Semi Slim Cabinet Scratch Build (COMPLETE!) with LCD Widescreen, LOTS of pics!

[topher0002]

Hey everyone,  well this is my third project,  the first one was well documented,  the
second,  not at all,  so on this one my goal was to document and take as many relevant pics as possible.  This is my first scratch build and I am a very amateur woodworker so I ran into quite a few bumps and turns but found ways to get around or fix most of them.   This will be a 2 player cabinet with a trackball in the middle.

My budget on this project was $1500,  I was close but went over a bit, about $1600.  I will point out the mistakes I made as I post pics.    Lets just start with the basics,  whats in the cab?

Computer:  ($400 including shipping from ebay seller majestic_pc)
-Intel E2200 Dual Core 2.2GHz x2
-Motherboard:  Foxconn 45CM-X LGA775
-Memory:  Kingston 3GB DDR2 667 Ram
-Video Card: Intel GMA 950 256-Bit (onboard)
-Hard Drive:  WD 250GB 7200RPM SATA 16MB Cache
-Sound Card:  Realtek ALC662 6-Channel HD Audio
-Ports: 6 USB 2.0 Ports
-Case:  Apevia X-plorer w/450 W Power Supply
-Running Windows XP Pro
(Note:  Was going to buy a video card but the onboard one is great since I can use a regular Monitor cable with the flat screen TV)

TV: ($500 from Best Buy)
-Toshiba 26inch Widescreen LCD Flat Panel  (will put model in later)

1/2 inch MDF Wood for Build except 3/4 for Control Panel ($150)
Trackball is USB X Arcade ($70)
Ipac-2  from Ultimark for Keyboard Hack ($40)
Joysticks and Buttons are all made by Happ ($60)
Logitech Speakers with Sub ($25)
Coin Mech off old Midway cab I got for free
Wiring 18 Gauge ,  actually underground dog fencing, works great! ($25)
Monitor Cable 10ft  ($25)
18gauge Termination ($8 for 100 ct. off ebay)
Misc Hardware from home Depot ($100 ish)
Black Latex Semi-Gloss Paint ($20 from Walmart)
T-Molding Blue ($30 for 25 ft, ebay)
Corner beed for drywall, worked for marquee holding
Sponge Tape ($3, home depot)
Acrylic ($50, Home depot)
Wood Glue/other Glue ($15)
Artwork Printing etc ($50)

[topher0002]

Basically I used the plans that I found on here somewhere above,  I modified them a bit but the measurements are close.  I rounded edges for the T-molding,  I extended overhead out all the way,  I went straight to the ground for more support instead of the angle.  I also added 6 inches to the depth of the cabinet for a total of 2 ft.

I used 1/2 in MDF to make the cabinet lighter and while it did do that it became a problem with we got to the T-molding I accidentally used screws that were just a hair too long,  there are a few spots that you can see but only with direct light where it bulges out just a little,  just a bit irritating but I doubt many notice.

I used a craftsman electric Cicular saw with a 7 1/4in blade for most of my cuts and a Craftsman table saw.   Other tools were a Brad nailer I got from Harbour Freight for $25 bucks,  air powered,  craftsman air compressor ($100),  Black and Decker Jigsaw ($35),  Ryobi Cordless Drill (18 volt)($75).     Black and Decker Corded Drill ($30) for anything but screws really.

[topher0002]

I used Irwin Clamps and also some $3 ones from Harbor freight,  not as good,  but definately worth $3 (the orange ones).   I cut out one side of the cabinet sheet then matched it up and traced it so I would have a perfect match,  rather then assuming my measurements were exactly the same on both sides.

[topher0002]

I wood glued and clamped the edges on the inside of the cabinet panels as guides and nailers for the MDF that would go on the back/top/bottom.   This worked well and gave me plenty to nail too without puncturing any holes from the outside.

[topher0002]

I used Elmers Pro Wood Glue, Bostitch Brad nails (1 1/4in) and Quikfind 1 3/4in).

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More Cutting,  I just used a wet paper towel to wipe off excess glue.

[topher0002]

A guy in Kansas City was giving away about 30 cabinets,  me and a friend rented a u-haul and picked up a few,  didnt have room for all 30 =(.    I am using the coin mech out of this machine here,  it was in great shape except for I had to replace one 25 cent sticker on the inside of the coin return and replace a spring.

[topher0002]

more building...

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more building....

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more build pics,  pretty self explanatory

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more build pics

[topher0002]

The original plan with the pics below have a light in that bottom section of the marquee with the artwork having a line of characters about that tall,  I did not end up doing that so that part is just kinda there and serves no function.

[topher0002]

Here is the coin mech I pulled from the old Midway cabinet.   I wanted to just trace it out but I ended up measuring and cutting from the hole in the midway cabinet to make sure it was right.   I found that tracing underneath while it is sitting there just didnt work very well,  I kept hitting screws and juts, etc.   This method worked great.

[topher0002]

Here are some pics with that piece installed

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This is the beginning of the TV Mount.

[topher0002]

Before I started the mount i measured the depth, width, height of the tv to figure out where I wanted to have it sit.   I forgot to cut out a section for the video connection,  I ended up having to cut this out later,  would have been easier to do it before gluing and nailing it down.

One big thing was that I didnt have to make access to the power button on the TV because the TV remembers if it was on or off when unplugged,  make sure this is the case when you buy one,  I made them do it for me at the store so I was sure.   Just in case there is always the remote so it will have its own little storage spot inside the cabinet somewhere.

[topher0002]

I didnt end up using full 2x4's across as you see below,  I wanted it to be lighter and open up some more access to underneath  so i just chopped them down to 8 inches or so.

[topher0002]

I added blocks to the side of the tv to make it as snug as possible,  I do not want this thing moving at all.   Ideally there are screw mounts in the back of the tv I wish I had used but it was impossible to use them after I had already screwed/nailed some of this stuff into place.   

On the last picture is the Bezel,  that I was somehow way off on the cut,  I fix this later by using Acrylic on the outside with black paint around exact corners of screen,  you wont be able to tell that this piece is off at all so I left it.

[topher0002]

Here is the compressor I use,  along with the type of paint I used.  Couple more build pics.

[topher0002]

Im sorry about the sideways pics,  I will fix them later....more build pics.

[topher0002]

I added a 2x4 along the top of the tv,  once again making sure its not going to move.

[topher0002]

Time for the control panel.   I used the visio stencils found on this site,  modified them a bit for my 6 button setup.   Ive used this method for all of my cabinets and it works great.   I cut the size of the panel first,  then layout my controls. 

I made a small mistake this time by putting buttons too close to the top of the panel and ended up having to route out the box so the panel would fold down like normal,  make sure you have a couple inches of room on all sides so you dont run into this problem.

I put the Menu/Pause on the front instead of the top this time,   I think that turned out great.   I thought there may be a problem bumping it while playing or something but none at all really.

[ChadTower]

Wow, nice amount of pics, keep it up.  That will help a few newbies, I'm sure.

[topher0002]

Will do,  I know pics are literally worth a thousand words when building something,  much easier to see then to explain.   I will keep them coming.

I put the control panel on the cabinet just to make sure i liked the size and how it sits, etc...everything looked good so i started drilling.    Using a 1 1/8 in paddle bit and a corded drill.    I suggest using a corded drill so you dont lose RPMS toward the end of drilling and your holes get rough and have tear out due to the battery wearing down.

[topher0002]

More control panel pics,  trackball from X-Arcade with PS2 Port.  I cut the trackball hole by tracing and cutting....drill pilot holes first so you have somwhere to start from inside the lines.   I routed out the thickness of the mounting plate later so it would not have to go on top of the acrylic to be used later.  You will see pics of that later.

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more CP pics.

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The Painting Begins.   1 Gallon of Black Latex Semi Gloss Paint goes a long way,  I ended up putting 2 coats on,  althrough 3 probably wouldnt have hurt.

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I used a 4 inch foam roller for painting pretty much everything,  except for a small brush to do tighter areas.

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I cut a nice big door for the back panel so I could access everything easily,  you should do this before nailing/gluing it all together,  I dont know what I was thinking,  I had to cut it out with a Jig after contructed and the lines are not straight at all but fortunately its not seen by many since its on the back. 

[topher0002]

The control panel is upside down obviously,  the two buttons shown are the menu button and pause button which will be underneath the 1st player side.   

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More Painting and temporarily putting it together to see overall look.

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more painting

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Here are the Hinges I used,  should have used silver but I already had these so I used them,  they work fine.   I had to cut off a bit of the door to get it to fit right,  cut a little too much off,  hence the gap.  Once again,  should have cut the door before nailing/gluing it all together.  Lesson Learned but I made it work.

[topher0002]

I like these hinges but as you see in the next couple of post I had to modify them....

[topher0002]

Here are the modifications I made to make it close like I wanted.

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Thrown together to see how it looks again,  coin mech and all

[topher0002]

One side of the coin mech had 25cents and one side had 50 cents,  I looked for the same sticker online and could not find one.   So i took them both out   (hint:   if your not used to these things take a picture of how it looked before you took it a part and save yourself an hour)

I scanned a copy of the 25 cent sticker at real size,  and printed at real size with basic Microsoft Paint.   Printed it out and stuck it in,  looks perfect. 

Secondly I needed to replace a spring on one side because it would not depress all the way back out when compressed in.   I took the other one with me to ace hardware and got a box of springs of different sizes,  used the closes fit and worked perfectly.

In this cabinet I am not making this functional,  its just for looks. 

[topher0002]

I wanted to route out a groove for the mounting plate so that I could mount the trackball flush with the Acrylic to be put over it later.   I basically cut out a template of the size of the plate with full 1/2 inch piece of mdf.   Then I  lowered the bit (flush trim bit I believe) to about 1/8 inch lower then the template and routed out the square,  turned out good but its maybe a fingernail width too low,  but it honestly didnt matter much later.

I apologize,  I forgot to take a picture of the routed out area before putting the plate in.

[topher0002]

More CP Pics

[topher0002]

The worst part of the whole project,  the T-Molding.   I got a router bit specifically for t-molding from ebay,  it cut the slot too big for the t-molding i specically baught for arcade games.   So I could not just hammer it in,  I had to glue it in,  I tried several things,  the only thing that worked was a hot glue gun.....it sucked.

I went back after and used some all purpose glue that worked ok to hold it down a little better.

Then since my wood was 1/2 inch I had to use a knife to cut off the excess,  part of it went ok but its "notchy"  lots of nicks and stuff I dont like,   but all I could do so its done.