Cabinet is too big!

[Traintruction]

I just moved into a new house, and, of course, the MAME cab I've been working on for a while is too big to maneuver through the basement stairwell. Phooey.

I was working from the Project Arcade plans (innovative, eh?), and I really like the overall look of that cabinet. However, it doesn't do me any good if it's in the garage. Have any of you guys encountered a similar problem? If so, did you come up with a design solution?

I guess I'm looking for a new cabinet design that's either 2 pieces, or that can be dismantled if we move again. With over 1,000 sites on the examples page, I'm a bit overwhelmed here. Overwhelmed in the best possible way.

Thanks for your help. I've been a lurker for a long while and I love this community.

[webgeek]

This is a big problem for me as well. To keep the weight and size down, I'm using 1/4" plywood with an internal frame of 2x4s. The plywood panels are all removable. If you were to build something like this, you could use a series of carriage bolts in the middle to seperate the top half of the frame from the bottom. If you are careful with the layout, it's possible to ensure everything heavy is removable as well. This all makes it easier to move in the future.

With that said, I still can't get my current design into the basement. Anything more then 32 inches deep can't make one of the 90 degree turns required. It's horriby frustrating. On the up side, I get to leave my cabinet upstairs when it's done

Have fun!

[Effayy]

The cab I'm building is a modified UAII design that will come apart in 3 peices.  The Bottom half with keyboard drawer, the top half with marquee, and the control panel.

That should make it a lot easier to get up the stairs.

- FA

[digitalpackrat]

I knew I was gonna be moving soon before I started construction on my cab so my initial design had to make the cabinet break down in order to get it through semi narrow doorways.  before I started construction I found the narrowest doorway in the house and attempted to make sure it would be no wider than that.  My cabinet can break down into 3 pieces, bottom half (base), top half, and controler.  Each piece is held together by at least 6 bolts with nuts that have plastic inside the threading.  When you screw the bolt into the nut and through the plastic it creates the threading through the plastic and holds it in place.  It is impossible to get it apart without using an allen wrench and somthing to hold the bolt like plyers.  here's my work in progress page.  its based similar to the Ultimate Arcade II design from mameroom.com but not using their directions only looking at the design of the cabinet.
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=42121.0

[MameJunkie]

Might be too simple but how about making it smaller 

I'm making a mini-cab 4' x 20" x 26".  That should get thru any door.

[Lilwolf]

There was a guy here who built a whole cab in his parents basement... but then couldn't get it out..

Really sucks!

But thats why building a bigger cabinet then the 'standard' cabinets... your going to have problems.  These where mostly designed to go through normal doors by design. 

[Kremmit]

Time to get Bob Villa to show you how to widen your stairwell!

(OK, get Bob to show you how some guys that work for him widen your stairwell.)

(OK, get Bob to do a commercial for some guys that can widen a stairwell, and show some shots of them doing it without really telling you how.)

[Scott84]

Im in a similar situation. I dont know if an arcade will even fit down my stairs. I however am not building from the plans from the book even though i bought it (Great Book Saint!).

I will most likely buy a not so expensive cab from Starburst Auctions eventually and see if i can get it up and down the stairs. If im successful. Then i will be one happy fellw.

My stairs to my basement is ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---. It has a landing. And not only doesnt it have a landing but it has a 90degree right turn.

The stair well is about 33-35inches across... you guys think thats enough space?

[Stingray]

Im in a similar situation. I dont know if an arcade will even fit down my stairs. I however am not building from the plans from the book even though i bought it (Great Book Saint!).

I will most likely buy a not so expensive cab from Starburst Auctions eventually and see if i can get it up and down the stairs. If im successful. Then i will be one happy fellw.

My stairs to my basement is ---auto-censored---. It has a landing. And not only doesnt it have a landing but it has a 90degree right turn.

The stair well is about 33-35inches across... you guys think thats enough space?

I'm pretty sure I could get any of my cabs down those stairs, but then mine are 19 inch classics without frankenpanels.  Lay the cab down on it's back, slide it down to the landing, stand it up, rotate, lay it back down, slide to the bottom.

-S

[Scott84]

Stingray. that sounds like a good idea to bring the cabinets downstairs.

Im looking at possible a NEO GEO MVS as my first system. Pretty confident i can fit it downstairs.

[CheffoJeffo]

Stingray. that sounds like a good idea to bring the cabinets downstairs.

Im looking at possible a NEO GEO MVS as my first system. Pretty confident i can fit it downstairs.

My MVS is 25.5" wide and 36" deep -- you might want to measure the size of that landing, but I would think you'll be OK.

Cheers.

[hyiu]

well... there are of course a lot of solutions...
 

after you decided your plan... make a trashcade and try to bring it down the stairs and see if it'll fit !!! (remember to count the 3/4 wood thickness compare to the cardboard thickness)

if its a doorway.... the door can come off... hey, even the frame can come off !!!!

if its the stairs... maybe you want to move the living room to the basement and keep the arcade room upstairs ??...
 

[Scott84]

I plan on buying the sucker. and if it doesnt fit down the stairs... then i guess i can showcase it on the main floor with my moms antiques...

"Hey Mom! Its from 1989! Thats so old! Can you even remember what you did in 1989?"

My mom will then proceed to smash it with a sledge hammer. 

[tivogre]

I built mine with removable sides.

This gives me an extra 1.5" when they are off.... just enough to get the cabinet with 27" monitor through the sliding glass door!

[Demon-Seed]

Hey
I am sorry to hear it wont fit and is too big.. I have a similar sad story If you recall I had to sell mine the tears still flow

its ok one day I will make a new one

[Scott84]

Demon, i remember that.

You in the planning stages of another?

[Havok]

Try these plans out:

http://www.arcadeengine.com

I purchased them, and it looks pretty cool - has that "authentic" retro feel to it, and it breaks down into two pieces, plus looks pretty solid. The breakdown feature is pretty important for me, since I most likely will not have help moving my cabinet around. I'm still in the money gathering stages so I can't say any further how good the plans are, but I have read through them and they seem good...

[daywane]

if its a doorway.... the door can come off... hey, even the frame can come off !!!!

I removed most of my wall and built it back up again.

[Stingray]

if its a doorway.... the door can come off... hey, even the frame can come off !!!!

I removed most of my wall and built it back up again.

I'm yet to buy a cab that won't fit into my game room, but I'd have no problem doing that if I had to.

-S

[Pik4chu]

I knew I was gonna be moving soon before I started construction on my cab so my initial design had to make the cabinet break down in order to get it through semi narrow doorways.

[rescue161]

I bought a pool table and needed to put it upstairs.  Well, it would not fit around the corner at the top of the stairs, so I did what any normal person would do; I ripped the wall out.

The guy helping me was freaked, but I went to Lowe's and bought the dry-wall and mud to fix it.

The landlord never knew.

[digitalpackrat]

you mean like these?

exactly  they work great.  it allows me to take apart my cab or secure it very easily and its very strong
 
I use 6 to secure my controller: 2 in the middle and 2 on each side and 6 for the top half 3 on each side

[Stingray]

Those are called lock nuts FWIW.

-S

[Pik4chu]

Those are called lock nuts FWIW.

-S

Aye, lock nuts or nylon insert nuts/nylon lock nuts depending where you shop.  These are quite nifty indeed

[daywane]

just for info.
lock nuts are lock nuts only the first time you use em.
once you remove them they are just plain old nuts .
not knocking them.... In the navy we had to toss them once we removed em of a jet engine.

[Tahnok]

if its a doorway.... the door can come off... hey, even the frame can come off !!!!

Yes, I had to take a door off its hinges once. When my cab originally went to its room, it came through a door right next to a window. The next summer when I tried to move it to the backyard for a party, a swamp cooler was now residing in the window. It prevented the door from opening all the way, making it about 3/4" too small.

[Naez]

Modular cabinets.. I have another post going here regarding that. I read in thebook that the GSXRmovistar upright cabinet had a detachable "top part" for his UA II look-a-like. That sounds really intersting to me... Anyone have any info on that? his site www.mamenotover.com is down and I cant find a mirror anywhere..

[Stingray]

just for info.
lock nuts are lock nuts only the first time you use em.
once you remove them they are just plain old nuts .
not knocking them.... In the navy we had to toss them once we removed em of a jet engine.

That's not entirely true. They're still a lot tighter than regular nuts, but they do lose a lot of their locking ability once removed. Having said that, I'm sure that replacing them on a jet engine is a very good idea.

-S

[JCL]

I imagine that the reliability needs to be a bit higher on jet engines.

There are other types of lock nuts as well. But for a low stress application, a simple nylock is pretty good, as is the not too strong locktite. Crazy glue works in a pinch as well.

[digitalpackrat]

just for info.
lock nuts are lock nuts only the first time you use em.
once you remove them they are just plain old nuts .
not knocking them.... In the navy we had to toss them once we removed em of a jet engine.

That's not entirely true. They're still a lot tighter than regular nuts, but they do lose a lot of their locking ability once removed. Having said that, I'm sure that replacing them on a jet engine is a very good idea.

-S

I have not had to take my cab apart yet since i'm still in the process of building it so i have not had experience with them loosing their grip.  Would I need to replace them each time i remove them or can I get a few uses out of them before I need to replace them?  I sure don't want to have my controller fall off because of the nuts coming off.  I don't think there will be as much problem with the top half connected to the bottom half having the nuts come off because there is far less constant vibration as there would be at the controler where you are constantly moving the joystick to loosen the nut.

[Pik4chu]

just for info.
lock nuts are lock nuts only the first time you use em.
once you remove them they are just plain old nuts .
not knocking them.... In the navy we had to toss them once we removed em of a jet engine.

That's not entirely true. They're still a lot tighter than regular nuts, but they do lose a lot of their locking ability once removed. Having said that, I'm sure that replacing them on a jet engine is a very good idea.

-S

I have not had to take my cab apart yet since i'm still in the process of building it so i have not had experience with them loosing their grip.

[Stingray]

Honestly, none of my machines have lock nuts on them anywhere, and I've never had a problem with controls coming loose. Lock nuts are great when they're needed (jet engines for example), but they're a real PITA otherwise.

-S

[NoOne=NBA=]

Just a regular flat-washer/lock-washer combo should be more than secure enough to hold two halves of an arcade machine together.
There's no torque/vibration involved to work them loose.
If you were really concerned about it, you could check them prior to moving it.

I'm holding the CP in place on my Crazy Climber with two bolts, screwed up from the bottom into T-nuts.
I'm guessing Crazy Climber has got to be one of the hardest CP's to hold in place, due to the constant torquing of the two sticks moving opposite each other.
The factory CP had carriage bolts, with lock-washers, and regular nuts on them.