Pixelbox

[vrf]

Currently spending much of my free time designing a micro MAME/console box. It's a mini-itx based system, and will be about 13" tall. One unique thing is that I'm going to have the case cut out of white (or maybe black) acrylic.

Anyhow, which profile and joystick setup do you like better?

[NiteWalker]

The design on the left looks a lot easier on the eyes because of the soft curves. It will also be easier to install t-molding. The one on the right looks more old school. As for the button layout go with the bottom design. It's more universally compatible especially if you plan on playing fighting games.

[Witchboard]

I echo NiteWalkers opinions.

[AtomSmasher]

Yup, the design on the left looks better IMO.  As for the controls, is this going to be a Mame machine or console machine?  If your planning on almost exclusively playing consoles then go with the top one, but if you plan on playing any 6 button mame game, go with the bottom one (personally I'd go with the bottom one since it'll work with more games)

[ktulu]

ditto

[SONIC]

Leftie looks best Also reminds me allot of what I did

[TOK]

Both nice designs. I think I'm leaning toward liking the more angular cab just because the other one looks so familiar. The angular one is reminding me of an old console computer, like a TRS-80, and that's a fresh look for a bartop cab and appealing to me.

Definitely like the second control panel layout better.

Edit: Did you chose your joysticks already? That slim panel might limit your choices.

[markrvp]

Edit: Did you chose your joysticks already? That slim panel might limit your choices.

Yeah, my first thought was that your control panel is too close to the bottom.  You need at least 2-1/4" clearance between the bottom of the CP and the top of the base material.  I did a mockup below to show you what I mean.  I used 3/8" as the thickness of your Acrylic.

[vrf]

Thanks for the comments, guys. I'm using a Sanwa stick (with mini balltop), along with the mini Sanwa buttons, so I can get that clearance down to 1 1/2". I like the slim panel idea for a desktop/bartop cab. I'd like the player's arms to rest on the table like they would using a laptop computer, instead of hovering in the air like you see on a lot of bartops. Brydo's slim Sanwa-based joysticks were my inspiration. (I may have to get one piece of metal cut, though, for this to work.)

For the CP, I guess the consensus is the more generic MAME layout. I suppose that makes sense. I don't want to sacrifice comfort and playability. Still, wouldn't the console-centered one work pretty well for all but six-button fighters? (And even then, since the CP is so small, the hands are approaching at pretty close to the correct angle to hit all six.)

As for the profile, I was leaning towards the angular one. (But I was going to soften the corners a bit.) Seems more unique, although I admit I'm pretty indecisive. I have several variations that I've considered. Here are two more if you're interested:



Maybe I'll just throw a dart at a thumbnail printout and see what happens... 

[vrf]

I was able to sqeeze a mini-trackball on the CP without adding too much to the size. (Am I crazy to cram all this in a 9.5" x 6.5" control panel?)




And I think I've settled on a boxier profile. Easier to fit everything in at square angles.



Oh, and I think these will be my speakers. Creative Travelsound 500. (They're meant to clip onto the top of a laptop.)

[Flinkly]

red yellow green blue....not blue green.  seriously. roy g biv anyone?

but other than that, it looks cool, although in real life it might not all work well with such a full panel.

[vrf]

Good catch! (Although I would hope I'd have caught it once it came time to snap the buttons in place.)

Anyhow, I did some quick-n-dirty mockups tonight to get a feel for the box. One thing that was bothering me was wondering if the joystick ball would partially obstruct the LCD. It doesn't, thankfully. (Unless the player is very short.)







I think I'm going to cut the case out of black acrylic now, like in the last picture. The white will be from the sideart and CPO.

[Timoe]

Where do you get your black acrylic?

[Witchboard]

Anyhow, I did some quick-n-dirty mockups tonight to get a feel for the box. One thing that was bothering me was wondering if the joystick ball would partially obstruct the LCD. It doesn't, thankfully. (Unless the player is very short.)

I think you're underestimating how much room controls need under the panel.  I don't think you'll be able to get the trackball that low on the CP and your last two buttons towards the edge of your CP seem to be outside the wall of your cabinet.  These could be due to your renderings not being exact measurements or maybe the renderings are just playing tricks on my eyes.

[NiteWalker]

Lookin good so far. How long did it take you to make those renders? What program did you use? Stuff like that makes the planning stages go a lot quicker...

[TOK]

Anyhow, I did some quick-n-dirty mockups tonight to get a feel for the box. One thing that was bothering me was wondering if the joystick ball would partially obstruct the LCD. It doesn't, thankfully. (Unless the player is very short.)

I think you're underestimating how much room controls need under the panel.  I don't think you'll be able to get the trackball that low on the CP and your last two buttons towards the edge of your CP seem to be outside the wall of your cabinet.  These could be due to your renderings not being exact measurements or maybe the renderings are just playing tricks on my eyes.

For sure. Going to need more depth, and maybe 3/4" all the way around that trackball. Trackballs are like icebergs. 

[clok]

From the pictures and Mockup it looks like a very small trackball, maybe a mouse trackball? ripping one of those apart and adapting it shouldnt take much room at all. That maybe waht he is already planning?


Clok

[vrf]

Thanks for the advice, guys! The 3D mockups are very rough. No precise measurements at all, although they were close enough to give me a general idea of how the box will look.

My 2D drawings are more precise, and I think this design can work, although I may be underestimating the amount of space that the wiring will take up. I've not commited to a trackball yet, but the one in this drawing is a Happ 1.5" " mini trackball:



Here are the measurements:



So... I'm still in the concept stage, but it seems like it'll work. Once I order the trackball (whichever one I decide on), then I can see more clearly how everything will fit. (Since the box will be cut with a laser, I need to have all my components before I draw up the final design.)

As for the questions: 1) the mockups were modeled in Maya and rendered in mental ray. They were literally a 30 min job, so they're pretty sloppy. 2) Where I get the acrylic will depend on who I have cut the case. I have a couple of shops that I've contacted, one local (Taiwan) and one in the States. There are some others, too, that I'll probably shop my CAD file around to for a price. (I just found out that Tap plastics also does laser-cutting.)

Thanks again for your comments! You guys are probably right that I'll need to go a little bigger with the design, but I'd like to keep it as small as possible.

[Witchboard]

Looks like a good project.  Keep us posted on the progress.

[markrvp]

That's going to be really neat.

[vrf]

It's like Christmas when the parts start arriving. 

[vrf]

Spent more money this morning... 

I ordered the Lilliput 8" VGA LCD, as well as the speakers. (My speakers are now going to be the Tritton Soundbite that has a mini-subwoofer in it. It'll be a little trickier to fit this in my case, but it's cheaper and has better bass response than the Creative Travelsound.)

Piddled around with the CP layout some more. Looks like I'll have to rotate the joystick and maybe the trackball as well in order to have room for the wiring. It's going to be snug in there, for sure.



I also roughed out a couple ideas for a CPO. While I do like the clean white look in my earlier drawings, it seems most arcade cabs have darker colors on the control panel. Here's one attempt:

[DrewKaree]

red yellow green blue....not blue green.  seriously. roy g biv anyone?

I'm gonna bail you out on this one, vrf.  You meant those colors because you were thinking of component video, right?  RIGHT? 

[vrf]

tell me I didn't make that mistake again...

 

ugggghhh.... I did....

But yeah.... component video. That's it. Totally intentional.

[Witchboard]

The simple graphics of the overlay look nice to me.  I'm not a big fan of busy, graphically cluttered overlays.  Oh, also, if you're meaning your 4 color buttons to be Neo-Geo, it's red, yellow, green then blue. 

[Flinkly]

i think most arcade cabs use dark colors since white get's dirty so easily.  also, that dark control panel rocks.

[vrf]

Thanks for the comments, guys!

One continuing challenge is trying to get everything squeezed into this box and still have it function somewhat like a full cab. I'd like everything to be powered by the PSU (so I don't have to try to fit a smart strip in there.) The carputer LCD runs off the PSU; the Tritton speakers are USB-powered; and I think the lighting is going to be a couple of cold cathode tubes (molex connections). It's getting harder to find the small ones in white (what case-modding fan wants white, afterall?), but I found some at the Cooler Guys:

http://www.coolerguys.com/4inccfl.html

Marquee will be about 9" wide and 2" inches tall, so the two 4" tubes in a kit should go the length pretty well. But it seems like those who've tried CCFL tubes have found them a good solution in terms of power and temperature, but dimmer than a regular flourescent light. So... maybe I need four CCFL tubes?

Maybe I'll just order two kits, then. (Nice thing is that they're only $7.)

[SirPoonga]

Anyhow, I did some quick-n-dirty mockups tonight to get a feel for the box.

Wow, where did you find that game, the polygon count looks awesome

[vrf]

Yeah, I just used the picture from the ex-audio site. I'll try to post real pics tomorrow when the LCD arrives. It got hung up in customs for a couple of days.

I ordered the Happ 1.5" trackball this weekend. Ponyboy saved me a nice chunk of change compared to the Happ's retail price.

Here's another CPO mockup. (Yes, there's a little nod to the NES in there...)

[vrf]

LCD arrived today. Cute little bugger. I'm quite impressed with the image quality, too. Not "arcade authentic" I suppose, but still really nice. (I've never really been impressed by the blurring of pixels anyway. I say, render 'em sharp. Enjoy their beauty.  )

[quarterback]

This little cab looks hot!

[arcadefever]

OMG look great 
where did you found that little lcd ?

[vrf]

Thanks! I bought the Lilliput LCD from Extreme Audio Electronics, a Hong Kong store. (Thanks, Quarterback, for steering me away from Logicsupply.) These little things are usually used in car computers.

Use ebay if you go with ex-audio. Their service is better there--probably because of ebay's feedback system. (Some users at the MP3Car forums have had bad experience when just using their online store.)

Anyone know how to get one of these running off of an ATX power supply?

[quarterback]

Thanks! I bought the Lilliput LCD from Extreme Audio Electronics, a Hong Kong store. (Thanks, Quarterback,

Sho' nuff!

Anyone know how to get one of these running off of an ATX power supply?

Mine's running off an ATX power supply in my car.  I just spliced the LCD's power jack into a molex connector to get the 12v DC from the PS.   

I don't have the Lilliput, but it should be just as easy.  Just make sure to test with a multimeter so you don't burn anything out by getting your wires crossed.

Oh, the only other thing is you have to jumper the pins on the ATX power supply's motherboard connector to get the powe supply to turn on without a motherboard.  I can't remember which ones, but a Google search should help you out.

[vrf]

Ok, I'll have to do a little homework (and pick up a multimeter) before I start splicing wires. I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to things electrical. But this looks like it won't be too bad.

I had been wondering, actually, if something like this would work:



http://www.crazypc.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=120199&Product_Code=5408

Oh, the only other thing is you have to jumper the pins on the ATX power supply's motherboard connector to get the powe supply to turn on without a motherboard.

I'm not clear on this one. Why wouldn't this cab be like a regular computer, where I can turn the power on from a motherboard switch? Or are you suggesting I just use the PSU power switch as my power switch for the whole cab? (Good idea.)

[quarterback]

I'm not clear on this one. Why wouldn't this cab be like a regular computer, where I can turn the power on from a motherboard switch? Or are you suggesting I just use the PSU power switch as my power switch for the whole cab? (Good idea.)

Sorry, I lost track of where I was

I was trying to think of every possible thing that might be a problem and that popped into my mind because if you were using an ATX Psupply withOUT a computer (like I am) you have to jumper some pins or it won't power up.

Of course, you ARE using a computer (duh!) so this shouldn't be an issue.  Sorry

[quarterback]

Ok, I'll have to do a little homework (and pick up a multimeter) before I start splicing wires. I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to things electrical. But this looks like it won't be too bad.

It's pretty easy.  The standard Molex connector has  4 wires.  The two blacks are grounds, the red is 5v and the yellow is 12v.   All you need is to splice into the yellow and a black and you should get your 12volts to run the monitor.

That being said, you should definitely pick up a cheap multimeter somewhere just in CASE (for some unknown reason) your wire colors are switched.   Also to determine the polarity of the monitor plug.

I had been wondering, actually, if something like this would work:



http://www.crazypc.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=120199&Product_Code=5408

I've never seen something like that, but it looks like it's just separating the 12v and the 5v out to two mini power plugs.  iSo something like that should work just fine.... but you'll still have to splice something unless you have a mini-power-plug-extender to get the 12v plug to fit into the power jack of your monitor.

[quarterback]

I just got something like this:




Snipped off one of the ends, taped up the end of the red wire and taped up the end of one black wire.  Took the yellow and the other black and spliced them into the correct power plug to fit into my monitor.

[vrf]

Cool! Thanks for the detailed help!

[quarterback]

Cool! Thanks for the detailed help!

No prob.

I'm not sure where you're located, but HarborFreight (www.harborfreight.com) is famous for their $4 multimeter (which is sometimes $6) It should be enough to get you through something basic like this.

When you get your multimeter, you should check the polarity of the power plug that came with your monitor.  Take the existing plug (AC wal wart?) plug it into the wall but don't plug it into your monitor.  Instead take your multimeter leads and put one into the tip of the plug and touch the other to the outer shell.  You should either see "+12v" or "-12v" depending on whether or not the tip is positive or negative (and depending on which lead you touched to which part of the plug). 

You basically just want to make sure that your new rigged-up-plug is wired the way it should be.  So if the center of your existing plug is the +, you want to make sure the center of your home-made-plug is the same.  Does that make sense?

If you have any confusion or questions, you should ask somebody.  The last thing you want to do is to fry your new LCD.

EDIT: One other thing, just to be safe.  I'm presuming that your monitor (like mine and like all the ones that I've looked at) runs off of 12volt DC.  You should, of course, confirm that before blaming me for setting your new cab on fire

[vrf]

You should, of course, confirm that before blaming me for setting your new cab on fire

Yes, I want a mame cab, not a flame cab. (cue rimshot.)

It is 12v DC, so no problemo. Thanks!

[vrf]

I'm starting to realize that my updates up until I get the case cut will be kind of boring....

"Hey, look, some more parts arrived today!"

or

"I drew the hard drive cage today! How exciting!"

 

Anyhow, these days I'm waiting for the rest of my parts and brushing up on my CAD skills. And of course tweaking (and re-tweaking) the design. I think it can work, but I really need all of my parts here before I can tell if there's enough room in the box. Might end up buying a laptop harddrive to save some inches. (By the way, does anyone know if I can mount a harddrive at a slight angle without any problems, or does it have to be level?)

Here's a look at the current size of the box:


I really want to avoid that "monitor is too small for the cab" look that you sometimes see on cabs. 10" wide seems about as far as I can stretch it before I have too much "bezel meat."

[Witchboard]

Might end up buying a laptop harddrive to save some inches. (By the way, does anyone know if I can mount a harddrive at a slight angle without any problems, or does it have to be level?)

It should be fine.  I've seen both desktop and laptop drives mounted all sorts of ways.  One laptop even mounted it upside down.  How big are you looking to get for your drive?  You could look into the memory cards with an IDE converter.

[vrf]

How big are you looking to get for your drive?  You could look into the memory cards with an IDE converter.

Yeah, I'd thought of that, along with one of the fanless low-power mini-itx boards. If I'd gone that direction, the case could be even smaller. (I could have used that cute little picoPSU for a power supply, too!)

But, after a lot of thought, I decided I wanted to run most everything that you can run on a full computer. (motherboard is a Commell LV-675.) So, I'll be wanting more disk space than a CF card.

Basically, this cab is going to have the grunt of a pretty nice laptop.

[ARCADE5280]

any updates?

I think the design and logo are really sweet!  Show us more...

[quarterback]

any updates?

I think the design and logo are really sweet!  Show us more...

Definitely.  I dig this cab's profile

[vrf]

Thanks for the comments, guys! Unfortunately, I'm still waiting for some parts to arrive before I can do much more work on the design. I live in Taiwan, so I had several things sent to my sister in Colorado, who then put off shipping the package until I was literally reminding her every day. (To be fair, she's been insanely busy these last couple of months.)

The items in that package (now making their way across the world) are my CCFL tubes, speakers, fans and grills, trackball and hard drive. The other computer parts (CPU, RAM, etc.), I'll pick up at a local computer store. I bought the mini-itx mobo from the manufacturer here in Taipei.

Oh, for the encoder, I picked up an ipac because I didn't want a dedicated shazaam button. I needed a shift button with its own input. (Also, Groovy Game Gear wouldn't take an order from Taiwan.)

I've also piddled around with some marquee artwork, but I don't have any options yet that I'm happy with. Maybe I'll post some pics of these rejects if you guys promise to go easy on them.

So..... I'm excited to continue working on this project, but it's at a bit of a standstill for a while. Once I draw up the final CAD file, there will probably be an even longer suspension of updates because I won't be getting the acrylic cut until the end of August when I'm back in the States on vacation. The goal is to have the whole she-bang done by Christmas.

[vrf]

Okay, here's a question for the power gurus around here. Will this mini PSU be enough to power my cab?



http://www.mini-box.com/s.nl/sc.8/category.13/it.A/id.300/.f

It says it's a 200W PSU, so it seems like it should be enough.

Here's a rundown of the system: Pentium M Dothan, probably at 1.7 ghz, 1 gig of RAM, a 3.5" hard drive, CD-ROM (for setup only), Tritton Soundbite USB-powered speakers, fans, and a couple of molex-powered cold cathode tubes. Also, the Lilliput LCD will be running off a 12v line from a molex connector.

Any help you can give would be great. Thanks!

[quarterback]

Okay, here's a question for the power gurus around here. Will this mini PSU be enough to power my cab?

Any help you can give would be great. Thanks!

I'm not sure I can help on this one.  I'm not familiar enough with new CPUs/mobos and how much power they might need.   

As far as the screen goes, I know that the specs on mine indicate that it wants more power than I expected.  I don't remember mine off the top of my head, but you should be able to find that info on yours somewhere (on the back, in the manual, somewhere). 

HOWEVER, my guess is that a chunk of the power requirement listed for my screen is actually for the built in speakers and mini amp.  IOW, I don't think the screen pulls nearly the power that the specs list, but if I was to use the built in speaker, it would.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

[vrf]

Thanks for the reply. After doing some more reading and adding the power up again, I think this will be more than fine. The Dothan requires so little power that I could probably get by with a 120w PSU, even with the LCD running off of it.

I'm sure glad I decided to use a Pentium M board. 

[vrf]

OT: check out this guy's micro cab:



http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/homebrew/diy-mini-arcade-139766.php

Mine will be smaller, but that's a neat little game box he's got there.

[lettuce]

Wooo, where did you get that from??

[vrf]

Wooo, where did you get that from??

Here's more info on the motherboard:

http://www.commell.com.tw/Product/SBC/LV-675.HTM

There's also lots of information and cool mini-itx projects over at www.mini-itx.com

[vrf]

The power supply arrived today. I didn't realize how much of a brick the adapter was going to be.

Still smaller than the Xbox 360 one, though. 

[MameMaster!]

what cpu is that?

EDIT...sorry I just found it in your thread.

But how much did it cost?

[Hiub1]

Thats a damn tiny power supply.

Anyways, on with the project! I want to see it done!

[Konrad]

There are alot smaller 12V-PSU's available. You just have to look for CarPC-PSU's. Take a look at this :
http://cartft.com/catalog/il/575

[vrf]

Yeah, that picoPSU is pretty cute. I needed a bit more power, though, since I'll be running the entire cab off of the PSU. 200w seems like it'll be plenty, and the PW-200M is small enough for my needs. I'm not sure how I feel yet about having the external power brick, but it did free up a lot of space inside the box. (For a long time, I was planning on using an SFX power supply.)

MameMaster, I bought the motherboard for $200 from the manufacturer. The 1.7ghz Pentium M will cost me another $200.

[vrf]

Okay, this'll be my last "more-parts-arrived-today" post. (I know it's getting kind of old.) The big package from my sister arrived today. The two important items that I wanted to try out right away were the trackball and speakers.

Once again, the trackball is the Happ 1 1/2 mini-trackball. (It's priced too high, I think, but Ponyboy saved me a little money.) It feels like a very high-quality trackball, very well-built, but it's clearly not a real arcade ball. It doesn't spin nearly as long as a real arcade TB. That said, it's so much better than anything I've tried in this size. I think it's as close to an arcade ball as I can get for my micro control panel. I'm pretty happy with it.





For speakers, I picked up a Tritton Soundbite. It's a pint-sized USB-powered speaker set, and it seriously sounds awesome. I didn't think I would be able to get such nice bass response in a size that would fit in my micro cab, but this little bugger booms along very nicely. Very clear audio, too. I'm going to try to hack the thing apart so I can run the mini speakers up to their proper place under the marquee. I'm very happy with this little set.

One weird thing happened tonight, though. The Soundbite pumped out the audio for MAME and some MP3s really nicely, but wouldn't play the audio straight from a CD. Anyone know why? A software glitch, or maybe because it gets the audio over the USB cable?



Well, I guess now all the measuring and drawing begins!

[liquid8]

man that thing is small.. really can't wait to see to this finished. I like the acrylic idea, so you decided to go with black? It still looks a little odd in the mockup with the joystick. I wonder if there is a shorter one you could use, it just looks out of porportion, but maybe that's just the mockup pic.

[vrf]

Yeah, it may just be the inaccuracy of the mockup. That said, I know that the joystick and such will look a bit out of proportion, but there's nothing I can do about that on a cab this size. I really wanted to use genuine arcade parts.

I figure that, once mounted, the stick will look about like it does on Byrdo's Sanwa-based mini stick. Just imagine a few more buttons, a trackball, and a mini-cabinet attached to it! 

[vrf]

I've been flirting with the idea of changing my cab's name to "pixelbox" for some time now, but hadn't mentioned it in my thread yet. The new name seems to roll off the tongue better, and is easier to fit into artwork. Here's a quick sketch.



Still not sure yet if I'll switch names, but I'm leaning that way. Your thoughts?

[DrewKaree]

Skip that gray box and just have the letters in there with the colored "rays".  The box just seems to add a clunky feel to the marquee.

[vrf]

Good call on the gray box. Here's another quick mockup.



Thanks for the tip!

[vrf]

more dinkering around with some marquee sketches. Not quite what I'm after, but closer.

[odysseyroc]

I like the one with the tiled texture. I think you need to lose the gradient and texture on the type and put that bold outline on it.

[theCoder]

I also like the tiles.  What about transitioning the color of the text from blue/green/yellow/red to red/yellow/green/blue.  Just an idea.

I really like the small trackball, nice low profile.  I'm going with a 3" Happ transparent trackball on my project.  I bought it primarily because I'm going to light my buttons and the ball.  I'm afraid it may be a bit too large for my CP.  Oh well.

[vrf]

I like the one with the tiled texture. I think you need to lose the gradient and texture on the type and put that bold outline on it.

I kind of like the texture, but you're right about the outline. The text doesn't quite pop off the bg without it. Here's one with the texture and an outline. I'll retool the text with a heavier outline (and probably a different font) later.



In other news, the measuring/drawing work is coming along. It seems my profile with the thin CP is going to work pretty well. Here you can see how the trackball and joystick fit into the design. You can also see how far the joystick will rise above the top of the CP.



By a nice coincidence, the thickness of a mini DV tape is exactly 12mm--the same thickness as the top slab of acrylic on my CP. (Actually it will be two 3mm pieces and one 6mm.) So I got a little hands-on test of how far the stick will come up. It's just a bit short if you compare it to most Sanwa mountings, but the size of my cab plus the mini balltop make it seem okay to me. (But maybe I'm biased. Does it look too short to you guys?)

[Timoe]

I wish there was a way you could route out the bottom for that joystick.  But even without that, you'll be fine.  Its still taller than a MsPac Reunion stick.

[liquid8]

wow, and I thought it was going to look too tall looks okay to me. I like the new artwork, should fit real nice with the box.

[theCoder]

It's just a bit short if you compare it to most Sanwa mountings, but the size of my cab plus the mini balltop make it seem okay to me. (But maybe I'm biased. Does it look too short to you guys?)

How low is the bottom of the monitor in relation to the top of the CP?  You're hand might block your view of the screen if the stick is too tall.

[vrf]

How low is the bottom of the monitor in relation to the top of the CP?  You're hand might block your view of the screen if the stick is too tall.

Yeah, that was one of my concerns when I first started this project, and one reason for the bottom mounting. After measuring and the mockup, I'm pretty sure that this won't be a problem for most players. Players will look down and over the stick into the display. (Short kids might have the blocked-view problem, though.)

My idea is that it'll mostly be used on tables or desks that you can use a laptop on. No lying down in bed, or any other situation where the head is on the same plane as the LCD.

[vrf]

couldn't resist slapping the marquee on an updated model. (Pathetic, I know.)

[Timoe]

Build it.  You gotta build it.  You have the weekend.

[stellarola]

Yea man! Build this baby already! 

[vrf]

patience, patience...

But yeah, maybe I need to hold off on the little "design tweak" updates and wait until I've made more substantial progress.

[tore-]

I demand an update! 

[vrf]

sorry man, not much more is new. Just more planning and such until I finally get the acrylic cut. (Probably not until the end of July for that step.)

I'm considering a little "weight" loss for the design, though. This would make it about 12 1/2" tall if I decide to go with it. Not sure yet.





Oh, and I also switched speakers. I really wanted better stereo separation, and the Soundbite just wasn't cutting it there. (Although I loved it's clarity and bass response.)

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1763806,00.asp

[theCoder]

Smaller is good, as long as you don't mess up the playability. 

It must be driving you nuts not being able to actually build this thing where you are.

[vrf]

Yeah, I probably could work with some local sign shops/laser cutters over here, but my Chinese is not that great and I'd have to have a friend help out. Besides, I've really been impressed by the service at Pololu. (A really nice lady named Candice has been great about answering all my questions on the whole process.) So I'll probably wait until I'm back in the States for a few weeks so I don't have to pay for the overseas shipping.

EDIT: I changed laser shops. I didn't want to pay for the overseas shipping, and I wasn't able to finish the design in time for my trip back to the US.

[Cameronj]

One minor suggestion...

You might want to make your pixelbox marquee color order match that of your buttons.

I look forward to seeing your progress. I will race your with my tabletop that I am working on. It has been going a bit slow but I am picking up steam.

[Kremmit]

One weird thing happened tonight, though. The Soundbite pumped out the audio for MAME and some MP3s really nicely, but wouldn't play the audio straight from a CD. Anyone know why? A software glitch, or maybe because it gets the audio over the USB cable?
 

Late to the party here, and maybe your new speakers have fixed the issue, but just in case you've still got it or somebody else reading this has a similar one:

The short version is, yes, it's because you're using USB speakers.

Long, boring, skip-if-you-don't-really-care version:

CD audio is typically decoded on the built-in CD player hardware that's a part of every CDROM drive, rather than your player software reading the file and decoding it in software.  The audio is carried as an analog audio signal, rather than a digital one, via that little extra audio cable that runs from the back of your CDROM drive to your soundcard, or, in the case of onboard sound, to the built-in soundcard via a terminal on the motherboard.  Then the soundcard routes it straight through the amplifier section, bypassing the digital section of the card.  There's no path for this audio signal to get to your USB port.  Even if it did, depending on whether the speakers are expecting digital data, or an analog audio signal, they might not be able to play it.  (I don't know what kind of signal those speakers get over the USB cable.) 

Possible fixes:  All CDROM drives have a digital out port on the back- it's that little two-pin connector you've never plugged anything into.  I've seen tutorials on the net on how to make use of this connector to get a digital signal out of your CDROM.  A soundcard with a digital input should be able to make use of this, and possibly pass that digital audio back to the system, which could then send it to your USB speakers.  Some CDROM drives have (or used to have) other varieties of digital outputs (toslink, fiber-optic) that can also be interfaced with high-end soundcards.  If the speakers have a standard analog input, you could just route your soundcard's speaker out to it, in addition to the USB cable.  If there's no line-in on the speakers, and you wanted to get crazy, there's almost certainly a point on the speaker's PCB where you could solder a line from the soundcard's audio-out; this would be a point between any digital circuitry, but before the amplifier section.  I don't know enough to know how to find it, but others may.  It also might be possible to simply run a line from the soundcard's speaker out jack to the soundcard's line-in jack.  The soundcard may digitize the audio from the line-in and pass it to the system. 

Disclaimer:  I may be talking out my butt on all or some of the above.  Please smack me in the face with a mackerel if I'm wrong.

--------------------

Also, I really like the bartop!  Makes me want to build one.  Nice!

[vrf]

The short version is, yes, it's because you're using USB speakers.
Long, boring, skip-if-you-don't-really-care version...

Wow, thanks for the detailed explanation! I appreciate the possible solutions, too, but I probably won't be putting a CD drive in the cab. I was just testing the speakers on my workstation. (I must confess, though, that I've been really tempted to try fitting in one of those slimline, slot-loading DVD-ROM drives.)

As for the new speakers, they have the same issue, but no biggee. They sound great. Lounder and with a bit more bass. Great imaging, too. I didn't think stereo separation would be that big of deal on a 10" wide cab, but it really does make a difference.

The Phillips speakers have a separate passive radiator on the backside, so I had a moment of panic wondering where I could put them in my cab without snuffing out one of the speakers. I was pleased to find out that they sqeeze in very nicely behind my marquee, with the subwoofers pointing down over the monitor, and the main speaker and tweeter pointing up out the "roof" of the cab. I got lucky on that one.

One minor suggestion...

You might want to make your pixelbox marquee color order match that of your buttons.

I look forward to seeing your progress. I will race your with my tabletop that I am working on. It has been going a bit slow but I am picking up steam.

Good tip on the marquee color. I'll knock out a sketch with the reversed colors later on. Oh, and I could never resist a good race, although mine won't be complete for a few months, at the very least. So get on your horse and put up a project log. 

[Crafty]

You might want to make your pixelbox marquee color order match that of your buttons.

Amazing pick up.

I have been watching and commenting (occasionally) on this project yet never noticed this little point.

Just goes to show the value of posting your project and seeking feedback.

[vrf]

The reversed marquee colors were actually intentional on the first draft, but it's good to know that it looks "off" to some people. I'll try the other way.

[vrf]

Can I get a quick vote from you guys? Would white side walls look okay, or is the all black thing a better choice?



This is just a quick Photoshop paint-over, but you should be able to get an idea from it. My side walls might have an 1/8" extra sheet to cover grooves and notches, so I'm thinking of another color acrylic. Or maybe vinyl side art would be better?

[Cameronj]

From your renderings, I would say the black looks WAY better.

[johnperkins21]

I like the white. It looks different in a good way. More artistic?

[Crafty]

Ok I am going to contradict myself here...

I prefer the black renderings over the white so far, but from your first post it has been obvious you want this project to be as small as possible.

Therefore in this vain, the white sides will give the "Pixelbox" a smaller looking appearance which is what I think you are trying to achieve...

Told you I was contradictory....

[quarterback]

the white sides will give the "Pixelbox" a smaller looking appearance

But it's "black" that's slimming.

[vrf]

Yeah, according to my wife, black clothes are slimming. Don't know about arcade machines.

Anyhow, the white side walls idea came in an effort to duplicate that old-school arcade machine look. I'd probably need some colorful sideart, though.

[Crafty]

To clarify the black vs white comment...

In the rendering provided the white cabinet in most houses will tend to blend into the backround hence being less  noticeable.

On the other hand somewhere on mockingbird lane a black machine would blend right in...

I suppose with some rocking side art on the white sides my comments become irrelevant as this will make the cabinet stand out....

[Kremmit]

Maybe the color depends on where it'll be sitting when it's done. 
In a dark room?  White. 
In a white room?  Black. 
In a beige room?  What are you, some kind of nancy?

[Crafty]

Maybe the color depends on where it'll be sitting when it's done. 
In a dark room?  White. 
In a white room?  Black. 
In a beige room?  What are you, some kind of nancy?

[vrf]

The walls in my house are off-white enough so that you could almost call them beige. No nancy-boy here, though. 

I think I'm leaning toward the white side walls with some kind of sideart. I like the idea of it looking as much like a real arcade cab as possible.

Another addition is I'm trying to design in a little plastic flip-up handle for easy carrying. The challenge is trying to guess where a good pivot point would be. The cab looks a little front heavy at this point, so the handle will have to be towards the front of the top panel.

[johnperkins21]

Another addition is I'm trying to design in a little plastic flip-up handle for easy carrying. The challenge is trying to guess where a good pivot point would be. The cab looks a little front heavy at this point, so the handle will have to be towards the back of the top panel.

What about straps so you can carry it on your back?

[theCoder]

You might consider putting finger holes, grip tape, or something similar on the horizontal surface under the marquee.  I put a 45 degree champher on the leading edge piece of the PartyBox project for just this purpose. 

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=53486.0

It fits my hand well and the champher hits my fingers right at the fingertips. 

Whatever you do, make sure what you come up with is as elegant as the rest of your design.  Your box is going to rock!

[vrf]

Good idea on using the marquee lip as a handle. I do still kind of like the idea of a swinging handle that folds flat against the roof, but we'll see what works.

As for the backpack straps... well... err... Was that a joke?

[johnperkins21]

No easier way to carry it than distributing the weight across your body. I didn't think you'd have rainbow colored straps permanently attached or anything. Maybe some clips to add the straps when you need to move the machine somewhere. Or possibly a carrying case with foam padding and a cool logo? I guess it depends on much you plan on moving it, and how long a distance you intend to carry it when you do. Just throwing out ideas with little regard to the feasiblity of those ideas. You may not like my idea, but it might get you thinking in a different direction, which can be good sometimes.

[vrf]

okay, gotcha. I was thinking "move from shelf to table" and you were thinking "walk down the street to the coffee shop."  (I still think I'd look kind of funny, though, walking down the street with a little arcade machine strapped to my back. )

Anyhow, I think the handle will suffice for most handling. But for longer trips a padded carrying case is a great idea. Not sure how I'll go about it (learn to sew?) but it's something I'd like to look into. Thanks!

[Crafty]

I think that walking down the street with your acade machine strapped to your back might qualify you as a modern day pied piper.... (all the kids will follow)

[TOK]

okay, gotcha. I was thinking "move from shelf to table" and you were thinking "walk down the street to the coffee shop."  (I still think I'd look kind of funny, though, walking down the street with a little arcade machine strapped to my back. )

Anyhow, I think the handle will suffice for most handling. But for longer trips a padded carrying case is a great idea. Not sure how I'll go about it (learn to sew?) but it's something I'd like to look into. Thanks!

I have one of these at work, but they're expensive... Around $100

[johnperkins21]

Build some sort of solar powering device for the thing, and strap it to your front so you can play and walk. Carry it on the subway. Take it to the beach. It'd be sweet.

I guess you didn't really have all of that in mind. I think a hidden handle would work just fine for carrying it from one room in the house to another. One thing to note would be the center of gravity though. I know you're looking for something really lightweight, but by balancing that properly it becomes even lighter. I used to stock TVs for Montgomery Ward, and boy was there a huge difference when you made sure the screen was facing you trying to carry it up the ladders. Just something else to think about. Although by looking at how awesome your cab is, you've probably thought about all this stuff already.

[vrf]

Yeah, I've thought of the center of gravity thing, but it'll still be tricky to get it to work exactly. I think I'm going to guess as well as I can, and then include a few sets of holes where the handle can be attached. (These holes will be hidden, too.) That way, once the case is almost finished , I can figure out the exact pivot point and slot the handle into the right holes. Might even glue the little circles back in for the ones I don't use.

As for a battery-powered MAME cab... Well, not this time. But in the future, I think this will be a real possibility using one of those new ultra-mobile PCs. (Once the costs come down and the bugs are worked out.)

[johnperkins21]

That's an idea. Using a handheld PC. My idea was more along the lines of this. Unlimited amount of renewable energy. Plus, it gives you good reason to drink some beers while playing.

[vrf]

The pee-pee box?

I think I'll stick with the DC brick. 

(But if you build one, let me know.)

[johnperkins21]

The pee-pee box?

I think I'll stick with the DC brick. 

(But if you build one, let me know.)

With all the beer I'll be drinking playing Golden Tee at home, I can't afford not to.

[DrewKaree]

Why don't you set a drawer-pull handle into the backside?  They have some that are inset, meaning....nevermind, lemme find a picture.

Here.  Several different kinds, but the top one is NOT what I am intending. 

Beech Pull- top 23127- Projects 3/4'' . 2-1/2'' boring.

Solid Oak Pull- center 33324- is 4-5/16'' wide and 2'' high overall. Requires a mortise of 3-13/16'' wide x 1-13/16'' high x 7/16'' deep. Projects approximately 3/8'' .

Surface Mounted Drawer Pull- bottom 33316- Unfinished solid oak pull is approximately 4-1/2'' wide x 1-3/4'' high overall. Sanded smooth, ready for finishing. Mounts from the rear with machine screws included with the pull. Projects approximately 7/8'' . 3-3/8'' .

And a side shot of another one so you can see how they "work":



These will range between $4-10 and can be painted to match the rest of your project if you don't want the wood look.

[Veinman]

Looking great, and I admire your planning skills.

[vrf]

Why don't you set a drawer-pull handle into the backside? 

That's actually a great idea, particularily in that it can be painted to match. However, I think I'm about finished with the handle part.

Still, I'll maybe take a peek at B&Q (Taiwan's Home Depot) to see what they have. Thanks!

[Jayme65]

Any news with your project?
I'm very curious to see the final product ;-)

[vrf]

I'll have a couple big updates pretty soon. Stay tuned! 

[waldo]

tuned in abd waiting 

[waldo]

actually dont suppose anyone knows where i could get a mini trackball 1 1/2 inch apart from happcontrols dont like the idea of a smaller ball costing more than my 3 inch one.

[quarterback]

I'll have a couple big updates pretty soon. Stay tuned! 

Looking forward to seeing the updates!

[Pixelhugger]

I'll have a couple big updates pretty soon. Stay tuned! 

Looking forward to seeing the updates!

Ditto

[sealslayer]

Another addition is I'm trying to design in a little plastic flip-up handle for easy carrying. The challenge is trying to guess where a good pivot point would be. The cab looks a little front heavy at this point, so the handle will have to be towards the back of the top panel.

What about straps so you can carry it on your back?

The answer to all your problems 

[Kremmit]

Hey, whatever happened to this?

[vrf]

Hey, whatever happened to this?

The long delay was due to me underestimating the amount of time I'd have to put into getting the CAD file ready. All the little details kept piling on each other, and I had to tweak the profile yet again so my VGA cable could actually plug into the motherboard. (Of course, after the design was finalized, I then read about a compact VGA cable used in another mini-itx project: http://slipperyskip.com/page2.html  )

Anyhow, I'm pretty sick of Illustrator and Turbocad at this point. But I finally finished that stage, and now the fun stuff can begin. I think you guys will like the next few updates. (Still this year, I promise!)

Thanks, everyone, for your interest and patience!

[Kremmit]

Groovy, glad it's not dead.  I was trolling for inspiration; I've been getting the urge to build a similar unit.  Can't wait to see how yours comes out!

[vrf]

A similiar unit, as in really small? Do tell!

These mockups are kind of fun...

http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?s=4bf5325aeb4e31fad56e05a49b58015b&showtopic=79955&view=findpost&p=977703

[Kremmit]

Nope, not as small.  The similarity to yours would be more in the general shape, and especially the down-on-the-desk control panel, to keep the ergonomics suited to playing from a desk chair.  Also I'm considering having it laser-cut from plastic from the same guys you linked to up above, that looks pretty danged affordable.  I wonder if they can do HDPE or UHMW- I'm thinking something soft like one of those ought to absorb computer noise better than a harder plastic, and it'd be easy to work with after I get the panels - screw holes, T-molding groove, joystick recess, etc.

I'm thinking of replacing my current desktop CRT with one of these, permanently.  So, I'd want it to be big enough to fit a decent size LCD.  (I'm used to a 21" CRT, no way I'm switching to a 7" screen!)  I'd also want space inside for at least a microATX board, just to keep cost down and upgrade options relatively open.  Maybe even full ATX, I dunno.

But my project's still pretty much in the "daydreaming" stage right now- we'll see if it ever gets past that.   

[vrf]

Total price for acrylic (3/6mm black, 3mm clear) and laser-cutting: $375, but they're giving me a $35 discount for nesting the files myself. The price may go down more as I've adjusted the file quite a bit to take advantage of shared lines--meaning that I've nested some parts so that the laser is cutting the edges of two pieces at the same time.

They give a maximum price, with most projects not taking quite as long to cut as their estimate. Hopefully it'll hit below the $300 mark, which is about what I was thinking when I started.

I'm going to be watching the mail room like a hawk pretty soon...

[theCoder]

Good to see you active again vrf.

How will you be attaching the acrylic pieces together?

[psychotech]

How will you be attaching the acrylic pieces together?

Any glue ?

[vrf]

I have some good two-part epoxy that I'll be using. There are some good adhesives out there for using on acrylic, including some that basically melt the surfaces and weld the pieces together.

http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/category.php?bid=21&
http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/category.php?bid=19&

The top and bottom panels have removable sections so I can get into the box for assembly and maintenence. Those will be held in place with screws. The control panel also comes off.

[leapinlew]

My bartop is approximately 24" tall, 16" wide, and 18" deep and weighs about 60lbs. When I play a game and start getting aggressive with the controls - the cabinet is just heavy enough to stop itself from falling over. You have any concerns about that?

[vrf]

Really good question. I have thought of this issue a little bit, but I don't think my design will allow someone to get really agressive with the box. With the compact size come some sacrifices.

That said, I think a few aspects of the design may help minimize the issue:

1. There is a lot of weight on the bottom of the machine. The CP will be 12mm of almost solid acrylic. There are also a few more layers surrounding the bottom of the trackball and control panel.

2. The pivot point for all that joystick action is quite low on this cab. If my mental simulation of physics is even in the right ballpark, then a hard shove in any direction will make the machine want to slide, not topple over. (And I do have plans to put some rubber grippy stuff on the bottom panel.)

3. The very low front of the control panel allows the player's palms to rest right on the CP. That extra weight will help keep the box stable.

So... hopefully it'll be okay. I'd certainly be interested in hearing about other people's experience with bartop cabs. (I have to admit that I've never played one before.)

Vance

[DrewKaree]

How will you be attaching the acrylic pieces together?

Any glue ?

You'd be surprised just how poorly "any" glue works on acrylic.  They make specific "adhesives" for the stuff, which actually melt and fuse the pieces together.

[vrf]

This is (hopefully) my final marquee art. (If I messed something up, please let me know.)



Now off to find a printer that does that backlit vinyl stuff...

[Witchboard]

You forgot the "TM" after the name. 

[leapinlew]

This is (hopefully) my final marquee art. (If I messed something up, please let me know.)



Now off to find a printer that does that backlit vinyl stuff...

Is it a bit early to be ordering the marquee? Your a braver man than I!

[DrewKaree]

This is (hopefully) my final marquee art. (If I messed something up, please let me know.)



Now off to find a printer that does that backlit vinyl stuff...

To me, the shading on the two edges looks excessive.  I think it might look better to have that shading on one side or the other, but not both, and I think the shading in the red section doesn't "pop" enough to make that the side you keep.

Just my opinion

*edit* I'm referring to the darker shading right next to the "P" or the "X", the greyish stuff that makes it look like there's some motion.

[vrf]

Thanks for the feedback, Drew. How about with the shading taken out entirely? (A slight shadow has been added.)

[theCoder]

How about a nice deep drop shadow?

Any news on the construction?

[DrewKaree]

Thanks for the feedback, Drew. How about with the shading taken out entirely? (A slight shadow has been added.)

I think the shading adds quite a lot to the overall look of the marquee.  It looks rather plain without it

The thing with the shading on the edges - I figured out what it is that makes me tilt my head to the side and say "hmmm".  The edges have that look that comic strips have to portray the sense of movement.  With it on both sides, my brain is telling me it's trying to move in both directions at the same time. 

Do you have the .psd (or whatever format you have it in OTHER than .jpeg?  Mebbe might make it easier if we can see how it's done or show you an idea.

[vrf]

I know what you mean about the two-way motion. I'll play around more with trying to get it going in one direction. (PSD file is on my home computer, though.) Thanks!

Coder, the file is at the laser company now. Seems they're pretty busy this time of year (they mostly make hobby robot parts) so my project might not be a priority.

She did say the turnaround time was about 10 days, though.... Hmm...

[luckyfold]

I took model building and design courses in college, and worked a lot with acrylic.

What you will need is:

WeldOn http://www.misterplexi.com/solvent.html -  basically is a solvent that will melt the two joint together.  Be warned the joints have to be as perfect as you can get them or it will not hold to well - or at all.  Don't even talk about screwing up the joint, if you mess it up - it WILL look like crap, however if your covering it, not so much of a deal.

Syringe - a small one will do.  Take the point off of it.   Make sure to get all the air out of it before applying weldon.

Something to hold the joint - I prefer tape, be careful though as the weldon can - and will - flow in between the tape and the acrylic causing a huge mess.   You need to apply the tape and do a little welding around it, once that sets up you'll be able to do the rest without the tape.  I have also used large 90 degree angle blocks.

Patience - it can take a while for it to fully dry, like 24-48hrs for it to totally bond depending how much you put on it.

Good luck.

[Jayme65]

Great design!!
I'm new at Photoshop and Illustrator...so I'm curious on how you ahieved the grid in the background!!

How did you do it?
How did you fill it with those different base color (manually, automatic)?
How did you put it in perspective?

:-) As you can see, I'm nearly asking for a tutorial ;-)

Thanks very much

[vrf]

:-) As you can see, I'm nearly asking for a tutorial ;-)

here's the Cliff's Notes version...

bottom layer:
1. Block out some colors. In this case it was four areas of red, yellow, green, blue... colors sampled from a photo of my arcade buttons. (You can see the rough areas in earlier versions of the marquee.)

2. Blend the colors together with a gausian blur. Tinker with the radius until you get the blurring effect that you want.

top layer
1. Find a grid pattern somewhere. This one was just a photo texture that I had of some tiles. I repeated it a few times to have enough of the little squares. Desaturate the layer all the way. (so it's effectively a grayscale layer.)

2. Select a bunch of random individual squares to brighten or darken. You could even create recognizeable sprites, I guess. Be subtle with the effect, though.

3. Rotate/resize the layer with ctrl+T. The perspective is under edit/transform.

4. Set this layer to "vivid light" and mess with the layer opacity till it gives the effect you want. You can also play with curves (ctrl+M) to lighten/darken the effect.

[(+_+)]

Thanks for the feedback, Drew. How about with the shading taken out entirely? (A slight shadow has been added.)

I personally like this one better. Have you toyed around with adding any of you favorite pixelated characters. There is a lot of free space around the name and it may snap it up.

[fjl]

I would personally go with Pixelated text.

[blueznl]

...Yeah, I probably could work with some local sign shops/laser cutters over here, but my Chinese is...

I just noticed this. So... you're in China at the moment?

[zenmasterbooty]

If your in Shanghai and need a hand with a shop owner send me a PM, but I wouldn't buy the acrylic from here due to quality concerns.  They use the cheapest materials domestically, and I imagine anything you bought here would yellow and crack within the first year.

[vrf]

Thanks for the comments, guys. This is kind of embarassing how much this project has changed, how I've missed all my own deadlines.

Anyhow, I changed laser shops at the very last moment. I just couldn't pay the $120 shipping to Taiwan. So the local shop was the way to go. The sales rep was even nice enough to snap a couple of pictures as the case was getting cut. They're not great, but you can maybe recognize some of the shapes.













Oh, and here's another marquee attempt. Better?

[leapinlew]

Ahh! Thats progress... awesome! I look forward to more pics.

[psychotech]

That's just great

Looked good earlier, looks awesome now ..Have to learn a few words more for the final cab

Yesssh... More pix!

[johnperkins21]

That newest marquee is the . 

[vrf]

Thanks!

I don't actually have the case in my possesion yet. She mailed it out on Friday afternoon, so I should have it on Monday or Tuesday. More photos then.

Here is a little size comparison picture that shows my cab in relation to other bartop designs you might have seen:

[psychotech]

Great!

Still, on the size comparisons, here's mine .. (Scale to size..)



Not a perfect profile (it's 2 shiny..) but, well  ..check the thread

Monitor is 11,8" TFT/LCD

Cabinet width is 35,5cm = 13,976377952755905511811023622047" ..to be exact?!

Sorry, ..couldn't help myself

Still, your bartop looks really awesome ..and unique!

 

[vrf]

Very cool. I hadn't realized the Tomatocade was so compact. Nice work!

[kizer]

I currently have no disire to build a bartop model, but I'm so blown away by the design process on this one. I keep coming back to this thread just to watch and see how things are going. I've come to the realization that no matter how big or small a project is its all a matter of attention to details and in this case its not how to mount the 27-inch monitor its about how to squeeze everything in and make things fit properly. 

Thanks for sharing the process. 

Maybe someday I'll actually con the wife into letting me brake loose and building my own machine. Some day.

[leapinlew]

Maybe someday I'll actually con the wife into letting me brake loose and building my own machine. Some day.

My young Padawan. It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

Sorry for the hijack vrf. I just felt in necessary to set that poor soul straight.

[psychotech]

leapinlew is sure right.. Just go for it, ask forgiveness later

[vrf]

Thanks for the kind words, Kizer. In my situation, permission was easier because I usually don't buy any other toys. 

The case parts arrived this morning. Here are a few pics of a couple of the panels:













Why both black and white panels? The new laser shop had several laser tables that could run at the same time, so they offered a significantly cheaper price on extra sets. From the beginning of this project, I couldn't really decide which color to go with, so I ordered one of each.

Which one do you think I should build first, black or white?

(I only have the computer and arcade parts for one machine. The leftover case would be for another Pixelbox in the future.)

[Loki]

Damn.. you have some big feet and hands...

Oh wait....

Looks nice... a  bit smaller and you have a handheld :p
Can't wait to see it finished

[javeryh]

Holy bananas that thing is small!  This thing is going to be super sweet when it is finished.  I can't wait to see it up and running.  Great design work so far - I hope you can fit everything inside!!

 

[kizer]

Man that thing is going to be sweet when its all put together.

I think with your artwork black would look nice.

[vrf]

I don't have the overlay artwork yet, but I couldn't resist loosely assembling the control panel:



Oh, and on the glue subject, I think I'm going to try out this DIY trick:

http://guides.pimprig.com/modding/diy_acrylic_cement.php

I'll test it first on some scrap to see how strong the hold is. (The reading I've done suggests that this is as good as the pre-made acrylic cements out there, without the cancer-causing side effects.)

[psychotech]

 

Looks great, but .. how is the overlay going to be attached?

[vrf]

umm... doesn't the CPO vinyl have a self-adhesive backing?

[psychotech]

eh...

So, I have missed a post (or two) along the line.. Sorry It's just that on Tomatocade the graphics are sandwiched between the CP and the plexi ..as they'll be on my next 'top also.. Well, not too feasible or sensible with Pixelbox, I'd guess 

Still, more pix! Can't wait

[leapinlew]

Your graphics are pretty simple - I wonder how etching would do? A chemical solution like they use on glass.

[vrf]

I'm not familiar with the etching process, although I'd briefly considered raster engraving. (This is also done with a laser.) I think I'm going to go with an overlay, though, because the acrylic is really a fingerprint magnet. Especially the black!

[madmarzon]

Hi,
just jumping back to your post on your trackball. I have been looking for a small trackball for my CP and have been looking at a local manufacturer here in the UK. I know they have resellers worldwide under a lot of different brands. First URL shows their product which seems to be similar to the product you bought. The second is the one I'm after.

http://www.cursorcontrols.com/P38_standard.html

http://www.cursorcontrols.com/P38_squaremount.html

My question is now you have it, does it feel like its a good trackball for gaming and did you get one with the backlit option?

Congrats on your project, it looks like a very slick little beast.
I had one of these when I was just knee hi to a grasshopper
http://www.handheldmuseum.com/Grandstand/Astro.htm

[vrf]

yup, that looks like my trackball. I don't have the translucent backlit ball--just the regular black one.

As far as performance, it is not a real arcade trackball. Doesn't spin nearly as long. However, it is better than what I thought I'd get in this size. You can get some spin if you give it a good little whack. It is certainly a well-built little trackball.

I'd be interested in how the stainless stell ball performs. I didn't know that option was available. (I got mine from Ponyboy, who resells Happ-branded stuff.)

Hmm... I wonder what kind of price you can get from the manufacturer or other vendors.

[blueznl]

MadMarzon, I think you're in the UK, where did you plan to buy that unit? Directly at the manufacturer or do you have a reseller?

[madmarzon]

I have a contact at the manufacturer (they are only 30 miles away) and they have also given me a sales contact at Micromark.net. I havent got round to chasing it up yet as Ive been busy with my cab and other controls (dead minipac) and a new job. I seem to recall coming across a p50 for about £50 from another UK distributor listed on cursor controls site.
I will make a post if I make any progress.

have just had a digg
http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/search2/browse.jsp?N=500015+1004063&Ntk=gensearch_001&Ntt=trackerball&Ntx=
stainless looks pricey but they arent cursor contol models.
unsealed p38 for £48. with usb out doesnt sound too bad

look here for wordwide distributors
http://www.cursorcontrols.com/contact_distributors.html

heres a company in belgium using them
http://www.nsi-be.com/pointing.htm
 

[vrf]

I have a contact at the manufacturer (they are only 30 miles away) and they have also given me a sales contact at Micromark.net. I havent got round to chasing it up yet as Ive been busy with my cab and other controls (dead minipac) and a new job. I seem to recall coming across a p50 for about £50 from another UK distributor listed on cursor controls site.
I will make a post if I make any progress.

have just had a digg
http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/search2/browse.jsp?N=500015+1004063&Ntk=gensearch_001&Ntt=trackerball&Ntx=
stainless looks pricey but they arent cursor contol models.
unsealed p38 for £48. with usb out doesnt sound too bad

 

Looks like good prices, although it appears they don't stock the USB one anymore. Or maybe I missed something...

[vrf]

Got a bit of the assembly done this week. Still lots to do, though.





Regarding the DIY acrylic cement, if anyone's interested in trying it: It's awesome. A little tricky to work with--like plasticky rubber cement--but it welds the pieces together very well. (I cut my hand trying to force apart two pieces of test acrylic.)

Two things, though: First, the vapor point of the acetone-based cement is very high, so you have to work very quickly or it will evaporate on you before you get the piece in place. Secondly, if you're sloppy, it's easy to notice because the cement streaks turn into a whitish color. They do scrap/sand off though, so it's not a big deal.

[javeryh]

Awesome!  I love how tiny this thing is.  You are doing a great job so far - keep it up! 

[vrf]

building, building... what fun. Not much time to work this week, but a little progress. Tried out a couple of frontends, too. Still not sure on that question. (Maybe GameEx so I don't have to spend much time figuring out how to tweak everything?)



And yeah, that's my "workshop." You can maybe understand now why I couldn't build an upright cab. (Someday we'll have a house, though. )

[Dudeman]

Holy crap! That's you're workshop!?!!?!

I'll never complain about my lack of space again.

[Unholyknight]

Great work so far!  For the quality and look of your build, its coming along pretty quick, can't wait to see it finished.

After I finish my Megalo 410 project I would love to build a tabletop MAME cab.

[leapinlew]

vrf!

How dare you not give us mid-construction photos!  I'm dying to know how this plastic is held together.

[Dmod]

And yeah, that's my "workshop." You can maybe understand now why I couldn't build an upright cab. (Someday we'll have a house, though. )

You'd have plenty of room to build a cocktail on top of that washer/dryer if you'd just bother to tidy up once in a while.  Seriously... do you really need that jar of pickles on the workbench?

Great job on the build.  This thing is just awesome.   

[vrf]

Tidy up?  Everything on top of the appliances right now is being used in the project. The pickle jar holds my DIY acrylic cement. Usually you can see the washer/dryer.

Actually, for a Taipei apartment, our place isn't too bad. It's a three bedroom flat, but there isn't really a place to have a work bench or anything. The kitchen table was not an option.

Lew, sorry about the lack of construction pics. It's hard to stop for pictures once you've reached the "hands on" part of the project. I'll try to do better, though. Maybe later I'll can put together a better explanation of how this came together.

It's not clear from the pics so far, but the side walls actually have another layer on the inside. So it's one 6mm layer on the outside, and the 3mm notched layer laminated on the inside. Most of these grooves and holes on this 3mm layer are then "plugged" with 6mm cutouts. The others receive notched cross sections. So the other panels like the top, back, bottom, side, etc, either sit on the cutouts or fit into the holes tongue-n-groove style. Hope that's clear.

Here's a pic of the two side layers. (These two are for the right side.)

[kizer]

Small workshop for a small bartop. Either way I think your project rocks.

I dig the baby toy on the floor. I think my boy had the same one.

[vrf]

We moved the baby toy out there because our toddler just wasn't interested anymore. But #2 is coming in May, so it'll get some more use. 

Here are a few more random pics, although not the real WIP shots that Lew wanted. (Sorry.) You can see how I was kind of messy with the glue inside the case. I'll probably spend some time cleaning it up as I get closer to done.

[vrf]

And a few more shots of the control panel...

[Dmod]

Nice pics.  Why'd you have to rout out the button holes?

[melarky]

yeah, I was wondering the same thing about routing the button holes?

[NiteWalker]

The thickest material sanwa buttons can be mounted in without removing some material is 4mm.

[Witchboard]

Right, the snap-in kind.

[vrf]

yup, they're snap-in Sanwas. The 24mm ones. (They don't make screw-ins this small.)

The back of the panel isn't really routed out in the way you might be thinking. The panel is made of three layers. The bottom two layers were cut with that big hole for the button area.

[NiteWalker]

They do make 24mm screw ins, there are just not available in as many colors.

[vrf]

yeah, there's the 24mm Seimitsu screw-ins, although the info at Himura Amusements says they only come in black.

Hmm.... now that Himura Amusements has gone belly-up, I wonder where people get Sanwa parts from these days...

EDIT: oh, I guess they do have more variety in 24mm screw-ins:

http://www.gremlinsolutions.co.uk/products/obsn-24.htm

I should have done more research!

[quick2shoot]

OMG!  I think I'm in love.....

I wanted to use acrylic for my (somewhat larger) bartop, but i don't know enough about it to work with it...
Pixelbox  is just so... awesomely small....
Bravo! 

(now how to get him to ship me one!) 

[leapinlew]

I should have done more research!

No... don't start thinking like that. You've done enough for 4 people. 

[blueznl]

Dang, nice and compact design! Wow! I could finally appreciate the scale with stick and buttons in place, it's SMALL (and, for a change, that's a good thing  ).

[javeryh]

I love this project.  It is really coming out nice.  I'm betting a ton of imitators will follow once everyone sees how small you can make a MAME cabinet.  Keep the pics coming!!   

[vrf]

Thanks guys for the nice feedback!

Trying to decide if I'm going to do some sideart or just leave it black. (I'm leaning towards sideart to match the CPO because this stuff gets smudged up so easily.)







I printed out several of these thumb-nailed blanks of my profile to be able to doodle and hopefully stumble across a good pattern. Nothing is really grabbing me so far.



I kind of like some of the designs that you see on motorcycle racing helmets.



(and if you really squint, my profile does look a bit like a helmet.)

[Loki]

Wow! That looks really nice!
To be honest.. I like the clean look.

[Aurich]

yeah, there's the 24mm Seimitsu screw-ins, although the info at Himura Amusements says they only come in black.

Hmm.... now that Himura Amusements has gone belly-up, I wonder where people get Sanwa parts from these days...

http://akihabarashop.com/products.html

Bit late now since you routed it already, but if you do it again good to know.

I love using the snap ins though, after threading Happ buttons it's so damn satisfying.

[javeryh]

If you do decide on some side art (I don't think you need it... yet - maybe try living with it for a while before rushing to a decision?) you MUST make it look pixelated.  I command it!   

[spacies]

NICE WORK!!!

This is a absolutely awesome little machine.
Great planning and design dude.

I think once you have you CPO, marquee and bezel in place you will find you wont need any side art.
Besides, it will take away that glossy look.

But at the end of the day its up to you. Maybe a couple of simple stripes running vertical near the back of the machine would be enough to break it?     Just a thought.

Look forward to more progress   

[odysseyroc]

I say no side art. What you have right now is absolute perfection, no need to mess with it. This is easily my favorite project and there has been a ton of great projects here.

[psychotech]

Awesome!

Looks REALLY good ..and my vote is NO sideart  ..as long as the perfect mirrorlike surface survives. Add sideart later ..after you've scratched it beyond repair, like in a month .. 

Really, that's a great build.

Psycho.

[theCoder]

Holy cow!  Blink and look what happens.  I remember 8 months back when you were dying to get to the states to get the plastic cut.

What are you going to do on the bottom to keep it from sliding around?

Regarding side art... putting something on will reduce the "fingerprint magnet" surface area.  I kinda like the horizontal strips in your sketch; like air vents or molded plastic.  You obviously want to go with a good printer/supplier.  Or, you can do as others have recommended and leave it alone.  At least until you get that inevitable nasty scratch in one of the sides.

What does it weigh?  You've probably got the lightest box to date.

It must feel good to have your long term planning finally materialized.  You should be proud.

[vrf]

Thanks for the comments.

Regarding the bottom, I have some rubber grippy stuff that I'll be fixing to the bottom access panel. Should hold it in place. I actually wonder if it's really needed. I "practiced" getting really aggressive with the controls and the box was pretty solid. Must be the lighter touch of the Sanwa stick. Also, my hands rest on the control panel which tends to hold the whole thing down. But I'll still put the rubber padding on.

Sounds like people like the plain black sides. The acrylic is reasonably scratch resistant, so maybe I'll leave it. Definitely not fingerprint resistant, though. (Maybe I can have a "no touching" sign...    )

Still lots of work to do before it hits the party scene, though. Just an empty box right now.

[trog_4269]

BUMP.

Any new updates?  This is an awesome bartop.

[vrf]

BUMP.

Any new updates?  This is an awesome bartop.

It has been on the back burner for the last couple months. We had a new baby. I'm getting back at it, but Scott from Mamemarquees refuses to answer my emails. I swear, if it weren't for the rave reviews everyone here gives the guy, I'd believe his service to be super crappy.

Maybe I made him mad somehow?

Guess it's time to look elsewhere.

[Santoro]

Holy Moses, misssed this project till now.   It looks GREAT!

I can also vouch for Scott... maybe you are getting caught in his spam filter.  Have you tried another email address to send from?

[leapinlew]

Did you see this thread?
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=68969.0

One other thing to consider is that Scott is very busy and this is his second job and he pretty much does it as a favor to us. I doubt he makes much money. It wouldn't surprise me if he doesn't have a lot of time to spend on a single project. My transactions with him have been smooth as I pretty much knew what I wanted, uploaded my art, paid and the product would arrive soon thereafter.

Good luck.

[vrf]

I think he's getting my emails, since he answered one a long time ago. Nothing since, though. And I know it's not his main job. That's fine, nothing personal. But I just can't deal with someone who ignores my emails so much.

Anyhow, I better work quickly. I gotta finish before that guy who stole my design. 

[mcfreak]

I think he's getting my emails, since he answered one a long time ago. Nothing since, though. And I know it's not his main job. That's fine, nothing personal. But I just can't deal with someone who ignores my emails so much.

Anyhow, I better work quickly. I gotta finish before that guy who stole my design. 

I'm watching you...    And I just got my artwork installed today! 

[Jdot]

any updates?

[Singapura]

Man, this is absolutely great! I've been planning to build a tabletop for ages now and have been looking for wood shops in Singapore to do the cutting for me, as I have no tools or work space here. Now I've seen the splendid work you're doing I think I'm going to use acrylic too!  Kudo's on you meticulous planning!

[psychotech]

Great stuff, but....

Vance, you still alive?

[vrf]

Yup, I'm still alive, although life has changed quite a lot since I last posted. New daughter (#2), new job stuff, and we're beginning the process of moving back to the States. But I'll bring my little Pixelbox back with me, and finish it up this summer. I'll have some room for a workshop, even! 

By the way, does anyone want to buy the white version of the Pixelbox case? (Unassembled, of course, and with all the minor design flaws that I wasn't smart enough to anticipate.)

[Jigenjuke]

What do you want for the white unit?  Also what exactly do you mean by design flaws?  Great unit by the way!!

[vrf]

I'll just say that having one's arcade cabinet destroyed during overseas shipping can really put a long pause to a project. It  arrived in pieces, literally, and sat in a box for such a long time because I couldn't stomach the thought of redoing so much work...

But time heals the wounded heart... and here we are, couple of years after I thought I'd be done with the thing, the case mostly repaired back to the point where it was when I left Taiwan. Got some new fancy acrylic glue... IPS Weld-On, which apparently causes cancer according to the label on the back of the tube. But it's extremely strong, much more solid than the DIY stuff. CPO and marquee were also printed. CPO didn't turn out quite as sharp as I would have liked, but it can be done again someday if I want. The miniature side of computer technology has changed quite a bit in the last couple of years. I'm considering one of those fancy Intel Atom mini-itx motherboards, or even a dissected netbook. The 10" LCD panels in the more "square" netbooks are a creepily perfect match for the monitor area on my cab. I do wonder what the performance of the Atom is compared to the Pentium M.

Anyhow, if anyone still cares, this project is moving ahead again. I'm still excited to get her running one of these days.

[Franco B]

I'll just say that having one's arcade cabinet destroyed during overseas shipping can really put a long pause to a project. It  arrived in pieces, literally, and sat in a box for such a long time because I couldn't stomach the thought of redoing so much work...

Dude that sucks. Can you repair it? If not do you still have the white components that you could use? Maybe you could mix it up Ikaruga stylee

I hope its not on the back burner for too long, this is one of my favourite bar tops.

[cboy]

I'm sorry to hear it got damaged in shipping. Please finish it, this is one of the 1st bartops that I looked at. I love it too 

[Bender]

missed this one

WOW!

I'm sorry to hear it got damaged in shipping. Please finish it, this is one of the 1st bartops that I looked at. I love it too 

second that!

[Yvan256]

I would have brought the cabinet with me, I wouldn't trust any shipping company with something as precious as a personnal project that has hundreds of hours invested in it.

And you better finish your Pixelbox before I finish my MVS99-6.

[vrf]

I would have brought the cabinet with me, I wouldn't trust any shipping company with something as precious as a personnal project that has hundreds of hours invested in it.

And you better finish your Pixelbox before I finish my MVS99-6.

Yeah, I really wanted to, but with a wife, two daughters, a dog, and all our stuff, it wasn't really possible. Some stuff had to go on the boat.

What is this MVS99-6? My search came up empty.

[Yvan256]

Yeah, I really wanted to, but with a wife, two daughters, a dog, and all our stuff, it wasn't really possible. Some stuff had to go on the boat.

What is this MVS99-6? My search came up empty.

MVS99-6 has not been officially announced yet.  But I do have about 60% of the parts cut, so I guess I could take pictures and make an official post about the project.

Maybe next week.

edit: ok, here you go.

[vrf]

Printed some marquees out. I actually like the laser prints a LOT better than the backlit vinyl ink-jet prints. But that would mean no light-up marquee. I'm considering it. These laser prints are so much nicer. And a desktop cab maybe doesn't really need a light-up marquee.



So what to do for a retainer. Found this cheap plastic binder at Goodwill for fifty cents. Reasonably sturdy plastic, with this nice angle on the edge.



A little work with the Exacto knife...



I also have some nice clear plastic to protect the artwork.

To light or not to light...

[vrf]

Aaahhhh... they're multiplying...

Tip for working with acrylic:

Use IPS Weld-On. Strongest glue you can buy. http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=132

For the white cab, I also used some 30 min epoxy to assemble the case to where I want it. There's time to nudge the pieces till their perfectly square and even. Then I used the Weld-On to make those joints permanent. (It actually welds the pieces together at the molecular level.)

[Bender]

Great to see you back at it!

Light up that marquee!! Damn it!!

I had problems with mine multiplying too 

[Yvan256]

Good to see Pixelbox taking shape again!

How will you mount the marquee, those custom holders don't look deep enough to be screwed so I'm assuming they'll be glued? What if you need/want to change the marquee artwork later on?

Also, do you already have all the hardware for both? Especially the screens, computers/boards for the games, trackballs, etc?

[vrf]

I'm just going to use narrow double-sided tape for the retainer. It'll peel up okay if I ever need it do.

Yes, I'm lighting the marquee. I bought these cold-cathode tubes, so I better use them.

I do not have any of the hardware for the second cab. I'm thinking of putting an 10" Eee PC in there. The 1024x600 netbook LCDs fit like a glove in the monitor area.

[Vidiot]

I hate to resurrect old threads but this one deserves a major BUMP for an update. I've been following this build off and on for a few years now. I'm really curious about any progress made on this. 

vrf, I hope everything is okay and you're doing well. Please post an update whenever you can. 

[nordemoniac]

Whoa... It's been 4 years since the last update... What happened?

[swaffar]

Whoa... It's been 4 years since the last update... What happened?

great build thread, but perhaps a PM would be better.  vrf was last active july of this year, so at least he's still alive.

[nordemoniac]

Yeah, sorry about waking an old thread, but if anything - it should be continued! This build thread is one of my favorites, and has actually inspired me of creating something similar myself