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My arcade cabinet (unorigional title)
romshark:
Time for an update!
Besides playing and software tweaks, I've made a few incremental improvements. Changed internal video to an ATI Radeon card. Redid some of the cabling inside to be neater, mounted the Naomi on an easy-to-remove board, and so on.
After a year, I decided to make a new control panel. There were a few things I didn't like about the old one. I didn't have a router until close to the end of the cab build, so I used a moto-tool to dig out the wood to make my trackball plate flush (end result = really bad). Somehow, part of one side swelled up (probably paint in the t-molding groove that wasn't primed first). The Start buttons were kinda space odd (I prefer equal distance from the center of the panel.)
During this time, I'm upgrading to J-Stick ball-top joysticks from Ultimarc. Here's a test-panel I used to see how the feel is. I like the ball-tops, and like the ability to go true 4-way. I know people like the fancy sticks like the Ultimarc 360, but I need something that works with Jamma and the Naomi.
I got the wood, planed and drilled holes, counter-sunk the mounting holes for my joysticks, routed the area for the joysticks and trackball plates (perfect depth this time), and even drilled the button holes in the plexiglass.
By the way, except for the removed trackball (for use in the new CP), my old panel is still usable. So if I can't work on my new panel (say, in case of rain), I can still play.
I couldn't find 5/8 inch wood anywhere, so I did something crazy / stupid / insane. I took the time to route all the wood that's exposed on the bottom half to make it look like a 5/8 wood. I think it'll look good in the end.
Still thinking what my art should be. I'm thinking of doing the same thing again, but I've found the "lightning pattern with illuminated trackball as it's source" has been done even before me a few times. Perhaps a nice [url =http://www.gameongrafix.com/products/grid-purple-control-panel-from]grid pattern?[/url] Also thinking of finally adding some sideart. Any thoughts / ideas? (I'm sure someone will say "it's your cab, do as you wish". Just looking for ideas, people)
With the ATI Radeon, my MAME computer (a lowly eMachines, nonetheless) is the fastest computer we have. I can play Left 4 Dead 2 and actually have rain on the Heavy Rain map on default settings. So I also started building a special control panel. This is merely a flat board that'll be painted and t-molded (maybe add some CPO art?). I can then use a keyboard and mouse with my Half-Life style games, on the only system that doesn't have a framerate bad enough to make me sick (it actually happens to me!)
Just FYI, here's what it looks like under my control panel. Each pair of gray 15-min cables goes to a system (Naomi, PC, and Jamma), and connects to the controls. To the right is a molex connector for the coin door inputs, as well as test and service buttons (so whatever system the controls are connected to, the coin door stuff is also hooked up to.) To the right is the wireless keyboard / mouse unit, and the connectors for the trackball (USB and power for the light).