My first mame cab! (WIP) (more pics 3/18)

[ivwshane]

So I've decided to finally build myself a mame arcade machine. I've been doing a lot of reading and this site is indispensable! I know my cab wont come close to some of the veterans here but if I can keep it off of the crapmame site I'll be happy:D

I grew up playing side scrollers like final fight and golden axe but it wasn't until street fighter and mk did I get into arcade games and when I did I was too poor to play them:( So that's my background into some of my decisions.
One of my favorite cabs is the mortal kombat ones but instead of making a clone I wanted something a little bit more unique and one I could call my own so I decided on this tekken cab.


I like the cp and the white on black t-molding and the not too laid back monitor angle.

I kind of jumped the gun and bought a monitor (27" hdtv 4:3 with hdmi, flat tube) without out really thinking about it or at least getting a good idea of what the cab would scale to. Over all though it should be decent enough for what I want to achieve.




Here are some of my sketches that will/has helped me with my cab.

[ivwshane]

My first week consisted of cutting the sides and routing the slots for the t-molding.

[ivwshane]

The next couple of weeks were spent creating a monitor mounting system.

[ivwshane]

This week I created several side panels and routed the sides to accept them.

[Singapura]

Great stuff. I like the different CP designs!

[ivwshane]

Thanks.
I'm actually not really sure what I want for the art work. I think I'd prefer something simple with a nice piece of side art (kinda like mkII).

I think that will be the hardest part of this build, customizing it.

Here is my parts list so far (I pretty much have everything except glass and plexi).


UltraStik 360 Oval Top with USB cable Color: Black   2x
UltraStik Button / Encoder Harness            2x
Electric ICE™ Lightable Horizontal Pushbutton - Microswitch None   14x
RGB-Drive™ Pushbutton Lighting module
- Configuration Installed RGB LED, Resistors and 24" 4-conductor cable   14x   
Micro-Leaf™ Arcade Pushbutton Switches   14x
LED-Wiz™ 32-port USB Lighting and Output Controller
- Device Number 1 (Use if FIRST or ONLY device of this EXACT type)  1x
LED-Wiz+GP™ 16 Output + 16 Input, Output and Gaming Controller
- Device Number 2  1x
Electric ICE-T™ Deluxe RGB Arcade Trackball V2.0
- Trackball Size 3 inch
- Default Port & Cable Type USB
- USB Device Number 1 (Use if FIRST or ONLY of this EXACT controller)   1x
Electric ICE™ Lightable Horizontal Pushbutton
- Microswitch Cherry™ w/ RGB-Drive and 2' cable    4x
1.125 Inch Wood Boring Bit   1x
Samsung 27" HDTV 4:3      1x
40-0055-00   DOOR ASSY,SMALL, 2 SLOT, $.25
PLASTIC (HP) MECH   1x
42-0517-07    Reject Button Assembly - Red    2x
49-1000-00   Retainer for Video Game Marquee    1x
Triple red leds      2x
3/4" White T-Molding   40x
Whiteside Slotting Cutter 1/16" 3-Wing   1x
Whiteside Slotting Cutter Arbor 1/4" Shank, 2-3/8"OL   1x
One day glass 25 5/8" x 23 7/8"
Shape: Square/Rectangle
Glass Type: Tempered
Glass Thickness: 3/16"
Glass Tint: Solar Gray (Light Gray)
Edgework (Step 1): Seamed Edge   1x

[ivwshane]

I got a little more done today. Next up is mounting the monitor.

[Bond007]

Looking good. 

[kagaden]

Very nice! It's looking great already!

My only question is are you going to paint it before or after you're done prototyping it?

[Jdurg]

Heh.  Just wait until you get where I am.  I just finished wiring up my Control Panel and decided to give it a test.  I hooked it up to my laptop via three USB connections, then connected my laptop to my 42" HDTV via S-Video.  Granted, the image came out noticably blurry, but it was gigantic on the TV.  The great thing is, everything works beautifully.  The bad thing is, I spent about 8-hours today playing videogames and the cab will take a long time to finish now that I've got playable controls.   

[ivwshane]

Very nice! It's looking great already!

My only question is are you going to paint it before or after you're done prototyping it?

What do you mean?
After everything is assembled I will be giving it a complete painting (spray gun). But I'm so far from that, that I haven't given it much thought.

[jWin]

Nice,  that TV looks impressive, I didnt know 4:3 HDTV's could still be purchased, could you explain where you bought it from?  All I can ever find locally is SDTV.  I have a 32" Sony 4:3 HDTV and I can tell you PC looks amazing on it with component cables... but that TV is a monster

[ivwshane]

The one I got has recently been discontinued:( But I originally got it from circuit city.

[ivwshane]

Another small update:D
Next is the cp box.

[ivwshane]

Another small update. Progress has been slow unfortunately:(

[GAtekwriter]

NICE!  I like those speakers slots - it's the small details that I always enjoy.

I wanted to mount my monitor at more of an angle, but it was just too heavy (old CNN heavy duty 25") so I opted for a slight angle and raised it just a little.

Your parts list is great - you've got most of the same type parts I do but I wasn't sure about what to buy for controller so I may take your lead if you've investigated the hookup stuff - for example, I have u360's and lighted buttons but wasn't certain whether to go iPac or KeyWiz... have you done a lot of digging to make sure all your electronics are compatible?  My 3" Happ trackball is USB, so are the U360s, so I'm all confused about how to hook up this stuff to the PC - do I go USB?  Controller?  ARgh.

Anyway - your design looks great - can't wait to watch it develop.

Jim

[ivwshane]

Yeah it should all be compatible, I cleared it by asking if it was in another thread and I asked randy from ggg if that was the best setup to use.


I did want my monitor at a steeper angle but by the time I found the angle I wanted it at I was too deep into the project (golden tee cabs have the angle I'm looking for).

[tk375]

You are doing a great job,  how much money do you think you are gonna spend when its all finished?
any ideas on your marquee?

TK 375

[ivwshane]

I'm already at about $1100 and the art seems like it's going to make it another $500:o

For the art work I'm still in the dark, I have a small idea but I haven't thought of a good way to translate it into an overall theme:(

[clockwork]

That's a very nice, clean looking cab. Great work. I love the speaker panel. How did you cut those slots?

[ivwshane]

They were a pain in the butt but I basically made a jig my router would ride along and then I just added spacers for the next whole.

[ivwshane]

Another update:

Right now I'm trying to figure out how to mount and tie everything down (wood related). I've figured out how I'm going to attach the speaker shelf and still be able to take it apart when needed, now I just need to figure out how to hold down the control panel box. I have an idea for the cp top so it's just a matter of finding it at a hardware store.





Here is a pic of the cp top with a rough idea of how I want the buttons laid out. What do you guys think? Do you see any potential issues?

[brock.sampson]

My cabinet was a gutted blitz cabinet and the shape is very similar.  On my cabinet there are little blocks with t nuts that you bolt the cp box to and the top panel is hinged.  Please excuse my horrible drawing.

[jeffhlewis]

wow, looks awesome.

[ivwshane]

My cabinet was a gutted blitz cabinet and the shape is very similar.  On my cabinet there are little blocks with t nuts that you bolt the cp box to and the top panel is hinged.  Please excuse my horrible drawing.

Actually your horrible drawing reaffirms what I was going to do:p

Thanks!

[ivwshane]

I've started painting!





I'm using a gloss black enamel and spraying it on, once it cures I'll go back over it with a poly to give it a protective coat.

I must say though, I hate painting, I really, really do!

[Neilyboy]

sweet custom paint booth!!! i hope you are wearing a mask in there hahaha

Neil

[ivwshane]

Ok so I've pretty much finished painting and I've learned one thing, I suck.

Here is where I'm at so far:





And here is what I mean by bad paint:(



I still need to get the marquee and cp plexy (polycarbonate) and the monitor glass. Then I can add the final bit of t-molding around the cp and then I can start wiring everything up.

[Martijn]

not to late to laminate the outside 

[ivwshane]

So I got the plexi on the cp today to see how it would all work together and look. Now I have to take it all apart and do the final finishing on the cp.

[ivwshane]

not to late to laminate the outside 

I wouldn't even know where to get the laminate though;)

[Todd H]

Nice,  that TV looks impressive, I didnt know 4:3 HDTV's could still be purchased, could you explain where you bought it from?  All I can ever find locally is SDTV.  I have a 32" Sony 4:3 HDTV and I can tell you PC looks amazing on it with component cables... but that TV is a monster

Here you go.

http://www.megahanson.com/product_info.php?products_id=424128

[ivwshane]

Progress is being made, just nothing significant. Hopefully by next week I will start the wiring.

I've got my marquee light installed and temporarily working, I need to mount it to the cab still and fix some light leaking issues. I'm using two novamatrix lights from ggg.

These shots are just to give an idea of what the marquee will look like (brightness wise), the marquee in the pics is just some poster of similar material I got from work.

The light isn't as bright as the pics make it out to be, overall I'm happy with the brightness.

[cmoses]

Coming along very nicely.  I really like the monitor mounting piece you made for your TV.  I just acquired a 27" Flat screen CRT TV and will need to de-case it for my build.  I may try to do something similar to yours.  Very well done.  Do you have any pictures that show how it is installed inside the cabinet?  You have some showing the mount, but then it just magically appears in the cabinet.  I am curious as to how it is secured in there.

[ivwshane]

Coming along very nicely.  I really like the monitor mounting piece you made for your TV.  I just acquired a 27" Flat screen CRT TV and will need to de-case it for my build.  I may try to do something similar to yours.  Very well done.  Do you have any pictures that show how it is installed inside the cabinet?  You have some showing the mount, but then it just magically appears in the cabinet.  I am curious as to how it is secured in there.

I didn't bother taking pics of them because it was so simple!

All I did was glue some mdf blocks to the side of the cabinet and clamp it (the clamping was actually the hardest part). If your cab isn't made of mdf then you will want to secure the blocks with more than glue.

[ivwshane]

I'm so close to being able to play this thing!

I've got player 1 wired up and I hope to finish player 2 and the track ball by tonight or tomorrow.

[needlesmcgirk]

The wiring looks fantastic, excellent work!

I remember when I did my wiring I realized I didn't have enough wire but I was impatient so wired it anyway.  Didn't get to organize it at all, its just straight wire from the card to the buttons.  It looks awful but does the job.  One day when I am horribly bored I'd like to redo it and make it look nice like yours.

[Franco B]

Looks really good 

Love the black and white, looks very classy.

Great job on the wiring too! Im glad to see your tackling the wiring last, we all know hat would have happened if you had done it earlier in the build 

Its cabs like this that make me want an upright again 

[ivwshane]

Thanks franco b

I did some more wiring today. I now have one switch that will turn on/off the cab as well as a plug receptacle. I basically took parts from a broken pc power supply and created my own little box and cover with it. It's a much cleaner setup now where as before I had a cord running out the back of the cab.








Next up is wiring the coin return buttons and creating a button for coins with out having to use coins.

[benjammin]

Looks great, the entire cab and the workshop.