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Author Topic: 2nd Project - MKII/NFL Blitz 99 - Updated 5/20/09 - Minor Tweaks  (Read 23721 times)

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cmoses

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2nd Project - MKII/NFL Blitz 99 - Updated 5/20/09 - Minor Tweaks
« on: December 22, 2008, 11:20:00 am »
I just got a cabinet for my second project.  It is a Mortal Kombat II cabinet that was painted black and had a NFL Blitz 99 conversion kit put on it.  My first project was a beat up Taito cabinet that I fixed up and is now working in my game room.  I enjoyed the process and learned a lot, my second project will allow me to add some features lacking in the first, more buttons, a trackball and spinner.

I plan to do some cosmetic fixes on this cabinet, fill in some holes from security bars, fix some edges, clean up the outside, repaint, install some new wheels and casters and put on some new T-Molding.  I will be transferring my hardware from my first cabinet into this one, computer, speakers, U360's, etc.  I will be designing a new control panel to incorporate all the things that I want.  The current one is a 4 player, but I will be making a 2 player control panel, with 7 player buttons each, a trackball in the middle and each player will have a spinner for racing games.  I need to work on the layout, but will have plenty of space with the large control panel.  I am also planning to put in a 27" TV for the display.   

Here are some pictures that I took last night, hopefully I will get to do some work in the next couple of weeks with the time I have off.




I have a few questions I am hoping some people on here can answer.  The only thing that appears to be missing is a bracket that goes at the bottom of the monitor glass to secure it to the cabinet.  Anyone know of a good source for this piece?  Also I would like to replace the wheels and levelers, are those common pieces, any sources for obtaining them?

Any comments, suggestions or advice is always appreciated.
« Last Edit: May 20, 2009, 11:03:43 am by cmoses »

brock.sampson

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Re: Second project - MKII/NFL Blitz 99 Cabinet
« Reply #1 on: December 22, 2008, 12:45:49 pm »
I have a set of leg levelers.  PM your address and I can ship them out.  What's wrong with the wheels?  I love those tilt wheels.  I'm pretty sure at least the front section that is sticking out is covered in vinyl you may want to strip that off I had some problems on my last blitz cab when I got a little over zealous sanding down some bondo and ended up making more work.  Also did they strip the original side art off or just paint over it?  You might be able to use an L shaped piece of aluminum or steel to replace the glass retainer.
DOC! YOU HAVE A TABLE OVER THERE WITH A SIGN THAT SAYS, "LASER DEATH RAY BARGAIN BIN!"

cmoses

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Re: Second project - MKII/NFL Blitz 99 Cabinet
« Reply #2 on: December 22, 2008, 01:38:26 pm »
Brock,

One leg leveler is fine, the other one does not have a caster just a post.  I want to keep the wheels, they are just missing some screws and are really thrashed.  It rolls, but not very smoothly and I think they might come soon.  I love the wheels on the back of cabinets, makes them much easier to move around.

I think it was just painted over with black paint.  The guy I got it from thought that there was vinyl underneath on the sides.  From pictures I have seen I think it might be Raiden on the side.

http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8756

But I have not seen any vinyl on the front panel where the coin doors are.  I have never done any paint stripping so probably will not go that route.  Not a big MKII fan either so no major loss.  I actually want a black cabinet, may put some side are on at some point.

I will have some wood filler and sanding to do.  Corners are a little banged up and the bottom front is the worst area.  Some chips of wood missing along the bottom front edge. 

Do you have a picture of the glass retainer?  Probably not to hard to replicate with a L shaped piece of aluminum like you said.  Just curious as to what it should look like and how it attaches.

Thanks

brock.sampson

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Re: Second project - MKII/NFL Blitz 99 Cabinet
« Reply #3 on: December 22, 2008, 03:15:29 pm »
I finally found a picture of the retainer that is on my cabinet.  Page 2 http://www.happcontrols.com/midway/Skins_Game/25/Ch5_Parts_Skins_Uprt.pdf.  The second blitz cabinet I used to build one for my friend had a different retainer.  The bar that holds the marquee and glass on mine is more like a triangle his was more like a square.  So it really depends on which bar you have.  I'll take some pics of mine when I get home tonight.  The black on the front is most likely a super thin vinyl kind of like shelf paper.  I just had some problems when sanding I removed some of the vinyl so I had to refill those places.
« Last Edit: December 22, 2008, 03:19:09 pm by brock.sampson »
DOC! YOU HAVE A TABLE OVER THERE WITH A SIGN THAT SAYS, "LASER DEATH RAY BARGAIN BIN!"

cmoses

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Re: Second project - MKII/NFL Blitz 99 Cabinet
« Reply #4 on: December 27, 2008, 10:03:36 pm »
Started some tear down today.  Dismantled the control panel and removed all the NFL Blitz hardware that I won't be using.  I have posted a for sale topic in buy/sell/trade for the NFL Blitz hardware if anyone is interested.

I found out a few interesting things while tearing down today.  First off the control panel has a metal overlay with the NFL Blitz graphics printed on it.  The control panel itself appears to be plywood, not MDF like the rest of the cabinet. 

I will be using the top as a template to create a new control panel.  Got a router yesterday from Home Depot, so that will be an task.  I haven't been able to locate a slot bit for the router, neither Home Depot or Lowes had them.  The T-Molding slot is off center to accommodate the metal overlay as well as the Plexiglas overlay.

Next step is to take off the coin doors and begin to repair the wood that needs fixing. 

cmoses

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Re: Second project - MKII/NFL Blitz 99 Cabinet
« Reply #5 on: January 04, 2009, 05:53:02 pm »
Got some work done over the weekend.  Began to patch up the cabinet itself, fill in holes from security bars, begin the work on the edges that were chipped and banged up.  Using wood filler and sanding it smooth.

Began work on my TV.  I got a 27" Sanyo flat screen TV with component inputs.  Had speakers on the bottom but being a 27" was still a little too wide to fit into my cabinet.  So after a lot of research I decided to trim down the TV cabinet to make it fit.  I had seen some posts on here that did the same thing.  Didn't have to trim a lot, TV was 26" wide, but needed to get it down around 25" to fit.  Was hoping to go a little smaller because there are some bezel and glass supports that actually make the opening only about 24" wide.  After taking off the back panel and discharging the monitor I looked at the existing plastic inside and figured it best to only loose about 1/2" on each side.  I used a hack saw to trim the front of the TV.  The back was very flimsy so I used a sawsall on it.  I wanted to try to maintain as much of the integrity of the case as I could.  I think I will be able to angle it in past the supports, but will need to see once I get the monitor shelf installed.  I reattached the back of the case and was still able to use 5 of the original 7 bolts to secure it.  It is a little more flimsy, but still very sturdy.

Here are some pictures after the surgery.









« Last Edit: January 04, 2009, 05:55:50 pm by cmoses »

brock.sampson

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Re: Second project - MKII/NFL Blitz 99 Cabinet
« Reply #6 on: January 04, 2009, 06:43:39 pm »
That looks familiar.  Does that tv power up when you plug it back in?  Mine didn't so I hacked the power button of a cheapy universal remote from walmart to an lpt connector.  When my computer powers up it turns on the tv.  I run a shutdown script to disable/enable the lpt port and it powers off the tv.  Looking good keep up to good work.
DOC! YOU HAVE A TABLE OVER THERE WITH A SIGN THAT SAYS, "LASER DEATH RAY BARGAIN BIN!"

ivwshane

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Re: Second project - MKII/NFL Blitz 99 Cabinet
« Reply #7 on: January 04, 2009, 10:44:18 pm »
Just de case the damn thing!:p

Seriously though, do it right the first time, de case it and build a proper mount, it's really not that hard.

cmoses

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Re: Second project - MKII/NFL Blitz 99 Cabinet
« Reply #8 on: January 05, 2009, 11:15:14 am »
Brock,

Yes very similar to what you did.  Yes it does power back on when plugged back in, so I am lucky there.  Now I need to build a shelf to support it.  Did you build one like in the Project Arcade book? With metal shelf supports?  Or did you secure it another way?


Ivwshane,

I went this route because I was a little leary of pulling the TV out of the case.  This way it also allows me to easily take the TV out of the cabinet in order to move it in the future.  Plus I have the added safety of the back covered when I am poking around inside the cabinet.  It is also something I can do later on if I feel the need to.

Of course if you want to come down to Austin and help me do it I would be greatful.  :notworthy:

 

brock.sampson

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Re: Second project - MKII/NFL Blitz 99 Cabinet
« Reply #9 on: January 05, 2009, 11:22:18 am »
I just glued and screwed 2x4s to the sides and screwed a piece of 3/4" plywood to them.  We used a square to get the angle match The height depends on the tv.  That was probably overkill but I had all that on hand already.
DOC! YOU HAVE A TABLE OVER THERE WITH A SIGN THAT SAYS, "LASER DEATH RAY BARGAIN BIN!"

ivwshane

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Re: Second project - MKII/NFL Blitz 99 Cabinet
« Reply #10 on: January 06, 2009, 10:58:00 pm »
Ivwshane,

I went this route because I was a little leary of pulling the TV out of the case.  This way it also allows me to easily take the TV out of the cabinet in order to move it in the future.  Plus I have the added safety of the back covered when I am poking around inside the cabinet.  It is also something I can do later on if I feel the need to.

Of course if you want to come down to Austin and help me do it I would be greatful.  :notworthy:


You are really worrying too much about being safe with the tv.
I was worried at first as well but looking back on the experience I was worried about nothing.

cmoses

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Re: Second project - MKII/NFL Blitz 99 Cabinet
« Reply #11 on: January 30, 2009, 10:37:54 pm »
I haven't had much time to work on the cabinet recently, just been busy with life.  I am hoping to get some time in this weekend.

The little time I have had has been concentrating on the video aspect.  I was planning on using a 27" flat panel TV for the cabinet.  I recently acquired a Wells Gardner D9200 arcade monitor.  I was told it was not working, but got a real good deal on it so I decided I would take a look and see if I could get it to work.  You can read about that adventure in this thread:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=88836.0

I will have to modify the cabinet monitor mounts as they are designed for a 25" monitor and this is a 27".  Here are some picture of the monitor up and running.  All seems well with the monitor now, good color, sharp picture.  I need to try to tweak the image a little, the very top and bottom have a slight curve in them.


BASS!

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Wow! That is some of the best convergence / linearity in a crt I have ever seen. Well next to my older mitsu projection that I spent a week calibrating and recalibrating. lol

cmoses

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I got some more work done over the weekend.  I started by modifying the monitor mounts.  I needed to first remove the existing bolts, so I got out the saws-all and removed them.  Then I made a monitor mount template on some poster board to mark the exiting holes in the monitor bracket.  I then put the template on the brackets and marked them.  I needed to drill holes in the bracket as well as trim it a little to allow for the bigger monitor.  I laid the cabinet down and slide the monitor in and it fit like a glove.  I then was able to trim the monitor bezel to fit.  My only other modification to the cabinet was to make the second speaker hole bigger in the speaker holder.  I was also able to get the first coat of black paint on it.  I am letting it dry for a few days, temperatures have been low of 30's and high of 70's so I want to make sure it is dry before sanding and applying a second coat.

Here are some pictures of the progress.


brock.sampson

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Re: Second project - MKII/NFL Blitz 99 Cab - Updated 2/3/09 - Monitor and Paint
« Reply #14 on: February 03, 2009, 08:21:25 pm »
Looking good.  Are you rolling or spraying?  I tried to roll my last one and it came out horrible.  Ended up spraying it with rattle cans.  Highs in the 70's, I hate you.  I think it got all the way up to 15 today.
DOC! YOU HAVE A TABLE OVER THERE WITH A SIGN THAT SAYS, "LASER DEATH RAY BARGAIN BIN!"

cmoses

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Re: Second project - MKII/NFL Blitz 99 Cab - Updated 2/3/09 - Monitor and Paint
« Reply #15 on: February 04, 2009, 10:04:13 am »
Brock,

I am rolling, using a sponge roller with rounded edges.  Same thing I did on my first cabinet.  I am using a Behr paint in a satin finish.  I does pretty well rolled on.  Not a perfect finish, but very good and I am happy with it.  I will probably do 2 or 3 coats to get it where I like it.

I sprayed some of the metal parts I did on my first cabinet and had ok results.  They were small and easy to handle.  I am not sure if I would want to tackle spraying a cabinet. 

I don't want to sound like I am complaining about the weather.  I know there are a lot of places that are getting much worse weather and I can at least work in my garage comfortably.  The swings are what get me, 40 degrees between the highs and lows. 

brock.sampson

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Re: Second project - MKII/NFL Blitz 99 Cab - Updated 2/3/09 - Monitor and Paint
« Reply #16 on: February 04, 2009, 12:15:25 pm »
Just kidding about the weather stuff.  I hate winter and my wife doesn't like the heat.  So I guess I'm stuck in Nebraska.  I got a hvlp sprayer from harbor freight a while back.  I think I'm going to try it on my recently acquired dynamo z back if it ever warms up.  I tried rolling with foam rollers and I always get too much texture and roller marks.  Maybe I'm doing wrong or expecting too much.  Anyway your cabinet is looking great, keep up the good work.
DOC! YOU HAVE A TABLE OVER THERE WITH A SIGN THAT SAYS, "LASER DEATH RAY BARGAIN BIN!"

cmoses

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Re: Second project - MKII/NFL Blitz 99 Cab - Updated 2/3/09 - Monitor and Paint
« Reply #17 on: February 06, 2009, 07:30:55 pm »
The pictures make it look better, on close inspection you can see some imperfections.  I think its impossible to not have any roller marks if you are rolling it on.  You just do the best to hide them.  After I do a side and get a good layer of paint on it.  I go back and go over it top to bottom with as few passes as possible to cover the whole side.  This helps at least get them all going in the same direction and I think helps in the drying. 

Like I said it is not a perfect finish, but once it is done and in place, it will be more than good enough.

cmoses

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Re: Second project - MKII/NFL Blitz 99 Cab - Updated 2/3/09 - Monitor and Paint
« Reply #18 on: February 07, 2009, 06:02:22 pm »
Well I went out this morning to do some sanding and apply a second coat of paint.  I got the cab out of the garage and into some sunlight and was not all that pleased with the finish.  This was a MKII game originally that had been converted to a NFL Blitz '99.  Well when they converted it they just painted over the original vinyl artwork.  I fixed some bad spots and filled some holes then sanded it all down and it seemed pretty good, until I took a good look this morning.  The major issue was the edges of the cab.  A lot of the vinyl had been peeled off or damaged around the edges, so even though I tried to smooth it out it was pretty noticeable.

So I either did the smartest or dumbest thing, I decided to remove all the vinyl.  I started in one of the bad corners where there was a lot missing and using a spackling knife I just started to work on it.  Well needless to say it took some effort to get it all off, but I did.  I then had a nice bare cabinet.  The sides of the cabinet are particle board and the front is plywood. 

After I got all the vinyl off I sanded it down real well and did a little more patching.  I then got out my tinted primer from my first project and applied a nice layer to the outside of the cabinet.  The particle board really soaked up the paint. 

I hope to do some sanding and more painting tomorrow.  I hope this was a good decision, I just know that it will mean more work in the long run, to get the surface smooth.


JayB

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That's the same process I did. Thought I could clean up the body and then ended up stripping the vinyl off down to the bare wood. Same Midway cabinet as well  :laugh2:

If you want a smooth surface be prepared as it will take a lot of coats and sanding to get the particle board looking like smooth mdf. I did many coats before going full steam and heavy rollering on 2 very very thick coats and then sanding right back down. I found you could see small dimples here and there and the two heavy, almost stippled, coats really got rid of almost all of them by the time it was sanded back down.

In a word, particle board is a ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- to work with but, stick with it as you can get it smooth with a bit of elbow grease  :cheers: 

 

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Oh and just to add, the two heavy coats I saw as the prep work after all the other coats. It still then had further main coats for the final finish.

brock.sampson

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I stripped the side art from mine and wish I would have stripped it off the front as well.  I skim coated the sides with drywall mud and it turned out really nice without the need to do a ton of coats.  I'll strip my recent dynamo down the wood as well.  I'm tempted to try and laminate but will likely cheap out and paint.
DOC! YOU HAVE A TABLE OVER THERE WITH A SIGN THAT SAYS, "LASER DEATH RAY BARGAIN BIN!"

cmoses

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Well I was right, it will ultimately be more work.  The partical board sides are pretty rough.  Even after the good sanding and a heavy coat of primer there was still a lot of texture showing through.  I did some filling in with some wood putty today and then a good sanding.  I applied another layer of primer.  It helped a lot, but there is still some more to be done.  I plan on doing another heavy layer of the wood filler, sand and paint.  I think I will be pretty close at that point.  The front and the edges that stick out are good as they were plywood and the vinyl came off a lot smoother on them. 

Yes a lot of work, but in the long run I am sure it will be better than the damaged vinyl that was painted over. 

Glad to know I am not that first to go through this process.  I guess it is just a thing with these Midway cabinets.


JayB

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I know I muttered to myself a few times that I could have scratch built it for the length of time it too to prep it  :cry:

Still, I think as others will say it's the involvement of doing these things that gives you the best buzz for when it's complete. 

cmoses

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Just a quick update.  Mostly working on the cabinet sides this weekend.  I got to apply some more wood filler to help fill in the roughness.  Did a good job sanding and then got to apply another coat of primer.  It is in the garage drying now.  I think the sides are just about done with prep.  So I am hoping to be done with that part here shortly.  Just a little more work and then I get to paint it black.

Equinox,

You are correct, I really enjoy doing the work, seeing something come together is very rewarding.
« Last Edit: March 05, 2009, 12:28:03 pm by cmoses »

cmoses

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Well the cabinet outside is done.  All painted and moved into the house.  I will begin working on the control panel this week.  I will be using the control panel box that came with the NFL Blitz game.  I have begun some hole filling and repairing on the bottom box part of the control panel and will be using the control panel top as a template.  Time to learn to use the router that I got for Christmas.  I am working on the layout for the control panel and you can look in this thread for progress.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=88250.msg947777#msg947777

The control panel will be a 2 player version with each player having 7 buttons.  A trackball mounted in the middle and I want to have dual spinners with mini racing wheels for racing games.

So making progress slowly but steadily. 

cmoses

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Got some work done last weekend on the control panel.  First time I used a router, took the old control panel top and attached it to a piece of MDF and cut out the top.  Then I laid out my controls, trackball, 2 joysticks with 7 buttons each in a curved layout and some admin buttons.  Pay no attention to the current button colors, I was just using buttons I had on hand.  The player buttons will all be blue along with blue top joysticks.  I think I will have all the admin buttons black.  I am just testing out the control panel to make sure it all feels right.  I am planning to add two spinners on the far left and right as well.  I had to also create a cardboard deflector for my marquee light.  The light was shining through the speaker holes, so I made up a deflector and covered it in aluminum foil.  I mounted a switch in the top for the whole cabinet's power.  It turns on the computer which is plugged into a smart strip.  I also had to create a lower glass retainer as the cabinet did not come with one.  I found a 'L' shaped piece of metal at Lowes and cut it to length, drilled some holes and painted it black. 


cmoses

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Got the panel mounted on the cabinet this weekend.  It is not done, but I wanted to see how the controls felt in their current positions.  I plan to add (2) TurboTwist 2 spinners with mini racing wheels, but that will come shortly as they are a little pricey. 

I also did a lot of maintenance on the cabinet, mostly wire management with cable ties on the walls and zip ties of the cables.  Also got the back door painted and put on the cabinet.  Locks installed on all the doors, coin doors and back door. 

So I will be test driving the control panel for a few weeks to make sure it feels right and can handle all the games without any issues. 


cmoses

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It's been a while since I posted an update, no major changes, just a little tweaking here and there.  I have moved the cabinet is in the house now.  I am still testing the control panel layout while waiting to purchase my spinners.  I like the overall layout, but will probably be making a few slight changes.  I think I am going to move the joystick and buttons up towards the cabinet a little more so that I have some additional room for my hands.  The control panel contains (2) U360 joysticks a Electric Ice-T trackball and all HAPP buttons.  I will be flush mounting the joysticks and trackball on the final version.  I haven't decided on a theme or artwork for the cabinet as of yet so it has just been painted black and has the Blitz '99 marquee still.  I did get all new light blue T-Molding and have installed it on the cabinet.  I will also be installing it on the final control panel.  

I am still deciding on the placement of admin buttons.  The top left button is ESC and the top right button is PAUSE.  The buttons above each controller are COIN and START.  Any thoughts on the placement of these?  I am also considering a UP and DOWN Volume buttons, but not sure about putting them on the control panel.  I may put them on the back of the control panel box or sort of hidden on the front panel up high.

As always any thoughts or comments are always appreciated.

« Last Edit: March 31, 2010, 04:35:27 pm by cmoses »

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Re: 2nd Project - MKII/NFL Blitz 99 - Updated 5/20/09 - Minor Tweaks
« Reply #29 on: June 13, 2009, 07:45:39 pm »
Hey cmoses,

Thanks for your reply to my project.  I'll be following your progress VERY closely because I am basically in the same exact situation as you.  It crossed my mind to also trim the TV and that may still happen if the LCD monitor I bought doesn't work out.  I've been debating the mini-racer wheel as well, although I'll probably only go with 1 if I go that route.  Did you give any thought to other wheel/pedal combos, like a Logitech?  That's where I'm looking right now.

When I say the same situation, I had to chuckle heartily about the painting vs. stripping the vinyl.  I finally started stripping and it took quite awhile.  Much more work but I think I'll be much happier with it.  I didn't do the front though, maybe I shouldn't skip that part?

Anyway, things are looking great for yours!  Thanks for sharing and for offering your advice for mine too.  Good luck!  :cheers:
My project: The Royal Flush

cmoses

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Re: 2nd Project - MKII/NFL Blitz 99 - Updated 5/20/09 - Minor Tweaks
« Reply #30 on: June 14, 2009, 12:18:25 pm »
spOOf,

Thanks for the comments, I will be watching your progress as well since our cabinets are alike.  I always enjoy seeing what decisions others make and what new ideas they come up with.  Stripping the vinyl was time consuming but worth it in the end. 

I still plan to go with dual spinners and wheels, just saving up to purchase them.  Kind of pricey having to buy two of them.  Hopefully I can order at least one soon to make sure it is exactly what I am looking for.  I will be using just the control panel buttons for the pedals.  Once again not the most accurate but a compromise. 

Thanks


spOOf

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Re: 2nd Project - MKII/NFL Blitz 99 - Updated 5/20/09 - Minor Tweaks
« Reply #31 on: June 14, 2009, 06:53:41 pm »
Gotcha.  The pedal and on wheel buttons is what pushed me in that direction.  I'm anxious to hear your results on the mini-wheels though as I definitely liked them as well.  If nothing else, I'm still leaning towards the TT2 spinners so we'll have that in common.  I'm really loving your progress so far.  Keep up the good work!
My project: The Royal Flush

spOOf

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Re: 2nd Project - MKII/NFL Blitz 99 - Updated 5/20/09 - Minor Tweaks
« Reply #32 on: June 15, 2009, 03:44:11 pm »
Hey Clayton, just sent you a PM when you get a chance.  :cheers:
My project: The Royal Flush