Mountain's MAME project COMPLETED WITH PICTURES 8-16-07

[Timoe]

I say w00t!

[BobA]

Very innovative details.    Wiring of CP is absoulutely first rate.   Great job 

[Kaytrim]

Dang mountain, I am going to have to agree with your wife.  That is one supper neat wiring job.  Looks like you used a wire tie every inch or so.  This is one CP that will look very nice once it is mounted on a cab.  Though I'd say that you have crossed the line into over kill with the wire ties.

TTFN
Kaytrim

[bleargh]

Nice.... I hope my wiring turns out that clean..

[mountain]

Dang mountain, I am going to have to agree with your wife.  That is one supper neat wiring job.  Looks like you used a wire tie every inch or so.  This is one CP that will look very nice once it is mounted on a cab.  Though I'd say that you have crossed the line into over kill with the wire ties.

TTFN
Kaytrim

I don't believe in overkill Kaytrim 

Actually, those are not wire ties, it is aviation tie cord. The only wire ties used were at the tie down points. Tie cord is a wax impregnated nylon weave that never loosens up. Each one is cut, wrapped, and tied in a special that when cinched it down it holds tight. Then you put a standard knot on top.

[theCoder]

Were you a telephone technician in a previous life?  Very nice.  Aviation tie cord huh?  Is it readily available?

[Donkey_Kong]

Wow. That CP is amazing. That is a wiring job that would definitely make game designers jealous.

You should submit this cab for a Mamey Award...
http://www.mameworld.net/massive/NEWMAMEY/awards.html

[mountain]

Were you a telephone technician in a previous life?  Very nice.  Aviation tie cord huh?  Is it readily available?

No, but I was an Avionics tech for 10+ years wiring corporate jets. It’s really hard to wire something less than perfect when that was the norm for so long. It really doesn’t take that much more time, it is all in the approach and planning.

If you are interested in the lacing cord, I looked online for it and found a few places that carry it. It is commonly referred to as lacing cord, lacing string, tie cord, even lacing tape.

Check out the links below if you are interested in using it.

Instructions 
http://hnsa.org/doc/cabling/part5.htm

Buy it
http://www.wassco.com/walaco.html

Wow. That CP is amazing. That is a wiring job that would definitely make game designers jealous.

You should submit this cab for a Mamey Award...
http://www.mameworld.net/massive/NEWMAMEY/awards.html

Thanks DK!

[Santoro]

WOW. I love these cabs with such incredible attention to detail!

Very very nice, I can't wait to see the final product.

[shorthair]

Thought those interested in mountain's plunger circuit design might also be interested in someone else's approach to this:

http://www.johnsretroarcade.com/hardware_pinball.asp#overview


And totally stellar job...but, you have the advantage of technical experience in an electronics field (and who knows what else).

[mountain]

Thought those interested in mountain's plunger circuit design might also be interested in someone else's approach to this:

http://www.johnsretroarcade.com/hardware_pinball.asp#overview


And totally stellar job...but, you have the advantage of technical experience in an electronics field (and who knows what else).

shorthair,
this is where I got the circuit schematic.  I posted the same link earlier in the thread. My initial thought was to use a long leaf switch mechanism.

Thanks for the nice remark, it definitely helps having experience in certain fields. 

[theCoder]

If you are interested in the lacing cord, I looked online for it and found a few places that carry it. It is commonly referred to as lacing cord, lacing string, tie cord, even lacing tape.

I just closed on an EBay purchase of two 500 yard spools of black size 5 lacing tape for $20.50 delivered.  That should last me for a lifetime.  It will go on my shelf, right next to the half empty 500 yard spool of jute twine passed down from my Grandfather.  Thanks for the lead.  No more tie wraps for me.   If anyone is interested in some, drop me a PM.

Tie cord is a wax impregnated nylon weave that never loosens up. Each one is cut, wrapped, and tied in a special that when cinched it down it holds tight. Then you put a standard knot on top.

What special and standard knots do you use?

[Kaytrim]

What special and standard knots do you use?

Follow the link to the instructions that he gave above.  I looked at them and they lay it all out nice and neat.  I wonder if dental floss will do the same thing.

TTFN
Kaytrim

[theCoder]

Tie cord is a wax impregnated nylon weave that never loosens up. Each one is cut, wrapped, and tied in a special that when cinched it down it holds tight. Then you put a standard knot on top.

What special and standard knots do you use?

Found it.  Straight from Mil-spec: NASA-STD-8739.4

[mountain]

If you are interested in the lacing cord, I looked online for it and found a few places that carry it. It is commonly referred to as lacing cord, lacing string, tie cord, even lacing tape.

I just closed on an EBay purchase of two 500 yard spools of black size 5 lacing tape for $20.50 delivered.  That should last me for a lifetime.  It will go on my shelf, right next to the half empty 500 yard spool of jute twine passed down from my Grandfather.  Thanks for the lead.  No more tie wraps for me.   If anyone is interested in some, drop me a PM.

Tie cord is a wax impregnated nylon weave that never loosens up. Each one is cut, wrapped, and tied in a special that when cinched it down it holds tight. Then you put a standard knot on top.

What special and standard knots do you use?

Wow Coder, that will last forever. Just be prepared for sore fingers. As you tighten the cord, the string will make your pinkies tender for a while. I used to go through a 500 yard roll in about two weeks, I had a callous the size of a dime on each pinkie until I switched careers. The stuff is nice if you want a clean look because it is not as bulky as a wire tie. I would suggest only using one square knot on top of the clove hitch instead of two. Remember, that knot is meant to last for years in a very harsh aircraft environment with tons of vibration and temperature swings. An arcade cabinet stored in room temps is a bit different, obviously.

There is a Star Wars cabinet joke hiding in these last few posts somewhere. I just can't think of one.   

[mountain]

What special and standard knots do you use?

Follow the link to the instructions that he gave above.  I looked at them and they lay it all out nice and neat.  I wonder if dental floss will do the same thing.

TTFN
Kaytrim

Probably not. It is not thick enough or strong enough, plus there is not enough wax in it for it to work properly. i wouldn't recommend flossing with lacing cord either 

[mountain]

As I said in my last picture update, I had a hard time getting some good pictures of the top of my CP. I was hoping to take it outside this past weekend and get a few good shots but ran out of time. These were taken in the garage Sunday night.



Since I had to piece the Wico 8-way and 4-way joysticks together with NOS parts, I had a hard time getting dust washers that matched, or even looked good. I had a friend who has access to a laser cutting machine to cut out some dust washers out of 1/16” clear Plexiglas. I painted the bottoms black, polished the edges, and used felt on the bottom side.



I need to mention one more time that if it were not for Kneivel's Neon Mame I wouldn't have even built this. That said, I obviously used his layout and technique, but I flattened out the forward curve of the CP so that the controls were closer to the the user. Plus, this cabinet started out as an Atari cabinet, it is only 25" wide (outside dimensions). I wanted to make sure that it didn't look too overwhelming and dominate the whole cab.



Trackball bevel detail.

[javeryh]

Beautiful.  Any chance of you posting dimensions of the top?  I'm especially curious as to the radius of the front curve.

[Havok]

Pretty! Love the glossy joysticks! However, you've got to ditch that middle black button and throw a Turbo Twist spinner in there!

[mountain]

LOL!

That is excactly what is going to happen. I need to take some measurements to see if I can fit a steering wheel too. The black button is just there to fill the hole for now.

[theCoder]

I love those low profile shots of shinny CP's.  Yours looks great!.  Make sure you post it in the CP pictures library thread. 

[Knievel]

Very nice. The top looks familiar so I can't get too excited over it but the wiring is superb.

How's the sharpness of your CPO graphic? Gauging by that Space Invader it looks like you blew up the background maybe 4x more than I did.

If you find those leaf buttons a little high you can but some rubber o-rings above the c-clip and bring them down a bit. I couldn't get used to the height and the rings made them perfect for me.

[mountain]

I love those low profile shots of shinny CP's.  Yours looks great!.  Make sure you post it in the CP pictures library thread. 

Oh yeah, I will do that soon.

Very nice. The top looks familiar so I can't get too excited over it but the wiring is superb.

How's the sharpness of your CPO graphic? Gauging by that Space Invader it looks like you blew up the background maybe 4x more than I did.

If you find those leaf buttons a little high you can but some rubber o-rings above the c-clip and bring them down a bit. I couldn't get used to the height and the rings made them perfect for me.

I did make it bigger but I don't remember how much. The image stayed very sharp, I am very pleased with it.

The switches do seem to be higher than I remember. That sounds like a great fix. It also sounds like it may quet the little bit of rattle I hear when hit repeatedly.  Does it help keep the button from spinning at all? My admin buttons are Happs with microswitches and they stay put, but my Player I and II and mouse buttons turn because they are leafswitches. I don't want to have to always be straightening the labels. Any ideas, other than using microswitch buttons?

[somunny]

Really nice looking, mountain. 

[Knievel]

Oh yea that's other reason I did the o-rings, it gets rid of that annoying rattle really well.

I don't have labels on my leafs but I assume it would help stop the spinning to some degree.

[mountain]

Oh yea that's other reason I did the o-rings, it gets rid of that annoying rattle really well.

I don't have labels on my leafs but I assume it would help stop the spinning to some degree.

I found some rubber washers, not o-rings, and installed them above the e-clip last night. The washers (1/4" ID) were a very snug fit around the shaft of the button. They seem to deaden the button making them feel a lot less plastic, if that makes sense. The buttons sit lower now and the are much more quiet. I can't wait to play a game with them!

Great tip Knievel, thanks!

[javeryh]

hey mountain - do you happen to have plans of your CP top - I'm laying mine out and I want a similar look and I''d love to get the details if you have them stored somewhere - specifically I'd like to know:

1.  the overall dimensions
2.  measurements of the curve in the front
3.  the radius of the top corners
4.  the placement of the trackball (dead center?)
5.  The placement of the P1 and P1 buttons (did you line the center line of the CP up with the top row of buttons, the bottom row or buttons or between the 2 rows of buttons?)

A huge thanks in advance!   

[mountain]

hey mountain - do you happen to have plans of your CP top - I'm laying mine out and I want a similar look and I''d love to get the details if you have them stored somewhere - specifically I'd like to know:

1.  the overall dimensions
2.  measurements of the curve in the front
3.  the radius of the top corners
4.  the placement of the trackball (dead center?)
5.  The placement of the P1 and P1 buttons (did you line the center line of the CP up with the top row of buttons, the bottom row or buttons or between the 2 rows of buttons?)

A huge thanks in advance!  

PM sent

[Santoro]

How did you polish the bevel? 

[Donkey_Kong]

Outstanding!

[mountain]

How did you polish the bevel? 

I think the key is to do it in small chunks of time. I know that if I try to complete a project that is very tedious in one sitting, I will end up rushing it towards the end, messing it up.

Be sure to leave the protective paper/plastic on the Plexiglas until it is ready to install.

I started off with 200 grit sandpaper to eliminate the ridges created by the router bit. I used little 1” x 2” squares and worked very slowly, using the tip of my finger to apply slight pressure to the edge.

Using long, slow strokes, I did about ¼ of the circle at a time being very careful to keep the sandpaper at the same angle as the bevel. Using the same technique I followed up with 600 grit sandpaper. I then switched over to the Novus plastic polish system. I started with Novus 3, then Novus 2, and finally Novus 1 polish, again, making sure to keep the cloth on the same angle.

I also polished the outside edge of the CP Plexiglas as well. Even though the T-molding covers it up, you will be able to see the edge through the top of the CP.

[javeryh]

That's sick!  It's also something that I never would have thought to do in a million years but I definitely will now that I've seen the results. 

[Anubis_au]

Mountain

Is there a chance of getting your CP photoshop file? I want to have a closer look at how you've done a few of the things on your graphic, even though I'm thinking of going a different colour scheme...

If yes, send me a PM and I'll reply with email address.

Cheers.

ps LOVE the cabinet!!! 

[bmrust]

Mountain

Is there a chance of getting your CP photoshop file? I want to have a closer look at how you've done a few of the things on your graphic, even though I'm thinking of going a different colour scheme...

If yes, send me a PM and I'll reply with email address.

Cheers.

ps LOVE the cabinet!!! 

http://www.localarcade.com/arcade_art/search.htm

Search for "Fusion"

[Anubis_au]

I've already got the fusion graphic downloaded.

What I want is to have a closer look at the black and blue 'bands' on the CP, etc. That's why I asked if I could have a look at Mountain's file.

I like the blue n black colour scheme but I am thinking of making mine blue, black and yellow. I want to experiment with the colours...

[dynamite]

Anubis_au, if you're trying to figure out how to make them you could just check out the little tutorial Knievel has on his site explaining how he did his.

[mountain]

Anubis_au, I sent you a pm

I took the last 6 weeks off from the project but I do have the machine up and running, just some small wiring details left to do. I will try to get some pictures up as soon as I get time to take some good pictures. Its hard to do with it in the basement, not much light.

[javeryh]

Any pics of the finished cab?  I'm dying to see how everything turned out.   

[ARTIFACT]

BEAUTIFUL work!

[mountain]

Thanks for the interest javeryh! You have motivated me to get down there and get some good shots of the cab. It has been a very busy summer with the kids sports, vacation, and business trips. I can tell you that the cab has been getting a work out. The kids love it and everyone who plays it wants one. I think I will be building a full size machine for my brother and a bartop for my father this fall.