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.