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Author Topic: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet  (Read 44345 times)

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krangbrain

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Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« on: November 11, 2016, 01:19:21 am »
Hi all,

So after a few years of lurking these forums I’ve finally started to build my cabinet (familiar story, I know). A good handful of builds on this site have served as inspiration for mine so thanks to everyone here who have paved the way! I don’t have very many requirements for my cabinet, but I want a classic 6-button layout to play most games, a trackball, and most importantly, I want this thing to look authentic, like it could have come straight from the 80s.

I'm using laminate for the front, back, and inside of the side panels.

The sides are almost identical to the Space Duel/Gravitar cabinets. They definitely have my favorite profile of any arcade:


Laminating only the reveal made it so I could use one sheet for both sides. It saved me about $50 lol.

Here she is standing up with a few panels attached. I'm positive I documented the laminating process, but I can't find the pics.  :dunno



Here's the back. The feet and cabinet handles are from Twisted Quarter. I also put casters on there to move it around. Every full-size upright should have these things! I can't tell you how many times I've moved it around while working on it lol. The fan grills are just from of Amazon. I put some black t-molding on the inside of the fan cutouts. I think it gave it a nice finished look.





I also put black t-molding inside the speaker cutouts. I really didn't want it to look like an arcade cabinet with transplanted car speakers, so I just kind of copied the Space Duel grills. I had them custom cut from an eBay seller. I just primed and painted them, then used screw caps to finish it off. I think it came out pretty good. I thought of using rivets, but I wanted to be able to take the grill off just in case I needed to in the future. No offense to anyone using car speaker grills, of course. They look great on certain cabs, but they would look out of place on a restored Asteroids or Pac-man, so I didn't want it on this build.




So that's all I got for now. I'll add some updated pictures tomorrow after I install the TV and glass.  :)
« Last Edit: October 01, 2017, 11:03:36 pm by krangbrain »

ivwshane

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #1 on: November 11, 2016, 03:53:41 am »
Looking good!

Where did you get the laminate and what type did you get? Vertical grade, countertop grade? How thick is it?

krangbrain

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #2 on: November 11, 2016, 10:46:57 am »
Looking good!

Where did you get the laminate and what type did you get? Vertical grade, countertop grade? How thick is it?

It's Wilsonart laminate from Home Depot. I'm pretty sure it's countertop grade since that's what it says in the description in this link:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Wilsonart-48-in-x-96-in-Laminate-Sheet-in-Black-Matte-1595603504896/203592675

I originally found two full sheets of black Nevamar laminate on Craigslist for just $20. Right when I got home I dropped and shattered both of them. Needless to say I treated the new ones like fine china plates.

yotsuya

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #3 on: November 11, 2016, 03:56:16 pm »
The grilles look good.  Modern car speaker grilles looks like ass. Good job.
***Build what you dig, bro. Build what you dig.***

krangbrain

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #4 on: November 11, 2016, 09:09:09 pm »
A little progress update. I built the control panel out of wood by attaching a few 2" boards onto a 12" piece. I primed, sanded, and sprayed it with Rustoleum black satin for the CPO to stick to. Came out nice and smooth. I used a piano hinge that I bought on eBay to attach it to the cabinet. I just used the same primer and spray paint for the hinge.




I was able to get the glass installed, too. The support that it rests on was ripped at about 45 degrees then I routed out just a bit over a 1/4 inch on the top so the glass won't go anywhere. I cut the bottom at an angle so that it could be installed sort of like a French cleat.

Worked out perfectly:



Here's a pic from the inside:




I didn't want the back door panel to just sit on top of the panel below it, so I added a few thumb tacks to add a little space that was equal to the one above it.



Here's how the cab stands at this point:

« Last Edit: October 01, 2017, 11:18:54 pm by krangbrain »

yotsuya

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #5 on: November 11, 2016, 11:10:54 pm »
Nice job so far.  Clean,  traditional lines are the best.
***Build what you dig, bro. Build what you dig.***

krangbrain

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #6 on: November 12, 2016, 01:37:36 am »
Nice job so far.  Clean,  traditional lines are the best.

Thanks! I agree, a classic look is best  :)

rablack97

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #7 on: November 12, 2016, 01:38:10 pm »
did you bust up that bottom corner?

Very good craftsmanship here, great job!!! :applaud: :applaud:

krangbrain

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #8 on: November 12, 2016, 07:08:53 pm »
did you bust up that bottom corner?

Ugh, that's where the dumb bar code sticker was. It left some nasty residue after I peeled it off, so I foolishly tried to scrape and sand it clean. Unless anyone else has a better idea, I'm going to use some Goo Gone to get the rest of it off, then level it with wood putty and sand it smooth. I should have just done that in the first place.

Very good craftsmanship here, great job!!! :applaud: :applaud:

Thanks!

sealcouch

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #9 on: November 12, 2016, 07:40:57 pm »
Super clean build. Wish I had this craftsmanship. Can't wait to see it finished.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #10 on: November 13, 2016, 10:31:36 am »
Really nice job so far - I am enjoying your attention to detail like the t-moulding on the inside edge of the fan and speaker grills. The lines are nice.

krangbrain

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #11 on: November 13, 2016, 08:23:17 pm »
Here's the 42" tv that's going in the cabinet. Taking off the back and getting the speakers out (they're still on in the picture) was a lot easier than I thought. It's going to be mounted vertically so I could get the equivalent of a 24" display for both horizontal and vertical games. I've been playing with shaders in Retroarch and am pretty happy so far.

Speaking of Retroarch, I have a quick question (probably with a not-so-quick answer). Adjusting the “custom viewport” in Retroarch’s video settings allows me to display the game pretty much anywhere I want on a TV, but this, of course, only affects the game being displayed and not the frontend (Hyperspin for now). Is there a way to have the frontend’s display adjusted as well? Should I post this question in the Monitor/Video forum? Thanks in advance!

« Last Edit: October 01, 2017, 11:30:17 pm by krangbrain »

Laythe

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #12 on: November 13, 2016, 09:43:31 pm »
Here's the 42" tv that's going in the cabinet. Taking off the back and getting the speakers out (they're still on in the picture) was a lot easier than I thought. It's going to be mounted vertically so I could get the equivalent of a 24" display for both horizontal and vertical games.

:cheers:  Welcome to the masked-off portrait club.  (grin)  Hey Token - think we need a secret handshake or something?

Nice looking cab!   :applaud:

For your frontend - you could probably do a custom theme on a skinnable frontend that puts it wherever you like.  Or, you may be able to get your video driver to take a custom resolution for the windows desktop.  nVidia drivers give you a limited amount of placement offset.  Some people have had luck using Powerstrip.  I designed my cabinet around the centerpoint of the monitor being the centerpoint of the visible screen and buried both ends of it, so I didn't need an offset.

krangbrain

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #13 on: November 14, 2016, 01:05:53 am »
:cheers:  Welcome to the masked-off portrait club.  (grin)  Hey Token - think we need a secret handshake or something?

Lol! That's good company... Your and Token's builds are very nice! But if we're going to have a secret handshake we gotta shoot for something unique that no one can mimic. Ok, I promise to never do that again  :embarassed:

For your frontend - you could probably do a custom theme on a skinnable frontend that puts it wherever you like.  Or, you may be able to get your video driver to take a custom resolution for the windows desktop.  nVidia drivers give you a limited amount of placement offset.  Some people have had luck using Powerstrip.  I designed my cabinet around the centerpoint of the monitor being the centerpoint of the visible screen and buried both ends of it, so I didn't need an offset.

Thanks for the suggestions! I have a custom 1080x1080 resolution that I've got going no problem, and my monitor is just about centered with the cab's display area; it's about a 1/4" low, I think, which I was planning to fix with the offset option like you mentioned. But I was considering leaning the TV back a little more than I had originally designed which would push the display a bit lower. This is why I was thinking Retroarch to move the display. I've tried Powerstrip, but I couldn't get any more offset than with my graphics card.

Laythe

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #14 on: November 14, 2016, 03:44:40 am »
But if we're going to have a secret handshake we gotta shoot for something unique that no one can mimic. Ok, I promise to never do that again  :embarassed:

:lol

I have a custom 1080x1080 resolution that I've got going no problem, and my monitor is just about centered with the cab's display area; it's about a 1/4" low, I think, which I was planning to fix with the offset option like you mentioned. But I was considering leaning the TV back a little more than I had originally designed which would push the display a bit lower. This is why I was thinking Retroarch to move the display. I've tried Powerstrip, but I couldn't get any more offset than with my graphics card.

Ah, gotcha.  You're already up to speed on everything I can think of to suggest, software-wise, then.

Seriously nice build.  Looking forward to watching the rest of your project unfold.

krangbrain

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #15 on: November 14, 2016, 01:44:21 pm »
Hi guys, so I've spent some time designing a CPO and have come up with the following 2. The first one has more of a "Star Wars" feel to it, which is the one I'm leaning toward. The second one is inspired by the asteroids deluxe CPO. I think I'll use white buttons, but am not totally sure yet. The horizontal "lights" at the bottom will wrap around the front of the control panel. What do you think? Any and all feedback is welcome!  :)



« Last Edit: October 01, 2017, 11:31:16 pm by krangbrain »

yotsuya

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #16 on: November 14, 2016, 06:45:10 pm »
I like 'em both. God job!
***Build what you dig, bro. Build what you dig.***

rablack97

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #17 on: November 14, 2016, 07:44:45 pm »
Hi guys, so I've spent some time designing a CPO and have come up with the following 2. The first one has more of a "Star Wars" feel to it, which is the one I'm leaning toward. The second one is inspired by the asteroids deluxe CPO. I think I'll use white buttons, but am not totally sure yet. The horizontal "lights" at the bottom will wrap around the front of the control panel. What do you think? Any and all feedback is welcome!  :)





your side art and marquee will dictate which one to go with, mock those up as well and see how it all flows together.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #18 on: November 14, 2016, 09:17:21 pm »
Haven't been around for a while or I thought this was another thread..... but Dayyyuuuum son!!!!  This is looking very nice!

 :cheers:

krangbrain

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #19 on: November 16, 2016, 09:02:43 pm »
your side art and marquee will dictate which one to go with, mock those up as well and see how it all flows together.

That's good advise, thanks. I'm no artist so the side art and marquee are going to take me a while, but I'm hoping that I can create something that has the same feel as some of my favorites like Xevious, Space Duel, and Asteroids Deluxe to name a few. We'll see how resourceful and creative I can be lol.

Haven't been around for a while or I thought this was another thread..... but Dayyyuuuum son!!!!  This is looking very nice!

 :cheers:
Thanks! Your marquee that Opt2Not made is seriously amazing! I hope I can come up with something even close to that good!

efp9teen78

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #20 on: November 17, 2016, 01:23:59 pm »
watching this thread with admiration. cant wait to see what you come up with for the side panels

krangbrain

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #21 on: December 27, 2016, 01:57:41 pm »
Finally an update! So I made a few changes to the first CPO that I posted above and went ahead and had it printed by Brad (Lucian045). Here’s what I got in the mail:



I can’t say how easy it was to order from Brad. He responded to my emails very quickly and we were able to chat over the phone about a few details. He was patient and informative throughout the process. Most importantly, though, I’m very impressed with the quality of the product. Very nice! To anyone looking to order artwork I’d highly recommend him.

This was my first time applying artwork, so it took me a few days to muster up the courage to actually do it, lol. Laying it on smooth wasn’t the problem; making sure it lined up with the edges was what I was sweating over. In the end it turned out good. I know that most here on the forums drill the holes for their controls before adhering the CPO, but I really wanted the position of the buttons to be aligned perfectly with the art. On my practice panel and other scrap pieces, I just couldn’t get my holes to line up the way I wanted them to. Even being very careful, some of them ended up being like 1/32” off. Not sure if the method I used is documented here in the forums so here’s a few pics to help explain what I did.

I first drilled a 1 1/8” hold in a scrap piece to use as a template. I did this using a (extremely cheap and old) drill press and 1 1/8” hold saw. This way the hole cut was perpendicular to the board.



Then, after adhering the CPO, I drilled a 7/8” hole with a spade bit to “rough cut” the opening of one of the holes for the buttons. It doesn’t tear the CPO, but it’s definitely not a very clean cut.



Then, I placed the template over the rough cut opening making sure it was perfectly aligned and centered with the circle on the art and clamped it. Sometimes the clamps would move the template a bit, so it occasionally took a few tries to get it just right. Also, I was extremely careful to wipe both the CP and template clean before placing it. Last thing I wanted was a scratched surface.



I then used the router with a flush trim bit to finish cutting the hole in the CP. The end result is a very nice and clean cut. I repeated these steps for each hole. I didn’t cut more than one rough opening at a time because I wanted to make sure nothing was scratched. Here’s a picture of all the button holes done.



I have to say I’m very satisfied with the end result. You’d think a CNC machine cut them. No difference in distance between any of the buttons, and they’re aligned PERFECTLY with the artwork!

Next up, cutting the opening for the trackball and routing the underside for joysticks.
« Last Edit: October 01, 2017, 11:33:13 pm by krangbrain »

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #22 on: December 27, 2016, 09:52:25 pm »
That is beautiful.  Good technique!

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #23 on: December 28, 2016, 03:56:17 am »
You have to get that trackball painted as the Death star by someone with an airbrush :)
Building, collecting and playing arcade machines :)

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #24 on: December 28, 2016, 10:23:03 am »
+1 to that.

krangbrain

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #25 on: December 28, 2016, 01:31:22 pm »
You have to get that trackball painted as the Death star by someone with an airbrush :)

LOL! I never even thought of that before. That would be slick. Although I don't think my wife's New Year's resolved budget is down with it.  :'(

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #26 on: December 28, 2016, 04:34:23 pm »
This is looking like a verrrry nice build. Great job so far  :cheers:
Click a pic for a video tour 

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #27 on: February 04, 2017, 07:36:45 am »
Waiting patiently for updates on this build  :cheers:
Click a pic for a video tour 

Vincefaro

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #28 on: February 04, 2017, 11:33:31 am »
This is just great work , the panel and cabinet look great . Great theme too .


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krangbrain

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #29 on: February 05, 2017, 07:16:01 pm »
Waiting patiently for updates on this build  :cheers:

Thanks for the nudge, lol! I've totally been slacking on updating my thread. You know how it is -- life gets in the way.

Anyway, before I dive into updates, a little background on my trackball situation. So early/mid last year I bought a black Happ high lip trackball for the project. I didn't know much about the Happ trackball mounts at the time, so along with the trackball I ordered a standard trackball mount. The listing on eBay said that it works with both the standard and high lip track balls, which, in fairness I suppose is true. But the opening on the trackball mount isn’t big enough for the lip to fit through; it pushes up against the bottom of the mount. A few threads here in the forums go over this; not sure if I read those before or after ordering. Oh well. Anyway, I didn’t want this because it didn’t look as clean to me, so back in December when all this was happening I went looking to order a mount for the high lip. Found out that NOBODY had them in stock (I tried a handful of different vendors), and Happ had (still has?) them on backorder til February or so of this year. So then I thought of this grand idea to just use a hole saw to widen the opening of the standard mount I had from 3” to 3 ¼”. Here’s a picture of how that went:



The dumb guide bit had a mind of its own and traveled all over the place in the wood. I should have clamped the mount down to something metal, I guess. I was angry. My wife could tell haha. I thought about waiting for the high lip mount, but instead I went ahead and ordered a U-trak.  I kinda wanted a white ball instead of the black one I ordered with the Happ, and after looking at ChanceKJ’s flush mount technique on his Flynn’s Arcade with the U-track, I thought that would look good on my panel.

After impatiently waiting for an unexpected 2 week delivery time I had the U-Trak in my hands. (For the record, I didn’t order from Andy’s Ultimarc website. If I had, I would expect the 2 weeks since I’m in the US. In fact, I think my i-pac ultimate came faster than 2 weeks, which I DID order from Andy’s site I think early 2016.)

Being excited with the new toy, I busted out my router and flush trim bit and got the hole for the trackball just right. I also routed out about 1/8” on the underside so that the lip of the trackball would sit flush with the surface of the CPO.

While I was at it, I drilled, routed, and chiseled the placements for the joystick mounts. I used these joystick mounting plates from Paradise Arcade Shop. They gave me just enough room to work with my wood inserts. Actually, for safe measure I used my Dremel and cut off the ends of the inserts:



I didn’t want any chance of ruining my panel, so I used a scrap piece of wood to create a drill bit stop to make sure the depth was right for each insert.



 Here’s what I had after the woodworking:



I like the S style mounting plates cause they allowed me to get the proper joystick shaft height as recommended/mentioned at Slagcoin while bottom-mounting them. It also provides options down the road should I have to change anything. And, blind mounting the joysticks just looks better imho.  :)

Ok back to the U-Trak. So, I had originally accommodated for the depth of the Happ trackball. Space is limited under my control panel, so I made sure I had measurements just right. BUT, now I had a U-trak, and as luck would have it, it didn’t fit!! The control panel wouldn’t close all the way. The bottom of the trackball housing was hitting the panel below the control panel. I don’t think the U-trak is larger than the Happ, but the Happ mounting plate allowed for about 5/8” more space. So, I took apart the u-trak to see what I was working with:





After inspecting the housing, I figured I could cut off a bit of it where it was hitting the bottom panel. I mounted it to a board and cut it on the table saw.





Mounted it to test fit again. Still wouldn’t close. I needed a tiny bit more room. So I took my router and cut out some of the bottom panel it was hitting against. I also drilled out a little extra for the mounting bolt using a forster bit.



That did the trick, without a mm to spare lol.



Once that was taken care of it was on to installing all the buttons and wiring it up. Took forever! I used the Dupont style housings and terminals. Real estate is limited with this CP, so I was forced to mount the ipac ultimate above (well, technically speaking, below) player 2’s joystick. I really didn’t want the hassle of mounting it somewhere else. It worked fine in the end. Here she is before being mounted to the cabinet.



I’ve got more, but I want to post what I’ve jotted down so far. I feel like I just wrote an essay  :dizzy: lol. I think I'll have a bit of free time later tonight. Thanks for checking it out!
« Last Edit: October 01, 2017, 11:46:15 pm by krangbrain »

opt2not

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #30 on: February 05, 2017, 08:05:18 pm »
That's really too bad about the trackball. It's going to be a pain if you have to replace it in the future.

But anyway, I like the project so far. Great design choice of the old Atari style cabs, it's my favourite design for both ergonomics and aesthetics.
« Last Edit: February 06, 2017, 02:49:13 am by opt2not »

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #31 on: February 06, 2017, 12:21:34 am »
That's really too bad about the trackball. It's going to be a pain if you have to replace it in the future.

Yeah it was a bummer. I was pretty upset about it, but I just had to let it go. If I ever need to replace the U-Trak I'm sure I can just use the same bottom part of the housing.

I wanted to take a few more pics of other progress I've made, but it's been pretty dark and cloudy lately, and my garage has terrible lighting. I'll see if I can get another update soon.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #32 on: February 07, 2017, 05:26:25 pm »
Nice. Looking forward to the control panel full frontal reveal  ;)
Click a pic for a video tour 

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #33 on: February 08, 2017, 02:48:12 am »
Nice. Looking forward to the control panel full frontal reveal  ;)

 :D



« Last Edit: October 01, 2017, 11:49:08 pm by krangbrain »

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #34 on: February 08, 2017, 03:18:14 am »
EXCELLENT design choices here. That panel looks pretty legit as a SW panel. Great job!!  :applaud:

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #35 on: February 08, 2017, 07:14:44 am »
That CP is sexy.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #36 on: February 08, 2017, 08:00:22 am »
I am really loving this. Great job!  :applaud:


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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #37 on: February 08, 2017, 11:44:45 am »
Really nice execution on the control panel. I strongly suspect this build will be up there with the best of them  :applaud:
Click a pic for a video tour 

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #38 on: February 08, 2017, 01:07:05 pm »
Nice. Looking forward to the control panel full frontal reveal  ;)

 :D




See, THAT'S a control panel. No characters, no battle scenes, just a simple design that looks like a real panel from the SW Universe. I wish more people designing their panels would think about practical design the same way. You hit a home run that Babe Ruth would be proud of!
« Last Edit: February 08, 2017, 04:54:32 pm by yotsuya »
***Build what you dig, bro. Build what you dig.***

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #39 on: February 08, 2017, 04:33:39 pm »
That is *beautiful*.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #40 on: February 08, 2017, 08:03:14 pm »
Thanks a lot for the compliments, guys! I’m happy with the way it’s turning out so far in spite of a few hiccups.
 
As you probably noticed in my last post I was able to get the coin door installed. It’s an original Coin Controls over/under that I found on eBay in really good shape. All I had to do was give it a nice scrub and install new bezels and reject buttons I bought from Twisted Quarter. I whipped up the reject button inserts by modifying one that I found over at the KLOV forums in this thread.
 

 
It’s a little difficult to make out in the picture, but I put felt over the batons that the monitor glass lays against to keep it from getting scratched. I originally used the “loop” side of adhesive backed Velcro, but it was a little too thick and made the glass push too hard against the speaker panel. After taking that off with Goo Gone, mineral spirits, and 30 minutes of immense frustration  :cry:, I cut strips of felt the width of the batons and adhered them with some spray adhesive. The glass lightly butts up against the speaker panel which is what I was going for.
 

 
I also installed the control panel clamps.
 

 
Oh, and how could I forget the arduous process of painting the sides lol. It took about 5 coats of primer to get the sides smooth. There were a handful of grooves that had to be smoothed out. That’s what I get for using cheap ply from Home Depot. Next time I’ll fork over the extra $$ and get better quality sheets. The sheen isn’t perfect, but it’s smooth enough for side art – that’s all I care about lol. So here’s what she looks like at the moment. Try to ignore the slurpee straw and furniture movers under the feet lol. Next up, paint the inside of the monitor glass and start on that marquee.  :)
 

« Last Edit: October 01, 2017, 11:54:49 pm by krangbrain »

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #41 on: February 10, 2017, 03:02:22 pm »
Nice!

On the coin inserts, how about "Use Force to Eject"

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #42 on: February 10, 2017, 04:27:12 pm »
How were you able to get the buttons apart? I have 2 new ones and I'm unable to get them apart after prying the "release tabs"

Gary

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #43 on: February 10, 2017, 05:29:45 pm »
On the coin inserts, how about "Use Force to Eject"

:lol ^ I like this.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #44 on: February 10, 2017, 11:05:59 pm »
How were you able to get the buttons apart? I have 2 new ones and I'm unable to get them apart after prying the "release tabs"

Gary

I had to use 2 very small screwdrivers.  I would get one side open a bit, put something between the 2 pieces, then open up the other side. It was definitely a struggle. The tabs from one of the original ones that came with the coin door broke trying to get it apart, so be careful. I'm sure they were brittle from age, though.

If I end up changing the inserts, I'll take pics of how I get it apart. Although you'll probably have figured it out by then lol.
« Last Edit: February 10, 2017, 11:09:02 pm by krangbrain »

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #45 on: February 10, 2017, 11:07:45 pm »
Nice!

On the coin inserts, how about "Use Force to Eject"

Lol good idea. What do others think? Should I leave it with the traditional "push to reject" or change it up?

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #46 on: February 11, 2017, 07:56:42 am »
Nice!

On the coin inserts, how about "Use Force to Eject"

Lol good idea. What do others think? Should I leave it with the traditional "push to reject" or change it up?

I like leapinlew's idea. You already have the Star Wars logo so may as well go the whole hog and change the wording too.
Click a pic for a video tour 

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #47 on: February 11, 2017, 10:01:08 am »
"Force push to eject."

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #48 on: February 11, 2017, 10:49:33 am »

I had to use 2 very small screwdrivers.  I would get one side open a bit, put something between the 2 pieces, then open up the other side. It was definitely a struggle. The tabs from one of the original ones that came with the coin door broke trying to get it apart, so be careful. I'm sure they were brittle from age, though.

If I end up changing the inserts, I'll take pics of how I get it apart. Although you'll probably have figured it out by then lol.

I was able to take apart one of my original Atari units fairly easy, not so much luck with the new ones I purchased.

At least now I can scan in the OEM Atari and make a matching image. Once I scan it I'll upload for everyone.

Is is it copyright?

;-)
« Last Edit: February 11, 2017, 12:08:21 pm by gdonovan »

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #49 on: February 11, 2017, 12:05:03 pm »
"Force push to eject."

This is what I was thinking when I woke up this morning! I know, pathetic it's like one of the first things I think of lol.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #50 on: February 11, 2017, 12:38:50 pm »
Force Push was what I originally thought too, but I felt it bordered on too geeky.


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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #51 on: February 11, 2017, 03:36:13 pm »
Force Push was what I originally thought too, but I felt it bordered on too geeky.

Yeah I think you're probably right, and I don't know if the term "force push" was a thing back in Star Wars' early days.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #52 on: February 11, 2017, 04:41:37 pm »
Force Push was what I originally thought too, but I felt it bordered on too geeky.

Yeah I think you're probably right, and I don't know if the term "force push" was a thing back in Star Wars' early days.

I'm a Star Wars fan but not a super fan. I have an upright Star Wars cabinet in my collection (it's one of my grails). The first time I remember force push was when I played Dark Forces in 1995.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #53 on: February 11, 2017, 05:14:13 pm »
I'm a Star Wars fan but not a super fan. I have an upright Star Wars cabinet in my collection (it's one of my grails). The first time I remember force push was when I played Dark Forces in 1995.

I'm seriously jealous. It's funny, even being a big SW fan I never liked the original game when I was a kid. I did like playing Empire on my Atari, though.

I think "force push" is too much a "modern" SW term for this build.
« Last Edit: February 12, 2017, 05:57:09 pm by krangbrain »

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #54 on: February 12, 2017, 01:37:01 pm »
Although you'll probably have figured it out by then lol.

A bit more muscle was required, I practice on an old one first.

The results.. well worth the effort.

krangbrain

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #55 on: February 12, 2017, 05:54:41 pm »

A bit more muscle was required, I practice on an old one first.

The results.. well worth the effort.

Nice! Glad you were able to get those opened up without any busted tabs  :)

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #56 on: February 12, 2017, 06:06:58 pm »
So I'm getting my marquee retainers ready and I want to drill the screw holes, but I'm not sure how much room I should give for the marquee. I originally thought of sandwiching the marquee art between two 1/8" pieces of glass. That means I need to allow for at least a 1/4" space. But now I'm considering having it reverse printed by Brad. So I have 2 questions:

1. Do you know how thick the plexi is that brad uses?

2. Since the vinyl is adhered to the plexi, do I need 2 pieces, or just the one that it's attached to?

Thanks in advance, guys.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #57 on: February 13, 2017, 02:05:46 am »
So I'm getting my marquee retainers ready and I want to drill the screw holes, but I'm not sure how much room I should give for the marquee. I originally thought of sandwiching the marquee art between two 1/8" pieces of glass. That means I need to allow for at least a 1/4" space. But now I'm considering having it reverse printed by Brad. So I have 2 questions:

1. Do you know how thick the plexi is that brad uses?

2. Since the vinyl is adhered to the plexi, do I need 2 pieces, or just the one that it's attached to?

Thanks in advance, guys.

Never mind, I emailed Brad and he got back to me like within an hour. Another reason I HIGHLY recommend ordering from him.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #58 on: February 13, 2017, 11:08:24 pm »
For reference, what were the answers?

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #59 on: February 13, 2017, 11:53:33 pm »
His reply was, "The thicker it is the better it looks...I'd go 3/16" if you can."

I'm assuming you don't need another piece of plexi since the reverse printed screen is adhered to the one he provides. I'm going to install the retainers with 1/4" allowance to be safe.

« Last Edit: February 14, 2017, 12:01:53 am by krangbrain »

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #60 on: May 15, 2017, 02:08:42 am »
Hi guys, sorry it's been such as long time since my last update. Life has been crazy and I was addicted to the new Zelda game for about 2 months lol. Anyway, I special ordered these angled aluminum pieces to use as my marquee retainers. I spray painted them black, but still need to drill the holes for the hardware. I think they'll look nice.



I also sprayed the sides of the monitor glass with black primer:





Using an LCD TV has its cons, one being that the black bars on the top and bottom (or sides, if your tv is mounted horizontally) aren't completely black, which kinda bothered me. So I bought some of this stuff:



I cut it to size with a razor blade and straight edge and adhered it the the TV. It took some finesse, but I was able to get it right by my standard. Here's how it turned out:



I took a photo with the TV on, but it doesn't show the difference that's noticeable in person. I'm happy with the result.

I've been working on the artwork here and there. I haven't gotten very far, but I'll post a what I've got once I have something to show. 
« Last Edit: October 02, 2017, 12:00:47 am by krangbrain »

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #61 on: May 17, 2017, 03:51:05 pm »
This project looks really cool. I'm excited to see what you create for the side art and marquee.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #62 on: October 01, 2017, 11:10:27 pm »
Well, I guess I won't be using photobucket anymore lol. I'll go through the rest of the thread and fix the pictures and hopefully have some updates soon. I've been dying to get back to finishing this but a kitchen renovation and handful of other things over the summer have taken every bit of spare time.  :badmood: I have been working on the artwork. It's just taking me forever cause I can't draw better than my 7-year-old son lol.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #63 on: October 11, 2017, 05:52:42 pm »
Thanks for fixing your pictures - I love this cab, and I think this thread is one of the important references on this forum for how to design around a 16:9 LCD panel right.

Good luck on getting back to this soon.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #64 on: November 19, 2017, 01:02:34 pm »
I just stumbled upon this project, and wow what you've shown so far is excellent, especially your graphic design and layout of the control panel! I hope to see future updates on this great cab to be.
I built a Star Wars themed arcade cabinet
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,147851.0.html

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #65 on: November 24, 2017, 02:15:09 pm »
I just stumbled upon this project, and wow what you've shown so far is excellent, especially your graphic design and layout of the control panel! I hope to see future updates on this great cab to be.

Thanks Niel! I'm looking forward to your build progress, too. I'm always a sucker for Star Wars :)

krangbrain

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #66 on: November 24, 2017, 02:55:13 pm »
Ok, finally update time. Here's a couple versions of what I have for my side art so far. They're pretty much the same save the logo in one of them. I know, most cabinets don't have their logos on the side, but I thought it might need something up top so the art wasn't so bottom heavy with the death star and x-wing.  You'll notice that I drew heavily on some of my favorite cabinets, particularly the original Star Wars stand-up (I straight up ripped off the aura around the death star, and the outline/surround is very similar), Xevious, and even Echo Base by DrChek. I wanted to add something to the Logo like "classic arcade machine" or something like that, I just haven't thought of a way to do it tastefully that would flow with the scene. The "swoosh" or trail of the top x-wing might look a little too plain. I thought of adding a colored gradient to the white, but I don't have any gradients elsewhere, and the late 70s and 80s cabs didn't use them to my knowledge. I also debated using the puke green/yellow on the x-wings, but in the end I included it to add a little color. I don't want it to feel too muted with grays and black. I also thought of adding flames or something to the bottom x-wing's thrusters, but nothing I came up with looked good to me. I just thought, "The Xevious artwork doesn't have that, so why should mine?" lol. Everything was done in Inkscape. So what do you guys think? What looks good/what should I change? Thanks for looking!




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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #67 on: November 24, 2017, 03:09:44 pm »
I just stumbled upon this project, and wow what you've shown so far is excellent, especially your graphic design and layout of the control panel! I hope to see future updates on this great cab to be.

Thanks Niel! I'm looking forward to your build progress, too. I'm always a sucker for Star Wars :)

Thanks, actually my cabinet is finished  :) Check my signature link if you'd like to take a look.

Great side art graphics! Really has that old school arcade vibe going on and great throwback to the original Star Wars cab below, but still with it's own identity, very nice. I like it with the logo included best, but without looks great as well.


« Last Edit: November 24, 2017, 03:13:48 pm by Niels Arcade »
I built a Star Wars themed arcade cabinet
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,147851.0.html

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #68 on: November 24, 2017, 03:09:52 pm »
I like it with the logo. Awesome work!

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #69 on: November 24, 2017, 03:12:54 pm »
Ok, finally update time. Here's a couple versions of what I have for my side art so far. They're pretty much the same save the logo in one of them. I know, most cabinets don't have their logos on the side, but I thought it might need something up top so the art wasn't so bottom heavy with the death star and x-wing.  You'll notice that I drew heavily on some of my favorite cabinets, particularly the original Star Wars stand-up (I straight up ripped off the aura around the death star, and the outline/surround is very similar), Xevious, and even Echo Base by DrChek. I wanted to add something to the Logo like "classic arcade machine" or something like that, I just haven't thought of a way to do it tastefully that would flow with the scene. The "swoosh" or trail of the top x-wing might look a little too plain. I thought of adding a colored gradient to the white, but I don't have any gradients elsewhere, and the late 70s and 80s cabs didn't use them to my knowledge. I also debated using the puke green/yellow on the x-wings, but in the end I included it to add a little color. I don't want it to feel too muted with grays and black. I also thought of adding flames or something to the bottom x-wing's thrusters, but nothing I came up with looked good to me. I just thought, "The Xevious artwork doesn't have that, so why should mine?" lol. Everything was done in Inkscape. So what do you guys think? What looks good/what should I change? Thanks for looking!




Only thing you might want to do is change the lasers on the X-wing as they are suppose to be green.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #70 on: November 24, 2017, 03:22:47 pm »

Thanks, actually my cabinet is finished  :) Check my signature link if you'd like to take a look.

Great side art graphics! Really has that old school arcade vibe going on and great throwback to the original Star Wars cab below, but still with it's own identity, very nice. I like it with the logo included best, but without looks great as well.


I don't know why, but in my mind you had yet to install the side art. lol. Your cabinet looks fantastic.

Thanks for the kind words!

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #71 on: November 24, 2017, 03:33:31 pm »
Only thing you might want to do is change the lasers on the X-wing as they are suppose to be green.

[/quote]

I totally thought that, too, before this project. Actually, the tie fighters (and rest of the empire vehicles if I remember) have green lasers. The rebels' vehicles have red. It's weird that they would reverse the colors like that since the lightsabers are the opposite.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #72 on: November 24, 2017, 03:44:04 pm »
Only thing you might want to do is change the lasers on the X-wing as they are suppose to be green.


I totally thought that, too, before this project. Actually, the tie fighters (and rest of the empire vehicles if I remember) have green lasers. The rebels' vehicles have red. It's weird that they would reverse the colors like that since the lightsabers are the opposite.
[/quote]I stand corrected. Me being a big SW geek I totally forgot the empire lasers were green. Good catch!

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #73 on: November 24, 2017, 05:07:21 pm »
Looking really good! I honestly think you can go either or on the art, but would lean towards with logo, if I had to choose. I'll be posting an updated picture of the art for my cab soon, also drawing inspiration from the Echo Base cab and other classics. Just curious could you take a close up picture of the piano hinge from the outside of the CP ? I'll probably be using one as well, but want to see how visible the hinge is from the outside. Keep up the excellent work. :applaud:
« Last Edit: November 24, 2017, 05:10:31 pm by brucelee00 »

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #74 on: November 24, 2017, 05:44:33 pm »
Looking really good! I honestly think you can go either or on the art, but would lean towards with logo, if I had to choose. I'll be posting an updated picture of the art for my cab soon, also drawing inspiration from the Echo Base cab and other classics. Just curious could you take a close up picture of the piano hinge from the outside of the CP ? I'll probably be using one as well, but want to see how visible the hinge is from the outside. Keep up the excellent work. :applaud:

Thanks, man! I’ll have to keep an eye on your build! I’ll tey to take a pic of the piano hinge today. Gotta move some boxes waiting for Christmas haha

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #75 on: November 24, 2017, 06:49:26 pm »
If it were me I'd 86 the logo, doesn't feel right to me.

Smh at green lasers... c'mon man everybody knows xwing lasers are red.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #76 on: November 24, 2017, 06:51:09 pm »
If it were me I'd 86 the logo, doesn't feel right to me.

Smh at green lasers... c'mon man everybody knows xwing lasers are red.
Hahahaha yeah man I manage a retail store so got crazy here and my mind is all jummbled

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #77 on: November 24, 2017, 07:06:49 pm »
If it were me I'd 86 the logo, doesn't feel right to me.

Smh at green lasers... c'mon man everybody knows xwing lasers are red.
Hahahaha yeah man I manage a retail store so got crazy here and my mind is all jummbled

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #78 on: November 24, 2017, 10:34:30 pm »
I think that sideart is perfect without the logo. It doesn't need a logo to balance it out, the design carries the eye up the side of the panel just fine and the logo gets in the way IMO.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #79 on: November 24, 2017, 10:35:09 pm »
Looking really good! I honestly think you can go either or on the art, but would lean towards with logo, if I had to choose. I'll be posting an updated picture of the art for my cab soon, also drawing inspiration from the Echo Base cab and other classics. Just curious could you take a close up picture of the piano hinge from the outside of the CP ? I'll probably be using one as well, but want to see how visible the hinge is from the outside. Keep up the excellent work. :applaud:

Here's a picture from the outside. You can see it if you bend down or from afar, but not when standing close to it. It's pretty well hidden painted black, but I don't mind if hardware shows a bit as long as it doesn't stand out like a sore thumb. Of course, you can make adjustments during installation to show less or more of it as you prefer.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #80 on: November 24, 2017, 10:54:47 pm »
Great Cabinet and Design - I like all of the details!

I'm 95% done designing mine - in fact - I just got my CP mock up working this evening so I can decide on the layout and test it with the monitor at the right height and angle.  There are a few items on your cabinet I plan on incorporating - so thanks for the inspiration.  :)

Are you going with hidden coin buttons?  or shifted ones?  or full on bending over and inserting coins?

I have the same door - but I think I'm going to do under panel (or maybe below the front edge) - coin buttons..
Looking good!
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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #81 on: November 25, 2017, 12:32:55 am »
Great Cabinet and Design - I like all of the details!

I'm 95% done designing mine - in fact - I just got my CP mock up working this evening so I can decide on the layout and test it with the monitor at the right height and angle.  There are a few items on your cabinet I plan on incorporating - so thanks for the inspiration.  :)

Are you going with hidden coin buttons?  or shifted ones?  or full on bending over and inserting coins?

I have the same door - but I think I'm going to do under panel (or maybe below the front edge) - coin buttons..
Looking good!

Thanks, and good luck with your CP design. It's one of the most important parts to get right since it's right in front of you.

I can't bring myself to install coin buttons, and nostalgia doesn't allow for them. Quarters or nothing! Although my back might disagree with me as time goes on. As a side bonus, I can give my kids a set amount of quarters and then... game over! Go outside! lol

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #82 on: November 25, 2017, 11:10:13 am »
Another vote for “without” the logo
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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #83 on: November 26, 2017, 07:22:43 am »
Love the side art work!


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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #84 on: February 18, 2018, 01:04:36 am »
Ok, gotta get this build out of hibernation and finally finish it! Here's a marquee I whipped up. I put the logo on the side like the original Star Wars movie posters. What do you think? Anything you would change? Thanks for looking  :)


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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #85 on: February 18, 2018, 06:30:14 am »
Superb marquee graphic, I like it a lot, great drawing style, nice!

Most marquees I've seen usually place the title in the center for maximum attention / focus point for your eye, but I totally understand how that would disturb the action scenery of the Tie fighters chasing the X Wing. I wonder how it looks like if you mirror the picture: the title on the left and action on the right (so the fighters flying right to left). But maybe Im just nagging here idk, bc it looks pretty awesome as is!!

Also, and this is just personal, I would change the astromechs reds to blue to like r2d2, but of course it doesnt need to be Luke's X-Wing.
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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #86 on: February 18, 2018, 11:24:52 am »
Superb marquee graphic, I like it a lot, great drawing style, nice!

Most marquees I've seen usually place the title in the center for maximum attention / focus point for your eye, but I totally understand how that would disturb the action scenery of the Tie fighters chasing the X Wing. I wonder how it looks like if you mirror the picture: the title on the left and action on the right (so the fighters flying right to left). But maybe Im just nagging here idk, bc it looks pretty awesome as is!!

Also, and this is just personal, I would change the astromechs reds to blue to like r2d2, but of course it doesnt need to be Luke's X-Wing.

Ah, how could I forget R2?! Good catch lol. Yeah, I agree about the dogfight being the main focus. I thought about putting the title in the center, but I couldn't come up with anything I liked except for slapping a tie and x-wing on either side. I don't know, maybe I should tinker with it a bit more.

Here are a few variations reflecting your suggestions. Also, I thought about taking out the border. Better? Worse? Doesn't matter?






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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #87 on: February 18, 2018, 11:58:08 am »
I like the look of no border :)  :applaud: :applaud:

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #88 on: February 18, 2018, 12:02:42 pm »
I would go for border + logo on the right.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #89 on: February 18, 2018, 12:44:01 pm »
Now that you have mirrored it I must admit I like it better originally after all (with the title on the right side).

I like your marquee either with or without the red border. Losing the border gives a slightly less cramped / more spacious feeling, but I do like how the laser shots and X-Wing pops over the red border. I also wonder how the red border would look like without the thine white out lining.
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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #90 on: February 18, 2018, 01:45:43 pm »
It's hard to choose cause I like all of them. That's probably because there just isn't that much difference between them lol. For reference, the below pic is how it will look installed. The excess black on top and bottom will be covered by the retainers.


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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #91 on: February 19, 2018, 01:23:04 am »
I like that version you posted last best, for what it's worth, but they are all good.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #92 on: February 19, 2018, 06:30:55 am »
Ditch the words "classic arcade". It is fairly obvious what it is just from looking at it.

My television doesn't say "television" on the front.
My car doesn't say "car" on the front.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #93 on: February 19, 2018, 11:44:15 am »
Ditch the words "classic arcade". It is fairly obvious what it is just from looking at it.

My television doesn't say "television" on the front.
My car doesn't say "car" on the front.

Lol, well said. I'm glad you mentioned it, cause I think I agree with you.


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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #94 on: February 19, 2018, 11:53:07 am »
Much better. :cheers:

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #95 on: February 19, 2018, 01:09:12 pm »
1. The red border looks too wide.

2. Do you want both red and white strokes around the text or would it look better with just the white?


Scott

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #96 on: February 19, 2018, 01:41:58 pm »
1. The red border looks too wide.

2. Do you want both red and white strokes around the text or would it look better with just the white?


Scott

Thinner border without red in title:



In this one the border is the same size but I thinned out the red. Took out the red from the title, too.



I think the title without the red looks good, and between the two here I like the second.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #97 on: February 19, 2018, 02:24:58 pm »
Text looks great.   :cheers:

The width of the red part of the border looks good, but the red on black on white border is stll the same width as the original border.

You may want to reduce the width of the black and white so the red to black to white border width proportions are more like the original.


Scott
« Last Edit: February 19, 2018, 02:34:24 pm by PL1 »

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #98 on: February 19, 2018, 03:30:40 pm »
Is it playable yet? They never get finished once they're playable.

Very nice build, looking good.  :cheers:
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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #99 on: February 19, 2018, 04:17:23 pm »
Text looks great.   :cheers:

The width of the red part of the border looks good, but the red on black on white border is stll the same width as the original border.

You may want to reduce the width of the black and white so the red to black to white border width proportions are more like the original.


Scott

I like the text without the red, too. Thanks for the suggestion! It's nice to have extra sets of eyes. After looking at this thing a million times it's hard to decide if changes that I make are "better" or just different lol. I reduced the whole border in the first of the 2 pics I posted above, but I think only by like 80%. Here's the border at 50% thickness of the original.


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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #100 on: February 19, 2018, 04:27:22 pm »
Is it playable yet? They never get finished once they're playable.

Very nice build, looking good.  :cheers:

Thanks!

Ha, it was playable, but I've put it out of commission because I didn't want my kids beating on it before it was done. At last I'm on the final stretch with this build :)

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #101 on: February 19, 2018, 04:53:48 pm »
Looks like you're headed in a good direction.    :cheers:

Since the latest is 50% of original border width, you might want to try 20%, 30%, or 40%.

A little bit of red goes a long way on that dark backround and you want the viewer's attention drawn to the ships, lasers, and text instead of the border, right?


Scott
P.S. White or yelow/gold for the text outline?
« Last Edit: February 19, 2018, 04:58:33 pm by PL1 »

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #102 on: February 19, 2018, 07:03:22 pm »
Looks like you're headed in a good direction.    :cheers:

Since the latest is 50% of original border width, you might want to try 20%, 30%, or 40%.

A little bit of red goes a long way on that dark backround and you want the viewer's attention drawn to the ships, lasers, and text instead of the border, right?

Here's the border at 40%. Any smaller than that and it looks like a solid red line, which is what I was trying to avoid with the black and white. I may as well change the design of the border altogether or change the color, which I am open to btw. I agree with you, the red does stand out, and I don't want it to have too much of a presence as to distract from the rest of the marquee.


P.S. White or yelow/gold for the text outline?

You mean in place of the white or surrounding it?

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #103 on: February 19, 2018, 08:02:34 pm »
You mean in place of the white or surrounding it?
In place of.

There's already quite a bit of white from the stars, Death Star backlight, X-wing, and "swoop".


Scott


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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #104 on: February 21, 2018, 02:26:03 pm »
1. The red border looks too wide.

2. Do you want both red and white strokes around the text or would it look better with just the white?


Scott

Thinner border without red in title:



In this one the border is the same size but I thinned out the red. Took out the red from the title, too.



I think the title without the red looks good, and between the two here I like the second.
I like the second one of these. In the last ones the border is too thin to my taste.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #105 on: February 21, 2018, 08:09:11 pm »
In the end I've decided to keep the red border, but I did thin it 80% from the original one. I really appreciate the suggestions from everyone.  I've sent this file as well as the side art over to Brad for printing. Looking forward to getting it installed!


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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #106 on: February 21, 2018, 08:25:23 pm »
Text looks great.   :cheers:

The width of the red part of the border looks good, but the red on black on white border is stll the same width as the original border.

You may want to reduce the width of the black and white so the red to black to white border width proportions are more like the original.


Scott

I like the text without the red, too. Thanks for the suggestion! It's nice to have extra sets of eyes. After looking at this thing a million times it's hard to decide if changes that I make are "better" or just different lol. I reduced the whole border in the first of the 2 pics I posted above, but I think only by like 80%. Here's the border at 50% thickness of the original.



Bingo! You’re almost there!
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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #107 on: February 21, 2018, 08:38:48 pm »
Why would the XWing fly into the TieFighter’s line of fire? Seems kinda strange making that turn into the laser shot path...

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #108 on: February 21, 2018, 10:48:14 pm »
Why would the XWing fly into the TieFighter’s line of fire? Seems kinda strange making that turn into the laser shot path...

Good question. I guess Luke was a little reckless his first time around.  ;D

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #109 on: February 22, 2018, 08:22:36 am »
Somewhat related question - are you doing the graphics yourself?  What software are you using?
I'm having someone do mine since I have zero artistic ability..  but at the same time.. I like DIY..

and - you special ordered your marquee brackets - are they custom angles?  I have one at 90 deg (easy)  one at 110 Deg (less easy)
Have not found a way to do the 110 yet.  Can you point to a vendor?

Looking great!
« Last Edit: February 22, 2018, 02:55:33 pm by bperkins01 »
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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #110 on: February 22, 2018, 05:43:28 pm »
Somewhat related question - are you doing the graphics yourself?  What software are you using?
I'm having someone do mine since I have zero artistic ability..  but at the same time.. I like DIY..

and - you special ordered your marquee brackets - are they custom angles?  I have one at 90 deg (easy)  one at 110 Deg (less easy)
Have not found a way to do the 110 yet.  Can you point to a vendor?

Looking great!

Yes, I did the graphics myself which is why it took so long to complete. This was my first time trying to create artwork like this so there was a significant learning curve, but I'm happy I did even if it's not quite as good as what it could have been if I hired a professional. Everything was created using Inkscape. I'm sure Illustrator would have been better/easier, but I didn't want to spend money on a program that would likely only be used for this one project (my next project will probably be a TMNT restoration - don't tell my wife), and to be honest, Inkscape seemed to do the job just fine.

Ah, the annoying brackets. It was a challenge to get those things. I needed 1 bent at 118 degrees and another like 78 degrees or something. After looking around town quite a bit I found just ONE metal shop that would make them to my specs out of steel. They did not turn out well. They twisted from the bending process and just weren't passable. The shop refunded me the labor cost but not for the sheet of 16ga steel. It was cheep, like $15, so I didn't complain. It was worth the attempt cause the only other option I had found at the time was online retailers who bend custom angles. The cost to go with them would have been upwards of $100 for just the two brackets! Finally, I found this guy on eBay (looks like he's no longer selling) who made them for me out of aluminum. He messed up the first set, but replaced them and they turned out ok. Sorry I can't be more help in this area. If anyone else knows a guy that can make these types of custom brackets out of steel like on original machines without charging an arm and a leg, looks looks like he's got 2 customers already.

Thanks for checking out my build, bperkins01. I check your build thread regularly. It's coming along very nicely!

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #111 on: February 23, 2018, 07:48:49 am »
Thanks for the info - I'll look into Inkscape. 

I planned to laminate the inside edges on my cabinet too..  Glad to see it works :)  I blew up a sheet of laminate last night cutting it..grrrrr.. 
Super impact resistance - tears just like paper.  I plan to have an update on that this weekend. 
I may have a good plan B for the brackets.. 

Keep up the good work!

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #112 on: February 27, 2018, 12:05:12 pm »
Yes, I did the graphics myself which is why it took so long to complete. This was my first time trying to create artwork like this so there was a significant learning curve, but I'm happy I did even if it's not quite as good as what it could have been if I hired a professional. Everything was created using Inkscape. I'm sure Illustrator would have been better/easier, but I didn't want to spend money on a program that would likely only be used for this one project (my next project will probably be a TMNT restoration - don't tell my wife), and to be honest, Inkscape seemed to do the job just fine.
 

I figured you were an artist by trade, that’s pretty amazing.  Were you using existing images as a guide (like tracing), or did you do it all freehand?  The detail on the death star and the x-wing is impressive.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #113 on: February 27, 2018, 07:10:10 pm »
I figured you were an artist by trade, that’s pretty amazing.  Were you using existing images as a guide (like tracing), or did you do it all freehand?  The detail on the death star and the x-wing is impressive.


Hey Arroyo, thanks for the compliment! I traced the x-wings and tie fighters from pictures I found from a 3D model site. Can't find the exact pictures right now but it's like this one here. For the death star I rendered a wire sphere in Inkscape and used that to draw it while referencing LOTS of pictures from drawings, movie clips, comic books, etc. At first I attempted to draw the x-wing freehand but nothing I created looked right. I'm more resourceful than artistic lol.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #114 on: April 11, 2018, 01:10:34 am »
Hey guys, I'm back with another update. I'm excited but also sad to finally be nearing completion of this thing; I feel like I won't know what to do with myself during my spare time when this is over!

With the artwork in I got to preparing the marquee area. I hadn't closed it off or covered the speakers yet, but I didn't want any light to shine through the speaker grills. My problem was that with the TV extending all the way to the top of the inner cabinet (you'll be able to see this in pictures below) there is no room to access the speakers from behind in case they needed attention. In addition, I wanted an enclosed box to diffuse and reflect the light behind the marquee so that it would light up evenly. So, I bought some foil tape and rubber foam weather stripping:



Next, with 1/8" MDF I measured and cut out a piece that would work as the back to the marquee box. I scribed the corners to accommodate for the batons. Then I covered the piece with foil tape:



I then took the weather stripping and created a barrier outlining the posterior portion of the marquee area to which the back piece could abut, and covered the sides, top, and bottom with foil tape:






Gravity holds the board in place as it leans toward the back of the cabinet. The weather stripping is soft enough so that there aren't any cracks for light to sneak through while also eliminating the possibility of the board vibrating from sound. It's easily removable in case I have to work on the speakers. Problem solved!

I bought some LED tape and followed as a guide for installing it. I like how the LED tape kit comes with a dimmer so that the brightness can be adjusted to my liking.

Here's how it looked at that point:



Now that the marquee box was finished there was another dilemma: light bleeding out of the sides of the marquee. I read that others have used the same foam weather stripping shown above, so I bought the thinnest I could find (3/16" thick) and gave it a try. It worked very well, but I wasn't satisfied with it because it created shadow lines on either side of the lit marquee that were each 3/16" thick. I needed something thinner, but not too thin, so I tried some of this foam mounting tape I had laying around.



I laid out a strip on wax paper, cut strips about 1/4" wide, and carefully adhered them to the sides of the cabinet just behind where the marquee sits. Here's a pic showing that.



I removed the red backing prior to placing the marquee. The color of the tape is grey. I thought it might be too thin, but it worked perfectly! No shadows, no light bleed.

Finally, to ensure the marquee was centered vertically I held it in position and marked the panel just below it with a pencil. Then with that line as a guide I took a staple gun and drove staples on both sides of the lower panel for the marquee to rest on. I made sure that the staples didn't stick out beyond the thickness of the marquee.

Here's one side with a staple:



The marquee resting on the staple:



With the marquee sitting in place on the staples it was easy to position the marquee retainers and use a Vix-bit (celf-centering bit) to predrill holes for them. I then fastened them down with screws that were spray-painted black.

Here's the completed marquee!



Oh, I almost forgot. The marquee was reverse printed by Lucian045. I purchased 3/16" Plexiglass from a local glass shop and followed to adhere the "stickers." It was a little more difficult than I anticipated but it turned out great!

Next up: side art installation.



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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #115 on: April 11, 2018, 01:40:07 am »
Looking great.   :applaud:

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #116 on: April 11, 2018, 08:04:17 am »
Very nice!  I like the speaker grills too   :applaud:
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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #117 on: April 11, 2018, 08:16:12 am »
I love this cabinet, especially the artwork. Great job!!

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #118 on: April 20, 2018, 10:45:55 am »
And you, young krangbrain. We will watch your career with great interest.
« Last Edit: April 20, 2018, 10:50:37 am by bogaboy »

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #119 on: April 25, 2018, 12:27:26 am »
This project is awesome! Can't wait to see it all finished!!!

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #120 on: April 25, 2018, 10:26:08 am »
I agree with everyone else. Awesome project.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #121 on: April 25, 2018, 10:28:24 am »
You've inspired me to learn how to use Inkscape - Now to make the time... 
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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #122 on: April 25, 2018, 12:11:57 pm »
Wow - incredible.  You have really good workworking (and other) skills.  Love this cab.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #123 on: April 26, 2018, 09:11:51 pm »
Wow - incredible.  You have really good workworking (and other) skills.  Love this cab.

Dude, Where have you been?! I’ve wondered how your basement remodel went. Post an update.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #124 on: April 27, 2018, 09:48:07 am »
Wow - incredible.  You have really good workworking (and other) skills.  Love this cab.

Dude, Where have you been?! I’ve wondered how your basement remodel went. Post an update.

Haha - my house addition and basement renovation literally took years and almost all of my free time.  Kids are growing up and in a million activities.  Life gets in the way I guess.  Been getting the bug to build another cab even though I don't have any room!  The hope is that going forward I'll have some time for hobbies and stuff... but probably not  ;D

I'll see if I can find that old old old thread I started and post some pics of the final basement.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #125 on: April 27, 2018, 06:15:48 pm »
Hey guys, thanks for the kind words. If there’s anything I’ve learned from this project it’s that with enough determination and effort you can build a nice cabinet to be proud of no matter your baseline skill set. The support offered on this forum is very encouraging; I hope that this project can help continue that trend.

I should have an update very shortly! Work, jury duty, and other things have sidelined leisure activities to a degree, but I have been working on the frontend and other computer related things behind the scenes.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #126 on: May 19, 2018, 05:27:44 pm »
Back with the final major update for this build! So shortly after finishing the marquee I started with what was one of the most satisfying steps: installing the side art. Part of the reason why it took so long to get to this is that I made a crucial error in inputting my measurements when creating the artwork dimensions. One of the corners was 1” off, which affected the slant of the border that lined the monitor opening. Consequently I had to reorder both sides from Brad. It was painful, and…well, my wife wasn’t happy ($$$). But I’m dedicated to publish the reality of this process so I didn’t want to hide anything; hopefully others can learn from mistakes like this lol. Now if you’ll kindly gloss over that small detail let’s get to the meat and potatoes of this post  :). I’m sad to say that I was too nervous to take pictures during installation of the side art. My only willing “helper” is 5 years old, so with it being a one man install and learning during my first attempt at this I was too worried I would mess something up. I know, it would have added to the entertainment factor of this thread, so I’m sorry for that  :'(. The material that Brad (known as Lucian045 around here) uses for his prints is very user friendly. There were a few times I had a bubble that I thought would cause a problem, but they smoothed out perfectly with just a few passes with the squeegee.

Once the side art was on I installed the t-molding. I ordered samples from t-molding.com and settled on gray. I started with the bottom of the cabinet and worked my way around with a rubber mallet covered with a cotton towel (not shown in the picture below) so that I didn’t mar the plastic. The stuff is pretty soft and scratches even with a rubber mallet. Here’s a picture of getting that started:



The thickness of the sides with the side art and laminate doesn’t quite add up to ¾” like the t-molding, so when I cut the t-molding slot last year I made sure that I positioned the cut so that the extra width of the t-molding would hang over the outside face of the panel. This would make it easy for me to trim just one side rather than two. To trim it flush I needed a blade that wasn’t beveled on one side, like a chisel. I didn’t have a sharpened chisel handy, so I removed the blade from a 3” block plane to lay flat on the face of the side panel while I slid it along the edge to cut the t-molding. I used painter’s tape to protect the artwork. Here’s a couple pictures of that process:





The painter’s tape worked great and I was able to use and reuse the same strips just moving them as I went.

After trimming was done, the cabinet was pretty much finished!  :droid Here are some pictures of the Star Wars cabinet in all its glory  :D:



CP:


Coin door panel:


Side


Side art:






Some close-ups:






Rear:





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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #127 on: May 19, 2018, 08:10:53 pm »
Your cab is beautiful, Krangbrain!

Sent from my SM-J320R4 using Tapatalk


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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #128 on: May 19, 2018, 08:26:23 pm »
Very pretty, fantastic job!

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #129 on: May 19, 2018, 08:52:10 pm »
That turned out great.   :cheers:

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #130 on: May 19, 2018, 09:38:54 pm »
Holy sexy!

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #131 on: May 19, 2018, 10:19:47 pm »
WOW.   :cheers:

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #132 on: May 20, 2018, 02:28:31 am »
I freakin love this thing.  Outstanding job.

This would be my UCA nominee, if UCAs were still a thing.  You did good.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #133 on: May 20, 2018, 07:03:53 am »
Stunning work and inspiring!   Great job all around and on the artwork. Truly nice stuff!
We may need to see some action shots too! 
 :applaud:
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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #134 on: May 20, 2018, 09:21:08 am »
Stunning work and inspiring!   Great job all around and on the artwork. Truly nice stuff!
We may need to see some action shots too! 
 :applaud:

yeah - definitely need to see a video of this thing booting up, the front end, the insides, etc. 

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #135 on: May 20, 2018, 11:20:02 am »
Thanks so much for the compliments, guys! It's been said countless times on these forums, what's most important it making something that you yourself will love, but it's nice to hear others approve as well.  :)

Stunning work and inspiring!   Great job all around and on the artwork. Truly nice stuff!
We may need to see some action shots too! 
 :applaud:

yeah - definitely need to see a video of this thing booting up, the front end, the insides, etc. 

I'll definitely get some action shots up! I'm still tidying up the inside. Originally I just plopped the computer right in the cab, but I'm either going to disassemble it and mount the components (which I'm leery of for cooling purposes), or create a mount for the computer tower like bperkins01 did with his Lakeside Arcade project.

I've got Launchbox going as the front end. I haven't customized it with a Star Wars theme yet... gotta come up with something good... (any ideas?)

Also, I have to have a serial plate for this. I haven't looked but I imagine I can find a template for this on these forums or online.

Now that I think about it, I guess I misspoke when I said this build is "pretty much finished." lol
« Last Edit: May 23, 2018, 05:14:55 pm by krangbrain »

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #136 on: May 20, 2018, 12:59:33 pm »
Also, I have to have a serial plate for this. I haven't looked but I imagine I can find a template for this on these forums or online.
A quick search turned up this page.

http://www.720zone.com/Star-Wars.html

The SW cab used Atari serial and patent number stickers . . .



. . . and a third sticker.



You can order the first two from this KLOV thread.

If you find/make a template to go the DIY route, CoryBee has a good tutorial on making serial plates here.


Scott

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #137 on: May 20, 2018, 01:16:05 pm »
I really like the artwork on this cab.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #138 on: May 20, 2018, 04:19:03 pm »
Refreshing to see a completed cab around here... lol

In all seriousness that is one stunning job. Well done!
Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin to slit throats.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #139 on: May 20, 2018, 04:35:24 pm »
Easily the best build of past two years (and probably the next two, as well )
***Build what you dig, bro. Build what you dig.***

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #140 on: May 20, 2018, 07:03:03 pm »
Out of curiosity,which Star Wars game do you play on this cab?
It is a work of serious wonder. I love the side art,the bold outer edges didnt follow the CP or marquee protrusion,but the x wing did.Beautiful.I might have missed it in the long thread,but is vaders tie fighter anywhere?the one that gets a near miss on the lower side would have been a great place.
 Absolutely love your work.
« Last Edit: May 20, 2018, 07:16:09 pm by lomoverde »

krangbrain

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #141 on: May 20, 2018, 07:09:40 pm »
Also, I have to have a serial plate for this. I haven't looked but I imagine I can find a template for this on these forums or online.
A quick search turned up this page.

http://www.720zone.com/Star-Wars.html

The SW cab used Atari serial and patent number stickers . . .



. . . and a third sticker.



You can order the first two from this KLOV thread.

If you find/make a template to go the DIY route, CoryBee has a good tutorial on making serial plates here.


Scott

Thanks Scott. I'm thinking of going the DIY route. It would be nice if I could find a template of the Atari "Amusement Machine" plate and make one of those. I'll have to do some looking online. I'd like to avoid making it from scratch if I can.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #142 on: May 20, 2018, 07:23:13 pm »
Out of curiosity,which Star Wars game do you play on this cab?
It is a work of serious wonder.

lol a fair question. I find the original 1983 SW, 1985 ESB, SW Arcade and SW Trilogy Arcade games fun to play with the trackball. (I know, I speak heresy here.) I also enjoy playing the SW games that came out on SNES.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #143 on: May 20, 2018, 07:30:11 pm »
Mate,you should be proud of what youve produced.
 Till my dying day i will never forget a friend of mine,he was quite a fast runner and got to the arcade before me most lunch times,when we´d left school,at tech college in southport.after getting in the seat and getting comfy as we all did before inserting coin he cried out.What chance do we stand against the empire with these slippery assed seats.
Even perfect wasent perfect.
« Last Edit: May 20, 2018, 07:32:05 pm by lomoverde »

krangbrain

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #144 on: May 20, 2018, 07:31:36 pm »
Out of curiosity,which Star Wars game do you play on this cab?
It is a work of serious wonder. I love the side art,the bold outer edges didnt follow the CP or marquee protrusion,but the x wing did.Beautiful.I might have missed it in the long thread,but is vaders tie fighter anywhere?the one that gets a near miss on the lower side would have been a great place.
 Absolutely love your work.

No, I didn't include Vader's TIE in the artwork. I thought about it, but decided against it for a few reasons, but mainly because of the time it would have taken. I don't regret it now, and hopefully I won't in the future. Thanks for the kind words!

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #145 on: May 20, 2018, 07:32:58 pm »
Also, I have to have a serial plate for this. I haven't looked but I imagine I can find a template for this on these forums or online.
A quick search turned up this page.

http://www.720zone.com/Star-Wars.html

The SW cab used Atari serial and patent number stickers . . .



. . . and a third sticker.



You can order the first two from this KLOV thread.

If you find/make a template to go the DIY route, CoryBee has a good tutorial on making serial plates here.


Scott

Thanks Scott. I'm thinking of going the DIY route. It would be nice if I could find a template of the Atari "Amusement Machine" plate and make one of those. I'll have to do some looking online. I'd like to avoid making it from scratch if I can.

PM me, I might have what you’re looking for.
***Build what you dig, bro. Build what you dig.***

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #146 on: May 20, 2018, 07:42:51 pm »
PM me, I might have what you’re looking for.

PM sent, thanks Yotsuya.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #147 on: May 25, 2018, 11:41:23 am »
Special thanks to Yotsuya for hooking it up with the Atari serial plate. I modified it to suit my cabinet's theme. Should I have kept the Atari logo? I went back and forth on this cause the only thing "Atari" on this cab is the profile. Well, and Atari produced the original SW game, too.


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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #148 on: May 25, 2018, 11:43:10 am »
I'm Jealous...
where is the serial plate store  :)
My Arcade Cabinet Build and other projects here:
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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #149 on: May 25, 2018, 12:52:08 pm »

Is that 3 Amp rating correct for your entire cab?   :dizzy:

Seems rather low . . . unless you're going to use a RasPi.  jk   :P   >:D


Scott

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #150 on: May 25, 2018, 03:59:27 pm »

Is that 3 Amp rating correct for your entire cab?   :dizzy:

Seems rather low . . . unless you're going to use a RasPi.  jk   :P   >:D


Scott

Lol! Yeah, I should change that.  :lol I imagine 15 is more realistic since that's what was put on other diy plates. TBH I'm clueless when it comes to this part of the build.  :-[

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #151 on: May 25, 2018, 11:07:14 pm »
3 might be right - you're not running a CRT.  If I remember right, I measured Mimic at 2.3A with two LCDs in it.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #152 on: May 26, 2018, 01:51:35 am »
I imagine 15 is more realistic since that's what was put on other diy plates. TBH I'm clueless when it comes to this part of the build.  :-[
15 Amps * 120 Volts = 1800 Watts.   :o

Definitely over the top.

If you can make a list of everything that draws current in your cab and whatever Watts/Voltage/Amps/part number/manufacturer info you have for those items, I'll help you calculate a reasonably correct value.


Scott

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #153 on: May 26, 2018, 05:54:37 am »
   I would say add all the fuse values together and add 20% as a safety margin, However after seeing that 3 Jenn would be curious if it even had any or are they correct values....Btw nice build,  ;D
« Last Edit: May 26, 2018, 05:59:10 am by jennifer »

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #154 on: May 26, 2018, 09:30:56 am »
I imagine 15 is more realistic since that's what was put on other diy plates. TBH I'm clueless when it comes to this part of the build.  :-[
15 Amps * 120 Volts = 1800 Watts.   :o

Definitely over the top.

If you can make a list of everything that draws current in your cab and whatever Watts/Voltage/Amps/part number/manufacturer info you have for those items, I'll help you calculate a reasonably correct value.


Scott

+1  - get all the wattage together and you will be real close.. 
My Arcade Cabinet Build and other projects here:
Centipede, Joust, Joust Cocktail, Asteroids, Galaga, Ms. Pacman Cabaret, Defender, Space Invaders Cocktail
https://bperkins.wordpress.com/

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #155 on: May 26, 2018, 11:07:05 am »
Thanks for the help everyone. Here's the info that I could gather for everything plugged in:

Dell XPS 435 MT:
Wattage: 475
Voltage: 100-240 VAC. 50-60 Hz, 10.0 A

Marquee LEDs:
Input: 100-240V~50/60 Hz 0.8A
Output: 12V, 2000mA

Speakers:
Input: 120VAC, 60Hz, 28W
Output: 12VDC, 1.5A

TV:
Input: 120V ~ 1.0A, 60Hz

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #156 on: May 26, 2018, 11:37:43 am »
Here you go.   ;D

  475 W for the computer
    96 W for the marquee LEDs (120V * 0.8A)
    28 W for the speakers
+120 W for the TV (120V * 1A)
---------
  719 W total

Wattage formula: W = V * A
Divide both sides by V: W / V = A

719W / 120V = 6A

You can bump that up to 6.6A if you want to allow an additional 10% current surge when you first apply power.   :cheers:


Scott

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #157 on: May 26, 2018, 12:38:36 pm »
Wow, way cool of you to do that, Scott! Thank you! :notworthy:  :)  And thanks for breaking it down for me. That'll come in handy for the next build.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #158 on: May 26, 2018, 06:53:51 pm »
Most excellent job!

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #159 on: June 01, 2018, 09:33:10 am »
This thing oozes class and craftsmanship. What an inspiration.

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Re: Star Wars Themed Upright Cabinet
« Reply #160 on: July 13, 2018, 04:48:04 pm »
First time I've poked around here in a while, but I'm glad I came across your project. Excellent job and very nice results!