14inch tall plug and play Galaxian NEW PICS AND UPDATE

[bluemini17]

Hello byoac forum  

First and for most thankyou for such an AMAZING forum  . I have been lurking in the background for as long as I can remember! But today I have decided to post one of my ‘quick’ projects. I am going to build a mini (approx. 14inch tall) Galaxian cabinet with a slight hint of creative licence due to the 16:9 screen size. This will be a gift for my brother-in-law.

I no how you guys and girls love pictures so I will be sure to take plenty. Once again this is a quick stocking filler project so it certainly won’t be breaking the bank or be it very technical.

The credentials are as follows:

7inch lcd from ‘hacked’ portable dvd player
5in1 plug and play namco game (galaxian, digdug, rallyx, pacman etc)
6mm mdf construction
One plug for the power supply (no batteries)
Authentic graphics
One week from start to finish

Thats enough chit chat, now for the pics! My first instalment will be the wood work  



I have marked the 6mm mdf (4ft by 2ft) I will get enough wood for 2 arcades!



time to use the jigsaw for the rough cuts   But dont forget to wear your ppe (personal protective equipment), we love it in the UK !



with that done I am left with four very sorry looking pieces of wood



time to sand and shape one and use it as 'the master'



with that done I can use the 'flush trim' bit on my router to cut the other three pieces out





so far so good, time for the other ones,



now that that is done time for the rounding since the 6mm mdf is not thick enough to accept t-moulding  



this bit ought to do the trick



a fine result had by all.

sadly i ran out of time today so i will update with more progress tomorrow night ! but before i go i have one last pic to share with you all (one of my other projects from the weekend), im sure i could slip a mame setup in there somewhere  

[jimmy2x2x]

Looking good, love the dino

[Donkbaca]

It took you all weekend to plant that tree?

[bubbles2578]

Any updates on how this is getting along, was looking forward to see how this progressed 

[Martijn]

He had one week, i wonder if he made it.

[dandare]

I think the ear muffs were a bit over the top. 

[Martijn]

he forgot the glasses 

[Vidiot]

Any updates on how this is getting along, was looking forward to see how this progressed 

This is a cool looking project. I too would love to see some more progress.

[bluemini17]

hi folks, sorry for the very long delay, i got a new job 

i completed the build on time and have since built more, im addicted. some of you may have seen them for sale on ebay, but fear not, i am not some crazy money making goon  i have re invested the money back into more projects. here are some pics.....

[BobA]

Looks great.   Nice to see all those mini cabs rolling out of your shop.   

[Unstupid]

time to use the jigsaw for the rough cuts   But dont forget to wear your ppe (personal protective equipment), we love it in the UK !

Where is your safety glasses?

BTW, I love those mini cabs!  Are they playable?  I mean can you play them without them moving around when you move the joystick left and right?  I'm trying to figure out how small I can go without sacrificing playability.

[bluemini17]

glasses soon followed after that pic. yes they play very well, i used 4 little rubber feet on the base of the cab to provide traction on wooden surfaces. when playing games your right hand rests on the right hand edge while pressing the button so this provides an extra sense of stability too.

[gbeef]

Very nice work!

[BurgerKingDiamond]

Those look really good, but I would suggest making those joystick shafts about half as long. Other than that I have no critique.

[Unstupid]

Just curious... what is your process to make the curved control panels?

[bluemini17]

its very easy to do, i make the control pannel and then use my router to round the edge. once that is done i simply apply the printed self adheasive  vinyl image. the image starts on the top of the control pannel and then curves over the edge and then down the front. this gives a seamless edge and looks good 

[Unstupid]

No I meant the bottom part where is looks like it is curving back out.

[bluemini17]

oh yes i see now  

it consists of,

control pannel - 6mm mdf with curved edge. then a 6mm mdf slope at... say 70 degrees. then lastly 6mm mdf (the kickplate/ front pannel) at a 90 degree angle.

rough drawing of the cross section....

[Unstupid]

Oh I see it now... the yellow from the CP is running onto the kick plate...  Ok so that leads me to another question...  what kind of Joystick is that? How did you mount it (without screw holes while using 6mm wood)? Can you access the bottom of the CP to do maintenance?

[bluemini17]

i will take pics and put them up tomoz showing you how etc.  its nearly bed time in the uk 

[GingerTroll]

As a mini-arcade enthusiast, I applaud your work  .  Do you have any picures or details on the guts?  Details on the panel side,CP and marquee process? These look great, I have a few folks who would love gifts of this caliber.  Mind you, there is no way i could accomplish what you have in one week!

[skjerk]

Hi there.

Great looking cabs! - I really like them 

I'm working on a mini-cab myself (with my son), and base it on a Namco Plug'n'Play (probably same as your galaxian-version).
So my problem is that the joystick from this thing is impossible to disassemble - meaning that I can't get the shaft or balltop off.
This of course mean that I cannot get it through the small hole in my control-panel, and my only solution at this point is to cut a groove to slide the joystik in place. But that leaves this long groove, which doen't look very professional, and also creates another issue of how to apply the artwork.....

So any suggestions you might have, I will be very grateful! 

Cheers
skjerk

[bluemini17]

So my problem is that the joystick from this thing is impossible to disassemble - meaning that I can't get the shaft or balltop off.

Only seeing this post now mate. I had to cut the shaft just below the ball top. I then got a pool ball / snooker ball from one of those mini sets that you buy kids when their 10. the ball was roughly 30mm diameter. i then drilled the ball, with a 6mm hole i think, and inserted it onto the shaft. but only do this once you have put the shaft through the cp.

thanks, Dave

[skjerk]

Thanks! - then it's not just me being weak 

I finally saw your reply - sorry for not appreciating it earlier - I'm still at the same state with my sons mini-cab though, so it's still relevant 

[mgb]

Very cool little cabinets.
nice work, thanks for sharing them.