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Author Topic: Xanitron - A Return  (Read 17625 times)

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gingecko

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Xanitron - A Return
« on: March 18, 2019, 04:11:17 pm »
Back in 2006, I mostly finished up a cab: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,52641.msg516195.html#msg516195

I barely knew what I was doing, but in-person, people were pretty impressed with what I had done. It got farther along than the last few pics, but sadly I didn't take any 'finished' pics. Too busy playing the thing or 'never completed syndrome'?

Flash forward, the wife is gone, the cab is gone, a new username, new wife, and now kids...and an itch to build again.

I kept all the joys, buttons, and the KeyWhiz encoder. Should be simple enough to throw something together, right? Well, been spending the last couple weeks browsing the forum here and looks like a lot has changed since then. A number of people I remember are gone, new people have come, new products, new designs. But most of all, lots of questions.

Design - inspired by the Vigo Lix cabs.

Encoder - I-pac Ultimate I/O.

Materials - MDF - buy a shopvac! What a difference that has made! vs wood. I used MDF on my first cab. It's heavy, cheaper, has the right finish when painted. It's also messy as @#$%. Months later, there was still MDF dust coating the garage. Wood, less messy, easier to screw up.

Brains - refurb'd Dell Optiplex

Monitor - Acer 22" 16:10 monitor currently, but looks like I might want something bigger.
nope, I'm not doing the heavyweight monitor this time around. Was a beast to move and takes up too much space. Lighter weight flat panel computer monitor (sorry, purists!) this time.

Number of players: 1-2. (option for 3-4 to be brought in with USB game pads)

Controls: 2 joys and 7 buttons, 1 trackball (still debating), 1 Spinner (still debating).

Favorite games: Robotron, Joust, Defender, Dig Dug, Black Tiger, Centipede, Galaga, Phoenix, Ms Pac Man, Xenophobe, Double Dragon, Street Fighter, etc. I find that with most of those games the number of buttons is small. But you can't beat the Street Fighter like games for two-player fun. Still torn on the 'want to have it all' but also 'want to streamline'. Leaning towards streamline.

Paint: Blue/Black (same colors as last time, but using oil based paint).

Art: I managed to find my original vector illustration for the Marquee. I'll re-purpose that. Art was a stopping block for me last time, especially the control panel and side art. This time around, I have the teen helping out with art chores. We will work something up for the control panel, after I've got the controls situated the way I like. I want to get this done sooner, so it's not an after thought that seems to never get finished. Already got a few roughs for the side art.

Other: Polylaminate artwork over control panel. Plexiglass over control panel? I had that last time, but there are better options. Would like to mimic the rounded front/arcade control panel look.

Speakers - Logitech Multimedia 2.1 Speakers Z213 (cheap, but love the sound on them).

Bezel - another unknown. Looking to do what Delusional did with spray painting one side of acrylic sheet.

Coin door - check.

Hopefully will have most of this worked out by by end of Summer.

Humble Beginnings!



Moving Right Along



« Last Edit: August 19, 2019, 11:54:34 am by gingecko »

J_K_M_A_N

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Re: Xanterion - A Return
« Reply #1 on: March 19, 2019, 09:00:03 am »
I am guessing you would put the 4-way and/or spinner above the trackball? How does the reach feel for that? I would like to do an all in one (trackball/spinner/4-way/8-ways) but I worry that the reach would not feel great or the buttons would be tough to place for the 4-way games. I have been thinking about getting a servo stick to remove the 4-way joystick need. Maybe you can look into that as an upgrade. :) The one I am working on now actually has the U360 stick and I am thinking that might be ok too but I do like the feel of the restrictor plates.  :dunno

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gingecko

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Re: Xanterion - A Return
« Reply #2 on: March 19, 2019, 11:00:02 am »
Yep, that's the idea. I had a joystick in there at one point. I don't recall how well it worked though. Seems like the reach wouldn't be too bad. Maybe better for a Spinner than a 4-Way. I'll be testing out the layout over time. I think I have a Happs 4-Way Super Joy w/ Top Fire button, which I would mount there.

I also have a Happs Perfect 360, which I guess are impossible to find now. I didn't like how stiff that joystick is though. I'm considering the 'heat the spring' trick or seeing if I can replace the spring with something else. Another item to test and get the feel for. The U360 is like a Happs Perfect 360? How is the U360 for most 4-Way games? Any games that it performs better or worse?

Spinner wise, I think I need to re-evaluate how many games actually use spinners. The price on them is steep, and not sure there are too many that would really compel me to buy. Arkanoid and Tempest are the two that come to mind.

Hmm, the spinner does sit lower on the control panel and would probably look better aesthetically than an additional joy. Combine that with a Servo stick, and it would be way less clutter on the control panel. Which is my end goal.

gingecko

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Re: Xanterion - A Return
« Reply #3 on: March 19, 2019, 12:01:04 pm »
Well, I wasn't watching a lot of YouTube back in 2006. But it looks like there are a lot of videos out there now. Would've been nice to have some of these back then. I started watching some of the videos from Retro Active Arcade: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtK1dBCZzVTdjbXk_WUdAfQ

Good refresher on some basic stuff, and think he has convinced me to stick with MDF. So, crossing that one off.

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Re: Xanterion - A Return
« Reply #4 on: March 19, 2019, 01:03:24 pm »
I really like the U360 in 4 way mode. I think it works great. But I do miss the feel of the restrictor so that is why I am thinking of trying the servo stick.

I do have a spinner and I like it but it is expensive. I basically use it for 2 games. Tempest for sure (one of my all time favorites). I also play Arkanoid at times but not as much.

I do sometimes regret buying things like that but then after 2-3 months you get back financially and it is nice to have. I still have a tough time spending that much though. I have to really want it or just I just keep going back and forth until I say screw it and just buy it.  ;D

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gingecko

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Re: Xanterion - A Return
« Reply #5 on: March 19, 2019, 01:42:21 pm »
Which spinner do you use? I originally had grandiose plans of making my own using an old mouse and wheel, etc. But I don't have quite as much time these days, so I would likely buy one. I'll be buying things piecemeal to start, making it easier on the wallet.

Looks like the u360 just plugs in via USB? Do you use an encoder?

J_K_M_A_N

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Re: Xanterion - A Return
« Reply #6 on: March 19, 2019, 02:24:59 pm »
I got the TurboTwist from GGG. It is very nice. I got the extra weight also for more spin. It connects USB. You do have to get the setting in each game correct though to have the right feel. It worked well for me.

The U360 does connect to USB so I just use that. I believe you have to use that if you want analog function. I use that for Sinistar but it is not quite the same. At least playable for me though. I could not play with a regular 8 way.

You can hook it up the U360 to an encoder but then it is basically an 8 way from what I understand. The 8 buttons are not quite enough so I am going to wire some extras into the GPIO pins on the Raspberry Pi.

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gingecko

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Re: Xanterion - A Return
« Reply #7 on: March 19, 2019, 04:51:24 pm »
Oh man, I remember back when the TurboTwists were just coming out. Thanks for that video! Will be really helpful if I get one and need to configure it. I forgot that Tron also used a spinner. Another great game.

Sinistar is another game I really liked. I should try that out with the P360 as well.

J_K_M_A_N

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #8 on: March 19, 2019, 05:16:49 pm »
I just noticed that it embedded the video. If you click to watch it on youtube instead, it has more info for games in the description.

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gingecko

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #9 on: March 19, 2019, 10:31:36 pm »
Yea, I read through most of the comments on the video. One of which took me to a link back here on spinner rotation numbers for different games. Bookmarked that one too!

gingecko

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #10 on: June 03, 2019, 12:29:52 pm »
Really, need to get some new pics up. Things are still slow going, partially me, partially waiting for orders. I have the panels mostly cut, controls picked out, etc. Even though I've put in a good chunk of time, I know that I still have a long road ahead.

While working on yet another prototype of the control panel (ignore the overhanging buttons above the trackball), yet another question popped up.

"If you're applying polylaminate artwork over the top of the control panel, do you need to smooth out the surface of the trackball mounting plate?"



The surface of the mounting plate is not smooth and has a bit of texture, which I don't know if it would be noticeable or not with polylaminate over the top. I'm not going to put acrylic over the top, by the way. I'm also wondering if it would be super difficult to remove the trackball if I use bondo to fill in the gaps around the mounting plate?

The time I had to mess around with this prototype, allowed me to try out a forstner bit for button holes. Get a feel for the router by recessing out the mounting plate, and a joystick adapter plate. Also try out undermounting joysticks. Most of that work is on the underside. It's also just freehand, so not that pretty right now. I tested out the roundover bit on the front edge as well. It's serviceable, but I want to practice that some more with some scrap to really get the edge I want.





javeryh

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #11 on: June 03, 2019, 12:44:44 pm »
If you use bondo on the mounting plate, you will probably want to buy another mounting plate if you wanted to move the trackball.  But the trackball itself should just unscrew from underneath no problem.

Gilrock

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #12 on: June 03, 2019, 02:41:33 pm »
Not sure how thick that polylaminate is but if its like the Robotron control panel overlay I bought from ArcadeShop it would probably go over that textured metal just fine.  It wasn't like other artwork I've applied where every spec of dust shows through.

gingecko

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #13 on: June 04, 2019, 11:22:51 am »
Thanks, based on recommendations from the forum I'm likely going to buy the overlay from Lucian045. Assuming he's still around by the time I'm done! I guess if I'm extremely careful with the routing around that mounting plate, I might be able to get by without using Bondo then. Perhaps some wood filler would be good enough.

Okay, backtracking on the pics a little bit...here's a shot of the little one playing the first prototype control panel. I had originally put contact paper on top, thinking that would be a smart way to determine the art layout for the control panel. Too early to be doing that at this stage.



I tried to explain this project to my family, since my first cabinet was long gone before I got remarried. I'm not sure they really understood this BYOAC thing. I don't think it will dawn on them until there is a living, breathing, painted arcade cabinet with art and lights and noises. But letting them play a few games on the prototype control panel was already a hit.



The little one had fun with Centipede, Missile Command, and Ladybug. I don't think I had ever heard of Ladybug until this forum. It's a nice Pac Man knockoff with a few little twists. The teenager and my Wife, enjoyed Street Fighter CE when I fired that up on the next prototype control panel.

Or was that the fourth one?



Never get too cocky or rushed when drilling holes. I had finished the 2nd player, but then screwed up the second to the last hole. I'm having a bit more luck with a Forstner bit now. Though I think I'm going to heed some advice I read, about pilot holes and drilling both sides, when I get to my final control panel top.

Next time around, I should share some pics of shopping and a trip. Sounds like fun?!

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #14 on: June 04, 2019, 12:19:03 pm »
If you do the pilot hole and drill from both sides for the button, make sure you drill the pilot hole straight so they line up nicely. I usually don't have any problem with a forstner bit just going straight through. I do go a little slow though.

For routing the hole for the trackball, maybe line up a piece of wood to use as a straight edge guide for each side. That should make the sides straight for the plate. Just try not to go too far to one side or the other. :)

J_K_M_A_N

gingecko

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #15 on: June 11, 2019, 12:11:07 pm »
As promised, "shopping and a trip".

Shopping





Yep, the age old pilgrimage to the big HD. Putting that sheet of mdf on the cart all by myself was comical. I should have brought the teen along, but then there wouldn't be any room in the car. Done is done.



Always fun getting a package from Paradise Arcade. I ordered a few different buttons/switches to try out and get the feel of them. The Japanese/Korean buttons won't really work with 3/4" mdf, so I opted for the IL buttons. We preferred the really light 20 gram microswitch with concave buttons. We haven't thoroughly tested the Rollie Leaf switches yet, and that comparison will happen once I get things a little farther along. Right now it seems like finalizing the control panel layout will be the last thing I do.

The Happs joy in the picture, came from my first cab. The Zippy joystick was super cheap, so I figured why not. I'm not too crazy about it, though the teen likes it. I'll save it (and a lot spare controls) for the possibility of a future project. Also picked up a U360 and Ipac from Ultimarc. I like the U360 so far, but needs more testing and a final decision whether I want to spring for a ServoStik. Ah, I also got some joystick adapter plates from Paradise Arcade....so I potentially don't have to make a final joystick decision right away.

Trip

While trying to puzzle through cabinet dimensions and design....I decided a field trip to a local arcade was in order.

Ground Kontrol

Pretty nice arcade, serves some snacks and beer. They expanded since I was last there and now have 3 rooms plus an upstairs.













(Would love to play that 10-player Killer Queen some day!)

Lastly, I managed to get on the High Score board (#4) for Robotron. That made my night, though I know that score is piddly compared to some of the maniacs around here!



My arcade recon trip was good, but I got kind of side-tracked with playing games. Durh.

My first cabinet started off over 6' high, which was much too big. Even afterwards, it was probably around 6' and seemed too big. Poking around the arcade, a lot of cabinets are about that height, so 6' is probably just fine. The cab I'm working on will be a bit shorter though, which is also just fine.

It's always cool to play arcade games, but it was really interesting noticing how these controls do out in the wild. The Centipede game's trackball would barely scroll right. Arkanoid's spinner wasn't doing so well. The Tempest was just fine, and it's been quite some time since I played that game. There always seems to be a tech servicing the pinball machines 24-7. Which makes me glad that pinball has never been my thing. Would have loved to talk to a tech about what controls they use in the arcade machines.

All in all a fun time. We played quite a bit of Rampart and Robotron. Funny, because the guys who went with me were much younger than I and grew up on Nintendo consoles. So it was interesting to see them really get into older games like Robotron and Track and Field. I told myself that next time I would pay even more attention to control panel layouts, but well, we know how that goes!

JKMAN - thanks for the advice on the drilling/routing. I just free-handed the routing job on the trackball plate quickly (it sure shows!). On the final CP, will certainly use a guide. Perhaps something L or U shaped so I don't go too far left/right.
« Last Edit: June 11, 2019, 12:13:19 pm by gingecko »

J_K_M_A_N

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #16 on: June 11, 2019, 12:30:11 pm »
L-shape would probably work pretty well. You could do 2 sides and then reposition and do the other 2 sides. Good idea.

Not a bad arcade. I went to a place here called Can Can Wonderland. It was not too bad. A little spendy for games but ok. Fun to see them all together in an arcade setting. A decent amount of EM pinball machines also. I love those. That clicking sound when starting and it is resetting all the targets and the scores. Good stuff.

J_K_M_A_N

gingecko

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #17 on: June 11, 2019, 02:03:05 pm »
We were at the arcade early on a weekday, so it looks sort of dead. Definitely picks up later on.

Most of the arcades I've seen in our area, have sadly been taken over by ticket machines. I like Skee ball okay, but nothing beats putting some quarters into Robotron, Defender, etc. There was no cover, and games were the same price as when I was a kid. I could also get a pretzel with cheese, and tote a beer around.

Can Can looks pretty good, I'll have to check that out if we ever head over to midwest!

Mike A

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #18 on: June 11, 2019, 02:15:25 pm »
If you come to the Midwest, you need to visit Alpha Centuri. You drink for free there.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk


gingecko

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #19 on: June 11, 2019, 02:27:13 pm »
That would be stop #1, Mike! Then I might be able to stumble to Can Can...

Love that wood paneling on the ceiling, and you have an amazing collection of games. Been a long time since I've played Time Pilot and Pengo. Pleiades?! That looks like a classic that I've never actually played! How has that happened? Name sounded really familiar, but the gameplay pics on KLOV, don't ring a bell at all. Though I can't say I always trust the old memory these days.

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #20 on: June 11, 2019, 02:31:28 pm »
Does Ground Kontrol still have that 6-player LCD X-men cabinet they claim runs on original hardware? 

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #21 on: June 11, 2019, 02:56:22 pm »
I went to a place here called Can Can Wonderland. It was not too bad. A little spendy for games but ok. Fun to see them all together in an arcade setting. A decent amount of EM pinball machines also. I love those. That clicking sound when starting and it is resetting all the targets and the scores. Good stuff.

J_K_M_A_N

Next time you go, invite me.  8)

gingecko

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #22 on: June 11, 2019, 03:28:56 pm »
Does Ground Kontrol still have that 6-player LCD X-men cabinet they claim runs on original hardware?

There was an X-Men game there. I can take a pic next time I'm there.

I can't say I paid too much attention to it, as the X-Men game doesn't interest me too much. I love superheroes, but that game just feels more like a console game to me than an arcade game. Maybe because that's how I first played through the game?

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #23 on: June 11, 2019, 03:39:43 pm »
Next time you go, invite me.  8)

I thought you lived down by St Joseph or something? Not terribly far but a pretty good trip none the less. :)

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #24 on: June 11, 2019, 03:53:46 pm »
Does Ground Kontrol still have that 6-player LCD X-men cabinet they claim runs on original hardware?

There was an X-Men game there. I can take a pic next time I'm there.

I can't say I paid too much attention to it, as the X-Men game doesn't interest me too much. I love superheroes, but that game just feels more like a console game to me than an arcade game. Maybe because that's how I first played through the game?

Well the controversy is they claim that it's running on an original 6-player board, with some kind of one-off video circuit converter that was built by Clay Cowgill.
The original 6-player board outputs to 2 monitors, and one of the outputs is flipped due to the nature of how the second monitor is mounted in the original cab with a mirror.

A lot of people on KLOV have called shinanigans on this claim, and believe they're just running a PC with MAME, outputting to a widescreen LCD.

They took down their build-log of this cabinet, but the wayback machine has it cached.
https://web.archive.org/web/20150322081428/http://groundkontrol.com/category/6-days-of-x-men/

Notice how they avoid mentioning anything about the video output.

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #25 on: June 11, 2019, 04:03:20 pm »
Maybe because that's how I first played through the game?

 :lol  No.  Don't toy with 90s PBJ emotions.

Notice how they avoid mentioning anything about the video output.

C'mon, man.  I mean, let's consider the possibilities here.  A great deal of effort for no real reward on the one hand... and $50 PC running MAME on the other....


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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #26 on: June 11, 2019, 04:50:20 pm »
Next time you go, invite me.  8)

I thought you lived down by St Joseph or something? Not terribly far but a pretty good trip none the less. :)

J_K_M_A_N

I right in the SE metro area. Inver Grove.   Maybe next time Mike A is in town for one of his pickup runs, we can meet up at Can Can.   :cheers:

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #27 on: June 11, 2019, 05:25:19 pm »
C'mon, man.  I mean, let's consider the possibilities here.  A great deal of effort for no real reward on the one hand... and $50 PC running MAME on the other....
I dunno, I just get a gross feeling with the idea that an arcade business is running MAME in their commercial cabinets.

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #28 on: June 11, 2019, 05:32:16 pm »
Next time you go, invite me.  8)

I thought you lived down by St Joseph or something? Not terribly far but a pretty good trip none the less. :)

J_K_M_A_N

I right in the SE metro area. Inver Grove.   Maybe next time Mike A is in town for one of his pickup runs, we can meet up at Can Can.   :cheers:

Well hell. I am in Burnsville. We will have to go there sometime.

J_K_M_A_N

pbj

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #29 on: June 11, 2019, 06:16:38 pm »
C'mon, man.  I mean, let's consider the possibilities here.  A great deal of effort for no real reward on the one hand... and $50 PC running MAME on the other....
I dunno, I just get a gross feeling with the idea that an arcade business is running MAME in their commercial cabinets.

Yes, and people like you are the reason they've been less than forthcoming about it. 


I mean, some of us walk up to a 6 player X-Men and go, "holy ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---, haven't seen one of those in 25 years" and some of us... are you.



opt2not

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #30 on: June 11, 2019, 06:41:22 pm »
C'mon, man.  I mean, let's consider the possibilities here.  A great deal of effort for no real reward on the one hand... and $50 PC running MAME on the other....
I dunno, I just get a gross feeling with the idea that an arcade business is running MAME in their commercial cabinets.

Yes, and people like you are the reason they've been less than forthcoming about it. 

I mean, some of us walk up to a 6 player X-Men and go, "holy ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---, haven't seen one of those in 25 years" and some of us... are you.
Truth be told, I do want them to be running an original board, with their claimed video combining circuit. That device has been sought after for a while by a lot of people, I myself had a project in mind to have a single widescreen video output from an original 6-player board.

But they couldn't show proof of it in action, which is kinda shady. I mean if they're running a PC with MAME, fine, that's their choice.  But to claim that they have a device that people have been looking for, and not actually show it working is kinda shady.

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #31 on: June 13, 2019, 10:41:52 am »
:lol  No.  Don't toy with 90s PBJ emotions.

Sorry man, we all have our faves for sure. I think the only arcade game I seriously played during the 90s was Street Fighter 2. We found an arcade in the mall near campus and that was the first time I saw the game. But most my time was spent doing a lot of other stuff during the 90s. Gaming was mostly on the computer, sometimes a console.

Actually, I take that back. For awhile they had 2-3 cabs in a spot on campus when I first got there. We played quite a bit of Ataxx and Rampart. Not sure if they got rid of the arcade machines, or we kind of forgot about them.

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #32 on: June 13, 2019, 10:43:44 am »
What I meant was - X-men the arcade game never came out on consoles. 

 :'(

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #33 on: June 13, 2019, 11:31:35 am »
It came out on Xbox Live. 6-player version. 

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #34 on: June 13, 2019, 12:00:20 pm »
Oh yea, looks like the console version was different than the Arcade one. Maybe we'll have to try and beat the Marvel games once I get this cab done. Ok, scrap everything, 4 players it is!

Just kidding. I've already decided if we ever want 4 players, we would go the controller route.

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #35 on: June 18, 2019, 01:24:14 pm »
Well, "today's the day".





I applied the last layer of paint to the bottom interior board last night. I tried painting both sides a different type of paint for a test (and a slightly different color because of that). One side was acrylic primer and acrylic paint. Pretty much the exact same thing I used on my first cabinet. The other side I painted with an oil based primer and oil paint.

I read through OND's painting thread and watched his video. Pretty amazing, but mine is not going to be anywhere near as perfect. If I can get a finish that looks smooth from an arm's length using canned paint and a roller, then that will be good enough for most people who would see the cabinet. With a little one in the house, it's likely to be colored on with crayons and adorned with stickers in no time anyways.

I'll check the final result of the paint finish tonight after work, but here are the results so far:

(Before I forget, I sanded before each layer, usually with a 180-240 grit paper. Both primers were also tinted, so they are grey)

Oil primer - beautiful stuff. The first application was super smooth. I really, really, really didn't want to work with oil because of the cleanup, etc. But this really won me over. Saves a lot of time with only really needing one layer as well.

Acrylic primer - was ok, took two coats. Gummy when trying to sand. Coverage was ok. No real surprises there, as it's what I used on my first cab.

Oil paint - so I was loving the oil primer and thought I had put a nail in the coffin...but when I tried the oil paint, it was a bit tacky and ended up with a lot of lint showing up from the roller. Also small bits of paint were marring the finish. The second time around, I tried taking some tape to the roller just to make sure any excess lint was removed beforehand. Still no dice on that.

Acrylic paint - again, it's what I had used before, so the results aren't too surprising. The oil paint seems to dry quicker. But the acrylic has a nice rubbery feel after it dries, which I kind of liked. It also didn't attract the lint from the roller so heavily, so the finish is a bit better. Just like the acrylic primer, it gums up sandpaper in no time at all, which is a chore.

So, unless I change my mind after tonight's results...it looks like I want to go with an oil-based primer and an acrylic paint over the top. It sounds so weird to me to do that, but supposedly it can be done. I don't know if anyone here has had problems with that combo?

Next steps for this weekend?
A) Do another series of paint tests with the oil primer and acrylic paint over the top.
OR
B) Screw in 1x2 framing pieces temporarily, test fit everything together and finalize dimensions.

On B above, I can't remember when I attached the 1x2 frames on my first cab. I'm pretty sure I painted all the panels first, as well as those strips, then attached them. But I was also bolting most everything together, so there was very little worry about having to screw things in, take the screws out, and screw it back into the mdf again. I'm guessing if I use very few screws and don't glue till everything is ready, it should all be fine?
« Last Edit: June 18, 2019, 01:26:19 pm by gingecko »

gingecko

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #36 on: July 30, 2019, 12:26:40 pm »
I can't believe it's nearly August! The good news is that I've made some more progress on the cabinet.

The base.





That proved trickier than I thought it would. Trying to figure out where to secure the wood and still have spots to screw in the plate was quite the exercise. Also, the plates on the wheels are slightly different sizes. So if I set them one way, the wheels would suddenly scrape the wood.

But the fun didn't stop there...



I got it all painted up, only to realize I had put the wheels on the wrong side of the board!!  :timebomb:
The wheels should have gone on the long side and not the short. I nearly exploded when I realized that, but our son was with me, so I tried to keep my cool.

So, I ripped off the wheel supports, salvaging what I could and cut some replacement boards. Then repainted.







Even after Bondo, it didn't turn out quite as nice, but luckily it's mostly inside stuff.

While redoing it, I did notice that the oil paint fared way better with wear and tear than the acrylic/latex paint. Also the acrylic paint was still sort of sticky, so I changed my mind and am going oil all the way. The oil paint looked a little better after it had been worn a bit too. So maybe I'll try some light sanding or buffing after the final coat.

At this point, I was happy to have got back to the point I was before, but decided that I will be cutting/fitting all the wood before doing anymore painting. That way screw ups won't end up costing me more time. This is how I'm attaching the boards inside. Basically cut those support pieces up, pre-drill holes, and glue them together beforehand. Then just attach the panels to them. They have been pretty sturdy so far, even without glue. I'll use glue during the last part of assembly though.



Coin door and box. Glad I picked up a jigsaw for this part. I remember using one in wood shop in school, and all I could do with it was make jagged lines. I don't know if it was me, a bad tool, or the tech is a lot better 30 years later. Regardless, they are an invaluable tool for this sort of project.





And speaking of jigsaws again, couldn't have cut this access panel without it. Used a storage container lid as a nice template.





Lastly, I needed to trim up the side panels. The original goal was to make a full size Vigolix, but just scaling up the dimensions didn't work like I thought it would.



I ended up deciding to modify things and trim this corner flush. We have a teen and a little one, and I can imagine that corner would be a tripping hazard and probably just snap off at some point.

Of course I forgot I had removed the front panel when I made my line, and trimmed off 3/4" too much on the first cut. Luckily I lined it back up before I cut the second panel. I glued an extra piece on there, trimmed it to size, and recut the slots for t-molding. The end result, two pretty nice side panels.



Feels like I've made some decent progress and slowly getting better with the woodworking tools. On the other hand it also feels like there is still a lot to do.

Mike A

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #37 on: July 30, 2019, 12:42:43 pm »
Nice work so far.

Thank you for including a coin door. :applaud:

gingecko

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #38 on: July 30, 2019, 12:59:07 pm »
Thanks Mike! Yea, it just doesn't seem like an arcade machine without a coin door.

Mike A

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Re: Xanitron - A Return
« Reply #39 on: July 30, 2019, 01:00:02 pm »
Be careful. People want to poke me with pointy sticks when I say stuff like that.