First cocktail in planning.....i hate planning

[mahalos]

Hey Guys,

I've been planning my first cocktail on and off for the last 6 months........having kids some how seems to get in the way

My daughter is now 3 months old and things are starting to settle down so it's back to the cocktail. I came up with design I kinda liked and even got around to building a cardboard scale model. It's pretty compact, and is designed around a 21" monitor I have.  Don't pay too much attention to the colour scheme as  it's certainly not exactly what i'm after...although i don't really want to go down blue/black/red  path again....they always look great but i'm hoping for a 70's type colour scheme of brown/orange/yellow.....it's just a case of finding the right mix.

I don't really have anything set in stone, but i thought i'd throw it out there to see what people thought of the design and whether anyone  can see any flaws/problems i may have. 

Cheers

Carl

[Franco B]

Looks good to me!

The tapered sides will allow you to get your legs a little further in.

And it has SPACE INVADERS on it!!! 

[XeviouS]

It looks unique and well proportioned...go for it!

[YoGaBaR]

That looks great!! I could see this model looking good in my place 
You should definitely build it.

[mahalos]

Thanks for the comments guys. It certainly inspires me to get my A into G.

I was hoping to maybe make the Space Invader out of perspex and light it from behind somehow,  but then again maybe i'm getting out of my comfort zone.

[tomdotcom]

Love the design..it reminds me of GI joe for some reason hehe...love the shape..I want to make a cocktail cab too..one thing at a time though

[javeryh]

I really like this design but just make sure it is comfortable to play with the top of the CP at such a steep angle.  It doesn't look like you can just rest your hands on there.   

[Franco B]

I was hoping to maybe make the Space Invader out of perspex and light it from behind somehow,  but then again maybe i'm getting out of my comfort zone.

Maybe something like this?





I'll shoot you a PM as I may be able to help you.

[Games001]

I hate you Franco (you <-- )... I will always hate you!!! 

[mahalos]

I really like this design but just make sure it is comfortable to play with the top of the CP at such a steep angle.  It doesn't look like you can just rest your hands on there.   

Thanks for your input

That's something that i was worried about,  hence the reason i built the full size cardboard model. It felt alright to play,  and it seemed that my forearms rested on my knees so a lot off the weight was taken of my wrists.
Cheers:Carl

[mahalos]

I was hoping to maybe make the Space Invader out of perspex and light it from behind somehow,  but then again maybe i'm getting out of my comfort zone.

Maybe something like this?





I'll shoot you a PM as I may be able to help you.

Thanks for the offer Franco. Your cocktail is an inspiration to me. I followed your build very closely and showed it to many of my friends. I'll hit you up for some advice when i get the build under way.
Cheers:Carl

[mahalos]

Right then, things have changed a bit. The basic design is staying but i've gone with an updated colour scheme. It'll now be quite light and sterile....in fact i thought about doing it all white and calling it the  iArcade

So it'll be an off-white with chrome t-moulding and some blue highlights here and there....still nothing solid...i tend to fly by the seat of my pants.



This machine is pretty small, so i figured i'd  better have a rough test build to see how things are going to fit. I  had some spare mdf kicking around so threw together a ROUGH shell and got the monitor in.




As you can space is at a premium, and i had planned to use the little Logitech 2.1 i had lying around. Unfortunately the only place it can sit causes it to throw the electron gun off and the colours start to seperate......bugger. I do have a little car amp that i may use in it's place. With the speakers i'm considering putting them down the bottom on either side or at each end in the players console......any opinions?

I mounted an old joystick setup i had. Please don't laugh too much at it....i only used it to test out my new joysticks and buttons......and a piece of wooden laminate flooring was all i had at the right thickness....   but it serves it's purpose and i can test the 'feel' of the height and angle of the future control panel.



That's all for now, i'll just be tweaking things and try to get a working layout sorted so i can apply it to the final build......which should start next month

[HairyDVD]

I don't think anyone will laugh - it is a good idea to make a "mock up" then the likelyhood of you having to amend your design when building will be far less (resulting is not wasting money on the good wood)

I will be keeping an eye on your build

[Franco B]

Now that's what I call a mock-up

How are you finding the angle of the CP(s)? The angle in your mock-up seems to be less than your model which I imagine is more comfortable. (I mean the mock-up angle looks better than the model, why is everything so hard when you are hungover!)

I've been having some problem with my speakers magnets too. You will either need to shield them of use bucking magnets. I've made some mild steel enclosures for the magnets. I used mild steel as it has lower permeability than stainless. It has reduced the effect of the magnets of the monitor buts they still effect it slightly. I'm going to line the shields with [magnetic shielding material] 

[deepblue]

Now the real question is how many games did you play on your "mock-up" ?

Great looking build plans, makes me want to do a cocktail cab next....but one thing at a time!

[Martijn]

oh no its playable now you wont finish it 

[mahalos]

haha....i thought it was compulsory to have a *few* games........for *testing* purposes of course.

 

[mahalos]

Now that's what I call a mock-up

How are you finding the angle of the CP(s)? The angle in your mock-up seems to be less than your model which I imagine is more comfortable. (I mean the mock-up angle looks better than the model, why is everything so hard when you are hungover!)

I'm still trying to figure how that angle came about as well......i think i used my eyechrometer

[dkssprs]

Absolutely fantasic design. Did you figure that out??
I have a question. Will the body of the cab handle with that big crt TV. Isnt that a prob with the cabs body? Wouldnt it be better to mount a tft TV monitor pc?
And again great design.

[mahalos]

Absolutely fantasic design. Did you figure that out??
I have a question. Will the body of the cab handle with that big crt TV. Isnt that a prob with the cabs body? Wouldnt it be better to mount a tft TV monitor pc?
And again great design.

Thanks man. I came up with the design a little while ago whilst throwing down a few sketches on paper. I basically wanted something a little different.
The cab will handle the weight of the monitor no probs. It handles it now and as still missing it's end pieces....which will shore the whole cab up. It'll be a little brick when it's done. 

[mahalos]

Well progress has been slow, largely due to issues i'm having with my monitor.....more on that later.

I had a crack at mocking up one of the ends/control panels. I messed up the bottom angle by cutting on the reverse angle. I was going to trash it but it i ran with it in case i wanted to make any changes as it kinda looked the cp was going to sit a little low. Turns out that the height was cool. I didn't enclose the front of the cp as that's where i'm thinking about placing the speakers and i haven't got that side of things locked down yet.



So my monitor has an ailment that i feel like fixing with a 8lb sledgehammer. When it first turns on it's great,

 but after a while i start to get discolouration in two corners.


The pictures look a lot better than the problem actually is. Im at a bit of a crossroads with the whole project. The machine is designed and built around the monitor so it's hard to progress until i figure out the issue with the monitor or decided to find another one.....but whats to say the next one will be any different. I've tried degaussing it and removing all of the pc gear from underneath but no joy.

[Blanka]

You have no speakers near the screen?
The problem is I believe that a monitor is usually corrected for the earth magnetic field. The correction is for the normal horizontal position. If the tube is vertical, this correction might not work any more, and discolouring could happen.

[mahalos]

You have no speakers near the screen?
The problem is I believe that a monitor is usually corrected for the earth magnetic field. The correction is for the normal horizontal position. If the tube is vertical, this correction might not work any more, and discolouring could happen.

No speakers. I figured it was the magnetic field thing, i just thought it strange that it took time to occur as opposed to being there constantly. How do all the other guys get away with making cocktails and using the vertical mounted monitors? maybe i'm unlucky and have a crap monitor...who knows. I do have a 19" monitor that i'm considering using in it's place, although it's not a flat screen it probably has a better picture. I  might try mounting that one vertically and see how it goes.

[Neverending Project]

You also may want to try a dedicated degaussing coil. They are far more effective than the monitors built-in degaussing. Also, sometimes after a while of sitting in their new home the monitor will slowly come back into color. I had a similar problem on my monitor in the corners, but after months and months of procrastinating fixing it (ignoring it) it seems to have fixed itself.

[mahalos]

Well the 19" monitor i've put in seems to be doing the trick. It has a better picture, much more colour and brightness. The only problem now is i  have to deal with a curved monitor instead of a nice easy flat screen when it comes to bezel making time.

The other things i'm trying to decide on is air-flow. I was originally just going to stick a fan on the base to draw air from underneath the machine, but now i'm thinking about putting one down the bottom on either side with a nice chrome grill......i'm thinking it could look quite cool....pardon the pun.

I was hoping to have the power cable entry under the arch using a right angled IEC connector, but i had a look last night and it's too tight, the only choices are to make the base higher and run with the right angled connector or place a cable entry socket on the outside with a mains switch underneath the machine or I guess I could always hardwire to the machine.  Seeing as the machine with be white-ish i'll be having a white power lead and connectors.

Lastly i'm thinking about a blue cold-cathode tube under the cocktail to throw a bit of light from underneath, i was going to get blue LED fans but i think the cathode will be a bit more subtle.

[DrumAnBass]

Love the design!! And the execution seems to be coming along quite nicely! Can't wait to see the finished machine!   

[mahalos]

Love the design!! And the execution seems to be coming along quite nicely! Can't wait to see the finished machine!   

Thanks man.  To be honest i'm kinda fed up with playing around with this "mock-up" and am really keen to get things sorted enough to be able to start the real machine.

[danny_galaga]

classy 

[richms]

Thanks man.  To be honest i'm kinda fed up with playing around with this "mock-up" and am really keen to get things sorted enough to be able to start the real machine.

Your mockup is more finished then my real machine

[benjammin]

Looks very nice.
I'm feeling inspired.

[thatitalian]

You have blatantly got to add an ipod docking station to that beast!

That is one seriously sexy looking cab! I would definitely roll with the lit space invader, that will look ---smurfing--- bonkers!

I reckon some ultralux buttons will look kick ass on that thing as the chrome surround will offset the white and tmolding nicely! Even the buttons you have on your "I build mockups for real and not in sketchup" will fit in nicely!

Sick, absolutely sick!

I love it how forums like this take it to the next level...

[mahalos]

Thanks for the great comments, they really are appreciated

Well i have managed to do a few small things to the 'mock-up'. I got the smaller alternate monitor installed, and decided to cut down the size of the top a bit cause there's nothing worse than a monitor that looks way to small for the machine. I have yet to get around to trying to fashion a bezel to fit the curved screen, but at least it's a step in the right direction.


I got a set a speakers that i thought should do a decent job after not being able to use the 2.1 system i had. I plan on painting the grill chrome, and possibly the speaker surrounds.....not too sure yet. I think the stinkest part about choosing my colour scheme is that there really is no place for black. It's not seen in the photo but the speakers have a strange reverse L type shape to them that means i had to cut out a hole in the main face in order for them to fit....no major.



I also got sick of using the keyboard when playing games, so i  installed a few admin buttons to see if i liked the placement. They're not too bad but i think i'll move them further apart. On the player 1 side i plan to have a Menu, P1 start, Credit button, and on the player 2 side just the P2 start and Credit.


I have a few more thing to test out before i start the 'good-copy' but i think thing are starting to take shape

[thatitalian]

That looks so ---smurfing--- excellent!

[YoGaBaR]

Man if you had a nickel for every time i look at this post, youd have alot of dollars. I would like to make one of these would you mind sharing the dimensions when you get time? This has got to be the best cocktail ever.

One question though, maybe I missed this somewhere, but, will you have an acess panel somewhere (and where) if anything should need attention?

[wooowman93]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhOR5LwpKDU[/youtube]

Try that it should fix the monitor.

[mahalos]

Man if you had a nickel for every time i look at this post, youd have alot of dollars. I would like to make one of these would you mind sharing the dimensions when you get time? This has got to be the best cocktail ever.

One question though, maybe I missed this somewhere, but, will you have an acess panel somewhere (and where) if anything should need attention?

Thanks for the comment. I certainly don't think it's the best cocktail ever, not with some of the class acts in progress on these forums.

I'll see if i can get some time to clean up my sketchup file, that should give you an idea of the dimensions.

The access panel has been something i've been thinking about lately, I think i'll be doing a fold down panel on the bottom of the machine as it really is the only place, and of course the top will be able to come off as well.

[YoGaBaR]

I will agree that Franco B and the guy doing the covanent of the ark one have great projects that are just amazing.  I just like the yours as well and think it might be revolutionary. 

[mahalos]

Small update,

I got myself some 24mm Seimitsu buttons from Chad at Lizard Lick Amusements and i thought they might look cool if i could light up the clear plunger from behind.
I'm reasonably happy with the way it turned out and i think i'll definitely go ahead and build it in to the machine when i start it.
So the following pictures are how i got on.

[blueznl]

Wow! Love the design!!!

[dekar24k]

Looks really great. Well done.