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Cocktail Dream (First Build) [Done, basically]
saurian333:
Thank you. :)
As promised, here (finally) are the pics from yesterday's work (nothing done tonight so far, will probably fix up the CP later).
I should have bought one of these in the first place. This finally gave me the right amount of control to get a decent coat of paint. It also got pretty damned close to the texture I was going for.
The monitor mounting board. I drilled it out with a 3/16, but the 4mm screws I had weren't quite long enough to go through the board. So I sunk the holes about halfway with a 5/16 forstner bit.
Once I had the monitor mounted and in the cab, I realized it wasn't level (lower on the bottom edge, to fit the stock stand's mounting plate). Actually, I knew that already, but I realized it was going to be a problem while working on the bezel. So I put those large-headed screws in just inside the mounting screws on the bottom, and tweaked them until the monitor sat quite level.
Paint mostly dry, looks much better than before. Once again, please ignore the dust on my camera lens; that only seems to happen when I take pictures of the cab (maybe it's the lighting down there, too).
Poster board overlay for the top. Eh. I'm going to do something different when I figure out what to do about the bezel. I didn't even take one of the bezel, because it looks like ass. Anyway, the bezel is just stapled to the edge of the monitor opening, so this piece covers that up (and saves me from having to paint it again). I'll probably end up using cloth or vinyl or something; it will have plexi over the top eventually, anyway.
Notice the seams at top and bottom; I plan to cover those with the artwork. Yes, there will be lots of overlapping pieces visible on this thing, but all the artwork/overlays are designed to be replaceable, so the actual materials can be temporary. Anyway, top and bottom center will get the neon MAME logo I posted, and the bottom corners will each have the title logo.
The original bezel pieces. I put all kinds of time, math, and cutting into these, and they came out totally wrong because I transposed the widths. :banghead: The replacements I cut came out wrong, too. I can't decide if I want to cut completely new ones (PITA) or dress up the existing one.
So that's it, so far. Tonight I'll be doing a little work, and playing some more games. I can't wait to get my controls ordered, man; these games are rough with a keyboard, or even a gamepad.
saurian333:
A few more pics. Only put in a couple hours tonight.
Fixed the CP box. I think this is how it will stay. Opinions? There will be T-molding around the entire edge now; I trimmed the panel so that it will fit snugly with T-molding on both sides (note the bits of a sample shimming each side). Look at the rounded corners of my plexi. Ha...you can barely tell it's there except in the close-up, huh? ;D I'm getting better with that stuff. I really hate plexiglass, but I've discovered that what I was originally taught was basically wrong. If you're cutting this stuff yourself, make sure you score it like a MF-er, and sandwich it between two boards right at the score line when you snap it off. You'll get a clean break every time that way. I did the corners with a Dremel.
Thought I'd show the bezel as long as I'm taking pics. It looks worse in person. I just stuck the masking tape on there to hold it in place for now. Definitely need to do something else; the "black" poster board doesn't match my black paint, or even the black ink of a Sharpie. Not even close.
More stuff to go in later. There's the roll of carpet I mentioned; going to line the inside with it. Those cathodes were actually purchased for my current PC, but they shipped me the wrong color, which I didn't know until I plugged them in. I didn't want to deal with them after the fiasco I'd already been through; see below. The fan is pretty standard, as is the grill (will be for the back of the cab). Their sizes don't actually match, but that's what I had lying around. I'll either rig something up or buy another grill. The large brass door hinges will be for the lid, and the smaller ones for the CP.
The fiasco I mentioned: I recommend against Silicon Valley Compucycle (svc.com). They have a reasonable stock, and great prices on fans and such, which is what lured me in. I had ordered 4 fans with green LEDs for my PC case, and they shipped me red. It took them a pretty long time to respond, at which time they told me the green ones were out of stock and wouldn't be back in (funny they don't take them off the site when that happens). So I got some better ones as a replacement, after another fairly long wait. This whole thing set my case project back by about a month, and I was quite upset. What's worse is one of the replacement fans they sent me was dead. SilenX fans, normally about $12 a piece (and that's a good price), and one out of four is DOA. Then I found out the cathode was the wrong f-ing color, too. I couldn't bring myself to contact them again.
What do you guys think of the cathodes, anyway? I plan to mount it above the CP; should be just barely out of sight. I ask because that particular one is red/green/blue (in sections), but I also have a UV one around here somewhere that's not in use anymore. I don't necessarily plan to have anything UV-reactive on the CP, but it might still look better than the multi-colored thing.
saurian333:
No pic yet, but I mounted the control box on the cab. I used machine screws with washers, with the nuts on the CP side. My plan is to epoxy the screws inside the cab so that the box is relatively easy to remove. Haven't decided for sure yet, though; I might just build a separate box that I can stick the CP on (if I want to use it on my desktop or whatever).
It was getting so close to looking like an actual cab (rather than just a black box) that I couldn't resist trying it out. :) Connected it to an external machine, hooked up my Shadowblade stick, and fired up MAME. I wanted to do this anyway, to see what the overall feel was like, and determine how tall the legs will have to be. I'm glad I did: it almost made me rethink the entire idea of a cocktail cab! I can't say I like it much. The viewing angle is all wrong. Call me stupid for wanting to build one of these, but I can't recall ever actually playing on a cocktail machine before :( though I have seen them. That must be part of what intrigued me in the first place.
I do still like the style, though, so what I'm thinking is to re-mount the monitor on a slight incline to get a more comfortable angle. If I remove those leveling screws I put in, and prop up the whole works until the bezel (the factory one) hits the lid of the cab, that might be just enough. If not, I'll have to wait until I get a router, and cut an angle into my mounting braces. In any case, just changing the angle should be enough. It was playable as it is, but it just felt unnatural.
Incidentally, I determined that the legs will need to lift it up at least 6-8" for the CP to clear my kneecaps. That alone might help the viewing angle, too. I'll try boosting the cab up about that much and test again before I go modifying the monitor mount.
saurian333:
Just a few pics from last night. After dinner (breakfast, technically) I'll be back to work, and post more pics later.
First off, I finally bought a router! Actually, a laminate trimmer, which basically = small router. It works great, and I wish I'd bought it from the very beginning. Menards put it on sale for $22; money well-spent. Also bought a set of bits that day, and a second one tonight, for a total of 18 bits for $20 (god, I love that store). The router w/ flush-trim bit is my new favorite tool. Check out how well it works on plexi! (Note: it makes a giant mess of plastic shavings, but it's well worth it.)
Here's how I put the hinges on the CP. I didn't want them showing really, but I couldn't figure another way to have hinges on the inside (piano hinges were a no-go, since I can't screw into the edge of the 1/2" MDF). Since it's underneath that lip, it shouldn't be too obtrusive anyway. Sorry for the blurry pic.
I was less worried about the hinges showing on the back, so I was cool with using these cheap satin brass door hinges. They look fairly nice anyway. But first, while once again trying to center the top piece over the monitor, I got sick of having to measure every time I put the monitor in. So, I got it in place one last time, then grabbed a couple of these nylocks that I have a ton of, and screwed them in as stoppers with regular wood screws. Works very well.
Finally, I brought out the router again and sunk two slots in the back side for the lid side of the hinges to rest in (so that the lid sits flush). I'll have to shim those to the back of the cab about 1/4" to close the gap; I'm going to try just using some washers. Note that unfortunately, the barcode sticker on these hinges is on the side that's going to be showing. :angry: Tonight, it'll be Goo-Gone to the rescue!
More to come later (early Mon. morning, for those of you on "normal person" time).
painterinfo:
--- Quote --- I don't necessarily plan to have anything UV-reactive on the CP
--- End quote ---
What about your hands? Is the UV light strong enough to give you a tan?