Gamester's ARCADE GALAXY

[Gamester]

Okay, so I promised a "monster" update on the cabinet progress, so here goes...

So, I'll go back to the painting phase... ah, what a wonderfully fun time that was.  *cough*

Here's how it started out:




Here's after about 5 coats of base and 3 coats of clear, BEFORE final sanding/polishing:




And here's the end result.  I have to admit, even though I b*tched and moaned about the process, and all the problems, I'm glad I painted it after all.  You just can't get a finish like this with laminate...




And here's what it looks like when light shines on it.  The metallic really shines through...





...more to come momentarily...

[Gamester]

Mounted the Lumindiscs.  There were multiple ways I could have done it, but I chose to just cut a strip of my scrap ply, cut a hole and screw it in.  Worked great.




Finished the control panel wiring, finally...




Received a couple of important goodies in the mail...






Then promptly went to work on installing the monitor and T-Molding.  MISTAKE: I totally underestimated how much force was going to be required to install the T-Molding.  I had to use a rubber mallet (with a towel wrapped around it).  In order to install the molding on the bottom edge, the cabinet had to be laid on its side.  Well, I wasn't going to try to lay this baby down with that 100LB monitor weighing it down, sooo, I had to take the monitor and plasma discs BACK OUT again to install the molding.  Nothing like doing tasks twice.  

And here's the molding and monitor installed:





The monitor needed to be tested of course, and my son was glad to oblige ...  I know, I know, I was heading into dangerous waters by firing up a game before it was finished.  




Next got the fans installed.  Nice little fans.  No bling to them, but they should last a good long time.  They have magnetic bearings, and a thermostatic switch so they adjust their speed automatically according to the temps inside the cab.  They seem to be pretty quiet too.



I was starting to get worried about the load on the power supply, with all the stuff hanging off of it (it's only a 450W supply).  I decided that I would run the two ventilation fans off of a small "wall wart" power supply.  I simply found an extra one lying around the house that was rated to handle the power needs of the fans. Then I just spliced in a molex connector.  Worked great!

[Ryglore]

That paint job is fantastic! I bet that metallic looks amazing in person, you better have the thing in a well lit area to show it off! 

[Gamester]

Next step in the process was the monitor bezel.  I was a bit befuddled as to how to mount it.  The solution I ended up with was to install some wood mounts at the appropriate distance from the front edge, then apply velcro.  I was a bit skeptical at first, but it worked great and seems to hold up the bezel with no problem.



Marquee light was next, which was a very straightforward install.  Just screwed them in and ran some wire down to the PC, attached molex connectors using the 12v (yellow) leads and plugged them in.






Here's some shots from the inside of the cab, after most of the wiring was completed:





Coin door wiring...




And for the back door, I decided to not install hinges.  Simply put some magnetic cabinet latches on each side of the panel, and installed a knob at the top.  Also made a hole for the main power cable...








And the back all closed up...

[Gamester]

.....and *drumroll* here's how it looks now...

[Gamester]

And of course, this is what it's all about...  grooming a new generation of classic arcade lovers!  




Still have a few loose ends to take care of.  The most glaring of which is my speakers.  My car speaker idea flopped.  The magnets are just too strong to use near a CRT, and I wasn't able to shield them sufficiently to allow them to work.  This puts me in a bit of a bind, because I already have the holes cut for a 5.25" speaker, and I'm having a hard time finding shielded full range drivers that will fit.  The closest I've found is some 4" ones from Parts Express.  I may just have to get those and figure out a way to mount them inside the larger holes.

Also need to order some monitor glass.  Haven't decided yet whether I want to just do clear glass or tinted.  There are pros and cons both ways.

The other issues are mainly just software related quirks, which I'm slowly working through.

[Epyx]

 

Awesome finish Gamester!  Now get some well deserved playtime in.

[Chicken McNobody]

Very nice job!  Love the finish as well, must feel great to finally be playing it.

Great work, and looks to be well worth it.

[emphatic]

  Superb finish on that paint job. Everything else is looking top notch as well.

[HaRuMaN]

I like it.   

It's begging for some lit balltops, tho...   

[Gamester]

Thanks for all the compliments guys!  It's definitely rewarding to be playing on it after all this time.  Fortunately, it turned out to be everything I was hoping for.

As I mentioned before, I still have a few loose ends to take care of on this build, then I'll probably enjoy the fruits of my labor for a while.  When the project bug bites again (I'm sure that won't take too long), I'll start planning my next project, which will either be a jukebox or pin.

It's begging for some lit balltops, tho...  

HarumaN, I definitely agree, but they don't seem to be very readily available for the U360s, and the one or two people that I recall pulling it off had access to metalworking machinery and such.  If you know of an active source for them, I'm all over it...

[Ryglore]

Is the Marquee light on in those pictures? It doesn't seem like it's glowing very much. 

[syph007]

NICE JOB!  I had a feeling you'd beat me.. I had a mad rush on for awhile, but I got sick and ran out of cash... better now but still havent quite found my motivation again.  Ive been mostly making mockup panels and testing.   Are you happy with your control positions?  I keep flip flopping and now I think I want swappable panels so that when I play 1P games, Im in the middle... GAH!  I swear I'll get back to it.. but Ive been playing alot of games though, that counts right!

Anyways, very impressed, looked pro for sure!

[Epyx]

HarumaN, I definitely agree, but they don't seem to be very readily available for the U360s, and the one or two people that I recall pulling it off had access to metalworking machinery and such.  If you know of an active source for them, I'm all over it...

Actually, the ones I have are compatible with the U360s. Luigi's.  The balltops and shafts are interchangeable for the most part.

[Ryglore]

The balltops and shafts are interchangeable

 

[Epyx]

Extra ball tops in various colors. Also fit J-Stik and Sanwa JLW-TM-8. 35mm standard. Also 25mm small black ball for table-tops.

The Ultra 360s are just modified Sanwas...here is a quote from the www.ultimarc.com website.  As you can see the balls and shafts are interchangeable.

[Gamester]

Is the Marquee light on in those pictures? It doesn't seem like it's glowing very much.  

Yeah, the light is on in the pictures.  It's just the camera (or more accurately, the photographer).  In some of the photos, the flash drowns out the marquee backlight, and in others the camera adjusts its exposure to compensate for the brightest light source in the frame, which is usually the monitor, therefore the marquee light looks less bright.

In person, the marquee has a very nice glow to it, but it's not so overpowering that it washes out the colors and blinds onlookers.  It's just right, IMO.  

It's just really hard to capture the true brightness without ruining other parts of the exposure.

[Gamester]

NICE JOB!  I had a feeling you'd beat me.. I had a mad rush on for awhile, but I got sick and ran out of cash... better now but still havent quite found my motivation again.  Ive been mostly making mockup panels and testing.   Are you happy with your control positions?  I keep flip flopping and now I think I want swappable panels so that when I play 1P games, Im in the middle... GAH!  I swear I'll get back to it.. but Ive been playing alot of games though, that counts right!

Anyways, very impressed, looked pro for sure!

Thanks!

I haven't honestly had a chance to play a lot of games yet, but my first impression of the control layout has been pretty positive.  I can't honestly say I would change anything in that regard at this point.  Now once I've used it for a while, I may develop other opinions on it, but so far so good.

My only suggestion is not to fall into the "analysis 'til paralysis" situation, where you think about something so much you end up doing nothing.  Just pick one of the proven control layouts that you think will best match your favorite games and go with it.  I don't think there is a panacea when it comes to this stuff.

Looking forward to watching your progress.  I know you'll do a great job.   

[ivwshane]

Damn! You got that finish using a can? What clear coat did you use?

[dekar24k]

  Awesome job! Love the paint job and the control panel! Your kids are damn lucky too. I'm pretty sure your son's friends don't have such an awesome cab at home.

Is that a WG D9800 27"? I am considering getting one myself for a cab I'm hoping to start building very soon.

Could you share a little about your experiences with it? Are you using an ArcadeVGA2 with it? Any heavy tweaking to get it working with all games, or was it basically plug'n'play?

Sorry for all the questions, but I'd love to hear if you're happy with the monitor and if it works fine with MAME (auto resolution switching etc.).

*Adding this thread to my favorite cab bookmark folder!*

[Billy_Goatfeet]

  Nice job!  That metallic paint looks amazing! 


 

[Gamester]

Extra ball tops in various colors. Also fit J-Stik and Sanwa JLW-TM-8. 35mm standard. Also 25mm small black ball for table-tops.

The Ultra 360s are just modified Sanwas...here is a quote from the www.ultimarc.com website.  As you can see the balls and shafts are interchangeable.

While that's true, it appears there's a lot more modification required to get the shafts to work with the U360s.  Unfortunately, I haven't found anyone that's offering a complete solution for sale, nor have I (yet) found a consensus on what the easiest/best/right way is to perform the mods to make it work.

Since there doesn't seem to be any plug-and-play solution for this, it may be a project I decide to tackle down the road, after I've rejuvenated a bit.

I'm happy to be corrected if I have my facts wrong... 

[Ryglore]

the balls and shafts are interchangeable.

Epyx, really. That's talent.

[Gamester]

Damn! You got that finish using a can? What clear coat did you use?

@ivwshane- Yep, all from spray cans.  The key is wet sanding with 400 or 600 grit (grit depends on how many defects there are) between coats of clear.  You can't sand the base coats since it ruins the metallic, so it's also very important to get your primer as smooth as possible.

Here's the paint and clear coat I used.  The paint is called Midnight Black Metallic...




For the final finish, I did the following:

- Applied a final coat of clear
- Let it cure for about a week
- Wet sanded thoroughly with 2000 grit paper
- Used my orbital polisher with Sealer Wax, then Yellow Carnauba wax
- Lightly hand polished it with soft terrycloth.

Here's the wax I used.  These bottles are a few years old now, but I'm sure the modern equivalent is out there.

[Gamester]

@Billy_Goatfeet - Thanks!  Glad you like it.  :-)

[Ryglore]

I may have to try something like that after I finish touch ups on SHMUP. I Always intended to do a mirror-like finish on the sides and front. Perhaps this is the route to go, as long as sanding the clear coat doesn't effect my lines...

[Gamester]

Awesome job! Love the paint job and the control panel! Your kids are damn lucky too. I'm pretty sure your son's friends don't have such an awesome cab at home.

Thanks for the compliments!  My kids are very appreciative, and I'm really happy to have toys like this around the house, because my teenage kids and their friends enjoy spending time here at the house, instead of having to go elsewhere to get their kicks.  

Is that a WG D9800 27"? I am considering getting one myself for a cab I'm hoping to start building very soon.

Yes, it's the D9800.

Could you share a little about your experiences with it? Are you using an ArcadeVGA2 with it? Any heavy tweaking to get it working with all games, or was it basically plug'n'play?

My experience with it thus far has been very positive.  It puts out an absolutely gorgeous image.  I started out this process with a 25" Sony WEGA with component inputs, and frankly, I think the D9800 is a pretty significant improvement.

I have to admit, I'm a little nervous about the long term reliability, simply because of the quality issues some of WG's previous models had, but I'm cautiously optimistic that it will be fine.

As mentioned further up in the thread, I've installed an ATI video card and Sailorsat's Soft15Khz utility to handle the arcade resolutions.  However, I'm currently not even using the arcade resolutions.  I just have the monitor running at 800x600 and everything is scaling.  I'm actually surprisingly pleased with how it looks at the moment, and am not in any hurry to go through the hassle of getting everything running at native res just yet..

Sorry for all the questions, but I'd love to hear if you're happy with the monitor and if it works fine with MAME (auto resolution switching etc.).

Don't hesitate to ask questions.  I could not have completed my project without the great input of many on this board.  I'm glad to return the favor, and it's also why I've tried to be as thorough as possible in documenting my build.

*Adding this thread to my favorite cab bookmark folder!*

That's very flattering.  I'm really glad others appreciate how it turned out.

Good luck on your project, and I look forward to following your progress!  

[SpaceHedgehog]

Gotta say that the paint job is simply stunning. It looks like a hellluva lot of work and love went into that.

[dekar24k]

Awesome job! Love the paint job and the control panel! Your kids are damn lucky too. I'm pretty sure your son's friends don't have such an awesome cab at home.

Thanks for the compliments!  My kids are very appreciative, and I'm really happy to have toys like this around the house, because my teenage kids and their friends enjoy spending time here at the house, instead of having to go elsewhere to get their kicks.  

Is that a WG D9800 27"? I am considering getting one myself for a cab I'm hoping to start building very soon.

Yes, it's the D9800.

Could you share a little about your experiences with it? Are you using an ArcadeVGA2 with it? Any heavy tweaking to get it working with all games, or was it basically plug'n'play?

My experience with it thus far has been very positive.  It puts out an absolutely gorgeous image.  I started out this process with a 25" Sony WEGA with component inputs, and frankly, I think the D9800 is a major improvement.

I have to admit, I'm a little nervous about the long term reliability, simply because of the quality issues some of WG's previous models had, but I'm cautiously optimistic that it will be fine.

As mentioned further up in the thread, I've installed an ATI video card and Sailorsat's Soft15Khz utility to handle the arcade resolutions.  However, I'm currently not even using the arcade resolutions.  I just have the monitor running at 800x600 and everything is scaling.  I'm actually surprisingly pleased with how it looks at the moment, and am not in any hurry to go through the hassle of getting everything running at native res just yet..

Sorry for all the questions, but I'd love to hear if you're happy with the monitor and if it works fine with MAME (auto resolution switching etc.).

Don't hesitate to ask questions.  I could not have completed my project without the great input of many on this board.  I'm glad to return the favor, and it's also why I've tried to be as thorough as possible in documenting my build.

*Adding this thread to my favorite cab bookmark folder!*

That's very flattering.  I'm really glad others appreciate how it turned out.

Good luck on your project, and I look forward to following your progress!  

Thanks for the thorough reply! The only thing that ticks me off from getting a WG 27" now is the fact that I'm going to play some SFIV and Future Pinball on my cab as well and I don't know how good that will look in 800x600 on a 27" screen. I was thinking of getting the ArcadeVGA2 with this monitor, but the GPU on it is really crap for anything other than 2D-games (I'm very picky framerate-wise ).

Anyways, I really think the D9800 looks awesome and I'm sure it will beat the cr*p out of a PC monitor, I just can't manage to decide whether I want to go for it or not yet. 

Again awesome cabinet!

[Gamester]

Thanks for the thorough reply! The only thing that ticks me off from getting a WG 27" now is the fact that I'm going to play some SFIV and Future Pinball on my cab as well and I don't know how good that will look in 800x600 on a 27" screen. I was thinking of getting the ArcadeVGA2 with this monitor, but the GPU on it is really crap for anything other than 2D-games (I'm very picky framerate-wise ).

Anyways, I really think the D9800 looks awesome and I'm sure it will beat the cr*p out of a PC monitor, I just can't manage to decide whether I want to go for it or not yet.  

The resolution is obviously not going to be as high as with a computer monitor, but the properties of arcade monitors make the lower res images look really nice and vivid.  SFIV would look much better on an arcade monitor at 800x600 then it would on a computer CRT at the same resolution.  

Unfortunately, there is no single display solution that does everything well.  If you go back to the earlier stages of my build, you'll see I struggled with the same decisions.  Ultimately, I concluded that I had to base my decision on what my primary purpose for the cabinet is.  For me, playing the classics is far and away the most important, so I went with a monitor that covers that need without compromise.  If more modern, higher res games, like SFIV and Future Pinball were my top priorities, I would have gone with LCD and had to compromise the quality of the classic games.

If I ever want the best of both worlds, I figure worst case, I'll build a second cab with an LCD.

I know there are a couple people on this board with the D9800 that run SFIV on it, and I think they are pretty pleased with how it looks.  

I believe Delusional29 is one of them.  Here's one of his videos on the subject:




Good luck with your decision...

[Gamester]

Here's some better shots of the CP.  Lighting wasn't too good on the previous shots.







Unfortunately, I neglected to attach the button inserts with a dab of super glue, so they have moved around a bit inside the buttons.  That's another item on my list of things to fix this weekend...

[dekar24k]

Thanks for the thorough reply! The only thing that ticks me off from getting a WG 27" now is the fact that I'm going to play some SFIV and Future Pinball on my cab as well and I don't know how good that will look in 800x600 on a 27" screen. I was thinking of getting the ArcadeVGA2 with this monitor, but the GPU on it is really crap for anything other than 2D-games (I'm very picky framerate-wise ).

Anyways, I really think the D9800 looks awesome and I'm sure it will beat the cr*p out of a PC monitor, I just can't manage to decide whether I want to go for it or not yet.  

The resolution is obviously not going to be as high as with a computer monitor, but the properties of arcade monitors make the lower res images look really nice and vivid.  SFIV would look much better on an arcade monitor at 800x600 then it would on a computer CRT at the same resolution.  

Unfortunately, there is no single display solution that does everything well.  If you go back to the earlier stages of my build, you'll see I struggled with the same decisions.  Ultimately, I concluded that I had to base my decision on what my primary purpose for the cabinet is.  For me, playing the classics is far and away the most important, so I went with a monitor that covers that need without compromise.  If more modern, higher res games, like SFIV and Future Pinball were my top priorities, I would have gone with LCD and had to compromise the quality of the classic games.

If I ever want the best of both worlds, I figure worst case, I'll build a second cab with an LCD.

I know there are a couple people on this board with the D9800 that run SFIV on it, and I think they are pretty pleased with how it looks.  

I believe Delusional29 is one of them.  Here's one of his videos on the subject:




Good luck with your decision...

It do look great on the D9800 indeed and after all, I will mostly be playing classic/2d games (as that's what I enjoy the most). The only problem I see now is getting a WG D9800 to Norway. AFAIK there's no chance of buying one here in Norway so I have to get it shipped and that'll cost me probably $200-$250 in shipping only. Add $400 to that for the monitor itself and I'm paying close to $700 for an arcade monitor. Is it worth it? Looks like it.

[wilno45]

My only suggestion is not to fall into the "analysis 'til paralysis" situation, where you think about something so much you end up doing nothing

Amen

Don't let me tell you about the three days I spent researching castors!

Great build you have there mate, and that finish you got is fantastic. 

[syph007]

My only suggestion is not to fall into the "analysis 'til paralysis" situation, where you think about something so much you end up doing nothing

Amen

Don't let me tell you about the three days I spent researching castors!

Great build you have there mate, and that finish you got is fantastic. 

HA! Only three days? How can you be sure you got the right ones!?!?    Point taken though, it's a vicious cycle if you're the type has a hard time making decisions like I do!

[wilno45]

Think I'm going with rubber feet now...   

[n88n]

turned out amazing!!!  I was very interested in this build from the beginning and I knew it would turn out great.  You have not let me down. 

Have you been playing with the auto mapping of your U360s?  How is that going with hyperspin?

awesome work.

[pinballwizard79]

Awesome dude, that is very pretty...I am jealous, kudos again.

[thatitalian]

Now that looks badass!

[Gamester]

turned out amazing!!!  I was very interested in this build from the beginning and I knew it would turn out great.  You have not let me down.  

Have you been playing with the auto mapping of your U360s?  How is that going with hyperspin?

awesome work.

Thank you!  Glad you like it!  

The recent versions of Mame handle the restriction automatically, so honestly there hasn't been much urgency to configure the U360 mapping.  I've had too many other minor software configuration 'bugs' and tweaks to chase down to keep me pretty busy thus far.

Awesome dude, that is very pretty...I am jealous, kudos again.

I appreciate that!  Don't be jealous... as I recall, you've got a pretty nice rig yourself.  

Now that looks badass!

Thanks thatitalian!  Coming from you, that definitely means a lot, because I've seen some of your fantastic work!

[Vamp RN]

Good Gawd Man!  That is a great looking cabinet!  Have fun playing!!