First Cabinet Build: Fallout Bartop - A Post Apocalyptic Arcade Cabinet

[Arimack]

So, I am a longtime lurker and first time builder.  Have been planning on building for quite some time, but life gets in the way, etc. This last Fathers Day, when asked by my wife what I wanted I told her I wanted a project I could do with my boys.  My youngest reminded me about the Rasberry Pi they had bought me a few years ago (with the idea it would be the brains of my build).  I had gotten as far on the project previously of designing my own bartop and had actually cut the two side panels. But never got any farther than that.

So for Fathers Day, I asked for a bartop kit from eBay.  Best way to get me started and motivated to build.  I know this is a shortcut from a full build but with my time as it is I thought it would be a great first step.  I am going to keep it relatively simple and straightforward with an eye towards a full size cabinet built from scratch if I enjoy it.  I already have a Rasberry Pi 2 and an old 19 inch 4x3 LCD monitor.

As for themes, as you can see from my avatar I am a huge Fallout fan.  Thought it would be a great to go with a powder blue cabinet, with yellow T-Molding and yellow balltop joysticks and yellow buttons.  A two player setup with six buttons each.  Trying to figure out what type of side art I want (small vinyl sticker or full side vinyl), what control panel art I want and what marquee.

I know there have been a few other Fallout Cabinets listed here and the track record on finishing them is not great.  Hopefully I can buck the trend.

[Mike A]

Why don't you make it look like it belongs in Fallout?

Make it look battered and worn. Mount some nixie tubes in some unnecessary place.

Ohhh. Use a small DIY vacuum tube amp to power the speakers. Make sure the tube is exposed so you can see the glow.

If you are not doing a traditional arcade machine theme then you may as well go balls out.

[HaRuMaN]

 

[Mike A]

You could use this preamp and run it through a cheap regular amp. That way you get cool vacuum tubes or "valves" (just for you Titch). It would be cheaper than a tube amp.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

[JDFan]

Have you checked the playability on a 2 player 19" setup ? Hopefully its a decent monitor with good viewing angles as it seems you'll both be sitting pretty far to the sides of the machine.

Figure a single player 6 button setup uses about 8 - 9 inches of space so to fit 2 player in a setup with about 17 - 18 inches interior width doesn't leave much room between the setups and also the sides of the cabinet - so might be a tight fit.

[jdbailey1206]

Arimack it would be cool to see you model it after the new Fallout 76 Pip-Boy 2000 Construction kit referenced below.  That would buck the trend.





Just brainstorming but it would be cool to see you modify your cabinet to resemble the Pip Boy kit and mount the amp referenced by Mike inside the silver cage sandwiched in between the radiation detector and speaker and see it glow when the tabletop started up.

Add one of the meters below to work off of the amp...Again brainstorming.

[Mike A]

I am going to keep it relatively simple and straightforward

I guess we should roll back our expectations a little. Finishing the first cab is a gateway to a more ambitious project later on.

It is a good idea to start simple.

[jdbailey1206]

It is a good idea to start simple.

https://media.giphy.com/media/MsijuOfYtFbgI/giphy.gif

 

[Arimack]

I am going to keep it relatively simple and straightforward

I guess we should roll back our expectations a little. Finishing the first cab is a gateway to a more ambitious project later on.

It is a good idea to start simple.

I appreciate the support and enthusiasm but I think I will be following Mike A's thoughts and save the ambitious stuff for the next project.

[Arimack]

Have you checked the playability on a 2 player 19" setup ? Hopefully its a decent monitor with good viewing angles as it seems you'll both be sitting pretty far to the sides of the machine.

Figure a single player 6 button setup uses about 8 - 9 inches of space so to fit 2 player in a setup with about 17 - 18 inches interior width doesn't leave much room between the setups and also the sides of the cabinet - so might be a tight fit.

So it is a KDS Rad-9 19 inch monitor with, according to the specs, a 140 degree horizontal view angle. Think it will work.  Main reason for 2 players is to enjoy it with my boys so doesn't necessarily need to be wide enough to accommodate 2 adults.
https://www.cnet.com/products/kds-radius-rad-9/specs/]=https://www.cnet.com/products/kds-radius-rad-9/specs/]https://www.cnet.com/products/kds-radius-rad-9/specs/

The only problem is that the bezel/case is huge on this thing.  The case is almost 3 inches deep.  Thinking I am going to rip the case off this.  Not sure how I am going to mount the monitor as the mounting bracket is part of the case.

[Arimack]

JDBailey1206,

I like the PIPBoy idea and might work something in like it.  So I don't want a frankenpanel but do like the idea of a trackball.  But no way it fits on a 2 player bartop panel. 

Thinking I might build a small stand alone trackball control panel (trackball and 2-3 buttons) that would plug in via USB to the main system.  If I do this, I could build the small stand alone in the style of a Pipboy.  Then plug it in to the main system.  Just spit balling here.

Bonus I can complete my main, simple design and once done, work my trackball panel.
 

[Arimack]

 
Question about wiring in the case.  I am planning on plugging in: a monitor, speakers and a rasberry pi.  What is the norm, running an external plug/switch like this picture?

but then what on the inside?  do you wire a power strip up to the backside of the switch? or just hardwire outlets to the switch?  Or do you install a powersupply and rewire everything to it?  Just need to keep this small to fit in the bartop.

Pictures of how others do it would be great.  Thanks.

[HaRuMaN]

I wire a 3 outlet power strip to the back of those things.

[JDFan]

but then what on the inside?  do you wire a power strip up to the backside of the switch? or just hardwire outlets to the switch?  Or do you install a powersupply and rewire everything to it?  Just need to keep this small to fit in the bartop.

Pictures of how others do it would be great.  Thanks.

As Haruman mentioned - Just cut off the plug on a 3-5 outlet power strip and wire that to it - then your outlets inside the cab just plug into the power strip.

[jdbailey1206]

This was from my build.  Couldn't find the Wiki to reference it...

Disclaimer:  I am not a licensed electrician.  This post is not in anyway a certified way to wire your arcade cab.  Only a suggestion.  I in no way can guarantee or warrant your application of the following how-to.     

Last Monday I had some free time at night so I decided to take some time and wire up my power supply to my rocker switch which will be on the outside of the cab to get power to all the components.  The rocker switch can be found here and the I found the power supply I used at Meijer.  For those who don't have a Meijer close by the power supply can be found here.  The Rocker Switch also requires a 10A fuse.  Those can also be found on Amazon.  The link is here.

Before the operation:


When working on this setup always remember that BLACK=LIVE, WHITE=NEUTRAL, GREEN=GROUND.  And as the following pictures show you it is easy enough to wire up. 



All wired up.


Note:  Always use spare wire from your power strip to create your jumpers.  If you use a smaller gauge wire you run the chance of creating a bottle neck for the electricity.  Someone may want you dead but its not me.   

[Arimack]

Thanks for the pictures on the power strip set up. 

Artwork:
As I mentioned in the first post, I am thinking of painting the cabinet powder blue with yellow t molding.  Keeping it simple, I would like to apply a custom die cut vinyl sticker to each side of the cabinet with vault boy:

die cut around vault boy and the vault gear symbol.

For marquee some variant of the Fallout logo like this:

[javeryh]

Please don't put "Arcade Cabinet" on your marquee.  Everyone will know what it is just by looking at it!

[Arimack]

The original Fallout had "A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game" under the title and I was going with a riff on  that.  What is the opinions on this, maybe go with "A Post Nuclear Arcade Game" or "A Post Apocalyptic Arcade Game"?

Also since this is a Pi based system I might be able to slide Fallout 1 on it. 

[Mike A]

How about "Falloutcade Picade Arcade Machine MAMEcade"?

[PL1]

Couldn't find the Wiki to reference it...

https://web.archive.org/web/20150928061832/http://newwiki.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?title=Wiring#IEC_Fused_Power_Inlet_with_a_Lighted_Switch


Scott

[javeryh]

The original Fallout had "A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game" under the title and I was going with a riff on  that.  What is the opinions on this, maybe go with "A Post Nuclear Arcade Game" or "A Post Apocalyptic Arcade Game"?

Also since this is a Pi based system I might be able to slide Fallout 1 on it.

OK maybe in this instance you can actually pull it off.  I googled the logo so I can see it working...

[Mike A]

No. It is still a bad idea. Just because they used a bad idea doesn't mean you should double down on it.

[jdbailey1206]

Couldn't find the Wiki to reference it...

https://web.archive.org/web/20150928061832/http://newwiki.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?title=Wiring#IEC_Fused_Power_Inlet_with_a_Lighted_Switch


Scott

[TheGreatRedDragon]

"Post Nuclear Arcade Game" could work, but in my opinion it's a little tacky.

If the original subtitle was "A Post Nuclear Console Game" then I'd get it but it doesn't.

"A Post Nuclear Role-Playing Game" describes the kind of game it is. "A Post Nuclear Arcade Game" doesn't say anything about what kind of game it is, it only says that it's in an arcade cabinet. And since the prospective player can already see that it's in an arcade cabinet the label is redundant.

Also, I can't imagine Fallout being remotely playable on arcade controls as it's barely playable with a gamepad and completely mouse-based, so calling it an arcade game would be particularly silly.

In my opinion the way to go would be to avoid the Fallout logo and external branding completely and instead use only in-game Vault-Tec branding (which is 99% of Fallout's art anyway). You don't have to get crazy with the super diegetic tubes and gauges to make it actually look like a piece of technology from the Fallout world, but sticking to a Vault-Tec theme for the art package would keep the cabinet from advertising a game that not only isn't an arcade game but is unplayable with arcade controls.

[opt2not]

"Post Nuclear Arcade Game" could work, but in my opinion it's a little tacky.

If the original subtitle was "A Post Nuclear Console Game" then I'd get it but it doesn't.

"A Post Nuclear Role-Playing Game" describes the kind of game it is. "A Post Nuclear Arcade Game" doesn't say anything about what kind of game it is, it only says that it's in an arcade cabinet. And since the prospective player can already see that it's in an arcade cabinet the label is redundant.

Also, I can't imagine Fallout being remotely playable on arcade controls as it's barely playable with a gamepad and completely mouse-based, so calling it an arcade game would be particularly silly.

In my opinion the way to go would be to avoid the Fallout logo and external branding completely and instead use only in-game Vault-Tec branding (which is 99% of Fallout's art anyway). You don't have to get crazy with the super diegetic tubes and gauges to make it actually look like a piece of technology from the Fallout world, but sticking to a Vault-Tec theme for the art package would keep the cabinet from advertising a game that not only isn't an arcade game but is unplayable with arcade controls.

 

[javeryh]

No. It is still a bad idea. Just because they used a bad idea doesn't mean you should double down on it.

Haha OK I agree with this.

[Arimack]

OK, I'm hear you, using Arcade in the Marquee is dead.  Spent last night playing around and came up with like 20 options for artwork around the theme.  Had the wife look over them and she said she liked them but I kept mixing styles and using others artwork was hard to find things that would end up matching.  So I threw away almost everything that wasn't original to me.

I redesigned it using my own idea.  Kept having a hard time matching the font then I found Overseer Font! https://fontmeme.com/fallout-font/
Someone custom made the fallout font including the lighting bolt O.  Also found out the Vault Tec script is pretty close to Brush Script MT.

I used the Vault Tec logo and the Vault Door icon as the start.  Also, 16 has meaning to me so I picked that as my Vault number.  Vault Tec phrase "Prepare for the future" above the player joystick.

So here is my new idea for the Marquee:


Side Art:


Control Panel:


Rough drafts right now especially the control panel layout which will need to match the holes on the precut panel.  What do you guys think?

[Mike A]

Don't put 16 twice on the Marquee. That looks odd. Also, I am no artist, but it seems a little too plain. Simple is good, but there is something missing. Maybe one of our resident artists can chime in.

[TheGreatRedDragon]

The skeleton is there but there's no visual impact.

The marquee is especially weak. The marquee has a lamp behind it that blasts light through a piece of plastic and into the retinas of everyone in the room. It's got to project energy. Thin yellow outlines on a pale blue background don't scream.  Also, I really don't like the drop shadows and glows and embosses. For flat graphics like this I think hard strokes work best because the read cleaner.

Fallout is famous for its Raygun Gothic style that blends Art Deco, Googie and Streamline Modern aesthetic. There's a wealth of material out there to draw inspiration from and pull something together. That will be the glue that holds different pieces of art together. I like the Vault 16 concept, I like the Vault-Tec logo as the joystick surround, I like the vault doors as button surrounds. It just needs to be pumped up.

[javeryh]

The interlocking gear silhouettes is a really good idea but I agree it needs spruced up a bit.

[JDFan]

If going with the simple sideart - could just skip the vinyl and actually make the vault door out of MDF and attach to the side and paint - rather than use vinyl.

[Mike A]

JDFan. That is a good idea. If the OP wants to do that, I can CNC it. Or laser cut it out of acrylic if the MDF is too bulky. I would charge my standard price to BYOACers. Material and shipping. The catch is that the project has to be on it's way to completion. I don't want to waste my time on a project that will never be completed.

[Drnick]

If going with the simple sideart - could just skip the vinyl and actually make the vault door out of MDF and attach to the side and paint - rather than use vinyl.

That would definitely look cool cnc'd out of some 3/4 Material so it had some thickness to it.

[Arimack]

Mike A. thank you for the generous offer.  If I go that way I will definitely take you up on your offer. I like the idea of the vault door 3 dimensional on the side.

Kept playing around with the Marquee.  Some ideas but I fear they are getting too busy.  Also, kind of want to keep to the Blue and Yellow theme so I added some black in there but I am avoiding going full color intentionally. 

Thanks for the feedback and keep it coming.  Here are a few more Marquee ideas.  Not a fan of any one of these but some ideas might work. 




I received my kit, controls and have decased my monitor.  Hope to spend the day tomorrow priming and painting.  Plan to build the basic machine as the I continue to debate the art.  Marquee and side art can be added later.  Not sure I want to wire the control panel twice so might need to work on that artwork first.

[Drnick]

First one looks good except the War never changes part, 2 is a bit meh, 3 is so so.

I would take the War never changes surround in Pic 1, swap the background of it to Black, and then put in the font from 2 or 3 to see how that looks.

[TheGreatRedDragon]

I think you're headed in the right direction. I like #1 the best overall, but prefer the background from #2 and 3 and the vault door from #3.

The weak link in all of them is the tagline. It just feels tacked on.

Still not a fan of the raster effects.

[javeryh]

I feel like this cabinet should look gritty.  Like in this style:



The design is improving so keep iterating! 

[Arimack]

So first off, on the design stuff.  Made some changes from suggestions and added a completely different option (the last one.) Honestly, while you guys might like it, it doesn't really match the vibe I am going for (and I don't like the shadow across her face).  But I think I like #1 the best.

#1

#2

#3

On the control panel here is what I have now.  Kind of matching the vault suit layout.  Worried that the control pattern on my panel is tighter than this and I might have to drop the gear icons behind the buttons.  My panel came predrilled and while I could change it, not likely to do that. Not sure yet how the layout will work.  The seller sent me a template in PhotoShop but I suck at PhotoShop.

[Richie_jones]

Does that monitor switch on itself when powered up. If your going to encase it in a cab you won't have access to the power button..

[Arimack]

On to the woodworking.  So I got the kit yesterday and laid it out in the garage.


First change from the basic setup is with the two pieces of mdf that will hold the marquee.  I noticed that my L Bracket for the marquee was only about 1/2 the height of the the 3/4 inch MDF:


I want to maximize the light exposure to the Marquee so I routed a bevel on the top and bottom piece that hold the L Bracket.


Next work, before priming, was to place all the pocket holes in the mdf.  Any good project needs a new tool and I bought a Krig pocket hole jig for this one. 


All work on the pocket holes complete.


Also planning on the back door and the control panel to be on a hinge (actually planning on a dowel hinge).  Will use clasps to hold them in place when closed. (sorry picture is upside down but you get the idea.)


Now on to priming the MDF!

[Arimack]

Does that monitor switch on itself when powered up. If your going to encase it in a cab you won't have access to the power button..

I tested it and yes it does.   Thanks for asking.

[javeryh]

Wow priming already - you are moving fast!

[Arimack]

Wow priming already - you are moving fast!

Like I said in my first post, I have been lurking here for years and been think about what I want.  I read Saints book years ago and have followed quite a few projects. A few years ago, I even went so far as to build a control panel with trackball mock up to test out layouts and such.  I always got hung up on designing the cabinet and a theme. 

This time I am moving ahead with a plan and not second guessing myself.  Certain elements of the theme can play out over time (marquee and side art) but I know I am going to paint the cabinet steel blue, use yellow ball top zippys/yellow happ buttons and use yellow t-molding.  I already have the controls and the t-molding. 

In the end, this is my first build and a bar top at that.  Take some risk, learn some things and when done enjoy it.  If I make a mistake, so be it, learning lesson for the next time. (already learned one: do not let the 12 year old wipe down the MDF unsupervised while you prep the paint!  He didn't get all the dust left in some of the precut holes. Caught it on the speaker piece. A little sanding and a second coat of prime will cover it.)

[Arimack]

Javeryh,
Plus I got Mike A pushing me:

The catch is that the project has to be on it's way to completion. I don't want to waste my time on a project that will never be completed.

[javeryh]

Javeryh,
Plus I got Mike A pushing me:

The catch is that the project has to be on it's way to completion. I don't want to waste my time on a project that will never be completed.

A little push is good.  I'm trying to stay self-motivated but there are a TON of house projects I'm currently neglecting...

[Arimack]

First round of priming is done. 
Went with Kilz 2 Latex for the primer.  I wanted to stay with latex and avoid oil based.  Found some good review on home theater/speaker building forums for use on MDF.


Priming with the help of my youngest.



Drying.


Next, after drying I will sand with 400 grit and then second coat.

[JDFan]

Can't go wrong with Kilz - they make a great product.

[javeryh]

Can't go wrong with Kilz - they make a great product.

yeah this is the best stuff.  I just primed my cab and it sealed everything up nice and went on fairly smooth.  I built 7 speakers and 2 subs last summer and used Kilz as the base and covered it with Duratex and they came out awesome.

[Arimack]

So, looking for marquee lighting ideas.  Keeping in mind the size (under 17 inches wide).  I also would like to use usb to power it.  Just unsure of what my Pi can support.  My current power plan is to run  speakers, monitor and Rasberry Pi 2 to the power strip.  Run wifi adapter, arcade control adapter and a wireless keyboard/mouse off USB.  I still have one USB port open and I am thinking about this LED strip light:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077K112YW/ref=psdc_1063292_t2_B00T4GPPD8?th=1

Anyone use something like this for their marquee?  Any recommendations?

[rave0035]

On the unorthodox side, but if you wanted to give this some retro-tech feel you could do a smoked glass marquee with an opaque logo and have a row of vacuum tubes lit behind the marquee glass...



It wouldn't be super bright, but the cool factor would be high. 

Cost wouldn't be that high, either... a pile of NOS tubes that aren't in high demand for audio applications can be had cheap, and the heaters (the part that lights up) on most can be lit with 6 or 12v.  It might take a little trial and error as some tubes glow more brightly than others.

Mike

[05SRT4]

If it doesn't boot to a terminal screen where you have to hack it first to get in, then stop building.

[Mike A]

So Arimack, are you going to want some CNC work done? If I get some advanced notice I can probably pound something out this weekend.

[Arimack]

So Arimack, are you going to want some CNC work done? If I get some advanced notice I can probably pound something out this weekend.

MikeA, thanks for the offer.  I think I will. Do you need me to send a design to you?  I honestly think of keeping it simple fits better with the cartoony theme. Just the gear symbol with the "16" carved out, if it is possible.  Straight sides on the gear (I am thinking no beveling).  So the image is my cabinet side with a 6 inch diameter gear.  Is that scale right?  Maybe 5 inches would work better, I don't want to overkill it. What do you think?

[Arimack]

So I plan on adding this to my cabinet to give me USB access to the pi.  It screws in to a button sized hole. I might also build a trackball controller that plugs in via usb to add that to the cabinet (maybe as a pipboy!)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078V1M962/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The question is,  where do I put the port.  Right now I am thinking on the front control panel.  Layout right now is to have 2 buttons (player one and player 2) on the forward facing control panel.  They are already cut and evenly spread out across the front.  Thinking right now of either pinball flipper location or right front corner of control panel.  Any recommendations?

[Arimack]

If it doesn't boot to a terminal screen where you have to hack it first to get in, then stop building.

05SRT4, how about this for a retro pi splash screen animation?

[Buick455]

Straight sides on the gear (I am thinking no beveling).

IF you are using MDF for the side emblems (1/2" I assume). I would at the very least 45* chamfer the outer profile. Not a lot, just enough. If not its likely to chip if you hit it with something accidentally.

[Arimack]

Straight sides on the gear (I am thinking no beveling).

IF you are using MDF for the side emblems (1/2" I assume). I would at the very least 45* chamfer the outer profile. Not a lot, just enough. If not its likely to chip if you hit it with something accidentally.

Thanks good advice.  I hadn't thought about that.

[Mike A]

I will get on it. This won't be difficult.

[Arimack]

I will get on it. This won't be difficult.

Awesome.  I'll PM you.

After 2 coats of primer, first side of color:

[javeryh]

Looks good.  Is that DK blue?

[Arimack]

Looks good.  Is that DK blue?

No, I am trying to match Steel Blue from the Fallout Vault Boy Color scheme I found on Schemecolor:
https://www.schemecolor.com/fallout-vault-boy-colors.php

[javeryh]

Looks good.  Is that DK blue?

No, I am trying to match Steel Blue from the Fallout Vault Boy Color scheme I found on Schemecolor:
https://www.schemecolor.com/fallout-vault-boy-colors.php

Blue Steel!

[Mike A]

Is this close to what you are looking for?
It needs a little sanding. It is a 1/2 inch thick.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

[Arimack]

Mike A
  Looks Sweet. Perfect. Thank you.

[Arimack]

Quick update, I have not stopped work, just the humidity here during this heatwave has slowed down my painting.  I was making good headway and then my paint wouldn't dry.  Stayed tacky. Finally convinced the wife to bring it all inside to the air conditioning to finally get dry.  Hopefully this humidity didn't permanently goo up the paint.  Hoping to get some assembly done today and send some pictures of the monitor fix I had to develop (the vesa mount for my panel went away when I had to open the case to get it to fit.)
Also, the light I purchased from Amazon for the marquee is a usb powered light and looks like it is going to work really well.
Hope to have more pictures this afternoon.

[javeryh]

Quick update, I have not stopped work, just the humidity here during this heatwave has slowed down my painting.  I was making good headway and then my paint wouldn't dry.  Stayed tacky. Finally convinced the wife to bring it all inside to the air conditioning to finally get dry.  Hopefully this humidity didn't permanently goo up the paint.  Hoping to get some assembly done today and send some pictures of the monitor fix I had to develop (the vesa mount for my panel went away when I had to open the case to get it to fit.)
Also, the light I purchased from Amazon for the marquee is a usb powered light and looks like it is going to work really well.
Hope to have more pictures this afternoon.

Ha - where are you?  It was roughly the temperature of the sun in NJ yesterday...

[Arimack]

I'm up in New England and while its been hot it the damn humidity that is killing me.

On the artwork:
Working with someone via PM that offered to help from Artwork Forum.  We determined that my control panel is almost too tight to really do a good graphic for (the bezel of the buttons is going to cover all the space between them.) 
So I am going to have going to have to pass on this:


But I did come up with a new vectored graphic for the marquee, not new but I spent a lot of time this week getting the scale correct and redoing it in vecotized graphics getting ready to print.  I did change the font on the "War never changes line". Unfortunately it is near impossible to vector the background so I will need to stay with a high quality bitmap for it.

[Arimack]

So got a lot of work done today.  The move to indoors really helped. 

First, I was able to wire the outlet/switch/power strip as you guys suggested.


Next problem was my monitor.  I had to remover the back of the case because it stuck out too far and wouldn't fit in the cabinet.  When I did that the VESA mount went with the back case.

Fortunately the stand used two brackets at the bottom of the back and I was able to find 6 long screws that fit these.

And cut the MDF monitor support to fit and drilled some holes.

Next problem with the monitor you can see in the image above is the silver heat shield for the power connections (its only on the left side of the monitor. It makes my bracket uneven.  But I used some spare plexiglass I had as shims and it worked great.

[Arimack]

Started assembly today as well.


Laid everything out to make sure the layout was right.


Installed the monitor support.


Went to work on my speaker shelf.  I wanted to use an old pair of speakers I had lying around. I shortened  most of the wiring a bit further after this photo was taken.


Decided I am going to hinge the control panel with dowels and supports on the side and use this latch on the front:


I finished everything attached to one side. I drilled the hinge holes for the back door and the control panel in the side on top but I am holding off on finishing the side on top because I need to get the plexiglass for the cabinet.


Definitely will need to touch up my paint after assembly.  Not sure if its the humidity or my clumsiness but there are a few scuffs, mostly on the sides.
Also, next time I would do a better job with the pocket holes.  Some are really difficult to get to.  Also, at the bottom of the last picture you can see the light I  bought for the marquee.  Plan on installing a hardboard wall in front of the speakers and then lining the space with HVAC reflective tape.  Probably overkill but why not.

[Arimack]

Paint is killing me.  Still tacky.  Humidity might have messed with me and I probably should have invested a bit more in higher quality paint.  Debating whether or not to sand it down and repaint with higher quality eggshell finish (over semigloss) or just carry on with assembly and touch up after I'm done.

Good news on the graphics scene. Another forum member, Ramaker, over on the Artwork Forum, really helped me out with Vector graphics.  He replaced the background of my marquee with fully vectorized graphics.  He went out and found the vault boy images one by one (because the rasterized group image I had found was an unusable upscaled graphic) and built the background from scratch. 


I can not thank him enough. He also taught me a few things about vector graphics and I was able to redo the whole thing with his help. My Marquee looks great now.

[Arimack]

Also, got the package from Mike A..  Really great looking design and really appreciate his help. Thank you for this.   They look awesome!  Now for paint and then attachment to the sides. 


The other thing I have been working on is a sled for the table saw.  It is a crappy 10 inch portable but the sled is a really good improvement.  It is just scrap that I had lying around so nothing special.  But after messing up every cut from my first piece of plexiglas, it definitely improved my cuts. No chipping when I cut my second piece of plexiglas! Also sped up the process a lot.

[javeryh]

Looking good.  You are making some great progress.  Have you started setting up the software?

Those cogs from Mike look really cool.  They will be a unique feature once you paint and attach them.  Any chance to incorporate some LEDs?

[Arimack]

Have you started setting up the software?

I have my pi setup with retro pi right now.  My pi has wifi and I have a wireless keyboard with trackball built in so plan on cleaning it up once I have it all in the cabinet.
This is the keyboard I am using:

Mike A. did a great job.  Now I cant mess up the paint on those  pressure is on!

Been working on the graphics and inspired by the work Ramaker did on that background I have a new control panel design.  The bartop panel is super compact and I don't want it too busy. So I cleaned it up and kept some of the details from my older designs. The cogs are the joystick locations.  Buttons are too close together for anything behind them.5
 
One question, center the Vault Tec Logo?


Or push it to a side?


I think I like the one on the side.

[javeryh]

Looks better on the side to me too.

[barrymossel]

Also, got the package from Mike A..  Really great looking design and really appreciate his help. Thank you for this.   They look awesome!  Now for paint and then attachment to the sides. 


The other thing I have been working on is a sled for the table saw.  It is a crappy 10 inch portable but the sled is a really good improvement.  It is just scrap that I had lying around so nothing special.  But after messing up every cut from my first piece of plexiglas, it definitely improved my cuts. No chipping when I cut my second piece of plexiglas! Also sped up the process a lot.

Just a bit unfortunate that the font of the 16 doesn't match the marquee...

[Arimack]

Just a bit unfortunate that the font of the 16 doesn't match the marquee...

Note sure if I like this but here it is:


I think I got the right font (or at least pretty close):

[barrymossel]

Don't know how much work that would be, but I would do it the other way around. So use the font from the original marquee.

[rave0035]

That paint color looks terrific BUT if it's still tacky after weeks (?), you're done for.  It's never going to dry right - I've been there before.  You'll have a tacky, overly glossy, fingerprinty mess forever.

Do it right now and you won't regret it.  Sand it rough and start over. 

Don't do it when the humidity is super high, use several thin coats (with recommended dry time between coats), and let it get plenty of ventilation as it dries.  Forever tacky paint is usually the result of overly thick application and extreme humidity.

Good luck!

Mike

[Arimack]

Don't do it when the humidity is super high, use several thin coats (with recommended dry time between coats), and let it get plenty of ventilation as it dries.  Forever tacky paint is usually the result of overly thick application and extreme humidity.

And I didn't use premium paint (and I know better on this one.) Off to buy some Benjamin Moore Aura paint and a lot of sanding paper!  Going with an eggshell finish this time not semigloss.

[Arimack]

Sorry, no pictures of this but I sanded the hell out of this and repainted. 

(Funny thing is I paused with it all sanded down and considered the advice I had gotten originally on this theme to make it look distressed and post apocalyptic and almost kept it like that. But I couldn't do it.)

Very glad I did. I had used a cheap semigloss originally and that was the cause of the tackiness. I went with eggshell this time and used a different brand of paint (Benjamin Moore Aura).  Very happy with the results.  Much nicer and no tackiness.  Also painting the side cogs that Mike A. made.  Looks good and will be able to get through with assembling the cabinet by next weekend I think.

Still trying to figure out where I can get the marquee and control panel made up.  Any suggestions?

[Arimack]

Repaint went so much better. 

Right now I am starting to assemble. First, I finished the light box for the marquee.  I used hvac foil tape to make it reflective and added in my USB light.  Probably overkill for a bartop but I wanted to test out the reflective tape idea that I saw on someone else's post.


Then I added my speaker grills.  Helps hide the gaps.  I thought about painting the grills blue and the trim yellow but decided against it.  Can always go back and change that later.


Now for the awesome part, thanks to Mike A.: The Vault doors on the sides.  I mounted them using a dowel and drilled hole in the side of the cabinet.  Easiest way to line them up on each side and keep them centered.

Note: I may paint the numbers blue but for now decided to leave them yellow.  IT is an easier thing to change but once I paint them blue it will be much harder to go back.  Will leave them like this for now and see how they look once everything is put together.

So decent progress after stripping the paint down and restarting.  Hope to have most of the assembly done by this weekend.

[TheGreatRedDragon]

This is shaping up to be a pretty badass cabinet.

My recommendation for the side pieces: Keep the numbers yellow, keep the gear edge yellow, paint the dished area blue.

[yamatetsu]

My recommendation for the side pieces: Keep the color scheme consistent with the one on the marquee.

[Arimack]

It lasted one night! Fracking one night!  So I finished up 90% of it. Got everything done except finalizing and securing the layout of the interior and the Marquee and Control Panel artwork which I am ordering.  But I had it up. I was working software with the pi. I had retro pie working but had some glitches I needed to work out. Monitor was pulsing like it had power issues, so I assumed it was hdmi issues with retro pie.  But it ran games!


(the paper marquee is just a placeholder.)

I gave up on troubleshooting the monitor after I tried to adjust the config.txt to try and improve the hdmi performance.  It didn't work and at one point I had the whole screen scrambled.  That is when I learned Pi's default keyboard layout is GB not EN.    I was trying to insert "#"s but kept getting "£"s.  So I had to learn how to set the keyboard to US.  Learned a lot. 

After getting the screen back (but still pulsing), my boys played some games ("Dad, you used to pay quarters for this") but they really liked it.  I kicked them off so I could get the dual usb joystick encoder to work.  I got emulation station to recognize the encoder as dual USB gamepads but I was done for the night.  Ran out of time.  I had just found how to get Retro arch to recognize the controllers in MAME but it was too late at night to do the work. Left it for today. The screen still flickered, and pulsed but it didn't impact gameplay. 

All day at work, I couldn't wait to get home, fix the dual joysticks and get playing some 2 player games with my boys.  Got home from work, turned it on and I got this:



Well, it doesn't flicker anymore! I don't think this is the retro pie white screen of death because the monitor exhibits this faded out image when the Rasberry Pi is disconnected. I think my monitor died.  After all the special work to decase it.  After building a custom bracket inside the cab to fit it. After repainting the bezel! One day, all I got out of it was one day.  Everything was working or on its way to.  It fit perfectly, side to side almost like the cabinet was designed for it. Now it is dead.   

Right now I am surfing ebay looking for a 19 inch 4:3 monitor to replace it. 

SO FRUSTRATING!  

[javeryh]

Oh man that stinks.  Can you hook the monitor up to anything else to make sure that is the problem?

It's a minor setback in the grand scheme of things - you will get it fixed in no time... 

[JDFan]

IF you can squeeze a 20.1 " 4:3 in there (with the bezel it's 17 1/4" x 13 1/2"  -- display portion is 16" x 12")  I bought one of these a while back and it is working really good so far -- https://www.ebay.com/itm/183274134281?ViewItem=&item=183274134281

For $20 shipped it's a great deal (Just doesn't have a base but you wouldn't be using it anyway ! )

[Arimack]

Can you hook the monitor up to anything else to make sure that is the problem?

Thanks for the encouragement.  I hooked up my other screens (too big to fit the bartop) and the pi is fine.  The monitor, even when the pi isn't hooked up, shows the faded screen when in test mode.  It could be the power supply or maybe something internal but its too hard to get parts to troubleshoot.

[Arimack]

IF you can squeeze a 20.1 " 4:3 in there (with the bezel it's 17 1/4" x 13 1/2"  -- display portion is 16" x 12")  I bought one of these a while back and it is working really good so far -- https://www.ebay.com/itm/183274134281?ViewItem=&item=183274134281

For $20 shipped it's a great deal (Just doesn't have a base but you wouldn't be using it anyway ! )

That would fit perfect but I already ordered a refurb Dell 19" from an Amazon seller for $40 with a 6 month warranty and should have it in two days.  How long did it take to receive that HP?  I might still be able to cancel my order.

[Arimack]

I canceled my Dell from Amazon and I'm going with that HP.  Thanks for the recommendation, JDFan!

[JDFan]

I canceled my Dell from Amazon and I'm going with that HP.  Thanks for the recommendation, JDFan!

THey shipped it pretty quick - Just checked the Ebay tracking - placed the order on May 16th - it was picked up from them on the 17th and delivered the 19th. Came from Yuma Az. to El Paso Tx. (think they have several warehouses so it might ship from a different one depending on where you live)

[Arimack]

So, first I ordered my artwork for the marquee and control panel. 

I went with this for the marquee (some minor tweaks):


and this for the control panel:


Ordered from Lucian045 http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,134866.0.html and he was fast!  I sent him the final images and paid him yesterday and today (Saturday) he sent me a UPS tracking number.  Will get them today!  I will upload pictures once they arrive.

On the monitor side, I am waiting for the replacement to arrive.  I plan to disassemble the monitor, control panel and marquee in prep for the next steps.  Unfortunately I am headed out of town tomorrow until next Friday so getting it all up and running will need to wait until next weekend.   

[Arimack]

So I am back at it (been away on a business trip, then family vacation.)  I received my artwork from Lucian045 and it was well done.  Also, it was packaged nicely.  Had a little trouble with it at first (didn't know the marquee was a two step application) but Lucian responded to my email right away and then walked me through the steps on a phone call. Great guy.  So it looks great.  Disclaimer: Any defects in the final install are a result of my ineptness not in Lucian045's work!

On the monitor front, good news.  I received the used HP monitor the JDFan recommended (BTW it was a great buy for the price and extremely well packaged.)  Before I installed the new one, when I had the old one out of the cabinet but before I unplugged everything, I double checked all the connectors, ensured I wasn't pinching any cables and tried to power the old one up one last time.  IT WORKED!    

I tested it for a day and made sure it wouldn't just die again and when I reassembled it I made sure not to pinch any cables.  It looks like I may have pinched one of the ribbon cables behind a metal guard with my installation bracket.  So I kept my original monitor and will save the HP{ one I bought for a future project.

Right now I am working software/front end setup.  Any advice, specifically on special keys and which MAME in retro pi to use would be appreciated.

Will post some pictures of the installed artwork and system running in a bit.

[Mike A]

Glad to see you are still at it. I just was going to check in on you.

[JDFan]

On the monitor front, good news.  I received the used HP monitor the JDFan recommended (BTW it was a great buy for the price and extremely well packaged.)  Before I installed the new one, when I had the old one out of the cabinet but before I unplugged everything, I double checked all the connectors, ensured I wasn't pinching any cables and tried to power the old one up one last time.  IT WORKED!    

I tested it for a day and made sure it wouldn't just die again and when I reassembled it I made sure not to pinch any cables.  It looks like I may have pinched one of the ribbon cables behind a metal guard with my installation bracket.  So I kept my original monitor and will save the HP{ one I bought for a future project.

Glad to hear you got the monitor - even though you don't need it right now since the old one is working - For $20 it's always nice to have a spare and a 20" IPS panel is a great size for most builds so it will come in handy eventually - Not sure how they can sell them at that price since just the shipping/packaging would cost about that or more ( they have increased the price to $25 now but even that is a great deal.)

[Arimack]

Okay so retro pie and life have continued to kick my butt.  Really struggling with xin mo controller, retroarch, mame settings.  Making progress but it seems at times it is two steps forward one step back. 

But I still have a few external things to finish.  So I need some advice on the side cogs.  For the number 16 on the cogs, I painted one (poorly) and have left the other blank:

Painted side:                                                                      Unpainted:


What do you guys think?  I am leaning towards painting the left side numbers but its messy and not as clean looking as I would like.

[JDFan]

I'd paint but also paint the raised portion of the number sides ( tape off the flat layer carefully and then paint the numbers so you can get a nice edge and have the entire raised portion of the numbers painted and it should stand out better - right now when looking at it the raised sides are yellow so it looks a bit off)

[Arimack]

So here are some external shots of the completed bartop:

Really happy with how the t molding worked and I like the color with the blue of the cabinet.

Note: You might notice that the joysticks are a little off centered but this is not an artwork issue but a mounting issue on my part.  I will need to reroute the back of the panel to correct this and not really sure if this is a priority as it is not noticeable to most.  But it bugs me a little.

The artwork help I got was awesome and I really like how the Marquee and control panel came out.

One downside about the Marquee is in the plexiglass, I did not get an exact fit on the glass and there is some bleed at the left/right edges.

Back of the cabinet and internals.

Tried to keep this as neat as possible.  The USB port works well and keeps me from having to open the back to access the pi.

And under the control panel.

I am happy with how the hinges came out on the control panel and the back.

[05SRT4]

Very Nice

[FALSE]

Looking awesome.
Did you pick Vault 16 specifically for a reason?
I couldn't find any reference to it in Fallout lore other than a goofy fan song.

[JDFan]

Looking awesome.
Did you pick Vault 16 specifically for a reason?
I couldn't find any reference to it in Fallout lore other than a goofy fan song.

From an earlier post :

I used the Vault Tec logo and the Vault Door icon as the start.  Also, 16 has meaning to me so I picked that as my Vault number.  Vault Tec phrase "Prepare for the future" above the player joystick.

[Arimack]

Very Nice

Thanks.  Not 100% happy with some things (the way the top of the Marquee goes just above the side, the slightly misaligned joysticks, etc.) but I did learn a lot about the process. I am glad I did not try and take on too much for my first cabinet. Lessons learned. For next time...

Still messing with the software to get it to work correctly.

[Arimack]

Did you pick Vault 16 specifically for a reason?
I couldn't find any reference to it in Fallout lore

That was part of the reason, no known Vault has 16 (there is a 15 and a 17 but no 16.) 
Also, 16 is tied to my birthday and I always considered it my lucky number.