BLACK'S MAGIC- 100% Structurally COMPLETE - PHOTO UPDATES 7-23-2010

[rablack97]

Hello All,

I am new to this hobby and just wanted to share my ideas for my new future cabinet.  I am still in the process of R&D.

Robert Downey's - Arcade Odyssey - has inspired me to take on this massive project.  For now, here is the artwork I plan on using for the cab.

1. The control panel will be lit with novagem blue led buttons (end trails of the lightning bolts), trackball will be blue illuminescent.

2. The square cutouts in the CP will house 2 80mm blue led fans w/ custom fan covers, both will have on/off switches on sided of the CP. (built in A/C)  

3. The cabinet will also have the ability to be turned on and off via a keyring remote switch........

4. Speakers in the upper panel will be neon blue.

5. There will be a plexiglass window below coin box to show off a neon blue illuminescent subwoofer inside the cabinet.

6.  The dragon art will be used as side art with Knievel's blue neon ring idea.

Also, I have never used Photoshop, this was first try at creating artwork.  So cut me a little slack on the professional look that a few other masters have exhibited on this site.

More to come as the project grows.

Any thoughts or comments are highly appreciated.

[romshark]

Artwork is leaps better than anything I can do in Photoshop.
The fans are a neat idea. Just clean the construction sawdust out before any of your friends playtest it. 
So a keyring remote will turn everything on and off? You plan to still shut down the PC properly, right?

[rablack97]

Yes, it will do a proper shutdown.....

[Epyx]

Rablack97,

Welcome and fantastic job. I am doing R&D on my current project so will be interesting to follow yours.   I think we are headed in a similar direction based on your inspirations.

I really love the fantasy art. Let me know if you find those Neon rings anywhere in stock...I am looking for green/yellow

 

[rablack97]

Thanks Epyx,

Here are a few sites I saved as favorites, not sure of stock....

This one in particular has yellow and green 15" inch.......Which is probably what I will go with, to show more of the art.  No stock for the 12"

http://mobile-emotions.com/neonspeakrin.html

http://www.caraddons.com/Catalog/subpages/Liteglow_neon_fx.htm

Green 12"

http://www.zalezauto.com/plasmag/pled.html

These guys offer all colors in 10"...

Good luck

[Epyx]

Thanks rablack97...perfect!

I had seen one of those sites and they indicated they were no longer stocking after "out of stock" status...but I will grab a green.

[vertygo]

I really like the fans idea, that's great!

Are you sure the angle of the CP is going to be enough to blow against the players ? Or are you doing something different ?

[drventure]

You know, that got me to thinking

I picked up a couple of Logitech "chillstream" USB controllers a while back.



They're really nice, but I think my favorite part of them is the little fan and the vents that you can turn on to blow air over your hands while you play.

They work surprisingly well.

So, instead of fan cutouts like that, drill several artistically placed holes in and around the joysticks and buttons, and put fans underneath (maybe with some ducting or channels) that would blow air out the holes to keep your hands cool while you played. Accentuate them with the CP art and you'd almost not realize they were holes, maybe backlit them with some RGB led's or something.

Regardless, though, I really like your artwork!

[vertygo]

that's a great idea drventure, but oh how that will just add fuel to the flames of "how do I layout / space my buttons" 

Seriously tho, that would very cool. I wonder if you could curve up some vents (like 90 degree funnels) and just blow air "down" the CP itself.

[drventure]

Yeah, I could see that, maybe put some hoods over the fans at the top of the panel to redirect the air to blow down across the panel.

Yep, that'd work too.

Good stuff.

[vertygo]

Oh gees, I just thought of adding dry ice to the mix for that Halloween party! Haha soo sweet!

[rablack97]

Thank you all for your comments. 

I want to keep it fairly simple, and drilling extra holes in the CP will I think take away from the beauty of the creators artwork.  That will also limit the creativity of button placements.

I know you have seen the guts of a CP, theres not much more room for channelling etc. 

The concept I have in mind, will be to create to vent holes on both sides of the CP as intakes, of course dressed up with some sort of mesh.  All I want is some sort of circulation in between the monitor, which produces heat and the player. 

Having a direct flow of wind into a players eyes would get pretty irritating, and air flow on the hands considering the spacing of the joystick and buttons would be kind of hard to accomplish, not to mention it feels kinds of weird to have air of that magnitude blowing across your fingers while playing.

Hopefully, the placement will just create a small area of fresh air for the player's.  I used to be an arcade MK, Streetfighter junkie......and I remember having to step away because of the heat generated and lack of air circulation.

Keep the comments coming though.....Jotting down everything......

[drventure]

Yeah, you definitely wouldn't want anything powerful enough to blow into people's faces. That'd be really annoying.

But it's surprising just how little airflow you need across your hands to keep them cool.

At any rate, it's an intriguing idea i hadn't seen before.

good stuff!

[rablack97]

Check out a new start up video i created this weekend for fun.................

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6O7-7dMNtXU&layer_token=d2e3e23de7fd1c52[/youtube]

[drventure]

Cool stuff. I like all the effects but it seems a little long to me. About 15-25 seconds would be about the most I'd want to have to go through when I start things up.

I really like that raining sparks effect though!

[rablack97]

Noted.....I guess I had browsed a few other startups and they were stepping on the minute mark.  I got so into it with the ideas, next thing I knew I surpassed it.  I might cut it down to just the last part, and cut out the beginning for everyday use.  This one is for one of those 1st time seeing it super shows

Pretty good for my first one though, I'm still getting used to all these authenticity arcade spce #'s 

Thanks for the input.

FYI, Picked up more goodies today, I got my led fans, woohoo.  Will be testing this weekend for mounting ideas and noise levels....

[Queeg]

Check out a new start up video i created this weekend for fun...............

Sorry I'm off topic here but I wanted to congratulate your use of Gandalf's death scene music from the Fellowship of the Ring.

Beautiful 

Haha in all seriousness though nicely done.

[rablack97]

Today I received a contraption that supposed would be able to power up and power down my computer via a remote transmitter, as skeptical as I was the darn thing works.  I can now power up and safely power down my PC from 30 ft away.......woohooooo

Kick ass idea #1 is now crushed..............

[rablack97]

In case anyone wated to know.

The easiest way to get this done is with a Logisys Wireless Remote 16506 MultiFunction Panel -5.25"

They only come in silver, I couldnt find a black one.

They are hard to find as logisys no longer makes them.  They are about $45.00, I got lucky a site called XOXIDE.com went out of business recently and i got it for $22.00 online.

It's a bay that can be installed like a dvd drive etc.  Wiring it to your mother board is easy if your computer saavy.

Install the bay and follow the wiring instructions and make sure you have an extra slot space in the back of your PC, you wont need the pin slots just a space, as you have to install an antenna, sort of like a wireless internet card.

The bay has USB and firewall inputs and it can also control fan speed and monitor CPU temps with bright blue analog readouts.

Once installed, just click the key ring transmitter and it fires up the PC, click it again and it does a safe power down, not the immediate shutdown that screws up your PC. 

You can also wire to reset if your pc has this feature.

One warning though, the adaptor that it comes with is a 20 to 24 pin adaptor that goes in between your power supply and your motherboard.  If your power supply is a 24 pin you will with need to do some rewiring.

example
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Logisys/Panel/4.html

Another route, which i am considering is this.....

http://www.digitalconnection.com/products/remote/imon_inside.asp

This little device would mount nicely in an admin panel, and it has volume control, and other cool function.  So this thing will take care of power off/on, and volume. 

I will probably get one just to test it out, no to expensive, they have a few other models on the site, so pick one that suits your needs.

Hope this helps,

[Shortbus]

Dibbs, I'm making a Mame cab entirely of ice. that outta keep the mitts cool...lol

kidding, i like the idea, and the artwork, i like the fan idea and think it will be great!

look forward to more.....on this...

[rablack97]

Hello All,

This is not a dead project, I just can't find the time to post every single update to my cab.

Here are a few pics of what's happened in the past few months.

I have the cab sides and base cut, it's gonna be a monster 34" wide, CP is 40" in width.



The more updated version already has 12" holes cut out for 12" neon blue speaker rings (Knievel's neon mame concept).

Instead of a graphic for the cutout's, I'm going to with 2 12" blue Lumin disk's



I updated my CP art.



I decided not to go with a monitor and go with a 32" WS LCD TV.  Reason?  Size, cheaper, great resolution, and I'm no naked arcade monitor expert if the thing breaks down.  Those things scare me.



I have the CP cutout and I have test mounted my fans.  Funny thing about this CP, this is #2, the first was all done and I had cut my T-molding slot only to find out the darn thing was flipped the wrong way. Buttons and J-stick holes were facing the wrong way.  So as you all know that small 1/8 of an inch for the plexi glas was on the bottom of the CP instead of the top.  So recutting the slot would have made it too big for the t-molding.  So I now have a wonderful template for any future builds.

Anyway back to the fans.









I have also cut some slots for t-molding for the fans as well, not insalled yet, but it should look good with the light behind it and hide the mfd in the circle.

Here are the fan controls that will control the air flow, they were setup to fit in a PCI bay slot so I had to cut them down, you ever try to cut something this small with a jigsaw.  It sucks, hence the jagged edges.  I just started using my mortising bit in my router and my fractional measuring stinks so you see how off i was , the 2nd was a little bit better.  I'm hoping some wood putty will fill in some gaps and the fact the CP will be black, hopefully it will hide the horidness of my attempt.






I'm also gonna cut some 3" holes in the base of the CP and cover with a black mesh on the inside and use the router to round out the outside.  These will be for air intake,  my plan is to place these cutouts towrds the front of the CP where it overhangs from the actual cab.  My thinking is the fans kick out alot of light, so I'm hoping I will get a slight neon glow right under my CP.  Will have to test and see.

That's all for now....

[drventure]

I like the fans but won't that end up blowing in your face? Can't tell exactly. Plus that seems to take up a lot more CP real estate than any kind of ducted system would.

Still, they'll look cool with the artwork you've got!

[rablack97]

Thanks Dr. V,

I thought of the irritating air in the face part, which is why I chose fan with manual controls.  On the lowest setting you dont even know they are there, at medium its generates an airflow no different than your home AC being at full blast.

Whats wierd is the actual air flow of these things blows towards the top of the CP not towards the player, so its actually just circulating the  air in the space between the player and the monitor/tv.

So for continuous play low to mid setting, but if you start sweating your butt off, you can just turn to high, and feel the breeze to cool off, or hey, instant hand dryer.....

Yep, just did a mock setup of the CP, even at full blast you don't get the breezy effect, it actually blows up and away from the player, so that should workout great for the circulation effect I wanted........

Thanks again for the input.......Keep it coming....

[rablack97]

I had my CP art done today, Fedex Kinkos turned it around in 3 hours, highly surprised.  I also tested my neon speaker rings and the Lumin disks that will go into the side cutouts of the cab.

[drventure]

That neon/disk setup looks great!

Hmmm, do they have those in orange? <thinking....>

[Queeg]

I had my CP art done today, Fedex Kinkos turned it around in 3 hours, highly surprised.  I also tested my neon speaker rings and the Lumin disks that will go into the side cutouts of the cab.

Very cool. I'm curious, what did Kinko's charge for your cp print? Does it come with an adhesive back?

[rablack97]

Dr. V,

Thanks, they both are sound activated, the disk, practically pick up any sound within 10 to 15 feet, the microphone is very sensitive.  What's cool is the disks pick up treble, while the neon rings pick more of the bass.  The rings also glow brighter the louder the music gets....

Haven't seen them in orange...I've seen green, blue and red so far. They also come in different shapes and sizes.  Stars, triangles, etc.

Queeg,

The charge is $8.00 a sq ft.  The total was $43.00 for a 40X14 on a poly-glossy type material.  It really shows off your bright colors.  I didn't ask for adhesive backed, since this will go under plexi....I would call to check.  Only con I have seen with this so far, is it scratches really easy, I was removing my cutouts and I have small scratches all over where I was working.  I couldn't figure out how until I scraped off some excess clippings and there is was another scratch.

[Kman-Sweden]

Where's the pics? 
Nice work so far. Keep it up.

[rablack97]

Hello All,

Slow progress is better than no progress....

Finally have a shell to work with..

Top hole will house the neon speaker ring and lumin disk setup

Bottom hole will house a JL audio 10" woofer.

Twin setups on opposite side



Here is a test mount of the 32" monster....

Also a view of the sealed boxes for the woofers. One already mounted



Close up of the sealed speaker box



Close up of the beast



Testing with my favorite fighting game of all time



Finally the night version

[rablack97]

Since I was up figured I'd go ahead and post more updates....

This was an interesting find at the hardware store.  It's a stake for holding signs.  In the cab building world it's a perfect freakin marquee retainer.  I just used the dremel to cut off the the part that usuallly gets stuck in the ground.  It already had pre-drilled holes and already black.





Both sealed woofer boxes now mounted.


Top & back secured, speaker shelf will house 2 Focal 6" 2 way speakers
Had to figure out a way to mount the 32" monster.  Cheap tilt mount and a make shift wall..



Back shot, and yes that is wood putty, I have yet to cut one symmetrical piece of mdf yet, wood putty is my friend. A little sanding and it will all be nice and smooth


Arcade cab handles converted into air vents.

[rablack97]

Continued.....

Started my admin panel.  Flush mounted Focal satellite tweeters.  If you hadn't noticed yet, this thing will be thumpin.  All speakers will ber powered by a 600W JL audio amp.  The 6 button holes will house 6 blue illuminated novagems.



I've seen so many variations of how to mount the arcade glass cover for the monitor/tv.  Here's my attempt at something new.
Came across this little treasure at the hardware store.  Its a tile to carpet transition flooring strip.  It has a 1/4" groove, and flat surface flap on the other side.  I'm hoping to liquid nail one strip to a piece of mdf across the top and attach the other to the top of my admin panel. The glass will fit into both grooves and give me a smooth seam.  More photos to come, will let you know if it passed or failed.





Finally, heres is my rig for sandwiching the lumin disk and the the speaker ring to the walls of the cab,  that will illuminate the upper circular holes on the sides of the cab.  Each screw will have a spring in between the ring and the MDF, this will help with the tension and keep me from over tightening and possibly damaging the ring or the disk.






Thats all for now.....all comments welcome, good or bad....

[emphatic]

 

The only thing I don't like is the 4:3 picture on that 16:9 screen. But I guess that won't be as obvious when the cabinet has some nice artwork etc to draw the attention.

[rablack97]

Man, you already know that is bugging the crap out of me as well.  I don't know how to change the aspect for that game to 16:9.  Anybody have any ideas?  Some of the mame games blow up to full 16:9, but KI just won't do it.

[Kman-Sweden]

You're right Rablack97, the tile will do the trick nicely.
Keep it up. 

[drventure]

Very cool. I love those speaker ring lights. I  DID find a lumindisk in orange on amazon.

Thing is. try as I might, I haven't been able to figure a good way to integrate one into my cab. They are very nice looking though, esp being sound activated.

[rablack97]

Yeah, I found one the minute you made the comment about one being in orange.  I didnt know how serious you were about getting one so I didnt sasy anything about it.  Yeah they are really cool, the work like the plasma ball, you can touch it and the electricity follows your hand.  They are super sensitive and accurate to sound.  Just talking around the thing it flashes right along with your conversation.  It was able to pick up even a finger snap.

Cool thing about it, is that i'm going to place the sound sensor for the speaker rings near the woofers, the lumin disks will pick up more on the highs and mids.  So should make for an interesting effect....

[rablack97]

Few pic updates

Routed the front of the keyboard drawer......




Didn't too much care for the wide open look inside of the cab, nor the idea of placing a decased PC on the floor so I filled it up a bit with a 3 piece unit.

I also wanted to hide the power strips and power supplies as well.

So I figured I would create a shelf, with the bottom section used to hide the power strip for all the plugins and the power supply for the amp. The top section will hold the decased PC.

The panel running across the center will have a panel that will have headphones jack and USB outputs....Haven't ordered the panel yet.


PC shelf


Side Mounting Brackets


Installed


Top - The cutout is will have plexi on the inside, and the the inner portion of the rectangle has been routed for light blue t-molding



Bottom



Complete


A 10" blue neon light will be mounted behind the plexi to show off the decased PC in case anyone ever wants to see it.


I am also going to mount my amp horizontally across the botttom false front, which will be lit up by 2 strips of leds.



Keep in mind all of this will be painted a flat black, didnt see a reason to gloss the inside.  The top and bottom pieces will have handles for easy removal and will be stabilized with double roller spring catches.
http://www.rockler.com/gallery.cfm?Offerings_ID=148&TabSelect=Details

Once the whole thing was put together, the door stop was hindering the shelf from being removed, so i have to cut a slot in the door stop so the shelf could slide through

Amazing how far you have to think ahead to get this thig up and running.

Since the PC and the amp will be lit up, I only wanted this effect when the door was opened.  So I am going to install a few normally open switches connected to the led and neon lighight on the door stop.  Door opens, lights, door closed no lights.  So no light bleeding through the cracks when the door is shut. Sorry for the blur.


Here is the mount for my admin panel....




This will not be hard mounted, it will be removable using the same double roller spring catches.  This piece will also be the retainer for the glass. More on that later.

Here is the mock photo of everything just laying together. Can't attach until paint is done.



Full Shot


Finally,  I started my attempt at Gamester's Bling Candy Coated paint job, check out his thread if you haven't seen it, it's something to see.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=94891.160

His process took a week or so I think, I did this test in 1 day, so it's not his quality yet.  This will be the skin on my cab.....

Testing.......



Thats if for now, more to come later......

[Gamester]

Looking real good!  You're absolutely right about having to think ahead a lot -- it's like a chess match.

I think some of your image links need fixing.  Some of the pics are tiny, and I know they're not supposed to be, based on your post in the "image" thread.   I bet you mistakenly did "Copy Image Location" instead of "Copy Link Location" when you were copying and pasting some of your URLs into the post.    EDIT: Yay, you fixed it... 

Keep up the good work!

[rablack97]

Whoops, thanks, i fixed all the photos......

I returned all my brushes and gallon paint cans and trays.  

3 cans of primer
2 cans of high gloss black
3 cans of metallic
3 cans of clear coat
1 can flat black (inside cab and inside CP)  
1 bottle of Meguiar's swirl X
1 bottle of Meguiar's hi-tech yellow carnuba wax  
1 10" orbital buffer
Polishing bonnetts, and a few terry cloth bonnetts.

I test sprayed the metallic on a small strip of the gloss black and oooooooooweeeeee it was shiney.  Can't wait to go through the entire process.



Paint $40.00
Buffer $19.00
Wax & Swirl X $30.00
Bonnetts $15.00

$105 paint job...... but well worth it

[Epyx]

Looking great! I think the lumen discs with the neon rings are going to look fantastic. By the way my 15" greens arrived the other day. Thanks again for that lead!