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paulscade - First Build - MAME - Blastoff!
paulscade:
Monitor:
I made a slight mistake in my earlier posting (it's fixed now). This is not the Tri Mode monitor from Happ.
The monitor that I chose is the MakVision 29" (27") High Resolution Monitor from Happ.
http://www.happ.com/monitors/49271700.htm
I realized my mistake when someone had asked me (in a PM) about if the monitor remembers geometry settings between resolutions.
Well... the answer is yes, it does. I switched to 1024x768 and made some changes in vertical size. Switched to 800x600 and changed the horizontal size. Switched back to 1024x768 and the previous settings were still intact.
So far, I really like the monitor. It looks great through the smoked glass:
Here are some shots of the On-Screen-Display settings that can be adjusted:
No... it doesn't have all that moire waviness when you see it in person.
paulscade:
I started work on the control panel top.
I took my CP Overlay to the garage (hard smooth concrete floor) and placed it out on a large sheet of paper. Using the Lexan top as a pattern, I cut around the outer edges with a scalpel. I wanted something real sharp.
Once I had the outside of the overlay cut, I sandwiched it between the CP MDF top and the Lexan and clamped to insure that it wouldn't move as I cutout all the holes. I began with all the button holes... those would allow for the most mistakes because the buttons all have bezels.... I would have to be well practiced by the time I got to the joystick and trackball holes.
Here's the cutout CPO.
paulscade:
Time to mount some controls.
For strength, I wanted everything to have screws that went completely through the panel with a washer and nut on the reverse side. I'm not sure if anyone has tried wood screws... but given the amount of pushing and pulling on the controls, I wouldn't recommend it.
In my control countersinking, I allowed for extra depth for screw heads. It might sound odd but I couldn't find the right flat head screws at Home Depot... so I used round head screws and filed off the tops a bit.
I found out that the bat tops of the joysticks don't fit through 1.125" holes so I had to take the joysticks apart. I would have had to take them apart anyway because:
- I need to change the spring on the U360
- the bases of the Magsticks didn't "nicely" fit through the cutout that I made (by design) due to the way that the microswitches are attached.
For the Magsticks, I found that it was easier to first mount the top plate on the control panel... then attach the guts later.
The U360 was easy as it has a removable bat handle... so it just fit into the hole that I cutout.
The trackball mounted with ease as I used a mounting plate.
paulscade:
Now let me point out a rookie mistake....
Take a look at the U360 in the photo above (center stick). Do you see anything wrong?
Before I mounted it, I plugged it in to the computer to check for orientation... woops. It's not a square mount... and I managed to mount it 90 degrees rotated. I know that I checked this when I first got the stick... but it must have been erased from memory when I marked-up and cut the panel.
Good thing that this stick is programmable.
paulscade:
All the controls fit perfectly. :applaud:
The wood panel, the cutout Lexan, the CPO all fit just like they are supposed to fit.
I was a little concerned about the lineup of the trackball... because it had the "football" hole in the wood but the Lexan had a 3" hole (concerned about the alignment of the 3" hole as compaired with all other holes).
I haven't mounted the spinner yet... I'll do that today.
Including the time I spent on putting a 3rd coat of paint on the CP box, it took me 7 hours to cut the CPO, drill, file (screws), and mount the controls.
I'm 117 hours into the project at this point.
Here's the bottom of the panel:
... and a "sneak peek" at the top with part of the Lexan protective coating missing:
(I'm not ready for a full unveiling just yet) :)