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Author Topic: My first cab build  (Read 3587 times)

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mr aize

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My first cab build
« on: July 15, 2011, 06:54:07 pm »
Plan is to build a jamma cab with mortal kombat 1 and 2 and a couple of the streetfighter games in, hooked up with a jamma switcher..

Progress so far..



Cut the side pannels





T-moulding slots cut in sides and basic frame screwed together



Test fitting monitor, quick game of Metal slug 3 on my consolized neo geo... Just for shits an giggles. ;D

Case it's not clear, using an old sony crt tv i got free from freecycle. Hopefully get the control pannel finnished this weekend an start painting it..

mr aize

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Re: My first cab build
« Reply #1 on: July 16, 2011, 04:28:37 am »
Some further info, in case it's useful or interesting to anyone....

Used WBP (water and boil proof) plywood for the frame, it's a little more expensive than mdf but shouldn't have any issues later on due to damp etc. Got 3 sheets from A1 building supplies in london for about £81 with a couple of lengths of 2 by 4 delivered to the door, which I thought was pretty decent... Gonna be a heavy beast of a cab though, damn near bust a nut carrying the sheets in. :laugh:
Cutting it, need to treat it like laminate if you want the edges to be nice. When using my skill saw I kept the face I wanted nice on the bottom so it wouldn't get chipped. I also used my jig saw for the side pannels with a splinter guard in it which worked an absolute wonder.
Had some issues cutting the vents in the back pannel though, my router stalled and jumped a couple of times, gashing up the edges a bit... Should be able to fix it with some filler but a bit annoying. Was probably because I tried going too deep too quickly but it's a second hand router so need to check the brushes, case they're worn out..
Gonna paint it instead of using vinyl, mostly cos I can't afford it. Gotta a plan but not gonna say too much incase it cocks up an I look like a dick... :laugh:

emphatic

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Re: My first cab build
« Reply #2 on: July 16, 2011, 05:11:42 am »
Always great to see a scratch built JAMMA cabinet!  :applaud:

mr aize

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Re: My first cab build
« Reply #3 on: July 16, 2011, 11:44:20 am »
What can I say, something about using the original arcade boards appeals to my inner geak. Just cooler end of. ;)

mr aize

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Re: My first cab build
« Reply #4 on: July 25, 2011, 05:07:11 pm »
Unfortunately been raining like anything last couple of weeks so not been able to do much for a while. Have, however, pretty much finnished building the marquee/speaker housing.


Was a fair bit of work as I wasn't sure how to finnish the plywood edges on the top and bottom. In the end though, I cut a wedge out of a 2 by 4 and glued it to the top of the bottom piece (if that makes any sense to anyone) to bring the angle to 90 degrees with the front of the side pannels (figured it would make fitting the marquee easier later), then I used my belt sander to shape and round off the edge till it was the right angle. I used my router to do the same with the top piece. Unfortunately, because of the nature of plywood, it looked pretty rough at that stage, did a bit of research, and found someone suggesting using car body filler/primer. It worked a treat! First filled all the bigger gaps with ordinary wood filler and then sprayed on a few coats of the filler primer and sanded it down. Looking lovely and smooth now. :)

Not entirely sure how i'm gonna fix the marquee itself at the moment. If anyone's got any good ideas i'd be very grateful. Anyways, will leave that till I get a good idea, next, need to tackle the control pannel...

mr aize

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Re: My first cab build
« Reply #5 on: September 01, 2011, 09:23:06 am »
Right, been a rediculously slow project unfortunately. Seem to have been cursed by the weather, can't even touch a power tool without it pissing it down.....  BUT! The sun has come out at last and progress has been made. 8)

1. Control pannel pretty much completed.





Has been a very fiddly process an took a fair bit of workin out how to do it best. Basically had to cut the top pannel to size, then use a combination of my router and jigsaw to cut out the middle. The idea is so that I can put a nice finnish round the edges and still lift out the center to get at the underside of the controls if I need to. I'm going to put an overlay with a design on top and a piece of 3mm perspex over that, so that none of the cuts or the screws supporting the joysticks are visible. Just waiting for the perspex to turn up before drilling the holes.

The front piece was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. Used a combination of my router and belt sander to round over the edges and it came out lovely. All down to the quality of the wood i spose. This wbp ply is awesome stuff. Highly recommended! (Pretty heavy though, but no worse than mdf I guess)

2. Hung the door





Bit of an arse, used piano hinges, unfortunately the wood was a little bit warped and I sanded it down a little wonkey... Ho hum... Carpentry skills need a little work I spose. Has worked out ok though. Just waiting on the lock which should be in the post. Gonna use a cam lock like they have on lockers cos I figure it's the simplest, most attractive solution.

The whole thing..



Now it's all about filling all the screw holes an then painting. 8)

mr aize

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Re: My first cab build
« Reply #6 on: September 01, 2011, 09:32:08 am »
Oh, an I should probably put an arcade board or two in it or something..

mr aize

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Re: My first cab build
« Reply #7 on: May 18, 2012, 11:55:18 am »
Right, been a long time but some progress has been made.



Been waiting for my girlfriend to paint the side art for me, but sadly she has a really demanding job and no time. Hopefully get it done in the summer though. Clearly gonna be awesome!


Wired it up in the meantime, couldn't leave it sittin there unplayed any longer!