrically sound connection.
The USB ports have a removable grounding tab that grounds the usb shield to the usb port metal case. Im thinking I should remove this tab, since I will be grounding the metal plate with the above method.
Anyone have any thoughts on this?
Here is a close up of the 4/40 allen bolts Im using. (In my Slingblade voice: "Some folks call them cap bolts, I call them allen bolts. Hmmm")


This little lady is just about ready to prime, just need to concentrate on the marquee now.

[BadMouth]

I'm diggin' the USB coin returns! 

You could add some cut vinyl decals to those buttons to make player buttons.
Black figures on a lit up background would look pretty good.
Not sure if Pongo is still selling his sheets or not.  There is still a thread stickied in B/S/T.

[Louis Tully]

.

[PL1]

Those buttons look just like the black-rimmed ones that Paradise is selling.

You should be able to print on transparency media or someone mentioned using clear shipping labels somewhere IIRC.  +1 to NOT using plain paper.

The attached PDF works great for inserts -- personally tested them in both the translucent and black-rimmed buttons from Paradise.  (Let me know if you need something changed on it or want the original .PPT file instead.)   


Scott

[DaOld Man]

Hey thanks guys, and you were absolute right. The caps pop right off and there is a green transparent  translucent disc below the cap (see photo below).
Those buttons look great Louis, it would be nice if I printed out something like that but "A Little Rage" instead of "Street Fighter". But my skills are not good in the art department.
Thanks for the pdf file Scott, Im printing it out now just to see how well the cutouts will fit these buttons.
Here  is the pic of the switch broken down:

[DaOld Man]

Just printed out the pdf file and tried one of the player 1 cutouts. It fits the switch perfectly! But I agree with you guys, I do not like the plain paper. Where can I get the transparent paper? Plus I have access to a laser printer at work, but as far as I know they dont have any transparent paper there.

[BadMouth]

Just printed out the pdf file and tried one of the player 1 cutouts. It fits the switch perfectly! But I agree with you guys, I do not like the plain paper. Where can I get the transparent paper? Plus I have access to a laser printer at work, but as far as I know they dont have any transparent paper there.

Office stores like Staples or Office Depot carry it.
It's pretty expensive.  I usually end up buying just a few sheets off ebay and waiting for it.

College bookstores will sell it by the single sheet.
I never asked at an office store if they'd sell a single sheet.  They might.

[PL1]

Another option that will be cheaper, put the PDF on a thumb drive and take it to FedEx/Kinkos.  I think they can print it on clear sticker or transparency media for you.

Also some tips here on trimming the inserts when printed on transparency media.

If you want to use adhesive labels, the type that I've seen mentioned is Avery #8665 8-1/2" x 11".

EDIT: Just noticed that they also have a 10 sheet pack version available. (P/N 18665)


Scott

[BadMouth]

If you want to use adhesive labels, the type that I've seen mentioned is Avery #8665 8-1/2" x 11".

Sweet.  I didn't know those existed.
I think I'll go that route instead of waiting on cut vinyl for my next project. 

[PL1]

If you want to use adhesive labels, the type that I've seen mentioned is Avery #8665 8-1/2" x 11".

Sweet.  I didn't know those existed.
I think I'll go that route instead of waiting on cut vinyl for my next project. 

The only down side is that a 25 sheet pack runs about $20.

Just noticed that they also have a 10 sheet pack version available for about $12. (P/N 18665)


Scott

[DaOld Man]

Those labels do look very interesting.
Ive been playing around with Win7 Paint and made P1 and P2 start button inserts.
I wanted to write "Player 1 Start", but didnt have enough room.
Here are the two inserts, one still on the sheet and the other mounted in the button.

[DaOld Man]

Ok, which do you like best? P1/P2 or Ms Pacman?

[BadMouth]

I like the figures better than Ms. Pacman.
Ms. Pacman and green just don't go together.

I was going to suggest modifying the standard figures to make them look like they are "raging".
Arms in the air or hand to their heads...or something.

[DaOld Man]

Yeah, the green doesnt really match her, does it?
Of course when I get these printed on transparent paper, I will remove the background, but the button discs behind it will still be green, thats why I printed them now with the green background, trying to get a feel of how it will look on the button.

Edit: How do these look?

[Louis Tully]

.

[DaOld Man]

Thanks Louis, I like it!
Im going to add that to the sheet. I bought two transparency sheets at Office Depot in BG for 50 cents each.
The guy told me to use them on a laser printer because a inkjet would smear.
Well when I got home I couldnt resist trying it.
The guy was right. It looked like crap on my printer so I wasted one sheet.
I plan to take the other sheet in to work this weekend and try it on a laser printer.
In the meantime, keep the ideas coming.
Now I got to order some more of those buttons from GGG. Not very efficient postage wise to split up the orders, but sometimes I guess it happens.

[Louis Tully]

.

[DaOld Man]

Ok, just a quick catch up.
I have the cabinet primed inside and out.
I had some left over white primer so I used it on the inside, but it wasnt enough to do the outside so I had to buy some more. They were out of white so I picked up grey.
So far I have painted the middle part of the outside black.
This pic also shows the coin door mounted. (Perhaps a better name for that would be credit panel, since it doesnt take coins and its not a door.)



I pained parts of the inside black, just in case any cracks show up between the panels.
In this pic you can also see the grey primer on the side. I got a few drops of black on there which I rubbed down before it dried. I have since sanded these places down and re-primed.



Here is the power entry box mounted (glare from the flash is crazy). The green wire inside attaches to the box with a fork connector and a screw, and it will be soldered to the power entry plug.



Here is an inside view of the same box. A green wire is attached to a screw. This will ground all the casters and the credit panel. This screw on the box will be my central connection point for all earth grounds.



The green ground wire loops to all casters, and ends up grounding the credit panel.



I have also been doing a lot of work on the computer and software. Due to the weather, I have had most of my time doing that.
I dont think Im going to finish this project before Christmas, so I may have to wait until March and give it to my grand daughter on her birthday.
The weather really sucks in Ky this time of year, plus I had a bad sinus infection last week that robbed a lot of my project time. (Turning off whining mode now.)

I would like your opinion on something.
The sides of the cabinet: I have been told to paint it pink since it is for a girl. My original plan was light green (or maybe not real light green). This would fall more in line with the original The Rage.
The t-molding will be white.
What do you think?

[BadMouth]

Girl stuff doesn't always have to be pink with princesses on it.

I'd stick with the green, assuming it's the same color currently surrounding the USB coin returns.
Just my $.02

[Louis Tully]

.

[dfmaverick]

I recall the problems of getting a cabinet finished in the winter in time for Christmas.

Years ago, I resorted to clearing out the dining room to paint since it was a little too cold here in Minnesota.   

I finished enough of the cabinet to give it to my nephews for Christmas but never went back to fix the little details I glossed over to get it done in time.

I like the idea of a light green (pastel) type color like the rings around the USB ports.

[darthpaul]

I'm with the rest, stick with the green and don't rush the build, in the end you'll regret it, we all do.
That is going to be one happy little lady when she sees this.

[DaOld Man]

Thanks guys, green it is!
I took one of the usb trim pieces to walmart to match as best I could.
Wound up choosing "Green Arbor Walk". which is just a shade lighter than the trim, but its as close as I could get at walmart.
I will post a pic of the paint job when Im finished.
And BTW, Merry Christmas everyone!

[DaOld Man]

Merry Christmas (or Happy Holidays) to all. I hope you had a good one.
I broke down and brought A Little Rage into the house.
I have one side painted, waiting for the paint to set in good before I flip it over to do the other side (hopefully tomorrow).
Here is a pic of the underneath.
I painted it chrome color to help reflect the led light.
The light is bright, but its not real bright when the cab is standing up, so I may not have to add a dimmer pot for it, like I had originally planned. I may still put a switch inside the cab so it can be turned off, if desired. The little black block in the center is the led light. It has 3 super bright green leds.



Here is the one side with the green paint. Im glad I listened to you guys, I think this color looks better than the pink would.



Well thats it for now. Hope everyone has a good weekend and a Happy New Year!

[Louis Tully]

.

[DaOld Man]

Thanks Louis.
I got the other side painted today. Here is a pic showing the usb trims too.



Got to work midnight shift starting tonight. 12 hours Saturday and 12 hours Sunday nights.
Hopefully Monday afternoon I can do a close inspection to see if any spots need touching up. If not it will be time for the t-molding.