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Author Topic: Operation 'Lowboy' 95% Done! Updated 5th October '07  (Read 36932 times)

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RXII

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    • Aussie Lowboy Buildup
Operation 'Lowboy' 95% Done! Updated 5th October '07
« on: July 16, 2007, 04:22:18 pm »
Hi Guys,
I originally posted the progress of my lowboy build on the Aussie Arcade forums and due to the heap of help I have received here :applaud: I thought I should post up the progress of my cabinet here as well. So here goes........

I originally bought a lowboy a while ago off Ebay with the intentions of copying it for a mame setup and then either put the original lowboy in a mates workshop or sell it off. With a few weeks holidays I thought I had better do something useful and FINALLY start the project. I removed all the fragile parts from the lowboy and got underway........

I purchased 2 x 18mm 2.4m x 1.2m sheets of MDF and 1 x 16mm sheet as well.

Here is the good thing about copying one you already own!



Cut the sides out and clamped them together to sand them..........






It is starting to look like something now which is pretty exciting..............

The cabinet is standing by itself and the rear and top panels are now on. In this pic I have trial fitted the bottom front panel to where the CP will fit just to see what it looks like!




I bought some good quality hinges that allow the side on the front door panel to move sideways to clear the sidepanel of the cabinet as it opens...




These were pretty fiddley to fit as you have to route out a 35mm circle from the MDF making sure you setup the router so you dont drill all of the way through!



I also fitted a cam lock to the front door...works a treat!



Now for the monitor, I have actually had trouble trying to find a 21'CRT monitor but was lucky enough to come across this IBM P275 flatscreen..........
I owned it for about 20 minutes before I did this!





I took a stencil of the monitor and the original mounting points, stenciled it onto a piece of MDF and WOLAH!



Had a bit of time today to measure up how the monitor sits, it was slightly govered by the sheer size of the monitor, so with the back panel screwed on I got the best possible angle and height by resting the back of the monitor hard against the back cabinet panel. I think the viewing angle is going to be fine........






It still needs some slight adjustments to make everything square but I am pretty happy considering how big this bloody monitor is (length wise).
I have also just bought a 2.2ghz P4 and have started getting the software side of things done. I will be using mame v.106 with Mala, sound will be courtesy of a set of Logitech Z-4 speakers with sub as I really liked the remote setup for the volume and sub...plus they sound fantastic!

I have completed the control panel and will get some photos up soon.

Cheers,
Simon
« Last Edit: November 02, 2012, 05:43:26 am by RXII »
Operation Aussie Lowboy http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=68962.0
Soon I may actually be able to play it!

leapinlew

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway..............Finally!
« Reply #1 on: July 16, 2007, 06:51:57 pm »
 :applaud:

I'm starting to like that cabinet design more and more.

Anubis_au

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway..............Finally!
« Reply #2 on: July 17, 2007, 01:25:54 am »
Lowboy's rule... If you grew up in Australia, odds are it's the cab you remember playing... I remember endless afternoons of Black Tiger on one of these lowboys.

RXII, nice cab, will be keeping an eye on your progress.

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway..............Finally!
« Reply #3 on: July 17, 2007, 01:56:56 am »
That's looking great!

I'm thinking about doing a cabinet like this myself once I get settled in the new home.
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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway..............Finally!
« Reply #4 on: July 17, 2007, 02:27:18 am »
if you get a wild-hare, post plans of this for the people.

the people love plans...

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway..............Finally!
« Reply #5 on: July 17, 2007, 03:54:58 am »
Looks great!

Are you going to leave those silvertrips on the monitor? Maybe paint 'em black? I know they are there for a reason. After I removed 'em and turned it on I accidentally touched the screen... that was a shokking experience I can tell! :o

Kaytrim

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway..............Finally!
« Reply #6 on: July 17, 2007, 06:57:58 am »
Looking good.  New thread for me to watch and yes please post plans if you can.

TTFN :cheers:
Kaytrim

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway..............Finally!
« Reply #7 on: July 17, 2007, 07:35:57 am »
I love that style cab too. Even though I've never seen a "real" one, that design is much more appealing to me than a regular cabaret or cocktail.

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway..............Finally!
« Reply #8 on: July 17, 2007, 08:47:14 am »
Were these lowboys actually original, or were they bootleg cabinets?

hbm*rais

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway..............Finally!
« Reply #9 on: July 17, 2007, 10:21:27 am »
Wow! That's a great shape for a lowboy. I love how it uses straight lines without being hard on the eyes :D. I had never seen one of these. For me a lowboy was all about curves  :D.

I hope to see more pictures of it soon. Keep the good work.

I second the request for plans.

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway..............Finally!
« Reply #10 on: July 17, 2007, 11:18:55 am »
Very nice and clean job so far. Do you have a theme or any artwork plans yet?
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RXII

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway..............Finally!
« Reply #11 on: July 17, 2007, 11:58:15 am »
Hi guys,
              Thanks for the kind words!

Lowboy's rule... If you grew up in Australia, odds are it's the cab you remember playing... I remember endless afternoons of Black Tiger on one of these lowboys.

RXII, nice cab, will be keeping an eye on your progress.

Yes, I live near Melbourne in Australia and always use to play one of these in the local fish and chip shop! I really like the size and look of them, they dont take up too much room.

Were these lowboys actually original, or were they bootleg cabinets?

I don't know any of the history of this type of cabinet, but they were pretty generic and any type of game/monitor orientation was put in them.

Wow! That's a great shape for a lowboy. I love how it uses straight lines without being hard on the eyes :D. I had never seen one of these. For me a lowboy was all about curves  :D.

I hope to see more pictures of it soon. Keep the good work.

I second the request for plans.

Your cabinet was one of my inspirations....I have every picture that you posted in a file and often refer to it! I like the curves too but being my first cabinet I figured it was easier to copy the one I had.

As for plans I haven't really thought about it, There are a few sets of plans floating around here, at the moment I am struggling just to find the time to keep building the cabinet. But if anyone wants any dimensions I will see what I can do.

Cheers,
Simon.
Operation Aussie Lowboy http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=68962.0
Soon I may actually be able to play it!

RXII

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway..............Finally!
« Reply #12 on: July 17, 2007, 03:03:51 pm »
Hi,
     Not too much to update but I received my Happ Competition Joysticks and blue Happ buttons from Retromania here in Australia. They seem to good quality units. My CP is 18mm thick and I think I will just directly screw the joysticks underneath. The stick height seems to be ok to me. Also I want the screws to go in as far as possible to hold them nice and tight. Any thoughts??



I printed out some joystick and button templates after much deliberation about whether to go with the arc'd or straight button configuration. After reading a few posts I opted for the straight.




There is alot more measuring etc that I first thought even with this basic CP layout, I have centered the player 1 joystick by the edge of the dust washer then bought the player 2 buttons in the same distance (if that makes sense?) So once its together it should all look pretty central. I will also add the P1 & P2 buttons in the center of the controls one on top of the other.

I am going to cover this in a black vinyl with blue or black t-moulding. Haven't thought about artwork yet....something tasteful so my wife lets me keep it in the house!  ;D

Cheers,
Simon.
« Last Edit: November 02, 2012, 05:46:07 am by RXII »
Operation Aussie Lowboy http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=68962.0
Soon I may actually be able to play it!

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway..............Finally!
« Reply #13 on: July 18, 2007, 03:06:33 am »
I love that style cab too. Even though I've never seen a "real" one, that design is much more appealing to me than a regular cabaret or cocktail.

The beauty of the design is that it's an upright (for those not wanting a cocktail cab) but its a really small form-factor. If you look at the plans posted in various places, you'll see its only 58cm wide, 50-odd cm deep and 1.4m high (and yes, being an Aussie, I deal in metric). The other good thing is the monitor space has enough room for a 20" screen either horizontally or vertically mounted. Which means, if someone were to attempt to be really ambitious, a rotating 20" monitor might fit in one :P


Were these lowboys actually original, or were they bootleg cabinets?

As far as I recall from my younger days (and other Aussies can contradict me here), in Australia we didn't have the endless range of custom and unique cabinets that the US seems to have had. I remember a few games having their own cabinets (TMNT, Simpsons, NBA etc) but alot of games / the majority of games came in generic cabs. And back in the day, your local milkbar (corner store / hamburger joint for the non-Aussies) had a few games, usually in one of these lowboy cabs. And usually they had the fake timber laminate on the side... if anyone cares to go to ebay Australia and search for 'arcade cabinet', they'll find one or two on sale, in the fake timber look I'm talking about...

For me a lowboy was all about curves  :D.

Ditto. But there are actually several 'designs' for lowboy cabs, and not all feature the kind of curves your cab has (although, I *love* your cab design, and will largely be following it in mine). I've actually amassed pics of several different lowboy cabs and one day I'll make a post and show all the different looks.

Anubis_au

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway..............Finally!
« Reply #14 on: July 18, 2007, 03:10:33 am »
Actually,  I happened to have a pic of a lowboy on my desktop. Here's a generic aussie lowboy in all its timber veneer glory :P

(end thread hijack)

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway..............Finally!
« Reply #15 on: July 18, 2007, 09:33:38 am »
I like the lowboy style...

I'll be watching this project too!!!

Well documented anf fast progression (way faster than mine  :dunno)

Jay  :cheers:

RXII

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway..............Finally!
« Reply #16 on: July 18, 2007, 11:49:51 am »
I like the lowboy style...

I'll be watching this project too!!!

Well documented anf fast progression (way faster than mine  :dunno)

Jay  :cheers:

The progression hasn't been all that fast....I started the project in Feb this year!
You could make it rotating if you used an arcade monitor but as you can see from the pics the only way you you would rotate a PC monitor would be with a LCD!

Cheers,
Simon.
Operation Aussie Lowboy http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=68962.0
Soon I may actually be able to play it!

hbm*rais

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway..............Finally!
« Reply #17 on: July 18, 2007, 12:25:48 pm »
I doubt a 20" CRT could be rotated on 58cm wide cabinet. Even my 19" LCD could not be rotated on my lowboy (54cm internal width). Maybe one of the new LCDs, with thinner molding around the screen...

Anyway, I don't trust rotating CRTs too much.

If I was to change something on my lowboy, the one thing I would change is that I would mount the monitor on the center of a square piece of ply/MDF, so that I could mount it either vertically or horizontally. Changing the orientation would not be an operation that I would like to do everyday, but should be easy enough for me to have it vertically most of the time (my favorite games are vertical) and change it to horizontal when I'm having friends over for a nice game of NBA Hangtime or Taito Power Goal.

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway..............Finally!
« Reply #18 on: July 19, 2007, 08:25:49 am »
I noticed you mounted it only using the brackets the monitor comes with.  Does it mount securely?  I need to mount my monitors soon, and I'm worried that screwing to the MDF so close to an edge might tear it out due to the weight.

By the way, it looks great! I'm not typically a fan of having the monitor at such an angle, but your cab looks fantastic.
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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway..............Finally!
« Reply #19 on: July 19, 2007, 09:26:30 am »
I noticed you mounted it only using the brackets the monitor comes with.  Does it mount securely?  I need to mount my monitors soon, and I'm worried that screwing to the MDF so close to an edge might tear it out due to the weight.

By the way, it looks great! I'm not typically a fan of having the monitor at such an angle, but your cab looks fantastic.

If you're worried about tearing, you might use a piece of aluminium between the MDF and the monitor bracket. It would help to distribute the pressure.

RXII

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway..............Finally!
« Reply #20 on: July 19, 2007, 12:21:26 pm »
I didn't really have much choice on the angle of the monitor as the case is hard up against the back of the cab. The angle is very close to what my original lowboy was anyway and when you are standing in front of it you are looking square onto the screen so it worked out pretty spot on. As for the way its mounted, I made the frame a very snug fit as you can see from the photos and its into 18mm MDF so its definately not going anywhere.  ;)

Cheers,

Simon.

Operation Aussie Lowboy http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=68962.0
Soon I may actually be able to play it!

RXII

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway..............Finally!
« Reply #21 on: July 19, 2007, 03:54:37 pm »
Hi Guys,
             Bit of an update, today I have pretty much finished sanding and shaping the control panel, I have glued the top of the CP to the front panel and will the secure the whole CP from inside the cabinet for a nice clean look once its all wired up. I screwed the joysticks in but I am not sure about the joystick height, they look a bit too short but they still feel fine to use. I am still waiting for the vinyl to turn up, I am on holidays in a couple of weeks and I just know that this is going to hold me up!  :banghead:



I am going to try and fit the speakers between this bottom shelf and the monitor glass. Not sure if there is enough room yet, I will have dummy up some carboard to get an idea of glass placement and size. More pics coming soon..........

Simon.
« Last Edit: November 02, 2012, 05:54:08 am by RXII »
Operation Aussie Lowboy http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=68962.0
Soon I may actually be able to play it!

Kaytrim

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway...Finally! Update 20/7
« Reply #22 on: July 19, 2007, 04:09:59 pm »
If you are worried about the stick height you could cut a recess into the CP for the top of the joystick.  You would also need to cut a square hole for the body of the stick to go through the wood.  Another option is to recess the stick from below, but you would only gain about 1/4 inch or 1 cm in height.

TTFN
Kaytirm

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway...Finally! Update 20/7
« Reply #23 on: July 24, 2007, 03:36:25 pm »
If you are worried about the stick height you could cut a recess into the CP for the top of the joystick.  You would also need to cut a square hole for the body of the stick to go through the wood.  Another option is to recess the stick from below, but you would only gain about 1/4 inch or 1 cm in height.

TTFN
Kaytirm

Yes, I explored those avenues and decided to leave it as is, the throw is still the same so it feels fine, I am most likely going to be making another CP because I am adding a couple of credit buttons to the front of this one until and I can find a nice coin door setup, I will rethink it all then.

A couple of updates, Today I measured up and installed the player 1 & 2 buttons and also installed the bottom shelf of the marque. This allowed me to see how much room I had for where I wanted the speakers and it worked out fantastic! The fit in there really well (excuse the roughly cut speaker panel.....all will be covered with speaker cloth!). This also showed me that the monitor is on a bit of an angle, it needs to drop down a bit on the left hand side, This is ok as I can now adjust it to suit the thickness of glass I am getting........




I also went down to the local Jaycar store and found these cool handles for the back, I know they are plastic but as the back panel is 16mm thick the weight will be on the wood...not the so much the handle...if that makes sense?  :dunno





I have finally ordered my Ipac, t-moulding (blue) and located some black vinyl, so it should all be happening soon!

Simon.
« Last Edit: November 02, 2012, 05:55:58 am by RXII »
Operation Aussie Lowboy http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=68962.0
Soon I may actually be able to play it!

Anubis_au

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Update 25/7
« Reply #24 on: July 26, 2007, 12:24:12 am »
I doubt a 20" CRT could be rotated on 58cm wide cabinet. Even my 19" LCD could not be rotated on my lowboy (54cm internal width). Maybe one of the new LCDs, with thinner molding around the screen...

A 51cm screen should be able to be mounted on a (reinforced) 53/54cm circular plate and made to rotate within a 54cm internal space. I think. I haven't looked too much at the dimensions of the monitor area in the cab. If it is square shaped then a circle plate should *just* squeeze in.

Besides, I'd be willing to make my cab a centimeter or two wider if I could pull off a rotating monitor...

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Update 25/7
« Reply #25 on: July 26, 2007, 10:04:15 am »
Anubis,

I just measured the screen of an old 20" TV and it has 50cm. That's just the visible part of the tube, then there is the part that is behind the frame, then the brackets... It must add to more than 54cm.

About the monitor area, at least in my lowboy, it's not square (something I regret now). It's 54x51cm.

If you want to pull off the rotating monitor, you should add at least 5cm in width and deepth. And probably increase the height too, otherwise it will look out of proportion.

Sorry for the hijacking...

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Update 25/7
« Reply #26 on: July 28, 2007, 11:29:52 am »
Lovely work.  Go the Aussie lowboy!!!

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Update 25/7
« Reply #27 on: July 28, 2007, 12:32:11 pm »
G'day,

Your lowboy is looking really good.  I love that version.  I've been looking out for a lowboy up here in brissy, they are so neat and compact and I'd like to get some of my PCBs in cabs.

Perhaps I should build one like you... I dunno, I still have two other WIPs ::)  I should finish something first :p

Well done anyways, you're doing a top job ;)

RXII

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Update 25/7
« Reply #28 on: July 28, 2007, 07:12:26 pm »
Thanks guys,
                    There a few that pop up on ebay now and then, but they seem to bring crazy money. I figured the only way I could modify it enough to have it as a jukebox and pinball machine was to build one from scratch. Those speakers sound great pointed right at you and the sub sounds great. I dont think I could have fitted the speakers like this in my original cabinet.

Perhaps I should build one like you... I dunno, I still have two other WIPs ::)  I should finish something first :p

Well done anyways, you're doing a top job ;)
I know what you mean, I have already gathered a PC, monitor and a have enough MDF left over to do a cocktail cab, looking forward to getting into that but better finish this 1st!

Cheers,

Simon.
Operation Aussie Lowboy http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=68962.0
Soon I may actually be able to play it!

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Update 25/7
« Reply #29 on: July 29, 2007, 06:43:43 pm »
This is coming along wonderfully well!  Keep up the great work, your thread is definitely bookmarked with me.

MrQuan

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Update 25/7
« Reply #30 on: July 30, 2007, 10:06:24 am »
Perhaps I should build one like you... I dunno, I still have two other WIPs ::)  I should finish something first :p

Well done anyways, you're doing a top job ;)
I know what you mean, I have already gathered a PC, monitor and a have enough MDF left over to do a cocktail cab, looking forward to getting into that but better finish this 1st!

Yeah... um... I found one local to me being sold.  In good condition, new harness etc, ready for a JAMMA PCB.  Needless to say I bought it ;D ;D GF was thrilled as you can imagine ::)  I've got a Tumble Pop PCB I'm dying to get going, so I'll chuck that in mine :)

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Update 25/7
« Reply #31 on: August 04, 2007, 10:14:15 pm »
This is a really nice looking cabinet.  Congrats on a clean build and we can't wait to see more pics!
- Whitney Roberts
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RXII

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Update 25/7
« Reply #32 on: August 04, 2007, 11:00:17 pm »
This is a really nice looking cabinet.  Congrats on a clean build and we can't wait to see more pics!
Thanks,
             I am not getting as much done to it on my holidays as I first thought. I did however finally get my hands on the black vinyl that I was after and have covered the CP, I am very happy how it has turned out.....



I also got these really cool illuminated coin buttons from Ozstick......




I also got my I-Pac, T-Moulding and a wiring kit which was great. I have mounted the Ipac under the CP and wired it all up. I was very happy when I fired it up and everything works as it should. So now that the cabinet works I couldn't help but play a few games!!
Hopefully get more done today....its bloody freezing in the garage though!

Simon.
« Last Edit: November 02, 2012, 05:58:14 am by RXII »
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Austin.Wolff

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 5th August
« Reply #33 on: August 05, 2007, 10:46:08 pm »
Can you post the cutout diagram for your CP?  That's basically the one I'm looking to build for my current project, and it'd save a lot of time :)

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 5th August
« Reply #34 on: August 06, 2007, 05:08:43 pm »
Yep, no worries. Here it is here.......

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/31087492/CPtemplates.zip

Enjoy!

Simon.
« Last Edit: November 02, 2012, 06:04:03 am by RXII »
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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 5th August
« Reply #35 on: August 06, 2007, 07:17:39 pm »
Hi Simon,

Great work! Looks awesome so far. I love lowboy's, I have built two so far. Where did you get the cp vinyl from? It has a real nice
grain look to it.

cheers

Philby

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 5th August
« Reply #36 on: August 06, 2007, 07:29:57 pm »
Wow - that vinyl looks great.  I also love those coin buttons.  Very nice job!   :cheers:

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 5th August
« Reply #37 on: August 06, 2007, 08:53:23 pm »
Hi Simon,

Great work! Looks awesome so far. I love lowboy's, I have built two so far. Where did you get the cp vinyl from? It has a real nice
grain look to it.

cheers

Philby

Thanks guys,
                      I got the vinyl from Clark Rubber here in Geelong, Vic. I had alot of trouble getting it as it was on backorder for what felt like months! I also shopped around and found something very similar at a local motor trimmers. If you want some I could organise it for you if you want as I got the 1st cut off a huge new roll!. Not sure where you are located.

Cheers,

Simon.
« Last Edit: August 07, 2007, 02:46:18 pm by RXII »
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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 15th August
« Reply #38 on: August 14, 2007, 12:35:16 pm »
Hi Guys,
              Had a chance to put in some hours on the cabinet over the weekend and today.
My first attempt at using a slot cutter, I practiced on a scrap piece first and triple checked the location with some t-moulding....all good. This is working out better than I expected as the MDF is 18mm thick and the vinyl is 1mm thick. The T-moulding I bought is 20mm thick which means no trimming required!  ;D This was more a case of good luck than good management. I stuffed up a bit on one panel, for some reason the router started to head upwards even though I was applying a bit of pressure to keep it in place???  :dunno I should be able to pack it with something to keep it straight. Once I got the hang of it and learnt that I could stop and restart the cutter anywhere I needed made it alot easier to keep an eye on the slot quality.



 I have painted up all of the inner framework in gloss black, I didn't waste too much time doing this as you aren't going too see it much. I have decided that it was easier to just cover the whole inside of the cabinet with vinyl as I had to cover most of it anyway due to the fact the front panels are not flush with the edges of the sides on this design. I was originally going to glue and screw the cabinet together but I have to have the vinyl under the framework so all of the front and rear panels are still 600 wide. This should also give a nicer overall finish with no possibility of wood showing anywhere! I simply applied a spray on contact adhesive to both surfaces and stuck them together, as you can see in the picture the sun has caused some creasing which I have since fixed buy pulling the vinyl tighter and rescrewing the framework.....in hindsight putting it in the sun wasn't such a good idea.



The second panel came out ALOT better.......still learning! ;)



I have also started to paint the insides of the front and rear panels ready to have the vinyl applied to the outside. Here is the base....



Has anybody else covered a cabinet with this type of vinyl? I would be keen to see some some pictures if anyone knows of one. Hopefully it should be standing by itself again later this week....stay tuned.

Simon.


« Last Edit: November 02, 2012, 06:06:25 am by RXII »
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RXII

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 15th August
« Reply #39 on: August 15, 2007, 02:48:27 pm »
I finally got it looking like a cabinet again today, yesterday I covered the top shelf with vinyl and stapled it in place, came up great!



I had to attach the back panel temporarily to keep everything square. Couldn't resist sitting the CP on there to check it out! Getting exciting now........



On closer inspection on the top of the shelf I found some "bunching" of the vinyl in the corner, I will have to trim it slightly.........no big deal  :-\



Also couldn't resist roughly putting a scrap piece of t-mould on to check the colours together....very happy. Can't wait to get all this MDF dust off everything though!



Hopefully I can do some more today, I need to cut the handles out for the back and cover that panel, attach the castors, and fit the monitor again ready to check the glass fitment. Stay tuned.....

Cheers,
Simon.
« Last Edit: November 02, 2012, 06:09:03 am by RXII »
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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 15th August
« Reply #40 on: August 28, 2007, 04:30:09 pm »
Got some more done on the cabinet today, I finally got around to getting some photos of the underside of the control panel, I am no electrician but are pretty happy how it came out.....best part is that it works!  ;D I added the pinball button wires today so its ready to go once the outside is covered.........




I permanently attached the CP and sat the monitor in so I could check the glass placement.........




I found the monitor was still slightly lower on the LH side which showed up even more with the glass in place, so I have jacked it up a bit with some square hardwood under the monitor mount (luckily you cant see it!  ;))........



And finally the glass in place......




I am not 100% happy with the amount of tint in the glass, you can still easily see where the monitor bezel finishes so I am going to get some thin ply or something I can make the same size of the glass and cover that in black contact or maybe some leftover vinyl and place it in between the monitor bezel and the glass.

I even had my wife helping me today which was great, she is keen to see it finished, maybe so the garage can be cleaned up???? She also helped me with the stapling of the vinyl beside the T-mould slot, this keeps the vinyl taught while the contact adhesive dries and with a small tap with the hammer doesn't interfere with the T-moulding at all.
Getting there.......

Cheers,

Simon.


« Last Edit: November 02, 2012, 06:14:14 am by RXII »
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Green Giant

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 29th August
« Reply #41 on: August 28, 2007, 04:50:13 pm »
I am not 100% happy with the amount of tint in the glass, you can still easily see where the monitor bezel finishes so I am going to get some thin ply or something I can make the same size of the glass and cover that in black contact or maybe some leftover vinyl and place it in between the monitor bezel and the glass.

I remember seeing a cheap and clean option for the bezel a while back.  Just tape off the area where the monitor is and spray paint one side black.  Then make sure and place the painted side down.  Should give it a glossy look.
"He lives down there in his valley,
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Well, he ain't no prize, and there's no women his size,
And that's why the cat's so mean"
Toxic Arcade, my first build

RXII

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 29th August
« Reply #42 on: August 28, 2007, 05:03:13 pm »
Thanks, thats a great idea. I also forgot to mention that the glass sits a bit too low at the control panel so something under there may help. I could also do your trick and add some beading to the side to hold the glass up and in the right place. Hmmmm decisions

Thanks,
Simon.
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RXII

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 29th August
« Reply #43 on: September 04, 2007, 04:46:25 pm »
Just a quick update...... I found some reasonable thick cardboard at the local art supply shop which measured up perfectly and in black!  ;) So I have cut it to shape and fitted that under the glass. I went this way as I want to have an instruction card under the glass. I have also cut the speaker mounts and covered the lower shelf. I am not 100% happy with the speaker mounts as I had cut them with the jigsaw with the mind of completely covering the wood with speaker cloth. My wife thought it would be a good idea to cover the wood in vinyl (keep the theme) and then poke the speakers through covered with the speaker cloth. Not sure which way to go yet. The cuts I made were a little to 'non-precise' to actually show and I don't want to cut another panel as the angle of the cut that sits on the angled monitor glass was a nightmare!

Getting closer.......Pics up soon  8)

Simon.
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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 5th September '07
« Reply #44 on: September 05, 2007, 04:42:34 pm »
Hi Guys,
                As mentioned above I couldn't decide on which way to go with the speakers, here is what I am talking about......


It is very difficult to get the speaker through with the cloth on as it bunches and tears.....



Without the cloth and normally silver outline of the speaker 'painted' black with texta! I would have to do a better job than this if I went this way with it.



After much deliberation and procrastination I decided to have the speakers covered, the original idea of this cabinet was to try and keep it similar to the cabinet I copied...I think the speakers are a bit too bright for the black/blue theme. So this is what I ended up with after much swearing......





I am still not 100% happy with it but not sure how else to go about it. Maybe some sort of trim to go around the speakers edge??...suggestions??
I need to have this done so I can fill all the holes in the sides and cover the outer panels.
I also finished off the back top panel and fitted the handles and some vents. I will monitor the heat inside the cabinet to see f it's necessary to fit a fan as well. The hole on the left is for the speaker control wire to go through. This will neatly sit on the top of the cab.



More to come tomorrow......must get it finished!

Simon.
« Last Edit: November 02, 2012, 06:17:06 am by RXII »
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philby85

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 6th September '07
« Reply #45 on: September 05, 2007, 06:45:01 pm »
Looking great Simon, keep up the attention to detail!

philby

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 6th September '07
« Reply #46 on: September 08, 2007, 05:44:16 pm »
I love lowboys.  Specifically I love this lowboy :)

That vinyl puckering around the speakers is a shame isn't it.  Have you considered, rather than poking the speakers through the vinyl, wrapping that entire panel in some speaker cloth?  You wouldn't see the two speakers individually but it might make it look neater. 

My apologies if you think that's a good idea and it's too late.

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 6th September '07
« Reply #47 on: September 08, 2007, 06:56:10 pm »
Hi Shock_,
                  Thanks for the reply, you are right, I am still not happy with this and it's not too late to change it. I haven't stopped up the holes yet due to this speaker issue. I was originally going to cover the whole panel and I think thats what I am going to do. I have gone to far too much trouble with it so far to have something like this annoying me everytime I look at the cab! I also have a weird issue now that wasn't there during mock up and that is the monitor is discoloured at the top due to the speakers I would imagine. They are PC speakers and imagine they are shielded.....does anyone know of any additional shielding I could add while I have the speaker panel out??

Any help would be great,

Simon.
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psychotech

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 6th September '07
« Reply #48 on: September 08, 2007, 07:31:27 pm »
Kreat!

..the cab looks really good! But, what are you using to hold that (faux?) leather in place around the speaker holes?

shock_'s idea sounds good, but still? I'd use good quality contact glue. Just cut the "leather" to extend at least 1 centimeter behind the speaker opening (ie. just cut a slit in the center..). As soon as the contact glue is "ready" wrap it TIGHT around the edges and use clamps to hold the folds in place for a few hours -> should work, without wrinkles/etc.?*  Or, use both contact glue and some speaker cloth ?! :)

Keep up the good work  :cheers:

psychotech

*T-molding stays in place with good contact glue. I've used it on two projects so far :) (See BJ & PB in my sig if in doubt.)

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 6th September '07
« Reply #49 on: September 08, 2007, 08:35:23 pm »
Kreat!

..the cab looks really good! But, what are you using to hold that (faux?) leather in place around the speaker holes?

shock_'s idea sounds good, but still? I'd use good quality contact glue. Just cut the "leather" to extend at least 1 centimeter behind the speaker opening (ie. just cut a slit in the center..). As soon as the contact glue is "ready" wrap it TIGHT around the edges and use clamps to hold the folds in place for a few hours -> should work, without wrinkles/etc.?*  Or, use both contact glue and some speaker cloth ?! :)

Keep up the good work  :cheers:

psychotech

*T-molding stays in place with good contact glue. I've used it on two projects so far :) (See BJ & PB in my sig if in doubt.)

Thanks, thats exactly what I have been doing but with the aid of good staples to hold everything in place. Even with good quality contact adhesive I find that once its cured and the clamps have been removed the vinyl still moves back if it has been stretched, thats the reason why the side are all stapled as shown in the pics. The only reason it has wrinkles is that the cuts I made for the speaker holes aren't straight as I first intended to cover the whole panel. I think I will go that way now.
Thanks,

Simon.

P.S - Your projects are fantastic!
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ARTIFACT

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 6th September '07
« Reply #50 on: September 08, 2007, 11:25:25 pm »
Very cool!!

I love this cab design!

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 6th September '07
« Reply #51 on: September 09, 2007, 03:27:09 am »
With the vinyl only on one side of the t-molding, is that going to cause a problem?  Does the t-molding seat OK on the non-vinyl side?

Great craftsmanship.  Very clean.

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 6th September '07
« Reply #52 on: September 09, 2007, 03:51:04 am »
With the vinyl only on one side of the t-molding, is that going to cause a problem?  Does the t-molding seat OK on the non-vinyl side?

Great craftsmanship.  Very clean.

The vinyl is going on both sides, the outer panels will be the very last thing I cover as I want to make sure everything else lines up and fits before I cover it. Once the vinyl goes on I will not be able to remove the top marquee shelfs etc as the screws will be filled and covered. The t-mould sits perfect as the staples and tapped down to sit below the level of the vinyl, I am really happy with that side of the build.

Thanks,

Simon.
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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 6th September '07
« Reply #53 on: September 10, 2007, 09:15:26 am »
I love the clean look of this. Your control panel layout is the work of a true genius (This may or may not have something to do with the fact that it's identical to mine) The nice thing is that these are so compact that you can easily build another for vertical games and have the best of both worlds.

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 6th September '07
« Reply #54 on: September 16, 2007, 08:55:31 pm »
Hi guys,
             Bit more of an update.....I have redone the speaker panel and I am glad I did. I lashed out and bought some 'proper' acoustic speaker cloth from a local electronics store. I have left the vinyl on there but removed the existing cloth off the speakers. I simply wrapped the cloth over the whole panel and it is now as I originally pictured it..you can just see the speakers through the cloth and they even sound better than the other black material I had over them.......



I have also stopped up all the screw holes in the side ready to cover the side panels.

There is light at the end of the tunnel!

Simon.
« Last Edit: November 02, 2012, 06:19:08 am by RXII »
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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 17th September '07
« Reply #55 on: September 18, 2007, 08:05:36 am »
 :applaud: speakers look much better.  You can line up a 20c piece on the glass for me for suggesting it : :P

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 17th September '07
« Reply #56 on: September 18, 2007, 08:47:19 am »
:applaud: speakers look much better.  You can line up a 20c piece on the glass for me for suggesting it : :P

Thanks, will do. Today I got some sanding done on the sides and they are ready for the vinyl to be applied. Also picked up 2 laser cut pieces of perspex for the marquee, I have some artwork in mind but at this stage its not very original! Got a local sign place to give me a quote on printing my design and was quoted $88 for a 600mm X 120mm print!!!!! I had to ask him if I heard correctly...and nearly fell over!  ::) May have a go at printing one myself while I get a few more quotes!

Stay tuned.....

Simon.
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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 17th September '07
« Reply #57 on: September 24, 2007, 06:43:42 am »
Years ago when I did my cab conversion I got a MAME marquee printed off at either Kwik Kopy or Kinkos or one of these type places... laser print on glossy paper and it cost me around $30. Now, that was back in November 2003 but inflation hasn't been THAT much... $88 is way too much IMO.

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 17th September '07
« Reply #58 on: September 26, 2007, 12:22:09 pm »
Yeah I ended up dropping it off to someone at KwikCopy that I know. They were going to forward it on to a poster printer for me. I should have it in the next couple of days. In the meantime I have been playing with Visual Pinball and trying to get that side of it working with Mala. Having a bit of trouble getting the wrapper working....thats another story (one for the software forum!).

I have also covered the back panel and the cabinet is currently in my study where it is occassionally being played waiting for for enough spare time to cover the sides...I want to take my time with it.

Cheers,

Simon.
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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 17th September '07
« Reply #59 on: September 27, 2007, 07:46:19 pm »
RXII, let us know how much the marquee printing ended up costing... am interested to know considering I will be there myself in the next few months.

Good luck with the visual pinball wrappers... I had a sonovabitch time with those wrappers when I was looking into visual pinball. Unfortunately, it's ruled out now for my cab since I went with a CGA screen.

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 17th September '07
« Reply #60 on: October 01, 2007, 05:28:01 pm »
I really like this cab!

Could you post some dimensions & specs? I'd be interested in cab height, width & depth, CP height & width and screen angle.

I'm considering to start my own lowboy project :)
« Last Edit: October 01, 2007, 05:29:50 pm by Mirickle »

Anubis_au

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 17th September '07
« Reply #61 on: October 01, 2007, 08:17:44 pm »
I'm considering to start my own lowboy project :)

Mirickle, do it! Lowboys rule!!

RXII

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 17th September '07
« Reply #62 on: October 01, 2007, 09:16:48 pm »
Hi Guys,
               I will try and get some measurements up soon, I am no good working out angles and stuff but will get you enough measurements to get you underway.  ;D

Today I hope to get the sides covered, the weather here has been terrible lately...very windy and cold so I have been waiting to have some spare time and nice weather! I will get some photos today...stay tuned.

I am still having trouble with the wrapper installation, I have spoken to Howard C (he is very helpful but I dont want to continue bothering him too much) but for some reason my PC just won't do what its suppose to. I can execute VP fine from Mala by itself but its just messy the way it brings up the windows etc. I am beginning to wonder if its anything to do with my TinyXP install as I had to manually install 'windows installer' just so I could execute the VP install pack. Oh well, I will persist more once the cabinet itself is finished.

RXII, let us know how much the marquee printing ended up costing... am interested to know considering I will be there myself in the next few months.

Good luck with the visual pinball wrappers... I had a sonovabitch time with those wrappers when I was looking into visual pinball. Unfortunately, it's ruled out now for my cab since I went with a CGA screen.

I got a phone call yesterday saying that they 'lost' my marquee file. So I just went back in there and gave it to them again....I was expecting to actually have it a week ago! Maybe the $88 isn't looking so bad now!  :angry:

Cheers,


Simon.
Operation Aussie Lowboy http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=68962.0
Soon I may actually be able to play it!

Anubis_au

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 17th September '07
« Reply #63 on: October 02, 2007, 09:37:09 am »
RX, whats the "internal" width of your lowboy? (CP width, in other words)

RXII

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 17th September '07
« Reply #64 on: October 02, 2007, 11:29:36 am »
RX, whats the "internal" width of your lowboy? (CP width, in other words)

The CP width is exactly 600mm..hope this helps.

I got a fair bit done today with the help of my wife who is thankfully just as keen as me to see this thing finished! We layed the cabinet done on its side to make it easier to work on and applied the vinyl to the outer panel. The contact adhesive seems to be working pretty good with this MDF/Vinyl combination but we have still stretched the vinyl and stapled it in place all the way around the edge. Then the exciting part....fitting the T-Moulding! .............




I am pretty happy with how it turned out but the moulding isn't as easy to apply as first thought. We nothched out the moulding around the tighter corners and applied some glue to help hold it in.



Then we flipped it over applied the vinyl on the other side. I am going to let this side 'cure' a bit before I put the T-Moulding on as on the first side as I tapped the moulding in the vinyl 'puckered' up slightly. Live and learn!  ;)



So hopefully tomorrow I have time to fit the last of the moulding and take it inside. Only thing left to do it fit the door and marquee artwork! Yay!

Cheers,
Simon.
« Last Edit: November 02, 2012, 06:22:12 am by RXII »
Operation Aussie Lowboy http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=68962.0
Soon I may actually be able to play it!

The Chugnut

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 3rd October '07
« Reply #65 on: October 03, 2007, 10:25:06 am »
This is looking awesome mate!  :cheers:

I really fancy making myself a lowboy now.

RXII

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 5th October '07
« Reply #66 on: October 04, 2007, 12:41:41 pm »
This is looking awesome mate!  :cheers:

I really fancy making myself a lowboy now.
Thanks! I recommend one of these as they are pretty easy to build and don't take up too much room!

Got a bit done today, I got the call to pick up the artwork and couldn't be happier how it came out. They fitted 3 of the same marquee onto the same page just in case I damaged one. I know its not very original but I think it fits the colour scheme well. It looks backlit even when its not! Here it is fitted roughly... I need to take it out again as I am going to move the light closer to the plexi and add some foil or something as a reflector behind the light.




I also managed to get the other piece of T-Moulding on which came out alot better after allowing the adhesive to go off properly...minimal 'puckering'! I cut the hole out for the pinball buttons and refit them as well. I think the colours look great.....




I think I am going to either paint or powdercoat the marquee retainers as they aren't a true black and find some better screws that aren't as 'in your face'. My local hardware place doesn't have much of a range of fancy bolts and screws.



All that is left to do is cover and fit the door and continue on with the software side of things...at least its permanantly inside....now to clean up the garage!

Cheers,

Simon.



« Last Edit: November 02, 2012, 06:24:50 am by RXII »
Operation Aussie Lowboy http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=68962.0
Soon I may actually be able to play it!

Mirickle

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' 95% Done! Updated 5th October '07
« Reply #67 on: October 04, 2007, 01:01:50 pm »
It turned out very nice! In fact it will come to serve as the inspiration for my first project :)

 :applaud:

Mirickle

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' 95% Done! Updated 5th October '07
« Reply #68 on: October 16, 2007, 05:59:15 pm »
Could you tell me what the CP height and total height of your cab are?

dmworking247

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' 95% Done! Updated 5th October '07
« Reply #69 on: October 16, 2007, 07:45:22 pm »
Excellent end result... halfway through the thread I was also going to suggest you cover the whole speaker panel with speaker cloth, I'm glad to see you did. The other suggestion (looking at those speakers) was going to be to see if you could de-case the speakers (they seem to have a front plastic panel and a surround) and wrap the cloth around the front plastic and inbetween the surround plastic (which would have given it a cleaner look than trying to wrap the whole speaker).

What you went for though looks even better than I thought... well done.
« Last Edit: October 16, 2007, 08:01:19 pm by dmworking247 »

RXII

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' 95% Done! Updated 5th October '07
« Reply #70 on: October 17, 2007, 12:34:51 am »
Could you tell me what the CP height and total height of your cab are?

The height of the base of the joystick is 92cm or 36 inches and the total height of the cabinet is 145cm or 57 inches. Hope this helps.

Excellent end result... halfway through the thread I was also going to suggest you cover the whole speaker panel with speaker cloth, I'm glad to see you did. The other suggestion (looking at those speakers) was going to be to see if you could de-case the speakers (they seem to have a front plastic panel and a surround) and wrap the cloth around the front plastic and inbetween the surround plastic (which would have given it a cleaner look than trying to wrap the whole speaker).

What you went for though looks even better than I thought... well done.
Hi, thanks for your comments. I am very happy how the speakers turned out. I did have a look at the speakers and they don't look too easy to 'decase', I also didn't want to change their sound as they sound great. I took your advive and have updated my Aussie Arcade project thread http://www.aussiearcade.com.au/showthread.php?t=3865


Thanks again.

Simon.
Operation Aussie Lowboy http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=68962.0
Soon I may actually be able to play it!

Mirickle

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 17th September '07
« Reply #71 on: July 28, 2009, 01:05:14 pm »
I'm considering to start my own lowboy project :)

Mirickle, do it! Lowboys rule!!
After about 1.5 years, my lowboy is almost done :)

It was inspired by RXII's lowboy. Cynical people might call it a shameless rip-off of RXII's cab ;)

I'll put up a topic when it's done :)

RXII

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' underway ! Updated 17th September '07
« Reply #72 on: July 28, 2009, 01:27:51 pm »
I'm considering to start my own lowboy project :)

Mirickle, do it! Lowboys rule!!
After about 1.5 years, my lowboy is almost done :)

It was inspired by RXII's lowboy. Cynical people might call it a shameless rip-off of RXII's cab ;)

I'll put up a topic when it's done :)

Thanks mate, nice to hear you have built one. Can't wait to have a look. My 4 year old and I have been playing it a bit lately and I have managed to keep the cab in the main living room next to the TV with no complaints from the wife! I have been sooo slack in updating this thread as life has got in the way, I will get some finished pics up soon.  My new shed is just about finished so I am keen to build a cocktail cab.

Cheers,
RXII
Operation Aussie Lowboy http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=68962.0
Soon I may actually be able to play it!

LeedsFan

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' 95% Done! Updated 5th October '07
« Reply #73 on: July 28, 2009, 01:48:50 pm »
That looks top notch! I really love the blue/black theme. I know that colour scheme has been done to death but it's still my favourite combo.  :applaud:

jeef

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' 95% Done! Updated 5th October '07
« Reply #74 on: July 29, 2009, 07:56:56 pm »
nice work! Must admit, I was worried about the vinyl there for a bit but it looks great! and nice work on rescuing the speaker panel, looks real good :)
Current Project: Mortal Arcade

Mirickle

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' 95% Done! Updated 5th October '07
« Reply #75 on: January 28, 2010, 02:14:56 pm »
Just thought I'd post my shameless ripoff of RXII's wonderful design :)



Great minds (and cabinets...) look alike  :cheers:


bgspot

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' 95% Done! Updated 5th October '07
« Reply #76 on: January 28, 2010, 02:39:08 pm »
Pretty sweet. Hoping i can achieve that same clean look on my cab. :applaud:

Congui

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' 95% Done! Updated 5th October '07
« Reply #77 on: January 28, 2010, 04:50:07 pm »
It's definetely a wonderful design 8).  I hope I can start mine this year. :cheers:

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' 95% Done! Updated 5th October '07
« Reply #78 on: January 28, 2010, 05:03:45 pm »
I really like it.
The speakers turned out well too.

wp34

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' 95% Done! Updated 5th October '07
« Reply #79 on: January 28, 2010, 10:57:41 pm »
Nice looking cab.   :applaud:

I picked up a pair of those same speakers a couple of weeks ago.  I've been struggling with how to hide the silver and am pleased to see how your solution turned out.  Did you leave the remote volume control on top of the cabinet or mount it somewhere?

RXII

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' 95% Done! Updated 5th October '07
« Reply #80 on: July 18, 2011, 12:34:42 am »
Just thought I'd post my shameless ripoff of RXII's wonderful design :)



Great minds (and cabinets...) look alike  :cheers:



Wow! I haven't been on here for a while and this was a surprise. Well done...looks great!
Operation Aussie Lowboy http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=68962.0
Soon I may actually be able to play it!

RXII

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Re: Operation 'Lowboy' 95% Done! Updated 5th October '07
« Reply #81 on: November 02, 2012, 06:36:54 am »
Sorry to dig up this ancient thread but for the last couple of years there hasn't been any photos on here due to a change of webspace. I have been getting emails asking "wheres the photos???" so I finally pulled my finger out and uploaded them all to photobucket.
I still have the Lowboy and the whole family still enjoys it, I have been busy with family and work commitments as well as building a bar in my shed where the arcade machine now lives.....



The lowboy will get a birthday soon as some of the contact adhesive has let go on the back, its pretty dusty and might even get a new PC!
Cheers,
Simon.
Operation Aussie Lowboy http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=68962.0
Soon I may actually be able to play it!