New user a bit overwhelmed here.

[xisorshadow]

Hi everyone, im new to the forums and to all this arcade stuff as well, i want to build my own cabinet but dont know how, and have no access to power tools. And I think $200+ is outrageous for $15 in MDF, so a precut kit is out of the question, please help!

[HaRuMaN]

Hi everyone, im new to the forums and to all this arcade stuff as well, i want to build my own cabinet but dont know how, have no access to power tools and think $200 is outrageous for $15 in MDF, please help!

What costs $200?  The power tools?

You'll have the power tools long after you cut your $15 worth of MDF... 

[xisorshadow]

Hi everyone, im new to the forums and to all this arcade stuff as well, i want to build my own cabinet but dont know how, have no access to power tools and think $200 is outrageous for $15 in MDF, please help!

What costs $200?  The power tools?

You'll have the power tools long after you cut your $15 worth of MDF... 

no, prebuilt blank kits are $200 and up, and thats too much, im on a very limited budget, and power tools arent a part of that budget >.< Hell i cant even afford new parts for the buttons and stick, im going to be destroying my hrap3 if i do this.

[HaRuMaN]

Have you considered finding an old gutted arcade cab?  You can usually pick those up for cheap, if not free.

[xisorshadow]

Have you considered finding an old gutted arcade cab?  You can usually pick those up for cheap, if not free.

I looked around town and didnt find anything, not to mention i need the layout my hrap3 has as far as buttons, because i plan to use it for mame. My only real option is to build it myself and i would have to do it 100% by hand, because im not only unable to afford the power tools, my hands arent steady enough to use them well enough for something like this.

And i have no idea where to begin, or even if its going to be possible for me to do this.

[saleem]

come here to uk and buy some of the tools,i had to buy quite a lot although i did opt for quite expensive better quality tools.

i just didnt have to buy mdf as i had a taito invaders part2 i am converting to mame (hopefully)

just on cosmetics alone i have forked out quite a lot.woodfiller,zinsser primer,rollers and sandpaper and thats just the start.

i just couldnt force myself to use secondhand buttons and such in the cp though if thats what you intend to do.

i assume you are saying that the prebuild kit is $200 well thats something we find hard to find in uk.also thats like £150 or perhaps less.that $200 kit would probably cost an hell of a lot more that £200 here and thats like $300 or so.

you americans get it easy.
 

[xisorshadow]

come here to uk and buy some of the tools,i had to buy quite a lot although i did opt for quite expensive better quality tools.

i just didnt have to buy mdf as i had a taito invaders part2 i am converting to mame (hopefully)

just on cosmetics alone i have forked out quite a lot.woodfiller,zinsser primer,rollers and sandpaper and thats just the start.

i just couldnt force myself to use secondhand buttons and such in the cp though if thats what you intend to do.

i assume you are saying that the prebuild kit is $200 well thats something we find hard to find in uk.also thats like £150 or perhaps less.that $200 kit would probably cost an hell of a lot more that £200 here and thats like $300 or so.

you americans get it easy.
 

I plan to use the buttons out of my hori real arcade pro 3 stick that i got awhile ago, though i cant tell you much more about them than that, im 100% new to all this, and im overwhelmed and confused and unsure how to even start, or if i should even bother.

[saleem]

i am probably just as new to this as you.

all i can say is:
i wish you lots of luck and i hope you get yourself sorted for a nice working cab.

make sure you take photos and upload them to the site,i got quite a few and lets see how your project came along.

good luck.
 

[xisorshadow]

You know what, nevermind its obvious im not smart enough or skilled enough to even attempt this, and a certain user has made it perfectly clear, so forget i asked and sorry i bothered everyone ill just go away now =(.

[saleem]

only you know how smart you are,noone has said you are stupid have they?

i was looking forward to hearing some good news stories and such from you as i am new to this myself.

your in usa?

you could pick up a decent cab for next to nothing there,sort it out (if it needs it) to get it neat and tidy,sort yourself out for secondhand pc and mame it.

but,yes,here in uk i have spent nigh on £60 alone on just cosmetics and i aint finished priming it,i have used 4 coats of zinsser at £16 and £14 a 1ltr tin x2 thats £30 just there,in usd thats like £50ish alone.i still got more priming to do with lots of sanding and at like £1.70 for sandpaper its a few more quid,roller are £1.99 for 3 and i done 2 sets.all the pounds mount up.

your best option is to actualy scrounge the tools up and buy the $50 mdf (if thats how much it costs) build your cab.if you mess up and throw in towel you can just call it quits with $50 loss.

why be defeated at the early stage?

[xisorshadow]

No i cant pick up a cabinet, there are none in my area and none of the ones i see on ebay will ship them anywhere, as for making my own i dont even know where to start, what ill need what parts i need what tools i need etc etc. And if even a single part of this requires some fancy power tool then i cant do it, my hands arent steady enough to cut things with a power tool. I cant even find a site that gives 100% complete diagrams for everything to do with a cab, especially the bezel, they all expect me to know this crap before i even start.

[King Nerd]

eBay is not usually the best place to start looking.
Try craigslist or kijiji.
The tools you'll need are at least:
Jigsaw
Drill

Not trying to be an ass or anything, but wood doesn't cut itself, and using a hand saw just is not practical.

Best bet is to try and find one. I found it to be a great teacher.

Funny enough, looks like we're using the same cabinet, Saleem.
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=93949.0

[saleem]

yes,thats the exact cab i got here.

mind you mines now got 4 coats of primer on and i removed the doors off the front and replaced with plywood.

when i done the cosmetics i will post in the projects part of the forum and obviously i will update as i go along.

trouble with this cab is getting 2 player controls on it.i dont want to modify it like you see a lot of homemade mame cabs with the extended cp,so i will try my best when it comes to building the cp,otherwise i will have to keep the cab single player,i am keeping the horizontal monitor layout,i will just wang an lcd monitor in there.i think horizontal is better on the head.

i actualy saw your thread weeks ago when i was considering restoring it,just too much hassle.cosmetics and artwook when its all screen printed onto the sides,not like them with stickers.
 

[xisorshadow]

My hands arent very steady, i wouldnt be able to get clean cuts with a jigsaw....... i believe ive said that before  And nobody has even bothered to tell me what parts ill need, or give me tips on how to cut anything with a hand saw or ANYTHING.... Im not asking for everyone to tell me to use a jigsaw and ignore everything else i say 

[King Nerd]

My hands arent very steady, i wouldnt be able to get clean cuts with a jigsaw....... i believe ive said that before 

I still go with finding one.
The only parts I had to cut were a new bezel and new cp as I didn't want to damage the original ones.

I've kept every original part that was in my machine. I eventually want to restore it, but until I can make my own cab (going with a modified Donovan Vewlix), this one will be my mame machine.

trouble with this cab is getting 2 player controls on it.i dont want to modify it like you see a lot of homemade mame cabs with the extended cp,so i will try my best when it comes to building the cp,otherwise i will have to keep the cab single player,i am keeping the horizontal monitor layout,i will just wang an lcd monitor in there.i think horizontal is better on the head.

I've been able to get 2P out of my CP. I haven't actually played with two people, so I don't know how well it'll work out, so we'll see.
Have a look. I'm still missing a few pieces. Waiting for some replacements as those joysticks are the worst things I've ever used.

I love the artwork. I'm keeping it. I've even been able to acquire scans of the bezel-cp combo and the marquee.
I'm working on vectorizing the marquee. I'm new to vectors, so it's going slow.

I apologize for hijacking your thread xisorshadow.

[xisorshadow]

Id have to cut every single component to it since i cant find a cabinet anywhere locally, and i dont even know where to begin with something like that i cant find 100% perfectly detailed step by step instruction on what to cut with exact dimensions, and im not skilled enough to just design my own from scratch 

Plus im on a very limited budget too, im going to be disassembling my hrap3 joystick for the parts for the controls, and hoping i dont break it >.< I need to make this as cheap as possible.

[saleem]

click arcadecontrols.com banner at the top.then use the left side to get linked to guides.

obviously you will need to measure and mark out the size of the cuts to be made,obviously the cab has 2 sides,they have to match,not hard once you have cut and got one side prep'd.just lay it on the other mdf sheet and use marker and trace round it,cut the shape,tidy it up,this is where a router comes in handy as you can rough cut the other side out after you traced the first one,then get the router and placing the first one that was cut and tidied up back ontop the second side and go round and it will cut out the second to shape and smooth them both to size.

this is why:

you definately need a jigsaw,sawing will be a strain and a router with the right bits because you need both sides identical.thats the only way realy to get them both matching.the back and front and bottom are just straight cuts.no need to complicate things with cash doors so you dont have to do cutting for them.

the cp is more tricky.

arcadecontrols banner ontop as the links on the left to all this info.

remember i am a total noob as well as you.i am on my own first project so i know what its like,i just did lots of reading.there are a few places and theres google but,i found this place to be more concise and it covers everything you could possibly want to know.

xisorshadow heres a couple snapshots of the cab at this moment in time.

man,you would love the marquee i got here,that just needs slight touch up to get it back in its glory,thats 30 years worth of wear and tear and its still in great nick,just a scratch here on the paint.the bezel is a little scratched and has ciggy burns on the left which is realy bad shame,without the ciggy burns it wouldnt be too bad.

after 4 coats and sanding and i decided to plywood the door openings so they need more coats zinsser and sanding.


the original taito space invaders2 marquee.beautiful!


bezel,ciggy burns

 

[xisorshadow]

oh wow, id want something ALOT smaller than that  somethin that would fit on a desk or a counter top.


Is the screen supposed to be turned on its side liek that? 

[King Nerd]

oh wow, id want something ALOT smaller than that  somethin that would fit on a desk or a counter top.

I'm guessing you've checked out the pre-made bartop cabinets, hm?
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=93329.0
Maybe someone else has a used bartop they might wanna sell?
Feel free to ask any questions here or to me in PM.
This also doesn't all have to be paid off at once if you do it yourself.
Do it piece by piece. That's how I did it. I got this cab like a year and a half ago. I was lazy and slacked for about a year of that, though.

the original taito space invaders2 marquee.beautiful!

Me want!! GIVE! Sell?

Your CP might have ciggy burns, but it's in great shape to my original CP. Damn cigarettes.

[xisorshadow]

I found a cheap PC for my unit, was wondering if this was small enough? its 14" x 18" x 4" almost exactly, specs are

AMD Athlon X2 4000+
2GB DDR2
250GB hard drive
Nvidia 6150SE integrated video


Will this be powerful enough for a mame cabinet? Havent had a chance to do extended testing yet.
Also is the 19" LCD going to be a problem in terms of building this once i figure out exactly how?

[saleem]

i think more than enough people will say same thing as me that is good system with nice (more than enough) spec for mame.when i do my internals i will be just using an intel motherboard with a 478 intel celeron (probable 2. something ghz) a sounblaster audigy and a crappy 256mb graphics card with 18" lcd monitor and a harddrive and dvdrom.

as for size,you can always strip it down (like i will) and mount the motherboard somewhere and also the comonents ie:harddrive/dvdrom etc.


also if you want to shove the pc case in as is,that would depend on the size of your cab.my cab would take like 4 of them towers,perhaps more.

as for a cab have thought about asking in the trade thread buy/sell?

[xisorshadow]

I dont even think i can post in there yet  as for the size of my cabinet, its going to be bartop style ive decided that.

[Yvan256]

Given the dimensions you gave for the computer and the LCD, I made a quick 3D draft in Google Sketchup. The computer is positioned sideways behind the display.



Granted there's some parts missing and there's a hole below the marquee, but it does give you an idea of the overall feel of a bartop made with a widescreen display.

First draft on the left, "easy to build" second version on the right. Sort of like half a cube. The goal would be to minimize the number of cuts and be able to build this thing with a ruler and a hacksaw (no curves, all 90 degres cuts except the two side panels which are made from a single square). Unless someone else has done this before me, I shall name this design the "Sandwich Arcade" for obvious reasons...



Free plans with dimensions coming soon. Also, a custom marquee, control panel artwork and side art will be available as soon as someone else is willing to do that part.  Please wait until I finish the plans though.

[BobA]

I dont even think i can post in there yet  as for the size of my cabinet, its going to be bartop style ive decided that.

Sure you can.   You have enough posts.

[hotrod44866]

Hey I bought a cab and pulled the control panel off. I used a circular saw and a drill with a (Spanner??) bit wood boring bit?? I dont know what its called. anyway I tried to duplicate the panel. I cut and drilled before I painted and sealed. then punched the buttons. I went with someone on ebay, they have a shop but Im new here and really know if its cool to post a link. I have less than 300 in it but i had the cpu and monitor(i gave 100 4 the cab) hope this helps      Rod

[severdhed]

i'm not trying to be rude, but how do you plan on building anything without any kind of power tools?  at the absolute minimum, you would need a drill for your button/joystick holes, and to predrill all of the screw holes.   without a router, T-MOlding would be nearly impossible to install.(the t-molding makes all the difference in the world).  how do you plan on cutting the plixiglass for the marquee or in front of the monitor? 

you can put together a cabinet for not too much money, but this is not a cheap hobby.  estimate what you think it will cost, then double that and you should be pretty close to what it will cost.  if your hands are not steady enough to use a power saw, then how do you expect to do the wiring and things like that/  perhaps you should try to get a friend to help you(preferably one with power tools)

when i built my first control panel, i did it using only a drill, jigsaw and a dremel....and it really wasnt very easy and didn't turn out like i had pictured it.  i have since rebuilt it a few times, each time getting a few more tools.. if you want it to turn out looking anything like a real arcade cabinet, you will NEED:

drill
jigsaw
circular saw (or table saw)
Router
orbital sander

 i guess you could use one of those old fashioned hand powered crank drills, but that sure would suck.  you could technically cut everything with had saws, but it would be exhausting and very time consuming.  plus you would need to do a ton of sanding by hand.  i dont know how you would cut a slot for t-molding without a router.

in my opinion, you are trying to accomplish something that just isn't feasable with your restrictions.  your best bet really is to have someone with powertools to help you...otherwise it is going to take you 6 months and look like crap

[vertygo]

Trust me your neighbour down the road, the one where all the sawing sounds come from on the weekend, will gladly help you.

I think you also need to get a little more positive about this, honestly. It's fun, it's about games. If you keep saying you can't do this, and you don't have the money for that, then you're in for a really disappointing, tough time. Just laugh at it once in awhile. Personally, I've been collecting buttons, leds, u360 joysticks, and all sorts of other crap for years now, and I'm JUST starting to picture how it's going to come together. 

You sound like your not married either, so count that as a blessin.. er.. wife's coming, gotta go.

[mwong168]

If you are looking for specific cabinet plans and dimensions you can check out:

http://www.jakobud.com

I used one of their plans as a starting point and I was making changes to it as I went along.  Good thing my friend William who did all my woodwork didn't mind and also made changes to the plans which made the construction of it easier and cleaner end result too.

[dafelandry]

What i did before i built ANYTHING (actually i gutted/modded an old SEGA cabinet) is tested my emulators,frontend and such to make sure that pc could handle it and so once its all setup it comes down to simply setting keys with your soon to be built control panel.... if you need help with anything ask (obviously not roms)... i was in your shoes less than a month ago but now i have a pretty sweet cabinet (well 90% waiting on my marquee and doing t-molding tonight) as far as a 19" monitor should be fine... i have a 21" ws.... i had to jerry rig the mount on it but it turned out VERY nice....  just wait till it starts comming together hahah u'll feel like a kid on christmas!!!

bartops are definatly interesting with keeping cables and hardware clean/neat and compact but very rewarding when complete! I cannot wait to see some photos once its complete!! (i also like the fact that you dont want a premade, it takes away from your own twists and such, but i mean it does save you work)

Good luck and we are all here to help!

I sent you a PM!