Youngest known cabinet builder

[deadkenndys1105]

Well as far as I know I'm the youngest here.  I'm not done with this one and I know were I could have done better but this is a budget project without help from mommy.  I'm 16 and don't have a job so please try to crush me for cheeping some thing so I wont do that on the second one.(already in model stage).  Well I have been into emulation for a long time and I'm a classic game collector so I felt this was something that I need to add.  After long talks about this with my mom I broke her down into letting me start work.  I have been doing the project on and off for a few months now.  I'm not sure when I truly started because of all the nagging my mom.  On top of that I have a huge lack of tools.  This whole project was done with a jigsaw,circular saw and a drill.  I was going to just do a keyboard hack but I more I looked into it the more I wanted to go with a keyboard encoder (I-Pac2).  My mom knew I was in this for the long run when I ordered my I-pac,mag-stick,and buttons.  My mom does like it now because she does hair and before her customers come over I can set up some easy game to understand to "babysit" the kids.  She did lay down a few rules tho.  I couldn't spend piles of money and it couldn't end up on crap Mame after I showed her them.  I would like to thank who ever made the site because it helped me out in the asking.  I told myself that I had to have a coin door because its just not the same without one.  I'm almost done with this one.  I still need to do some sanding and throw a little filler on a few spots then paint.  There are a few things I don't like about this cabinet tho.  The CP is a little high for some people.  I think it fine and I'm not that tallest guy around (5'5")  I think my mom just thinks it to high tho because she is shorter than me.  There is no back door but that's ok because it up against a wall and isn't moving any time soon and there isn't a bottom panel on the CP because of the switchable joystick. .  I am working on a plug in adapter for an i-pac so I can have swapable panels.  I hate all-in-one CPs.  The computer I'm using is an old computer I had laying around because I work on computer for people and the screen is a old LCD screen.  I liked it because 1 its the biggest monitor I had and 2 its rotable.  I would rather a CRT but I only have a bunch of small one and remember this is a budgeted cabinet.  In all it cost around $300 not counting the computer part that I already had.  I had woodshop in school a few years ago so I know how to use tools and I case mod PC so I knew how to do most of this before the project so I didn't have much go to waste.  I would like to the the pelxi over because if you look you can see there bad cuts and the bezel plexi is cracked in the corners after I dropped it.  Please rip this thing apart because I want to know the truth one how I did.  Also any idea for some art would be nice because I haven't painted it yet.

[leapinlew]

First off... congratulations on building your first cabinet. There is something magical about getting a playable cabinet. Also, you did it without breaking the bank - also a plus.


Question:
The overhang for your marquee - did you plan on putting in speakers? How are you doing the sound now?

You aren't going to win any beauty awards with your cabinet, but ultimately you have to remember you built it for you and not for us to judge it.

[deadkenndys1105]

Well there are speaker in it but I dont have holes cut and I dont think im going to.  Im not out to win a mamey just yet.    Honestly it does look a little better in reality but you do get the idea.  Know that I know more about this hobby and im addicted im going to be trying something new on the next one.  I have had a few offers on this but I have turned them down because this is my baby.  A friend dad of mine is thinking about having me build one for him to put in his basement bar.

[Crafty]

Good Effort

I'm sure that, as with all of us, your future cabinets will only get better.

Ultimately if your happy with it no other opinions count..

[Havok]

Good work - but for the love of God... Paint the exposed wood!

 

Oh, and you may be the youngest now, but we have a pioneer here that was younger:

http://www.willyliliana.com/NES Cabinet/NES Cabinet.htm

[psychopanda]

I'm 15...well I was ... back in 19*mumble* *mumble*... 


Good job on your first cabinet! I'm no carpenter and when I was 16, my Shop class teacher would just walk by me and shake his head. so, you've got a really good start on this. 

One last thing "Paint will make all the difference".

[MameMaster!]

Great effort!....and congrats.

Enjoy your cab.

I'm sure you'll now join the ranks of contantly tweeking it and making it even better!

 

[Q*Bert_OP]

<-------Click on profile

[Havok]

Qbert 24/7 is a young'un:

[deadkenndys1105]

I know I need some paint so im going to try to paint it over the weekend.

[Q*Bert_OP]

Qbert 24/7 is a young'un:

What's with that image???

[Havok]

Qbert 24/7 is a young'un:

What's with that image???

Damn Papparazzi!

[Q*Bert_OP]

Qbert 24/7 is a young'un:

What's with that image???

Damn Papparazzi!

Are you saying that you are the "Damn Papparazzi"?

[SNAAKE]

I built my first cabinet when I was 15

you loose !

[vrf]

I built my first cabinet when I was 15

you loose !

yeah, but I bet he can spell "lose."

[danny_galaga]

lookin good. im jhoping when you can you will put in a cheap (bigger) computert monitor? you can get pretty cheap 17 or 19" monitors second hand. my suggestion for paint is to use fine rollers (and dont get cheap ones! theres a thread here somewhere about someone who used cheapos and they fell apart), not spray paint and stick to a simple scheme. we would all love to have fancy side art but by god its expensive! have a look in the examples list for good looking paint colours/ schemes that arent too difficult to reproduce. i personally like angled GT stripes myself and thast what ill do on an upright if i ever build one (",)

[deadkenndys1105]

I was thinking about putting a GT stripe.  I might do something else though.  Im going to paint a galiga like decial only 8-way and blue and smaller ones around the button.

[Ghoward]

Not bad for $300, it will look much better once you have painted it.

Gary

[JonnyBoy]

I started building my portable mame machine when I was 15, eat that SNAAKE. It looks good though, as others said paint will make it look great.

I wish I had the space for a fullsized upright, but if your friends are anything like mine, they think it's pretty badass to have your own arcade machine.

Good job.

[deadkenndys1105]

Some say its great some say it just stupid.  That is untill that play it.   I just wish I had a computer in it that could play marvel vs street fighter.  Right now street fight 2 world warrior is slow and barly playable.  What makes it even worse im a chun-li player.  Most people expect this from me tho because im a classic game collector.

[ArtMAME]

  I built my first cabinet when I was 12 or 13 years old!!! And this was back in THE DAY!!! 

Well I did not exactly build it...it was more like I had it built by a carpenter to my specifications...

Grew up in Panama from 1972 to 1985, and I had an Atari 800XL computer with lots of arcade games.  Arcades were not very plentiful there back in the early 80s when I lived there.  I would vacation in the US for the summers and I would be able to play arcade games there.  I was able to make some drawings of several arcade machines on one of these visits. 

My parents had hired a carpenter to do some remodeling and improvements to our house.  So while he was working on our house, I was able to get my cabinet built. 

It was covered in black formica, no artwork at all.  It housed a 13" Sony TV that I used for my Atari 800XL computer.  The cabinet was very nicely built.

I would use an Atari 2600  original joystick and just hold it on the control panel and play the games. 

We did not have internet back then, so it was not like I could order parts from Happ, or ponyboy or anything like that...I got by with what I had...
...and when I was your age...I had to walk 5 miles in 3 feet of snow to get to the arcade and...  

Anyway, we moved to the states in 1985, and left the cabinet back in Panama 

I still have the 13" TV and the Atari 800XL...but no cabinet...

But that's OK, I have a nice big Midway cab that I converted to MAME http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=54556.0
and I have a dedicated Asteroids machine...Life is good...

So, technically I am not the youngest cabinet builder, but even back in the day, I was striving to re-create the arcade experience, which is what we all are trying to do here

[deadkenndys1105]

Well im beat but as far as I new I was the youngest.  School is almost out so I think after I get this painted I might be able to start the second one.  Now will the second one be an x-box racing cabinet, bartop, or cocktail?  I still got some planning to do anyways so it doesnt rlly matter now does it. While I come up with some funds and plans its time to fix that old atari 7800.

[ArtMAME]

At least you had the Internet and resources for parts and forums, etc... available to you.

It would have been awesome to be able to order joysticks and buttons and arcade parts back in '83-'85 with just a few mouse clicks...wait a minute...we did not even have mice back then did we...

Gosh... I am a fat old man...I am 34...

Anyway, I think it is awesome that you young grasshoppers are getting into this hobby.   I salute you guys...

My buddy Huib is only 19 and he already had his first cabinet built when I met him.  He also just finished restoring an R-Type.  I am also impressed by his skills with troubleshooting and finding solutions to problems...

I am also trying to figure out what's next for me to build... I have so many ideas... my head is spinning  and I am daydreaming constantly about my next project...

I feel like a wee young lad again!!!  

[Nannuu]

Good work - but for the love of God... Paint the exposed wood!

 

Oh, and you may be the youngest now, but we have a pioneer here that was younger:

http://www.willyliliana.com/NES Cabinet/NES Cabinet.htm

Thanks Havok!

It looks good DK1105.  Like everyone said, a bit of paint goes a long way to sprucing up a cab.  It's good to see some younger guys interested in the old stuff too.  I vote for an Xbox driving cabinet as your next, tons of fun to be had with that.

[ArtMAME]

That NES cabinet is great, very resourceful. 

I was never able to securely mount the joysticks on my panel.  My engineering skills were sadly lacking back then in 1984-1985.

[Nannuu]

Luckily the NES Advantage joystick is very heavy and didn't require any more than a home to sit in.

It would be fun to make a NES cabinet now using a computer and NES emulator.  No more blowing on the carts!
It's too bad you don't have any pics of your original cabinet.  I think us young ones were the only ones that interested to make a cabinet.  Now that we're old, we're still just about the only ones LOL.

[Hiub1]

My buddy Huib is only 19 and he already had his first cabinet built when I met him.  He also just finished restoring an R-Type.  I am also impressed by his skills with troubleshooting and finding solutions to problems...

  I was actually 13 when I built my first control panel. I gotta see if I can find any pictures of it. It was lovely. It had a keyboard hack, painted black with no bottom, and I even had the plastic rectangular things from the Happs competition joysticks OVER the top of the CP. That thing sure was fun though.

Here's the other projects. First one I started when I was 16, but it's a constant work in progress. The R-Type I started a couple of months back.



This one has a DC, along with a MAME computer all on a very nice 29'' NEC Multisync. Controls are fully modular, and you can switch from DC to MAME with the flick of 2 switches.



R-Type fresh off the oven. Too bad the monitor is going stupid on me. This one is dedicated, plays R-Type and R-Type 2 only.

I grew up in Argentina, and when I was young, arcades were still all the rage over there. We are a bit far behind in the times there, and when everything arcade related was dying here in the states, it was still kicking back home.

[USSEnterprise]

I am 16. My cabinet sits in my dining room, empty, unpainted. I got the thing together in a week, last July. Just needs a PC, monitor, bezel. marquee, control panel, controls, paint, coin door, and t-molding.

[MameMaster!]

I am 16. My cabinet sits in my dining room, empty, unpainted. I got the thing together in a week, last July. Just needs a PC, monitor, bezel. marquee, control panel, controls, paint, coin door, and t-molding.

I've been watching your posts for a while with keen interest. It's time to step up and post pics of your genius. 

[boykster]

I am 16. My cabinet sits in my dining room, empty, unpainted. I got the thing together in a week, last July. Just needs a PC, monitor, bezel. marquee, control panel, controls, paint, coin door, and t-molding.

Does it fit down the stairs?

[pointdablame]

I am 16. My cabinet sits in my dining room, empty, unpainted. I got the thing together in a week, last July. Just needs a PC, monitor, bezel. marquee, control panel, controls, paint, coin door, and t-molding.

so... you have a box?

[Stingray]

I am 16. My cabinet sits in my dining room, empty, unpainted. I got the thing together in a week, last July. Just needs a PC, monitor, bezel. marquee, control panel, controls, paint, coin door, and t-molding.

so... you have a box?

Hey, not just a box. A big box.

-S

[JackTucky]

Hey, not just a box. A big box.
-S

Heh heh.  Big box.

Jacktucky

[missioncontrol]

I am 16. My cabinet sits in my dining room, empty, unpainted. I got the thing together in a week, last July. Just needs a PC, monitor, bezel. marquee, control panel, controls, paint, coin door, and t-molding.

Isn't next week July again?

[PoDunkMoFo]

I've got a whole mess of cabinets sitting out in the shop.  All they need is;

To be cut to shape
painted
put together
T-molding installed
computer installed
controlls installed
coin door installed
front end set up

and that's it.

I guess Enterprise is a step or two ahead of me on his.

[pointdablame]

I've got a whole mess of cabinets sitting out in the shop.  All they need is;

To be cut to shape
painted
put together
T-molding installed
computer installed
controlls installed
coin door installed
front end set up

and that's it.

I guess Enterprise is a step or two ahead of me on his.

 

In that case, Home Depot and my local electronics store has a ton of cabs done as well.

[DrewKaree]

I've got a whole mess of cabinets sitting out in the shop.  All they need is;

To be cut to shape
painted
put together
T-molding installed
computer installed
controlls installed
coin door installed
front end set up

and that's it.

I guess Enterprise is a step or two ahead of me on his.

 

In that case, Home Depot and my local electronics store has a ton of cabs done as well.

I've got an even bigger collection.  There's a forest near me.  That's right, a whole damn arcade! 

[MameMaster!]

I had to add more of these     ing guys dedicated to USSEnterprise's enterprising post.....

 

[SNAAKE]