First DK Cabinet Build

[mwhitney]

Hey Rootbeer - exactly. I created all the art in illustrator and mirrored the opposite side so that the coins / text all read properly.

[rootbeer]

Hey Rootbeer - exactly. I created all the art in illustrator and mirrored the opposite side so that the coins / text all read properly.

Beautiful. That was definitely worth the effort.

[ChanceKJ]

.

[mwhitney]

Thanks guys!

[Richie_jones]

Great build..

One question you had that didn't seem to be answered...did you check your monitor to see if it will power up and autoswitch on after it's been powered down as you'll have no access to the power buttons when cab complete...

[mwhitney]

Great build..

One question you had that didn't seem to be answered...did you check your monitor to see if it will power up and autoswitch on after it's been powered down as you'll have no access to the power buttons when cab complete...

Hey Richie -
The monitor does power up with the main power switch. Hopefully this doesn't change if I leave it for a long length of time. I should probably check this again after leaving it overnight, just to be sure.

For reference, and idea what guys are using in the case where the monitor does go off? Surely someone has come across this and found a workaround...

[Richie_jones]

I've not seen it discussed much to be honest but it's something I've always needed in my builds.  Most dell screens remember there power state when the power is killed.  Not only does it need to switch back on but it needs to be on the same source obviously.
If not then your options would be to wire in a switch across the contacts on the power button or change the monitor.
I don't think the length if time matters as I've asked before how it remembers it's state but no one seems to know how they do it.  I've left my current bartop for 6+ months and it always powers back on...
For a proper test you'll need to completely remove the power cable from the rear of the cab...

[mwhitney]

Update:

The past few nights I've just been trying to sort out my wiring and get everything as neat as possible. It's been a bit tricky given that the length of some of the chords is very long, so it's either buy shorter ones, cut and mend or coil up what I have. I opted to just combine what I could in loom and keep things as direct as possible.

To date, I have all the components set to come on with the main power: marquee light, RPi, micro amp and monitor. Last night I had the sound working and played a bit of Mario - one hand holding the mock CP and the other running the joystick and buttons... not a pretty sight, but I wanted to test out the sound. The little micro-amp pumps out quite a bit of juice through that $4 speaker.

One thing I'm stumped on is how to wire up the coin door. As far as the 'add credit', I think a y-pigtail to the one of the add-credit buttons > XinMo should work, but I'm not quite there yet. What I'd like to get sorted at this point is:

A) How to wire the two coin slots, and;
B) From what to power it? I've read of guys powering to the 'Kade' or the iPac, but I can't see an additional power source from the XinMo.

What do you guys suggest for wiring and powering up this coin door (again, my skills here are limited).

Here's a few pics of where I'm at so far:

About as tidy as I could get things...



Micro amp and speaker hooked up:


Powered up:


Temporary paper marquee, backlit:


...

Here's a pic of the inside of my coin door - not sure what the best power source / wiring would be:

[thomas_surles]

Just wire the switches on the coin mech the sames as you do the buttons.

[mwhitney]

Just wire the switches on the coin mech the sames as you do the buttons.

Thanks Thomas - that part makes sense to me. Just wondering what the best way to power this up would be... run off of the XinMo somehow / Power of the RPi / use a separate power supply / splice into another power feed....

[NIVO]

get you one of these. you can use a molex splitter and a few things needed this way. Basically its point and shoot   http://www.ebay.com/itm/AC-to-12V-5-Volt-DC-Power-Supply-Adapter-with-4-Pin-Molex-Connector-Plug-Output/152529011591?_trksid=p2047675.c100012.m1985&_trkparms=aid%3D777003%26algo%3DDISCL.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D40130%26meid%3D2f45527c52d641a7bdc369259b55e1fc%26pid%3D100012%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D7%26mehot%3Dlo%26sd%3D311844547836


**not my auction nor do I know who the seller is, just an example as I purchased one from ebay as well and they do the job perfectly.

[mwhitney]

Thanks Nivo.

This looks like a good option. I actually have a ton of 5v power supplies at work, so I grabbed one and hacked the end off. There are three wires in there: red, black and white.

I bought the coin door lights would just take a pos/neg wire - can anyone steer me clear on this?

[NIVO]

heres a quick diagram i made for pc molex connector wiring. as for your adapter I cant really say, what was it from? generally if it was also a 5v power source then red would be your + and black would be your -    the white wire could serve several different functions, which one? I cant say but it could be a common ground, neutral or even something like monitoring voltage drop if it was from something like a charger. do you have a meter/polarity checker to test with?

[mwhitney]

Thanks Nivo.

I hooked up black to black on my voltmeter, and red to red and got 5V. When I checked the white, nothing.

I tested on my bulbs and they lit up, so I wired it all up last night.

One thing I notice is that the bulbs seem to be a warm amber and not as bright as I'd anticipated. I just assumed these took 5V - maybe I was expecting too much.. it just seemed to lack the 'wow' factor (or at least as much 'wow' as one might expect from coin lights ).

This is the door I bought - could it be that it needs 12V?

[NIVO]

well it doesnt "need" 12v per say, but if you were to use 12v they would be brighter for sure. Of course using 12v bulbs with a 5v power source will not harm them either as you'd be under powering them.

and yes as i suspected the white is one of two things. it is neutral or serves another function used by the item from the adapter you chose.

[mwhitney]

well it doesnt "need" 12v per say, but if you were to use 12v they would be brighter for sure. Of course using 12v bulbs with a 5v power source will not harm them either as you'd be under powering them.

and yes as i suspected the white is one of two things. it is neutral or serves another function used by the item from the adapter you chose.

I hear you. Being underpowered was more of a blow to my enthusiasm -- basically they look like a flashlight on it's way out. After the effort, I'm going to put a 12V supply on there and get some sunglasses at the ready . Good to know about the white wire. This was a plug charger for bluetooth accessories... Cheers again!

[PL1]

One thing I notice is that the bulbs seem to be a warm amber and not as bright as I'd anticipated. I just assumed these took 5V - maybe I was expecting too much.. it just seemed to lack the 'wow' factor (or at least as much 'wow' as one might expect from coin lights ).

I'm going to put a 12V supply on there and get some sunglasses at the ready .

What is the bulb number? (55, 47, 161, etc.)

If you apply 12v to the wrong type of bulb, you'll only need the sunglasses for a second or two. 


Scott

[mwhitney]

One thing I notice is that the bulbs seem to be a warm amber and not as bright as I'd anticipated. I just assumed these took 5V - maybe I was expecting too much.. it just seemed to lack the 'wow' factor (or at least as much 'wow' as one might expect from coin lights ).

I'm going to put a 12V supply on there and get some sunglasses at the ready .

What is the bulb number? (55, 47, 161, etc.)

If you apply 12v to the wrong type of bulb, you'll only need the sunglasses for a second or two. 


Scott

Hey Scott -
Twisted Quarter got back to me and confirmed these should have a 12V power supply. For interest, my bulbs read '161'. Thanks!

[PL1]

Twisted Quarter got back to me and confirmed these should have a 12V power supply. For interest, my bulbs read '161'.

161 bulbs are rated for 14 volts so they'll work well with 12v.

If they still aren't bright enough (or don't last long enough) there are ultra-bright 12v wedge-base T3-1/4 LEDs that you could use in place of the 161 bulbs.   


Scott

[mwhitney]

Twisted Quarter got back to me and confirmed these should have a 12V power supply. For interest, my bulbs read '161'.

161 bulbs are rated for 14 volts so they'll work well with 12v.

If they still aren't bright enough (or don't last long enough) there are ultra-bright 12v wedge-base T3-1/4 LEDs that you could use in place of the 161 bulbs.   


Scott

Good to know! Actually, I have a bunch of little LED bulbs from converting my trailer... I wonder if they are the right size. I'll have to check those.

[mwhitney]

Small update:

Picked up my serial number plate today in Kelowna - pretty happy with how it turned out. The guy there gave me an extra plate which was good to have in case I screwed anything up . Drilled out the corners using the reference dots I left from Illustrator and mounted it...



I have to put a spacer behind my rear lock to suck this in tighter...





Apart from picking up a 12v power supply from my buddy tomorrow and hooking that up, I'm officially at a standstill on the build until the graphics come. I'm already eying up those sweet little NES bartop builds.... thinking that would make a great gift for my buddy.

[mwhitney]

Just checked and the lot of bulbs I got from China to swap out all the analog bulbs in my trailer are T10s. I put one in the coin light but no-go. I'm thinking these just won't run on 5V. I'm guessing that tomorrow when I swap out the power supply, these T10s should work nicely.

[mwhitney]

Finally found a 12V supply. This made a huge difference and now the bulbs are running as bright as they should. The LED's kicked it up a notch as well. here you can see the difference between the LED and the analog bulb running off the 12v supply:



I think I need to customize the coin return graphic:



That's it for progress until the graphics arrive. I may make a cardboard template to shroud the monitor - these LED's throw back quite a bit of ambient light.

[PL1]

I think I need to customize the coin return graphic:

There are some pretty cool examples here on KLOV.   


Scott

[Kodaxx]

Watching this build - everything is soo meticulous! Detail is one of the things that really makes a build

[mwhitney]

Watching this build - everything is soo meticulous! Detail is one of the things that really makes a build

Thanks Kodaxx - I appreciate that. I pick my work apart, endlessly and don't really ever feel like it's done 'perfectly'. I have to learn to accept the blemishes and imperfections as being a part of the build... adding to, not taking away. Thanks for your feedback.

[mwhitney]

Hey guys!

Well, I was at a standstill until the graphics arrived last week. All in all, I'm pretty happy so far. Laying a big piece of 3M was a bit of a task and I learned a few things.

1) My surface was prepped and clean but I failed to think about wiping down the backing paper of the vinyl roll. As I peeled the paper off and put down the vinyl, there was some debris that got stuck underneath... tiny bits of grit in a few spots. Likely no-one will ever scrutinize like I will but it bugs me that I didn't think of this. Anyway, second side went down way better.

2) Get a proper application tool. I wrapped a credit card with a microfiber cloth and it worked 'okay'. A proper 3M squeegy would have been far better I think.

3) To wrap the edges or not. Side one, I just trimmed the vinyl tight. When I tapped in the T-mold, there were a few areas where the pressure pushed against the edge of the vinyl and lifted it. I had to go back and really work the edges for them to lay properly. Side 2, I thought I would wrap the edges and the T-mold would then suck it all nice and tight. However, due to the thickness of the vinyl, wrapping it and tapping the T-mold into place forced the edges to lift as well in some spots. I tried to roll these out but in some places ended up removing the T-mold, trimming as per side 1, and re-attaching. If I were to do this again, I'd just trim the vinyl to the edge of the cab, OR, not use a graphic that spanned right to the edges.

I'm pleased with the results, but it's not 100% perfect. Again - likely something only I'll notice (and now maybe you guys ).

One issue is that the graphics shop cut my bezel the wrong size, so I'm waiting for another to ship. Aside from that, I'm pleased with the quality of the graphics / application on the Lexan.

Here's a few shots to date. Once she's done completely, I'll take some 'glamour' shots in better lighting.

Laying the vinyl and sorting out positioning:



Wetting the surface with water/soap solution:



Both sides applied and put back where she's going to live:



Lighting doesn't do the marquee justice - it actually looks really good in real-life.



CP panel - I've been putting this part off as I'm a bit anxious about drilling out the plexi - just have to go at it when I have a good chunk of time. Another thing I've learned from past projects is not to put a timeframe on things, projects take about twice as long as you estimate, and do go into one phase of a project in a rush . For this part I have to set a good chunk of time aside and go slow!



The dark orange on the CP looks off against the orange face but it actually matches the dark orange on the side 'bricks' very closely. I think this variation in orange ties the color palate together well.

[ChanceKJ]

.

[Wyo]

Ok, thats pretty bad ass!

 

Yeah, this cabinet is turning out pretty beautiful.  I love the color palette and design.  Very, very clean. Looks great in that room too. 

Wife should approve, aesthetically it enhances the space.

[mwhitney]

Ok, thats pretty bad ass!

 

Yeah, this cabinet is turning out pretty beautiful.  I love the color palette and design.  Very, very clean. Looks great in that room too. 

Wife should approve, aesthetically it enhances the space.

Thanks guys! Yeah, my wife seems ok with it. I wasn't going to post anything to FB until the build was done but she gave me a shoutout when the artwork was on... I think she's warming up to the idea now.

I either need to build a big old-fashioned metal 'Arcade' sign with those cool analogue bulbs to go on the big blank wall or follow Chance's lead and build a row of arcades .  I kind of envision big metal arrow pointing to the unit with 'ARCADE' stacked vertically...

[ChanceKJ]

.

[mwhitney]

Yes! That's perfect... man for $77 bucks, I couldn't touch that as far as materials and time, plus I'd have to pick up a welder on sale at Canadian Tire.

Correction - Shipping is $65.42/ for a total of $142.84 US - still not bad.

[ChanceKJ]

.

[mwhitney]

That was just the first link i could find but this sign is all over ebay and amazon. There was a big thread on KLOV about it a few months ago.

I dug into it a bit more and found it's only 25" tall - kind of small (and battery powered). I may still hammer one out by hand in the winter...

[ChanceKJ]

.

[mwhitney]

Here, take a look at this thread of KLOV,a bunch of people picked them up and theres a few pictures of it in real life.

https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=390155

Thanks Chance - it does look good for what it is. I pictured something bigger on the wall, but this may look more to scale next to the arcade. I'll keep this one in mind, for sure.

[Wyo]

Bigger Arcade sign?

Sounds like a new scratch build to me!

make it happen!

[mwhitney]

Bigger Arcade sign?

Sounds like a new scratch build to me!

make it happen!

Ha! But not as fun as an arcade... so many games to build.

[mwhitney]

ADVICE NEEDED:

1) Print shop sent vinyl attached to plexi with holes drilled
2) Went to pop a button in to see how it would look and realize the holes are drilled to 1" instead of 1 1/8"

There must be a woodworking 'trick' to enlarge a hole with no 'centre'.

Any ideas on this?

Cheers!

[Wyo]

Try something like this bad boy.....

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Titanium-Step-Drill-Bit-Variable-Stepped-Down-Unibit-Tool-1-4-1-3-8/192665301?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=2216&adid=22222222227067103610&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=t&wl3=170932632435&wl4=pla-276260578019&wl5=9028713&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=113490081&wl11=online&wl12=192665301&wl13=&veh=sem

Get the skinnier version for your CPO bolt holes.