Need comments and criticism on my cabinet plans.

[FALSE]

8/24/18 NEW PLANS POSTED


Hello BYOAC, I'm working on designing a full size arcade cabinet and I would love any comments, suggestions, and constructive criticism on what I have so far.
Cab will be 2 player with 6 or 7 buttons each plus a trackball.
I'll be using a 32" LCD screen that measures 28.7"W x 17.4"H and will be mounted horizontally. I know how some people feel about LCDs but it's a compromise I'm willing to make.
Cabinet will be 31"wide which should just accommodate the monitor.

These plans are heavily based on Rasmus Konig Sorensen's plans koenigs.dk
1 square = 1" on the grid.

I may round the outside corners at the top and round the inside corner between the marquee area and monitor area.

I'm really not sure about the control panel box and was really just guessing at an appropriate size.
I'll want to play Golden Tee and some bowling games so the trackball will be getting flung pretty hard so I'm not sure if 10" deep will give me enough room. Also not sure if 6" is to tall for the control box. I was thinking about making the control panel a couple inches wider than the rest of the cabinet but now I'm starting to think that I should have plenty of width if I keep the panel within the cabinet width.

Also concerned that it might be top heavy and the base might not be large enough. Valid concern?

Thanks for any thoughts you might have...

New Plans with higher control panel.


Old Plans

[Nephasth]

A 2 player control panel shouldn't protrude past the sides of a cabinet.

Metal CPs > wood CPs

CRT or GTFO.

Ditch the graph paper, pick up Sketchup, and join us in this century.

[FALSE]

A 2 player control panel shouldn't protrude past the sides of a cabinet.

Metal CPs > wood CPs

CRT or GTFO.

Ditch the graph paper, pick up Sketchup, and join us in this century.

Very thoughtful comments, thank you.

Agree I probably wont extend the CP beyond the sides.

Going with a wood panel because it will be easier for me to work with than metal.

CRTs are nice but again, LCD is a compromise I'm willing to make. I know it's not for everyone but I'll be happy with it.

I like graph paper...

Really looking for some thoughts on the dimensions of everything.  Concerned it might be to tall. CP height okay?

Not sure about the CP angle either. As is, it would be 5.711 deg.

[Nephasth]

It's too ---smurfin---' big.

[Mike A]

The control panel should not be wider than the cab.

[FALSE]

It's too ---smurfin---' big.

Thank you, I appreciate your advice.

[javeryh]

5 degrees is pretty standard for a CP slope so I think you are OK there.  I would not extend the CP past the sides either.  It creates an ugly profile and makes it difficult to put anything next to it.

LCD is fine but think about using a 4:3 monitor or mounting your 16:9 monitor vertically and then covering the top and bottom sections so that only a 4:3 piece is showing.  Widescreen arcade cabs look stupid, IMO.

Wood is fine to use - not everyone has access to metal cutting tools. 

Your marquee looks like it will be disproportionately tiny based on the angle shown but it is hard to tell.

My advice would be to read project threads and pick out a profile you like and just copy it.  No need to reinvent the wheel.

[Mike A]

Your marquee is too short and it is angled weird.

[Titchgamer]

Your marquee is too short and it is angled weird.

This ^

The actual marquee perspex wants to be 6-8” imo so prob 8–10 for the wood.
Also should be vertical not sloping back who the hell gunna see that when its 6ft in the air :p

Overall height looks about right but yeah keep the CP in the dimensions of the cab.

And ffs use a ruler!!

[FALSE]

5 degrees is pretty standard for a CP slope so I think you are OK there.  I would not extend the CP past the sides either.  It creates an ugly profile and makes it difficult to put anything next to it.

LCD is fine but think about using a 4:3 monitor or mounting your 16:9 monitor vertically and then covering the top and bottom sections so that only a 4:3 piece is showing.  Widescreen arcade cabs look stupid, IMO.

Wood is fine to use - not everyone has access to metal cutting tools. 

Your marquee looks like it will be disproportionately tiny based on the angle shown but it is hard to tell.

My advice would be to read project threads and pick out a profile you like and just copy it.  No need to reinvent the wheel.

I've definitely considered vertically orienting a widescreen monitor and haven't entirely ruled it out.
I just want to make sure I have a large enough screen for both horizontal and vertical screens and I'll likely put some arcade appropriate Steam games on also.
On vertical games, the horizontal widescreen would give me pretty much the same screen size as a  19", vertically oriented 4:3 screen and would obviously work for horizontal games.
I'm not sure I'll be happy with a 19" 4:3 which is pretty much the biggest readily available 4:3 size LCD.

Maybe an 8" tall marquee area would look better?
I was planning on recessing the marquee a bit from the side panels and mounting it vertically so It wouldn't be at the upward angle shown. Maybe I should chop off the angle entirely and just make that cut vertically?

[FALSE]

Your marquee is too short and it is angled weird.

This ^

The actual marquee perspex wants to be 6-8” imo so prob 8–10 for the wood.
Also should be vertical not sloping back who the hell gunna see that when its 6ft in the air :p

Overall height looks about right but yeah keep the CP in the dimensions of the cab.

And ffs use a ruler!!

Yea I wasn't going to angle the actual marquee when I put it in. Definitely don't want it pointing at the ceiling.
I'll redraw it without that angle and maybe make it 8" or so tall.

I'd say there's a consensus not to extend the CP beyond the sides.

I got lazy when adding the dimensions : )

[Titchgamer]

Your marquee is too short and it is angled weird.

This ^

The actual marquee perspex wants to be 6-8” imo so prob 8–10 for the wood.
Also should be vertical not sloping back who the hell gunna see that when its 6ft in the air :p

Overall height looks about right but yeah keep the CP in the dimensions of the cab.

And ffs use a ruler!!

Yea I wasn't going to angle the actual marquee when I put it in. Definitely don't want it pointing at the ceiling.
I'll redraw it without that angle and maybe make it 8" or so tall.

I'd say there's a consensus not to extend the CP beyond the sides.

I got lazy when adding the dimensions : )

Planing is key with these projects so dont get lazy :p

[paigeoliver]

Marquee should not be angled up that sharply, it should be 90 degrees from the floor, angled up just a few degrees, or angled down. While there were a few cabinets that angled up that sharply (Gyruss) they had very different cabinet lines.

Cabinet is already 7" wider than a standard 2 player cabinet from the 90s, so the panel doesn't need to stick out, and since it doesn't need to stick out then it doesn't need to be a separate box in the first place.

I suggest making the top flat instead of sloping it backwards. As someone who has owned a lot of machines I can't tell you how nice it is to have to option to put something on top of the cabinet, maybe just for a minute, maybe forever.

Nothing you will ever emulate is widescreen, and large flat panels like that tend to have noticeable lag with emulators. If you absolutely have to use the worst possible display choice then you should at least do your best to hide it somehow. It still boggles my mind how all these people are willing to go through all the work to build these machines up from absolutely nothing and then for whatever reason insist of picking the wrong thing for the single most important part of the machine. The computer you pick, doesn't matter that much, it could have a 15 year old computer, an xbox, one of those stupid pi things, or a brand new gaming computer and your experience will still be 95 percent the same. You can buy the cheapest sticks and buttons that Happ sells or the most expensive you can find, it doesn't really change the experience that much (note, I said "Happ" if you go trolling for off brand budget chinese import stuff then it is possible to mess up your control selection). The monitor however, that is what you are looking at the whole time.

My second LCD gripe is more specific to your cabinet design. You very clearly drew a CRT cabinet there that is just a few inches shallow. Cabinets designed after LCDs became standard are quite different. LCD cabinets generally look like the attached picture.

[opt2not]

Nothin’ wrong with good ol’ graph paper and pencil for initial concepts. Refine it in a hard copy first, then transfer the final to Sketchup later.

[1500points]

Here is my golden tee prototype in the works.

Gotta make plenty of room for a power swipe upward or you’ll beat the heck out od the bezel or lacerate palms. 
Plexi over top of the control panel is another safety measure I incorporated.

The first iteration was too shallow so instead I cut off a wms cabaret style cabinet.

The rest of your design is just personal preference mixed with comfortable ergonomics.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[paigeoliver]

I like your Golden Tee. The monitor is the right shape. Golden Tee is a great LCD conversion because it doesn't look bad on them, and has gameplay that isn't hurt by LCD latency.

[Zebidee]

I disagree, there is nothing intrinsically wrong with a control panel that sticks out to the sides slightly. Just have a look at some of the cabs in my sig line. They make good streetfighter/Mortal Kombat/VsFighter style cabs where sweaty people need a little extra room.

Even so, that wide panel will make your cab slightly less attractive for single player games (as player 1 will be a bit further from the centre), and I agree that you don't want to make the cab too wide, and that your display choice is wide already.

If you do stick to your original guns and go with the stick-out control panel, because what you really want to do is beat up your friends rather than playing Galaga, then try to build it so you can take it off completely when moving (but remains rock-solid while playing).

As for that display. I can only agree with paigeoliver about that. CGA CRT is king! 4:3 aspect ratio is queen. Make it so!

[FALSE]

I received such warm feedback with my first go round, here's my updated plans.
Modified the marquee area and the control panel will no longer have wings.

As for CRT vs LCD I just don't see LCD as that bad. I know the latency is is worse on an LCD vs a CRT but honestly I don't think it makes that much of a difference for your average player.
I'm sure if you're a high level shmup player or Robotron master the latency will effect you but I'm not and never will be at that level.
I've played countless MAME games through the years on my PC with a fight stick and the monitor never seemed to make a difference.

I've lurked on this forum long enough to know that I'm probably stirring up a hornets nest over a monitor but feel free to try to convince me the CRT is a better option for me.
Also would take suggestions on a readily available CRT that is going to give me a good play area for vertical games even while the monitor is mounted horizontally AND has to have a good price (around $100 or so).

Someone commented that I should just use an existing cabinet plan but I haven't been able to find a good set of clear plans that meet my needs which are...
-Easy to cut out with basic tools, circular saw, jig saw, router...
-Not overly complicated cuts because I haven't done any wood working in years
-I need to easily be able to transfer the plans to Gimp or Inkscape at actual size of the cab so I can work on the art or have someone work on my art(Really clueless about this aspect)
-2 player + trackball
-Would prefer a slimmer cabinet

If anyone could suggest plans that meet my needs I would love to see them. I'd much rather use proven plans than come up with my own.
But until than, here's my latest revision. Thoughts and comments?

Thanks again

[dmckean]

There's no readily available CRTs today, and you'll pay a lot for one if you find one. Plus, CRTs don't really work that great for Multi-MAME cabinets designed to play every game ever made.

The problem with mounting a 32" LCD vertically is that it just looks visually wrong and chances are you'll never play any modern widescreen games on them. Even if you go to the trouble of mounting one vertically and masking off a 4:3 area, LCD panels of that size tend to be some of the worst.

[Mike A]

I have about 30 working CRTs. A dozen in working cabs. The rest are in my basement. One needs to be fixed. I picked it up for free. I paid 200 bucks each for 2 working CRTs this year that look like they haven't been used. That is the most I paid for any of the loose CRTs I own. I did a Craigslist search for arcade monitors in my area before I posted and there are at least a dozen working CRTs for sale. Some are overpriced, but some are reasonable. You can pick up a CRT tv for even less. I bought a working Pleiades cab complete and working for 300 bucks last year. A Rave Racer complete with a working 25 inch CRT for 400 bucks.

Go ahead and use an LCD. It works out better for some people. Just don't pick that because you think you can't get a CRT or they are too expensive. There is no comparison between the two when you take into account the vibrancy of color a CRT provides, and the deep black a CRT provides.
A backlit LCD can produce really dark grey, but not really true black. Maybe expensive modern LCD's can. I am not up to date on that.

[Zebidee]

Go ahead and use an LCD. It works out better for some people.

Lol, yes, and leave all those juicy fat CRTs for the rest of us that appreciate them

[Mike A]

I just like to make the suggestion because people often dismiss using a CRT immediately because they are "too expensive" or "too hard to find". I know there are places where they are hard to come by. However, they aren't nearly as scarce or expensive as some people will tell you.


If you decide on using an LCD monitor then that is the last you will hear about CRTs from me.

[Nephasth]

I have a 32" CRT. It's yours for free. Come get it.

[Mike A]

How far are you from Wonder Lake, IL Neph?

I am planning a trip to Minneapolis to pick up a bunch of Centuri cabinet parts soon. If you are near there I would definitely divert to take that beast off of your hands.

[1500points]

Good discussion above.
Since this is a design thread i'll break out some emotion vs function stuff a bit further.
I've been around games since the B/W games like Stunt Cycle, worked in a classic arcade, and have toyed with a bunch of options in retro era from real machines to mini NESpis.

Thickness of cabinet design:
--If your cabinet design is narrower, then LCD accomodates narrow.  CRT requires space for the CRT neck so you don't snap it off accidentally, too.

Safety:
--CRTs require isolation transformer. People usually use 30plus year old transformers.  wiring and insulation ages, so be safe.  If you are using this inside a house or have pets and kids, never have power applied to the machine when it is unattended.  be smart about your old tech.
--old arcade CRTs have old parts and they do fail.  Sometimes flybacks "explode" or you can have fire potential with burned out items.  I experienced this with a Robotron....the kids turned it on in garage and i wasn't aware.  the flyback physically blew up.  I found it later with case shrapnel around the cabinet that flew hard enough that it scratched the inside cabinet wood in spots.
--newer LCDs don't seem to have the dramatic fail factor, they just stop working when they break.  I bet a lot of you leave your living room flat screen TV on when you aren't home for the pets, too?  And you don't even ponder it as a safety risk.

Black contrast of CRT is unmatched by LCD:
--If you are looking for authentic Galaxian/Defender/Galaga type games with lots of black space background and twinkling stars that may be a criteria to consider.

LCD handles diverse range of game eras better and allows mixing horizontal and vertical games for multi-use:
--If space in home is important, then multi gaming is usually desired.
--if you have a man-cave or garage space then multiple game designs might be desired so each cabinet can specialize to the game needs of the cabinet. 
--Golden Tee is a very colorful game and by complete it is very 3D, LCD does it great.
--New $200ish arcade flat panel LCDs still don't go pitch black background by design, but the image quality is great and bright.  You can offset the not-blackhole-black with brightness and contrast settings to get things like the Lander shots in Defender to glow brightly white. (instead of dull gray on an old computer lcd or computer crt vga monitor)

Availability:
--People in bigger areas have access to CRTs.
--I live in an area that is 5hrs from Minneapolis, 6 hrs from Chicago, 4hrs from St Louis and KC.  And I couldn't buy a working CRT if I wanted to.  We have a local arcade that has tech based out of Des Moines.  Those folks are in business and they won't come off a working CRT for any price.  Those of you with access to buying a working CRT should consider yourselves lucky. 
--I've had many CRTs in the retro era and I'm fairly tech handy like with pinball machines, but I've had several I couldn't figure out how to fix once they broke.  Very frustrating when you "just wanna play some games."

Wrapping up that dialogue....if CRT is something that tickles your curiosity, be sure to make the cab big enough that you can retrofit one easily if you get tired of LCD.
Once your machine is up and running in whatever configuration, you are going to discover that your family gravitates to certain games and it'll probably become more specialized in the game selection you offer.
Worst case scenario:  If it is Tempest and Asteroids that are your tops...well you better start seeking a real machine with a working vector monitor, then knock on wood that it doesn't break until you find some people resources to assist.

[Nephasth]

How far are you from Wonder Lake, IL Neph?

952 miles West on I-80.

Minneapolis is OUT of the way.

ETA: It's a Gateway computer CRT. Not a TV.

[Mike A]

There better be more than a CRT waiting for me if I drive that far.

[Nephasth]

I suppose I could throw in a few dead power supplies...

[Mike A]

Are you the reincarnation of Fred Sanford?

[Mr. Peabody]

Second image is better. The dimension lines are straight and neat.

Aren't there plenty of thin body threads here?

[paigeoliver]

Your control panel is too low. I just walked over to a row of my games and measured the lowest panel (Playchoice 10) and it was 39", and the highest (Moon Patrol) and it was 42". You should be in that range, or even an inch or two taller if kids reaching it are not a concern.

[barrymossel]

Your control panel is too low. I just walked over to a row of my games and measured the lowest panel (Playchoice 10) and it was 39", and the highest (Moon Patrol) and it was 42". You should be in that range, or even an inch or two taller if kids reaching it are not a concern.

36"might be at the low side, but depends on you own height (I'm not the tallest myself). But quite some people on this board - that posted about it - do not agree with a minimum of 39"(or even +2"):

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,19847.msg324635.html#msg324635
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,19847.msg159664.html#msg159664
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,3497.msg20861.html#msg20861
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,144365.msg1500991.html#msg1500991
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,144365.msg1502482.html#msg1502482
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,22700.msg184443.html#msg184443
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,22700.msg184463.html#msg184463
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,22700.msg184735.html#msg184735
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,22700.msg185231.html#msg185231
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,813.msg4784.html#msg4784
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,813.msg4785.html#msg4785
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,813.msg4786.html#msg4786
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=77420.0

[dmckean]

It's too wide. Horizontally mounting an LCD just makes the cabinet look ugly.

[paigeoliver]

I am going to trust the engineers who designed many years worth of cabinets over the datapoints of people who built cabinets with no real cabinets referenced. My 6 year old daughter needs a stool to play everything, however her 8 year old friend doesn't need one at all.

I did however go to the other rows and took a few more measurements. Ms Pac and Berzerk are both 38" at the edge, but the slope up sharp enough that the controls themselves are higher than that. My own Mame cabinet is also at 38".

I suggest the poster raise the panel 1" and be sure and put level levelers on it to take it up a little more. That would get it to the range that most cabinets don't seem to vary much from. I would rather take 36" down to 33" and play in a chair than just play 36" standing.

Your control panel is too low. I just walked over to a row of my games and measured the lowest panel (Playchoice 10) and it was 39", and the highest (Moon Patrol) and it was 42". You should be in that range, or even an inch or two taller if kids reaching it are not a concern.

36"might be at the low side, but depends on you own height (I'm not the tallest myself). But quite some people on this board - that posted about it - do not agree with a minimum of 39"(or even +2"):

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,19847.msg324635.html#msg324635
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,19847.msg159664.html#msg159664
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,3497.msg20861.html#msg20861
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,144365.msg1500991.html#msg1500991
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,144365.msg1502482.html#msg1502482
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,22700.msg184443.html#msg184443
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,22700.msg184463.html#msg184463
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,22700.msg184735.html#msg184735
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,22700.msg185231.html#msg185231
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,813.msg4784.html#msg4784
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,813.msg4785.html#msg4785
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,813.msg4786.html#msg4786
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=77420.0

[1500points]

I am going to trust the engineers who designed many years worth of cabinets over the datapoints of people who built cabinets with no real cabinets referenced.

I talked with Jarvis about this once regarding WMS. With Defender and Robo they assumed they themselves in the engineering dept were average humans so just used themselves as the ergonomic example for specs.  Then had that built in the design.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Ond]

I suppose I could throw in a few dead power supplies...

 

[paigeoliver]

I suppose I could throw in a few dead power supplies...

 

I could give you all some really good deal on parts chassis to monitors that no one ever wants to rebuild, as well as assorted grey market gambling bezels! 

[FALSE]

Your control panel is too low. I just walked over to a row of my games and measured the lowest panel (Playchoice 10) and it was 39", and the highest (Moon Patrol) and it was 42". You should be in that range, or even an inch or two taller if kids reaching it are not a concern.

paigeoliver do you have any 90's era cabs? TMNT, Simpsons, Street Fighter, Raiden, etc?
That's my era of games and what I'l be playing mostly.
From Jakobud.
Simpson and MK2 panels start at 36" and slopes up to like 38. Sunset Riders is similar.
Gauntlet at like 35.5"

Is it an 80's vs 90's thing? Maybe the older games were higher?
I'm just finding a lot of conflicting information online (go figure) but I want to make sure my controls are comfortable.
I measured out 36" before and it seemed a little off but figured the angle of the CP would make up for it.

[paigeoliver]

I have an STV Titan cabinet here, mid 90s, it is 39" at the edge and slopes up.

Are you going off actual cabinet measurements here or off internet plans. Because internet plans often just measured side panels and didn't account for the fact that there was a base and feet under there jacking it up a few inches. I don't have a Gauntlet or TMNT cabinet at the moment, but I have owned them in the past and I don't recall them being lower than other cabinets.

I am 5'10" which is about average male height. I have about 20 games, they range from 38" to 42", all are comfortable for me to play, all are playable by my daughter's friend Emily (an 8 year old girl). The mame cabinet is at 38" with a very mild slope, it feels like it would be slipping towards uncomfortable if it were a few inches lower. None of them feel too high.

[FALSE]

I have an STV Titan cabinet here, mid 90s, it is 39" at the edge and slopes up.

Are you going off actual cabinet measurements here or off internet plans. Because internet plans often just measured side panels and didn't account for the fact that there was a base and feet under there jacking it up a few inches. I don't have a Gauntlet or TMNT cabinet at the moment, but I have owned them in the past and I don't recall them being lower than other cabinets.

I am 5'10" which is about average male height. I have about 20 games, they range from 38" to 42", all are comfortable for me to play, all are playable by my daughter's friend Emily (an 8 year old girl). The mame cabinet is at 38" with a very mild slope, it feels like it would be slipping towards uncomfortable if it were a few inches lower. None of them feel too high.

Thanks for the info. Back to the drawing board.
Think I'll raise the CP up like 2 inches. I hope the angle from front to back is okay though.

EDIT
Updated plans. Thoughts?