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Author Topic: My noob adventure (7 years in the making- all done!)  (Read 11957 times)

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kiel0909

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My noob adventure (7 years in the making- all done!)
« on: January 05, 2015, 08:31:37 pm »
Finished image first.




Hello everyone, been lurking for a long time, read like 30 of the threads listed in the hall of fame and decided to give this a go!  Ive been improving my woodworking skills building fish tank stands and built in entertainment centers, so i figured its time for a arcade cabinet.  Over the coming weeks and months ill do my best to document the process here, hopefully help some newbies out searching threads sometime in the future. Not much to see here, but figured I'd say hi.
 Been super Impressed with
Martijn's Street fighter http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,112721.0.html
Artifact http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,68794.0/all.html
EMDB's Retrocade http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,130690.0/all.html
ChanceKJ's Flynn Arcade http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,135116.0.html
and Bella's Arcade http://bellasarcade.blogspot.com/

I already have a SF2CE cab i got from a friend that is in my classroom at my HS. 

The Goal: to build a very polished piece that I can be proud of, play with a few friends and teach my kids (2, and -2months) about the classics as they get older.  I'm not a super purist, I really enjoy building things and arcade games.  I want to use a 27-32 inch TV, and use 6 buttons per player.  And working coin doors so i can ration the kids time.   I havent really started the sketchup too hard yet. the profile is the hardest so far.  Here's what I've come up with.



Very inspired by Retrocade.  I want it pretty thin since it will be in my office.  which is also wall-e Themed.   

One Question you can perhaps help me with now is about the CP, I've got a few options in my head.  Perhaps folks could weigh in with their $.02 and let me know some pro's and con's and what i might be over looking.

1. Ultimarc ultimate I/O with about 14 ClassicRGB LED Pushbuttons buttons and 2 player start buttons with some J-Stik's
Or
2. 2 UltraStik 360's with 14 Regular buttons and 2 player start buttons. 

Both use most of my budget for the CP. as I'm not looking for a franken panel.  the only trackball game i like is centapede and the only spinner game would be arkinoid. I really like the idea of creating animations with LED buttons for some extra wow, but the mapping and simplicity of wiring everything to the UltraStik seems cool.

Anyways, I hope to have some fun and Thanks for all the help you've already been.
« Last Edit: July 20, 2021, 02:12:14 am by kiel0909 »

EMDB

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Re: My noob adventure
« Reply #1 on: January 06, 2015, 02:34:07 am »
Welcome and have fun...

Sounds like another Project Announcement. There is a separate forum for these...

I like the U360s but like all controls to be mapped to buttons instead of having joysticks mapped in windows. Button support is way more clean and flexible for several emulators and the MAME mapping for analog sticks conflicts with the mapping of the stick itself. Therefore I hooked my U360 to an iPAC2 using the additional harness having the benefit of the automatic mapping per game but still controlling the FE and emulators with keystrokes.

It seems you haven flatten the Project MAME design a bit. Make sure you keep enough space to angle the monitor enough. It looks if you align it with the front it is too steep. Try a mockup using a monitor on a pile of books on a table and a keyboard to get the desired angles and heights right before start building is always a good idea.
« Last Edit: January 06, 2015, 03:07:24 am by EMDB »

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Re: My noob adventure
« Reply #2 on: January 06, 2015, 01:18:26 pm »
Welcome, a Wall-e theme sounds fun. I don't have much other advice to offer other than to listen to the advice others offer here (say that 5 times fast) they know what they're talking about.

kiel0909

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Re: My noob adventure (angle of monitor Q)
« Reply #3 on: January 19, 2015, 12:02:24 am »
So I'm geting my sketchup on and wondering what angle people are placing their monitor at?  i dont want to go too vertical, also i am 6'3 and the person who will be playing this the most.

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Re: My noob adventure (angle of monitor Q)
« Reply #4 on: January 19, 2015, 12:34:30 am »
So I'm geting my sketchup on and wondering what angle people are placing their monitor at?  i dont want to go too vertical, also i am 6'3 and the person who will be playing this the most.
It varies.

Table + control panel mockup + monitor + stacks of books/magazines = you can play around with different angles/heights for the CP and monitor.

Bonus points for building this test setup in the location/orientation you plan to put the cab so you can check for reflections.


Scott

EMDB

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Re: My noob adventure (angle of monitor Q)
« Reply #5 on: January 19, 2015, 04:17:25 pm »
Here's a part of the plans of Project MAME from Rasmus Kønig Sørensen (http://www.koenigs.dk/mame/eng/index.htm) I based my Retrocade on:



You can see the angle of the viewing position and the monitor should be about 90 degrees. So the monitor angle depends on the length of the player(s) and the height of the cabinet.

Do the mockup to figure out the optimal angle AND the height and angle of the CP..

Fursphere

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Re: My noob adventure (angle of monitor Q)
« Reply #6 on: January 19, 2015, 05:23:50 pm »
Something else to consider is if you will be playing the cabinet sitting down on bar stools at all.  If you lay the monitor too far back to accommodate standing up, you may cause make the angle bad for bar stool play (something I ran into on my first cabinet, where I used the exact same design EMDB posted - but that was also with an older LCD monitor.  viewing angels have gotten better so may not be as much of an issue).

Superfrog

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Re: My noob adventure (angle of monitor Q)
« Reply #7 on: January 19, 2015, 06:50:18 pm »
You can also make a mock-up to see how it will fit.
I did that with my Popeye and KISS pinball, you can also see if you can see the whole monitor if you stand or sit.
Card board mock-up is easy to make and when the angle is fine, draw a line and your done  :cheers:

Good luck

kiel0909

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Re: My noob adventure (angle of monitor Q)
« Reply #8 on: August 05, 2015, 06:37:28 pm »
Been a while, wife had a baby, but we're back, I placed my order for parts.  After much searching I actually ended up going a different route believe it or not. 
Got a Howler control board from someone here at byoac, and decided to go with paradise arcade Hoku Buttons and LED joysticks, Flashy and not really the purist route, but should be good when it all comes together.  Also will be getting a U-Trak from ultimarc for a trackball.  once all the pieces get here ill start working on the CP layout mockup, then decide on a monitor and start the sketchup around that.  Hopefully get some sawdust going in the next few weeks. 
But I'm a teacher and school starts up soon, so dont hold your breath.

kiel0909

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Re: My noob adventure (slight progress)
« Reply #9 on: August 23, 2015, 12:38:44 am »
so heres the plan for the cab, i put the monitor at more of an angle andi think this makes the profile look a bit better.  I did a super rough mockup with a stool and some boxes for height. I'll be assembling with pocket screws and wood glue hence no battens.  there will be casters on the bottom and the back will open with cabinet hinges, and the control panel will basically be stolen from nostalgia http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,140122.msg1454236.html#msg1454236
Does anything stick out to anyone that would need modification or am i missing anything major?


as you can see my sketchup skills are not the best, but not bad for a few hours.  the control panel layout is temporary, now that i know the dimensions, ill cut some scrap i have, print out some stuff from slagcoin and look at it IRL.   I think  my next step is to get the artwork done, and print out a low quality B+W from staples to scale to trace for the profiles,   Sawdust soon.  pray for me.
« Last Edit: May 28, 2021, 04:08:20 pm by kiel0909 »

kiel0909

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Re: My noob adventure (slight progress)
« Reply #10 on: May 28, 2021, 04:39:14 pm »
7 years later and we finally have sawdust.  2 kids later, and now they can take care of themselves enough that i can dedicate 3-4 hours each weekend to making progress.

I took my sketchup design and got all the XY coordinates i could, and transferred those to the MDF and marked all the straight lines out.  Then i exported a PDF of the outline, and printed the curved parts so i could trace those.



Then got to work with a jigsaw, which is probably my least favorite tool.  the last time i used one, i borrowed it, and it went terribly, but i think that is becuase i had a back cut blade and the plate was loose, so none of my cuts were perpendicular.  I bought a new jigsaw and 10TPI regular cut blades.  Not terrible, still not great, had so sand some of those curves back into shape.   

Then the tried and true method of router with pattern bit.  Nailgun with woodglue and we have battens. 

I thought about going the pocket screw route, but MDF and pocket screws dont get along so well.





the interior width is 29 inches across, just enough for a 32 inch monitor.  Ive got the artwork mostly done, this will go in my Wall-e Themed office, where i have multiple posters and pieces, so i figured i'd stay on brand.

sides.


Front/coin door.  I grabbed an X arcade coin door with working mechs.


marquee



I'm having trouble with the control panel design.  Im thinking of using the 8bit wall-e characters from the end credits.  but not sold.  im planning on working on it this weekend.   Hopefully will not be another 7 years before my next post.



javeryh

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Re: My noob adventure (7 years in the making)
« Reply #11 on: May 30, 2021, 12:50:02 pm »
I'm having trouble with the control panel design.  Im thinking of using the 8bit wall-e characters from the end credits.  but not sold.  im planning on working on it this weekend.   Hopefully will not be another 7 years before my next post.

Welcome back.

IMO you should keep your CP clean.  No characters or anything - just use some lines and maybe rings around the buttons or some small text labeling things, etc. but pull colors from the rest of the art to tie it all in.  CPs are confusing and covered enough- don’t need busy artwork there.

kiel0909

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Re: My noob adventure (7 years in the making)
« Reply #12 on: May 30, 2021, 06:12:15 pm »
Here's version one of the CP.  not too busy i think.  i originally had a big wall-e and eve in the middle, but made them tiny flying around the axiom.

 pink dot in the middle is the pilot hole for the trackball. - edit: realizing i left off p1, p2, and pause buttons.   will add later.

« Last Edit: May 30, 2021, 06:21:53 pm by kiel0909 »

yamatetsu

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Re: My noob adventure (7 years in the making)
« Reply #13 on: June 01, 2021, 08:40:38 am »


On the front of the cab you have 3 art styles going on which don't match.

Regarding the CP overlay:

- ditch the "axiom arcade" text, you have got that on the marquee

- ditch the joystick surrounds, they clash with the art style

Aaaand ... arcade = room with a bunch of arcade cabinets in it

      axiom arcade = room with a bunch of arcade cabinets in it
                  

Gilrock

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Re: My noob adventure (7 years in the making)
« Reply #14 on: June 01, 2021, 09:59:43 am »
Yeah the control panel art doesn't fit with the rest.  Everything else is what I'd call flat 2D clipart with no gradients whereas the control panel has the 3D spaceship and pink and blue nebula colors not found anywhere else.  Also it seem like every section of text is a different font.

javeryh

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Re: My noob adventure (7 years in the making)
« Reply #15 on: June 01, 2021, 12:16:47 pm »
Also it seem like every section of text is a different font.

yeah this really stands out to me as not ideal.  It makes each piece it's own separate thing and taken together it's not a cohesive design, even though it is a cohesive theme.  The side art and front panel look like they "match" (other than the font) but the marquee and CPO look like they are from two different projects.  I think "The Axiom" is a much better name than "Axiom Arcade" for the reasons yamatetsu stated and I'd get rid of Eve/WALL-e altogether.  People who know, will know and to everyone else it will look like a really cool space themed arcade cabinet. 

kiel0909

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Re: My noob adventure (7 years in the making)
« Reply #16 on: June 07, 2021, 12:20:02 pm »
Redid the coin door to use the same fonts as the sides



redid the marquee to match the theme better. 



still at a loss on the control panel.  i really like the nebula, .


I've also been test mounting the trackball and the joysticks on MDF.   I have sanwa JLFs.   The CP is 3/4 MDF, it seems that if I just mount them to the underside with threaded inserts they work, i also tested with routing out a 1/8 pocket for them and that works as well.  is there any conventional wisdom on this, or is it personal preference?

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Re: My noob adventure (7 years in the making)
« Reply #17 on: June 10, 2021, 01:06:21 am »
Much better. Now, of course, the nebula will stand out even more as being the one element that doesn't fit style wise.
Perhaps you could do a starfield like on the sides, put the Axiom from the sides without the red trailing stuff somewhere inside. Take the ringed planet from the coin door, make it the size of the trackball.
Maybe left side -> Axiom - middle -> ringed planet - right corner -> hint of a certain green and blue planet ?

As for the joysticks, you can mount them as you like. The difference will be the length of the shaft above the CP. Routing out a pocket will obviously give you a little bit more to grab on.
                  

kiel0909

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Re: My noob adventure (7 years in the making)
« Reply #18 on: June 15, 2021, 05:19:04 pm »
https://app.modelo.io/share-token/Dv89s8hOSf   -  Here's a 3d model of where I'm at with the art.

CP


Marquee


Still have to think about the face infront of the CP, as i have it rounded over and going down, and the speaker panel inbetween the marquee and the screen.

thank you for all your help so far.

PL1

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Re: My noob adventure (7 years in the making)
« Reply #19 on: June 15, 2021, 06:05:33 pm »
Looking good.   :cheers:

Do you want "1P Start"/"2P Start" or the more commonly-used "P1 Start"/"P2 Start"?


Scott

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Re: My noob adventure (7 years in the making)
« Reply #20 on: June 15, 2021, 06:52:52 pm »
I like the nebula too, but there is a disconnect in color continuity between the CP and the rest as a result it seems.

Maybe integrate the cooler spectrum stuff from the nebula into small detail on the other panels to tie it together?
Relax, all right? My old man is a television repairman, he's got this ultimate set of tools! I can fix it.

kiel0909

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Re: My noob adventure (7 years in the making)
« Reply #21 on: July 01, 2021, 05:13:12 pm »
the art came in from game on grafix and it looks good.  I laid the cp art over my peice of MDF and used a center hole punch to mark where to drill and started making the cp.  mounted it to the cab using some hinges.  just need to mount the monitor and the back and we'll be ready to paint.



I dont have the final braces on it yet, so its just resting on a cardboard box in the next pic, so its not quite squared up.


kiel0909

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Re: My noob adventure (7 years in the making)
« Reply #22 on: July 08, 2021, 02:25:08 pm »
the wood work is done and now its on to painting.  Also i'm looking into glass for the monitor.  the two glass shops in my town have not been super helpful or cheap.  this price from onedayglass.com is the best ive seen

Tempered Glass
Shape: Square/Rectangle
Thickness: 1/4"
Tint: Light Gray
Edgework: Flat Grind Both Short Edges (L,R)
108$

thoughts?


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Re: My noob adventure (7 years in the making)
« Reply #23 on: July 08, 2021, 04:36:45 pm »
Just an off the wall thought but would you consider using the glass from a large picture frame from a thrift store?  I doubt you would find tinted glass with the edge work you describe.
TTC


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Re: My noob adventure (7 years in the making)
« Reply #24 on: July 08, 2021, 06:03:24 pm »
Maybe see what others are doing but don’t think you need tempered glass. I just go to a local glass shop and get a piece of tinted 1/8’s cut

javeryh

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Re: My noob adventure (7 years in the making)
« Reply #25 on: July 09, 2021, 01:03:20 pm »
I get my glass from onedayglass as well.  It's easy and they ship pretty fast.  I would do tempered for peace of mind but I'm generally not looking at or caring about cost when I build one of these things.

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Re: My noob adventure (7 years in the making)
« Reply #26 on: July 10, 2021, 03:10:28 am »
I get my glass from onedayglass as well.  It's easy and they ship pretty fast.  I would do tempered for peace of mind but I'm generally not looking at or caring about cost when I build one of these things.

This!

Spending the time and effort to build one of these machines, and then getting cheap with $50-100 in glass (which could actually wind up a legitimate safety issue...?)

-would be foolish.
Relax, all right? My old man is a television repairman, he's got this ultimate set of tools! I can fix it.

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Re: My noob adventure (7 years in the making- all done!)
« Reply #27 on: July 20, 2021, 01:42:10 am »
Things moved really quickly after the vinyl came.  got the control panel all drilled out and wired up.   I sleeved the led and micro switch cables.  have a howler i got 7 years ago.  we'll see if it holds up.




primed everything and then put black on the faces that wouldn't be covered in vinyl.  the vinly went on no problem, mounted the monitor and here we are.



Tinted glass came in and it set right in there, probably still need to paint the back of it to hide some light bleed. and i still have some work to do to get LED blinky to match all the game colors exactly, but its looking pretty good i think



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Re: My noob adventure (7 years in the making- all done!)
« Reply #28 on: July 20, 2021, 03:01:38 am »
Looks great!   ;D

Maybe people won't notice that left-handed salute on the left side art.   >:D   :embarassed:   :lol


Scott

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Re: My noob adventure (7 years in the making- all done!)
« Reply #29 on: July 21, 2021, 02:00:22 pm »
This looks great.  Love the theme and looks like a nice clean build.

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Re: My noob adventure (7 years in the making- all done!)
« Reply #30 on: August 04, 2021, 12:14:27 am »

Maybe people won't notice that left-handed salute on the left side art.

I never would have till you pointed it out now I can't unsee it.