javeryh's Donkey Kong Plus [FINISHED]

[javeryh]

looking good.  i am so excited to pick mine up tomorrow and get started. I'm setting my goals a little lower than yours, i want to not look crappy, but still look used, so i dont have  heart attach if it gets a scratch from my 2 year old hitting it with something stupid. 

i will be using this thread for inspiration though..and may need to hit you up for advice at some point.

this thing is looking great.  keep up the good work.

Thanks man - I'll be happy to help out if I can.  Some bondo and a couple coats of paint will get it looking brand new in no time.  That doesn't cost much.  I know what you mean about the scratches from the kids - I get nervous any time my 2-year-old son goes near the thing.  Before I had the coin door on there I was constantly emptying the bottom out - he loved to put all of his plastic tools in there!

[Chicken McNobody]

Before I had the coin door on there I was constantly emptying the bottom out - he loved to put all of his plastic tools in there!

My almost 3 year old daughter would do something similar with mine.  She has a Handy Manny PVC tool set, and she would take them over to me and the cabinet and "work" on Donkey Kong with Daddy.  Like the poster above, I like the fact that all of my arcades will have a "used" look to them in various degrees.  I know how I can get with pristine items, and don't want to torture my kids with all that.  This is a hobby that I have enjoyed sharing with them as much as possible, so I want them to enjoy it to the best they can, short of intentionally damaging it that is.

One the pristine side though, this thing is a beauty, I would love one this perfect personally, it would just be locked up in my walk-in closet for safe keeping.  It's the one rooms the girls know they are not allowed to play in. . . ever. . .

[Bender]

god I want those Coin mechs!!!

looks so sweet!!!!

I think you just pushed me over the edge.... DAMN your pretty, pretty cab!

Ramen for me for a couple of weeks

[Bender]

Hey Jav

how did you order the coin doors?

I haven't been able to get ahold of anyone there, and it doesn't seem like you can order online

[javeryh]

Hey Jav

how did you order the coin doors?

I haven't been able to get ahold of anyone there, and it doesn't seem like you can order online

PM'd

[javeryh]

Finally - the moment everyone has been waiting for is here - LOL. I applied the coin door decal to the front of the control panel!! Before attempting this, I bought a plastic squeegee off of eBay for $3 (search "vinyl squeegee") - this really helps in applying the decals and it eliminates any air bubbles.



The first thing I did was put a piece of masking tape in the center of the panel. The tape lets me draw on the cab lightly with a pencil without leaving a mark. It makes it really easy to line up the decal. The decal is centered and the top edge of the decal is 2-1/4" from the top of the panel.



Next, I peeled the back of the decal off just a little along the top to expose the sticky surface and cut the back off with some scissors. This allowed me to line up the decal and stick the top down. Then using the vinyl squeegee from top to bottom while removing the rest of the paper backing I pressed the decal into place.



Looking good - all that's left is to peel away the top layer of paper. Man, you should have seen the smile on my face as I was peeling this off.





It looks pretty sweet! Next up will be the side art - same process just on a much larger scale and way more nerve-wracking!   

[severdhed]

awesome...

so now i have to add that decal to the list of things i'm missing


can't wait to see that side art. 

[javeryh]

awesome...

so now i have to add that decal to the list of things i'm missing


can't wait to see that side art. 

Make sure to get it from Rich at ThisOldGame.  He is the only one who offers the coin door stickers as well - It was like $6 for the set I think.  Here's an example (not mine):

[Epyx]

It's amazing how much the decal enhances not only the nostalgia factor but the aesthetics...Nintendo sure made some nice cabs.

Looks awesome.

[javeryh]

It's amazing how much the decal enhances not only the nostalgia factor but the aesthetics...Nintendo sure made some nice cabs.

Looks awesome.

Thanks - you are definitely right about the aesthetics.  The DK cab has a TON of art but it all looks really great together.  Probably why I like it so much.   

It's looking pretty good!  Here are some random pics along the way...

[Moo2wo]

The coin decal looks awesome, javeryh!

[Ond]

Man it looks nice in that corner!  The cab I mean, the coin decal sure brings it to life.

[severdhed]

yeah, this thing is looking great..and it looks like you found a good location for it.  I hope mine turns out at least half this nice and i will be thrilled.

[DaOld Man]

I was waiting until you finished this build before commenting James, but I cant wait no more.
Just like on your previous projects, you are doing a great job.
I really want to find a DK cab to restore, if I ever do I will be using your thread as a guide.
The artwork is looking fantastic!
 

[system01]

Wow Jav, I've been away for like a week or so and it seems you found a good crank dealer!

This thing is coming out really nice.

[Chicken McNobody]

Going way back to when you are working on the CP, where did you get the ABS plastic sheet from?  I am looking for something simple like that for my Bump N' Jump which will become an arcade classics theme due to frustration issues, and I would like something like that to use.

[Kaytrim]

Wow javeryh, this looks like a full on restore.  I haven't had time to keep up on my favorite threads thanks to the overload at work.  Are you getting the side art too?

Michael

[severdhed]

yeah, i'd love to see some pics of that side art installed....did you ever get it to stay on properly? or is it still peeling?

this thread has been such an inspiration to me.  Thank you for documenting the process so well, it will be a very valuable resource while i'm working on my own DK project

[javeryh]

The coin decal looks awesome, javeryh!

Thanks!  It really brings the entire cab to life.   

Man it looks nice in that corner!  The cab I mean, the coin decal sure brings it to life.

yeah - I think so too... my wife, on the other hand, does not like a Donkey Kong cabinet in her dining room.  I'm pretty sure that wasn't in her plans when she married me!

yeah, this thing is looking great..and it looks like you found a good location for it.  I hope mine turns out at least half this nice and i will be thrilled.

I'm sure yours will turn out great.  All you need is patience - there wasn't much skill involved with this thing.   

I was waiting until you finished this build before commenting James, but I cant wait no more.
Just like on your previous projects, you are doing a great job.
I really want to find a DK cab to restore, if I ever do I will be using your thread as a guide.
The artwork is looking fantastic!
 

Thanks a lot.  After this is finished I'm going to go back to my jukebox (which works) and finish that up 100%.  I will probably be in touch with you when I get going again on it.    I only have a few more things to do on the DK.  The problem is that it is playable!

Wow Jav, I've been away for like a week or so and it seems you found a good crank dealer!

This thing is coming out really nice.

Thanks.  I had a deadline of my fantasy football draft to get it finished so I was really motivated to work on it every night after work.  Now that I don't have anything pushing me, progress has slowed down!  Plus, I just bought Shadow Complex for my 360 and that has been keeping me busy lately...

Going way back to when you are working on the CP, where did you get the ABS plastic sheet from?  I am looking for something simple like that for my Bump N' Jump which will become an arcade classics theme due to frustration issues, and I would like something like that to use.

The ABS plastic can be found on eBay and Amazon for pretty cheap.  Just do a search for "abs plastic" and you will find it.

Wow javeryh, this looks like a full on restore.  I haven't had time to keep up on my favorite threads thanks to the overload at work.  Are you getting the side art too?

Michael

Thanks Kaytrim.  It's almost a restoration but since I'm not using original hardware I can't really call it that.  IMO, it's a little better since it is almost indistinguishable from a real DK but it plays a bunch more games.  Everyone is having fun with it. 

I have already installed the side art and I will be posting pics shortly.   

yeah, i'd love to see some pics of that side art installed....did you ever get it to stay on properly? or is it still peeling?

this thread has been such an inspiration to me.  Thank you for documenting the process so well, it will be a very valuable resource while i'm working on my own DK project

Thanks.  I also highly recommend you look at Neilyboy's thread in the Restoration forum.  I followed him on a lot of things and I couldn't have done this without his lead.  The side art is still peeling but it is very slight and only on one side.  I don't know what the deal is but I haven't really tried anything yet.  I like Bender's suggestion of applying heat on top of the decal but I haven't got around to it yet.  I'll be sure to let you know how it turns out.   

[javeryh]

OK, finally. I got the side art on. It was pretty easy actually once I figured out how to line it up. I felt like a genius when it finally clicked but I'm sure it is an obvious solution.

The first thing I did was put a piece of tape 2-3/4" from the top - no need to be precise here - just make sure that the piece of tape covers the imaginary horizontal line 2-3/4" from the top of the cabinet. Then, using a carpenter's square to get a straight line I marked the line in pencil on the tape. This gave me the line to place the top edge of the side art on. I repeated this process along the back edge of the cabinet (2-3/4" again) and now had a vertical line to place the left edge of the side art on (or right edge depending which side you are doing).



In order to use the carpenter's square properly you set the short edge of the ruler in the picture to 2-3/4". Then you place the black handle on the top edge of the cabinet so that the short edge of the ruler is hanging down exactly 2-3/4". Next you place your pencil on the bottom of the ruler's edge and run the carpenter's square along the top while moving the pencil at the same time. This will give you a perfectly straight line exactly 2-3/4" from the top (on the masking tape!). This is an invaluable trick for building things and laying out lines in general.

Now that I knew exactly where to place the side art using the top and side lines I just drew as a guide, I just taped it to the side.



Next, I removed all of the tape near the top and peeled off the paper backing from the sticker and cut it away with the scissors.



Then, very carefully and using my vinyl squeegee, I applied pressure to the top portion of the decal where I removed the paper backing. No turning back now! The decal is in place!

Then, I removed all of the masking tape around the edges now that it can hang on it's own. Finally, I removed the rest of the paper backing starting at the top and working my way down with the squeegee and pressing the decal into place.



After the decal was applied the only thing left to do was remove the top layer of paper. This part took a long time - the paper did not come off easy and in fact during this process there was a tendency to remove the actual decal form the force of removing the top layer of paper. I think this was due to my own inexperience - I did not prep the surface before applying the sticker and I should have used some rubbing alcohol to really clean it and remove any oils that may have been present.

Anyway, it came out great:



I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked because my hands were tied and I was a little nervous. It was actually very easy!  I can really see the finish line now.  When I get around to it I'll post a few more pics with the side art installed - it basically looks like a completed cab now.

[severdhed]

that looks fantastic.  I know what you mean about the wife.  just the other day she said " i don't remember agreeing to anything involving a bunch of arcade cabinets in my family room when we got married"

oh well.

[Epyx]

That did turn out great. I am sure you will find a way to counteract the small amount of peeling you are getting.

[Chicken McNobody]

that looks fantastic.  I know what you mean about the wife.  just the other day she said " i don't remember agreeing to anything involving a bunch of arcade cabinets in my family room when we got married"

oh well.

Guess I lucked out, The Wife may not appreciate the hobby as much as I do, but the plans have always been for a game room in the basement when finished.  As long as we have at least 1 pinball, and we currently have 2.  So the rest of the house is a problem, but the basement is essentially mine to plan out.  ^{[citation needed]}

[Ryglore]

Amazing, Love it!  

[Spyridon]

Very nice work.  This was a good candidate to mame because of the condition you got it in, but I'd love to see you do this kind of restoration on a dedicated cab.  It would make for an enjoyable thread in the restoration section.

[severdhed]

hey javeryh...did you ever get that sound issue sorted out?  did you end up going with just the 1 speaker, or did you put two in there?  i'm hoping to get started on that aspect of my cabinet and figured i'd ask how you did yours

[javeryh]

Thanks guys!!

Very nice work.  This was a good candidate to mame because of the condition you got it in, but I'd love to see you do this kind of restoration on a dedicated cab.  It would make for an enjoyable thread in the restoration section.

You and me both!  I really thought long and hard about restoring this with the original board but it was just too expensive for me right now.  I could always swap out the computer I guess but I doubt I ever will.  It is really hard to tell it's not dedicated unless you pay attention to the boot-up or already know about the hidden admin buttons.

I'm thinking of restoring a Pac-man one of these days if I can get a hold of the vinyl stencils and some other stuff.  I'd do a full-on restore of that.  Maybe in a few years...

hey javeryh...did you ever get that sound issue sorted out?  did you end up going with just the 1 speaker, or did you put two in there?  i'm hoping to get started on that aspect of my cabinet and figured i'd ask how you did yours

I did.  There was plenty of room to install two computer speakers behind the cutout so I have 2.1 in the cab.  I'll have to snap a pic but basically when I did was decase 2 speakers and used 2 screws to secure them both to the inside (on the far left and far right sides - there wasn't enough material to screw into in between the cutouts).  They aren't going anywhere and they sound great!  I also put some speaker grill cloth behind the cutout so they are not visible at all.

[LeedsFan]

I have to say you've done a great job with this project. It's been a source of inspiration on my current project.   

Regarding the artwork... are you putting on the little piece that sits between the bezel and the CP? The bit that shows how far Jumpman can jump/fall? I ask because I'd like to know the full size cabinet dims. of that piece together with the coin decal on the front panel next to the speaker. So I know what to resize them to on my bartop.   

[javeryh]

I have to say you've done a great job with this project. It's been a source of inspiration on my current project.   

Regarding the artwork... are you putting on the little piece that sits between the bezel and the CP? The bit that shows how far Jumpman can jump/fall? I ask because I'd like to know the full size cabinet dims. of that piece together with the coin decal on the front panel next to the speaker. So I know what to resize them to on my bartop.   

Thanks!  I do have the decal for the bar above the CP.  I haven't put it on yet because I think I want to laminate the bar with some of the black ABS plastic.  I put 4 coats of black paint on the bar but the wood grain still shows through and it looks pretty bad.  I probably should have used bondo on it to seal it in but at that point it was too late and I didn't want to make a mess.  I've got about an afternoon's worth of stuff left to do and that's on the list.   

[javeryh]

OK, time for some good pics!  Here are some shots of the cab with the side art and bezel installed.  It's about 95% finished.  The only thing left cosmetically is the decal above the CP on the black bar otherwise what you see is what you get.  I still have to post pics of the insides which I'll get around to later. 

Here's the punch list (mostly computer work):

• laminate front bar above CP
• apply decal on front bar above CP
• remake back door (I made one already but it could be MUCH lighter)
• fix high score glitch
• streamline computer boot-up
• wire computer power button to exterior of cabinet
• figure out CabVol or some other volume app
• disable pop-up boxes (when I first boot, Mala loads and goes straight to DK but after I exit MaLa is no longer the top window and I need a mouse click to get it to respond again and it works fine from then on - annoying)
• Re-skin MaLa - I'm using the one from John's Arcade, which is great (I love the Games Played counter) but I want to tweak it a little and I have no idea how
• I also might make the black posterboard bezel to go around the monitor but honestly it is so dark in there it isn't necessary at all so I may skip it

That's it (I think).  Anyway, check out the pics.  It's pretty sweet.

Enjoy!

[LeedsFan]

I have to say you've done a great job with this project. It's been a source of inspiration on my current project.   

Regarding the artwork... are you putting on the little piece that sits between the bezel and the CP? The bit that shows how far Jumpman can jump/fall? I ask because I'd like to know the full size cabinet dims. of that piece together with the coin decal on the front panel next to the speaker. So I know what to resize them to on my bartop.   

Thanks!  I do have the decal for the bar above the CP.  I haven't put it on yet because I think I want to laminate the bar with some of the black ABS plastic.  I put 4 coats of black paint on the bar but the wood grain still shows through and it looks pretty bad.  I probably should have used bondo on it to seal it in but at that point it was too late and I didn't want to make a mess.  I've got about an afternoon's worth of stuff left to do and that's on the list.   

Could you post the dims of that piece please? Plus dims of the coin decal next to the speaker?  Cheers.  

[Franco B]

I've been wanting to check your PA for the last two weeks but I couldn't as I have been off work and I have a uber slow connection at home.

Simply superb Jav! It looks amazing, I'm very jealous!     

[jmike]

 
Wow Javeryh, that looks incredible! As I mentioned before I want to build a mini DK for my twin boys so I would love to see more pics.

When is the next party ? I'll bring the beers.

 

[Epyx]

What I love is how authentic it looks for a "mamed" cabinet. You have kept everything that is aesthetically Donkey Kong...Donkey Kong.  If for some reason you "were" ever to sell it a collector would have very little trouble.  IMO if you are going to Mame a classic...this is the "only" way to do it. Fantastic Job! 

[severdhed]

yeah...simply awesome....thanks for the link to that MALA skin.  I am in the middle of workign on my own DK themed skin, but i like how he did some things with that one, so i may borrow some ideas.  i'd be hapy to share mine once it is done.

have you thought about where you are going to place the power button?  i was thinking about putting mine on teh top of the cabinet, towards teh front, near the marquee area..but i figured there might be those out there who would hate me for modifying the exterior of the cabinet.   (doesn't mean i wont do it, but i am open to suggestions)

[Chicken McNobody]

yeah...simply awesome....thanks for the link to that MALA skin.  I am in the middle of workign on my own DK themed skin, but i like how he did some things with that one, so i may borrow some ideas.  i'd be hapy to share mine once it is done.

have you thought about where you are going to place the power button?  i was thinking about putting mine on teh top of the cabinet, towards teh front, near the marquee area..but i figured there might be those out there who would hate me for modifying the exterior of the cabinet.   (doesn't mean i wont do it, but i am open to suggestions)

I put mine on the inside left of the coin door, it's mounted with the screws used for holding the coin door on, so ne extra hole or anything.  Granted, I didn't use original sized screws/bolts for putting the coin door on, so I have a lot of extra room to work with due to the length of the screws I did use. 

I don't lock mine, I have the lock with no key in it, I have the lock itself loosely mounted so you can pull on it and use it as a handle to open the coin door, and when you close it, you push the lock down and it stays flush with the coin door itself.  So it looks locked, but is easy to access.

[DaOld Man]

I think you guys should look into touch sensitive switches and power it up by touching one of the pictures on the CP. Maybe have to touch the picture for 10 seconds to power on, 10 seconds to power off, to keep people from accidentally turning it on or off.

[severdhed]

I think you guys should look into touch sensitive switches and power it up by touching one of the pictures on the CP. Maybe have to touch the picture for 10 seconds to power on, 10 seconds to power off, to keep people from accidentally turning it on or off.

that would be really cool...but right now i'm looking for fast, cheap, and easy!!!

what I ended up doing for now is using the original test switch, which is mounted on the back of the coin door, between the two coin mechs.  since it was already there and seemed like an OK place to have a power switch, i just hooked that up to the motherboards power connector.  it works just fine.  i do plan on installing a lock on the door, mainly to keep the kids from dumping the tokens all over the floor(and into the heat vents).  once the lock is in place, i may end up moving it to make it more convenient, but for now, it works fine.

[Bender]

is it possible to look better than mint?
I think that thing look nicer than the ones that came off the factory floor!
BEAUTIFUL work!

[Ryglore]

is it possible to look better than mint?
I think that thing look nicer than the ones that came off the factory floor!
BEAUTIFUL work!

Agreed! Amazing job! Makes me want to put even more care into my own project.