Aliens Themed Cab

[Gamester]

Oh my cab is open backed.

Heh, well I guess it's safe to say you don't have any small children or pets.  Man, my cab would be fried in a day, if I left the back open, because my dogs or kids would think it looks like a great hideout.  

I can see, with an open back, why you would want to de-case the PC.  I'd probably consider doing the same in that situation.

[Ryglore]

Heh, well I guess it's safe to say you don't have any small children or pets.  

Actually I have a Chihuahua, but the cab is going to be against a wall, and he's not going to mess around trying to get between it and the wall. One day I'll figure out how I want to put doors on the back, but for now it's open.

[Kman-Sweden]

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...

I did it 'cus it's FUN!   And why would I put in all the effort making the outside look "arcadian" and then just throw a booooring PC in there?
It's more fun to show the inside of it to friends who say "Did.. You.. BUILD THAT?! How does it work?" if it's not clear from the get go that "it's just a PC with fancy buttons".
I'd go all the way with the alien theme... Buy black and/or green components. Use H2O cooling with clear tubes and green color in the cooling water. UV lights and sleeving on all cables. Fans with green LED's.
The whole nine yards.  

[Epyx]

On a "side" note...just picked up the backlit side art...man...it looks fantastic. Can't wait to mock it up tonight. Pics to follow when I get home.

And Kman I hear you...I may just do that

[Kman-Sweden]

Can't wait. 

[opt2not]

I completely agree with Kman, as well as the suggestion if you have the funds to support it.  That's what I'd do too!

The few reasons I would de-case my PC are:
1. Easier dust clean-up. Dust is going to build-up regardless if your PC is in a case or not, so my logic is that if it's not cased, it'll be easier to get at the components with your can of compressed air.
2. Heat. Inside your cabinet heat will rise, having more room for heat to circulate from it's parts is really beneficial to the longevity of your components. You may say, "but my case has plenty of fans for ventilation".  That may be true, but what good is a well vented case, when all it's blowing into it is hot air generated from your cabinet. Without a case, you have more area space for the heat to dissipate.
3. Stability. Unless you drill your PC case to the cabinet, or fasten it somehow, having the PC parts attached right to the cabinet allows for less things moving around inside the cabinet, for when your hulky friends crank on your controls during a heated battle of robotron, shifting the cab around. As well, when you plan to relocate your cabinet to another spot, you don't have to worry about pulling the PC out of the back before moving.
4. It also has a bit more of a professional feeling to it.

These are my reasons, it may not be what you guys care for, but for me I'm pretty set on leaving it out of the case. I like to look at my cabinet and think "this is an arcade cabinet, it's not just a painted box with a PC stuck in it" (even though that's exactly what it is). De-casing it makes the entire cabinet feel like one whole product to me.

Epyx, can't wait to see your pics! I'm assuming you're going to go with them for the marquee as well?

[syph007]

Just to add to the points above, another big reason to decase is if you want to use a big heat sync on the CPU.  I will be installing a large passive one that would never fit in the original case.  That, heat and ease of access to the motherboard are the reasons I decased.  I admit after though it does also look cooler when I show the insides off to friends.

[Epyx]

Epyx, can't wait to see your pics! I'm assuming you're going to go with them for the marquee as well?

Definitely going to use them for the marquee as well.  Here are some pics...hard to get good pics of lit/unlit artwork but ill try taking better ones at a later point:

Picture of the two pieces of side art...both backlit poly film...one is turned so you can see the film material from the back:



Picture of the side art taped up from behind and unlit on the second side of the cab which I finished a few days ago:



And a few lit pictures...I just dangled the light from behind...no diffusion yet which I will do with a back layer of frosted plexi (art will be sandwiched...reg plexi...art...frosted...cathodes...foil and backing).  The pictures don't capture how great this looks even with it not being diffused. For one the art is clear and not shadowy looking and the black surrounding and in between the graphic doesn't have a green smear:

[emphatic]

 

[rablack97]

Hello Epyx,

This is looking nice.......   Black's magic is taking shape, and pieces are flowing in via mail.

I was considering going with the u360's as well, what was your reasoning for going with the J-sticks?

Sideart is kicka88, I take it you changed your mind on the speaker rings........I just got mine in the mail 2 days ago (blue).  Only thing is you just killed some of my excitement when you said 12" looked too small.  I figured 15" would look too big.  I'm from Texas, as you know everything ig BIG in Texas, my cab is 34 inches wide, and gonna house a 32" LCD Hi-Def wall mountable flatscreen.  So if you say 12" looked small on yours 12" will look like a mouse hole on mine.

Loving the idea of the cathodes underneath the CP........

Oh yeah, I have the fans too, brainstorming on how I'm gonna cleanly mount them in the CP.  Found a little device at xoxide.com to power on/off the whole unit with a little key ring remote.  No power button needed on the machine.

I'm watching ya, keep up the good work, I'll be posting pictures soon as well.

[Ond]

Turned out alright eh?    Nice to see this taking shape.  It's a good 'strong' theme,  by that I mean it has that strong 'classic' arcade feel of unified art and color theme going on. This is sure to be a stand out Cab on BYOAC. The test pics look great, my only suggestion would be to try and keep the backlight on the art as well diffused and toned down as you can in view of the outer 'ring' lighting to come. You are still using the rings yeah?  I'm sure you're already way ahead of me in thinking along those lines though.  Either way, good stuff!

 

Ond

[Ryglore]

Excellent! That artwork looks amazing! I think I had a little bit of a nerdgasm. 

[opt2not]

Whoa, that's lookin' really nice. I'm sure it looks better in person, but from the pictures it's still pretty awesome!  I'm glad that place turned out to be a winner, I might have to go to them for my future projects (if I can convince the wife on another!)

Congrats!

[Epyx]

@rablack97

Sideart is kicka88, I take it you changed your mind on the speaker rings.

Thanks, and no haven't changed my mind but all those places you linked don't carry the 15" anymore...or 12" or 10" in green I even contacted the manufacturer directly and they no longer produce the rings period...so what you purchased was new old stock.  Im going to see if there are any knock offs in China or elsewhere that are similar.

I was considering going with the u360's as well, what was your reasoning for going with the J-sticks?

I messaged a few people (and even received a message from one member) that they weren't as happy as they thought they would be with the U360s (calibration issues mostly).  I broke down my main requirements...4 way and 8 way...Since I will have two J-sticks I will just leave one (the right side one) set to 4 way for 4 way specific games...if I have a buddy over Ill just change it to 8 way etc.

Im sure the U360s which are also modified Sanwa's are great, but I wanted a basic digital stick. They feel great btw and even with the default restrictors the 8 way and 4 way feel fantastic.

I'm from Texas, as you know everything ig BIG in Texas, my cab is 34 inches wide, and gonna house a 32" LCD Hi-Def wall mountable flatscreen.  So if you say 12" looked small on yours 12" will look like a mouse hole on mine.

Lol, well just my preference but I wanted the holes to really substitute traditional side art in terms of coverage. I felt the 12" was just too small after mocking it up.  The 15" was the right balance of size (again my opinion) and yet still retained stability for the frame (monitor mostly!).

My first cab was 32" as well but with a 27" cased TV...that 32" LCD will look sweet in there for sure. I made this cab 26.5" so that if I ever want to swap out the traditional 27" arcade monitor it will fit a 28" LCD just fine.

@Ond

The test pics look great, my only suggestion would be to try and keep the backlight on the art as well diffused and toned down as you can in view of the outer 'ring' lighting to come.

Aye, and thanks again for the artwork...mucho appreciated!  Yes, the plan is to diffuse the light with frosted plexi in behind the side art. As above the neon rings are no longer being manufactured so I am searching the Internets for any and all alternatives...worst case I leave it backlit which still looks friggin unreal in person and only that much better once it's diffused im sure.

[rablack97]

Here ya go Epyx

http://www.allaudioexpo.com/nav/details.asp?itemid=660

15" green neon speaker rings set of 2  $22.00

I just went through the process of ordering and i got all the way to the point of paying and it gave me a total and submit order.......Hope this helps

[Encryptor]

@rablack97

Sideart is kicka88, I take it you changed your mind on the speaker rings.

Thanks, and no haven't changed my mind but all those places you linked don't carry the 15" anymore...or 12" or 10" in green I even contacted the manufacturer directly and they no longer produce the rings period...so what you purchased was new old stock.  Im going to see if there are any knock offs in China or elsewhere that are similar.

Did you try any of these places?

http://www.caraddons.com/Catalog/subpages/liteglow7.htm

http://mobile-emotions.com/10inneongree.html

http://www.pyleaudio.com/itemdetail.asp?model=PLNR12BL

http://www.tootoo.com/buy-neon_speaker_ring/

http://www.thefind.com/instruments/info-neon-speaker-rings

Encryptor

[Epyx]

@rablack97 and Encryptor

Thanks however I tried all of these and they are all out of stock or wholesale suppliers. The only one I haven't tried is allaudioexpo. Will try it.

-http://www.pyleaudio.com/itemdetail.asp?model=PLNR12BL  is the manufacturer and I tried them but maybe those others that have their products still have old stock.

-http://mobile-emotions.com/10inneongree.html They show stock but are in fact out of stock

-http://www.tootoo.com/buy-neon_speaker_ring/  Chinese wholsaler no single orders

-http://www.thefind.com/instruments/info-neon-speaker-rings Chinese wholsaler no single orders

Thanks though!

EDIT: I tried allaudioexpo but they require a US billing address which is lame...as for a lot of US vendors I provide my Canadian billing but I use a US postal outlet across the border for shipping so I can drive across and pick it up. Ill call them tomorrow and hopefully it will be ok.

Just ordered it with my Canadian billing address with a note to them...so fingers crossed.

[Gamester]

Sideart looks great Epyx!

Also was wondering what method you plan to use to cut your plexi for the marquee?

[Epyx]

Sideart looks great Epyx!

Also was wondering what method you plan to use to cut your plexi for the marquee?

My previous marquees have all been scored but it would be just as easy to clamp the plexi to a straight edge and use a router. The router is probably easier but scoring would be okay to because the marquee retainer can hide most minor scratches and slip ups

[Gamester]

Hey Epyx, one more question for ya...  what file format does Fastsigns prefer for the artwork when you bring it in?  I'm strongly considering using them as well for my marquee...

[Epyx]

Hey Epyx, one more question for ya...  what file format does Fastsigns prefer for the artwork when you bring it in?

Np. I brought my Side art in as a .pdf but they will accept any regular graphic file format they mentioned (.jpg/.bmp etc))  .PDF would be your best bet though.

The Marquee was $28 and that includes lamination (just ask for it).

[Gamester]

Thanks Epyx!

So, sorry for my ignorance, but would lamination be necessary for the marquee, since it's going to be wedged between plexi?

I'll try to stop cluttering your thread with questions now. 

[Epyx]

No worries, ask away or msg me.  But ya I wouldn't think its necessary, I just did it to eliminate any possibility of ink transferring to plexi over time.  Plus they didn't charge extra for it.

[Epyx]

Wow, finally a day with my family leaving me in peace to work...rare indeed. And not just letting me, but forcing me to go and work!  

Lot's done even though it doesn't seem like it after a full day.  There are lots of pictures coming so if you don't like that sort of thing, sorry...if you do here you go!

The first thing I did was shlep the 27" WG D9800 from the big cab to one of the side panels for measuring:

Top view of the back



Top side view of the front angle of the monitor.  I placed the beam I will use to rest the bottom of the monitor on underneath the bottom support bracket.



I traced the bottom beam to use as a measurement for the 2x4s. You can see my trusty colour print out of Ond's render, which I use constantly to consult the design:

[Epyx]

Here I am test fitting the bottom:



And finally once I was happy with everything, I raised both sides and put the bottom in place, double measured everything and then permanently attached the base:



Then I worked on the monitor mount:



Once I was happy with the monitor mount and test fitted the roof. Also, no fears that is just a piece of cardboard (8.5" x 26.5") to test the marquee dimenions. LOL, you have to love clamps eh?:






Side Bracings permanently mounted after careful measurements:

[Epyx]

And finally I connected the roof to the cab.  Here are various angles of the cab with the roof and monitor mount in place.

[rablack97]

Hey Epyx,

I cut my holes for my neon rings today, it didn't dawn on me till afterwards that the bottom of the rings have the nasty looking wiring showing.

I somehow mis-measured the inner circumference of the the ring thinking it would be a 1/2 inch larger the inner part of the ring to exposed more of the neon lighting.  It ended up being exactly the inner circumference.  How I don't know.  Thing is when I test mounted the ring it hid those nasty wires at the bottom and gave me great lighting with just a fraction of the ring showing, so it's a great effect.

So keep that in mind if you decide to go bigger with your cutouts......

[Epyx]

Ah thanks, that works out perfect then for me!

Hopefully you can fix yours.

[Ryglore]

Nice! It's really taking shape now! Are you going to test the lighting idea for the base we had talked about now that it's sorta together?


annnnnd

[Epyx]

Nice! It's really taking shape now! Are you going to test the lighting idea for the base we had talked about now that it's sorta together?

Ya, exactly. That and Ill try the one above the coin door, but that will have to wait until next weekend

[opt2not]

Lookin' sweet!   
You probably mentioned this before, but are you going to paint the exposed wood parts inside the cab?

[Epyx]

You probably mentioned this before, but are you going to paint the exposed wood parts inside the cab?

Most of it is laminated...the few parts that aren't will just stay that way as they will be unseen.

[Silas (son of Silas)]

This is a really nice looking cab. Laminate gives a finish that IMOHO cannot be beaten for giving cabs a 'not home built' look.

[Kman-Sweden]

Nicely done, Epyx. 

[drventure]

Gotta second Silas on the laminate. Looks excellent. Very professional

And that green tmold. It almost looks like it's glowing all by itself.

[Epyx]

Ya the lamination definitely adds to the aesthetics. With a regular paint job you tend to second guess a lot...is it smooth enough? One more sanding? Another coat?  It sure is nice with laminate to just glue it on and trim and then forget about it.  My challenge will be in painting the green areas so they at least approximate a laminated finish.  

I'm worried that no matter how well I paint those green areas, they are going to stick out beside the laminate.  I'll find out next weekend and worst case go full laminate (but ill at least try the green paint first).

[Ryglore]

I would likely go with a High gloss paint and then take your time and let it cure, sand, paint, cure, sand, paint, repeat. I think the paint will look ok as long as you don't rush it. ha

Nice work on that laminate!

[Epyx]

Agreed, that is the plan...take...time

Shouldn't you be working on joysticks!? 

[Ryglore]

Shouldn't you be working on joysticks!? 

Ha, actually I am just about done with the first one. Just need to finish polishing the shaft. 

[opt2not]

Shouldn't you be working on joysticks!? 

Ha, actually I am just about done with the first one. Just need to finish polishing the shaft. 

Obligatory response:  "That's what she said!"