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Author Topic: My Sega Dreamcast Cocktail table (Michigan theme)  (Read 13217 times)

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deadpool18

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My Sega Dreamcast Cocktail table (Michigan theme)
« on: July 05, 2008, 11:40:41 am »
O.K., here is my first attempt at a scratch built project.  My goals were as follows:

1. Very simple design since I lack tools, woodworking experience, money, and space!
2. It needed to be relatively small because I really don’t have the space.
3. Whenever possible, I needed to use stuff that I already had to save money, and to get the stuff out of storage.
4. I wanted to do something a little bit different and not necessarily traditional since I have many limitations.
5. The design had to fit in with my sports theme.  I have a small space off of my dining room with a Pittsburgh Steelers / Michigan Wolverines theme.
6. I already have an upright machine (old Quasicade Pro) for Mame and various consoles, so I thought a sports table would be cool.
7. I wanted to use a Sega Dreamcast to play the following shooters in tate mode: Ikaruga, Gunbird 2, Radiligy, Karous, Psyvariar 2, Shikagami No Shiro 2, Trizeal, Under Defeat, and Trigger Heart Exelica.
8. For fun, Mamed! DC with some older vertical games.
9. Not be referred to as Hellcade or Crap Mame! (*be nice everyone, it’s my first try!)
 ;)

So, I gathered up my backup Dreamcast, my two Agetec Arcade Sticks, a Dreamcast keyboard (for Mamed!), My old S-Video 20” Television, a set of mini Yamaha speakers and subwoofer from an old computer, a piece of beveled glass from an old end table that we planned on replacing, Michigan tailgating tape, and a powerstrip.

I bought the following:  A couple sheets of MDF, some wood to add stability to the frame inside, some sandpaper, a thick maize framing mat board, various screws and washers, 4 lockable castors, 4 suction cups, a hinge, eyebolt, and handle (for the access door), a drill bit, L Brackets, 4 wooden shelf brackets, Plastic Spraypaint, 1 quart of varnish, 1 quart of Michigan Yellow Team Choice paint, and 1 gallon of of Michigan Blue Team Choice paint.

Overall, really low cost other than the gallon of Michigan Blue paint (Home Depot, Team Choice Glidden $24)

Basically, my wife, who is awesome with woodworking (no pun intended), designed the table on illustrator and drew up the plans.  We went to my Dad’s house and used his tablesaw to cut the wood.  We also borrowed his miter saw to cut the extra wood used for support inside.  We assembled the box, built a TV shelf inside with brackets, drilled access holes and ventilation holes, attached the door hardware, attached the joystick shelves with the bookshelf brackets, painted, taped off the “M” logo and painted again, attached the castors, attached the speakers, varnished, and wired everything up and dropped in the TV.  I taped off and spray painted the tops and sides of the Agetec sticks.  My wife then cut the opening out of the mat board using a mat cutter and attached the tailgating tape.  We screwed the mat board down on the top through the 4 suction cups.  We then attached the glass and we were done!

Overall it turned out better than we thought!  I didn’t take pictures during the construction because I wasn’t really confident that we could pull it off well enough to post.  We actually built it mostly inside the house since we don’t have a garage! Considering my goals, I think it worked out well.  It’s really fun to play the vertical shooters on this thing!

Things to do still:

1) Buy a degaussing wand (ordered one from Uxcell)
2) Buy a service remote to adjust for overscan (this TV has bad overscan and won’t enter service mode without a special remote)
 :angry:
3) Possibly replace the buttons with higher quality ones.  (does anyone know of a brand of buttons that would fit in this stick without modifying the holes?)
4) If possible, switch out the joysticks with magstick pluses.
(does anyone know if these would even fit?)

***I used the Agetec sticks instead of building dedicated control boxes because I wanted to have the VMU’s show, and I wasn’t confident about my ability to hack controllers.  Overall they work fine, although I know they are not the ideal choice. I know many people have replaced the components in these before with real Sanwa parts, so I was hoping that someone could recommend some easy upgrades.  I don’t want to alter the button holes or anything crazy like that.

So, that’s it!  I know it’s nothing fancy like the rest of the projects here, but maybe my next one will be more complex.  Here are some pictures with Ikaruga, Radiligy, Pac Man   and Galaga running.

Note: I used Mamed! instead of Mame4all because Mamed! allows screen rotation and also allows you to set the games for cocktail mode.  Overall, both emulators are severely limited, and I wouldn’t build a cabinet around them.  Neither one allows you to save your options (you have to configure each time, thus the inclusion of the keyboard), and the resolution options are limited.  They also don’t support the arcade sticks too well, although you can get around it in Mamed! by setting things up with the keyboard before playing.  Also, Mame4all doesn’t support samples yet!  I wish someone would update either one of these!








« Last Edit: July 05, 2008, 12:09:36 pm by deadpool18 »

briktop11b

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Re: My Sega Dreamcast Cocktail table (Michigan theme)
« Reply #1 on: July 05, 2008, 12:17:01 pm »
man that turned out great. Iv been wantig to do a cocktail cab. Just some advice. If you reallylike veritical shooters and such, i would just try start saving some mulah and buy a decent computer because you can run the dreamcast emu for the games you have already, playstation for the raiden games and more, and all the mame games. Just a thought, but as it is it would work for me because the dreamcast shooters are my favorites. That glass turned out great too. Great idea.

mccoy178

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Re: My Sega Dreamcast Cocktail table (Michigan theme)
« Reply #2 on: July 05, 2008, 12:43:33 pm »
Michigan...................I think I just threw in my mouth! :blowup: (Great looking project!  Minus  the artwork of course.)

IG-88

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Re: My Sega Dreamcast Cocktail table (Michigan theme)
« Reply #3 on: July 05, 2008, 12:56:43 pm »
Very nice job!  :cheers:

A couple questions about the TV. Why are you needing a degauss wand? Doesn't it degauss itself every time you turn it on?

What kinda TV is it? I'm guessing it's a 20" flat screen?

How do you like the picture quality using s-vid especially when you are that close to it?

ps. It would've looked alot better in scarlet & cream with a Big Red N on it tho.....:)
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Re: My Sega Dreamcast Cocktail table (Michigan theme)
« Reply #4 on: July 05, 2008, 01:15:44 pm »
Nice Job man! Not a big Michigan Fan, but I have to admit you Cocktail Table turn out to be nice! do you have any shots of the inside of the cabinet? you just inspired me to take out my old Dreamcast and build another Cocktail table. what kind of plastic paint did you used?
 :applaud: :applaud: :applaud: :applaud: :applaud: :applaud: :applaud: :applaud: :applaud:

TK 375

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deadpool18

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Re: My Sega Dreamcast Cocktail table (Michigan theme)
« Reply #5 on: July 05, 2008, 03:59:02 pm »
Michigan...................I think I just threw in my mouth! :blowup: (Great looking project!  Minus  the artwork of course.)

OK, I expected that from a Buckeye!  I actually love your Varsity Club cab, in spite of the theme...

( ;) your cab actually gave me the idea to do a College Football theme!)

deadpool18

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Re: My Sega Dreamcast Cocktail table (Michigan theme)
« Reply #6 on: July 05, 2008, 04:07:04 pm »
Very nice job!  :cheers:

A couple questions about the TV. Why are you needing a degauss wand? Doesn't it degauss itself every time you turn it on?

What kinda TV is it? I'm guessing it's a 20" flat screen?

How do you like the picture quality using s-vid especially when you are that close to it?

ps. It would've looked alot better in scarlet & cream with a Big Red N on it tho.....:)

1) I have this TV:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5645597

It's an Emerson 20" flat screen CRT with s-video.

2) It doesn't fully degauss (I don't think its strong enough).  Since I moved it around quite a bit when fitting it in the cabinet, it has some color spots.  I heard that it is pretty common with cocktail cabinets.  The wand was only $18 with the shipping (coming from Hong Kong).

3) The picture quality is actually good after some adjustments.  I thought about using a computer monitor, but I figured that some of the games would look pixelated at the higher resolution.  Also, some games (like Gunbird 2) aren't VGA compatible.

4) Cornhusker fan?

deadpool18

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Re: My Sega Dreamcast Cocktail table (Michigan theme)
« Reply #7 on: July 05, 2008, 04:09:53 pm »
Nice Job man! Not a big Michigan Fan, but I have to admit you Cocktail Table turn out to be nice! do you have any shots of the inside of the cabinet? you just inspired me to take out my old Dreamcast and build another Cocktail table. what kind of plastic paint did you used?
 :applaud: :applaud: :applaud: :applaud: :applaud: :applaud: :applaud: :applaud: :applaud:

TK 375



I'll take some inside pictures and post them.  It's pretty crowded inside since the entire cabinet isn't much bigger than the TV! (I really lack space)

I used Rustoleum plastic paint (from Home Depot).  It's O.K., but a little flat.

deadpool18

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Re: My Sega Dreamcast Cocktail table (Michigan theme)
« Reply #8 on: July 05, 2008, 04:25:39 pm »
Inside the cab picks + TV shelf:






IG-88

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Re: My Sega Dreamcast Cocktail table (Michigan theme)
« Reply #9 on: July 05, 2008, 04:38:03 pm »
4) Cornhusker fan?

Yup Yup!!

So do you have to "hand" degauss it every time you turn it on?
"I know what a HAL 9000 is... I was wondering if HAL 7600 was his retarded cousin or something..."
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Re: My Sega Dreamcast Cocktail table (Michigan theme)
« Reply #10 on: July 05, 2008, 06:20:46 pm »

Did you decase it?  If you did you could have disconnected the degaussing circuit.

Normally a CRT doesn't have to degauss unless you've moved it... so really, this one probably needs to degauss because you have it mounted horizontally.  Look at the proximity to the power supply, that commonly causes magnetic interference issues in cocktails, especially if the monitor is big compared to the cabinet space.


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Re: My Sega Dreamcast Cocktail table (Michigan theme)
« Reply #11 on: July 05, 2008, 07:44:44 pm »
And the subwoofer in there could be causing issues as well.
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deadpool18

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Re: My Sega Dreamcast Cocktail table (Michigan theme)
« Reply #12 on: July 05, 2008, 09:01:30 pm »
I don't have the degaussing wand yet, but I'm hoping that I don't have to degauss it every time!  I didn't decase the monitor, I just dropped it in as is.

I was wondering about the subwoofer, but I think the problem came from me moving it around so much before I got it in there right.

I'll report back when the degaussing wand arrives in the mail.  It's on its way from Hong Kong, so it might take some time.

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Re: My Sega Dreamcast Cocktail table (Michigan theme)
« Reply #13 on: July 10, 2008, 10:00:00 am »

You do know you can degauss with any strong magnet, right?  I do it with a corded drill.

deadpool18

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Re: My Sega Dreamcast Cocktail table (Michigan theme)
« Reply #14 on: July 10, 2008, 11:32:37 pm »
Unfortunately, I don't have a strong magnet laying around.

Well, I got the degaussing wand in the mail today, but...
one of the prongs on the power cord was broken off! I'm still waiting for a response from the company but in the meantime, is there anyway to fix it?

 :dizzy:


ChadTower

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Re: My Sega Dreamcast Cocktail table (Michigan theme)
« Reply #15 on: July 11, 2008, 09:56:46 am »

Yeah, replace the plug.  It's pretty simple.  Get a screw terminal type grounded plug from the hardware store.  Cut the bad one off... attach the new one to the three wires inside the cord sheath.  It's pretty self explanatory when you look at it.  Just be sure you attach them to the right prongs.

How did you build that thing without a drill?

deadpool18

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Re: My Sega Dreamcast Cocktail table (Michigan theme)
« Reply #16 on: July 12, 2008, 06:33:37 pm »
Thanks! They're sending me a new one, but I might try to fix this one in the meantime.  I actually have a drill.  One of the few power tools that I own!

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Re: My Sega Dreamcast Cocktail table (Michigan theme)
« Reply #17 on: July 12, 2008, 06:55:19 pm »
Sweet build. I was just promised a second Dreamcast, so I may take this route with it!
 







^^BTW, what game is this? I have no idea what it says or anything, but it looks neat....^^
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deadpool18

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Re: My Sega Dreamcast Cocktail table (Michigan theme)
« Reply #18 on: July 13, 2008, 10:45:40 am »
Thanks for the compliment!  The game in the screenshot is Radirgy.  It's a japanese cel shaded shooter.  There's also a sequal (which is even better) called Karous.  The game is really fun, and pretty easy to figure out in spite of the Japanese kanji.  Most of the menus are in English, so setting it up is easy.

It was actually supposed to come out on the Gamecube as Radio Allergy. 

IGN has a review of the import Dreamcast version here:

http://dreamcast.ign.com/articles/711/711726p1.html



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Re: My Sega Dreamcast Cocktail table (Michigan theme)
« Reply #19 on: July 13, 2008, 11:17:00 am »
I had no idea there were console games that had a Vertical screen option.  Now I definitely have to build a table or something like it as the only TV I have that makes games look half way decent is a really heavy 30 inch HD TUBE (Yeah, a 2 and a half foot thick flatscreen tube...my parents were impatient with HD technology...) that would be next to impossible to flip on its side for vertical gaming...
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Re: My Sega Dreamcast Cocktail table (Michigan theme)
« Reply #20 on: July 14, 2008, 07:59:52 am »

Someone say cel shaded shooter 5 times quickly.

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Re: My Sega Dreamcast Cocktail table (Michigan theme)
« Reply #21 on: July 21, 2008, 04:13:02 pm »
Michigan...................I think I just threw in my mouth! :blowup: (Great looking project!  Minus  the artwork of course.)
Aah, don't listen to those Buckeye types.  God loves the mighty mighty maize and blue! ;D
Nice work!

deadpool18

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Re: My Sega Dreamcast Cocktail table (Michigan theme)
« Reply #22 on: October 11, 2008, 10:11:45 am »
Update:

I found a nice 19" CRT monitor in a thrift store for $5.00! I also ordered a VGA box from ebay for $20.00.  I'm still in the process of adjusting the supports in the cabinet, and adding another layered mat to hide the rest of the screen.

The VGA difference is truly night and day! ;D

Every game looks better with the exception of Gunbird 2.  I need to trick the Dreamcast to get it to display (switch to s-video then to VGA) and when it does, it is very pixelated. Ikaruga looks fantastic and makes it totally worthwhile.  Even mame looks great and the overscan problem that I had with the T.V. is now fixed.  :applaud:


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Re: My Sega Dreamcast Cocktail table (Michigan theme)
« Reply #23 on: October 12, 2008, 12:56:26 am »
I am glad to hear things are going better with the machine.   :cheers: Gives you something to watch on Saturdays. :laugh2:

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Re: My Sega Dreamcast Cocktail table (Michigan theme)
« Reply #24 on: October 12, 2008, 09:49:02 am »
Toledo  :o   What the :censored: happened!

sorry off topic.
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Re: My Sega Dreamcast Cocktail table (Michigan theme)
« Reply #25 on: October 15, 2008, 09:14:52 pm »
 :dizzy: Saturdays are much tougher to bear than sundays (go Steelers!!!)

I still support my Wolverines.  :cheers:

A true fan never gives up during tough times!

As Charlie Brown used to say, JUST WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR!