Cowboy Arcade Redux

[t3design]

Some of the longer tenured members of this community may remember my Cowboy Arcade project: https://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,90385.0.html

In a nutshell, we built a replica of a Tempest cab scaled up to accommodate a larger monitor and dual player controls. Not quite a frankenstein, but it is big. At the time, we were using Windows pc's to run MAME. Once my sons got older and started wanting an arcade machine of their own we discovered Pi machines and have built two cabs using them. We decided to update mine too and ran into some connectivity problems with the old version of controller boards I used. For a minute we thought about upgrading the hardware for the control panel too, but then we finished the PETES arcade (https://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,169828.0.html) and I decided I wanted a single player, "normal" sized machine that was an exact replica of a Tempest machine.

Cowboy Arcade Redux

This time around we are staying true to the original dimension of the Tempest cab. Using the dimension from the drawings hosted on https://www.classicarcadecabinets.com/tempest.html I redrew all the external parts in a model to check fitment and create the internal blocking to hold it together. Unlike some cabs which used carriage bolts to hold the structure together, the Tempest machines were blocked and glued. We have all the dxf files ready for the CNC router and just need a free weekend to start cutting parts.

I will be scavaging parts from the old Cowboy Arcade, but I also acquired several pieces from original cabs: Marquee, Light & Sound "drawer" (will use original speaker), Glass Retainer and screen, Control Panel (will plug holes and mill new ones for controls), CP Clamps (2 sets. Will use second set to clamp marquee in place instead of screws), and the Coin Door from the old Cowboy Arcade which came from a Tempest machine.

Here is the side, CP, and marquee art:



You can find more info about the project at https://cowboyarcadeproject.com and I will post updates here too.

[t3design]

We got started cutting tonight!

Today we cut the first sheet of plywood for the Cowboy Arcade Redux. I learned to draft from my grandfather and father and then in engineering school (Oklahoma State) in 2D. We didn't have 3D modeling software. I still am most comfortable designing and drawing in 2D. After getting the dimensions of an original Tempest cab from Classic Arcade Cabinets and examining every pic I could find I still needed to specific dimensional data. I asked a member of this forum who was restoring a couple Tempest cabs and he took measurements for me. I took all I had and drew my cut-away model:



The blocking is my design. The keys are original where the surfaces matter and adjusted elsewhere. The people building arcade cabinets in the early 80's didn't have access to the cutting equipment we have, so today we can do some things better.

I then created cut drawings to be imported into the software that drives the CNC router table:



My son is also an engineer and has learned how to program and run the CNC Router table, so he sets up the files and we get started:





Here is the first sheet of 3/4" Birch plywood (it's actually 18mm or .708") on the ShopSABRE Pro 408 CNC Router:



And nearly done cutting:



Some of the blocking parts after sanding:



We won't be able to work again till next weekend (both busy the rest of this weekend and next week). So I'll post more cuts and parts then.