Mortal Kombat, a Vewlix style cab. (Completed)

[lukensteinz]

I have now completed the cab (Mostly, except a few little wire tidy up exercises)



I couldn't update for a while due to Tapatalk not logging in and not having net at home. I will try and post some more *in progress* shots later.


G'day one and all.
Just started out with my second build, which is to be one of build I will end up doing concurrently.
My very first one was a clean tidy MK inspired cab. Inspired only in the way of shape though.

First was development. I spent a good week of afternoons sketching and modelling first.
As it is I ended up changing the design a good 3 or so times. All design was done with Alibre Design, a parametric cad program. (A hobby license can be had for cheap).

The rough out first;


This is what my final design looks like now.;



Controls are some modified el'cheapo buttons. I ended up bending up some small stainless rings to go around the bottom of the plunger hooks, which lowered the overall button height and also dropped the engage distance. Works a charm in my old Vulgus cab. (I have two originals partly restored. One is a tempest cab ripoff which seemed to happen a lot in NZ during the '80s, which was only ever a Paperboy cab of all things!)
The joysticks are Siemitsu copies. They aren't too bad at all.
The cab will run both a ps3 for modern fighters, and a small pc for older games, plus be wired for Jamma.
The screen will be a decent 32 inch widescreen.
Probably will make the theme MK style.

I started cutting last night. Forgot what a mess a router makes.


Will be laying out more of the sections later tonight. Reckon I should get the bulk of it done in a few weeks.
Then I can move on to this one;


Off to work, over n out!

[lukensteinz]

Hmm... Not sure if pics worked... Linked from dropbox

[PL1]

Hmm... Not sure if pics worked... Linked from dropbox

No such luck.

Consider resizing copies of your large pics -- the one here is probably as large as you want to go.

Upload the resized pics to this thread.

It's easy to add a hyperlink to the resized pics so people who want to see the details can click on the normal size pics to see the full size dropbox pics.

{URL=https://dropbox.url]{IMG]http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=103207.0;attach=297681;image{/IMG]{/URL]

  *** Change { to [ and put in the correct URLs for the dropbox and properly resized (not the thread thumbnail) thread images. ***

Bonus round: If you ever close or delete the dropbox account, the resized photos will still be available.   


Scott

[lukensteinz]

Thanks Scott. Have redone the pics now.
Looking forward to getting back home after work to do more on the machines.

[lukensteinz]

A quick update and some pics.


The sides cut out. I decided to cut out the sides for my larger standup cab at the same time.
I did try to use a straight edge with my jigsaw, but found I actually cut straighter freehand.

The inner sides were then cut, I tried my hand at using doweling to get everything lined up and fitted.

But what I found was that I'm pretty bad at freehand drilling into wood.
I'm a heavy fabricator/welder by trade, and it's taking a while to adjust to working with a material that seem's to me to be as soft as butter.

Next up, fitted and glued;

I didn't do too bad, some doweling had to be removed/ re-drilled. Out by 1mm or so, enough to through a bit out of square.
Oh and make sure you have a larger, decent square than the crapper yellow one I was using.
Yeah I went and bought a proper one after this effort.
Once everything was checked, it was pretty good, maybe 1mm out in some places, but not enough to matter.

With that out of the way, I moved on to gluing in the top control panel mounting area and the front part of the supports.
The cp mounting mdf was mounted on 20mm square bits of wood I had glued in previously at the correct depth.

All clamped up.

After leaving for 24 hours (Between each photo too) I moved on to sticking the coin door front mounting mdf and setting up the little cubby-hole for a ps3 to go in. That space will have a shelf, a hinged door (push to click open), a couple of low power fans and a few plugs for the necessary connections like, usb controller, video out, power.


You can also see an old case I chopped almost in half there, just a temporary place holder to be sure I've left enough space to mount a computer mobo and power supply.
I may custom build a mobo tray and power supply mount which can be slotted into a mount.
The area in the middle will be for a coin door. I've left 350mm for it, and haven't cut the hole until I'm sure which coin door I'll be using.
The ps3 area will also be covered in once I've routed fan holes etc for the panels.

And finally, the outer sides glued on, as square as possible. What a mission!
Next time, I'll be using a good drill press and using doweling to locate the lot!


Rocking along nicely, I'll be looking forward to seeing it completed and starting on #2 cab.
Tonight I'll be gluing in the back mdf sheets, minus the bottom section which will be hinged for access.

Luke, over'n'out!

[a1pharm]

This is coming along nicely (and quickly).  Are you going to paint it, laminate it, apply vinyl to it, or

 

[lukensteinz]

Thanks man.
I tell ya what, I'm having a dickens of a time trying to do the chamfer angles I need. Some are 60-70 degrees. May need to go buy me a planer or something. Do my cuts at 45 then plane it down with some elbow grease.

Not sure how I'm going to do the finish...
Laminate would be awesome, nice and durable. But then i could get some vinyl art printed up...
I don't know honestly. What would be the recommended option?
This only needs to be clean and tough.
Colour scheme will likely be Blood red and black. Will have red t-moulding coming soon if I can get a good price, else it will be black. Marquee will also be Mortal Kombat themed.
Speaking of MK, I have the dragon logo done in DXF format if anyone wants it? Took me a few hours and you're all welcome to it, especially if you clean it up for us!

I may also share my plans when I'm done too. The plan set will be published in pdf format, engineering drawing style sheets at A3 size. I use Alibre/Cubify Design, so I'm a little restricted in output formats.

[a1pharm]

I can't help with campfering advice, sorry, but I can help with the laminate vs. vinyl decision:

Laminate: super clean appearance, and the most durable option for making arcade cabinets, unless you use stone.

Vinyl: looks nice if you get art printed on it, but it can be difficult to apply perfectly on your first try.  It also does not hide any surface imperfections (it actually amplifies them).

I would use laminate if you want a super durable option, because you can always apply vinyl over the top of laminate if you want artwork displayed.  Just be sure the depth of the laminate + the thickness of the wood = the thickness of your T-molding.

Let me know what questions you have.

Cheers!
 

[lukensteinz]

I'll be buying an electric planer to help with my bevels (EXTREME!) That seem's to be my only option really.
And I can't really find much info on laminate. But given that my t-moulding is 18mm, and the mdf is bang on 18mm, I kind of can't use if unless it's extremely thin.

Soooo, looks like I'll be painting the majority of it. No biggy. And perhaps apply vinyl art to the sides.
Not sure wether I'd end up doing both the inner and outer, or just one of either.
Perhaps I should wait until the majority of the cabinet is finished before I make any decision.

Which is the best way to apply paint? Spray on with an air compressed paint gun? Maybe one of the cheap electric ones?
Or old fashioned brush or roller?

[rablack97]

what size t-moulding you need i have a surplus of it.....I'm in the states, but we can work out something within your budget dependent on how of it you need, i have red and blue....

[rablack97]

Cant you use a circular saw for those angles?

My recommendation is a tablesaw, thats how i got my angles, or if your a ninja with the jigsaw use the angle bevel on that too.

[lukensteinz]

A tablesaw is out of my budget at the moment. If I had one I'd stand the boards etc on end to get my EXTREME! angles.
I go well over the 45 degree limit on my jigsaw, and at that point it starts to get a little... Jiggy wid'it! Not much fun that.

Will be looking at a cheap electric planer as an option.
Cheers mate.

[jmike]

Pro job so far. Keep it up.

Now let's see a full shot of that He-man poster you have there.   

 

 

[a1pharm]

I'll be buying an electric planer to help with my bevels (EXTREME!) That seem's to be my only option really.
And I can't really find much info on laminate. But given that my t-moulding is 18mm, and the mdf is bang on 18mm, I kind of can't use if unless it's extremely thin.

Soooo, looks like I'll be painting the majority of it. No biggy. And perhaps apply vinyl art to the sides.
Not sure wether I'd end up doing both the inner and outer, or just one of either.
Perhaps I should wait until the majority of the cabinet is finished before I make any decision.

Which is the best way to apply paint? Spray on with an air compressed paint gun? Maybe one of the cheap electric ones?
Or old fashioned brush or roller?

Spray paint = cleanest option, but takes quite a lot of coats to get it perfect.  Make sure you sand in between each coat of paint.  I sanded the first 3 coats on my father-in-law's bartop with 180 grit, and then for the last 3 coats, I used 320 grit.  You can see your reflection in it now.  I used high gloss spray paint.  If you use a compressed air application, you'll need to dilute your paint with a solvent.  Given the added cost of using this option, spray paint from the can should be considered instead.

As for your EXTREME! angles, you should try using a circular saw, but cut it like the ---smurfy--- picture I made below.  You'll need to get creative for how to hold it in place, but this may work for you, depending on your needs.

[lukensteinz]

Pro job so far. Keep it up.

Now let's see a full shot of that He-man poster you have there.   

 

Mate... I have the app, Google Goggles on my phone. It picked out that poster and told me what it is too.

[lukensteinz]

So, for the angles on all, I ended up just borrowing an electric planer.
Works a charm!
Then I use sandpaper and a hand planer to clean up. Only have to watch out for chipping the mdf. 

So, update time. Where to start???
I've been busy restoring my old Tempest cab too, but will be putting an Arkanoid board in it due to it being so damn insane to find any Tempest gear near this country.

First up, I got an older 32" LCD to trial fit

It was a damn good fit too, only 3mm gap either side. The inner width is 800mm.
After eyeballing it, I decided the bezel would be a basterd to work with, so I stripped it. Careful if you do this, the metal chassis isn't the sturdiest!

Some of the planing work up close.
I can't believe how many times I've cut myself on the edges now. It's ridiculous!


Clamping the supports in place while glue dries.


Looking good now..

Just filling in all the BIG gaps.

Time to start gluing in the framework for the screen. I decided on an easy approach which you will see in later pics.


How to make FINE cuts?

I just screwed the can to the mdf nice and tight. Flipped it over and used a router copy bit to go around it.
Sandpaper/file the lumpy bits, done.

I missed a few pics in between, but here's another trial fit of the screen.

I've glued in the top speaker board and everything is moving nicely.

Yaaaay!

[lukensteinz]

So...
For the screen mount, I decided to use some blind mount/sunk machine screw thingys. I forget what they are called. m6 thread.


For all four corners, threaded bar.

And a trial fit.

And this is how I'm doing the mounts.
A bit of 6mm I.D hose, with enough excess to go 10mm more than the white 8mm I.D hose.
The white/clear hose is to press the screen up against the perspex (which I've just ordered), the inner hose is to offer some protection to the screen chassis.


A quick shot at the 1.2mm sheet steel I whipped up with a holesaw and plasma cutter.




And heres a look at the control panel progress. Glued together the base etc. Quick trial fit of the cp.
Some 4.5mm perspex will be going on top of it. You will notice the blocky looking front section. That is now planed down to nice angles and filled/sanded. (Pics to come later)


And lastly, a quick mock up of the unit.


I've since made more progress. The cp is near complete, with the front bit rounded and planed down to the angles I want.
More to come!

[lukensteinz]

Just a very quick update. This pic is of a trial fit, checking dimensions and so on.
I can't decide on the button colours or scheme to use. May go for a red and.... Any ideas? Will be a black and red cab it mk art.


Sent from my LT26w using Tapatalk

[lukensteinz]

So I got the perspex all sorted.
Unfortunately, the screen cover perspex seems to have a chip or gouge in it, not really noticeable though. Will leave it for now.

First photo is of getting the screen cover masked for painting.
I decided to shortcut a lot of work and just laid down some pencil, then slipped a straight(ish) edge along, and whipped down it with an slightly blunt kitchen knife. It worked a charm.



Next I leaned it against some offcuts and sprayed it nice and even with a can of glossy black stuff called Plasticoat (Get it from Mitre 10 in NZ).
Great paint. Unfortunately for me, one edge is slightly fuzzy. No drama though, I don't think it will be noticed at all once it's all mounted and I've put the foam edging on the tv chassis to seal it between the perspex and screen.

The great thing about leaving the protective paper on is the glue on it insulates it from the paint.
I think if I used a razor sharp knife it would have pretty crisp edges. But perhaps the knife marks would show in the paint too.

A quick test fit of the Marquee and control panel perspex.
I actually had to trim them down with my router. I did this by clamping a straight edge on at the distance I needed, and used a copy bit.


Drilling the holes in the control panel...

This was a tricky one to juggle. i used a 28mm spade bit. The tricky part was to keep pressure nice and even and a slower speed.
If it bites it tends to crack a bit of the perspex off. Luckily I only had it happen a few times and it cracked off in the hole I was doing. 
I advice patience and caution!


It also pays to have a deburring tool handy.

Ran it around on both sides to clean up sharp edges and bits of perspex that weren't quite cut out properly.

Lastly, a quick test fit of the whole kit and kaboodle.


A lot of work left to do. But I've got the bulk of it done so far.
Still need to slot the outside panels for the t-moulding. Mount the control panel on a hinge so it can be tilted up and back for easy entry into houses.
Then theres computer set up. Wiring. Fitting misc components. Then a final tear down, sand then paint.

[lukensteinz]

Barely have time to update this.
Not that there seems to be much interest anyway...


Progress is steady.
Changed the control panel design halfway through.
Left to do is;
1. Final sand and paint.
2. Install left door and rear door.
3. Install screen perspex and marquee holders.
4. Finish cp.
5. Install wheels.
6. Install t - moulding.
7. Wire it all up.

Sent from my Sony Phoney using Tapatalk.

[mgb]

Looks great.
Nice big monitor too.

[Brian74]

Keep it up, dont let the lack of interest of other people bum you out. It happens to me too!

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2

[Slippyblade]

Don't forget that interest happens over time as well.  I just now noticed this build and love it!  Think of it this way, I still look at people's builds from years ago for inspiration and curiosity.  Nice thing about the internet, its got shelf-life.

[DarakuTenshi]

Yeah don't worry about the lack of interest. I don't raeally post too much on the project forum, but I love watching the projects progress. Keep it up.

[SNAAKE]

I like this marquee better than the original viewlix design

[Asmotron]

Love that Marquee! Makes me think of Boss Monster, a wonderful card game. Also dig the black and red.

Very nice work! I thought about building a Viewlix cab when I started but decided I didn't want a sit down.

Lack of interest is relative, just check your thread views. People are looking, just not always commenting.

[Zzap]

Awesome size! Hope you've got a good room for it

[lukensteinz]

Lol thanks guys.
I was meaning interest in the details, nitty gritty bits and how I'm doing parts of it.
Nothing will stop me from finishing this one, then moving onto the next out of 4.
Got 4 on the go, but this one is priority.
Then it's onto replicas! :-D

Sent from my Sony Phoney using Tapatalk.

[lukensteinz]

So here's a quick update on the control panel.

Some of these photos are pre-paint.
I ended up chamfering the edges, looks much nicer.

Feels better too, rather than the flat face I originally had.


And then I moved onto the perspex cover, mounting it and checking clearances.

I didn't take many photos of the process.
The perspex is bolted on with domed allen key bolts, 6 all round.
Worked out very nice, easy to maintain.

Lastly, here's a teaser of the artwork



Sent from my Sony Phoney using Tapatalk.

[SpaceHedgehog]

Barely have time to update this.
Not that there seems to be much interest anyway...

I'm watching! Looking very good so far. 

[lcmgadgets]

Very nice build! 

[lukensteinz]

Those are the threaded inserts I'm using.
Can never remember the name of them, but hell are they handy!

And here's take two of the control panel support/mounting plate.
This slots into the recess on the cp, then artwork on top, then perspex cover.
First one was plain steel, but I ended up jiggling a lot of holes around trying to get things right. Take 2 is an alloy 1mm sheet.
The holes I cut with the spade bit rather than the holesaw. Much easier and cleaner.
The sticks are mounted with counter sunk Allen key style bolts. Works perfectly.
If you do this, always take your time with countersinking the holes, won't take much to go just a bit too deep and have to start again with a new sheet.


Sent from my Sony Xperia using Tapatalk.

[lukensteinz]

I can't decide which bit of art to use..



Sent from my Sony Xperia using Tapatalk.

[emphatic]

I like the top one with the MK logo better. The button "markers" I would skip though.

[SNAAKE]

I like the bottom one but without the button/start/joystick arrow logo. just the picture itself is good enough.

that and the stick is 8 way and your artwork shows 4 way 

[mgb]

I like the top one with the MK logo better. The button "markers" I would skip though.

Agreed

[Slippyblade]

I like the MK logo, but not the NetherRealms in the corner.  Considering that this will be used for Playstation games as well, I think the button markers are needed.  I might go with decals on the buttons themselves though.

[yotsuya]

I actually like the button markers. The top one is very well done.

[lukensteinz]

Hmm. We ended up going with the bottom one, it actually looks cleaner and not so cluttered once it's mounted.

I do however, need to shift a couple of button tabs over about 5mm.
And the button markers are a must for playstation usage, the guy who is taking ownership of this once it's done will end up writing them on with permanent marker otherwise.

Also have started the marquee;

I feel like it's missing something, so will be testing it with "Mortal kombat" writing too.

Sent from my Sony Xperia using Tapatalk.

[Slippyblade]

Is that Kratos in there?  Sweet.

[mgb]

Very nice

[sabreerbasAlpha]

you know what lukensteinz  you are doing a top job on this much loved cab. very well done my friend. 

[lukensteinz]

Hi everybody!
I haven't really done much more on the cab except paint.

I ended up getting one of these suckers

Absolutely brilliant tool.
Except I was sold the wrong one for the job, I should have gotten the next model up, which is much more suitable for acrylic type paint.
This one doesn't have the oomph to atomise the paint properly, so I have to either water the paint down a bit, but that ends up running if you're not careful.
Or keep it slightly thick and do a couple of thin coats, which ends up being kind of textured....

Never mind, I'll get another airless gun another day.

This was the first coat, smooth, but a few runs and you could see the sanding marks :-(


Sanded back again


New coat of paint

It started looking good. I buffed it back nice and even, quite a bit of elbow grease involved.
This was also done with watered down paint but still with a run out time of 40 seconds or less with the little tool that came with the gun.
Basically a little cup with a hole in it.

Next coat

Paint as above.

From other side


From the other other side :-P


And one more


As you can see, the paint went on nicely, but looks to have a slight grainy texture.
Just the paint not quite atomising like it should.

Next up, the red paint!!!
(blood red, you know for mk style)

Sent from my Sony Xperia using Tapatalk.

[lukensteinz]

I ended up taking that spray gun back. Explained that the previous sales person had sold me the incorrect tool for the job.
I ended up paying the difference for not the next model up, but the one above that, the Wagner 180P.
Bloody amazing difference in quality of paint, it atomises the paint properly and cleanly.

Here's a shot of the red.


I think it's far too bright, will try another shade tonight. This one actually looked pinkish orange this morning.

And, I wish I'd never tried using spray cans on this. Sanding that crap back is bloody hard, it tends to rub off in chunks

I can see this spray gun getting a lot of use. Oh and never let it run out of paint

Sent from my Sony Xperia using Tapatalk.

[lukensteinz]

Well, the lack of updates is due to Tapatalk no longer working.
I've basically finished the build, just some minor things left to do.

Attached two pictures. One has the Vewlix style cab in among some of my older cabs/projects.

[talkgeek]

Well done, looks great, nice way to play in 2014 - love the shape, will be adding this to my build wish list for my arcade cave

re the artwork for CP and marque - was this vinyl or printed on normal card (bond) stock ?  - what printer did you use?

Great to see Kiwi's contributing on this forum, and thanks for the recommendation re spray gun - we have been using one that was bought years ago for the father-in-laws car restorations, but only he seems to get a good finish from it.

cheers

[lukensteinz]

re the artwork for CP and marque - was this vinyl or printed on normal card (bond) stock ?  - what printer did you use?

cheers

I just printed the art straight onto SRA3 size paper, from our printer at work which is a high quality business printer/folder/book maker from Konica Minolta, then trimmed it to size with a guilotine, and taped the pieces together. 
The seam is only just barely visible.

[BadMojo12]

   Well done; love the MK theme; totally inspiring me to try a viewlix style to do all the Atomiswave/Sammy/PC fighting games.  Well done.

R

[lukensteinz]

Some more pics?

[Gatsu]

Sooooooooo shmexy! 

[MK3FAN]

VERY IMPRESSIVE! Great job! I never really cared much for the newer generation of MK games. Deadly Alliance was really the last one I learned to play. For me, all my MK fandom lies with the 4 arcade games.

[Malenko]

For me, all my MK fandom lies with the 4 arcade games.

MK1, MKII, MK3, and UMK3 right? 

[MK3FAN]

For me, all my MK fandom lies with the 4 arcade games.

MK1, MKII, MK3, and UMK3 right? 

Actually, I did have all 5 cabinets at one point, but now I just have MK3/UMK3 in one cabinet. UMK3 was an upgrade to MK3 so I consider it (now adays) as one game. MK1-MK4 is what I meant. MK4 is probably the worst MK of all time (although it was still a good game, imo) but it holds a lot of good memories for me. I really learned how to play it at the "Single Sailor Club" in Pensacola when I was stationed there in the Navy.

[Malenko]

Actually, I did have all 5 cabinets at one point, but now I just have MK3/UMK3 in one cabinet. UMK3 was an upgrade to MK3 so I consider it (now adays) as one game. MK1-MK4 is what I meant. MK4 is probably the worst MK of all time (although it was still a good game, imo) but it holds a lot of good memories for me. I really learned how to play it at the "Single Sailor Club" in Pensacola when I was stationed there in the Navy.

I have MKII, MK3, and sadly an MK4 cabinet (that was painted black)

[MK3FAN]

Here is what I have...



...and the FB page I run...

https://www.facebook.com/yourmkarcadesource

Check it out if you have the time...

[Gatsu]

Says that the page can't be found MK3FAN.

[Malenko]

heres the real link:
https://www.facebook.com/yourmkarcadesource

[MK3FAN]

Yeah, sorry. I'm at work right now and don't have access to FB. I thought I linked it correctly. Thanks Malenko.

[AngryPancakes]

I have now completed the cab (Mostly, except a few little wire tidy up exercises)



I couldn't update for a while due to Tapatalk not logging in and not having net at home. I will try and post some more *in progress* shots later.


G'day one and all.
Just started out with my second build, which is to be one of build I will end up doing concurrently.
My very first one was a clean tidy MK inspired cab. Inspired only in the way of shape though.

First was development. I spent a good week of afternoons sketching and modelling first.
As it is I ended up changing the design a good 3 or so times. All design was done with Alibre Design, a parametric cad program. (A hobby license can be had for cheap).

The rough out first;


This is what my final design looks like now.;



Controls are some modified el'cheapo buttons. I ended up bending up some small stainless rings to go around the bottom of the plunger hooks, which lowered the overall button height and also dropped the engage distance. Works a charm in my old Vulgus cab. (I have two originals partly restored. One is a tempest cab ripoff which seemed to happen a lot in NZ during the '80s, which was only ever a Paperboy cab of all things!)
The joysticks are Siemitsu copies. They aren't too bad at all.
The cab will run both a ps3 for modern fighters, and a small pc for older games, plus be wired for Jamma.
The screen will be a decent 32 inch widescreen.
Probably will make the theme MK style.

I started cutting last night. Forgot what a mess a router makes.


Will be laying out more of the sections later tonight. Reckon I should get the bulk of it done in a few weeks.
Then I can move on to this one;


Off to work, over n out!

wow, so amazing!!! I was wondering did you ever put up that PDF file with all the dimensions on it? Thank you,