javeryh's Salisbury Beach Twin Tullys

[javeryh]

I like using heat shrink butt connectors but I already have a nice crimp tool and a heat gun.  If the wire is thin then I strip it extra long and fold it in half before inserting in the connector for crimping.  I get the pink ones off of Amazon which are good down to 22 awg so folding a 24 awg wire in half will work.  When you heat up the connector it shrinks the plastic and makes the connection strong even though the wire was kinda weak.

I spent the afternoon wiring and then configuring the controls.  The butt joints worked pretty good although they would not shrink unless I used an open flame and I was worried the wires would melt or catch on fire.  The joints seem secure though when is the main thing.  Everything is now working as expected.  Power to the pi boots to the Attract Mode menu showing the game list.  Any button on the CP is set to launch the game (P1 Start, P2 Start, Button 1, Button 2 or Pause - doesn't matter which one you press).  When the game launches, everything also works as expected and pressing P1 Start and P2 Start will Exit back to the Attract Mode menu.  As far as I can tell you cannot access any settings or menus using just the buttons on the CP.  The coin door isn't wired yet but that will be the last thing I do.

I only have a couple of small things left but I'm actually not sure how I'm going to go about doing it all.

1.  Secure the control panels to the cabinet (yet keep them removable).  I bought cocktail cabinet latches for this and I think they will work but it is super tight.  Not much space to secure the metal brackets underneath the CP along both sides and I don't trust myself to measure and get it right so I will need to somehow mark the drill holes while the CP is in place and I'm holding the bracket where I want.  Also, I need to add some 3/4" material to the inside of the cabinet so I have a spot to put the brackets themselves.  The CP sits on some 3/4" rails but the bracket needs to be screwed in below them.  So I need to add some material there.  Otherwise, how are you guys securing your control panels?

2.  The light boxes I built are not going to work with the CP in place.  The buttons and wires are in the way so I need to redo these and make them much more precise in size.  The LED strip is less than 1/2" thick so that's as deep as the box needs to be.  I don't feel like doing this again but I don't have a choice.  Then I need to figure out how to secure the box in place.

3.  Connect everything in the cabinet, wire the power button to the pi, wire the coin door and get the SmartStrip to work properly.

I should be done with this in a week or so taking my time.   

[vertexguy]

2.  The light boxes I built are not going to work with the CP in place.  The buttons and wires are in the way so I need to redo these and make them much more precise in size.  The LED strip is less than 1/2" thick so that's as deep as the box needs to be.  I don't feel like doing this again but I don't have a choice.  Then I need to figure out how to secure the box in place.

Did you test this to get the even illumination you wanted?

[yamatetsu]

I don't trust myself to measure and get it right so I will need to somehow mark the drill holes while the CP is in place and I'm holding the bracket where I want.

Use double tape to put the bracket in place, mark the drill holes, remove the bracket.

[javeryh]

Did you test this to get the even illumination you wanted?

Kind of.  I held everything in place and it looked OKish?  I just want this to be over so if the lighting isn't absolutely perfect, I'll live.

Use double tape to put the bracket in place, mark the drill holes, remove the bracket.

Wow I'm dumb.  Such an easy solution.   

[javeryh]

CP is 100% complete.





The light box behind the marquee is going to be tight - maybe too tight.  The top connector of the joystick in the first pic is in the way.  Not sure what to do but I’m going to wing it this afternoon.

[Gilrock]

For configuring the buttons I don't remember everything I did.  I ran that bartop with RetroPi and with a Mister setup.  The Mister had a wizard for mapping the controls where you just push the joystick each way to define the input.  For RetroPi I remember it being more work depending on the emulator.  RetroArch was the biggest pain.

For shrinking the butt connectors a heat gun made for shrinking heat shrink is best.  I found a used one at a local electronics shop.  The air comes out hot enough to burn your fingers but its concentrated to the size of a penny.  I wave the air back and forth and you get good at being able to watch the plastic start to melt to know where to move the air.  And yes gotta be careful to keep the hot air off the wires cause they will burn fast.  Release the trigger when you see smoke...lol.

[Mike A]

Dang. I thought these things were finished two months ago.

[javeryh]

For configuring the buttons I don't remember everything I did.  I ran that bartop with RetroPi and with a Mister setup.  The Mister had a wizard for mapping the controls where you just push the joystick each way to define the input.  For RetroPi I remember it being more work depending on the emulator.  RetroArch was the biggest pain.

For shrinking the butt connectors a heat gun made for shrinking heat shrink is best.  I found a used one at a local electronics shop.  The air comes out hot enough to burn your fingers but its concentrated to the size of a penny.  I wave the air back and forth and you get good at being able to watch the plastic start to melt to know where to move the air.  And yes gotta be careful to keep the hot air off the wires cause they will burn fast.  Release the trigger when you see smoke...lol.

yeah, I need to get a heat gun but I'm too lazy since I don't need one that often.  The lighter did the trick.

Dang. I thought these things were finished two months ago.

Once I missed my Christmas deadline due to the printer mishap I didn't need to finish.  I have 11 more months now!

[javeryh]

OK… I remade the light box out of a Cheerios box.  I had to be a lot more precise than I was with my first attempt.  1/2” deep and no more if I wanted it to fit properly.  The thin cardboard made a huge difference too.





I still need to paint the inside white but it is a much better fit overall.  The LED strip will go around the perimeter on the 1/2” wall so all the lights will face inward and hopefully the white will reflect enough to light up the marquee.



This is a shot of the box loosely in place.  You can also see the cocktail clips on the left and right that hold the CP down.  I had to install some blocking so they had something to screw into.

Today I’m installing all the hardware so it should be playable this afternoon.  I’m waiting on the LED strips before I’ll be able to call this 100% complete.  I ended up ordering longer ones even though I didn’t want to.  What’s $14 more into this sinkhole?

[javeryh]

Would you guys mount a raspberry pi inside of a case (no heat sink) or just use some PCB feet and install it naked?

EDIT: Never mind.  The PCB feet don't fit - the screw holes on the pi are too small. Weird but whatever.  I'm a little worried about the glue on the velcro failing when I use it to mount the case to the side of the cabinet (and pulling off before the velcro comes apart).  I'm going to try and staple it down.

I'm also trying to figure out where to put everything.  I'm sure it doesn't matter but would you mount the SmartStrip on the interior wall or on the floor of the cabinet?  The power cords and various connectors will just kind of be floating inside no matter how I do this.  I've got 3 things that need power (pi, monitor, amp) and two connections to the pi (VGA cable and 3.5mm audio jack) and no matter how I position things some of the wires will need to cross the interior to get where they need to go.

I'm pretty excited to play some Pac-Man.

[javeryh]

Well, it's finally working.  I still need to install the LED strip when it arrives on Thursday and tomorrow I need to wire the coin door for real.  I'm going to add a credit button behind the coin return as well as hook up the P1 and P2 coin mechs (and configure them in MAME settings).

[bobbyb13]

I dig it.
Looking great.

Does it only coin up after after a game is selected (or lose your credits if you change your mind?)
I'm not familiar with R-pi animals yet so curious to know.

[Zebidee]

Would you guys mount a raspberry pi inside of a case (no heat sink) or just use some PCB feet and install it naked?

EDIT: Never mind.  The PCB feet don't fit - the screw holes on the pi are too small. Weird but whatever.  I'm a little worried about the glue on the velcro failing when I use it to mount the case to the side of the cabinet (and pulling off before the velcro comes apart).  I'm going to try and staple it down.

You can probably just drill the Pi PCB holes a little larger. I've done this with many other PCBs, like TV chassis and audio amps, for the purpose of screwing them down in a cab.

Standard PCB feet use a 3mm screw, so that is the size of drill bit you'll need. PCBs are easy to drill into. Go slowly, even rotating the drill bit by hand if necessary. Inspect carefully to make sure there are no traces nearby to worry about, however designers usually leave some space around these mounting holes. DC ground traces should be fine anyway, will not cause problems. Use a plastic washer or rubber grommet if concerned.

I'll qualify that advice with "I've never done this with a Pi", but expect it to be similar.

[javeryh]

I dig it.
Looking great.

Does it only coin up after after a game is selected (or lose your credits if you change your mind?)
I'm not familiar with R-pi animals yet so curious to know.

Thanks - no, if you put a coin in on the game selection screen you do not get a credit.  I’ve actually never seen any setup that would account for this other than a 60-in-1 or something where they are set up that way.  I’m sure someone could figure it out but when you launch a game you go through initial boot sequence so no credits are there and “UI Cancel” in MAME stops the game from running so you lose any credits you put in before exiting.

You can probably just drill the Pi PCB holes a little larger. I've done this with many other PCBs, like TV chassis and audio amps, for the purpose of screwing them down in a cab.

Standard PCB feet use a 3mm screw, so that is the size of drill bit you'll need. PCBs are easy to drill into. Go slowly, even rotating the drill bit by hand if necessary. Inspect carefully to make sure there are no traces nearby to worry about, however designers usually leave some space around these mounting holes. DC ground traces should be fine anyway, will not cause problems. Use a plastic washer or rubber grommet if concerned.

I'll qualify that advice with "I've never done this with a Pi", but expect it to be similar.

I stared at the PCB holes for like 20 minutes before deciding against it.  I even started measuring drill bits (I have English sets so no 3mm bit exactly).  Things are so crowded on the pi that the head of the screw that came with the PCB feet actually touches the mini HDMI port in one corner and will not fit.  I could have maybe gotten away with 3 but at that point I didn’t feel 100% comfortable messing with it. 

Later today I’ll take a pic of the inside showing how I mounted everything - it’s so empty!

[Zebidee]

I stared at the PCB holes for like 20 minutes before deciding against it.  I even started measuring drill bits (I have English sets so no 3mm bit exactly).  Things are so crowded on the pi that the head of the screw that came with the PCB feet actually touches the mini HDMI port in one corner and will not fit.  I could have maybe gotten away with 3 but at that point I didn’t feel 100% comfortable messing with it. 

You could use smaller screws and something else to support the problem corners, like a masonry plug or even just some scrap wood. Screw the Pi corner onto a corner of the wood, screw the wood into the cabinet. I have done similar when spots have been too small or PCB feet hard to find.

[wp34]

Glad to see you are still making progress.  That CP looks great!

[javeryh]

Glad to see you are still making progress.  That CP looks great!

Thanks!  Coming to the finish line now.  Paint is drying on the second light box I made and the longer LED strip has arrived.  I spent a little time trying to tidy up the wiring inside the mostly empty cab:







You can see I ended up drilling a hole in the raspberry pi case for the wires to the power button, which is accessible through the coin door along with the volume knob on the amp.



The only remaining item is the marquee light.  Once it’s done I’ll do a quick overview and then it’s on to the next project!

[lomoverde]

These look boss 

Im determined to finish my half built bartop next,and this raspberry pi build you used looks like the way to go.

[javeryh]

These look boss 

Im determined to finish my half built bartop next,and this raspberry pi build you used looks like the way to go.

Thanks for the kind words.  After seeing your stenciled side art the wheels are spinning for the next project…

The pi setup is really great for a simple cab like this.  Only thing that doesn’t work are any CRT shaders/scan lines.  The games won’t even start if you enable that stuff in MAME.  Makes me wonder how they do it in Retropie.  But these are going to homes that will not care at all or even think about it so I’m not too fussed over it.

[javeryh]

UGH.  Nothing is simple it seems.  I finished the light box but the LED are blinking rapidly instead of just staying on.  I plugged them into a USB port on the pi expecting them to just work and they don't.  When I plug the LED strip into my laptop, the lights come on and do not blink.  So I'm thinking there is some sort of power issue like the pi not providing enough maybe?  I guess not all USB ports are created equal. 

Can anyone help so I can get this working?  When I brought my laptop over to see how the marquee looked it was absolutely stunning.  I really thought I was done!

[PL1]

I finished the light box but the LED are blinking rapidly instead of just staying on.  I plugged them into a USB port on the pi expecting them to just work and they don't.  When I plug the LED strip into my laptop, the lights come on and do not blink.  So I'm thinking there is some sort of power issue like the pi not providing enough maybe?  I guess not all USB ports are created equal. 

No surprise that the RasPi doesn't have enough spare power to run the LED strip.

Try a 120VAC to USB power adapter.



https://www.amazon.com/Charger-FOBSUNLAND-Universal-Adapter-S6-Note/dp/B073Q1N8FL/


Scott

[Zebidee]

You are right that USB ports are not created equal, though in theory USB 2.0 ports are meant to be rated for 500mA.

I don't know exactly how much your LED strips use, but you can guesstimate 20mA per LED and do the math. So, if there are 25 LEDs then that already adds up to 500mA.

Those USB wall-warts can get sometimes get pretty warm, should be fine but worth monitoring how hot they get over time.

[javeryh]

No surprise that the RasPi doesn't have enough spare power to run the LED strip.

Try a 120VAC to USB power adapter.

I have a ton of extra iphone chargers in the house so I'll use one of those I guess.  I really wanted to run this off of the pi - I had to order an extender for the USB cable so it would reach the power strip and the smart strip doesn't seem to be smart enough to cut power to it when the pi is turned off so I need to mess with the sensitivity.

You are right that USB ports are not created equal, though in theory USB 2.0 ports are meant to be rated for 500mA.

I don't know exactly how much your LED strips use, but you can guesstimate 20mA per LED and do the math. So, if there are 25 LEDs then that already adds up to 500mA.

Those USB wall-warts can get sometimes get pretty warm, should be fine but worth monitoring how hot they get over time.

I am going to cut off about 2 feet of the 6 foot LED strip.  Maybe that will stop the blinking because there will be enough power with fewer LEDs to light up?  It's worth a shot I suppose.

[Zebidee]

Best way to know how much power the LED strips use is to run them from a usb AC charger and power strip, and plug the power strip into a wall plug ammeter. Then you’ll know exactly.

You still get the blinking even when using AC directly?

[javeryh]

Best way to know how much power the LED strips use is to run them from a usb AC charger and power strip, and plug the power strip into a wall plug ammeter. Then you’ll know exactly.

You still get the blinking even when using AC directly?

Nope.  When using power from the wall or even power from my laptop's USB port the lights are bright and do not blink.

[Zebidee]

It is just what Scott said then, Pi power rail lacks the juice. You’ll have to run them by usb wall charger or use a powered usb hub (which means you’ll need another power socket anyway)

[javeryh]

It is just what Scott said then, Pi power rail lacks the juice. You’ll have to run them by usb wall charger or use a powered usb hub (which means you’ll need another power socket anyway)

Yup.  I cut the strip in half and the blinking went from 2 flashes a second to 1 flash every 5 seconds but it's still blinking so I have it plugged into the smart strip now and I'm trying to dial in the sensitivity.  Right now I turn on the pi and the monitor comes on but the amp and the LED strip are permanently on for some reason.

[PL1]

Right now I turn on the pi and the monitor comes on but the amp and the LED strip are permanently on for some reason.

At the risk of sounding like Captain Obvious, are the amp and LED strip plugged into switched outlets or always-on outlets?

The strip you have has color-coded outlets.

Sounds like the color that the monitor is plugged into is for switched outlets, the color that the RasPi is plugged into is the control outlet, and the other color is for always-on outlets.


Scott

[javeryh]

At the risk of sounding like Captain Obvious, are the amp and LED strip plugged into switched outlets or always-on outlets?

The strip you have has color-coded outlets.

Sounds like the color that the monitor is plugged into is for switched outlets, the color that the RasPi is plugged into is the control outlet, and the other color is for always-on outlets.

I would not put anything past me to mess up.

The monitor, amp and LED strip are all plugged into the green outlets marked "automatically switched outlets".  The pi is plugged into the blue outlet marked "control outlet" and I have nothing plugged into the red outlets marked "always on outlets".  The expectation is that when the pi comes on (blue) the strip senses power and turns on the green outlets.  There is a screw on the side of the unit that you can adjust so I have to play with that I guess.

I'm also having coin door issues (again).  Both coin mechs are working but the button I added behind the coin return only works every few presses instead of all the time.  Multimeter time tomorrow I guess.

I don't know how people build these things to sell.  I am so paranoid that once I hand it over something will go wrong and I'll be 300 miles away.  I don't think I'll ever do this for someone else again.  Too stressful.

[Zebidee]

Remember that discussion we had waaaaaay back about using a relay vs a smart strip?

Smart strips can allow some current through, like a dripping tap, until the master outlet draws a certain minimum then it turns on the tap fully. They have to let some current through because otherwise stuff like standby function won't work. I really don't know for certain but guess that your LED strip might use ~2-3W and falls under the threshold. The minimum to trip the circuit to fully open might be 5W.

Some might depend on your local mains power supply too. I have a smart strip in my main cab because it was the first I did and it was easy, it is still there now. That always operated perfectly in Australia. Come to rural Thailand and the power isn't regulated as well, I found the cab would sometimes suddenly try to turn itself on (starts up for a moment, 1-2 seconds, then dies) due to a surge or something. Occasionally it succeeded and I woke up to see the cab fully on! If I looked inside I often saw the LED on the audio amplifier was lit, even though everything was meant to be off, implying some current leaking through. Maybe it is developing self awareness? Cue Twilight Zone music.

Just as mysteriously, the issue seems to have gone away again. So I put that down partly to the smartstrip and partly to the local power supply management/regulation/stability. Also we put in three-phase supply a few years ago so that may have something to do with it.

Back on topic, and assuming Scott's theory about the colored outlets doesn't work out, you may get better outcomes using a powered USB hub, if it is one that stays "off" until the Pi wakes, and make sure the Pi USB ports are not set to supply standby power. Unfortunately that would mean adding another thing and cables that all need to be secured properly too.

[Zebidee]

Another thing about the blinking, your LED strip might benefit from is a large-ish capacitor, like a 470u or 680u or higher, across the 5v/GND input terminals, as close as possible to the LEDs themselves. Cathode (short lead) to GND and anode (long lead) to 5v.

You can be creative and add more than one cap too, say some smaller 1uF ceramic caps, which might be a good idea for along a strip.

The cap(s) provide a "reserve" that help reduce power ripples by reacting to voltage changes, trying to even them out. Thus the power supply is more consistent, less high/low waves. This is why power supplies always have those big caps in them. Anyway, it might help to reduce or eliminate the blinking problem, maybe in combination with something else, but it can't make your Pi provide more power.

[javeryh]

Remember that discussion we had waaaaaay back about using a relay vs a smart strip?

yeah... I was hoping to not have to do anything other than a commercially sourced power strip for this project.  I'm still pretty confident I can get everything to work like I want but it's going to be annoying.  This afternoon I need to modify the light box (lots of leakage) and then figure out a way to actually attach it to the front panel.  Tape seems like it will fail over time but it's a cardboard box so mechanical fasteners probably won't work.  Or maybe they will.  I need to think on it.

Once that is done, I will power it up and set the sensitivity on the smart strip to behave like I want. Hopefully I can dial that in.  Last time I messed with it, the amp wouldn't turn off but I didn't really think it was a big deal.  The marquee light, on the other hand, needs to power down with the pi.

[vertexguy]

Couldn't you just use wood glue to attach the box maybe with some additional cardboard flaps?  Some tape or a light clamp to hold it until dry?  Maybe some calk for light leaks?

[yamatetsu]

Do you have enough space to use something like this?



You could build a sort of cage with it that holds the box.

[javeryh]

Do you have enough space to use something like this?



You could build a sort of cage with it that holds the box.

This should work.  Two vertical strips around the back should be more than enough.  I may actually have some of this stuff too.   

[bobbyb13]

Even 4 screws halfway driven in around a posterboard box with some zip ties or wire to pin it in place would be good insurance to hold it up.
Might not even need caulk and it can be removed if you need.

These are looking awesome by the way!

I'm envious of your software setup.
 

[javeryh]

OK you guys really helped with this.  I ended up using metal wire to hold the box in place.  There’s still a little bit of leakage on the inside but none from the outside so this works.  I used 4 screws to hole the marquee in place and was able to loosen them, twist the wire around the screw and tighten them back down.



It’s hard to see because the wire is green but it’s there.  From the front the marquee looks absolutely stunning.





It’s so hard to get a good pic with my iPhone but hopefully you get the idea.  Everything seems to be working other than the shutdown so I need to play with that tomorrow.

I’m almost finished! 

[bobbyb13]

Gotta love easy!

Looks sweet.  Nicely done.
I was hoping for you that a little light leakage inside was irrelevant.

So, what will you do with them until delivery next Christmas?!
 

[Zebidee]

Totally awesome 

[javeryh]

Gotta love easy!

Looks sweet.  Nicely done.
I was hoping for you that a little light leakage inside was irrelevant.

So, what will you do with them until delivery next Christmas?!
 

Thanks!  I guess I’ll just play them from time to time until I can de,over them.  I’ll probably take a couple of trips north on a weekend with down time.  Kids would like to see their cousins anyway.

Totally awesome 

If only the stupid marquee light would shut off.  I have messed with the sensitivity on the smart strip but can’t seem to dial it in.  The monitor is working fine (goes on and off when pi is powered on and off) but the LED strip and amp do not.


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