Mid Size MAME Cabinet Build Project (My 2nd Cabinet)

[Vicious Burger]

After I did my first MAME cabinet into an already butchered Pac-Man cab, I got this Cherry Master game for free from someone, that was just sitting in their garage and she was going to toss it. I told her I'd take it and make a MAME arcade machine out of it. Woohoo freee !! I'm guessing its from the late 80's,I can't find any date stamps on it anywhere. I'm going to post pics of my progress as i go along with the project.

Here are some pics i took the day i got it:

[img=http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/1310/p1180143o.th.jpg]http:// [img=http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/7871/p1180142.th.jpg] [img=http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/3343/p1180141.th.jpg] [img=http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/39/p1180140.th.jpg] [img=http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/7429/p1180139.th.jpg] [img=http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/7449/p1180138t.th.jpg] [img=http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/2576/p1180137m.th.jpg] [img=http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/250/p1180136.th.jpg] [img=http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/5196/p1180135.th.jpg] [img=http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/6765/p1180134v.th.jpg] [img=http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/4107/p1180133.th.jpg] [img=http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/9144/p1180132.th.jpg] [img=http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/1719/p1180131.th.jpg] [img=http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/295/p1180130.th.jpg]


Nov 30th : Removed the old monitor, mainboard amd buttons from the CP. Some buttons will be re-used on new CP for admin etc.  Bought a used PC and 17" LCD to go inside,re-installed XP,and put all the necessary MAME files on there. All works fine. I'll be taking the components out of the PC case and fitting them inside the cabinet.

Dec 1st : Ordered buttons,joysticks and a Keywiz 40ST from GroovyGameGear to hook them all up. I'll probably hook up the coin mech switch to it also.
Strengthened the cab up a bit, it was a bit rickety,a bunch of the screws were not tightened properly. I also fixed 2 of the adjustable feet which had come off, re-fitted the top rear hinge which was not fixed well because the screws had ripped out of the compressed oatmeal board at the top of the rear,so a cut a new piece of board and screwed it back to the new piece.
Bought new barrel locks/key sets to replace the old ones that have no keys. Also bought plexiglass to replace the original piece.
I also fitted the 17" LCD. I had to unscrew and lower the original platform that the old monitor sat on, in order to get it to fit. At first I was going to try to install the LCD without the stand,but I found that if i lowered the wood platform,I could fix the LCD to it on its stand and it would be sturdier this way. Here is a pic of the monitor installed



More updates to come

[Funnel]

This looks awesome! Keep the updates coming

[Vicious Burger]

This looks awesome! Keep the updates coming

Thanks Funnel.

Today I took off all the front, rear and top panels,removed the coin door,ticket printer,bill acceptor and wires etc,removed the monitor, sanded the panels down,primed and painted them black,same colour as my 1st cab project because i had paint left over !
Masked off the chrome trim on the T molding and painted the brown bits to black,and left the chrome trim as is. Now the T molding is black and chrome,looks much better. You can't really tell in the pics because it still had the masking tape on there.
Also sanded, primed and painted the cabinet sides,and other parts that will be visible when all bits are put back together. I am leaving unseen bits unpainted.
My joysticks/buttons etc should be here tomorrow or Saturday,and I will start work on the Control Panel,which will be a bit bigger than the original.

Here are a few more pics.
[img=http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/1816/p1180160.th.jpg]http:// [img=http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/5929/p1180159.th.jpg] [img=http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/3084/p1180158.th.jpg] [img=http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/9645/p1180161.th.jpg]

Pic of the panels i removed and painted,and the PC i am going to butcher to go inside it.

[Vicious Burger]

Cool so my joysticks and stuff arrived today. I went and got a piece of kitchen countertop to use for the control panel,it has a nice rounded nose on it. Its a light colour so i'll probably paint it to match the rest of the cab. Installed speakers in the flip-up top of the cabinet (Basically the only place they would fit). Gutted all the old components and wiring from the inside of the cab,I have no need for them,so if anyone wants it all let me know and you can have it for the price of shipping and a six-pack of beer ! (Includes the monitor,mainboard,power supply etc,all of it,see pic below)

CP parts,woohoo !!


Speakers (The holes look ugly,I need to tidy them up and fill in the gaps with..umm, filler!)


Wiring and stuff to anyone who wants it:


Started to put parts in:

[Vicious Burger]

More progress. Mounted the keyboard in the lower drop-down door. Attached with sticky back velcro,so can be removed and put back easily. Mouse also stores in that compartment.
I have cut out the control panel and the holes for the buttons and joysticks. See pics below. (CP will be painted) I put the original screen bezel in backwards to give an idea of what it would look like with a black surround. I'm going to see if i can get a vinyl sticker art made to place on the new plexi bezel, hopefully it wont cost too much, but for a one-off it might run too pricey in which case I'd probably just paint a black surround.
You can see I am re-using some of the original lit buttons for the menu. I got some replacement bulbs for them and i will be connecting them to the power supply.  Also put a new bulb in for the coin slot light-up.  The joysticks are Happ Competition 8-way. I couldn't justify the cost of going for expensive ones for this build.



 

[bkenobi]

I wouldn't have thought of using a laminated kitchen/bathroom counter top for a CP, but it could work out pretty well.  I'm not sure I would paint it though.  I suspect you will have a tough time getting any paint to stick well enough to the laminate.  Plus, half the point of laminate is to have a durable surface.  By painting it, you have a softer surface again.

[Vicious Burger]

I wouldn't have thought of using a laminated kitchen/bathroom counter top for a CP, but it could work out pretty well.  I'm not sure I would paint it though.  I suspect you will have a tough time getting any paint to stick well enough to the laminate.  Plus, half the point of laminate is to have a durable surface.  By painting it, you have a softer surface again.

I forgot to mention that i did a paint test on a spare piece yesterday. First I used Rustoleum primer,that sh** sticks to anything,i use it whenever i paint anything!  Then I went over that with a coat of black enamel,and once it had dried it seemed pretty hard. I would have liked to avoid painting it if possible but they dont do the counter tops in the colours i wanted !! I think it turned out ok. I may do a second coat on top just to see how that comes out too.

[drventure]

Yeah, I can second that about paint sticking to laminate. Just check out my thread for the nasty results. I've just now got all that mess scraped back off.

If you do go that route. I'd say sand it good to get a good stickable surface, then prime it (or use some of that spray body putty filler, then prime), and then paint. Otherwise, you may end up like the mess I had 

[Vicious Burger]

I should be fine as long as the Rustoleum primer holds up,I've never had any problems with it,it seems to be pretty good stuff. Sticks like s*** to a blanket !

[Vicious Burger]

Almost done now,shame I'm letting it go in 2 weeks,but my brother in law is going to love it so its worth doing..
I Cut out the control panel,primed and painted it,and fitted all the controls. Re-used the rectangular buttons from the original CP, for the admin buttons,and made some new text inserts using the Tron font. Also cut the plexi to size and sprayed a black border so just the screen shows through. Was going to try to get some artwork custom made for that but i've spent enough on this already. Just need to fit some quarter round trim at the left and right edges of the plexi to hold it flush with the monitor and stop it falling out.

 

[Vicious Burger]

I think I'm done. Just need a new cabinet lock for the rear door and its good to go. I masked off the screen and did a thin black border on the silver case so it wouldnt show through. Added the 1/4 round beading to the edges to hold the plexi sheet in. Tidied up the wiring inside.

Before masking and painting. You can notice the silver color of the monitor housing as i didn't get the measurement of the bezel exactly right.
I thought I did,although its only less than 1/8 " but enough to annoy me.


Masked off the area and primed it


Black top coat


Finished product. Can't see the silver anymore and all looks nice and black.


Upright full view.


Overall I'm happy. Some bits were a pain in the ass,like wiring of the CP (yawnn) but I'd probably do another one if i can get another cabinet for free or cheap..
Thanks for looking.

[IG-88]

Good job V.B.   

I am doing a merit draw poker that's basically the same thing. Got some questions for you.

I've often looked at those counter-tops for CP's. How hard was it to cut to width and not have the edges chip?

Was it 3/4" thick material?

Where did you get it at?

Are your joys long enough to get full range of motion without having to counter sink them into the underside of the CP? They look a little short but if they work... 

And...what kind of paints did you use to prime and final coat with?

Again nice job. Great inspiration to get mine done!

[Vicious Burger]

Good job V.B.   

I am doing a merit draw poker that's basically the same thing. Got some questions for you.

I've often looked at those counter-tops for CP's. How hard was it to cut to width and not have the edges chip?

Was it 3/4" thick material?

Where did you get it at?

Are your joys long enough to get full range of motion without having to counter sink them into the underside of the CP? They look a little short but if they work... 

And...what kind of paints did you use to prime and final coat with?

Again nice job. Great inspiration to get mine done!

Thanks IG-88. The counter top I got from Home Depot,I only needed an 18 inch wide piece but the smallest they sold was 48,so I had to buy that and cut it. I tested cutting first on a piece that i wasn't going to use to see if the edges of the laminate would chip. It didn't. The saw I used was a Stanley Sharptooth handsaw,personally I find I get straighter cuts with it than a Jigsaw,and I dont have a circular saw anyway.
Joysticks get the full range of motion,the counter top is 3/4" thick. I just drilled a hole the same size as for the buttons, 28mm or 1 and 1/8 of an inch. I wouldn't be against the idea of countersinking them with a router on the underside of the CP to get more length, even though the length is fine for me,but I dont have a router anyway either! I guess if you have dinner-plate sized hands it might be a problem ! Also,I used the invisible hardware to mount the sticks from the underside,so countersinking might not leave enough thickness to drill and sink the threads for the bolts to go in. Bear that in mind if you go that route.

Paint i used was Rustoleum 2x coverage grey primer, and top coated it with Rustoleum Professional High Performance Black Gloss Enamel spray.(Got these at Home Depot also) I gave it a light sand before priming even though that Rustoleum stuff sticks to anything. (For the cabinet itself,I would go for matt finish rather than gloss,but thats just me)

So are you using that cab to make a MAME machine? Dont forget to post some pics !!

[IG-88]

Thanks for the answers. I did start a thread on it here:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=97508.msg1043046#msg1043046


Haven't had a chance to do much lately as it's been absolutely frigid here.

[Vicious Burger]

Small update. I Added a MAME theme Boot Up screen to replace the Windows XP one. Just need to find a way to get rid of the screen that says "Welcome" with the blue background,even though it only appears for 2  seconds.
Changed the desktop to a collage of game screenshots which i found on the net somewhere. Also fitted a cherry switch to the on/off wire from the original front panel switch on the PC to the motherboard,and fixed it just inside the front door. I was going to put it on the back of the cabinet,but with 2 young kids in the house i'm pretty sure it would have got switched on more than it should be !!

[bkenobi]

Depending on the OS you are using, you can use InstantSheller.  It will set everything up for you on a Win 9x or XP machine.  It does most things on Vista AFAIK, but I think you have to do some things manually.  I imagine it would be about the same for Win7 as Vista.

http://www.gameex.net/Community/InstantSheller/tabid/73/Default.aspx

[Vicious Burger]

Depending on the OS you are using, you can use InstantSheller.  It will set everything up for you on a Win 9x or XP machine.  It does most things on Vista AFAIK, but I think you have to do some things manually.  I imagine it would be about the same for Win7 as Vista.

http://www.gameex.net/Community/InstantSheller/tabid/73/Default.aspx

Thanks bk,yeah i'm using good ol' XP ! I will look into InstantSheller for sure,I had read somewhere that shelling is a real pain to do,and it kind of put me off,especially if it goes wrong ,but i will look more closely at that. Maybe i can get it to work with Hyperspin. Hmmmm.