First Cab - Sinistar Theme

[dweezinator]

I was bit by the MAME bug about 10 years ago and swore I'd build a cabinet one day.  I was delayed with work, marriage, kids, and life but the time has finally come.  A friend located an old upright cabinet.  It was free and overall in good condition.  Complete with coin door, bezel, glass, marquee, and some controls.

It was painted black and labled Tecmo on the control panel and sides, but with a Mortal Kombat marquee.  I started sanding the paint and found it to be an old Joust cabinet.  I was thrilled.  Joust is one hell of a good game and Williams in general had many of my favorites.

My biggest decision now is what controls to buy.  The control panel is narrow.  My all-time favorite game is Tron which requires a spinner and joystick with a button.  Thankfully this cabinet came with two HAPP Top Fire Button
Compact Joysticks (http://www.happ.com/joysticks/50700800.htm). 

However I have reservations about using them because:
- the review of these joysticks are not ideal
- they may not work properly
- they are bit modern looking if I go for a retro theme

Joystick Questions:
- Can anyone comment on this joystick? 
- The review (which I can't find now) said they felt sloppy.  Is this true?
- Has anyone figured out how to play Tron effectively without a button on the joystick?
- Can I assume they are 8-way if it does press two switches when moved to corner?

I have many more questions but figured I would start with what I have.

Thanks for your time, and Kudos to this site (it is a GREAT resource).

[xmenxmen]

If you are planning to mame it, I would recommend either cut it up to fit a bigger cp (lusid style) or do more major work like http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=63629.0

The existing cp might be very limiting...

[dweezinator]

Agreed.  It is very limiting.  I've seriously thought about doing that but feared it would complicate and delay the project.  Time is my biggest problem.  I want a finished cabinet that will sit nicely in our family room and will also be easy to use.  At this point I figured I would repair and clean up the cabinet as best I can. 

Mountain's MAME cabinet looks awesome!  I've been following his build.

At the moment I am looking at GameCreature's cabinet for inspiration.  http://arcadecontrols.com/images/News/08-08-06-gamecreature.jpg  I could do just the defacto 2 joystick, 6 button cp, but loving Tron is holding me back.

[xmenxmen]

Actually it's not that much more than your restore.  After the cut, all you need to do is build a control panel box that sits on the cabinet.

Finally found a good example for you.

See the cut.


Details is available at severhed's site.
http://www.severdhed.com/

Finished pic.


This will give u plenty of room for tron

[dweezinator]

True.  However at the moment I'm not going to do that simply because it will add more work.   I'm also watching csa3d's project.  http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=59170.0;all  Although he's making internal cabinet modifications, he seems to be constraining the panel to original size. 

[Malenko]

if it were me, Id restore it, a factory dedicated Joust cab would be great to have, though the bottom looks a bit beat up.
I'm weird I regret MAMEing my Pengo and thats not nearly as much of a classic as Joust.  If you are going to MAME it, whats wrong with a joust theme?

[dweezinator]

Since I discovered the cabinet was Joust I have started considering that.  My concern is that would be black or brown which gets darker than I had intended.  I want to avoid a black cabinet which in my opinion becomes a dominating presence in the room.

[dweezinator]

I'm open to suggestions on theme, layout, and just about every aspect of this cabinet at this point.  But I thought I should let you know my limitations (time & money) and what I already have. 

Time & Money
A few weekends and $200

Existing Pieces
cabinet - rough but sturdy.  should be easily cleaned up
computer - P3 500Mhz, 128MB, 40GB, 8GB ATI Rage, SB16
monitor - 20" sony

Initial Ideas for Parts
GP-Wiz MAX 32 USB
OMNI-Stik BASIC (1 blue, 1 red)
HAPP Buttons (6 blue, 6 red, 4 black, 1 Player1, 1 Player2)
T-Molding
Custom Marquee and CPO
TurboTwist2 (if money permits)

Initial Ideas for Theme
** VERY OPEN**
- considering red/white/blue
- considering retro 80's Joust specific, Williams specific, or compilation
- considering title of SodaBar since that was the arcade I spent most of my money in
- light color

CP Layout - rough mock up

[dweezinator]

please note that my mockup CPO will wrap around the panel.  so the actual surface area for most controls is 24 5/16" x 5 1/2"

[dweezinator]

I am going with a Sinistar theme since this is a Williams cabinet (although not an original Sinistar styled cabinet).  I'm going with the Ultimarc U360 joystick to match (best?) the original 49-way in functionality.  I do have a couple of questions for anyone who can help:

- What buttons should I buy?  I want Sinistar style translucent buttons, but I read one member removed his buttons because they were too stiff.  Any recommendations?
- CPO vector graphics?  I looked at localarcade.com and found side and bezel graphics for Sinistar.  Does anyone have a vecorized control panel graphic?

[Malenko]

  I want Sinistar style translucent buttons, but I read one member removed his buttons because they were too stiff.  Any recommendations?

Im sure thats me =p  I removed them because they were more stiff then the buttons Im used to AND more importantly  I hated the rats nest of wiring...which because of my shotty craftsmanship, led to some of the LEDs not lighting 100% of the time.

BEFORE:


AFTER:


of course you prolly wont rush the wiring like I did nor let the wiring bother you =)
If you want a button to try out, PM me an address (home, work, PO box, whatever)and I'll send you one

[ARTIFACT]

i love how the orignal cp is 'recessed' in the cab... kind of like the cab i designed

make SURE that it is in FACT too small for your controls before you start cutting it and adding a 'box' ...

of course its my personal taste

in any case good luck ith the project!!!
welcome to the byoac family.

[dweezinator]

thanks for the offer Malenko, I sent you a PM last night.

thanks for the welcome ARTIFACT.

here is my photoshop mockup.  i'm not overly excited by two different style joysticks, but I've got the HAPP top fire already and need something like it for Tron.  The retro joystick would be the U360.  Since it matches the original joystick I thought it would be a nice look, but perhaps I should get the black bat style instead to closer match the other joystick.  Any thoughts?

[dweezinator]

Just bought a U360 joystick with the wiring harness, restrictor plate, and heavier spring.    Can't wait to get it.  I had intended to go with the retro ball but felt it would contrast with my existing HAPP Top Fire Compact joystick. 

[Green Giant]

thanks for the offer Malenko, I sent you a PM last night.

thanks for the welcome ARTIFACT.

here is my photoshop mockup.  i'm not overly excited by two different style joysticks, but I've got the HAPP top fire already and need something like it for Tron.  The retro joystick would be the U360.  Since it matches the original joystick I thought it would be a nice look, but perhaps I should get the black bat style instead to closer match the other joystick.  Any thoughts?

I like the photoshop scheme you made up there.  Only thing I would add is some incorporation of red into the side art.  Possible bordering one of the stripe colors, maybe just on the bottom like its blood running down it? 
As for the joystick, the red ball will work, but something at least matching in color would be better.  Doesn't necessarily need to be a bat, maybe just paint the red ball or a different colored ball?

[dweezinator]

Thanks for the compliment Green Giant.  When I get closer to painting it I will seriously think about that.  Right now I'm sanding and bondoing.  I also am creating a custom vector CPO which is more work than I had planned, but it's fun.

[leapinlew]

Thanks for the compliment Green Giant.  When I get closer to painting it I will seriously think about that.  Right now I'm sanding and bondoing.  I also am creating a custom vector CPO which is more work than I had planned, but it's fun.

Dweez...

I don't know if your aware but Tron used a special restrictor plate on the joystick which helped the stick work well with Tron. As you know, Tron is made up of 4 boards. 2 of the boards, spider board, and the cone(whatever the hell thats supposed to be), you can move your character in all 8 directions. While the other 2 boards, the light cycle, and tank you only move 4 directions. If you try to use an 8 way stick and play the light cycle stage you very well could ruin your game experience because the light cycle will zig zag out of control when you shift from one direction to the other and trip the diagonal. Something you might think about. You should either plan on having an actual Tron stick, or figure out a way to deal with this issue.

Also... that budget. Artwork + spinner alone may cost you over half of your budget. Unless you got something up your sleeve.

Here is a paint scheme I used on my cabinet a while back. It's quick, easy and adds something without being overly distracting

[dweezinator]

If you try to use an 8 way stick and play the light cycle stage you very well could ruin your game experience because the light cycle will zig zag out of control when you shift from one direction to the other and trip the diagonal.

I knew there was a difference between the boards, but didn't think about that for my control panel layout.  I assume the easiest would be a panel with dedicated 4 & 8 sticks.  I'll have a U360 and an 8-way.  Perhaps I should set U360 to 4-way for Tron?  But tank screen needs trigger stick!?  Hmmm.  I guess I'll have to play with it and see.

Also... that budget. Artwork + spinner alone may cost you over half of your budget. Unless you got something up your sleeve.

Yeah I'm still on a tight budget but I've allowed it to slip.
I'm taking my time and enjoying the process of doing it.  I want a finished cabinet that my family and I can enjoy.

Here is a paint scheme I used on my cabinet a while back. It's quick, easy and adds something without being overly distracting

I saw yours awhile back and like it.  I don't want a monolithic looking box and, as you said, it adds something to it.  Plus I didn't have a spare $50+ in my budget.

[dweezinator]

Progress on the cabinet is slow at best, but I have been working on it. 

I did a few layers of bondo on the rear cabinet doors (top removes, bottom swings open), and bondo'd a few holes on the front which was for a coin door bar.  still need to bondo the bottom dog-eared corners which i guess will be just several layers to build it up then sand properly to corner it.  bondo is fun but working fast enough is a challenge.

For the software side of things I've been making a custom Sinistar font.  I couldn't find a font that matched the marquee.  I'll post the font when it's done.  I have about 15 letters completed.  I am using FontCreator 5.6 which is very easy to work with but I'm already 10 days into my 30 day trial.

[theCoder]

Sorry to jump in late...

Nice job on your rewiring.  It is hard to debug electrical problems in a rats nest.

Your time and $ budget seem a bit optimistic.  The cheapest build to date for me is around $400 and about 100 hours.

You've got to love Bondo.  Good stuff.  Covers a multitude of sins. 

Good luck with the build.