The Shmup! Arcade (Final Move 4-26-13)

[Ryglore]

Yeah, I got the bug again. I'm planning to change the video (possibly the frontend graphics again as well) and I want to change the marquee light from fluorescent to LED.

As for the Bartop. I think it's in a holding pattern for now. I've gotta look into monitor options some more and I need enough money to get all the components. Though... I will say, I am working on something that will tame the bug for the time being... More news on that later though. 

[BurgerKingDiamond]

does this monitor rotate back to horizontal orientation? If not then I am wondering why you have a 6 button layout for a dedicated vertical SHMUP cab?

Other than that it looks sweet. You should see about putting a 360 in there. It has some AMAZING shmups, and even a couple are region free (mushi futari, espgaluda II), although you would still have to import them.

[Rick]

But I am in the middle of changing the load up movie to make it even more authentic arcadey. Think Rom checks and scrambled screens when you load up a game. 

Don't you bogart my idea now...  Of course, I haven't said anything about it yet, but I will say this - I love your idea, and have been working on something similar now for a bit.  Oh, hell.  I'll just go post it over in my thread and stop ruining yours with my words.

/threadjack

I love your cab - the Schmup is one of my all-time favs and definitely an original.  It's one of the reasons I wanted to branch out to something original, and an inspiration.

[Ryglore]

does this monitor rotate back to horizontal orientation? If not then I am wondering why you have a 6 button layout for a dedicated vertical SHMUP cab?

Nope, the monitor doesn't rotate at all. And while the image is a bit smaller than if I would have rotated the screen. It's still pretty big, I've not had complaints from friends about playing horizontally oriented titles on it. While the SHMUP is "dedicated" to vertical shooters, Since that's the genre I prefer, the plan was always to have as many games on it as I could, regardless of type. So, the 6 button layout is there for versatility, mostly. On my friends cab, that inspired me, he only had 4 buttons and a vertical screen, I didn't care much for that set up, especially when we did decide to play fighters. So when I built mine, I went with the 6 buttons.

Actually, I have 4-5 lists organized by genre thanks to romlister, Shooters, Sports, Fighters, Trackball and All Games.  And if we want to play some SF2 or Mortal Kombat, the extra buttons are available. If not, that's fine too, they are there when I need them. Luckily, the 6 button layout isn't completely wasted on my shmup playing. I play a lot of Daioh, and it uses 6 buttons, interestingly enough.

Other than that it looks sweet. You should see about putting a 360 in there. It has some AMAZING shmups, and even a couple are region free (mushi futari, espgaluda II), although you would still have to import them.

Ya I've been looking into importing some of those region free games for my 360 for sure. I doubt I'd ever put a 360 in the cab though. Since I have an arcade stick for my 360 already. ha 

But I am in the middle of changing the load up movie to make it even more authentic arcadey. Think Rom checks and scrambled screens when you load up a game. 

Don't you bogart my idea now...  Of course, I haven't said anything about it yet, but I will say this - I love your idea, and have been working on something similar now for a bit.  Oh, hell.  I'll just go post it over in my thread and stop ruining yours with my words.

Ya I never got around to working on this idea. I was actually thinking of just having it load up without the intro video instead. I'm still debating it. If I do make up another video, I may just do something akin to a DOS Prompt. Simple, straight forward. On the other hand, I do like the load up of the old games like Robotron 2084. hmm.

I love your cab - the Schmup is one of my all-time favs and definitely an original.  It's one of the reasons I wanted to branch out to something original, and an inspiration.

Thanks! I'm super happy to see my work has been inspirational. I'm digging your DOOM cab idea for sure too. Makes me want to load up my Xbox copy and play again. Or even just play the XBLA version of DOOM II. 

[Ryglore]

Hey all. Just thought I'd toss out a quick mention that I'm gearing up to do some little tweaks to the SHMUP!

After playing on the Retrotron: 1984 for a bit at my buddy's house. I've come to realize that I really want a good, solid way to play 4 way games. Currently, my Happ Super 8 way sticks don't really do the job and can be really picky when playing 4 way games. Pretty much to the point of making them unplayable. So I'm missing out on some of my favorites, like Frogger, Donkey Kong and BurgerTime. Plus, my girlfriend really would like a reliable way to play Dig Dug.

After paying off bills w/ my Tax Return (man it disappeared quick!), I had just enough left for the upgrades. I decided to go with Omni2 4/8way Switchable Sticks from GGG with the UV Reactor clear light blue ball tops. Since they are the closest tops to the bubble tops I have on my current sticks. It might have been possible to use my original tops over, but I did retap them to 1/4" thread when I made my original shafts. Plus they are super glued into place, so I figured I'd play it safe. That way I didn't regret it later.

When I ordered the Orange Acrylic sample from Tap Plastics for Opt2Not's Alpha One's dust washers, I also ordered a sample of Dark Blue acrylic for use as new dust washers for the SHMUP's new sticks. I'm going to try to make a set of clear and a set of clouded washers so I can see which ones I like better. But if it works like it did for Opt2Not, the 4th one might not turn out. But currently I'm leaning more toward sticking with the clouded/translucent washers, rather than crystal clear. 

On top of the Joysticks, I'm also going to replace my Fluorescent marquee light with the Nova Matrix Lynx LED Marquee Light from GGG. I really liked how it turned out w/ the Retrotron's marquee and it's something I've wanted to do on the SHMUP for awhile now. Plus with the LED light in there, I won't need to worry about replacing the light in there. And it'll draw even less power when it's on. Win/Win.

Now, here's a little update that's already happened: When I was building the Retrotron: 1984 I needed to buy tokens for it to run on. Well I decided to give my buddy my old tokens and ordered a set of BYOAC tokens from Santoro. I'm really very happy with these babies. They are really well made and some how he even managed to get them shipped out in the midst of Hurricane Sandy. Thanks man, I love these.

2005 BYOAC Tokens


Anyway. Kinda long winded. RandyT is currently gathering up all my parts order and should hopefully be shipping them out soon. And once they get here I'll be posting up some more pics of the new set up. I really can't wait, it's gonna be super sweet.

[Ryglore]

Alrighty. My 1st major upgrade to the SHMUP since I finished building it is under way!

My GGG order came in today and as soon as I got home I started tearing down the control panel. Luckily thanks to the removable control panel upgrade I did to it awhile back, it made it really easy and I didn't have to do any major wiring jobs. So I popped the control panel off and unplugged it from the cab and took it to the kitchen table.

Omni2 Joysticks and the Nova Lynx Marquee Light


Original Wiring Job w/ the Happ Supers Installed


When I originally installed the Happ Supers, I used bolts and nuts. Which meant I needed to tear it down to bare wood in order to reach the bolt heads. If I had known what I know now thanks to the Retrotron build, I would have used T-nuts recessed into the panel instead. But, these are what we learn after the 1st go around. It didn't really take that long to pull apart either.

Stripped down control panel.


Once the panel was naked, I started the process of mounting the Omni2s. But hit a minor snag in that the mounting holes were too small for my bolts. The bolt pattern was correct though, I just needed to drill out the bolt holes in order to reuse my bolts. So down into the basement I went to do a little hole enlarging.

1/4" Bolts don't fit!


After a quick run with the drill, which amazingly had some charge left in it for the job, I went back to work mounting the panel together. And about a half hour to 45 minutes later, the new sticks were in place and the rest of the panel was ready to go! But I noticed that the new sticks are a tad shorter than my originals... this concerned me a little bit. But I compared them to my Hori SoulCalibur IV Fight Stick for my Xbox 360 and the height was about the same and I never had a problem with that set up. So, I went with it. Plus I don't own a router and the bolt heads are already recessed into the wood, so I don't really have much room available for recessing the housing into the wood.

Omni2 Joysticks in Place and read for the cab!


Control Panel Remounted into the Cab.


Close Up of the P1 Side


Now, I still have to replace the dust washers. I couldn't use my original ones because the shaft on these sticks is 9mm and my original aluminum shafts were 1/2". So the dust washer's center hole was waaaay to big. But, I ordered a sample of dark blue acrylic sheet when I ordered the orange stuff for Opt2Not's Alpha One cab. And I'm going to take it to work tomorrow and make a new set for these sticks.

Also I still need to install the marquee light. But I am out of wire, so I'm going to pick up some at work too and then I can get that switched out soon. I'm hoping  to have the light installed before the end of the week, but I'm not sure what the plans are for the next couple days.

After I got the panel in place I did a bunch of test runs to make sure everything worked and I didn't have any loose connections. Man these sticks are a major upgrade compared to my homemade sticks and everything is buttery. The shorter throw on them is going to take a little getting used to, but I've noticed a not more response in them. The 8 way is solid, the 4 way is top notch and they seem a lot quieter than the Happ Supers.

[edekoning]

Well done, but what is that white stuff directly below the ball of the left joystick?

[Ryglore]

You're talking in the close up shot of it? I think its just a weird reflection off of the shaft. Cause there isn't anything there that I can see.

[Yvan256]

Well done, but what is that white stuff directly below the ball of the left joystick?

It looks like the reflection of the ball itself.

[Ryglore]

Well done, but what is that white stuff directly below the ball of the left joystick?

It looks like the reflection of the ball itself.

I'm thinking it's the reflection of the dust washer and the white of the control panel overlay.

[Malenko]

Well done, but what is that white stuff directly below the ball of the left joystick?

It looks like the reflection of the ball itself.

I'm thinking it's the reflection of the dust washer and the white of the control panel overlay.

^this

Looks fantastic bro

[Gamester]

Great job Ryglore!  I have considered a similar 'upgrade' for my cab as well.  I find that I am compromising the gameplay of the games that I enjoy most by not having a dedicated 4/8 way joystick.  The U360s I have are a great solution for flexibility in being able to play a lot of different types of games, but definitely not ideal for all of them.

[Ryglore]

Thanks guys!

Ya this seemed to be the best route for me. I could have made a different panel w/ a 4 way on it, or dual 4 ways. But decided that the best solution was upgrading the Supers to the Omni2s and flipping them back and forth.

[Ryglore]

I ordered some acrylic test samples from Tap Plastics a while back to help Opt2Not out with his Alpha One project. While I was at it, I ordered up some blue for myself, knowing that I'd need it for the upcoming joystick swap.

A few days ago, I cut the blue acrylic and made the washers. I decided to go with 2" washers, since they were close to the size of my originals if not a bit smaller. So, following the same steps I used to make my original washers, I drilled the center hole w/ a 3/8 Fortsner bit and then cut the washer out with a 2 1/8" hole saw.

New Dust Washers next to my Originals


Well, when I got home I went to test install them... and the center hole was too small. Oh well, I then took a 13/32" drill bit and made the hole slightly bigger. Problem solved.

Once that was done, I busted out the wet sanding paper and started the process of making them translucent. A little elbow grease and some 500, 1000 and 1200 sand paper later, the washers were no longer crystal clear. Now they are like my originals were and you can't see down into the joystick hole.

Translucent New New Dust Washers!


Dust Washers Installed.


Close Up of the P1 Joystick.


I'm really happy with these Dust Washers. And it wasn't until I started working on them that I noticed how purple the old ones are. Now they fit with the rest of the color scheme much better.

I still need to do the marquee light yet, but forgot the wire at work. So that'll have to wait until Monday night. We're almost done with the upgrades!

[Malenko]

any chance of getting you to make me a pink washer?

[Ryglore]

They have a color called "transparent red" I think that's the closest to Pink we'll get from them.

http://www.tapplastics.com/product/plastics/cut_to_size_plastic/acrylic_sheets_transparent_colors/519

[Malenko]

They have a color called "transparent red" I think that's the closest to Pink we'll get from them.

http://www.tapplastics.com/product/plastics/cut_to_size_plastic/acrylic_sheets_transparent_colors/519

looks good to me, send me a paypal invoice my username at gmail.com

[Ryglore]

K, I'll order up some and let you know when it's done.

[Malenko]

K, I'll order up some and let you know when it's done.

Fantastic!  I love that balltop too, wonder if I can get a pinkish one of those.....

[Ryglore]

Ok, between packing to move into a new house (!) and other things taking up all of my time, I've finally been able to knock out the marquee light! It was a pretty easy upgrade and I'm glad I finally was able to knock it out. And now that I have the fluorescent light out of the SHMUP I am going to build a light desk out of it, for other art projects. Interestingly enough, I have MDF left over from the SHMUP still in my garage and it should be plenty to make the table out of.

Anyway, on to pictures!

Removing the the original light.


Testing w/ the Marquee Off.


Marquee Back on and Ready for Action.


I'm really happy with the way it turned out. I was wondering if it was going to cause dark spots, cause of the way I mounted them in there and I can't really tell if there are or not. But now the marquee will turn off when the PC shuts down, just like the lights on the coin door, so it added a bit more polish to the ol' cab.

And now it's ready to be moved one more time, into the house I am buying and it will finally be back out in view. Not hidden away in a side room for no one to see. I can't wait.

 

[Gamester]

The Shmup! is looking better than ever!  Nice additions!   

[Malenko]

looks amazeballs.

[wp34]

Marquee looks great.

I love your trackball as well.  Looks awesome with your artwork.   

[Seith]

That's a great idea you came up with for mounting those novamatrixes!  Much better than how I did it (pictured above).  I may take that idea and run with it so that I can bring my lights back some (my concern is they are too close to the marquee and will result in dark spots in areas, but I don't have a marquee to test with yet, but I can't move them back mounted how they are right now as the speakers are taking up the real estate behind the board).

[Ryglore]

The Shmup! is looking better than ever!  Nice additions!   

looks amazeballs.

Thanks guys! With these upgrades, the SHMUP should be all set for a long time.

Marquee looks great.

I love your trackball as well.  Looks awesome with your artwork.   

Thanks! Ya when I saw that trackball I fell in love with it and decided then and there that I had to have it for my trackball in the cab. If I remember, the original one I ordered ended up backordered because it lacked enough marbleing. So it took a bit longer to get it, but totally worth it.

That's a great idea you came up with for mounting those novamatrixes!  Much better than how I did it (pictured above).  I may take that idea and run with it so that I can bring my lights back some (my concern is they are too close to the marquee and will result in dark spots in areas, but I don't have a marquee to test with yet, but I can't move them back mounted how they are right now as the speakers are taking up the real estate behind the board).

Thanks! I actually installed the Nova Matrix Lynx in the Retrotron: 1984, like you have in that pic and it works nicely. Really the only reason I went this way was because of the panel I have inside being short. You should be ok, but a good way to test it would be to print up your marquee in regular printer paper and tape it into place. Then with the light on, it should give you an idea as to if you're gonna have dark spots.

After I had my Nova installed. I though I should have staggered them to keep it all even. But after I turned it on, they didn't seem to have a problem lighting the marquee, so I left it as is.

Also, another thing about mounting them horizontially. The way those hooks work for screwing them down, you have ot make sure you make them tight as hell, or the up facing hook will slide off the screw. I debated on gluing mine in place, but I'll see if they jar loose during transport to the new house first.

[Seith]

Also, another thing about mounting them horizontially. The way those hooks work for screwing them down, you have ot make sure you make them tight as hell, or the up facing hook will slide off the screw. I debated on gluing mine in place, but I'll see if they jar loose during transport to the new house first.

Good point, even vertically I found I had to screw them kinda tightly.

[Ryglore]

So over the last few months I ended up buying a house! Which meant the SHMUP got moved once again and this time should be the final time for a very long time.

Everything that I've done to make things easier on myself for transport worked wonderfully. The quick removed CP worked like a champ and the easy slide out PC proved to be the most solid design decision I've made on this thing.

Of course, that meant that we also had to transport it again and man was I dreading that. Last time we moved it, it seemed to be the heaviest thing I've ever moved in my life. But some how we ended up with no issues and it didn't seem that bad at all.

So here it is, in the living room of my house! Which is awesome, because now folks can actually gather around it while people are playing. I can't wait to have all my buddies over for the house warming, once I get things all settled in.

[opt2not]

Again, congrats on the house!  Glad the move worked out well, and the cabinet looks like it's in a really great spot! 

[mgb]

So over the last few months I ended up buying a house! Which meant the SHMUP got moved once again and this time should be the final time for a very long time.

Everything that I've done to make things easier on myself for transport worked wonderfully. The quick removed CP worked like a champ and the easy slide out PC proved to be the most solid design decision I've made on this thing.

Of course, that meant that we also had to transport it again and man was I dreading that. Last time we moved it, it seemed to be the heaviest thing I've ever moved in my life. But some how we ended up with no issues and it didn't seem that bad at all.

So here it is, in the living room of my house! Which is awesome, because now folks can actually gather around it while people are playing. I can't wait to have all my buddies over for the house warming, once I get things all settled in.

Congrats on the move.
That's kinda neat, when building my vertical cabinet, your cab was an inspiration to me and I see the corner of your room is much like mine, kitty cornered cab with the bass rig right next door.

[Ryglore]

Nice! I'm always happy to hear that my cab was inspiration toward another person's work too. But that there, that is a neat coincidence!

[Epyx]

@Ryglore

Just catching up on this thread...congrats on the place and move! Looking like an awesome spot to play games!!!   

[Beaps]

Any chance you can share you Mala SHUMPS theme and .xml (list of games)

[Ryglore]

Ya. I'll have to pull them off of the cab itself. Cause I don't think it's on my portable hard drive.