javeryh's Woodgrain Cabaret Copy

[PL1]

For anyone interested, here's a pic from LT's Mario Pedestal build.




Scott

[javeryh]

That is some project.  Just making all those bricks would drive me crazy.

[thomas_surles]

That mario pedestal was one of my all time favorite projects here. So much detail.

What broke him was all that detail.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I see. Im not one for detail. I just slap crap together all janky like and make it look pretty from the outside.

[Vigo]

3D printing would have helped make that project less tedious.

[yotsuya]

3D printing would have helped make that project less tedious.

Yeah, he burned through a number of ball point pens just darkening in every single crack and crevice.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bobbyb13]

Wow.
Fun design and good execution.

If he was so in tune with himself that he could see where he was headed and still be able to turn off the faucet then he is even more remarkable really.

Most who get that laser focused can't ever turn it off.

Bummed he isn't still part of the community.

[Zebidee]

Highly likely they are bipolar or manic-depressive.

If so, channeling the manic phase into learning a new skill or hobby is a good idea. However, when the depression phase sets in everything becomes meaningless. Old obsessions are discarded. When the manic phase begins again they often search out that new thing rather than picking up the old.

Bipolar people are often also very intelligent and skilled in many areas, aka "polymaths". Highly knowledgeable and capable in multiple divergent fields (Leonardo da Vinci is a classic example).

[javeryh]

Flicky!!  The marquee looks awesome - thanks again TebJohnson!



I need to put the keyboard and mouse away and stop tinkering with this thing.  It’s done but I’m trying to find a good game list.  I don’t play Double Dragon or X-Men or Final Fight or TMNT, etc. but others might like them so they are hard to remove.

[wp34]

Very nice job Javerly. You should be very happy with how that turned out. 

[thomas_surles]

Love this cab so much 

[lomoverde]

Really does look good.

[Zebidee]

AWESOME!

[leapinlew]

Very nice. It's amazing how it looks like it's taking up so much less space than a normal cabinet.

[DaOld Man]

Great work James!

[Raktageno]

Hopping in here after finding this build from Reddit. This is my opinion of the gold standard for a cabaret. I appreciate your cataloguing of this build as I plan to replicate it completely, of course I intend to give you full credit (more info in my Reddit DM). Plus, I already have a multimeter, so it sounds like I have a leg up!

[javeryh]

Hopping in here after finding this build from Reddit. This is my opinion of the gold standard for a cabaret. I appreciate your cataloguing of this build as I plan to replicate it completely, of course I intend to give you full credit (more info in my Reddit DM). Plus, I already have a multimeter, so it sounds like I have a leg up!

I don't see a DM but I'd love to see another one of these built.  Credit is nice but this was built off the back of others that came before me like markc74's CUBE cabaret and the Tully before that.  In fact there are two excellent projects on the front page right now - lomoverde's Tully and thomas_surles's Ghosts N Goblins Tully.  Definitely check those out for ideas. 

Please post pics of your build here to share with everyone - good luck!

[Raktageno]

Hopping in here after finding this build from Reddit. This is my opinion of the gold standard for a cabaret. I appreciate your cataloguing of this build as I plan to replicate it completely, of course I intend to give you full credit (more info in my Reddit DM). Plus, I already have a multimeter, so it sounds like I have a leg up!

I don't see a DM but I'd love to see another one of these built.  Credit is nice but this was built off the back of others that came before me like markc74's CUBE cabaret and the Tully before that.  In fact there are two excellent projects on the front page right now - lomoverde's Tully and thomas_surles's Ghosts N Goblins Tully.  Definitely check those out for ideas. 

Please post pics of your build here to share with everyone - good luck!

Thanks for the encouragement! I've started a new project thread for my build, though it may be a bit early. I had some questions that I think make a little more sense to include here rather than there:

• I see you went with the ServoStik. Was there a reason for this over the J-Stik Ball-Top? Between those two, they both appear to be able to switch between 4 and 8-way, but the latter is a bit less.
• Did you source your volcano buttons, or have them on hand? Additionally, are they lit and/or do they have lighting based on conditions? My apologies if you've already covered this.
• I haven't looked too much, but most single coin doors I can find have a yellow return button. Do you know if it's worth finding one with red already or getting the yellow and switching it out? I like the idea of a fully functional coin mech, but don't know if absolutely NEED people to bring their own quarters.
• I only have experience with the minipac. Did I read correctly that you used the I-pac 2? Any issues there?

[javeryh]

I see you went with the ServoStik. Was there a reason for this over the J-Stik Ball-Top? Between those two, they both appear to be able to switch between 4 and 8-way, but the latter is a bit less.

The J-Stik is just a standard joystick you can put in 4 or 8 way mode with a standard restrictor plate.  It doesn't automatically switch for you so you are locked into one set up or the other unless you open up the panel and turn it underneath.  The ServoStik comes with a motor and a special restrictor plate so that it auto switches based on software (whatever game is selected will cause the joystick to rotate the restrictor plate inder the panel to the correct orientartion).  It is expensive but totally worth it (and note it doesn't come with the servo PCB, which is $29 more on top of the cost of the stick.  No regrets - I love it.

Did you source your volcano buttons, or have them on hand? Additionally, are they lit and/or do they have lighting based on conditions? My apologies if you've already covered this.

I bought them from arcadeshop online.  Very expensive for 2 buttons (I recall they were about $15 each plus shipping).  They are lit and the wiring on that was tricky for me as a first time user of resistors... well, not really - once Scott (PL1) told me what to do, the actual wiring was simple.  Just need one 220ohm resistor for each button and I pulled power from the iPac2.  Otherwise they wire up like a normal pushbutton.

I haven't looked too much, but most single coin doors I can find have a yellow return button. Do you know if it's worth finding one with red already or getting the yellow and switching it out? I like the idea of a fully functional coin mech, but don't know if absolutely NEED people to bring their own quarters.

I think red is fairly common if you look around.  I am planning to eventually switch mine out from yellow in order to match the red on the control panel from the volcano buttons.  Also, I do not need quarters to play - the coin mechs work but I also glued some extra microswitches behind the coin return buttons so when you press them you get a credit without putting a quarter in.  I did this to eliminate clutter on the control panel (I could have had a coin button there) and to mimic having to insert a coin before playing by bending down.  Adds more authenticity, IMO.

I only have experience with the minipac. Did I read correctly that you used the I-pac 2? Any issues there?

No issues with the iPac2.  In fact, the 4 playable cabinets in my basement all use them.  Great product.

[Raktageno]

Posting here instead of on my build primarily because I have questions, but I'll give a quick update.

Parts are starting to show up. I got some woodgrain adhesive that I consider acceptable, but t-molding will help further determine once it shows up later this week. I'm dragging my feet on picking up MDF since I'll need to borrow a vehicle that can transport 4x8 sheets unless I want to try and get it cut there (which is always a crapshoot). I just ordered buttons and am looking toward ordering other items, which is where my questions come in.

• I think I'm going to go with the J-Stik Ball-Top. I don't think I can justify the cost on the ServoStik. Problem is, I see neither of those have an option for a white ball, and Ultimarc doesn't appear to sell one individually. Any idea on where I'd get ahold of one?
• I'm concerned about screen visibility against the angle of the top shroud. Was there a method you used to yours? I'm intending to use an LCD mounted vertically, so I have concerns that the top of the screen will get tucked away.
• Additionally, to the question above, did you use clear or smoked plexi over the screen and marquee? (apologies if you covered this)
• As of now, I plan to use your control panel design to the letter. I think the trackball in place of the spinner will still work with your design. How can I go about getting this printed, and would you prefer I give you credit in some way?
• Have you found any titles specifically that this cabinet works really well for or against?

[javeryh]

I think I'm going to go with the J-Stik Ball-Top. I don't think I can justify the cost on the ServoStik. Problem is, I see neither of those have an option for a white ball, and Ultimarc doesn't appear to sell one individually. Any idea on where I'd get ahold of one?

Try Focus Attack.  They have tons of colors and that's where I got mine.

I'm concerned about screen visibility against the angle of the top shroud. Was there a method you used to yours? I'm intending to use an LCD mounted vertically, so I have concerns that the top of the screen will get tucked away.

I am 6' tall and can see all the way to the back corner of the monitor panel standing at it normally.  The top panel of the cabinet does not get in the way at all so I could have pushed the monitor as far back as I wanted and still had visibility (which is not far from how it ended up anyway).  The CRT also helps in that there aren't viewing angle issues that LCDs can have but I think you will be OK wherever you end up putting the monitor.

Additionally, to the question above, did you use clear or smoked plexi over the screen and marquee? (apologies if you covered this)

I used 1/4" tempered gray glass (not plexiglas) with polished edges.  If I recall correctly, it was tinted 10%.

As of now, I plan to use your control panel design to the letter. I think the trackball in place of the spinner will still work with your design. How can I go about getting this printed, and would you prefer I give you credit in some way?

I printed mine at GameOnGrafix.  I would send you the files if I could but my 8 year old deleted them all somehow while she was supposed to be playing Minecraft on the main computer in my house (plus a LOT more stuff that I wish I had backed up).  So whatever is posted in this thread is all that's left.  Honestly, if you spend a couple of hours in Inkscape you will be able to do pretty much whatever you want - I never used a program like that before in my life until this project and I just watched some YouTube videos and started messing around until I got it to where I wanted.  It's mostly just standard shapes and the "Data70" font.  You can use whatever you want of the design - I don't really care about credit.  I also strongly considered basing the art off of Minwah's Vertical Cabaret, which I am leaning towards for the cabinets I'm currently working on.

Have you found any titles specifically that this cabinet works really well for or against?

Not yet.  So far of the 150 or so games I've got on there they all seem to play just fine.  I did have to tweak the sensitivity on the spinner in MAME on a game by game basis but it was simple.  There is a post in the Main forum by KenToad that lists out the settings - I just followed that.

[javeryh]

Anyone know why all of a sudden my P1 Start button thinks it is the Exit button all of a sudden?  I can't play anything!  Ugh... the computer in this thing sucks ass.  I'm going to have to replace it and set everything up again.  Need to get a cheap i5 from eBay or something but I don't feel like paying for it.

 

[PL1]

Anyone know why all of a sudden my P1 Start button thinks it is the Exit button all of a sudden?

You may find that a keyboard tester program is useful for troubleshooting this issue.

1. Is there a short between the P1 Start and Exit input wires?
- Do a resistance/continuity check between those IPac inputs -- with power off, of course -- it should read as open/no continuity.

2. Was the Exit button (UI Cancel) remapped in the MAME "Input (general)--User Interface" menu?

3. Is P1 Start somehow triggering the P1 Start + P2 Start = Exit shifted function?
- Probably won't be a constant ground applied to P2 Start input due to the way shifted functions work.
- You can test this possibility by disconnecting the P2 Start wire at the IPac.
-- If P1 Start still behaves like the Exit button, you can eliminate shifted functions.
-- If P1 Start doesn't behave like the Exit button, there could be a short that triggers shifted functions.


Scott

[Daniel B.]

I came across this build in my saved reddit posts that I was going through on a slow, holiday remote work day and came back and signed back in after 15 years to tell you how incredible this is. I really appreciate your threads and builds. I've read every post about this build and the twins for your family members.

I got into candy cabs and don't currently have a wood cab, but I really think I'm going to try something like this in the future. You are the man. A $100 optiplex would be a huge upgrade for sure. I see them/use them often.

[javeryh]

Anyone know why all of a sudden my P1 Start button thinks it is the Exit button all of a sudden?

You may find that a keyboard tester program is useful for troubleshooting this issue.

1. Is there a short between the P1 Start and Exit input wires?
- Do a resistance/continuity check between those IPac inputs -- with power off, of course -- it should read as open/no continuity.

2. Was the Exit button (UI Cancel) remapped in the MAME "Input (general)--User Interface" menu?

3. Is P1 Start somehow triggering the P1 Start + P2 Start = Exit shifted function?
- Probably won't be a constant ground applied to P2 Start input due to the way shifted functions work.
- You can test this possibility by disconnecting the P2 Start wire at the IPac.
-- If P1 Start still behaves like the Exit button, you can eliminate shifted functions.
-- If P1 Start doesn't behave like the Exit button, there could be a short that triggers shifted functions.

Thanks for the tips.  I will definitely start messing with things early this year now that I do not have any active projects on my plate.

So... this only happens like 1 out of every 10 times I boot the cabinet.  It's so weird.  I actually haven't troubleshooted yet because the cabinet is totally playable after a reboot if it doesn't work the first time.  It also likes to periodically tell me that one of the computer fans is not connected and refuse to boot... but it is connected and this also only happens 1 out of every 10 times.  It's annoying for sure so I think I just need to replace the PC at some point.

I came across this build in my saved reddit posts that I was going through on a slow, holiday remote work day and came back and signed back in after 15 years to tell you how incredible this is. I really appreciate your threads and builds. I've read every post about this build and the twins for your family members.

I got into candy cabs and don't currently have a wood cab, but I really think I'm going to try something like this in the future. You are the man. A $100 optiplex would be a huge upgrade for sure. I see them/use them often.

Thanks a lot for the kind words.  I'm glad you like it - I probably make it seem 100x harder to build than it actually is because I'm not that smart and I overthink every little detail.  You should definitely build one - these cabaret cabs are really fun and barely take up any space in the house.  I love them.   

[Zebidee]

Aside from an intermittent short like Scott talks about above, the other issue I sometimes have with IPACs is when a short (or just someone pressing a button) occurs during either PC startup or re-programming the IPAC.

A short occurring during startup/reprogramming times can make the IPAC work weirdly, especially the shift function, or even not work at all. So, ensure *all* buttons are not shorted/pressed at those times.

IPACs use the LED for error reporting. When you turn everything on, observe the IPAC closely. The LED will blink a number of times: once (USB) or twice (PS2), then stays on, is good/normal. Any other behaviour indicates an error of some kind. If LED stays off it indicates an IPAC connection/driver issue. If the LED flashes 3+ times then it suggests a shorting problem: To narrow it down, count the flashes and refer to the table (near bottom of this page: https://www.arcadeworlduk.com/pages/IPAC-2-Code-Table.html).

EDIT: here is the same LED flashing error code table, but from an Ultimarc site. For some reason it was harder to find this link: http://www.ultimarc2.com/jpac2.html

I've found this to be very helpful for tracking down CP shorts.

[yamatetsu]

It also likes to periodically tell me that one of the computer fans is not connected and refuse to boot... but it is connected and this also only happens 1 out of every 10 times.  It's annoying for sure so I think I just need to replace the PC at some point.

Check your BIOS. My ASUS board has an option advanced settings/boot/wait for 'F1' if error. If this is enabled, on every error that occurs the computer stops booting and you have to press F1 to reboot. My computer also didn't recognize some fan and refused to boot, sometimes up to 20-30 times. So I disabled that option, now I get some indignant beeps and the computer boots no matter what.

[javeryh]

So it’s been a few months and the PC not finding the rear fan on start-up only happens when I mis-press the power button.  If I just press it fast I get the error but if I am careful and press it all the way in it will boot up no problem.  It’s weird but I’ve been living with it. 

Another issue is that when Hyperspin boots, I need to not touch the cabinet for 10-15 seconds or else I will get the error where P1 Start will bring up the “Quit” menu.  So it works as long as I don’t hit anything.  Then, upon starting the first game only, there is a noticeable delay between pressing the start button and the computer launching the game (3 seconds at least).  After I play one game and exit back to the game list, games will launch almost instantly (1 second or less).  Again, it’s weird but I’ve been living with it.

More importantly, I finally broke 2,000 points in Space Invaders!



Don’t laugh - I absolutely suck at this game. 

I’ve been shopping around for a replacement PC but haven’t pulled the trigger yet.  This cab is getting a lot of use though!

[bobbyb13]

Gremlins everywhere-
Many of my projects have them at the moment so I feel your pain.

At least it is working!
And it looks great too.
I'm a coward and haven't ventured out of the standard UI at this point myself.
Someday.
Have you checked the connector on the MB for that fan?
Could be the main boot switch is dirty/tired too.
Weird how it is turning on intermittently like that.

And you are currently better than I am at SI.
 

[Zebidee]

Another issue is that when Hyperspin boots, I need to not touch the cabinet for 10-15 seconds or else I will get the error where P1 Start will bring up the “Quit” menu.  So it works as long as I don’t hit anything.  Then, upon starting the first game only, there is a noticeable delay between pressing the start button and the computer launching the game (3 seconds at least).  After I play one game and exit back to the game list, games will launch almost instantly (1 second or less).  Again, it’s weird but I’ve been living with it.

Normally, I do not let anyone touch a cab while the PC boots. Strictly hands-off. Aside from anything else, it can cause the keyboard interface (IPAC) to not initialise properly.

Sometimes I notice the first game can take a few seconds to load too. Never been a big issue. Though I admit there have been a few awkward moments while starting a game to demonstrate, all goes away once the game loads.

A failing power supply might explain some of your intermittent issues, like with the fan. Those SFF HP desktops (like yours) use a weird shaped PSU, but they are available online at very reasonable prices, so maybe try swapping the power supply out for a new one. I use a couple of HP desktops like yours, and have had to replace a power supply before.

Congrats on your SI score, I never have much patience for it

[javeryh]

Gremlins everywhere-
Many of my projects have them at the moment so I feel your pain.

At least it is working!
And it looks great too.
I'm a coward and haven't ventured out of the standard UI at this point myself.
Someday.
Have you checked the connector on the MB for that fan?
Could be the main boot switch is dirty/tired too.
Weird how it is turning on intermittently like that.

And you are currently better than I am at SI.
 

Haha - definitely have some Gremlins in my cabs.  I try for 100% and always end up topping out around 97% functionality.

I checked the connector and even replaced the fan but the issue persists.  My guess is the computer is just OLD.  I think it's from 2010 and was in an office environment until I got my hands on it.  I'm a little afraid to try and swap it out because I know it will be a lot harder than just moving the hard drive.  I installed an SSD so in theory I could just take it out and put it in the new one but I doubt that will work.

Space Invaders has always been very hard for me.  I started playing it recently to see if I could get better at it but no, it's still hard.  My high score is 2,120 and I hit the spaceship 3 times (100 points each!) which is how I got it over 2,000.  I've only been to the third board once.  I don't think there are any tricks either.  Just need to get better.

Normally, I do not let anyone touch a cab while the PC boots. Strictly hands-off. Aside from anything else, it can cause the keyboard interface (IPAC) to not initialise properly.

Sometimes I notice the first game can take a few seconds to load too. Never been a big issue. Though I admit there have been a few awkward moments while starting a game to demonstrate, all goes away once the game loads.

A failing power supply might explain some of your intermittent issues, like with the fan. Those SFF HP desktops (like yours) use a weird shaped PSU, but they are available online at very reasonable prices, so maybe try swapping the power supply out for a new one. I use a couple of HP desktops like yours, and have had to replace a power supply before.

Congrats on your SI score, I never have much patience for it

So it sounds like my setup might not be behaving too badly... waiting for the iPAC to initialize could be what is happening.  If I leave the cab alone, it will start up just fine more often than not.  Power supply could be the issue - at this point nothing would surprise me since the PC is so old.  It might also be because Hyperspin is a bit of a mess but I haven't seen a solution in another front end that allows for the marquee monitor to work similarly.  Launchbox can output the image to a second monitor but it's not windowed so it appears dead center of the screen, which doesn't work for me.

I'm thinking about building another cab this year but this time I'm going to work out the software first instead of just building and assuming I'll figure it all out eventually...

 

EDIT: 2,290!!

EDIT#2: 2,330!!  I am convinced that stage 3 is impossible to clear haha.  The aliens start so low and are basically rapid firing at you.  I can get there without losing a life and then in a blink I get wiped out.

[abispac]

So this is the project that got me interested on installing a marquee at the bottom, great job bro, thanks for the inspiration, i made a vigolix cab with a marquee on the bottom and it looks great.

On hyperspin being slow at first, im amazed you guys mention ony 10 to 15 seconds, for me its about 1 minute, on a 3rd gen i5 pc with 8gb of ram and an 1gb amd card. on windows 7x64. And yes after that all games load instantly. I think its a hyperspin bug. I did some research and got no real solution for that. so i always tell my friends, who i made cabs for them, to wait for the first game to load as the  computer still loading stuff, and then after that you can exit and enter games  as you please. It would be cool if we can research on what makes hyperspin behave like that. To bad that Bad Boy Bill aint around anymore to fix that bug.

And on your computer not finding the fan, perhaps you can set you bios to take 5 seconds after trun in on to load everything, im not sure how that feature its called, but ive seen it on most computer even nowdays. 5 second delay i think its is on the power options.
Nice cab and nice job, heres a pic of mine.

[javeryh]

Ha - that's hilarious because I was the one who said I hadn't seen it before.  I guess I meant directly below the screen and not... directly below the screen! 

 

[javeryh]

Well... I think the computer inside of this thing is dead. I left the cab on and went away for the weekend and when I got home it was off and it will not turn back on. The smartstrip inside has power and both of the monitors appear to have power as well. I've been playing it almost every day since I finished building it so this is disappointing to say the least.

When I press the button to turn the computer on, nothing happens. There are also no lit LEDs on the motherboard or anywhere else... but I can't remember if there were any to begin with. Is there any way to tell what is wrong?

I'm not sure what to do - I had been running Hyperspin with the Hypermarquee plug-in but it was so slow and kept getting slower and slower over time. Upon boot-up, the main menu would come up but it would take almost 90 seconds from pressing the start button to the ROM actually loading. The computer is super old so it's not a huge deal but I am not sure I want to go through the huge hassle of setting up Hyperspin again when there are other more streamlined options out there.

There are 2 issues I need to figure out if I want to switch to another front end:

1. The second marquee monitor needs to be configurable. Hypermarquee created a window that displayed the marquee image that could be sized exactly where I wanted. Last time I looked at Launchbox, for example, the second monitor image could only be centered. This is no good.

2. I need to figure out how to get one button to act as Pause while pressing it but Exit back to the front end while holding the button down for 2-3 seconds.

I have a spare computer that I can set up - anyone have any front end suggestions that would work for me?

 

[Zebidee]

DON"T PANIC

First thing is to try and recover your computer. It is more likely that something other than your mother board has failed, but even then you have better options than starting setup from scratch with a new PC.

- To start with, check RAM (reseat, restart)
- No beeps from PC (warning, diagnostics)? Of course, maybe your PC doesn't have an internal speaker.
- no CPU fan trying to start?
- try replacing the CMOS battery
- try removing and reseating everything else (RAM, GPU, drives). See if PC will try to boot in basic configuration (nothing), then with RAM (one stick at a time), and then progressively as things are plugged in.
- Your symptoms suggest power supply more than anything else, so get another power supply (you said you have a spare PC somewhere?) and try that, or grab a new one. It is not unusual for a PC to want a new PSU occasionally, especially if it is run continuously and/or in hot/humid conditions.

I think it is unlikely your drive has failed, because then the PC would still be trying to boot and producing an error on startup. If it has failed with a weird nasty short or something that upsets your motherboard, then unplug it and the PC should try to boot. You can test the HDD/SDD and data separately anyway, then make a backup and port that setup over to a new computer (or new motherboard, if that is what has failed). If your drive really is dead, then go to recovery from backup. No backup? Well.....

On the other hand, a failing HDD could be explain why your setup kept taking longer and longer to startup (taking longer to read critical data), which you were reporting before. But then the motherboard should be throwing errors - and slow startup could also be explained by a struggling PSU.

If all that fails, phone a friend with better IT skills

Good luck!

[yamatetsu]

I would try switching the PSU first. Try starting the spare PC. If that one works, put the cab's PSU into it. If it doesn't work => PSU is dead. Replace PSU in cab.