Newbie Questions before I start

[obizues]

Hey everyone, I'm finally kicking off a cabinet build and I have a few questions before I actually put tool to wood.

1.) How do people make plans/printouts for the control panels?  IE: How do you make sure you are printing the size hole you want for your buttons/joystick that reflects "real life" as opposed to pixel printing.  Are there any plans that people have written up I can look at to base my panel off of that include measurements? 

I found one in boodroe's control panel post and attached it here.  It helps a lot, but how can I then print this out and make sure my printer keeps the measurements instead of resizing the image to fit the paper?  What size are the holes being cut, or is that the 1.13 and 1.5 measurements?  I will have to ask him for what unit of measure that is..

2.) What are the wood 2x2 blocks used for inside the cabinets?  Is that just to help make the cabinet more sturdy since a lot of people use thinner board for the outside?

3.) Widescreen vs 4:3 ratio... is it just a matter of taste?  For those with widescreen cabinets, do you just leave black empty display on the sides when you play old games?

4.) What am I forgetting... I'm literally going to go buy board on my way home, and I know I'm forgetting something, I just don't know what... 

[JS94]

I am new to building arcades and have more questions than answers myself.  But I will tell you that I've found good control panel templates on pinterest.  Galactic Arcade has one that I used.  I went to my local UPS store and had them print to scale.  I taped it on my board then drilled it using a 1" spade bit.  I've had to file out the hole after the paint went on b/c the buttons weren't flush on the board.  I used an arcade template from "I like to make stuff".  Once again the UPS store printed out a large template of that as well. 

The 2x2  blocks mounted to the side panels are to keep your control panel, bezel, marquee etc level.  It is also used as a way to mount these items.  For example I used 3/4" MDF so I measured 1" from the sides.  I would recommend using pieces of strong wood for the spacers.  I was inexperienced and used mdf. That stuff sucks b/c it will split if you don't use the correct screws. 

I'm not sure on the 4:3 or widescreen cabinets.  I used an older 4:3 LCD PC monitor.  I have yet to fire it up but I would imagine you could either leave it black or adjust the screen to fit the whole game. 

There are tons of smarter and more experienced people on this forum but wanted to throw in my 2 cents.  Everyone says to take your time but it's hard to do that when you really want to play.  I've rushed some things that I wish I didn't.  I'm also on a tighter budget so I've had to make adjustments.  Have fun with it.  Also I found a great site for side art, control panel art and marquees.  It's called Game on Graphix. Check it out.

[Drnick]

Hey everyone, I'm finally kicking off a cabinet build and I have a few questions before I actually put tool to wood.

1.) How do people make plans/printouts for the control panels?  IE: How do you make sure you are printing the size hole you want for your buttons/joystick that reflects "real life" as opposed to pixel printing.  Are there any plans that people have written up I can look at to base my panel off of that include measurements? 

I found one in boodroe's control panel post and attached it here.  It helps a lot, but how can I then print this out and make sure my printer keeps the measurements instead of resizing the image to fit the paper?  What size are the holes being cut, or is that the 1.13 and 1.5 measurements?  I will have to ask him for what unit of measure that is..

2.) What are the wood 2x2 blocks used for inside the cabinets?  Is that just to help make the cabinet more sturdy since a lot of people use thinner board for the outside?

3.) Widescreen vs 4:3 ratio... is it just a matter of taste?  For those with widescreen cabinets, do you just leave black empty display on the sides when you play old games?

4.) What am I forgetting... I'm literally going to go buy board on my way home, and I know I'm forgetting something, I just don't know what... 

1) http://www.slagcoin.com/joystick/layout.html has a bunch of templates for joystick and button locations,  if you save the file at the same resolution as your artwork (normally 300 DPI) you can incorporate into the art. If you just want to print and drill then open the image in microsoft paint then go to page setup and change scaling to 100%, Then when you print it out you should get a correctly sized template ready for transferring to the control panel.

2) They are indeed for sturdiness,  glueing and screwing will pretty much guarantee its all going to stay together.

3) Definitely 4:3  No old school arcade games were in wide screen (There are probably some odd exceptions where multiple monitors were used) You can install a wide screen if no other option but please do not stretch the image.

4) you are forgetting that a good pair of callipers and a tape measure are your friends. (Also ensures that what you are printing and the size you want are the same)

[obizues]

If you just want to print and drill then open the image in microsoft paint then go to page setup and change scaling to 100%, Then when you print it out you should get a correctly sized template ready for transferring to the control panel.

What if the image is too big to fit on the paper I have?  Can I make it print it in pieces so I can tape it together?

2) They are indeed for sturdiness,  glueing and screwing will pretty much guarantee its all going to stay together.

Are there specific guidelines to put them in certain places somewhere?  Or do you just eyeball them and put them on the jointed areas of MDF?

3) Definitely 4:3  No old school arcade games were in wide screen (There are probably some odd exceptions where multiple monitors were used) You can install a wide screen if no other option but please do not stretch the image.

How do people use widescreen TV's for the 4:3?  Just create a graphic that hides the extra screen or build the wood around it?

[obizues]

I went to my local UPS store and had them print to scale.

This is great advice!

The 2x2  blocks mounted to the side panels are to keep your control panel, bezel, marquee etc level.  It is also used as a way to mount these items.  For example I used 3/4" MDF so I measured 1" from the sides.  I would recommend using pieces of strong wood for the spacers.  I was inexperienced and used mdf. That stuff sucks b/c it will split if you don't use the correct screws.

Are you saying instead of the 2x2 blocks you use more MDF?  I'm not sure what "spacers" are when you reference them.

I'm not sure on the 4:3 or widescreen cabinets.  I used an older 4:3 LCD PC monitor.  I have yet to fire it up but I would imagine you could either leave it black or adjust the screen to fit the whole game.

Yeah the problem is I can't find any display bigger than a 15" monitor, and I don't want to use an old tube TV.  Is there any other alternatives you know of or can point me to?

[JDFan]

Hey everyone, I'm finally kicking off a cabinet build and I have a few questions before I actually put tool to wood.

1.) How do people make plans/printouts for the control panels?  IE: How do you make sure you are printing the size hole you want for your buttons/joystick that reflects "real life" as opposed to pixel printing.  Are there any plans that people have written up I can look at to base my panel off of that include measurements? 

Pixel printing is real life size -- figure if your artwork is 300DPI/PPI then 300 pixels would be 1 inch in real life -- so say your button hole needed is 1 1/8" you need to make the circle in your artwork  338 pixels in diameter ( 1/8" = 0.125" and 300 x 1.125 = 337.5 or 338 rounded up ) - SO using a circular brush tool with a 338 pixel diameter and left clicking in the artwork will place a 1 1/8" circle into the art.

THe control panel you linked is 72DPI as posted so if you print it actual size at 72DPI it will come out correct size if you use 150 or 300 DPI printing it will be much smaller than needed ( ie. at 72 DPI the 1.5" circle for the joystick is 81 pixels at 300 DPI 81 pixels would be .27 inches if printed at 300 DPI.) SO if you want to print the layout you posted you would want to have it printed at 72DPI or import to a image processor and change it to the DPI you are using for your artwork in order to place it in the art ( ie. if using 300 DPI for the art you would open the file you have - change that file to 300 DPI then copy/paste into your artwork file - so that it will paste proper size )

2.) What are the wood 2x2 blocks used for inside the cabinets?  Is that just to help make the cabinet more sturdy since a lot of people use thinner board for the outside?

Those are the blocks that hold things together -- You put them in place and then glue and screw the sides to them ( Note: the Glue is what binds them together the screws are merely there to hold it in place while the glue dries - the screws alone will easily pull out of the MDF material or become loose after a short time - the Glue holding the blocks and the panel together is what makes it a strong hold.)

3.) Widescreen vs 4:3 ratio... is it just a matter of taste?  For those with widescreen cabinets, do you just leave black empty display on the sides when you play old games?

Widescreen is for newer horizontal games designed for consoles ( ie. fighting games/side scrollers) - classic arcade games were designed for 4:3 so will either leave black bars or stretch and distort on widescreen settings. which to use depends on the games you will play.

[skeptic]

I am not an expert, I've only built one cabinet and I pretty much just winged it, but I'll try to answer how a fellow newbie did it.

Hey everyone, I'm finally kicking off a cabinet build and I have a few questions before I actually put tool to wood.

1.) How do people make plans/printouts for the control panels?  IE: How do you make sure you are printing the size hole you want for your buttons/joystick that reflects "real life" as opposed to pixel printing.  Are there any plans that people have written up I can look at to base my panel off of that include measurements? 

I found one in boodroe's control panel post and attached it here.  It helps a lot, but how can I then print this out and make sure my printer keeps the measurements instead of resizing the image to fit the paper?  What size are the holes being cut, or is that the 1.13 and 1.5 measurements?  I will have to ask him for what unit of measure that is..

I drew my layout directly on wood.  Of course I had sketched the basic layout on paper ahead of time, but when it came time for final layout and drilling I did all the measuring and marking on the boards.  I drilled 1 1/8" holes, that seemed to work fine.  You could always start with cardboard - I've seen others who did their prototyping that way. 

2.) What are the wood 2x2 blocks used for inside the cabinets?  Is that just to help make the cabinet more sturdy since a lot of people use thinner board for the outside?

3.) Widescreen vs 4:3 ratio... is it just a matter of taste?  For those with widescreen cabinets, do you just leave black empty display on the sides when you play old games?

Purists will tell you not only 4:3, but if it's not a CRT it's not worth doing.  Personally I'm using a widescreen LCD TV because I had an extra one, the size is good and I'm not a purist.  Yes, sides of the screen have black bars.

4.) What am I forgetting... I'm literally going to go buy board on my way home, and I know I'm forgetting something, I just don't know what... 

I built my cabinet out of 3/4" plywood held together with pocket screws.  I had planned to go back and glue the joints once I was happy everything fit correctly, but it's completely solid and no need for glue.  If you go with the typical MDF construction then you'll probably need those blocks + glue for added strength.

[obizues]

Those are the blocks that hold things together -- You put them in place and then glue and screw the sides to them ( Note: the Glue is what binds them together the screws are merely there to hold it in place while the glue dries - the screws alone will easily pull out of the MDF material or become loose after a short time - the Glue holding the blocks and the panel together is what makes it a strong hold.)

Just so I understand, you put screws in to help hold while the glue dries, and then pull them out and probably fill them with some wood filler and sand it down?  What kind of glue works best? 

Where are the best places to put those 2x2 blocks?  Is there an accepted method, or is it just where the joints are?

Widescreen is for newer horizontal games designed for consoles ( ie. fighting games/side scrollers) - classic arcade games were designed for 4:3 so will either leave black bars or stretch and distort on widescreen settings. which to use depends on the games you will play.

What do people use for display to keep 4:3?  I can't find a 4:3 monitor bigger than 15"

[obizues]

3.) Widescreen vs 4:3 ratio... is it just a matter of taste?  For those with widescreen cabinets, do you just leave black empty display on the sides when you play old games?

Purists will tell you not only 4:3, but if it's not a CRT it's not worth doing.  Personally I'm using a widescreen LCD TV because I had an extra one, the size is good and I'm not a purist.  Yes, sides of the screen have black bars.
[/quote]
Do you have a picture of what it looks like with the bars/with newer games?  I'd like to see what it looks like!  Ironically I'm going to make an LCD because the CRT I have in my basement I cannot get to the proper width, and the coil won't turn any further.  I'd likely need to replace the caps, but I don't want to kill myself doing it.

[JDFan]

Those are the blocks that hold things together -- You put them in place and then glue and screw the sides to them ( Note: the Glue is what binds them together the screws are merely there to hold it in place while the glue dries - the screws alone will easily pull out of the MDF material or become loose after a short time - the Glue holding the blocks and the panel together is what makes it a strong hold.)

Just so I understand, you put screws in to help hold while the glue dries, and then pull them out and probably fill them with some wood filler and sand it down?  What kind of glue works best? 

Where are the best places to put those 2x2 blocks?  Is there an accepted method, or is it just where the joints are?

THe blocks are glued/screwed to the side panel ( ( Usually you just leave the screws in place rather than remove them but the glue is what is actually holding it ) then once the glue dries the top panel is placed onto the blocks to position it correctly and then either glued in place (if you do not need to remove it for access) or screwed into the block or using a latch or magnet to hold it in place (The screws will hold it in place since it is also held by gravity and is supported by the glue holding the block to the side panel.

What do people use for display to keep 4:3?  I can't find a 4:3 monitor bigger than 15"

You can still find 4:3 monitors up to about 21" but over that it gets hard to find - Ive got a few 20 and 21" off lease monitors ( Hp 2065, Dell 2007FP, Samsung 214T, Dell 2001FP)  I picked up fairly cheap from Arrowdirect.com. For example right now they have an HP 2065 for $51 shipped ( using code "arrow for 15% off of the $61 listed price) - https://www.arrowdirect.com/hp-lp2065-20-screen-1600-x-1200-resolution-grade-b/

WHich is not too bad - though they have been cheaper with other specials at times ( Think I paid around $30 - $40 shipped for most of the ones I bought over the last couple years) - THere is one listing on Ebay without the stand for $35 shipped right now with more than 10 available -  ( https://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-LP2065-20-1-LCD-Monitor-NO-BASE/183177401629?hash=item2aa639551d:i:183177401629 )

 

[skeptic]

Do you have a picture of what it looks like with the bars/with newer games?  I'd like to see what it looks like!  Ironically I'm going to make an LCD because the CRT I have in my basement I cannot get to the proper width, and the coil won't turn any further.  I'd likely need to replace the caps, but I don't want to kill myself doing it.

I don't have any pictures of mine with black bars on the side, but it's nothing special.  Just a squarish image in the middle with a thick black bar on each side.  I'm sure you've seen 4:3 video/movies/tv shows on a 16:9 widescreen TV, it looks the same.  However, something I plan to do but haven't gotten around to yet is setup bezels.  Same 4:3 game area in the middle, but instead of black bars it will have some artwork specific to each game. 

[barrymossel]

I have a 4:3 20 inch LCD, because I don't need widescreen as I wil just run older games. But If you used smoked (plexi)glass you won't even see black bars anyway. Might have to make your cab wider to get the widescreen in there.

[Jakobud]

Regarding print size and accuracy, just remember that when you create an image that gets printed, it has a certain dpi resolution of pixels / length (inches, cm, etc)

So for example if you are using something like Photoshop, when you create a new image, don't use pixels as the measuring factor. Use inches (or cm, etc). For example, create a 8.5" x 11" image. Set the dpi to something high like 300 dpi (pixels per inch).

Now put your buttons and graphics anywhere in this image. You can place them using inches as the measuring unit instead of pixels. You can just put a button for example 5 inches from the left side. You don't have to use pixels and try to calculate how many pixels are in each inch etc.

Now, when you print on this image, it will print out at exactly 8.5" x 11" and the placement of your buttons and everything will line up exactly where you want them on the paper.

Make sense?

[obizues]

Yep thanks!

[jennifer]

Tracking can be an issue, I use a plot cutter, and if the media doesnt track strait, it comes out crooked, small at first but magnified with distance (software doesn't always play well together also) but that's a subject for another day. Jenn would be of the opinion a monkey could run a copy machine and you get what you pay for, but quality is experience, a good sign and graphics shop would love to have your business..... Love the project friend, post some pics please.

[JudgeRob]

If you go widescreen, you can use a lot of cool bezels out there.  Personally, I like them because the bezels can contain the instructions on how to play, good art, etc.  I use Rocketlauncher and grabbed a big fat pack of bezels made for wide screen.  Mine only apply to the sides so that vertically the display is as large as possible.

As for lining up the batons, I measured a bunch.  The ones I was unsure about, like the monitor frame, I just clamped the sides of the cabinet together while I lined it up, then secured the batons.  Check out my post #11 to see: 
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,149265.0.html

[JS94]

Those are the blocks that hold things together -- You put them in place and then glue and screw the sides to them ( Note: the Glue is what binds them together the screws are merely there to hold it in place while the glue dries - the screws alone will easily pull out of the MDF material or become loose after a short time - the Glue holding the blocks and the panel together is what makes it a strong hold.)

Just so I understand, you put screws in to help hold while the glue dries, and then pull them out and probably fill them with some wood filler and sand it down?  What kind of glue works best? 

Where are the best places to put those 2x2 blocks?  Is there an accepted method, or is it just where the joints are?

I'm not good at this quoting and responding so this is in response to the 2x2 blocks.  I was an idiot and used small unused pieces of mdf for spacers.  I measured 1" from the sides then used wood glue. Once that was done I nailed them in.  Why? Because I rushed this part and didn't research that mdf screws are better.  MDF can split easily.  You can get spax screws from Lowes/Home Depot and they aren't expensive. I've attached a rough early picture of the spacers.  Yes I know that I am not a professional so my project is going to look like crap compared to others.  Because the MDF spacers were used I went with an L bracket to secure the pieces together.  If I had to do this over again I would have used something much harder. 

[obizues]

I sadly don’t see the attachment.