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Author Topic: Ms. Pacman Cabaret Scratch Build  (Read 7255 times)

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Greenman

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Ms. Pacman Cabaret Scratch Build
« on: September 21, 2022, 04:44:56 am »
Time to get building again.   ;D

I have recently acquired an original Midway Ms. Pacman PCB and and also found in the garage a CRT TV that will need a mod to accept SRGB...so the two main items are now in my possession.  I can probably fabricate almost everything else so it looks like I can FINALLY make a dedicated arcade cabinet....a MS. Pacman!! 

This is what a Cabaret Ms. Pacman looks like in the wild (circa 1981):


No computer, no raspberry pi, no LED TV.  We're going old school.

I will document everything here including the CRT TV mod etc. 

Photos to come.
« Last Edit: October 25, 2022, 12:18:45 am by Greenman »
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Re: Ms. Pacman Cabaret Scratch Build
« Reply #1 on: September 21, 2022, 11:24:27 am »
Nice looking cabinet!

Does is still have all the guts?
Relax, all right? My old man is a television repairman, he's got this ultimate set of tools! I can fix it.

Greenman

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Re: Ms. Pacman Cabaret Scratch Build
« Reply #2 on: September 21, 2022, 05:34:50 pm »
I wish it was that easy!!

All I have is the PCB. I'll be making everything else.

Midway Ms. Pacman PCB



CRT TV to be modded:
« Last Edit: September 22, 2022, 12:03:04 am by Greenman »
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Zebidee

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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #3 on: September 22, 2022, 07:37:00 am »
Make it into a cocktail? There are plans if interested.

If your PCB has the voltage regulator, I think i may want up to 7v.

Is that a VR chip (3 legs) I see at top right?

The VR regulated to ~5v but has a small voltage drop across of 1.5-2.0v. So you may need to feed it a little more juice.

I have a Pacman PCB too, but someone with more direct experience running it in cabs may butt in here and confirm/deny etc.
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Mike A

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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #4 on: September 22, 2022, 08:20:47 am »
If you are going to scratch build a cab and you want to use that PCB, your smartest bet is to wire the cab for JAMMA and use a standard arcade power supply.

Then you can get a JAMMA to Ms Pacman adapter.

That way you can also use other PCBs later on.

Or even a pandora's box emulator, or Pi, or PC.

It would be the simplest and most versatile thing to do.


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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #5 on: September 22, 2022, 09:52:55 am »
^^ This seems like sensible approach

Then you can do whatever you want with it :o
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Greenman

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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #6 on: September 23, 2022, 09:27:48 pm »
Thanks Zebidee and Mike.

Yes, I have a jamma adaptor for Ms Pacman and will be wiring to the jamma standard.  Amazingly, I got it locally.  I reckon it has probably been in stock at the store for years!!

I want this one to be an upright cab.  For some reason, even though I grew up in arcade stores, I never really warmed to the cocktail cabinet.  The angle of the joystick and buttons just didn't do it for me.  I am waiting on a female jamma interface so I can wire it up and test the board (including that regulator).  Snail mail from China so I have to be patient.
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Greenman

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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #7 on: September 23, 2022, 09:50:07 pm »
So this is the mod that needs to occur on the CRT TV chassis. 

Replace resistors 656-658 with 160 ohm and 75 ohm resistors in series, then bridge off between them for RGB out including adding 500 ohm pots along each of the RGB wires to drop the 15khz signal down to @0.7 volts.  Then run 5v from IC901 (see pic) to the blanking signal of the OSD.  I'll use a single pole, double throw switch to control the blanking signal.






If anyone is looking to RGB mod their old TV, I highly recommend the shmups forum as an excellent resource.  https://shmups.system11.org/
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Zebidee

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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #8 on: September 24, 2022, 01:37:10 am »
Good luck with your modding project :D  I will be keenly following you progress.

The shmups RGB modding thread is great. Just long and convoluted!

For your RGB 500R pots, I suggest multi-turn cermet pots (bourns is popular brand). They are much better quality than the ---smurfy--- carbon film pots you often get, which are flimsy, "crackly" and break easily. Being multiturn, it is much easier to adjust the cermet pots to right values needed.

Then put them into a gang like this:





I used those pots for a JAMMA to TV (component modded) hack I did a little while back. You can read about it here if you like.

You may be tempted to remove the pots once you have the right values, and replace with resistors, and this is fine. I would suggest you keep the pots if you ever want to change PCB later, as different PCBs have different RGB output levels. Investing a couple of dollars for some decent pots that won't wear out quickly makes more sense too.

Also, I found I never needed the pots to be over about 150R (sometimes 75R was good, sometimes zero was good), so you may do just as well with 200R pots.

EDIT: I was using GreenAntz RGB to component transcoder, and it tolerates RGB input up to 2vpp which may be more than your CRT TV, so stick with 500R pots

Your planned approach to the mod looks good. You might need less than 5v for the blanking (2v may be sufficient!), though that will likely work.

I did a similar RGB/OSD mod on a 1980 National TV a year or so ago, and it looked really good too, but I have since moved on from that because the TV did not have a full SMPS power supply (just "partial"), meaning that the video grounds are shared with the main "AC ground" at the power supply. Weird and dangerous. It means I would get zapped (quite powerfully) just from handling the VGA connector!

That TV's only input otherwise was via RF, and that connector was buried deep inside the plastic housing (now I know why). Anyway, due to the dangers, I shelved that project until I could work out a neat way to isolate all the video grounds.

So, take extra extra care if modding early/old TVs.
« Last Edit: September 24, 2022, 07:21:46 am by Zebidee »
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Greenman

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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #9 on: September 27, 2022, 04:04:12 am »
Thanks Zebidee.  I hadn't considered multi-turn cermet pots.  I'll definitely be replacing the pots with resistors when I establish the best resistance required.


So the CRT TV chassis had a cover over part of the board that I had to remove to complete this mod.




Once I had full access to the board, I installed the 75 and 160 ohm resistors in series and bridged off between them for the RGB signal.




Connections for blanking switch


This is the 5v source for blanking.


I have no idea if it will work yet.  I'll do some tests on it in the coming week.  :dunno
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Zebidee

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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #10 on: September 27, 2022, 04:28:11 am »
Great to see more TV mods on this forum.

Looks good so far, looking forward to your testing.
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abispac

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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #11 on: September 30, 2022, 02:23:15 am »
great job,i wonder if rgb moded tvs could also have a mod to add pots for vertical and horizontal size

Greenman

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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #12 on: October 01, 2022, 03:25:14 am »
great job,i wonder if rgb moded tvs could also have a mod to add pots for vertical and horizontal size

That would be a very handy mod!!

Spent an hour or two cutting some timber...

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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #13 on: October 01, 2022, 04:03:19 am »
Moving between RGB modding TVs and cutting timber always takes me a little internal adjustment :P

BTW, how is the mod going?
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Greenman

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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #14 on: October 01, 2022, 05:29:06 am »
Moving between RGB modding TVs and cutting timber always takes me a little internal adjustment :P

BTW, how is the mod going?

Almost ready for testing.  Just wiring up a jamma interface temporarily for testing it.  Should know soon if it works.
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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #15 on: October 01, 2022, 06:26:05 am »
Almost ready for testing.  Just wiring up a jamma interface temporarily for testing it.  Should know soon if it works.


Love it that you are committed, balls 'n all. I'd at least test the TV with something known first, like a TPG or PC CRTEMU setup!

But hey, sometimes I take that dive-in approach too and everything works out in the end :D
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Greenman

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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #16 on: October 01, 2022, 06:58:20 am »
Almost ready for testing.  Just wiring up a jamma interface temporarily for testing it.  Should know soon if it works.


Love it that you are committed, balls 'n all. I'd at least test the TV with something known first, like a TPG or PC CRTEMU setup!

But hey, sometimes I take that dive-in approach too and everything works out in the end :D

False bravado on my part, I'm afraid.  I may have a backup monitor if it doesn't work...

Here are the build files for anyone who may wish to build a cabaret ms. pacman in the future:  :)

Side profile that I have converted to life size and was taken to officeworks to print:


Additional panel dimensions:


Approximate position for each panel:



 
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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #17 on: October 01, 2022, 07:33:58 am »
Thanks for sharing those dimensions, very useful  :notworthy:

I'm confident your TV will be fine.

Have you given much thought to mounting the CRT?
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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #18 on: October 02, 2022, 12:49:35 pm »
I got 13 inch tv waiting for a small project, perhaps a mini robotron, and im picking up today a 19inch rca, that will mod for a dk cab, i love moding tvs, as most of them dont have burn in, and the color are bright as new.Here in my city, you can still find arcade crts, but most of them have burn in, or are flat tv tubes and most of them are chinese chassis, so regular tv are still doing the job great. Ill keep looking at your  build, great job on the wood.

Ps for the electronics gurus out there: I still wonder if we can replace capacitors with something to help rgb moded tvs with horizontal and vertical withd.

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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #19 on: October 02, 2022, 02:14:38 pm »
Ps for the electronics gurus out there: I still wonder if we can replace capacitors with something to help rgb moded tvs with horizontal and vertical withd.

Unfortunately this is not really practical.

For width, if you can find the right capacitor (near the coil pins & flyback, large brown or blue polypropylene "pillow", with a value like 474J, or maybe 334 or 684... maybe), ... it is possible to sub in another cap of close to original value, and you may get a small width change. These mods are permanent, not like a pot.

Needless to say, this is cowboy territory and do at your own risk.

Arcade monitors usually get some width control via a large induction coil around a ferrite core, and turning the core to move it in/out affects the inductor and width.

On arcade monitors they are often broken anyway because the cores are very fragile. If you use a metal tool like an Allen key to adjust (usually is a hex head), which many noobs will, you'll likely crack it. You can buy (cheap) special plastic adjustment tools for the purpose.

According to one of the best arcade monitor techs in Australia (who has fixed more arcade chassis than I've had hot dinners), some cheap Chinese arcade monitors don't even bother connecting the width coil to anything, they just run the traces right past and leave the coil there for looks.

For vertical, you would likely have better luck through the service menu. Hardware hacks may well be possible but would be different for each and every chassis. Hacking the vertical output IC essentially. Too complex, too many "moving parts" and different designs to find an easy fit-all solution.




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Greenman

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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #20 on: October 03, 2022, 12:21:59 am »
This is awesome info guys.  Always learning something here!

Oh....by the way......SHE LIVES!!!!

RGB MOD WORKED!!!!!!!!

Got some colour issues but that is just a matter of adjusting the pots.  But...there is a bit of lumpiness rolling through the picture which I have no idea how to tackle (help please!).  I will also have to make an adjustment to the horizontal and vertical.  Anyway, big win here! My first RGB mod!  Pics and video below:












« Last Edit: October 03, 2022, 12:24:45 am by Greenman »
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Zebidee

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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #21 on: October 03, 2022, 12:43:28 am »
\o/ Congratulations!

Red looks a bit high.

Also... where are you getting sync from, and how are you inputting it to the TV?
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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #22 on: October 03, 2022, 12:51:27 am »
Stuff rolling through your picture seems to be power supply or its grounding from my experiences.

Excited to see you tackling this one!
Nice work so far.

The original cabinets have metal square stock that is bolted to the standard monitor/chassis frame.
Those straight pieces run laterally above and below the tube (with it on its side of course) and are resting on L brackets that are screwed to the inside side panels.
Convenient as you can literally just unplug the monitor and slidemit out as one whole assembly to work on.

The screen glass/bezel rest on the battens that are located just above where the topmost part of the tube winds up.

I can go take pics of my originals (cabinets termite eaten and conveniently in 50 pieces now) if anyone is interested in seeing what that whole thing looks like.
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Greenman

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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #23 on: October 03, 2022, 03:05:18 am »
So......silly me didn't realise that I had to ground the monitor to the power supply as the monitor has it's own power supply.  Fixed most of the issues!!!  Colour is superb, picture is stable...now I just need to adjust the horizontal and vertical. I don't have a remote  :dunno

where are you getting sync from, and how are you inputting it to the TV?

I synced into the av video port of the tv.

Pics would be awesome Bobby.

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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #24 on: October 03, 2022, 03:35:29 am »
I synced into the av video port of the tv.

Ah excellent! Your wobbly pic made me wonder about it. Glad you got it sorted.

You seem to have sorted the colours out too!
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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #25 on: October 03, 2022, 08:21:57 pm »
Ps for the electronics gurus out there: I still wonder if we can replace capacitors with something to help rgb moded tvs with horizontal and vertical withd.

Unfortunately this is not really practical.

For width, if you can find the right capacitor (near the coil pins & flyback, large brown or blue polypropylene "pillow", with a value like 474J, or maybe 334 or 684... maybe), ... it is possible to sub in another cap of close to original value, and you may get a small width change. These mods are permanent, not like a pot.

Needless to say, this is cowboy territory and do at your own risk.

Arcade monitors usually get some width control via a large induction coil around a ferrite core, and turning the core to move it in/out affects the inductor and width.

On arcade monitors they are often broken anyway because the cores are very fragile. If you use a metal tool like an Allen key to adjust (usually is a hex head), which many noobs will, you'll likely crack it. You can buy (cheap) special plastic adjustment tools for the purpose.

According to one of the best arcade monitor techs in Australia (who has fixed more arcade chassis than I've had hot dinners), some cheap Chinese arcade monitors don't even bother connecting the width coil to anything, they just run the traces right past and leave the coil there for looks.

For vertical, you would likely have better luck through the service menu. Hardware hacks may well be possible but would be different for each and every chassis. Hacking the vertical output IC essentially. Too complex, too many "moving parts" and different designs to find an easy fit-all solution.
Yeah, thats what i htought, well since arcade monitors are getting rare to find, its time to classify wich tvs are better at rgb mod, and  wich have the best horizontal/vertical width by default. So far seems some rca sets do the job just fine.

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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #26 on: October 03, 2022, 08:23:24 pm »
So......silly me didn't realise that I had to ground the monitor to the power supply as the monitor has it's own power supply.  Fixed most of the issues!!!  Colour is superb, picture is stable...now I just need to adjust the horizontal and vertical. I don't have a remote  :dunno

where are you getting sync from, and how are you inputting it to the TV?

I synced into the av video port of the tv.

Pics would be awesome Bobby.


Everytime i see a mspacman or pacman come to life in crt, i feel something special, and i dont even like the game, my favorite games are, circus charlie, mikey, and kicker , and everything else, i like but those are my top 3.

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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #27 on: October 03, 2022, 10:39:59 pm »
Yeah, thats what i htought, well since arcade monitors are getting rare to find, its time to classify wich tvs are better at rgb mod, and  wich have the best horizontal/vertical width by default. So far seems some rca sets do the job just fine.

I've recently started exploring hacking TV EEPROMs.

So far quite limited, mostly copying/backup for repair purposes (replacing corrupted IC), but I had fun hacking my benchtest TV to say "GREENANTZ" when there is no input, instead of "DISTAR". Wheeee!

It has occurred to me that, if you knew exactly what you were doing, you could hack things like geometry too into the EEPROM too. However, lot of frustration work, and risk of screwing up the TV somehow.

You would also have to ask yourself "why?", especially if those adjustments are otherwise available via service menu (and why wouldn't they be?).

Colour is superb, picture is stable...now I just need to adjust the horizontal and vertical. I don't have a remote  :dunno

A "universal remote" is probably all you need, though they don't always get you access to service menu :(

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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #28 on: October 04, 2022, 02:18:54 am »
Colour is superb, picture is stable...now I just need to adjust the horizontal and vertical. I don't have a remote  :dunno

A "universal remote" is probably all you need, though they don't always get you access to service menu :(
[/quote]for old tvs,old rca or dish universal remotes should work.

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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #29 on: October 04, 2022, 06:46:28 pm »
Hopefully these shed a little light on this particular subject!

This was one of the rotten originals I got a few months back.
Sadly the cabinets were too far gone to bother with, but massively useful for the guts and being able to dissasemble the thing and get accurate dimensions to reproduce the box at least.

View from behind obviously.



You can see the square stock that the whole monitor frame is bolted to and if you zoom in a bit you can see the L brackets that they slide on.
There are some cool little plastic locating pins there too so I suppose they used those to bullseye the whole assembly.

That shot also shows how the bezel and tinted plexi piece and integrated and how it literally rests up against the top glass (which is carried by a batten fastened above it all at the proper height.)



It is a pretty low impact build for the cabinet as a result.
The bezel and how the plexi is attached is a bit more engineered but not necessary to acheive proper function of course.

When I was building this cabinet (which I effectively traded for the six projects I got) using the original as a template, I spent time with a protractor and a few large squares to sort out the lines.



Although the monitor was pushed a bit further back than I show the back wall here I can say that all of the angles worked perfectly.

I can get detailed pictures of the hardware pieces (which I still have all of) if anyone would like!

Man, have I been too busy for any fun.
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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #30 on: October 04, 2022, 08:35:37 pm »
Bobby, thanks for the pics.

With that metal square stock (L shape) for the monitor, do you attach a arcade monitor frame to that, or the CRT corner pegs themselves? Do you have a top view pic?

Reason why I ask is: my understanding is, usually the CRT curves up a little between the pegs, which means you can't mount it directly to the square stock, you need a frame to be able to slide it in.

If so, as Greenman is using a TV with no frame, he'd likely still be better off using battens and some scrap timber to make a mount, like we've done before.

Maybe it doesn't really matter as nobody will be able to see it anyway  :-\

Pics are still very useful as they show how everything should fit together.

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Greenman

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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #31 on: October 04, 2022, 10:14:33 pm »
Awesome.  Thank you!!

As there are so few parts available in Australia for this build, I am going to have to manufacture a lot of items. 

Could someone/anyone please provide the dimensions of the cabaret metal control panel and perspex marquee?  Please? 

Also the plans above are inaccurate.  The full sized side profiles are fine, but the ply cuts for everything else are for the pacman cabaret, not the ms. pacman cabaret, I believe.  I had to remove @1/2" off the depth of the bottom plate, top was slightly too long also and the width of all panels was out by 1 1/2 inches (35mm). 
« Last Edit: October 05, 2022, 01:38:52 am by Greenman »
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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #32 on: October 05, 2022, 03:42:32 am »
It is remarkable how many iterations of these cabinets were produced.
I think the waters get even muddier as you skip around the planet to other factories (even for ostensibly the "same" cabinet.)

I should go take a few pics of the monitor assembly out of the cabinet so you can see the rest of the 'big picture' as origjnally built.

A quick glance at that and I bet you can come up with a great plan with what you can find in your neighborhood!
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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #33 on: October 06, 2022, 04:54:51 am »
So I got around to doing some more woodwork over the past day or so.  Needed to temporarily get some pieces in to work out where everything goes.  Looking at a heap of photos of actual ms. pacman cabaret cabs and making adjustments accordingly.





CRT screen mounted.  Too steep so I'll level that out a bit.





The good news is that the yolk fits inside the cabinet even with the chassis connected (just), so no need for a plastic cover out the back of the machine.

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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #34 on: October 06, 2022, 06:55:58 am »
Greenman, looking good so far.

A few contructive suggestions.

First, I suggest you change the CRT mounting slightly, so that the CRT corner pegs sit on top. Use T-nuts (on top, but drilled through) to secure.

Mounting it above means gravity is your friend, helping to keep the CRT in place. Mounting it below means gravity is fighting you, and everything depends on those screws not failing   :scared

Second, I suggest that you cut that piece supporting the CRT into two separate pieces with some room between them (the piece with a hole cut out of the middle for the CRT), and make a little more room for stuff like degaussing coils. There is no loss of strength or structural integrity from doing this.

That way you can slide the two pieces up/down, along the parallel battens, until you get the right position for your CRT. It'll also make it easier to physically manipulate the CRT to mount on top (rather than below).

I could go on more, but I have already written it all up here:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,165973.msg1749841.html#msg1749841

In my Aussie Lowboy build thread, I also documented how easy it was to adapt this design to a slightly larger CRT if needed (just drill some more holes).

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,166352.msg1758984.html#msg1758984

I could claim credit for the ideas, but really I worked it out from pulling apart and rebuilding cabs in Australia. I just saw what operators had done before and what worked.

Lastly, I suggest you build a squared (or rectangular) "foot" for the bottom of the cab, so that the sides do not sit directly onto the floor. It only has to be about 2-5 inches high, with some of that covered by the sides.

This way you can run the T-molding 360 degrees around each entire side, and you can round-off the corners for a slicker look.

The extra room below means you can also tuck a pair of wheels (and/or leveling legs) invisibly into the back, making it easy to move the cab about.

Having the sides off the floor also makes it more stable (safer), means you are less likely to damage the bottom/art, and makes it easier to sweep and mop around the cab.

In commercial arcades, the front part of this "foot" is often covered with painted or chromed steel plate, called a "kickplate", for obvious reasons :D

If you look over internet images of pacman cabs, you can see this foot on many cabs but you may have to look carefully, as it is never the focus of their pics. If you see a cab with a rounded front/bottom side corner, most will have a squared foot, even if it isn't obvious (to prevent the cab from accidentally falling on someone!)

On cabs with a foot, the inner floor area may actually be several inches higher than the bottom of the sides, as it would sit on top of the foot instead.

Hope this helps!
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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #35 on: October 06, 2022, 10:13:00 am »
Quote
First, I suggest you change the CRT mounting slightly, so that the CRT corner pegs sit on top. Use T-nuts (on top, but drilled through) to secure.

Mounting it above means gravity is your friend, helping to keep the CRT in place. Mounting it below means gravity is fighting you, and everything depends on those screws not failing   

Yes to that.

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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #36 on: October 06, 2022, 10:54:24 pm »
So I got around to doing some more woodwork over the past day or so.  Needed to temporarily get some pieces in to work out where everything goes.  Looking at a heap of photos of actual ms. pacman cabaret cabs and making adjustments accordingly.





CRT screen mounted.  Too steep so I'll level that out a bit.





The good news is that the yolk fits inside the cabinet even with the chassis connected (just), so no need for a plastic cover out the back of the machine.



Did you found a way to get in the service menu to adjust the horizontal/vertical width?

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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #37 on: October 07, 2022, 03:53:51 am »
Did you found a way to get in the service menu to adjust the horizontal/vertical width?

Do you need to quote Greenman's entire post, including many pics, to ask that?

He may need a remote.
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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #38 on: October 07, 2022, 04:32:31 am »
Awesome feedback!  Really appreciate it!!   :applaud:

I have put monitor on top now as seen in pics below.  Your other suggestions regarding monitor I will incorporate in the next build (an NBA Jam TE v2 with the hidden characters!!).  Oh, and I will definitely incorporate the kick box thingy.  :notworthy:

Regarding vertical and horizontal width, I have managed to track down the original remote which has two hidden buttons to access the service menu.  Time will tell how that goes when it arrives in the mail.

What type of black paint is the standard for arcade cabs?  Semi-gloss?  Low sheen?  Enamel or water-based?



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Re: Ms. Pacman Scratch Build
« Reply #39 on: October 07, 2022, 12:45:47 pm »
If you plan on applying any artwork to the cabinet after painting then I would avoid water based paints.
The adhesives (even the best 3M stuff) do not stick well to anything but oil base from what I have seen.

The higher the gloss, the more any surface imperfections show!
Especially black.
I have been happy with satin or semi-gloss myself.

Fun to hear that you have another planned already!
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