First cabinet build

[bieberbox]

Here's my first and hopefully not my last arcade build.

Start Date: 1/16/2017

Cabinet Name: Bieberbox

Cabinet Dimensions: 36"W x 24"D x 72"H

Cabinet Materials: 3/4 Ash Plywood

Monitor: 32" LCD from Puck Off

Computer: TBD

Desired Features:
-2 player control panel w/Tracball
-2 guns
-Player 1 + Player 2 Foot Pedals
-Working coin mech
-Jukebox feature
-Easily accessible USB slot
-Vinyl wrapped sides or metallic pearl paint w/green pin striping

Must Have Games:
-Donkey Kong
-Pac Man
-Kung Fu Master
-Centipede
-Galaxian
-Area 51
-Simpsons
-TMNT
-Time Crisis
-Police Trainer
-Mortal Kombat
-Street Fighter
-Killer Instinct
-Tekken

Below I will document my expenses so I know what I've spent. Since my goal is to build this for next to nothing I will beg, barter, and borrow whatever I can!!

Running Total: $55.00

$20.00 - Dell Optiplex Tower(not used)
$35.00 - Williams Coin Door Frame(apparently the last one in existence!!)
$14.00 - Williams .25 Coin Plate(2)


Main body of the cabinet will be constructed using blind dados and glue. All other pices of the cabinet will be installed using a pocket jig and screws to keep the look completely clean. No Wood Filler!!!!


I will post pictures of the progress, however it will be slow going as i can only work on it for about 10 hours a week.

[Richie_jones]

Nice good luck keep chugging on let us know how you get on

[jimmyfloyd]

looks good. Did you use a template for the sides, or just freehand? If Freehand, did you get measurements from anyplace?

[bieberbox]

Dimensions as far as width are based off of what I have lying around to use as a monitor, which is a 32" LCD out of "puck off" I believe, and height of the cabinet was based off of the games we have at work.

I did spend some time drawing out all the different designs I've seen on here and tried making some of my own but I ultimately based the side profile off of this cabinet http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,76150.0.html]http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,76150.0.html]http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,76150.0.html

[bieberbox]

Close ups of the blind dados for anyone who didn't know what they looked like or what they were.

Glued everything together today, next week I will install the remaining pieces of the cab and begin installing the electronics.

[luizw81]

Love the idea of using blind dados!  I'm a novice when it comes to woodworking but I plan on using them for a bookcase soon.  Might have to implement this idea on my next build.

Sent from my SM-G530R4 using Tapatalk

[wp34]

Nice work.   

[Mike A]

Dados. Nice!

[bieberbox]

Very little progress this week as I went to the ranch on my days off for some quail hunting. However I did manage to get the screen mounted and a few other pieces cut.

I figured out the best looking position for my monitor then countersunk some wood screws and glued  some poplar to the side panels for the sides of the screen support, then used my pocket hole jig to install the top and bottom pieces to the side panels.

After the screen was installed I cut the control panel and bottom panel for the marquee/speakers, then cut out a bezel for the monitor.

[bieberbox]

Managed to pick up some cool stuff today from a pinball collector. I'm gonna have to give up one of my favorite neons for this stuff but totally worth it!!


The best score was this vintage Williams coin door. Cant wait to get it cleaned up and installed.

[bieberbox]

A little "bar keepers friend, lots of wd-40, and some lithium grease and I got the door looking a lot better and all the hinges and the eject button functioning properly again.

Now I just have to order or make the coin slot plates for it and install some new lights.

[n3wt0n]

That ash plywood has some seriously cool grain to it. I love it. I imagine you are planning to paint it or cover it with side art though?
I like the use of the dados too. Looking good so far.

[wp34]

Nice job on that coin door cleanup. 

[bieberbox]

I used the ash because I happened to have two sheets laying around, I'm torn on covering it with art because I really like wood grain, however I also like the way vinyl skins look too. Decisions decisions!


The coin door was deffinetly a good score, now I just need to order some parts for it, which will end up costing me more than I've spent on everything else combined 😤, but oh well.

I also have access to an old owl eye coin door from sega I believe.


Today's project is getting one of the three pcs up and running and then get name installed on it!!

[bieberbox]

Got the computer up and running. Already had a version of name on it although I couldn't really do anything with it because all I had was a keyboard.

Specs on the computer seem good enough from me to run everything i want and maybe more. Not bad for free. Plus the computer came with a monitor so now I have a main component for my bar top whenever I start that endeavor. It's gonna be a great one!!

Also found plenty of old quarter mechs at work from when we switched them out to token mechs.

And found the parts I need for my cabinet on this stupid World Cup soccer pinball, to bad I can't just steal them from there.

[yamatetsu]

I'm torn on covering it with art because I really like wood grain, however I also like the way vinyl skins look too. Decisions decisions!

That wood grain is seriously cool. IMHO it looks much too good to cover it with paint or vinyl. Have you considered staining it? That would really make it shine. If you want to do graphics too, you could stain the sides and do the graphics on the front, something like this:



Here is the difference between not stained/stained, taken from my cab.

Before staining



after staining

[bieberbox]

That bottom pic is awesome, I really like that!!

[yamatetsu]

That's the beauty of it - the staining makes the wood grain pop and is really easy to do, much easier than painting.

[bieberbox]

Made a little more progress today, got everything fixed and in place and got the monitor bezel set up so it's bolted in from the back.

Also built out the control box, just need a piano hinge or some European hinges to get it mounted. Wanted to get the pc in there but ran out of time.

Also got the hole ruff cut for the coin door although it will need to be routed. Decided I do t like the way it looks without a frame so I'll be ordering one, the last one apparently, today.

[thomas_surles]

I'm digging this build.