Welp, i can now confidently say it is finished. An awesome journey, to say the least.
Genuine feedback welcome. ESPECIALLY the negative. Its pretty easy for me to stand back and say its really cool (because it is, haha
), so if you have any pointers for a possible next time for me, I'd love to hear it.
Here are some things that i've learned along the way:
Things that went right:1) CRT. I know its a TV, so it's not arcade perfect. But i have played Real arcade hardware on LCDs in the midst of building this, and i'm SOOOO glad i didn't go that route.
2) Metal control panel. If you're new and reading this, possibly on the fence about CP material. GO METAL (if you can). It may not be perfect for all applications, but its a level of excellence that I honestly didn't think i'd reach when i first set out.
3) No frankenpanel. I'm ashamed to say that when i first discovered this forum, i was thinking 4P frankenpanel. Yikes.
Things that did not go right:1) Woodwork. What i THOUGHT was good looking, looked rougher and rougher the more i saw other projects. ALSO, I didn't think there were any defects under the artwork. I was wrong. Even the paint roller pattern showed through, albeit VERY subtly. (and yes, i used a small sponge roller, and Alkyd paint.)
2) I still kind of wish i would've went with a coated CP vinyl.
3) I was usually in too much of a hurry with things. There was so much waiting between major steps, than when I COULD do something to progress, I was anxious, so I wouldn't go slow. This led to most of the woodworking issues stated above. Again if you're new and reading this, TAKE YOUR FREAKING TIME. No matter how excited you are to play games, WAIT. Go play on your laptop or phone or something.
Ok, thats enough blabbing on. Thanks to everyone for input. And thanks to everyone who i was able to snoop on your thread and learn things.