ThornCab Constuction Begins (photo)

[Thorn]

I had some time recently to begin contruction on ThornCab. This design is a simplified wood clone of the all metal Sega Virtua Golf/Virtua Tennis cabinet.  I left enough room for a 27" screen.

[SirPoonga]

Cool.

BTW, use wood putty to fill in over those screw holes:)
Also, suggestion, you could be cretive and make a nice looking control panel.  A box just doesn't fit the rest of the cabinet.

[Thorn]

I wouldn't even think of not covering those screw heads.  One thing I like about this design is you have total freedom on control panel design, size and height. What type of control panel do you think would look good on there?  I'll probably just leave it but it's not too late for a redesign

[SirPoonga]

I dunno, just that a box just doesn't look right.

The rest of the cabinet has that beveled look, so putting some angle on the cp would be interesting.

Are you going to have a site?  With dimmensions?
You did leave enough room for the depth of a 27" monitor?  Which monitor you plan on getting?

[Thorn]

It's gonna take me a while to build it but I certainly will put up a site when I'm done. Hopefully it will be a little better than my current one for 3-D MAME.  I had posted some pre-build dimensions a while back but I will put together some "as-built" plans once it is operational. I'm not certain if the monitor will be a 25 or 27 but it will be a S-vid TV.  There should be enough depth for the TV. I made the cabinet a couple of inches deeper than the original just in case.  

[AlanS17]

The original had a box for a control panel and I think it looks good. But I would still consider modifying it for more real estate. A curve across the front would probably leave better room for a trackball/spinner.

[Thorn]

I like that curved front idea.  Maybe I'll put together a bigger box/panel. Of course I already cranked out about 5 blank control panels since the tools were out and the wood was there. I bet you're thinking of something like the control panel at Retropolis.

http://mamecheats.fateback.com/control.htm

Very nice!

[AlanS17]

I bet you're thinking of something like the control panel at Retropolis.

http://mamecheats.fateback.com/control.htm

Very nice!

Well something like that, but his seems kind of cramped. I don't blame him since he probably didn't have much room to work with. You've got the room to spare to make everything fit and have space in between.