first build upright cabinet....MARVELOUS FIGHTER (FINISHED) video added

[stavros693000]

hello fellow arcade enthusiast, my name is Stavros...... I've been lurking around here for years and i've learned soooooo much from all you awesome people at BYOAC.
I have dreamed of building my own cabinet for so long, I thought its now or never.

For my first build (attempt) I thought just something simple .....So I decided to go with a basic generic style upright cabinet (the shape you guys have probably seen to death) but I like the classic look.

I really love the alien themed cab with curves by I forgot name sorry......but WOW!! AWSOME CAB DUDE .......the level of talent around here is ............
anyway , ive lurked and learnt so much I thought I should share my build and what ive learnt from all you peeps so far.

Id love your opinions and criticism..... just go easy on me 8)lol..............nah, if you think its ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- please tell me cause I like to know where ive gone wrong and where I can improve

For this first build I didnt have any plans except whats in my head (probably not the best way to start) but anywho............so I layed the mdf down and just starting marking out and measuring until I was happy with the dimensions and the shape.
Then lots of cutting and screwing lol.........................heres a few shots of where im at





UPDATE......Finished ,sorry about photo quality, really bad lighting and glare issues ,I had to turn the marquee light of for some of the pics.

Anyway here it is, my first arcade build.....I very happy with how it turned out

finally got around to shooting a video..so here it is 

video goes to full screen at 8.48.......sorry bout that, but is still clear and watchable

[stavros693000]

opps forgot pics.....................here

[stavros693000]

a few more

[Dawgz Rule]

Looks pretty good to me.  I did a similar build as I was trying to keep it very retro looking.  Good luck!

[stavros693000]

this is a 4 player GOD DAM MONSTROSITY control panel I built years ago as a practice run and just sat it on the cabinet as a test...............end result = way to chunky, don't like it one bit but it was a jumping off point and a bit of practice also good practice for wiring.

I really only wanted 2 player CP with dedicated 4 way but my 8 yr old son wants /insists on 4 player so he and his mates can carve up TMNT and X-men. lol.....................its funny he grew up with x-box but he loves playing classics from my generation (X)

[stavros693000]

so after a bit of re-design (back to the drawing board) I came up with this layout.
From mock up on cardboard to finish CP took me about 3 hours.................bit of rush job but I was exited and over zelous


oh and sorry bout the very crude windows paint diagram...............but the blue circle is for barrel lock on cp and the others are 1-4 p start and 1-4p credit.

[stavros693000]

im still really unsure about the CP? just trying to keep the young fella happy.
so just added 2 more controls but in an unusual placing and with only 3 buttons each .............probably only need 2 nbuttons but just trying to keep things uniform.
I really not sure............what you guys think?

oh and thanks dawg for kind words
stavro

[a1pharm]

Stavros,
For your first build, this is turning out great.  I love the dimensions and angles, very authentic looking.

It seems your main design decision now is how to create the CP.  It seems you only want 3p and 4p for your son's friends to play schmups, but you would rather have only 2 players.  You could just make it a 2player CP, and create smaller USB 3p/4p panels that you could connect when he had a 3rd and 4th friend over.  I kind of did this with my cab.  It is a 2 player CP, with 4 USB ports.  I have played 6 player X-Men by attaching 4 gamepads to the cab and using the 1p/2p controls.  It was fun, but happens rarely, and I enjoy the 2 player layout the vast majority of the time that I use it.

If you do decide to go with 4 players, make sure 3p/4p have at least 3 buttons (for X-Men you need Jump, Attack, and Mutant Power buttons)

Congrats on taking the scratch build plunge, you have made excellent progress so far.  Keep up the good work, and keep the pictures coming!

Cheers!
 

[stavros693000]

a1pharm, thanks man, for advice and kind words of encouragement.
my main concern was that the 4 player panel might be to wide/to big/out of proportion to the cab!
I do like the idea of a 4 player cab but not if its gonna look silly. I have 3 buttons for p3 and p4 and I really like your idea of having extra usb ports.
if you guys think the CP is to big ill go with your idea.

ill have the paint finished this weekend and will install joysticks just to get an idea of how it will look and of course I will post pics.

[stavros693000]

got t-mould and slot cutter the other day from Groovey Game Gear, and I must say I was very impressed with the quality considering how cheap it was.
I originally bought t-mould from arcade gaming Australia (44 ft for $50 including delivery) and the same amount plus the slot cutter for $63 including delivery from GGG ..............very good value for money. I also originally priced a 1 1/8 or 2mm slot cutter at gasweld and was quoted $84
Everything is so farkin expensive in Australia! .........................randy is da man
anywho here is pic of t-mould and slot cutter bit.     by the way it just glided through the mdf like hot knife through butter

[stavros693000]

just a few more pics of the painting progress. ive got one more top coat to go should be done painting by Saturday.

I decided to go with pray cans in gloss black instead of roller or brush. just thought spraying would give a better finish (could be wrong though, havnt done a lot a painting)......................and don't own a compresser and gun which would be ideal but I must say the cans are doing quite a nice job as the mist is very fine.

I had to do quite a lot of patching and sanding cause after I applied the first coat and dryed I noticed lots of imperfections in the mdf panels which I didn't like. I was wondering whats best to get a really professional finish? is there some kind of spray putty that you can apply to fill all the indentations and imperfections in the timber? anyway with a lot of perserverance its looking pretty good but not perfect like a bought one
ohh yeah and I discovered a spray can holder in attached pic from local bunnings hardware which has made life so much easer. because my index finger was getting massive cramps from contant pressure on the nozzle and they kind of work like a spray gun. not as good but an acceptable substitute and only $3

[PL1]

I decided to go with pray cans

Are you seeking divine intervention for the finish on your cab?       


Scott

[stavros693000]

I decided to go with pray cans

Are you seeking divine intervention for the finish on your cab?       


Scott
[/quote]

.....................Absolutely , praise be to Allah ............ lol

[stavros693000]

just won a Samsung lcd monitor 26" on ebay  http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/121131389833?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649.........................is it any good?
I thought is was pretty good value considering I priced them new for just over $400-

and it is 1900x1200 and dimensions are 24" wide by 19.8" high or for my fellow metric users 610mm x 503mm.............which Ive heard is better for mame than 1900x1080? is that true? cause the screen is more similer to 4x3.
cheers and any and all feed back is greatly appreciated 

[stavros693000]

just a few pics of the control panel templates.

I ended up with 3 cause I wasn't happy with the first 2. The last pic is the one I think im going with, ive already built it but ive changed my mind twice already and its not that much trouble to build another CP if I have to.  and a pic of the built CP

I used cardboard/paper you buy from stationary store and taped two together and printed of a heap of the 6 player Capcom templates I found somewhere on this site......................and just basically set and marked out until I was happy with the lay-out. Then cut-out and taped down the Capcom templates in place.
I then clamped my finished template down to a sheet of mdf an traced around to get my control panel piece, then once that was cut I clamped the template down again to my cp piece and drilled all the holes with a 28mm spade bit and bobs your uncle , trevors ya aunty.

sorry I didn't take pics of this process, I forgot. Its pretty self explanatory anyway............I hope

any way just thought id post the pics of t

[stavros693000]

this is the template and CP that I built a few years ago for practice and the second CP I did................both ended up on the business end of my dads chainsaw 

Ive made a few fuk ups on the control panel but that's about it (that's what happens when you don't have a plan)
every thing else seems to be working out and the painting was a bit of a learning curve trying to get a professional finish with spray cans.
but its been fun, I love working on it.

also finished the final coat of paint this morning and am heading to Sydney today to pick up the monitor I won on ebay for $140 (link posted above)
so should have the monitor installed by tomorrow.

..................more progress to come

[Epyx]

I really love the alien themed cab with curves by I forgot name sorry......but WOW!! AWSOME CAB DUDE    and seeing cabs like that make me nervous about posting my amature effort at a cab cause the level of talent around here is ............
anyway , ive lurked and learnt so much I thought I should share my build and what ive learnt from all you peeps so far.

Hi Stavros693000,

Not sure if you are referring to my cab but doesn't matter even if you aren't. You have taken the first step out of the shadows of lurking into building a cab. Many of us were in the same boat once upon a time LOL. I know when I started I considered myself the complete neophyte woodworker and anything more complex than Ikea intimidated the snot out of me. My first effort was both in hindsight and reality terrible...terribad would be more appropriate. However, it was a valuable learning experience building the blue monstrosity as I now call it. Just this weekend I tore it apart for the recycling centre. 

What makes this website so great though are the people...everyone here without fail is passionate about this hobby of ours...the vast majority are friendly and will go out of their way to assist with advice and as I have personally experienced even commit their time and expertise in helping you with the project in a roll up their sleeves and join you in the trenches kind of way.

In short...the people here are great so don't be afraid to ask questions...don't be afraid to experiment.  I can guarantee you now that you will improve...I did...and If I did well sorry but anyone will.

So cheers...welcome and good luck!!!

 

[stavros693000]

thanks epyx, I certainly was refering to your masterpiece 
I appreciate your advice and words of encouragement................im having a ball and am already thinking about doing a second build.
Something a bit different next time but like I said before I think it was best for me to start with a simple generic design just to test the waters.
cheers stavro

[stavros693000]

does anyone know whats best to use for a marquee retainer?
I got some right angle plastic from local hardware, they have in metal as well.
It will work for the top piece but where the bottom retainer goes the cabinet has like a 45 degree angle. So do I just try and bend the angle to suit?
Anyone know what is best solution?

I tried to buy a marquee retainer from tornado terrys but for some reason he doesn't  ship that item internationally.
and happ only take credit card and well, I don't have one anymore so I gotta try and improvise.

Any help is much appreciated
cheers stavro

[Le Chuck]

does anyone know whats best to use for a marquee retainer?
I got some right angle plastic from local hardware, they have in metal as well.
It will work for the top piece but where the bottom retainer goes the cabinet has like a 45 degree angle. So do I just try and bend the angle to suit?
Anyone know what is best solution?

I tried to buy a marquee retainer from tornado terrys but for some reason he doesn't  ship that item internationally.
and happ only take credit card and well, I don't have one anymore so I gotta try and improvise.

Any help is much appreciated
cheers stavro

If you're using plastic corner protectors you can heat form it right to the angle you need.  Wear oven mitts.  If you're using a torch make sure you don't heat it so quickly you bubble the plastic - preferred method would be boiling water dip. 

Aluminum angle bracket works great too.  For custom bends make a the same angle needed on a peice of scrap, put the bar on the scrap, lay a towel over it, and gently hammer it to form.  You can get flat stock and work it for complex bends if necessary but it get's tricky and will take a few practices to get the results you want.  Of course, you can always buy a sheet metal brake and start bending your own but that takes all the fun out of it. 

[stavros693000]

does anyone know whats best to use for a marquee retainer?
I got some right angle plastic from local hardware, they have in metal as well.
It will work for the top piece but where the bottom retainer goes the cabinet has like a 45 degree angle. So do I just try and bend the angle to suit?
Anyone know what is best solution?

I tried to buy a marquee retainer from tornado terrys but for some reason he doesn't  ship that item internationally.
and happ only take credit card and well, I don't have one anymore so I gotta try and improvise.

Any help is much appreciated
cheers stavro

If you're using plastic corner protectors you can heat form it right to the angle you need.  Wear oven mitts.  If you're using a torch make sure you don't heat it so quickly you bubble the plastic - preferred method would be boiling water dip. 

Aluminum angle bracket works great too.  For custom bends make a the same angle needed on a peice of scrap, put the bar on the scrap, lay a towel over it, and gently hammer it to form.  You can get flat stock and work it for complex bends if necessary but it get's tricky and will take a few practices to get the results you want.  Of course, you can always buy a sheet metal brake and start bending your own but that takes all the fun out of it.

ah thanks le chuck that's a great idea ..............I think ill try the aluminium angle and beat it into shape like you suggested.
Thanks for the tip mate
cheers 

[stavros693000]

well I made a bit of head way yesterday and this morning..........got the lcd installed which was a bitchhhh to say the least, it didn't have a wall mount on it so just used the stand and doing it on my own was very akward but with a bit of perserverance, bobs ur uncle and I think it turned out great.

Also got the bezel installed, I used 3mm mdf and glued it to the frame I built around the lcd, now all I need to do is install a piece of 3mm smoked plexi and do a bit of touch up painting.......(I didn't wait long enough for it to dry and now ive got finger prints all over it  ..........I thought 3 days would be enough but we've had some rain lately and I guess that affected drying time.

oh yeah and snaake kindly offered his photoshop expertise and is currently designing my sideart, control panel and marquee  .............its going to be a marvel/streetfighter themed.............I know its been done to death but I really love how cool the marvel/streetfighter character art looks

anyway heres some pics of my progress

ps.... my garage is a pig stye , I know 

[stavros693000]

I also found a really good alternative to happs marquee retainer. I needed something at 45 degrees for the lower retainer and le-chuck had some good suggestions but they didn't pan out for me so I had another look at bunnings and came across these beauties.........I think they look very similar to happs marquee retainer and only $4 a length.
im very happy with the result

oh yeah and as you can see I sprayed them black

[stavros693000]

hey guys , would like your honest opinon on this...............does my 4 player CP look out of proportion to the cabinet?............In other words, is this what you guys would call a FRANKEN-PANEL?
all honest, and constructive  criticism welcome.............and bring on the plane jokes

if so I will consider doing a 2 player panel

[yotsuya]

I wouldn't call it a Frankenpanel (no Tron stick, for one), but it's pretty wide. It reminds me of a lot of the cabs that were being built around '08-'09. I'd love to see some evolution when it comes to the 4 player panel, to be honest.

Build what you want, my friend.

[stavros693000]

I wouldn't call it a Frankenpanel (no Tron stick, for one), but it's pretty wide. It reminds me of a lot of the cabs that were being built around '08-'09. I'd love to see some evolution when it comes to the 4 player panel, to be honest.

Build what you want, my friend.

thanks for your input but its my first build and I dont think/know im not good enough to re-invent the 4 player panel just yet.
but good to know its not quite a frankenstein
 

[SpaceHedgehog]

It's a bit too wide and deep imho. The rest of the cab looks excellent though.

[stavros693000]

It's a bit too wide and deep imho. The rest of the cab looks excellent though.

thanks spacehog for ur input..............its about 47" wide by 20" deep................what is a good size overall for a 4p C panel? cause I never done anything like this before

[yotsuya]

I think you'll be fine. You wanted a 4 player cab, you got one. I'm still more a fan of the smaller, tighter TMNT-style 4 player panel, but yours isn't bad. It's not like you have a ton of extra controls on it or anything like that. It when you start seeing a ton of extra specialty controls that you venture into Frankenterritory.

No stress- just build! 

[SpaceHedgehog]

thanks spacehog for ur input..............its about 47" wide by 20" deep................what is a good size overall for a 4p C panel? cause I never done anything like this before

It's a good and difficult question to answer ans everyone has their own tastes. For me, I would try and make it as small as possible taking into account factors such as comfort and aesthetics. The real TMNT turtles cab has a panel around one third the surface area but obviously has less controls and buttons. An option would have been to use the Ultimarc Mag-Stik plus which allows 4 way to 8 way switching. It would remove the need for the dedicated 4 way which would allow the trackball to be positioned further up in that space.

Sometimes you just have to go with what you've built and not worry about it though. 

[stavros693000]

okay-dokey I shall stress less and just continue ................ thanks for your feedback guys
im having fun

[a1pharm]

Stavros,

The CP seems very wide, but probably comfortable.  Remember: there is not "perfect" way to build 1 panel that plays thousands of games, there are always pros and cons.  Also, if you find you don't like something about your cab after it's finished, you can always change it.  Remember: you built it!

[stavros693000]

Stavros,

The CP seems very wide, but probably comfortable.  Remember: there is not "perfect" way to build 1 panel that plays thousands of games, there are always pros and cons.  Also, if you find you don't like something about your cab after it's finished, you can always change it.  Remember: you built it!

thanks a1pharm.............I was thinking that the other day, that if im not happy with it when its finished, I can always build another 2 p CP. ive already done 3 of them and 2 ended up in the trash.
all good

[stavros693000]

UPDATE

just thought I would post some pics of my progress to date.
Everything is finished now, just waiting for the art work which Snaake is currently doing for me and then have to get it printed from gameongraphics.
Other than that its all done...........oh yeah I have a crap load of wiring to do but I cant do that until the artwork is on the CP, And i need to put some smoked plexi over the bezel
I think I turned out pretty good for my first time..........obviously I can see room for improvement and have made some rookie mistakes which I will not make the second time around

if $$$ permit I will start another cab as soon as this is finished, something that's a bit more challenging . Id like to have a crack at a slim cab like epyx alien masterpiece, i think that cab is HOF material.\

anyway heres a few pics and i cant wait to get the artwork slapped on it

cheers 

ps.........i havnt taken the protective film of the marquee Perspex yet, that's why it looks a bit ---smurfy---.
And thanks to everyone that has contributed to this wonderful site and helped me along the way........Thank You     

[stavros693000]

i just relized i have quite a bit to go what i meant was the cab is basically finished

i still have to find some usb external mounts (2 of) for controllers and i found a nes and Snes usb controllers on ebay which im going to get, I think they will make a cool addition to the cab. Also i might get a 3-5 metre roll of neon blue tube to put under the perimeter of the cab and get a 120mm led fan for the back. and the t-mould but im not going to put that on until the side art is applied.

.................lol i keep finding things to do

i have a huge collection of emus and roms something like 1 gig of data on a HDD. One with hyperspin setup and the other with gameex.
I really love hyperspin but gameex was my first so i guess i have a soft spot for it, which is why i still use it

[a1pharm]

Your build is looking great!  Nice painting job, too.  If you are thinking about accent lighting, consider using LED strip lighting.  It runs off of 12v power (you can use your CPU PSU), and you can easily get a 5 meter roll off of eBay for $13 USD.

Cheers!
 

[stavros693000]

hey guys just a quick update on where im at with the artwork.
Snaaake has very generously giving his time and hard work for a very,very modest fee to do all my artwork including the MARQUEE, C/PANEL,AND BOTH SIDE PANEL ART.

the only instruction I gave him was that I wanted a marvel vs Capcom theme, and a red background, other than that I gave Snaaaake full artistic freedom and wait till you see what he came up with  .

I have some carpentry skill but zero experience with photshop, and after seeing what Snaaake came up with, i gotta say, that man got skill
I must admit I wasn't expecting anything like this but I gotta say he well and truly exceded my expectations, he even came up with the cabinet name on the marquee........(MARVELOUS FIGHTER)  wich was way better than anything I could come up with............. Attached is pics of the work snaaake did on the MARQUEE,C/PANEL,AND BOTH SIDE ART.

just waiting for the funds $$$ to get them printed at gameongraphics, but with Christmas around the corner and kids to support I have to priorities and unfortunately the artwort printing will have to wait a little bit. but after seeing what Snaaakes done ,I really cant wait to get it done plus I promised the kids it would be ready by Christmas............ its really gonna make the cabinet that much more special to me and my kids are gonna love it.

anyway in short if anyone needs help with this sort of thing (photoshop-artwork).........Snaaake is your man, and for a very reasonable fee $$$ and the quality of work, I gotta say that man has talent and creativity.

the first pic is of the C/panel, rough button layout of a pic of the panel I took for him and the second is the final product.
the 3rd is the marquee and the 4th and 5th are the side art.............marvel vs Capcom as requested.

so what do you guys think of snaaakes work?.............pretty cool if if ya ask me and im vey happy with the results.

so again..........THANKS HEAPS SNAAAAKE FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK AND ORIGINALITY/ CREATIVITY 
IM GREATFULL AND APPRECIATIVE
..................................................KIND REGARDS STAVROS 

next update it should be finished

[stavros693000]

hey guys im still here, just been really busy and ran outta funds. But i finally saved enough for the artwork and a few other goodies......by the way ,gameongrafics did an awsome job .Im very happy with how the print turned out. I couldnt finish the cp without the art, but now all i gotta do is wire it up.....

I also got the sideart delivered but havnt got around to that yet........Its been really slow going but im getting there........

anyway heres a few pics of the cp with art

[stavros693000]

oh yeah and i forgot to mention i used 3mm plexi to cover the monitor/bezel......i wanted smoked but i couldnt find any so i tried clear and it ended up looking really nice, but i may switch to smoked plexi in the future.

also go these cool usb game pads of ebay, a snes and nes...But my 9yr son thinks they feel wierd lol......he grew up with xbox so ill have to get him a 360 controller for some of the emus.
And i found these usb attachments on ebay also with will be perfect to mount on the front edge of the CP......also got a new smart powerboard

will post more progress as i go, now that im back into it

[stavros693000]

tried to make a video but my camera is shite, ill try again during the day,might get a better picture then.
ive got hyperspin setup 70 systems with around 50,000 plus games .......my 9yr old son loves playing it more than his xbox360 lol.

i recently installed Mortal Kombat Komplete edition, SSF4, streetfighter x tekken and ultra streetfighter 4
its running on... intel core 2 duo E6300 1.86GHz
                       2gb ram
                       ati radeon 5450 1GB
and running windows 7 premium and those games run really smooth....love em

I want to get gods among us but i dont think my specs are good enough for that one......anywho here some finished pics just gotta put leds around the base of the cabinet and waiting for new coin mech(the one i got ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- itself)