1st cab conversion (updated) / rework

[werdna]

Hi!

I've been pondering doing an emulator in an arcade cabinet forever.  Every time I get all ready the price keeps me from getting started.  No more!

Craigslist had a local guy with 6 cabs / games for sale for cheap!





more pics at: http://www.werdna.net/arcade/fullsize/

I picked up these 2 cabinets.  The Arch Rivals cab has the Williams 49-way sticks in a converted cab and is fully functional.  Arch Rivals cost me $100.  The other cab is a "The Main Event" cab with a "Hit the Ice" Jamma board installed but not completely wired and working.

I've gutted the 2nd cab.  It appears that the CP was the original TME CP with a new sticker over it.  Underneath there are routings for 4 8-way sticks each with 3 buttons (player and 2 action buttons I assume).  I'm thinking this should give me enough real estate to build a new CP with 2 8-way sticks and 6 buttons for each player and 4 other buttons (p1, p1, shift, whatever) up top in the middle.

I ordered my KeyWiz40-Eco 2 days ago.  Still need to decide on what sticks and buttons to buy and where to buy them from.

I'm trying to figure out if I should do something with the Arch Rivals cab and it's 49-way sticks or just leave it setup as arch rivals.

I guess the adventure begins...

-Andrew

[werdna]

making progress.



more pics at: http://www.werdna.net/arcade/fullsize

painted the cab, sawed the base off the 20" crt so it sits flat on the angled shelf, used a load strap to secure the monitor to the shelf, ordered sticks and buttons today. 

this weekend should include building a monitor bezel, getting front glass, re-installing the coin doors, building a back panel for the cabinet.

Sadly the monitor sticks out a tiny bit in the back.  I'm thinking of just cutting  a window in the back panel for it to fit in and spraypainting the back of the monitor black.  I really don't want to remove the monitor plastic to spray it tho.  Have to figure that one out.

[chopps]

I think thats the same as my blades of steel cabinet, minus 1 coin door.    I thought for sure the 20" monitor would fit no problem, but 

[Franco B]

Nice. The monitor appears to be a good size for the cab

[werdna]

some updates:

testing fit of the mdf

laminate



obligatory control panel pr0n




This is my first cp wiring attempt.  Next time I'll probably buy an encoder with screw terminals.  I'm pretty good at soldering but I can see how any future futzing will be a real pain to deal with.  I was going to use cat5 cable with RJ45 termination for the joysticks and buttons.  I was apparently getting crosstalk or something on the buttons so I scrapped that.  The player1 joystick was already wired that way and working so I also wired up the player2 stick that way.  I went with Happ ultimate joysticks and can already tell that maybe there are better options.  Should be quite easy to pull these with the quick disconnect connectors in there.

tempered glass for over the monitor should arrive this week
backlit marquee should be printed locally this week
foam board in garage to make monitor bezel
remaining coin door parts are in the garage waiting to be stripped and repainted

but as these things go the kids and I are already playing it a bunch!  Having the control panel mounted, wired and working is great!  no need for the USB keyboard down in the cabinet anymore!

[XeviouS]

Don't worry about the monitor sticking out of the back, just cut a hole in the wall that you will be pushing it up against. These are the kind of sacrifices that must be made in the name of Mame. (just don't move the unit into different parts of the house too often....)   

[werdna]

as always hit http://www.flickr.com/photos/aalbinger for more and/or larger pics.

I have the tinted, tempered glass installed.  1st try at a bezel cut out.  I'll be cutting out another bezel before too long as I got a little sloppy on this one.



Still have to refinish/install the coin doors, find something to put on the top of the marquee and maybe someday sideart.

-Andrew

[werdna]

I'm going to resurect this from the dead rather than starting another thread.  With my next project well underway it was time to scavenge parts off my 1st project and start redoing it.

The 8-way sticks are headed to the new project.  This machine is going to become a one player control panel with a trackball on the right, 4 buttons in a diamond pattern in the middle, and a 6 inch swappable panel on the left that will hold either an 8-way, my dedicated 4-way, a spinner, or whatever else comes along.

To that end I snagged a HAPP 3" off the buy-n-sell board here and dropped an order to GGG for buttons and an optiwiz.

The trackball showed up today.  I just placed the GGG order today.  While I do plan to use the optiwiz in this build I'm a very impatient man.  Sometimes being impatient is awesome.

Of all the things Radio Shack isn't anymore they did have this: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103251  Kind of great to just plug into the Happ connector with my madness.

[werdna]

some progress on the new control panel.

[werdna]

some more work on the initial try at swappable controls.

long term I need to use a table saw to make a more square insert board.  I intend to epoxy magnets into the underside of the boards to help hold them to the mending plates pictured.