Two Phase Bartop :) Now with Dreamcast and video goodness

[Shun]

Hi All,

I've been reading this excellent forum for a while now and I've bucked up the courage to show my humble ideas  
After several rubbish ideas and hours of fun in sketch up I've decided to build a bartop as my first cab. I've collected all of the items i need to run Mame and other emulators and here is a list of what I've got:

19" Diamondcrysta RDTI95S Glossy LCD Screen - £70
ABIT NF7 Series motherboard + GF4 TI4200 128MB graphics card + AMD Sempron (2400+)  - £65
40GB SATA Hard Drive - £20
80GB IDE drive - £FREE
Mini-PAC Kit from Gremlin Solutions - £31
Approx 16 buttons ~ £20
2 Mag Stik Plus Joysticks from EBay - £20 for both!  
Set of Logitech speakers - £20
Smart Power Extender - £10

Total so far of £256 (didn't realise I'd spent so much!)

While I've been collecting all of the PC parts and controls, I've have been refining the design of my cab.
Below is where i am at the moment. I'm going to start building pretty soon as the weather is so nice over here in merry old England, but I'm going to wait for a while to see if anybody can see if I've done anything wrong, adjustments etc.
I also need some ideas for a proper name for it and art work, so if anybody has any suggestion that would be great!  

PS I almost forgot the control panel is 22" across and seems OK for 2 players in the mock up i have created.

[Shun]

This is going to be a two phase project with the Bartop being the first and the base being the second (see below).

As you can see from the bartop it is really designed with fighting games in mind, but i also love the Konami 4 player Simpsons and Turtles games. Another thing i like as well is beer 

I am going to put another mini pac in to the base to connect player 3 and 4 up and have a USB cable pointing up out at the top of the base. There will also be a plug pointing out of the base which will be attached to a mini fridge 

At the bottom of the bartop there will be a plug socket and a usb socket. Along with some kind of clamping system (which i haven't figured out yet) when the bartop if slotted on to the base it will become a full sized four player cab with beer fridge 

It does sound hard with all of that to do, but i'm looking forward to the challenge (as well as my mate being a carpenter  )

[javeryh]

Looks pretty cool - definitely original!  Be careful with the beer fridge - condensation is not so good for the electrical components.   

[Shun]

OK, its been 6 or 7 months now since i first posted the design for my cab, and i have made slow but steady progress.

One thing that has slowed me down is the fact that i am now adding a dreamcast to this cab as well. It took my a while trying to think of a way to integrate it but after several hours of searching through this forum i think i have found the answer  .

I'm going to mount the dreamcast flush with the side of the cab so that i can open a door and change the disks (I've already hacked the lid switch so i can have an external button to emulate opening the dreamcast).

My biggest headache was working out how to switch between the PC and the Dreamcast. I was going to hack up some Madcatz Controllers that i got cheap but i would also have to hack them to some kind of switcher which would be well beyond my skill and patience.

So i decided i would bite the bullet and fork out for the Dreamcast Control Adaptor from Ultimarc and connect the DC, PC, Monitor and Speakers to a PS/2 KVM Switch which has a remote control to switch between the two. This will be flush mounted along with the DC. After hooking it all up it works like a dream (see pics below) so its well worth the extra money 

I've also got most of the wood cut along with the CP some of which you can see in the pics below. I'm hoping once i have got the DC mounted in the side panel i can start putting it together.

I've still not thought of a name yet so if anybody has any ideas you are more than welcome to make some suggestions 


Here are some pics of the mess that is my "Mame Workshop"!

[EightBySix]

Be careful with the beer fridge - condensation is not so good for the electrical components.

... but what a fantastic idea! Duel purpose - like it.

[Epyx]

I was going to say, wow this looks familiar and that you got the idea from my project...then I saw your original post date of 6 months ago...and I could be accused of the same!

However, I hadn't seen yours, i swear!


http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=87113.msg914585#msg914585

[Shun]

Hey Epyx, i believe you  Great looking cab, if my cab can look half as good as yours i'll be happy 

Ok here is a big update with where i am with my cab. I've got all of the pieces cut and i've put them together. I used "No More Nails" which is amazing stuff, it grabs instantly and bonds like cement. I can't recommend it enough. Here are the first couple of pictures from the actual build itself. The second picture shows the flush mounted surround for the Dreamcast.

[Shun]

The next couple of pics show the cab with the PC, speakers, dreamcast etc installed along with the painted plexiglass. As i have stated above I have used a KVM switch to switch the video, sound and controls with one button. The second pic shows the dreamcast playing with my incomplete CP propped up next to it.

[Epyx]

I used "No More Nails" which is amazing stuff, it grabs instantly and bonds like cement.

Ya Im a big fan of glue in bartops.  Looking good!

[Shun]

Here is the door for the flush mounted dreamcast. You can see the wire from the hacked dreamcast door sensor. Above this there are two buttons, the left one is for the KVM Switch and the right one for the hacked dreamcast power button.

[opt2not]

Here is the door for the flush mounted dreamcast. You can see the wire from the hacked dreamcast door sensor. Above this there are two buttons, the left one is for the KVM Switch and the right one for the hacked dreamcast power button.

Flush mounted DC!  Lovin' it!

One piece of advice, make sure you thoroughly wipe down the wood inside the CD slot...just so you don't have residual saw-dust getting all up in your DC business.  That wouldn't be good for the reader lens for sure...

I love me some DC arcade action...I'll be watching this thread for sure! 

[Nacimroc]

Love that side mounted drive! Great idea!

[kyoke]

Wow Shun, some awesome ingenuity! I can't wait to see the finished product. Of course Soul Calibur must be your #1 motivation for the DC...

[Shun]

Thanks for the great comments guys!

I seem to leave it so long between updates, but here is another one anyway.
I have installed my CP now and configured all of the emulators to work with it. The dreamcast works really well with the the CP and it is so easy to switch between it and the PC, i'm glad i went with the KVM option.

I've upgraded the PC to a duo core machine along with a better graphics card. Nothing fancy but it plays Street Fighter IV, Sega Rally (new one) Sega Allstar Racing etc without breaking much of a sweat, it also makes the model 2 emu run properly  .

I would of updated my thread sooner but my Dreamcast controller ports decided to die on me. Turns out that while fiddling with one of the PS2/Dreamcast adaptors the F1 resistor blew 

It was a pain in the arse to take the DC out but i managed it, lucky i didn't glue it in! In the unlikely event of it happening again, I cut the blown resistor out and ran two wires from either side of the connection and out of the dreamcast mount. I then soldered a replacement resistor between the wires. So if it happens again i can just take the back off and change the resistor  .

Here is a pic of where I am so far. The cab is now fully functional and is a lot of fun to play, however it shouldn't stop me moving on with the project as i can't play it for long periods due to it being on the floor and it really hurts while playing on your knees  .

[Shun]

Ok it's been quite a while since I updated this thread. I've moved to a different part of the country and been married since so I have had quite of lot distractions!

About a year ago I built the base for my cab. I didn't take long, as I managed to take my measurements into B&Q and they cut the MDF to size for me 

I then used some scrap wood and glue to put it all together. As you can see the beer fridge fits in quite nicely 

[Shun]

Here are some pics of the cab stacked up together.

[Shun]

I've added a shelf inside the base to keep it stable. The beer fridge is connected through a hole in the top and the base so it powers up when the cab does (will post pics shortly). I've also started to add black vinyl as a covering for the cab and I am about 60% finished.

I'm going to try and record a short video soon. 

[BobA]

Nice finish to you cab.  Bottom part really looks good.  Does it have ventilation for the fridge?

[Nephasth]

The beer fridge is connected through a hole in the top and the base so it powers up when the cab does (will post pics shortly).

Wouldn't you want the fridge on all the time?

[madmatt]

Looks great.  I'm glad i'm not the only one that was feed-up with the crapy DC emulations.  I too will be add DC to my MAME cab.

I love my DC... soo many great games.

+! I agree with above post..... don't you have to leave the beer fridge on all the time!!??


MM

Out.


P.S. What KVM switch are you using??  Some people have bad lucky with them.  Thanks again

[Shun]

Thanks for the comments guys

Nice finish to you cab.  Bottom part really looks good.  Does it have ventilation for the fridge?

You caught me out!  I haven't gotten around to properly ventilate the back of the base yet. I have tried the fridge out for small periods of time so it doesn't over heat. Hopefully I can put the two vent slots (top and bottom) in over the next couple of weekends.

Wouldn't you want the fridge on all the time?

The husky mini fridge that is installed will only be used for alcohol when friends come over (or I fancy a gaming marathon  ). It cools down quite quickly (less than 10 minutes) so its no big deal. There isn't any point having it on all the time as we have a big fridge for that which contains non essentials like food etc 

Looks great.  I'm glad i'm not the only one that was feed-up with the crapy DC emulations.  I too will be add DC to my MAME cab.

I love my DC... soo many great games.

P.S. Was KVM switch are you using??  Some people have bad lucky with them.  Thanks again

I agree, the Dreamcast looks great running through the VGA cable however I have discovered an issue with the controls when running certain games in 2 player mode.

I think I might create a new thread on it on one of the other forums pages but I'll describe it briefly in the post below.

The KVM switch that I am using is this one:
http://www.ebuyer.com/117146-belkin-switch2-2-ports-ps-2-kvm-switch-f1df102puk

It seems to work well for switching between the PC and Dreamcast. 

[Donkbaca]

That is a neat build!  Too bad its not a woody, that would look awesome!  Now all you need is to convert that mini fridge into a kegerator and put a pony keg in it and a tap on the side. 

[Shun]

The problem that I having with the Dreamcast is as follows:

When I play games that have a maximum of 2 players and two players are playing the game (Soul Calibur and Marvel Vs Capcom 2 for example) it plays great. However when I play games that can have a maximum of 4 players and 2 players are playing  (Virtua Tennis 2, Virtua Striker 2 although strangely Power Stone 1 causes the same problem) the game is paused by player 2 at random. I thought it was player two's start button sticking but I disconnected it and it still happened.

My controls are wired up as follows:

The minipac is connected via PS/2 to my KVM switch (see link in above post) one side of the kvm goes to the PC while the other side goes to the Dreamcast. The PS/2 cable from the KVM goes in to this adapter that I bought off of Ultimarc
http://www.ultimarc.com/dreamcast.html
The adaptor then plugs in to ports 1 and 2 of the dreamcast.

I thought it might be an issue with the dreamcast so I plugged the adaptor into another dreamcast but I still had the same issue. When I plugged the adaptor into ports 1 and 3 and played my test game Virtua Tennis 2 the problem went away!!!! So I don't have any idea what is causing the problem.
I suppose I could try and bypass the KVM but it will be a pain in the arse taking out some of the wires. Although I can't see how it can be the KVM when there is no problem when plugged in to port 1 and 3. If anybody has any ideas they would be very welcome as this is stopping a lot of my Dreamcast games being played in two player mode 

[Shun]

That is a neat build!  Too bad its not a woody, that would look awesome!  Now all you need is to convert that mini fridge into a kegerator and put a pony keg in it and a tap on the side. 

Kegerator you say, interesting... 

I thought you guys might like see a naked arcade cab 

[SNAAKE]

what kind of leds are those for the marquee? you had to do any "hax" with them or..?

link plz thx

[Yvan256]

what kind of leds are those for the marquee? you had to do any "hax" with them or..?

link plz thx

It looks like neon lights from two scanners... 

[Martijn]

standard ccfl 50cm cold cathode tube colored white i think

[Shun]

standard ccfl 50cm cold cathode tube colored white i think

Is the correct answer! 

I think i got them off of ebay for less than £10. Just plugged them in to a spare molex connector on the PC.

[Shun]

Just uploaded a video to youtube to show where are am with my build.

I've got to finish putting the black vinyl on 70% cab (as well as sanding down before I do so).
I need to sand down the front door and re-attach to its hinges.
I also need to design my control panel overlay and fit it under the plexiglass.
And I need to replace the temporary Marquee with a permanent one.

[Shun]

I have now got my new Aimtrak working great with all of the light gun games installed on my cab.
My only problem seems to be how to permanently install the LED "sensor" bar.
I currently have it stuck to the outside of my painted plexi bezel with blu tac. However I need to figure out a way to mount it so that the LEDs sit behind the bezel, which not only hides them but also hides the usb cable.

I have searched on the forum and I see that some of the guys on here have cut small holes in the bezel and poked the LEDs through.
I don't really want to do this as it would spoil the look of the painted plexi.

Does anyone have any other ideas? I have thought about scraping some of the paint off, but i'm worried about what it would look like afterwards  .

[Shun]

Ok for the last couple of months I have been working on my Aimtrak sensor bar solution.
I decided that I couldn't mount the bar behind my painted bezel as it would ruin the look. So I thought it would be a good idea to create a retractable sensor bar that drop down in front of the bezel in between the speakers.

I decided to use an old DVD-ROM drive that I no longer used. I stripped everything off of the drive it except the sliding mechanism, motor and logic boards. I trimmed the drive size as it was too long and mounted it behind the marquee area.

I attached the sensor bar to the dvd tray and then attached a wooden surround with integrated sensor bar "screen".

I have everything fitted and it is controlled by a temporary switch at the moment (see video below)

I still need to do the following:
Sand everything down to size and so the surfaces are smooth for painting
Add extra wood to the bottom so that it is flush when the bar is retracted
Need to and mount a permanent button for it
Also the mechanism gets stuck when retracting at the moment which I need to fix

[TheChairmanH2K]

that aimtrack slider is sliiiiiiiiick.  makes me want to put an aimtrack on one of my cabs now