Project: Hyperspace Quad Cab (Update)

[(+_+)]

And then there were 2... scrap pieces. I ended up going to Reno Depot first thing this morning. Bought my second piece of plexi 4.5 mil. Drilled my 4 holes perfectly using a small wooden spade bit. It worked like a charm. Peeled off the protective layer and loosely anchored it to the monitor frame. Here's the nifty part. The guy cracked it while cutting it. I noticed the guy was passing the saw a little to quickly for my liking and causing chipping on the inside of both cuts. On one of the larger chips a crack had formed. You should have seen my face... PRICELESS. When I returned it they gave me a song and dance about plexi and blah di blah, blah, blah. I gave the new guy my brief rendition explaining why it cracked. I think it was the expression on my fed up face more that the actual explanation that sold the free replacement deal. He cut it nice and slow this time and it worked out just right. It's drilled for the third time  and ready for painting.

Good news on another front. My friend printed up the crosshairs for my control panel
and I just finished center punching it. I'll take a few updated shots over the next few days and post them up.

[(+_+)]

Here's some more progress. I got the keyboard door attached, but still need to add some sliders for the keyboard tray. I'm most likely going to go  for a smaller footprint keyboard (not that I have a choice due to the 13" space). I also attached the speaker grill. I'm quite happy with the way it turned out. I may add a blue light on the inside of the grill for effect. I also drilled most of the control panel holes, but still need to cut out the trackball hole and countersink the trackball plate. And last but not least the screen plexi (take deep breaths and count to 3). I've still got to block off the area I don't want painted and spray paint it. I'm saving that fot the weekend though.

[(+_+)]

My only suggestion would be to make the speakers 'stand out' a little more. Now the small holes look, well, small :-)

Did you consider using anything in front of these (darn how do I explain this) so you cannot see the actual speakers, but are under the impression there is a massive grid of speakers left and right? (Hey, you might actually put in that many speakers, but that's not going to improve sound :-))

Now that the plexi extravaganza is out of the way... Do you have any suggestions for satellite speaker covers. I did give it some thought and looked around a bit but couldn't see anything I liked. I originally liked the open look, but the more I think about it, the more I convince myself that one of my 3 kids will try to see if a pencil or some other pointy object will fit in the speaker opening.

[Kaytrim]

See if you can find a cover that matches the one you have for the sub woofer.  That really look cool on the cab. 

Kaytrim

[(+_+)]

Just finished (almost) drilling the control panel plexi. I ended up picking up a 1-1/8" spade bit since the forsner bit didn't seem to cut very well. I ended up using the sandwich trick. I placed my piece of plexi in the control panel channel and then put another piece of mdf on top of the plexi and clamped it in place. This way it stayed locked in position. The reason I say channel is due to the black control panel border being 1/8" higher than the mdf that is being drill into. The plexi ends up inset into the cp. It ended up taking me an hour and and a half. I took my sweet time and let the bit melt its way through. Often at the end of a piercing, there would be a soft and very hot thin plastic ring hooked onto the bottom of the bit. The only remaining hole to drill is the trackball hole. I saved the best for last. Do you think I should drill a smaller hole and then route it to 3" or just use a 3" door hole drill. Let me know what everyone thinks about this. Thanks.

[Kaytrim]

This can be done both ways with good results.  It is a matter of choice.

TTFN 
Kaytrim

[(+_+)]

I ended up going with the dewalt 3" door hole cutter. I did a practice shot on a piece of scrap and it snapped like a dry twig. I had let the attached 5/16" drill that's attached to the cylinder do the intial hole and it grabbed and twisted causing the scrap piece to snap. I decided to use a 5/16" drill only, went slowly and drill a pilot hole first. I then followed up with the 3" door hole cutter using the 5/16" hole to guide the 3" bit. It worked very well this time on my scrap piece. So I went ahead and did the real piece. I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't freaking out before, during and even after the process. Thank god it also worked very well. I can't over emphasize how important it is to do a practice shot or 2 when doing things you haven't done before. Please believe me, it'll save you time, money and your mind. I'm sure the experienced builders would vouch up and down about this. Anyways to make a long story short. Wooooooohooooo. The plexi is done.  .

Here's a shot. I'm going to wait until I get my artwork in before I peel off the plexi paper.

[Kaytrim]

I'm going to wait until I get my artwork in before I peel off the plexi paper.

Good idea.  That paper is to protect the plexi from minor scratches during installation.  As far as I am concerned the install is not done until the artwork is in place. 

TTFN 
Kaytrim

[(+_+)]

Precisely. But I did peel up the paper and then smooth it back down again. I just had to take a peek.

[leapinlew]

I ended up going with the dewalt 3" door hole cutter.

Whats your thoughts? I have always used a 5/8ths drill bit and a router with a flush trim bit to trim up my plexi. I have yet to break some plexi with this method.

[Knievel]

Checking in on this one..things are really moving along.

Pic's from the 26th are very nice. Looks like a beautiful paint job. 

[(+_+)]

I ended up going with the dewalt 3" door hole cutter.

Whats your thoughts? I have always used a 5/8ths drill bit and a router with a flush trim bit to trim up my plexi. I have yet to break some plexi with this method.

Your method was actually going to be my first approach, but I had given my friend back his router. Doing a pilot hole first and then following it up with the door hole cutter and letting it cut and melt its way through slowly seems as effective. The only concern I'd have is plunging the hole cutter in crooked since it could cause a twist and snap your plexi. That being said it may be safer using the pilot hole followed by the router.

Pic's from the 26th are very nice. Looks like a beautiful paint job.

That's knievel. It's actually a black tint job with a bit of extra tint added to the finishing clear coat because the knots and dowels were still showing through.

[(+_+)]

Here's a few more updates with the monitor plexi in place as well as the trackball countersink that turned out well. The control panel plexi now sits flush with the buttons holes. The counter sink turned out to be a little tricky because of the border lip that is 1/8" higher than the rest. We ended up using a router and double sided tape to anchor the router guide. Worked out well. My next mission is to get the artwork printed.

[Neilyboy]

dang man im jealous haha. I cant wait to see this thing..

Neil

[(+_+)]

Man, those pictures look ghastly. Am I loosing quality on the shrink process. I am using Photoshop and shrinking them down from 3072 X 2304 to 600 x 450. 

I've got one of these
http://www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au/images/a630.jpg

Either the camera is broken, I'm not using the right settings or I am a camera turnip.
I'm leaning towards the later.

[mountain]

Do you have Office? I use Microsoft Office Picture Manager to do quick edits light brightness and contrast. It is also really simple to shrink pictures very fast.

[leapinlew]

Man, those pictures look ghastly. Am I loosing quality on the shrink process. I am using Photoshop and shrinking them down from 3072 X 2304 to 600 x 450. 

I've got one of these
http://www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au/images/a630.jpg

Either the camera is broken, I'm not using the right settings or I am a camera turnip.
I'm leaning towards the later.

Use the Microsoft Picture Resizer. It's a free powertoy from MS. Right click an image(s) and it gives you different resize options. Much faster than photoshop.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx

[efswanso]

the pictures are out of focus. don't think photoshop is the problem

[gShooter]

This is one of the nicest cabs I have ever seen and fits in perfectly with my idea of how I want mine to look.  The craftsmanship is top notch.  Did you design the framework from scratch or did you follow a set of plans?

[(+_+)]

Thanks gShooter, your praise really means a lot to me seeing I lost a finger and 2 toes in the process. I kidd, I kidd.

Unfortunately, I did most of the planning doodling on paper and thinking about it non stop. I tried to make the unit large enough to support a large monitor. I put a lot of consideration into the placement of the controls as well as controller distancing from the screen. I also built it like the pyramids so that it'll stand the test of time. If you plan to go a similar route and have any questions just drop me a PM and I'll do my best to answer any questions you have.

[(+_+)]

Progress has been a little slow as of late, but I did manage to make a quick access door on the back of the marquee. I used magnets and 2 little grip knobs to pull it off. It turned out nice and I like the snugness and the way I can quickly remove it. I also added the keyboard slider tray. I just need to stain those and then I'll be posting a few updated shots. I also picked up an Adesso (AKB-410US) mini keyboard that's almost 12" wide which fits perfectly on the sliding tray.

[(+_+)]

So I finally got around to redoing my CP artwork at 300 DPI instead of the original 72 DPI. I did have to scrap the nice outer space backdrop due to the picture being way too small for the larger canvas size. I got the marquee printed by Scott at Mame marquees and he was very helpful and it turned out great. I also ended up having to countersink the 2 outer joysticks because the Mag-Stik Plus have nubs for joysticks and the supposed longer ball shaft that I ordered was actually shorter than stock pear one. Not to mention that the black ball was the size of a pea in comparison to the ultrastik red balltops. 

I have to admit that the artwork has been the bane of my entire project. I just got a call from the person that's going to be printing my CP and the file is corrupt. I'm going to swing by tonight and give them a fresh copy. Should have the art by next Friday and then the wiring fun begins.

My in ground pool is in and the mess finally cleaned up so I'll have tons of extra time to work on my cab. Man does an inground pool ever cause a mess. I'll never do that again.

I should have some more pictures to post soon.

[Kaytrim]

Hey welcome back.  Looking at your new CP art something struck me funny.   The joystick placements look like spiked balls.

TTFN
Kaytrim

[(+_+)]

Maybe after I insert the joysticks. 

Unless I've missed the boat completely, it brings a song to mind.

Here comes Johnny with his Pecker in his hand, he's a one ball man and he's off
to the rodeo... 

[Dudeman]

"Come on you --- smurfing ---- dummy get your right step right."

[(+_+)]

Ladies and gentlemen, the artwork is here and has been installed along with the controls.  . I was starting to think this day would never come. I'm going to start wiring it up and put in the piano hinge for the lid. I'm also going to add some sort of arm on both sides to hold up the lid when working on it. Sort of like a card front hood arm except on boths sides. When it's finally all together, buff it up and take some decent pictures for a change. It'll give my buddy an excuse to pull out his very expensive camera.

Anyways here's a few pics.

[TOK]

Wow, that looks very nice, but the button layout is brutal. Are the outer sets of controls your player 1 and 2?

[(+_+)]

Yes they are TOK. This was done to make room for players 1 and 2. The reason for the center button brutality is quite simple. For me Robotron must be in the center (2 red ball joysticks). Other similar games such as Mutant Storm, Veck, Geometry wars, Smash TV. Everything else is secondary, yet very playable. The center config can play Asteroids, Defender, Stargate exactly the way I like it. Not to mention almost every other game I can imagine or like. As for configuring, I know I've strayed from the standard Mame defaults. By using my front end it is very easy to configure it any way I want to. To boot, I can play a game one way and my kids can play using a completely different profile. I have 2 kids that are lefties and they can set up the game the way they like it and leave my profile intact without having to switch it all the time. Just out of curiosity, what did you find so brutal about it. I may be able to retort with my 2 cents if applicable. 

[TOK]

I just had difficulty wrapping my head around it for a couple reasons. The placement of the sticks looked too tight for 4 player use, and since the outer sticks were angled, I originally thought that the inner sticks might have been your player 1 & 2, and the backward layout combined with the non standard button layout wouldn't work for me as an everyday use controller.

Now that you've described it, I can see the Defender/Stargate layout there and it makes much more sense, though I'm still not sure I'd like an angled position for my normal 1 and 2 player games. Nothing wrong with it, just different preferences. 

[(+_+)]

The placement of the sticks looked too tight for 4 player use

Actually on my previous cab, I had a similar setup where players 2 and 4 would interfere with each other a tiny bit. I spread them out a bit more this time around and unless both players have gorilla sized hands I have nothing to worry about.

Now that you've described it, I can see the Defender/Stargate layout there and it makes much more sense

 . I doodled long and hard with the button layout diagrams and because of the games I enjoy most, this was the best I could come up with. The little voice inside my head drove me crazy about for a while about it.

though I'm still not sure I'd like an angled position for my normal 1 and 2 player games.

The reasons for this are 2 fold and if I remember correctly there have been entire thread debates about this here and it really boils down to personal preferences. These are my 2 reasons for it.

1) The angle forces each outer player to angle themselves giving you quite a bit more shoulder room for Gauntlet and The Simpsons.

2) I believe you have a more confortable stance and natural viewing angle since you don't have to play facing straight ahead and looking off at an angle. Especially so for the wider panels. Even more so with the wider panels and smaller screens.

 

[(+_+)]

Got most of the wiring done and plan to complete it this weekend. I'll follow up with a few pictures once completed. I've been getting a lot of pressure from my kids lately so I'm under the gun. 

[(+_+)]

I've completed wiring.

I have 2 ultrastiks installed and noticed that the magnetic disk lightly touches the rounded black chip that's attached to the circuit board. I've installed the round restrictor plate and was wondering if it is meant to be this way or have I reassembled it incorrectly. Everything seems to be hooked up correctly and now I'm wondering if I should put in 4 small washers to give it the extra millimeter it needs... or doesn't need depending on your advice.

Thanks.
 

[Kaytrim]

you might want to shoot a PM or email to Andy at Ultimarc to be sure.  His customer service is top notch.

TTFN

[(+_+)]

Thanks Kaytrim. I've already started corresponding with Andy and he responded in no time. He offers great service as well as great products!! I sent him back a pic just to be sure that this is what he meant.

"The washers should indeed be installed, between the flange of the black spacer and the restrictor plate."

I think he means here (see pic) but I just want to be sure. Can anybody who has installed the Ultrastik with the round restrictor plates confirm this?

[(+_+)]

Andy just confirmed that "We are in the process of having one-piece spacers made which will not need the washers but for now, thats where it goes".

[hulkster]

whoa!  this is the first ive seen of this cab 

it almost looks like you are giving your own spin on the showcase style cab.  nice to see another showcase builder!

[(+_+)]

Thanks hulkster. I'm very close to being finished. I just need to finish up a couple of small details and polish her up. I'll probably post some pictures over the next couple of days.

[hulkster]

nice.  looking forward to it.   

[(+_+)]

Here's a few more shots of the almost finished cab. All that's left to do is make a backing for the monitor cabinet and hopefully find some speaker grills similar to the subwoofer grill or perhaps look into something custom. I also plan to create a video demo of the PowerGamer App in action.

Should have dusted the CP 

[(+_+)]

Here's a few wiring pics as well.