Never done this before and decided to give building a cabinet a shot. I have been slowly noodling about the garage putting a cabinet together... an Australian Lowboy style cabinet. Single Player. Vertical games only (Classics and Shmups). Pi 3 running Attract Mode on a 19" CRT TV via 240p composite. Sanwa JLF Joystick and Happ buttons... though I have considered Sanwa.
Decided if I was going to build a cab, I would build one that wasn't very common in these parts and not too huge - after all... it's my first cab! The Lowboy style fit the bill and has a cool retro look to it. It's only about 54" high, 24" wide and 24" deep... give or take. Found several sets of plans, but none were 100% complete or accurate, each had their issues. While I took a few liberties, most of what I tried to build thus far is true to the originals. As it stands now, it's completed woodworking wise, primed and waiting paint/vinyl/finishing. I have most of my parts in hand, and am working on getting the software fine tuned.
Using MDF is a bit of a chore, and really wish I had spent a little extra on ply, but it could always be worse. Took lots of time to get to this point as I had been working lots, but now it's getting to the point that it's too cold out in the garage to paint the final coats, so am wondering if this is going to have to go on the backburner until spring, or I can make something happen. Would be great to find a heated garage/shop to get into for a few days.
The tough part after (of before) finding a place to paint it is going to be deciding on an aesthetic. I was considering some tweaked arcade art and such, had posted a few attempts of varying levels of effort:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,154856.0.htmlhttp://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,155046.msg1626810.html#msg1626810 None of them are screaming to be put on this cabinet at this point. To be honest, I am considering a simpler theme than trying to reinvent the wheel, possibly just a plain cab, black and white, or maybe some fancy rosewood vinyl for the sides like traditional woodie lowboys tended to have. It will fit into a room a bit better, and the generic theme will allow me to cycle out different marquee's if my mood changes. The T-mold I have for the cabinet right now is white as the other mold I picked up at the same shop doesn't seem to fit the slot properly. Seeing Mark74's "The Invaders" cab made me realize that a) white T-mold can look cool, and b) my cab is really gonna suck compared to his
Thanks to all the members who I've corresponded with up until now who got me this far, as well as anyone else who has posted their projects to these forums, as they have provided me with heaps of inspiration.
I am open to friendly suggestions and critiques... feel free to ask any questions.