Scratchbuilt Tempest

[Vectoraster]

After a 14 year hiatus I'm back *after* building another cabinet. Unlike the previous "Vectoraster" all-in-1's, I decided to go dedicated with a Raspberry PI powered Tempest cabinet running AdvanceMame. I actually built 2 of them at the same time. The second one was for Callan Hendricks in return for donating the impossible-to-find-and-too-expensive-to-purchase-if-you-find-it Tempest hardware (control panel, angled speaker grill, tinted glass and mount). I regret not working through the process here like before, so those interested could follow-along to see how to do it. If you've thought about doing this yourself but need help let me know. Most would agree that Tempest is one of the classic games where there is no substitute for the original controls.

Before COVID this year I was at Joystix in Houston playing on an original machine with an LCD monitor.

I was really impressed with the crispness of the "vectors" rendered by a non-vector monitor. After seeing this I decided it was something within my reach. I got in touch with Callan who let me in his warehouse for the cabinet dimensions to sketch the plans:











Callan made me a deal. I build a new Tempest cabinet for him in return for his surplus Tempest items that I would not be able to reproduce. We settled on construction with black melamine particleboard. Harder material to work with, but impervious and professional finish.

Start by cutting all the center pieces at the same time to keep the exact same dimension across all parts:





Next, create a 1/4" mask to "rough-in" the sides (here's where you start to recognize the cabinet's angular design that contributes to Tempest's subliminal appeal):





A lot of router work:




The priciest part of the project was the artwork. I went with Phoenix Arcade overlays and sides:



Assembly:








Control panel:




Marquee:







Finishing










Programming (load automatically on PRi boot) & simple keyboard hack interface:







Spinner is a Turbotwist 2, mounted from the bottom with a block of wood:




Finished cabinet:

[javeryh]

Beautiful. 

[pbj]

Man, you and Callan are two names I haven’t heard in years.  Looks great.

[Vectoraster]

Beautiful. 

Thanks! Come to find out Atari put some thought into these.

[Vectoraster]

Man, you and Callan are two names I haven’t heard in years.  Looks great.

Hey @pbj! Thank you and it's good to be back!!

[edekoning]

Awesome build man. Tempest is in my top 3 for projects to build next 

Really like how you mounted the monitor, as it gives you the freedom to easily tweak the monitor's horizontal placement. On my current build it has been as absolute nightmare getting the monitor centered and the bezel cut appropriately. This idea would have made that process so much easier!

Please let this site host the pictures, else we are left with yet another picture-less build thread a few years down the road.

[CitznFish]

Looks fantastic! I wish I had kept mine. So many arcade regrets over the years...lol😂🤣

[Vectoraster]

Awesome build man. Tempest is in my top 3 for projects to build next 

Really like how you mounted the monitor, as it gives you the freedom to easily tweak the monitor's horizontal placement. On my current build it has been as absolute nightmare getting the monitor centered and the bezel cut appropriately. This idea would have made that process so much easier!

Please let this site host the pictures, else we are left with yet another picture-less build thread a few years down the road.

@edekoning it was so easy and fast. Just cut a couple of slots and slide your way into any position that looks right and fits perfect. Thank goodness for VESA mounts.

Build that Tempest thang! Compliment appreciated. If you go with an emulator (AdvanceMame) when you're ready to tackle Tempest tell me how I can help. I had to learn it all for this to work perfectly on powerup. Might even donate a tutorial here over the holidays. Seeya.

Looks fantastic! I wish I had kept mine. So many arcade regrets over the years...lol😂

@CitznFish Tell me about it!! I feel your pain bro. Here’s my lineup of Tempest cabinets back in the early-'90s 

ScratchBuilds are nice. You know where they've been! But nothing beats the real thing (even though Raspberry Pi’s don’t fail quite as often.)