The SquareVision Max cabinet

[markiej]

I've just completed the design and feasibility phase of this project.  I found myself with a spare 43" 4K TV and was thinking of something to do with it.  Turns out, with nVidia drivers, I can set the resolution to 2160 x 2160, and rotate it, making a perfect, 28" diagonal square smack in the middle of the display, which is awesome in that it gives equal footing to vertical and horizontal games.  I designed a cabinet around this quirk in sketchup.  Just today, I did some mame tests to see how it would look.  Turns out, kind of amazing (that's a lot of pixels for HLSL to do its magic.).  I did a lot of fine tuning on the cabinet, but will start looking around here for tips before taking the plunge.

[Mike A]

Unless you really need the space, the slim look is weird. Since you are going to give the monitor area the correct proportions you should do the same with the rest of the cab.

[Arroyo]

Seems a bit tall to me on the marquee area.  It looks like from your render that you have room to play with shortening the height of the head of the design, and lowering your screen down?  Might make the ratios of control panel height to top of the machine more in proportion?  You could also raise your control panel as well.....

There are a few people that have done the vertical screen thing, and it can turn out well.  These two come to mind at the moment:

Mimic - by Laythe

Marvel Vs. Capcom: Revolution version 2.0 - by Maximus

Also as Mike said just cause your screen is thin doesn't mean the cab has to be, might play with the depth and see how you like it.

Good luck on your build!

[markiej]

Unless you really need the space, the slim look is weird. Since you are going to give the monitor area the correct proportions you should do the same with the rest of the cab.

I have been thinking about going maybe a couple of inches deeper, but more for stability and wiggle room on the inside.  Honestly space is a concern, my house is on the petit side, and I like the idea of not building something that's going to be mostly filled with air.  But you're right in that I don't want it to look like a super slim cabinet, like some I've seen.

[Mike A]

More surface area on the side panels also gives you more options for artwork.

[markiej]

Seems a bit tall to me on the marquee area.  It looks like from your render that you have room to play with shortening the height of the head of the design, and lowering your screen down?  Might make the ratios of control panel height to top of the machine more in proportion?  You could also raise your control panel as well.....

If I go a couple of inches deeper, I tilt and lower the TV a bit more, probably shave a few inches of height. (thanks for the tips!)

Made some edits.

[Arroyo]

Those proportions and screen angle look way better.  What's the height of your control panel surface?

[markiej]

Those proportions and screen angle look way better.  What's the height of your control panel surface?

Thanks!  CP surface is 36" off the floor.

[opt2not]

Who's that character from Code Veronica?  That's definitely not Claire Redfield, or Alexia Ashford...

And how tall is this character?

[markiej]

Who's that character from Code Veronica?  That's definitely not Claire Redfield, or Alexia Ashford...

And how tall is this character?

That's just my shorthand for her - she reminded me of the lead from that game - she's got a real "last gen survival horror heroine" vibe to her.  The model is 5'6" in heels.

[markc74]

2nd model looks a lot better. If it was mine I'd increase the height of the marquee a little though - it looks a little narrow.

[yotsuya]

Second one is a winner, my friend

[Laythe]

I like it.  (Perhaps predictably.)   

I agree the second one is an improvement.

Your control panel inclination looks like 0' level-and-flat, in those renders.  If so, I'd recommend tilting it up in back / down in front a little.  Nothing crazy, 5'-10' or so.

[markiej]

Your control panel inclination looks like 0' level-and-flat, in those renders.  If so, I'd recommend tilting it up in back / down in front a little.  Nothing crazy, 5'-10' or so.

Thanks - I may play with this tomorrow - flat is definitely simpler to design and cut, but it would probably look and play better. (plus I was thinking of using hinges and magnets, because I'm sure I'll have to dig around in there from time to time).

[markiej]

2nd model looks a lot better. If it was mine I'd increase the height of the marquee a little though - it looks a little narrow.

I could do that by lowering the bottom bezel a bit - thanks for the suggestion!

[Arroyo]

I could do that by lowering the bottom bezel a bit - thanks for the suggestion!

I think he means make the height of the Marquee taller.  Just for reference a lot of cabs are close to the 6’ height like you originally had (not that it needs to be).  So raising the height back up a little by increasing the height of the Marquee is an option as well.

[Laythe]

So, I'm curious.    

I have a crazy guess. 

Am I correct that you are thinking of using mame layout files to light the unused top of your display white, and then using that for your translucent marquee backlight?

[markiej]

So, I'm curious.    

I have a crazy guess. 

Am I correct that you are thinking of using mame layout files to light the unused top of your display white, and then using that for your translucent marquee backlight?

Not so crazy - I totally considered that, and I know how to work with .lay files to make it happen.  In the end though, I'm sticking with led strips - mainly to avoid what might happen to the screen if a bright white static box is displayed for hours a day.  On the other hand, it's going to be goofy anyway by having the pixels above and below the square never active, so I really shouldn't care.

[javeryh]

I really like that second design - proportions and monitor angle look nice.  How deep is the cab now?  I also live in a very small house so I understand wanting to save space wherever possible.

Also, I would 100% angle your CP.  It's not really that much harder to build and you will notice a huge difference in comfort.  I usually do a 5 degree slant.

[markiej]

I really like that second design - proportions and monitor angle look nice.  How deep is the cab now?  I also live in a very small house so I understand wanting to save space wherever possible.

Also, I would 100% angle your CP.  It's not really that much harder to build and you will notice a huge difference in comfort.  I usually do a 5 degree slant.

Thanks!  I went with 10°. I figure if I'm going to re-do all those pieces, I might as well make it noticeable .

Dimensions of Revision C:

• Base: 25.5" wide x 18" deep
• Height: 5' 4 5/8" in back, 5' 7 5/8" in front
  
• :CP 35" from top-front, 3" in front of base front
• marquee and bottom of monitor are 3" behind the base front

[/li]
[/list]

[javeryh]

It's getting there!  What if you made the CP go inside of the side panels?  This would make the t-molding on the sides continuous and the whole thing would be easier to put together.

[Arroyo]

I agree with Javery above.

Am I reading that right and the height of the machine is 5' 7"?  That is pretty low.  Like I mentioned most machines were closer to 6ft.  I don't know how tall you are but if you have friends coming over that are taller say 6' 2", it might be an uncomfortable viewing angle for them.....Also most control panels are in the 36-38" range, so you could raise that up as well as the height of the machine.....just a thought.

[PL1]

Also most control panels are in the 36-38" range, so you could raise that up as well as the height of the machine

Not sure if OP used them in his design, but adding wheels and leg levelers could help with that and also provide enough clearance to protect the t-molding on the bottom.


Scott

[markiej]

I agree with Javery above.

Am I reading that right and the height of the machine is 5' 7"?  That is pretty low.  Like I mentioned most machines were closer to 6ft.  I don't know how tall you are but if you have friends coming over that are taller say 6' 2", it might be an uncomfortable viewing angle for them.....Also most control panels are in the 36-38" range, so you could raise that up as well as the height of the machine.....just a thought.

All this feedback has be a bit nervous - every adjustment, while pretty easy in sketchup, is resulting in complexity I'm not sure I have the chops for, and might end up with something uncomfortable to use.  So came up with something completely different (borrowing mightily from key measurements of a vewlix cab (cp height, screen angle), but seems far more doable.  It also uses the screen better - I can use mame layouts to place the marquee right in the box up top.  Might be cool - I might just need a break.

[Arroyo]

Hey man, I’m sorry didn’t mean to throw you off.  Your doing a great job, just throwing out some ideas to think about.  I liked your previous design and you had a lot of good things going on.  These are all just suggestions.  At the end of the day it’s your cab, do what makes sense to you.

[markiej]

No worries - all the feedback has been phenomenal, and greatly appreciated!

[Mike A]

Your other design was much better. It wouldn't be difficult to build.

[markiej]

Your other design was much better. It wouldn't be difficult to build.

The box won't be bad - it's just al those "3D" cuts - getting the angles just right.  So easy to design perfect angles, but mitering does my head in .  Here's my latest go. 

[J_K_M_A_N]

It's getting there!  What if you made the CP go inside of the side panels?  This would make the t-molding on the sides continuous and the whole thing would be easier to put together.

I agree 100% on this one. My first one had the CP on top of the sides and the second is inside and it is much nicer IMO. Other than that, I think it looks awesome. I love the idea of using a big screen vertically to get a nice big square screen.

J_K_M_A_N

[Nephasth]

What's Rev K looking like?

[Laythe]

I'm really liking rev D. 

Sincere apologies if we're a bit overwhelming.  We mean well.   

I think D is very do-able in terms of construction.  Regarding the miters and joinery - sure, ideally they'd fit perfect, but if they gap a little that's what bondo is for.   There's room to fix some mistakes as you go.  I'm thinking through how I'd build it and so far I'm only seeing one gotcha to mention - t-molding the edges will be easier if you can give it a bit of a radius on the inside corner of your side panels where it meets the control panel.  It's possible to do sharp angles if that's your vision, but it's kind of a pain.  A pop can size radius is easy.  Tracing around a quarter is about the minimum radius I'd want to try. 


I messed around with my plans a lot before I started.  I went way past Rev K.  I think my files on Shapeshifter are around rev number 49 now.   

I think you're doing great.  I like your design, I think a beginner could successfully build it, and I hope to get to watch the thread if you do so.   

[markiej]

Seriously - I hugely appreciate the feedback!  I think Rev E is the one .  I'll probably disappear for a bit while I learn how to go from a sketchup model to functioning plans.

[gingecko]

Just started watching, it’s interesting watching the design evolve. I wish we had spent a little more time in the design stage and in Sketchup. I might have caught a few mistakes earlier. Then again, sometimes I just need to see it in person, before things click, and nothing ever ends up perfect.

Moving the control panel inside is one thing I kind of wish I had done, just for the aesthetics of continuing the t-molding strip. Though I also wanted to avoid having people bump their hands into the sides while playing.

Keep at it, it will come together!

[PL1]

Two observations about the trackball.

1. They take up a lot of room.  You need to allow for a 6" x 6" footprint under the control panel.

2. if you place your palm on the trackball and push forward, will you smash your fingers into the monitor bezel?  "Two-thumbs" style Golden Tee players might not care, but "Superman" style players definitely will.   


Scott

[gingecko]

Oh yea, forgot to mention that I’m curious how your squared TV works out. I had done a lot of poking around in the threads while thinking about my cab, and I guess Laythes cab was probably one in the back of my head. If I had the spare TV, probably would have worked well with my cab. There are tons of cool designs and good ideas in these forums, but you can’t really incorporate all of them at once.

[markiej]

Oh yea, forgot to mention that I’m curious how your squared TV works out. I had done a lot of poking around in the threads while thinking about my cab, and I guess Laythes cab was probably one in the back of my head. If I had the spare TV, probably would have worked well with my cab. There are tons of cool designs and good ideas in these forums, but you can’t really incorporate all of them at once.

Here's a gallery of pictures I took of my testing of the square resolution with MAME and HLSL.  In some of them I put in a lego guy for scale (it's really large).  I also popped in a bezel to show the actual resolution.  Worth zooming in to native resolution to see how well HLSL works with that many pixels.  (it would also probably look great with 1080x1080)
https://imgur.com/a/gGtv5JO

EDIT: it was after I saw how it would actually look on the set in question that I lost my mind trying to design a cabinet .  It really looks that good - plus a fairly modern TV like this has great blacks and viewing angles.  It's pretty spectacular.  And at $229 it's kind of a steal IMHO

[markiej]

Two observations about the trackball.

1. They take up a lot of room.  You need to allow for a 6" x 6" footprint under the control panel.

2. if you place your palm on the trackball and push forward, will you smash your fingers into the monitor bezel?  "Two-thumbs" style Golden Tee players might not care, but "Superman" style players definitely will.   

For now the control panel is a sort of a mockup -  I figure I should have plenty of room with a surface of 25.5" x 7 7/8" - was thinking of 2 astro city configs like https://www.slagcoin.com/joystick/layout/sega2_s.png, and a trackball in the middle.  If it's tight, 8 buttons is overkill so I'll go down to 6.  At some point I'll have to figure out how to gouge out the space under the panel for the trackball, since they're not really designed for 3/4" plywood/MDF.  Thanks!!

[PL1]

At some point I'll have to figure out how to gouge out the space under the panel for the trackball, since they're not really designed for 3/4" plywood/MDF.

You may want to consider Ultimarc's U-Trak.   




Scott

[markiej]

You may want to consider Ultimarc's U-Trak.   


Scott

I like (even though it costs almosts as much as the PC powering everything )

[PL1]

Decent quality trackballs aren't cheap.

If cost or space is a major issue, there are smaller PS/2 trackballs like this one or this one.

They are nowhere near the quality of the U-Trak or arcade trackballs, but are smaller and far more affordable.

There is a mounting plate for them here or you could use the approach that Degenatrons documents here on a 1/2" (12mm) panel.
------------
If you do decide to go with a high quality Happ trackball, avoid the ones with the built-in USB and PS/2 interface like this.


They are really expensive and there have been complaints of backspin.   

Get an arcade version with Red Boards and Molex harness instead and use the GGG Trackball Cable for Opti-Wiz "No-Solder" to replace the Molex harness.



If you want to use the GGG cable on the Dupont pins of an IPac, you'll need to extract the ground pin (2 black wires) from the black Dupont housing since the 5v and ground pins aren't next to each other on the IPac.
- It's very easy to do.   




Scott

[leapinlew]

I love the re-purposed monitor/marquee in the "sort of japanese" style cabinet. We had talked about this years ago. See here: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,70626.msg723874.html I think a tempest shaped cabinet would look good, but may look kinda funny with a multi-control panel deck.

My 2 cents.... you should verify that the screen size you are considering isn't too big when you are standing close to it. I love a big screen, but I don't want to pan my head to see everything on the screen. Your designs all look good.

[markiej]

My 2 cents.... you should verify that the screen size you are considering isn't too big when you are standing close to it. I love a big screen, but I don't want to pan my head to see everything on the screen. Your designs all look good.

Thanks!!

Actually, I decided to start doing a detailed design specifically because of my testing of the screen/resolution in question - it looked really really really good - thanks to HLSL and the good blacks of the TV.  The result is (roughly) like a 25" diagonal CRT (in both vertical and horizontal mode.  I took some pictures which hardly do it justice.

[leapinlew]

My 2 cents.... you should verify that the screen size you are considering isn't too big when you are standing close to it. I love a big screen, but I don't want to pan my head to see everything on the screen. Your designs all look good.

Thanks!!

Actually, I decided to start doing a detailed design specifically because of my testing of the screen/resolution in question - it looked really really really good - thanks to HLSL and the good blacks of the TV.  The result is (roughly) like a 25" diagonal CRT (in both vertical and horizontal mode.  I took some pictures which hardly do it justice.

Awesome! I really like how the classics looked. I'm a big fan of using flat panels and if we can get it to look like the real deal, that's sweeeet.

[Laythe]

Leapinlew -

If the display does end up any larger than you want, ergonomically, a square field does bezels *awesomely* well.  And with a 4k one, keeping the instruction text readable will be a cinch.  So, you can set the screensize to whatever is comfortable - per game if you like.

[zestyphresh]

This is good timing - i've been a (very!) long time lurker and have been picking up the various components I need to build something similar to this having been inspired by all the other amazing square screen projects.

I've got a similarly sized screen but it has to be as shallow as reasonably possible (keeping comfort in mind) as I want to put it on our dining room (British house so not a huge amount of ft2). I haven't made a sketchup model yet but i've settled (subject to some 3d modelling) on a shallow floor and wall mount design that means the wall won't have to take all the weight but is required to stop it falling forward. In the end I settled on a marquee shape like the original Missile Command that has it on the face adjacent to the screen at a slightly shallower angle. On every design I tried a 'normal' marquee, it just looked out of proportion with such a shallow depth. Likewise the base looked equally strange perpendicular to the floor so I angled it back to the wall (not too dissimilar to some pure wall mount designs).

[markiej]

Leapinlew -

If the display does end up any larger than you want, ergonomically, a square field does bezels *awesomely* well.  And with a 4k one, keeping the instruction text readable will be a cinch.  So, you can set the screensize to whatever is comfortable - per game if you like.

Exactly!  And it's along those lines that I redesigned the cabinet from scratch (being sure to use the tips I've gleaned from this thread).  It plays my strengths as a software guy and minimize the damage I could do as "carpenter".  This cab is sit-down and slim, but most importantly, everything but the side panels is diagonal-free.  So it only has two truly challenging parts: creating side panels, and aligning the monitor just so.  Also uses a ton less materials so should be far more luggable.
.
Minor edit -  Rearranged the CP a bit for symmetry.

[yamatetsu]

Now THAT does look rather plain (ugly). It's a bit too boxy, and you went back to a very slim cab. If this was my cab, I would make it slim, but a bit more curvy, something like brlove's Marvel Cab. This shouldn't be too hard to replicate.

[markiej]

Now THAT does look rather plain (ugly).

Fair enough . I gave it a lot of thought - and Rev E wasn't going to happen - I'm all too aware of my limitations, and even though technically I could have pulled it off, in reality there were just too many kookie angles to deal with, and I know how I get when it comes to the nitty gritty - I do ok design and planning, good "heavy lifting" execution, and get super impatient on the details, especially as things drag on.  I once finished a basement almost single-handedly (from dungeon to livable), the electrical was impeccable, because it was first and most critical not to screw up.  The walls and ceiling were pretty good, all the finish stuff was really bad up close - crown molding, painting etc.  I'm the same at work .  I designed a cabinet around that, and around the monitor.  The sides will require some care, but those will be first.  Everything else is simple measurements and 90-degree angles.

But yeah, it's a simpy, but I dig it.

I love some elements of that marvel cab - especially the crazy duck leg sides.

[yamatetsu]

Going with that design, I would

- widen the sides so that the sides are consistently bigger than the insides, not just at the TV and at the front of the CP

- make a frame for the 'game screen' and the marquee so that it looks like each is a separate monitor

- round the edges of the CP front and the upper edge of the marquee (not included in the pic)



Also, since this cab is really slim, I would be worried about it tipping over.

[markc74]

I've bounced this idea around a lot before and it's definitely doable. Layout files make it a breeze too.

I'll chuck this up here - it's a similar idea but wallhanging. Could easily add a base if preferred.

[Laythe]

I am here with, just, like, my opinions, man.     I hope to give feedback without being too much of a downer.

This version against the brick wall reminds me of Monolith.

I quite liked revision E.

The square form would certainly function, and it's true that it is without a miter cut to be seen which does simplify building it, but it doesn't feel like an arcade cabinet to me.  I found E appealing, I'd want to walk up and play it.

I don't think a miter cut should be a dealbreaker - but it's up to you if it is.  It might be.  Your project is about building something you like, and this is all a hobby. 

I think a poorly made revision E with bad miters cut out by angling a jigsaw and wavily tracing the lines by hand, filled in with jointing compound after assembly and sanded, would look better than a perfectly executed build of the simplified design.  To be fair, though, I don't know how bad your carpentry is, so I can't really give you good advice.  You might be being realistic about your limitations here.

If I got a vote, and I don't, I'd say even a bad job at E is better.  But I don't get a vote, and you are the one this thing is to please.  Thanks for sharing your design process, it's been interesting reading.

I like markc74's design a lot, but I'm not sure it's easier to build than revision E was.  (That said, I like it a lot.)

[markiej]

I've bounced this idea around a lot before and it's definitely doable. Layout files make it a breeze too.

I'll chuck this up here - it's a similar idea but wallhanging. Could easily add a base if preferred.

I like it - I would have been tempted, but the 4K screen requires a PC to drive it, so it would have been hard to stuff a PC in a wall mount.  I think they're a great idea, especially because you pop a slick bar stool underneath (or a book shelf or whatever - or it's just cool as is.

I've figured out most of the secret formula for layout files - it is a breeze to do for any one game - and on progretto's snaps, I found a very good set of marquee files named after the romnames.  The challenge will be scaling it up to the thousands of games (or couple of hundred I don't hate).  Having a fallback is very handy - can just put a generic "my-boxy-mamebox" marquee for anything not bespoke.  I was thinking og some sort of script which would generate a bunch of zips based upon romnames, and insert the appropriate marquee etc.

EDITED: scratch that, I love this - it's a killer material design all around, and I just noticed you made a third "screen" where you'll have the button assignments, but perfectly aligned to your CP layout and art - brilliant!

[markiej]

I am here with, just, like, my opinions, man.     I hope to give feedback without being too much of a downer.

No worries at all - I knew it wasn't going to be a crowd-pleaser - it's a boxy little runt with a gigantic screen - reminds of toy piano.  I could really feel myself drifting into "never mind" territory once I started breaking out all the pieces of E, plus I got all excited about using the extra screen for marquee space.  I still have the sketchup model, so it might be a next cabinet if Runty McGee goes well.  And who knows - maybe with a decent paint job and some t-molding, it'll at least look like "something"

[markiej]

- widen the sides so that the sides are consistently bigger than the insides, not just at the TV and at the front of the CP
- make a frame for the 'game screen' and the marquee so that it looks like each is a separate monitor
- round the edges of the CP front and the upper edge of the marquee (not included in the pic)
- Also, since this cab is really slim, I would be worried about it tipping over.

Thanks for the tips! 

• I tried all kinds of designs where I tried to mask the boxiness by flaring the sides - and to my eyes it just shouted "I'm trying to hide the boxiness" - and I kept coming back to the subtly embracing the boxiness, for better or worse . Plus I want to be relatively flush the CP (outside of t-molding), so it's not too limiting.  My CP layout is something I'm going to do later - I think I have plenty of room to spread out.  Also as a sit-down cabinet, I'm aware of my knobby knees (the reasons the CP is short).
• I originally designed a 3/4" frame, but I know my cutting at that level of detail would make it look a little too DIY, so I opted for vesa-mounted solution, and will mask it via acrylic with a spraypainted interior frame - should look nicely separated.  And in the future, if I choose to decorate with vinyl, I could attach to posterboard and put clear acrylic over the lot.
• not sure what you mean by round in this case - I am going to put t-molding on all three surfaces, in addition to the sides, I think,  I'll see how it looks.
• I'm going rig a little something, a canvas strap or whatever, so the top is secured to a joist but I can rotate it to get to the back if I need to.  I think the only risk is if someone put a lot of weight on that part of the CP which sticks out a few inches.

[zestyphresh]

Here is the badly drawn sketch of the shape i'm looking at (The sides will scoop down to the control panel, they won't square as shown here).

[yamatetsu]

- round the edges of the CP front and the upper edge of the marquee (not included in the pic)

• not sure what you mean by round in this case - I am going to put t-molding on all three surfaces, in addition to the sides, I think,  I'll see how it looks.

The circled edges have a round shape, the edges the pointers are pointing at are at a 90 degrees angle, which looks a bit jarring side by side. Hence my advice to make those edges round, too.

Regarding the overlay board for the screen: This would add some depth to the screen, instead of looking at one huge flat area, you would have two clearly separated areas.
Cutting out the rectangles would be very easy to do using a sawboard and a jigsaw.

- mark the rectangles on the wood

- drill holes into the corners so that you have a starting point for the jigsaw

- align the sawboard with the lines

- push the jigsaw along the sawboard to cut a line

- repeat until all lines are cut

[markiej]

two minor mods, incorporating suggestions. While B has a cool look on profile, it looks dopey from other angles.  leaning toward C

[markiej]

Also - thanks to markc74 for the 3rd screen inspiration, I Mocked up a potential third screen with button information - easy to implement with MAME layouts and retroarch overlays (for things like console buttons)

[yamatetsu]

C looks best, but would benefit from a paint job like A has.

[markiej]

Here's a the official final version - just finished turning it into a cut plan.  Thanks!

[yamatetsu]

Looking good.

One question though: It looks like the CP is flat. It has been suggested a while a go to tilt it at five degrees or so, I would heartily recommend that, too. This is not only for looks, playing on a flat CP will hurt your wrists real fast. I have done a flat CP on my first cab and went to a tilted one on my second cab for this reason.

[javeryh]

Here's a gallery of pictures I took of my testing of the square resolution with MAME and HLSL.  In some of them I put in a lego guy for scale (it's really large).  I also popped in a bezel to show the actual resolution.  Worth zooming in to native resolution to see how well HLSL works with that many pixels.  (it would also probably look great with 1080x1080)
https://imgur.com/a/gGtv5JO

It is really neat to see actual pictures of this in action.  You really do get a good size playfield in both vertical and horizontal orientation.  I'm filing this away...   

[markiej]

Hi all - while I wait for the last of my tools to arrive, and still pouring over building tips and safety materials, I've made some tweaks.

• Am going with an open-frame solution.  Exposing the top ~80% of the monitor as a single screen that I'll divide up with MAME artwork.  It just allows more flexibility, and I can always attach screen borders if it doesn't look great.
  
• spent quit a bit of time concocting a modular artwork scheme, so I can pop in different marquees/bezels/control-panel-layouts.  By dimming the control panel and bezel, it makes the marquee and screen appear to glow.
  

Going to start building this weekend or next.

[Mike A]

You lost me with the open frame. Its not an arcade machine anymore. I have seen vertical cabs like that. They look like ass. You had a really good design several iterations back. It is not too late to go back.

[opt2not]

I have seen vertical cabs like that. They look like ass.

They sure do:


I'm with Mike on this one, this design is fuuuuuugly.  I get that you're trying to use the rest of the widescreen monitor as a marquee, but is the design really worth compromising for this?

[Mike A]

Bring back revision e.

[markiej]

You lost me with the open frame. Its not an arcade machine anymore. I have seen vertical cabs like that. They look like ass. You had a really good design several iterations back. It is not too late to go back.

Fair enough - to each their own .  I guess I'm focusing on making something kind of personal vs universal, built around my tastes and strengths.

[opt2not]

"build what you dig"  --Yotsuya

In the end, that's all that matters. We just try to give our advice and comments to help people consider their options. If that advice doesn't stick, oh well, it's your cab, you're stuck with it! 

[pbj]

I saw some reasonably attractive woman drop like $3-4k on one of those VPCabs at ZapCon.  I wanted to intervene so bad.

[yotsuya]

I saw some reasonably attractive woman drop like $3-4k on one of those VPCabs at ZapCon.  I wanted to intervene so bad.

God, I hate those cabs.

[lettuce]

Could you not sure mirrors position in such a way to reflect the marque and keep your original design whilst still using the top part of the LCD as a marquee?

[markiej]

Actually I contemplated testing a fresnel lens solution, which would zoom in the marquee portion of the monitor - it might have been kind of cool, or unworkable.  In the end though, I decided against the nicer-looking build only because it's too outside my expertise - nearly every edge cut is precisely angled, so it's out entirely.  I'm actually going to start building a fairly different design (let's say I was scared straight by those pictures of those horrendous vp vertical cabs - if I even remind someone slightly of those - yikes), hopefully starting tomorrow.  At least I'm picking up the lumber tomorrow.  I will post pics of it when it's underway.

[markiej]

So, the build has started...  Went a nearly completely different direction.  Figured I'd start cutting before presenting it - so I don't keep second-guessing myself and never get to it.  Presenting the "no-name sitdown cabinet with a giant 4K tv and no marquee 2000" - it does stick to the "square" bit a little - I''ll presenting the game screen in a virtual 2160x2160 square for orientation parity.  I've spent some time testing it and various artwork treatments - it really looks great, even up close (tested the screen height and viewing distance as well) - this thing will barely graze the nostalgia nerve, but it will be playable as heck, if all goes well...


bout 4' tall, 40" wide, 15" deep at base and 18" at CP

Thanks to you fine folks, I even managed to get the sides cut far better than I would have thought possible (couple very minor dings I'll try to touch up).

[Mike A]

Your control panel is still flat. That impacts playability. Angle it a few degrees.

[opt2not]

I actually prefer flat CP's to angled. It's especially necessary for sit-down cabs.  For stand-ups, especially Dynamo's, prolonged play on angled CP's always gave me wrist ache. It might be because I'm tall.

But if you're going with a sit-down style cabinet, definitely keep the CP flat.  You don't need to induce carpel tunnel if you can help it.

[Mike A]

Maybe I should pay attention. Yeah. Sit down cab should be flat. Why change to a sit down?

[markiej]

Maybe I should pay attention. Yeah. Sit down cab should be flat. Why change to a sit down

Though I have a detached house, the spaces are pretty small, and the ceilings low, and I honestly have a huge affection for japanese sitdown cabs, having been to a few arcades over there.  Plus, in the place where this will sit, it can double as a toddler "Paw Patrol" player, and allow my mantle and fireplace to look fancy. 

[Mike A]

Good reasons. I look forward to seeing this completed.

[markiej]

Good reasons. I look forward to seeing this completed.

Thanks! Me too... got everything cut out - including the bezel.  and some speaker slots.  Unlike the side-panels, they'll probably only look good in a thumbnail, but I'm still pleased - I'm easy to please these days.  Anyhow... For anyone who cares to answer...

How far from the front of the CP should the controls start - I got a lot of space to work with - it's like 14" deep, minus a little curve in front (not nearly as much as the sketchup - don't have the bit, and no more $20 bits for me just yet).  I'm not married to any particular layout - maybe this one:

[yamatetsu]

How far from the front of the CP should the controls start - I got a lot of space to work with - it's like 14" deep, minus a little curve in front (not nearly as much as the sketchup - don't have the bit, and no more $20 bits for me just yet).  I'm not married to any particular layout - maybe this one:

If you have the joysticks and the buttons: Just cut a piece of cardboard to CP-size, place your hands on the cardboard, mark the positions of your fingers of your right hand for the buttons and for the joystick, cut out the holes, put the controls in, see if it's comfortable.

If you don't have the joysticks and the buttons: Don't worry about the CP until you have them. You have plenty of things to build, you can literally put the controls in as a finishing touch.

[markiej]

If you have the joysticks and the buttons: Just cut a piece of cardboard to CP-size, place your hands on the cardboard, mark the positions of your fingers of your right hand for the buttons and for the joystick, cut out the holes, put the controls in, see if it's comfortable.

If you don't have the joysticks and the buttons: Don't worry about the CP until you have them. You have plenty of things to build, you can literally put the controls in as a finishing touch.

Like the ergo-engineering - thanks!

[markiej]

Most of the way through the assembly - the left side still isn't attached - just sat in on the photo.  Need to let the glue overnight.  I think this thing is going to be a real low-res looker (look really good in low-res shots, and "did your son make that?" in person.  Also, got all my parts

Controls

• seimitsu joysticks x2
• happ black buttons x 21 (8 + coin/start each + one as hotkey)
• ultimarc trackball and spinner
• mini-pac opti[/i]
  

PC: i5-4590, GTX980, 16GB, case, 512GB SSD (had most of that lying around)
Monitor: TCL 43S425 43" 4K TV
Setup: Big Box with primarily MAME64, and a handful of other games (some naomi, dreamcast, and windows).

[Nephasth]

Man... you edited out the best parts of that pic!

[Alejo I]

Put a coin door there and you have a winner.

I'm surprised by how much I like it IRL compared to the renders. I think some good side art could elevate it further.

[Jimbo]

So glad you didn't switch to the viewlix look...

I like the design.  Only thing I'd change is where the CP top hits the side panels, make the side panels surround it a bit... same at the top of the marquee... looks a bit odd with it stopping in line with the top of the cab.  Just my opinion though.  Good luck with the build.

[markiej]

So glad you didn't switch to the viewlix look...

I like the design.  Only thing I'd change is where the CP top hits the side panels, make the side panels surround it a bit... same at the top of the marquee... looks a bit odd with it stopping in line with the top of the cab.  Just my opinion though.  Good luck with the build.

Unless I'm misunderstanding, it already does that - just hard to tell from that angle - the side panels stick out 1/2" forward or above the other parts (and flush with the bottom & back).  The t-molding will bump that a little too.  And thanks!

[markiej]

Put a coin door there and you have a winner.

I'm surprised by how much I like it IRL compared to the renders. I think some good side art could elevate it further.

I agree, especially on the coin door - be a nice visual anchor in the front, and draw the eye away from the dodgy speaker slots.  Although for Rev 1 of this cab, I'm running out of gas so I'm going to stick with paint for now, which will leave the option open for future art & mods.  Thanks!

[Jimbo]

Heh, so I see... I totally missed a bunch of posts, dunno what happened there.

Bring back revision e.

I agree with Mike.

[markiej]

Heh, so I see... I totally missed a bunch of posts, dunno what happened there.

I agree with Mike.

Cutting and assembling this simple build has only confirmed my decision not to attempt anything close to original design - pretty much every board but the side had angled edges.  The sit-down version works way better with all right-angles.  Also I totally get that this is not a crowd-pleaser, and have made peace with that

[Jimbo]

In that case, good luck!

[markiej]

More progress - fully assembled - painted - control panel designed and cut - monitor attached (detachable to save 16lb when moving it) - pc built and mostly configured.

to do - control panel installation and wiring - moving it upstairs - stuffing the CP into cabinet - tight fit - tough up paint after that - attach black t-molding - make peace with some minor dodginess here and there.

I painted it this color because I liked the color, but I'm fairly certain I'll want to vinyl it soon sides n cp, and possibly grab a nonfunctioning coindoor (no room for the workings behind it) - I'm just running out of gas and don't want to rush the design, and want to actually use it.

[yotsuya]

Might I suggest renaming it RectangleVision Max?

[Jimbo]

With that size of telly and cp, surely you need two massive booming speakers instead of those tiny grills under the cp?   

[markiej]

Might I suggest renaming it RectangleVision Max?

Ha!  Yeah - it's kind of nameless at the moment.  But I am sticking with the square concept for MAME - in that the gamefield is bound inside a 2160x2160 square in the middle (using artwork).  Also have been tinkering with artwork and creating a set of cp.png files that have the different buttons layouts (the screenshots show the default layouts used for most games).  The ultimate fantasy is to use controls.ini and scripting to plug button layouts into all the games.  We'll see :O

[yotsuya]

BTW, I would forgo the coin door on this particular build.

[markiej]

With that size of telly and cp, surely you need two massive booming speakers instead of those tiny grills under the cp?   

Missed opportunity to create a massive boom-box-themed kick plate


but yeah, there'll be a sub inside.

[markiej]

BTW, I would forgo the coin door on this particular build.

Still up in the air on the version 1.1 updates - I figure I'll live with it as is, and my eyes will eventually tell me what's missing.  You're right in that it's not quite arcadey enough to warrant that particular treatment (the profile is more arcadey than the front view - looks a bit asteroids and a bit tempest).

[Mike A]

But I am sticking with the square concept for MAME - in that the gamefield is bound inside a 2160x2160 square in the middle (using artwork).

So.....Are you going to use this for something other than classic video games? I don't really understand why you made it so wide if you are only using half of the width.

[markiej]

But I am sticking with the square concept for MAME - in that the gamefield is bound inside a 2160x2160 square in the middle (using artwork).

So.....Are you going to use this for something other than classic video games? I don't really understand why you made it so wide if you are only using half of the width.

yeah - it's multi-functional, being the only tech in the room.  It's core purpose is to provide me with a solid mame experience (seriously mame64 + hlsl + all those pixels + that size = amazing & I'm assuming the controls I spent through the nose will add to that.  Also, when it's time to watch a disney movie or paw patrol with my littlest, it'll do that.  If I want a little Game Cube smash Melee 1v1 with my teen, it'll do that too, or certain steam games that I can get the controls to map to.

[Mike A]

Got it.

[JDFan]

But I am sticking with the square concept for MAME - in that the gamefield is bound inside a 2160x2160 square in the middle (using artwork).

So.....Are you going to use this for something other than classic video games? I don't really understand why you made it so wide if you are only using half of the width.

Agreed - IF only using a 2160x2160 square - Seems it would make more sense to mount the screen vertically and hide the unused portion rather than making the cab twice the needed width.

[markiej]

Agreed - IF only using a 2160x2160 square - Seems it would make more sense to mount the screen vertically and hide the unused portion rather than making the cab twice the needed width.

That was the original plan - and I designed something with exactly that in mind - then I looked at a cross-section and saw all those angles and miter cuts, required to get a decent looking build that also fits a 43" vertical monitor, and I knew I don't nearly have that in me just yet.  judging by the issues I ran into with my simple-cab, I was totally right. 

[Jimbo]

It's a shame you think doing some mitre cuts was a show stopper.  I think that's actually far simpler than other parts of building a cab (wiring up control panels for example).

If you don't have a power mitre saw then it's a bit harder, but even so, totally doable!

[markiej]

It's a shame you think doing some mitre cuts was a show stopper.  I think that's actually far simpler than other parts of building a cab (wiring up control panels for example).

If you don't have a power mitre saw then it's a bit harder, but even so, totally doable!

Funny you should say that - that & software are the easy part for me.  I mean, I've done a lot of things with this cab I didn't think doable - routing scared and intimidated me bigtime for example and once I learned about safety and best practices, it was shockingly straightforward, and cutting a decent curve in MDF was not so bad, with the right blade.  But trying to get holes in the CP was decidedly difficult - 3/4" MDF was like "you.are.NOT. poking.HOLES.in.ME!"  I think if I had table-versus-hand equipment, I'd probably feel more confident.  And while it might not win more than a participation ribbon on this forum (if that ) I'm kind of thrilled with the results so far.

[Jimbo]

Well it's what you like that counts. 

[markiej]

welp - it's done.  Gaming on this looks, plays and sounds fantastic.  I'm going to art it up later, as a separate undertaking, no idea what kind of treatment, likely  something retro-artsy-tasteful-ish, rather than a tribute to any particular game/publisher.  Anyhow, thanks for your help!  Especially all the old posts that helped me figure out things like t-molding, routing, and cabinetry.
 

And yeah - my dodgy bondo job above the bezel looked way better before putting some paint on it.  It's sanded smooth, just, you know, funky.

[yotsuya]

He certainly built what he dug.