Author Topic: New product sneak peek photos... (Read 23490 times)

OSCAR · « **on:** April 08, 2003, 08:30:03 pm »

Discs of Tron.

I can't really call this spinner a true reproduction because I modified the design for wood control panels, however, mechanically it is nearly identical to the original design. Thanks to a member of the BYOAC (Vectoraster) for loaning me his DOT spinner, I was able to completely reverse-engineer the original design. I even kept the original mounting hole locations the same in the unlikely event someone would want to install this into a Tron control panel. The bracket is professionally fabricated and plated from 12ga steel, which is about twice the thickness of the orginal. I'll list a few specs now, but full documentation will be ready when the spinner is released:

- Leaf switches for up/down contacts
- Blue tempered spring steel for the tension springs
- 4 inch, 72 tooth encoder wheel
- All components (less shaft and sleeve) are bright zinc plated
- Original bearing and sleeve design.

ETA: 2-3 weeks
Price: TBD

As usual there are still a couple of snafu's I have to address with some of the suppliers, and once those are taken care of I will have a better idea of the final sell price. The good news is that I'm past the point of no return, so this project is definitely a go.

Below are a few pre-production photos.

A comparison photo of the OSCAR DOT, Pro, and an original Tempest spinner.

ryamkajr · « **Reply #1 on:** April 08, 2003, 08:32:07 pm »

OK, that settles it. I will be naming my first daughter "Oscar".

- Ray

Homebrew · « **Reply #2 on:** April 08, 2003, 08:37:16 pm »

Forgive me for the stupid question, but i'm not spinner savy. Where does this model fit in your lineup as far as performance. i.e. will this be between the pro and the model 3, will it be the new top peformer, etc.

-Kevin

Thenasty · « **Reply #3 on:** April 08, 2003, 08:55:58 pm »

WOW thats look great Oscar. I guess when its release, its time to upgrade my spinner and get an Opti-Pac, Unless it works with the Serial/PS2 port.

Brax · « **Reply #4 on:** April 08, 2003, 09:06:06 pm »

Holy gawd!

Ok, I'm thinkin thats the perfect all around spinner. I was going to go with the Pro but I think this is my new first choice!

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!!!

Sasquatch! · « **Reply #5 on:** April 08, 2003, 09:07:32 pm »

WOW. Just...WOW.

Similar to Homebrew's question I guess: Is there any advantage that the regular Pro would have over this? Is the spin and whatnot the same?

Frostillicus · « **Reply #6 on:** April 08, 2003, 09:16:37 pm »

Oscar, that looks great!

Can it be used as a regular spinner without noticing the DOT-ness of it? The features are cool, but it would be nice to have one that does it all.

OSCAR · « **Reply #7 on:** April 08, 2003, 10:03:52 pm »

Thanks for all the great comments!

To answer the biggest question, I have to say that the DOT spinner is the most functional spinner ever made. I have done my best to duplicate that exactly.

The feel of the DOT is unlike most spinners in that it actually has a 1/2" bearing and rotating sleeve. This gives the spinner a very heavy, yet smooth feel. In fact the original DOT is almost too heavy, especially if it were to be used with multiple games. Obviously this was not a concern with the original spinner, but to be best suited for use in MAME and all the spinner games that are available I opted to lighten up the rotating mass just a little. I can't have BYOAC'ers suing me for causing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Even still, this monster weighs just shy of 2 lbs. as pictured above.

If you give this spinner a good twist, will it spin for a very long time? No. Neither did the original. Again this goes back to the construction of the original spinner design, which I duplicated for the most authentic feeling spinner available.

The tension springs are stiff enough to not allow for up/down motion unless you intend to make those motions. My initial testing has shown that this spinner performs just as well, if not better due to the larger encoder wheel and tooth count, as the Pro spinner in "standard" spinner games such as Tempest.

This spinner also comes with my optic board which is compatible with the popular encoders such as the Opti-PAC and ME4. It also works with the optional USB mouse interface I have available on my website. For DOS compatibility you will need an encoder such as the Opti-PAC or ME4, or alternately connect it to a serial-ps/2 mouse hack such as BobA's or Minwah's popular examples.

And finally, Ray, I hope your daughter turns out much better looking than me.

PoDunkMoFo · « **Reply #8 on:** April 08, 2003, 11:09:37 pm »

Hey oscar looks awesome!!

I was wondering if you are going to offer a more DOT type knob. If I remember correctly it was kind of radiused (not sure if that's a word) around the circumference. I think the design was to make it easier on the hand when pushing and especially pulling. Just a thought. I applaud you for all your efforts and what it means to this community.

dhansen · « **Reply #9 on:** April 08, 2003, 11:15:25 pm »

Nice Oscar!! Now, let's start producing those Tempest replica knobs!!!!

BTW, LOVE my new Mame engraved aluminum knob!

Doug

Distortion · « **Reply #10 on:** April 08, 2003, 11:36:50 pm »

Man, don't I wish I wasn't poor. I still haven't painted my cabinet...don't have any plexi...I don't even have all four nuts on one of my joysticks! Could someone explain to me the control setup of DOT, cuz i never totally figured it out myself. This sounds like its going to be a top-notch product, and I REALLY can't wait to see how it turns out. As soon as I get money, there's gonna be an Oscar knob on my cabinet!

OSCAR · « **Reply #11 on:** April 08, 2003, 11:38:38 pm »

Quote from: PoDunkMoFo on April 08, 2003, 11:09:37 pm

Hey oscar looks awesome!!

I was wondering if you are going to offer a more DOT type knob. If I remember correctly it was kind of radiused (not sure if that's a word) around the circumference. I think the design was to make it easier on the hand when pushing and especially pulling. Just a thought. I applaud you for all your efforts and what it means to this community.

You mean this one?

Yes, I do have shop drawings for the DOT knob. The first time I sent it out for pricing it came back much higher than I expected so I shelved it. I'm still investigating other avenues, but so far I don't have anything concrete on it yet.

Doug - I'm glad you like the MAME engraved knob! A Tempest knob? Nah, not just yet. I still have a few more things up my sleeve before I go there.

hyiu · « **Reply #12 on:** April 09, 2003, 02:19:55 am »

dammm..... DOT spinner !!!!!!!

ok.... that is it.... I now need to modify my panel to include a spinner.....

YEAH !!!!!!!!!

this is amazing.... just too amazing......

skirge66 · « **Reply #13 on:** April 09, 2003, 02:49:42 am »

and to think I just ordered my pro....only because it was the best...and now this...it shipped just yesterday.

hey oscar, this thang is bootiful, was wondering if you might do me a favor and maybe perhaps post the mounting specs since i am getting ready to start choppin the wood for my cp, I want to make sure my design as is will have enough room for the dot footprint when I decide to upgrade... thanks

and as usual your work is just amazing...wish I had a talent like you.

u_rebelscum · « **Reply #14 on:** April 09, 2003, 04:42:49 am »

WOW!!

Look great! I've been wondering what to get for my next spinner, and am glad I didn't deside before now.

BTW, that encoder wheel doesn't happen to have 72 spokes like the 720 controller, does it? Do you know how close in size it is to the original 720 controller (IIRC, 4 3/8" but I can't find my notes). Also, if you know, were the encoder wheels for DOT and 720 the same size or number spokes?

kspiff · « **Reply #15 on:** April 09, 2003, 05:24:13 am »

Oh, joy.. I'm always the one to buy this kind of stuff before an awesome revision like this comes out.. looks sweeet..

RetroBorg · « **Reply #16 on:** April 09, 2003, 06:51:03 am »

There's no confusion now on which spinner to buy, I will be snapping up one of these for sure. Sure like the look of that DOT knob as well.

Tiger-Heli · « **Reply #17 on:** April 09, 2003, 07:16:15 am »

Hi OSCAR,

The pics look awesome and you saved me from writing to see if it worked with the engraved knob.

It looks fantastic. Count me in

(when I get around to buying stuff

)

Brax · « **Reply #18 on:** April 09, 2003, 08:13:38 am »

How soon before we can order? Price point?

Tiger-Heli · « **Reply #19 on:** April 09, 2003, 08:17:48 am »

Quote from: Brax on April 09, 2003, 08:13:38 am

How soon before we can order? Price point?

See initial post - 2-3 weeks, TBD.

KevSteele · « **Reply #20 on:** April 09, 2003, 09:42:12 am »

/begin Homer Simpson
"Oooohh, shiny..."
/end Homer Simpson

Very cool looking! I'm assuming the up/down buttons are mouse L/R buttons?

It certainly looks like it was worth all the pain and endless delays you suffered through to get it built!

pocketz · « **Reply #21 on:** April 09, 2003, 10:12:18 am »

Quote from: Frostillicus on April 08, 2003, 09:16:37 pm

Oscar, that looks great!

Can it be used as a regular spinner without noticing the DOT-ness of it?

my now obsolete

genuine DOT spinner works great for all the spinner games except 720 degrees. in 720 you need to spin fast and hard. the dot spinner has a little too much heft for that. when i give it a good spin it will rotate freely about 3 times so it does have a silky smooth bearing action. also, the spinner stays solid when playing other games and you dont notice the up-down feature of the spinner.

if you are gonna put a spinner in your cab one of these new dot spinners from oscar is the right choice. they are new and you can get replacement parts for them when something wears out.

i just bought 2 more dot spinners off ebay as backup for my dot mame cab, for an average price of $100 each, that included the whole control panel with a blue trigger joystick.

-pocketz

jdjuggler · « **Reply #22 on:** April 09, 2003, 01:16:43 pm »

Will this have a 1/4" shaft?
I have large hands, so I'd like to get the 2" aluminum knob (unfortunately from those other guys).
It's just too bad that I can't get a 2" aluminum knob with the engraved MAME logo from OSCAR!
Boo Hoo....

dag2000 · « **Reply #23 on:** April 09, 2003, 01:41:07 pm »

Oscar makes exactly the item you describe. Is there someone else copying his?

OSCAR · « **Reply #24 on:** April 09, 2003, 01:56:42 pm »

Quote from: jdjuggler on April 09, 2003, 01:16:43 pm

Will this have a 1/4" shaft?
I have large hands, so I'd like to get the 2" aluminum knob (unfortunately from those other guys).
It's just too bad that I can't get a 2" aluminum knob with the engraved MAME logo from OSCAR!
Boo Hoo....

I mentioned in a previous post that I am still looking at other options for knobs, however I doubt I will offer a machined 2

MinerAl · « **Reply #25 on:** April 09, 2003, 02:50:02 pm »

Finally! Procrastination pays off for me!

I just hope this

SirPoonga · « **Reply #26 on:** April 09, 2003, 04:30:29 pm »

Ok, now I see why you haven't gotten around to the q*bert knocker circuit!

What;s the footprint of this thing since it is bigger than the pro? If I get this it's definately going on my second CP and I am taking the spinner off my 1st CP.

Ok, people, Look at my cabinet, that spinner on the cp, it might be for sale... Forgot which model it was, model 1 or 2...

72 tooth huh? Hmm, sounds like a perfect candidate for a 720 hack...BTW, could you make a single disc 720? But the calibration holes on the same disc, just furter down? I'd be satisfied with just a small wheel witha control knob on it to play 720, it's better than nothing or a spinner knob!

SirPoonga · « **Reply #27 on:** April 09, 2003, 04:35:30 pm »

Quote from: kevsteele on April 09, 2003, 09:42:12 am

/begin Homer Simpson
"Oooohh, shiny..."
/end Homer Simpson

Very cool looking! I'm assuming the up/down buttons are mouse L/R buttons?

They are just leaf switches, hook them up to what ever interface you want.

Zinfari · « **Reply #28 on:** April 09, 2003, 05:03:41 pm »

Nice Oscar! I'm with SirPoonga, what are the dimensions. Just trying to get a feel for the amount of space needed on the CP.

Thanks,
-Zinfari

OSCAR · « **Reply #29 on:** April 09, 2003, 06:56:30 pm »

Quote from: SirPoonga on April 09, 2003, 04:35:30 pm

They are just leaf switches, hook them up to what ever interface you want.

Thanks for picking up that question Sir P, I completely missed it.

I'll post some mounting dimensions shortly. Thanks again for all the comments, guys!!

SirPoonga · « **Reply #30 on:** April 09, 2003, 07:03:05 pm »

I might be hacking that spinner to play 720. Just drill two calibration holes, setup some IR stuff, and find a good spinner knob so I can tell what direction the spinner is in:)

Lilwolf · « **Reply #31 on:** April 09, 2003, 07:16:57 pm »

SirP and Oscar...

For the 720 solution. how about adding a car window crank handle on it? That might!

then getting the true north will be the only problem.

shmokes · « **Reply #32 on:** April 09, 2003, 07:33:34 pm »

I RULE!!! I have made EVERY purchase for my cab except my Ultimarc purchase for an Optipac, Ipac and E-stick and my spinner purchase. I was wavering between Oscar and Slickstick. Oh my god!!! There is only one game in town anymore. I can only imagine how I would feel reading this thread had I just placed a spinner order within the last couple of weeks month. Phew!!!

p.s. Obviously it is actually Oscar who rules.

SirPoonga · « **Reply #33 on:** April 09, 2003, 07:51:11 pm »

Quote from: Lilwolf on April 09, 2003, 07:16:57 pm

SirP and Oscar...

For the 720 solution. how about adding a car window crank handle on it? That might!

then getting the true north will be the only problem.

YEah, but I don't want something that big, but that's the right idea.

Getting north is easy. Just mount the calibration IRs on one of the sides of the spinner, then always have that side north.

planetjay · « **Reply #34 on:** April 09, 2003, 08:16:41 pm »

Quote from: jdjuggler on April 09, 2003, 01:16:43 pm

Will this have a 1/4" shaft?
I have large hands, so I'd like to get the 2" aluminum knob (unfortunately from those other guys).
It's just too bad that I can't get a 2" aluminum knob with the engraved MAME logo from OSCAR!
Boo Hoo....

What other guys?

And OSCAR rocks! But we knew that.

Vectoraster · « **Reply #35 on:** April 09, 2003, 08:31:14 pm »

OH MY! You really did it!

OSCAR · « **Reply #36 on:** April 09, 2003, 09:26:17 pm »

Quote from: Vectoraster on April 09, 2003, 08:31:14 pm

OH MY! You really did it!

Thanks to you, bud! It would have been much more difficult without your generous offer to let me keep your DOT spinner for so long.

Sorry I don't have much to offer in the way of 720 hacks. I'm not familiar enough with the control to even speculate on how feasible it would be. Doubtless one of you guys will find a way, though!

Here's a cartoony sketch with some dimensions. The shaft is long enough to accommodate a 3/4" control panel with 1/8" plexi by using the spacer bars. Because the lower end of the shaft is special for the push/pull action, the shaft length is not adjustable. For thinner control panels, either additional shims will be required, or just cut the top of the shaft down to the required length. I opted to use removable spacer bars so the spinner would retain the original metal panel mounting dimensions. All this technical info will be included in the documentation. The mounting hole sizes are the same as the original at 0.22" for a 3/16" bolt.

Thanks again for all the positive feedback everyone!

p.s. - Hey PJ, I haven't forgotten about you. I'm only a few months late, that's all. I'll try to finish them up this weekend.

skirge66 · « **Reply #37 on:** April 09, 2003, 09:46:01 pm »

DANCING WITH GLEE!!

the footprint will fit into my design without changing it... yay!!!

I didn't notice that it was a pushbutton as well...so i'm not the brightest crayon in the box, but hey, at least I'm completely on the right page now

what are the odds of this working well as the shooting interface for frontline?

jdjuggler · « **Reply #38 on:** April 09, 2003, 10:19:08 pm »

Quote from: planetjay on April 09, 2003, 08:16:41 pm

Quote from: jdjuggler on April 09, 2003, 01:16:43 pm
Will this have a 1/4" shaft?
I have large hands, so I'd like to get the 2" aluminum knob (unfortunately from those other guys).
It's just too bad that I can't get a 2" aluminum knob with the engraved MAME logo from OSCAR!
Boo Hoo....

What other guys?

And OSCAR rocks! But we knew that.

I was referring to the 2" Tornado Spinner Alum. knob... I tried to be subtle, in this OSCAR love fest.... But, you made me say it.
I was just saying that I think I like a larger knob (eh...) on the spinner I mean. It would be nice to be able to get that 2" spinner with the mame logo too.
I do like OSCAR'S new spinner and I'll most likely be buying it. See, the love is flowing again!!
I was thinking that the 2" alum. knob would be better than the 1.5" alum. knob... IMHO - authentic or not.
JD

SirPoonga · « **Reply #39 on:** April 10, 2003, 12:52:51 am »

Quote from: OSCAR on April 09, 2003, 09:26:17 pm

Sorry I don't have much to offer in the way of 720 hacks. I'm not familiar enough with the control to even speculate on how feasible it would be. Doubtless one of you guys will find a way, though!

Yep, already done. Read the 720 thread sometime.
720 used a 72 encoder disc. And it uses a 2 slot calibration. I think I could hack this spinner just by making two of the grooves deeper and adding a second set of IRs. It'd take both axis of a mouse. urebel has the code integrated into analog+ mame to support that.. Just need a good knob that works well since I doubt it would be easy to make a joystick work.


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