"The Reactivator" a work in progress *Now with No-Need-To-Rotate Monitor*

[bfauska]

I found a free cabinet on Craigslist here in Seattle a while back and picked it up.  Since then I have been fiddling around with it and planing my attack.  I already had a 19" computer monitor and reasonably powerful computer sitting around earmarked for an emulation machine, and I had recently finished my desktop control panels so I decided that I would use some the computer in the cabinet and prototype the CP using the guts of my CP project.

Here's my progress so far:

This first picture shows the 19" computer monitor de-cased and mounted onto the boards used to mount the monitor in these HS-5 cabinets.  You can also see the "drawer" feature of these cabinets which I think makes them awesome candidates for emulation machines.


I ripped apart both the extra tower I had and the case my primary computer were in so that I could use the nicer of the two cases for my desktop computer and the parts from the other for mounting my components in the cabinet. The drawer in this HS-5 cabinet provides an excellent place to mount all my hardware and it slides back down into place very easily.  The drawer also gives a nice work surface when it is in the table orientation seen in the first picture.  I have not cleaned up any wires yet, but once I have the final CP constructed and hinged to the drawer I plan on routing everything much cleaner.  I also have so many cd drives sitting around that I may mount one in here to make any software installations more straight forward.  I am using my network for transferring large files and groups of files but I want to install You Don't Know Jack and some other games like that, which I think I'll have to install directly.


Here's a shot of the drawer back down inside, it is latched in with some barrel bolts and CP gets mounted on a hinge to the front lip of the drawer.  You can also see my sub woofer from the computer speakers I am using in the cabinet sitting at the back of the shelf below the monitor.


This is the underside of my mock-up CP.  The rats nest of wires and the pine boards are courtesy of my desktop cps, I will be replacing all that with a KeyWiz and some new terminal strips eventually, but this has worked out great to find out if the spacing of everything worked.  I have my hacked trackball mounted in the center, but unfortunately it only fit in rotated 180 degrees from where it should be.  I installed it thinking that it would be easy to find some software that would flip mouse travel, but apparently nobody with any programming ability has ever had this problem, because I can't seem to find a solution.  I think that I will be able to shift things around enough to get it in the right way on my finished CP, but I'm not quite sure yet.


Here's a picture of the cabinet with the CP in place and it is playable, it works fairly nice I just want to round over the leading edge of the CP since it can dig into your wrists a little bit.  I also find that it feels like I am going to get carpal tunnel syndrome while playing standing up.  I think the panel is mounted at the same height and angle as it would have been originally in these cabinets so I wonder if that was always like that.  I can't think of a good way to change the angle so I may just have to always play from a stool.  You can barely tell the coin buttons are lit in this picture but that is because of the flash, even with the room fully lit they glow really nice with the stock 6v bulbs running off of my 5v rail on the computer power supply.



The last two pictures of the cabinet show the rest of my progress on the modifications I have done so far.  I pulled out the one speaker that was mounted in the speaker panel and used zip ties to hold my Cambridge Soundworks speakers in place, these speakers have a really nice sound with their sub woofer and I hope that it will stay nice when I get the monitor bezel in place, you can't see the off-white speaker boxes through the slots in the speaker panel so I am not going to paint them.





The Name:

I had previously come up with several possible names but ruled many of them out because I plan on running NES emulation, Atari 2600 emulation, and PC games in addition to arcade emulation, so I didn't want the word arcade in my title.  I like the idea of the machine bringing old games back from the dead so I was fiddling around with the idea of "resurrection"  in various forms and another option was "Ghosts of the Machines" but "resurrection" seems to be widely used and "Ghosts..." was too long for a title.  I typed "resurrect" into a thesaurus and one of the words that came up was "reactivate"  That sounded cool and straight out of the era I remember playing games in. "The Reactivator" was born.  So that's the name for now, although I still like the idea of ghosts and I could work some old-school game characters into that title more easily maybe.

Here is my concept sketch for my Marquee:

I would love some comments on the Marquee since it is still very up in the air.  I am hoping to capture the idea of these old forgotten game machines being rejuvenated and sparked back to life.  I haven't played around with the idea yet but I was also thinking of the possibility of the title looking like a monitor that had just come back on, with sort of the dot and glow radiating from the center and the words glowing over the top of it.  I am going to post in the artwork forum too, but I am open to comments here as well.

My ToDo list is still quite long, but hopefully I can hammer it out in the next month or so.  I am going to Vegas in 2 days so I won't get any work done this week, but with a little luck I'll come home with the money to buy my encoder and maybe pay for some graphic printing.

Thanks for looking, please feel free to question, taunt, praise, or suggest.

[polaris]

hey brian
dunno if you know anyone who works in the theatre or anything but you can get some frost gel to diffuse the light behind your marquee for a nice soft glow, ill try and find you a link for a FULL swatchbook of samples for you to look through.
but on a serious note whats that font, i really like it, and i personally wouldnt add too much to the marquee if anything, i like it as it stands. 

[SodaPopinksi]

Looks cool, I bet a nice FE design to go with this could be something very mechanical looking with lots of crazy wires and such, and the selected game name in the game list could have a jolt of electricity going to it, maybe even animated, to show that you're reanimating that particular game. A crazy looking mechanical monitor could show the snaps when the game gets jolted

[DrumAnBass]

Those little Cambridge Soundworks speakers are great; hope you are driving them with enough power. I use a pair of those as my rear surround speakers in my 5.1 theater setup and they really sound good.

The artwork is a little hard to read; the glow idea might work better.

Cool project though! Looking good!

[theCoder]

The marquee makes me feel like Big Foot is lurking somewhere behind the text, waiting to jump out.  The font looks cool; kind of like 80's techno.  I don't think it goes with the green trees/ferns.  If you're going for the old school game look, Perhaps you could go with something a little more orange shag carpet and wood paneling. 

Great find on the cab.  I keep looking...

[bfauska]

Thanks for the comments.  I like the ideas about the FE.  I also would love to do a rotating monitor and if I find one that can degauss consistently well (mine won't work sideways at all) I could rig it up with the automation clearly visible, that would look very techy.

I think that if you could see the artwork in it's original size you would notice that it is not trees, it's a circuit board with rust on top of it, as I said though it is a WIP so I may try to make that more clear, thanks for pointing out how dangerously close to nature it looks.

The font is More than Human

I am running the speakers as they were originally meant to be run.  I am using the whole 2.1 set, the amp is built into the sub, which I have sitting below the monitor.

Thanks again for the comments, I will check back in about a week for more.  I'm off to Vegas in the morning.

[SpanishJoe]

Just a jump from my thread - your CP looks great! A word of advice from a fellow Dynamo owner; Get rid of the two lightbulbs up top behind the marquee. They get really hot when the marquee is in place because there's no venting up there. An expensive idea is to use a superbright 12V LED strip. A cheap idea is to use florescents....

As for the marquee design - I use canned designs, so certainly can't criticize! I am always envious of those who make their own designs, especially ones without donkey kong and pac man bitmaps grafted onto them.

Curious to see what progress was made since May... Keep the pictures coming!

-SJ.

[Chris G]

Ditto, let's see some updated 

Totally missed this thread originally.  Great find, Brian!

[severdhed]

looks like a good project.  i may have a solution for your mouse direction problem....

i made a mouse-hack spinner for my cabinet, but due to the way that i made it, turning it left moved the mouse right...

it took me a while to find anything that would invert the axis, but then i found an old version of the logitech mouseware. ( i dont remember the specific version, but i have it saved on my cabinet at home)  anyway, by installing this, and editing the registry to indicate you have a specific mouse, the software has an orientation feature.  it asks you to move your mouse UP, and it will reconfigure it to be the proper direction.   

the only downside is that it only works with PS2 mice. 

I have the software and instructions saved on my cabinet at home, so if you are interested, let me know and i will put them somewhere where you can get them.

[bfauska]

Very Late Update.

I rushed to make the cabinet more playable by July 4th and never managed to update the thread.  Now that it's looked like it does for about 1 month I figured I should share with y'all.

That July 4th deadline was because we were having company over for a BBQ and I thought this would be a good source of entertainment, and for the people who actually played it I was right.  Not as much interest as I had hoped, but successful none-the-less, and the deadline meant I got myself in gear. 

Here it is as it looks now:


As you can see it has a new (still prototype) CP, and smoked plex.

This is the top of the CP:


You may notice that there is currently no trackball mounted in the CP. I have however solved the space problem for the trackball by shifting everything else as far out as it can go, when I mount the TB I won't have to try to flip it's axis of travel anymore. 

The illuminated admin buttons were a last minute solution.  I had originally intended to use some Electric Ice buttons from GGG with the disk inserts also offered there but the results were not satisfying.  I thought I wanted the labels to be stealth when the lights were off so the standard translucent buttons or the NovaGems seemed wrong for the job and in MikeDeuces button disk thread there was a picture of an EI button with some fairly readable text inside it, but in my test the button does too good of a job diffusing the light for the text to be readable.  These admin buttons have a built-in light and diffuser, and allow for a printed graphic to be inserted under the clear cap on the top.  I like the versatility of using photo paper and graphics of my choosing, so I think I will keep these buttons.  I will be removing the credit buttons though in favor of rigged up coin return buttons, and I think I'll even make that an option that can be turned off with a switch inside the cab.

This is the underside of the CP where you can see that my wiring has been completely revamped:


I purchased a Keywiz from GGG so that I could return my GPWiz and all it's accompaning wires to the "DorkSticks."

I also used a Molex tool borrowed from work to create a custom harness from my PC power supply to the illuminated buttons and coin door.

My newest CP prototype has been properly mounted to the "Drawer" feature of the cab by a chunk of continuous hinge and a custom steel lower CP box that I bent up at work.  I think I like the shape of the new CP and when I replace it I will only move it a little closer to bezel so it closes a gap that is there currently and makes the ends of the front edge sit just behind the sides of the cabinet, right now it sticks out and leaves a sharp corner.

My current plans include:
Design some CP and Marquee art and have it printed
Drill a new CP to go with the art and include trackball
Wire Marquee light (maybe replace w/ Randy's new LED marquee light)
Get some of the LEDs that work in these admin buttons. (currently incandescent, too hot, too yellow)
Coin door locks
New T-Molding (colored according to art)
New art-appropriate colored buttons/joysticks
External USB port
Volume knob
Headphone jack
Frontend skin
Hide Windows start-up/shutdown
Power button
Coin box
Wire coin counter (not sure if I want to count coins only, or credits too)
Find and install Free 21" computer monitor
Make 21" monitor rotate (several ideas already, didn't do 19" monitor for degauss reasons)
Bezel

OK, now I've updated.

Questions, comments, ideas, ridicule?

[Green Giant]

One thing you should definitely add to your list is make a cheap bezel to hide the wood behind the smoked glass.  Will make the screen float there.  Just use some duct tape and black poster board.

[bfauska]

It's an important feature, and I did ALMOST leave it off the list, so I won't hold it against you that you missed it... it's the last thing on the list, and not what I edited the post for.  Thanks for looking out for me though, if I had forgotten it I definitely would have appreciated the reminder.

[superbigjay]

Hello bfauska,

would you mind telling me what are your admin button?

from what I can see on the pic it seems to be:

coin1 - - pause - exit - coin2

Jay

[Green Giant]

It's an important feature, and I did ALMOST leave it off the list, so I won't hold it against you that you missed it... it's the last thing on the list, and not what I edited the post for.  Thanks for looking out for me though, if I had forgotten it I definitely would have appreciated the reminder.

Thats what I get for staying up too late.

[theCoder]

would you mind telling me what are your admin button?

What he said.  I'm interested as well.

You can pick up the coin door locks at your local HomeDepot.  When I looked last, they appeared to stock pairs of locks with the same key.  I was searching for 3 locks (2 for coin door, 1 for back), but could only find two per key.  They had 2 sizes.  The 7/8" fit perfect on my front door.

[Chris G]

Nice progress, B!









But have you thought about doing a bezel at all?

[bfauska]

The missing admin is "Enter"  I chose to add that one simply for ease of use for outsiders.  I still have the player 1 and 2 buttons set to work for selection in both mamewah and mame, but the enter button keeps folks from asking.  I am not sure if it'll stay on for the final product.

Thanks for the info on the door locks, I actually know of several sources, I'm just too cheap to put them on a short list. 

[bfauska]

Here's a new marquee idea.  I think I like the simplicity, but I may add some faint background and/or play with the font.  The major problem now is that my wife saw the name and said it was dorky.  I asked if there was any name that would make a homemade arcade cabinet NOT be dorky (since I think it's just part of the hobby) and she seemed to think there were, but couldn't come up with anything.  I really don't think it would make a difference if it had the coolest name in the world and the pink joysticks she wants, she still wouldn't be excited about having it, she pretty much knows I enjoy it and leaves it at that.  Oh, well... Any cool name ideas? Or suggestions for the art?

[bfauska]

UMMMM, I am not sure what I wanted the name to be in the first place... I think I just realized I made this marquee wrong...oops.  Oh well, picture that marquee with "The Reactivator" in it's place.

 

[bfauska]

Some new artwork ideas, as posted in the artwork section too.  The name's right this time, so that's good.

What do you think?:

[leapinlew]

Some new artwork ideas, as posted in the artwork section too.  The name's right this time, so that's good.

What do you think?:

Thats pretty good. I can read it. Simple but elegantly creepy.

[bfauska]

I've come up with another option for the artwork.  I think I like this one the best so far, but the colors (color) may be a little boring.  I can easily play with them and I may want to change the font, but I think that the LCD font works out OK.  I'm going to post in the artwork section of the forum too, but this way I have twice as many options for advice and for the sake of future onlookers it will be available here in the project thread too.

What do yall think?

[SodaPopinksi]

The new one looks pretty sharp, like you said, maybe changing the reactivator font to something different yet equally "mechanical" looking might be cool. I like the text further explaining the name.

[dmworking247]

I remember a movie called "The Reanimator" (bringing dead people back to life with a fluro green syrum in a syringe), the title was written in a similar green.

Perhaps you could use that as a theme but change the context to games?

[stace]

Looking good,

Any chance you can post pix of how your illuminated buttons are connected to the PC power supply?

Thanks
Stace

[polaris]

i like it brian, anyway you can animate the blippy bit with  scrolling leds or something, that would be awesome

[bfauska]

i like it brian, anyway you can animate the blippy bit with  scrolling leds or something, that would be awesome

Damn you, damn you and your more work creating ideas. 
Way too cool of an idea, I'm sure I could do it somehow, I've been wanting to look into some basic LED circuits like what TheCoder is doing anyway.

Looking good,

Any chance you can post pix of how your illuminated buttons are connected to the PC power supply?

Thanks

Stace

I'll see what I have as far as pictures go, I may have to take something new, but It's just a custom power connector I made to hook up the illuminated buttons and the coin door lights.

[polaris]

haha i knew once that seed was planted

avolites do a baby pearl called a tiger, only about £4000 im sure, bound to be small enough to pop in a cab , then you just need the dimmers and some dmx, quick little chase in there and youre laughing

[superbigjay]

Like someone I know, I posted in you artwork thread 

Looking good.

Jay 

[bfauska]

Like someone I know, I posted in you artwork thread 

Looking good.

Jay 

It's OK, I thought of you when I double posted it.

haha i knew once that seed was planted

avolites do a baby pearl called a tiger, only about £4000 im sure, bound to be small enough to pop in a cab , then you just need the dimmers and some dmx, quick little chase in there and youre laughing

Yeah, I'll just put a full dimmer system and run it from an Obsesion or something like that, it wouldn't be overkill or anything. 

[polaris]

Yeah, I'll just put a full dimmer system and run it from an Obsesion or something like that, it wouldn't be overkill or anything. 

 

im gonna get thinking on it though, but im sure you'll suss it before me.

it must be done though. if i say so myself , way too cool an idea to let pass

[bfauska]

I have a fairly simple fiber-optic electro/mechanical solution in mind.  My only concern is that the image would stay the whole time and the light would just cycle through it.  I want the image to stay the whole time, more than I want the cycling dot, but both may be cool.

[polaris]

im thinking put the led strip in  small 'guttering' that lines the blip line so its shielded from the marquee light, does that make sense?

[bfauska]

I think so.  So the only time the line gets any light is when the LEDs behind it are lit up?  That sounds like it would do the job, but it may be tough to get the accurate little trough (gutter).

I was just going to make the source out of something that wouldn't cast much shadow so that the line is always lit and then the line would get brighter at the illuminated point as the chase worked it's way across.  I'd be interested in doing a test of both options, but it's likely my lazy ass will never finish either.  I may have to play around with it a bit. 

Even as I type I'm picturing ways to do what I think you are describing.  Doing a chase circuit for the LEDs would be a bit of work in it's self since I think it would take more than 30 LEDs and most of the simple chase circuits I've seen have been for about 10 LEDs.  My first thought was that I could use a single source of light for Fiber-optics and then use a wheel (similar to a flicker wheel in a fiber-optic illuminator for a star curtain) that wiped across the fibers creating a physical chase.  I'm more experienced with little motors than circuitry, so making a little illuminator would be simple for me compared to making the chaser.  I also would only need one light source and the fibers would allow a standard marquee set-up to work for the rest of the marquee.  I could probably do a combo of the two ideas fairly easily (relatively speaking.)

I do have fairly free access to marquee sized pieces of acrylic so I can do several tests.

I think I'm going to work on my CPO artwork and let this idea simmer in the back of my mind for a while.

[polaris]

yep, you've sussed what im picturing, ill see what i can find to acheive it too , i really want to see it 'come alive' in the reactivator, bear with me my minds racing on this too

[bfauska]

Another try at the Marquee.  I didn't really like the version with so much green and I made a few other changes too.

[unclet]

I like it except that the blue used for the "Bringing arcade classics back to life" text does not seem to fit in with the rest of the color scheme of the marquee.   I like the text though, just not the bright blue color.   Basically, when I look at your marquee, my eyes go right to the "Bringing arcade classics back to life" text and it should focus on the "Reactivator" text instead.

Couple of suggestions which you could try (not necessarily at the same time).  Keep in mind I am not an artist at all .....

- The "Bringing arcade classics back to life" text is surrounded by a white circle outline.  How about not having this white circle for that text, but instead put the white circle around the "Reactivator" text instead.   

or

- Another possibility is to outline the "Reactivator" text characters with a brighter color so each letter is defined better.  It seems like you are using gray/white to outline the letters ..... how about just making that brighter a bit.

Hope that made sense ...

[XyloSesame]

I like it except that the blue used for the "Bringing arcade classics back to life" text does not seem to fit in with the rest of the color scheme of the marquee.   I like the text though, just not the bright blue color.   Basically, when I look at your marquee, my eyes go right to the "Bringing arcade classics back to life" text and it should focus on the "Reactivator" text instead.

Couple of suggestions which you could try (not necessarily at the same time).  Keep in mind I am not an artist at all .....

- The "Bringing arcade classics back to life" text is surrounded by a white circle outline.  How about not having this white circle for that text, but instead put the white circle around the "Reactivator" text instead.   

or

- Another possibility is to outline the "Reactivator" text characters with a brighter color so each letter is defined better.  It seems like you are using gray/white to outline the letters ..... how about just making that brighter a bit.

Hope that made sense ...

For me, the tagline competes with the title and my eyes don't know where to go. The motion of the image flows nicely off of the flatline, but the tag is so prominent, my eyes aren't sure whether to focus on it first or on the title.

FWIW, I'm with Lew. I like the green LCD design as well, though I've been sitting back watching the evolution overall.

[unclet]

Possibly having the ""Bringing arcade classics back to life" text in RED to match the heartbeat line and then brighten up the "Reactivator" blue color a bit ..... that might look good as well.

[bfauska]

Good suggestions guys, you've got me thinking.  It's hard sometimes when designing something to look at it with a "first look."  I always end up making a change and then fixating on that change instead of the overall appearance.  I will try to keep the flow in mind as I progress.  Thanks for the input, I truly value it.