Author Topic: My Pacman profile cabinet (finished!......99%) (Read 95643 times)

c64rulez · « **Reply #400 on:** January 19, 2006, 12:37:43 pm »

Quote from: DrewKaree on January 19, 2006, 10:36:15 am

That artwork looks REALLY sharp!

Quote from: MinerAl on January 19, 2006, 11:04:19 am

Wow.

Quote from: RetroACTIVE on January 19, 2006, 12:20:57 pm

Really really cool... I'm jealous

Quote from: F1r3f1ght3r on January 19, 2006, 12:23:06 pm

looks sharp!

Quote from: MameMaster™! on January 19, 2006, 12:32:26 pm

WOW....not to send you off in a new direction but Xiaou's art would look smokin' on your cab. I love it when talented people say things like "well I whipped this up just for fun"..... I wish I could do that!

Excellent neon photoshop work. That panel looks great.

Thank you guys * blush *

I really owe xiaou2 most of the credit for his superb initial design,
and indeed photoshop really does 80% of the job...

and that mockup, well, speechless...

Xiaou2 · « **Reply #401 on:** January 20, 2006, 01:33:16 am »

Heya, the artwork came out Great : ) Congrats!

Come on now, you created the design.. I just shaded it : ) *blush*

Bones · « **Reply #402 on:** January 20, 2006, 05:50:41 am »

Hey I didn't really care much for the design when I first seen it but now it is printed it looks bloody good. Well done!

c64rulez · « **Reply #403 on:** January 20, 2006, 06:06:35 am »

Quote from: Xiaou2 on January 20, 2006, 01:33:16 am

Heya, the artwork came out Great : ) Congrats!

Come on now, you created the design.. I just shaded it : ) *blush*

ha ha ! won't work...

I admit the original design was mine, but that's all I'm gonna admit.
Thanks man.

This morning I attacked the printed art with ferocity (and a utility knife), and cut all those 28mm circles.
I then cleaned the plexi for about 20 minutes. Thankfully, my wife wasn't around to see my cleaning
abilities.

I installed the 4way joystick base flush with the cp, and secured it with 4 screws. I also decided to leave the black dustwasher for this joy under the printed art. (all 3 joys will have plexi dustwashers on top).

NOW came the part where I got real stupid $:-\$
I installed all the pushbuttons, which is not a very easy task since the holes fit very tightly around them.
After some serious pushing and pulling everything was in place.

EVERYTHING ? obviously not

if you'll inspect the "stupid" picture you'll notice what turned into a ferocious yelp when I grasped it.

I DID NOT install the 8ways !!! $:-\$ $:-\$ $:-\$

All the buttons had to be removed (total stupidity I tell you), the 8ways bases bolted in, and buttons back in. Did I mention stupid ? not enough I guess.

I sense now that a miracle is required for the cp to work properly

c64rulez · « **Reply #404 on:** January 20, 2006, 06:08:55 am »

Quote from: BrokenBones on January 20, 2006, 05:50:41 am

Hey I didn't really care much for the design when I first seen it but now it is printed it looks bloody good. Well done!

Thanks
I didn't care much for it either untill Xiaou2 put some life into it

whatzcrackn · « **Reply #405 on:** January 20, 2006, 10:49:26 am »

Hey, where did you get the cp printed? what kinda of material is it?

c64rulez · « **Reply #406 on:** January 20, 2006, 11:00:59 am »

Quote from: whatzcrackn on January 20, 2006, 10:49:26 am

Hey, where did you get the cp printed? what kinda of material is it?

I can check what material it is (cause frankly I don't know), and as for the "where" part, well I don't think it would matter since it was printed locally, which means Israel (which probably means it doesn't matter)

whatzcrackn · « **Reply #407 on:** January 20, 2006, 11:11:28 am »

lol, I was just wondering If I could get in the usa at the same place. oops? $:-\$

ChadTower · « **Reply #408 on:** January 20, 2006, 11:44:05 am »

Okay, I had lagged on following this project... hella good job, bro.

c64rulez · « **Reply #409 on:** January 21, 2006, 12:52:35 am »

Quote from: whatzcrackn on January 20, 2006, 11:11:28 am

lol, I was just wondering If I could get in the usa at the same place. oops? $:-\$

It certainly is going to be OOPS if you'll not be able to

The availability issue for a usa-remote-user in this kind of project is a pain in the butt

The material, however, feels very much like photo paper.

Quote from: ChadTower on January 20, 2006, 11:44:05 am

Okay, I had lagged on following this project... hella good job, bro.

As long as I don't lag on it

Thanks

markrvp · « **Reply #410 on:** January 21, 2006, 08:02:14 am »

That looks really, really nice. Great job c64rulez.

c64rulez · « **Reply #411 on:** January 21, 2006, 01:48:18 pm »

Thank you markrvp

The cp wiring is somewhat of a headache, so I stopped about third of the way.
The core of the cp is a keybard hack I've built a few weeks back.

If the cp was more complex (more buttons and sticks), a keyhack would have been out of the question.
I knew in advance that the layout would be simple, so I didn't care much for an I-Pac.
There are a lot of good tutorials around about hacking a keyboard and making it work with a mame machine, and it's pretty much straighforward.

I'm just using whatever wires laying around, so it's a bit colorful under the hood

Chopper_ops · « **Reply #412 on:** January 22, 2006, 05:12:03 pm »

This forum ROCKS!

Anyway, the cab is lookin' awesome! Great job!

How is the Frontend coming along? I haven't read anything about it for awhile ...

c64rulez · « **Reply #413 on:** January 23, 2006, 11:31:19 am »

Dear Chopper_ops,
Thank you for your comment. It is somewhat of an honor to host the first post of any BYOAC member.
The Frontend progress would have to wait until the cab is operational (meaning a working cp).

c64rulez · « **Reply #414 on:** January 23, 2006, 02:01:17 pm »

The obligatory "wireless cp" picture

Completed wiring the cp controls to the keyhack. All the switches are functioning correctly.
The only thing missing are the plexi dustwashers for the joysticks, thus no joysticks mounted yet.

As my cab does not incorporate a coin door, I'm going to have (hopefully temporary) two pushbuttons for that purpose installed on an inner dashboard (inside the cab's drawer).

Here is my idea for a dumb-diy-coin-mech.
Since my cab has a round front (thank you Drew

), I consider constructing two internal guides for an inserted coin.
The coin starts at point 1, accelerating, hopefully gaining enough speed to hop over the gap near point 2, pushing the microswitch ("insert coin"), and bumping back to fall through the gap mentioned earlier.

It's so far fetched that I think it's gonna work

MinerAl · « **Reply #415 on:** January 23, 2006, 02:41:35 pm »

It might work, but it would be easier to use a wire-actuated switch at the bottom. I guarantee the coin will trip that on its way by. Happs sells them separately.

brian23 · « **Reply #416 on:** January 23, 2006, 03:17:17 pm »

Here's a picture:

c64rulez · « **Reply #417 on:** January 24, 2006, 01:03:20 am »

That kind of switch looks interesting, thank you guys. I think it is a better choice for this kind of hack.
I'll try and find something like it locally, as there is no more "happ stuff" for me $:-\$ (shipment for my project parts reached some 70$ - airplanes and stuff)

c64rulez · « **Reply #418 on:** January 24, 2006, 03:20:50 am »

Any thoughts of the following marquees ? Is it better with or without that bluish-blast-background ?
I don't know... maybe it sucks both ways

The high score is dedicated of course to BrokenBones

c64rulez · « **Reply #419 on:** January 24, 2006, 04:48:14 am »

The tv surrounding frame design

brian23 · « **Reply #420 on:** January 24, 2006, 10:43:31 am »

I have a couple used straight wire cherry switches. The wires are pre-bent. I'm in the US. You can have them for $4.50 a piece + shipping. May be a better deal than Happ.

BobbyG66 · « **Reply #421 on:** January 24, 2006, 11:08:57 am »

Quote from: c64rulez on January 24, 2006, 03:20:50 am

Any thoughts of the following marquees ? Is it better with or without that bluish-blast-background ?
I don't know... maybe it sucks both ways

The high score is dedicated of course to BrokenBones

I like both! I guess use what ever looks best with the other artwork.

Well done!

c64rulez · « **Reply #422 on:** January 24, 2006, 01:39:14 pm »

Quote from: brian23 on January 24, 2006, 10:43:31 am

I have a couple used straight wire cherry switches. The wires are pre-bent. I'm in the US. You can have them for $4.50 a piece + shipping. May be a better deal than Happ.

Thank you, but it simply would not make any sense to ship a microswitch 3000 miles... I will probably succeed finding something like it locally. Thanks for the good will.

Quote from: BobbyG66 on January 24, 2006, 11:08:57 am

I like both! I guess use what ever looks best with the other artwork.

Well done!

Thank you, I probably will do just that.

markrvp · « **Reply #423 on:** January 24, 2006, 11:24:56 pm »

Both marquees look great, but I think the blue one matches the other artwork better.

c64rulez · « **Reply #424 on:** January 25, 2006, 01:56:48 am »

Thanks markrvp. I think I'm going to make a 3d photoshop model of the cab, just like Xiaou2 did a few posts back. It really gives you more than a clue regarding the final outcome.
I also think I'll just draft-print both and test them on. no problem there

c64rulez · « **Reply #425 on:** January 25, 2006, 06:14:17 pm »

ok, made some 3d (more or less...) models using photoshop to see if everything ties up.
two versions (one for each marquee style) and a closeup on the cp-bezel joint.

Some things are yet undecided:

- The color of the areas which are not artworked (doors, front drawer, etc.). I kinda like that blue I've used
for the models

- The marquee style. (I think the one with the black bgd looks better ?)

- Sideart

BTW,
I'm using black t-molding, and I'm going to fit some in the bezel's inner frame for a proper whole-cab-like finish.

markrvp · « **Reply #426 on:** January 25, 2006, 10:26:35 pm »

I think I changed my mind. After seeing that the base color of the CP overlay is black with blue highlights, I think the black marquee with the blue drop shadows matches very well.

What do you think?

Xiaou2 · « **Reply #427 on:** January 26, 2006, 01:44:36 am »

Congrats on the 3d view

It should help greatly in aiding your desigions.

While the blue background looks nice in the one marquee.. it doesnt fit with the control panel because the cp is mostly black.. and also, it uses a different color blue.

Now, Its possible if you use that Teal blue thats on the cp as the background for the marquee.. that it Might match better.. however.. it might look very different once its lighted.

Finally, If you decide on this, you still have to worry about the other sides. So, do not be too firm yet, as adding the sides may make you decide to change the marquee again later.

Add the place in your art for the T-molding, as that will greatly change the look too.

Ohh, just for curriousity, try placing the video game characters on the top of the marquee. Maybe even some on top, and some on bottom.

Good Luck : )

vader · « **Reply #428 on:** January 26, 2006, 11:10:14 am »

That CP looks awesome. To be honest I wasn't really interested in this thread initially. Sitting here browsing at work and looked again, and I was like WOW !!...now I can't wait to see the finished product. Keep up the good work.
Oh, btw....black marquee background is definitely better.

Tim

leapinlew · « **Reply #429 on:** January 26, 2006, 08:54:14 pm »

I've been following this thread since it started... I only have 1 thing to say.

I hate this guy. He's too good at everything and he's ruining the curve for us mortals. He's obviously some sort of hybrid mutant.

Awesome work dude.

c64rulez · « **Reply #430 on:** January 27, 2006, 12:59:31 am »

Thank you all for your great comments.
There has been a slight twist of events I'm going to share with you here. A special visitor came to my house yesterday.He's half a brother to me (we both have same father), and I never saw him - I'm talking 31 years here.
The thing is, I had no idea he was coming, and frankly I didn't believe we would ever meet someday, so you can imagine the surprise.
It's the kind of story most of us usually hear about or see once in a while on a newspaper, but don't get to be a part of.
Well, I did.

However, I can't leave one post here without a proper reply. And I'm talking about this one:

Quote from: leapinlew on January 26, 2006, 08:54:14 pm

I've been following this thread since it started... I only have 1 thing to say.

I hate this guy. He's too good at everything and he's ruining the curve for us mortals. He's obviously some sort of hybrid mutant.

Awesome work dude.

They say that it is not the hand that actually performs, but the hand and mind that guides it. So.....
ALL BLAME GOES FOR DREWKAREE

Thanks again, and have a lovely weekend.

Brax · « **Reply #431 on:** January 28, 2006, 10:46:22 am »

I too would have chose the blue background marquee on its own but after seeing the mockup it's BLACK all the way.

What about making the Total Replay text bigger? You could even slightly overlap the perspective lines of your characters. (your eye will still complete the perspective lines and you text shouldn't cover it all up anyways) Right now your text height only takes up about 1/3 of the width of your marqee. That's a bit small in my opinion. If you made it closer to 2/3rds in height I think it would really pop.

In the end it's your cab; just ideas.

c64rulez · « **Reply #432 on:** January 28, 2006, 01:23:24 pm »

Well, it has been a strange weekend for me indeed. I still don't realize that I've met this half brother of mine whom I didn't ever see. You can't even scratch the surface of things in such a short period of time, but we promised each other to keep in touch.
I attach a picture of us just for the completeness of things.
BTW, I'm the green alien on the right.

On a different note,

Quote from: Brax on January 28, 2006, 10:46:22 am

I too would have chose the blue background marquee on its own but after seeing the mockup it's BLACK all the way.

What about making the Total Replay text bigger? You could even slightly overlap the perspective lines of your characters. (your eye will still complete the perspective lines and you text shouldn't cover it all up anyways) Right now your text height only takes up about 1/3 of the width of your marqee. That's a bit small in my opinion. If you made it closer to 2/3rds in height I think it would really pop.

In the end it's your cab; just ideas.

Thanks for your comment. Black it shall be.
As for the size of the text, I'll give it a shot, but my marquee has two "dead" zones (where it meets the upper and lower MDF panels), so any graphics that goes there would be kinda lost.

leapinlew · « **Reply #433 on:** January 28, 2006, 06:49:06 pm »

Quote from: c64rulez on January 28, 2006, 01:23:24 pm

Well, it has been a strange weekend for me indeed. I still don't realize that I've met this half brother of mine whom I didn't ever see. You can't even scratch the surface of things in such a short period of time, but we promised each other to keep in touch.
I attach a picture of us just for the completeness of things.
BTW, I'm the green alien on the right.

C64Rulez....

Regarding your supposed half-brother. Many people on this board will attest to the fact that relatives start popping out of the woodwork once you build an arcade cabinet. Your building of an arcade cabinet AND reuniting with a long lost and UNKOWN relative is surely very suspicious?

HA! I crack myself up.

Congrats on the family. Family is good!

c64rulez · « **Reply #434 on:** January 29, 2006, 02:22:47 am »

Quote from: leapinlew on January 28, 2006, 06:49:06 pm

Quote from: c64rulez on January 28, 2006, 01:23:24 pm
Well, it has been a strange weekend for me indeed. I still don't realize that I've met this half brother of mine whom I didn't ever see. You can't even scratch the surface of things in such a short period of time, but we promised each other to keep in touch.
I attach a picture of us just for the completeness of things.
BTW, I'm the green alien on the right.

C64Rulez....

Regarding your supposed half-brother. Many people on this board will attest to the fact that relatives start popping out of the woodwork once you build an arcade cabinet. Your building of an arcade cabinet AND reuniting with a long lost and UNKOWN relative is surely very suspicious?

HA! I crack myself up.

Congrats on the family. Family is good!

Now that you mention it, I can't find my cp, and all the blueprints have mysteriously vanished.

c64rulez · « **Reply #435 on:** January 29, 2006, 05:24:24 pm »

To the final marquee design I've added a faded grey-shade background which is made of classic arcade games marquees. Also a fine tune for the characters blast source - a star shaped origin, and some text resize (as suggested by brax)
I do hope to make some progress this week and have an operational cp and dashboard plus a marquee test.

The "fin_marq_det" picture is 1:1 scale.

Brax · « **Reply #436 on:** January 29, 2006, 05:35:31 pm »

I like it. I like it a lot.

whatzcrackn · « **Reply #437 on:** January 30, 2006, 07:54:58 pm »

I like it..........I like it a lot

c64rulez · « **Reply #438 on:** January 31, 2006, 12:11:27 pm »

is "alot" better than "a lot" ?

Anyway, plexi dustwashers or not, I decided that it's finally time to see if this pile of wood, plastic and wires is actually getting anywhere...
I attached the 3 sticks, configured mame to match my cp keyboard hack configuration, put the cp in it's place and ... IT ACTUALLY PLAYS.
I never thought I'd be so thrilled to see a pacman follow the joystick commands...
Though still soundless, everybody (but my wife

) went for a ride.

Now for the weird part.
It seems to me that the more I advance towards the project's completion, the more tasks pop up thus taking the finishing line few meters ahead.
The 'TO DO' list I currently stare at seems endless.

RetroACTIVE · « **Reply #439 on:** January 31, 2006, 12:35:59 pm »

Quote

..the more I advance towards the project's completion...

Awe... c'mon now... there is no completion...you know better.


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