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Author Topic: Gamester's ARCADE GALAXY  (Read 75751 times)

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Encryptor

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Re: New Project: Gamester's "Arcade Galaxy"
« Reply #40 on: August 19, 2009, 05:49:39 am »
jholman76:  Some have successfully used these for the trackball:  http://www.glowire.com/Lazer%20LEDs.htm

Look at the "4 LED Cluster LEDs" about half way down...

The arcade paradise site talks about it here: http://www.arcadeparadise.org/arcade/ap3/lighting.html

Wow, good to see there is another option. Thanks!

jholman76,

This is what I used on my trackball. It has a small pot on it so you can adjust the brightness and it's fairly inexpensive.

http://www.nicemite.com/LightmiteTB/LightmiteTB.htm

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Gamester

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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY"
« Reply #41 on: August 19, 2009, 10:38:45 am »
Thats a good looking control panel, makes me want to put it in a cheerleader uniform &...................nevermind.

Wow, I don't even know how to respond to that one...  :)

So, anyone know where I can get some brushed steel/aluminum balls or bats for the joys?  I'm not crazy about the red ones, and I think it would be nice to have a compliment for the spinner.  Also, I'm as patriotic as the next guy, but there's a little too much red/white/blue going on for my taste... especially since I had to put the original white ball back in (for now).
« Last Edit: August 19, 2009, 11:33:36 am by Gamester »
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Epyx

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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY"
« Reply #42 on: August 19, 2009, 01:34:18 pm »
Wow, that CP turned out really nice!  :cheers:
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javeryh

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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY"
« Reply #43 on: August 20, 2009, 07:47:01 am »
Wow - your CP is absolutely stunning.  The art looks even better now that everything is assembled.   :cheers:

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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY"
« Reply #44 on: August 20, 2009, 10:59:27 am »
Epyx & javeryh:  Thank you for the compliments. 

I must say it's extremely rewarding to go from design concept to reality and actually have it turn out as good or better than hoped.  It's always nice to receive affirmation from others too... helps the motivation aspect of the process.  :)

Got a lot of work left to do, but I'm pleased with how the process has gone thus far, and I'm definitely learning a lot.  It's amazing the variety of different skills that are required to build one of these things!
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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY"
« Reply #45 on: August 20, 2009, 11:38:09 am »
btw Gamester...what colour T Moulding you going with on the CP?
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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY"
« Reply #46 on: August 20, 2009, 05:13:09 pm »
btw Gamester...what colour T Moulding you going with on the CP?

I haven't made my final decision yet, but I'm debating between blue and chrome.  I think the chrome would probably look classy and the blue would have more visual impact and be more "arcadey."

Decisions, decisions...  :)
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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY"
« Reply #47 on: August 20, 2009, 05:18:46 pm »
Ah...well if you end up with the brushed/aluminum then the chrome might look really good...if not the blue will look great as well.
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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY"
« Reply #48 on: August 20, 2009, 06:21:40 pm »
Nice job there! :afro:

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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY"
« Reply #49 on: August 21, 2009, 04:15:25 pm »
@thatitalian - Thanks for the compliment.

So, another small update...  I got my monitor ordered today.  Finally decided to go with the Wells Gardner D9800.  I must say that this was by far the most difficult decision in this process. 

Though the size and weight benefits of LCD were enticing, the display quality pretty much eliminated that technology from contention for me.  I also strongly considered Nieman Displays' digital multisync, but from what Rick told me, the tubes they're having to use these days really don't do XGA (1024x768) very well.  I wasn't going  to spend that kind of money on a monitor that pretty much only does VGA/SVGA. 

I read too many complaints of geometry issues with the Betson multisync, plus I prefer flat over rounded screens, so that model was out of the running.

So, the final decision was between the D9800 and the Makvision high resolution.  The problem is, I really could not find any direct comparisons between the Makvision and a monitor that supports native arcade resolutions (WG, Betson, etc.).  Most of the people that I found that had the Makvision had never owned an arcade monitor before.  They all reported being pleased with their choice, but I still had some lingering doubt as to whether I would be satisfied.  I was concerned that since the display would run high res and rescale the image, that the result would not look authentic enough for my taste.

I have concerns about the long term reliability of the WG, and the fact that CRT's are a quickly dying breed (will parts even be readily available for these things in 5 years??), but in the end, the deciding factor boiled down to the fact that I KNOW what these games used to look like at their native resolution on an arcade monitor, and the D9800 is going to be the closest I get to that experience.  If I was a wealthy man, I would buy one of each just so I could do a direct comparison for the sake of posterity.  Having such information certainly would have helped me immensely.

Anyway, no turning back now.  I'm sure I'll be happy with my choice... I think...    :dizzy:
« Last Edit: August 21, 2009, 04:31:14 pm by Gamester »
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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY"
« Reply #50 on: August 22, 2009, 12:30:30 am »
lovin that cpo! wow
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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY"
« Reply #51 on: August 22, 2009, 01:00:54 am »
I have the WG D9800 and have been more than happy with it till now...mind you its only been a few months so long term...will just have to wait and see...don't forget to use the Tri Sync utility if you get the Arcadevga so you can get non-interlaced 800x600 and 640x480.
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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY"
« Reply #52 on: September 07, 2009, 01:17:57 pm »
Well, haven't posted in a while, but it's not for lack of progress!  I've had my nose to the grindstone and have been working on a variety of different things.

Let's see, where to begin?  First, as I mentioned in a previous post, I was having problems with the GGG Electric Ice ball "sticking" in my Happ trackball enclosure (i.e. it wasn't rolling smoothly).  I was determined to make this ball work, because it's just so cool, so, after talking with RandyT, I decided to try putting thin spacers between the two halves of the enclosure.  Just cut up an old credit card, which turned out to be just the right thickness and inserted them where all the screws are.  The ball rolls smoothly now -- though still not quite as smooth as the original ball.  Not a very sexy solution, but effective nonetheless...




I also worked on getting the LEDs and LEDWiz all wired up.  It was a bit intimidating at first, but once I got into a rythm, it wasn't bad at all.  One of the most time consuming (and important) aspects of the process is determining the placement of the various boards and the direction things should face so that all of the wires reach their respective connections AND it all looks relatively neat and tidy at the end.

Here's what it started out like...




And the finished LED wiring... 




That white terminal block at the top connects the "power" wires for all of the LEDs together.  I basically made small jumper wires that go between each terminal so they're all connected as a single circuit, then a 5v power source was connected to the end terminal, providing power for all of the LEDs.  There are other ways to do it, but this seems to be the cleanest method.  Still need to put an inline fuse on the power wire.




What'ya know...  it all worked the first time!






My WG D9800 monitor also arrived in perfect condition (thank you FedEx!).  I felt sorry for the poor lady that had to haul that 100LB behemoth up the relatively steep incline to my front porch.  I offered to help, but she kindly refused.   :)



The OSD functions, for anyone that might be interested...




I also purchased the bezel that Xgaming offers for the D9800.  I had heard of others having problems with the bezels from Happ not fitting the D9800.




Been working on the computer to run the whole thing too.  I basically cobbled together a bunch of parts I had lying around and came up with this:

- AMD Athlon XP3200+ (2.2GHz)
- Asus A7V880 Motherboard
- 1GB Corsair PC3200 RAM
- ATI X1650 Pro AGP Video Card (256MB)
- 160GB HD
- 450W Antec TruePower PSU
- Sony CD/DVD Drive

Certainly not a cutting edge system by any means, but I'm hoping it will run everything I need it to.  Worst case, if I'm not happy with it, I can upgrade it to something much faster for around $200.

I chose to use an ATI card because my understanding is that they are generally more compatible with sailorsat's Soft15KHz utility, which enables "normal" video cards to output the native arcade resolutions.  This utility is only needed if you have an arcade monitor though.

I initially considered mounting all of the components directly inside the cabinet, but after thinking about it decided that I liked the idea of being able to easily remove the whole system for cleaning and repairs.  So, I took an old case and stripped it down to the frame, then mounted everything.






For the OS, I used NLite to make a custom XP install CD with all of the unneeded "junk" stripped out.  It worked nicely, and I haven't put a stop watch to it, but even on this modest system I'm guessing it boots up in around 15 seconds or less.

Once I got the OS loaded, I started focusing on software.  Loaded Soft15Khz, LEDBlinky, RomCenter, RomLister and a whole host of other utilities I can't even remember at the moment...   :dizzy:  Also started working on getting my FE (Hyperspin) set up.  I spent 3 days downloading the EMUMovies (over 40GB!).  Still need to download the Themes.

I've decided that the software aspect of this process is by far the most complicated.  There's just SOOO many different components and various tasks required to get everything working right.

I couldn't stand the suspense any more, so I hooked up the monitor to take a quick peek and see how things look.  Looking great so far!






And finally, I went and purchased the plywood yesterday.  Decided on 3/4" cabinet grade birch plywood (3 sheets).  Man, this stuff is heavy!  I can't even imagine using MDF...   :o

Of course, every good project is an excuse to buy more tools...  So I picked up one of these too...   ;D



Nothing fancy, but it should do the job, and was a pretty good deal for $119.  It's 2HP, variable speed, fixed base and plunge, 1/4" and 1/2" collets, and has some pretty LED lights built in.   :P

Now I need to start building the cabinet and wire up the buttons/IPAC.

Anyway, that's all for now.  Stay tuned...
« Last Edit: September 12, 2009, 01:08:14 pm by Gamester »
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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY" [9/7/09 - BIG Update]
« Reply #53 on: September 08, 2009, 09:36:32 pm »
BTW, where did you get your control panel artwork printed at? I think the fan favorite is Mamemarques, but they are pricey!

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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY" [9/7/09 - BIG Update]
« Reply #54 on: September 08, 2009, 11:12:07 pm »
BTW, where did you get your control panel artwork printed at? I think the fan favorite is Mamemarques, but they are pricey!

kronic24601,

I actually had it printed at place called Fullsizeposters.com.  They printed it on 200 year archival quality satin photo paper with archival ink.  Ordering was easy on their website, their service was great, and the 37x18" image was only $28, shipped to my door.

I've never purchased anything from Mamemarquees, so I can't make a direct comparison, but I was very pleased with the purchase... especially for the price.
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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY" [9/7/09 - BIG Update]
« Reply #55 on: September 09, 2009, 12:26:18 pm »
Looking good Gamester!

Curious, would you be able to measure the width of the X-Gaming bezel for me? I never ordered one for my first cab but am thinking of getting one for the 2nd and would limit the dimensions of the cab to the bezel width.

Only if you have time! :)
« Last Edit: March 09, 2010, 06:08:30 pm by Epyx »
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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY" [9/7/09 - BIG Update]
« Reply #56 on: September 09, 2009, 06:36:47 pm »
Curious, would you be able to measure the width of the X-Gaming marquee for me?

Epyx,

You said marquee, but I assume you're referring to the monitor bezel.  The dimensions for that are W-26 5/16" x H-29 1/4"
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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY" [9/7/09 - BIG Update]
« Reply #57 on: September 09, 2009, 07:03:37 pm »
Spent Monday evening laying out the cabinet side designs on graph paper.  The design is very similar to rdowney's Arcade Odyssey, with a couple minor modifications.  I shortened the monitor area a little bit (his seemed to have a little too much space at the top of the monitor for my taste), and I extended out the marquee a little further.

Sorry, no fancy 3D renders here...   :)



Started on the cabinet construction yesterday.  Basically just plotted out the dimensions onto the plywood using the graph paper drawing as a reference.  I then used a metal guide clamped to the wood to help keep my cuts nice and straight.  However, I had to be careful not to push the saw up against the guide with too much force toward the middle or it had a tendency to flex slightly -- 8ft is a long span for something that's only clamped on the ends.  Worked pretty good for the most part though, and certainly better than I could have done freehand.

To support the wood while I was cutting it, I simply placed 2x4s on their edges strategically underneath so that as the cuts were made I didn't have to worry about parts of the wood sagging, or worse falling while I was cutting.  I considered using saw horses at first, but it just didn't seem like a very stable way to do it.



First side finished...




To make the second side, I used the tried and true method of drawing the outline on side2 using the first side as a template, cutting side2 with the jigsaw within about 1/8" or so of the line, clamping the sides together, then tracing around with a pattern bit on the router so they are perfectly matched.

I have to fess up that I made the rookie mistake of routing the wrong direction at first (these bits are definitely directional), and I couldn't figure out why the router kept trying to take off on me.  A slap of the forehead later, I realized my mistake.  Worked much better when I actually did the cutting from left to right as the bit was designed to work.   :P

In my haste to get the sides done before dark, I later realized I missed rounding a couple of the corners that I intended to round, so I'll have to go back and do those.

Here's what I've got so far...



Probably will try to work on those corners and getting the T-molding slots cut tomorrow...
« Last Edit: September 12, 2009, 12:39:33 pm by Gamester »
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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY" [9/9/09 - Wood Cutting Starts]
« Reply #58 on: September 09, 2009, 07:13:44 pm »
Quote
You said marquee, but I assume you're referring to the monitor bezel.  The dimensions for that are W-26 5/16" x H-29 1/4"

Doh! I was indeed. Thanks much  :cheers:
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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY"
« Reply #59 on: September 10, 2009, 03:19:09 pm »
I love your CP art!
How did you do the oval outlines around the button groupings and outline around the CP edge?  I have been looking for a template to do that type of CP art but no luck, and I am not sure how to create shapes like that in Photoshop.
Any tips on how you did that?

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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY" [9/9/09 - Wood Cutting Starts]
« Reply #60 on: September 10, 2009, 08:46:36 pm »
@FlatEarth - Thanks for the compliment!

One of the forum members actually did a small tutorial on making the outlines around the controls.  You can find it here: http://www.knievelkustoms.com/tipstricks.htm

Good luck!
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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY" [9/9/09 - Wood Cutting Starts]
« Reply #61 on: September 10, 2009, 09:09:26 pm »
Gotta say, i'm liking this, looks very clean thus far
how on earth could you stand to make the cp wiring that clean though?
it took me about 3 hours to do mine, and it looks like -expletive deleted-

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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY" [9/9/09 - Wood Cutting Starts]
« Reply #62 on: September 10, 2009, 09:53:02 pm »
that panel is absolutely GORGEOUS man.

you available for hire?  :)

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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY" [9/9/09 - Wood Cutting Starts]
« Reply #63 on: September 10, 2009, 10:16:22 pm »
@FlatEarth - Thanks for the compliment!

One of the forum members actually did a small tutorial on making the outlines around the controls.  You can find it here: http://www.knievelkustoms.com/tipstricks.htm

Good luck!
That is exactly what I was looking for! Thanks!!

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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY" [9/9/09 - Wood Cutting Starts]
« Reply #64 on: September 11, 2009, 12:12:34 pm »
First off, excellent work.  I really like what you have done with you CP and I have been watching this thread closely because I think I will be setting up my CP in the same layout(except I think i will go with the 7 button config per player).  Thanks for documenting everything so well as it is really helping me get the gears turning.

to the questions....

Looks like you wired the track ball to your TT2 spinner is that right?  I also will have a spinner and a track ball so I figured I would need the ultimarc mini-pac so I can control all the buttons, track ball and spinner.  I see you only have the I-pac2 and no Opti-pac so the TT2 is controlling the spinner and trackball together?

Why did you go with this gem buttons instead of the ice buttons from GGG?  They are more expensive but looks like they lack the ability to use the RGB board for the extra effects via the LED-Wiz.  Am I missing something?

I see that you got the GGG ICE track ball but you are using a HAPP track ball unit.  Why?  I just figured I would get the full GGG ICE trackball setup that comes with everything.  Again am I missing something?

if you get a chance to answer my questions i would be very thankful... no hurry as I will not be making any quick moves. 

again great work!

Nate

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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY" [9/9/09 - Wood Cutting Starts]
« Reply #65 on: September 11, 2009, 01:10:42 pm »
@bartre - Thanks for the compliment -- I'm glad you like it.  As far as the wiring, it is a bit of a pain to get it neat like that, but I guess I'm just a bit of a perfectionist, so it's worth the effort to me.  :)

@tony.silveira - Thank you for the kind words.  When you work so hard on something, it's definitely nice to have others that appreciate the result.  As far as being for hire, I wish I had the time!  With a full time job, wife and 4 kids at home, I'm lucky to find time for my own project these days, lol.

@FlatEarth - You're welcome... Any time man!
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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY" [9/9/09 - Wood Cutting Starts]
« Reply #66 on: September 11, 2009, 01:19:19 pm »
Quote
With a full time job, wife and 4 kids at home

Hat's off to you for having ANY time at all lol...It was difficult at times with 1 child...I can only imagine 4...
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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY" [9/9/09 - Wood Cutting Starts]
« Reply #67 on: September 11, 2009, 01:30:43 pm »
First off, excellent work. I really like what you have done with you CP and I have been watching this thread closely because I think I will be setting up my CP in the same layout(except I think i will go with the 7 button config per player).  Thanks for documenting everything so well as it is really helping me get the gears turning.

n88n, thanks for the compliment.  I got SOOO much valuable information off this forum over the years in preparation for my project, I really felt like I wanted to try to give back as much as I can so others can benefit from my experiences (including my mistakes). 

I know some of the stuff I'm posting is probably considered "common knowledge" to a lot of folks around here, but I didn't want to make any assumptions about the skill level or knowledge level of the readers, nor did I want to take the attitude that everyone should read through dozens of different threads to figure out some of this stuff, so I'm erring on the side of documenting too much when I can... obviously balanced by the amount of time I actually have available to write the posts.  :)  (EDIT: holy *elf-poo* that was a long sentence...   :P )

Looks like you wired the track ball to your TT2 spinner is that right?

Yes, though I actually don't have it wired yet, the TT2 spinner controller board does also have the ability to connect to a trackball, therefore the IPAC2 was the only other board I needed.

Why did you go with this gem buttons instead of the ice buttons from GGG?  They are more expensive but looks like they lack the ability to use the RGB board for the extra effects via the LED-Wiz.  Am I missing something?

There were a couple reasons I chose the NovaGems.  First, I really just like the look of the translucent buttons as opposed to the milky white EI buttons.  The EI's look great when they're lit, but I also wanted the buttons to look nice even if the cab is not powered on.  To me, the colored translucents just look nicer and more "polished" than the white EI's when they're not lit up.  It's purely an opinion thing.

Secondly, I really didn't care about having the ability to change the color of the player buttons.  For those, one color was fine for me.  I have the trackball to do all the crazy color changing stuff if I want to.  I guess you could say I leaned a little toward the less-is-more approach in that respect.

I see that you got the GGG ICE track ball but you are using a HAPP track ball unit.  Why?  I just figured I would get the full GGG ICE trackball setup that comes with everything.  Again am I missing something?

It really just boils down to the fact that back when I purchased my trackball, I don't think the GGG Electric Ice TB even existed.  And since I also got my control panel cut to fit the trackball way back then, I was pretty much committed to the Happ.  I've read plenty of good things about the trackballs from both GGG and Ultimarc, and were I purchasing one now, I would probably just go with one of those.  I doubt you could go wrong with either of them.

Good luck!
« Last Edit: September 12, 2009, 12:27:46 pm by Gamester »
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n88n

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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY" [9/9/09 - Wood Cutting Starts]
« Reply #68 on: September 11, 2009, 04:10:45 pm »
Thanks for answering my questions i appreciate it!  :cheers:

I see you are using the u360s and I think I will be doing the same.  Looks like you are also using Hyperspin for your FE.  Does hyperspin support automatically sending down the u360 maps based on the games selected?  It seems like MALA does but I can not find an answer on whether or not Hyperspin does.

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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY" [9/9/09 - Wood Cutting Starts]
« Reply #69 on: September 11, 2009, 05:13:31 pm »
Does hyperspin support automatically sending down the u360 maps based on the games selected?  It seems like MALA does but I can not find an answer on whether or not Hyperspin does.

Though I haven't tried configuring it yet, my understanding is that the LEDBlinky plugin by arzoo, which is supported by Hyperspin, actually can handle the switching of the u360 maps.
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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY" [9/9/09 - Wood Cutting Starts]
« Reply #70 on: September 11, 2009, 05:34:59 pm »
cool.  i am still trying to figure out the FE thing and I am looking at Hyperspin, MALA and Maximus Arcade. 

anyway, thanks again for your help and I will stop cluttering up your thread with my questions.

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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY" [9/9/09 - Wood Cutting Starts]
« Reply #71 on: September 12, 2009, 03:18:58 pm »
Very Cool Project!  :afro:

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Re: Gamester's "ARCADE GALAXY" [9/22/09 - Sound System Parts]
« Reply #72 on: September 22, 2009, 09:40:28 pm »
@Shortbus - Thanks!


So here's the current status:

Unfortunately, the combination of a bad head cold and relentless rain in my area served to be a bit of a progress stopper the past two weeks.  But, I'm healthy again, and the weather forecast seems to be looking up, so I'm hoping to jump back into the cabinet construction again over the next few days.

But, where I lacked actual progress on construction, I made up for somewhat in parts acquisition.  I pretty much have my sound system nailed down now...

I dug an amp out of storage that I've been holding on to for 20 years!  The thing was unused in the its original packaging, and I've been keeping it all this time thinking I'd use it in a car some day.  Well, obviously that never happened, but I now have a great purpose for it!  I haven't decided if I'm going to run it off the existing power supply, or if I want to add a second dedicated PS just for the amp.  The amp is 25W per channel, and I'm only planning to use 2 channels, so I dunno.  Something to ponder.  My instincts tell me it would be best to dedicate a separate power supply for it though...




And here's my subwoofer.  Bought this long ago to use on my computer.  This thing's been sitting on a shelf for 10 years.  I suspect it will work nicely in the cab.  Sometimes it pays to hold on to old junk.   :P




Also ordered a pair of these, which should be arriving this week.  They're Infinity 5022i's which are 5.25" diameter.  They seem to have received pretty good reviews everywhere I looked, and for $50 it's pretty hard to go wrong.  I'm planning to do some homemade shielding for them to mitigate any possible interference with my monitor.




And finally, I have a couple of these, which I'm planning to use on the sides of the cabinet.  They're ~12" diameter.  I liked the multicolor effect.  I have a little bit of a twist planned for them though, which I won't reveal just yet...

« Last Edit: September 23, 2009, 11:27:47 am by Gamester »
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Re: Gamester's ARCADE GALAXY [9-27-09 - Cabinet Construction Continues]
« Reply #73 on: September 27, 2009, 10:32:46 pm »
Got back to work on the cabinet this weekend.  I cut the T-Molding slot and started working on the base.  Building one of these cabinets feels like a chess match at times in that you always have to think several moves ahead when you're assembling.  For example, I initially had planned to build the base with the 2x4s set vertically (i.e. taller), but when I started thinking about it, I realized that doing so would not leave enough room for the coin door to install in the proper location (it would have been too high).  I had already cut and screwed the frame pieces together when I came to this realization, so I had to pull them back apart -- thank goodness I hadn't glued them.

I decided to assemble the base with the 2x4s laying flat, which not only freed up some space vertically , but also added the benefit of a more solid surface for mounting the wheels.  As for the wheels, the ones I chose are 2.5" diameter and had a weight rating of 175lbs each.  Should be beefy enough I would think, but I'm still a little skeptical about how well this thing is going to roll when fully assembled.  Guess time will tell.

Here's a few shots of the process...




I didn't have any clamps wide enough to hold the frame together and flush, so I improvised a bit.  I basically screwed a strip of wood to each corner to keep the ends flush while I was constructing the top.




I didn't have enough spare plywood to put a single piece on the base, so I did it in two halves.  I only rough cut the pieces, leaving about 1/4" or so overhang.






Once it was all screwed together, I simply ran the router around it with the flush trim bit which made a perfectly flush edge.  The router has become my new favorite tool -- I LOVE this thing!




Here's the final product with the wheels bolted on.  The result is the typical "skateboard" you see here often.  Nothing exciting, but it's a pretty important piece of the structure nonetheless.




Looking forward to getting this thing erected and standing on its own.  Progress feels slow right now.  I'm sure once I get it standing it will feel like I've actually accomplished something.
« Last Edit: September 28, 2009, 12:58:39 pm by Gamester »
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Re: Gamester's ARCADE GALAXY [9-27-09 - Cabinet Construction Continues]
« Reply #74 on: September 28, 2009, 07:07:47 am »
Good job on the base.  It's a pretty important piece to get square since it effects the rest of the cab.  I recut mine more than once before I was happy.   I know what you mean about how it feels like it's a slow process, for the last month it feels like I've had 2 full time jobs, since every spare minute I haven't been at work, ive been in the garage.

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Re: Gamester's ARCADE GALAXY [9-27-09 - Cabinet Construction Continues]
« Reply #75 on: September 30, 2009, 04:04:21 pm »
Hit one of those milestones in the process...  The cab is finally standing upright!

Marrying the two sides was a bit of a tricky ordeal, since you have to get every piece perfectly aligned and connected on both sides.  

I built some guide blocks that have proved to be invaluable in this process.  Basically, they fit flush up against the plywood edge, and they replicate the exact distance between the sides and the faces.  Basically it's a 3/4" piece sandwiched with a 3/8" piece and an edge guide.  (3/4" represents the plywood width, and 3/8" represents the gap I want between the face and the edge where the T-molding will be installed)

Not sure if I'm making sense, so here's a picture that may make things more clear:



So basically what this allows me to do is simply push this guide up against the edge, then just butt the inner supports up against it before screwing them in.  Positions them exactly where they need to be in relation to the edge, and I don't have to constantly use the measuring tape for every little thing.  Saved me lots of time.

Anyway, I decided to use 2x4s as my primary supports, so for the first step I fastened them to the side 1 using support strips on the inside, and temporarily fastened the base using a couple L-brackets.  All of this basically to just keep the wood in one place for the rest of the process.






Then I simply laid the second side on top, lined everything up using my nifty guide blocks, drilled through the sides, countersunk and screwed them in.  Then I flipped the cabinet back over and installed screws through the first side the same way.



I'm sure there are lots of other ways to do this, and some of them probably include large clamps (which I unfortunately don't have), but this method seemed to work great for me.

....and finally the cabinet is standing on its own.  Feels like it's actually becoming an arcade cab, instead of just a scattered pile of wood and screws!






And of course I had to throw the (unfinished) control panel on there for a quick test drive.  Looks pretty goofy on there right now, but I just wanted to play pretend for a few minutes and imagine myself playing it.   :P




Now I need to get to work on all the faces...

I also uncovered a bit of a flaw in my design of the base.  The casters in the front don't work quite right.  I didn't install them far enough in from the sides to allow them full  circular motion, so they tend to bind on direction changes.  My intentions were to try to give the base as much stability as possible by mounting the wheels as far apart as I could, but that approach is coming back to bite me now.  Haven't decided what I want to do about it yet.  A bit irritating for sure.   :banghead:

Also, the more I look at it standing up, the more I wish I had made some parts of it more curvaceous.  Ah well...  next cab I guess...  ;)
« Last Edit: October 05, 2009, 12:23:11 pm by Gamester »
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Re: Gamester's ARCADE GALAXY [9-30-09 - Finally Upright]
« Reply #76 on: October 05, 2009, 11:58:13 am »
looking good.  Keep them coming.

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Re: Gamester's ARCADE GALAXY [9-30-09 - Finally Upright]
« Reply #77 on: October 05, 2009, 12:10:06 pm »
Looking good!  I love the art for the CP.  And hey, we have the same subwoofer! ;)

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Re: Gamester's ARCADE GALAXY [9-30-09 - Finally Upright]
« Reply #78 on: October 12, 2009, 01:14:07 am »
@shponglefan - Thanks for the compliment!  That's funny about the subwoofer.  I'm hoping it will work well, though I'm not 100% convinced I should use it.  I guess I'll see how much different it sounds with and without it and decide then.
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Re: Gamester's ARCADE GALAXY [10-11-09 - Woodwork Nearing Completion]
« Reply #79 on: October 12, 2009, 02:38:50 am »
looking good.  Keep them coming.

n88n, Thanks!  You asked for it, you got it...

I made a good bit of progress this weekend.

Got all of the major face pieces done.  I have to say having a table saw for these cuts would have saved me a TON of time, BUT I was pleasantly surprised at how well the job could be done with a hand tools and a little ingenuity.

So, at first I tried using the circular saw with the edge guide...




This is when I realized the importance of having the correct blade for the job...  I had a 20 tooth blade on there which really tore up the wood.  A trip to the hardware store netted a 40 tooth blade which did a much nicer job.




Basically I used two different techniques to make my cuts.  The first was to rough cut the pieces to within about 1/8" of the intended dimensions.  I then used a good piece of plywood as a guide by screwing it on and using the router and a flush trim bit to make the final edge cut.  The router makes a very clean edge.  




The second method was to screw a straight section of plywood onto the face to use as a guide for the circular saw.  This turned out work better than the metal guide with clamps as they tended to get in the way of the saw.  Also, using the plywood guide screwed into place, there was NO chance of it moving or flexing during the cut.




And here's the cab wearing some of the finished faces...  The top part of the cab looks really disproportionately tall at this point, but that'll obviously change later.






Next, I worked on the side holes which will house the plasma discs.  This is a step that I really should have done before I assembled the sides... but I made it work.

I really toiled over how to pull off perfectly round circles.  The method I decided to use was to make a template.  To do this, I used two pieces of plywood with some 2x4 blocks sandwiched in between.  I then ran a long 3" deck screw down through both pieces of plywood.  Next, I rigged some wire onto my jigsaw and looped it onto the screw.  This basically just makes the jigsaw work like a compass.  The key is to be sure the wire stays taught throughout the cut to keep the radius consistent.

It took some careful execution, but the template turned out really good.




I then just traced the circle onto the cabinet side at the pre-designated location, drilled a starter hole, and rough cut around the inside of the circle, leaving around 1/4" of extra.  Then I attached the template over the hole on the inside of the cabinet and ran around it with the router and the flush trim bit.












And the finished product...  The lighting makes it look a little odd, but in case it's not obvious, that smaller, darker circle in the middle is actually the hole on the other side of the cab.




Also got the holes cut for the speakers.  In contrast to the big holes on the sides of the cab, these were a breeze, since they don't have to be perfect (the speakers cover the holes).  Anyway, they fit great.  Looking forward to getting to the step when I can actually install them for real!

Just doing a little test fit here...




Anyway, that's all for now.  Hopefully I'm not boring you all with too many details of the process...   ;)  Just hoping maybe some of my methods for tackling some of these tasks might help others.

I will say that I'm definitely going to try to get a table saw before my next project.  Definitely would have been a welcomed luxury during this process...
« Last Edit: October 12, 2009, 10:41:53 am by Gamester »
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