LeapinLew: 2 player bartop

[leapinlew]

I'm building a 2 player bartop. The CP will be 24" wide by 10" deep and have 2 street fighter layouts and a spinner. I have room for a trackball, but I think the best trackball games are the games that require a wild swing and this bartop just won't have the room needed to play properly.

As for materials - I'm going to try this Sandeply. I'm concerned the wood grain is going to be difficult to remove, but after feeling it, I'm thinking a few primer coats and sands should be enough. It's not super expensive, but it's not cheap. I picked up a 2' by 4' section of sandeply for $14.99. I estimate it'll take 2 pieces to build this cabinet.

I started work on this yesterday and I'm basing it off my previous bartop design. I kept this template and modified it for this new design:


I made the 2 player cabinet a bit deeper and I had to change the profile since I'm expanding the "CP box" on this cabinet. The base is 24" at the CP area and 16" where the monitor will be:


You can see in this picture what I'm talking about with it being thicker than the original design and being cut off on the front to allow for the expanded CP. You can also see the T shaped base I cut from cheap plywood. 

Thats pretty much all I could do yesterday.

[leapinlew]

Today I got a fortunate break in the weather to walk the dog (we are both getting fat) and to work on the cabinet. I only had about an hour, but I was able to make a little progress.

The sides have the T-molding slot cut


I used the red piece of t-molding to get a good fit. I'm not sure if this Sandeply is really 3/4" as my 3/4" T-mold stuck out just a bit on both sides (maybe 1/64").

I attached the sides to the base and starting building the box:



I'm still playing around with how the CP box will be built but I think I have a good idea. The slope is 1.5" drop over 10". Once I build this side how I like I'll flush trim out the matching side. These cut needs to be fairly precise since I plan on having a piano hinge on the front of the CP.

A word about the top marquee piece. Thats in now temporarily just to  give the cabinet the proper spacing of 16". If it's not it, the two sides aren't square and it's near impossible to get the measurements I need to build the box.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to recut the top portion where the marquee is and scale it back. My last cabinet has a couple of viewing angles that I want to resolve with this one. TheCoder suggested it to me on my last project, but I didn't have the time. This time I should be able to vastly improve the viewing angle by removing even more marquee area.

[Kaytrim]

Lew,

I'd be a little concerned about the stability of a fighter style bartop.  Some people get rather aggressive.  You are using and LCD right?  If you were using a CRT it wouldn't be as much of an issue.  The base is a good size and that might compensate for the lower weight.  I'll defiantly be watching this build.  Keep us up on the progress.

Kaytrim

[Jeff AMN]

Looking great!

I would get some of that anti-slip rubber and line the bottom of your bartop with it.

[Crafty]

Looks like another good project in the making...

[bfauska]

I'm not sure if this Sandeply is really 3/4" as my 3/4" T-mold stuck out just a bit on both sides (maybe 1/64").

Most plywood, unlike MDF is actually undersized by about 1/32, so 1/64 on each side seems right.  Sometimes you'll notice at Home Depot that it is actually quite hard to find plywood labeled by the quarter inch, usually you'll see 15/32, 19/32, and 23/32.

[KenToad]

Can't wait to see how this one turns out.  Thanks for sharing and good work so far.

[javeryh]

Woah, pretty awesome stuff Lew.  I'm very curious to see how this turns out and to read impressions on playing something like Street Fighter on a bartop.  I love the other bartop you made so this should turn out great.  You made so much progress for the first day too...

[psychotech]

Yesh!

The 1st one came out great, so.., I'll be spying on this too 

Yes, for Street Fighter on a bartop ..You'll need mass/weight/whatever..

Hey, what are the dimensions? Depth / height?

Good luck!

Psycho.

[leapinlew]

Lew,

I'd be a little concerned about the stability of a fighter style bartop.  Some people get rather aggressive.  You are using and LCD right?  If you were using a CRT it wouldn't be as much of an issue.  The base is a good size and that might compensate for the lower weight.  I'll defiantly be watching this build.  Keep us up on the progress.

Kaytrim

True... this is a valid concern. The way I figure, if I want it to get heavier - I'll marry it.


You guys have to promise me if you ever meet my wife you'll never repeat that. It's not going to be as cramped as my last one. I should be able to add some weight after the fact in the form of lead weights or something. I am figuring a street fighter cabinet needs to be in the 70-80lbs before it's safe and even then it could get a little wobbly. I am expecting this thing to weigh around 45-50ish which means I may have to add a few dumbbells. 

This Sandeply isn't heavy at all, I'd guess about 1/4 the weight of MDF. Makes it a joy to work with.

[leapinlew]

I'm not sure if this Sandeply is really 3/4" as my 3/4" T-mold stuck out just a bit on both sides (maybe 1/64").

Most plywood, unlike MDF is actually undersized by about 1/32, so 1/64 on each side seems right.  Sometimes you'll notice at Home Depot that it is actually quite hard to find plywood labeled by the quarter inch, usually you'll see 15/32, 19/32, and 23/32.

This worked out good.... I decided to use black formica. I have no idea how it'll get here, it's a 4x8 sheet. I imagine it'll be rolled up or something. This should take up any overlap - now I just have to learn how to apply it. 

[leapinlew]

Yesh!

The 1st one came out great, so.., I'll be spying on this too 

Yes, for Street Fighter on a bartop ..You'll need mass/weight/whatever..

Hey, what are the dimensions? Depth / height?

Good luck!

Psycho.

Thanks Mr. Tech... It's 24" high at it's highest. Here some quick dimensions:

[leapinlew]

I made some progress today and mostly finished the box. What a pain in the butt. Usually the CP area on a bartop is easy because it fits within the walls, but because this one needs a large CP and I didn't want to build a huge monitor area...





You'll notice I trimmed back the marquee area even further. This suggestion was first given to me on my last arcade by TheCoder. I used his advice this time and I'm sure it'll provide an unobstructed view of the monitor from nearly any angle. Thanks Coder!

The front kick plate is being a bit problematic. Apparently I didn't cut it straight enough and there is a 1/16" gap that I won't be happy with unless I fix. So, I'll recut that piece. My tools are limited here, and getting a straight cut with a jigsaw isn't easy. If I were painting this - I'd probably caulk it and be done.

More updates this weekend hopefully.

[btp2k2]

True... this is a valid concern. The way I figure, if I want it to get heavier - I'll marry it.

 

that was too funny

[psychotech]

 

Looking good!

Like the shape and the dimensions. And you're FAST ..Well, finishing / detailing this will surely slow you down 

Good luck.

Still Psycho.

[leapinlew]

Potential artwork - I'm looking for some feedback. The marquee is 16" x 2.5".



I usually prefer the more simple stated marquees, but this one seems a bit too simple for me. The problem is, since there is very little room on the marquee - I can't really think of what else to do. I could outline it or something - just unsure.

Fine as is or.... ?

[btp2k2]

Well, if the wife ever finds out about your little joke above it would be aptly named.....

[leapinlew]

Well, if the wife ever finds out about your little joke above it would be aptly named.....

Ha, no doubt. Heres a quick update to the marquee. I changed the D and added in a masked area behind the text in an attempt to give it more depth. It's still a little weak. I tried adding some gears or a background image. It seems that all it does is make it more cluttered. I'll keep tinkering with it.

[javeryh]

It looks good - my one comment was going to be the "d" being very tough to read but you cleaned that up already.  With such a dark background do you think it will light up well? 

[leapinlew]

It looks good - my one comment was going to be the "d" being very tough to read but you cleaned that up already.  With such a dark background do you think it will light up well? 

I think it would be fine - my last 2 marquees were mostly black and they look ok.

[leapinlew]

Made a bit of progress today. I finished all the major construction. I'm currently working on a monitor mount and I have a pretty good idea in the works.

The cabinet needs some feet to help keep it from sliding around. Since I don't see many old folks falling down with those walkers - I assume those little rubber feet or tennis balls do a pretty good job of gripping. I figured I'd try the rubber feet first and they seem to work - which is good because good tennis balls are expensive! 


I bought a dowel rod to fit in the feet and cut it to size


Here it is all cut and fitted. They may be a bit too tall, but these were pretty inexpensive. I'll pickup some smaller ones if these don't work.

Here is the cabinet thus far -


Once I mount the monitor I'll be ready to apply the formica. I bought a J-roller, some water based adhesive and formica snips to cut it down to size. All together it was near $60.  Hopefully it's worth it.

I need to finish the artwork and get that to the printers. Everything else is either already here, or on order.

[leapinlew]

Ok... I think I have a marquee I can live with. Here it is before it gets tweaked for the last time. I need to fix the D again and I need to decide what I want to do about the flares on the W and R.



Anyone have any thoughts? Good/Bad/Other?

[btp2k2]

I've always liked the whole bartop thing. This one looks pretty cool.

It's cool that you are doing a fighter cab. I like the idea of doing a cab with a specific genre in mind, like a fighter, or sports, driving, etc. The whole frankenpanel thing to try and accomodate every game out there is just too ugly in my opinion.

The house I just bought has a finished basement and my wife promised I could do it up as a gameroom on the condition we can get a pool table. I intend on doing a few cabinets like that, one for fighters, one with a vertical screen, etc.

I like your marquee too. Subtle, yet still cool looking. The font looks really cool....kinda sinister

[leapinlew]

OK - finally got something I'm happy with. It's simple and effective. Has a bit of a creepy vibe to match the name I think. I'm working on the CP Artwork now - not sure what to do here - it's a big CP on this guy.

[leapinlew]

Potential CP artwork:



A few things I'm going to change already

• The joysticks need to move up the CP - so I'll probably put the text on the bottom part of the CP
• The lens flares are a little too much - I'm going to keep them, but reduce the amount of flare
• Fix the D again and clean everything up - make sure everything matches the marquee

In the middle where it's nearly perfectly white - thats where a turbotwist2 is going.

[leapinlew]

Monitor Mount -

I have a Dell 17" LCD I am using on this project. I didn't want to mount the stand inside the bartop so I took the stand off. The stand had the proper spacing on the mounting holes so I used it as a pattern to drill out the correct hole dimensions. The piece of wood it's mounted on is 16"- which is how big the inside of the cabinet is. This should serve several purposes. I should be able to easily mount the monitor at the desired angle, it should provide support for when it's moved, and it'll save space.



You can see in these pictures what I've done. I didn't have any washers to use under the machine bolts - but they seem ok. Those machine bolts were a pain to find at Home Depot and the ones they did have were about 1/4" too short. Thats why I had to recess them a bit. The mounting strips are connected to the 16" piece of wood by 6 drywall screws and are predrilled to be mounted inside the cabinet.

I've test fitted it in the cab and it'll work great. I'll mount it after the formica goes on.

[bfauska]

It's looking good.  That monitor mount solution seems nice and clean.  Do you have the CP layout designed yet, I am trying to picture the buttons and joystick in the ovals and it seems like the shape may be odd, but I could be picturing a totally wrong button configuration, have you done a view with the joys and buttons indicated in the ovals?  It may be worth looking at.

[leapinlew]

It's looking good.  That monitor mount solution seems nice and clean.  Do you have the CP layout designed yet, I am trying to picture the buttons and joystick in the ovals and it seems like the shape may be odd, but I could be picturing a totally wrong button configuration, have you done a view with the joys and buttons indicated in the ovals?  It may be worth looking at.

Thanks bfauska (what does that mean?) regarding the CP layout. I put that together last night in a low res version to see how I liked it. I'll definitely need to make sure the buttons fit in the ovals. I'll also put a texture or something to even further distinguish those areas.

When I print it - I'll print both - 1 black and white with the proper drill locations and the real one.

I guess I estimated pretty good because the buttons seem to fit ok.

[bfauska]

Thanks bfauska (what does that mean?)

I assume you are asking about my name?  Brian Fauska (I guess I have nothing to hide now, people know my name)  Of course after seeing your CP text "The Waterman Widowmaker"  I could venture a fairly solid guess at your name too I think.

I wonder what it would look like if the ovals were flatter?  Same width but shorter.  It may look more like it is framing the buttons.  That's a good idea with the shading or pattern inside the ovals.  The lens flare is looking better too.  What spinner knob are you using?  it should look nice with the gradient coming out from it.  You should find a red knob.  Are you using colored buttons and joys?  I would think red or black would be the best bet, actually this could be one of the coolest uses for the ElectricIce buttons, it would tie in with the white when they weren't lit up.

[leapinlew]

I had to spend the second half of the day cleaning up. I'm not very organized once I get working - I'll leave drill bits, tools, etc. all over the place. I haven't mounted the monitor yet. Heres a pic of the machines next to each other - you can see how similar the profile is.

[leapinlew]

redid the CP art:



This setup should work better. It moves the controls higher up on the CP - more room to rest your arm.

The area inside the joysticks is filled in with a pattern - this helps define the joystick area

I may change the 2 lower lens flares to match the color of the middle flare - the middle flare will be where a spinner is.

Thanks for all the feedback

[theCoder]

Sorry to jump in late, but I was taking a class in NY, NY  last week.  Cool city to visit, I'd hate to live there.

I'm glad you're scaling the marquee back.  This one should be much better.

For the laminate... I've never done it before, but based on what I've read on this forum, I suspect you want to put it on BEFORE assembly.  Anyone else have any recommendations on this?  Based on the painting fun I'm finishing up on my current project,  I'll probably try a laminate on my next project.

Have you sent the marquee off for print yet?  What does it look like if you scale down the texture on the font just a bit?  As is, you get about 1.5 highs/lows per letter.  It might (??) look better if it were a little finer.  But maybe not.  Besides that, I like it.  Sometimes less is more.

On the Partybox project I did last time around, the monitor started to rattle a bit.  To fix it I pulled out the mounting board, and laid down a thin layer of silicon where the monitor touches the wood.  I also squirted some into the screw holes just for good measure.  You might want to consider doing something similar.

As for weight, I'd go with something removable.  Perhaps a 1/4" or 1/2" thick piece of scrap steel mounted to the bottom plate.  This would be thin, and not take up too much space.  You could go with weight lifting weights, but they might take up a lot of space.

So are you back home now, or still on assignment?

[leapinlew]

Still on assignment...

when I want to do some work - I have to drag sawhorses, tools, extension cords, etc. onto the patio area. Sucks.

The laminate is going on in stages - I'll remove, install it, trim it and put it back on. The added width of the laminate shouldn't cause me any issues.

As for the marquee/CPO - I've removed all the texture with the font - I agree with ya there.

We'll see where the weight lands - I figure I can easily add weights after the fact - there should be plenty of room to drop in some dumbbells if needed. This thing has a lot of space in it.

Thanks Coder!

[leapinlew]

Had a bit of time to do some work today. First thing on the list is laminate. I did a bit of reading online to find out what all was involved with this process. It's not too bad. I bought the water based laminate as suggested by Knievel.

The first thing I had to do was cut the laminate using the special laminate cutting tool.

The chunk you see thats missing is actually how big of a chunk the laminate cutter takes out of the laminate. I see now, why you can't use scissors. The laminate would just crack. I used this tool to get the laminate to a more manageable size.

Next I lined up the pieces.


Then the waiting game. It goes on white, and it turns clear once it's ready to be applied. Put an even coat on between the 2 products, I put 2 coats on the wood because it's so porous.

The tool is called a J-roller and I would suggest saving the money and using a rolling pin.

Next I installed a flush trim bit on my router and trimmed off the excess. Here are the results.


I am very happy with the results and wish I started using laminate sooner. These are the inside pieces that needed the laminate. I cut all the other pieces and they are ready to go


Look at the mess this stuff makes!


I'm going fishing tomorrow, but I may have time to finish the laminate and do some assembly. If not, I'll get to it during the week. I'm also configuring a 2.4ghz machine to use as the guts for this thing.

[psychotech]

Looks kewl 

Mod. Even though not politically correct, the dedication on the CP ..well, works -> 

Still, where did you buy the laminate, how much/m² and what is the stuff actually called - what brand etc. Can't seem to find the stuff anywhere here.. (As if I was building another cab )

And, you know ..pix of the assembly! No, not enough, more pix of the assembly 

PsychoT.

[Timoe]

The laminate is often called Formica and a big manufacturer is Wilsonart.  They have many colors and styles available at your local, larger hardware store.  Lowes or Home Depot.

I need to get one of those laminate cutters.  It looks like it works well.

Just a note on my style:  I like to laminate the interior pieces prior to assembly, like the speaker panel or the kickplate.  I then screw the thing together.  Screw through the sides into the speaker panel or whatever and then I laminate the outsides effectively covering up the screws.

The stuff is so solid, you can spill anything on it and still clean in off.  Good choice.

[theCoder]

Very nice.  It looks like you're going to get a fantastic finish with very little (easy for me to say) effort.  Lots simpler/quicker anyway relative to paint.  I think I'll use this stuff on my next project.

[leapinlew]

Very nice.  It looks like you're going to get a fantastic finish with very little (easy for me to say) effort.  Lots simpler/quicker anyway relative to paint.  I think I'll use this stuff on my next project.

You were right, it is easy effort. So far, I love it. It's a little more pricey and tougher to work with but well worth it so far.

[leapinlew]

Looks kewl 

Mod. Even though not politically correct, the dedication on the CP ..well, works -> 

Still, where did you buy the laminate, how much/m² and what is the stuff actually called - what brand etc. Can't seem to find the stuff anywhere here.. (As if I was building another cab )

And, you know ..pix of the assembly! No, not enough, more pix of the assembly 

PsychoT.

I'm still working on the CP - I need to measure a bit more... but I think I'm going with it with how it is with a few minor revisions.

The laminate was about $45 at a specialty store. It's the vertical grade formica 1/32" in a black matte finish. I had to purchase a 4x8 sheet.

I used a router to trim it up, but I'm sure you'd find a way to do it with some duct tape, paperclip and ball point pen. 

[psychotech]

Oh, Lew..

That's way too technical

I was rather thinking about a butter knife and a nail file ..

So, where are the pics?

---------------

Anyway, thanks! Found actually three local hardware stores selling at least some kind of Formica..

PT.

[leapinlew]

Some assembly shots after applying the formica -

[psychotech]

Oh!

Coming along quite nicely 

That formica looks (a bit too) promising.. Hmmm. Maybe if (when?) I'll build another one..

[theCoder]

Very nice.  This thing is going to be smoooooooth.

[Timoe]

Hey guy, did you start a new thread for a new phase of a previously posted project?

[leapinlew]

Hey guy, did you start a new thread for a new phase of a previously posted project?

what?

[leapinlew]

Still unsure of what Timoe was talking about, but I just finished the artwork portion of this cabinet. Nothing too flashy, but I like it. Here is the CPO:



It's on it's way to Mamemarquees now. I'm anxious to see how their work is. I've used CAG in the past and they sucked. Laminate is going on the cabinet now - I had an issue with one of the sides and need to clean up the glue before I can attempt it again.

I've also been working on the computer and getting it all setup.

I'll post some pics of the cab soon.

[NiteWalker]

Lookin good lew.

I'm a lover of formica too. A fraction of the time it takes to paint and much more durable. Great stuff.

About the rubber feet you posted a while back, I get all my rubber feet from here. The feet this guy sells are absolutely fantastic. Extremely slip resistant.

Can't wait to see this finished.

[leapinlew]

Lookin good lew.

I'm a lover of formica too. A fraction of the time it takes to paint and much more durable. Great stuff.

About the rubber feet you posted a while back, I get all my rubber feet from here. The feet this guy sells are absolutely fantastic. Extremely slip resistant.

Can't wait to see this finished.

Thanks Nite - I ordered some!

[leapinlew]

I had an issue with the formica and had to remove it, remove the glue and try it again. What a job! I used some bix stripper to soften it up and lots of elbow grease to with some old towels and eventually got it up.



Here is how it looked with all the glue on it still. It didn't look like the formica would sit level on all those glue chunks. I put some masking tape on the edges before I applied the stripper because I didn't want to get any on the other side somehow and cause the formica to unattach. I'm not sure if it was a necessary step but it only took me a few seconds to apply (took me longer to find the tape).


And heres the bondo repair. I sanded this down and reapplied formica.

[leapinlew]

I purchased a hole cutter bit for my drill from ebay. I've never used one of these before - but they actually work pretty good. I cut a practice hole:


I did some measuring and cut my holes:


Next I readjusted the hole cutting bit to 120mm (it's max size) and cut a hole for the fan:


I cut marquee retainers. I am going to pick up a few more of these retainers at home depot and install them as mini-kick plates on the sides of the cabinet too.


Set in place:


BobA pointed me in the right direction for a template for the NovaGem CDR's. (thanks):

I ordered a real simple kickplate from Mamemarquees for this section - thats why it doesn't have formica.

Yes! The last pieces that need formica:

The hole is for the fan, and the square is for USB. I'll be installing a power entry module in this section as well.

All trimmed up:


I'm hoping tomorrow I can install the marquee light, cut the angle iron for the bottom of the cab, install the rubber feet, install the backdoor and possibly get to the computer. The computer will be difficult since it still needs formatting and everything. We'll see. It's coming along - it should be done in 2 weeks.

[NiteWalker]

Good update.
I like all the progress pics you posted.

Yeah I noticed the rubber feet in your arcade parts thread. They're really good quality.

About the circle cutter, I didn't think they could be used safely with a hand drill. Any hiccups there? The holes you drilled looked great.

What was you issue with the laminate? I'm wondering because I'm about to switch to water based. I do know it requires strict temperature and humidity ratings. It also takes longer to dry than solvent based.

 

[theCoder]

I've got one of those hole cutters; haven't used it since, what, day before yesterday.  It works really well in a drill press.  By hand, it moves around a bunch, and can really mess up your wrist if/when it snags.  

Sorry to hear about your laminate mess up.  It must have been pretty bad to warrent you removing it.

Look'n good.

[NiteWalker]

I thought that too but the one lew used looks like it has a counter weight so it won't wobble as much. I thought about getting one but my circle cutters for my router have been doing great.

[superbigjay]

I purchased a hole cutter bit for my drill from ebay. I've never used one of these before - but they actually work pretty good. I cut a practice hole:

I want one of these 
Jay

[leapinlew]

Heading towards the finish line now... into the details.

Here you can see the back of the cabinet. The hole over to the right is where the USB plugs are going. Also, underneath you can see the 2.5" rubber feet. They work very well and I'm glad I ordered them off the ebay link that nitewalker sent me.


The latch that holds down the CP is external. When I planned out this bartop, I wasn't sure how I was going to access the clamps. Initially, I thought I might be able to put them inside, but after the computer and monitor go inside there won't be much room to get to the latch. The solution was to mount them outside.


Hinged CP:


Here is the kickplate:


I'm ready to install the CPO and controls.

[Knievel]

Looking very professional.  Can't wait to see the t-mold and artwork installed.

So is this the first bartop with a CP this size?

[leapinlew]

Installed the CP tonight - will do the wiring later.

Here is how I decided how to cut the holes in the CP. I laid the CPO on the CP and taped on my templates. I then used a very small drill bit to drill the center holes for the buttons. After I hit them all, I drilled out the small holes with a 1.125" bit.


Finished the marquee:


Installed a volume knob. This is something I didn't do on my previous mame cabinets, but I'm finding it to be more necessary since games in mame handle volume differently and a game of defender at 2am with the wife sleeping seems much louder than a game at noon. 




ok, back to the CP:






I don't think I'll be working on it much this tomorrow. I'll finish up the wiring sometime next week as well as install the computer and monitor.

[patrickl]

Looks very good. Some very good ideas too.

[KenToad]

Wow, I'm waiting anxiously to see the finished product.  Good work so far.

 

[Xam]

Looks good Lew...I love the name of it.

Xam

[Chris G]

Great work and thanks for documenting.  I'm getting inspired to go laminate.

 
Chris

[theCoder]

Your artwork turned out really well.  Look'n good.

[Donkey_Kong]

Nice!

I really like the volume knob. I want one too. Do you have more pics of that operation or possibly links to others doing similar work?

Nice job on the artwork. You've exceeded my expectations of you...AGAIN. 

[leapinlew]

Status update:

Installed T-molding, monitor, speaker grills, and set the computer components in:


Monitor mount - backside:

[NiteWalker]

Awesome job.
I like the way the art wraps around to the front side.
Do you have any plans to paint the aluminum angle?

[Havok]

Wow - look at the size of that control panel...

You should put a WG9200 in there!

 

[barnes]

I'm going to looking into that laminate stuff. I hate painting, and that looks like it could avoid the hassle. Should I try this, or just paint?

[NiteWalker]

Definitely laminate. No type of finish that you can brush or spray on will ever be as durable as laminate. They use this stuff on counter tops for a reason.

[Kaytrim]

Looking Good Lew   All you need is a bezel and plexi and you are good to go.

Kaytrim

[javeryh]

Wow Lew - amazing job!  I really like the proportions on this thing which is tough to pull off on something that is supposed to be small (because it's a bartop) and supposed to be big (because it's 2 players) all at the same time.  The little touches are great too like the volume knob, the fans on the front, the coin buttons, etc.  Very nice job!   

[KenToad]

I love that you mixed retro controls with a modern LCD and speaker covers, and wrapped it with an artwork theme that successfully blends all the parts together. 

Lookin' good.   

[acevedor2]

Awesome job Lew!  You have inspired me to get off my dead butt and finally start working on my cab again.

[lroy12]

what is the monitor size? it looks nice

[polaris]

good stuff.
i just commented how great kaytrims and your bartops were in kaytrims thread so i figured i should say it here too.

[theCoder]

The second time's a charm.  Looks fantastic, especially considering it is being done in a rental, away from home.  Very nice.

A couple of questons...

1)  Any plans on putting in side pinball buttons?

2)  How much does it weigh?

3)  Do you think you'll get your security deposit back on the rental?

[leapinlew]

what is the monitor size? it looks nice

It's a 17" LCD.

[leapinlew]

The second time's a charm.  Looks fantastic, especially considering it is being done in a rental, away from home.  Very nice.

A couple of questons...

1)  Any plans on putting in side pinball buttons?

2)  How much does it weigh?

3)  Do you think you'll get your security deposit back on the rental?

Ha! I know the deal on those security deposits. It was as good as gone when I moved in.  I hate this place - I'm ready to get out of the whole apartment scene.

No pinball buttons for me. Maybe my next one.

It weighs about 60lbs.

[leapinlew]

Ok! Putting some finishing touches on it. I'm very happy with the artwork and overall theme on the cabinet. The work from Mamemarquees is very good indeed.





I made a total bonehead move and forgot to add player 1 and player 2 buttons before applying the artwork. I wasn't sure what the best way would be to get some button holes when the artwork was already applied. I was able to drill through the kickplate portion without much problem using a spade style bit.



Next I installed the computer and monitor:



Time to wire up the CP

[leapinlew]

Ugh. I don't like wiring up cp's. It's my least favorite portion. I got all my crap ready:


I used a network cable for all the wiring. I didn't take any shots during. I think we've all seen solder before and I'm not particularly good at it.

Here it is all done(?). It's not super clean, but it's not bad.

Once I hooked everything up - one of the cherry switches was bad and needed to be replaced.  Swapped it out and all is well. 

These 4 buttons had some wire soldered onto them to mount into the ipac.


You can see the monitor mount solution seems to be working pretty good:

[leapinlew]

Next I completed the back of the cabinet. I installed the power entry module, the t-molding in the fan slot, the fan guard and the data port:

It turned out pretty nice.

I installed angle iron on the bottom of the cabinet to tie it in with the marquee retainers.

I suspect it'll be finished sometime next week. Here is some shots of where I'm at:




It pretty much turned out like I thought it would. I know the size is odd, but to build a "bartop" for a street fighter lover - your options are limited. Once I'm done configuring the system and taking care of a few odds and ends, I'll take some pics of the finished product.

[Malenko]

looks amazing!  the ONLY thing I would have done different (other then completely mess it up) is to add a "neo geo" button, like the HotRod SE stick, makes the 6 button capcom fighters and the 4 button SNK games extremely playable. Be too much of a pain now though, since you CPO art is mated so perfectly to the layout you have now.


You should come laminate my cab, lol


seriously though, fantastic job.  Its an inspiration , and I might even bug you for better plans to that so I can duplicate it when I get rid of my full sized cab (if ever)

[BobA]

Really unique bartop.   Looks great.  Very nice considering the limitations of your shop area.

 

[leapinlew]

Awesome job.
I like the way the art wraps around to the front side.
Do you have any plans to paint the aluminum angle?

Just saw this question -

My buddy keeps asking me this also Nite. I know the aluminum looks out of place in those pics, but I was hoping by adding more angle iron I could help provide more protection for the cabinet and tie in the marquee retainers. I think it works.

I've configured all the games on it and now all I need to do is clean it up and take some final shots. I'll have some time in the next week or two to do that.

[BobA]

Ideally how much laminate would you have used to cover your cab? Just working on an estimate for my cab to see what it will cost.    I guess the question is moot if the smallest I can get is a 4 by 8 sheet but I thought I would ask.

[leapinlew]

I used almost every bit of a 4x8 sheet. But, I made 1 mistake and I have a small bit left. I bet I used 28 square feet. The laminate wasn't too expensive. The tools cost about $50. I'd do it again. It's a great finish.

[BobA]

Thanks Lew.  Sounds like at least 1 full sheet.

[javeryh]

Awesome awesome job lew.  It really came out great.   some SFII or MvC or even some KI is going to be a blast on that thing. 

[leapinlew]

Thanks Lew.  Sounds like at least 1 full sheet.

I would guess a full sheet just because you'll want to do the insides of those side panels (which is the biggest piece).

[psychotech]

 

Looks really great! What more can I say..

 

[Jouster]

I didn't notice the T-molding in the fan and speaker holes at first...but that is a really sweet touch.

Jouster

[leapinlew]

Thanks guys - I'm going to attach some of the pictures instead of linking to them. For some reason linking to them doesn't give as good of resolution.

This project is done. I'm moving on to some quicker projects now.

[Kaytrim]

Real nice job there Lew.  IMO you could loose the extra angle iron and it would look better.  I know why you put it on though.  A can of black spray paint would have fixed the issue for the marquee retainers.

TTFN
Kaytrim

[amadama]

Very nice.
I have never considered doing a bartop machine but seeing yours motivates me to make one.
Thanks for posting your machine build.
Alex

[Donkey_Kong]

Go plunk that on the kitchen table for a week or so and she will definitely live up to her name, eh Lew?

Awesome craftsmanship!!...or tricky camera work, one of the two. 

[theCoder]

Great project.  It looks heavy.  That puppy should be able to handle some pretty aggressive play.  How much does it weigh?

[shardian]

Very nice bartop! Those credit buttons Randy did kick ass!

[superbigjay]

Go plunk that on the kitchen table for a week or so and she will definitely live up to her name, eh Lew?

It wouldn't last more than a week 
Jay

[javeryh]

It looks awesome lew.  I'm definitely going to use your lamination method on my next cab (I'm so sick of painting and sanding) and yours really came out great.

How has it been holding up to 2 player action?  Does it move around when people get crazy during some intense Street Fighter matches?

[leapinlew]

It looks awesome lew.  I'm definitely going to use your lamination method on my next cab (I'm so sick of painting and sanding) and yours really came out great.

How has it been holding up to 2 player action?  Does it move around when people get crazy during some intense Street Fighter matches?

@Javery - it's held up pretty good. It weighs about 60lbs with most of the weight being on the bottom where the rubber feet are. I didn't feel the need to add any additional weight.

@sharidian - yeah, these buttons are good. I was going to make some myself, but for less than $10 each - can't go wrong. I made the mistake of hooking them up to the 12V at first. When you see smoke - thats usually a sign something is wrong.

@theCoder - about 60lbs. It would've been much heavier had I used MDF. Overall - I'd use that sandeply again. I like that it's a bit smaller than it's measurements. The added thickness of the formica + the sandeply being about 1/16th an inch smaller than 3/4" worked out perfect for formica that is 1/32" thick.

@Kaytrim - I know what you mean about the angle iron. It has a dual purpose. It's meant to protect as well as look good. I need to find a way to integrate it into the machine better. Perhaps by routing down the edge 1/8" so the trim is flush. Moving the machine around before it had the angle iron in it caused some of the formica on the bottom to chip. Adding this angle iron did a good job of covering up the chipped spot as well as preventing future chips.

The cabinet is a bit funky shaped - being a 2 player bartop. I mean, really all it needs is a longer base and a coin door and it's a full blown stand up. What can I say though, the request was for a 2 player bartop and I really couldn't think of a more elegant way to make a 2 player bartop and have it look good. The few other 2 player bartops I've seen are all 24" x 24" cubes.