Mini Qbert - [FINISHED]

[vwalbridge]

Everybody loves Qbert, right?!

Qbert is such an iconic arcade machine for me. It's one of those games that can really stand on it's own because it is truly "like no other". From the synthesized voice chip, joystick only controls and the integrated pinball knocker, Gottleib's Qbert is a unique one-of-a-kind arcade.  I've always loved Qbert but never had a proper method for playing it. Qbert was released on just about every platform known to man but the only real way to play it is on an arcade with a joystick tilted 45 degrees. I've built a couple other arcades with Qbert loaded on them but now is the time to have a dedicated cabinet. And since I apparently don't know how to build a full size cabinet, I'll be making a mini Qbert too. I guess you could put it in the bartop category, but I'm not chopping the bottom half off. Rather scaling the entire cab down by 50%.

I wish that I could say I'm bringing something completely new and fresh to the arcade building community with this build...but I'm not. I'll just be building the best mini Qbert I can.

So if like Qbert ...then here we go!

I have about 90% of the wood cutting done. I'll be using 1 inch, 1/2 inch and 1/4 inch MDF for this build.
Qbert was a somewhat short cabinet to begin with at about 64 inches, so mine will be half that at 32 inches tall. Here are the sides next to my workbench which is 36 inches tall.


Just roughly setting up some of the pieces to see how it well all fits. I think that wood glue and some very small brad nails will hold it all together. Lot's of angled cuts on this cab. I had to adjust the angle of my table saw to the max 45 degrees for some of these cuts.


Here are the sides next to a spray paint can to give some size comparison.

[reptileink]

I love the smell of a fresh build in the morn......er, ANYTIME!

Looking forward to this as I work in miniature scale in another hobby of mine....

[Vidiot]

Oh boy this is gonna be cool. Subbed.

[Pauly]

Can't wait.

[TheDude]

Looking forward to watching the build ! 

[vwalbridge]

Hey thanks reptileink, Vidiot, Pauly and TheDude! I feel like the pressure is on now! 

I'd like to use the Suzo System 500 Joystick in this cab. It's also known as the Euro-Stick. Found at ultimarc.com



It's the closest stick I can find that matches the look of the original Qbert. It also has a REALLY short throw and that could be nice for Qbert. And it's only $16. Does anyone object to this stick?

I'd use an original Qbert stick but those are pretty dang expensive....if you can even find one. Plus they are very oddly shaped and wouldn't conform well to anything but a metal panel. 

[Vidiot]

I don't have any experience with that stick but I always thought it looked like the Q*Bert stick. For that price you cant go wrong. Even if you don't like it you're not out much. I say go for it!

[SpaceHedgehog]

Very cool. Just out of interest, how are you cutting your small panels?

[vwalbridge]

Very cool. Just out of interest, how are you cutting your small panels?

Oh dear...  I'm scared to admit this... but since you asked: 

I sketched the outline of the sides with a pencil and then use a jigsaw to rough-cut it all out. I get the jigsaw within about a quarter of an inch to the line. (If your jigsaw is like mine, then it cannot be trusted worth a dang) Then I come back and clamp a straight edge of a board to the bottom and use a flush-cut router bit to make a perfectly straight line. Like seen in this picture:


I then use an orbit sander to fine tune the corners. After I get one panel perfect, I sandwich the 2 sides together and use the flush-cut router bit again to get them identical to each other.

It's a pretty bush-league way of doing it but it gets the job done with minimal tools. For all the internal cuts, I use a table saw because that gets me the exact angels I need.

By the way, I'm stunned by your builds. Absolutely amazing structures and engineering. I have a special respect for what it takes to build something that fits together while making sure it even looks good at the same time. Superb work.

[Vidiot]

Oh dear...  I'm scared to admit this... but since you asked: 

I sketched the outline of the sides with a pencil and then use a jigsaw to rough-cut it all out. I get the jigsaw within about a quarter of an inch to the line. (If your jigsaw is like mine, then it cannot be trusted worth a dang) Then I come back and clamp a straight edge of a board to the bottom and use a flush-cut router bit to make a perfectly straight line. Like seen in this picture:


I then use an orbital sander to fine tune the corners. After I get one panel perfect, I sandwich the 2 sides together and use the flush-cut router bit again to get them identical to each other.

It's a pretty bush-league way of doing it but it gets the job done with minimal tools. For all the internal cuts, I use a table saw because that gets me the exact angels I need.

That's exactly how I did mine too. 

[SpaceHedgehog]

That makes three of us then 

Thanks for the comments btw - appreciated 

Edit: I even use those old school G Clamps you have showing in the picture. A right pain they are but very stable.

[vwalbridge]

That's exactly how I did mine too. 

That makes three of us then 

Thanks for the comments btw - appreciated 

Edit: I even use those old school G Clamps you have showing in the picture. A right pain they are but very stable.

Phew! I feel much better now knowing some of the best builders on here use the same methods. 

...and yes, one can never have enough clamps of all types. 

[vwalbridge]

I don't have any experience with that stick but I always thought it looked like the Q*Bert stick. For that price you cant go wrong. Even if you don't like it you're not out much. I say go for it!

Done and done then. Decision made and stick ordered. Thanks for the nudge forward Vidiot. 

[dmckean]

The original Q*Bert joystick was actually made by Suzo and used microswitches.

[emphatic]

The SUZO 500 is excellent, but has some centering issues. The shaft is centered by a plastic piece that's 1 mm too small and the microswitches have some room to shift when you reassemble it (as you have to take it apart when mounting it). The throw/engage is extremely short, but me, I really love these sticks.

[vwalbridge]

The original Q*Bert joystick was actually made by Suzo and used microswitches.

I did not know that. Thanks for that info! The original Qbert joystick is like trying to find bigfoot online. 

[vwalbridge]

The SUZO 500 is excellent, but has some centering issues. The shaft is centered by a plastic piece that's 1 mm too small and the microswitches have some room to shift when you reassemble it (as you have to take it apart when mounting it). The throw/engage is extremely short, but me, I really love these sticks.

Thanks a ton for that feedback! Good to know because I've heard similar things as well. I have heard that you need to disassemble the joystick just to mount it. (Unless you want a massive hole to allow the balltop to pass through)

Looks like I made a good choice. This stick should work! Might look a little jumbo sized in this cab but oh well.

[vwalbridge]

Received some parts in the mail yesterday. I'll mention a few of them.


Jam bluetooth speaker. I've used this speaker before. Plenty loud and sounds great. Also has convenient "line-in" and powers over USB.


Griffin Powermate for volume control. I've also used this before. Very easy method for controlling volume. I'll just hide it inside the cab


Coin button. I think I'll try to integrate this into the coin mech somehow


Red metal Player 1 and 2 buttons. Really wanted to use translucent red buttons but I simply couldn't find any small enough


12v solenoid for the knocker. It's the perfect size. This thing has PLENTY of punch to it. In fact, I think it "thwacks" loud enough against itself so I might not have the pin hit the side of the cab


I also bought this 5.4v knocker just in case. Cutest little thing but far too small for my cab. Also, it's the "pull" type action so it wouldn't work anyway. Just thought it was cool to show how small solenoids get


I also bought a 1.8v led power button seen in the first pic. It's black with a yellow ring. Thought the yellow would compliment Qbert. But I'm a bit confused how I'm going to power it off USB or 12v computer power supply.

[reptileink]

Pardon my "noobness", but what does the knocker do?

[HaRuMaN]

Pardon my "noobness", but what does the knocker do?

Q-bert has a knocker that fires when you jump off the platform. 

[reptileink]

and does what exactly? 

[vwalbridge]

and does what exactly? 

When the developers were first working on Qbert, they were trying to figure out a way to make Qbert unique and different from other arcades. And since Gottleib was a pinball machine manufacturer, they had pinball knockers lying around. They thought it would be cool to make the knocker "thwack" on the inside of the cabinet near the bottom. Making it sound like Qbert actually falls inside the cab. Pretty cool right?

Also, another neat bit of history:

The sound is generated by an internal coil that hits the interior of a cabinet wall. Foam padding was added to the area of contact on the cabinet; the developers felt the softer sound better matched a fall rather than a loud knocking sound. The cost of installing foam, however, was too expensive and the padding was omitted.

[Vidiot]

Received some parts in the mail yesterday. I'll mention a few of them.

Coin button. I think I'll try to integrate this into the coin mech somehow


Red metal Player 1 and 2 buttons. Really wanted to use translucent red buttons but I simply couldn't find any small enough

Those buttons look pretty sweet. Are they from eBay or?

[vwalbridge]

Those buttons look pretty sweet. Are they from eBay or?

Purchased them both from Amazon:

Red button: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L23UR3Y?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01

Stainless steel button: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JR3U90C?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

Say Vidiot, I know you used LED buttons for your Dream Machine. What voltage were they and how did you power them?

[Vidiot]

Those buttons look pretty sweet. Are they from eBay or?

Purchased them both from Amazon:

Red button: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L23UR3Y?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01

Stainless steel button: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JR3U90C?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

Say Vidiot, I know you used LED buttons for your Dream Machine. What voltage were they and how did you power them?

Thanks. I wanna check those out sometime!

Yeah I used these Angel Eye buttons from eBay. They say they are 12v but I am powering mine just fine with 5v.

[reptileink]

and does what exactly? 

When the developers were first working on Qbert, they were trying to figure out a way to make Qbert unique and different from other arcades. And since Gottleib was a pinball machine manufacturer, they had pinball knockers lying around. They thought it would be cool to make the knocker "thwack" on the inside of the cabinet near the bottom. Making it sound like Qbert actually falls inside the cab. Pretty cool right?

Also, another neat bit of history:

The sound is generated by an internal coil that hits the interior of a cabinet wall. Foam padding was added to the area of contact on the cabinet; the developers felt the softer sound better matched a fall rather than a loud knocking sound. The cost of installing foam, however, was too expensive and the padding was omitted.

Wow, I never knew that....lol. I also played Q-bert in arcades and never realized this. Of course, I was proably 10 at the time...lol.

Thanks for the info! 

[vwalbridge]

I received my shipment from ultimarc.com. Still can't believe how fast Andy gets his stuff out from the UK. Thanks Andy!

However, the Suzo system 500 stick I was hoping to use is just far too big. There just isn't any way I can make this fit on my tiny control panel. And even if I did, it would probably get in front of the screen and look really disproportional to the rest of the cab. Too bad, it's a pretty rad stick. Oh well, maybe I'll build a full size Qbert someday. 


Purchased a used roll down coin mech on ebay for only $9. The original Qbert had a larger black coin mech but there was no way that would fit/look right on this mini cab. The jury is still out on painting this one black.


However, it was really dull and scratched from being used so I threw it on my buffing wheel and it came out with a pretty nice mirror finish. Didn't get out every scratch but its much better.


I really like the look of a coin mech on a cab so I had to put one on but there was no way a coin door would look right so I just traced this one for the cut out.


Used my forstner bit to cut out the corners. Then I used my crappy jigsaw to hollow it out.


I followed up with my straight router bit and free-handed the rest.


Here it is mounted to the front panel of the cab. I'll replace the 4 screws holding it in with some small carriage bolts later


Drilled a basic pattern of holes for the speaker above the monitor.


Also drilled a similar patern of holes on the bottom inside of the cab for cold air intake. I used a center-punch. Really great tool and I use it almost all the time.


Anyone that has used MDF out there knows what this board is for. 


Used my router and rounded off the front edge of the control panel.


Here is power and exhaust fan on the back-bottom. I would normally put the exhaust fan on the rear-top because heat rises but I think this will be OK in this small cab. The air will pull across the computer just fine.


I'm using a mini atx for this build. I would have preferred using an Intel NUC. But this motherboard was free. (I don't ever complain about free) And I need 12v to power my knocker anyway so the external power supply is helpful.


I was able to start fastening things together. I'm just gluing the front, bottom and back together here.


I used clamps to hold it tight while the wood glue dries. I just clamped 2 squares to each other to keep the whole thing square. I have a feeling that wood glue might be all I need for this mini cab but I can fall back on some small nails later if need be.

[firedance]

Looking good so far

[AzureKnight]

I love mini cabs....this looks very nice so far.

[nhenry1647]

Looking good!  Just curious about something.  Having the knock when qbert falls is an awesome idea.  I remember playing QBert for the first time in our local convenience store way back when it first came out and being thrilled by the knock!  Um, how do you intend to activate the knocker when qbert falls in your build? 

[vwalbridge]

Looking good so far

Thanks!

I love mini cabs....this looks very nice so far.

I love mini cabs too but one of these days I need to build a full size.  But I need a mini pinball first. 

Looking good!  Just curious about something.  Having the knock when qbert falls is an awesome idea.  I remember playing QBert for the first time in our local convenience store way back when it first came out and being thrilled by the knock!  Um, how do you intend to activate the knocker when qbert falls in your build?

Hey nhenry1647!  I'll be using Mamehooker by The Dragon King to capture Mame's output of Qbert or coily falling. Then I will use the output controller PAC-DRIVE from ultimarc to fire the knocker through a relay. I've never done this before but there is a pretty decent tutorial on this forum. It's also good practice for building a virtual pinball machine someday. 

[vwalbridge]

So I have glued the front, bottom, and rear to the right side of the cab. However, I'm at a very precarious stage because I can't seem to figure out how I'm going to glue all the rest of the thin pieces to the side while I sandwich on the left side at the same time. It was easy to do the pieces I have done so far because they are all square to each other. But these angled pieces have really slowed me down.

And I can't really nail into 1/4 MDF from the outside without blowouts. I don't want to stop and install batons on the inside either so I'll have to think of something.

[Vidiot]

Really starting to take shape!

Could you use little angle brackets from the hardware store? I know they make them all kinds of sizes. Something like this?

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-3-4-in-Zinc-Plated-Corner-Braces-4-Pack-13542/202950157

[Vigo]

Really starting to take shape!

Could you use little angle brackets from the hardware store? I know they make them all kinds of sizes. Something like this?

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-3-4-in-Zinc-Plated-Corner-Braces-4-Pack-13542/202950157

  These work great, but I usually go for ones with at least two screw holes on each side to prevent spinning.

[vwalbridge]

Really starting to take shape!

Could you use little angle brackets from the hardware store? I know they make them all kinds of sizes. Something like this?

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-3-4-in-Zinc-Plated-Corner-Braces-4-Pack-13542/202950157

  These work great, but I usually go for ones with at least two screw holes on each side to prevent spinning.

Thanks Vidio and Vigo. The small L bracket is an excellent suggestion. I've got one more "homemade" method I can try then L brackets it is!

[vwalbridge]

Well I guess my "homemade" method worked. But this certainly wouldn't cut it on a bigger cab. I just ended up using 2 squares like book ends to keep the pieces in place while the glue dried. I could only do one piece at a time, but the good news is that Gorilla Glue dries really fast. Not fancy... but sometimes you just got to be creative. 


I used this technique until I had all the horizontal pieces in place.


Then I used some glue and small brad nails to adhere the left side of the cab.


The cab is now upright. Just need to fine tune the control panel width and drill a power button hole on the top.

[vwalbridge]

I've been working on my Qbert knocker the last couple of days. Set up a rough arrangement of the solenoid, relay, Mame Hooker and Ultimarc PacDrive. It was a little confusing at first, but I got it working just right. The solenoid fires just right when Qbert falls off the board. I've never made anything like this before, so it was pretty satisfying when it first worked.



However, I was thrown for a loop at first because I later realized I bought a PacDrive that turns ON all the outputs when it first receives power. Therefor, the solenoid would fire and stay open as soon as the computer turned on. After about 2 minutes, I could fry an egg on that solenoid!

But Andy over at Ultimarc.com has some fantastic customer service and he is gonna swap that PacDrive for a Special "Outputs OFF at power on" version. That will fix that issue.

Now I'm curious why anyone would want the version that powers all the outputs on during initial power up?

[rablack97]

 

 

[vwalbridge]

 

Thanks rablack97 but I have to give credit to those that paved the road for me. This thread details how to do it:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=109029.0

[vwalbridge]

Decided to go with the U360 joystick so I took it apart and installed the 4 way restrictor plate and stiffer spring. I ordered the longer shaft but decided to leave on the shorter stock shaft. I decided not to fuss with any other stick. I've already used the U360 so I know it will fit. Plus I get the added benifit of not needing an I-PAC.


Caulked in all the seems and edges in preparation for paint.






Built a small shallow coin box and epoxied 4 really strong magnets to the back of it. Little messy with the glue but during my first attempt, the magnets started attracting each other.  I'll be painting this box anyway.


Then epoxied 4 magnets just below my coin mech.


The 4 magnets will auto-align and hold the coin box in place.


Here it is attached. I thought about using a  french cleat, but this was easy and is plenty strong.