Author Topic: My in-limbo 1/4 scale Space Invaders with 5" CRT (or he who hesitates is lost) (Read 15077 times)

danny_galaga · « **on:** October 08, 2006, 04:08:40 am »

(",)

STAY TUNED

(",)

SNAAKE · « **Reply #1 on:** October 08, 2006, 08:14:20 am »

johnm160 · « **Reply #2 on:** October 08, 2006, 09:44:22 am »

nullb0y · « **Reply #3 on:** October 08, 2006, 11:27:03 am »

YES WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!

theCoder · « **Reply #4 on:** October 09, 2006, 12:23:26 am »

Oh, man, that's cold, although it is quite funny and is warrented.

Lots of people post here saying, "I'm thinking about doing this, and when I build mine I'm going to do that." The other day I drove through a neighborhood of very expensive houses. I'm going to buy a home in there.....someday. Talk like that doesn't mean squat to you and especially not my wife. Get cutting and show the progress.

<< edit >>
My bad. I just noticed you've been a member of this forum a lot longer than I. You know the crap that gets flung posts like "I got wood". In this case, Snaake's comment was not cold, but a great jab. With that said, get cutting and show the progress. I look forward to seeing your new creation.

danny_galaga · « **Reply #5 on:** October 09, 2006, 03:58:30 am »

Quote from: theCoder on October 09, 2006, 12:23:26 am

Oh, man, that's cold, although it is quite funny and is warrented.

Lots of people post here saying, "I'm thinking about doing this, and when I build mine I'm going to do that." The other day I drove through a neighborhood of very expensive houses. I'm going to buy a home in there.....someday. Talk like that doesn't mean squat to you and especially not my wife. Get cutting and show the progress.

<< edit >>
My bad. I just noticed you've been a member of this forum a lot longer than I. You know the crap that gets flung posts like "I got wood". In this case, Snaake's comment was not cold, but a great jab. With that said, get cutting and show the progress. I look forward to seeing your new creation.

ahem:

(",) . i built this BEFORE i joined! and yes, ive seen a lot of 'im gonna do this and that' type threads. and ive been umming and ahhing for ages before i got started on my second project last sunday. thats why im so excited. i KNOW its happening now...

fredster · « **Reply #6 on:** October 09, 2006, 03:52:06 pm »

Really pretty Danny.

Whatcha gonna make this time ?

Stingray · « **Reply #7 on:** October 09, 2006, 03:59:42 pm »

Quote from: theCoder on October 09, 2006, 12:23:26 am

My bad. I just noticed you've been a member of this forum a lot longer than I.

And the cab in the pic he posted is a Mamey winner.

Is this the Space Invaders project, Danny?

-S

danny_galaga · « **Reply #8 on:** October 11, 2006, 04:40:04 am »

yes. once i start putting pics up ill elaborate more. i intend to have the monitor in the same position pointing up. originally i wanted to make an asteroids cab, but there were some probs with what i wanted to acheive. both look great in my opinion though. ive actually cut some wood without being 100% sure about the dimensions, but ive got the bug again so bad that i had to make a start and if im not completely happy ill think of it as a mark I and sell the empty cab on ebay. then the second will be even more exacting. but i think what im doing will turn out fine (",)

edit: just got an invite from someone local with a taito SI cab! so i'll be bringing beers and a camera to his place real soon (",). ill try and get as much detail as i need personally but also the right external dimensions for others to make. something for jakobud?

fredster · « **Reply #9 on:** October 11, 2006, 08:58:08 am »

Have you thought about making an Asteroids Deluxe Cab?
they have the monitor facing down with a mirror.

I haven't seen anybody to that. You can reverse the images on the yoke of the monitor without straining the computer's capablity by mirroring software.

I have one in my garage if you want the dimensions. It would be about 2 pieces of plywood or MDF.

Bones · « **Reply #10 on:** October 11, 2006, 09:35:10 am »

Heh. You have to laugh at some of the earlier responses. I wonder how many motorized rotating monitor cocktail machines they have created from scratch. I am so glad we have this smiley now and I am pleased to use it for the first time.....

I am watching dany. Your marketing has worked and god forbid you inject some humor or personality into a thread that is about something as serious as building an arcade machine.

Show us ya wood man, you know you want to.

psychotech · « **Reply #11 on:** October 11, 2006, 07:31:29 pm »

Hey there!

So, ..a dedicated Space Invaders.. Running on good old DOS? Nevermind..

Even though I already know the end product will be a sight to behold, I wish you good luck and all that, I

danny_galaga · « **Reply #12 on:** October 12, 2006, 05:44:29 am »

Quote from: fredster on October 11, 2006, 08:58:08 am

Have you thought about making an Asteroids Deluxe Cab?
they have the monitor facing down with a mirror.

I haven't seen anybody to that. You can reverse the images on the yoke of the monitor without straining the computer's capablity by mirroring software.

I have one in my garage if you want the dimensions. It would be about 2 pieces of plywood or MDF.

i did not know that about the asteroids deluxe! i had considered it because the artwork is beautiful, but i dont like the shape of the cab as much as asteroids- kinda looks top heavy, and i guess it probably is with the monitor way up there! . asteroids itself has a regularly orientated monitor i take it?
but i will consider the offer for the next project because there is something special about the mirror setup i think.

danny_galaga · « **Reply #13 on:** October 15, 2006, 02:30:32 am »

Quote from: Bones on October 11, 2006, 09:35:10 am

Show us ya wood man, you know you want to.

Bones · « **Reply #14 on:** October 15, 2006, 06:19:42 am »

Mines bigger.

danny_galaga · « **Reply #15 on:** October 15, 2006, 07:40:00 am »

its not the size that matters, its what you do with... ah who am i kidding? size matters

mr.Curmudgeon · « **Reply #16 on:** October 15, 2006, 10:44:55 am »

Quote from: danny_galaga on October 15, 2006, 07:40:00 am

... ah who am i kidding? size matters

Well then Pixelhugger has the biggest, thickest....ew, nevermind.

mrC

fredster · « **Reply #17 on:** October 16, 2006, 05:34:27 pm »

Quote from: danny_galaga on October 12, 2006, 05:44:29 am

i did not know that about the asteroids deluxe! i had considered it because the artwork is beautiful, but i dont like the shape of the cab as much as asteroids- kinda looks top heavy, and i guess it probably is with the monitor way up there! . asteroids itself has a regularly orientated monitor i take it?
but i will consider the offer for the next project because there is something special about the mirror setup i think.

Space invaders is the same way. The monitor is facing almost straight up and there's a mirror. So is Terminator 2.

You are right about the mirror. It doesn't really look like a mirror in the Asteroids Deluxe, more like it's shaded with a mirror like coating. It's not like a typical mirror.

It's not tough to do it. You just sit the monitor flat, or almost flat (maybe 15

danny_galaga · « **Reply #18 on:** October 17, 2006, 06:25:10 am »

yeah, space invaders monitor has a small angle from level. i wouldnt have known except that someone local let me come and have a good look at his machine (",). i also wouldnt have known that there are castor wheels at the back. i got some good measurements but i should have taken a list of what to measure because i didnt get that angle for the monitor. ill probably have to drop by his place again sometime soon...

fredster · « **Reply #19 on:** October 17, 2006, 02:36:53 pm »

If you don't get that angle right then it will have a slight double image or be keystoned.

Building from scratch you should figure a way to pivot the mirror while you build it to find the perfect angle.

Has anyone done this?

Getting two Mame awards is hogging it though Danny!

danny_galaga · « **Reply #20 on:** October 18, 2006, 09:01:39 am »

i will be holding my tongue ever so carefully to the right (no, wait. the left...)

danny_galaga · « **Reply #21 on:** October 29, 2006, 03:45:38 am »

ok, ive put together a few bits o wood. but you know, so far thats going to be the EASIEST part! i've been trying to work out the monitor. i really didnt take enough pics or notes when i went to have a look at the working SI cab the other week. do you know how hard it is to see how a vertical facing monitor sits? i found that if i tipped the cab on its side i could shift it up and down. i used a cheapy mirror from a bargain shop to get a feel for how it should all go together. and yes fredster, it gets a double image if not exactly right! from what i can tell the image on the INSIDE of the tube is reflected (or refracted) slightly up or down from the image you normally see staring straight at it. thats probably not the right reason. ive fiddled with contrast and brightness. i also suspect that having the one way mirror and the black light will take care of that problem.

so today i actually got nothing done really! was too afraid to start cutting and drilling without maybe having a look at that SI cab again. but hey, it was fun playing space invaders lying on my side with a mirror imaged game! i think ill do that yoke reversing thing you mentioned fredster. ill check out the monitor forums to make sure i get it right.

Bones · « **Reply #22 on:** October 29, 2006, 06:47:19 am »

Looking good man and coming together very quickly.

theCoder · « **Reply #23 on:** October 29, 2006, 07:00:31 pm »

Quote from: danny_galaga on October 29, 2006, 03:45:38 am

i used a cheapy mirror from a bargain shop to get a feel for how it should all go together. and yes fredster, it gets a double image if not exactly right!

The double image comes from the image reflecting off the front glass side and back metal side of the mirror. The effect is greater with thicker glass and cheaper mirrors. Higher quality mirrors have a special anti-reflective coating on the front. Check with your local glass shop and see if they have any recommendations.

danny_galaga · « **Reply #24 on:** October 30, 2006, 04:59:48 am »

yeah, and now ive had a bit of a search for 'mirror' in the monitor forum i find this:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=39394.0

now the next question is what to ask for when i need to buy a one way reflective top silvered mirror. if i ask for that will they look at me strange?

theCoder · « **Reply #25 on:** October 30, 2006, 09:20:01 am »

Just drop in and play dumb (I'm good at it). Tell them what you are doing and ask a lot of questions. Any good glass shop should know exactly how to help you.

shardian · « **Reply #26 on:** October 30, 2006, 12:53:30 pm »

It's called front-surface mirror, and it is mucho-grande expensive. It is used most often in precision optics setups.

Here is a place that sells larger format front surface mirror.

http://www.highreflectivemirrors.com/

AlanS17 · « **Reply #27 on:** October 30, 2006, 01:11:45 pm »

... or you could just try to grab the mirror out of one of the games that already used it like Space Invaders. If you go that route, I would suggest trying to find a machine that's not particularly salvageable.

danny_galaga · « **Reply #28 on:** October 31, 2006, 04:41:39 am »

Quote from: AlanS17 on October 30, 2006, 01:11:45 pm

... or you could just try to grab the mirror out of one of the games that already used it like Space Invaders. If you go that route, I would suggest trying to find a machine that's not particularly salvageable.

now THERES a thinkin man! ill keep my eyes peeled...

shardian · « **Reply #29 on:** October 31, 2006, 07:48:06 am »

...yes, space invaders cabinets in working condition pop up around here all the time for cheap...

Stingray · « **Reply #30 on:** October 31, 2006, 03:20:24 pm »

A Space Invaders mirror does pop up on fleabay now and again. I have no idea what kind of money they command, however.

-S

tommy · « **Reply #31 on:** October 31, 2006, 10:13:40 pm »

I get wood when i see wood. Please do not post any wood pictures.

danny_galaga · « **Reply #32 on:** November 02, 2006, 06:20:47 am »

Quote from: tommy on October 31, 2006, 10:13:40 pm

I get wood when i see wood. Please do not post any wood pictures.

must resist...

dammit!

Steve B. · « **Reply #33 on:** November 02, 2006, 05:29:03 pm »

Just to give you an idea of what they go for, here's one that ended not too long ago:

Space Invaders Mirror on ebay

It went unsold. If you're still interested, you might want to contact him.

-Steve

spacies · « **Reply #34 on:** November 02, 2006, 06:09:58 pm »

Does that just look like a peice of glass with window tint on it or am I dreaming?

Have you tried that Danny?
I bought a peice for the front of the Donkey Kong cab for $5 from a glass shop and stuck it to the inside of the glass.

You couldn't see inside with the machine turned off but when it was on it was stunning!
Could be worth 5 squid trying it out?

tommy · « **Reply #35 on:** November 02, 2006, 08:36:37 pm »

Yes my son wood is a good start, now for the hard part... you must use tools along with your brain and hands in perfect harmony and construct the machine of your dreams.

Some words of advise that all should know and most do, while constructing your cab if you see something that is not right (you will know when this happends by the little guy on your shoulder that says. thats not right and you damn well know it) DO NOT pass it by without fixing it because you really want to get the thing done quickly, as i once did.

Good luck.

johnm160 · « **Reply #36 on:** November 03, 2006, 11:34:13 pm »

Quote from: danny_galaga on November 02, 2006, 06:20:47 am

Quote from: tommy on October 31, 2006, 10:13:40 pm
I get wood when i see wood. Please do not post any wood pictures.

must resist...

dammit!

Nice Woody!

WaRpEd · « **Reply #37 on:** November 10, 2006, 09:43:50 pm »

Sanded my wood to hard and got splinters

danny_galaga · « **Reply #38 on:** November 03, 2007, 05:59:54 am »

ok, this time it's gonna happen. geez, it's been a year! but today i thought 'gosh darnnit', let's get it going again. to that end i started working on the CP. i even found where my soldering iron had got to and hacked a joypad. i'm working on the CP because once that's done i can try and tackle the monitor again, which is surprisingly difficult being vertically mounted. so maybe THIS year i'll have something to show (",)

edit: or maybe THIS year...

edit edit: or perhaps next year...

danny_galaga · « **Reply #39 on:** February 19, 2010, 03:21:17 am »

Ok, this year for sure. I can feel it in my bones. You'd think a cab just sitting in the corner would get in the way, but it's surprising how little room these things take. It's amazing what you get used to

dmworking247 · « **Reply #40 on:** February 20, 2010, 04:59:03 am »

oh dear, Danny's got wood... he must have finally got his hands on "Conkers Bad Fur Day" for the N64

danny_galaga · « **Reply #41 on:** February 20, 2010, 08:55:43 pm »

Quote from: dmworking247 on February 20, 2010, 04:59:03 am

oh dear, Danny's got wood... he must have finally got his hands on "Conkers Bad Fur Day" for the N64

well, you KNOW i've Conkers for a while now

danny_galaga · « **Reply #42 on:** September 10, 2010, 11:19:29 pm »

definitely this year! I live alone these days and I can leave all my crap where ever I please

danny_galaga · « **Reply #43 on:** August 03, 2012, 06:36:29 pm »

Or maybe this year...

Le Chuck · « **Reply #44 on:** September 03, 2012, 06:05:29 pm »

Stop watching movies and do something with this!

danny_galaga · « **Reply #45 on:** July 30, 2013, 03:57:59 am »

Ok, so here's the thing. I haven't been straight with the description of this build. What I was doing I thought was so cool I'd impress everyone and win the accolades of my peers. But since then someone else has come along and done almost the exact same thing, only better!

What was I holding back? Well, the following pics should tell the story. I refer you to the first pic in this thread:

danny_galaga · « **Reply #46 on:** July 30, 2013, 03:58:13 am »

I took plenny more pics all those years ago. As you can see, there might be some discrepancy in scale

danny_galaga · « **Reply #47 on:** July 30, 2013, 03:58:25 am »

As you can see, the pic of the cab looks a little different when shown in a different context

The 'floor' is actually just a table and I just painted some fake body filler marks on the one side to make it look like that was where the screws were...

CoryBee · « **Reply #48 on:** July 30, 2013, 04:04:45 am »

The hell is going on in here?

danny_galaga · « **Reply #49 on:** July 30, 2013, 04:06:15 am »

more pics coming, I think you of all people will appreciate this (",)

Pity I'm too slack to finish it. Le Chuck tried to push me in the right direction as he was in the know. To no avail...

danny_galaga · « **Reply #50 on:** July 30, 2013, 04:08:24 am »

Ok, so basically what I was doing was building a 1/4 scale Space Invaders with an actual CRT monitor. Using a GP2X running MAME. That is connected to the monitor and hacked control pad via the GP2X break out board. Custom made switches for the control panel with working coin mech. Coin mech is ugly as hell internally but it allows me to drop tiny washers in for credits (",)

Once I started hacking the monitor, which is portable, I realised I could use the battery box out of it too and make the whole thing battery operated for the novelty of it!

If I ever finish it, I will also make a separate control panel with regular switches so you can hold that as the homemade switches probably wouldn't last all that long...

danny_galaga · « **Reply #51 on:** July 30, 2013, 04:11:13 am »

A few pics of the control panel and a test run to see if it all came together...

Joystick is made from piano wire, a silver tube and a pearl bead. A real jewel

danny_galaga · « **Reply #52 on:** July 30, 2013, 04:50:41 am »

Mirror and coin mech. Coin mech and control panel are made from styrene. The mirror is mylar (I think, akin to acetate anyway) mounted on a styrene tube frame...

Coin mech was hard to work out, because of the low weight and inertia of the 'coins'. I ended up using gold leaf and gold plated RCA connectors. Does the trick. For how long, I couldn't say. that's what the extra hand held control panel will be for

CoryBee · « **Reply #53 on:** July 30, 2013, 04:51:05 am »

Oh wow

This is amazing.

Le Chuck · « **Reply #54 on:** July 30, 2013, 05:55:43 am »

Keep going!

Rick · « **Reply #55 on:** July 30, 2013, 07:53:39 am »

Quote from: danny_galaga on July 30, 2013, 03:57:59 am

Ok, so here's the thing. I haven't been straight with the description of this build.

Soooooo, you got wood ... only smaller?

danny_galaga · « **Reply #56 on:** August 02, 2013, 09:44:18 pm »

Quote from: Rick on July 30, 2013, 07:53:39 am

Quote from: danny_galaga on July 30, 2013, 03:57:59 am
Ok, so here's the thing. I haven't been straight with the description of this build.

Soooooo, you got wood ... only smaller?

Yeah, I got a little wood...


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