(1) good new stock cab

[Timoe]

I will build (1) good new stock cab for use with mame.  There will be no new designs here.  No ground breaking technology or joinery.  Just a simple solid machine.

This will be my first cabinet.

[mccoy178]

Good luck!  It will be a blast.  There is nothing better then seeing those tiny victorys at the end of the day.

[Timoe]

Thank you.  I'm really looking forward to cutting the first piece.  I've planned long enough.  It will likely be another month before I start cutting.  I figure I'll kill the time by posting pics of the bits and pieces I've collected over the years for this cab.

[Timoe]

Per the second picture up top there ^, I'm going to be using 4 Happ Competition joysticks with Stainless Steel bat tops from Slikstik.  (2) blue and (2) chrome.

Two things to note here:

1. the stainless steel sticks are a lot heavier than normal.  Its a good idea to upgrade to a heavier spring in the joysticks base.  Slikstik wont send em with your sticks though unless you ask.

2.  the shaft on the replacement stick is smaller than the original; resulting in an ugly gap between the dustwasher and the stick.  The sollution is to use a dustwasher from a 49-way stick or a Happs Ultimate stick.

[dweebs0r]

Hooray!  Another Timoe project 
I'm just glad I dont owe you money for this one!

Cant wait to watch this one go together.

-Dweebs

[miles2912]

We are with you all the way.  Looking forward to the build.  Take a lot of good pics!

D-

[Havok]

Are you planning on using all those joysticks? Frankenpanel, with two player Smash TV?

[Timoe]

Are you planning on using all those joysticks? Frankenpanel, with two player Smash TV?

Haha, no I wont be using all those sticks.  I was just showing off.  It will probably be a smaller than average 4 player Control Panel with:

4 competitions
1 J-stick
1 spinner
1 trackball

and no Admin buttons.

But I do plan on making a smaller 2-player panel down the line with the Wicos.

[miles2912]

For the record I have 4 admin switches on my CP.  We use all of them - 2 mouse and and 2 more buttons.  Pause and a credit/escape button.  There is always a new update or game I want to try so the mouse buttons are always used.  The credit button gets the most use  .  Cheap friends.  The pause is very helpfull when the phone rings and I have 100k on Galaga and 2 men left.

All the butons are on a hidden switch in the CP that will deactivate them in case I want the cab in 'party mode'.  That way I don't have to babysit it and they have to put quarters in.  So far I have not locked it down.

D-

[Timoe]

Ah, mouse buttons do seem like a good idea.  Especially since I'm going to have a trackball.  I just have to find a place to put the mouse buttons.


I've been thinking of making an admin panel, maybe above the Control Panel on the monitor bezel or something.

[Tahnok]

All the butons are on a hidden switch in the CP that will deactivate them in case I want the cab in 'party mode'.  That way I don't have to babysit it and they have to put quarters in.

You charge your friends to play when they're at your party?!

[theCoder]

Ah, mouse buttons do seem like a good idea.  Especially since I'm going to have a trackball.  I just have to find a place to put the mouse buttons.

I've been thinking of making an admin panel, maybe above the Control Panel on the monitor bezel or something.

You can set it up so the player 1 buttons 1 & 2 buttons are the mouse left & right buttons.  Mame can be configured to use these. 

Regarding admin buttons, on my current project I'm going to have 5 admin buttons providing the following 11 keys:  Stop (esc), Start (Enter), Player 1 Start, Player 2 Start, Player 3 Start, Player 4 Start, Coin, Pause (P), Tab, Yes (Y), and No (N).  Using the IPac controller, you get a "shift" key with the player 1 Start button.  The Stop (Esc) button is an red arcade pushbutton, and is Pause (P) when shifted.  The Start (Enter) button is a green arcade pushbutton and is Tab when shifted.  These two buttons are going to be in the top left corner of the panel.  The other three buttons are smaller and will be in the top right corner.  They are the Player 1 Start button (which is the shift for other buttons).  The Player 2 Start button is next and is the Player 3 Start when shifted, and finally the Coin button is the Player 4 Start button when shifted.  The Player 1 action 2 & 3 buttons will be "Y"es and "N"o when shifted.  I'm planning on showing the shifted values graphically with a smaller font and/or some subtle color near the buttons.

Good luck on your project.

[Timoe]

^ I like your idea to put mouse buttons on the CP and use them as player 1 buttons.  I will have two buttons near the spinner that I can wire to the trackball and use for mouse buttons and set it up in mame so that mouse buttons 1 and 2 equal P1 buttons 1 & 2.

Thanks Coder

[Timoe]

Much of this cabinet will be designed around parts that I already have on hand.

A. because its cheaper for me if I already own the junk

and

B. because I bought some really cool parts when I first got caught up in this hobby.

When I first discovered www.happcontrols.com and BYOAC, I went nuts.  Every two weeks or so I'd buy or trade for a new type of joystick or a couple of buttons.  It was $12 here and $30 there for about a year.

I amassed a collection of parts, and I hope someday to use them all.  We'll see.

In my newb(ier) days I had grand dreams of this Gigantor 9 player arcade cabinet with rotating controls, monitors, wheels and speakers.  Every part of the beast spinning and blinking.

So, I'll make the Four-Player-Frank-en-Cade.  Only now I'm trying to make it as small and tasteful as possible and hopefully not as cluttered as I originally planned.

blah, blah, blah..... lets see some pictures.

 

[Timoe]

Coin Door Madness

Here's the coin door I bought almost 2 years ago.  Its been sitting in a box in my garage and I've thought about selling it much of that 2 years.

[dweebs0r]

Although a four player panel appealed to me too, I realized that there are not very many times when more than two people would be playing the machine and not really that many 4 player games to play anyway.  So thats why I wanted the 2 player Smash TV design.

-D

[Timoe]

during my parts crazed insanity I picked up some

replacement blue coin reject buttons
SANTORO's tokens both BYOAC and MAME variety
new coin mechs to accept the new Tokens as well as quarters
new coin reject button inserts that say "insert token or quarter"


Here are pics of me replacing the buttons.

First I replaced the printed insert in my new buttons.  They're held together with an e-clip.  It was real easy to swap out the inserts and changing the coin mechs was a snap.

Replacing the coin reject buttons was more work than I expected.

[Timoe]

Ya have to remove the whole coin assembly just to access the bezel for that coin reject button.  And I had to break out my socket set for those little screws.  It wasn't too bad, it was just more than I expected.

And here's a finished shot at the bottom.

[Timoe]

Although a four player panel appealed to me too, I realized that there are not very many times when more than two people would be playing the machine and not really that many 4 player games to play anyway.  So thats why I wanted the 2 player Smash TV design.

-D

I agree with your statement competely.  However, I have a four player coin door, an IPAC4 and four stainless steel joysticks.  And I just cant part with that stuff.

I will occasionaly have visitors that would want to play 4-player MarioKart64  or something and then this set up will pay off.

I will keep the joystick layout such that 2player SmashTV will also be an option.

[Timoe]

This will be a familiar sight for many of you. 


It is a milestone for me. 


I have finally received Notice to Proceed from the mini-boss.  

[Timoe]

I spent most of the today cutting MDF.  I've washed my hands numerous times and taken a shower.    My hands still REAK of MDF.

I am so glad to have gotten this messy step out of the way.

[Timoe]

thank you Father's Day

[mccoy178]

No Fathers Day picks?   Only two picks of the cutting?  Is this not the same Timoe "eye" know?

[Timoe]

Hardie Harr HARRG! 


heres an extra pic taken with me goode eye

[MYX]

I spent most of the today cutting MDF.  I've washed my hands numerous times and taken a shower.    My hands still REAK of MDF.

I am so glad to have gotten this messy step out of the way.

Yeah, what ever. Then you gotta glue and sand it and you'll reak all over again. Then you will reak of primer then of paint. I guess what I am trying to say is ...Dude, you reak! 

Saturday and Sunday I got to work a little too. It is amazing how a black shirt can become MDF color so quickly.

[Timoe]

I'm thinking about using two (2) IPACs on this cabinet.  One IPAC2 dedicated inside the cabinet for the coin door and maybe an admin panel with pause, exit, enter, tab and mamewah controls.  Then one IPAC4 in the control panel.  I'm thinking this will make it easier for me if I ever want swappable panels since I know I like to build control panels.

My questions are:

1.  Will I have a problem in Windows XP with (2) keyboards (IPACs) connected simultaneously?

2.  Will I need to use (1) IPAC in Ps/2 and (1) IPAC in USB?

3.  What do you think?

[(+_+)]

Why don't you use  I-Pac4 and a couple of these Hagstrom IOX36 Breakout Boards. You can set it up in such a way that you just have to unplug your flat cable from the Breakout board to swap your panels. Also you can use the shift capability of the I-Pac4 to host your admin keys. I believe there are PS/2 Y shaped splitters out there if you need to attach more than one keyboard.

http://www.hagstromelectronics.com/products/accessories.html

Another option if you need more inputs is the KE72 keyboard encoder. I have one and think it's great.
http://www.hagstromelectronics.com/products/modules.html

[Havok]

I'm thinking about using two (2) IPACs on this cabinet.  One IPAC2 dedicated inside the cabinet for the coin door and maybe an admin panel with pause, exit, enter, tab and mamewah controls.  Then one IPAC4 in the control panel.  I'm thinking this will make it easier for me if I ever want swappable panels since I know I like to build control panels.

My questions are:

1.  Will I have a problem in Windows XP with (2) keyboards (IPACs) connected simultaneously?

2.  Will I need to use (1) IPAC in Ps/2 and (1) IPAC in USB?

3.  What do you think?

I have a similar setup in my cab, but I use GGG stuff. The Keywiz (PS/2) controls the coin door and admin panel. The GPWiz's (USB) are my hot-swappable control panels...

[markrvp]

Timoe:

You shouldn't have any problem using two Ipacs simultaneously.  If you are using an Ipac2 AND an Ipac4 - all USB - then it will report to Windows as THREE (3) HID compliant keyboards. 

You will need to reprogram one of the Ipac boards so that they are not reporting the same inputs - imagine if you connected two keyboards to your computer - pressing X on one is the same as pressing X on the other.

The issue I see is that you will have to do some remapping in MAME to use the inputs you reprogram your other Ipac for.  If it were me, I would just stick with an Ipac4 and use Molex connectors or serial cables or some other type of multi-wire connector between the controls and the Ipac.  That way if you want to swap panels, you just disconnect the connectors to the Ipac and leave the Ipac in the cabinet.  You can hot swap controls this way.  It also saves money on buying an encoder for each panel - and the biggest benefit is you don't have to have custom maps which can get lost in MAME.

[dweebs0r]

You could also use a GP-Wiz as the smaller encoder:

http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=76_81&products_id=234

It would show as a USB gamepad and its a little cheaper. 

Buy the solder version and wire it up nice and clean.

-D

[Timoe]

I like Mark's idea to use the molex connectors.  It seems like a lot more work (thanks mark    )

But it will free up another encoder that I already have for some other use.  Plus I think I can pull it off and make it look clean.

Any suggestions on connectors?  (db25, specific type of molex?, etc)

 I'd imagine it would be nice to have a separate connector for 1up, 2up, 3up, 4up and admin, yes?  This way I can easily connect a 2 player panel or three player panel or whatever.


Maybe I should do the same thing with 2-3 optiwiz's?  for my future multi-spinner multi trackball panels.

[theCoder]

I used 2 25 pin D type connectors on my last project.  I wired one male, and the other femail to make sure they don't get switched around.  I also used a 9 pin D connector to connect the pinball buttons and coin door switch to the CP.  Soldering these things is a major pain.  I picked up a magnifying glass "helping hands" soldering thing at Radio Shack.  It really helped.

[Timoe]

I finally feel like I

[Timoe]

For extra support due to the wheels, I've added a 1/2" piece of plywood over the 5/8" mdf floor. 

I used 2x2 supports and I glued and screwed them prior to laminating the pieces.  The side panels are then glued and screwed to these 2x2 pieces.

[Timoe]

A BYOAC member that goes by CamSauce has offered to help me with the control panel ART for a trade.

Note:  I would highly recommend this guy.  He's not only skilled, but patient and creative as well. 


Here is a sample of the art design for this cabinet.  Keep in mind This is a Stock Mame Cab.  My goal is to use all "off the shelf" parts, designs and art.

What do you think of the control layout?

My only concern is the 4-way stick might need to move to the right a little for arm clearance, though I usually play 4-way games with my right arm.

[Timoe]

For this project I found myself set on a certain pair of speakers.  They are car audio speakers.  I like their color scheme and they sound great.

My concern is that car audio speakers usually dont have any kind of magnetic shielding and may wreck havok on my monitor.

A year or so ago I read a post here about a website that sells magnetic shielding products.

http://www.lessemf.com/mag-shld.html

Here is what I did:

I bought two products, Mag Shield and a Joint Shield.  I used two layers of each on each speaker.  I sealed it all up with duct tape.

The shielding is not TOTAL but prior to shielding, the speaker would pick up a paper clip without direct contact.  After shielding, the speaker WILL NOT pick up a paper clip even with direct contact.

The change is substantial.

[Timoe]

I've never really built anything like this before but I figure I will have a harder time trying to install speakers, speakergrille, marquee retainer, etc upside down after the whole cabinet shell is built.

I decided to mount all the hardware to the speaker panel prior to construction.  I'm going to do the same thing with the Marquee light since I figure my drill wont fit in the small marquee space.

The speaker grilles are 4" from Happ.  The screw holes line up perfectly with the speaker mount holes so the same screw holds both onto the panel.

note:  those L-brackets at the back of the panel are spaced 1/4" from that edge so that when installed I can slide the bezel and the monitor plexi in between the L-bracket and this panel.

[theCoder]

What, no pinball buttons? 

What kind of material is the speaker shield made of ?  It looks like thin steel.

What kind of amp are you going to use to drive the car speakers?

Nice job so far.

[Timoe]

What, no pinball buttons? 

I know this wont be the last panel I build, so I'll probably use pinball buttons on the next panel.  Maybe they'll get added to this one if I ever get PinMame up and running

What kind of material is the speaker shield made of ?  It looks like thin steel.

Yes, it is thin steel.  Its pretty solid too and inexpensive.

What kind of amp are you going to use to drive the car speakers?

I'm going with the Creative Labs Inspire 2.1 Computer speaker set up.  I like that it has a volume control and headphone jack dongle thing that I am thinking of hacking into my admin panel.  Or I'll just mount it on the back of my control panel with velcro.

Nice job so far.

"so far"  indeed.     Thank you.



I'm also thinking of putting some bright blue leds behind the speakers.  That might be silly.  I dunno.  Maybe the marquee light will light them up?

[Timoe]

I used T-nuts for mounting the top section of the cab.

I'm going to wait to do the black caulking and the touch up paint until the very end.