Minecraft Bartop

[CoryBee]

This is number 2 of the single player bartops from this build thread - Bartops, Etc.

Got a request and a down payment from a gentleman that wanted to buy the two-player but lucked out on timing, to make his kid a Minecraft themed arcade. We got to talking and he got set on it being able to play Minecraft. I told him I would call him back.

My younger brother is a "youtube partner" with a group of Minecraft nerds and agreed to help me design something that is playable as both this and MAME.

There are a few hurdles you have to overcome, not having a mouse is a big one. You wont be able to move your head around (looking around). To solve this (and keep it stationary) it calls for a trackball mouse like this one -





Joystick movements equals the W, S, A, D buttons on the keyboard. It moves you "forward, back, left, right".

The four buttons are shortcut keys, "E" "Esc" "Space" "Ctrl", this is inventory, activate, jump and crouch". "Esc" is the black button.

I am not a Minecraft player, but I am sure the kid will love it. Did proper research on players that use a trackball and after a day he will get use to it.

I have a ton of ideas and if they have the money to back it, I will build it. Same goes if they have the ideas. 

Edit: Re-sized trackball image

[SpaceHedgehog]

Interesting stuff. That trackball looks like it's 'riding high' (i.e. isn't enclosed in the casing) . Could you hack / remodel it to integrate into the control panel so it's more of a traditional arcade type trackball? Must admit, I was only thinking about something like this the other day.

Good luck with the project 

[CoryBee]

Interesting stuff. That trackball looks like it's 'riding high' (i.e. isn't enclosed in the casing) . Could you hack / remodel it to integrate into the control panel so it's more of a traditional arcade type trackball? Must admit, I was only thinking about something like this the other day.

Good luck with the project 

Thanks, I think it will work out. I had an idea for a hacked trackball mouse to use on mame, kind of a mini arcade trackball for a regular bartop build. Would love to play some trackball games on one of these things.

For this build though I will keep the case because I don't want it to lose the feel of a mouse, and being able to easily left, right click about like a mad man.

Edit: Inconsitency

[CoryBee]

Throwing in some shots from the other thread of this build to keep it flowing

[CoryBee]

Since I am lacking in space to do some woodworking (garage leaking), been playing around with what will be the serial plates for these bartops. Here is what I have come up with for this build.



Like I said, I have a ton of aluminum to work with and am just waiting on my full sheet of "clear avery stickers" to come in. Will print them all out at once to not waste a sheet.

[CoryBee]

Hacked Gamepad



Edit: Just realized I didn't have to solder to that many points as this build is only going to have 5 buttons all together

[stuckpixel]

Have you considered a top-fire or trigger joystick at all?

Would seem that might help with the stuff like crouch or jump, when you want to have your wasd and your mouse going at the same time.

Also, maybe at least one (or more) thumb buttons for the hand that will be on the trackball. With a normal mouse you've got at least 2 buttons there, plus your scroll-wheel -- so you'll need to do what you can to keep some of that functionality.

**EDIT** -- just read that you plan on keeping the trackball in it's casing -- retaining right/left click. The preceding paragraph was assuming that you weren't planning on doing that.

Definitely going to want to prototype the control setup a few times before building.

Should be an interesting build!

[Well Fed Games]

I would post doubt about playing Minecraft with the ball but my nephew tears through it on an ipod touch, which cannot be easy.    I am hoping to co-op it with him on PC after he gets it for Christmas. Love your bartop builds!

This might be prying, but what does one of your bartops usually pull in $$ wise? I know a few of you build them to sell and I'm curious what you clear after the cost of parts, etc. (If you don't want to share or would rather do so by PM I totally get that).

[CoryBee]

Definitely going to want to prototype the control setup a few times before building.

Should be an interesting build!

Yea there will be a prototype CP built before messing with the MDF CP. Had my brother reach out to his minecraft people and a few use a trackball to play. they had to get use to it the first day but say it works very well, some swear that it is easier to play with it. I wouldn't know though, but I am going to find out.

I have two mini black arcade buttons that will be used for scrolling through items on the quick bar thingy. That solves that issue.

This might be prying, but what does one of your bartops usually pull in $$ wise? I know a few of you build them to sell and I'm curious what you clear after the cost of parts, etc. (If you don't want to share or would rather do so by PM I totally get that).

Not an issue to divulge, I have a part list and solid pricing somewhere that I can PM you. Quickly though, I almost never spend $100 on parts, for instance the MDF board I bought made 3 bartop shells of my design. And there is enough left over for a fourth, if I use some crappier wood as a base. I can get 16 buttons and 2 joysticks for $44.50, so that is the controls for two single player bartops. Laptops that run 0.83 Mame can be had for 20-30 bucks on eBay or people who horde old computers.

This minecraft bartop is custom for his son and he is paying $550. His son loves the design by the way.

--------

Back to the build - Will be adding wireless capabilities to this as well so he can play with his friends. Not sure if I will get a wireless mini keyboard so he can type or just add a usb port in the back for a keyboard. This will also double as a way to type in his wifi key. Figure I can just use a wireless assistant program, have it show up as an .exe in MalaFE.

[CoryBee]

Serial Plate



Edit: Damn reflections



Creeper head looks awesome 

[RyoriNoTetsujin]

 I don't know about using that Logitech Marble Mouse. Do you already have it in hand? I've used those for a long time and the ball is not at all stable in the socket. One even light pull with the fingertips will remove it from the socket. Don't get me wrong, the thing works well, but that particular issue has always made it feel "cheap" to me. 

Meanwhile, Paradise Arcade Shop carries a PS/2 mini trackball with LED lighting for the same price as a Marble Mouse at retail. Just a thought! 

[jammin0]

I don't know about using that Logitech Marble Mouse. Do you already have it in hand? I've used those for a long time and the ball is not at all stable in the socket. One even light pull with the fingertips will remove it from the socket. Don't get me wrong, the thing works well, but that particular issue has always made it feel "cheap" to me. 

Meanwhile, Paradise Arcade Shop carries a PS/2 mini trackball with LED lighting for the same price as a Marble Mouse at retail. Just a thought! 

And it lights green.

[CoryBee]

Well I ordered it already, so we will see how it plays out. I will do a bunch of testing first.

If it fails hard then I will take it back and go a different route. I want to not have to have extra buttons for left and right clicking.

[CoryBee]

Mounting the laptop to the frame and to the shell of the bartop



Quick spray while I work on other projects





After getting the laptop mounted perfectly I fit the speaker panel







Speaker holes





Soldering to the power button



To complete the circuit I just wire one side of the push-button on the back panel to the DC Jack's ground



Soldering onto to the DC jack to extend it to the back panel jack



Shot of the wireless card



A look inside -

Grey & Black wires = Wireless antenna
Red & Black wires  = DC Power
22 gauge red wire = Power switch wire







Apparently the trackball is out of stock, even though they marked it as shipped 4 days ago  Ordered another one

[CoryBee]

Audio panel painted and amp installed - I remove the audio potentiometer (rheostat) to be repositioned on the back panel



Re-mouted the laptop and filled in the holes









Next up is to tidy the wires a bit, sand and paint\apply vinyl, get art printed and await the trackball mouse.

[CoryBee]

Art

Marquee



Control Panel



Boot Logo

[CoryBee]

Art Printed





 

[CoryBee]

Painting the sides a darkish green



So my trackball came in and the thing is longer than I thought......



It would hang over the edge by a little over a half an inch. The only way I see to rectify this would be to cut the "tail" off of the end and rout a recess (I was already going to but this would go at an angle) to hide the missing piece of the trackball. Short of hacking up the assembly out of it's case, that is the best I got. 

[CoryBee]

Any ideas on the trackball issue?

[PL1]

Is cutting the CP 1/2" - 3/4" deeper and letting the extra hang over the near edge an option?

Might be easier than cutting down and angle-mounting the trackball.

Option #2 a bulge under the trackball like the top of the side panels above Ms. Pac-Man on Griffindodd's Tabletop Cocktail Cab.




Scott

[CoryBee]

I am not sure what you mean on either of these options....granted it is late so I am tired

cut a longer cp?

[PL1]

Diagram #1 - Current CP.  Trackball base is too long and hangs over the near edge.

Diagram #2 - Cut a larger CP, additional area shown in light blue.

Diagram #3 - Cut a CP with a bulge, additional area shown in light blue.


Scott

[Louis Tully]

.

[CoryBee]

This is why I love you scotty, going the extra mile! 

Bahh! Number 3 looks like the hardest to implement and make look decent....

Cutting a larger control panel is an option....but then there will be a small space where the tmolding wont be...unless I curve it or something

I am thinking cutting the tail off this thing (if possible without damaging the circuit board) is the best option

Thanks for the help, if you have any more ideas let me know.

[PL1]

Cutting a larger control panel is an option....but then there will be a small space where the tmolding wont be...unless I curve it or something

I am thinking cutting the tail off this thing (if possible without damaging the circuit board) is the best option

Did you already cut the t-molding to length? 

If so, use it on your next build -- which should start in 2 days given your build rate.   

Cutting the tail off creates two challenges:

1. Getting the chopped tail smooth and comfortable

2. Routing the CP to mount the trackball

Instead of chopping the tail, you could mount the trackball using screws through the trackball base. (green)

Snug nuts/lockwashers (red) to the bottom and put the base back on the trackball.

Drill through the CP (yellow) and countersink.  Attach nuts (blue) to hold the trackball down.

You can leave the tail hanging over the edge if you want to use your current CP or you can cut a new one.


Scott

[Le Chuck]

Take it apart before you make a decision.  A lot of that plastic could just be a palm rest and you might be able to just integrate the guts and the side buttons right onto the CP.  That could also help prevent that ball from just rolling off that mouse which it is somewhat prone to do. 

[CoryBee]

Take it apart before you make a decision.  A lot of that plastic could just be a palm rest and you might be able to just integrate the guts and the side buttons right onto the CP.  That could also help prevent that ball from just rolling off that mouse which it is somewhat prone to do.

The ball seems to be held pretty securely by three prongy things that it clicks into. I have shook it and hit it all to hell to test this out and it didn't fall out 

If I was to cut off the tail I was going to recess the mouse at an angle a bit to hide it.

Hmmm, I am going to take it apart before I do anymore pondering. Thanks guys!

[matt4949]

Since I am lacking in space to do some woodworking (garage leaking), been playing around with what will be the serial plates for these bartops. Here is what I have come up with for this build.



Like I said, I have a ton of aluminum to work with and am just waiting on my full sheet of "clear avery stickers" to come in. Will print them all out at once to not waste a sheet.

Love the Creeper Placard.
My kids cannot stop playing MINECRAFT and I will be watching this build closely.
Your builds are an inspiration.

[CoryBee]

My younger brother can't stop playing this darn game 

Thanks for the kind compliments, I think I have come far in the past 7 or so months when all I had was a jigsaw and particle board. 

On a side note, have been messing about with the trackball mouse and it is surprisingly easier to use than my standard mouse for gaming. Haven't tried it on BF3 yet but that would be a learning curve indeed.

[CoryBee]

So I opened up the Trackball Mouse and we were right that the tail is pretty much empty. Everything after the black line is redundant space, on the circuit board it is empty "ground" space.



So I think I am going with option 1, cutting the tail off and making a recess for it in the control panel 

[CoryBee]

Update:





Spent a lot of time pondering what to do with it after cutting the tail off. 

Tried routing in steps but that was fruitless to hide the cut

Decided to make an end cap











Fits - drilled a hole in the bottom of the trackball to thread the cord through another hole in the CP



The art is changing slightly - Left side will be the same but on the right will be a black laminate (it will look better than this, was just getting an idea for it)



CP





The trackball is surprisingly comfortable to use at this angle, won't be doing any "superman" ball spinning techniques on this thing 

[rCadeGaming]

You need to do experiments with a wadded up piece of paper to be sure...

[yotsuya]

Cory,  you'd be the of this site! 

[jammin0]

What if you finished cutting out that recess all the way through the wood and then go crazy with the bondo.  Make it into one continuos piece.  I'm thinking you could get get something to tack it into place like clay or hot glue.  Then pop out the guts from the bottom.  Next, fill in the gaps with some bondo.  Sand it down like crazy and repeat until you have a nice smooth finish.  Tape up the buttons and spray paint the entire thing.  Then take the tape off and lightly spray the trackball to match in color to everything else.  It would be a lot more work but the end result would be pretty seemless.

[DrChek]

Or you could have just used a real 2.25" arcade trackball. 

[CoryBee]

Or you could have just used a real 2.25" arcade trackball. 

Wanted to keep the buttons on the trackball. If I ever do it again I would, and use the little arcade buttons next to it for left\right clicking.

Jammin0 -

I have never used bondo, thought about something like this though. If it looks like ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- when I am done I probably will go this route

Yotusa -

[Unstupid]

Or you could have just used a real 2.25" arcade trackball. 

I second this opinion.... real hardware would look less "crap-mame" worthy!

[CoryBee]

Or you could have just used a real 2.25" arcade trackball. 

I second this opinion.... real hardware would look less "crap-mame" worthy!

Relax, if it looks complete shite  then I will order one of these Link

[Le Chuck]

Give the bondo a shot.  Get creative.  Put on some enya on the boombox, take your shirt off, maybe have Ghost playing on the panasonic tv/vcr combo in the corner.  Get dirty with it.  Let the curves take you where they want to go.  There's no shame.  Just you and the bondo... together... making it happen. 

[CoryBee]

Give the bondo a shot.  Get creative.  Put on some enya on the boombox, take your shirt off, maybe have Ghost playing on the panasonic tv/vcr combo in the corner.  Get dirty with it.  Let the curves take you where they want to go.  There's no shame.  Just you and the bondo... together... making it happen.

 

I nearly choked to death reading that