Scratch-built Star Wars Cockpit Cab - UPDATE 15/9/13

[HoopstarsGarage]

Well this project has been a long time coming..   probably something like the 24 years to be precise - the first time I played this game at my local bowling alley.

It was an amazing period and one day that stands out clearly in my mind - I was Star Wars mad and the thought of being able to pilot an X-Wing fighter in 3D was nearly too much.. 

But for me it wasn't (and isn't) just the game-play that makes it so desirable but also the awesome cockpit cabinet design with it's complex angular shapes draped in the most gorgeous side art depicting the evil Darth Vader and the powerful Death Star not to mention the battle between the X-Wing and Tie Fighters.  Add to all of that the unique yoke controls that just ooze the battle of Endor and the futuristic molded plastic bezel and you start to understand the draw card that is the Star War Cockpit Cabinet...  And thats just before you start to mention the sampled voices from the movie and the gorgeous, crisp vector graphics..

And so this cabinet has remained a dream of mine..  the one above all others that I HAD to have in my collection..  my "Holy Grail" of cabinets if you like..

The problem with that dream was that there were just under 2500 units produced world wide 24 years ago of which maybe 50 or 60 might of made it down under. Then factor in the conversion "era" and the water damage that these cabs are so renowned for and the reality of finding one was never looking good..

So my only option was to start searching for the parts that made up a Star Wars Cockpit (SWC) and build my own.. just as I had done with my Centipede and Galaga scratch built cabs..  Now this has not been an easy task either and taken the best part of two years continually searching on Ebay and RGVAC for the required parts.  As time progressed I managed to pick up a cockpit bezel in beautiful condition, the coin door complete with mechs, coin box and control panel, (mint) cockpit manuals and the seat joiner piece (rare!)
The biggest boost to the project came about when I found a guy on RGVAC in the US parting out a complete cabinet - I explained to him what I needed.. a price was set and about 1 week later the project was in full steam..  I now had every part of the cabinet including the yoke and rare cockpit control panel apart from the wooden cabinet and vector tube and game..

The next step (and probably the most difficult) was getting all the measurements of tha cabinet itself.  Now I consider myself reasonably good at working out most cabs, but the more information and pictures I collected on the SWC, the more daunting it became..  The measurements and angles were critical in pulling this off and without some VERY accurate details, it would be at best, very difficult..  I struggled with people who were willing to help me - basically it was just all too hard for most but one local guys from the Aussie Arcade Forums helped me out..  Well that is an understatement..  John went beyond the call of duty and created a template of his very nice SWC - the part that blew me away was he wanted nothing but my satisfaction as his reward - a true gentleman..!!!!

This along with my "stock photo files" collected from all over the net and even modessitt dimensions (although a little off) enable me to construct some very accurate plans for my very own SWC - later I will transfer these measurement into CAD files for other would be SWC builders..

So now I had the dimensions and angles the next step was to transfer all of this to a couple of sheets of MDF and carefully cut it out..

The next step is to carefully block out the panels with the necessary set back - here is one side about 90% done.  There remainder of the blocking will need to be done once the cabinet is essentially together.  Having all the original parts like the bezel and control panel really help here..

I'll update some more in the next couple of days..


Hoops

[shardian]

Once this is done, you will be a god among men.

[rovingmind]

 

ok now i'm jealous

 

[SuperGunGuru]

Very nice! That'd be cool if you can get CAD files for us to use. I personally haven't built a mame cabinet yet, but this sounds like it would be fun to build. Looking forward to more pics! 

[arcadefever]

   this is going to be a beauty !!!!

good luck 

[GAtekwriter]

You're going to have a LOT of us following this build with anticipation.

I'm like you - I remember the first time I went in to my local arcade and saw the stand-up/cab Star Wars.  It was in the corner, angled out to face the entire arcade and NO ONE was playing it.  I think I remember hearing Obi-Wan say "The Force will be with you... always" but I could be wrong - I was too entranced watching the demo.  I think I probably spent $3.00 in quarters playing it (a LOT at the time).  One of those memories that has stuck, I guess.

Good luck... post lots of pictures when you can... and thanks for sharing your work.

Jim

[psychotech]

You're going to have a LOT of us following this build with anticipation.

Talk about understatements ..

 

[ChadTower]

My precious.

[amadama]

Wow, this is going to be hot! I eagerly await your progress sir...

[JasonA]

  That's going to be  sweet!

[javeryh]

I am coming over to play as soon as you are finished... I'll be watching this one for sure.

[theCoder]

If memory serves me, the original had a hard wood/plastic seat surface.  If you want to limit your / your kids time in the box, I'd make it as close to original as possible.  Otherwise, you might want to make a nice padded seat. 

What are you going to do for the side art?

Good luck on the build.

[rovingmind]

the side art files are available.  At the opportune time they will get printed.

[Jouster]

WOW...

I too remember my first experience with the stand up SW...I was at an indoor soccer field...about to play a game.  I was a little late for warmups...I mean I practically had to dragged out on to the field.  But who could blame me?  It was the first vector graphics game that I remember seeing...even though then I had no clue what that was...it was just different!  But hearing Obi Wan as I walked up to it sealed the deal.

I think that the hardest part for me, if I was doing this project, would be having the patience to acquire the real pieces that you have.  At some point I'd have been like "screw it, I have the yoke...it's build time!!"

Good luck...oh and no pressure that a lot of us on this board have a special place in our hearts for this game.   
Jouster

[HoopstarsGarage]

So a little bit of an update - In fact there is a lot more to this than maybe first meets the eye with about 30 hours spent getting it to this stage.

With most of the blocking out completed (although not glued in yet) I set about cutting all the center panels for the cab.  I've said it before - the SWC is a pretty complex little cabinet and so getting all the angles right was a bit of a challenge as I wanted this to be BETTER than any cabinet that rolled out of Atari in 1983..

The first shot shows the foot well area inside the cockpit just under the control panel - basically demonstrating the accuracy with the cuts that I am aiming for.  In fact, these angled cuts can be as acute as 55 degrees and it was on one of those that I sliced my hand open..  and on MDF..!!    The screws that you see in place will be totally hidden and just part of the blocking process.

Again another area where looks can be deciving is the bezel area - with a lot of the support pieces being covered with the plastic molded bezel.  It needs to be pretty strong as these brackets also mount the control yoke and screen plexi..

The seat area is pretty much finished although the original speaker grilles are just screwed into place at this point - in an original SWC, these grilles are recessed 4mm and fitted with security screws.  With one of the parted out cabinets, the owner gave me some of the original screws - with a little bit of hunting I have managed to track down the exact same parts which I will end up using to make it as accurate as possible.  You can also see the seat angle piece which is in fact an extruded aluminum bracket - a very hard to get piece..

The top part of the cabinet was probably one of the most difficult to pull off as there are quite a few complex angles that need to be cut - since I don't have a table saw, I had to rely on using a Sawboard and a circular saw..  In the end I am very happy with how it turned out.  You can also see the original vents and the plexi-retainer plate sitting in place.

And now for the "money shot" - possibly the worlds first scratch built Star Wars Cockpit    As you can see there is still a bit to do - the most obvious is the canopy "hoops" and the top of the marquee.

From here, things will probably slow down a bit as I wait for parts from overseas to complete the cabinet (t-molding etc).  In the mean time I will start restoring all the metal parts, coin door, etc etc..


Hoops

[javeryh]

   Holy. Crap.   

[Havok]

Nice!

 

However, even though the cabinet is a two piece, it looks like you have built it so it cannot separate. Are you planning on being able to break it down into two pieces for easier moving?

[HoopstarsGarage]

However, even though the cabinet is a two piece, it looks like you have built it so it cannot separate. Are you planning on being able to break it down into two pieces for easier moving?

I have a dedicated games room so really I have no reason to make it separate..

That said, it would be VERY easy to have it  do so.


Hoops

[ChadTower]

  Holy. Crap.   

Yes.  Yes.  Yes.

Now I have to wait a minute to stand up, dammit.

[patrickl]

That's amazing. One of my favorite sitdown cabinets "evar" and it looks perfect. You are one dedicated builder/demi god 

[rovingmind]

That is truly awesome.    With the quality your putting into that, are you going to use original logic boards? 

[ChadTower]

Did this really come from the plans in the Main thread?  I didn't think there was enough there yet to build from... or am I just not good enough at reading plans?

[rovingmind]

no, for the plans in the main thread I'm still waiting on some dimensions.

he got in touch with a fellow that took one completely apart down to the single panels for a resto and got tracings of the actual panels. 

You can't get any more accurate than he is here.

[bleargh]

WOW

 

[ChadTower]

no, for the plans in the main thread I'm still waiting on some dimensions.

he got in touch with a fellow that took one completely apart down to the single panels for a resto and got tracings of the actual panels. 

You can't get any more accurate than he is here.

So perhaps we should also get in touch with that fellow and purchase a set of those tracings, rather than duplicate the guy's work?

[rovingmind]

So perhaps we should also get in touch with that fellow and purchase a set of those tracings, rather than duplicate the guy's work?

 

I will say nothing i can be held liable for.

[arcadefever]

can you build me one 


respect 

[vitaflo]

Been a while since i've posted, but *that* is awesome.  Can't wait to see how it turns out.

[BrentRadio]

That is just too F'ing SWEET!

Inspiration for us all!

Great work!

Brent

[HoopstarsGarage]

So perhaps we should also get in touch with that fellow and purchase a set of those tracings, rather than duplicate the guy's work?

Once I have finished building this cab I intend to transfer all the dimensions into a CAD file which will be VERY accurate - it will include all measurements, angles, radii, set back of middle panels and all the dimensions for the metal parts like the control panel, marquee retainers and canopy joiners.

Please people DO NOT hassle me about these plans.. I will notify when they will be released.

I am also working on reproducing the marquee as we speak - at this stage I will just be using a very high quality digital print of it, but there *may* be plans to silk screen this onto plexi at a later point..


And a BIG thanks guys for all the kind words and support - it really helps keep the motivation going for such a large, complex project..!!

Cheers


Hoops

[ChadTower]

For Christ's sake, who was harrassing anyone? 

[HoopstarsGarage]

For Christ's sake, who was harrassing anyone? 

Chad - was nothing personal nor directed at you..  sorry if you took it that way..!!

Was more a general "preemptive" post as I knew that as soon as I said I'd make them available, I'd be inundated with requests and "where are these" posts..


Hoops

[Kaytrim]

Well if this is any evidence as to the interest in this project.  One of the mods stickied this thread.  This is looking just like the real thing as you planned.  Keep it up and take your time with the measurements.

TTFN
Kaytrim

[PoDunkMoFo]

eased.

I am also working on reproducing the marquee as we speak - at this stage I will just be using a very high quality digital print of it, but there *may* be plans to silk screen this onto plexi at a later point..

Should be screened on glass.  That's what mines on anyways.

[ChadTower]

Chad - was nothing personal nor directed at you..  sorry if you took it that way..!!

Was more a general "preemptive" post as I knew that as soon as I said I'd make them available, I'd be inundated with requests and "where are these" posts..

Fair enough.  Don't distribute them yourself.  Send them to saint for hosting.  I guarantee he'll do it gladly.

[HoopstarsGarage]

Fair enough.  Don't distribute them yourself.  Send them to saint for hosting.  I guarantee he'll do it gladly.

I'll be hosting everything myself - I have thrown together a quick web-page to document all the work - this will include all plans etc and a VERY detailed build up of the cabinet.. I have glossed over a lot of the more intricate parts in this thread..

Star Wars Cockpit


Hoops

[ChadTower]

Rocking.   

[BrentRadio]

Hoops,

Are you going to run mame in this or use original hardware?

Brent

[ChadTower]

He'd better at least be using VectorMAME and a ZVG.  It would be criminal to put a raster monitor in one of those.

[Kaytrim]

The biggest boost to the project came about when I found a guy on RGVAC in the US parting out a complete cabinet - I explained to him what I needed.. a price was set and about 1 week later the project was in full steam..  I now had every part of the cabinet including the yoke and rare cockpit control panel apart from the wooden cabinet and vector tube and game..

Quote from first post says he has the tube and game board.  Hoopster is going 100% authentic.

Darn just re-read the post and that is what he is missing.

[NickS]

Great work and thanks for your willingness to share the dimensions with the community.

In the mame vs original hardware debate I would use mame. Firstly a high res pc monitor with the contrasts properly adjusted looks very good when playing Star Wars and vector monitors can be extremely unreliable and very expensive. The original boards and other associated parts that would be required are also extremely unreliable and very expensive. And of course with Mame you can turn it into a multigame unit playing Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back and Return Of the Jedi.

[CheffoJeffo]

Wow ... I'm absolutely speechless ...

 

[arcadefever]

I'll be hosting everything myself - I have thrown together a quick web-page to document all the work - this will include all plans etc and a VERY detailed build up of the cabinet.. I have glossed over a lot of the more intricate parts in this thread..

Star Wars Cockpit


Hoops

very nice 

[BrentRadio]

You can use a raster tube, I don't think there is such a thing as a vector tube. It's the yoke, rings, and monitor boards that make it vector.

Brent

[HoopstarsGarage]

In an ideal world I would LOVE to use a vector monitor and the original hardware with a mulitgame setup (SW and ROTJ) but I would need to find a 25" vector monitor.. and they are more difficult to get than the cabinet..

Brent is correct that there essentially isn't any difference with the tube itself but the impedance of the yoke coils which means a change of either the yoke (and then a big setup job for convergence, etc) or a redesign of the Horizontal and Vertical deflection circuits - either way.. a big job.. 

To this end, I will be running MAME on the cab with a 21" Sony monitor - this way I will be able to play Star Wars and Return of the Jedi plus some PC Star Wars games (ie. X-wing and Tie Fighter) another thought which is still in debate is adding an accelerator pedal to allow me to play one of my other favorite games - Spy Hunter - with a removable shifter mech

I am hoping on getting stuck into the canopy hoops over the weekend.. weather permitting 


Hoops

[BrentRadio]

Or you could get this guy to build you a 25 inch Vector:

http://www.arcadecup.com/

Read this thread:

http://forums.webmagic.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=470153&page=0&fpart=1&vc=1

Brent

[pin_wiz_1]

Hey - great project.

Please check out my own project here in the UK. I recently built a Star Wars upright from scratch:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=62824.0


If you need any help just give me a shout!

Keep up the great work.

Brad

[ChadTower]

You can use a raster tube, I don't think there is such a thing as a vector tube. It's the yoke, rings, and monitor boards that make it vector

That's what we were assuming he meant and just used the wrong term.  We'll see when he gets that far.

Hell, for this project, I'd say go more than 25".  There have to be 27" tubes out there with the same deflection angle.  They're probably more common than we think.

[Level42]

Maybe a bit unrelated bit I have to share it:

Tomorrow I will go have a look at probably the only Star Wars Cockpit left in The Netherlands.....and maybe buy it

Wish me luck !


(19" monitor, defective of course, but seller claims it plays blind, but I've heared that before when I got my Centipede.....)

[rovingmind]

For possible shifter and pedals, i'm looking at adding a usb port under the control panel.  Easily removed and wont mar the looks.

I have a madcatz assembly to hack.

[danny_galaga]

If your HR is anything to go by, this is going to be an exemplary piece of work (",)

[BrentRadio]

Hoops,

I know you are busy. When you get a chance can you zipfile the Star Wars pics you have from the internet and send them to me?

You can email me at vaps@brentradio.com

Thanks!

Brent

[rovingmind]

Tomorrow I will go have a look at probably the only Star Wars Cockpit left in The Netherlands.....and maybe buy it

did you get it?

[HoopstarsGarage]

Well the weather here has been pretty crappy and that means I haven't been able to cut out the canopy hoops:(

So to keep things moving along, albeit a little slower than I'd like, I have started getting stuck into restoring the various metal parts like the control panel, yoke and coin door..

The cab that I got my control panel from was converted to an Atari Hydra and so they decided to completely f#ck up a totally good panel and bore some dirty great holes in it for two push buttons..
Initially I thought that the control panel overlay might of been an original Star Wars but it turned out that they'd replaced it with a generic overlay and then sprayed it black..



The yoke overlay had seen better days as well and couldn't be saved..



So the first step involved removing the yoke controller and stripping off the CP overlay - this was a pretty crappy job as it really had bonded to the metal panel.  Once I'd stripped off the overlay, I was left with this thick, sticky glue that took a while to get off as well.. it certainly wasn't one of the more enjoyable jobs..  After all the glue was removed, the panel was lightly sanded..



Next up I needed to fabricate a couple of filler panels to cover up the holes.  I spent a little time making sure they were a decent fit after which I then grabbed the mig and welded them in place..



Next up I pulled out the angle grinder and cleaned up the welds and then finished up with the sander to smooth off the rough grinding and also give the filler something to bind to..



To fill any of the imperfections, a skim of filler was smeared over the welds and left to harden..



..and then this was sanded down leaving a really nice, smooth panel.  I then shot a couple of coats of satin black over the front and back to seal everything down and give the new overlay something nice to adhere to..



The yoke itself had seen better days with lots of surface rust and scratches..



Internally things weren't much better either - there was lots of rust, dust and 23+ years of grime..



I set about stripping down everything to their basic components and then cleaned up all the rust with the wire wheel - I followed up with a wipe over with some de-oxidene to ensure the rust wouldn't return..



As you can see in both the follow and previous photos, I masked up the sintered bronze bearings after I'd cleaned them up with some fine steel wool.. this just gave them that new look that would further be enhanced once everything was painted.  Even the rear bracket was cleaned up even though it can't be seen when installed - it's the little details that count..



I also rubbed down the handles which were VERY scratched - interestingly the right hand handle was quite dented from what I can only assume was from rings.  I carefully filed out these dents followed up with a light sanding - the end result was pretty bloody good if I do say so myself.



While the paint was drying, I de-greased all the springs, gears etc and set everything out ready for re-assembly.   As you can see, the original manual was invaluable in getting everything back together in the correct order..



The bumpers that limits the pitch and yaw travel on the Star Wars yokes are almost always buggered - the original bumpers turn into chewing gum and the end result is very harsh end of travel..  Although Ram Controls now offer replacement parts for these bumpers, at $40US (plus postage) - this would run out to around $60AUD by the time I took delivery of them for nothing more than some rubber..!!  I was determined to find another way around it and so came up with the following method..
On the left is how most of my bumpers looked when pulled out of the controller - pretty much screwed.  What I did was take the original nut and bolt along with a "spacing" nut to form an arbor of sorts - this was then placed in my drill press and with the use of a file, the original rubber was removed, leaving nice clean metal.. as seen on the right hand side..



A quick snap of how I used the file to remove the old gummy rubber..



I then took some extruded rubber which I cut into 10mm slices and then punched a hole into each to form a thick, rubber washer - this was then slid over the original metal bumper hub.   The result actually works really nicely and at a fraction of the replacement costs from Ram controls - hopefully this can help out others out there..



The end result looks 100 times better than the original piece did and feels a lot smoother and much more crisp..  I am awaiting the overlay for the metal cover for the yoke - I have manage to find a NOS overlay which is on it way down under and will complete this part of the cab..

[Havok]

Nice work!

While you're in there, though, I would replace those pots...

[HoopstarsGarage]

Nice work!

While you're in there, though, I would replace those pots...

I've put them back in there temporarily until I work out what value I'll need for the interface that I am using at which point they'll be replaced with some nice Vishay units..


Hoops

[HoopstarsGarage]

TINY UPDATE

I had a couple of reports to do for work today so was working in my home office when the door-bell rung - went to the door and it was my local delivery man with a big parcel..

Judging by the USPS stickers, I quickly knew it was going to be my side art  


I carefully and opened the box, not wanting to damage the contents to reveal lots and lots of artwork - I'll snap some more photos later (because I really need to finish these reports) but here are a couple of teaser shots..  



Note that it's bloody hard to photograph at the moment because they're not flat but initial inspection looks pretty good.   The details are crisp and sharp and the colours very vivid - the blacks look very very nice and solid and the blue is just.. well.. sexy..!!

A quick close up..


Hope you guys enjoy them as much as I do...!!!  


Hoops

[BrentRadio]

Man, Great job on the photo updates!

Keep doing that!

Brent

[Level42]

Great work on the yoke, that info may come in handy !

The artwork looks amazing. Where did you get it ?

[HoopstarsGarage]

I managed to finish up at work a early today and with the weather being quite nice (for a change) I managed to get a little done on the SWC cab..

First task was to accurately transfer one of the "canopy hoops" onto a sheet of 18mm MDF from the templates and then carefully cut it out - the latter was fairly easy as most of the cuts are just straight with the outer radii will be done one everything is verified..

At this point, I pretty much breathed a sigh of relief because I have been just a touch nervous that the hoops wouldn't mate up accurately to the front and rear halves of the main part of the cabinet.  
Because I've been reverse engineering this cabinet and that essentially the side panel set form one great big loop it was critical that not only the cabinet side measurements and angles be spot on, but so is the setback of all the center panels..  Get anyone of them wrong, and things just aren't going to line up -  made all the more difficult as I didn't have the sideart to verify..

Thankfully the results are pretty good and comparing to a lot of my file photos, the fitment and position both for and aft are spot on.   You can also see that I temporarily stuck the canopy artwork on (with blu-tac) to get a bit of a feel for how it will look - unfortunately the angle that I took this photo on doesn't really show either aspect accurately, but you get the idea..



The next step is to cut out the other 5 canopy hoops and start modifying 2 of them for the canopy.  My plan is to then do a couple of trial runs on some scrap MDF to test the routering of the bevel for the artwork cutouts - fun days indeed.

Stay tuned..


Hoops

[ChadTower]

 

[Mamed for life]

Wow. This is why I got interested in this hobby in the first place: incredible work. Well done and keep going (bookmarking page now!)! 

MfL

[dwyzane]

This is really looking nice! Great job so far.

[amadama]

How's the build coming along? We are all pretty anxious here to see how you are coming along (at least I am!)
Alex

[blueznl]

Am I the only one or does a WHITE SW sitdown look much better? 

[Level42]

Yes.


You're the only one.




 

[ARTIFACT]

Amazing work!! Kudos for all your great projects... I looked thru your centipede one too.

[Level42]

Did anyone find the ribbed t-molding for the wide panel parts ?

[rovingmind]

there was a link to some in a different post

[theCoder]

Great project. 

What are you planning for the sound system?  You can get a LOT of contained sound inside one of these cabs.

[BrentRadio]

T Molding

http://www.outwatercatalogs.com/2006_master/lg_display.cfm?page_number=33&catalog=otm

[Level42]

Thanks for that link, but that's not the right T-molding. As you can see it's 1,5" wide. The part of the cockpit covered by this t-molding is 3x 3/4" wide (3 panels on top of eachother). So the original T-molding is 2 1/4" wide. It also has more "bumps" and the outer bumps are really wide.

Check out this close up (I zoomed in on a excisting picture, will take a better one next time I visit my cab).

[prOk]

Unfortunately, you're not going to find that tmold, or even close..  this was a custom extrude for atari back in the day and hasn't been made even similar since.   

[Level42]

Yeah, I already thought it would be a long shot....the one BrentRadio points to could be used as an alternative as long as you paint the sides of the panels black. Not original, but close.

A shame really, since this is about the worst looking part of my SW CP....

Now, I'm still a guy that doesn't like the word "never"......I already started a weird group-buy here....could we gather enough people to start a run ? We'd need a die for the extrusion and a place that can do this.....
I guess a die could be made by using a good part of the original molding ?

[Trebeck]

Awesome Job Hoops

 

-Beck

[Level42]

Uhm, unless we get every current Star Wars cockpit owner/builder to team up, I think we can forget about a re-issue of the special T-molding: I checked with a company and making the die would cost about €1700,- and then the T-molding would cost about €2,- per meter......
 

[Level42]

In theory, you could use the T-mold that BrentRadio suggested and then 3/8" T-mold on each side.....
Problem is there is a minimum of 5000' for that size T-mold.....http://www.outwatercatalogs.com/2006_master/lg_display.cfm?page_number=28&catalog=otm

[HoopstarsGarage]

Unfortunately I have been flat out with work which has seen me pulling nearly 80 hours per week and my other projects have be put on hold - once these projects at work are finished (G8 and W200 for the car heads) then I am back into the SWC project..

I have two weeks holidays at the moment but my loving wife wants me to complete a few jobs around the house.. namely 50m2 of floor tiling and the second bathroom renovation..

Gotta keep her happy cause despite the fact I earn 3/4 of the money, she is the banker


Hoops

[rovingmind]

yep, know all about that, for me its painting 3 more rooms of the house, stripping all the wood trim on the first floor, and scraping and painting the fascia and soffitting.

[dfmaverick]

In an ideal world I would LOVE to use a vector monitor and the original hardware with a mulitgame setup (SW and ROTJ) but I would need to find a 25" vector monitor.. and they are more difficult to get than the cabinet..

Awesome work on the cab, thusfar. I'm jealous. I don't think I'll ever have the room for a Star Wars cockpit in my household. 


btw I just happened to be surfing Ebay today, and someone is selling a Wells 6100 that he took out of his Star Wars machine. You may want to do a search.

[HoopstarsGarage]

btw I just happened to be surfing Ebay today, and someone is selling a Wells 6100 that he took out of his Star Wars machine. You may want to do a search.

Hmm.. would be nice but problem is:

Tube = USA

Me = Australia

Problem = big $$$ in shipping

But thanks for the tip


Hoops

[dfmaverick]

Hmm.. would be nice but problem is:

Tube = USA

haha. lol

Oops. Didn't notice that you were not it the U.S. I saw the one package with US Priority stickers on it and I guess it just made me assume you were in US.

My bad.

[Level42]

While working on my SW CP yesterday, I discovered that I was totaly WRONG about the T-molding.
The wide/ribbed T-molding is actually covering 2 panels, not 3 !!! So it is needing 1,5" wide T-molding.

This means that the T-molding suggested by Brent is fine for the application !!
Here's the link again:
http://www.outwatercatalogs.com/2006_master/lg_display.cfm?page_number=33&catalog=otm

I appoligize for informing you wrong.... The only place where there are 3 panels next to each other is on the inside of the cab, and there they all are simply covered with their own regular 3/4" t-mold.

The T-molding from outwater looks great, but it's not exactly the same. However, we won't find exactly the same stuff and the condition of my T-molding is so, that I would love to replace it with the Outwater stuff. However, they don't seem to be really used to international orders AND they have a $25 minimum order. I didn't measure it yet, but the lenghts on the cockpit are pretty short, so a single cab will not reach that $25 limit.

Maybe one of the builders/restorers of a cockpit could order for 2 (or more) cabs, and forward my "share" to me ?
That would be great.....

Or maybe a "group"buy, Hoops you are going to need some of this as well ?

[rovingmind]

any more updates hoops?

[tommy]

I'd like to see how this turned out aswell.

[HoopstarsGarage]

I'd like to see how this turned out aswell.

Sorry guys but "real life" has kinda got in the way...

The good news is that I am very happy to announce that my gorgeous wife and I are expecting our first child..
The bad news is that our house renovations have taken on a very real priority - even more so than my arcade obsession..   

Rest assured that the project is still very alive and your interest in it really helps keep me focused on finishing it.


Hoops

[Level42]

Congrats hoops !

[tommy]

We should have known. When the project stalls there must have been a really good reason why.

Just don't turn it into a Star Wars Cocktail baby crib. 

[rovingmind]

Just like a builder, get half way done with 1 project and start another. 

(mine is just turning a year old end of this month)

Congrats Hoopster,

wouldn't a Star Wars Cocktail end up being the changing table and the CockPIT be the crib?

That would be a pretty awesome changing table though.

[Stray_Catalyst]

Your attention to details is incredible - you're an inspiration to us all.  Congratulations on your baby, and good luck!

Stray Catalyst

[Steve]

Great project 

Just wondering where you got the artwork from and also if you have any plans for the cabinet ?

Steve

[AnthonyB]

updates?

[Timstuff]

Ditto. I want to see how this thing turns out-- and more importantly, I'd love to get my hands on the plans!

[HoopstarsGarage]

WOW.. you can not imagine the irony of this thread being dragged up again..!!

I actually started dusting off the cabinet just today after some pretty massive renovations around our house and the birth of my daughter..




Look forward in the coming weeks where we'll pick up from where we left off..


Hoops

[Kaytrim]

She's a keeper Hoopstar.

[HoopstarsGarage]

Most certainly..  it's been a tough 12 weeks since she was born, but we are starting to get a grip back on reality.

..and we all know that means more arcade builds..   

[javeryh]

Most certainly..  it's been a tough 12 weeks since she was born, but we are starting to get a grip back on reality.

Congrats!  She is beautiful.  It gets easier... sort of.   Last night my wife told me she wanted another kid "pretty soon" - my daughter turns 4 next month and my son just turned 1 last month! 

[Timstuff]

Congratulations on the baby, Hoopstars! She's adorable. ^_^

Also, I'm glad to see you haven't abandoned the project. The SW sit down cab is a holy grail of arcade cabs, so your project has been of great interest to a lot of people (including me) who would like to try their hand at building one some day.

BTW, if I ever do a Star Wars sit-down MAME cab (which would probably be the case, unless by some miracle I find a working Star Wars PCB and monitor yoke / chassy), I'd probably put racing pedals inside of it to make it work with driving games. I'd be a little different playing them with a yoke instead of a wheel, but it'd be close enough for me.

[GAtekwriter]

She is beautiful! 

My wife, too, is starting with the "let's talk" - our son turns 15 months next week and I'm only just now getting my weekends back.  ARGH!  Of course, I keep asking myself where did the last 15 months go???  He's gotten so big... time flies.

Jim

[tylervalo]

Anyone know where the pics went 

[Veeb0rg]

Anyone know where the pics went 

iunno, into the void that 2+ years since the last post before yours might have something to do with it.

[HoopstarsGarage]

Hmm.. pics disappeared  

Trust me folks.. this project isn't dead and I've just bought the repro marquee and silk screened yoke and control panel overlays for the project and about to order the wide t-molding from Ram Controls..

The truth of the matter is "life" has got in the way (ie. my new born is about to turn 2 soon).. but ThisOldGames repro's have resparked my priorities


Hoops

EDIT: Fixed up the pics in all my posts - my ISP has changed their URL for our personal webspace, hence the reason they dropped out..

[HoopstarsGarage]

Apart from life becoming very busy in the way of my wife and I starting a family, some pretty major home reno's and long work hours, one of the stumbling blocks to this project was the lack of detail for the canopy "hoops"..

JohnsArcade did a awesome job of copying the main outline but short of him pulling apart his cabinet, we were never going to get the all the outlines for each of the three elements that make up the hoops.

The project recently got a shot in the arm when I saw dezbaz's Starwars Cockpit Restoration thread over at Aussie Arcade where he'd removed the hoops from one cabinet to fit on his keeper.  I shot Dez a PM asking if he would be willing to make some tracings of the three panels while he had it all disassembled - which he kindly agreed to do.  A couple of weeks later the tracings arrived..  He did an amazing job and wouldn't take any payment for his time or even postage.  I can not thank him enough - Dez is a top guy..  :060:




Well this weekend, I took off some time from working on the house and set about making up the canopy hoops.  The first job was cut out the tracings to form a template..  Looking at them certainly shows how detailed they really are and how impossible it would of been to try to replicate them from just measurements alone.  Dez did an amazing job and put in lots of detailed information which made this whole process just that much easier.



Next up I transferred the templates onto 18mm MDF and cut out a "master" template - the master was used with my router and a laminate trimming bit to cut out the 4 outer pieces and the bottom edge of the 2 inner pieces.  One day and a ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- load of MDF dust later and I had all the pieces made.




The next step was to test fit them to the cabinet - I was stoked to find that they matched up perfectly with the back rest and the rear edge of the main cabinet.. something that I really struggled with with version 1 of the canopy hoops.   I also need to do the cut outs in the outer panel for the decals for the hoops.  The issue here is finding a 30 degree router bit that will cope with the 18mm MDF - so far I've only found a 45 bit which will do a 12mm deep cut, leaving a 6mm edge on the inside.. probably not a massive deal, but I'd prefer to make this as accurate as possible.




The inner hoops support the acrylic canopy - the plan is to give these to the plastic supplier so they can bend the acrylic perfectly to suit the angles.  My little helper was also hard at work helping daddy..




Using the master template meant that all three hoops lined up with each other perfectly..  The edge looks a little wobbly in the photo, but trust me that it's just an optical illusion brought about when I compressed/resized the photos.




On a brighter note, I did manage to find screws that are a pretty good match to those used in the original SWC cabinet - not 100%, but probably as close as I'll get.  I'll hit them with some satin black paint prior to final assembly.



Next job is to cut out the inner hoop cut reliefs for the cross over bar as seen in this reference photo shamelessly stolen from Dez's restoration thread   Hopefully get into this after work this week.  Then I'll move onto building the mounts for the monitor.



This project is offically back on the burner..!


Hoops

[DaOld Man]

Sweet!

[BobA]

Great to see your project on the go again.   

[rovingmind]

I'm glad your project is not dead.  i've pretty much given up on ever getting to do this myself.  Keep up the posts so the rest of us can drool and dream.

[HoopstarsGarage]

I managed to find a place that sold a 20° router bit locally - cost a small fortune, but it's going to make my job that much easier..



Got a little more done..

I have been working on the cleaning up the hoops and making them fit nicely over the seat backrest and cutting the slot for the cross brace - the latter doesn't seem like a big deal, but for some reason, it took me 10 times longer to do than I thought it would..  anyway, the end result came out pretty good and really stiffens up the whole assembly.



With this done, it allowed me to get on with cutting the upper and lower panels for the marquee.  These were pretty challenging since both panels have angled cuts on both their edges (20° and 30° on the upper, 15° and 20° on  the lower).  One day I might invest in a table saw, but for now it was all circular saw and straight edge..  The end result actually surprised me with my freaky accuracy (read: assing it).  The only thing that I am a bit concerned about is the upper marquee retainer seems to be a little too narrow :unsure  Since it's an original off of a SWC cab, I don't quite get it.. maybe they were just like that?  Either way, it'll do for the time being but I will probably remake this part for a more accurate fit.

You can see in this shot the repro marquee from Rich over at ThisOldGame.  Rich did a limited run of these on glass using the original films from Atari.  Although I haven't peeled off my protective mask yet, all accounts from other owners say they are as good, if not better than the originals.  I was so nervous about breaking the marquee, I made up a template out of 6mm MDF to check everything would fit..

I can't wait to see this puppy all lit up 



I spent a good part of yesterday and most of today making the jig for routing the cut outs on the hoops.  For me, these cut outs are one of the stand out features of this cabinet and something I really remember from when I was a kid..

Like most things on these scratch builds, they are complicated by the fact that you are reverse engineering the cabinet - it is very frustrating and bloody time consuming.  These routed cut outs were no different and it took a fair amount of working out.  To that end, I made up some clear templates taking into account the final openings of JohnsArcade and Dezbaz's tracings, the decals and my 10 million reference photos  :blink:

After around 3 or 4 hours of mucking around, I had the inside edges of the openings transferred to the clear plastic sheet.  I then used a scapel to carefully cut out these out - the reason for the clear sheet is that I could check the clearances around the decal versus the actual opening.

Here is the clear template sitting on the original hoop I made waaay back at the start of the project:



I'm figured using the original hoop was a good idea since it was fairly close to the correct shape and the plan was to use it as a jig for the router - waste not, want not..  I clamped one of the new (accurate) hoops to the old hoop and ran the router along the bottom edge - this was so I could use this edge as a point of reference and align both sides..

Then I transferred the openings from the clear sheet to the jig.  I then used the jigsaw to rough out the openings and the router and a straight edge to clean up the edges.  For the curves, I made another router jig with  the correct 17.5mm radius..  It took a HEAP of time but it would make the actual routing stage so much easier, accurate and repeatable..

Here is the finished jig - note that the openings are only referenced to the bottom edge.




I then transferred the openings over to the hoops and rough cut them out..  Our old outdoor table makes a great outdoor bench and it doesn't matter if I cut it




And then the jig was clamped down using the bottom edge to line everything up..



From this point on, it only took about 3 or 4 minutes to do the actual routing..  It was a strange feeling looking at these edges that I'd built in my head a 100 times before - I couldn't believe I'd actually pulled it off..



Just for shits and giggles, I jammed the decals between the outer and middle hoops to see what it looked like.  The bevel doesn't really photograph that well (cause I am a crap photographer) but it looks really nice.  You can also see that I've routed the t-molding slots on the bottom edge as well..



That's just about it for the hoops - the only thing left to do is route the slot for the wide t-molding on the top edge.  I am waiting for a shipment from Ram Controls with the repro 1 1/2" wide t-molding before I do that - hopefully it doesn't take too long for that to arrive..

Next job, cut out and route the recess for the speakers and speaker grilles.. then I'll just about be finished making dust (for this cab)

[jimmy2x2x]

Outstanding work, this is shaping up very nicely!

[EvilNuff]

Really incredible job so far...cannot wait to see more.  Thank you for sharing.

[HoopstarsGarage]

Another nice, solid day of work on the cab today.. 


Today was dedicated to the speaker grilles - something that I've been putting off because I knew it was going to be fiddly.

First step was to rough cut the openings for the 6x9's speakers used in the original.  I didn't get the measurement for finished cutout size so I used a combination of my reference photos and some faint marks on the original grilles to calculate that the cutout was 1/2" from the top and bottom edges of the grille and 3/4" from the side edges.




Then I clamped down the jig ready for routing.  The jig is actually the lower speaker panel that is located under the seat base.  I made this up first using the router and some MDF offcuts as a guide - this allowed me to get nice, clean, straight edges.  For the corners, I carefully made a nice 35mm diameter corner jig and used it for each of the 8 corners.  Like I said, it was pretty fiddly and the first panel (jig) took quite a few hours to get perfect, but it certainly made the second (backrest) panel so much easier..




Once that "jig" was clamped down, it was a simple matter of running the router around the rough cut opening to clean it up..




Here are the weapons of choice to pull all of this off..  My dad once said to me: "The right tool for the job" and it certainly rings true with this job.




Once the cutouts were finished I then centred the original Atari speaker grilles over them and marking the outine..




My laminate trimmer (just a tiny hand held router) has a 40mm x 40mm base on it, so it was just a matter of running fences 40mm away from this outline.  Using a 10mm router bit meant that the corner radius would be correct.. 




The factory used large pop rivets to secure the grilles but I think they look a bit industrial and rough, so I used 8mm button head bolts and nyloc nuts to secure everything - They will be treated to a couple of coats of satin black to finish them off later.  The laminate trimmer was set to a 2.1mm depth - 2mm for the actual grilles and .1mm for the vinyl overlay - that way the grilles would be perfectly flush with the surface. 




Once all four had been routed, I dropped them back in place for the money shot..




Next job is to make the monitor brackets..


Hoops

[Nicodumas]

*jaw hits floor*

WOW! Amazing job! The detail you are putting into this is stunning! Love that you are looking for parts that are original (or at least very close). Hope you can keep working on this soon to be master piece!

[Rick Dangerous]

Holly ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- !!!! you are a pro man !!!! nice cab really kickass 

[Rick]

Meh, this project ain't so .... OMG WTH?!

 

I say it in many threads, but yeah.  Amazing work, here.  Amazing.

[Bones]

It's stuff like this that makes we want to get building again...

[HoopstarsGarage]

Mrs Hoopstar 'requested' that I start on our daughters "big girl room" so the weekend was pretty much dedicated to painting, getting bent over at various bedroom furniture shops and then putting all this crap together - the prices they charge for a simple kids bed, matteress and side table is nothing short of rude..

With that said, there wasn't a lot of time left for cabinet building so I've been playing catch up and been sneaking in a few hours here and there after work.
The latest part for project SWC cabinet called for the monitor mounts - again I used my reference photos to  try and replicated them as accurately as possible...  Here is what the originals looked like:



To get the measurements right, I firstly decased the monitor - in this case, an IBM (re-badged Sony) 21" unit..  These things were the ducks guts back in the CRT days..  I picked up a couple from a guy on another forum for nothing - he bought a pallet load of them from the auctions..  Picture quality is pretty awesome and even though it's not a real vector monitor, it's a good second when coupled with AAE..  The adjustable stand will be removed later (one screw) but I left it in place so I had something to sit it on..



My "replica" brackets are made from 50mm x 50mm x 3mm angle - the 21" Sony monitor weighs an absolute tonne, so I decided to up the thickness a little as the originals look like they're about 1.5mm - I also left a bit more meat on the side that attaches to the monitor itself, again for a bit more support.  After a heap of measuring (no mean feat as I was juggling the monitor and taking measurements all by my little lonesome) I marked and cut out the angle..

The mounting bolts (not shown) for the monitor will be welded in place from behind to make assembly a bit easier and then I'll shoot the lot in some gold paint to try and replicate the finish of the original..  or maybe I'll just paint it black cause I already have that



I laid John's original templates for the side of the cabinet over the side artwork and knowing the bolt hole centreline measurements (200mm centres - thanks Dez!) and with my reference photos, I was able to accurately calculate the location of the bolts on the side of the template - I then transferred the centre marks to the actual cabinet, drilled them with a 2mm pilot drill bit followed with a 6mm and finally a 10mm bit..

Being able to get the bolt hole locations accurately meant that the tube face would also be pretty close to the original cabinet.  I was pretty happy with the results..



The bolts are M10 x 75mm Zenith's from good old Bunnings - Pro's: cheap and easily available at 6:30pm on one's way home from work; Con's: The ugly 'Z' on the bolt head.



Simple solution was to wack them in the lathe and use a file to remove all traces of marking.  This is really just a test shot and I'll finish it up with some emery paper and oil to give it a nice smooth finish and then finally hit them all with a couple of coats of satin black as per the original cab



Due to the size difference of the 21" PC monitor Versus the 25" Vector monitor, I needed to add some packers to the bracket.  In another galaxy, far far away, I hope that Ram will repro the Vector setup and I can retro-fit it into my cabinet..



After all the cursing and swearing, the monitor just slotted into place like it was designed to go in there - to say I was happy was an understatement..!!



..and the reverse shot..



..and with the (very dusty) bezel in place..



Next job is to mount the computer, coin box, etc etc and start prepping the cabinet for paint..  It's getting close..


Hoops

[Rick]

So, you decased the monitor, and them put the stand back on it?  Is it an integral part of the monitor, or was there a reason?  (Not totally familiar with the Sonys, personally.)

[Roo]

if I had to bet, he put the stand back on so he'd have a way to set it down when he's done test fitting.  Am I right?   

Excellent build by the way!  Very nice work!

[HoopstarsGarage]

So, you decased the monitor, and them put the stand back on it?  Is it an integral part of the monitor, or was there a reason?  (Not totally familiar with the Sonys, personally.)

To quote myself

The adjustable stand will be removed later (one screw) but I left it in place so I had something to sit it on..

[Rick]

To quote myself

How do you expect me to read everything when you throw all these damn pictures in the way?

 

[Lewis Black]

Sweet cab.  

[CapriRS302]

If you want to save a lot of time, you may want to check this out...

http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/geekend/?p=834

They've beat you to the punch...

[danny_galaga]

If you want to save a lot of time, you may want to check this out...

http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/geekend/?p=834

They've beat you to the punch...

Much better than that would be the new RAM controls cab, every part of which is which is fully compatible with original equipment. They are even having vector monitors made to spec! And cheaper than the guys you linked to.

BUT, there's nothing like building your own thing from scratch. And Hoopz creation is an inspiration to all us tinkerers, and notice this thread was started a few months before that article was written (",)

Apples and oranges...

[patrickl]

They got in to the business of "refurbishing" original Star Wars arcade cabinets. Which apparently is a translation of "they have restored one cabinet and are trying to sell".

BTW there already was a French thread about someone who scratch built a cabinet.

[Generic Eric]

They got in to the business of "refurbishing" original Star Wars arcade cabinets. Which apparently is a translation of "they have restored one cabinet and are trying to sell".

BTW there already was a French thread about someone who scratch built a cabinet.

http://fabrice.montupet.pagesperso-orange.fr/arcade/starwars/present.htm

[taylormadelv]

Spectacular! It's too bad you will not be able to run AAE in this. AAE has no joystick input, so any yoke game will not work. I moved my AAE rig next to my Major Havoc/Macmame rig the other day and I discovered that Macmame was BRIGHTER than AAE. If I were to mame this and I couldn't get a ZVG (lotsa luck there!), I would go with Macmame .56a running in OS 9, the vectors are the brightest in my experience but you will have to compromise by using a mac and all it's drawbacks. SW, ESB and ROTJ will all work in macmame os 9, Topgunner will only run in Macmame OS X.

[JustMichael]

Spectacular! It's too bad you will not be able to run AAE in this. AAE has no joystick input, so any yoke game will not work. I moved my AAE rig next to my Major Havoc/Macmame rig the other day and I discovered that Macmame was BRIGHTER than AAE. If I were to mame this and I couldn't get a ZVG (lotsa luck there!), I would go with Macmame .56a running in OS 9, the vectors are the brightest in my experience but you will have to compromise by using a mac and all it's drawbacks. SW, ESB and ROTJ will all work in macmame os 9, Topgunner will only run in Macmame OS X.

The only reason I can see to run AAE is for some of the vector effects (like light around asteroid shots).  In Mame, you can adjust Beam, resolution, flicker until you get it looking just like the game you played in your youth.  It would be nice if Mame incorporated some of the vector monitor "artifacts" (if they do and I don't know about them please tell me).   I do recommend using your maximum screen resolution as well.  For starwars, I use -beam 1.75 -flicker .25 and -resolution 1680x1050 and then it looks like the starwars machine that my poor index fingers and thumbs used to get sooo tired and sore from...

[taylormadelv]

The only reason I can see to run AAE is for some of the vector effects (like light around asteroid shots).  In Mame, you can adjust Beam, resolution, flicker until you get it looking just like the game you played in your youth.  It would be nice if Mame incorporated some of the vector monitor "artifacts" (if they do and I don't know about them please tell me).   I do recommend using your maximum screen resolution as well.  For starwars, I use -beam 1.75 -flicker .25 and -resolution 1680x1050 and then it looks like the starwars machine that my poor index fingers and thumbs used to get sooo tired and sore from...

If you went to all that trouble to build a SW cockpit from SCRATCH, it probably deserves the best emulation you can possibly get in there. There are BIG differences between how vector games are emulated, this is an area of expertise for me, I don't pretend to know everything about mame, I don't. But I DO know about emulating vector games in particular. Regular flavors of PC mame will not draw vectors as bright or as cleanly as old versions of macmame os9, not even close. In fact, what I just recently discovered is that macmame draws most vectors BRIGHTER than AAE, even. This is from a side by side comparason, running the same games on the same monitors, through the same tinted glass. Macmame draws vectors much more cleanly and at least the same brightness as AAE. And Atari vectors should be run in their NATIVE RESOLUTION of 1024x768. YES! That's the actual game resolutions of most Atari vectors, one of the reasons why vector games can look so clear and sharp in emulation. You will need macmame version .71 for joystick inputs. Good luck!

[Havok]

Brighter? What settings did you use with PC Mame? Did you tweak them at all?

[taylormadelv]

First off, let's remember that AAE does not accept joystick controls, you will not be able to play SW on AAE. Basically, what I have found in my personal experience, is that old versions of macmame os9 (NOT macmame os x) will draw most vectors "out of the box" without any adjustments at about the same "brightness" as most PC mames I have used. When "vector intensity" and gamma in macmame is cranked up, the brightness of the vectors surpasses any other emulator I have personally used, except for maybe AAE. You have to have a mac running OS9 to view this properly...
 When I placed the macmame and aae rigs next to each other, I was really surprised to see the how macmame basically blew aae away. The vectors were drawn much "cleaner", with a softness that is difficult to describe but macmame makes the vector games look nicer, IMO.
The choice of CRT monitor is critical here, your milage will vary GREATLY, depending upon the graphics card and how you choose to have mame display graphics, even in old macs, you will see some differences in cards and using RAGE vs software rendering. This is hard core, dedicated vector game emulation I'm talking about here. These rigs run vector games ONLY and I sacrifice many options to get the games to run as good as I can possibly get them. My latest and best dedicated rig is my Major Havoc/Tempest conversion, running macmame .56a to a gateway vx930 (This monitor is BRIGHT, REALLY BRIGHT!). And I have the game running really, really nice with full spinner control through a Tempest spinner on a trackball adaptor. AAE cannot play MH properly, it just can't do it and I have really tried.
IMO this amazing SW project deserves REAL SW PCB's and an real vector monitor but this is not always possible. I recommend running macmame .71, in OS9 running on at least a G4 450. Then run the yoke to either the Ram Controls USB SW interface or the A-PAC and call it a day.

[emphatic]

An inspiring thread, this. 

[patm95]

I can't wait to see what this looks like when it is done!  Coming along great!

[JustMichael]

For those that want Mame vectors "brighter",  try adding -gamma 3 to your command line.  Makes those vectors nice and bright!

[HoopstarsGarage]

IMO this amazing SW project deserves REAL SW PCB's and an real vector monitor but this is not always possible.

I could not agree more..  My dream is to one day for someone (ie. Ram) to repro the vector monitors so I can run the real deal.

Unfortunately I did not realise that AAE didn't have joystick support until I landed one of Ram Controls yoke interfaces.  MAME doesn't look anywhere near as nice as AAE, but then the later is useless without joystick support.  I might look into macmame, but that means finding a cheap Mac..  

Hoops

[Sjaak]

Hoops,

Are you still there? Can't wait to see the final result.

[RonnieC312]

amazing so far

[NYSubway18]

Absolutely incredible project! 

[mattmayhem]

Looks great so far, I cant wait to see the rest of the build!

[Thaevil1]

  AWE-SOME 

Can not wait to see it 100% finished, keep up the good work!

[AlienInferno]

I know it's only been alittle over three months but I'm wondering if this thing is still being built.  I would like to see it finished if possible.

[HoopstarsGarage]

Hi guys..

This project certainly is not dead - in fact, it's FAR more alive than you can imagine..

The big hold up has been my wife and I have been expecting our second child and we had a couple of test results early on that potentially threatened the baby's survival.. as you could imagine, that kind of deviated my attention from the project.. It was a scary 6 months..!!

Fast forward to three weeks ago, and I am happy to announce though that Mrs Hoopstar gave birth to a healthy, happy baby girl.. India Rose @ 7lb 10oz - all of those fears were unfounded and she is perfect in every way - damn doctors

Anyway, things have started settling down and as recently as last weekend, I have started back on the cab with some major progress..  Keep your eye out for an update after this weekend as it's a 5 day holiday weekend for Easter and you're sure to see some good stuff..


Hoops

[EvilNuff]

Congrats!  That's great news! 

[DNA Dan]

Dude you have the life. You're either working on an arcade cab or working in the bedroom. 

[Silverwind]

That is awesome man.

 

[HoopstarsGarage]

OK.. so it's been a busy time in the last few months for the Hoopstar household with Mrs Hoopstar giving birth to our second child, a 7lb 10oz baby girl, India Rose on the 27th of March..  As you could imagine, the lead up to.. and since this event has been a little busy and stressful, hence this project has taken a bit of a back seat.

With all that said, things are starting to settle down again and so I finally have some time to get back into this.  In my last installment, I had just finished mounting the 21" PC monitor which also marked the last job to the cabinet itself in terms of carpentry..

The next job on the long list of things to do involved filling screw holes with plasti-bond and sanding everything smooth - I won't bore you with pictures of this (not only because I didn't take any) as there were literally only 10 or 12 holes to fill.

With all that done, I primed the entire cabinet to seal off the MDF and act as a final 'high fill' for the plast-bond..



We've had some nice warm days recently here in Adelaide and the shed temperatures have been in the mid-20's which meant the primer dried off nicely and gave me a good base for a very light sand in 400 grit.. just to knock off any inclusions into the finish.

I then ran around the outside of all the edges with satin black so that the white primer wouldn't show through around the sideart and vinyl infill ..



Inside was also painted black for a neater finish - of course Little Miss Hoopstar #1 needed to star in the shot



After this dried, I could finally start to fit the vinyl - I only bought 3 meters of the stuff, but it measured out at 1220mm wide.  With the cab being 600mm wide in the center, I effectively had 6 meters - more than enough to do the job.

It's a reasonable match for the original stuff - not exact, but better than just painting it.  I also gives a really professional finish and is easy to clean requiring just a damp sponge..



With Mrs Hoopstar giving me a bit of a hand, applying the vinyl was a lot easier than I expected and the result was quite nice..

Here's the bottom rear panel complete with cut outs for the power switch, vent slot and power cord slot.  There were a couple of screw holes filled along the bottom edge of this panel and with the work that went into filling and smoothing them, they are completely invisible.



I wanted the angle of the three top pieces to be as sharp, straight and defined as possible.  While it looks a little wavy here in the photo, it actually looks awesome in person and exceeded my expectations..  I think due to my lack of resizing and photograph skill



I used a rubber edged squeegee to lay down the vinyl which worked a treat - it's a little grippier than the foam edge squeegees which really help get a nice, flat, bubble free finish

and it left some rubber marks behind - They lines you can see on this shot and it wiped off with a little windex and a rag (as you'll see in the final photo shoot later).



I also started to prep the various metal pieces that make up this signature cabinet - starting with the seat angle.

I started off rubbing this down with 120 grit..



Then moved to the random orbital sander and 240 grit..



Then a quick coat of aluminium primer followed by a very light rubbed down with 400..



..and the final (somewhat dusty) result



With all the work on the cabinet, I decided to take a bit of a sideways step and tackle the Control Panel Overlay - just for some motivational 'fun'..

Way back when this project started I repaired the control panel[/URL] where the owner had mounted some buttons.. :cry

Unfortunately I didn't take a photo of the 'finished' painted panel, but it turned out pretty nice, so the overlay was just a simple matter of lining it up and sticking it down.  I used the dry method and just hinged the overlay with masking tape at the top..

Here is my helper pointing out the requirements for the next step..




which is trimming the bolt holes and yoke opening..



..and the final result.  I am extremely happy with it



A far cry from the original control panel I bought all those years ago :cool:




Anyway.. still lots more to do.  Next big job is to lay down the side art..


Hoops

[yotsuya]

 

[emphatic]

Amazing! 

[opt2not]

Booya!  I'm so happy you're back on this.  

[DNA Dan]

When is this going to be available for purchase? Awesome work man, keep at it!

[melvinbates]

Wow. 

[Funnel]

 :applaud:Far from amazing. Glad you're back! 

[taylormadelv]

If you act quickly enough;there may be ZVG cards still available. I really do not know if there are any left but I know they made a second batch and from the kinda responses, I got a feeling they will not make any more. Even though you may not have a vector monitor right now, you might consider getting a card and figuring out the vector monitor later. This project is so spectacular, it may just be worth it. I am very curious as to what emulator you will be deciding upon and how it ends up looking.

[The Lumberjackass]

excellent work

[HoopstarsGarage]

Well.. I thought I'd put up a couple of update/teaser photos of the cab showing what I've been up to.

I've actually progressed a little more than these photos show, but with the impending long weekend around the corner, I am hoping to get a few more decent progress shots out early next week.

The side art on the main cabinet was laid down with the help of my wife using the wet technique..  worked pretty well but was very nervous times.



Coin door hole was marked out with my finger nail..



Then using a scapel, we opened it up..



Looks pretty good in person and the coin door is a perfect fit..  The corners look a little funny in the shot, but again.. it's either my ---smurfy--- photographic skills, my crappy Sony point and shoot camera or the compression of irfanview messing this up?  Anyway, I bought myself a pretty nice Nikon DSLR camera last weekend, so the I am hoping the finished shots will look as good as it does in person - in the mean time, it's all Sony..



I am calling this version 1.0 as Rich (TOG) has advised me that the silk screened art will be available "end of (their) summer" so I will probably rip this off again and put the 'directly from the original Atari artwork' stuff on - was good practice I guess..



Colours look a lot better in person than here.. but you get the idea..



I am currently working on with a local supplier to have the acrylic canopy cover made up using my inner hoops as a template.

Anyway.. I'll update more next week..


Hoops

[Mr.Ian]

Wow, Wow, Wow

Fantastic. Im so glad that this build is back on track


Awesome work.

[Woodshop Flunky]

This is really just amazing!  Great job! 

[emphatic]

Words can't express diddly squat. 

[matsadona]

This will most definitely be in the arcade hall of fame. To say it is an amazing effort isn't enough.

By the way, were did you get the sideart? Original or reproduction? Tried to find the answer in previous posts... maybe I missed that part?

[LeedsFan]

This build is simply awesome.... absolutely stunning!  I really want to see how this ends up (apart from how brilliant it will be).  I'm building a mini upright Star Wars myslef and I'm interested in the vinyl you used... how easy was it to trim to size and how thick was it?  I was going to paint my own cabinet but I feel vinyl just looks better if applied properly like yours.

[Thamanator]

Too cool for words!

[Le Chuck]

Hoopstar, it's been a good while since an update to your amazing and inspiring project so I thought this could use a little  

If you've been on Dagobah training this is the part of the build where Han is about to be carbonited and you have to try and save him by posting an update.  

[HoopstarsGarage]

Things were going well until our house burnt down on the 16th of October..

Fortunately the SWC cab was in the shed at the time and was not affected - unfortunately the house was trashed and nearly 6 months later, we are still living in rental accommodation until they finish rebuilding our house.

[Sjaak]

Things were going well until our house burnt down on the 16th of October..

I'm very sorry to hear that. Good luck to you and your family.

[bluemini17]

Amazing work, I read this thread every 2months or so in the hope for an update. I hope you guys don't mind me 'bumping' this thread 

[BMWFoo]

looking awsome i been wanting to make this cab for awhile now.
Wish there was cad files or dxf files for all these parts.

[rovingmind]

Hows the house rebuild coming along?

[Dekieon]

This thread was such a good read, with such a bad ending. I hope everything is getting back on track for you and your family. And that the thread will eventually have a happy ending.
Did you loose all the blue prints and stuff for the cab in the fire?

[Rick]

Hoops, sorry to hear about the trouble!!! Hope everything is going well now!

[HoopstarsGarage]

Finally back into this project..

I found some rubber matting for the floor that is an exact match for the original.  The guy who parted out the donor cab in the states supplied me with a bit of the original stuff.  I took this to a local rubber supply company who pulled out a roll of the stuff.  Cost about $30 or $40 and looks awesome.



As documented previously, I had completed the hoops..



I've finally painted them and installed the artwork..  of course, I needed to sit them in place for a (couple of) money shot(s)





I took the inner hoops down to a local plastics place where they made up the canopy covers and also the plexi for the screen.  They did an incredible job of the angle part and the cost was pretty reasonable.  I am planning on getting a couple more sets made up if anyone is interested.



Keeping the momentum going, yesterday I managed to spray up the inner hoops..



Today, I spent some time outside doing the t-molding on the underside of both hoops.  This was a fiddly little job because each hoop consists of three pieces and therefore three separate pieces of t-molding.  Because the t-molding is a little wider than the 18mm MDF, I had to pull the hoops completely apart, install the t-molding, trim it up and then reassemble.

I also fitted the wide t-molding from Ram Controls (yes, I was one of the lucky ones!).  I was so nervous that I'd stuff this up so I inlisted the help of Mrs Hoopstar.

Here are the Hoops sitting in place with the canopy covers also sitting in place.  The original joiner pieces are also just sitting there for the shots..








Next job is to cut the center brace for the hoops and cut the T-molding slots in it.  I also have to trim the upper marquee panel and install T-nuts for the metal marquee retainer bolts.  Once this is done, I can install the TOG repro glass marquee and we're on the home stretch of wiring up the cab.

The plan is to get it up and running with the 22" PC monitor and MAME - still trying to get my SW rom to work with MAME 149 :realmad:

Dez is going to hook me up with one of his new vector monitors down the track and then I'll run either a Zector card or, if I can ever get one that doesn't require me to sell a filtering organ, an original Atari game board.

We're getting close boys and girls..

[shrunkenmaster]

Glad to see the build going again, it's looking amazing. I'm sure everyone will also be hoping all is good with you and your family after your troubles. I'm also trying out MAME 0.149 with SW, looking forward to seeing your settings!

[emphatic]

  Wow. This is friggin' amazing. I get butterflies in my stomach just looking at the pictures, I can't imaging what you're feeling. 

[Le Chuck]

     Worth the wait!  So psyched to see this back on track!!!!

[sabreerbasAlpha]

Ahh its back on track....Good to see this back on the boards. some pretty sweet work into this project already.. 

[Rick]

CRAAAAAAAAZY. I don't even know how I'm going to be able to provide THIS to the Canadian market. But hey, someone is likely crazy enough to try.



Sick work, sir. Sick work.

[nordemoniac]

Hope everything is back on track with your home and family as well!
Nice work on the cabinet, remember playing on one of those when I was young. It looks awesome

[UFO]

This is also my ultimate cab, but alas I just don't have the space yet - a home move is planned though!

I think this cab defines the DIY cab builder with all the angles, artwork and moulded plastic, and you are doing a damn fine job.

It so far looks like a cab that has just rolled off the production line - I am sooooo jealous.

Keep up the good work, and good news about the family!!

 

[Monkeyvoodoo]

I'm happy to see this project being continued. This is a cabinet I would love to have, original or reproduction. Once I have the space that is.
 Can't wait to see it done!

[Maximus]

Absolutely fantastic, glad to see this project didn't die....... now....erm......about the measurements and plans for your woodwork.... I may need your help. 

[ids]

...now....erm......about the measurements and plans for your woodwork.... I may need your help. 

Where does the line-up start for this one 

[Maximus]

Where does the line-up start for this one 

I think minimum qualification for the line means you have to have a thread with the words 'Scratch Build SW Cockpit' in the description and already started 

[ids]

Where does the line-up start for this one 

I think minimum qualification for the line means you have to have a thread with the words 'Scratch Build SW Cockpit' in the description and already started 

I'm out, dreams quashed 

[Generic Eric]

...now....erm......about the measurements and plans for your woodwork.... I may need your help. 

Where does the line-up start for this one 

You just need a Rouge Squadron Tattoo

 

[Maximus]

You just need a Rouge Squadron Tattoo

Rouge is my favorite squadron color.

[PL1]

You just need a Rouge Squadron Tattoo

Rouge is my favorite squadron color.

Imagine a pink Mary Kay X-wing with the pilot saying, "Rouge 5 standing by."   


Scott

[Maximus]

Oh noes!!! What happened to that rear vinyl, it's all squiffy and out of line, this project is too beautiful to let that slide.

[spoot]

I'm not a Star Wars fan at all.........I am however a fan of this build.  Nice work.   

[HoopstarsGarage]

Oh noes!!! What happened to that rear vinyl, it's all squiffy and out of line, this project is too beautiful to let that slide.

Thats one of the problems with the inkjet printed artwork because it is based on a stitched together scan of the original - it's pretty disappointing but give one the idea of what it could look like.

Thankfully I am on the pre-order for the silk screened TOG stuff so I've really used this as a test run..  just waiting for that to land 

Edit: oh yeah, more than happy to help out as well Maximus where needed..

[Maximus]

Thankfully I am on the pre-order for the silk screened TOG stuff so I've really used this as a test run..  just waiting for that to land 

Edit: oh yeah, more than happy to help out as well Maximus where needed..

Phew! Great glad you are getting the real deal coming your way, this build is waaayyyyyy to good to have something like that mess it up.

As for the help, I've been collecting all the metal trim, Control Panel etc from the original factory machines to piece together a whole kit. So really I need the cut templates for all of the wood, any format will do, just as long as I can get it printed out for templates. If you can help me with that then I'll have the final piece in place to be able to move forward smoothly with the Rebel cockpit build. Hopefully this weekend I'll fire up the new 25" Vector for the first time.

[rovingmind]

Glad to see this build continuing.  Maximus, i've been waiting from about page 1 of this thread for the tracings to be available.  Life has been making me busy for the last 3 years so the wait hasn't been that bad.

[mcseforsale]

Wow, that thing is stunning.

AJ

[BAMBOO]

Amazing.  If it was not for the hard to find/make yoke stick, I'd build one too.  I have been wanting to build the cab and drop Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 3D with a flight stick for years now.

 

[rovingmind]

The yoke is in my mind the prickly bit of the collecting for the build, and the most important piece.  Luckily i found one on ebay 2 years ago just after the ram controls fiasco. 

[markhaire]

Do you have any way to send me pictures. This thread is old and I just now found it. I would love to see your work.

[yotsuya]

He hasn't logged in for over a year, so 

[jdbailey1206]

He hasn't logged in for over a year, so 

Wait patiently until he responds...

[Rick]

Wait patiently until he responds...

I'm always a bit quizzical about the 'one-off' questions that appear on the site. There always seem to be odd requests that come with people who post once, and then never again.

[jdbailey1206]

It's George Lucas trolling so he can sue yo ass!

markhaire = markhaime = markhamill = Mind blown! 

[Rick]

markhaire = markhaime = markhamill = Mind blown!

Damn man, you're quite the ... (wait for it) ... Joker.

[Coleman]

Pictures would be nice...

[sped]

seems this post is a bit old but hoping the person who started it is still around.

the pics can no longer be seen but I would love to see the final result.

if possible, can someone repost some of the pics?

Thanks,

Serge.

[Chagosan]

I would also love to see the photos of this project...