Yipee Ki Yay - Stainless Steel Cabinet Build

[Franco B]

I recall participating in a discussion about using a router for plexi some time ago and warned about melting the plexi (having done it). No sooner said and I have someone going on a crusade to prove that you couldn't melt it with a router.  It was almost obsessive. 

 

Actually, we came to the conclusion that you must be doing something wrong or using dull bits as it shouldn't be possible to melt thin sheet like you were cutting when you use the right tools and techniques.

I'm sorry if my 'crusade' consisted of taking a couple of photos and explaining in length what might be causing your issues to try and help you out.

You thanked me in the thread for my help and now you are having a dig? 

[Dawgz Rule]

Knew that was coming.  A little bit of a dig, yes.  If you go back to the thread, your immediate response was one of "wrong", "impossible", "can't happen", etc. to which I responded "I've done it".  Then the videos are being posted, etc.  That was my only point in those regards....Someone makes a comment and then the pounce.

I did thank you because despite all of that, I did appreciate the effort and walked away with some new ideas.  

Someone did post that Lowes does sell a brand of plexi in the northeast that seems to melt.  Living in the northeast and having purchased it from Lowes, that seemed to make sense since the bits were brand new.  Of course, never afraid to say I may have done something wrong too.  

[henbury]

Hey all, thankyou very much for the feedback - it really is appreciated. I'm very keen to share my cabinet and the build process, just as most of you have done before me. If I didn't have the opportunity to read through other people's builds (and their criticism) and learn from their experiences then it would have made my job a lot tougher! Just wanted to elaborate on some of the observations...

I've already discussed these:

arcade games don't have or need a frame... it just made it heavier and more expensive, it isn't hurting anything.

angling the player 3 and 4 joysticks makes them basically unusable.

Did you want the monitor angle to be that shallow?....because 25-27" arcade monitor frames typically have slanted top sections that allows for lesser cabinet depth.

Now there's this:

I personally think it would have been a lot better with one little change that isn't related to the joysticks and that is to have the front come out near the edge of the panel. It makes the machine more stable and makes it easier to reach that nice looking (brand new, right??) 4 player coin door you have.

Hi paigeoliver - thankyou for your observation (and your photo skills!). When I was designing the side panels I initially intended for the bottom to come out that far for the exact same reason you mentioned - reachability and avoiding head hitting. But in drawing it up I concluded that the base was far too deep for the design - I was heading into showcase territory and it was steering away from resembling an upright cabinet. So I brought it back and followed the UAII design which then shortens the footprint. I struck a medium with measurements and the coin door (yes, brand new) is easily reachable and there isn't any head-hitting. The base is still more than large enough for stability.

But then there's these:

I think that there are other design details that seemed a bit overkill

there was A LOT of over-designing there

Hi guys, are you referring to the points above or is there anything else we can discuss?

And then there's this:

Personally, I think this project is a design monstrosity, obviously built by someone unaware of visual and ergonomic aesthetics.

lol.

[Gray_Area]

It does look a heck of a lot better than my Die Hard cabinet does, and Sega made mine!

I like that cab. Almost had one for fifty bucks - with neat extras....but I had no room. Anyways.


@henbury: I was just mentioning for future projects.

[nickbuol]

I think that there are other design details that seemed a bit overkill

Just curious, how so?

Sorry for the delayed response.  I've been "offline" for a couple of weeks.

Just the welded metal frame is a lot "more" than what it needed.  It was mentioned that the metal was free, as was the welding, so I don't have issues with it, just that it is a lot more "robust" than would be required.

Then again, I tend to "overbuild" things myself.

Again, no problems on my front, just stating for the newbies out there that stumble onto this and freak out that they have to weld.   

[nickbuol]

As for the player 3&4 deal.  I can say, as someone with a 4 player control panel (designed and built in 2005 as my second cabinet, 1st 4-player layout) a lot of people making 4-player layouts, which weren't many at the time, did them angled. I don't think that they were all "15 post, 1st cabinet, newbies...  It was something that "looked" to be correct at the time, and was sort of the "learning era" of the 4-panel build.

Holy crap.  My above statement is WRONG!  I was upgrading my cabinet last night with slightly newer hardware since we moved a year ago and the machine was sitting idle for some time, I finally got it back in action.  I looked and lo-and-behold, mine are straight and not angled.  I guess I did it "right" then.