Scratch Build Custom Street Fighter Arcade Cabinet (upd.7-Jul-09 SF IV READY)

[Martijn]

Hello,

Like so many i started to build a cab. I read a lot of topics and saw so many pictures and many great designs and decided i needed one for myself.

I based my cab on the design of global arcade classics.
I got the idea from Valiantīs topic
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=78496.0



I like the round shapes and lines, modern and still classic 

I don't have saints book on cabs, so i learned everything from this forum.
Cheers for all of you ! 

I took the measurements from cabs i liked from this forum for height and width etc.

Also i must note, i never worked with wood in my life.
But you people explained everything so clearly, it made it almost made it look to easy 

So my design will look like the global arcade classics cab but with a costum street fighter arcade design.

Street Fighter II was my all time favorite. I still remember me beating all people who challenged me when i was a kid playing the game. Someone just inserted a coin and challenged me, then i just played as chun li and beat him with only movement and high punch !  So now i need a cab to get my skills back, last time i played it i couldn't even beat ken  Good excuses for a mame cab!

Also it will be for my son 

Ok lets get started on this build !

I life in a apartment, so i can only work on the balcony witch is 4 x 3 Meter
Size matters but i still wanted a CRT screen for more authentic feeling.

I got a Sony trinitron 25" flatscreen TV for nothing and in very good state


opened her up and checked out the guts


The TV has nice shielded 2 x 15 watt speakers and a subwoofer which i can use for sound


I discharged the tv the propper way and removed the mainboard and gave the tv a good clean



That's enough for the tv part for now.

Behold my working space for this cab !!! 



I have bought many tools people used for the build. And a router with bits. Never seen or used a router in my life !

I will be using 1,8cm thick mdf and i want to laminate instead of paint.



Drawn on scale from a math piece of paper 

Finished cutting the first side to shape , i did this with a circle saw and a long straight piece of wood as routing, the round shape i did with electrical hand saw



Now its time to cut out the second side, i placed the first side on a piece of mdf and drawn the shape.



Time to flush the 2 sides with a router and sanding machine





twin sides 



T-molding time 

I had to browse the internet for 2 hours and drive for 2 hours back and forth to get the slot cutting bit 







Done t-molding", that was easy 

Now its time for holders to take their place. Maybe i used to thick wood, but then it would be stronger i guessed.





I measured all the wooden panels i needed and went to the local do it yourself shop and have let them cut to size.

Then i assembled the cab for the first no-glue-only-screw prototype build





I cut a controll panel to size





That's it for posting now. Also Waveryder will be creating artwork for me. ill post some examples soon

[mako72]

I like it. Nice cab. Good choice on going with a street fighter theme. I like your design more than the global arcade classics cause your control panel isnt angled as much.

[waveryder]

Beautiful job so far. Wish to good I had the woodworking skills. I would love to "scratch build" a cab for a change. Whats the sound like out of those TV speakers? I always replace built ins with a good set of amped PC speakers.

[Martijn]

Beautiful job so far. Wish to good I had the woodworking skills. I would love to "scratch build" a cab for a change. Whats the sound like out of those TV speakers? I always replace built ins with a good set of amped PC speakers.

Yep, very nice quality sound.
I listened to some music channels and played my good old snes console on it for a bit with sf2 cartridge  and sounded great for me, also they can be pretty LOUD .

I wondered if if should place the subwoofer part in wood instead of this plastic case, would it make any difference.. 

[Gatsu]

looking good.

if you need any help with the artwork, lemme know. I've got a ton of street fighter artwork on my hard drive.

Im planning on building a dedicated street fighter cab next summer. So your project just inspires me more so.

[Franco B]

Looks awesome so far

I dont envy you having to work in that little space! 

[Benevolance]

I really like the angle of your control panel. I think it makes the cabinet look better than the original.

[Mr Wilson]

looking good 

[Martijn]

looking good.

if you need any help with the artwork, lemme know. I've got a ton of street fighter artwork on my hard drive.

I'm planning on building a dedicated street fighter cab next summer. So your project just inspires me more so.

thanks for the offer but waveryder is helping me out on this one 

And also thanks for all of your complements.


Small update..

i installed some wheels for movement, they are in the back and i placed them so that they wouldn't touch the wall



reinforced with 2 pieces of pine wood and glue and screws from the sides and bottom

Ah there is my pencil 



as you can see, it doesnt touch the edge of the wall

[biktorrr]

ooh, that looks real nice, man.
I like the curves! Great job so far

[nexus6]

nice job! this looks much better than the original sf-cab.
the only thing that i wont realize are the bunch of titles on the sideart.

[Malenko]

looks great, if this were another forum,I'd ask for more pix of the wife, lol

cant wait to see the end result, decide on a color scheme yet?

[somunny]

It's looking great so far.  Love the cab design. 

[SNAAKE]

ur wife is kinda hot..moar pix plz 














































nice curves too..talking about the cabinet

[Martijn]

Saturday - Update Time 

Without further adue, the marquee courtesy of Waveryder 



I love the freshness of the colors and the street fighter hd themed chars.
And of course my favorite char Chun Li 

Sideart is also in progress 

So time for some woodworking update.

I smoothed out the back corner of the wood, i want to bend the laminate the same way.



OK, its time to make a TV frame so i can place it at the right angle.

Here we see the TV naked without motherboard



Drawn out the frame in size



And placed and reinforced the frame, glue and screws to help out.



This was a hard part, the tv weights a ton and nobody was there to help. so i decided to put the cab on his side and place the tv inside and measured a million times to get it right, the frame was a tight fit so it would not fall. After 1 hour of measuring the angle and dept and width etc i placed 2 pine wood bars in the back



I know this could be done better but i found it worked great if you build a cab from scratch with your own measurements.

He's up again with tv placed 











Ok enough of that 

I build a little table under the tv to hold the tv motherboard and give more stability to the cab.



Now i tested my measuring skills for the dept of the tv 



That's what i call tight fit



Phew, that was a difficult and heavy job. Lifting that thing in and out and being carefull not to break the tv. But very satisfying

Next up a monitor frame 

[Martijn]

Done some more work, i created a tv frame and marquee frame

and rough speaker holes ( will be laminated Mountain style  )



Here's a shot of the drawn out holes for the speaker grill.





Speaker grill 4 x , i will use 2 for the speakers and 2 on the top for air flow + silent fans







Fits nice 

I also made same holes on the top piece for 2 airflow holes, forgot to take pictures of that.



Next up coin box ! 

[leapinlew]

Looking good. Where did you find the speaker mesh? I'm looking for something similar.

[Gatsu]

this is looking damn nice so far man. are you gonna paint or laminate?

[Martijn]

Looking good. Where did you find the speaker mesh? I'm looking for something similar.

Hi,

thanx, i bought them in the netherlands from a local online shop

http://elektronica-online.nl/content.php?cat_id=2001&hoofdcat=Luidsprekers&subcat=Luidspr. Onderdelen&subsubcat=Roosters.

Protective grille made of punched steel sheet, black. Material thickness: 0.5 m.

Used in:
CT CENTER 80
CT CENTER 81

Technical Data:
Dimensions 85 x 220 x 9 mm


Website van de fabrikant:
www.visaton.com ( engelstalig )

[Martijn]

this is looking damn nice so far man. are you gonna paint or laminate?

Thank you, it will be laminated, also i want to laminate the inside part what is visible to the outside

[thatitalian]

I am looking to do that too! it may be easier I think to just laminate the entire inside, at least I think that is what I will do!

[Franco B]

Looking veeeeeery nice

What colour laminate are you going to go for Martjin?

[Martijn]

I am looking to do that too! it may be easier I think to just laminate the entire inside, at least I think that is what I will do!

laminating the inside was hard, because the pine wood holders where already in place and if you laminate it, you cant see the drill holes anymore. so i just cut to size what i needed to laminate, problem them was that it was 0,9mm thick laminate and its hard to cut, also bending is a problem so my nice curve on back plate will be turned into a 45 angle one.

P.s. any visual updates on your cab? i have been looking at your cab even before i started mine, and am eager to see it !

[Martijn]

Looking veeeeeery nice

What colour laminate are you going to go for Martjin?

Black mat 0,9mm thick, was the only one i could find in my country , thinner was not possible i guess

[Martijn]

Little update.

I placed the coin box i ordered from Happ Controls (UK) and 1 EURO coin acceptance, i still need 1 euro logo for the coin display, and i want to original red coin return buttons.

Oh the t-molding you see is just for fun, i ordered many 1 meter samples 









I made a little bonus to the second player return button on the happ coin box.

i added a microswitch so its a secret coin button 



and when you push the second player return coin button



My little secret 

[Gatsu]

still looking good. I'd go with the red t-molding...but thats just me. Or you could do red on one side (with matching stick & buttons) and blue on the 2nd player side.

Just more inspiration to get my cabinet started.

[Portnoy]

This cab is looking awesome! Love the shape.
P

[thatitalian]

I am looking to do that too! it may be easier I think to just laminate the entire inside, at least I think that is what I will do!

laminating the inside was hard, because the pine wood holders where already in place and if you laminate it, you cant see the drill holes anymore. so i just cut to size what i needed to laminate, problem them was that it was 0,9mm thick laminate and its hard to cut, also bending is a problem so my nice curve on back plate will be turned into a 45 angle one.

P.s. any visual updates on your cab? i have been looking at your cab even before i started mine, and am eager to see it !

Well, I am tweeking all the artwork. I am going a bit overboard I think, so will be just getting it sent of to Scott in the week as it is effectively done. I am having a little bit of a problem with an inside measurement of the bezel part as it goes at a different angle from the profile. I will update my thread later to show you what I mean.

Sorting out the laminate too.

Also, just waiting on Randy to get back to me so that I can make my GGG order! I have given myself a cutting time of mid October so keep checking!

Great progress so far and I love the Marquee! Looks mega sweet!

[Martijn]

Thanks, we are working on the sideart now, its almost done, just something missing, i dont know what.. 

Is your cab going to be 4 player btw?

i just broke the bezel 

i routed to much off on the sided, now there is a gap, i have to make a new one 

Bezel 2.0 coming soon 

[thatitalian]

It is 2 player but the CP is detachable so at some point I may make one that "wraps around" the cab, something similar to varsity club, just more compact.

Can't wait to see the artwork. If you want me to give some suggestions will be more than willing to help/advise! I know the feeling with artwork, and it is such an important feature of a cab in my eyes as it can really make or break it! (no pressure... lol!)

[Martijn]

It is 2 player but the CP is detachable so at some point I may make one that "wraps around" the cab, something similar to varsity club, just more compact.

Can't wait to see the artwork. If you want me to give some suggestions will be more than willing to help/advise! I know the feeling with artwork, and it is such an important feature of a cab in my eyes as it can really make or break it! (no pressure... lol!)

sure any ideas or sketches are always welcome

...Small update...

I created a Vga -> Scart (RGB) cable + audio input + scart/rgb detection cable.





I know, the ducktape isn't nice but i didn't have any big shrinking cable, inside everything is shrinked and isolated

I will use Soft15KHz with a Ati or Nvidia card. What is better? 

I did found out some limitation (resolution) on some older nvidia drivers, but i don't know if that has been solved already

[Martijn]

MORE UPDATE 

I finally got my laminate, i had to drive for 1 hour to see some examples and my car broke down half way 

Got there just in time before the closed, i selected 4 sheets of 150x300x0,09 CM 45 euro (67 USD) a sheet

It was the thinest i could find. So i ordered it and got it with 1 week, but they send me white instead of black 

The driver took it back and a week later i finally got my laminate in my apartment, the sheets where way to big to handle so i cuted them up in size outside first, cutting this material was a mess, it was never a clean cut , always breaking where i cutted. 



This material is real tough, it hardly scratches 

I first cut out the parts that where visible on the inside, but since i already placed the pine wood holders, i couldn't laminate the inside completely. I tried to cut the part from one piece for the inside part, but that was impossible, then i cuted it to shape in pieces that was not visible.

After gluing and routering the edges i got my visible inside laminated.



I also laminated the coin box part and then put the whole thing back together.





I started on the speaker holes like Mountain did

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=77911.msg814939#msg814939

Drawn a template to size i wanted



Then centered the lines on all sides on the template



Centered the speaker holes



We got holes



Here is a picture of the speaker plate, you don't see white edges like on the picture







i laminated the back piece what would have been a round edge to a 45 angle edge, because the laminate would not bend 





Picture of the top plate







That's it for now

Next up laminating the sides

[Gatsu]

how difficult is it to laminate the pieces? Also whats usually the cost for laminating the whole cab?

I'm torn between laminating and painting my cab project.

[Martijn]

how difficult is it to laminate the pieces? Also whats usually the cost for laminating the whole cab?

I'm torn between laminating and painting my cab project.

not that hard, you need glue and a glue roller , roll both sides with glue then apply the sheet. and keep pressure on it for some time. after that, rout with the router flush bit the edges of  and i sand it again afterwards (the sides)

4 sheets a 45 euro ( i could have done it with 3 sheets)
2 pots of glue a 40 euro a pot
roller a 3 euro
router + bit can vary of quality choice.

[thatitalian]

NICE!!!

[thatitalian]

What type of roller did you use for the glue?

[Martijn]

one they use for wallpaper



rubber kind of, it spreads the glue very fast and easy, beter then a brush.



the glue i used

[waveryder]

Bison Contact adhesive on a street fighter cabinet 
If only it was for Vega brand laminate 

[Franco B]

Awesomes! Everytime I see a nice laminated surface I do a little sex wee!

I'm deffo going down the laminated route for my cocktail.

Keep it up, looks like you are doing a pro job!

[Gatsu]

Bison Contact adhesive on a street fighter cabinet 
If only it was for Vega brand laminate 

ya know...Im glad Im not the only one that thought that was funny. 

[Martijn]

well, i spend my evenening creating a bezel.

first one was to thick
second one was to small on the sides
third one had broken pieces of laminate
fourth one was almost perfect until i bumped with routing 

out of mdf and glue

ill give it a rest and do something else and think of my mistakes

[Ian]

Very cool.... can't wait to see the final product!!!

[Martijn]

--=[ U P D A T E  T I M E ]=-- 

I fastened the tv holding frame from the sided on there final position.
I screwed from the sides for extra strength, i also did this to the wheels.

So now i can laminate the sided...

Here you can see my side shape on the back of the laminate. And my glue and roller 



And the cab on his side..



Glued both sides and placed the laminate, then applied pressure everywhere by hand





Ah then waveryder emaild me he needed more measurements of the sides   

So i need to lift the cab up again  At a 45 degree angle so i could measure for him
I needed to do this because the laminate sticks out everywhere, and still needed to be flush cut trimmed with the router.



The glue was dry and i could router the sides (plastic protection is still on.)
And i didnt router where the cp would be, for people who notice this..



NEXT SIDE, DIFFERENT DAY 









After drying, and remove protective plastic from both sides... 















Dont mind the dust and stains and glue residue i still need to remove from edges 

Ah, lets do 1 picture again because its so pretty 



Thats it for now..

Next up Monitor Bezel + Marquee Light and light bleeding + Speaker installation

 

[thatitalian]

YEAH!!! That's the one! It looks awesome buddy! WELL DONE!

[Gatsu]

NICE!! 

Now you gotta build me one for a ridiculously low price. 

[Martijn]

thnx

still loads to do, its much more work then i thought, so many little things take so much time.

ah well, good news, my wife had an idea to place it in the living room where the dogs sleep 
and they move somewhere else.

[Ian]

That cab is ultra hot... love the curves... 

[solid187]

Super nice, yet we still wait patiently for more wifey pics...

[Martijn]

Some time has passed and i made some progress.

All the artwork is done and is being processed. 

I worked on the marquee light, i bought 2 x 500mm Cold-Cathode tube from ultimarc

install pictures.

Marquee light mdf holder 



added zilver aluminium to the front so the light would be evenly distributed.







Placed the power adapters on the backside



Installed 





 






Then i started to install the holders for the 2 pieces of lexan to hold the marquee

i placed a wooden bar to hold the marquee holder and make it horizontal.



i placed these little things on the bottom, forgotten the name.

i first cut off a little part to make it fit.





marquee holder 



2 pieces of lexan





And the result 









And now the bezel part

i created 2 pieces of bezel (if id brake one) and laminated it



made a router parth for my flush bit





finished



i also painted the inside edge with mat spray paint



results
















i got the drill template for the control panel 



placed it on wood and cut out what i did not need





glued it to the cp













i also screwed the coin box with nice screws (hard to get)



thats it for now..

i changed my mind with the tv speakers, i bought a logitech z 2300, what i will implement 

[Franco B]

This is turning out to be super sweet, I friggin love it!

Good work! Bet you cant wait to play with that puppy!

[Gatsu]

I love the artwork for the control panel. Can't wait to see the full color versions.

Looking stellar man. I hope my cab looks half as good as this when its done.

[thatitalian]

Awesome job man! 

[Singapura]

Martijn, fantastische prestatie! Gefeliciteerd  You should make these cabs available in your shop!

[Martijn]

thank, i will be putting it in my shop Then i can make it a company investment 

All the artwork is at mamemarquees , lets hope for a quick delivery.

This week i will be drilling the CP holes and laminating the cp.

And maybe i need to find a 175 angled hinge, or not.........., i don't really care for people to see the wires.....

i have bought these clamps to hold it. i think its fine



i can adjust the strength/length

and i will intergrate the new sound system

Logitech z 2300



i will also add 2xusb 1xaudiojack and sound level knobs in front under the cp

the subwoofer will have its opening @ the back door of the arcade cab

I need to be looking for darkened glass in the netherlands, of dark plexi glass
Anyone got a idea !?

stay tuned..

Cheers ! 

[scottp]

Martijn, the artwork printed beautifully, it looks great.  It is shipping out today.

Scott

[Todd H]

Love the look of this cabinet. I'm jealous.

[Martijn]

Martijn, the artwork printed beautifully, it looks great.  It is shipping out today.

Scott

THANKS SCOTT !!     

Cant wait

[Martijn]

Love the look of this cabinet. I'm jealous.

thanks It's not that hard at all, first cab just takes way to long.

[Martijn]

ah and its great fun 

[Todd H]

Love the look of this cabinet. I'm jealous.

thanks It's not that hard at all, first cab just takes way to long.

I'm finding that out. My cab I picked up last week is still sitting in the garage. All I've gotten around to is taking off the old beat-up t-molding and taking measurements to determine how to fit a control panel. Luckily my wife hasn't complained (yet) about losing half of the garage.

[Miguelsluma]

another dutch balkony-made arcade looks great!

as for the glass: bought some of the 'antraciet' plexi at http://www.bouwplastics.nl/ , you can order it at custom sizes there. Personally, i love how it looks!

[Martijn]

hi, and thanks. I have ordered and received a sample of the plexi, i think its very dark, it does remove stress for the eyes.

Did you,by any chance also find glass in different dark rates  ?

I will make of my mind for this when my PC is complete and tested some games.

[Miguelsluma]

I havnt looked for different dark-rates. I can tell you that it might appear very dark, but doesnt change the colours of games. I play both my mame and xbox360 games on that tv, without changing the brightness or anything.

[waveryder]

Thats it I'm getting me a router, a jigsaw and some wood. Anyone know where I can buy a balcony to make this thing 

[Martijn]

Thats it I'm getting me a router, a jigsaw and some wood. Anyone know where I can buy a balcony to make this thing 

  Buy a router and a flush cut bit and just copy over my entire cab 

btw, you where right about the sound, it was not satisfing enough, i am getting some audio horsepower tomorrow 

[Martijn]

I havnt looked for different dark-rates. I can tell you that it might appear very dark, but doesnt change the colours of games. I play both my mame and xbox360 games on that tv, without changing the brightness or anything.

i will try the piece when mame is running its have the screen size so i can compare 
i did try it with my ps2, i must say without my eyes hurt from so close up. its better with the plexi, but the soccer field was dark.

we are talking about the same piece?

http://www.bouwplastics.nl/catalog/main2.php?cPath=4_34_293

and then plexiglas 3mm antraciet getint ?

[Miguelsluma]

Checked the order in my mailbox, and yes, i orderen the 'antraciet getinte' 3mm plexi...

Perhaps my TV screen is brighter by default, or I am easily satisfied

[Martijn]

UPDATE

Been a few weeks. I have done a lot to the cab.

- I have been working on the cp, but i will post this when its done. 
- Working on the new sound system, and will also post this when its done. 
- Configuring the pc 
- configuring the tv in the service menu, top right corner is still a little off 

But i finished the front panel.

The new sound system is z 2300 from logitech. it has a remote to control sound and bass and a headphone jack, its a wired system



I spray painted the volume and bass knobs with 5 layers of black mat paint
Don't mind the dust 



I extended the volume and bass pots





I ordered 2 x usb jacks http://www.n-joymusic.nl/neutrik-usbb-p-33561.html



and 1 x audio jack Neutrik NJ 3



I removed the red part of the audio jack

Mounted it on the front plate








And the result

From left to right

Infra red eye on the left
then 2x usb
then main volume
then bass
then audio jack
and on the right a plunger action button.

Infra red eye for tv remote





Panel mounted on the cab.





that's it for now
Will be working on the cp and subwoofer mount

Oh and the art work arrived it looks great, i need tips to apply the sideart and control panel , the holes have been drilled already...

[Martijn]

lol, i just noticed 1x usb is upside down 

oh well 

[waveryder]

Beautiful job. with the volume control. Was just gonna point out that usb port was upside down  . Now bring on the artwork 

[Martijn]

Beautiful job. with the volume control. Was just gonna point out that usb port was upside down  . Now bring on the artwork 

thats gonna be a pain applying 

[waveryder]

Oh you tease 

try this for applying:

use a soft roller to smooth it out as you apply it.
Trim back any edges with a surgical scalpel.
Finally wrap the cabinet in bubble wrap and send it to me 

[Martijn]

will try that, and for the control panel? the holes already been drilled, how do i align it with the holes..

[waveryder]

It should be completely identical in size just glue it down and scalpel out the holes.

[Malenko]

It should be completely identical in size just glue it down and scalpel out the holes.

since I cant get a surgical scalpel, I use an exacto knife

[Martijn]

I have a surgical scalpel, but thanks for the tip 

[Todd H]

You have inspired me to use laminate on my cabinet. It just looks way too nice.

[Martijn]

yes its great, you can hide any imperfection's in wood by just not trimming the laminate on that spot and you can do neat tricks like the usb ports

[ivwshane]

Ok I want laminate now!! Exactly what kind of store did you find it in? Counter top store, hardware, home improvement, etc?

[Martijn]

bought it online in my country

http://www.klushandel.nl/product_info.php?products_id=39674

HPL (high pressure laminate)

its so strong and wont scratch even if i try to scratch in it with a screwdriver

[Epyx]

Wow, this is looking  very impressive. Like a few others you set a high bar. Ill be happy to get even 1/10 of that in my cab.

[Martijn]

thanks, i try my best, but i don't think i can get anywhere near some peoples work

[blueznl]

_Baars en Bloemhof_ sells it as well, but I don't know if they sell to individuals or only to companies.

(Mooie kast man, waar heb je die molding overigens vandaan?)

[Martijn]

@ Blueznl : what molding? i didnt install any yet 

[Santoro]

I love how you made the bezel, I will probably do the same.  The cab looks great!

[Martijn]

thanks !

I am still dubbing if i want plexi glass in front of it, or placing it flush with the bezel, routing out some wood from the inside edge, without touching the laminate, and placing it flush to the laminate..

or no plexi at all

[valiant]

Martin, my Dutch isn't that great - what is the specification / manufacturer of the laminate - I would like to fit out my control panel with this stuff, and I'm struggling to get anything similar - the only laminate I can get is Formica sheets, which are too brittle.

Yours came in a roll?

[Martijn]

it came flat  we roled it up downstairs and taped it to hold its roll, its to thick to roll actually

the material is also used in kitchen worktop

[thatitalian]

I ordered formic sample and it does not seem brittle to me! I bent the s**t out of it and it did not crack. It is not very thick (approx .5mm) but it is very flexible and very tough.

[Martijn]

I ordered formic sample and it does not seem brittle to me! I bent the s**t out of it and it did not crack. It is not very thick (approx .5mm) but it is very flexible and very tough.

mine is 0,9mm thinest i could find

any building pics yet its almost november

[javeryh]

I ordered 1mm thick Formica for my jukebox (which has a curve with an 8" radius around the top) and when I went to pick it up it was rolled up much tighter than that so I have no doubt it will work just fine (I'll know more tomorrow when I actually glue it down).

[Martijn]

Update 

Time to go to work on the control panel

its not done yet but i think people want to see more 

Let's Go (lemmings)

Placed the drilling template on the control panel with glue



28 mm drill bit



and the first hole is there



did that 19 times



Gotta love her !



drilled holes for the u360 sticks



i mounted the u360 plate as high as i could with just the 4 bolts flush with the wood and filled the rest up.

all done



bottom side. what will i be creating here?







  

more on the backside next week !

lets continue with the topside

i laminated the topside and made 4 holes for the screws for the u360. For easy maintenance.



i decided on red and blue button set. I am short of buttons so i cant continue working on it now.







that's it for now.

What do you guys think, all red, all blue , or red and blue like now.

[blueznl]

Red and blue, as that seems to be one of the characteristics of this type of cab.

[Martijn]

Little more update.

I applied the side art this morning.

First i cleaned the laminate with ammonia and then placed the art work on top, measured out the correct placing and then removed a little part of the backside of the sticker at the bottom of the cab. and then applied it.

Then with help of my girlfriend we applied the rest of the sticker working from bottom till top ( cab was on his side)

pictures..

My boy having fun 





We put the cab on his side and cleaned it with ammonia



Placed the sideart for correct placement and stickied a little part on the bottom myself.
Then applied the rest with my girlfriend, just by pulling the non sticky part off the sticker and applying with both hands.



When that was finished i first rough cut the edges with scalpel and then trimmed it with a router.

Result..







i will order the remaining buttons i need and we made a decision for the t-molding color. Will order both today

[Franco B]

    

Wow! That looks fantastic! I bet you are over the moon with that!

Love it  

[Martijn]

hi!

yes thank you, i am pleased with it.

stil undecided for t-molding

black or red..

[waveryder]

Red T-mold without a doubt.....

.... That is so sweet!

[drawfull]

Funk Me!!!!

After your heads up I only saw the laminate version. That looks fantastic! And I'm not that keen on SF - the artwork, cabinet lines and general look are brilliant 

 

[thatitalian]

DUDE! That looks so f**king sweet!

[javeryh]

Holy crap - that looks AMAZING.  GREAT GREAT job on selecting that design.  WOW!   

[Martijn]

Thanks everyone   

I came up with the colors and rough idea, then i called for waveryder and we created this retro kind of look.
Big thanks to him and his fast and professional work !  

The RED  T-molding is ordered and will come this week i think.

Still working on the inside parts. Ill post the inner works  like the subwoofer and PC mount tomorrow evening.

After that ill finish up the control panel and unveil the backside of it 

[Games001]

That's really an awesom cabinet.  All the work is just top-notch.

I would like to see any pics you have of the completed Control Panel, from the underside, so we can see exactly how and where you wired up all your componants.

[Gatsu]

oh baby....if that cabinet were a woman....I'd make sweet sweet love to it all night long.

That is a badass piece of work man. Congrats. All that hard work is coming together, and it looks fantastic.

Suggestions:
Red t-molding
dual-colored buttons. Blue for Player 1, red for player 2....or other way around.

Other than that. Looks amazing.

[Martijn]

Thanks Gatsu, i was wondering where you went.. Any progress yet on your fighter cab? Did you buy a Mortal Kombat cab yet?


We decided exactly what you said, Red t-molding and blue(p2) and red(p1) button set

[DaOld Man]

Great job!
(I bet the ammonia was heck to put up with in your living room!)

Again, great work!
 

[somunny]

Looks like it rolled out of Capcoms factory. 

I know you've said somewhere in this thread but...  who did the artwork for this?

[Gatsu]

Thanks Gatsu, i was wondering where you went.. Any progress yet on your fighter cab? Did you buy a Mortal Kombat cab yet?


We decided exactly what you said, Red t-molding and blue(p2) and red(p1) button set

sadly no progress on mine yet. I've kept an eye out on MK cabinets and found a few that were just out of my range. So I think I'm gonna have to go the route you did and build my own from scratch. More work....but in the end you have alot more to be proud of I think.

[Martijn]

Looks like it rolled out of Capcoms factory. 

I know you've said somewhere in this thread but...  who did the artwork for this?

look 3 posts above you

[SNAAKE]

go with black t-molding. nice cab btw good job

[Martijn]

Little update... 

I got the tracking numbers of my missing buttons and t-molding, should arrive Friday. Just in time for the weekend to install.

Here is some info about the subwoofer and PC mounting..

Here is a picture of how i mounted the subwoofer of the logitech z2300 set.

The subwoofer has its own box, the box is made of 1.8cm thick mdf and is standing on 3 thick pine wood pieces of wood connected to the bottom plate. So its completely free of the sides or back
The opening of the box for the sub is flush with the backplate. it has a little angle. this way both the woofer and bass reflex pipe output directly to the outside. there is a 5-7cm gap between the wall and the opening of the subwoofer box.
its the best way i think to place this sub in the cab.

Mountain came up with the idea, big thanks ! 
His idea with the woofer outputting to the floor was better, but not possible with my cab design.

It sounds great, much better then when i placed the sub without the box in the cab.

Its more controlled..







then just above the subwoofer is the PC panel.



all the components are fastened with screws and brackets. all the heat is outputted to the back and can go up to the cab's fans.

the PC system is completely passive.

Zalman 500 watt passive heatsink power supply.
core2duo e8500 2x3.15ghz with coolermaster passive cpu cooler. maybe ill install a fan on this cooler and overlock tot 2x3.5ghz
4 GB ram dd2 800MHz
Ati x800 XL 512 Mb passive Pci-e Videocard. Also have bought a Radeon 3870 passive for it . but it its new for soft15KHz
Wificard 54G pci card
DVD player
750 GB Samsung Spinpoint f1 Sata-II (very silent) with extra hdd cooler and hdd silencer





I built a simple videocard/wificard holder







And i worked on the backplate for the subwoofer grill

Drew out the subwoofer box opening



Finished



Power button and socket with filter



Bought a aluminium grill and some more paint



for making a grill for this hole..



Cut it to size



Primed it



Painted it with 4 layers of spray matt paint



Its still drying

result of it tomorrow.

[Visitor Q]

This is a very nice build and I commend you for taking your time, paying close attension to detail. I can only hope that my setup turns out half this nice when its done. 

Don't forget to but some lights on top of that CoolMaster for low flying aircraft, CRIPES! ...and I thought my Zalman was BIG!

[extendedplayarcade]

So sweet!

Great job on your cab.  I love that artwork too.  Where did you get the full body artwork.  You probably mentioned it but I was blinded by the pretty photos.

[somunny]

Looks like it rolled out of Capcoms factory. 

I know you've said somewhere in this thread but...  who did the artwork for this?

look 3 posts above you

Waveryder.  I should have known.  That guy is good.   

[Todd H]

Wow. Absolutely gorgeous. I need to get my jaw off the floor. 

[odysseyroc]

This is one of the best projects I've seen on here. Absolutely beautiful.

[venkman]

thanks for showing us your progression on this. excellent! 

[Martijn]

Thanks everyone

[mountain]

This cabinet is incredible! Totally unique.

Glad to see you got the sub mounted and sounding good. 

[Martijn]

This cabinet is incredible! Totally unique.

Glad to see you got the sub mounted and sounding good. 

Now i am truly honoured Your way of working and thinking was one of my examples

        

[Visitor Q]

Still not sure I get the sub idea, its a box, inside a box, inside a box. 

I mean it looks nice but is all that really needed?

[Martijn]

if i just put the sub inside the cab, the whole cab made a whoop and shacked and vibrated. now because its in its own box , all the sound outputs directly to the outside.

[Franco B]

I must say I love everything about your cab, there isnt one thing I would change

[Visitor Q]

Ahhh... Ok. I saw that picture in the other thread but now that I see the actual picture, I get the idea.

I guess I would have to heard the before and after.

Looks nice and clean.

[Martijn]

yes try, and dont go the easy way out, i know it takes time and costs money.

[Martijn]

I must say I love everything about your cab, there isnt one thing I would change

Shall i make a list 

[Martijn]

Little before sleep update..

i finished the back panel for the cab.

 

You can see the grill now installed for the subwoofer box output.











worked out pretty well for something you wont see..

Also received my buttons for the control panel. Ordered sunday from ultimarc in uk !!
 i already wired (soldered) everything up.
I choose for soldering because i think a good solder joint is more stable and better currentflow then a connector.

here's a little sneak pic of the wiring on the bottom side.

Its a wire going under laminate.....



  

ill post more when the control panel is 100% done.

[Gatsu]

damn man. Now I really really wanna build my cabinet.

[Martijn]

Update.

The Control Panel is done

Features

- 2 x ultra 360 sticks with wires to 7 action buttons + 1 player select button, so all 8 buttons are used for games and shift functions if i need more buttons for console emulators

- Mini pac wired to 3 ps2 connectors and 3 action buttons

Every ps2 connector has 4 button output for future need

There is on everyside one ps2 connector for the pinball buttons connector
and one in the middle for going down to the coin box

in the top right corner are 2 x usb connectors for the 2x u360 sticks and 1 ps2 connector for going to the pc usb from the ipac mini.

The ipac mini is hidden underneath the laminate. I wanted a clean look for the panel.

Lets do some pics.

First the backside build.

Mini pac wired up



Routed wires



I used way overkill thick wires to be sure i don't need to maintain it

Wiring up the ps2 sockets



Almost done wiring



I tested everything first many times before i laminated the top piece.

And the result after creating a top laminate piece with the correct holes cut ( that was a pain to make, i made it 3 times to get it right) 

I soldered every connection.













ps2 socket hole





I glued and screwed the clamps for the mounting of the control panel.

Top side pics..









3 admin buttons connected to the ipac mini , the 2 player select buttons are connected to the u360





Close up of ken vectored



The artwork was created by waveryder and printed at mamemarquees.com

The print is covered with Polycarbinate laminate (also used for bullet proof glass!) which offers a very tough, scratch resistant and textured surfaces.

[thatitalian]

Let me be the first to say WELL DONE! 

This thing kicks some serious ass! It actually looks like it was made by Capcom as an anniversary cab!

Love the idea of having the wiring underneath the laminate, never thought of that! Might have to take that route when I'm doing mine! 

[Martijn]

Thanks Thatitalian

I am almost there

Still to do

- Tinted plexi mounting, although it hangs ok by itself

- flipper button, i already made the holes , but i need flipper buttons with leave switches because i don't have enough room for normal action pushbuttons on the inside.

- cleaning up some internal wiring and other small things

and configuring all the software   

[ivwshane]

I hate you!!

You made my project look like crap:(

[Martijn]

I think i will buy some sanwa buttons for the flippers, even Leaf Switch Buttons dont fit 

I made a miscalculation on the flipper button part.

Now i will order some Seimitsu PS-15



And just router out some wood from the inside to make them fit.

[redtapemedia]

Wow. I'm blown away by this cabinet. In fact I registered with this forum just to comment on it. Did you take dimensions off an arcade classics cab or work them out yourself? I'd really love to build something along these lines, but probably with an LCD screen and obviously with different artwork.

Truly amazing work anyway.

[Martijn]

Hi and thank that you like it 

what i really did was first read many projects then look at things i liked to do the same and use.
then stumbled upon Valiant's topic http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=78496.0

I loved the global arcade classic look, with a few different measurements i wanted it to look like that.

I used his sideart picture and started making measurement by myself. all from head, just measure the standing height and off you go. Oh and also i made the measurements around the TV i got first. The TV angle and dept and width without the casing gave me the maximum cab dept and width

[redtapemedia]

Thanks for the information 

what i really did was first read many projects then look at things i liked to do the same and use.
then stumbled upon Valiant's topic http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=78496.0

That's the stage I'm at at the moment. Been doing a lot of lurking at the moment, reading and looking at the projects of others, deciding what I want. I just love the incredible attention to detail you have taken with this cab, as well as the overall shape and design. The artwork is amazing too. If I can actually build one of these things I'll definitely be drawing some major inspiration from your cab. I'm actually thinking of doing some sort of side-art based around Space Invaders. Anyway, look forward to seeing how this progresses and I'll be sure to let you know how I get on if I ever get round to building my own.

[Todd H]

Can we go ahead and nominate this for some kind of award? 

My poor little Dynamo cabinet is still in the garage needing some more sanding done.  I've got one more panel to go and some bondo work to finish and I can finally either paint or laminate this sucker.

[thatitalian]

Its all about the laminate! I have been playing around with it in between studying and it really is the way to go!

Just a quick question, what happens if your board goes? Isn't it under the laminate?

Also, where did you get your mounting accessories from to mount all your PC components? The motherboard was probably just PCB feet, no? But the HDD and the PSU?

[Martijn]

IF it will fail then i need to rout out the laminate, i know where it is and i can easily remove the laminate top part without damaging the rest.

But it wont

Or i could buy another and just wire it up normally like a nice Little frankenpanelbottomside

motherboard and usb board are placed on these feet



only 1 euro for 4 pieces (1.30 usd)

the hdd has 2 hdd silencers on the side



and then simple L brackets to hold the hdd , i made extra holes for mounting.

also L brackets on the DVD drive
and the psu is fastened with bolt screw from the bottom and up

[Martijn]

little trick on the DVD drive mounting, first secure the L brackets, i secured them so the bottom part was underneath the dvd drive.  then be sure where you want the drive, draw it out if you have to, then put tape on the bottom holes of the bracket, and i put a little drop of paint on the holes, and place the DVD drive with 1 firm press on the board, then you got marks where to drill holes for the bolts to hold the drive.

[thatitalian]

NICE ONE! The silencers are a sweet touch. Will be getting some of those me thinks!

I was just going to use a tipex pen to mark out the holes. That way it is white on the black laminate and can be removed if it is wrong.

[Martijn]

your gonna laminate the shelf for the pc?   

[pinballwizard79]

I just sharted myself, thats awesome!

[thatitalian]

your gonna laminate the shelf for the PC?   

Yep! I am gonna laminate the entire thing! Why, you ask? Well, really because of the dust that mdf causes. Laminate makes it easier to clean... well.... for my girlfriend to clean!

I plan on making it on a shelf with runners so that I can remove the "PC" part of it to maintain it.

I just sharted myself, thats awesome!

 

[maniac e]

That looks great man!
Can I ask you where you got the marque thing done? and the sticker for the side of the cabinet?

I am starting with my cabinet the upcoming week.

[Martijn]

hi and thx, i mentiond this many times in my topic already.

i came up with the idea and colors, waveryder (guy on this forum) created it and printed @ mamemarquees

[thatitalian]

hi and thx, i mentiond this many times in my topic already.

i came up with the idea and colors, waveryder (guy on this forum) created it and printed @ mamemarquees

Remember the name waveryder! Official artistic legend! And British too! And remember the name mamemarquees! The guy there (Scott) is equally a legend!

I am actually tempted to employ the service of Wave just to see what he comes up with, and then give me an excuse to make another cab.....

But seriously, wave is very good at what he does and his customer service is equally amazing! It is well worth using him to produce awesome artwork. For me, it is probably the most important thing as it separates a nice cab from an AMAZING cab!

If you ask most non gamers "why did you pick that cab to play" they will say "because that cab looks the ---Cleveland steamer---!" As in this case, my girlfriend said "will your cab look like that, because that one looks like it was made by a professional!" I aptly replied "My dear, Martijn is a professional!"

[waveryder]

Official artistic legend!

Oh crap dont they die pennyless and alone 
Although I love it when people say my name (usually I gotta pay for that kind of thing  or at least spring for dinner) Martijn has mentioned so many times that i did the artwork for this cab, for which I am most grateful, as so many projects that feature my work go by without a mention. The artwork thread is a great place to ask the why's and wheres about the cab artwork. Martijn doesn't take credit for the fact that the design and ideas were a joint effort. Only seeing the finished product gives the impression that this artwork was just pulled out of the air and believe it took 72 emails and more draft ideas than I can count to get to this stage. Yes artwork makes a cab look polished, but its the attention to detail an inovation that makes it stand out. I mean did no one see the "hidden wire" control panel? I am so stealing that idea for my scratch build!

[thatitalian]

I mean did no one see the "hidden wire" control panel? I am so stealing that idea for my scratch build!

You'll have to beat me first!

[Martijn]

lol, i wish   Its funny, my girlfriend said same thing when i was browsing.

She was mostly impressed by the mountain juke and project mame http://www.koenigs.dk/mame/eng/index.htm

Artwork isnt cheap, but well worth it. what i got cost me about 600usd all in

i got the tinted glas on, its truly the missing effect, its so pretty now  

The cab is 100% done hardware wise now

This weekend ill make some professional pictures outside.

[Martijn]

I mean did no one see the "hidden wire" control panel? I am so stealing that idea for my scratch build!

You'll have to beat me first!

I sure wanna see that its not very easy. i created the bottom laminate piece 3 times to get more tight holes and joystick port.

[leapinlew]

Looking very good.

I don't know if anyone said this, but I'd go for black t-molding. The cabinet has enough flash already. Keep up the good work.

[Martijn]

Official artistic legend!

Oh crap dont they die pennyless and alone 
Although I love it when people say my name (usually I gotta pay for that kind of thing  or at least spring for dinner) Martijn has mentioned so many times that i did the artwork for this cab, for which I am most grateful, as so many projects that feature my work go by without a mention. The artwork thread is a great place to ask the why's and wheres about the cab artwork. Martijn doesn't take credit for the fact that the design and ideas were a joint effort. Only seeing the finished product gives the impression that this artwork was just pulled out of the air and believe it took 72 emails and more draft ideas than I can count to get to this stage. Yes artwork makes a cab look polished, but its the attention to detail an inovation that makes it stand out. I mean did no one see the "hidden wire" control panel? I am so stealing that idea for my scratch build!

He thanks Wave! I appreciate it, we had our ups and downs  But we made it trough!

As for the molding, to late, its red and looks great. The cab is nice and slim and doesn't really give a busy feeling.

As that is the main thing around the build Slim and small, just enough for everything to fit.
TV dept = dept cab
TV width = cab width + cp layout measurements
then know your standing height with the cp
and TV height + speaker angle + marquee = maximum hight cab

and slice off some from the back and font

[thatitalian]

Just out of curiosity, is there any plans to release cab plans?

Not many plans out there for this shape of cab!

[marius]

I just had register to say this post rocks! This cab rocks. I'm building one myself! Ordered the hardware... just need to workout the details for myself. But yeah plans would be great... even a scanned crumpled peice of paper.

[DaOld Man]

Man martijn!

I love this panel.
I like the idea of routering out channels for the wire to run in. It looks very neat.

Excellent work!
 

[Martijn]

Thanks everybody !

Maybe ill measure up everything someday 

Tip for routering wire, you need second quick glue, draw out the lines to route and then route it out, then route every wire, and put a drop of second glue after some cm to keep the wires clean and straight, slow job but works great, then the wires stay in their place all the time. I used all sorts of items to hold the wires in their place while drying. 

What i would NOT do next time is route a wire for the usb, as the u360 have a socket of their own. Its a bit overkill to create 2 new usb ports for them.
And keep in mind where you will place ps2 sockets, i barley got everything fitted. I didn't think of the length of the ps2 connectors and pinball buttons.
That's why i needed to buy new small flipper action buttons.

But it worked out well , pinball is great fun!
I can reach the 2 blue action buttons of the u360 while i play flipper games, i use them as nudge buttons 

Is it me or do many tables have bugs that the ball just hangs still 
And strange about many pinball tables that they don't start normally, they just turn off or on when i press the start button like normal. 

[jeffhlewis]

That art is killer, it totally makes the cabinet.

You gotta get a video of this thing in action when you're done!

[Martijn]

Little update.

I installed the t-molding. Its 19mm molding (mdf is 18 mm and the laminate is 0,9mm) it fits perfect.
I ordered it from http://www.starcab.net/

and installed tinted plexi, 45% light passtrough 4mm thick
http://www.plexiglas-shop.com
i ordered 21% 45% and 70 % The 45 was the best.
Colors come out great. its not to dark. Also helps a lot with 640x480. Its much more calm.

Didn't take a picture of the plexi holder yet. But its the same i used for the marquee holder.
Ill make it this week.

i made the plexi flush with a router by placing it on the bezel and using a flush cut bit the guide was tracking the laminate and made a perfect copy.

The control panel is fastened and working 100%, so is the coin box, and the push return coin buttons act as insert coin buttons. Inserting a coin also works. And 2 flipper buttons on the side.

some pics.





















Enough of the picture flood.

The cab is 99% done in my eyes. Just more game configuring and settings.
Finally i could clean up all of my tools and balcony, just before the real cold comes 

I will make a sort of final review of my build with specs and measurements and total cost.
And maybe some pro pictures. these are taking with a crappy camera in bad lighting.

 

[waveryder]

My god that is the most beautiful thing I have seen since........kylie minogue 

[thatitalian]

DUDE! Seriously, you should be really proud, that thing is awesome! A typical example of what you can achieve with hard work and some imagination!

I have loved watching this thing from start to finish and am really astonished of how this has progressed!

Love the MA custom skin too!

[polaris]

beautiful cab, just amazing.
i have to say id be tempted to add kickplate art but thats cos i dont think you can have too much of that artwork, but regardless i want to see this cab and the italians marvel cab side by side (in my lounge)
 

[redtapemedia]

Fantastic work, how about the custom UI skin, did waveryder create that too or did you create the skin from his graphics? You should be extremely proud of this cab!

[Epyx]

Martijn...

/drool

Well done, what an amazing job!

[Martijn]

Hi and thank you all.

As for the maximus arcade skin, waveryder send me some png files of my logo and sideart i could play with.

I would have never been able to build this without this forum, but then again, i also would not build one i think without this forum

[Franco B]

Seriously awesome dude, seriously. 

One of my favourite cabs, ever!     

Have fun playing with that bad boy! 

[thatitalian]

but regardless i want to see this cab and the italians marvel cab side by side (in my lounge)
 

Yeah, imagine that!

Franco, Polaris and Wave will give testament to the ---Cleveland steamer--- weather we are having here! And I have no garage! But my exams finish in 2 weeks and I have a week + 2 weekends off from the 5th December! I think I will be constructing a large tent in my garden to get this thing rolling!

[Martijn]

Here is the update on the tinted plexi mount.

Its mounted with the same holders i used for the marquee and just added 2 L brackets on the sides.



As you can see the holder is flush with the control panel. I am very happy with that, i thought it would still show a gap.



Here is another shot of the front control panel.

- 2 x usb
- volume knob
- bass knob
- headphone jack
- Plunger button (on the right)
- infra red eye for the tv (not visible on the picture)

[fronty]

.

[Martijn]

Am I curious does the TV turn on with the cab? Does it remember when it was last tuned in? I don't know if you mentioned it before. What did you use for the USB ports? Great job, btw. 

Hi, on top of the cab there is a button with a 4 wire connection. 2 sets can be connected. 1 set is connected to the power button on the mainboard of the pc. The other set is connected to the next channel button on the tv front panel. You can see the red wires going from the tv next channel button.

So when i press the button on top of the cab, the pc turns on. the tv turns on to a normal tv channel. but the SCART cable to the tv has a detection connected that when it detects voltage to a SCART pin it goes to AV1 with RGB.

Nice thing from this is that the tv needs a little time to warm the tube up and then gives a display. by then it went to AV1 and the pc has passed the BIOS screen. and i get a nice black windows start screen.

Ill post a startup video on youtube.

[redtapemedia]

Thanks for answering my questions before. How tall is your cabinet? What height is the control panel? Do you find the controls to be the right height? Thanks for the info. 

[Malenko]

Im simply amazed. That is one of, if not THE most perfect cabs Ive ever seen. If thats your first attempt.....just wow.

I cant wait to see the videos of it in action. You more of a SuperSFII, SFAlpha, or SF3 kinda guy?

[Ummon]

Yeah, definitely a mamey candidate. Sweet idea hiding the wiring.

[Martijn]

What do you do to be a candidate?

Have done some little changes to my cab

- Wifi connection was dreadfull, only 11Mbit or less with the receiver only 5 meters away. I tried an antenna extension cable but this did not improve much. I removed the card and now its powered by a 200Mbit network adapter through powercord.



Much better, i get 5MB per second now.

The adapter in inside the cab. so still 1 power cord for all 

- Did a nice tv power mod, the pc and tv turn on with 1 button and when i press it again the tv and pc shut down (tv goes back into standby)

No need for a remote

ill post a video soon (before Xmas

[jeffhlewis]

 

Powerline Ethernet adapters are awesome; I've been using them for years now and they work great.

I have to say, again, the art on this thing is incredible - you did a great job!

Put a video on YouTube of this baby in action!!

[mr_doles]

OK I just had to just back to the first comment that was made

Also i must note, i never worked with wood in my life.
But you people explained everything so clearly, it made it almost made it look to easy

This is the most amazing thing I have ever seen  and it gives me hope as someone that can't cut a straight line. 

[Akuma]

GREAT! Absolutely great!

I especially like the volume control - very inspiring!


Greetings over to the Netherlands! Goeden Avond.

[Namco]

Wow, this project just blows me away. Well done!! Inspires me to start on my next project. Great job, man!!

[HairyDVD]

How did the intro video work out?

[deepblue]

Bravo - this is one of the nicest cabs I've come across....beautifully designed. 

[Martijn]

Hello all!

And thanks for all the compliments !

Goedeavond to you too Akuma !

I forgot to make a movie of it in action. but i didn't hide windows completely yet. And that's not so nice to see

HairyDVD : I didn't put it on the cab yet. but i will test it if it looks good and then make the movie.

I am busy building something else on paper now Plans are almost done and i can commence working on it.

[XtraSmiley]

Hey man, wanted to say I just saw this thread (linked from your sig) and it is awesome.  Great work!

[andy p]

Fantastic Looking Cab.

Well Done.

[Epyx]

Awesome finishing work! 

[Thebeast]

I am humbled by your beautiful work sir. I am working on my first project and I only hope my end result is half as nice as yours.

[bgspot]

WOW!! That is one amazing cab. It really does look as though it came from a capcom factory. This has to be one of the best looking cabs here

[andy p]

Beautiful Cab mate.

Glad to see all the hard work paid off.

[dkssprs]

I am sure i am dreaming...

No words to say...

 

[ArcadeBliss]

thank, i will be putting it in my shop Then i can make it a company investment 

i have bought these clamps to hold it. i think its fine



i can adjust the strength/length

and i will intergrate the new sound system

I am looking for a better way to connect my cp to my cab and saw that you used this clamps. What I can't figure out is how you remove your cp when it is attached to the cab. It looks like you need to reach the handles to flip them up. How are you accessing them?

[Martijn]

thats easy, when i need to open up the control panel i just open the coin box and i can flip all 4 switches.

[Martijn]

here a little movie of some guys playing xmen vs sf on my cab.

its a bit dark 





http://www.youtube.com/v/7QDyPBQMiXA&hl

[Bender]

WOW!

I don't know how I missed this thread
what a fantastic build!
just beautiful 

great documentation too!

[patrickl]

WOW indeed! Dunno how I missed it either. That's simply stunning looking and a display of superb workmanship

[SNAAKE]

you guys are terrible.......at street fighter 

really nice cabinet though.

[Rusty Shackelford]

Exellent cabinet! Very inspiring!

I have a question. When you screwed the panels together did you countersink the holes or just screw in? What im getting to is do you notice the screws through the laminate?

[Martijn]

yes they are terrible they are just button bashers mostly 

the screws are screwend from the inside out
the ones on the side before i applied laminate are screwed until they are flush with the wood so you don't see them

[WhiteComet]

That is one of the nicest cabinet ive seen for street fighter... much nicer than the arcade they official made!!!

p.s. is there anychance i could get the globe graphic off you for a st:hd custom???

[Timstuff]

Wow, excellent work on the cabinet! I hope it brings you a great many years of fun and entertainment.

[Martijn]

He thanks you all !

Seems like someone at mediamarkt also likes my cab.

http://www.mediamarkt.nl/specials/sf4/index.html

press "DE PRIJZEN"

 

Its my cab for sure, i dont have anything to do with them. I think the creator of the special just used google images to get a street fighter arcade picture..

[Joey Butafuko]

Your buddies are wrecking my prize 

[Twin-X]

Hey Martijn,

I see you are selling your cabinet for 2500,-

http://link.marktplaats.nl/228141528

May i ask you why?

Regards

[rol]

I think this cab made it to my top five...maybe first it's hard to tell...
Thank you for documenting this so well though - you've saved me a lot of time finding some of my parts!

[phantompower]

I will make a sort of final review of my build with specs and measurements and total cost.
And maybe some pro pictures. these are taking with a crappy camera in bad lighting.

Is this still in the works?  I am late to the party but this is the exact direction I am going with my third cab.  Absolutely beautiful.

[Barry Barcrest]

WOW That cab is awsome, i don't know how i missed it before.

[Martijn]

Just to give it the old One Two 







Happy Easter Everybody ! 

[Uncle Monkey]

Sweet cab man, I love the theme as the SF games have always been my primary arcade-love. And that's almost exactly how I'd do it (artistically), I can't do all the fancy wiring/mounting stuff for one simple reason. I'm in the military, and I'm looking at at least 6-7 moves before I retire. So I need to be able to remove the components for that, and have access to fix moving damage.....but, point is, sweet cab and the only thing I would change artistically would be to maybe use more than just Ryu and Chun-LI for the side art/marquee. I might do Fei-Long and Cammy on one side, so I had an "original" side and a "new-challengers" side and use Gouken and Akuma for the Marquee. Get a Good vs Evil theme plus be able to include Gouken, 'cause I've been waiting for him to be playable FOREVER.....If you ever want to sell that bad larry for like, $20, let me know......

[gfatherx]

Where did you get your drilling template from. Did you make it yourself. Im going to start on my cab soon and this would help me out alot. Please help.

Thanks

Update 

Time to go to work on the control panel

its not done yet but i think people want to see more 

Let's Go (lemmings)

Placed the drilling template on the control panel with glue



28 mm drill bit

[Martijn]

i printed it at the local printer

[BASS!]

When are you tossing a 360 in here to play some sf4? I'm sure your able to hack a controller or two to play some stuff on this.

[Uncle Monkey]

When are you tossing a 360 in here to play some sf4? I'm sure your able to hack a controller or two to play some stuff on this.

Why hack a 360? In a month he can just install it on the PC......that's what I'm doing......

[Gatsu]

SF IV wont be out on PC until around July or so....and theres some other really good fighters that aren't coming to pc that make it worth-while to put a 360 in the cab.

Im gonna be putting one in mine so I can play Soul Calibur, DOA 2, 3 & 4, BlazBlue, Tekken 6, SSF2Turbo HD and KOFXII.

[Twin-X]

- n.v.m.

[Silas (son of Silas)]

This is a very nice build and I commend you for taking your time, paying close attension to detail. I can only hope that my setup turns out half this nice when its done. 

Don't forget to but some lights on top of that CoolMaster for low flying aircraft, CRIPES! ...and I thought my Zalman was BIG!

That's tiny compared to the Scythe Orochi ;-)

[dkssprs]

Your cab is the best looking cab i have ever seen

Many gratz to you my friend.I wish in my living room i will have a cab like yours.

 

[Twin-X]

You can buy it from him for the price of 2900 Euro's

http://link.marktplaats.nl/250024312

[dkssprs]

You can buy it from him for the price of 2900 Euro's

http://link.marktplaats.nl/250024312

Buying it?!!!??!
The whole plessure is building it not buying it.

why does he sell it??!!!!Is he crazy?

[SNAAKE]

why does he sell it??!!!!Is he crazy?

maybe he wants to build another one..even better looking one perhaps 

[BASS!]

I love selling mine, then someone gets to enjoy it, and you get the money to dump into even more good stuff.

[dkssprs]

I cant even think about selling my project.. 
Its my first project and there is no way selling it.
If someone want's my bartop i will build a new one ...
I am looking all the images in these project and i cant believe how clean it is....no matter how many times i look at the pics.
Surely i eill build something like that.

BTW 3000Euro..... i think it is a very good price

[pat47200]

Very nice cab.

see you soon

[severdhed]

that cabinet is simply amazing.  i love the shape of it, and the craftsmanship is second to none


very impressive

[DeLuSioNal29]

Very, very impressive.  Awesome craftsmanship.

Thumbs up from me!

~ DeLuSioNaL

[jmike]

 
Dude that thing is wicked awesome!Love the colors/artwork/molding

Yep, great job 

[phantompower]

This is just a great looking cabinet.  Thank you again for the inspiration.

[Martijn]

pics are down for a week 

[Martijn]

Pictures are back up 

Ok my cab is ready for pc version of street fighter IV

De demo benchmark works great. configured keyboard and everything

i upgraded only the videocard to a Ati Radeon 4670 passive videocard

all the old mame games still work great with soft15khz

i got streetfighter IV running in 800x600 8x AA and get 55fps average

I start the game through the frontend i use ( http://www.maximusarcade.com/ )

heres an video

[phantompower]

Very nice.  I did the same with some batch files and Maximus.  I used a scripting program to bypass the Loader which the final version.

I do love how the game looks and plays.  Configuring the iPac was a pain since the game relies on the XBox controls in the menu system, regardless of how the virtual joysticks are configured.

[n88n]

Martijn,

Like many who have already posted this is basically the exact type of cab that I would like to build.  Street Fighter is the ultimate and I am blown away at your whole setup.

I noticed that you are using a TV instead of an arcade monitor.  How do you like the tv?  I thought one of my biggest expenses would be a new arcade monitor but maybe I do not need one.  I have a 27" tv that I do not use right now and it would be so much easier to start my project if I could use my tv.

Have you upgraded the tv to an arcade monitor?  Or is it still the TV shown in the beginning of your post?

great work bro, very inspirational.

Nate

[Martijn]

hi there,

i still use the same 25 inch sony tv and its great. all old resolutions work great
for 640x 480 or 800 x 600 resolutions the screen starts to flicker a bit but with the special darkned plexi i got
The screen gets a steady look at those resolutions, without it its bad at high res. I posted it somewhere the kind of plexi i used.

i see no need for an upgrade

thnx for your compliment

[MaMeNnO]

Great cab, excellent finish! I'm planning on building a lowboy, but thanks for the inspiration. Bedankt!

[Haggar]

i upgraded only the videocard to a Ati Radeon 4670 passive videocard

all the old mame games still work great with soft15khz

Hi, I'm using the same Ati X800XL you've used and it works very well with soft15KHz and 6.5 catalyst drivers.
Now I'm thinking to make an upgrade like yours to use SFIV. With your new SAPPHIRE TECHNOLOGY Radeon HD 4670 Ultimate Edition can you get ALL resolutions working like the old x800xl? Also lower ones?

Thanks

[Classic Arcade]

One of the best cabinets i found on this forum, got loads of inspiration of it to build my own one, also thanks for the detailed production progress 

[Martijn]

i upgraded only the videocard to a Ati Radeon 4670 passive videocard

all the old mame games still work great with soft15khz

Hi, I'm using the same Ati X800XL you've used and it works very well with soft15KHz and 6.5 catalyst drivers.
Now I'm thinking to make an upgrade like yours to use SFIV. With your new SAPPHIRE TECHNOLOGY Radeon HD 4670 Ultimate Edition can you get ALL resolutions working like the old x800xl? Also lower ones?

Thanks

yes everything works great, all resolutions , also very old ones , i now use the latest catalyst

[Martijn]

One of the best cabinets i found on this forum, got loads of inspiration of it to build my own one, also thanks for the detailed production progress 

thanks and good luck

[dekar24k]

Wow. Definitely one of the nicest cabs I've ever seen. Congrats and great work!

[Epyx]

Yep, still getting ideas from the pictures in here...just a treasure trove of a cab.

[Haggar]

yes everything works great, all resolutions , also very old ones , i now use the latest catalyst

Thanks!  

[woodfire]

WOW martijn, this is an absolute work of art mate, well done.  I'm feeling all inspired. 

[mikejkelley]

Hey n88n and anyone else thinking of using a TV, keep in mind that older CRT TV sets and arcade monitors carry a LETHAL charge even after they've been unplugged (in some instances for YEARS). Your first project should not involve de-casing a TV unless you know how to safely discharge it!

[redtapemedia]

I will make a sort of final review of my build with specs and measurements and total cost.
And maybe some pro pictures. these are taking with a crappy camera in bad lighting.

Is this still in the works?  I am late to the party but this is the exact direction I am going with my third cab.  Absolutely beautiful.

I would definately like to see some measurements if you have the time Martijn, as this is the cab design I would like to build eventually. Thanks. 

[Martijn]

Hi, glad you like it.

But i already sold my cab like 2 monts ago   

No designs, sorry 

[Epyx]

But i already sold my cab like 2 monts ago

What is next?

[ShoryuKeith]

Amazing Cab. 

I have to ask, i'm confused by the Laminate. I'm in the UK and looking to use the type of Laminate you used, for my own Cab. I cant seem to find anywhere that sells laminate. Even a simple google search throws up nothing, or rather confusing results. Could you be more specific on the type of laminate you have used and where it was from?!  I've read through this whole thread several times and this is the one thing i cant seem to get my head around.

Thanks

[Epyx]

Here is the Formica UK Office...Formica is a brand of laminate like Wilsonart etc...they can probably point you to your nearest distributor who in turn can provide you with info on your nearest retailer.

http://www.formica.co.uk/publish/site/eu/uk/en/home/contact/requests/head_office.html

[Nacimroc]

Amazing Cab. 

I have to ask, i'm confused by the Laminate. I'm in the UK and looking to use the type of Laminate you used, for my own Cab. I cant seem to find anywhere that sells laminate. Even a simple google search throws up nothing, or rather confusing results. Could you be more specific on the type of laminate you have used and where it was from?!  I've read through this whole thread several times and this is the one thing i cant seem to get my head around.
Thanks

I was doubtful about finding it, but just ended up going to a local timber/kitchen manufacturer and they got it no problem.

[flipped cracker]

wow, that thing is amazing. i wish you would've gotten measurements so i could recreate it.

[rlehm]

This mame cab is awesome. I can't believe you sold it. Honestly, 2,500, that's dirt cheap for what you created!

[Kokapetl]

Amazing work with that cabinet, it's near flawless.

The only thing I could complain about (and I looked hard), is the control panel artwork design.
Two of the character profiles are almost completely osbcured from vision by controls, and the character selection/placement you have seems a bit odd.
The panel has 14 characters, which doesn't reflect all the characters in any one SF game, and having Dhalsim grouped together with 3 of the 4 boss characters looks weird (why not Bison?!)

If all 16 players from Super Street Fighter 2 wouldn't have fit,
I think it could have been made better using all the characters from an earlier SF game and copying the same layout as on the selection screen:
SF2 - 8 playable characters (Ryu, E. Honda, Blanka, Guile, Ken, Chun Li, Zangief, Dhalsim)
SF2 CE - 12 playable characters (as above plus the boss characters Balrog, Vega, Sagat, Bison)
SSF2 - 16 playable characters (as above plus the new challengers T-Hawk, Cammy, Fei Long, DeeJay)

edit: oops, sorry for bumping a somewhat old topic.

[TheMonk]

Hello,

I just started to plan out my cabinet recently and came across this thread. Amazing work really and fantastic attention to detail. One thing I've been trying to find is something like the piece of steel shown below. Can you (or anyone reading this really) tell me where I can find a piece like this? Was it in a hardware store or some other location?

Thanks in advance! 

[Lewis Black]

That is actually plastic, Google "Marquee Retainer" or use this: http://www.happcontrols.com/amusement/acesor/49100000.htm

[Martijn]

  I miss my cab  !

time for a new one then 

Let me go sit in my thinking corner 

[elkameleon]

I can't imagine how good your next one would be, please stop making us all look inferior!

[ArcadeAddict77]

yeap read that one cover to cover, looking forward to your next!

[djcasey]

nice work, really beautyfull..
can you share a link to pic you used on control panel, marguee and side arts ??

[lostinarcade]

possibly one of the best cabs i have ever seen. 

[AmIEvil]

Where did you find the laminate for your cab?  I've been looking everywhere for some but cannot seem to find any. 

[gacchan]

nice work, really beautyfull..
can you share a link to pic you used on control panel, marguee and side arts ??

I would like to have your pics for my cab too ^___^
Pleaseeeee they are so beautiful!!!!

[retrostark]

very old post, but i want to say thank you, when i saw that tv i got reminded that there is a old tv in my basement that i can use.   

[gabrielvieira96]

I am a beginner in building cabs arcades, please could you share the file with the measures of the cab to try to do it.
sorry typing errors I am Brazilian and I do not know much English.

[jayfrost]

I love this cabinet and would really love to use some of the art.  It appears that waveryder doesnt come on the site anymore.  Does anybody have contact info, or Martjin, would you be willing to share.  Looking to build a bartop and incorporate similar look.

Thanks,

J

[AngeloBRG]

Nice work!

Does anyone have the dimensions of this cabinet?

[ikaruga23]

Hi Martjin, I found several images of your original SF cabinet online and they led me here. It looks like this is an old thread. But for some reason, all the pics are missing. Thats too bad because it looks like you did a meticulous job to share your experience. Reading the comments, I get the idea that you have created a work of art. Is it possible to repost your pics. I am also an avid fan of SF since my younger days. And your cabinet has inspired me to try to relive those days. Thanks.

[Martijn]

i would like to fix this. i have the pictures here, but the hosting stopped. is there any simple way to change this pictures host / url with the same filenames?

example.

Original http://www.hosting1.com/sf/filename

to http://www.hosting2.com/sf/filename

any help here would be appreciated.

or if the admin can change the url within MySQL that would be great

[ikaruga23]

Bump. Anyone who can fix the broken image links, please help. I think its a shame if people cant look at this masterpiece anymore. Thanks!

[DeLuSioNal29]

I tried using Wayback Machine to recover them, but the best I could get was this:

https://web.archive.org/web/20080116103149/http://www.vogtschmidtoutdoorcenter.nl/akira/

Looks like the pictures would have been in the "cpg130" folder, but they are gone.

This is why we now post pictures here:  http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,136713.880.html
and then link to them (That way everything stays on this site).

Sorry I could not be of any more help...

DeLuSioNaL29

[Martijn]

I have all the pictures just need a easy url change

[ikaruga23]

I guess this is hopeless.

Martijn, I hope you post the pictures again someday. Based on the few small images I've seen, its one of the best custom SF cabs out there...   

[Martijn]

Fixed the pics by hand 

[botossi]

Late to the party, but what a great cab! Congrats!!!

[ikaruga23]

Thanks Martijn for fixing the broken pics. The comments did not dissappoint. You truly created something special. Kudos! The guy you sold it to is very lucky!!

[xinixske]

nice cab

[valdy]

This arcade is 10000 better than the 1up one. Beast!

[Mercede]

Masterful.

 Martijin is the artwork used available to share ? Best SF custom cabinet still to this date, would love to use what you had as a template for a future project.

[Malenko]

Masterful.

 Martijin is the artwork used available to share ? Best SF custom cabinet still to this date, would love to use what you had as a template for a future project.

I made a brief tutorial on how to approximate it.
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,145734.0.html

[Martijn]

Masterful.

 Martijin is the artwork used available to share ? Best SF custom cabinet still to this date, would love to use what you had as a template for a future project.

Sadly lost during a hdd crash back in the day.

Its not that complex to make something similar. But Waveryder  did alter the drawings by hand somewhat.

Good Luck!

[Mercede]

Thank you guys ! Inspiration to the community.