Aliens Themed Cab

[Ryglore]

And now we know why he has a thing for portability. 

[Gamester]

ROFL...Ryglore is right...its going to have a hammer taken to it...and as far as it not looking too bad...have a look at the link in my signature...its puts the T into Terribad

Eh, you're being way too critical of your work.  That's a very nice clean looking cab.  The only thing I can fault it for is being a bit too wide, and maybe could use a bit more artwork to liven it up.

Anyway, regardless of what you think about your past project(s), please take it from me that this new one rocks!  

[Epyx]

The only thing I can fault it for is being a bit too wide, and maybe could use a bit more artwork to liven it up.

Thankfully the pictures hide the rest!  

But ya, it was built to be 34" wide because I was too intimidated to decase the 27" sony...so put it in with speaker attached to side etc...thus 34". 

[Ryglore]

Ha, where's the progress? Stop studying and get back to work already! 

[Epyx]

Hehe, still made progress even with studying!  Finished the 2nd side but didn't bother taking a picture, ill just update it when a few more things are done.  I have brought both sides into the basement. Thanks to laminate there won't be a lot of painting etc going on so no point in finishing the build in my cold garage when I can do it downstairs.

During the week, I will finish the base which I laminated yesterday and then come weekend I finally join the beast together.  I also placed my order from GGG last night and Thorsten for the hollow shafts and led balltops so got all the supplies.  The GGG order also includes the prize for the current High Score comp of Black Dragon, so if any slackers are reading this get playing!

I will post pictures once the base is done as I can document the joining of sides, top and bottom.  I am going to be really fussy about exact width on this cab..26.5" from top to bottom.  That is why I built both extremities first, to ensure width is accurate to a hair.

So much for recycling a lot of the cost...just added up and im well over $600 on this "new" build...ouch.  Thankfully wife was bribed with spending money.  However, Ill still need to put glass in the cab. I'm pretty confident I can go back to the glass cutting place and take my old glass which is 32" wide and get it trimmed down to size to save cost.

Current list of costs for those who are curious:

Home Depot

Wood - $90
Paint - $27
Caster Wheels - $36
Laminate - $180
Misc - $80

NCIX


Lighting Cathodes+Mods

$50

Ultimarc


JLW w/Balltops - $50

GGG

Products
1 x   LED-Wiz™ 32-port USB Lighting and Output Controller
  - Device Number: 1 (Use if FIRST or ONLY device o   $44.95
1 x   TokenTop™ Premium Spinner Knob
  - Rubber Color: Black
  - Token Inlay: BYOAC Logo - Brass   $22.95
12 x   NovaGem™ Lightable Horizontal Pushbutton
  - Microswitch: Micro-Leaf™
  - Color: Green   $97.20
1 x   Electric ICE™ RGB Trackball Lighting Upgrade Kit V2.0
  - Trackball Size: 3 inch
  - Lighting Option: RGB Overdrive™   $36.95

Thorsten's Led Balltops+ Hollow Shafts

$42

Total = Ouch...so much for the cheap upgrade lol but it's done the way I want it, that's what counts but safe to say next build will be a while.

[opt2not]

I hear ya man, this ain't a cheap hobby by any means. I added up my total for my last cabinet, El Mechanico, and even though it was a renovation project, it still cost me slightly over $800 to finish.
I don't want to add my total on my cocktail cabinet yet, but I'm sure i'm up to about $500 so far.

[Epyx]

Man didn't even realize El Mechanico was yours even though its in your signature until you just mentioned it and my rather slow lightbulb went off... beauty of a cab btw.  Very cool and original theme.  Mattmania must be a blast to play on that cab in 2 player!

[opt2not]

Man didn't even realize El Mechanico was yours even though its in your signature until you just mentioned it and my rather slow lightbulb went off... beauty of a cab btw.  Very cool and original theme.  Mattmania must be a blast to play on that cab in 2 player!

Thanks! It was a fun cabinet to work on, and it turned out better than I expected. Oh man, Mat Mania! I haven't played that game in a while. We been mostly playing Wrestlefest on it, but I'd much throw Mat Mania on there and see what people think of it. Classic game, thanks for the reminder!

[Epyx]

Ordered the side art from a local sign shop called FastSigns.  Side art is going to be printed to back lit vinyl at 16"x16" with the artwork centered to appear centered in the circular side holes.  Can't wait to see these babies lit up. Should be ready by Friday, just in time for the weekend woodworking.

Thorsten just sent me notice of a pic of my balltops all lit up and ready (they are now enroute) on his gallery:



Saying I can't wait to see these on the cab is an understatement!

Depending on the quality of the art, I think I will order my marquee from the sign shop as well...the material looks and feels fantastic and durable. Just going to wait to confirm exact dimensions for Marquee but at this point looks like 26.5"x7".

[opt2not]

Oh man, those look awesome! They totally go with your Aliens theme. They look so good, I'm thinking about going the lit-up route on my cabinet now! I might have to wait till I get more funds for it, but damn, I'm jealous!

re: the marquee,  what material would you get from FastSigns? The same back-lit vinyl? do you know how the material looks when back-lit? I know that the material mamemarquees uses "back-lit film" for their ultimate material, and photo paper for their premium. Both have the right amount of translucency and light dispersion for a marquee, not to mention heat durability.  That's the other question, whether or not the ink can withstand the amount of heat it'll get constantly? I'd ask them if they can tell you how durable the ink is under heated conditions.

[Ryglore]

Thorsten just sent me notice of a pic of my balltops all lit up and ready (they are now enroute) on his gallery:



Saying I can't wait to see these on the cab is an understatement!

AWESOME! Ha, I'm so glad I suggested this now. That CP is going to look amazing.

[Epyx]

Ya that was a good spot on your part as I didn't know these even existed and being available for the JLW Sanwa sticks is just a bonus as I really like the sticks.  The biggest issue for me is going to be not wanting to switch over to working on the CP lol...the Novagems and trackball lighting upgrade will likely be here next week as well, so Ill just try to keep disciplined and finish the CP *last*.../sigh

[Epyx]

re: the marquee,  what material would you get from FastSigns? The same back-lit vinyl? do you know how the material looks when back-lit? I know that the material mamemarquees uses "back-lit film" for their ultimate material, and photo paper for their premium. Both have the right amount of translucency and light dispersion for a marquee, not to mention heat durability.  That's the other question, whether or not the ink can withstand the amount of heat it'll get constantly? I'd ask them if they can tell you how durable the ink is under heated conditions.

Good question and yes researched this pretty thoroughly at their office. They have several constantly lit displays...it's professional back lit vinyl for back lit mounted signs.  The stuff is night and day compared to what I got from Staples for my Marquee...It is thick, resistant to fading and designed for lighting specifically.

I will post some pictures this weekend when they are ready. I spend a lot on the arcade suppliers online so figured it would be a nice switch to support a local retailer.

[Ryglore]

Ya, I had to build my CP first so I could get dimensions for the rest of my cab.

[Epyx]

Ya, problem is I knew mine ahead of time

26.5 wide by 10.5 deep lol...thus the potential for diversion...

[Gamester]

Epyx, do you still expect to need plexi for the marquee, or is the backlit vinyl product rigid enough to be used alone?

[Epyx]

I just went again at lunch and it's actually called "backlit film".  It almost feels like thick cellophane if that makes sense.  They assured me it's heat resistant, wont fade etc. Here is a link:

http://www.fastsigns.com/Backlit-Display.aspx

That is just their web example in the showroom they had at least 12 and one that caught my eye was colour rich and it really popped with flourescent backlighting...they had others with LED backlighting so you could see the difference. I was really impressed with the product.  

Their products are stacked as follows: lighting then the sandwiched film between glass/plexi.

And yes, it will be sandwiched between plexi just like other marquees.

[Epyx]

My plan is to have it sandwiched in plexi (the side art) with just the circular inner portion showing in the side holes...the plexi will be backed by hardboard coated in aluminum foil or something even more reflective with a gap for the cold cathode tubes.

[Gamester]

That is just their web example in the showroom they had at least 12 and one that caught my eye was colour rich and it really popped with flourescent backlighting...they had others with LED backlighting so you could see the difference. I was really impressed with the product.  

So are you saying that the flourescent backlighting looked better than LED?  Did they actually have a comparison of the same image lighted both ways?

I ask because I originally purchased GGG's Novamatrix LED Marquee light for my project, but now I'm concerned I made the wrong choice...

[Epyx]

Sorry that wasn't very clear.  They both looked great...I will be going with my own lighting (for the side art illumination)  via the Cold Cathode which is a form of neon light as opposed to LED light. For the marquee I will likely go with either a white cold cathode or LED.

In the display room they both looked good but if I had to pick one, probably the LED as it looked slightly more evenly distributed light wise...although that could have been the particular graphic being displayed had more light areas for light to illuminate if that makes sense.

And yes, they had different artwork although that is a good point...tell you what. When I go pick it up on Friday I will take a picture in the showroom with  my high quality camera and you can see (as good as that will show it anyways!).

[Epyx]

And here is the product information for those that are curious:

 

I've contacted my suppliers and the product name is called "Backlit Poly Film" specific design for Light Boxes. The thickness is 1 mil. This is a non-adhesive backlit film.

Again, Ill have pictures on Friday.

[opt2not]

Great info, thanks for looking into that more deeper Epyx. If you don't mind my asking, what are they charging for the marquee printing?

[Epyx]

Great info, thanks for looking into that more deeper Epyx. If you don't mind my asking, what are they charging for the marquee printing?

Np.  As for the marquee I'll get a quote on Friday when I pick up the side art. The side art is two pieces and each piece is 16x16" and they are $30 per piece.  I would imagine a Marquee would be in the $20 - $24 range based on the square inches.  That isn't too bad and no shipping.

As to the quality, well I'll find out Friday...but if it's good Ill definitely get the Marquee from there as well.

[Ryglore]

If it's the Backlit Poly Film, I think it's the same stuff that the "Ultimate" mamemarquees.com material is. Plus it's a pro signage shop, so I would say you'd be safe to get the Marquee made up from them and that price is a steal. Does it also come withe plexi? or do you need to make up some pieces for it?

[Epyx]

I'll have to supply the plexi, but I have a few sheets of .08" still so not an issue.  Agreed, looks like the same backlit film the Ultimate uses.  I still want to tweak the marquee a bit as well, maybe another alien on the left hand side peering in from the side etc.

[Kman-Sweden]

The ball tops look fantastic. You should use these PCB "feet" in your build..

[Epyx]

The ball tops look fantastic. You should use these PCB "feet" in your build..

Hehe nice...where are they from?  Still undecided if I will bother decasing my PC or just leaving it in the case. I like being able to take out a pc if/when required etc. But if I do decase it, these would be the way to go! 

[Ryglore]

The ball tops look fantastic. You should use these PCB "feet" in your build..

Hehe nice...where are they from?  Still undecided if I will bother decasing my PC or just leaving it in the case. I like being able to take out a pc if/when required etc. But if I do decase it, these would be the way to go! 

I made my boarded PC slide into the back of the cab so if I need to I can just unhook the cables and slide the board out to work on it.

You can see the rails here:
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d177/LOPWyrm/SliderSlots.jpg

and the PC in place here:
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d177/LOPWyrm/PCMountedInCab.jpg

[Kman-Sweden]

The ball tops look fantastic. You should use these PCB "feet" in your build..

Hehe nice...where are they from?  Still undecided if I will bother decasing my PC or just leaving it in the case. I like being able to take out a pc if/when required etc. But if I do decase it, these would be the way to go!  

Found them here --->http://www.grebo.eu/arcadegames/shop/index_eng.htm
Click on Products, they are listed under "Unsorted". You can use them to hold your Ipac, LedWiz etc.

[Epyx]

I made my boarded PC slide into the back of the cab so if I need to I can just unhook the cables and slide the board out to work on it.

Ya, thats a great way to board a pc. I have my one remaining cab boarded and my previous was boarded as well...something nice about being able to take your pc out case ready though for quick plug-in if the urge to play a pc game strikes me or just as a spare computer when/if required and then plop it back in.  Not like most cabs (Ond's excluded!) don't have enough space for a fully cased PC and airflow in my basement won't be an issue.

Found them here --->http://www.grebo.eu/arcadegames/shop/index_eng.htm
Click on Products, they are listed under "Unsorted". You can use them to hold your Ipac, LedWiz etc.

Thanks Kman!

[Gamester]

IMHO, I don't really see the point in going through the effort to de-case the PC to mount it on a piece of wood.  For mine, I just removed the sides from the case to make sure it gets plenty of ventilation, and plan to keep it in the chassis.  It's easy to mount & remove, and it's cheaper (if you already have a case to use) and easier than doing a custom mounting job.

Obviously, as alluded to above, there are sometimes space constraints that necessitate de-casing, but I think if you have the room, there's not really much point in it...

[Ryglore]

Obviously, as alluded to above, there are sometimes space constraints that necessitate de-casing, but I think if you have the room, there's not really much point in it...

Ha, mainly I wanted the challenge of playing w/ components. Plus I had an old ZIP disk drive, a 2nd HDD and a CD drive that were in the case.

Plus, I like the look of opening the back and seeing the PCB and parts in there rather than the case sitting inside. Give is less of the "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. " feel when you crack open the back. 

[Ryglore]

Not to mention I removed the wiring for the LEDs on the front of the case, the front USBs and a few other things. SO I streamlined the system to just the mobo, power supply, 60gb HDD and a DVD-R drive. 

[Chicken McNobody]

I also don't see the purpose of decasing if it isn't a room issue.  My DK cab had plenty of room, so that computer will stay in the case.  My Classic cab would have required dismantling the coin box to keep it in the case, so that PC came out of the case.  I wish I didn't have to go that route, I acidentally fried the computer in the process and had to use another to get it back up and running.  The replacement takes a little more time to boot up, so that is a bummer, but it still works, and that is all that matters in the end.

Plus, I like the look of opening the back and seeing the PCB and parts in there rather than the case sitting inside. Give is less of the "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. " feel when you crack open the back.  

I see your point, it does look more authentic.  But honestly who is going to go inside other than you?  And what do you tell people when they ask how you got so many games on one machine?  "I have a 5,000 PCB switch board wired in a seperate room that is linked to only this machine."  

But that is why we are here, to share our opinions and experience with others.  While we learn and grow in the process.

[Ryglore]

I see your point, it does look more authentic.  But honestly who is going to go inside other than you? 

Oh my cab is open backed. And the way I saw it was, I'm going to wire the thing to take tokens, keep it so it has no visable admin buttons and go through the work of making it seem like a real cab. So I might as well dismount the PC and put the parts in there like a real cab has.

Plus, when I show it to folks and roll it out for people to see when I explain it, it seems more impressive. 

[Epyx]

Obviously, as alluded to above, there are sometimes space constraints that necessitate de-casing, but I think if you have the room, there's not really much point in it...

Ya, that is really the way I tend to view it.

But as Ryglore and others have mentioned decasing is better from an aesthetic point of view but for me it's likely going to be functionality/ease versus Aesthetics.

[Ryglore]

Ha, as you can tell. I'm all about aesthetics. I got questions from my buddy about why I wanted to only use tokens, or why I was going through the trouble of wiring everything to load up simultaneously, and why I wanted to dismantle the PC.

Pretty much my answer was. "Cause I can?" 

[Epyx]

Ya, the working coin slots, and startup videos etc are a must for me with this build as well. But mostly I want the exterior to just look "tight" and if I have to redo cuts multiple times so be it.  The startup video in particular should be a blast for this cab.

[Ryglore]

In space no one can hear you scream.... but in Epyx's basement... everyone can.

[Epyx]

Lol, indeed.  My wife is actually on board and keeps asking me when my "man cave" will start construction.  Once the basement is done the cab (and future ones!) will have a great home...and I will have my *bachelor pad* retreat