Little Ms. Pac-Man, A Portable Cocktail Cab

[griffindodd]

The WeeTail Cab - Little Ms. Pac-Man

A Portable Cocktail Cabinet for kids to play while sitting on the floor, or adults to play on a table at home or take to parties, playable by humans 1 - 1000 years old.

Finished Cocktail Cabinet


Concept Art


Initial Sketches


Configuration:

• 5/8" particle board laminated cocktail case with acrylic top
• HUGE!!! 21.3" Samsung 214t Syncmaster 4:3 IPS LCD Screen
• 2 Player face-to-face
• 4-way sticks with pink bubble tops
• LED lit Custom Dustwashers from TEFightstands
• LED yellow & black buttons, 3 per player
• LED pink & chrome P1/P2 start & coin Buttons
• LED lit Ms. Pac-Man speaker & ghost fan grills
• Ms Pac-Man color matched Pink T-molding
• Custom Ms. Pac-Man artwork on sides/bezel/CP

Wood Cut Template Files - Zip Package attached at the end of this post

I've uploaded these template wood cut files for anyone to use as they wish to make their own build of this cabinet. I don't use sketchup or CAD programs to create my builds so everything may not be perfect, I have however used these files to build the cab myself and had no fitting issues.

You can build this entire cab out of one 4'x4' panel of 5/8" wood, or 2x 2'x4' panels of 5/8" wood. All measurements are based around 5/8" media, so if you use something of a different thickness you will have to adjust the templates to compensate.

If you want to use them, modify them or stick them on your fridge go ahead.







Art Files - Zip Package attached at the end of this post

There are two art packs:
- PDF's of the Sides, Control Panel, End Caps and Bezel for those of you that just want an easy way to get it printed.
- Adobe illustrator Art files for anyone to use or modify as they see fit.

Side Art


Control Panels


Bezel


End Caps


Serial Plate

[griffindodd]

Videos

illuminated color changing speaker and fan grills.

First play by wifey...

[griffindodd]

Sure enough I couldn't let some of the materials and gear that I had left over from the revolution build just sit in the garage gathering dust, so I decided to put one of my ideas into action and start on this build. It should go pretty quickly as it's not too big and will use simple and familiar techniques.

Various parts are on in the mail, and I already have everything else.

Here we go again!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

[CoryBee]

We will be here

[yotsuya]

Rablack97, your pants have been warned! 

[griffindodd]

Rablack97, your pants have been warned! 

Lol, don't encourage him.

Added rough sketches to OP

[Le Chuck]

Battery powered?  Should be.  Looking hawt in the sketch phase.

[griffindodd]

Battery powered?  Should be.  Looking hawt in the sketch phase.

Was wondering about that, would make it heavy as hell, what kind of battery solutions are there out there for this type of thing? Anyone already done battery powered rigs? What kind of play time on a {Board that shall not be named} with an LCD like that?

[griffindodd]

Please forgive my terrible knowledge of watts, amps and jiggadoohs, but let's assume I am using a 100w power supply and my monitor pulls 65w on it's own. If I wanted to use the rig for 4 hours straight gaming at full tilt that would mean...

165x4=660Watt Hours = Avergage of 3.4375 AMP hrs at 12v

So I'd need a 3.5 AH (35,000 mah) battery to do this??

[TEFightStands]

Nice design I cant wait to see this one in action.

[rablack97]

I've retired my excited expressions.......

I'll be boring like everyone else.....

Looking good man, yay, hoorah......awesome design, can't wait till next post.....yay hoorah

This is being dramatized as Droopy the damn dog......

[deathterrapin]

165x4=660Watt Hours = Avergage of 3.4375 AMP hrs at 12v

So I'd need a 3.5 AH (35,000 mah) battery to do this??

I think your maths is a bit off there, i make it 55 amp hours.

[Le Chuck]

I think if you want to push the envelope on this (as far as going cordless portable) you'll need to look at some alternative solutions to the monitor and some low power consumption boards.  I'm going to be ordering one of the 808 pi boards as they have a pretty good boost in capabilities (enough to run neo-geo games well I'm hearing) and that would be one route coupled with a battery powered monitor (link to an as of yet unreleased 15 incher or currently available 9" model), or this looks pretty choice for a tablet hack using hacked wii-motes. 

[EightBySix]

What about emedding a UPS into it? If they run a PC setup, you should get a few hours from just a monitor. Been looking into it myself for my coffee table, and leisure batteries (for use in motor homes, caravans etc) seem to have the right characteristics.

[griffindodd]

Well, one thing I certainly am not interested in is pushing the envelope tech-wise on this build, I had quite enough of that on the Revolution build

I'd rather keep this simple, as light as reasonably possible while making it rugged enough to withstand being lugged around and abused by kids. So that being said I'll just stick with the basics.

[CoryBee]

17" laptop, incorporate the laptop battery? 

Good luck, I want one of these! 

[griffindodd]

Updated the OP with concept side art and control panel

[Termin8tor]

17" laptop, incorporate the laptop battery? 

+1
Just what I was thinking. Sketch looks good, I will be following with interest. 

[Termin8tor]

Carrying on with the laptop idea you could probably pick one up quite cheap off ebay with a broken hinge. Pop in a SSD to increase the battery life and it should be good for a few hours gameplay.

[jmike]

 
  Looks really good so far. Love the art, any chance you sharing it? I was thinking of doing a mini cocktail arcade but this design is more appealing.

 

[griffindodd]

  Looks really good so far. Love the art, any chance you sharing it? I was thinking of doing a mini cocktail arcade but this design is more appealing.

 

I can definitely make my files available when I have finished, although my files are pretty basic

[Nephasth]

I like this concept! 

Agree with the laptop route, having a cord running out of this during play would detract from the design.

[griffindodd]

Updated with concept art and bezel.

[Le Chuck]

Loud and proud 

[SpaceHedgehog]

That concept art's looking sweet  Lot's of people seem to be building things for kids at the moment; any excuse, it seems, and tantamount to an addiction in my book!

+1 for the laptop route as well.

[Unstupid]

Looks cool!  I don't like the idea of using the laptop cause then you have the headache of mame, windows, the front end etc etc...  For come thing this simple just use a 60 in 1 or an arcade sd board, and a larger 19" monitor... Really where are they going to be playing this thing that they can't plug it into the wall?  Btw I been thinking about building something similar since I seen this one in YouTube:

[griffindodd]

I've uploaded my wood templates for this build to the 1st post for anyone who wants to use them. As I haven't built it yet I cannot guarantee the template is perfect, but if you want to download it and try banging one of these out feel free, just don't complain if something is wrong.

I've designed it so you can either use 2x 2'x4' panels or one 4'x4' panel to make the whole cab so it's very cheap and easy, just make sure you use 5/8" thickness material as all the measurements are based around that.

If you do bang one of these out post a picture and show us here in the thread.

[yotsuya]

 

[emphatic]

Very cool project.

[griffindodd]

Rolled on down to Fedex Kinkos today and got the line art for the wood printed for $12, then grabbed some 2'x4' 5/8 particle board from Lowes for $7.50 a sheet.

Spray mount into place ready for cuts this weekend.

[Nephasth]

This would look good with some pink IL buttons from Paradise...

[griffindodd]

Spent a few hours annoying my neighbors with my tablesaw and my router this afternoon. The template has worked out well, everything slotting together the way I had hoped, so the basic blank cab is all cut and ready for laminate and some dry assembly.

[PL1]

Looking good.   

My only concern is the structural strength of the "fingers" on the outer edge of the CP.

Considering the lever length, it looks rather succeptible to breaking, especially if you slot it for t-molding.

Shorter "fingers" or cutting into the uprights instead of the CP might help.


Scott

[BobA]

Great little concept for a mini tabletop cocktail.   Thanks for sharing your templates and artwork.

[bluemini17]

this is a neat design, i am following with great excitement 

[griffindodd]

Speaker panel design, will have LED's behind it to light the holes...

[cigardude]

Cool design, especially the sides!

I have a bunch of LCD monitors that are not in use anymore, but they wash out at that kind of angle. What did you specifically look for when looking for a monitor?

 

[dfmaverick]

Since the beginning, I've been wondering how much room under the CP do you have for the joystick? Just wondering if you run into space issues underneath with the straight sides on the end .

Great looking design.

[griffindodd]

Cool design, especially the sides!

I have a bunch of LCD monitors that are not in use anymore, but they wash out at that kind of angle. What did you specifically look for when looking for a monitor?

For an LCD in a cocktail you are best looking for 'IPS' displays, they have an extremely wide viewing angle and do not wash out. I am using a 21.3" Samsung Syncmaster 214t in this build which has a 178 degree viewing angle in X and Y planes. These screens are simply amazing, I cannot say enough good about them. You can find them eBay used for around $70.

As for space under the control panel it shouldn't be an issue as the joystick is set quite far forward toward the screen, it's the reason why the Player start and coin panel is slanted to give more hand room on the joystick travel. Also I plan on mounting the plates sideways, so hopefully there won't be any mounting issues.

[griffindodd]

Testing the position and fit of the Sammy screen in place. This thing is HUGE!!! I love the fact that this little machine will actually have a bigger display than my full size cab 

[yotsuya]

Yeah, I love that screen as well. 

[Termin8tor]

Coming along nicely. Do you think you will finish this side of Christmas?

[griffindodd]

Coming along nicely. Do you think you will finish this side of Christmas?

I hope so, daylight saving has pretty much killed any opportunity for me to do any routing or cutting during the week though as I only do it outside due to the awful dust.

Measured off the underside of the CP to ensure the clearance is enough for the joystick, turns out it is perfect

[jmike]

Great work so far Griff,
                   just wondering how heavy this is gonna be? What's it like 25lbs? Hopefully I'll start on one but with 1/2 inch MDF.


 

[griffindodd]

Great work so far Griff,
                   just wondering how heavy this is gonna be? What's it like 25lbs? Hopefully I'll start on one but with 1/2 inch MDF.
 

yeah this is heavy, that 5/8 particle board must be 35lbs+ on it's own, that's ok though I don't want the kids moving it when I put it down on the floor for them to play with ha ha.

Just remember if you are going to use thinner stock you may have to compensate at some of the meeting points for the CP and the sides, nothing that would be a big deal, but if you're a perfectionist keep an eye on those.

[griffindodd]

Spent 80% of my free time cleaning out the garage today, but I did get some time to do some of the more delicate cuts, beveling the Player and coin panels. I was determined to get these perfect, more out of the need to learn better techniques for these type of cuts, so I kept the angles on this design to 30/60 so I could use the router to do the bevel.

Invested in a 60/30 chamfer bit to add to my collection, got it from Rockler.


Screwed the panel I wanted to bevel to a straight edge so I could use it as a guide, and this is the result, a nice clean 30 degree bevel


Another thing I've learned, always use my art as my template for cuts. I miscalculated the depth of the angled back plate in the artwork. I want to have a single piece of art cover both angles of the panel. Using mock-ups of the art means I can catch these little hiccups before sending the art of for final print.


Over an hour to do 4 cuts, but definitely worth it as I learned good technique and they came out perfect first time.

[griffindodd]

Angled panels glued in place, then I realized I had forgotten to slot cut the bottom panel,  so that should prove quite the clamping challenge, oh well 

Testing the stick and button positions, happy with this.

[wp34]

Another great looking build. I really like the design.

Sent from my Atari 800 mobile device using Tapatalk

[floriske.nl]

This build is looking better and better.  I really love the design and the way you take your time to get the details right!

[griffindodd]

This build is looking better and better.  I really love the design and the way you take your time to get the details right!

Thanks, I am trying to force myself not to rush it and slow down although I usually work fast, but I'm getting better at taking my time.

Here's a side profile to show the spacing of the joystick, the angled back of the CP allows just enough room to be comfortable in front while being able to push the stick close enough in to fit inside the frame underneath and have enough room to rest your palm on the cp


Did a little more today, made the changes to the artwork so that a single piece fits the whole control panel


After making the mistake of gluing the two parts of the control panel together before slot cutting the bottom panel of the CP, I had to get creative and build a mount to screw the panel in to so I could route the edges in one clean sweep


The little mount worked out perfect and allowed me to easily cut the slots without any problems, so I learned a new trick today


In fact the mount worked so well I decided to use it for the sides too


Last bit for the day, hiding the power socket in the black of the artwork

[jmike]

Looking good Griff.
             Great job on that little mount. Might have to make one too. Got any plans for it?   

[griffindodd]

Got any plans for it?   

I think it's going to become a permanent part of my toolkit

[griffindodd]

I just uploaded the complete set of art for anyone who wants to use it, it includes side panel, control panel and bezel. The usual disclaimers, although I feel it is accurate enough for printing, I can't guarantee color reproduction accuracy, or anything in fact so please use them at your discretion. I'd love to see someone else's build of one of these cabinets to see how it went for them and what they do with it to make it 'their own.'

Artwork is in PDF format for easy printing or Adobe Illustrator files if you want to edit them. Cut templates are in various formats all attached to the original post.

 

[griffindodd]

Wow, don't know if this was already in stock but T-Molding.com have color matched Ms. Pac-Man T-Molding which also makes a donation to Breast Cancer Research for every sale, just ordered mine for this build, I hope my pinks are right on my color builds, if so this is going to look great!!!

http://www.t-molding.com/store/product.php?productid=66

[griffindodd]

Updated the artwork files to a more accurate blue, so if you downloaded them you may want to grab them again and discard the old ones. Just sent these art files off to GOG to get my printing done so this is the blue I am sticking with now.

[DaOld Man]

This is looking real good.

[griffindodd]

This is looking real good.

Thanks buddy! no rotation on this one though lol.

Banged out a little bit this morning before heading off to work. I love the smell of laminate in the morning 

[griffindodd]

As the build is going along smoothly and is quite simple, I thought I would make life more complicated for myself by getting a bit more adventurous with the speaker grills and fan intakes.

These are the end panels that sit just under the control panels.


The plan here is to have Ms. Pac-Man be the speaker holes in the laminated wood and the ghost be the fan intake/exhaust holes. I plan on routing out an inset behind the holes so I can place some colored LED's in there to get the colors to shine through the holes and give that illuminated effect. Should be a fun challenge but I think it could look really great.

[griffindodd]

Ordered various colors of these SMD LEDs for the lighting, $30 total including shipping to light both end panels and the joystick bases, a nice simple solution that's pretty much plug and play. I know I could have done it cheaper just buying raw LEDs and doing all the soldering and wiring myself, but 2 hours of swearing and cursing just to save about $15 isn't worth the grey hairs.

[griffindodd]

Updated the concept art to reflect the new end panels, pink LED lit custom translucent dustwashers from TEFightstands and a change in the P1/2 and Coin button styles...

[PL1]

Looking good, Joel.   

Two questions:

1. Got a link for those SMD LEDs?

2. How far do you plan on wrapping the t-molding around the "fingers" on the CP?
Seems like it would be hard to seat it properly in the narrow cutout area.


Scott

[griffindodd]

Looking good, Joel.   
Two questions:
1. Got a link for those SMD LEDs?
2. How far do you plan on wrapping the t-molding around the "fingers" on the CP?
Seems like it would be hard to seat it properly in the narrow cutout area.

Thanks man. Here's the linky for the LEDs
http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/component-leds/little-dot-smd-led-accent-light/639/

The fingers are actually radiused (word?) so the t-mold just ends where they meet the side panel. Also  the t-mold on the side panels end as they hit the CP and start again underneath.

[griffindodd]

Updated the artwork packs to include the end caps with the speaker and fan grill patterns

[griffindodd]

Did a little more this morning, finished laminating the sides, trimmed the slots in the control panels to allow for the extra width of the laminate and did another test fit just to make sure we are still on the right track.

[Generic Eric]

Looking great!  I like the speaker grills also. I can't help but think this is just "table legs away" from a cocktail cabinet.   How well does the size of your tabletop lend itself to that application?  Is this unit to small to add tables to?

[griffindodd]

Looking great!  I like the speaker grills also. I can't help but think this is just "table legs away" from a cocktail cabinet.   How well does the size of your tabletop lend itself to that application?  Is this unit to small to add tables to?

I'm sure you could add legs to it to make it a stand alone cocktail cabinet, fold up ones would be even better.

As for size, I designed it primarily to be used by children so it's very compact, but it would be easy for an adult to use too, I'm 6ft tall with pretty big hands and can comfortably rest my palms on the CP behind the joystick and buttons.

[mcseforsale]

Subscribed...

AJ

[griffindodd]

Subscribed...

You took your time, where you been at sucka?

[mcseforsale]

Clicked the linky-thing in your sig.  I might build one of these!  Wonder if I could use a 19" monitor that I have in the garage with a couple stuck pixels.

AJ

[griffindodd]

Clicked the linky-thing in your sig.  I might build one of these!  Wonder if I could use a 19" monitor that I have in the garage with a couple stuck pixels.
AJ

Yep it will fit anything up to a 21.3" Syncmaster 214t

[Unstupid]

I was looking at your build and had some thoughts.  I numbered them so its easier to see what I'm referring to...
1. I think you are going to run into problems when doing the tmolding for this spot because its going to end on a turn so the tmolding will naturally want to pull itself out of the slot.  Not to mention you are using 5/8" particle board so getting it into that thin finger without breaking everything will be a challenge in itself.
2. Here is another point where your tmolding finishes off at a turn.  That fillet on that corner was probably unneeded and you could have just made that edge run straight into the underside of the control panel surface.
3. The power socket you are using for this build is made for thin metal panels and it has little retention tabs that hold it in place.  Because you are installing it on thicker 5/8" particle board you are going to have to cur some relief for those tabs or it won't allow you to plug in the cord. 

Just a FYI...   BTW it's looking awesome!

[PL1]

One possible way to address Unstupid's concerns 1 and 2 above is to modify the control panel by cutting off the "fingers". (green)

This will allow you to wrap the t-mold (pink)around so the side panels stop it from coming loose.

T-mold the entire perimeter of the side panel with one piece.  Put the start/stop seam at the back bottom corner of the CP.

Let the CP rest on the side panel t-mold.


Scott

[griffindodd]

For the T-Molding on the side panels I am simply going to cut the top of the T off allowing the 'tooth' of the molding to continue in the slot under the control panel this will ensure it can never come away.

For the teeth wraps and the electrical socket I'm hoping my old buddy Titebond II will fix those issues

[mcseforsale]

Griffin...in case I missed it, what types of games will run on this besides Ms. PacMan?  Are you doing a board, or a PC?

I just showed it to the better half and she wants one to bring to parties.  GAME ON!!!

Just gotta kill off the "Fist Full of Quarters" build first.  DIE BUILD DIE!! 

AJ

[griffindodd]

Griffin...in case I missed it, what types of games will run on this besides Ms. PacMan?  Are you doing a board, or a PC?

I just showed it to the better half and she wants one to bring to parties.  GAME ON!!!

Just gotta kill off the "Fist Full of Quarters" build first.  DIE BUILD DIE!! 

AJ

Yeah stop slacking death is imminent. I'm using a board in this set to 4-way only

[Unstupid]

Griffin...in case I missed it, what types of games will run on this besides Ms. PacMan?  Are you doing a board, or a PC?

I just showed it to the better half and she wants one to bring to parties.  GAME ON!!!

Just gotta kill off the "Fist Full of Quarters" build first.  DIE BUILD DIE!! 

AJ

Yeah stop slacking death is imminent. I'm using a board in this set to 4-way only

Which board? 60-in-1, ArcadeSD?

[griffindodd]

60-in-1

[mcseforsale]

Where do you get such a thing and are they cheaper than an old PC?

AJ

[CoryBee]

Where do you get such a thing and are they cheaper than an old PC?

AJ

Nice little kit - although I prefer concave buttons

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JAMMA-60-IN-1-PCB-2-X-ARCADE-JOYSTICKS-14-BUTTONS-JAMMA-HARNESS-LOOM-BUNDLE-/271116074247?pt=UK_Video_Games_Coin_Operated_MJ&hash=item3f1fc6fd07

<link removed by Haruman>

 

Probably better places, I don't know

EDIT - Don't like to 60-in-1 sales, or any other XXXX in 1.  Kthxbai.

[griffindodd]

I paid $87+ Shipping for my board, harness and power supply.

A few more little steps forward before work this morning...

Laminated the underside of the control panels


I want the internal blocking to be the single support/anchor points for all of the main structure, trying to keep as much free space inside the box for airflow and general ease of build. The monitor I am using is only 0.5" shorter than the internal width of the box, so I routed a channel in the top of the blocking to rest the monitor in, trying to keep the top horizontal surface as even as possible where all parts meet as this is where the bezel will sit.


Channelled blocks in place


Monitor placed in the channel, fits nicely with a little wiggle space for fine adjustment when I bolt it in place.

[Unstupid]

looks really good!  are you going to cover it with plexi?  how do you plan on holding it down?

[griffindodd]

looks really good!  are you going to cover it with plexi?  how do you plan on holding it down?

Yeah plexi over the top, I'll brace the monitor from underneath using the VESA screwholes into a bracket that will attach to the side blocking.

[Unstupid]

I mean how do you plan on holding the plexi down?

[griffindodd]

Ahh that has been an ongoing source of wonder for me too.
I'm trying to avoid any visible screws or brackets of any kind anywhere on the build. For now I still think I am going to be slotting the side panels about 1/8" and then having the plexi sit in the slots, unless I think of something better this is probably how I will do it.

[mcseforsale]

Aluminum J-channel around the perimeter with 45 degree cuts and use the CP back to capture it when it slides in? 

AJ

[griffindodd]

Aluminum J-channel around the perimeter with 45 degree cuts and use the CP back to capture it when it slides in? 

AJ

That would work, but I do want the plexi to cover the tops of the CPs too as the bezel will fill the entire of that top horizontal area.

[PL1]

That would work, but I do want the plexi to cover the tops of the CPs too as the bezel will fill the entire of that top horizontal area.

Crazy spitball idea -- one piece of acrylic/plexi, bent by heat gun, that covers both CPs and the screen/bezel.

The buttons hold it in place.

Side view:

            -------------
          /                    \
-------                       -------


Scott

[griffindodd]

Yeah I definitely entertained this idea but I fear it's way beyond my fabrication skills

[griffindodd]

Damn you Scott, you just made me spend more money  !!!

Adding one of these to my tooll collection...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0095ZGN8Y/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00

Going to go for it and try and do a full single acrylic piece to wrap over the cp's and screen, go big or go home right? 

[Nephasth]

Damn you Scott, you just made me spend more money  !!!

Adding one of these to my tooll collection...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0095ZGN8Y/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00

Going to go for it and try and do a full single acrylic piece to wrap over the cp's and screen, go big or go home right? 

Should have just made one out of an old toaster oven...

[griffindodd]

Thought about going down that road, but this is a super controlled way of applying the heat to a specific area, no sense in messing up a $40 sheet of acrylic trying to save a few dollars making a strip heater. Also this will do a bend up to 4' long.

[Nephasth]

Throwing money at it works too. But you just turned a $40 sheet of plastic into an $85 sheet of plastic.

Always practice on scrap. This applies to most things.

[griffindodd]

Always practice on scrap. This applies to most things.

Yep there's a lot of life lessons in that advice lol. Making the acrylic pattern is going to be quite the adventure too before I even start thinking about bending it, looks like a fair bit of flush-trim work is in my future.

[griffindodd]

Actually, scratch that idea, I just realized the acrylic sheet I have is not long enough to do that job, the piece I bought is only long enough to cover the top surface, I'm not dropping another $50 on top of that bender cost to do that, so back to square one.

[PL1]

Figured that you could make two wooden bending forms.

The first form is the size of the screen and angled panels to be covered. (Desired inside dimensions)

Set this form on a narrower stand to allow the control panel cover portion to extend past the lower corners when bent.
                X        X
               ---------
             /_______\

               |         |
               |stand |
               |_____|

Start by cutting the screen/angled part of the plexi to the proper width.

Clamp boards (X's) next to the upper corners of the form to hold the plexi in place.

Add supports for the plexi that is free-hanging.

Use heat gun with a narrow nozzle and sweeping motion to soften the plexi until it is pliable.

The board limits the area that softens.

Remove the support and allow the plexi to bend.

Repeat for the other side.

If not sure about the exact length for the screen/angled portion, trim out the last little bit once the first two bends are done.

The second form is shaped like this:

-------------------------------
|         /                    \         |
-------                       -------

Sandwich the plexi between the two forms, clamp them together, and flip them over.

Clamp some 1x2's over the CP "fingers" to keep them from bending.

Support the free-hanging ends and use the heatgun to bend it flat, same as before.

Once that is done, trace and drill the CPs.

Damn you Scott, you just made me spend more money  !!!

Sorry I couldn't type faster on this one.

I write more like LOTR than twitter. 

Can you cancel that order?


Scott

[griffindodd]

Lol yeah I did when I realized the sheet I have isn't big enough for that job.

[CoryBee]

What about rare-earth magnets? Glue a few on the underside of plexi, then some place on some wood supports......

Should allow it to snap into place and be removed without too much force.

[griffindodd]

What about rare-earth magnets? Glue a few on the underside of plexi, then some place on some wood supports......

Should allow it to snap into place and be removed without too much force.

Not a bad idea, but you would see the magnets glued to the plexi. I still wish i had a good way of sticking my bezel to the back of the plexi then I could put the magnets under that. back when I used to work in a sign making company years ago, we would print in reverse on clear vinyl and then stick that to the back of clear acrylic or glass, it would look great. I haven't been able to find aplace that prints like that anywhere (yet). I asked Scott at GoG if they do it but they can't

[CoryBee]

What about rare-earth magnets? Glue a few on the underside of plexi, then some place on some wood supports......

Should allow it to snap into place and be removed without too much force.

Not a bad idea, but you would see the magnets glued to the plexi. I still wish i had a good way of sticking my bezel to the back of the plexi then I could put the magnets under that. back when I used to work in a sign making company years ago, we would print in reverse on clear vinyl and then stick that to the back of clear acrylic or glass, it would look great. I haven't been able to find aplace that prints like that anywhere (yet). I asked Scott at GoG if they do it but they can't

You aren't going to paint the underside of the plexi? Shouldn't be able to see it through the black...

[griffindodd]

I use a paper Bezel, take a look at the OP you'll see it there

[CoryBee]

Ah I see, well then....if only it were a reverse sticker eh

[PL1]

I still wish i had a good way of sticking my bezel to the back of the plexi then I could put the magnets under that. back when I used to work in a sign making company years ago, we would print in reverse on clear vinyl and then stick that to the back of clear acrylic or glass, it would look great. I haven't been able to find aplace that prints like that anywhere (yet).

Time for me to make you spend money again.   

Check out Emdkay's site.

He can do reverse digital imaging (not inkjet/laserjet) on Duratrans and can mount it to custom size acrylite, if desired.


Scott

[mcseforsale]

Black painted J-channel (did I mention this already?) with 90 degree notches cut in it will bend into 90 degrees.  Cheap, too!

http://www.lowes.com/pd_197443-13437-5042_0__?productId=3019540&Ntt=mirror+channel&pl=1&currentURL=%2Fpl__0__s%3FNtt%3Dmirror%2Bchannel&facetInfo=

AJ

[griffindodd]

I decided to stick to plan A and go with the slotted sides approach to securing the acrylic, I just want something super clean with no visible fastners, joints, channels etc.

Time to crack out mini-me for this job (Thanks Scott for the tip on this sweet little Dremel router mount)


Using a flat guide clamp and the little 1/4" straight bit I slotted both sides with a 1/8" deep channel. The combination of the laminate and the particle board pretty much fried the cheap little bit despite taking 4 light passes at the cut working down to 1/8" inch depth. It got the job done but just shows that cheap tools are a waste of money, also this will be the last time I use particle board in a build, it may be cheap but it's awful to work with compared to MDF and I feel like it takes a heavy toll on my blades and bits.


Acrylic in place, fit's beautifully nice and tight!! I'll put a bevel on the edges across the control panel and polish them a little, although they look pretty good already due to using a router to do all my straight cuts rather than a blade. I'm really starting to use my router for more and more of these type of cuts, I just like the precision and finish it gives me as long as I take time to set up the cut properly first.

[griffindodd]

Had a few hours to myself tonight so I decided to take on the task of drilling out the patterns in the end caps.

Paper template glued to some 1/8 plywood sandwiching both laminated layers of the 5/8 particle board. All held together nice and tight with duct tape to stop the laminate splintering or chipping when drilled.


Using the Dremel for this as I don't have a full size drill press, but once again the little conversion brackets that are available for the Dremel turn it into a mini press which should be good enough for this job. I'm using a 3/32 drill bit and keeping the speed down as low as I can on the Dremel without losing torque to get all the way through this wood, It will probably burn it's way through most of it, but the heat may keep the laminate from chipping so it might be a good thing, I guess we'll find out.


An hour and a half in and I'm making progress but damn I wished I owned a little CNC machine for these kind of things


Three hours and a bitching headache later, the last hole is drilled.


I was pretty nervous when taking apart the sandwiched pieces as I didn't know if the laminate had split or not. Happily I found this. Two perfectly matching pieces with zero splits or cracks!!!!  It was a hell of a job making these, but I couldn't be happier with the result, it was definitely worth the time.


Held one up against the kitchen light to get an idea of the effect. The final setup will have various colored LEDs behind the holes, so hopefully it will look even better than this when it's all finished.

[CoryBee]

HOLY TITS! 

I love it

[griffindodd]

HOLY TITS! 
I love it

Thanks!!!

I'm going to route out a lot of the wood behind so that the light can easily find it's way out of the holes, that will also give me an area to house the led's in front of the speaker and fan on each panel.

[Unstupid]

Looks great... Couldn't have done better even with a CNC machine!

[floriske.nl]

Holy crap!  Thanks what I call "monk's work" 

Looks amazing!

[griffindodd]

Holy crap!  Thanks what I call "monk's work" 

Looks amazing!

Lol yeah it was quite a Zen experience

[boomerbrian]

Great idea. I love it.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[BobA]

Wow, those speaker panels look great.  Very nice work drilling out those patterns. 

[griffindodd]

Back to it this afternoon, I set myself the goal of at least seeing what these things would look like lit up by the end of the weekend, so I set to it.

Used the 1/8" ply that I had left over from the drilling to make a template for routing out the back of the shapes.


Cut it out with a jigsaw and a dremel, nothing too fancy or accurate but it doesn't need to be for this part of the job


This is my first time using bushings, I didn't even know they existed until a forum member here mentioned them to me. These ones are great as they are designed to twist lock into the base I have on my router so they are easy to change in and out.


The bushing is as deep as the template, then I have the straight bit protruding for the depth I want to route out.


The first character routed out. For the tight areas around the bow I tided them up using the Dremel with a hand router attachment. I kept the bow area on Ms. Pacman's head seperate for reasons you'll see in the last picture of this post.


All done, both sides routed out giving me enough depth to place the small led's on the sides of the routed area without getting in the way of the fan or speaker.


The LEDs are nice as they have little self adhesive backs and ultra flat ribbon cabling so they don't get in the way at all


and the result.... 


I'm thrilled with the way these came out, it's things like this that make this hobby such a great pastime.

[yotsuya]

Looks great, my friend!

[mcseforsale]

Yeah!  That's bitchin!!

AJ

[rablack97]

 

[griffindodd]

But Wait!!!!!

There's more......

[Nestafari]

Great

[CoryBee]

[kuchta]

But Wait!!!!!

There's more......

Awesome! Can't wait to see how the finished product looks.

[griffindodd]

Toofers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mcseforsale]

Very.  Very cool.

AJ

[griffindodd]

A little update for the morning.

Fixed the blocking in place, leaving it until closer to the end of the build was the right thing to do, it allowed me to do a little tweaking and trimming here and there to make sure it fits perfectly supporting the control panels and monitor properly.


Yet another fit test with the monitor on the blocks, so far so good.

[griffindodd]

Art arrived today from GoG, also I went to Staples and got the bezel printed out on the banner material. The blue on the bezel came out a bit lighter, always a risk you run printing colors on different printers, but it's not too bad, who knows maybe the acrylic over the top will make it a little darker.

[griffindodd]

Mounted the bezel on some thin backing card this morning and then trimmed it to go over the monitor. It sits on the monitor surface itself so it gives a really nice flat plane


Popped the acrylic in place to make sure everything was playing well together

[Woodshop Flunky]

I'm totally digging this build.  Excellent job so far.  The style of the "cabinet" is very nice.  Keep it up! 

[griffindodd]

I'm totally digging this build.  Excellent job so far.  The style of the "cabinet" is very nice.  Keep it up! 

Hey thanks man, actually the reason I wanted to build something for the kids to play on was the inspiration I got from your American Ace mini cab.

[griffindodd]

Slapped on the side art tonight along with the T-Molding that just arrived.

[emphatic]

Awesome!

[Woodshop Flunky]

I'm totally digging this build.  Excellent job so far.  The style of the "cabinet" is very nice.  Keep it up! 

...I wanted to build something for the kids to play on...

I know they'll enjoy it... and be the envy of all their friends!

[griffindodd]

Ahhh the busy pre-christmas weeks always taking away from your cab building time  combine that with just opening escrow on a house and man oh man where does the time go. Even so I got the artwork and t-molding all finished.

Clamped the t-mold in place on the end of those fiddly fingers, used titebond in the slot to keep the end in place.


The laminated 'bulletproof' artwork from GoG has a nice finish to it, colors are beautiful as always.


Starting to look like the concept art now, I'm loving the color combination. I'll probably get the bezel reprinted over at GoG so the blues match properly.

[rablack97]

 

That's all you get now....

I'm kinda catching up....

What guts are you putting in this thing.....a mini pc?  I assume it plays like a cocktail, so the screenplay will flip as the players change?

Yep i'm building one.....damn you....

[griffindodd]

Hey man where have you been, I've missed your witty banter in this thread.

60-in-1 for the guts on this to keep it simple, only playing 4-way games, so it's more like 45-in-1 in cocktail mode. This thing has to be as simple as possible as I want to be able to take it to people houses, throw it on the floor/table, flick the switch and walk away to let people just play what they want without a learning curve or the othe rrandom events associated with a Mame setup.

[rablack97]

Yeah, I've been working on my ICE board for the KADE project....Learning how IC's work....you have any expertise in that area?

Too cool....you're becoming a natural at this.....

[griffindodd]

Yeah, I've been working on my ICE board for the KADE project....Learning how IC's work....you have any expertise in that area?

Too cool....you're becoming a natural at this.....

No I have no idea, I'm kinda crap at that stuff

[Jigenjuke]

In a word,  AWESOME! 

Jigenjuke

[rablack97]

hmmm, i'm seeing the CP flipped to the side, 2plyr side by side.....counter top model.......

[griffindodd]

hmmm, i'm seeing the CP flipped to the side, 2plyr side by side.....counter top model.......

That would be interesting to see a mock up of

[rablack97]

i said seeing.....i cant draw for crap.....

Would be interesting though.....

[macattack]

Loving this build, on my radar now to do one also.

[shrunkenmaster]

Excellent work so far, my good man! Loving the artwork, shape and attention to detail.

[griffindodd]

Thanks guys, I can't wait to see someone else build one of these, perhaps even with a different theme, that would be awesome to see.

Grabbed a few hours while the babby had her afternoon nap...

The artwork and my joystick holes didn't quite align properly so I wanted to tweak that as they will be illuminated under a semi translucent dust washer. I wanted the holes to be over sized so I made a template and positioned it to correct the hole position with a little bushing assisted routing.


Much better


Next I added the fans to the two end panels, one pushing, one pulling. Also I masked over Ms. Pac-Man's bow a little with duct tape so the red light didn't bleed into the yellow light behind the panel. You can see the tape coming out from under the speaker, shouldn't effect the sound any as the bow area is quite small.


Final bit for today, wired up the power socket to a multi-plug strip. Tried to photograph the wiring as a reference for anyone else using one of these sockets (don't forget they don't come with the 10A fuse installed, you have to put one in yourself.)


That's it for me for today, now I'm off to take my honey to L.A. to see Stevie Wonder and friends in concert, should be a great night.

[kuchta]

I love this project! I have twin 4-year-old daughters, so I could definitely see them playing with something like this. It's definitely a project I will keep on my radar as a possibilty for the future. Great job!

Final bit for today, wired up the power socket to a multi-plug strip. Tried to photograph the wiring as a reference for anyone else using one of these sockets (don't forget they don't come with the 10A fuse installed, you have to put one in yourself.)


That's it for me for today, now I'm off to take my honey to L.A. to see Stevie Wonder and friends in concert, should be a great night.

Thanks for the detailed pictures on this part. When I've seen other people do this, it always involved soldering (not my forte!). I can't tell, but it seems like you didn't solder the connections and just used quick disconnects. If this is the case, could you point me to the size and style that you used? Thanks!

[byrneaar]

First time poster I saw this project and fell in love!  I want to build this for my wife.  Just wondering when you got the line art for the wood panels printed did you just get it printed at a 1:1 scale as I dont see any measurements on it.

Thanks!

byrneaar

[Eldritch1969]

Very cool project to occupy kids ! 

[griffindodd]

First time poster I saw this project and fell in love!  I want to build this for my wife.  Just wondering when you got the line art for the wood panels printed did you just get it printed at a 1:1 scale as I dont see any measurements on it.
Thanks!
byrneaar

Hi & Welcome!! Yes the line art is to scale in the zip files, so all you have to do is paste it onto your wood and cut the lines.

Small update this morning, plumbing in all the electronicalsiz and fitting brackets for assembly

[griffindodd]

If this is the case, could you point me to the size and style that you used? Thanks!

You know I have no idea what the actual size is, they are....erm....the blue ones 

[mcseforsale]

Red ones are usually .187" where the blues are usually 1/4" or .250.  Red ones are used on most traditional arcade switches, blues are pretty universal. 

AJ

[rablack97]

Yeah go to your local home depot......they will have red ones and blue ones...

The reds are used for switches, the blues are for thicker gauge wire(electrical)....I vouch for those terminals he's using, they are great....

If you live near a fry's, they sometimes sell them in bulk....

[mcseforsale]

GGG sells them in packs of 50 for 4 bux.  You won't touch that at HD.  I only buy there if I'm in a pinch.

AJ

[kuchta]

If this is the case, could you point me to the size and style that you used? Thanks!

You know I have no idea what the actual size is, they are....erm....the blue ones 

Red ones are usually .187" where the blues are usually 1/4" or .250.  Red ones are used on most traditional arcade switches, blues are pretty universal. 

AJ

Yeah go to your local home depot......they will have red ones and blue ones...

The reds are used for switches, the blues are for thicker gauge wire(electrical)....I vouch for those terminals he's using, they are great....

If you live near a fry's, they sometimes sell them in bulk....

GGG sells them in packs of 50 for 4 bux.  You won't touch that at HD.  I only buy there if I'm in a pinch.

AJ

Excellent. Thanks a lot guys!

[BadMouth]

Just to clarify for the sake of anyone reading the last few posts,
the color of the terminals tells you what size wire the connector will work with.

It has nothing to do with the size of the connector.

Yellow 10-12 gauge
Blue 14-16 gauge
Red 18-22 gauge

Sometimes I use the next size up for daisy chained grounds since the wires going into them are doubled up.

[mcseforsale]

Yes.  Absolutely right.  I confused the sizes of the female connectors with the gauges of the wire.  Stupid.

AJ

[byrneaar]

First time poster I saw this project and fell in love!  I want to build this for my wife.  Just wondering when you got the line art for the wood panels printed did you just get it printed at a 1:1 scale as I dont see any measurements on it.
Thanks!
byrneaar

Hi & Welcome!! Yes the line art is to scale in the zip files, so all you have to do is paste it onto your wood and cut the lines.

Small update this morning, plumbing in all the electronicalsiz and fitting brackets for assembly

Thanks for the quick reply!

[griffindodd]

More small updates,

Assembled the ends and sides to make the main frame


Screen floating above all the other hardware

[griffindodd]

Today it was time to start trying out a theory I had for making super simple illuminated dustwashers. I touched on it a little with the Revolution cab, but these ones are UBER SIMPLE and should be easy for anyone to do with bottom mounted sticks.

First of all get my insert screws in place


Using the same SMD LEDs I used on the speaker/fan panels, these are pink. Just stick them on the inside of the joystick holes, I drilled mine out to 1"3/8. The ribbon cables are so flat you don't have to worry about them getting pinched by the joystick plate when you screw it in place.


View from the top, the LEDs are so low profile there is no way they will come into contact with the joystick shaft


Dustwashers in place, these are custom semi-translucent ones with flecks in from TEFightstands.


Flick the switch for power and it looks like this


Little close up


With the lights off in the room - super cool!!!


Using two of these LEDs may be a little overkill, you may prefer to use just one. I kind of like how bright they are as the light also sort of illuminates the pink bubble balltop too, and once you put your hand on the stick the light glows around your hand and back onto the control panel, it's all just personall taste in the end.

[Nephasth]

Question: Does the edge of the joystick hole become exposed when actuating the joystick? It looks awfully close to the edge of the dust washer.

[mcseforsale]

That's cool.  I was wondering about the balltops...I have GGG Ei2s on my cab and I don't want to spend the $ on LED joys.  I was wondering if my buttons, along with my accidental edge lighting would illuminate a GGG hand candy ball...




AJ

[griffindodd]

Question: Does the edge of the joystick hole become exposed when actuating the joystick? It looks awfully close to the edge of the dust washer.

No I made sure it was measured just right

[griffindodd]

I was wondering if my buttons, along with my accidental edge lighting would illuminate a GGG hand candy ball...

I like bubble tops as they catch all kinds of light around them, cheap enough to give them a try and see

[BadMouth]

Everything looks sweet, but those buttons with the tall collars left on them look out of place IMO.
It has driven me crazy for the entire thread, but now that it's has the artwork and everything in place, it bothers me more.

[griffindodd]

Everything looks sweet, but those buttons with the tall collars left on them look out of place IMO.

Still deciding on using the collars or not, I kind of like how chunky and 'cartoony' they look, I'll have to try both ways and see if it makes any difference from a comfort standpoint

Also I have a horrible feeling those buttons aren't going to clear the fan housings so I may have to find an alternative plan for the fans, kind of a bummer

[griffindodd]

Is there anyone on this thread that can convert my files into a Sketchup build to make available for people here too? I'm not very experienced with Sketchup, but I think it would be very useful for many people to play with.

[TGov]

This is a pretty cool build.  Great job so far! 

[dextercf]

Is there anyone on this thread that can convert my files into a Sketchup build to make available for people here too? I'm not very experienced with Sketchup, but I think it would be very useful for many people to play with.

This, only i would also love me some autocad (CNC ready) as well..

Awesome build dude!
Loving them led panels..

[griffindodd]

Just ordered  a few more Pink LEDs for Joystick #2 as I only ordered two of the pink initially. TEFighstands are going to make me some custom pink dustwashers with pink spheres in them, will look better than the white when the unit is turned off.

Also picked up this so I can tune the brightness of the sticks...

[Nephasth]

Is there anyone on this thread that can convert my files into a Sketchup build to make available for people here too? I'm not very experienced with Sketchup, but I think it would be very useful for many people to play with.

To make the Sketchup modelling a little easier/quicker, you might want to include dimensions on your templates.

[rablack97]

 


Given that you are making this for kids, the big buttons fit the theme.....

If this was for adults then yeah go with the lower profile buttons as they look more grown up....i like the big buttons it add the cuteness factor to it and couples it with the bad ass factor as well...

Great job on the lit washers, the dimmer control is a good idea, as they do look a bit bright....

By the way what do you spray on your your paper templates, when attach them to your wood for cutting.....Does it leave a nasty residue?

[griffindodd]

I use 3M Spray Mount

[TopJimmyCooks]

I can do your sketchup  . . . . after christmas.  probably a 1 hour job.  Let me know if you want. 

[griffindodd]

I can do your sketchup  . . . . after christmas.  probably a 1 hour job.  Let me know if you want.

Perfect, that would be great, then we can add it to the files here for everyone to use.

[TopJimmyCooks]

is everything you've got dimension and art wise in the thread already?  If not send it over.   

[griffindodd]

Yep everything is in the OP attached, all the editable files are Illustrator, let me know if you need it converted into something more generic.

[BobA]

Love the attention to detail you are putting into your build and the BYOAC community is the best always willing to help out and make the documentation for this build outstanding.

[emphatic]

Everything's great exceptional except for those buttons. But I can relate to the whole "kid theme" of it, but I'd go with some Japanese buttons instead, or some from Rollie: http://rollieelectronics.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2:translucent-30mm-pushputtons&catid=2:pushbuttons&Itemid=13

[rablack97]

those buttons Emphatic suggested look yummy.....i second that suggestion

[mcseforsale]

How would those work on a 1/2" CP, though?  They look like metal snap-ins.

AJ

[emphatic]

How would those work on a 1/2" CP, though?  They look like metal snap-ins.

AJ

You're quite right. But as he's already set on using the raised ones, maybe it doesn't matter in the end? 

[griffindodd]

They are pretty buttons, I'm sure they would look great too.

I'm sticking with the chunky ones as they fit the style of the build, everything is chunky, cartoony and stubby.

[CoryBee]

everything is chunky, cartoony and stubby.

Like how my ex looks now

[yotsuya]

everything is chunky, cartoony and stubby.

Like how my ex looks now

 

[griffindodd]

Evening all. Haven't gotten too much done over the Xmas break with all the family and Xmas chaos, but tonight I got an hour or two so I went ahead and cut the new bezel from GoG and was able to fit the acrylic in the tension mounted slots.

Pretty happy with the results, there are no visible fittings of any kind on the outside of the cab. I flame polished the edges of the acrylic and they came out quite nice.




Next is connecting all of the wiring harness and modding the fans so I can squeeze them in next to the player buttons. Getting close to the end now.

[rablack97]

 

[floriske.nl]

I'm with ^^^^^^^ 

[rablack97]

hmmm, although that exposed arylic in the front is bothering me for some reason, it looks unfinished.

Like it needs to either be covered up or dressed up.....

too late now but you could of recessed one of your flat leds in the sides with it firing into the sides of the plexi, it would have given you a cool glow on both sides.

Just my two cents.....

Regardless.........damn good job man...

[Le Chuck]

If the angle of the plexi edge followed the angle of the admin panel and had the top edge slightly rounded off I think it would do a lot to blend visually.  Right now the plexi edge is forming a rather sharp angle and draws the eye...or maybe it's just the pics. 

[griffindodd]

yeah I hear what you guys are saying, initailly I thought about bevelling that edge to follow the angle of the control panel, I also like the idea of embedding some of those LEDs for the glow. At this point though it's 95% good enough and I really need to get this finished, last night I was stressing over some dust under the acrylic when my wife pointed out...

'You know the kids are going to beat the crap out of this right?'

Something I know but keep forgetting as I start getting all anal obsessive in my usual way, so I'm going to use this as a lesson in knowing the difference between good enough and unwisely burning time and resources in the pursuit of perfection in the wrong places. LMPM is in some ways a sacrificial goat to keep the wear and tear down on my Revolution cab and future restores.

Tonight I plan on staying up late and wiring it all, hopefully having it up and running, if all that goes well then this weekend I'll fabricate the base panel, slap on some feet and call this a wrap.

[mcseforsale]

I would have left the edges opaque, get a little edge lighting effect while playing games. 

Otherwise, that thing is awesome.  Yer spoiling the curve for all us newbs.

AJ

[griffindodd]

spoiling the curve for all us newbs.

Lol what do you mean?

[mcseforsale]

Your builds make us all look like amateurs.   

AJ

[griffindodd]

Your builds make us all look like amateurs.   :badmood:AJ

Pffft says the guy that bangs out full size cabs for friends that look as good as most people's main projects purrrrrllllleeeeeese 

[mcseforsale]

Wow...I feel a lotta love in the room.  Anywho...I just copy crap.  I'm now thinking I'm going to expand into bartops so I can sell them to buddies.  I'm done working for free.   

AJ

Your builds make us all look like amateurs.   :badmood:AJ

Pffft says the guy that bangs out full size cabs for friends that look as good as most people's main projects purrrrrllllleeeeeese 

[griffindodd]

I'm done working for free.   

I hear ya, I won't even work for money any more for people when it comes to design of any kind, 20 years of being a creative art director made me never want to create something for another soul again. People ask you to do something because they don't know how, so you do it, and then they tell you how you shuold have done it.  Yeah no thanks. I think this hobby is the first time in my life I have used my design skills purely for my own enjoyment, that's probably why I come across as such a hard head sometimes when it comes to suggestions from others, I think I am exorcizing my design demons lol.

[Nephasth]

...20 years of being a creative art director...

How old are you?

[griffindodd]

...20 years of being a creative art director...

How old are you?

40

[Nephasth]

You've aged well.

[griffindodd]

You've aged well.

Lol thanks. Large amounts of quality Whisky makes a great preservative

[mcseforsale]

Hahaha.  Yep...never seen a pickle go bad.

AJ

You've aged well.

Lol thanks. Large amounts of quality Whisky makes a great preservative

[emphatic]

It's... beautiful. 

[yotsuya]

 
'You know the kids are going to beat the crap out of this right?'

Wise words. I built a bartop for my nephews this Christmas, I made sure function bested form. They weren't going to care about things that I was going to. In the end, it was important that they could play games without calling me for support. Having said that, it was nowhere as beautiful as this one, but your wife's words keep things in perspective.

Oh, and I am loving this weather right now. 

[griffindodd]

Wow busy busy xmas eh, but that's nothing new for anyone I am sure.

Anyway, shot this a few days ago and finally got it uploaded, she's up and running and a TON of fun, super easy to play, huge clear display from every angle. I can see this is going to be really popular at get togethers and parties.

[CoryBee]

It's beautiful!

Also many internet points for frogger!

[jmike]

 
         Another amazing job Griff. Glad to see the wife's into gaming like you.
Thanks again for making your plans and artwork available, when things slow down a bit I'm building one of these beauties.


 

[griffindodd]

Thanks guys, once I fired it up the lady didn't want to walk away from it, I guess we'll call that a success.

[emphatic]

That is something else.

[Unstupid]

Looks good... So is it all done? 

[griffindodd]

Pretty much, just got a few odds and ends to finish up here and there, a bit of wire clean up, put some feet on it etc.

[Unstupid]

Pretty much, just got a few odds and ends to finish up here and there, a bit of wire clean up, put some feet on it etc.

Aww... I was going to nominate this for the 2012 User Choice Awards if you were finished...

[mcseforsale]

Yeah, dammit.  Get done with it already!  And work on that accent, too, would ya?  You kinda talk funny.

AJ

(egging you on since the gunslinger has been moved out of the garage finally... )

[griffindodd]

Aww... I was going to nominate this for the 2012 User Choice Awards if you were finished...

Thanks man, yeah I really tried to get it finished fully over the break but just couldn't get to it, that's ok though as I was lucky enough to have Revolution nominated by a few people.

@MCSE yeah yeah yeah, I know I know, I promised myself I wouldn't start on my first ever attempt at brewing beer until this was finished and the garage was cleaned up a bit.

[griffindodd]

Completely finished all wiring last night. Had to put in slightly smaller speakers as the old ones were hitting up against the joystick housing. Also wired up test and service buttons and did some configuration.

This photo shows how amazing the Sammy 214t screen is, I haven't retouched this in any way


Still to do...

Wiring cleanup
Mount service and test buttons in base
Add feet and baseplate to underside
New pink candy dustwashers from TEFighstands
SLG Scan line dongle

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2

[DaOld Man]

I may have already said this, but it deserves a second mention if I did:
Great job Griff!!

[griffindodd]

Awwww thanks. I hate to admit it but I think this little one may get more play than my full size cab. Although in the new house we are dedicating an area to become an arcade bar and home theater so maybe then the full size will come into its own a little more.

Sent from my pocket ZX81

[kuchta]

This is awesome! Unbelievable job. How easy is that to move around? Is it a 2-person job?

[griffindodd]

No you can do it on your own but it does weigh about 45 lbs at a guess. I want to put some handles on the sides but haven't found anything i like yet.

Sent from my pocket ZX81

[griffindodd]

Tidied up the wiring which is deceptively complex I guess three different lighting circuits and controllers doesn't help



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[griffindodd]

You can see here why I had to buy new speakers, a little on the tight side



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[PL1]

I want to put some handles on the sides but haven't found anything i like yet.

How about something simple like this?



I can stress test the one I've got sitting here if you're worried about it being able to handle the weight.   


Scott

[griffindodd]

A little careful Dremel work to grind the Zzippy sticks restrictor plate from cloverleaf to a diamond shape



Sent from my pocket ZX81

[griffindodd]

I want to put some handles on the sides but haven't found anything i like yet.

How about something simple like this?



I can stress test the one I've got sitting here if you're worried about it being able to handle the weight.   


Scott

Yeah saw those not really sure what I want to do yet. Main problem is that I don't want to mess up the side art with handles. Maybe I can do cutout handle holes in the baseplate and carry it like a crate

Sent from my pocket ZX81

[PL1]

Yeah saw those not really sure what I want to do yet. Main problem is that I don't want to mess up the side art with handles. Maybe I can do cutout handle holes in the baseplate and carry it like a crate

I was thinking one of those simple arch handles on each end, mounted horizontal, between and slightly above the fan and speaker and far enough under the CP (~1.5"-1.75") to be able to wrap your fingers around it easily.

To pick it up, tilt so the power cable side is up, grab both handles and carry with the bottom next to your body.

I don't think you'll have room for this cutout-style handle on the bottom, given how little room you appear to have to play with.    (Mounting diagram here.)




Scott

[yotsuya]

How secure are the control panels, in case someone tried to pick it up from the overhangs?

[griffindodd]

They are secure but I don't want to rely on them for carrying.

Dust washers just arrived. Made to order they look just great



Justin is the nicest guy and will help you come up with great ideas for your build. Please support him and his work and get your custom washers made by him. Here's a link to his store...

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.376168455783834.71886973.150943048306377&type=3

Sent from my pocket ZX81

[griffindodd]

Well I guess it passes the durability test



Sent from my pocket ZX81

[griffindodd]

Super happy with the dust washers



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[griffindodd]

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[floriske.nl]

Conrats on yet another great build!

I really love it! The shape, the artwork & finish are stunning 

Good to hear that you are so enthusiastic about the 214T screen since I'm using one for my bartop as well.

Edit: regarding the handles.  How about placing a couple of longer handles on top of the side panels so they sort of look like guardrails for the screen/playfield/arena?

[emphatic]

This is so sexy. I can't wait to see the SLG improve the games even more.

[chopperthedog]

F'ing amazing! Although it's 99.999999999999% done. A dab of glue is needed on the t-molding under the "N" 



good day.

[griffindodd]

Thanks guys. Still have the base panel and feet to finish. Laminated that today and will be sinking the test and service buttons into recessed holes so they sit flush with the underside of the cab.

Ordered a 5k pot for a manual volume control which I will put in line with the speaker wires. That will also be recessed with the other buttons.

Corybee is making a sweet serial plate for me that I put together based on his designs so that will also go on the base. Then I just have to add some good rubber feet and it will be done.

Also planning on pulling the control panel T-Molding and doing that again as it is causing a slight lift/bubble of the control panel vinyl. Never again will I stick vinyl to particleboard such a bad idea.

Sent from my pocket ZX81

[griffindodd]

Scott

Thanks Scott, I can make these work on the underside and carry the unit with the plexi toward my body, just ordered two.

[griffindodd]

Just a little update while I wait for a few last parts to arrive.

Installed my SLG dongle and couldn't be happier it looks just great.



Sent from my pocket ZX81

[CraftyMech]

Really awesome build! I love all the work you put into the backlighting of the controls & panels. Ms. Pac-man is my co-favorite classic along with Galaga, so naturally I really dig the artwork as well.

And I'm excited to see the mini SLG used in such a cool project. 

[griffindodd]

Really awesome build! I love all the work you put into the backlighting of the controls & panels. Ms. Pac-man is my co-favorite classic along with Galaga, so naturally I really dig the artwork as well.

And I'm excited to see the mini SLG used in such a cool project. 

Thanks Aaron!! Yep the mini SLG looks fantastic, and as you sit quite close to it you really get the full effect on this big 21" screen. The fact that you just plug and play the SLG is awesome, makes it so easy to add a great level of authenticity to the overall look.

[emphatic]

I don't understand why some people just skip scanlines, they are essential, as shown by your picture.

[mcseforsale]

My search-fu is very weak.  Are there any links to explaining the SLG?  And, does it stop the SL-ing when you're in a menu?

AJ

[chopperthedog]

My search-fu is very weak.  Are there any links to explaining the SLG?  And, does it stop the SL-ing when you're in a menu?

AJ

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=128970.0 also a thread in buy and sell forum. Lines are added at 640x480 and 1024x768 run front end in different resolution for no lines.


good day.

[OpFlash]

Wow truly AMAZING build there!  top to bottom very nice work indeed.  This type of work and the quality that youve shown is the reason that many other builds such as my own recent one (LOL) dont get much attention.  When time and time again it is seen just what exactly the expert builders / creators are capable of it sets some high standards of what a classifies as a great build.  That being said this is indeed a great build. 

Quick question I noticed that you have a newer switching power supply.  How is it getting power?  straight from 120?  Im asking because typically ive seen these power supplies used with jamma setups and theyve always had isolation transformers.  What am i missing here?  Sorry if the questions seems noobish (im not total noob  )

again awesome job!

[OpFlash]

Using the same SMD LEDs I used on the speaker/fan panels, these are pink. Just stick them on the inside of the joystick holes, I drilled mine out to 1"3/8. The ribbon cables are so flat you don't have to worry about them getting pinched by the joystick plate when you screw it in place.

I really like this idea and what you did.  Im thinking that this would be a nice addon to my already built cab.  great idea!

[griffindodd]

Quick question I noticed that you have a newer switching power supply.  How is it getting power?  straight from 120?  Im asking because typically ive seen these power supplies used with jamma setups and theyve always had isolation transformers.  What am i missing here?  Sorry if the questions seems noobish (im not total noob  )

again awesome job!

Hi there, thanks for the compliments, I certainly wouldn't consider myself an expert builder, everything I know I have learned from these forums, I think my experience as a designer just helps pull it all together so it looks decent. The power supply is wired direct to a 120v plug, I think I paid about $22 for the supply from Cajon Arcade Shop.

[OpFlash]

I used to be into photoshop awile back and just let me skills go Ive completely forgotten how to use the program.  Wish i wouldve kept with it as now im really into arcades again and couldve used it with designing artwork.  Its something that Im interested in still just gotta get the time to relearn the software.

[monkeychunkuk]

This machine is amazing! Great work
Where did you get the board to run the games?

And whats next???

[griffindodd]

This machine is amazing! Great work
Where did you get the board to run the games?

And whats next???

Google Jamma boards

[Nephasth]

Where did you get the board to run the games?

Google Jamma boards

It's a 60-in-1 board. Can be had through many arcade parts vendors.

[SpaceHedgehog]

Fantastic build. SLG with that monitor looks like quite a combo.

[griffindodd]

Hi all. Finally I am getting some time to finish the base and call this thing complete.

Laminated the base and made countersunk holes for the test and service switches


Black them up with a good old sharpy and drop in the buttons.



Attach the plate that Corybee made for me, I love these things. Thanks Cory!


Sent from my pocket ZX81

[Slig]

Dang man that is so sharp looking, amazing work! 

[griffindodd]

Thanks Slig. Still working away here.

Carry handles in place. Thanks Scott PL1 for the tip on these.


Sent from my pocket ZX81

[griffindodd]

Not happy that I have to channel the edges this thin but the large fans and speakers come so close to the panel I have no chouce. Such is the way of a prototype build though.


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[griffindodd]

Don't know what I was thinking on that last cut. I should have done this the first time..


Time to go back and patch that other side with some glue and scrap

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[griffindodd]

Patch it up soldier and move along


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[griffindodd]

Decided to add a volume control to the P1 CP. A little nervous drilling through a finished panel but it came out OK


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[DaOld Man]

Good jorb Griff!!!

[griffindodd]

Thanks DaOld.

Here we go, far more carryabler...


Looks like I am going to have to leave it here for now. I bought a 5k pot for the volume after hunting around forums trying to work out what best to use for an icade. Unfortunately this is too strong so I'm going to have to get another.


Sent from my pocket ZX81

[Jigenjuke]

Good jorb Griff!!!

What he said!  As always sir, Awesome job!

Jigenjuke

[DaOld Man]

Ok, for those of us who do not understand my "Good jorb Griff" statement, please refer to homestarrunner.com

[Jigenjuke]

Ok, for those of us who do not understand my "Good jorb Griff" statement, please refer to homestarrunner.com

Hmmm sorry 'bout that just quickly scanned it and thought there was no "r" in the "jorb", but thanks DaOldMan    Interesting site.

Jigenjuke

[griffindodd]

Ok, for those of us who do not understand my "Good jorb Griff" statement, please refer to homestarrunner.com

Ye did a greeatt Jeeeeeoooorb there Hamtsray.............Ramrod.....Homestar, GREAT JJEEEEEEEEOOOOOORB

[griffindodd]

Quick question on the POT. This 5k one is too strong for the volume signal from the Jamma board, it takes the volume from 100% to 0% in barely and eighth of a turn, so I need something with less resistance. As I know nothing about this stuff, do I then need a 1k pot for it to be 5 times less resistance or do I need a 25k pot?

[chopperthedog]

Is the signal coming from the board line level? If so, any Radio Shack audio taper 100k pot will be fine.

This is the one I use on all my cabs between computer and speaker amp. http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062359


good day.

[griffindodd]

Thanks for that info. So a 100k is less resistive then a 5k? The line does come from the iCade board but I believe it has it's own little amplifier, the booklet that came with it certainly didn't have much in the way of specs.

[Le Chuck]

Quick question on the POT. This 5k one is too strong for the volume signal from the Jamma board, it takes the volume from 100% to 0% in barely and eighth of a turn, so I need something with less resistance. As I know nothing about this stuff, do I then need a 1k pot for it to be 5 times less resistance or do I need a 25k pot?

Are you using a log pot or a regular?  For volume you usually need to use a logarithmic pot or else you'll get those huge jumps in volume. 

[griffindodd]

Are you using a log pot or a regular?  For volume you usually need to use a logarithmic pot or else you'll get those huge jumps in volume.

The only log pots I use require toilet paper aftwards 

I actually have no idea what I am talking about, please someone just take mah monehhh and give me a link to something suitable

[Yvan256]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potentiometer#Logarithmic_potentiometer
"Logarithmic taper potentiometers are often used in connection with audio amplifiers as human perception of audio volume is logarithmic."

As for the value required, I can't really help since it's been too long since I played with these. 

[chopperthedog]

If your build is using a power amp to power the speakers then the board is putting out a line level signal. Use the pot I linked above.


good day.

[griffindodd]

Nope the speakers are powered directly by the board

[chopperthedog]

Ahhhhh, so you were coming from board -> pot -> speakers? If that's the case a volume pad is what you're after. Or a circuit that can vary the voltage of an amplified signal.


Didn't dig very far. But something of this nature like the L-PAD-8SH http://www.jwd.com/speaker_volume_controls2.htm is what you're after. It would help to know the specs of the wattage output of the board.

Or, is there a trim pot on the board itself? If yes figure out the rating, de solder it from the board and wire in a new remote pot.


good day.

[TopJimmyCooks]

for them's that don't pot a log so regular any more these days, - just ask for audio taper.  That's plain english for logarithmic.  Yup.  Good jnob Jorb!

[yotsuya]

I got a couple at Radio Shack, Griff.  They work great.

[griffindodd]

Ok got it on logarithmic, but still I'm confused on what K to get. The 5k standard pot I got was too strong knocking out the volume in less than an 8th of a turn, so do I need a different value or does a 5k log work differently. This all sounds like a bunch of beeps and clicks to me, like I've always said, I'm a designer not an engineer Jim. 

[yotsuya]

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062359

[griffindodd]

Thanks! I'll grab one on the way home from my local RS

[griffindodd]

So did anyone else start building one of these? Just wondering how their experience was with the plans, fitting etc>? I would be cool to see one built for a different theme

[jmike]

So did anyone else start building one of these? Just wondering how their experience was with the plans, fitting etc>? I would be cool to see one built for a different theme

Hey Griff this looks great, hopefully you figure that out soon.
As for building one, yeah it's definitely one of my future projects.
I actually started purchasing some of the parts. One question how did you wire the power supply? I got mine from GGG and I'm not sure which are the positives that connect to the outlet.

 

[BobA]

The pot you are using is adding too much resistance with a very small turn of the pot.  Since you are varying the output of an amp and speakers are 4 to 8 ohms you need much less resistance.   A 1k pot or 500 ohm with an audio taper will probably work but the pads give much better control as they have alot less resistance and are made to be put inline with a speaker.

[griffindodd]

looks great, hopefully you figure that out soon.
As for building one, yeah it's definitely one of my future projects.
I actually started purchasing some of the parts. One question how did you wire the power supply? I got mine from GGG and I'm not sure which are the positives that connect to the outlet.

 

Cool JmIke, can't wait to see yours. As for the power supply I took the expert approach and tried to google pics of one wired up, then copied it, flicked the switch and checked for burning smells or banging noises......yeah I'm a pro.

[griffindodd]

the pads give much better control as they have alot less resistance and are made to be put inline with a speaker.

But what/where are these mystical pads you speak of? Can mere mortals buy them? Linky? At this point I'm almost ready just to buy a mini amp from somewhere like the Amazon and be done with it.

http://www.amazon.com/LP-2020A-Lepai-Tripath-Class-T-Amplifier/dp/B0049P6OTI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359564063&sr=8-1&keywords=mini+amplifier

[griffindodd]

I decided to buy that amp I linked above, mainly because I am lazy but also because I am lazy

[BobA]

Ok on the amp.   Here is info on audio attenuator pads in case anyone is looking for the info in the future.  You can buy the adjustable pads constructed for stereo at RShack and Audio stores.
http://www.uneeda-audio.com/pads/

[griffindodd]

Hi guys. Busy weekend but I found an hour to work on the volume control.

Got the amp from Amazon for $19.


Opened up and removed the pot from the main board


Rewired and extended


Fixed in place


Shaved down the original knob from the amp and it actually looks good with the chrome edged existing buttons.


And while I had the tools out I fefurbed the wifes beach cruiser with replacement seat wheels and bars and popped on a ride along seat for our little girl. Perfect for lazy Sundays by the lake.



Sent from my pocket ZX81

[DaOld Man]

The only log pots I use require toilet paper aftwards 

 

[griffindodd]

Well here's stage two of the project in its very raw early concept.


The idea here is a table dock that turns LMPM into a four player cocktail. The motivation for this is many happy hours playing Gauntlet with friends as a kid.

The table buttons and sticks would have to take over the player 1 & 2 roles when docked making the main cabs controls 3 & 4. Also it needs to auto switch on dock to a different gaming hardware to support much more games. Quite a challenge but a good one to try for.

The base also provides power and bigger sound and of course 4 cupholders

Sent from my pocket ZX81

[Nephasth]

A 4 player docking station for a 2 player 60-in-1…

Apparently you've got plan to convert it to MAME, but if you're going to bother building something that size, you might as well just build a dedicated 4 player machine.

How does that whiskey commercial go? "It is what it isn't."

[griffindodd]

Nope you misunderstand. When its undocked its a 60-in-1 two player cocktail. When docked it switches to 4 player and uses the computer hardware in the base, probably Mame.

Sent from my pocket ZX81

[yotsuya]

I'd probably leave LMPM as it is and just build your own take on a four player cocktail. LMPM is great for what it is- why complicate things? I personally would like to see what you could do with that open space, and then you're not tied to the Pac theme. Maybe your own take on Gauntlet? Make that hanging marquee a shield? 

[griffindodd]

Yeah I hear you guys, I guess I just had this in my head already but in the greater scheme if things it a may make more sense. I think this way I get to deny to my wife that I am already building ANOTHER scratch cab lol.

Sent from my pocket ZX81

[griffindodd]

Plus I've already decided that my next scratch build will be a dedicated driver with full seat motion and a wrapping screen

Sent from my pocket ZX81

[yotsuya]

Build the driver, then come back to the Gauntlet. That way, you get the taste of a totally different project and pick some stuff up for under your belt.

[griffindodd]

Yeah we will see how things go. Either way I have Paperboy sitting patiently in my garage waiting for the pro-touring treatment so that will probably be before any of this crazy stuff.

A resto/upgrade project will be a whole new experience in itself. The full redraw of the artwork is all finished I just have to dive in and get my hands dirty.

Sent from my pocket ZX81

[PL1]

Well here's stage two of the project in its very raw early concept.

I like the curved sides of the base, reminds me of G-rock26's Project Morph.


My main concern is that your sketch is just begging to tip over.

The idea here is a table dock that turns LMPM into a four player cocktail. The motivation for this is many happy hours playing Gauntlet with friends as a kid.

The table buttons and sticks would have to take over the player 1 & 2 roles when docked making the main cabs controls 3 & 4.

If you were using a KADE or Lono2, I'd say that the way to switch the controls over is to use an arcade pushbutton for HWB/shift mounted behind a hole in the base of LMPM.

A corresponding piece of chamfered ~1" dowel mounted on the docking table would both index LMPM and poke through the base to press the pushbutton and switch LMPM's controls to P3/P4.

Also it needs to auto switch on dock to a different gaming hardware to support much more games. Quite a challenge but a good one to try for.

Instead of changing LMPM, wouldn't it be better to build a clone using a gutted laptop for the board?

It's much easier to dock if you only have to connect USB, audio, and power from the base without connecting and switching to a different video input.

The base also provides power and bigger sound and of course 4 cupholders

If this thread turns into the cupholder thread I'm going to kill myself and then everyone else who has mentioned teh word cup and/or holder.

Scott

[griffindodd]

Yep I'll chew on this while I get started on Paperboy, but for now here's the end of project shot...

[Malenko]

Where did you get that stick/balltop? I need a pink one for a project Im working on.

[griffindodd]

Where did you get that stick/balltop? I need a pink one for a project Im working on.

Here you go..
http://www.shop.cajunarcade.com/Joystick-Bubble-Balltop-35mm-Joystick-Bubble-Balltop-35mm.htm

[Le Chuck]

I like the conversion table, it's a fun innovative design that hasn't been done before and pulling off an on the fly switcheroo of the controlling hardware would be a choice bit of hackery.  Plus it has some serious wow factor for guests.  IMHO it'd almost be a shame not to go onto the next step.  It's not a new project, it's just phase two of this current one.  It'd be a shame to quit now...plus I have a thing for feature creep when it's well executed and that is some serious feature creep.  Do it.   

[griffindodd]

I like the conversion table, it's a fun innovative design that hasn't been done before and pulling off an on the fly switcheroo of the controlling hardware would be a choice bit of hackery.  Plus it has some serious wow factor for guests.  IMHO it'd almost be a shame not to go onto the next step.  It's not a new project, it's just phase two of this current one.  It'd be a shame to quit now...plus I have a thing for feature creep when it's well executed and that is some serious feature creep.  Do it.   

Lol thanks Le Chuck, I know I can always rely on you and Scott to understand the adventurous exploration side of my ideas. It's kinda funny when people here say 'what's the point...you may as well just.....' while I understand the rather unarguable logic of that frame of mind, I do have to point out there is absolutely no logic, practicality or cost effectiveness involved in this hobby.

I'm not trying to be rude, just saying if you're going to get all "PrAcTiCaL" you may as well go buy an Xbox and be done with the whole hobby. Revolution cost almost $4,000 to build, LMPM probably $500-$600, so yeah nothing that makes any real sense there.

Planning out the BOM for my future driving cab, it could well be the most expensive yet, and it will certainly be the most insane thing I have ever placed in my home.

I guess there are Spocks and there are Kirks, both heroes but I know which i'd rather be.

[yotsuya]

I guess I'm a Spock, then.

I don't have a problem with creativity. I just think your talents would be better suited creating something new than going back to this well. It looks great as it. Dock it and you lose the side art. Now you have to cut more holes, rewire... Why not make the best cocktail you can AND have the mini as opposed to one thing that is completely dependant on the other?

Live long and prosper, bro.

[griffindodd]

Live long and prosper, bro.

 

[mcseforsale]

I'm with LeChuck.  Been around here a while and I'll never understand where this "right" way of doing things comes from.  We're grown ups building machines that emulate our childhood.  There's no "right" way of doing it.

Your builds are inspiring and well executed. 

Hell, craftsmanship and design are well respected by me no matter what you're building.  Even if it's this:

http://www.break.com/index/useless-machine-extreme-edition-2399540/

AJ

I like the conversion table, it's a fun innovative design that hasn't been done before and pulling off an on the fly switcheroo of the controlling hardware would be a choice bit of hackery.  Plus it has some serious wow factor for guests.  IMHO it'd almost be a shame not to go onto the next step.  It's not a new project, it's just phase two of this current one.  It'd be a shame to quit now...plus I have a thing for feature creep when it's well executed and that is some serious feature creep.  Do it.   

[Nephasth]

I'm with LeChuck.  Been around here a while and I'll never understand where this "right" way of doing things comes from.  We're grown ups building machines that emulate our childhood.  There's no "right" way of doing it.

There might not be a "right" way to do things in this hobby, but there is definitely a WRONG way to do things. Not saying this idea is one of 'em or not, but there's a whole website dedicated to showcasing a lot of the wrong decisions made in this hobby.

[mcseforsale]

I just walked through the crapmame site...are there any others?

AJ

I'm with LeChuck.  Been around here a while and I'll never understand where this "right" way of doing things comes from.  We're grown ups building machines that emulate our childhood.  There's no "right" way of doing it.

There might not be a "right" way to do things in this hobby, but there is definitely a WRONG way to do things. Not saying this idea is one of 'em or not, but there's a whole website dedicated to showcasing a lot of the wrong decisions made in this hobby.

[griffindodd]

Lol you guys get so worked up about yer beepy boopy games.

Crapmame is ---smurfing--- hilarious though, I love it

[PL1]

I just walked through the crapmame site...are there any others?

There's a "Hellcade CL Ads" thread on KLOV.   


Scott

[ghostrider]

Amazing job on this machine.  You have inspired me to attempt my first build.  I do have a couple of questions for you about this build.

1.  How do you access the internals of the game when necessary?  I see no piano hinges or sliding panels.  Perhaps a few pics or maybe a video...

2.  What lighting controllers do you use for all of the led's (buttons, joystick, end panels)?

3.  If you had to do it all over again, is there anything you would change or do differently?

Thank you.

[griffindodd]

Amazing job on this machine.  You have inspired me to attempt my first build.  I do have a couple of questions for you about this build.

1.  How do you access the internals of the game when necessary?  I see no piano hinges or sliding panels.  Perhaps a few pics or maybe a video...

2.  What lighting controllers do you use for all of the led's (buttons, joystick, end panels)?

3.  If you had to do it all over again, is there anything you would change or do differently?

Thank you.

Thanks glad you like it, can't wait to see other peoples versions of these. The bottom panel will be screwed in place with six brass screws, no need to access it much being a 60-in-1.

I just use a basic 12v DC supply for the LEDs making sure all led buttons and lights I buy are 12v not 5v. The cycling color LEDs are rgb strip and color controller from amazon.

Different I would have laminated the CP before sticking the vinyl for much better adhesion. I'd have allowed more clearance between the joystick and fan/speaker panel. I'd have used MDF rather than particle board.

Good luck

Sent from my pocket ZX81

[ghostrider]

Thank you for the fast response.

[griffindodd]

So I'm considering selling this project. It's been a tonne of fun to make, but funding my hobby so I can continue to build new projects is more important to me.

I did build this for my daughter but as she's only 1 that really was more of an excuse to build it ha ha ha. To her it's a jungle gym at this point, I think she's going to need a few more years under her belt.

Any thoughts on a reasonable asking price for this build?

[mcseforsale]

12 hundred?  a grand?

AJ

[yotsuya]

Great question, Griff. If CoryDee can get $600....

[mcseforsale]

That's for a bar-top, too.  I'd think this would be a bit more...

AJ

[Nephasth]

Throw it up on ebay.

[griffindodd]

Yeah hard to know what to ask, I'm just going to put it up for offers in the For Sale forums here for a bit and then if no interest I'll try my luck on CL or eBay.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,130625.0.html

[yotsuya]

Make sure you add 'Don't lowball me, man!!!!1!' to any ad. 

[griffindodd]

and 'No Tattoos'

[yotsuya]

"Will trade for things that go BANG!"?

[CoryBee]

Great question, Griff. If CoryDee can get $600....

I was just thinking that....... 

uh, now I made myself sad

[mcseforsale]

Hey, get back to work!  Don't you have a couple of plates to make?

Welcome back to the world of non-mushy food.

AJ

Great question, Griff. If CoryDee can get $600....

I was just thinking that....... 

uh, now I made myself sad

[CoryBee]

Hey, get back to work!  Don't you have a couple of plates to make?

Welcome back to the world of non-mushy food.
AJ

Haha! I am still in Europe! Where the girls are pretty and the cheese is stinky....seriously though....this cheese I am eating right now smells like an old man's fart. Although, I must admit it is pretty tasty.

I return the 28th.... Will start the plates as soon as I do, have plenty of material left so no problemo. Expect a return email from me when I am situated.

  - How much are you asking for the thing? I make cookie cutter bartops, this....this is a work of art.

[griffindodd]

- How much are you asking for the thing? I make cookie cutter bartops, this....this is a work of art.

If I have to go to dollars on the eBay or CL I'll ask a grand for it, would rather trade it for one of my bucket list cabs though

[mike boss]

This is truly fantastic and beautiful.
My hat is off to you, the creativity and concept development (to execution) was amazing.
I LOVE (and I can't stress enough) how much I love the LED lit speaker panels.

I don't know where, how, or when, but I'd love to use that idea somehow.

Truly top shelf work !

Fantastic ! A ++++

[mcseforsale]

Easy enough.  It could be yours for $1500 (quiet griff...I'm working over here).


 
AJ

This is truly fantastic and beautiful.
My hat is off to you, the creativity and concept development (to execution) was amazing.
I LOVE (and I can't stress enough) how much I love the LED lit speaker panels.

I don't know where, how, or when, but I'd love to use that idea somehow.

Truly top shelf work !

Fantastic ! A ++++

[Unstupid]

I'll give you $50 for the 60-in-1 board and the Pink Balltops!   

[griffindodd]

 

Sold over on KLOV within 30 mins of listing it.

 

[yotsuya]

Sweet! What did it go for?

[griffindodd]

 

[mcseforsale]

Better question:  What did you have into it?  Not counting time of course.

AJ

[yotsuya]

Paid for with smiles, huh? 

[griffindodd]

Better question:  What did you have into it?  Not counting time of course.

AJ

Put it this way, I better not quit my day job 

[mcseforsale]

 

[griffindodd]

Remind me never to ship anything that you have to build a coffin for




Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2

[yotsuya]

Where's it going?

[griffindodd]

SC

[mcseforsale]

Hmmm.  Maybe it could stop in Atlanta for a few months!     Nice crate.  How heavy did it end up being?

AJ

[griffindodd]

Hmmm.  Maybe it could stop in Atlanta for a few months!     Nice crate.  How heavy did it end up being?

AJ

Lol yeah a world tour. Don't know yet, taking it to the shipping bay at work this morning, don't even want to think about the price

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2

[TEFightStands]

They are secure but I don't want to rely on them for carrying.

Dust washers just arrived. Made to order they look just great



Justin is the nicest guy and will help you come up with great ideas for your build. Please support him and his work and get your custom washers made by him. Here's a link to his store...

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.376168455783834.71886973.150943048306377&type=3

Sent from my pocket ZX81

Yooo thanks for the support :tup:
This little girl turned out so sick! Great work man!

[Sshado]

So did anyone else start building one of these? Just wondering how their experience was with the plans, fitting etc>? I would be cool to see one built for a different theme

I am planning on building this. Unfortunately, I am going to have to totally copy your art as well since I am no designer. It would be cool to somehow make it the Ms. Pacman / Galaga theme, maybe I could pay you to create a Galaga design for half of it...

[Maximus]

Yeah feel free to use the art and templates, they are all in the original post. As for creating new art, sorry brother I am buried in projects with no time to do them.

[Drnick]

Remind me never to ship anything that you have to build a coffin for




Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2

Ha' You think that's hard. You should try packing all the components for a Gas Turbine  Can you remember what the weight was fully packaged in the end

[Maximus]

I think it was about 110lbs

[Drnick]

So you got a good workout carrying it to the loading area then     

[Sshado]

OK, I am trying to stick as close to your plan as I can. Do you have a list of what parts you used and where you got them?

I ordered the Pink Ball Tops from Cajun Arcade
Sent a message to TEFightStands about the pink washers
Ordered 60n1 PCB board / Wiring Harness / 16a Power Supply from Amazon (Paradise Arcade) - cheaper at Cajun, saw too late
Ordered power inlet / cord from Amazon

Will get my printing done through Game on Grafix

Which joysticks (Ms Pacman/Galaga replacements or zippy short shaft?) / buttons / chrome buttons did you order and from where?

Where and which lights did you order?

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to order everything

Also, you said if one thing you would change is you would use MDF instead, would you still laminate the top of the CP if you used MDF?

[Maximus]

OK, I am trying to stick as close to your plan as I can. Do you have a list of what parts you used and where you got them?

I ordered the Pink Ball Tops from Cajun Arcade
Sent a message to TEFightStands about the pink washers
Ordered 60n1 PCB board / Wiring Harness / 16a Power Supply from Amazon (Paradise Arcade) - cheaper at Cajun, saw too late
Ordered power inlet / cord from Amazon

Will get my printing done through Game on Grafix

Which joysticks (Ms Pacman/Galaga replacements or zippy short shaft?) / buttons / chrome buttons did you order and from where?

Where and which lights did you order?

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to order everything

Also, you said if one thing you would change is you would use MDF instead, would you still laminate the top of the CP if you used MDF?

My mistake was not laminating the top of the control panels, so the adhesion wasn't as good as I would have liked. I just didn't like the particleboard in general, it cut hard, blunted my tools and was too heavy.

LEDs I got from http://www.superbrightleds.com although I can't remember the exact type, they were self adhesive surface mounted. The rotating color LEDs were just the usual RGB strip and light controller you can find on Amazon.

Joysticks were Zippyy from Cajon, regular shaft I just mounted them underneath without routing recesses, you'll need that depth inside the joystick hole to mount the LEDs anyway.

[Sshado]

Cool, thanks for the fast reply. I found the LED's and am placing the order. I also ordered the long shaft zippys as the choices were short or long (no normal).

How about the buttons? Did you have to put the text in there yourself (for coin and player buttons)? And where did you order them from? I found a few sites with similar but no text.

Thanks again, can't wait to get this done (although I can't find the Samsung 214t yet)

[Maximus]

You can put any size LCD in there really, but it does look great with the huge Sammy in there. I believe I got those buttons from Paradise Arcade

[PL1]

How about the buttons? Did you have to put the text in there yourself (for coin and player buttons)?

You can ink jet print your own inserts on Avery 18665 Clear Full Sheet Labels.


Scott

[wivelden]

I have had the plans converted to a CAD drawing in case anyone wants it. My lovely girlfriend did it for me at work. I just received the artwork from a guy over at the hyperspin forums who is also making this cabinet. The artwork looks great and I would definitely recommend him for printing.

Thread is here for the printing:
http://www.hyperspin-fe.com/forum/showthread.php?14150-Decals-and-Printing-for-your-Hyperpin-Cabinet

[DeLuSioNal29]

I just uploaded the complete set of art for anyone who wants to use it, it includes side panel, control panel and bezel. ...  Artwork is in PDF format for easy printing or Adobe Illustrator files if you want to edit them. Cut templates are in various formats all attached to the original post.

Sorry to revive and old topic, but I'm having trouble printing this at my local Staples.  The max they do for blueprint printing is 36" x 48".  The file is 48" x 48".  Did you give your local guy the whole file and they split it between two pieces of paper or did you need to split the file on your own and have them print each file on each paper?

Also, when they print, I'm assuming that it's actual size and they don't need to adjust anything else?

Disclaimer:  Depending how my printing and cutting goes, is whether I will continue building this project or not.  :-)  So no guarantees!

Thanks in advance!

DeLuSioNaL29

[JDFan]

I just uploaded the complete set of art for anyone who wants to use it, it includes side panel, control panel and bezel. ...  Artwork is in PDF format for easy printing or Adobe Illustrator files if you want to edit them. Cut templates are in various formats all attached to the original post.

Sorry to revive and old topic, but I'm having trouble printing this at my local Staples.  The max they do for blueprint printing is 36" x 48".  The file is 48" x 48".  Did you give your local guy the whole file and they split it between two pieces of paper or did you need to split the file on your own and have them print each file on each paper?

Also, when they print, I'm assuming that it's actual size and they don't need to adjust anything else?

Disclaimer:  Depending how my printing and cutting goes, is whether I will continue building this project or not.  :-)  So no guarantees!

Thanks in advance!


DeLuSioNaL29

Not sure if this will help or not but I used the plans in the first post to split it into 2 24x48 inch jpg images (also placed them in a zip in case the forum resizes.

[DeLuSioNal29]

Thanks, those split files did the trick.

I didn't find these answers in the topic so I will ask here:
1)  The wood for this project is 5/8" thick but the matching pink T-molding at t-molding.com is 3/4" http://www.t-molding.com/store/product.php?productid=66&cat=0&page=&featured=Y.  Did you trim the T-molding to fit or did the thickness of the laminating process make the 3/4" molding fit?
2)  What laminate thickness did you use? (link to product would be great).  My guess is that is was 1/16" thick? (5/8" + 1/16" + 1/16" = 3/4").  Is this correct?
3)  If that's the case (# 2 above), why not just use 3/4" for the build?

DeLuSioNaL29

[rablack97]

Thanks, those split files did the trick.

I didn't find these answers in the topic so I will ask here:
1)  The wood for this project is 5/8" thick but the matching pink T-molding at t-molding.com is 3/4" http://www.t-molding.com/store/product.php?productid=66&cat=0&page=&featured=Y.  Did you trim the T-molding to fit or did the thickness of the laminating process make the 3/4" molding fit?
2)  Why laminate thickness did you use? (link to product would be great).  My guess is that is was 1/16" thick? (5/8" + 1/16" + 1/16" = 3/4").  Is this correct?
3)  If that's the case (# 2 above), why not just use 3/4" for the build?

DeLuSioNaL29

Maximus is a laminate man.....

I may be wrong but he used 1/16 laminate due to the finish instead of painting.  Vinyl on laminate provides a more durable surface.

You are correct, 1/16 on both sides of 5/8 give you a perfext 3/4 width for 3/4 t-moulding.

Another reason is i think he was trying to cut the weight down as this was to be portable.

Also, trimming t-moulding is pretty easy with a razor blade, just make sure you have a sharp blade, use the edge as a guide and slowly run the blade against the excess, i do it all the time and it looks great.  Nobody can tell its been trimmed.

[GrandBofTarkin]

Tidied up the wiring which is deceptively complex I guess three different lighting circuits and controllers doesn't help



Sent from my pocket ZX81

This is the perfect time to ask my questions I guess...
When you connect the power and VGA connector to the monitor and power up does it just work or do you need to do anything with the little control strip on the monitor?
You can't see it in this pic but it's connected to the bottom corner of the monitor (little circuit board).
Also would all LCD monitors need the scanline dongle thingy?

[turtleoo7]

would you be willing to make just the wood cabinet and sell it to me just wood ptu toghter

[charlottemoo]

would you be willing to make just the wood cabinet and sell it to me just wood ptu toghter

If anyone in the UK (London) could cut me this plywood that would be fantastic, I printed the template and stuck it to some lovely ply and then proceeded to completely ruin the whole lot with my total lack of skills in using a jigsaw !!!   

NEED HELP 

[Birdman042]

...holy thread resurrection Batman.......

I have started a Pacman themed build based on this. Build thread here: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,148783.0.html.

[danny_galaga]

Very nice! Unique design well thought out (",)

[JollyRoger]

Is there a reason why the images are not coming through for this link? Or is it something on my end?

[PL1]

Is there a reason why the images are not coming through for this link? Or is it something on my end?

It's not you.

Code snippet from the original post in this thread.

Code: [Select]

[size=12pt][b]Finished Cocktail Cabinet[/b][/size]
[img]http://www.kinemote.net/lmpm/Shot_Final.jpg[/img]

[size=12pt][b]Concept Art[/b][/size]
[img width=1024 height=791]http://www.kinemote.net/lmpm/mockup.jpg[/img]

MaxiGriff dropped the ball -- he posted quite a few of the pics from his (now expired) kinemote.net domain.   
(at least his tapatalk pics and youtube videos are still working)

It appears that yet another well-documented and well-executed build has been lost down the memory-hole.   

This is why everyone should host at least their most important/informative/relevant/useful build pictures on the arcadecontrols.com servers.


Scott

[Maximus]

I will see if I can rehost these images and register them somewhere

Sent from my SM-G925T using Tapatalk

[JDFan]

I will see if I can rehost these images and register them somewhere

Sent from my SM-G925T using Tapatalk

Upload them to the Picture thread here and link back to them -- that way the pics will be there as long as this forum is !

[PL1]

I will see if I can rehost these images and register them somewhere

Thank you.   

IMHO the best image hosting option for these pics is a site called "arcadecontrols.com".   


Scott