A "Crate - of - Games" FINISHED

[JollyRoger]

I built a 6 foot tall MAME cabinet about 8 years ago, now I’m looking to build something a little smaller and portable. Realized I only play the classics, so I got a 60 in 1 JAMMA kit, two player. Looked at some bartops but the size was too big for what I wanted.  I like the size of griffindodd’s Little Ms. Pac-Man, I based this on his plans but changed things a bit to suit my needs. I wanted it to look like a wood crate or roadie case, with the aluminum rails and metal corners. The roadie case, part cost for the hardware was near $250.  So I went with the extra plywood lying around the garage.  I did buy some trim wood for about 10 bucks. Using a free NEC 2090UXI leftover from work for the monitor.

The theme is based on those multi-game boxes that come with 7 or 10 games, checkers, chess, Chinese checkers, you know the ones.  Still deciding on the graphics, might just be some simple stenciling of the name and buttons or paint it grey and add wooden buttons to look like rivets on the trim, so it looks like a metal space ship control panel. I don’t know yet. I’m completely open to suggestions, it is a bit of an blank canvas.  It’s ready for sanding and sanding and sanding, then primer and more sanding.

I’m highlighting some of the build so far.  The first picture is the basic starting sketch. Basic.  For the control panel and riser, I marked the placement and cut with jig saw and left a little bit which was later trimmed off with a flush trim router bit, needed to clean up the corner with a chisel, so the trim fit tight. The trim is .25” thick one trim board is 1” the other is 1.25” the 1.25” hangs over the edge to mate with a 1” piece so it all is 1.25”. Added .75” strip of plywood so I can have an incased bottom. Speaker was drilled on a drill press, many holes. All put together with glue and 16 ga nail gun the trim is glue and 23 pin nailer.  Need to drill holes for player and coin buttons, and as I said before sand, fill, sand, sand , and sand.

Any thoughts, questions, suggestions, or ideas let me know.

[thomas_surles]

Pretty solid design.

[Locke141]

Looks gook.

Did you plane for a coin & start buttons?

[JollyRoger]

Yes I did, they are going to go on the riser panel above the control panel. I just wasn't quite sure how far the top riser trim would come down and don't know the monitor clearance yet.

[n3wt0n]

Interesting build so far. I look forward to seeing it come together.

[pbj]

Why not stain the wood and make it look like a shipping crate?

[thomas_surles]

Why not stain the wood and make it look like a shipping crate?

I was thinking the same thing.

[BorgDog]

Why not stain the wood and make it look like a shipping crate?

I was thinking the same thing.

When I first saw the thread title my mind went to old peach/apple crate, or cabinet built from old pallets and rusty nails. 

[JollyRoger]

Why not stain the wood and make it look like a shipping crate?

I was thinking the same thing.

When I first saw the thread title my mind went to old peach/apple crate, or cabinet built from old pallets and rusty nails.

Yeah, I thought of that, something with a natural wood look and feel, but I'm using wood filler for some loose seams and nail holes. It will not stain to well and will look really bad, so thus the paint. 

Sometimes when I look at it I wonder why I just didn't make it rectangle then I could have trimmed the side to look like a section of a DK girder, that will be the next one, a conveyor from the cement screen, with rounded ends for the control panels. 

Or I may add rivets and paint it like this. 

[pbj]

I think an uneven stain would suit the crate theme but do what thou wilt.

[Laythe]

I like it.  Nice lines, cool form factor.

Good work in particular on the miter angles, the fit looks great.

Going to put side handles on it?

[JollyRoger]

Thanks, I took a bit to lay it out so it looked pleasing to the eye. Easy to cut with a power miter saw. The handles if I stay with the crate theme, which I'm leaning too. I was thinking of punching holes in the speaker panel and use rope like a real crate.

[JollyRoger]

Why not stain the wood and make it look like a shipping crate?

I was thinking the same thing.

When I first saw the thread title my mind went to old peach/apple crate, or cabinet built from old pallets and rusty nails.

So that what I'm shooting for....Simple 8 step process. Why did I sand in the first place?

1. Burn with Blow Torch, to darken wood and raise grain.
2. Scrape with wire brush, to open raised grain.
3. Stain with Weathered Oak Stain.
4. Sand, scrape, torch as needed.
5. Stain with Weathered Oak Stain.
6. Light touch of Classic Grey Stain.
7. Paint Graphics.
8. Wax with Special Dark Wood Wax.

First picture is of the test piece.
Second Start
Third after the torching
Fourth first coat of Weather Oak Stain.....

[reptileink]

Cool process! Looking forward to seeing the end result. I do a lot of weathering in my miniature hobby, so if you need any help (and it doesn't look like you will), let me know.

[JollyRoger]

Just an update on the crate, finished the staining / weathering  and looks pretty much like a old crate that’s been outside for a while. Still needs a coat of the dark wax , that will go on after the graphics are applied. 

Made the display bracket and display spacers. Bracket attached to display with M4 X 25mm screws countersunk display centered. I am mounting it with pocket screws to the sides. I measured the distance from the front of display to the bottom of the mount and added 1/8”, so the display face will be 1/8” from the acrylic sheet. It all gets stacked under the top lip as the acrylic sheet -spacer-display bracket. 

Photos show

Display mount

Display Support

Display stacked

Display mounted

I do not have the acrylic sheet in the last photo. The display support will just be 23ga nailed in.

Every crate needs skids so I made them too, I’ll need space for the fans and vents that will be placed on the bottom. The display is a NEC MultiSync LCD 2090UXi it gets warm after a while. The last photo it looks darker taht it really is iPhone and not much light in the garage.

Any questions,  thought, or complains let me know.

[JollyRoger]

Is there a post on 'How to Post"? How do I insert a photo in the text of my post and not in at the bottom. I checked the BYOAC FAQ but it returned a Fatal error. 

[yamatetsu]

Put the cursor where you want the image to be. Click on the first icon of the second row. In the text box, insert the picture's link at where the cursor is.

[PL1]

Is there a post on 'How to Post"? How do I insert a photo in the text of my post and not in at the bottom. I checked the BYOAC FAQ but it returned a Fatal error.

Here's a detailed BYOAC-specific tutorial on uploading/posting images.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,139723.msg1445482.html#msg1445482

The FAQ is located in the wiki which is still down due to the server transfer.

While we're waiting for Saint to fix the SQL/PHP/whatever-else problems, there is an Internet Wayback Machine backup.

https://web.archive.org/web/20160809113045/http://newwiki.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?title=FAQ


Scott

[JollyRoger]

I tinted the acrylic sheet I am using for the display cover, but I completely forgot about the monitor’s grey frame which you can see plan as day


so it got painted it black,

 which  should take care of it.

 I finally got a hold of a friend’s paper cutter to make stencils for the graphics out of dollar store contact shelf liner.

 The question is to what actually call it…….

What do you all think "Crate of Games"



or what it is "Crate of Arcade Games"



Will not be spray painting it, just a test on cardboard. Will be using a paint brush zero over spray. 

[pbj]

I prefer the over spray look.

Maybe some text like,

"vintage memory manufacturing, inc.
Contents: 1 crate of games"

 

[BorgDog]

I concur with pbj on the overspray, and make sure to put the text at an angle no perfection on the crates.  Text wise I think the simple "Crate of Games" is good.

[Mike A]

I like the over spray too. Maybe put a barcode on it.

[system01]

This is a nice idea and you've executed it well.

If I were to "label" it, I would forget giving it a name and stencil it with some vague vintage gov't-looking stuff on the sides, like:

ROMS - AN1228
WR-1992 B6
THIS SIDE UP

Maybe sneak your gf/wife's birthday in there or something.

Look at all the crap printed on an ammo can.  A image search of "army crate" or "military crate" gives a good idea.  Maybe some of those symbols could be used on the CP.

[ed12]

USA GRADE #1
THIS SIDE UP

ed

[JollyRoger]

The Crate of Games is done, here are some photos of the finished project.

 









The top of monitor got up to 110°F, so I needed to add some fans, used two I had laying around, yeah they are blue, but they look pretty cool, they give a nice  glow around the screen. I did a cardboard bottom mock up and one fan would not do it. The slots on the outside of the skids are the exhaust; the monitor says about 85°F now. The Player 2 slot is a nice handle, but on the Player 1 side the Service and Test buttons are in the way. The slots were an afterthought, or I would have moved the buttons over to accommodate a grip.





 I hacked up a USB speaker set but didn’t like the controls, so I splurged and got an amp, built a custom mount for the monitor control panel, which make it is accessible from the bottom if needed. 




I like the graphics on how they came out a little messy like a real crate, overall I like the way the project came together.

If I had to do things over I would paint the inside black and use 1/4 thick glass over the 3/16.

Anyway it's done.

[pbj]

This looks really cool, nice work.

 

[Mike A]

That is an inspired build. I really like it.

[Laythe]

I love this build.  It's got tons of charm, and it doesn't give up on usability to do it.  Cool stencils, that's just the right amount of art.  The skids you room for airflow *and* look right - that's clever.  The understated control panels are a perfect choice.

Good work, man!

[BorgDog]

Very nice!

[thomas_surles]

I really like how this turned out. Love the Galaga and space invaders art on it.

[n3wt0n]

Great build! Smart, simple and really well executed. Congratulations! 

[sealcouch]

Love it! Good job sticking to the theme. I love the "this end up" galaga ship.