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Author Topic: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [spinner led trauma]  (Read 63534 times)

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Jimbo

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JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [spinner led trauma]
« on: September 23, 2014, 03:24:09 pm »
LATEST PROJECT PICS..... (full thread starting below)

Summary: -
  • Motorised Rotating CP
  • Motorised Rotating CRT
  • LCD Marquee
  • Controls all with edge-lit plexi
  • Lots of mistakes on the way...







FROM THE START...

OK so I've had my first build up and running for a few years now. Here it is: -



It's been fun and I love it dearly, but I can no longer bear the many little imperfections it beholds. No more can I cope with those irritating shortcomings every time I boot it up for a game.

It was fun while it lasted, and you won't be forgotten, but I will be soon gutting you for your replacement! :P

Here's the plan...
  • Motorised rotating CRT. I have a Hantarex Polo 21" arcade monitor in the existing cab, but it is a manual rotate (there is a hole in one of the side panels for me to twist the monitor wheel between vertical and horizontal). I hate this with a passion and it *must* be motorised! Quite frankly I wussed out in my first build! Plan is to control a DC motor with an h-bridge via an arduino, using [possibly] some photo transistor sensors).  End result is to get the monitor to rotate and degauss automatically based on the game you choose to play. I've already got the Polo modded with degauss switch.
  • Superwide LCD panel for the marquees.  I've ordered a Litemax SSD2313 1366x382 ultra wide aspect ratio (16:4.5) LCD panel from their UK distributor.  Many thanks to markc74 for his info and inspiration (the awesome blip cabinet!).
  • GroovyMAME with CRT Emudriver.  This will be instead of the Ultimarc ArcadeVGA I currently am using.  Looks like it can get better resolution support and sync/timing with the Polo than the ArcadeVGA. It also allows me to use the LCD for marquees in extended desktop mode.
  • Add an extra joystick/3-buttons for single player games, in the centre of the control panel.  Currently I have a simple-ish 2-player CP, but I HATE playing single player games from off the side... so I'm adding another set of controls in the centre of the panel (see pics below).
  • Ditch the U360s for ServoStiks...  Yep, the Ultrastiks are cool, mega easy to setup, but they just don't feel right. I want mechanical restriction, but I want the on-the-fly flexibility of both 4- and 8-way limitations.  I never really played any games that used the analog qualities of the Ultrastiks anyway.
  • LED-lit controls.  Buttons, Joysticks, trackball, spinners will all be lit with LEDs.  Whether I get a PacLED64 or LEW-Wiz I'm not sure yet. But LEDBlinky looks awesome - I want the LEDs to flash on game load hinting at the controls to use for it, for sure.
  • Player 1 and 2 will only have 4 buttons each.  I don't think anyone who's used my cab has ever needed more than this, so the extra 2 buttons per player are going.
  • Mount the monitor a little lower down, at 55 degrees angle.  Current cab is mounted at 45 degrees, but I like flat monitors - it just seems more authentic to me.  It's currently mounted a little high, so the bottom of the rotating wheel now will be down below the top of the CP.
  • Authentic 2-slot up-and-over coin door, with cash box.  Better than the ugly single-slot thing I have in cab 1, which has been jammed for a while with a 50 pence piece!  My makeshift cardboard box coin tray will finally be chucked on the fire!
  • Admin buttons (e.g. mame 'tab' menu) will be placed NOWHERE NEAR THE CP.  It's shifted to coin1+fire on my current CP, and I can't tell you how many times it's been accessed by accident.
  • Nice volume control in an accessible place.  On top of the cab out of sight and out of reach is NOT FUN.
  • There are various other bits and pieces I am changing too, but too trivial to mention here, so I'll mention them as I go.

Some prelim designs (using google sketchup): -




I'm just sourcing a few tester controls (mainly buttons/leds) to test them out before committing to a big order, but I hope to start building in the next few weeks.

Jury is still out on the name. :)
« Last Edit: August 09, 2018, 07:24:37 pm by Jimbo »

markc74

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Re: Cab 2.0 (upright new build, motorised rotating CRT, LCD marquee panel)
« Reply #1 on: September 25, 2014, 08:01:36 am »
Hi chap - looking good so far - I'd be tempted to slap a curve on the back at the top to match the curve at the base of the front but that's just me.

CP looks pretty well thought out. I like the location of the spinners - my first thought was wtf? but looking at it again it looks like it could work really well.

I'm really interested in what you said about the ultrastick though.  I recently got a servostick and tbh I'm not loving it.  It might be because it feels looser than I'm used to, or it might be the ball top after spending so much time with bat tops but I much prefer my happs competitions in general.

I was actually thinking of changing it for the ultrastick. I haven't actually tried one though so am reluctant to splash out a load of cash first.

yamatetsu

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Re: Cab 2.0 (upright new build, motorised rotating CRT, LCD marquee panel)
« Reply #2 on: September 25, 2014, 08:40:31 am »
If you don't like that loose feeling, the UltraStik probably is no good for you. I have two UltraStiks and a dedicated 4-way that I've changed into an 8-way. Since the UltraStik is analog, it is way more loose than the 8-way. So, if you order one, do yourself a huge favor and order the stiffer spring aswell. I wish I had done that.
                  

Jimbo

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Re: Cab 2.0 (upright new build, motorised rotating CRT, LCD marquee panel)
« Reply #3 on: September 25, 2014, 05:22:36 pm »
Ah cheers guys.

Yup - loving the curved back idea!



I've also had a little more thought on the CP.  I love driving games but again hate being on the side so I'm seeing what a centre spinner (for mini-racer wheel) looks like.  Yes it makes the CP more busy... but I *think* there's enough room around the controls so you don't bump into them.

I'm also trialling adding a dedicated 4-way to the "single player" area towards the back of the panel.  This means I don't need to use ServoStiks, and could potentially get some nice 8-way leafs in there.  Although I want all the joys illuminated, but not sure if that's possible - if not I'll have to think of a way of illuminating around the joys through the panel or something... (I'll have to do that with the spinners somehow anyway).



What do you think? Too busy?  It's tough trying to find the balance between playable games and a clean CP!

yotsuya

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Re: Cab 2.0 (upright new build, motorised rotating CRT, LCD marquee panel)
« Reply #4 on: September 25, 2014, 05:25:25 pm »
Three spinners? What do you do with the other two? Pong?
***Build what you dig, bro. Build what you dig.***

Jimbo

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Re: Cab 2.0 (upright new build, motorised rotating CRT, LCD marquee panel)
« Reply #5 on: September 25, 2014, 05:26:26 pm »
Three spinners? What do you do with the other two? Pong?

Well, I figure they worked well on the old cab... supersprint etc.. I guess I can now play that and similar games with 3 players :)

mgb

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Re: Cab 2.0 (upright new build, motorised rotating CRT, LCD marquee panel)
« Reply #6 on: September 25, 2014, 08:28:18 pm »
I like your plans here. looking forward to seeing come to be.
i like the control panel layout, especially the change you made with putting the spinners on an angle.

I like the cabinet design but to me, theres something a little off on the front wings under the cp.
I can't put my finger on it but theres a slight proportion issue to my eyes.

On my cp, I only use 4 buttons per player and it has worked out great.
I just rely on the neo geo fighters rather than the street fighter series.
I have mine in a diamond pattern and it works well for me.

good luck

yamatetsu

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Re: Cab 2.0 (upright new build, motorised rotating CRT, LCD marquee panel)
« Reply #7 on: September 26, 2014, 02:50:57 am »
My suggestion for the cab design would be something like this to make that beefy profile look a little slimmer.

« Last Edit: September 26, 2014, 02:56:22 am by yamatetsu »
                  

Jimbo

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Re: Cab 2.0 (upright new build, motorised rotating CRT, LCD marquee panel)
« Reply #8 on: September 29, 2014, 04:14:48 pm »
heeey... that's nice, thank you... but I have something extra planned now (see next post) :)

Jimbo

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Re: Cab 2.0 (upright new build, motorised rotating CRT, LCD marquee panel)
« Reply #9 on: September 29, 2014, 04:20:58 pm »
OK so call me over ambitious, but after some inspiration from darthpaul's ridiculously cool automated cabinet, I've decided I want a piece of that pie too.



Here comes the rationale on the controls I've chosen for the 3 sides.  I'm aiming for all joysticks to be leaf-switch ball-tops, and all controls to be LED illuminated (if I can).  Comments/feedback/criticisms welcome, of course...

SIDE 1 - Single Player Dedicated



From left to right:
 - 2-way vertical joystick (for Defender) along with dedicated reverse button
 - 2-way horizontal joystick (for galaxians, galaga, etc)
 - 4-way joystick
 - 8-way joystick
 - 8 buttons - should give me enough for most games I can throw at it... the extra buttons will also come in handy for C64 emulation (e.g. buttons for Spacebar, Run-Stop, arrow keys, Return etc)


SIDE 2 - Two Player + Trackball



From left to right:
 - Player 1 controls (8-way leaf, 6 buttons)
 - Trackball (will use this also for Star Wars, and probably some ScummVM games)
 - Player 2 controls (8-way leaf, 6 buttons)
This will be my robotron panel! :)

SIDE 3 - Spinner/Various



 - The top half of this panel is for 2-player spinner games such as Blasteroids and Two Tigers, plus with mini-racer wheel can be used for Super Sprint etc.
 - The spinner in the middle would be for dedicated arkanoid or various single player driving games (TT2 w/mini-racer wheel)
 - The bottom 5 buttons are for dedicated asteroids :)
 - I can also play Tempest on this panel :)
 
Can't play Tron. Can't play QBert.  Most of the other games I care about I can play though.  I don't think I've missed anything out but if something is glaringly obvious I'll be happy to hear it.

It's a bit snug under the panels, but all the controls fit and I have an idea or two on how to rotate it (thinking: stepper motor again). Keeping the CP securely in place after rotation is another concern... electromagnets maybe... needs more thought.

I haven't specifically allowed space for an interface such as IPac yet either... and I'm sure something else is going to come and bite me in the ass too.

emphatic

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Re: Cab 2.0 (upright new build, motorised rotating CRT, LCD marquee panel)
« Reply #10 on: September 29, 2014, 04:25:21 pm »


^^What the hell?! Just get an Ultimarc Ultrastik 360 already. :cheers:

Jimbo

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Re: Cab 2.0 (upright new build, motorised rotating CRT, LCD marquee panel)
« Reply #11 on: September 29, 2014, 04:26:41 pm »
^^What the hell?! Just get an Ultimarc Ultrastik 360 already. :cheers:

I already have one of those... don't like it, it just doesn't feel right. :)  :cheers:

keilmillerjr

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Re: Cab 2.0 (upright new build, motorised rotating CRT+CP, LCD marquee panel)
« Reply #12 on: September 29, 2014, 05:25:40 pm »
Love the arcade design. The new updated rotating control panel does not follow the keep it simple rule. It's crazy, but not in a good way. You don't need to play every game. Focus on playing most games well.

Keep up the amazing renderings!

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Re: Cab 2.0 (upright new build, motorised rotating CRT+CP, LCD marquee panel)
« Reply #13 on: September 29, 2014, 05:50:02 pm »
It just amazes me, the sheer amount of money that gets spent on buttons and encoders and joysticks just to play everything.  :dunno
***Build what you dig, bro. Build what you dig.***

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Re: Cab 2.0 (upright new build, motorised rotating CRT+CP, LCD marquee panel)
« Reply #14 on: September 29, 2014, 10:18:20 pm »
What the hell,
  I check this thread out one day and the cp is on the simpler side with only 4 buttons per player.
Then it gets a little more busy with an extra joystick then an extra spinner and I stil liked it.
Now this.

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Re: Cab 2.0 (upright new build, motorised rotating CRT+CP, LCD marquee panel)
« Reply #15 on: September 30, 2014, 02:30:15 am »
That CP with 4 joysticks in a row looks like a big WTF. If you really really need that many different controls than go with modular panels (Switchcade style http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,112889.0.html). Or go with swappable panels (Blip style http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,137295.0.html). In any case try to keep those CPs simple and obvious.

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Re: Cab 2.0 (upright new build, motorised rotating CRT+CP, LCD marquee panel)
« Reply #16 on: September 30, 2014, 02:58:42 am »
This is way overkill.  You can play defender with a 4-way joystick, I don't see the problem to warrant an extra joystick.  Hell, most of the spinner games you can control with a 4-way too.  I don't think there was anything wrong with the control panel you had before.  I hate overloaded control panels with hundreds of bloody lights, like a las vegas show or something.  Why can nobody keep it simple?!!  :soapbox:

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Re: Cab 2.0 (upright new build, motorised rotating CRT+CP, LCD marquee panel)
« Reply #17 on: September 30, 2014, 03:29:39 am »
OKAY OKAY... so I may have overdosed on the caffeine yesterday.....  we all get a little over excited sometimes, right?

On reflection (good night's sleep followed by a bacon roll)... you've convinced me to ditch the 2 x 2-ways, so the single player panel will have a 4-way (with defender reverse button) and an 8-way.

I'm fine with the spinner panel so I don't think I'm going to change that. The controls don't get in the way of each other and I've seen much much worse.

To minimise any confusion I'm planning on using LEDBlinky to highlight which controls to use with each game.

It might not look so harsh once you see the render of the panel in-situ in the cab.  I'll get a pic uploaded soon.

Have I earned an ounce of forgiveness now?  :cheers:


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Re: Cab 2.0 (upright new build, motorised rotating CRT+CP, LCD marquee panel)
« Reply #18 on: September 30, 2014, 04:31:10 am »
On reflection (good night's sleep followed by a bacon roll)... you've convinced me to ditch the 2 x 2-ways, so the single player panel will have a 4-way (with defender reverse button) and an 8-way.

Did you not say you were going with servo sticks? If so, why a dedicated 4-way?

Jimbo

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Re: Cab 2.0 (upright new build, motorised rotating CRT+CP, LCD marquee panel)
« Reply #19 on: September 30, 2014, 04:46:49 am »
Did you not say you were going with servo sticks? If so, why a dedicated 4-way?

I've recently tried out a servo-stik.  They take up a lot of space under the panel (in my rotating panel space is tight). Also the throw is quite long and I just think I would prefer leaf-switched joysticks.

Jimbo

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Re: Cab 2.0 (upright new build, motorised rotating CRT+CP, LCD marquee panel)
« Reply #20 on: September 30, 2014, 03:52:09 pm »
Here's the rotating panel in-situ...

Panel 1 (1 player dedicated)


Panel 2 (2-player)


Panel 3 (various)


Still a bit of shifting around to do with the monitor to make room for the rotating CP inside the cab, but hopefully not too much.

Still also got to decide where to put start1 and start2 buttons, and I want a 'Pause' and an 'Exit/Back' button.  Don't really want to duplicate them on each panel but I can't think of a viable alternative right now that I'd be happy with.

Oh, and ignore the metal piano hinge on the front of the panels... that will be covered up :D
« Last Edit: September 30, 2014, 03:54:42 pm by Jimbo »

AzureKnight

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Re: Cab 2.0 (upright new build, motorised rotating CRT+CP, LCD marquee panel)
« Reply #21 on: September 30, 2014, 04:10:07 pm »

Just a thought, for the start/admin buttons, what if you shift the monitor up a bit and add a 3" panel in the same plane as the marquee that holds all those buttons?

Jimbo

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Re: Cab 2.0 (upright new build, motorised rotating CRT+CP, LCD marquee panel)
« Reply #22 on: September 30, 2014, 04:44:46 pm »

Just a thought, for the start/admin buttons, what if you shift the monitor up a bit and add a 3" panel in the same plane as the marquee that holds all those buttons?

Hmm something like that could work, yes, as I will probably have to move the monitor back/up slightly anyway due to the CP rotation.  :cheers:

mgb

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Re: Cab 2.0 (upright new build, motorised rotating CRT+CP, LCD marquee panel)
« Reply #23 on: September 30, 2014, 08:14:47 pm »
How you planning on the actual rotating of the cp?
Typically you will need to have enough space between the cp and monitor for the panels swing.

In my opinion, it makes for a goofy looking cabinet because of that space

Jimbo

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Re: Cab 2.0 (upright new build, motorised rotating CRT+CP, LCD marquee panel)
« Reply #24 on: October 09, 2014, 03:07:29 pm »
I've been working out how to get this CP thing to rotate over the last few days. I must admit this is a massive learning curve for me and I've never attempted anything quite like it before, but after speaking a fair bit with a knowledgable friend of mine, a plan is starting to form.

Current plan is to build a steel frame to hold the rotating CP and mount the whole thing inside the cab.  Due to needing space for the rotation/brake mechanisms, I've had to make the rotating CP section narrower than the cab by about 6cm each side.  This means I've slimmed down the controls a bit (yay I hear some of you cry).  But I'm still happy I can play most things I want.



There's a steel box section at the bottom with welded on steel sides. There will be a steel tube going through the entire control panel, held in place on the frame by a pillow block bearing on each end. On the side of the CP "triangle" I'll mount a timing pulley which will gear down to a smaller pulley attached to a DC motor.  The motor I have also has an optical encoder built into it.

Mounted onto the big pulley is a small flag that will pass through a photo interruptor sensor that is stuck onto the side of the frame on a bracket.

The idea of using the DC motor with the encoder is that I should be able to control the rotation with an arduino and use the encoder pulses to tell me exactly where in the current rotation cycle we are, or more to the point where we *should be* so that I can stop accurately and determine if some external force is preventing the rotation (someone's finger for example!).  This can help me build in a safety shut-off and perhaps show a warning message on the LCD panel etc.

The flag and photo interruptor are there so that I can get a valid "home" position when powering on and for re-calibrating.



Mounted on the other side of the CP triangle is a brake disk. A 25KG lifting electromagnet is mounted onto a bracket onto the sides to act as the brake. I've no idea whether this will be enough, but I've seen the strength of a 10KG one and that was pretty strong!  I guess I'll find out.  I'll be needing to attach some shielding to this too as I'm using a CRT!

The electromagnet will fire once the CP is in position, hopefully preventing any movement until the next rotation is triggered.


Like I said - this is a massive learning curve for me, and I'm sure once I get started there will be lots of changes.

Might have to actually start building a prototype soon!

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Re: Cab 2.0 (rotating cp design concept started)
« Reply #25 on: October 09, 2014, 03:32:22 pm »
Wow, this will be a fun build to watch the progress of!

markc74

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Re: Cab 2.0 (rotating cp design concept started)
« Reply #26 on: October 09, 2014, 03:34:33 pm »
This looks very very cool. How are you planning to stop the usb cables getting twisted/ caught?

Jimbo

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Re: Cab 2.0 (rotating cp design concept started)
« Reply #27 on: October 09, 2014, 03:35:54 pm »
Currently - one idea is to wrap them round and round the steel spindle going through the CP unit... with enough loose flex
« Last Edit: October 09, 2014, 04:38:20 pm by Jimbo »

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Re: Cab 2.0 (rotating cp design concept started)
« Reply #28 on: October 10, 2014, 12:22:44 pm »
How will you lock the control panel after spinning it?

Btw, I guess you will have to have a position 1, 2, 3, and for it to never go from 3 to 1, but through 3, 2, 1 so it doesn't get tangled, right? :blah:

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Re: Cab 2.0 (rotating cp design concept started)
« Reply #29 on: October 10, 2014, 03:11:33 pm »
How will you lock the control panel after spinning it?

Well the electromagnet on a brake disk was the first idea... but I'm still not 100% convinced that there will be enough friction to keep it suitably locked in place.  Perhaps instead of a brake disk I'll use 3 smaller tabs (one for each lock position) so the force will be more focused when the magnet is on one of them.  I'm toying with some other similar ideas but they're just concepts at the moment and I have to iron out some kinks first :)

Btw, I guess you will have to have a position 1, 2, 3, and for it to never go from 3 to 1, but through 3, 2, 1 so it doesn't get tangled, right? :blah:

That's the idea, yeah :)

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Re: Cab 2.0 (rotating cp design concept started)
« Reply #30 on: October 11, 2014, 12:08:19 pm »
How will you prevent a kid from sticking a finger on the panel when rotating? Seems like a pinch hazard.

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Re: Cab 2.0 (rotating cp design concept started)
« Reply #31 on: October 11, 2014, 01:26:01 pm »
Subscribed!  Great ideas here.  Can't wait to see the final result!

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Re: Cab 2.0 (rotating cp design concept started)
« Reply #32 on: October 11, 2014, 02:03:59 pm »
The electromagnets used for door access control will certainly hold it in place but they tend to be a little big and expensive

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Re: Cab 2.0 (rotating cp design concept started)
« Reply #33 on: October 11, 2014, 05:32:56 pm »
How will you prevent a kid from sticking a finger on the panel when rotating? Seems like a pinch hazard.
Why would there be kids involved?

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Re: Cab 2.0 (rotating cp design concept started)
« Reply #34 on: October 11, 2014, 05:53:56 pm »
How will you prevent a kid from sticking a finger on the panel when rotating? Seems like a pinch hazard.

Very good point - I have 2 young kids so I have been thinking about this a lot...

I'll be using feedback from the encoder attached to the motor to tell me where I *should* be compared to where I actually am during a rotation cycle, then using this as input to a PID controller (I plan to use an arduino) to control the motor via an H-bridge.  That's the theory anyway :)  This way, I should be able to get accurate positioning along with some safety checks (slow/reverse motor) for stuck fingers.  E.g. "You should have moved 40 pulses but you've only moved 30... run finger release subroutine!"  There will probably some acceptable range/limits of expected pulses during a rotation cycle between panels, and it will take some tinkering to get right no doubt.  I imagine this to be an ongoing check all through the rotation cycle... checking its still going at the same-ish speed over and over again.

The electromagnets used for door access control will certainly hold it in place but they tend to be a little big and expensive

I actually had a play with the magnet I bought tonight!  £7.49 GBP for a 25Kg holding electromagnet that takes 12V, and pulls about 750mA.



I initially tried it on a thin sheet of steel... didn't hold too well and was pretty easy to move.  Next I tested it on a 6mm thick flat bar of mild (black) steel...  boy was that tough to move! :)  The flat bar was wide enough for the entire surface of the magnet to fit, and the surface was very slightly textured (unlike a chunk of smooth engineered steel).  It was *really* hard to move.

I will obviously have to see the leverage when the CP is in place, but initial signs are that this magnet on a brake disk of 6mm thick steel (along with the the holding torque of the motor I've bought) should be enough to keep the panels rock solid even during a lengthy Robotron session. If not, I'll use 2 of the magnets!  I also spotted a 50Kg holding one on ebay...

Biggest issue I will have I think is shielding the magnet enough to protect the CRT which will be about a foot away.

Got the motor out to try too...



All works nicely... it's got a lot of torque and is fairly quiet so I'm pretty happy with my choice to go with this one. As I said above this motor (connected to a pulley on the other side of the CPs) should help a lot with keeping things securely in place when not rotating.

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Re: Cab 2.0 (rotating cp design concept started)
« Reply #35 on: October 12, 2014, 03:09:38 pm »
You have one big advantage over me in that you are planning on doing automatic rotation from the start. I would have done things differently if I was starting from scratch. Good luck with this, you are going to need it  ;D, I'll be watching and taking notes. I tried using and encoder but because of play in my gear train, I always had problems getting the panels lined up. I finally decided to just go with old technology limit switches, which so far have worked out pretty well.
Is there any reason you can't use a hollow steel rod and pass your wires through that, that is how I'm doing it.
How are you going to automate it? 
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Re: Cab 2.0 (rotating cp design concept started)
« Reply #36 on: October 12, 2014, 03:36:53 pm »
Is there any reason you can't use a hollow steel rod and pass your wires through that, that is how I'm doing it.

Hmm... possibly - what is the diameter of your steel rod?  I haven't got a lot of space to work with, current design is 12mm thick.  I do think that wrapping leads round and round the rod (with some slack) will be ok though. I shall test with a prototype!  Do you get an chafing of the leads at each end of the rod?

How are you going to automate it?

Magically of course! :D  Erm... I've seen the controlchoose plugin you mentioned, so that's one option. I'll be using MaLa as a frontend so hopefully the automation won't be too hard to get going from software (writing to serial port etc)... I'll be looking into that a lot a little further down the line.

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Re: Cab 2.0 (rotating cp design concept started)
« Reply #37 on: October 12, 2014, 06:52:57 pm »
I'm not using steel, I'm using 1 1/2" PVC but your idea should work, you are not rotating a whole lot. I'm very lucky to have DaOldMan writing the software for me, it was his idea to automate the rotation, I had been doing it by hand. We started working on software using a code wheel(encoder) but like I said, I couldn't get the panels to line up correctly all the time because of the slop in my gear train but it could work for you. I want to see that electromagnet brake in action, I'm on my third brake design and it still needs some tweaking.
Make sure all the panels are balanced, less stress on the motor, I had to add some weight to some to get them to be all the same weight.
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Re: Cab 2.0 (rotating cp design concept started)
« Reply #38 on: October 13, 2014, 04:37:58 am »
Believe me I am as curious as you to see the brake in action :)  Shouldn't be too long I just need to wait for a few bits to turn up then I'll start building stuff.  Interesting what you said about the CP weight balance affecting the motor. I hadn't even thought of that but thanks for the heads up.  :cheers:

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Re: Cab 2.0 (rotating cp design concept started)
« Reply #39 on: October 13, 2014, 07:14:05 am »
I Like the rotating panel idea as I did one myself years ago--I think automating it is going to make a complicated projected even harder and also add a whole lot of unnecessary width to the cabinet or really eat into the underside of the control panel if you decide to keep the sides flush with the cabinet sides. 

I also put my admin buttons on the coin door or on an upper panel so you don't have to put them on every panel.  And while I don't want to discourage you from a cool project here's how experience played out on mine:  I had panel 1 as my 2 player setup--it stayed that way probably 90% of the time.  I had a driving panel that was used maybe 8% and the panel 3 was a lowly 2% of the time.

Eventually I came to the conclusion, that the twisted wires, difficult turning (for guests) etc. outweighed the cool factor and I did away with it for a swappable panel--sure, not as cool but way more useable.

I used this one for my inspiration--although mine didn't come out as nice...

http://1uparcade.rmfx.com/
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Re: Cab 2.0 (rotating cp design concept started)
« Reply #40 on: October 13, 2014, 03:52:39 pm »
I Like the rotating panel idea as I did one myself years ago--I think automating it is going to make a complicated projected even harder and also add a whole lot of unnecessary width to the cabinet or really eat into the underside of the control panel if you decide to keep the sides flush with the cabinet sides. 

It's certainly made this project a lot more complicated that's for sure.  I guess I just needed a challenge and motorising the rotating monitor just wasn't enough for me :)

I've taken some pics of how the CP unit sits in the cab, to give a better idea of overall look.  Yes, it does move the monitor back/up a little, but I don't think its too far. I've tried to minimise the boxy look by having a circular front plate to cover the hidden control panels (missing in these pics).


As you can see from the top view, there is a static 6cm ledge each side of the rotating unit. I am planning on hiding this "join" somewhat with strategically placed artwork, or I may put El wire along the sides where the joins are so that they illuminate the plexi on the CP top.  I ideally wanted the whole width to rotate, but this is the trade off (either this or as you say, add width to the cabinet).



Here you can see how the unit sits in the cab. The steel frame will be mounted at an angle so that the front/bottom panel of the cab (with the coin door) doesn't stick out too much.  I actually think I'll probably end up mounting the top 6mm ledges on each side of the panels to the steel frame itself, so the whole thing is then one unit that can easily be taken out in one piece.



Here's a shot of inside the cab, you can kind of see the angle the steel frame is mounted at, with enough room still for the coin mechs/door.



Finally here's a side on profile so you can see how compact I'm trying to keep it.


And while I don't want to discourage you from a cool project here's how experience played out on mine:  I had panel 1 as my 2 player setup--it stayed that way probably 90% of the time.  I had a driving panel that was used maybe 8% and the panel 3 was a lowly 2% of the time.

My thoughts are that I'm only doing this if I can get it fully automated.  I don't want players to have to think about having to change panel, rotate the monitor depending on which game they choose - it needs to do it all automatically, and it needs to do it well (without hurting anyone!).  I guess this is why I'm putting so much thought up-front before actually starting to build anything.  Having had my previous cab up and running for 6 years the main thing I wanted was for 1 player games to have nice comfy centered controls. I hated playing stuff off to the left or right (I'd say 60% usage on my cab was single player games).  I also wanted to keep the spinners and add a dedicated 4-way.  So it was either this or a choice from a few almost-frankenpanel designs, and this won. :)

I used this one for my inspiration--although mine didn't come out as nice...

http://1uparcade.rmfx.com/

Aah great link - many thanks!  That is one monster CP!  Interesting and clever how he used the roller latches. I hadn't thought of that but I still think using magnets is the way to go.  I just can't see a mechanical/lock system being secure enough for an arcade control panel (imagine a locked door - you can still rattle it a little).  It needs to be rock-solid with no movement.

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Re: Cab 2.0 (upright new build, motorised rotating CRT+CP, LCD marquee panel)
« Reply #41 on: October 18, 2014, 10:49:59 pm »
Typically you will need to have enough space between the cp and monitor for the panels swing.

In my opinion, it makes for a goofy looking cabinet because of that space
I had this problem as well, it looked like everything would work on paper but when I built it, I needed that extra space under the monitor for clearance. 
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Re: Cab 2.0 (upright new build, motorised rotating CRT+CP, LCD marquee panel)
« Reply #42 on: October 19, 2014, 07:05:50 am »
Typically you will need to have enough space between the cp and monitor for the panels swing.

In my opinion, it makes for a goofy looking cabinet because of that space
I had this problem as well, it looked like everything would work on paper but when I built it, I needed that extra space under the monitor for clearance.

Yeah I'm concerned about this also.  I've tried as much as possible to prevent this from happening too much in the design...



There is just enough clearance for the rotating CP unit in the current design.  Hopefully I won't need to make too many modifications as I don't think it sits too badly at the moment.

Just waiting on a few more parts to turn up then will start building!

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Re: Cab 2.0 (rotating cp design concept started)
« Reply #43 on: October 21, 2014, 04:08:25 pm »
Been trying to finalise the 3 control panels these last few days, and I'm settling on the following: -


  • Dedicated 1-Player panel
  • Centralised playing stance for all single player games
  • 4-way ball-top leaf joystick with dedicated Defender reverse button
  • 8-way Suzo System 500 stick (my fave stick for shmups)
  • 8 Buttons - Mostly I'll be playing MAME games, but I figure having 8 will help with other emulators - rather too many than not enough.



  • Dedicated 2-Player panel
  • 2 x GGG Dominux8 leaf switch joysticks
  • 4 buttons each player (never used more than that)
  • Plenty space between players for comfort (plus the I-PAC Ultimate is going to sit between them under the panel)
  • This will also be my Robotron panel



  • Dedicated "Other games" panel :)
  • Ultimarc U-Trak trackball
  • 2 x TT2 spinners for spinner and driving games
  • 2 x buttons per player for spinner/driving games
  • Dedicated Asteroids setup (another fave game in our house)
  • I will be playing ScummVM games on this panel with the trackball

I'm virtually sold on GGGs Electric Ice buttons with RGB LEDs, and also the Dominux8 joysticks for the 2-player panel (mainly for Robotron).

I realise this is going to cost a fair bit! ;)  I do have some of the controls already though, collected over the years.


OK... on to the theme.  After finding the kind of logo-look I wanted online, a kind friend of mine tweaked it as a concept for my logo/theme... in rough idea form here it is : -



The word "ARCADE" would be going in the blue bar at the bottom.

Needs a bit of work/tweaking etc... but as a concept I like it :)

Feedback/criticism/ideas welcome as always.

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Re: Cab 2.0 (rotating cp design concept started)
« Reply #44 on: October 21, 2014, 04:42:30 pm »
Been trying to finalise the 3 control panels these last few days, and I'm settling on the following: -


  • Dedicated 1-Player panel
  • Centralised playing stance for all single player games
  • 4-way ball-top leaf joystick with dedicated Defender reverse button
  • 8-way Suzo System 500 stick (my fave stick for shmups)
  • 8 Buttons - Mostly I'll be playing MAME games, but I figure having 8 will help with other emulators - rather too many than not enough.



  • Dedicated 2-Player panel
  • 2 x GGG Dominux8 leaf switch joysticks
  • 4 buttons each player (never used more than that)
  • Plenty space between players for comfort (plus the I-PAC Ultimate is going to sit between them under the panel)
  • This will also be my Robotron panel



  • Dedicated "Other games" panel :)
  • Ultimarc U-Trak trackball
  • 2 x TT2 spinners for spinner and driving games
  • 2 x buttons per player for spinner/driving games
  • Dedicated Asteroids setup (another fave game in our house)
  • I will be playing ScummVM games on this panel with the trackball

I'm virtually sold on GGGs Electric Ice buttons with RGB LEDs, and also the Dominux8 joysticks for the 2-player panel (mainly for Robotron).

I realise this is going to cost a fair bit! ;)  I do have some of the controls already though, collected over the years.


OK... on to the theme.  After finding the kind of logo-look I wanted online, a kind friend of mine tweaked it as a concept for my logo/theme... in rough idea form here it is : -



The word "ARCADE" would be going in the blue bar at the bottom.

Needs a bit of work/tweaking etc... but as a concept I like it :)

Feedback/criticism/ideas welcome as always.

I'd put 6 buttons each on the two player panel for fighting games.
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Re: BIG WHOOP Arcade (cp finalising and artwork ideas)
« Reply #45 on: October 21, 2014, 05:42:47 pm »
Yeah if you're going to all that trouble then you may as well do 6 buttons for the fighters.

Like the theme - watch out for Le Chuck though... :D

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Re: BIG WHOOP Arcade (cp finalising and artwork ideas)
« Reply #46 on: October 21, 2014, 09:34:48 pm »
Like the theme - watch out for Le Chuck though... :D

Argh! I hear ye be in search of the legendary treasure of Big Whoop or dost my ears deceive me?

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Re: BIG WHOOP Arcade (cp finalising and artwork ideas)
« Reply #47 on: October 22, 2014, 01:58:42 am »
Just be careful with the planning - we don't want it turning into Big Whoops!
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Re: BIG WHOOP Arcade (cp finalising and artwork ideas)
« Reply #48 on: October 22, 2014, 12:17:44 pm »
For the dedicated 1 player panel, I'd kill the 8-way stuff right off the bat.  It's kind of redundant when you already have it in your 2 player panel.  In my opinion, most 8-way games are "usually" on the left side anyway in the actual arcades (2 players, Character is usually on the left etc).

I think that panel would best be served as a dedicated 4 way panel instead, with the 4 way joystick centered.  Most 4 way games were 1 player at a time (2 players usually switch positions when it's their turn).  Plus playing Pacman games will feel more natural then being on the side.

D
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Re: BIG WHOOP Arcade (cp finalising and artwork ideas)
« Reply #49 on: October 22, 2014, 06:21:39 pm »
I'd put 6 buttons each on the two player panel for fighting games.
Yeah if you're going to all that trouble then you may as well do 6 buttons for the fighters.

I'll give it a go... going to be tight for space between P1 and P2 underneath the panel as that's the only space I really have for the IPAC ultimate.  Agree though, if I can make them fit I should.  :cheers:

Argh! I hear ye be in search of the legendary treasure of Big Whoop or dost my ears deceive me?

Argh! The biggest treasure of them all. A treasure so valuable and so well hidden, that it haunts the dreams of every pirate on the seas!

Just be careful with the planning - we don't want it turning into Big Whoops!

That remains to be seen! :)

For the dedicated 1 player panel, I'd kill the 8-way stuff right off the bat.  It's kind of redundant when you already have it in your 2 player panel.  In my opinion, most 8-way games are "usually" on the left side anyway in the actual arcades (2 players, Character is usually on the left etc).

I think that panel would best be served as a dedicated 4 way panel instead, with the 4 way joystick centered.  Most 4 way games were 1 player at a time (2 players usually switch positions when it's their turn).  Plus playing Pacman games will feel more natural then being on the side.

Thanks for the feedback.  I think I'm still going to keep the 8-way, because I really love the stick I've chosen, it's very nice for shootemups with a short nicely defined throw.  However you've convinced me to swap the positions of the 4-way and 8-way so the 4-way is now in the centre. :cheers:

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Re: BIG WHOOP Arcade (cp finalising and artwork ideas)
« Reply #50 on: November 11, 2014, 03:28:16 pm »
OK... Loved the idea of 'Big Whoop'... but it just didn't seem retro-arcadey enough, so I've changed it to something a little more personal and retro-sounding: "JIMBOVISION" :)

A friend has done some great concept art based on a logo idea I found and liked online: -



Ignore the cab shape and control panel in the above pic, this is an old sketchup model he was working off.  Any ideas for the design are welcome.  CPO artwork still to be decided so suggestions welcome on that too.

Started to build the CP today! :)  Borrowed a friend's rail saw... maaahn, I want one of those - awesome tool.  Makes light work of cutting accurately, and was great for the 30 degree cuts I needed for the end-triangle and top-edges. 3mm Plexi-glass will be cut tomorrow in a similar way.



Next up is finally getting hold of all the controls. I have about half of them, and the other half is waiting to be delivered hopefully tomorrow (including 2x Dominux8's :)).  I'll then be drilling/routing the holes for the controls and mounting them all to make sure everything fits.  I'll then start on the steel frame.

I also need to CNC 4x joystick mounting plates (1 for each of the Dominux8's, one for a 4-way pac-pro, and one for my favourite MCA 8-way) as I need to top-mount them.  I'll be CNC'ing them at a friends house using 2.5mm aluminium.  This'll hopefully be done later this week so will post an update.

I have most of the components I need now for the motorised rotation unit too, so once the rest of the controls turn up, expect a BIG update from me.

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Re: JIMBOVISION (<-- name change, concept art and started to BUILD!)
« Reply #51 on: November 13, 2014, 07:34:28 pm »
I finally received my GGG order at last and I want to get the 3 control panels finalised before I go any further (i.e. drilling)...



Top Panel
  • 2 x TT2 Spinners, plays 1P and 2P driving/spinner games
  • U360 joystick for analog/special games (sinistar/q*bert/etc)
  • 4 x Electric ICE leaf-switch LED buttons

Middle Panel
  • Single Player 4-way dedicated panel
  • Pac Pro leaf-switch 4-way in centre
  • 4 x Electric ICE leaf-switch LED buttons each side (ambidextrous layout [mainly for the wife])
  • 2 x Electric ICE leaf-switch LED buttons as "thumb" buttons (e.g. for defender)
  • Buttons can be used for asteroids etc (RL, RR on the left, Thrust, Fire on right, hyperspace in middle)

Bottom Panel
  • 2 x GGG Dominux8 8-ways
  • 4 x Electric ICE leaf-switch LED buttons each player (we don't really play fighters, plus see note about space below)
  • U-Trak LED trackball in center
  • Can be used for C64, Amiga ScummVM games (using trackball as mouse)
  • Robotron - obviously :)

Some interesting restrictions on the layout... space under the panel is TIGHT.  Trying to get everything to fit without overlapping when the panels are wrapped round together has been challenging!  Also, the joysticks are all in the middle of the panels (vertically) because they need to be else they'll stick up too much preventing the unit from rotating.  So far, everything fits... just... by a few mm. :)

I've tried to keep it simple, but allowing maximum flexibility, but suggestions welcome before I start drilling.  Pleeease tell me if I've missed something major, because I've been staring at it for a while now and I might not be able to see the wood from the trees. :)
« Last Edit: November 13, 2014, 07:38:32 pm by Jimbo »

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Re: JIMBOVISION (finalising CP layouts before drilling)
« Reply #52 on: November 19, 2014, 03:55:16 pm »
Just a small update today...

Got the Hantarex Polo up and tested the mod to add a degauss switch for when the rotation occurs.  The Polo only degausses automatically on cold start, which is no good for my rotating monitor setup.  The mod involved adding an SSR and is controlled by an arduino - meaning I can now wire up a pushbutton or send a signal via serial/usb to it to degauss automatically once the monitor is rotated.  Got a fair bit of help with this mod by a good friend - major learning experience :)


Tested by touching a screwdriver to those 2 pins on the end of the black and white lead :)


She's alive :)

In other news... cut the plexi panels today for the 3 CPs. Have to sand and polish the edges now. Update on that to follow.

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Re: JIMBOVISION (hantarex polo degauss hack)
« Reply #53 on: November 21, 2014, 04:34:17 pm »
I'd put a keyswitch in the loop for the rotation electrics, so you can disable it when youngsters are unsupervised.
On forums jimmer speaks for himself as a Defender fan, not as proprietor of www.jbgaming.co.uk  << Is that advertising or disclosure ? or both ?

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Re: JIMBOVISION (hantarex polo degauss hack)
« Reply #54 on: November 23, 2014, 10:14:31 am »
Hmm good idea.  I will already cut things off if the current gets too high, but sounds like a sane safeguard.  :cheers:

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Re: JIMBOVISION (dominux8 mounting plates)
« Reply #55 on: December 08, 2014, 03:44:36 pm »
I've decided not to use plexi to cover the panels as I think I would prefer a nice vinyl overlay finish.  I've got 12mm ply and two Dominux8 joysticks (very nice joysticks btw!) that I want to top-mount so I get the shaft length I want.  Time for my first CNC milling session!

First off, used LibreCAD to get the 2D model done...



Then used CamBam to set the machining tasks and tool paths...



Clamped down the 2.5mm aluminium sheet I bought off ebay and off we go...



By morning it was still not finished!...



All done! :)


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Re: JIMBOVISION (dominux 8 panel cut)
« Reply #56 on: December 08, 2014, 03:56:57 pm »
So after a successful first CNC milling it was time for the first of the three control panels to receive the same treatment.

As I really want to try out these Dominux8's, I chose that panel first, seeing as though I now have the spangly new mounting plates ready :)

First up, LibreCAD, then CamBam to set the tool paths etc...



It's quite a small CNC machine, and my friend and I had to come up with some creating clamping measures to get the panel to fit... in fact it was just too big to do all in one go, so split into two and did the player2 joystick and buttons separately by moving the panel back towards the rear of the machine after the other half of the panel had already been cut.



This was a LOT quicker than the aluminium mounting plates! :)  Here's a pic of it in action complete with vacuum.  Loads of dust!



All done :)  The mounting plates sit lovely and flush... still have to countersink the bolt holes but I think this is going to sit quite nicely and flat (with some filler etc) underneath the CPO.




Next up... the spinner panel.

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Re: JIMBOVISION (dominux8 mounting plates and first panel cut)
« Reply #57 on: December 08, 2014, 04:51:23 pm »
That's a nice CNC rig you've got there.    Is it commercial or DIY?

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Re: JIMBOVISION (dominux8 mounting plates and first panel cut)
« Reply #58 on: December 09, 2014, 05:46:56 am »
It's a friends actually - it's a custom modified CNC 3040 I believe.  I definitely want one myself now!

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Re: JIMBOVISION (dominux8 mounting plates and first panel cut)
« Reply #59 on: December 09, 2014, 07:04:30 pm »
Cut the spinner/U360 panel tonight.  U360 sits nice and snug. :)

Also countersunk the Dominux8 mounting plate bolt holes and the U360 bolt holes too.



Made a short video showing the CNC routing of the U360 recess...


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Re: JIMBOVISION (spinner/U360 panel CNC routing)
« Reply #60 on: December 09, 2014, 07:20:33 pm »
and here's a nice pic of the finished/countersunk mounting plate for one of the Dominux8's...



Very happy how these turned out :)

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Re: JIMBOVISION (spinner/U360 panel CNC routing)
« Reply #61 on: December 10, 2014, 01:11:33 pm »
Dammit! Now I started doing research into a CNC machine, you bastard! :)

But, seriously, I'm curious to see how the rotating CP comes along. I like the idea of having a more minimalist panel and, thus, the ability to "swap" them out. I just haven't see any that float my boat as far as modular CPs. The rotating CP seems the closest thing to what I'd consider for a cab, so I'll be watching the progress here. Hopefully, it works out nicely. At least you have a good start!

 :cheers:

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Re: JIMBOVISION (spinner/U360 panel CNC routing)
« Reply #62 on: December 12, 2014, 04:48:48 pm »
Thanks - I'm curious too :)

OK so time to test fit the first 2 panels...

2 Player dominux8 + utrak panel...




2 Player spinner + U360 panel...





Nice and cosy in there, but so far everything fits just like the sketchup model said it would...



Starting to look like a rotating CP...



Wiring these up is going to be fun!

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #63 on: December 12, 2014, 04:53:20 pm »
Dude!  that is freakin awesome!  :applaud: Do the third side, come on, just do it already!  :hissy:

How are you joining the sections together?  or are they being secured at the ends?
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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #64 on: December 12, 2014, 11:01:43 pm »
how are you planning on wiring?
will you wire it up and then join the sides, will the sides be joined in a way so that you can service the wiring later if needed?

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #65 on: December 13, 2014, 04:46:53 am »
Dude!  that is freakin awesome!  :applaud: Do the third side, come on, just do it already!  :hissy:
How are you joining the sections together?  or are they being secured at the ends?

how are you planning on wiring?
will you wire it up and then join the sides, will the sides be joined in a way so that you can service the wiring later if needed?

Thanks :)

Plan is to make 2 triangular end plates in 12mm ply, and they'll be secured in the 3 corners by machine screws going through the top of the panels in the corners, into small triangular batons glued to the inside of the end plate. (see pic below).  I'll probably be screwing them into inserts so I can screw/unscrew many times without ruining the ply/threading.

Wiring... I'll have an ipac ultimate mounted on the inside of one of the panels.  I plan use ribbon cables and make connectors for each panel into the ipac.  Doing this along with the way the panels are secured means it should hopefully be a simple matter of unscrewing 4 screws, unconnecting one or two connecting blocks, and I can just pull a panel out for maintenance away from the cab.  In theory anyway... ;)

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #66 on: December 23, 2014, 04:54:42 am »
Re-cut the triangular CP end panels last night on the CNC machine.  This part needs to be very accurate so I wasn't happy with the panels I'd previously cut with a rail saw.  The shaft hole now is dead in the center and both pieces are identical.  This should enable a smooth and even rotation...

Milling commences...


12mm stainless steel shaft hole dead in the center...


Shaft fits nice and snug :)


Next I need to glue on some timber mounting blocks on the insides corners of these end panels and put threaded inserts into them to hold the control panels through the top with machine screws.

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #67 on: December 27, 2014, 02:34:14 pm »
This is a great project mate - keep up the good work!!
 :applaud:
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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #68 on: December 27, 2014, 03:29:27 pm »
Looking good so far, when I wired up my panels I used molex connectors so I can easily remove a panel and work on it. The use of the CNC machine will be a big help because extreme accuracy in your cuts of your panels is key when it comes to rotating them.
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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #69 on: December 27, 2014, 04:56:21 pm »
Subscribed  :cheers:

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #70 on: January 01, 2015, 11:07:20 am »
Thanks guys.

Did a test plain-paper print today of the Jimbovision logo...  :)



Also did a test print of the spinner panel artwork.  Still some tweaks needed, but I'm liking the simplicity of it...  feedback/suggestions are welcome!



As I'm planning on having illuminated controls, I need to sort this out for the joysticks and the spinners.  The trackball and buttons are all taken care of thanks to Ultimarc and GGG.

Cue CNC machine again on some 3mm clear acrylic sheet... have made 2 spinner inserts for edge-lighting.  There is a small etched ring in the centre of the top surface that is 0.1mm deep.  This sits around the spinner at about 4mm larger radius than the spinner itself and looks pretty good when edge-lit from around the outside of the insert.  The artwork overlay will go up to the edge of this etched ring (not covering it).





These acrylic inserts will be recessed into the top of the 12mm ply panel, and I'm planning on then using clear acrylic 4mm rods set at a 45 degree angle and pushed in from the bottom of the panel.  The LEDs will sit here (probably 4 around the circumference, but I'll see how it looks).  This should hopefully mean I can fix failed LEDs at a later date far easier than if they were stuck in the panel or on the top directly under the artwork.



Fingers crossed the defender joystick and my 4-way will turn up in the next week or so, and I can get the 3rd panel cut :)

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #71 on: January 01, 2015, 01:20:37 pm »
Really nice retro style and color scheme  :applaud: :applaud: :applaud:  I would use some kind of arrow visualization for the joystick though...
« Last Edit: January 01, 2015, 04:58:51 pm by EMDB »

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #72 on: January 01, 2015, 01:35:50 pm »
Still not a fan of the name, BUT if you're going to stick with it, I like the logo. Very retro.
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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #73 on: January 01, 2015, 01:51:55 pm »
Sir, your artwork rocks. :cheers:

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #74 on: January 01, 2015, 02:39:56 pm »
Looking forward to seeing your spinner LEDs in action!

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #75 on: January 01, 2015, 04:04:36 pm »
Really nice retro style and color sceme  :applaud: :applaud: :applaud:  I would use some kind of arrow visualization for the joystick though...

Thanks :)  It's a U360 joystick on this panel mainly for analog games, so I think I'll leave out the arrows here... but I have plans to add them for the 8- and 4-way panels.  :cheers:

Still not a fan of the name, BUT if you're going to stick with it, I like the logo. Very retro.

Sir, your artwork rocks. :cheers:

Thanks - I'll pass the comments on to the artist! :)

Looking forward to seeing your spinner LEDs in action!

Cheers - yeah me too.  I have a pocket LED torch that I've tried it with, but it's hard to get the full effect with that.  I'm planning on doing something similar to your NephRings for the joysticks.  They are very cool.   :applaud:   Is the center bit (where the hole for the joystick shaft is) chamfered at 45 degrees or something?

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #76 on: January 01, 2015, 04:55:57 pm »
Is the center bit (where the hole for the joystick shaft is) chamfered at 45 degrees or something?

Nope, just "etched" on one side like what you've done.

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #77 on: January 14, 2015, 04:29:30 pm »
Bit quiet on the updates lately, but still been doing stuff...

The clear acrylic rods arrived so I started playing about with the spinner illumination some more...

I've cut out a test mounting for one of the spinner inserts in a spare bit of ply.
Lots of light coming through the rod when holding an LED up to the other end...



To try and get some more light in the top/etched part around the spinner, I've put some aluminium tape around the edge of the insert to stop light escaping.  The end of the rod sits snug against the filed notch (left side of this pic) at a 45 degree angle...



Sorry for the terrible picture, but you can kind of see the amount of light you get with a single LED.  I'm planning to put 4 LEDs/rods around the edge of the insert.  I'd kinda like it brighter as it looks fairly dim in real life, so any hints/tips how to do that would be much appreciated...



In other news... my defender joystick finally arrived, courtesy of Jimmer (and very nice it is too) :)  :cheers:  So 3rd panel will be cut very soon :)



I've also installed WinXP 64-bit and got my Hantarex Polo 15Khz monitor, and Litemax stretched LCD (for marquees) ready for setting up the software side of things (groovymame etc).   I'm having a few issues getting both the monitors to play ball together on the same card (ATI HD4350), but still working on it... may end up resorting to using a 2nd gfx card for the Litemax.


Looking forward to cutting the last panel :)

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #78 on: January 15, 2015, 04:21:40 pm »
Layout for the dedicated 4-way/Asteroids/Defender panel finalised.  Will be cutting this in the next few days! :)
« Last Edit: January 15, 2015, 04:26:04 pm by Jimbo »

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #79 on: January 15, 2015, 04:27:15 pm »
Just seen your LCD marquee - I don't think I took the protective plastic off mine for a year :-)

Is that a 25" screen?

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #80 on: January 15, 2015, 04:30:04 pm »
Just seen your LCD marquee - I don't think I took the protective plastic off mine for a year :-)

Is that a 25" screen?

Haha yeah that screen guard is staying on till it goes in the cab! It's the same model as yours I think, can't remember the exact dimensions, but it's about 25", yeah. :)

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #81 on: January 21, 2015, 05:39:56 am »
Last panel cut at last! :)    :applaud:



Coming up...

- Making some edge-lighting inserts for the joysticks
- finalising the artwork for the 3 panels
- assembling the rotating unit
- wiring up the control panels  :timebomb:

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #82 on: January 23, 2015, 04:31:34 pm »
And here she is with the controls in place.  They feel good, plenty of space for arms etc. :)


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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #83 on: January 23, 2015, 05:10:55 pm »
looking good chap, but...











Get to the prism of complexity already! That's what we're all waiting for!  :cheers:

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #84 on: January 24, 2015, 04:10:36 am »
You and me both! :)

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #85 on: January 24, 2015, 01:17:36 pm »
Remind me what the joystick on the left is?  At first glance it looks like a 2-way mounted vertically?
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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #86 on: January 24, 2015, 01:42:59 pm »
Remind me what the joystick on the left is?  At first glance it looks like a 2-way mounted vertically?
I also wnat to know that is. Can that somehow be used as a gear shifter for a driver bartop?

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #87 on: January 24, 2015, 03:03:14 pm »
Remind me what the joystick on the left is?  At first glance it looks like a 2-way mounted vertically?
I also wnat to know that is. Can that somehow be used as a gear shifter for a driver bartop?

It's a Defender joystick, for Defender :)



I suppose you could use it for a gear shifter, but its pretty bulky under the panel, and it spring centers, so it won't stay in the direction you push/pull it.

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #88 on: January 24, 2015, 03:17:09 pm »
It's a Defender joystick, for Defender :)
I suppose you could use it for a gear shifter, but its pretty bulky under the panel, and it spring centers, so it won't stay in the direction you push/pull it.
Where did you get it?

Edit: Nevermind, found it:
http://www.arcadeshop.de/Verschiedenes-2-Wege-Williams-Reprostick_1034.html
« Last Edit: January 24, 2015, 03:19:15 pm by johnrt »

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #89 on: January 24, 2015, 03:19:46 pm »
It's a Defender joystick, for Defender :)
I suppose you could use it for a gear shifter, but its pretty bulky under the panel, and it spring centers, so it won't stay in the direction you push/pull it.
Where did you get it?

Fellow BYOAC'er jimmer supplied me with one (with his zeroplay mod).  Very nice it is too. :)

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #90 on: February 06, 2015, 08:57:30 am »
Just a quick update.  Have made the mounting panels for the triangle end panels of the rotating CP unit.  These were CNC routed using 24mm thick plywood.  I will be using bolts and inserts to secure the panels to the end-plates, for quick and easy attach/detach.



In other news, I've been experimenting with GroovyArcade, and this looks like it will do just fine to run the cab software, although I will be looking at using the attractmode frontend.

Still waiting for the artwork for the control panels, hopefully not long now.  Once I have the bolt insert holes done, I'll bolt it all together and post a pic of the full rotating unit :)

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #91 on: February 22, 2015, 10:40:53 am »
Had another session last night and Ed and I finally managed to get the panels assembled!  She rotates! :D




Firstly, the triangle end panels needed to be glued to their mounting pieces.  I used some extra strong PVA adhesive and clamped with 3 screws, one in each corner.

As I'm going to be installing/uninstalling panels a lot during construction, I went for a bolt and insert setup.

The insert is an M6 nickel plated brass one: -


The bolts I used are M6 A2 Stainless Steel Flanged Button Head Bolts (Hex Socket Allen Screws).  These are 25mm in length, which works nicely as it has 12mm ply to go through for the panel, and the brass insert is about 13mm deep.
I went for the flanged ones because I thought they looked nice - but having second thoughts now, perhaps a plain domed one would look nicer.


Installing the inserts was a bit scary... it's one of those "you only get one chance" type things.  Luckily they all went in fine and flush no problems...


So now we have all the bits ready to assemble! :)


First panel in...


Second panel in...




I'm really chuffed with how it's turned out.  It's quite heavy, and very sturdy, and it's lovely and uniformly proportional (thanks mainly to the CNC machine!). A single panel only takes seconds to take off :).The stainless steel shaft fits beautifully and the free-rotation is great to finally see.

I have a bit of tweaking to the end-plate mounting pieces as some of the controls won't fit as they currently are, but it's minor changes so that's the next job.  Looking forward to wiring up (once artwork installed), doing some welding for the steel frame, and putting some pulleys and a motor on it. :)
« Last Edit: February 22, 2015, 10:45:03 am by Jimbo »

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #92 on: February 22, 2015, 12:51:46 pm »
Quote
Installing the inserts was a bit scary... it's one of those "you only get one chance" type things.  Luckily they all went in fine and flush no problems...

Naa, you can (carefully) fill with little wood glue and a dowel rod, then re-drill and try again.   But I totally agree otherwise - its one of those things that you really don't want to try and fix if it goes bad.   :cheers:

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #93 on: February 23, 2015, 04:55:02 am »

I haven't read through the whole thread, but regards rotating the monitor, are you considering using Mala as a front end? It has a plug in for rotating monitors (",)


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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #94 on: February 23, 2015, 05:02:18 am »

I haven't read through the whole thread, but regards rotating the monitor, are you considering using Mala as a front end? It has a plug in for rotating monitors (",)

Currently I'm trying out GroovyArcade on Linux, as GroovyMame runs great on my monitor and it boots up in seconds. :)  If I stick with that it looks like attractmode is the frontend I'll need to use.  I have Mala on my existing cab and love it, but attractmode looks pretty good, and seems to still be in active development.

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #95 on: February 23, 2015, 11:19:23 pm »

Ah I see. Hence the micro controller.


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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #96 on: February 25, 2015, 08:32:19 am »
Got started on the steel frame for the rotating unit at last!  Plan is to mount the whole rotating unit including the frame, into the cab as one piece, like this: -



I bought two 1000x50x6mm mild steel flat bars for the sides of the frame.  First up, we laid out where we need to drill along the bar...



From left to right, the holes are: -
  • 6.5mm mounting hole for side of cab
  • 6.5mm mounting hole for side of cab
  • bottom 7.5mm bolt hole for pillow block bearing
  • 12mm shaft hole (maybe not needed but might regret not having drilled it later!)
  • top 7.5mm bolt hole for pillow block bearing
  • 6.5mm mounting hole for side of cab

I'm planning on using the same bolt/insert system as the control panel tops for mounting the frame to the cab's sides.  Pretty happy with the strength they provide, and means I won't have to mess up the side panels.

Next up... all measured and marked up with a scribe ready for drilling.  Both the bars were clamped together and drilled in one go....


Here's one of the pillow block bearings that will hold the rotating steel shaft.  These will have countersunk machine screws on the outside of the steel frame, with hex nuts on the inside, to keep them flush to the cab sides.



And finally after a lot of drilling, and a couple of broken drill bits, and after some countersinking to get rid of the sharp bits: -



:)

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #97 on: February 25, 2015, 08:54:33 am »
I love it when a plan comes together, and yours is definitely coming together nicely.  I really look forward to seeing this all work.
My Projects:
MisSpent Youth a Vigolix bartop,  Little Bastard a rotating tablet/display bartop,
Pin-Dog a mini pin-cab on vpforums.org  Star Wars a wedgehead pincab on vpinball.com

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #98 on: February 25, 2015, 09:05:42 am »
Even if it not what I would have built it very impressive. Keep up the good work.

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #99 on: February 26, 2015, 10:48:40 am »
Cheers guys :)

My friend doing the artwork has made a small foam model and started to sketch out the design.  It's unfinished, but feedback welcome all the same.  :cheers:


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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #100 on: March 16, 2015, 07:56:41 pm »
A little update on the cab artwork...

Very happy how this has turned out! :)





Comments / suggestions welcome as always.

 :cheers:

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #101 on: March 16, 2015, 08:05:58 pm »
That looks great. I love the rounded CP and how the artwork draws attention to it.

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #102 on: March 16, 2015, 10:48:14 pm »
SWEEEET!!!

That looks great.
will you definitely be able to have it where the monitor comes all the way down to the cp like normal.

the only reason I ask is because other rotating cp cabs I've seen had large spaces between the cp and monitor because of the cp rotation.

this deign really looks nice
« Last Edit: March 16, 2015, 10:49:55 pm by mgb »

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #103 on: March 17, 2015, 04:46:58 am »
Really cool design. The only change I would make would be to center the coin door and, if possible, use the same distance bottom/front art as the bottom/side art one, so that you get one consistent bottom line around the cab.



Might be overkill, maybe not even possible, but to me the bezel screams for the stripe treatment.

« Last Edit: March 17, 2015, 04:56:02 am by yamatetsu »
                  

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #104 on: March 18, 2015, 10:24:24 pm »
Might be overkill, maybe not even possible, but to me the bezel screams for the stripe treatment.



Maybe also at the front of the control panel, and those two squares on the sides of the control panel.

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #105 on: March 19, 2015, 05:26:06 am »
Thanks for the suggestions!  More artwork tweaks coming soon.  Also, I've got a big update on the metal frame coming, hopefully later today.  :cheers:

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #106 on: March 19, 2015, 05:28:46 am »
SWEEEET!!!

That looks great.
will you definitely be able to have it where the monitor comes all the way down to the cp like normal.

the only reason I ask is because other rotating cp cabs I've seen had large spaces between the cp and monitor because of the cp rotation.

this deign really looks nice

Thanks... yeah the monitor fits fine.  It's slightly laid back deeper in the cab, with about an inch gap between the monitor and the glass panel covering it.  It works pretty well (in sketchup anyway!) and was the only way I could get it to fit without things starting to look ugly.  Pretty sure this will be ok as it's the same orientation/angle/depth that the monitor is mounted in my existing cab, which plays fine. :)

« Last Edit: March 19, 2015, 05:32:59 am by Jimbo »

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #107 on: March 19, 2015, 12:57:43 pm »
I love the level all the planing that is going into this build.

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #108 on: March 19, 2015, 01:36:34 pm »
OK... steel frame assembly time!

The top of the steel sides needed cutting at a 5 degree angle, ready for another steel mount to be welded onto the top of it for the filler panels either side of the rotating unit.  We used a nice protractor contraption for this. :)  The CP when in place in the cab will be angled at 10 degrees towards the player. The steel frame itself I am mounting at 15 degrees (so the bottom of the frame sits behind the front panel / coin door).  This meant that we actually need to mount the brackets for the filler panels at 5 degrees *away from the player*.  We did this by taking the centre of the bar as the origin of the slant, but after we cut it we realised that this was wrong... doing it this way means we've actually moved the origin of the rotating unit.  We should have rotated the CP unit 5 degrees in place, then scribed and cut from there...   It wasn't a catastrophe though, it means we've actually cut bar at the correct angle but 0.3mm lower than it should be....





Here you can see all the bits cut and ready for welding (the box tubing on the left we'd already welded a couple of evenings before). The original plan was to have one section of box tubing, but we decided on 2 for strength and to aid in dimensional conformity.  The shiny marks you see are where we angle grided in preparation for welding...

Bits you can see are:
  • box tubing for bottom frame, 1 inch square x 2 welded together
  • 2 small brackets to weld onto the sides for connecting the box tubing to
  • 2 filler mounts for welding on the top of the sides at the 5 degree angle
  • the 2 sides with holes drilled for the shaft, pillow block bearings, and mounting holes



Getting the bottom brackets aligned with the box tubing was tricky, but once we got the bracket in place squarely we were able to drill the bolt holes in the box tubing accurately...





Here's one of the bottom corners assembled, after welding the bracket to the side panel (using some very handy magnet clamps to get it perfectly square...





And here's the top filler panel mount, welded on at 5 degrees.  12mm ply filler panel will sit on top of this each side of the rotating CP unit.




And here she is, fully assembled and ready for artwork, controls, and all the complicated stuffs :)




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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #109 on: March 19, 2015, 04:12:37 pm »
Well done! :cheers:

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #110 on: March 21, 2015, 05:46:42 pm »
That looks amazing! For the artwork, are you gonna go with three separate pieces, or a single one that wraps around the whole thing?

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #111 on: March 22, 2015, 02:04:01 pm »
Cheers guys  :cheers:

The artwork will be 3 separate pieces for the panels, so that I can take a panel out easily for any required maintenance.

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #112 on: March 22, 2015, 03:43:59 pm »
When you first started this project, I had my doubts.
And truthfully I liked the look of your original cab.
But I gotta say that this is really coming along beautiful.

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #113 on: March 22, 2015, 07:34:54 pm »
When you first started this project, I had my doubts.
And truthfully I liked the look of your original cab.
But I gotta say that this is really coming along beautiful.

Thanks  :cheers:

To be honest, I had doubts myself when I started. I think I still may have bitten off more than I can chew... ;)

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #114 on: March 22, 2015, 07:42:27 pm »
Just a quick update today...

Drilled holes for mounting the main aluminium timing belt pulley and bolted it on to one of the "triforces" :)







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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #115 on: March 23, 2015, 12:50:01 pm »
Fantastic Project!  :cheers:

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #116 on: March 23, 2015, 01:04:53 pm »
LOVE the artwork chap - this is coming on great  :cheers:

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #117 on: March 24, 2015, 04:55:59 am »

I have now looked through the whole thread. Goddam!

 :notworthy:


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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #118 on: March 26, 2015, 05:44:16 pm »
Thanks guys :)  :cheers:  I'm learning more DIY stuff doing this project than I think I ever have done before!  Your feedback is much appreciated.

On we go then... :)

It's pretty tight inside the rotating unit, so we had to make some clearance cuts... good job for the CNC machine!



The top triforce (LHS) needed 5mm clearance for the defender joystick...



...and the bottom one (RHS) needed 20mm for player 2's buttons on the 2P panel...



Guess who forgot to leave clearance for the mounting bolts for one of the joysticks!?  :banghead:




So I got that far, I figured I'd finish assembling all the controls to make sure they all fit...





And here's a video of it rotating...  flippy flappy dust washers!  Not quite sure what to do about that...



In other news....

Have been thinking about the brake a lot lately.  Not sure I'm so happy about the electromagnet idea after having a friend over and watching him almost wrench my existing CP off the cab playing Mr Do!.  A much better way to do it could be if the power would only be required to either apply or remove the brake.  So when the unit is stationary (most of the time) there is no power/forces active.  I much prefer this way of thinking if it is possible...

The latest idea is to use a shot bolt on one of the triforces (opposite end to rotation pulley).  This would be a pivoted spring loaded mechanism so default would be that a panel is locked in place.  When rotation is about to begin, a high-torque servo would pull to release the bolt... which would then spring back when the unit has rotated to the next panel.



I'll be looking at mounting the motor soon. I can't wire the panels up yet as I don't have the artwork finalised (still have to solve how to edge-light the remaining joysticks).  So there's a bit of panel-tweaking to come over the next few weeks, but things are moving forwards :)

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #119 on: March 28, 2015, 06:13:33 am »
Looking good Jimbo.
If memory serves, I think DarthPaul is using a brake that "saddles" the bottom corner of the panel to hold it still.

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #120 on: March 30, 2015, 05:26:38 am »

And here's a video of it rotating...  flippy flappy dust washers!  Not quite sure what to do about that...



I love how you matched your fingernails with the joysticks  ;D


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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #121 on: March 30, 2015, 06:59:35 am »

And here's a video of it rotating...  flippy flappy dust washers!  Not quite sure what to do about that...



I love how you matched your fingernails with the joysticks  ;D

 :laugh2:  That's nothing.  You should see the wig and suspenders just out of view...

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #122 on: March 30, 2015, 10:58:05 am »
Wow. An LCD marquee, rotating CRT monitor with an Arduino to control the degaussing, automated rotating control panel, CAD design, CNC-cut parts, retro artwork...

The question is: why did I not notice this thread before?!  :P

This project is awesome!  :cheers:

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #123 on: April 30, 2015, 03:34:29 pm »
Sorry for the lack of updates.  It's the edge-lighting of the joysticks that is the bottleneck at the moment.  The spinners are done, the trackball and buttons all have lighting built in to them, it's just the joysticks that are causing me problems, but I think I've sorted it now.

Firstly on the defender/4-way panel, the defender joystick needs edge-lighting.  I've done it by using a 3mm plexi sheet and milling out a 2mm recess in the centre.  This means the joystick actually sits 1mm lower than it should be if it was mounted flush to the panel.  I think this should be ok and hopefully won't affect gameplay too much.  The artwork will go close to the shaft opening, leaving about a 4mm radius plexi ring around it exposed for edge-lighting...





The U360 was the other joystick (on the spinner panel) that was causing problems due to "bumps" around the mounting plate opening.  I've solved this inserting a 3mm plexi sheet between the U360 base and the metal mounting plate. Then I milled out a 2mm recess around the bumpy raised part so 1mm fits nicely over the top of it.  The mounting plate then sits flush on top.  This lowers the joystick by 3mm which doesn't seem too bad.  It also negates the need for a dust washer as the plexi ring kind of acts like one since it's so close to where the shaft sits.  This is good because I don't want flappy dust washers during the rotating of the panels.











On the defender/4-way panel, for the dedicated 4-way joysitck I had planned to bottom-mount a Dominux 8 with a 4-way restrictor, but this doesn't feel right, and doesn't lend itself very easily to edge-lighting.  I've switched this now to be a Pac Pro, which I really like the feel of.  This will be top-mounted with a 2mm plexi-sheet acting as a dust-protector (again solving flappy dust washer on rotation) sitting in the recess of the joystick base.  I'll be making the plexi insert and the metal plate very soon. Here's the idea...





Similarly, I'll be making a 1.5mm plexi insert for the 2x Dominux8's on the 2P panel.  I'll keep the dust-washers for these as they fit nicely in the joystick base recess (unlike the pac-pro!).  I already have the metal mounting plates made for these, so just the plexi sheets to mill...






So there you go... all the flappy dust-washers sorted, and the edge-lighting (I think!).  I'll need to make a couple of panel cuts to house these changes, but over the next couple of weeks it should all be done.  Then I'll finalise the artwork for the panels and order it, and then start the final panel preparations before applying the artwork.

I'll try not to leave it so long until the next update!

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #124 on: May 01, 2015, 10:59:20 am »
Wow.  Subscribed is all I can say.

 :o

AJ

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Re: JIMBOVISION (scratch build rotating CP + rotating CRT upright)
« Reply #125 on: May 04, 2015, 04:45:48 am »
Got the 2 plexi inserts for the Dominux8s made.  These sandwich in-between the joystick base and the 2.5mm thick aluminium mounting plate.  They are made from 1.5mm clear plexi and leave a gap just big enough for the dust washer to sit under it.  The alu plate hole is 30mm diameter, the plexi is 26mm diameter.  The shaft at full throw is very close to the plexi but doesn't quite touch it.  The addition of the metal plate and the plexiglass does lower the joystick slightly, but it still feels nice.  Panel surface to top of balltop is 66mm.











Next up... the Pac-Pro for the dedicated 4-way panel!

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [edge-lighting the joysticks]
« Reply #126 on: May 04, 2015, 09:24:09 am »
Problem solved very nice  :applaud: :cheers:

looking good

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [edge-lighting the joysticks]
« Reply #127 on: May 07, 2015, 09:15:17 am »
cheers :)

Got the plexi insert and the mounting plate for the Pac Pro done last night... so that's all the edge-lighting bits taken care of....



Next up some final panel cuts and prep for the artwork :)

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [edge-lighting the joysticks]
« Reply #128 on: May 07, 2015, 10:50:11 pm »
WHAT !?!? :o

 :dizzy:

 :notworthy:

This is sure to be in the running for the 2015 awards.

 :cheers:

-DGP
Multi-Cade x2 (full size and bar top) / 3 screen Virtual Pin

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [edge-lighting the joysticks]
« Reply #129 on: May 08, 2015, 04:05:37 am »
Hah, I don't think it'll be finished in time,  :laugh2:

Seriously though, thanks for the nice words.  :cheers:

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [edge-lighting the joysticks]
« Reply #130 on: May 10, 2015, 04:38:43 am »
Routed out for the defender joystick and the pac-pro on the middle panel.  That's it!  That's the last bit of routing on the panels - well, apart from making holes on the underside for some LEDs to go.  Woooooh!



I will be posting the final panels soon explaining all the controls and showing the proposed artwork for each panel.  It would be great to have your feedback on that before I order the artwork.

I'm thinking to get all the panels flat for the artwork I'll use some epoxy filler/resin to cover it all and then sand flat.  Not done that before so any hints/tips etc appreciated.

 :cheers:
 

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [edge-lighting the joysticks]
« Reply #131 on: May 10, 2015, 05:47:13 pm »
Here are the final control panel layouts, and the planned artwork.  Feedback welcome! :cheers:

PANEL 1



  • TurboTwist 2 Spinner, RGB edge-lit (x2)
  • Ultimarc U360 Joystick, RGB edge-lit
  • Electric Ice 2 w/True-Leaf Pro, RGB-Drive II (x8)
This panel is for driving games (with the mini-racer wheels), spinner games, and any games requiring the analog joystick (i.e. any non 2/4/8 way games).



PANEL 2


  • Defender Joystick, RGB edge-lit
  • Pac-Pro Joystick, RGB edge-lit
  • Electric Ice 2 w/True-Leaf Pro, RGB-Drive II (x8)
So this panel is for Defender/Stargate, Asteroids, and any other 2 or 4-way games.



PANEL 3


  • Dominux 8, RGB edge-lit (x2)
  • Ultimarc U-Trak Pearl
  • Electric Ice 2 w/True-Leaf Pro, RGB-Drive II (x8)
This panel is for all 1-player 8-way games, 4-way or 8-way 2-player games, along with any trackball games.  It's also for Robotron :D and I'll use it for any other emulation systems that need 8-ways.  Having the trackball on this panel means it'll be suitable as the mouse for Amiga/ST games etc.


I'm gonna order the artwork soon, so any feedback now's your chance! :)

:cheers:
« Last Edit: May 10, 2015, 05:50:19 pm by Jimbo »

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [final panel designs and artwork]
« Reply #132 on: May 11, 2015, 02:50:32 pm »
I really dig the retro color scheme and simple art. One thing stands out to me as looking kind of off though. The directional artwork around the joysticks looks a bit too "snow-flake"ish to me. It also looks a little too busy where the button art and other control art meet. I think it looks like 1 too many colors in those spots. Maybe if the orange were thicker so that the yellow wouldn't show up in the tight spots or if the yellow were all one background color or bigger enclosure shape (like an oval something) so the black outline didn't carry into the tight spots.

On another note... I've been working on coming up with a clean edge-lit joystick, spinner and TB system and now that you've posted yours, anything I come up with is going to look pretty shoddy. Good work on this awesome project.

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [final panel designs and artwork]
« Reply #133 on: May 11, 2015, 03:13:36 pm »
I agree with bfauska, they snowflaky bro.....


Also you're going to all that trouble to edge light the joysticks... the directional artwork shouldn't detract from it.

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [final panel designs and artwork]
« Reply #134 on: May 12, 2015, 08:51:08 am »
Thanks for your feedback guys.  :cheers:  On reflection I agree it is looking a bit busy... trying out some tweaks...  how about this for the 4-way, 8-way and defender joys...?



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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [final panel designs and artwork]
« Reply #135 on: May 12, 2015, 03:13:25 pm »
OK here are a few alternate designs.  Personally I like the bottom ones best (subtler, less busy) but interested to hear your feedback or suggestions.

Panel 1 (U360 in middle)



Panel 2 (defender joystick and 4-way pac-pro in middle)



Panel 3 (2 x dominux8 8-ways)



Thanks a lot for any feedback you can give.

 :cheers:

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [please critique my artwork!]
« Reply #136 on: May 12, 2015, 04:38:12 pm »
I think the bottom option on panel 2 and 3. Is there a version with the little nub directions for panel 1? I'd assume I'd vote for that too.

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [please critique my artwork!]
« Reply #137 on: May 13, 2015, 06:04:12 am »
I think the bottom option on panel 2 and 3. Is there a version with the little nub directions for panel 1? I'd assume I'd vote for that too.

Hmm yeah I'm leaning towards the bottom ones too...   the panel 1 joystick is a U360, which is why I left it as a circle.  My thinking was with the nub directions it would either look like it was indicating the joystick is a 8-way, or would just be too busy.

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [please critique my artwork!]
« Reply #138 on: May 13, 2015, 05:20:14 pm »
I think the bottom option on panel 2 and 3. Is there a version with the little nub directions for panel 1? I'd assume I'd vote for that too.

Hmm yeah I'm leaning towards the bottom ones too...   the panel 1 joystick is a U360, which is why I left it as a circle.  My thinking was with the nub directions it would either look like it was indicating the joystick is a 8-way, or would just be too busy.
Yeah, that makes sense for the analogue.

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [please critique my artwork!]
« Reply #139 on: September 14, 2015, 12:04:49 pm »
Sorry for the lack of updates.  Life kinda got in the way.  I've gone over multiple revisions of the panel artwork and have finally chosen these ones, and have ordered them from gameongrafix...

All of the controls are sorted now, edge-lit plex, mounting plates etc.

It's been a long time getting to this point.  Once the artwork arrives I hope things will progress quicker - starting with the wiring!


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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [still alive!]
« Reply #140 on: July 23, 2016, 06:01:34 pm »
Hmm...
%Bartop

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [still alive!]
« Reply #141 on: August 31, 2016, 11:50:51 pm »
My apologies if this has been answered but how do you plan on dealing with all the cables from the cp when the drum rotates?

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [still alive!]
« Reply #142 on: September 10, 2016, 08:46:20 am »
Anything happening to this project? I'd love to see how this thing turns out  :applaud:

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [still alive!]
« Reply #143 on: September 11, 2016, 01:24:46 pm »
Hi guys... sorry, there *will* be an update soon.  I've recently become a father for the 3rd time, and along with my friend's workshop completely burning down (where we did a lot of the work) the project hasn't progressed much I'm afraid.  I'm just starting to get back into it now.  I'm at the point of prepping the panels for the artwork, and collating a spreadsheet for all the wiring connections I'll need.  I'll post an update with pics soon.

@Richie_jones - the cables will be wrapped semi-loosely around the rotating shaft and exiting in a hole on one of the ends.  That's the plan, anyway.

Cheers

James

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [still alive!]
« Reply #144 on: September 12, 2016, 08:44:19 pm »
wooow, this left me speechless!!

really awesome!!  :)

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [still alive!]
« Reply #145 on: September 21, 2016, 03:55:13 pm »
OK, first proper update in a while!  Finally getting back in to this now :)

I have all the controls now ready for edge-lighting, but the pac-pro needed mauling so that the LEDs can reach the plexi...



Then some high strength PVA to lock the plexi in place.  The metal mounting plate will go over this leaving a nice edge-lit RGB ring in the middle...




Next up, (skip forward 13 months!) I decided to spray paint the backs of the panels white because, well, I want it looking nice :)

Masking taped over the control holes on the front and then sprayed a few thin coats of white gloss Rustoleum Universal All Surface Paint.  Backs look great now for wiring :)





Time to finish prepping the panels for the artwork.  I needed to get them filled and sanded so that there are no ridges around the control mounting plates (and plexi inserts) and the panel.  I used some Isopon P38 for this.  Seems to have worked great, now the panels are dead flat with no ridges :)

You can see that I masking taped the visible edge-lit plexi parts in the middle of the joysticks and spinners.







The panel artwork overlays from gameongrafix arrived some time ago and look awesome...



It's hard to portray in a photo just how nice this looks and feels...



Next to do: -

I need to make sure no LED light can get through the panels/plexi inserts as it will show through the artwork.  For this reason, and also to give a good surface for applying the adhesive-backed artwork, I'm going to spraypaint the panels black.  A few coats of Rustoleum I'm hoping will stop any light getting through.

Also, wrapping the artwork around the top/bottom edges of the panels is a no-go without some contact adhesive.  I've tried this out with a spare panel and some spare cut-offs that Scott from gameongrafix was nice enough to include with my order for free, and it works great.

Once I have the panels painted black, the artwork will be applied (scary!) and then it's time for wiring.

I'll post the plan for wiring soon.

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [an update at last!]
« Reply #146 on: September 22, 2016, 12:49:44 pm »
Good to see this build back on track Jimbo. I've been looking forwards to seeing this control panel working for aaaaages!

Congrats on the addition to the family too  :cheers:

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [an update at last!]
« Reply #147 on: September 24, 2016, 05:13:53 am »
Cheers Mark :)

I've done one coat of black on the panels, but still a little light shining through where it shouldn't.  Hopefully a couple more coats will do it!

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [an update at last!]
« Reply #148 on: September 25, 2016, 04:55:59 am »
The CP may divide opinion, but I like it. Love the colours - I didn't think Open University (UK reference) colours like that existed any more on the visible light spectrum, having vanished in the late 70s.

Looking forward to see how that spinning contraption integrates into the cab, too.

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [an update at last!]
« Reply #149 on: September 25, 2016, 04:15:42 pm »
Thanks stigzler.

This weekend I got some spray painting done.  3 coats black Rustoleum and now no LED light shines through where it shouldn't :)  Surfaces are nice and smooth with no lumps and bumps...




I also started to cut the holes in the artwork. A little scary but the compass-with-a-blade tool I used was excellent!



The two-player panel lines up perfectly - very happy! For the joysticks holes, I cut them very slightly smaller than the actual holes for some wiggle-room (1mm diameter smaller).  I plan to use a stanley blade to cut them perfectly around the edges of the holes once the artwork is applied...




The defender panel lines up perfectly too (ignore the messy looking defender edge-lighting opening on the left, I have to clean up the cut on the left side of the artwork for that...



The 3rd panel, the spinner one... hmm... it was all going so well :(

As I peeled away the masking tape I realised I forgot to paint the wood underneath the plexi edge-lit insert.  It still shows the unfinished plywood underneath...



As you can see when the spinner is in it's not terrible, but still not what I want. It actually looks great in the dark when shining an LED on it from underneath, but in daylight it looks pants...



I can think of 2 things to help... Firstly, rough the plexi up a bit more to make it more opaque.  Secondly (as I've not cut the holes in the artwork yet), make the visible edge-lit circle a little smaller, so for example make the diameter the same as the widest part of the spinner flange near the bottom.  This would (I hope) still give a nice edge-lit effect as the spinner would cover most of it when looking from directly above.

Bah, I'm such an idiot. :(  If anyone has any better ideas I'm all ears.

Other than that, it all lines up perfectly and is looking great so I think I'm pretty much ready to put the artwork on.
« Last Edit: September 25, 2016, 04:18:13 pm by Jimbo »

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [an update at last!]
« Reply #150 on: September 25, 2016, 04:57:10 pm »
As you can see when the spinner is in it's not terrible, but still not what I want. It actually looks great in the dark when shining an LED on it from underneath, but in daylight it looks pants...
Depending on the look/finish you are going for, here are 5 ways to proceed:

1. Mask the panel (and LEDs?) so you can spray paint the bare wood.

2. Hand-paint the bare wood with a small artist's brush.

3. Mask the lit edge of the plexi insert with tape then paint the back.
(the bare wood edge might still show if the insert outer edge is left un-sanded or un-painted)

4. Sand the back and outer edge of the plexi insert.

5. Some combination of 1-4.


Scott
« Last Edit: September 25, 2016, 05:07:47 pm by PL1 »

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [an update at last!]
« Reply #151 on: September 26, 2016, 03:51:12 am »
Thanks...

Unfortunately I don't have simple access to the back of the plexi insert as it's glued in with PVA and has been filled/painted over.  The bare wood is underneath.  I think I'm going to have to prise them out and re-prep the entire spinner areas. :(

My head is saying accept and compromise but my heart is saying do it properly.

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [an update at last!]
« Reply #152 on: September 26, 2016, 04:27:47 am »
Redo the whole panel.if you have to..no point in compromise

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [an update at last!]
« Reply #153 on: September 29, 2016, 08:22:22 am »
Thanks...

Unfortunately I don't have simple access to the back of the plexi insert as it's glued in with PVA and has been filled/painted over.  The bare wood is underneath.  I think I'm going to have to prise them out and re-prep the entire spinner areas. :(

My head is saying accept and compromise but my heart is saying do it properly.

You know what you have to do...

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [an update at last!]
« Reply #154 on: September 29, 2016, 08:51:46 am »
yep.  no compromise.

I might try using a syringe full of black wood stain, and see if the ply will soak up the stain enough to cover the exposed area.  Worth a shot.  If that doesn't work, out pop the plexi inserts!  Gah!

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [an update at last!]
« Reply #155 on: September 29, 2016, 12:55:38 pm »
Couldn't you just pva solution coat the surface first then paint it black? The PVA would seal porous wood. Apologies - haven't read the problem fully.

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [an update at last!]
« Reply #156 on: September 29, 2016, 04:17:47 pm »
Just gotta say Amazing work on the control panel I'll be following along. I had considered doing something like this on my build but am not worthy.  :applaud:


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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [an update at last!]
« Reply #157 on: October 03, 2016, 07:19:52 pm »
Thank you :)

Finally got the CPO installed on one of the panels! :)

Scary night - one that was made miles easier by having two people instead of one!

First I had to trim the CPO down using a craft knife, I left a little black overhang over the top and bottom edges which I will trim off later.  We (very carefully) scored the back along the top/bottom black edges of the CPO so that we could deal with those angled edges after the main CPO application.  We also scored a line about 2 inches from the top black edge (just above the top buttons) all the way along.  Plan was to line up the joystick holes (they needed to be spot on) then clamp the bottom edge so we could pull the top 2 inches of backing off and stick just that bit first.



Following this, the clamps were removed and we could peel back the rest of the backing and carefully apply the rest of the CPO, down to the bottom black edge.  We then used some impact adhesive to stick down the 2 black edges. Seems to have worked great and it's now sitting there for 24 hours to fully set.  Then I'll cut the overhang off with a craft knife and get the controls in there :)





Very happy with how this turned out, it's so vibrant and colourful. :)  Luckily the artwork went on great but it was a stressy evening since I'd never done it before.  Learned a lot - the next 2 panels should be a lot less stressful!

Next up will be pulling out the spinners on the other panel and re-doing those after painting the back of them black! Grrr...
« Last Edit: October 03, 2016, 07:21:53 pm by Jimbo »

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [first cpo applied]
« Reply #158 on: October 16, 2016, 10:53:24 am »
Just waiting on a few bits from ebay so I can continue with decimating the other 2 panels because of my stupidity in forgetting to paint under the plexi...

In the mean time, made some "jigs" so I can work on the panels for wiring and testing etc.  These are angled at 10 degrees, and are handy as I can flip the panels on them so the undersides face upwards to work on the wiring.  I got the controls all mounted now on the 2-player trackball panel, so this one is ready to wire up...



Those dominux8's feel great :)

You can see I had to make small mounting blocks to give space for the controls right up to the edges of the panels...



I made 3 sets of these jigs so I can have all panels resting somewhere sturdy until they are ready for the rotating contraption.

Next update will be about decimating the other two panels to re-prep them.

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [first cpo applied]
« Reply #159 on: May 08, 2017, 11:04:18 am »
Any more progress on this?

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [first cpo applied]
« Reply #160 on: August 07, 2017, 05:37:05 am »
Any more progress on this?

Yes, but only very recently.  I had a long break due to life issues, just getting the final 2 panels prepped for artwork after fixing the unpainted bits... that was a real pain but it's done now.  Will post an update after putting the artwork on.

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [first cpo applied]
« Reply #161 on: August 07, 2017, 03:50:17 pm »
Great , Looking forward to see how this turns out..Those joystick leds look good nice solution

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [first cpo applied]
« Reply #162 on: August 18, 2017, 06:14:58 pm »
Ok so first proper update in ages...

I needed to get the spinners out since I forgot to paint underneath them... raw plywood colour is not nice as a backdrop for edge-lit plexi.  2 spinners needed to come out on the spinner panel.  Dremel to the rescue...


Finally got them both out, and sanded the panel flat(ish)...


Then painted the bit I forgot!


Then glued them back in, filled and sanded flat ready for painting...




I also had the same issue with the Defender joystick, where the gold/brassy colour of the joystick housing bled through the edge-lit plexi looking ugly.  So, out with the defender joystick too...


And painted it...


Put it back in, sanded and filled ready for painting again...



I have now got the defender panel painted up, and the CPO applied :)





I'll be re-painting the spinner panel next, and applying that artwork.  Then FINALLY all panels will be done, and ready for wiring.  I'll try and get that done in 2017!

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [defender/4-way cpo applied]
« Reply #163 on: August 19, 2017, 03:49:56 pm »
Got the defender panel now ready for wiring!  2 down, 1 to go! :)



So this panel has a defender joystick on the left, and a pac-pro leaf 4-way in the middle.  The panel will be for defender (obviously), all 2 and 4-way games (plan to enable use of left and right button sets for both right and left handers.  Also will be used for games such as asteroids.

Pac-Pro looks great with the edge-lit plexi... feels lovely too...




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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [defender/4-way cpo applied]
« Reply #164 on: August 24, 2017, 09:09:45 am »
I'm having a dilemma with the name... JIMBOVISION fits the artwork theme (I think), but I don't like putting my name on it, I'd prefer something more generic.  I've considered all the following but can't decide: -

Retrotator
Spindizzy
Old Timer
The Vortex
Whirligig
Gyrostation
Spin-o-Vision
Spin-o-Matic

It needs to fit the retro artwork theme, and potentially hint at rotation...  any ideas welcome!

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [please help me name this thing!]
« Reply #165 on: August 24, 2017, 10:27:02 am »
I would keep the vision part for sure. Not sure about the spin part though. Retrovision? Play-vision? Game-vision?

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [please help me name this thing!]
« Reply #166 on: August 24, 2017, 01:00:39 pm »
Quarter Killer.
                  

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [please help me name this thing!]
« Reply #167 on: August 24, 2017, 10:54:13 pm »
Spin Cycle
Fidget Spinner...

It's gotta be one of those two... Probably Fidget Spinner.  >:D
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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [please help me name this thing!]
« Reply #168 on: August 25, 2017, 05:22:42 am »
Spin Cycle
Fidget Spinner...

It's gotta be one of those two... Probably Fidget Spinner.  >:D

Fidget Spinner... lol, that's genius.  I'd use that if I didn't have 3 kids with them and I wasn't completely sick of the sight of them, haha!

I've almost settled on a name now, gonna keep saying it for a few days I think:  The Retro EnCABulator  :)   homage of course to the legendary ...
« Last Edit: August 25, 2017, 05:42:27 am by Jimbo »

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [please help me name this thing!]
« Reply #169 on: August 26, 2017, 09:30:24 pm »
Late to the party on this one. Normally I wouldn't suggest having 'cade' in the title but how about 'TRICADE'. I'm not totally convinced but you could do something cool with the logo


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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [please help me name this thing!]
« Reply #170 on: August 26, 2017, 10:15:04 pm »
I suggested this years ago to someone and they didn't choose it, but it may apply better here.

Here's my original image. I'd keep the two letters in the center big to signify both "Retro" and "Rotate". Just use different colors and fonts to fit your theme.
Stop by my Youtube channel and leave a comment:

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [please help me name this thing!]
« Reply #171 on: September 02, 2017, 06:28:27 am »
Thanks guys. I like both of those! :)  i also like...

Nostalgicon
Triplex
Time Warp
Get Ready!

Gah... decisions decisions... ;)

Should be applying the CPO for the spinner panel tonight with luck!

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [please help me name this thing!]
« Reply #172 on: September 02, 2017, 07:31:20 am »
Hey Jimbo,

TIME WARP sounds awesome :notworthy: :cheers:

cheers
Chris

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [please help me name this thing!]
« Reply #173 on: September 02, 2017, 11:47:28 pm »
Awesome work Jimbo!!

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [please help me name this thing!]
« Reply #174 on: September 03, 2017, 04:33:23 pm »
Woo!  Finally got all 3 panels with CPO applied and ready for wiring.  Major milestone. :)

I assembled the rotating unit just to check everything still fits nicely, and it does!...

2/4 way panel


  • Defender joystick on the far left
  • Pac-Pro leaf-switch joystick in the centre
  • Electric ICE 2 concave buttons
  • All controls are LED-lit
  • Panel of choice for Defender, Asteroids, and all 2 and 4-way games


Driving/Spinner/U360 panel


  • TurboTwist 2 spinners
  • Ultrastick 360 in centre
  • Electric ICE 2 concave buttons
  • All controls are LED-lit
  • Panel for 1p or 2p driving games, spinner games, U360 games (sinistar!) etc.


8-way panel


  • Dominux8 leaf-switch joys
  • U-Trak translucent trackball
  • Electric ICE 2 concave buttons
  • All controls are LED-lit
  • Panel for all 8-way games, 2p joystick games, Robotron!, all trackball games (perhaps Amiga games too that use a mouse, ScummVM games, etc.)

It's been a long time getting here but at last now I can start planning the wiring. :)

Still not settled on a name... but there's no rush...

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [all CPOs applied FINALLY!]
« Reply #175 on: September 03, 2017, 06:16:41 pm »
Looking good.

What were those toy figurines called where there face used to spin round in their helmet?

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [all CPOs applied FINALLY!]
« Reply #176 on: September 10, 2017, 01:57:34 pm »
Looking good.

What were those toy figurines called where there face used to spin round in their helmet?

Only thing I can think of was Man-E-Faces from He Man! :D  Hmm it does have a kinda ring to it...

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [all CPOs applied FINALLY!]
« Reply #177 on: September 10, 2017, 02:03:27 pm »
Got a cheap and nasty 'jig' of sorts built last night... it doubles as a set of shelves to store the panels while I work on them too (ignore the cue rack in the background!).  The metal frame of the rotating unit is mounted so the panels will sit at around 10 degrees towards the player, which is what it'll be like in the cab.  I expect a load more holes to be cut in the side of this to allow for access to the sides of the rotating unit, for the brake and motor/pulley etc...



Also made a start thinking about the inputs to the ipac ultimate io.  Will try and post up a diagram later of the proposed layout.

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [all CPOs applied FINALLY!]
« Reply #178 on: September 10, 2017, 02:10:32 pm »
Looking good.

What were those toy figurines called where there face used to spin round in their helmet?

Only thing I can think of was Man-E-Faces from He Man! :D  Hmm it does have a kinda ring to it...

That's what I was thinking of!

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [all CPOs applied FINALLY!]
« Reply #179 on: September 11, 2017, 06:14:55 pm »
So I've mapped out what controls are going to connect to what inputs on the IPAC Ultimate.

It *seems* pretty straight forward but if anyone has any concerns I might have missed something, or spotted something that may cause me a headache with configuration down the line, please tell me.

2 Player/trackball panel...



Defender/Asteroids/4-way panel...
(on 4-way games, I plan to map rotateL and rotateR to be fire buttons 1 and 2 so you can play 4-way games left or right handed)



Driving/Spinner/U360 Panel...



I'm also planning on having the following buttons wired up to the following IPAC inputs *outside* of the rotating unit, on a thin "nav" panel below the CRT...

  • Player 1 Start - 1START
  • Player 2 Start - 2START
  • Pause - 1A
  • Info (to toggle game marquee and instructions on the LCD marquee) - 2A
  • Exit - 2B
  • Volume Up - 2SW5
  • Volume Down - 2SW6

And the following 2 buttons hidden from everyday use...

  • Tab - 2SW7
  • Enter - 2SW8

There will be 2 coin slots... mapped to COIN1 and COIN2.

Not sure what to do about PC power on/off... best to connect that straight to motherboard or use an ipac input (mapped to a switch on the side/back of the cab)?

This all seems pretty straight forward, but I have a mammoth task sorting out the LEDs for all the controls.  If anyone can see something I might have missed, please let me know!  Thanks :)

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [feedback on wiring plan appreciated!]
« Reply #180 on: September 12, 2017, 02:39:09 am »
Looks like a solid plan to me  :applaud:  Power button you wire straight back to the motherboard header or solder to points on front panel depending on the pc you are using (Dell I'm looking at you  :angry:)

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [feedback on wiring plan appreciated!]
« Reply #181 on: September 12, 2017, 07:59:10 pm »
DrNick nailed it. Wire it to the header pins on the MB. Get one of these to switch on/off everything else once the PC has started up. I use them in all my builds:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/OneClick-DSK105-Intelliplug-Desktop-Version/dp/B000MPJSL0

(there's cheaper ones available - that was just the first link I found. Mine cost about £8)

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [feedback on wiring plan appreciated!]
« Reply #182 on: September 15, 2017, 09:30:08 am »
Just a quick update...

Played around with some LEDs last night.  The IPAC Ultimate has 96 outputs for LEDs, which is not enough for all controls on all panels if I want to go RGB.  I have a few options: -

1) Share the joystick LEDs across one IPAC output...  i.e. 4 RGB LEDs for a joystick powered by one RGB output on the IPAC (dimmer LEDs)
2) Only ever have one panel connected to the IPAC outputs at a time - (may look weird when the panels are rotating)
3) Forget RGB and just have white LEDs (which goes with the cab artwork, but won't look as sexy when the lights are off, and I can't then theme the LEDs to the selected game and marquee).
4) Put an extra IPAC in there (maybe not enough room, more complicated software setup?, more expensive)

I'm also going to download and have a play with https://github.com/katie-snow/Ultimarc-linux to see if I can get some LEDs doing stuff.  That looks like fun :)
« Last Edit: September 15, 2017, 02:37:52 pm by Jimbo »

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [panel LED decisions...]
« Reply #183 on: September 15, 2017, 05:19:27 pm »
I am still stuck on the name... It keeps me up at night.

How about Roll Back?
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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [panel LED decisions...]
« Reply #184 on: September 15, 2017, 05:22:55 pm »
Or Retro Roller, Retroroller, RetroRolla,

Tumble Dry

SpinCycle
80'sRollback
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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [panel LED decisions...]
« Reply #185 on: September 15, 2017, 05:24:25 pm »
it's making my head spin.... ooooh that is a good one Headspin  :banghead:
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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [panel LED decisions...]
« Reply #186 on: September 15, 2017, 05:34:05 pm »
Cheers guys... to the motherboard it is... Mark - I have one of those things in my existing cab... turns off the monitor/marquee light/etc a few secs after PC shuts off.  Very cool :)

Still not decided on the name... it'll probably be the last thing anyway!

Roll back's pretty cool tho :)
« Last Edit: September 15, 2017, 05:35:38 pm by Jimbo »

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [panel LED decisions...]
« Reply #187 on: September 23, 2017, 06:03:26 pm »
I thought about the wiring in more detail tonight.

I've bought 3 of these 64-pin IDC breakout boards off ebay...



Plan is, on each panel, wire up all the controls and LEDs to one of the above IDC terminal blocks, and daisy chain them together.  Then also connect the IPAC to one of them.  Luckily there is space for these boards on the backs of the panels!  Something like this...



I have worked out that there should also be enough pins to send the USB down the ribbon cable also for the USB controls (spinners/u360). So I should hopefully just have one IDC cable to disconnect whenever I want to get a panel out for working on (well, and LED power/USB connector on the panel with the IPAC).

Gotta wait now for these boards and the 64-pin ribbon cable to come from China now, but in the mean time I'm going to play about with some RGB LEDs to see how bright I can get them lighting up the plexi around the joysticks and spinners (thinking of using some clear casting acrylic to set the LEDs in so there's minimal light bleeding out where I don't want it.
« Last Edit: September 23, 2017, 06:05:42 pm by Jimbo »

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [wiring plans]
« Reply #188 on: September 23, 2017, 08:07:09 pm »
The Vortex is the best non-cheesy one.
***Build what you dig, bro. Build what you dig.***

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [wiring plans]
« Reply #189 on: September 24, 2017, 01:58:58 am »
cool project you are working on.

in one of the pictures at the top of the post (Pac-Pro looks great with the edge-lit plexi... feels lovely too...) due to the close up you can see some fine grain in the control panel itself.
What material is that board made of (name + some links)? I used vinyl stickers with a acryl panel to protect it but yours is much better looking.

thank you.


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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [wiring plans]
« Reply #190 on: September 24, 2017, 04:11:28 am »
cool project you are working on.

in one of the pictures at the top of the post (Pac-Pro looks great with the edge-lit plexi... feels lovely too...) due to the close up you can see some fine grain in the control panel itself.
What material is that board made of (name + some links)? I used vinyl stickers with a acryl panel to protect it but yours is much better looking.

thank you.

Cheers... I got the "textured" CPO from Scott at http://www.gameongrafix.com.  It's quite thick and feels great - I'm going to get my side art from here too I think when I'm ready.

BTW, this is the project that I want to use audio-animations with the inactive LEDs... hint hint ;)

James

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [wiring plans]
« Reply #191 on: September 24, 2017, 05:03:54 pm »
The Vortex is the best non-cheesy one.

Fidget Spinner was not cheesy SIR!
Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin to slit throats.

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [wiring plans]
« Reply #192 on: September 24, 2017, 06:15:10 pm »
The Vortex is the best non-cheesy one.

Fidget Spinner was not cheesy SIR!

Fidget spinners are so April 2017.

MAME cabs should have awesome, mysterious 21st century names. You favorite sports team/TV show/ last name+cade sux.
***Build what you dig, bro. Build what you dig.***

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [wiring plans]
« Reply #193 on: September 25, 2017, 09:25:16 am »
The Vortex is the best non-cheesy one.

Fidget Spinner was not cheesy SIR!

Fidget spinners are so April 2017.

MAME cabs should have awesome, mysterious 21st century names. You favorite sports team/TV show/ last name+cade sux.

 :cheers:
Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin to slit throats.

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [wiring plans]
« Reply #194 on: August 09, 2018, 07:24:03 pm »
So... another small update for the part of this project that is taking ages... sorting out the edge-lit controls.  The problem is the spinners are proving difficult to get enough light on the to-be-edge-lit area on the top of the panel.

So first off, we made a test panel...



We then mixed some clear casting resin/catalyst to fill the LED holes and set an LED in each one.  4 clear RGB LEDs and 4 diffused ones.



It became a pain connecting all these LEDs up for testing, so it was made a bit easier...



Unfortunately, the light still was not that great.  We think the direction of the LED light is just not directed well enough to the top roughed up plexi.

Plan B... make some clear acrylic "Light Rods" out of casting resin with tapered/angled tops that direct the light more appropriately. You can see the idea here...



First we 3D printed some formers to put in the moulds to make the light rods.  We printed a few at different angles to test which worked best.  Then we made some silicon moulds from them...



Then we poured some clear casting resin into the moulds (after coating them with mould release agent) and set the LEDs into them (4 diffused, 5 clear).



They are now curing over night.  Very curious to see which (if any) direct better light to the spinner edge-lit ring.

All this to get 2 spinners to light up a bit more... phew.  Well it's been good fun though and a learning experience.

wp34

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [spinner led trauma]
« Reply #195 on: August 09, 2018, 07:31:01 pm »
I like where you are going with those LED's.  Looks like some fun R&D.  :cheers:

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [spinner led trauma]
« Reply #196 on: August 10, 2018, 04:04:28 am »
If only I could claim R&D costs... lol :)

Here's how they turned out this morning.  Pointy LEDs... lets hope they work...



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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [spinner led trauma]
« Reply #197 on: August 10, 2018, 08:49:55 am »
I think we've solved the issues with lighting up the spinners (and joysticks for that matter) :D

The lightpipes we made were from 3d printed formers, which we made a mould from and filled with casting acrylic - we tried 5 different steps of angle for the light to exit... 5, 15, 30, 45 and 60 degrees: -



The top area I'm trying to get lit is a small ring around the spinner base...



Here's the underside so you can see where the LEDs go in (x 4):



And here's a crude cross-section drawing to help explain things: -



You can see the light needs to go up at a diagonal angle to get to the roughed up bit of plexi for good edge-lighting.  Previous attempts failed to direct the light properly and the plexi ended up very dim - even in a dark room.

So we tried each one but the 60 degree one was the best.  This has been covered in tipex apart from the angled bit on the top where the light escapes...



You can see even in daylight, with just 1 LED at low current, the light shines nicely when pointed with the 60 degree light-pipe :)



Aaand... with the spinner in...




FINALLY happy we can edge light these babies nicely :)

Next step is to make some optimised proper light-pipes now the concept is proven and we've done a successful test.  Once these are done (we'll make lots of spares) I can FINALLY start to wire up these panels...

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [spinner led trauma]
« Reply #198 on: August 10, 2018, 08:50:58 am »
I would say put some heatshrink tubing on them to help contain the light but it may be fiddly as balls, maybe a paint dip would probably be easier, just getting frog tape on the bit you want to keep clear would be fun.
 :)  And then whilst typing this I see you edited and have already tipexed :)

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [spinner led trauma]
« Reply #199 on: March 18, 2021, 01:51:21 pm »
I posted this in another topic, but figured I'd post it here...

Things have changed a lot for me since I started this project.  I went from a small house with hardly any space, and needing to fit all my gaming needs into 1 cabinet, to having a bit more disposable income and a larger house with a decent sized garage.  I've since bought a few cabs and no longer have the need to have everything in one.  I really enjoyed this project though and I learned a lot.  I still have the sketchup plans if anyone wants them.  Right now I'm looking at building up the cabs in my garage/gameroom.  I have a few originals (recently restored an Out Run), but I still have the urge to scratch-build stuff - and I haven't really built anything since my Videotron bartop project.  My next scratch build will probably be a multi-vector machine.  Hopefully later this year as I am still trying to get some Electrocoin Midi's restored and mamed up with groovyarcade.  They've been a fun project actually, maybe I'll post about those too!

Thanks for all the interest along the way anyway.   I still have the Jimbovision control panels. but I never got further than the rotating controls unit.  My guess is they will be pilfered for controls over the next few years.  Sorry it never got finished.  I can at least hope that it has inspired someone else or at the very least given people food for thought when considering building a rotating CP cab (hint: don't) ;)

 :cheers:
« Last Edit: March 18, 2021, 01:53:07 pm by Jimbo »

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [spinner led trauma]
« Reply #200 on: March 18, 2021, 02:09:23 pm »
I posted this in another topic, but figured I'd post it here...

Things have changed a lot for me since I started this project.  I went from a small house with hardly any space, and needing to fit all my gaming needs into 1 cabinet, to having a bit more disposable income and a larger house with a decent sized garage.  I've since bought a few cabs and no longer have the need to have everything in one.  I really enjoyed this project though and I learned a lot.  I still have the sketchup plans if anyone wants them.  Right now I'm looking at building up the cabs in my garage/gameroom.  I have a few originals (recently restored an Out Run), but I still have the urge to scratch-build stuff - and I haven't really built anything since my Videotron bartop project.  My next scratch build will probably be a multi-vector machine.  Hopefully later this year as I am still trying to get some Electrocoin Midi's restored and mamed up with groovyarcade.  They've been a fun project actually, maybe I'll post about those too!

Thanks for all the interest along the way anyway.   I still have the Jimbovision control panels. but I never got further than the rotating controls unit.  My guess is they will be pilfered for controls over the next few years.  Sorry it never got finished.  I can at least hope that it has inspired someone else or at the very least given people food for thought when considering building a rotating CP cab (hint: don't) ;)

 :cheers:

Hey Jimbo - no worries.  We've all started and abandoned cabs at some point, right?  Right??  I hope it's not just you and me...

The CP artwork is awesome.  Was it done in Inkscape by any chance?  Could be a good starting point for the thing I'm currently designing in my head...

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Re: JIMBOVISION: Rotating CP [spinner led trauma]
« Reply #201 on: March 21, 2021, 06:07:20 am »
Hey Jimbo - no worries.  We've all started and abandoned cabs at some point, right?  Right??  I hope it's not just you and me...

The CP artwork is awesome.  Was it done in Inkscape by any chance?  Could be a good starting point for the thing I'm currently designing in my head...

Haha I'm pretty sure it's not just you and me dude :)

I still have the artwork, it was done in illustrator.  Happy to send it your way if you feel you might be able to use it.