Moonshot!

[Token]

Remaining to do list:
Finalize CP layout
Finalize CPO art with BGoulette
Print and install art
Mock up CP with controls & LEDs
Install joys, buttons, and RGB LEDs
Figure out wiring for existing coin door to IPAC 
Figure out wiring for existing HAPP trackball to IPAC
Install new T-molding 
Wire new power button (utilizing smart powerstrip)
Figure out best way to plug existing hole in coin door (originally had a bill acceptor)
Figure out best way to plug existing hole in front of cabinet (originally had a players' card reader)
Repair nick and scratches here and there

[Token]

~~Original Post~~

I recently purchased this cabinet (KLOV link) for $150. It was gutted, but included a working coin door, coin mechs, trackball, marquee light, marquee glass, bezel, and speakers. My plan is to convert this to a two-player MAME cab. Six buttons per player. Keep the existing trackball. A few admin buttons. The CP is large enough to accommodate other goodies, but I don't like the idea of cluttering it up. You will be unable to perform sea-going air operations from this control panel.

I intend to wire up the existing working coin mechs and NOT install P1 and P2 credit buttons. I like the idea of my kids and guests grabbing handfuls of tokens and dropping them in for credits.

The cab originally had a 27" SVGA monitor. I plan on using an LED with HSLS and pin settings to simulate a CRT, but only have 27" of inside cabinet width to work with. This would mean a 29" LED would fit, but I will lose 2 inches of vertical display: Display Wars comparison of 27" 4:3 vs. 29" 16:9.

I know large 4:3 LCD displays are not to be found this side of heaven, so I am exploring other options (see question #1 below).

This 16:10 30" would be perfect, but then I saw the price...   

These are not my pics, but this is the same cab-





Questions:
1. Has anyone had success with rear-projecting a screen in a cabinet?

2. Maximus' MvC 2.0 has a 51" Plasma mounted vertically that is physically masked. I loved Maximus' use of dynamic bezels, but I ain't mounting a 50" in this cabinet to make that happen. I could vertically mount a 42" TV and the width would fit the original bezel. Is this a good idea?

3. Is there a supplier of arcade tokens that is relatively inexpensive (If I have to pay $.025 per token, I might as well just use quarters)?

That is all for now. I don't have a name, theme, or artwork figured out yet. Still just planning.

I appreciate any feedback and advice you can offer! 

[eds1275]

Questions:
1. Has anyone had success with rear-projecting a screen in a cabinet?

2. Maximus' MvC 2.0 has a 51" Plasma mounted vertically that is physically masked. I loved Maximus' use of dynamic bezels, but I ain't mounting a 50" in this cabinet to make that happen. I could vertically mount a 42" TV and the width would fit the original bezel. Is this a good idea?

3. Is there a supplier of arcade tokens that is relatively inexpensive (If I have to pay $.025 per token, I might as well just use quarters)?

That is all for now. I don't have a name, theme, or artwork figured out yet. Still just planning.

I appreciate any feedback and advice you can offer! 

1: no comment
2: Sure, why not. I have a 32" screen mounted horizontally in mine. No matter what you do, haters gonna hate.
3: I'm not sure, I doubt it unless you are buying by the bucketloads. More importantly, is your door set up for quarters or tokens? They are not the same.

If you do put trackball games on there, toss on my game Ramp & Roll!

[Token]

3: I'm not sure, I doubt it unless you are buying by the bucketloads. More importantly, is your door set up for quarters or tokens? They are not the same.

If you do put trackball games on there, toss on my game Ramp & Roll!

Mechs are set up for quarters. Since making the OP I have disassembled one mech and as far as I can tell there is no way to adjust it to accept tokens. It looks like there could be a way to replace one plastic part to make it work. I'll post some pics later and maybe someone here knows a way to adjust/modify to mech for tokens.

And yes, this will have trackball games! I'll check out yours, for sure. Thanks!

[Token]

More importantly, is your door set up for quarters or tokens? They are not the same.

Coin mech:


A quarter is large enough to hit the small brass pin and rotate the red plastic part, sending the quarter to the left in these two pics.




This token is too small and slips through to the coin return.


This is the backside of the previous pictures. I'm not sure if you can see it, but the left red part is labelled with a number 6. This part would need to be replaced/modified in order for tokens to be used in this HAPP mech.


Anybody know if there is a replacement part from HAPP for this? I haven't been able to locate one online.

[yotsuya]

Is the 27 inch monitor currently in there? It appears so from the pictures. Why wouldn't you keep it in there if it works.

Edit: Nevermind, just saw the note that those weren't your pics.

[Token]

Is the 27 inch monitor currently in there? It appears so from the pictures. Why wouldn't you keep it in there if it works.

Edit: Nevermind, just saw the note that those weren't your pics.

Yeah, if it came with that original monitor, I would be golden! These cabs had 27" SVGA monitors that plugged right into a graphics card on the PC that ran the game. Talk about a simple conversion!

So yots, what do you think about my screen options? I'm pretty set on an LCD for its ease of use. My tests on my home TV show that I can make it look reasonably CRT-like with scanlines and use of the pin feature in MAME, but I hate a widescreen look in a cabinet. What do you think about my idea of mounting a 42" vertically and installing the original bezel to maintain a 27" 4:3 display? What problems am I likely to incur attempting this?

[vwalbridge]

If you are going to mount a 42" on vertical, then I'd look into using Retroarch

Retroarch will allow you to scale and move the video game screen anywhere on the TV that you like. (A default Mame install can't do this)

Sure you can adjust the screen ratio on the TV itself to a 4:3 but then you are stuck with whereever that happens to be. (In the center) And that might not be where the most appropriate spot when the TV is mounted in the cab.

What problems am I likely to incur attempting this?

Make sure the TV has really good "off-angle" viewing. Keep in mind that you will actually be looking at the picture sideways and at a slight angle.

[yotsuya]

Is the 27 inch monitor currently in there? It appears so from the pictures. Why wouldn't you keep it in there if it works.

Edit: Nevermind, just saw the note that those weren't your pics.

Yeah, if it came with that original monitor, I would be golden! These cabs had 27" SVGA monitors that plugged right into a graphics card on the PC that ran the game. Talk about a simple conversion!

So yots, what do you think about my screen options? I'm pretty set on an LCD for its ease of use. My tests on my home TV show that I can make it look reasonably CRT-like with scanlines and use of the pin feature in MAME, but I hate a widescreen look in a cabinet. What do you think about my idea of mounting a 42" vertically and installing the original bezel to maintain a 27" 4:3 display? What problems am I likely to incur attempting this?

First off, I commend you for not going the USS Midway route. I caught your comment and wanted to give props for that.

Honestly, if you don't have the original CRT, I think a large monitor rotated vertically is the way to go. I think it gives you the best of both worlds horizontally and vertically. Griff did a lot of things that made me shake my head, but the rotated vertical monitor was the best thing he did, and it shows.

When you do mount it, do everything in a temporary manner so you can adjust things to your liking. vwalbridge gave you some good advice, although you could use MAME .lay files to put the image where you want it with some tinkering.

I'm keeping an eye on this one.

[vwalbridge]

I'm keeping an eye on this one.

Me too. I'm shamelessly admitting that I like the "large TV mounted vertically" in a cab technique. I'm pretty convinced that if you do everything right, you can conceal what you have really done and make it pretty damn close to the original look.

[yotsuya]

I'm keeping an eye on this one.

Me too. I'm shamelessly admitting that I like the "large TV mounted vertically" in a cab technique. I'm pretty convinced that if you do everything right, you can conceal what you have really done and make it pretty damn close to the original look.

The key is taking the time and doing it right, I agree.

I'm still CRT or GTFO, but I do admit that this is a nice compromise.

[Token]

If you are going to mount a 42" on vertical, then I'd look into using Retroarch

Retroarch will allow you to scale and move the video game screen anywhere on the TV that you like. (A default Mame install can't do this)

I'll check out retroarch. Thanks!

Make sure the TV has really good "off-angle" viewing. Keep in mind that you will actually be looking at the picture sideways and at a slight angle.

Yes, I am worried about this. The cab was originally a golf/trackball, so it already has a steep slope on the monitor (to avoid slamming your hand into the screen).

[vwalbridge]

I'd like to see some pics of the actual cab!   

[Token]

First off, I commend you for not going the USS Midway route. I caught your comment and wanted to give props for that.

Yeah, I've lurked long enough to learn not to build an aircraft carrier with angled joysticks and 40 admin buttons. I'm sure I'll screw up in plenty of other ways, but that's why you take your time and ask lots of questions.

... you could use MAME .lay files to put the image where you want it with some tinkering.

I've just starting working with .lay files on the software side of this build (which is much further along than the hardware side). I have them working, but some of them seem oversized.

[Token]

I'd like to see some pics of the actual cab!   

There's not much to see at this point, but since you asked and I happened to have one of the CP:

[vwalbridge]

Looks like you have a good foundation to work from. Although you are going to have to plug those existing button holes I'm sure.

Also, I noticed that this cab originally had a 2nd (smaller) monitor below the marquee and between the speakers. Any plans for that? Keeping the speakers? Removing both and have the TV fill the entire space?

[Token]

Looks like you have a good foundation to work from. Although you are going to have to plug those existing button holes I'm sure.

Also, I noticed that this cab originally had a 2nd (smaller) monitor below the marquee and between the speakers. Any plans for that? Keeping the speakers? Removing both and have the TV fill the entire space?

Yeah, so this seems like a good cab to convert to MAME. I was originally going to build my own cab (modeled after the Artifact build), but when I saw the price and that it came with working coin doors and trackball, I couldn't say no. The only downsides are the size - this sucker is DEEP - and the shallow angle of the monitor. Oh, and existing button holes have been filled and sanded smooth (that picture above is a couple of weeks old).

The space between the speakers is actually a backlit information card. But if there was ever a cabinet where a secondary monitor would look right, this is it. I keep telling myself, "Baby steps, baby steps" but I have entertained some thoughts on how to use that space... 

[Token]

UPDATES

Sorry for the low-light pics ahead.

The Coin Mechs

I have given up on trying to force these coin mechs to accepts tokens. I did manage to modify the pins so that a token would be rerouted to the acceptor slot (I'm pretty sure that's not the right term), but it got rerouted by the magnet. 

As a child, my friends and I found a cache of metal knockout slugs left behind by an electrician on a jobsite. Through trial and error, we found one arcade cabinet that didn't seem to care if they weren't quarters and we spent several days having our way with a Battlezone machine. I guess my sins are now catching up to me.

Despite my username, this cabinet will only be feed with quarters. 

The Screen - It Lives!

Found an older 42" widescreen on craigslist for $75.

Now how do you fit a 42" widescreen in a 27" wide cabinet?

I don't think it will fit the existing bezel.


De-casing this was much easier than I thought it would be. Unscrewed the back, the speakers, the plate with the controls, and a doo-hickie with some inputs. Remove back panel. Secure input doo-hickie and controls plate. Detach speaker wires. TV de-cased!

Sorry there are no pictures of the decasing. I was too excited/nervous and didn't stop to get out a camera.

Then I had to tear out all the existing interior woodworking and build supports for this beast. I pocket-hole screwed a 2x4 at an angle to act as the bottom "shelf," and then screwed two ripped 2x4" to the interior sides of the cab to act as "runners."

It's a tight fit, but the TV is in!



With the CP on-



What to do now that there is a 42" vertical TV in the cabinet? Download powerstrip and create a custom resolution!

I'm currently running a square 768x768 on the desktop.


Hyperspin-


MAME-


I haven't dug into the settings yet, but there is definitely something wrong with the MAME resolutions. Everything is being stretched out.


And I need to stop uploading pics from the iPad...


I couldn't be happier about how this worked out with the 42" TV. Once I get my video settings right, I will have a 25" vertical and 25" horizontal 4x3 display, without having to build a rotating mechanism!

[DGP]

I am planning on doing something similar with my current Midway multi-cab (vertical mounted widescreen) so very interested to see how this works out.

I picked up a 21.3" 4:3 lcd and realized that is just not large enough for a full size cab, great size for a 2 player bartop though.

Looking good so far.

Best of luck.
 

[Token]

I am planning on doing something similar with my current Midway multi-cab (vertical mounted widescreen) so very interested to see how this works out.

Go for it! The price of used 42" LCD TVs is getting lower and lower as everyone is upgrading to newer technology. I've been seeing plenty of them on Craigslist for $200 and under.

[Token]

I am not an artist.

For the longest time, I wasn't sure what I wanted for a theme and/or artwork on this cabinet. But I do have a few guiding principles for this cabinet art:

1. No using original game art if the controls can't play that game (as much as I love the Pole Position color scheme, it just wouldn't be right on a two player joystick and buttons cab)
2. No collage-o-characters
3. Try for some sort of retro styling
4. No console references

I tinkered with a few ideas, but nothing really stuck. I started on T-Rex themed art (get it, his short arms can actually reach the control panel? har... har...), but ultimately discarded that one.

Looking for inspiration, I pored over classic marquees and CPOs and discovered that much of the most eye-popping art was composed of yellow and orange palettes -- Joust, Defender, Rampage, and my favorite marquee-- Lunar Lander!



Over my years of lurking and learning, there has always been one cabinet that I always go back to... Artifact. If Artifact comes back to read this, thanks for sharing your plans and build with the community! 



I had always planned on making a MAME cab similar in design.... until I found a great deal on this gutted PGA Tour. But I was re-reading some of that old thread and realized that Artifact's artwork was pretty much exactly what I was looking for.

So I decided to tinker with the old Artifact artwork that was generously uploaded here a few years ago.

Original Artifact marquee (re-sized for upload. Go to the original Artifact thread linked above for full size files)


Original Artifact CPO


I took the originals and replaced the original colors with the yellow and orange (and a bit of red) from the original Lunar Lander marquee. Then I painted the sky Donkey Kong blue.

My modified marquee art


My modified CPO art (hi-res version here)


The cabinet has a black laminate finish with black t-mold. I'm thinking of replacing the t-mold with orange or red to get some more pop.

I am open to suggestions and criticism on the artwork. Nothing has been sent out for printing yet.

[Token]

Had some stray color in the sky on the CPO. 

Fixed and re-uploaded above.

[reptileink]

It saddens me that you are "copying" another cabinet here. I had high hopes that you would come up with a custom theme and not just modify someone else's graphics (even if they were uploaded for use). I dunno, maybe it's me, but I'd want something of my own creation if I am going so far as to make my own cabinet. 

Aside from that one crit, I think this machine is coming along nicely! I was skeptical at first, but this is really coming together. 

[Token]

It saddens me that you are "copying" another cabinet here. I had high hopes that you would come up with a custom theme and just just modify someone else's graphics (even if they were uploaded for use). I dunno, maybe it's me, but I'd want something of my own creation if I am going so far as to make my own cabinet. 

Aside from that one crit, I think this machine is coming along nicely! I was skeptical at first, but this is really coming together. 

I'm still undecided on the direction of the artwork. I appreciate the feedback!

But at this point I'd rather use someone else's quality artwork than create my own crappy art. 

[reptileink]

It saddens me that you are "copying" another cabinet here. I had high hopes that you would come up with a custom theme and just just modify someone else's graphics (even if they were uploaded for use). I dunno, maybe it's me, but I'd want something of my own creation if I am going so far as to make my own cabinet. 

Aside from that one crit, I think this machine is coming along nicely! I was skeptical at first, but this is really coming together. 

I'm still undecided on the direction of the artwork. I appreciate the feedback!

But at this point I'd rather use someone else's quality artwork than create my own crappy art. 

I think there are enough talented people on here to be able to make your ideas come to fruition. Not hating on you in the least, just hoped for something more original.

[BGoulette]

Based on the artifact graphics linked above, if you did want something in a similar vein but different, I'd be willing to lend a hand. I'm still working on gaining a foothold here, so I've got nothing concrete to show, but I just wanted to toss out an invitation.

[reptileink]

Based on the artifact graphics linked above, if you did want something in a similar vein but different, I'd be willing to lend a hand. I'm still working on gaining a foothold here, so I've got nothing concrete to show, but I just wanted to toss out an invitation.

 

[Token]

Based on the artifact graphics linked above, if you did want something in a similar vein but different, I'd be willing to lend a hand. I'm still working on gaining a foothold here, so I've got nothing concrete to show, but I just wanted to toss out an invitation.

Thanks BGoulette! 

Folks, PMs are going back and forth, and we might be on to something here!

[BGoulette]

Hey, you're welcome! Just let me know what next steps should be!

[Token]

BGoulette has been working on some amazing artwork! The Marquee is just one step away from being completed. I can't wait to show everyone the final version once its done!

Here's a taste-  



In the meantime, I measured the control panel and started working on the layout. I am set on 6 buttons per player. I also want to minimize admin buttons. I will be using an I-Pac. Ultimarc has a cool feature that when you hold down P1start it acts as the shift key, so I'm considering six buttons per player plus P1 and P2 start, and no admin buttons. Am I crazy? I see most MAME cab builders add a few more.

Two questions today:
1. For anybody who has used MAME in a cab with very few admin buttons-- Did you find it confusing or annoying to not have an ESC or PAUSE or TAB button?

2. Do you see any flaws in the layout below? Before X2 asks, the P2 joystick is 2.5" away from the trackball. Should I move all controls higher up the panel? I really don't want to move the trackball as the panel is already routed for the recessed metal plate. Ideas?

I certainly have room on this panel to add more buttons or move controls around. Let me know your thoughts! 

[wp34]

UPDATES

Sorry for the low-light pics ahead.

The Coin Mechs

I have given up on trying to force these coin mechs to accepts tokens. I did manage to modify the pins so that a token would be rerouted to the acceptor slot (I'm pretty sure that's not the right term), but it got rerouted by the magnet. 

Have you looked at the AnyCoin mechs?  They are pretty darn slick.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,144539.0.html

[PL1]

In the meantime, I measured the control panel and started working on the layout. I am set on 6 buttons per player. I also want to minimize admin buttons. I will be using an I-Pac. Ultimarc has a cool feature that when you holding down P1start it acts as the shift key, so I'm considering six buttons per player plus P1 and P2 start, and no admin buttons. Am I crazy? I see most MAME cab builders add a few more.

Two questions today:
1. For anybody who has used MAME in a cab with very few admin buttons-- Did you find it confusing or annoying to not have an ESC or PAUSE or TAB button?

There are pros and cons to both dedicated buttons and shifted functions.

http://newwiki.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?title=FAQ#Number_of_admin_buttons

Either way, keep this bit of wisdom in mind:

To keep guests or children from accidently messing up their cab configuration, many individuals choose to not include a Menu (Tab) button and disable the shifted function for Menu. (P1 Start + joystick right on I-Pac)

Scott

[Token]

Have you looked at the AnyCoin mechs?  They are pretty darn slick.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,144539.0.html

No, I hadn't seen this before. Thank you!

Just ordered two. $7.50 each! Here's the direct link for purchasing: https://www.arcadeplastics.com/any-coin-mech

There are pros and cons to both dedicated buttons and shifted functions.

http://newwiki.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?title=FAQ#Number_of_admin_buttons
 

Its been a while since I've read the wiki, so thanks for the reminder. I think I'll add Esc and Pause, just to make it simpler for the kids and guests. Having two extra buttons will be preferable to an information card explaining the shifted controls. Other than Esc and Pause, I can't think of any admin functions I want others mucking around with.

[severdhed]

I think an escape button is a necessity, and a pause button is really handy.  I use a single button for both on my latest cabinet. It is pause with a quick press, and exit if held for 3 seconds. This minimizes button clutter, and also prevents people from accidentally exiting a game.  All other admin functions use shifted buttons to prevent others from screwing everything up

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[yotsuya]

Have you looked at the AnyCoin mechs?  They are pretty darn slick.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,144539.0.html

No, I hadn't seen this before. Thank you!

Just ordered two. $7.50 each! Here's the direct link for purchasing: https://www.arcadeplastics.com/any-coin-mech

Arcadenut does great work on those. You won't be disappointed.

[DudeRegular]

My MAME cab is similar to yours. It is a golden tee. I left the trackball in the stock location and fit in a 7 button layout on each side. Straight street fighter style with the 7th button for MK3 run. Then I have a start button for each player above their set of controls. No other admin buttons are present. I am solely using the ipac admin functions. The newer ipac even supports the trackball natively. I just cut off the original connector and wired up a connector using the .100 pin ends.

For admin functions, shift plus p1 button 6 is esc, shift plus p1 down is pause. I also used the built-in macro for buttons 7 and 4 to shift function left and right click if I do need to do something on the cab without plugging in a mouse. I can attach the visio for my cp if you are interested. It is to scale.

[Zeosstud]

I would like to see your layout..

[DudeRegular]

Visio file of my Golden Tee CP Attached.

[Token]

Here is the latest and greatest marquee art from BGoulette. He is fantastic to work with, has a great eye, and any design choices you don't like in this artwork are probably my fault. Mad props! 




Here is the latest version of the control panel layout.

I've moved controls up to avoid any trackball and joy2 collisions from lateral spins. I also added the ESC and PAUSE admin buttons. I am worried this provides too much forearm resting space on the panel. All feedback is greatly appreciated.

The AnyCoin replacement mechs from Arcadenut were the perfect solution to my problem! I highly recommend this product- https://www.arcadeplastics.com/any-coin-mech


I purchased tinted tempered glass from a local supplier. They only had two choices. Smoked and bronzed. I went with smoke (gray) and it looks soooo much better than the original clear glass (which was scratched pretty good from  this being a golf cabinet). I think it is a 30% tint. I would have preferred even darker, but it was all they had. Still, it cost $38 and makes a world of difference.

Remaining to do list:
Finalize CP layout
Finalize CPO art with BGoulette
Print and install art
Install joys, buttons, and RGB LEDs
Figure out wiring for existing coin door to IPAC 
Figure out wiring for existing HAPP trackball to IPAC
Wire new power button (utilizing smart powerstrip)
Figure out best way to plug existing hole in coin door (originally had a bill acceptor)
Figure out best way to plug existing hole in front of cabinet (originally had a players' card reader)

[reptileink]

I love that you went with custom art BASED on Artifact instead of just using it.

My only comment on the marquee is that little shuttle is clipped off at the top. A smidge lower and you'd be golden. You also have to think about the Marquee brackets that might cover that shuttle up further.

Looks awesome though, and seems to fit what you were looking for.