The NEW Build Your Own Arcade Controls
Main => Project Announcements => Topic started by: Epyx on September 20, 2009, 10:00:49 pm
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I had started working on the Wasteland Cab but decided to put it on ice because of the lighting colours and difficulty of getting Yellow neon in the size required. My plan is to have two cabs that highlight what I have learned (and push me further out of my comfort zone), one horizontal and one vertical. This is the horizontal cabinet, the Wasteland will eventually be the vertical cabinet. I have scrapped the portable from the build. These things will be staying put and are much smaller than my original behemoth of a cab if I do end up having to move them (at least these will fit through doorways!).
I have started the horizontal first because the colour scheme has readily available lighting and cause Aliens are cool.
I want this cab to be a mix of BYOAC cabs that I have drooled over the last few years. Two that immediately come to mind are Martijn's SF cab and Knievel's Neon mame (copied ad nauseum but I like it!).
This cab will feature elements I like from both cabs...the lighting and side-work of Neon with the sexy curves of Martijn's cab. Colour scheme will be black with Galaxian green T-Molding. Cost will be kept down because everything on my 1st upright will more or less be transplanted over (at least that was the story I told my wife *cough*)
I always liked the cover art on the Alien Quadrilogy box set and felt it would make a pretty nice neon side art. Ond was kind enough to take the small crappy picture I sent him and re-do it (better than the original imo):
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/Alien-Logo_DraftResizedSmal.jpg)
Ond's render and cab as of March 21, 2010
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March21comparison.jpg)
Current Version (March 29 2010):
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March26Pic07-1.jpg)
Short Movie Clip showing lighting...again marquee and lights in general are not washed out, they appear slightly overexposed on this clip and in the pics...I have one LED tube in there turned around facing the foil:
MVI_4669.AVI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxh7-CBdbcU#)
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First thing I did today was draft the rough measurements. Here is the first version of the measurements, which was printed out in 3 angle views (front/side/back) and filled with about 40 additional measurements soon after.
This was then transferred to wood 3/4" MDF. I created a quick n'dirty cardboard dimensional representation of my 27" WG D9800 monitor to ensure the size works. I used some scrap laminate and my clamps (what can't these things do...) to draw the curves.
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/IMG_3897.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/AlienCabLinesDrawnMonitorSep20.jpg)
I will cut once I decide on the bottom front...still not sure if I should risk the challenge of going with an additional curve as per Ond's render and my original drawing or Martijn's relaxed lines. I will think about this over the next day or two before I start cutting.
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awesome....i love the shape of this cabinet...and who doesnt like aliens?
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I will cut once I decide on the bottom front...still not sure if I should risk the challenge of going with an additional curve as per Ond's render and my original drawing or Martijn's relaxed lines. I will think about this over the next day or two before I start cutting.
Go for the curves! The original design is great.
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That's going to look sick! The curves might be a bit hard but It'll be worth it in the end.
Also the Alien side art looks amazing (Ond :cheers:). Keep up posted with lots of pics.
:applaud:
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Sweet rendering. :applaud: Hope the cab ends up as good.
Keep up the good work.
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Very nice. I love the shape and the color scheme on this one!
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Nice! Can't wait to see it progress. Sucks that you had to shelve the Wasteland cab, Hopefully you can hop back on it eventually. I totally dig the curves on this one. :)
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The Wasteland will be resurrected once this one is complete but I might take a different approach to the lighting. This one has all the parts sitting and waiting. Ya Ond, did a great job on the rendering and cleaning up/enlarging the box art. I think I may just try the curve on the lower front as it will give it that alien feel and make it unique rather than a bit of a copy and do his render more justice! It will be fun to try and curve plywood.
I will be laminating this cab now that I am more comfortable with laminating the last few CPs.
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Looks sweet! I'll be following this and your Wasteland cab closely. The design you've come up with has got to be my favorite cab design.
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Thanks Dizzle. Your comment finalized it for me, I will definitely go with the original curves as I liked them too and seeing them come alive in Ond's render it would be a shame to "wimp out". The whole point of this build was to challenge myself and take my time...Which I gotta admit is easier when you have a couple of cabinets to fall back on for a "playing fix" ;)
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I had not seen a green cab yet that I really liked but this one looks great!
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You know you totally have to have lighted buttons on this right?
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Wow, yeah. Imagine black opaque buttons with green lights inside like Ond's technique:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=59359.msg971847#msg971847
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Or maybe a way to get the green ball tops on the joysticks to glow also? Like use this Sanwa balltop (http://www.amazon.com/Sanwa-Green-Tournament-Joystick-Compatible/dp/B002ALVNVM/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&s=miscellaneous&qid=1253563439&sr=8-15) and rework it to accept a led... :blowup:
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You know you totally have to have lighted buttons on this right?
Already in the plans and on order. Yes, likely utilizing that technique as well for a nice glow.
Or maybe a way to get the green ball tops on the joysticks to glow also? Like use this Sanwa balltop and rework it to accept a led...
Damn, nice find! I am ordering U360s as well and apparently these are compatible. Nice!
EDIT: Holy impulse buy...just ordered two :)
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Haha! Awesome! I can't wait to see how that works.
Already in the plans and on order. Yes, likely utilizing that technique as well for a nice glow.
If I wasn't going for the retro 80s/90s arcade look. I'd totally do glowing buttons. I'm still not sure if I want a Blue or White trackball... :lol
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awesome....i love the shape of this cabinet...and who doesnt like aliens?
Predators
cool design!
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Thanks. Well I have a whole new appreciation for Martijn's "it just fits perfectly" approach... I'm not quite as ballsy...I spent 4 hours drawing, erasing and redrawing the lines to match the render as closely as possible but finally had to give the monitor that extra 1" "just in case" on the back. The nice thing is that it now really does look like the render but slightly adjusted for the larger CRT monitor.
I also have some cool ideas for approaching the construction that I will document this weekend. I ordered the green translucent ball tops but am leaning towards the J-Sticks over the U360s at this point. I would still like to try them at some point but for now the J-sticks feel like the way to go.
My last other annoyance is Laminate...here in BC, Canada I could get flat black laminate at Home Depot for about $50 a sheet. Two days ago I was told that Home Depot has cleared that part number and will no longer restock it. This sucks because their price was heavily discounted owing to their volume purchasing. Mom and pop shops are charging about $80 per sheet and Rona (our version of HD) wanted $100 per sheet!
I think when it comes to laminating I will likely make a trip across the border and hit up the Home Depot in Bellingham they have it for $58.56 US. Even with taxes I should still be saving a couple of 10 spots and I get to help the US economy lol.
I will take pictures tonight and finally cut the first side.
EDIT: Just grabbed 2 sheets from one of the last HD stores in the city here with stock.
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I touched up my pencil lines on the MDF and just went for the curves as I have a good gameplan. My only concern is how tight the monitor fit will be. However, I left about 3" that leaves a bit for the bezel and glass and the back panel will be 1/4" Plywood and the cross bracing I use will sit above and below that portion of the monitor
Here was the final pencil outline I went with:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/FinalPencilOutline1.jpg)
My victims lined up:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/BothCutsbeforesanding2.jpg)
Prepping the first piece on the sanding table for use tomorrow as the template guide for routing both pieces:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/PreppingforSanding3.jpg)
And a final pic before tomorrows routing of the sanded template side with monitor mock up back on:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/FinishedCutandsandedwithMonitorCuto.jpg)
The top and back will be two pieces of curved plywood. Each piece will sit atop a brace frame that will connect it to the sides. The idea is for a flush outter shell that rides just lower than the Galaxian green T-molding along the edge, maybe 1/8".
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Looking really good Epyx. Those curves are nice - this is going to be challenging but the end result will be worth it. :cheers:
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Good progress already man :), It sucks about how expensive laminate is, I want some too, but only a small amount and was quoted $84! The answer might be find someone who has off-cuts. They go for much cheaper.
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Agreed :(
At least I managed to scrounge up 3 sheets from around my city so I will have enough to finish this cab at least (if I don't muck up!).
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I'm glad you went with the curves. This is going to look great and I love the colour scheme as well
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what did you use as a guide for the router to route those curves out perfectly?
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@SpaceHedgehog
Ya me too...the challenge is more fun than had I wimped out...besides knowing me I would always be wondering "what if I had just"...
I have an idea that will make assembling and disassembling this cab easy as pie...ill test and document the idea tonight but I am confident it will work.
@clickhea
I used a large chunk of leftover rectangular laminate...approx 8" wide by 60" long. You can see this in one of the above pictures. Using clamps I held the back of the curve in place. I would then trace with a pencil along the inner side of the curve. I would start at one end but just a bit ahead of my pencil (maybe 12") I would place a counterweight like wood etc to push the laminate against the clamps from behind, maintaining the curve.
The picture above shows only a couple of clamps but this picture was before drawing...during drawing I had about 8 clamps forming the backside of the curve.
The actual cutting of the curves was done with my jigsaw (going very slow and steady and set to slight orbital curve). I then sanded just the first piece smooth. The 2nd piece I will route tonight using the first piece as a template with my flush router bit.
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well it looks awesome bro
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Tonight I flush routed side 2 from side 1 and did a final sanding. I initially had some thought about portability, and decided what I really wanted was the ability to disassemble the cab if required. The main reason is I want to do the finishing work (painting etc) in the garage where my tools are, but hate the thought of having to move the entire cab downstairs. Reading in the forums a few threads discussed threaded inserts but most of them were horizontal which is less than ideal.
I did a quick mock up to test if I could do a horizontal flanged insert. The idea being three horizontal layers of support beams. Most of the weight in the cab is weight pushing down, not to the side. With this logic as long as the monitor weight is directly support by the ground via support beams I should be able to connect the sides with horizontal beams that use vertically mounted flanged inserts. Mounting the flanged inserts this way ensures they won't get ripped out. The bolt screws through the horizontal beam and then into the cross latch which itself is mounted to the side via wood glue.
To disassemble the cab I would remove the top marquee retainer (also connected via inserts) and remove the marquee picture, marquee light (also on a horizontal board). Then I would remove the monitor and computer and take out the horizontal support beams. Using the inserts I don't have to worry about wearing out screw holes etc.
This picture illustrates the idea:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/AlienCabInteriorPlan.jpg)
And here pictures of a mock up to test the idea.:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/FlangedInserts3.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/FlangedInserts1.jpg)
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cont...
The top and back will be plywood. 1/8" on the top and 1/4" on the back. I will use one of the existing sides of the cabinet as a template for the curve of the exo-skeleton that the plywood will curve over. The back and top will each have 4 ribs. The outer side ribs of the top portion will connect to the sides of the cab via horizontal flanged inserts (the main horizontal support beams have vertical ones so this should be fine).
The plan for the back is a series of magnets, like a hatch door. I used magnets on my first cab and it worked well so hopefully it works here..if not plan b...oh don't have a plan b yet...
Both top and back will have the laminate over the plywood so this should form a smooth matching curved back and top just under the side edges.
Either way that is the plan for the next few weeks. More Pics to follow as the build progresses.
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Nice! The portability idea is neat, but I don't know if I would do it. I think maybe if you were taking the time to do it and make it the best possible (including any Bella-like technique of Sand and Paint hell) I would be worried about moving it and maring the surfaces. I know I'll be super over protective of Shmup when it's done, just cause of the side graphics.
But, hey I'm sure you can pull it off and I can't wait to see your progress! :cheers:
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Agreed. And that is why portability is out...really I just want to be able to disassemble it...once or twice or in the event of an emergency. The outside is all laminate so should be fine and I would cover each piece with bubblewrap before I haul it downstairs etc. Doing it this way in theory shouldn't be much more work than just screwing/gluing everything permanently.
My first cabinet is such a behemoth that a) it doesn't fit through anything smaller than a cargo elevator..and b) I would have to take a hammer to it to take it apart...ie 1 way ;)
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Haha, Ya I made my cab with the intentions of being able to fit in through a doorway and it is roughly 28 inches wide total. I have to dolly it up a flight of stairs, and though my apartment door... And if all goes well I'll have to get it down the out the door and down the stairs and into a house... within months of completion. :banghead:
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Hmm, making it portable makes it unstable in time i think. maybe make the tv removable and or other parts.
And some panels makes it more light to handle?
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Thanks Martijn. I will heed your advice and plan very carefully this weekend as I begin working on the base and top. It won't be portable as much as allow me to disassemble it *if* required. I still think the design should be as strong and stable as the conventional methods as the main support beams will be permanent on the inner sides of the cabinet but you are right...think...slow...careful ;)
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laminating the inside first would make it easier btw. if you plant the panels and other wood pieces to the side first its hard to cut out a laminate piece filling the visible edges. i did that first and it was almost impossible to cut out a fitting piece of laminate in the insde with all the pieces of wood gluid and screwed already
as to see here (http://www.vogtschmidtoutdoorcenter.nl/akira/cpg130/albums/userpics/10007/IMG_4259~0.JPG)
it was a hell of a job cutting laminate in 1 piece to fit the edge
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Nice Work, Awesome Cabinet, colors and everything....will watch this unfold......
:applaud:
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@Martijn
Yes, I remember this part of your project well and the advice is burned in my memory. I will be paying special attention to this. I think it is worth it because one of my favourite things about your cabinet is the finish. Laminating the interior (even the hard way as you put it) makes it look like a factory finish.
@Shortbus
Thanks! The fun is just about to begin.
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Spent today making a circle jig and the start of the top portion of the cab. The top portion will hold the marquee, lighting and curved plywood (to where it will meet the back panel).
The circle jig is nothing fancy compared to some of the ones on here but does the sizes I will require (8", 10", 12", 14.5" and 15") Over the coming days I will determine if I go with 12", 14.5" or 15":
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CircleJig.jpg)
Here are the 6 MDF pieces (4 below but i had 2 more, that will serve as the ribs that hold the plywood on the top and the top marquee retainer/lighting:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/SkeletonforTop.jpg)
Here is the plan:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/TopandMarqueediagram.jpg)
The diagram shows the bottom of the ribs being flat and extended to the bottom of the curve in a straight line. In reality I will make only a 5" portion flat...the rest will curve along approximately 3" from the top. I have tested the plywood and it curves perfectly (and as Ond mentioned...easily) along the top. Over the next few days I will glue this on once I have everything lined up. Overtop of the plywood will sit the laminate.
I purchased a 3/4" aluminum angle which I will paint green and act as the marquee retainer. The top portion as illustrated will be attached to the pine via threaded inserts. 1 rib will be glued to each side of the cab. The other 4 will form the skeleton for the plywood. The outter 2 ribs will be offset from the edge of the plywood by 3/4" so that the 3/4" plywood overhang will rest flush with the ribs glued to the side. They will also attach via threaded inserts.
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Today I completed the "ribs"...sorry if you were expecting food! Just a bit of sanding and some final shaping on the retainer portion left to do. I get the feeling a few people were wondering what I was on about and scratching their heads with the illustrated plan above (my google sketchup isn't the best) so here are some pictures to better show what I will do.
Here you can see a stack of "ribs" with what will be the top of the cab. The plywood really has no issue making the bend, I'm not sure why I was so worried about this. The following pictures will show how far apart these will actually be.
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/AlienRoofTop.jpg)
Each side of the cab will have one of the ribs (made of pine or harder wood) connected to it with threaded inserts. The main stress will be downward and the vertical inserts will take the load off the few horizontal ones I use (like these). You can also see on this picture the idea behind the curved skelton. It will continue in a 2nd piece that will curve along the back to the bottom so that what I end up with is a nice curve outlining the cab...no squares here ;)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CabwithTop.jpg)
Here is a picture of them lined up on a workbench so you can see the approximate spacing. Note they are doubled up on the sides. One piece on the cab side as mentioned and the outmost of the rib set will thread screw to the one on the cab side. The retainer spacing will house a small piece of pine that I will glue on and I have cut it so it is square with the ground.
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/AliensinaRow.jpg)
Here is a front shot to give you an idea of how the retainer will sit. Of course it will be green and will be slightly higher (no pine in there yet):
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/FrontofRetainer.jpg)
Next, I'm going to finish the retainer portion and mount the pine retainer beam. There will also be a piece of pine that will run along the flat inner portion you see.
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Spectacular! :applaud:
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Awesome! This is going to be one amazing cab. :cheers:
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Looking awesome so far Epyx!
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Loving the curves. :cheers:
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Love the theme and design. This is going to be an awesome cab!
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Thanks guys. I like the theme and design as well. Its a heck of a lot of fun taking a concept from paper to render and then trying to build it. The one thing I really appreciate on this project is "taking my time" though...first cab was all about "I want to play NOW" and I took a lot of shortcuts...I look at the cabinet now and all I see are mistakes upon mistakes. For example, its 33 1/2" wide...no t-molding, no smoothed angles, lousy CP mounting, lousy bezel, lousy art, lousy woodworking...ok ill stop now ;) Cab 2 was better but this one will be something im proud of.
Im the type of person if I notice a dead pixel on an lcd tv etc I won't stop staring at it...Ill watch the whole movie focused on that one damn pixel. I encourage anyone with a monstrosity of a 1st cab like mine to have a go at that 2nd cab and maybe surprise yourself ;)
Im not saying I won't make mistakes but taking your time and not feeling personal pressure sure helps in doing things better. Now when im jonesing to play I just play on one of the first 2 cabs, knowing it will be worth it when this one is done right.
Also, I don't encourage smashing a cabinet to oblivion...but when it is one you build yourself...go crazy. In fact I will post pictures of me taking the sledghammer to cab 1 when this new one is operational!
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I think we've all been there. But one has to start somewhere and we'll I guess we can all look back at our first cabs and wonder, why the hell didn't I do that the right way. I didn't have the heart to smash my first cab to pieces. Actually I never put it back together when we moved, so it's sitting in the garage.
It had two PS2 street fighter arcade sticks (then upgraded to 2-player x-arcade stick), artwork was those character posters from gamestop (you know DK, samus, link).
I didn't find this forum until we moved and well I want to thank everyone for their posts and helpful info. I wouldn't have been able to build one from scratch.
Keep up the good work. I can't wait to see the finish product.
:cheers:
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I really like the neon green and black color scheme, and the marquee is awesome too!
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Thanks. I will have some more pictures soon. I had quite the (mis)adventures with the curved plywood but finally have things looking good. Although I won't be removing clamps until I am certain this time! ;)
Ya, the colour scheme is one I really like as well even though I wouldn't say that green has ever been a favourite colour of mine. The Galaxian green T-Molding arrived a few days ago and looks bang on with the render, can't wait to see it applied. I should have a mammoth update next weekend which is a long weekend for us Canucks...
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Been following this closely and just wanted to say nice job so far! Im kicking off my first cab tomorrow and had the exact same design (
Blatently plagerised mine from martijn and now yours). I reckon its by far the nicest shape for an upright!
Its ideal that you are a few weeks ahead so i can see any problems you run into :lol.
One quick thing. On the drawing it shows a board along the bottom at the front with t-molding on. Although it looks better would it not be liable to break with people standing on it when playing and damaging molding etc ?
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Been following this closely and just wanted to say nice job so far! Im kicking off my first cab tomorrow and had the exact same design
Lol nice. Ya this is inspired by Martijn's (itself based on the Galaxy design) for sure but has enough differences to be unique I think (back is entirely curved as is bottom front. The side also borrows from Knievel for the neon hole.
As for the bottom board, mine will be resting on top of pine strips. So underneath about 2" back will be a pine strip running from one side of the cab to the other. So I suppose it *could* be broken, someone would really have to make an effort to do so, making it pretty unlikely. No different imo than someone breaking a monitor bezel...you could, but why would you. Nor do I think you would accidentally step on it with how its located.
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next weekend which is a long weekend for us Canucks...
And it can't arrive soon enough for me....zzzzzzz..... ::)
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i just hope when they kick the edge when they got excited at the end of a match it wont break.
maybe choose a harder wood for the bottom plate? mdf will crumble
or when they step on it :timebomb:
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Ya, I will tackle this stage of the build on Saturday. I will test the original length but if I feel it will interfere and *could* get stepped on then the other option will simply be to shorten the length a bit so it only protrudes out 1/2 of what it currently shows. I figure a bit of black showing and the green t-molding will still look great. That way you could step forward into that space without worry.
That might just be the key, getting it to a nub sticking out that a foot can't rest on but still providing the desired colour highlights.
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Figured you'd check the Final Fantasy Bartop post, but linky linky (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=87113.msg1022489#msg1022489)
Posted a trackball suggestion for this cab on that thread. ;)
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Ya just responded to that hehe. As it stands now this is my wishlist to date:
- J-Sticks with red balltop x 2 from Ultimarc (Purchased today) (http://www.ultimarc.com/controls.html)
- Modded via Luigi's hollow shaft, green led and my neon green balltops (When in stock) (http://www.thludwig.de/arcade/led_sticks.html)
- RGB Trackball lighting upgrade (green) for my BE Clone trackball (later purchase) (http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=74&products_id=273)
- Novagems x 12 (later purchase) (http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=73&products_id=281)
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Ya just responded to that hehe. As it stands now this is my wishlist to date:
- J-Sticks with red balltop x 2 from Ultimarc (Purchased today) (http://www.ultimarc.com/controls.html)
- Modded via Luigi's hollow shaft, green led and my neon green balltops (When in stock) (http://www.thludwig.de/arcade/led_sticks.html)
- RGB Trackball lighting upgrade (green) for my BE Clone trackball (later purchase) (http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=74&products_id=273)
- Novagems x 12 (later purchase) (http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=73&products_id=281)
Nice, I can't wait to see those balltops lit up. It's going to totally set off the whole "sci-fi" theme I think. I'm totally excited to see this CP completed... It's going to be ridiculous. :cheers:
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Ya, can't wait to see it either.
Lot's done this past weekend but no pictures taken until this upcoming weekend. I will try my best to document what I have done. I had to redo the arches for the curved top in pine as opposed to MDF. It was difficult to set the glue without screws (which kept splitting the MDF, I should have foreseen this). So I switched over the weekend to pine so I can screw through into the pine plus set with glue which worked much, much better. The top is all done and laminated and the goal on Saturday is to join the sides to base and top, which is exciting.
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I'm interested to see detailing on the lamination. My cab has a curved top as well and I'm trying to decide between laminating bendable poplar with cherry veneer or using thin cherry plywood. Was the laminating a pain? Did you have to use a vacuum?
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I'm interested to see detailing on the lamination. My cab has a curved top as well and I'm trying to decide between laminating bendable poplar with cherry veneer or using thin cherry plywood. Was the laminating a pain? Did you have to use a vacuum?
I will have this posted asap with pictures. I detailed it fairly well and took lots of pics. I used 1/4" plywood (birch) as mentioned which kept a very smooth surface on the outside, which I think was key. There were a few minor indentations along the grain which I just filled and sanded smooth. The laminate then applied pretty as long as you wait until both sides have dried fairly well before pressing them together. Then just trimmed with router trim bit running along the 1/4" border with bottom bearing bit as the ribs prevented routing from the underside with top bearing bit.
An no, no vacuum.
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PICTURES! :)
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Ya, ya...im always the one muttering...pictures or it didn't happen.
BTW...speaking of updates...*COUGH* ;)
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I'm totally tempted to do laminate when I get around to my Trackball project. Can't wait to see how the top turned out. PICS PICS PICS! :P
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Ill split the pics into two updates, finishing tomorrow with last weekends progress pics/descriptions if time permits.
I was originally going to go with 12" side holes but they looked really small traced onto the side of the cab. I figured stability wasn't going to be an issue and since I designed my circle jig to do up to 15" circles, I'd go for 15". Used the jig on the first side and then a flush trim bit for the 2nd side. The circle jig was so effortless I encourage anyone/everyone who doesn't have one to take the time (couple hours at most) to make one. Here is a shot of one of the entire sides:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/SideHoleShot.jpg)
And a bit closer
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CloseupofSideHole.jpg)
I cut a slot into the center of the hole as I will be running the T-Molding around the hole like I have seen on a few other cabs. I think it will look pretty good when done with the green neon light and artwork and T Molding as a trim:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/Slotcutinsidehole.jpg)
Here is a shot of the where the top and front meet. I can't wait to see the T-Molding on here:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/Slotneartopcloseup.jpg)
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Next I worked on the ribs of the top of the cab and the curved plywood that would rest on top. My first go at this was pretty disastrous...I had tried gluing the MDF ribs to the plywood but just couldn't get it to set properly and figured I would need some screws as well to assist the clamps due to the bending momentum of the plywood. Well as soon as I thought that my 2nd thought was...DOH...screws will just split the MDF...sure enough the first few split it.
Back to the drawing board and Saturday I decided to use hardwood (pine) instead of MDF for the ribs, this time opting for 3 ribs and enough space on each end for one rib which will be glued to the inner cab sides and fit on like a hat then screw in to connect the two. Here is how it looked turtled on its back:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/TopUnderside.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/TopUnderside2.jpg)
Here is a shot showing the front of the top with one of the threaded inserts that the top marquee retainer will screw into, ill show this in more detail in tomorrow's pics:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/TopTop3withmountinginsert.jpg)
And here is a back view of the top before lamination:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/TopBack.jpg)
And a closeup of the screws. You can see in this shot they are all countersunk which ensured no contact with the laminate:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/ScrewsCloseup.jpg)
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And finally just a quick shot of the T-molding (Galaxian Green). Also in the picture are two of the balltops. I will be getting another pair with leds and hollow shafts for the JLWs which DHL tracking says will be delivered tomorrow. Also in the bottom picture is the colour I will be using for the bottom front of the cabinet, called Fern Green:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/Colours1.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/Colours2.jpg)
The T Molding looks a lot more Neon Green than the picture shows. Almost identical to the render in real life.
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:cheers: . really I think that's all that needs to be said that the moment. :)
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Thanks, but I gotta thank you again for pointing out those balltops to me...Thorsten has these sames ones with LED and they look so good:
http://www.thludwig.de/arcade/led_sticks.html (http://www.thludwig.de/arcade/led_sticks.html)
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Those ball tops are pretty sick. If I was going with ball top joysticks I'd totally get some of the blue ones.
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Ah thats so cool man. It looks really fun to figure out how to build the curved shapes. I'm for sure going non traditional for my 2nd and still laminate. I like your cab profile alot.
I actually sunk my screws like you did as well, but I wood filled them and sanded flush.. in retrospect I guess I really didn't need to.
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I don't have much to contribute other than my praise. There has been a nice departure from the "traditional" style of arcades here lately, and each one is so enjoyable to see in the works. You got a great start, and are not letting speed bumps get you down. Keep it up, this thing will be disco!
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I actually sunk my screws like you did as well, but I wood filled them and sanded flush.. in retrospect I guess I really didn't need to.
Agreed, the minuscule added grip to the laminate that filling in those holes would have provided is negligible. Besides you can't see them anymore! ;)
I don't have much to contribute other than my praise. There has been a nice departure from the "traditional" style of arcades here lately, and each one is so enjoyable to see in the works. You got a great start, and are not letting speed bumps get you down. Keep it up, this thing will be disco!
I love the classics and hopefully one day Ill have a dedicated cab or two (Black Tiger Jamma etc) but for now I just need to erase my first cab from sight! ;)
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Looking good. ;D
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Awesome. I'm looking forward to doing the arcs on my cabinet, so it's very reassuring to see all this.
I am wondering though, if you'll run into any "air bubbles" or popping up of the laminate with that many holes that close together. I suppose it depends on the rigidity of the laminate and strength of the adhesive? I've heard of cracks telegraphing through veneer when applied on top of mdf bent with kerfs on the underside. Just wondering if it would be worth 10 minutes of filling and sanding to remove the air pockets? ???
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Very nice. A love the curves. Another project in my bookmark list :applaud:
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Just wondering if it would be worth 10 minutes of filling and sanding to remove the air pockets?
Well its only been 5 days but so far so good, no bubbles, cracks etc. Of course these things probably take longer than that to develop :(
Worst case I build another top and this time fill it in. Maybe I should have filled those holes in and I suppose time will tell me that hehe.
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Here are the rest of the weekend shots. I traced out the outline of the top by laying it and rolling it. Then put contact cement on both the top and laminate. I went over the lines on the laminate to ensure coverage. Then I made sure to wait at least 30 mins to let the cement dry on both pieces:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/LaminateGlue.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/TopGlue.jpg)
Then I prayed to the 4 winds, Crom and any other deity that would listen and applied the laminate to the top. There isn't a 2nd chance on setting and thankfully it lined up perfectly along the front where I wanted about 2mm of overhang:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/LaminateonBeforeTrim.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/LaminateonBeforeTrim2.jpg)
Then I gave it a good trim with the router and as mentioned my bottom bearing trim bit which rode the bottom 1/8" of the 1/4" plywood. This was quick and effortless. Here you can see a shot from the top of the front where the marquee retainer is bolted in. The Retainer and Bolts will be green. I will also laminate the top portion just above the retainer so you won't see the plywood:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/LaminateTrimmedTopViewwithRetainer.jpg)
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Then I laid it atop one of the side panels to ensure everything including the curves lined up. This turned out perfect and rides just a few mm shy of where the T Molding will run on the side panels along the top and back:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/ToponSide.jpg)
Notice the gap between the side of the cab and the outter rib in the picture below. That is where the a rib will be attached to the side of the cab and the top piece will sit atop and bolt into.
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/ToponSidetopView3.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/ToponSidetopView.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/ToponSidetopView5.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/ToponSidetopView4.jpg)
That brings the pics up to pace with the exception of the base. Ill take some pics of that on the weekend when I start "the join"...can't wait, things are getting to that point where you anticipate it standing and can start to really visualize it.
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NICE! I hope that it doesn't bubble on you. But I think it will be ok. The main problem I've ever had with laminate is from not having a clean surface. So it doesn't stick properly and then you get separation. I don't think the lack of filled screw holes is going to be a problem at all.
I can't wait to see this thing standing! Get on it! :cheers:
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Looks great! Also I doubt the screw holes will be any issue.
What kind of contact cement do you use? The stuff I have is white and takes about an hour to be ready. It starts out white and turns clear when ready.
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I used the product from Lepage which takes between 15 and 60 mins to set. I just did the paper dab test to determine when it was ready. Im pretty sure I won't have an issue with bubbles. The stuff is pretty rigid and I smoothed it out from the center pretty good with a roller.
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How's the thickness of that Laminate? Is there a chance of bubbling at all, or is it thick enough to not bubble?
Is it Formica?
I know you can get sheets of Formica at Home Depot for like $60 CAD.
I've worked with Formica before and loved the results. It's pretty darn think, and practically impervious to bubbling at all. Same method of application, contact cement both surfaces, wait for it to dry, then apply and trim with your router. But Formica is a bit harder to bend over curves in it's raw state, you could heat it up to get that bend.
Your cab is turning out really well, keep up the goodness! Can't wait to see it finished! :cheers:
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The Laminate is indeed the Formica product from Home Depot $60 CAD but sadly now discontinued at Canadian Home Depot stores (Flat/Mat black). I bought 3 sheets from one of the last stores here in Vancouver to carry it. It is 1/16" in thickness and required absolutely no heating to bend it...really it just rolled on and joined with the glue. It is thick enough (as you know) that I really don't think bubbling will be an issue, this stuff is flexible but really hard.
You can see a page or two back in this thread how easy the formica is to bend as I used a scrap piece to draw the curves for the template on the sides.
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You can see a page or two back in this thread how easy the formica is to bend as I used a scrap piece to draw the curves for the template on the sides.
Good choice!
Yeah, from the looks of your cab the curve isn't too extreme to bend around. I know that Formica will crack if it's bent too much, but that goes without saying really. I really like the finish and convenience of Formica, it's just too bad there aren't many colour choices in our local stores.
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Ya agreed, I would love to have had that fern green I will end up having to paint in Formica but no such luck :)
And yes that bend isn't too bad and it really will be the most extreme bend...the one along the back is much more gradual and the edge curves are just trimming the formica.
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Post forming grade Formica goes round bends pretty well if you take your time. It can do really tight bends for the edges of kitchen worktops after all.
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Exactly. This will be my first cab in almost full laminate. To date only my CPs have used laminate. I will hold off on laminate the sides as long as possible as I would hate to scratch them while work is still underway but I guess the balance is the more assembled the more difficult the task...although Martijn made tipping a cab over for lamination not look too difficult! ;)
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I seem to have missed this build somehow but its looking fantastic. :applaud:
I love the profile and the green goodness will look really nice :)
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You know, I was staring at your design (which I like very much) thinking "I wonder if putting a bowfront marquee on it would be cool?". I saw it in Pixelhugger's Mission Control Project. http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=13118.0 (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=13118.0)
Awesome project, and it's a pretty long thread. Check out his bowfront process.
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Oh ya, ive been following his project for years and love that marquee design. At this point I will likely leave it as is. I have enough challenges on my plate with the current design and I want to get it done sometime this year ;)
Im so tempted to give in to scope creep but thats what the next cab is for! :laugh2:
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Only had Sunday to work on the cab this weekend. It took me about 5 hours to do the laminating for just 1 side lol. I have 3 sheets of laminate for figured id use 1 for each side and the leftovers for the inside and 3rd sheet for back and spare for future CPs.
Brushed Lepage contact cement onto both sides and separated with sticks to line them up as close as possible:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/LaminatingSide1onsticks2.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/LaminatingSide1onsticks.jpg)
Here is the outside of side 1 fully laminated before and after side hole was trimmed:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/Side1LaminatednoSideHole.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/Side1LaminatedwithSideHole.jpg)
I then laminated the inside which you can see is a patchwork of odds and ends. I put as much towards the center as I could because I will be mounting strips and don't want parts of the strip on laminate and part off:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/LaminatingInside1.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/LaminatingInside2.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/LaminatingInside3.jpg)
And here is the outside of side 1 with Galaxian green T Molding along outter slot and inside side hole:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/WithTMolding2.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/WithTMolding3.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/WithTMolding4.jpg)
Have to study this week for a course but will finish side 2 next weekend.
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The black formica is lookin' really nice with that Galaxian green. Good job!
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Nice! It's really coming together! I can't wait to see that neon light shining out of that side hole! :applaud:
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You're making me wish I'd done laminate on mine...
Nice work Epyx! :cheers:
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Aye, the laminate was worth it. I just wish there was another cheap source here locally for future projects. Oh well, ill just pay a bit more I guess. I do like the contrast of the black and neon green. And agreed, should look great once it's all lit up with lighting ;)
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I'm totally tempted to use Formica when I get around to designing my trackball unit. But it may be awhile before I get to that project now, what with Holidays coming up soon... That laminate looks so pro, I almost wish I used that for my black areas on SHMUP.
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Ooooh, laminate! Looks lovely. I wish I could source that stuff easily in the UK. Liking the colour scheme as well. :cheers:
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Ah so you did the more effecient approach and pieced parts together fo the inside laminate... I figured I'd botch it so I laminated the entire inside.. wasting 2 more sheets of laminate. Oh well live and learn. :D It's looking REALLY nice btw!
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Ooooh, laminate! Looks lovely. I wish I could source that stuff easily in the UK. Liking the colour scheme as well. :cheers:
Wish granted ;)
Blackheath Products in Halesowen: http://www.blackheathproducts.co.uk/sheets/index.html (http://www.blackheathproducts.co.uk/sheets/index.html)
Arnold Laver nationwide: http://www.laver.co.uk/location.asp (http://www.laver.co.uk/location.asp)
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Thank you very much Silas. I'll check them out!
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i hate sites that dont advertise prices with delivery also.happ are realy bad for ringing here in uk,twice i been on phone and i am suprised they dont shut shop soon,they talk give prices,say they will ring back and naff all else.
theres an arnold laver timber world down the rd from me,i seriously doubt they stock laminate and chances are you have to order it direct from phone,like bulk.
:)
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I was just thinking. Would it be possible in your design to add a row of LEDs under the CP area to lit the front coin door panel with a bit of green light?
Something like this on the right.
(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d177/LOPWyrm/ALIENS.jpg)
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I was just thinking. Would it be possible in your design to add a row of LEDs under the CP area to lit the front coin door panel with a bit of green light?
Something like this on the right.
I will have a green cathode along the top of the bezel/speaker area but hadn't thought of having one down there. I kind of like that...I haven't built that section yet so will try to work something in ;) thx
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I was just thinking. Would it be possible in your design to add a row of LEDs under the CP area to lit the front coin door panel with a bit of green light?
Something like this on the right.
I will have a green cathode along the top of the bezel/speaker area but hadn't thought of having one down there. I kind of like that...I haven't built that section yet so will try to work something in ;) thx
Anytime. :cheers:
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This thing is smoking hot! The progress is great, keep it up. . .
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I really like that downlight idea of Ryglore's. Very cool. You might need a diffuser of some sort if you go led's though
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@Chicken
Thanks, believe me I can't wait till it's done!
@drventure
I really like that downlight idea of Ryglore's. Very cool. You might need a diffuser of some sort if you go led's though
Agreed, although I think a green cold cathode would suit this best. Having thought of this the last hour or so at work (I know...) I think a small u shaped recess at the bottom of the curve would work best and that way I can slot a G. C cathode in there and drill a hole for the cabling out of sight.
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Is your control panel going to overhang the cab? If so you can mount the lights on the bottom of the control panel overhang if you know what i mean. That way it can be built into the control panel so power is easily accesible and it won't be seen that way. I tried this exact thing last night on my build and it looked crap unless it was under the CP.
I'm in the middle of my (identical) build and going with the blue cold cathode tube as they are already diffused. LED's would be too focused IMO.
On a diff point, have you noticed that the pointed bit at the bottom of the cab is too delicate ? I've cracked mine once already and was debating rounding it off instead ?
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Good point about the cold cathode. i've never worked with them, so I can't comment.
Cool idea in any case. I may have to steal pay tribute to it :)
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Cool idea in any case. I may have to steal pay tribute to it
Lol.
The Cold Cathodes are really cheap...a pair like in the picture below run about $10 and they come in various colours. Here is what the green cold cathode I will be using looks like lit if you are curious:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CCGreen3.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CCGreen1.jpg)
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@Nacimroc
Is your control panel going to overhang the cab? If so you can mount the lights on the bottom of the control panel overhang if you know what i mean. That way it can be built into the control panel so power is easily accesible and it won't be seen that way. I tried this exact thing last night on my build and it looked crap unless it was under the CP.
I'm in the middle of my (identical) build and going with the blue cold cathode tube as they are already diffused. LED's would be too focused IMO.
On a diff point, have you noticed that the pointed bit at the bottom of the cab is too delicate ? I've cracked mine once already and was debating rounding it off instead ?
The CP will look much like it does in the render although that has definite possibilities as well. Have you got a thread going yet? Would love to see your take on the cab. As for the bottom pointed bit...no mine is pretty solid. I have been extremely careful with the points on the cab.
Although, that is one reason I laminated it right away and put the T Molding on...if it was delicate before it's not now ;) With laminate and T Molding it weights more than 3/4" MDF. Ill show you a close up pic of the bottom corner next post you can judge if it looked like yours.
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Here are the 3 corners of the cab in closer detail for those who have been curious.
Here are two angles of the CP Corner. In the first picture a side shot of the CP corner where T mold/cut and laminate meet. In the 2nd picture you can see the beauty of using 5/8" MDF is that once the glue is added to the Laminate you get a perfect end to end flush with T Molding applied:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CPCorner.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CPCornertopViewTMold.jpg)
Here is the top corner of the cab:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/TopCorner.jpg)
And finally the bottom corner. Again two views:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/BottomCorner.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/BottomCorner2.jpg)
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Wow thats a neat job! Thats half the reason I didn't make a thread, you would always make me look bad :applaud:. I am planning on making a thread when done showing all my pitfalls (and theres alot so far). I only have mine assembled. Laminating is next step.
On the cold cathode tubes, if you do go with the under CP idea, I put a small sliver of shiny sheet metal along it on the front edge reflecting the light down and it made it alot brighter.
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Cool idea in any case. I may have to steal pay tribute to it
Lol.
The Cold Cathodes are really cheap...a pair like in the picture below run about $10 and they come in various colours. Here is what the green cold cathode I will be using looks like lit if you are curious:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CCGreen3.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CCGreen1.jpg)
Ya those would work excellent for the under CP idea. I basically mentioned LEDs since they seem to be "standard" PC lighting due to their low power consumption.
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Ya those would work excellent for the under CP idea. I basically mentioned LEDs since they seem to be "standard" PC lighting due to their low power consumption.
Oh exactly, and for buttons etc LEDs are the way to go. I just love the diffused lighting of the Cathodes for exterior lighting, everything is basked in a shade of green.
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Lookin' good Epyx, love that 5/8 + laminate t-molding job. Though it looks like you can cut a bit more out of the t-molding teeth around that top corner, it looks like it's separating from the slot there.
:cheers: :applaud:
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Though it looks like you can cut a bit more out of the t-molding teeth around that top corner, it looks like it's separating from the slot there
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Hehe ya I noticed that to. Ill see if I can just push it in at that spot. Either way I have 20' of extra T Molding just in case ;)
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Though it looks like you can cut a bit more out of the t-molding teeth around that top corner, it looks like it's separating from the slot there
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Hehe ya I noticed that to. Ill see if I can just push it in at that spot. Either way I have 20' of extra T Molding just in case ;)
Did you make a 'V' notch in the molding on those corners? I hear it makes those tight turns a lot better that way.
Your project is looking excellent thus far! So, since you're stealing the monitor out of your other cab, what will become of that one (the old cab)?
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So, since you're stealing the monitor out of your other cab, what will become of that one?
He's going to :censored: beat the :censored: out of the thing with a :censored: sledgehammer. All the while cackling like a madman and :censored: yelling :censored: :censored: :censored: and :censored:. As well as the 7 words you can't :censored: say on :censored: television. :lol
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So, since you're stealing the monitor out of your other cab, what will become of that one?
He's going to :censored: beat the :censored: out of the thing with a :censored: sledgehammer. All the while cackling like a madman and :censored: yelling :censored: :censored: :censored: and :censored:. As well as the 7 words you can't :censored: say on :censored: television. :lol
Sounds fun! :cheers: Surely the old cab isn't that bad though?
EDIT: I went and found it... Blue Lightning looks pretty nice to me... (assuming that's the cab he's stealing the monitor from)
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Sounds fun! Surely the old cab isn't that bad though?
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 :(
It has no future simply because it cannot be moved from the room its in to what would have been its home in the room next to it (theater/gaming room).
The Trackball will be salvaged and lit up with Randy's kit...the P1/P2 buttons/spinner, salvaged...joysticks will be spared for future projects (bartops etc), IPAC2 salvaged. Computer and coin door migrated and then everything else is pretty much sloppy MDF and screws ;)
Then its just a matter of:
He's going to :censored: beat the :censored: out of the thing with a :censored: sledgehammer. All the while cackling like a madman and :censored: yelling :censored: and :censored: . As well as the 7 words you can't :censored: say on :censored: television.
;)
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And now we know why he has a thing for portability. :lol
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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! :cheers:
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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".
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Ha, where's the progress? Stop studying and get back to work already! ;)
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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.
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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. :dizzy:
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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!
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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!
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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:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/800x600-green_balltops_green_LED.jpg)
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".
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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.
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Thorsten just sent me notice of a pic of my balltops all lit up and ready (they are now enroute) on his gallery:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/800x600-green_balltops_green_LED.jpg)
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.
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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
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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.
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Ya, I had to build my CP first so I could get dimensions for the rest of my cab.
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Ya, problem is I knew mine ahead of time :(
26.5 wide by 10.5 deep lol...thus the potential for diversion...
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Epyx, do you still expect to need plexi for the marquee, or is the backlit vinyl product rigid enough to be used alone?
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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 (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.
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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.
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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...
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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!).
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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?
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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.
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The ball tops look fantastic. You should use these PCB "feet" in your build..
(http://www.grebo.eu/arcadegames/shop/images/prodimages/pcbfeet_alien.jpg)
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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! :cheers:
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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! :cheers:
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 (http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d177/LOPWyrm/SliderSlots.jpg)
and the PC in place here:
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d177/LOPWyrm/PCMountedInCab.jpg (http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d177/LOPWyrm/PCMountedInCab.jpg)
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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! :cheers:
Found them here --->http://www.grebo.eu/arcadegames/shop/index_eng.htm (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.
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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 (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!
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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...
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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. :lol
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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. :)
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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. :lol
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.
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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. :lol
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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.
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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?" :lol
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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.
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In space no one can hear you scream.... but in Epyx's basement... everyone can.
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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 ;)
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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.
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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.
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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! ;D 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". :laugh:
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. ;D
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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 ;)
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Can't wait. ;D
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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?
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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.
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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:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/Sideartunlit.jpg)
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:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/Sideartunlit2.jpg)
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:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/SideArtLit4.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/SideArtLit2.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/SideArtLit3.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/SideArtLit.jpg)
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:notworthy:
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Hello Epyx,
This is looking nice....... :notworthy: 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.
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Turned out alright eh? ;D 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!
:cheers:
Ond
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Excellent! That artwork looks amazing! I think I had a little bit of a nerdgasm. :cheers:
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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!
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@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.
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Here ya go Epyx
http://www.allaudioexpo.com/nav/details.asp?itemid=660 (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
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@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://www.caraddons.com/Catalog/subpages/liteglow7.htm)
http://mobile-emotions.com/10inneongree.html (http://mobile-emotions.com/10inneongree.html)
http://www.pyleaudio.com/itemdetail.asp?model=PLNR12BL (http://www.pyleaudio.com/itemdetail.asp?model=PLNR12BL)
http://www.tootoo.com/buy-neon_speaker_ring/ (http://www.tootoo.com/buy-neon_speaker_ring/)
http://www.thefind.com/instruments/info-neon-speaker-rings (http://www.thefind.com/instruments/info-neon-speaker-rings)
Encryptor
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@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.
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Sideart looks great Epyx!
Also was wondering what method you plan to use to cut your plexi for the marquee?
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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 ;)
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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...
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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).
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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. :)
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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.
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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! :cheers:
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
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/TestFitMonitor2.jpg)
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.
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/TestFitMonitor3.jpg)
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:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/TestFitMonitor4.jpg)
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Here I am test fitting the bottom:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/TestFitBottom.jpg)
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:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/TestFitBottom2JPG.jpg)
Then I worked on the monitor mount:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/MonitorMount.jpg)
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?:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/BottomOnMonitorMountalmostdoneRoof2.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/TestFitRoof.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/TestFitRoof3JPG.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/TestFitRoof2.jpg)
Side Bracings permanently mounted after careful measurements:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/RoofRib2.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/RoofRib.jpg)
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And finally I connected the roof to the cab. Here are various angles of the cab with the roof and monitor mount in place.
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/RoofOn1.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/RoofOn2.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/RoofOn3.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/RoofOn5.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/RoofOn4.jpg)
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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......
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Ah thanks, that works out perfect then for me! :)
Hopefully you can fix yours.
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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 :cheers:
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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 ;)
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Lookin' sweet! :applaud: :applaud: :applaud:
You probably mentioned this before, but are you going to paint the exposed wood parts inside the cab?
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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.
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This is a really nice looking cab. Laminate gives a finish that IMOHO cannot be beaten for giving cabs a 'not home built' look.
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Nicely done, Epyx. :cheers:
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Gotta second Silas on the laminate. Looks excellent. Very professional
And that green tmold. It almost looks like it's glowing all by itself.
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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).
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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!
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Agreed, that is the plan...take...time ;)
Shouldn't you be working on joysticks!? :lol
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Shouldn't you be working on joysticks!? :lol
Ha, actually I am just about done with the first one. Just need to finish polishing the shaft. :o
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Shouldn't you be working on joysticks!? :lol
Ha, actually I am just about done with the first one. Just need to finish polishing the shaft. :o
Obligatory response: "That's what she said!" ;D ;D
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I love the curved top. Man that looks awesome. :afro:
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How do you plan on handling the back? Did I miss that somewhere in the thread? I'm planning a curved door for mine so I'm interested to hear how you are approaching yours.
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How do you plan on handling the back? Did I miss that somewhere in the thread? I'm planning a curved door for mine so I'm interested to hear how you are approaching yours.
You're now entering the Twilight Zone........
I was just about to pose the same question. I thought it, you posted it... Spooky
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What is really spooky is I was just answering that and tried to post and you both beat me to it! Lol:
Thanks Pixel. Ya, Im definitely happy with how it turned out. So far no popping after about 3 weeks, so feel confident it will be fine. The back will be similarly curved but I will do that in 2 parts...a permanent top half and a removable bottom half for the computer. The top half will have an opening but only for a UV Green 120mm fan. The back straightens out at the midway mark going down so the removable bottom panel will not be curved, making it easier to remove etc.
So picture a similar curve extending from where the top ends down to the midway point where the back straightens, with a green UV fan. I want to get a custom Aliens picture laser cut for it.
Oh and to get the curved shape, same idea that worked well for me for the top...curved ribs that I have already put aside for the sides and some mid structure to attach the curve to. All of them were template routed based on the back curve. so it will be a flush mount riding just shy of the t molding.
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I thought it, you posted it... Spooky
And "Spooky" is my son's nickname. Coincidence? You decide.
@Epyx
Very interested to see your curved removable panel. (My plan is to have the top arc over the top edge and come about 10" down the back. Another panel will arc up from the bottom a foot or so. That leaves a large opening which will be covered by a similarly curved door recessed behind the two panels.) My biggest concern has been that the curved door will twist and flex . From you pics it looks like the top stayed pretty rigid when not attached. How do you plan on attaching it while keeping it removable? I've been planning on having mine bolt into position on a brace running horizontally behind it.
This'll be interesting to folllow.
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From you pics it looks like the top stayed pretty rigid when not attached.
I have been using threaded inserts. So each side rib has a three threaded inserts. The outermost ribs on the roof itself have lined up threaded inserts...then I just screw the bolt in to join them together.
It is completely solid and won't move on its own or when joined to the cab. I did the top and bottom first for this very reason...my first cab different parts of the cab weren't the same width...this time I wanted 26.5" from top to bottom with not even 1/16" variance...so far so good ;)
And looking forward to your next update Pixel!
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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?
Boy, you are NOT kidding. I have spent 5 days trying to get mine primed and smooth. I think it will probably look fantastic when I'm done, but I'm hating life right now... :banghead:
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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?
Boy, you are NOT kidding. I have spent 5 days trying to get mine primed and smooth. I think it will probably look fantastic when I'm done, but I'm hating life right now... :banghead:
I am totally glad the painting is behind me, though I do have a few touch ups to do yet.... :cry:
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I painted my boat a couple of years ago and my father taught me a technique for using these (http://www.choiceful.com/choiceful-id-2284-Assorted-Paint-Pads-With-Wooden-Handle-Pack-of-20.html).
The finish was nothing short of amazing, it looks like it was sprayed. The trick is to only apply in one direction with the pad and never ever go back over the paint in the other direction. I can't see any reason why they wouldn't be good for painting a cab too?
Failing that, a small hobby compressor and a spray gun would produce good results.
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This cab is turning out to be fantastic :applaud:
I would love to build a laminated cab even half as good as this one day :)
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I'd recommend adding a back just to keep dust out.
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I'd recommend adding a back just to keep dust out.
Oh for sure...as I mentioned above, the back will be fully covered...the curve will continue down to the midway point, where it straightens out and then a removable access panel will sit on the bottom half to access the pc and back of monitor (by reaching up).
The finish was nothing short of amazing, it looks like it was sprayed. The trick is to only apply in one direction with the pad and never ever go back over the paint in the other direction. I can't see any reason why they wouldn't be good for painting a cab too?
Ill buy a few with my foam rollers and try that, thanks.
I would love to build a laminated cab
Ya, that was my main motivator, seeing so many nice looking laminated cabs, particularly Martijn's SF cab. Even though he's put up side art the front panels, bezel all look so pro.
Ehhhhhhhehhhhhhuhhhhh.... ahhhhhhh damn.... I jizzed in my pants!
Lol, love that clip.
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Looking good there Epyx. Keep it up :applaud:
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I really hope you can get the Green paint to work. It would be a shame to laminate the front panel. IMO, I think it would hinder the look of the cab. But then again, It may be because it's what we've been looking at since the beginning.
Now get this thing finished and get back to work on the Wasteland cab.... sheesh! :laugh:
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I really hope you can get the Green paint to work. It would be a shame to laminate the front panel. IMO, I think it would hinder the look of the cab.
I don't agree. I think laminate would look really good.
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I don't agree. I think laminate would look really good.
+1 for that. Formica would actually tie in more to the cab. It would have the same texture.
BTW, has anyone thought to laminate in this (http://www.formica.co.uk/publish/site/eu/uk/en/home/collection/high_gloss_ar_plus.html)?
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Yeah, I have a sample of the F1485 High Gloss on that link, but decided to go with the F1485 velvet finish instead. (see pic) It's really nice stuff, but it looked a bit too BLING for my taste.
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I don't agree. I think laminate would look really good.
Thus the reason why I said "It may be because it's what we've been looking at since the beginning.". But still if there was some green laminate that would look close to the color he's looking for, it would look good. But I'm not sure about laminating the whole thing black.
The cab has a great design to it and the color scheme is part of the package. I say, if he takes his time and does the painting well, with some semi-gloss or high-gloss paint, it would still look really good next to the laminated black.
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Ah.. OK I'm with you. I agree. If the correct shade of green isn't available then I would paint it instead of black laminate. I just assumed with the huge range of laminates that there would be something pretty close.
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Ah.. OK I'm with you. I agree. If the correct shade of green isn't available then I would paint it instead of black laminate. I just assumed with the huge range of laminates that there would be something pretty close.
Ah, I figured you meant laminate the front black instead of painting. But ya, I agree.
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It's a special formica/wilsonart which is about $140 for a 12x8' sheet...of which I will only be using a fraction so going to try the paint option first. I'm going to be real fussy though so if it doesn't work out Ill go the formica route in green but the paint is already there and mixed and ready so this weekend ill know if it's a go.
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Today I installed the upper monitor brace and test fitted my WG D9800 monitor. I have included some pictures of the bolt holes and placement on the beams. I ended up cutting 4 notches to clear the bolts. Tomorrow the fun begins, cutting the various panels for the front, the bezel, speaker and bottomr marquee retainer shelf and the coin door, CP and piece that joins the two. I will also close in the light chamber of the marquee area.
The width of the bezel area is 26.5", leaving 2-5/8" from edge of viewable screen to side of cab on each side.
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/TestFitMonitor8.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/TestFitMonitor7.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/TestFitMonitor-1.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/TestFitMonitor2-1.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/TestFitMonitor6.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/TestFitMonitor3-1.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/TestFitMonitor5.jpg)
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Sweet! moving along nicely. :cheers:
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Updated the marquee and placed the order. For the price, im happy with it (even though it has "characters"! and the caption is cheesy...but I like frommage!) and not like I can't take it out and change/update it later. This is an update to the earlier one on page 1 of this thread. 26.5' x 8.5". Here is the proof that FastSigns sent me (White border is just from the proof sheet and will not be on final print):
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/Proof.jpg)
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Nice! The only thing I worry about is the Lens Flare in the center being too bright and making the wording tough to read.
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Ill find out after Rememberance day when I pick it up...hopefully not :)
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Ill find out after Rememberance day when I pick it up...hopefully not :)
if so, you could maybe get him to print up a second one on plain paper to deepen the colors.... our as you say Colours. :lol
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I just can't hold back any more......this is AWESOME :notworthy: :applaud:
Can't wait to see the lit balltops on that sweet CP :)
Just one question: did you have to pay some sort of tax when you received my sticks?
Thorsten's Led Balltops+ Hollow Shafts
$65
Total = Ouch...so much for the cheap upgrade lol but it's done the way I want it, that's what counts but safe to say next build will be a while.
26 Euros are 41 CAN$....what happened?? ???
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26 Euros are 41 CAN$....what happened?? ???
Exchange, and most likely duty. Especially from the UK. Wretched Canadian customs! :banghead:
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Hmmmmm, I always seemed to get bumped with customs, yet other UK BYOACers seem to get nowt!
Yet another way we get bumped by the taxman! Have I mentioned stamp duty?...
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Wow, its looking awesome with the monitor in Epyx. :)
You can beat a nice big monitor, there is nothing worse than seeing a lovely cab with a ---smurfy--- 17" CRT in it IMO.
Hmmmmm, I always seemed to get bumped with customs, yet other UK BYOACers seem to get nowt!
Its a bit hit and miss if I get charged, I would say 75% of the time I get hit. I'm not too fussed about paying the tax etc but its the ~£25 charge that Parcel Farce put on for 'handling' the item that gets me. :angry:
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I'm not too fussed about paying the tax etc but its the ~£25 charge that Parcel Farce put on for 'handling' the item that gets me. :angry:
Wow, that's harsh. In Sweden we get away with £6 for the handling part. But in Sweden we not only have to pay for the item itself, but we have to pay for the shipping as well. AGAIN!. I was soooo happy when my Japanese 360 just sailed through. :D
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If only vendors would mark the packages as gifts...I know, it's illegal. :(
But honestly, even though I paid for it, whenever I get a package in the mail that is arcade related, I get giddy as if it were a present! ;D ;D ;D
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Apparently the amplifier I bought on eBay from Hong Kong was sent from my 'Good Friend Jennifer" as a 'Gift'
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26 Euros are 41 CAN$....what happened??
It was actually $42 and no customs as it was Canada Post...was a mistype ;)
You can beat a nice big monitor, there is nothing worse than seeing a lovely cab with a ---smurfy--- 17" CRT in it IMO.
Completely agree, I have about 2.5" (from viewable screen, 1.5" from edge of monitor) on each side. That will be enough for the bezel and give me a nice big screen.
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I have to give you uber credit for your cab... I'm Jealous...and you are inspiring me to build a cabinet from scratch.
:applaud:
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Thanks Expressline99,
It is a lot of fun building your own cab from scratch. Even though I would like to take on a restore one day, I get a lot out of building it myself because a lot of the fun (for me) is the design and then building and executing to that original specific design. It is really rewarding seeing a concept materialize from a drawing, then a render etc.
When you start your scratch build, throw it up for us to see!
Look for a massive update this weekend. All the final pieces have been cut for the front of the cabinet and the next two weeks should see things get finalized. Although a massive IT project at work is preventing weekday work..the weekends are all clear for me to build and unwind.
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Thanks Expressline99,
It is a lot of fun building your own cab from scratch. Even though I would like to take on a restore one day, I get a lot out of building it myself because a lot of the fun (for me) is the design and then building and executing to that original specific design. It is really rewarding seeing a concept materialize from a drawing, then a render etc.
When you start your scratch build, throw it up for us to see!
Look for a massive update this weekend. All the final pieces have been cut for the front of the cabinet and the next two weeks should see things get finalized. Although a massive IT project at work is preventing weekday work..the weekends are all clear for me to build and unwind.
Oh believe me it will be up here. I always need all the help/opinions I can get!
I was in IT for years working for Pacbell so I know how the long projects go. Anyway, I look forward to the update!
BTW your name "Epyx" and avatar bring back great memories from my C64 days...which I still have stuffed away somewhere.
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Oh believe me it will be up here. I always need all the help/opinions I can get!
I was in IT for years working for Pacbell so I know how the long projects go. Anyway, I look forward to the update!
Good stuff looking forward to it. As for the IT...ya we are installing a new ERP package...migrating these guys from an old, old, old Unix system to a modern graphical ERP...not fun.
BTW your name "Epyx" and avatar bring back great memories from my C64 days...which I still have stuffed away somewhere
Yep, indeed. Summer Games I/II, California Games, Winter Games are still some of the best 2 player experiences even today. Throw in non Epyx games like Bunten's masterpiece MULE and the C64 was/is hard to beat as probably one of the best 2 player game platforms of all time.
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All the final pieces have been cut for the front of the cabinet and the next two weeks should see things get finalized.
Cool Epyx! Looks like you and I are on a similar time line for completion. My goal is to be able to spend the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday (in about 2 weeks) PLAYING a finished cab!
Can't wait to see yours finished! :cheers:
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Hey Epyx,
Not sure if this will work, but you were looking for a clean way to get that glow underneath the control panel. Well, considering you will have green nova gems, why not just make two cutouts in the base overhang and let the nova gems light up that area. I'm attempting to do the same with my control panel. I'm placing 2 blue lit fans in my control panel, along with blue nova gems. That should give me a nice glow underneath without the bulk of the neon sticks.
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=90051.0;attach=136215;image)
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=90051.0;attach=136217;image)
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=90051.0;attach=136219;image)
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Any chance you could sketch that even roughly in paint? Not quite sure what you mean but would love to see your idea. Or if you are close, id like to see it on your cab, even unfinished.
My thoughts with what I was going to do was just have the angled front portion underneath the CP stop a bit short of the coin door and attach the neon stick out of view along the bottom length where it stops short, allowing it to illuminate the door.
But again, Id like to see what you have in mind. I think I do in that you are relying on the secondary glow of the nova's underneath to provide light through two cutouts (your top pic) just overtop of the coin door...is that right? I like the routing you did on the inner edge of the circles btw.
Oh also should mention, that one Neon ring place that I had hoped would send me the rings cancelled my order...didn't answer emails and haven't returned voice messages lol...you would think they would process a Canadian visa if they could keep the shipment domestically ($ is $) but no reply to my pleas just a cold cancellation...haha oh well, ive got other plans.
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Here is the marquee alongside the sideart. I did a mockup with the marquee illuminated and it looked as good as I had hoped it would and thankfully the it didn't appear washed out.
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/ResizedMarqueewithSideart.jpg)
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I suck at sketching etc. Hope this explains. Yes you are correct, the glow from your CP buttons should light up that area nicely without it being too bold of a statement...Plus you can control how much light is coming through by experimenting with the mesh inserts ($2.00 - $3.00 for a set)....
With the neon sticks your stuck with whatever light its gonna emit. With your j-sticks, buttons etc all lit up, you might not want too much more bold lighting in the front.
Plus your using lighting thats already there, no extra modifying or cables to run......
I attached Robert Downey's arcade odyssey control panel pic (awesome cab), but look at all that wasted pretty lighting..... :cry:
That is what gave me the idea.....
I used a 3" hole saw to make my holes, my CP is in pieces right now, so I can't show you an example. I did a test last night and kind of clamped the thing together and fired up the fans, I had a faint glow through the holes. I know when I get my nova gems it will be super bright in that area. If not I will play around with different size mesh holes until I get it right.
And offer still stands on those rings.......PM me if your still interested.....
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I gotcha and I like that idea. I will definitely work with that. Hopefully the GGG order arrives today, if not it will have to wait till next weekend but either way it will get tested.
Also, sent you a PM, thanks!
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My eyes melted from all the LED goodness. :laugh:
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Randy's box of phat lewtz arrived today. Now I can see the finish line. This weekend I will get as close as possible without rushing, since I ended up having an Ikea weekend with my daughter this last one.
Table with the goodies. RGB 3" Trackball Upgrade Kit, LEDWiz, 12 Green Novagems, 12 Microleaf switches, 2 Modded J Sticks (ultimarcs with Thorstens' LED mod), and the BYOAC prize unopened going to the Twin Cobra winner:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/Pic1.jpg)
As you can see, true to Randy's statement the Green Novagems are not as translucent as the other NovaGems...but you know this is actually not a bad thing imo:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/Pic2-1.jpg)
Here is a closeup for those interested showing a hollowed shaft courtesy of Thorsten:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/Pic3-1.jpg)
And a pic of the led mounted at the top before screwing on the drilled out balltop:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/Pic4-1.jpg)
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Looking great, it's always nice get "the goodies" those Microleaf switches probably have the best all round feel, sound and sensitivity of any I've ever tested. I switched over to Seimitsu buttons (for various other reasons), so now I've got a whole bag of those switches spare (for now) ;D. Nice job on the Marquee design too man.
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Yes goodies are always cool. Those lovely UPS boxes, USPS boxes, Fed-Ex boxes. I haven't infested GGG with my purchases yet. I'm too busy sending stuff back and forth to Rockler, ordered the wrong hinges 3 times already :banghead:. I'm envious of those J-sticks, I need those something serious.....Good stuff man :applaud:
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I'm too busy sending stuff back and forth to Rockler, ordered the wrong hinges 3 times already
Ya, I was concerned about hinges as well. Since my CP will be very similiar to Martijn (Street Fighter Scratch Cab), I msgd him and he suggested these:
(http://www.arcadeshop.de/images/arcade-spannv-v.jpg)
http://www.arcadeshop.de/Accessories-Panel-Clamp-adjustable_814.html (http://www.arcadeshop.de/Accessories-Panel-Clamp-adjustable_814.html)
And here is how they look on his CP:
(http://www.vogtschmidtoutdoorcenter.nl/akira/cpg130/albums/userpics/10007/IMG_4622.JPG)
(http://www.vogtschmidtoutdoorcenter.nl/akira/cpg130/albums/userpics/10007/IMG_4619.JPG)
(http://www.vogtschmidtoutdoorcenter.nl/akira/cpg130/albums/userpics/10007/IMG_4443~0.JPG)
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Nice......I'm going with the blum 95 degree inset detachable clip hinges.
This more of the dynamic I'm looking for....
By the way, did you send Luigi your sticks and ball tops for the drilling?
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Nice......I'm going with the blum 95 degree inset detachable clip hinges.
This more of the dynamic I'm looking for....
By the way, did you send Luigi your sticks and ball tops for the drilling?
Ya, those hinges will work better for your application for sure. My CP will just be a top lid so these are a great way to go.
As for the sticks, no I ordered using his sticks and balltops. I kept the pair I bought online as spares that I can always drill if need be. I actually preffered Thorsten's balltops as they bubbles are slightly more packed and illuminate better by diffusing the light more. Ill take a pic of them side to side tomorrow.
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Oh so you order the sticks and ball tops from him, I gotcha....
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Yep...although you can provide your own from what I gather...I can honestly vouch for both the quality and timeliness of his orders. He also takes the time to ensure your order will meet your current and future requirements...ie 5v/12v etc...
They arrive professionally packed and ready to go with resistors in place.
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How do you like those Micro-Leaf switches? I'm thinking of ordering out some for the SHMUP when I get soem extra money. I hear the response on them is amazingly quick for games you need quick button presses.
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Is it just me or did you somehow run all your wiring INSIDE the CP?!
The wires from the buttons just seem to "disappear" into the CP. Did you route out clearance and then laminate over the wiring somehow?
Very nicely done in any case!
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Is it just me or did you somehow run all your wiring INSIDE the CP?!
The wires from the buttons just seem to "disappear" into the CP. Did you route out clearance and then laminate over the wiring somehow?
Very nicely done in any case!
@Drventure
Not my cp
This belongs to Martijn and his Street Fighter scratch build as mentioned above *cough* ;)
But to answer your question, yes he ran the wires inside his CP by routing channels under the laminate...if you haven't checked out his build yet, check it out..fantastic build.
How do you like those Micro-Leaf switches? I'm thinking of ordering out some for the SHMUP when I get soem extra money. I hear the response on them is amazingly quick for games you need quick button presses.
I haven't tried them yet but just activating them with buttons in a test scenario they are *quiet* and *very responsive*...ie yes VERY Fast...I think these would be great for shooter games.
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Ah, I thought you were referring to the hinges he used and how you used them on your own cp.
I should have recognized that the colors don't line up (Can't imagine you'd be using red trim on your cp and green everywhere else :D )
I'll have to check out is thread. Thanks!
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Lol aye...Np but ya I plan on using those hinges as his CP is almost identical in design (although I won't bother routing the wires into the panel!)
Here it is btw: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=84649.0 (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=84649.0)
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The hidden wires is a nice touch, but I don't think I would go that route either. Just in case I need to run new wires or something needs to get fixed. Then I can get to everything as easily as possible.
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Looking really really nice. How much did that sweet monitor set you back? :cheers:
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The hidden wires is a nice touch, but I don't think I would go that route either. Just in case I need to run new wires or something needs to get fixed. Then I can get to everything as easily as possible.
Agreed, although if you just had the button inserts/T Molding holding your bottom layer of laminate in place you could then remove it to get at the channels. But agreed, won't be the route i'm going either.
Looking really really nice. How much did that sweet monitor set you back?
Thanks Javeryh. I got it through X Gaming's Ebay listing...was $349.99 plus shipping ($99) so $449 (USD) total.
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Wow, I haven't checked in on this thread for a long time. It has come a long way Epyx!! Looking great!! So close, must be getting the itch!
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Ya getting there. Unfortunately, I have a course that is tying up my after work hours and some home projects that have required my attention...I will be back on this over the next few weeks. Last thing I want to do is rush it...all the parts are in and the pieces have been cut so just need to measure/measure/laminate/paint/ again and assemble ;)
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Hey Epyx,
Ha Ha I will never be defeated, check this out
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330378958462&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330378958462&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123)
I sent him a message an he confirmed he has them in stock, and he also ships to Canada.....
Last I checked he had 10 on hand.........
:cheers:
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Woot! Awesome. Thanks rablack97!
Ill place an order tonight! :cheers:
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Ya getting there. Unfortunately, I have a course that is tying up my after work hours and some home projects that have required my attention...I will be back on this over the next few weeks. Last thing I want to do is rush it...all the parts are in and the pieces have been cut so just need to measure/measure/laminate/paint/ again and assemble ;)
Can't the home projects wait for our sake? :P
I'm really enjoying following your build whilst I get no chance to continue my own.
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no problem....
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Cool Epyx! Looks like you and I are on a similar time line for completion
Little did I know at the time of this quote how my professional life would take a turn for the busy. I can now fully understand the frustration of those of you who have had work or personal lives play an integral part in stalling your projects...
I look forward to my work project software implementation go live date and being able to finish this cab. In the meantime some awesome new cabs have been finished. The nice thing is that an unfinished cab sits patiently until you get around to her and thankfully I have her in the basement not in the garage so it alleviates the guilt by not having to look up the unfinished state on a daily basis! ;)
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If its unskilled labour you work at, I'l do your job if you spend the time finishing this cab instead! ;D Can't wait to see it done!
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Cool Epyx! Looks like you and I are on a similar time line for completion
I can now fully understand the frustration of those of you who have had work or personal lives play an integral part in stalling your projects...
I hear ya on that one! Yeah, it really sucks. I have zero 'me time' me time anymore. My company owns 90% of my life and I spend the other 10% driving to and from work. I leave home at just after 5am every day (for the 2.5 - 3hr drive to work), get home most days around 8pm, ready to eat, sleep then start again the next day.
Work also requires me to hold certain qualifications which require renewing fairly regularly, so weekends are totally consumed with studying and revision.
The other killer for my project is cash. Trying to find 'spare' money to throw at an arcade machine when making the bills is hard enough means work on the cab grinds to a halt for months. :-[
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If its unskilled labour you work at, I'l do your job if you spend the time finishing this cab instead! Can't wait to see it done!
Lol...unfortunately not...I am project managing an ERP software implementation across 13 Canadian cities :(
I hear ya on that one! Yeah, it really sucks. I have zero 'me time' me time anymore. My company owns 90% of my life and I spend the other 10% driving to and from work. I leave home at just after 5am every day (for the 2.5 - 3hr drive to work), get home most days around 8pm, ready to eat, sleep then start again the next day.
Work also requires me to hold certain qualifications which require renewing fairly regularly, so weekends are totally consumed with studying and revision.
The other killer for my project is cash. Trying to find 'spare' money to throw at an arcade machine when making the bills is hard enough means work on the cab grinds to a halt for months.
Aye not to turn it into a big "pity party" but ya sometimes it feels like living to work when it should be working to live.
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Beautiful day in Vancouver, BC today..sun is shining...I do believe this calls for some cabinet construction time! :cheers:
Pics to follow :D
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Beautiful day in Vancouver, BC today..sun is shining...I do believe this calls for some cabinet construction time! :cheers:
Pics to follow :D
It was! Though, if you've gone downtown lately, it's like a tourist zoo down there. It's so crowded!
Ugh, I can't wait till the Olympics are over with.
:(
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Living in Langley and working on the Annacis it doesn't bother me too much...besides I can't wait for Olympic hockey :)
Pics in next post...
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Wow, finally some updates to the cabinet. I did a lot of tidying and organizing of tools which I won't bother updating you all on but did get the coin door done for the cabinet. I will be going one shade darker on the coin door because the hammered paint I had originally used for my previous cabinet is a bit on the gray/black side.
CP board below hasn't been trimmed yet and is shown just as a placeholder.
The paint was a pleasure to work with and rolled on very nicely and quick to dry. I Put on two coats and will be sanding and putting on a 3rd tomorrow:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CoinDoor3.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CoinDoor1.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CoinDoor2-1.jpg)
I also organized all the cabinet parts and forgot to mention these arrived about 8 weeks ago:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/15InchRings.jpg)
They are 15" Neon Green speaker rings...ordered from likely the last place on the planet to carry them :) (Thanks again Rablack97!)
Also swapped the standard white 3" trackball from my Xgaming trackball with Randy's 3" Electric Ice trackball.
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/RGBIceBall.jpg)
Tomorrow I plan on completing the bezel and marquee and will then begin working on the remaining curved portions of the cab (Lower back and bit between top of coin door and the CP).
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:applaud: Looks fantastic! I really like the green bottom front bit and the kickboard piece is alot better than just plain old flat piece.
One little thing. Are you going to have enough room for a trackball when the angled piece from your CP to the bottom front piece goes on? It might put the trackball very close to the TV ?
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Nice to see activity on this thread again. This is my favorite ongoing current build on here.
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One little thing. Are you going to have enough room for a trackball when the angled piece from your CP to the bottom front piece goes on? It might put the trackball very close to the TV ?
Absolutely :)
My CP is will be based on the X-Arcade Tankstick...albeit with only 6 buttons, not 8. Here is a picture of the X-Arcade panel sitting on top of my CP so you can see the scale of my CP. As you can see there is plenty of room for the trackball. Note the side shot for depth ;) I will also add a spinner. By going down to 6 buttons I can re-jig it to ensure it doesn't look too cluttered. Either way I will make sure to balance aesthetics with functionality...yes it will have both a spinner and trackball but I think I can pull it off without it looking "too" Frankenpanelish :)
Also Nacimroc...I think I mentioned it but just in case...yours turned out fantastic, I really like how you finished it :cheers:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CPwithXArcadeOverlay.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CPwithXArcadeOverlay2.jpg)
Nice to see activity on this thread again. This is my favorite ongoing current build on here.
Thanks Silas! Hopefully I can maintain some momentum now that I have started back up. Key will still be to take my time and ensure the finishing is where I want it to be. Btw..where is your Lokesen clone project at? ;)
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;D I'm looking at it right now. It's sitting there calling to me, begging to be finished.
I had a weekend back at home this week, so I got the tools out. Sadly it was new kitchen cupboard kickboards that had the pleasure of my woodworking skills, not the arcade ::)
Hopefully next weekend I will finish the kickboards, leaving the following weekend open for starting to lay a new patio (that should take a couple of weekends) .... Then FINALLY Project Lokesen will begin again. :cheers:
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Big update coming in a few days but until then here is a micro update.
As shown previously, I have 12 of the Green LED Novagems, 2 green and LED illuminated JLW Joysticks, a green RGB trackball but my Turbo Twist 2 was blue (Big Blue knob) so I gave it a coat of UV green:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/BigBlugTT2nowGreen2.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/BigBlugTT2nowGreen3.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/BigBlugTT2nowGreen.jpg)
It's a UV paint so will glow a nice neon green when lit with a blacklight. I will have a blacklight just under the marquee. I can't wait to see these all lit up against a nice pure black CP...I think the pure black will contrast nicely against the lighting...artwork on the CP would be too much.
Painting was done in 2 passes...first 2 coats were straight neon green for a base...then a UV reactive clear (blacklit neon green) coating overtop.
UV Product: http://www.xoxide.com/greenuvpaint.html (http://www.xoxide.com/greenuvpaint.html)
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Any ideas on how I can do the curve that connects coin door to CP? I was thinking of the same plywood but it is almost impossible to get it to bend that extreme without cracking. My two current options are:
- Some sort of half cut PVC pipe? Would need to be 8" or so in diameter to get the right angle
- Woodworking wizardry to have strips of MDF cut to form the semi circle required
Any other ideas?
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Maybe benderboard. Can be a bendable plywood made flexible enough to roll up like a poster or an MDF material with pre cut kerfs. I've heard kerfing can telegraph through veneer, (but maybe not laminate??)
Here is some related info from http://www.joewoodworker.com/veneering/vacuumforming.htm (http://www.joewoodworker.com/veneering/vacuumforming.htm)
"What is the tightest curve I can pull in a vacuum bag?"
Tighter curves are made by using a thinner substrate. These are the bending radius limits, costs and sources for four kinds of thin ply I have used.
5.2mm Luan plywood with one face sanded off $12 Most large hardware stores MIN RADIUS: 4.5 inches
1/8” Whacky Wood Three ply Luan/aspen $35 www.boulterplywood.com (http://www.boulterplywood.com) MIN RADIUS: 3 inches
1/8” Birch Bending plywood (two ply) $35 www.theworkbench.com (http://www.theworkbench.com) www.boulterplywood.com (http://www.boulterplywood.com) MIN RADIUS:1.5 inches
Birch Aircraft Plywood 1.5mm (1/16”) $90 www.wicksaircraft.com (http://www.wicksaircraft.com) MIN RADIUS: ¾” inch
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Or maybe a thin sheet of frosted (sanded?) acrylic backlit green with the Alien's name etched into it. :dunno
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Thanks Pixelhugger! Some good links. I had thought of trying to find some bendable MDF locally...I wonder if routing MDF would produce similar results? IE routing strips along the 3/4" mdf to within 1/4" of the bottom...would that allow it bend similarly or would it just crack?
The vacuum option is pretty cool ill have to read that more at lunch...and the acrylic is another possibility. Thanks!
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Also Nacimroc...I think I mentioned it but just in case...yours turned out fantastic, I really like how you finished it :cheers:
Thanks! If only it would sell now, I'd be even happier! :lol
As regards bending wood, this thread from a few days ago might help.
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=99772.0 (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=99772.0)
I used 3mm plywood and it bends very easy and should bend even more if steamed or even heated. 3mm Hardboard would be even better for you as you don't need anything structurally strong.
An alternative would be to use acrylic or lexan. Would be easier bend over a curve.
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Thanks Nacimroc. I actually read that thread but haven't found a place (yet) here in Vancouver that sells it...I know I can order it online and will if it is my last option. It gave me the thought of routing regular MDF but I think the bendable stuff has a different surface to prevent if from easily splitting?
Either way...Ill leave it for last so whatever I end up with looks good. Ill have some updates of the marquee, sideart and bezel hopefully by this weekend. I aim to have the cab done by the 21st as my buddy and I are having a birthday bash (hes 19th and im 21st) and want the cab there to play on with our other friends.
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Thanks Nacimroc. I actually read that thread but haven't found a place (yet) here in Vancouver that sells it...
If you're talking about Lexan or Acrylic, the Home Depot on Terminal & 1st has a bunch of them, in large and small sheets. That Home Depot also carries Formica, in case you need some.
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If you're talking about Lexan or Acrylic, the Home Depot on Terminal & 1st has a bunch of them, in large and small sheets. That Home Depot also carries Formica, in case you need some
.
Lexan and acrylic are available here in Langley/Surrey no problem. Im curious about the Formica at Terminal and 1st? It was my understanding HD in BC will no longer carry flat black formica...only other colours...do you recall seeing flat black there?
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If you're talking about Lexan or Acrylic, the Home Depot on Terminal & 1st has a bunch of them, in large and small sheets. That Home Depot also carries Formica, in case you need some
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Lexan and acrylic are available here in Langley/Surrey no problem. Im curious about the Formica at Terminal and 1st? It was my understanding HD in BC will no longer carry flat black formica...only other colours...do you recall seeing flat black there?
Yeah, that's where I usually buy my Formica. Home Depot doesn't "officially" carry it, I was told that this Home Depot has some supplier bringing that stuff in, which operates outside of the corporate Home Depot office. The last time I picked some up was probably over 6 months ago, but they had a bunch of colours, including flat black (which I usually buy) and the stock was pretty full. Perhaps they can let you know over the phone if they still have some.
edit: Also, a sheet cost $60 CAD. Hope this helps!
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Cool thanks for the info opt2not, good to know we still have an option for black formica that doesn't cost an arm and a leg ($100+ vs $60).
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Haven't checked up on this one in a while; looking very nice. :applaud:
I love the UV-green spinner knob. Can't wait to see that baby lit up!
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Thanks Saurian333!
I can't wait either...It should look fairly nice.
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Today I mounted my side-art sandwiches ala the Knievel method. Sandwich consists of the 15" Neon Ring, Plexi, artwork, hardboard backing. I also completed the first coat of the Marquee retainers and couldn't resist putting them up to see what it will look like. I can't wait to see these neon rings in action...right now they are still connected to a car lighter but once I have the computer in the cab I will connect them to the PS.
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/SideArtandMarquee1.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/SideArtandMarquee2.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/SideArtandMarquee3.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/SideArtandMarquee4.jpg)
Going to finish a few more cuts right now (Bezel, speaker and bottom marquee retainer shelf). Tomorrow I will laminate them and get them mounted. I will then begin experimenting with the curved portion below the CP and see what I can come up with.
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Looks terrific Epyx! Can't wait to see it finished. :cheers:
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I can't wait to see these neon rings in action...
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/SideArtandMarquee4.jpg)
Me too, looking greaaat! Are you still back lighting the artwork as well? I'd light them just enough to back illuminate them so you can see it.
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@Gamester
Thanks bud...your completed cab has certainly helped keep me focused on the finish line, considering we started about the same time and you have gotten a lot of playtime in already :cheers:
I'd light them just enough to back illuminate them so you can see it.
@Ond
I was contemplating that, that was the original plan but given the space between the monitor sides opted to go just for the lighting of the ring...completely negating the point of making them backlit int he first place :(
I have 2 cathodes for this purpose...maybe even a slit cut in the hardboard so the cathode only lights up the middle where the two lines are...that would look good and wouldn't be drowned out by the neon rings which is what I think you were getting at as well?
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I have 2 cathodes for this purpose...maybe even a slit cut in the hardboard so the cathode only lights up the middle where the two lines are...that would look good and wouldn't be drowned out by the neon rings which is what I think you were getting at as well?
That could work, if you have the room, what about two cathodes per side in an inverted V shape behind cardboard with a slits cut that are wide enough to light the lines nicely? That would look awesome in combination with the neon rings. Even without any back lighting I think the rings and art are gonna look great. That extra snap added by the cathodes would be the icing on the cake.
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That extra snap added by the cathodes would be the icing on the cake.
Agreed. Ill take a few pics and see exactly how much space I have to work with.
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That is looking very slick. I love the artwork/cathode sandwich. Mmm...sandwich...
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:applaud: Keep it up. It looks fantastic.
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Managed to finish the bezel today.
I used 1/2" MDF. Bezel was cut to 26.5" x 24". I used my router to route the inner portion of the bezel, running along clamped straight edges. Once cut, I painted the inner edge so it would match the laminate I put on after.
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/Bezel1.jpg)
Once the 3 coatings had dried I traced out the bezel on the back of the laminate and then applied glue to both the mdf and the underside of the laminate. I let it dry for about 20 minutes before joining and trimming the laminate.
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/Bezel2.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/Bezel3.jpg)
Once the laminate was trimmed, I taped it up and added another 2 coatings of black to the inner portion of the bezel.
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/Bezel4.jpg)
Once that dried I did a test fitting. I like the results and it's nice to see these smaller laminated pieces coming together as it really showcases the advantages of laminate imo.
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/Bezel7.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/Bezel9.jpg)
And finally a shot to update the comparison vs render:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/Bezel8.jpg)
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Excellent! It's really coming together! Seeing it w/ the side and marquee art in place is awesome, Now once you finish this one you'll totally have to do the Wasteland cab to go alone with it! ;)
:cheers: :cheers:
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Thanks Kman and Ryglore...yes slowly but surely plodding ahead...might not have it finished for my birthday bash next weekend but ill keep on plugging away. I have to admit to being excited to start on the CP...should be a lot of fun as it will be the first CP I have ever done with any kind of lighting etc.
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:applaud: This will be so awesome when finished. You've really gone all the way with the concept.
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:applaud: This will be so awesome when finished. You've really gone all the way with the concept.
Agreed, I can't wait to see it completed and all lit up. :D
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Man this thing is smokin' :cheers:
Love the theme and execution, I too can't wait to see it all lit up!
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nice work, its comming along nicely
how did the paint on the inside of the bezel hold while you took away the inside laminate?
i first laminated and then painted to avoid the bearing of the router
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how did the paint on the inside of the bezel hold while you took away the inside laminate?
You are correct...it didn't hold up well in spots. That is why I had to tape it up again and repaint a few coats. I could have saved myself the time and just painted it after :)
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what glue did you use for laminating the cabinet?
i am planning on laminating my cabinet and its coming on thursday so i need to get glue now.
i was wanting a glue that was not that goo stuff that is like what the aliens stuck the people to the walls with :laugh2:
was wanting spreadable stuff if that is possible.
thanks.
:)
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what glue did you use for laminating the cabinet?
I use Lepage's blue contact cement from Home Depot...it looks like the alien slop but spreads on super easy with a disposable paint brush. It also dries quickly but not too quickly...in other words it gives you enough time to apply glue on both sides before joining (15 to 20 mins).
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ok,i am in united kingdom and all google realy threw up was Evo-Stik 528 so i bought 2.5ltr from screwfix,its supposed to be like butter in consistency.
thanks.
:)
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Lol good stuff...ya this stuff is more like marmalade in consistency but once you spread it, it spreads nice...and aye, just checked its only available here in Canada.
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Wow Epyx,
Looking good, that bezel is amazing, looks machined. :applaud:
Ready to see those rings fired up......I've finished all the the lights on my "beast"....It's all downhill now, control panel and configuration is all thats left....
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I've finished all the the lights on my "beast"....It's all downhill now, control panel and configuration is all thats left....
Nice! :cheers:
Will be a relief to get to that part myself. And yes, pleased with how the bezel turned out :)
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Lots of pics coming up for those who like pics...if you don't just skim! ;)
Today I began work on my speaker shelf which will also have the bottom portion of the marquee retainer attached. The bottom retainer is permanent unlike the top which can be screwed off as shown earlier in the thread. To get the angle right I created an angled cut which will attach to the speaker shelf so that the retainer angles up to the top portion of the retainer. The bottom retainer will be glued on to the laminate (shown later below):
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/SpeakerShelf3.jpg)
I also used my table saw to cut an angle on the edge that will sit on the angled bezel so it will be flush:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/SpeakerShelf2.jpg)
And drilled 2 speaker holes over which will sit two speaker covers:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/SpeakerShelf1.jpg)
Next step was to laminate the bottom of the shelf that will face the CP. I glued both sides. You may have seen it earlier in my thread or on other threads but a great way to line up your laminate and wood is to use small dowels. I used 1/4" offcuts.
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/SpeakerShelf4.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/SpeakerShelf5.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/SpeakerShelf6.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/SpeakerShelf7.jpg)
I then flush trimmed the speaker holes:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/SpeakerShelf8.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/SpeakerShelf9.jpg)
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After this I test fitted the shelf and did the same angled cuts on the CP to allow it to sit flush with the Bezel. I will finish the CP tomorrow or over the next few days and will angle the corners slightly so they aren't too squared off:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/SpeakerShelf10.jpg)
Note there is just enough space between the edge of the cab and the CP for the black T molding of the CP to fit.
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/SpeakerShelf11.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/SpeakerShelf12.jpg)
The bezel will be covered with slightly tinted glass and I will likely have to take a bit extra off of the CP to have it rest on the glass:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/SpeakerShelf14.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/SpeakerShelf15.jpg)
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Lookin' hot Epyx! :applaud:
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great build... am waiting anxiously to see the cp and finish!
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awesome build i love the sides, they turned out great.
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nice work
try to have the tv screen on with the hardware in place, when you can still move these parts
i found some purple magnetzone spotes in some corners of my display because of speakers or pc hardware
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Thanks guys!
@Kurt
Ya, can't wait to see them turned on...few more weeks I hope! :cheers:
@Martijn
try to have the tv screen on with the hardware in place, when you can still move these parts
i found some purple magnetzone spotes in some corners of my display because of speakers or pc hardware
Good point Martijn, I will make sure to do that...I think I will also place the monitor's controls under the CP so I can get at it easily to degauss and change other settings.
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awesome! one of my favorites
although as it turns out in the arcade someone can hear you scream unfortunately
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although as it turns out in the arcade someone can hear you scream unfortunately
Lol...true enough...but there is a fine line between hearing and...caring ;)
And well...if they don't care you screamed...you may as well have not bothered screaming :laugh2:
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I have to say that I really like your current, and past projects. :cheers: They get better and better each time.
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I have to say that I really like your current, and past projects. :cheers: They get better and better each time.
+1.
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Great colours, great shape, great finish, great attention to detail. It's, well, just ........great :applaud:
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Beautiful..nice job on the curves. :cheers:
Having used that green T-mold in the past I know how well it 'pops' on a black cabinet. In my book, nothing beats it.
Tough finding a good green-based theme though..you chose wisely.
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Thanks guys...that is the beauty of this hobby...I had never operated a power tool other than a drill when I started and this great community with awesome helpful individuals inspired me to give it a try. I still have a lot to learn but I do see the progress from project to project. Best part of all is that my wife will actually use the words "handyman" and my name in the same sentence, a thing previously never uttered.
@Knievel
The neon rings and colour scheme were a blatant homage to your cabs and the curves were inspired by Martijn's awesome SF cab. :notworthy:
I agree though, the green pops very nicely on black. Sooo close to being able to finish it up and have her lit in the basement..can't wait.
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Beautiful..nice job on the curves. :cheers:
Having used that green T-mold in the past I know how well it 'pops' on a black cabinet. In my book, nothing beats it.
Tough finding a good green-based theme though..you chose wisely.
Whoa, do my eyes deceive me, or did Knievel post to the forum??? ;) Welcome back! We've missed you around here!
Epyx, again looking fantastic! I know it's taken you longer than planned, but glad to see you're still taking the time to do everything right... :cheers:
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Epyx, again looking fantastic! I know it's taken you longer than planned, but glad to see you're still taking the time to do everything right...
Ya while you are playing im still building :(
Lol but all good...in due time...spring is almost here and if im done by then ill be happy.
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"In this Arcade All can hear you Scream..."
or perhaps
"All can hear you scream..."
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Thanks but I still like the original...plus the marquee is done and I am happy with it. I am not sure which arcades some of you went to...but many of the arcades here in Vancouver's lower mainland were filled with lots of unsavory types...screaming, cursing etc...no one listened and no one really cared...thus the saying :)
Plus...the idea is that the noises in the arcade and the concentration of gameplay negates hearing someone scream...it gets drowned out by the background noise...am I the only one that frequented noisy arcades? :laugh2:
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Quite a bit done today (for me!)...hopefully more tomorrow.
I got really lucky at a plastic shop yesterday. They had a 1/4" 30"x30" smoked plexi offcut in excellent condition for $5. I figured I would finish the bezel and mount the speaker shelf for the goal of mounting the plexi.
I started with the speaker shelf which up to now has been hanging with clamps and mounted it. As mentioned before the marquee is removed via the top retainer which is connected via 3 bolts.
After mounting the speaker shelf I measured up the distance from where the speaker shelf touches the bezel down to the bottom of the bezel...this ended up being 26.5" inner cab width by 22 1/4" in length.
I clamped the 30" x 30" plexi between to pieces of MDF...one piece was a template I cut as I did not want to use my actual bezel and risk scratching it... the template matched the measurements above. I then flush trimmed the plexi. If you want my 2 cents...don't waste your time scoring plexi...it is too prone to you running off the line and you risk scratching your investment...use a flush trim bit and you are good to go. I have zero melting as I maintained a decent clip and ensured I let my bit cool down each pass (each side).
A quick shot for those who are curious how I handled the bottom retainer. You can see the angled piece of wood glued to the speaker shelf on which the bottom retainer is in turn glued:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/BottomRetainer1.jpg)
To keep the bezel in place I use an L shaped piece of pine from Home dept that sits atop two L braces mounted to the side of the cab. The bezel and the retainer will rest on it. A bolt is put in place behind the pine to keep it in place...pictures below:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/BottomRetainer8.jpg)
Here you can see there is exactly 1/4" of the L Shape sticking out beyond the bezel...perfect fit for the 1/4" plexi! (EDIT: Now using 1/4" glass).
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/BottomRetainer9.jpg)
I then added the smokey plexi and voila a perfect fit. Speakers will be covered as I am still working on them:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/BottomRetainer5.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/BottomRetainer10.jpg)
I then realized my CP was cut to not take into account plexi over the bezel...ooops...no big deal. I throw it on the table saw and do another 1/4" angle cut so it rests on the plexi flush. I also cut the T mold slot and rounded the edges. Lastly, I used my X arcade to template sketch the buttons (6 each player), trackball, p1/p2 and Spinner (to left of p1/p2):
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/BottomRetainer6.jpg)
Tomorrow Ill try to finish the CP and the curved piece now...first few tests of the curved piece worked fine. To create my own bendable MDF I have been cutting slots to within 3/16" down, spaced 3/4" apart on 3/4" MDF. I will then put glue in the slots and mold the curve. Ill document this step in closer detail.
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Looks GREAT. I love all the detail shots. :cheers:
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Looks GREAT. I love all the detail shots.
Thanks Javeryh. I was hoping to finish the control panel today but a little thing called "Gold medal hockey game" got in the way...
You have any upcoming projects planned? You have a cab for the daughter...one for yourself...what a about a 3rd for the wife? *cough*...
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Excellent work so far! Have you tested the button layout to make sure it will be comfortable for long periods of gameplay? Then again, maybe that's just me and my preference for the Japanese 6 button layout. ;)
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Excellent work so far! Have you tested the button layout to make sure it will be comfortable for long periods of gameplay?
Aye, this is the same button layout I have always used...its the Capcom arcade default 6 button layout (Street Fighter 2):
http://www.arcade-museum.com/images/10/1048924503.jpg (http://www.arcade-museum.com/images/10/1048924503.jpg)
http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9811 (http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9811)
The template taken from the X arcade CP...the arcade games I played with 4 buttons/6 buttons were usually lined up and not staggered. I personally don't like a staggered button layout but that is just my preference! ;)
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You have any upcoming projects planned? You have a cab for the daughter...one for yourself...what a about a 3rd for the wife? *cough*...
I'm kicking around a few ideas.... either a full sized 2P cab with a 27" monitor or possibly a Virtual Pinball cab. I have 2 problems though - I promised the wife I'd finish all current projects before starting anything new AND I don't have any room in my house for anything else so it might be a while. :cheers:
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Ya those Virtual Pinball cabs are very nice...definitely on my list as well. And I hear you on the "other projects pending"...I will be back to that myself after this one :laugh2:
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Got in a few hours last night and decided to document the process of flush mounting a trackball installation (Betson/Xgaming) without a mounting plate for those interested. Working on the CP is always the most fun for me because it usually signifies you are down the final stretch. I will hold off on wiring until the rest of the cab is complete but that shouldn't be too much longer.
With the Alien cab I am going for a 6 button layout with trackball and spinner. I like the Capcom 6 button default layout and used my X gaming Tankstick as the template. Only thing I did a bit different is push the buttons and joy for each player out by about 1/2" from the trackball center and added a spinner above the player 1 button set.
I started with my 2 7/8" hole saw bit for the X Gaming trackball I use. This trackball is essentially a Betson trackball and already comes mod ready with a hole at the bottom for lighting. It is a trackball that feels very comfortable and is one of the few X Gaming peripherals I have no trouble recommending as its a user friendly plug and play device (USB) that feels like the trackballs I remember:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CPButtonsandFlushmountTrackball1.jpg)
I then drilled the button holes (1 1/8" forstner bit) and joystick/trackball holes (1 1/8" forstner bit). Everything will be top and flush mounted so the laminate will cover all bolts including the trackball. The joysticks will be top mounted using FrancoB's technique as they are JLWs:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CPButtonsandFlushmountTrackball2.jpg)
Next step was to place the trackball through the hole and line it up for tracing the part that will get recess routed:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CPButtonsandFlushmountTrackball3.jpg)
After tracing the mount I went back to my X Gaming CP to set the depth of my router. Both CP's are 5/8". I prefer this size for a CP when using laminate as it's easy have the T molding cover flush the edge of the laminate. Using 5/8" CP I will route the Trackball recess to 1/4" of MDF left:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CPButtonsandFlushmountTrackball4.jpg)
I then route the Trackball recess, note the mod friendly hole at the bottom for RGB lighting (Betson's have these too):
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CPButtonsandFlushmountTrackball5.jpg)
Next up is drilling the bolt holes to hold the trackball. Rather than eyeballing I just drill through the holes with the trackball in place:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CPButtonsandFlushmountTrackball6.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CPButtonsandFlushmountTrackball7.jpg)
For Trackball bolts (to replace ones it normally uses) I found these hex bolts which have a flat head of about 1/16":
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CPButtonsandFlushmountTrackball7b.jpg)
I then placed the bolt in the holes I had drilled and traced around the head:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CPButtonsandFlushmountTrackball10.jpg)
Then routed out 1/16" of MDF for a flush fit. I left a bit of space so that once the CP is ready to get laminated I will glue the bolts in place:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CPButtonsandFlushmountTrackball11.jpg)
Thursday night I will work on top mounting the JLWs.
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Looks great! Can't wait to see it finished! Hate the way all you guys can use the router freehand without have giants chunks everywhere!
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Sweet dude. Making CPs is the best part. I really really really need to get a 2P 6-button + trackball cab up and running in my house.
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Looks great! Can't wait to see it finished! Hate the way all you guys can use the router freehand without have giants chunks everywhere!
Hehe you and me both!
As for freehand routing...just go slooooow...I work in multiple passes and make sure I'm always going in the right feed direction. Going in the wrong direction is usually what causes the issues :(
Sweet dude. Making CPs is the best part. I really really really need to get a 2P 6-button + trackball cab up and running in my house.
>:D
Yes, yes you do...and then share it so we can enjoy.
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Today I completed the CP. This involved routing out the Sanwa JLWs for flush top mounting. Again the idea is to have everything under the laminate...no bolts.
Before routing the joystick top mounts I needed to route out the laminate as the joysticks will be using 1 1/8" holes (could go smaller). To route the laminate with no chipping I generally start all button holes with a 5/8" spade bit..that way any chips or splits are routed out with the flush trim bit after:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CP1.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CP2.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CP6.jpg)
Next I routed the top portion of the Sanwa mount (Thanks to Franco B for his excellent tutorial on top mounting Sanwa sticks!):
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CP3.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CP5.jpg)
Perfectly flush. I used 6-32 flat head bolts which barely add any height to the profile...less than 1mm:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CP4.jpg)
I then mounted the XGaming Betson clone with RGB ball from GGG and the modded Sanwas:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CP7.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CP8.jpg)
Man to say I can't wait to play is a massive understatement, but I promised myself...patience and attention to detail. Speaking of detail, you will notice a missing Green Novagem button. /SIGH...I had it for colour matching...and lost it...its somewhere in my house I hope!:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CP9.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CP9b.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CP11.jpg)
Tomorrow Ill post my progress with the bottom curve as that is next and then the back of the cab...then wiring. Speaker mounts are on the way from the German arcade parts store.
Now the question for you guys...I have asked Ond for his opinion (which I am leaning towards as well) but want some other opinions. Should I stick with the black T Molding for the CP or go with the same Galaxian Green as the rest of the cab?
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Are you serious, go with the green. I'm looking at your renders on page 1 and I'm not liking the all black CP. The green borders sort of complete the color lines throughout the cab. I'm thinking without you will have t-molding then a break of just green lights and then a continuation of the green t-molding.
Only reason I would see to go black would be the off-color of your novagems, if they are a darker green then maybe the black would suit it better due to the neon green - grass green clash....Although your lighted sticks would help with that as they are neon lit........
I would go green......your helping the environment at the same time.......
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:applaud: amazing work :cheers:
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Still possibly the coolest cab anyone has ever made. Seriously. :) :notworthy:
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Very odd. I'd used a green happ button for testing, and also lost it during my build. luckily I had bought one extra of each color 'just in case'
I agree with the previous post about the tmolding. The green continues the lines. Granted the black doesn't seem out of place, it's just the green finishes it off and blends well with the rest of the cab.
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Looks awesome nice job on the cp, id also go green with the T Molding otherwise it will look like you ran out of green :lol
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green ;)
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I say green too. If you leave it black it kind of blends in with the sides.
Encryptor
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Definitely Green.
But, I'm hoping you put some artwork on the CP as well...seems like it could some nice graphics on there to compliment the Marquee.
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Green T-Molding for sure, as for CP graphics like Opt2Not suggests, I'd have to see it with the green t-molding first. But you don't want the cab to become too busy looking either....
:cheers:
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Def not black, it would blend too much.. Green or a silver... But green would be my first choice... looking good.
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Thanks for the input guys. I'd like to keep the top of the CP clear of art...black like space with the art coming from the lighting of the trackball, buttons and joysticks ;)
Also...can't find that 12th button and RandyT is out of stock of Green Novagems so ordered a Translucent Green Happ from Lickstick which I understand are what RandyT uses with the addition of a hole at the bottom...so hopefully this is all I need to do (drill a hole)...anyone know?
Oh and here is the green T molding which looks like the clear winner!
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CP12.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CP13.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CP14.jpg)
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Nice, I think I'm all for leaving the black CP top now.
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Nice...Yes, the black top looks sweet.. Of course if you have seen mine, then you know I am all bout busy. LOL...
Are you ordering Two of those other buttons for symmetry?
How are you lighting the side again?
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Very nice, less is more so id leave the cp black also looks very clean.
The only thing id change is the marquee that solar flare disrupts the feel of the overall look.
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Nice...Yes, the black top looks sweet.. Of course if you have seen mine, then you know I am all bout busy. LOL...
Are you ordering Two of those other buttons for symmetry?
How are you lighting the side again?
Lol...busy CPs have their time and place...just not this theme :)
As for buttons...which buttons are you referring to? I am ordering one replacement green button for the one missing in the pictures. The sides are being lit in two ways...first through the Green Neon speaker ring (15") and from behind (art is backlit film)...the behind lighting will be subtle so it only illuminates the crevasse at the center of the picture.
The only thing id change is the marquee that solar flare disrupts the feel of the overall look.
Thanks Kurt. If you look at the sides you see a crevasse dead center that will illuminate light...maybe its a bit artsy fartsy but I wanted the theme to convey that even in the darkness...there is light. You have the darkness of the CP illuminated by the buttons/trackball and joys...the sideart with the coiling alien and the crevasse and the flare in the marquee...you are in the darkness of the planets' spin but just as you are about to lose hope...light.
I know cheesy but for me it works ;)
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Nice Epyx,
The green brought it all together. Loving it.
I just thought of something though, are you still lighting underneath the CP. If so, how is that green neon gonna look against that green panel?
Now that you've went with the green t-molding, I'm thinking more neon there would be a slight overkill.
Disregard if you've nixed that idea, but just something to think about......
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Nice Epyx,
The green brought it all together. Loving it.
I just thought of something though, are you still lighting underneath the CP. If so, how is that green neon gonna look against that green panel?
Now that you've went with the green t-molding, I'm thinking more neon there would be a slight overkill.
Disregard if you've nixed that idea, but just something to think about......
Ya, you guessed it...nixxed ;)
I think the theme will be better served with lighting from the sources mentioned above.
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Re: Aliens Themed Cab *CP Finished - Flush/Top Mounting + Question * Mar 7 2010
« Reply #361 on: Yesterday at 11:57:24 PM » Quote Modify
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Also, I know we both been using those speaker rings, but I just looked back at your previous posts, and I see you haven't fired up both the rings and your back lighting.
You mentioned the backlighting will be subtle, but in your posts that back lighting is pretty bright, which will in fact light up your neons. That white light, lights up the filaments in the speaker rings without any juice to the speaker rings.
So your back light is gonna kill your neons, I had this happen when testing the lumin disks with the neons. I have mine sound activated now so they only stand out when a bass note hits. Any other time, the lumin disks lit up the neon rings and killed my effect.
You'll see what I'm talking about when you fire both up, ones gonna kill the other, and you'll end up thinking you've overkilled it on the lighting for one area.
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Looks fantastic! Are you doing the front curved piece is black or green ? I know the original design shows green but black may look better ?
I never thought no CP art would look that good, but it makes it look much more professional! You find touching the laminate on the CP leaving grease marks?
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@Rablack97
You'll see what I'm talking about when you fire both up, ones gonna kill the other, and you'll end up thinking you've overkilled it on the lighting for one area.
Thanks Rablack97...and I would tend to agree with you ahead of firing them up. The only thing I will try differently from those original pics is to diffuse the light and limit it to just the crevasse. In the pics the light was non-diffused and was illuminating the entire circle from behind. Hopefully limiting it to just a slit opening behind the crevasse and diffusing it will help. If not, you are bang on...I will just go with the Neon rings :)
@Nacimroc
Looks fantastic! Are you doing the front curved piece is black or green ? I know the original design shows green but black may look better ?
I never thought no CP art would look that good, but it makes it look much more professional! You find touching the laminate on the CP leaving grease marks?
You know I was actually thinking about going black as it would allow me to laminate...here is why this might work better. The curved MDF I have been testing using slits cut every 1/2" to within 1/8" depth, bends fine but reveals the ribs from behind in the light...ie the creases when bending. This would likely still be visible painted.
Going with black laminate will cover those creases and also allow me to embed two black USB circular ports just under the lip. So agreed, black just might work better on more than one front.
As for grease marks...yep just like plexi if you have greasy mitts it will leave marks in the light. It will require cleaning from time to time like Plexi.
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As for grease marks...yep just like plexi if you have greasy mitts it will leave marks in the light. It will require cleaning from time to time like Plexi.
Makes me glad my CP is mostly white and lighter colors as fingerprinting and hand oils aren't as visible. I can bet your CP is going to be like my Black DS Lite and constantly battling smudges. :D
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Lol ya...not too bad with just me playing it as I have pretty dry hands but some of my clammier friends ;) *cough*
Worst case I could always add some thin plexi on top but ive had all laminate on both other cabs and wasn't really an issue.
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I think the black CP is pretty classy. I would leave it.
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Oh agreed, I have no desire to change it. Just in a holding pattern until all my orders arrive and have spent time wiring the CP in the interim :)
I had lost one of my Novagems somewhere so got an IL replacement and drilled it and to be safe have ordered two more Novagems from Randy and now likely another 12 of the newer ones! >:D
Ive been documenting the wiring which hopefully helps some people who have never done wiring before and will include that in some detail this weekend. Speaking of the weekend...that is my target date for finishing the cab finally...provided my speaker mounts from Germany arrive today or tomorrow ;)
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wow....simply stunning. i love it
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I'm amazed by your ingenuity Epyx, this is a really sweet looking cabinet. "Portable Mode" is super-classy.
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Thanks guys!
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Finally the weekend! Woo hoo!!!!
I went to my favourite little glass shop and broke down and purchased a 26.5"x22 1/4" piece of smoked glass to replace the plexi I was using...main reason is the larger plexi was a static magnet. The glass fit like a glove and looks smokin (excuse the bad 3am pun!).
First thing I noticed in my mailbox on the way home were the added parts I had ordered.
Speaker Mounts:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March19Pic10.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March19Pic11.jpg)
And these black convex player 1/2 black with white to replace the traditional white with black...I think it looks much better:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March19Pic12.jpg)
Objective since it was too late to work in the garage cutting, was to complete at least the LED Wiz wiring.
First up was the RGB drive and mounting it on the XGaming Betson clone I have. I am not sure about the actual Betson's...but the XGaming one has a screw sized hole right near the bottom trackball hole, as if intended for the RGB kit:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March19Pic6.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March19Pic8.jpg)
I then connected the Novagems to the buttons. Here is the spare IL translucent green after I drilled it (I ordered replacements from RandyT but will just keep those as spares when they arrive):
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March19Pic2.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March19Pic3.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March19Pic5.jpg)
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Here is the wiring complete for the LED Wiz...the mini rats nest on the top left will be organized further...getting tired! You can see to the right of the nest a euro terminal block that is feeding the 5 volts for the Lighting. The 5v runs to a hacked molex plug which will hang beneath the CP.
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March19Pic13.jpg)
Here is the CP with new Player 1 /2 buttons lit with the lights in the room still on. The Trackball is RGB but I just set it to Green for this pic:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March19Pic15.jpg)
And finally with the lights off:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March19Pic16.jpg)
I am really pleased with the lighting...damn those Novagems are bright when viewed top down!
Tomorrow the funnage continues with me working on the back and panel that rests between coin door and CP. This panel will include USB and some other ports/buttons. Getting close to playable...ooooh can't wait!
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(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March19Pic16.jpg)
That looks amazing! Nice work! Laminate gives a nice glow instead of a reflection. Getting giddy to see the finished cab now! That idea with the black player 1&2 buttons is great! You put on the stickers yourself or can you buy the buttons like this? Looks so much better than white ones!
For a marquee light, are you going to use a white shaving light or a green neon ? I turned off the white shaving light I had as it didn't suit the CP at all when illuminated and used cold cathodes instead. Delighted I did.
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Epyx, I take it back: after seeing these pics, there no need for CP artwork on this one. The lighting effect off the formica luminance looks amazing! That's a gorgeous green, it's so inviting! It's too bad the spinner isn't lit up as well. Though it would make the balance of lit objects asymmetrical, and modding the spinner to fit an LED in there would be a pain (i've thought about it on my cocktail cabinet).
Eventually I should make a project with lit controls, I haven't been willing to take that plunge yet due to the extra work and cost. But daaaaamn, it looks so sexy. :applaud: :applaud:
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@Nacimroc
That looks amazing! Nice work! Laminate gives a nice glow instead of a reflection. Getting giddy to see the finished cab now! That idea with the black player 1&2 buttons is great! You put on the stickers yourself or can you buy the buttons like this? Looks so much better than white ones!
For a marquee light, are you going to use a white shaving light or a green neon ? I turned off the white shaving light I had as it didn't suit the CP at all when illuminated and used cold cathodes instead. Delighted I did.
I bought those buttons from the German www.arcadeshop.de (http://www.arcadeshop.de) and they come that way stock which is nice. As for the marquee light, I totally agree. I have both Neon green cathode and regular white LED and will try both to see which looks better.
@Opt2not
It's too bad the spinner isn't lit up as well. Though it would make the balance of lit objects asymmetrical, and modding the spinner to fit an LED in there would be a pain (i've thought about it on my cocktail cabinet).
Ya an LED on a spinner would be pretty nice. I did use a UV paint on the Spinner, so once I have the Black light installed it will give off a glow of its own which I am hoping will look good! /crossesfingers
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Very, very impressive! Looks like you spared NO EXPENSE in building this real nice-like. Congrats on the sweet build!
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Hot Damn, is there no end to the arcade eye candy goodness?
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Today I made it to the final stretch...next weekend I complete the cab by adding the back. I worked on the panel between the coin door and CP. This panel has 2 Neutrik USB ports on the left and 5 buttons on the right...I know...why 5 buttons? Well they aren't all going to be buttons. Only 3 will be functional as buttons...the far left 2 will be mouse buttons and the far right will be the power (Green Novagem...lit when powered). The other 2 will have button covers but contain Volume adjustment and the last one a headphone jack. Once I have finished these mods I will post the process as well.
So first up the panel. I used a 15/16 spade bit which is a perfect fit for the Neutrik USB ports if anyone wants them mounted perfectly:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March21Pic3.jpg)
First I lined up the buttons and adapters where I wanted them...this was about 2/3 up so I can reach my hand down and around the lip for power and mouse buttons.
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March21Pic1.jpg)
Next up was the lamination. Again I use my small cuts to line up the laminate before joining and trimming:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March21Pic2.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March21Pic4.jpg)
Both the top and bottom of the panel were angle cut to rest flush on the CP and Coin door:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March21Pic5.jpg)
Here is the panel attached with the neon rings lit up. I will still be cutting slits to light the crevasse as my test shows its dark enough at the center of the art to get a good effect and not be overpowered:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March21Pic6.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March21Pic7.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March21Pic8.jpg)
All the wiring is done as I wanted to be able to bring the PC down and tweak on the arcade monitor.
Next up:
- Back of Cab
- Final Tweaks
- Complete Button Mods
- Cut slits in Side art backing to light just crevasse
- PLAYTIME!!! Finally get to join some high score comps again!
(http://)
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Lookin' hot! When everything is lit up it's going to look so sweet.
Though, I don't know about putting the power button on the front of the cabinet...might be too easy for people to accidentally stumble upon.
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Ya...I might change that. I had a similar setup with the bartop and didn't have any issues...but then again the panel is quickly replaceable if it proves impractical. I also didn't like the idea of having a lot of jacks like audio/volume sitting beside the USB ports and instead opted to go for hiding them in the buttons. They will sit between the power and the two mouse buttons but again if it proves problematic ill replace the panel.
At least the angle is such that when standing in front of the cab you don't see the buttons and USB ports...you have to step back and look under and its hard to accidentally nudge it...either way I hear ya and will keep an eye on it :)
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Wow,
Looking good Epyx,
You could always go with the remote power on. I love it and it works great.
The best part is the the arcade is upstairs, so if i forget to shut it down, I can easily use the remote from anywhere in the house as it will be on the keychain. Plus you ever have the compnay over with the really bad kids, and they go over to the machine and just start pressing buttons. Well ha ha ha to them, cant turn it on w/o the remote.
Also, it freaks people out when I hit that switch and the thing comes on.
You lost me on the volume buttons, will the volume adjust by pressing the buttons, or are you covering up a different control and it's just cosmetic?
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You could always go with the remote power on. I love it and it works great.
That sounds like a good idea. I might do that at a future point...for now I will configure it to power up on AC Detection via the BIOS. The button will be more to just shut it down and to turn it on if I haven't unplugged it in the back.
You lost me on the volume buttons, will the volume adjust by pressing the buttons, or are you covering up a different control and it's just cosmetic?
Just covering them up but trying to do it in a way that doesn't have me fiddling to remove the plunger each time I want to adjust audio or use the headphones.
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Epyx, have to say that is on sweet cab you've built. I can't wait to see the thing fully completed. I am still curious how you are going to get the curved backpanel on. Are you going to notch the plywood to get the proper curve or are you doing something else? I may have to "borrow" the design for my cab project.... ;D. Have to say you have done a great job.
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For the headphones why not just use some feedthroughs like the USB, they are hardly noticable when installed.
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=90051.0;attach=141791;image)
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=90051.0;attach=141801;image)
Also you might want to look at these programs and get creative.....http://www.killertechtips.com/2009/04/14/freeware-control-volume-mouse-wheel/ (http://www.killertechtips.com/2009/04/14/freeware-control-volume-mouse-wheel/)
They are volume control programs that let you map volume up & down to keystrokes. I'm using 3rvx now with my keyboard, but i'm trying to figure out a way to get it to run through the ipac and to a volume up and volume down button.....
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Epyx, have to say that is on sweet cab you've built. I can't wait to see the thing fully completed. I am still curious how you are going to get the curved backpanel on. Are you going to notch the plywood to get the proper curve or are you doing something else? I may have to "borrow" the design for my cab project....
Curved back is going to look fantastic. It is being done in 3 stages...a first 1" piece will connect top of curve to middle curve. This is required as there is a steep angle of about 1" before the software curve that extends to the midway point. I will do the midway softer curve using the same rib method I used for the top of the cab. The bottom panel will be a removable access panel that will be straight.
Here is a paint sketch that summarizes how I will do it:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/BackofCab.jpg)
For the headphones why not just use some feedthroughs like the USB, they are hardly noticable when installed.
That is similar to what I am putting in the buttons. I had thought of having them installed like you show but also have the volume knob and I didn't want 3 different looking devices on the panel. I can still change my mind though! :)
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Awesome job. I really like that under the CP panel you made. I'm sure it's in here somewhere but what kind of monitor are you putting in there?.
EDIT: NM - I went back and read some - a D9800. That's what I thought. Man this is nice.
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Thanks Javeryh, your Bella's cab awesome paint finish was the main reason I finally took the plunge..and also the reason I vowed to start using laminate! ;)
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Wow Epyx :applaud: This thing certainly looks the absolute business. You've absolutely nailed your original plans and then some. It's great to see how you've augmented it with all those extra bits and pieces. Fantastic work mate!
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Hey epyx, how did you attach your bezel? I can't see up close, but I'm assuming you didn't just put screws through the front. And how did you install your glass? does it just rest there? It's getting close for me to install my own bezel and plexi and I don't know how to go about it.
thanks, BKD :burgerking:
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Hey epyx, how did you attach your bezel? I can't see up close, but I'm assuming you didn't just put screws through the front. And how did you install your glass? does it just rest there? It's getting close for me to install my own bezel and plexi and I don't know how to go about it.
thanks, BKD
If you look at the previous page it shows some closeups of the angled brackets I used. Here in a bit more verbal detail is what I did:
I have the bezel resting along the via monitor but pressure rests on the brackets. It touches the sides of the glass but rests on weather stripping I have put on the back of the bezel. Weather stripping is adhesive on one side with a peel away layer...the other side is black foam. I used the 1.5" wide stuff. It is approximately 1/4" deep and can be purchased at Home Depot.
The top of the bezel passes up and behind the speaker panel by about 1.5" where it does touch the glass it rests on 2 small angled iron brackets (1 on each side). The bottom sits on a 90 degree angle...the angle has about 3/4" of space on each edge...the bezel is 1/2" which leave 1/4". The glass I use is 22 1/4" (top to bottom) and 26.5" (wide) by 1/4" thick it rests perfectly on the angle (as you can see in the picture, it rests flush). The glass extends up to just below the speaker shelf (just touching it).
The angled wood is itself mounted at an angle to hold the bezel and glass by two 90 degree steel braces. These braces have holes in them which I use to insert pins. Gravity holds the glass and bezel in place but the pins ensure they stay put "Just in case".
Let me know if you have any more questions...oh and the reason I have built it this way is that I can take everything apart quickly to get at the monitor etc.
Ill take a few more pictures if you like of the bezel. The other thing I have done on a previous cab is used angle brackets along the side of the monitor to rest the bezel on.
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AWESOME!! I always love to see my sticks sitting in a perfect place ;)
My suggestion for the spinner would be a green LED underneath the panel, so the hole for the spinner axis is lit.
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My suggestion for the spinner would be a green LED underneath the panel, so the hole for the spinner axis is lit.
That should work nicely! Ill have to see as it will have a UV glow but I can remedy that by not using a UV light ;)
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Maybe you could incorporate Ond's lit plunger idea or 4 Leds diffused by the short buttons idea, to light up the spinner.
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Maybe you could incorporate Ond's lit plunger idea or 4 Leds diffused by the short buttons idea, to light up the spinner.
Another great idea...I will see what I can do. Would be nice to have it on the LEDWiz as well to light up for spinner games with LEDBlinky.
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damn those Novagems are bright when viewed top down!
I ended up having to slip some resistors in mine for the very same reason. It hurt to look at them ::)
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Yeah i bought one novagem for testing reasons, gonna have 6 of them in my admin panel so they will be staring right at me. Although I plan on having some naming inserts in them so maybe it wont be so bad......
Epyx, do you think diffusers will be needed for the gaming buttons, you have 12 lit on on your CP, is it hard on the eyes when you look down.
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Epyx, do you think diffusers will be needed for the gaming buttons, you have 12 lit on on your CP, is it hard on the eyes when you look down.
While they are super bright staring straight down into them, in a playing stance my head is far enough back that they are just fine. Ill have everything lit up tonight and do some more playing...i mean testing and get a better feel but last night wasn't even an issue.
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Is there a front shot of the cab fully lit up and the side rings? Or am I just missing it? Either way... AWESOME!!.!
Your cab is super sexy! :cheers: :cheers:
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Is there a front shot of the cab fully lit up and the side rings? Or am I just missing it? Either way... AWESOME!!.!
Your cab is super sexy!
Thanks Ryglore! Ill get some pics tonight. I am still tweaking and wiring in the inside of the cab. I was having issues with the Molex connectors and sending them off in 4 different directions (Coin door, LEDWiz, Neon Rings and Marquee). I will have a solution tonight as I have a spare PSU at work and will jumper it so I can use it on its own and hang it up higher in the cab. It will be devoted to lighting. The PSU in the PC will do the rest.
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Same issue here, I hate molex connectors when you have to crimp yourself. I have a connection thats loose, so my marquee and my speaker rings shut down. I plan on using some insulated quick disconnects not buying any more expensive molex crap....
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Wow. Hadn't checked this thread out in a while. Nice stuff!
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Finally got the lighting and wiring all done up in the cab. Here are some pics and a movie of the lighting. Im going to post a few so if you aren't in to pics scroll quick ;)
The marquee looks washed out...I can assure you in person it is not...the letters are all legible...maybe the movie will show it better after the pics.
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March26Pic07-1.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March26Pic08.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March26Pic09.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March26Pic10.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March26Pic11.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March26Pic14.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March26Pic15.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March26Pic16.jpg)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March26Pic04-1.jpg)
And of course ye obligatory cheesy smiling proud papa photo:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/March26Pic05.jpg)
After this picture my wife reminded me that the basement won't build itself...was that a hint!?
Going to still see about lighting just the crevasse on the side art and of course the spinner...it already has UV paint on it but not sure where I would put a UV Light so will look at some earlier lighting suggestions for the spinner. First things first, finish the back off so I can close it up tight and roll it into its final carpeted spot in the basement.
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Short Movie Clip showing lighting...again marquee and lights in general are not washed out, they appear slightly overexposed on this clip and in the pics...I have one LED tube in there turned around facing the foil:
MVI_4669.AVI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxh7-CBdbcU#)
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YES!!! :notworthy:
Fricken awesome job Epyx! It looks gorgeous. REALLY gorgeous!
All the lighting really came together! Oh man, the side-art all lit up looks amazing. from the video the alien image has an awesome 3D effect.
f**keneh man, f**keneh! :applaud: :applaud: :applaud:
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Thats sexy indeed. :notworthy:
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;D I know it's not quite finished BUT,congratulations Epyx, on getting this inspired project to this point. Great design, strong theme and the right balance of artwork and lighting IMO make this an outstanding cab. I'm really pleased to see the art 'pop' like it does under lights. The green eyed one is a nipping at me. I WANNA PLAY IT :cry: :lol Awesome.
:cheers:
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;D I know it's not quite finished BUT,congratulations Epyx, on getting this inspired project to this point. Great design, strong theme and the right balance of artwork and lighting IMO make this an outstanding cab. I'm really pleased to see the art 'pop' like it does under lights. The green eyed one is a nipping at me. I WANNA PLAY IT :cry: :lol Awesome.
:cheers:
Dont you have your own super model cab to get back to working on? :laugh:
*looked for a smiley with a whip*
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Absolutely love it!
Been reading this forum for a little while and this is an example of how you all here are creating home made cabinets that look and perform so much better than the original one's we all grew up with!
Very inspirational!!
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Awesome looking cab! :applaud:
I'm really loving that CP. I've seen heaps with lit buttons, but hardly any with lit joysticks. It looks awesome when everything is lit.
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Nice job. It ties together really well. Those lit balltops are cool.
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Really Clean and Slick love it!!!!
Way better than the original cab
Congrats on a Beautiful cab! :cheers: :cheers:
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Looks very good.. Nice job!
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Nice build! :cheers:
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@Opt2not
Thanks bud...now let's hope the Canucks win tonight eh? Go Burrows go...and damn we should be giving Lou another rest and go with Raycroft.
@Ond
Thanks man...your assistance on the artwork was APPRECIATED...this cab wouldn't be the same without your work and i truly appreciate it. When/if you go commercial consider me a willing customer! Now get back to your cab will ya!?
@Eclipso
Thanks, ya wish I could come up with something to top Ond's Arcade porn but ill just steal his quote:
It’s nearly (but not quite) as nice as putting your hands on the bare hips of a stunning woman who’s in damn fine shape, smooth, firm and full of promise.
@Phreakuency
Love the avatar and props to one of the best RPGs of all time...man I wish the Origin Systems we grew up with (Richard Garriots pre EA baby) was still around :(
@Kop
Agreed, I love the softness of the green, as someone else stated its very inviting.
@drventure
Thanks bud. I see you have an update...im crossing my fingers for pics...will check out after this :)
@Bender
Thanks Bender, we demand more Benderama pics btw! *Cough*
@Santoro/Ard_Ader
Thanks guys!
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@Opt2not
Thanks bud...now let's hope the Canucks win tonight eh? Go Burrows go...and damn we should be giving Lou another rest and go with Raycroft.
Yeah I know eh! We were at that game, and it was awesome that the crowd was cheering Raycroft's name. Must be a huge boost for him, since he doesn't get to play much. Two awesome goal-tenders, Vancouver hasn't been used to having good goal-tending in a while!
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It looks fantastic Epyx (http://forum.arcadeotaku.com/images/smilies/icon_cool.gif) (http://forum.arcadeotaku.com/images/smilies/icon_clap.gif) (http://forum.arcadeotaku.com/images/smilies/icon_cool.gif)
I know what you mean about trying to get decent shots of LEDs. Your pics look stunning though, I would love to see them for real :)
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Epyx, I'm so excited for you! It turned out absolutely awesome! You did a fantastic job of executing your original vision. I know it's been a long road, but soon you can enjoy the fruits of your labor. :cheers:
Makes me want to build another cab... ;)
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@FrancoB
Ya, the what you see in person doesn't quite translate to what is captured on video/pics but still very pleased with the results.
@Gamester
Thanks and lol I know what you mean...I had a scratch on the D9800 I am using (my own stupidity during the bezel fittings) so bought a new one...guess that gives me a good excuse to make a dedicated vertical cab now ;)
I would love to see your next vision for a cab...hopefully you have the ability within the next year or so! :cheers:
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Really nice work Epyx. I love the way you cab has turned out. :cheers:
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Congratz. ;D
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:applaud: Looking superb indeed.
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This turned out amazing :applaud: :applaud:! It looks great lit up! Screw fixing up the basement, just make a load of these cabs and you won't need walls!
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Wow dude - totally awesome looking cab you've got there. The lighting is really really nice and not over the top - it's perfect. I wish I could play it myself! I need to go back and read this thread from start to finish now and take it all in.
Now don't kill me for this but you HAVE to get some green coin rejects and light them up. You can order them HERE (http://www.happcontrols.com/cc/420517xx.htm). They will look like this:
(http://joelsgadgets.com/CoinDoor/ledlightsamber.jpg)
I think it would look pretty sweet.
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Wow dude - totally awesome looking cab you've got there. The lighting is really really nice and not over the top - it's perfect. I wish I could play it myself! I need to go back and read this thread from start to finish now and take it all in.
Now don't kill me for this but you HAVE to get some green coin rejects and light them up. You can order them HERE (http://www.happcontrols.com/cc/420517xx.htm). They will look like this:
(http://joelsgadgets.com/CoinDoor/ledlightsamber.jpg)
I think it would look pretty sweet.
I have to agree, green coin rejects.
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I think it would look pretty sweet.
+1!
Do it, do it, do it...need more eye-candy sexiness! :lol
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LOL, after I gave all my deepest congrats on such an amazing cab, I was gonna say get some green rejects. The reds gots to go...........Somebody beat me to it. You've got to find out a way to get that center graphic on the side art to pop out, and light up that spinner, looks dark and lonely at the top of the CP.
Anywho, great job man..Looks amazing, all you need now is some ambient Alien noises.......
Oh and are you gonna get some animation going with the buttons via ledwiz or just leave them static?
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Now don't kill me for this but you HAVE to get some green coin rejects and light them up. You can order them HERE. They will look like this
Do it, do it, do it...need more eye-candy sexiness!
LOL, after I gave all my deepest congrats on such an amazing cab, I was gonna say get some green rejects. The reds gots to go..........
LOL...believe me was one of the first things I looked at and won't be the last time either...the problem is I am using a Coin Controls coin door and the regular HAPP/SUZO ones don't fit :(
The only replacement rejects I found (and consequently the ones in there right now) are from LizardLick Williams/Coin Controls Replacements (http://www.lizardlick.com//pages/coin_doors_parts.shtml) :(
They have the coin slot as part of the reject mold. I wonder if just using a green LED light would overpower the red enough? Any other ideas? Of course I could buy a modern HAPPs coin door and problem solved (other than having to make a new coin door...which isn't a huge issue...part of what I like about the refurbished coin door I have is that it is a veteran of the golden era and kind of nice to have that be a part of a modern cab.
You've got to find out a way to get that center graphic on the side art to pop out, and light up that spinner, looks dark and lonely at the top of the CP.
Working on it ;) It is on the to do list...think lighting the crevasse will help pop it even more. Spinner is also being worked on for options. As for the lighting. I wil be using LEDBlinky to light/speak controls. I just had them all on for the pics/video.
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Looks amazing all lit up! and your "Proud Papa" pic totally reminded me that I never did one for my cab, ha.
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Looks amazing all lit up! and your "Proud Papa" pic totally reminded me that I never did one for my cab, ha.
Thanks. Come to think of it...no you didn't! 8)
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AWESOME!!! :notworthy:
Are you any good with moulding plastic? Custom coin rejects me thinks??? ;D
Again, congrats! I love it when a plan comes together!
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Are you any good with moulding plastic? Custom coin rejects me thinks???
Lol...was thinking of molding some from resin but honestly would be easier to just buy a newer Happ coin door and redo the MDF and cutout for it from scratch I think. However, ill finish up the rest first and maybe do that in late spring/early summer.
Unless anyone knows of Coin Control compatible ones similar to the Lizardlick offering but in green? ;)
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I wonder if just using a green LED light would overpower the red enough?
Might be worth a try before doing any reconstruction. I think I recall somebody doing this with blue LEDs. The blue light basically overpowered the actual color of the rejects.
And if it doesn't work, nothing is lost because you can still use the LEDs with your green rejects when you get them.
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Ya, I will give it a shot. I have 2 spare green novagem pcbs so won't hurt to try it and see if it produces the desired effect.
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I wonder if just using a green LED light would overpower the red enough?
Might be worth a try before doing any reconstruction. I think I recall somebody doing this with blue LEDs. The blue light basically overpowered the actual color of the rejects.
And if it doesn't work, nothing is lost because you can still use the LEDs with your green rejects when you get them.
My guess would be that the red and green together would cause some kind of muddy red/brown effect...
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My guess would be that the red and green together would cause some kind of muddy red/brown effect...
Something tells me you are right but ill find out tonight. For now its lower priority than the other finishing tasks.
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Your actually gonna get purple..........
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Your actually gonna get purple..........
(http://www.andrewnewland.com/homepage/teaching/techniques/colourlight/ancolo14.gif)
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Based on the wheel, looks like closer to yellow :lol
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Aliens, one of my favourite films and now one of my favourite cabs.
+3 (or whatever we are up to) on the green coin rejects.
You can't not do it....
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Aliens, one of my favourite films and now one of my favourite cabs.
+3 (or whatever we are up to) on the green coin rejects.
You can't not do it....
Thanks and LOL...I GET IT!!!! jk ;)
Green inserts it is...best way to accomplish this is via the inserts that Javeryh linked...which means new coin door and panel. Will budget this as soon as I can. >:D
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Damn, I'm getting old, don't know my colors anymore. Next think ya know i'm gonna think D comes after B.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_color_does_green_and_red_make (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_color_does_green_and_red_make)
It makes poo, ok poo......... Gamester was right..........
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Damn, I'm getting old, don't know my colors anymore. Next think ya know i'm gonna think D comes after B.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_color_does_green_and_red_make (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_color_does_green_and_red_make)
It makes poo, ok poo......... Gamester was right..........
We're talking about light! Light colour and paint colour do not mix the same! Paint has pigments that interact....light has a colour spectrum that the eye interprets.
http://mvh.sr.unh.edu/mvhinvestigations/red_green.htm (http://mvh.sr.unh.edu/mvhinvestigations/red_green.htm)
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Ok then if thats the case, there is still a loop hole, in the link they are mixing 2 types of light. He's facing shooting green light through a red pigmented object. So we are mixing 2 theories. Either way, poo theory or canary yellow thoery, both are UGLY and not what he wants to accomplish.
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Ok then if thats the case, there is still a loop hole, in the link they are mixing 2 types of light. He's facing shooting green light through a red pigmented object. So we are mixing 2 theories. Either way, poo theory or canary yellow thoery, both are UGLY and not what he wants to accomplish.
Oh crap! You bring up a completely obvious fact.
Actually, we're both wrong. I completely dismissed the fact that this is an example of Colour by Light Transmission!
The outcome won't be brown, or yellow...it just won't light! With the object being transparent Red, the green light waves can't transmit through! They'll just get blocked by the Red object, and if I'm correct, the insert won't be visibly lit at all.
The lit up colour of a transparent object will depend on what light waves it allows to pass through it. If it's a red object only red light waves can transmit to the other side, which is why when you shine a white light through it (which contains all colours R, G, B) Green and Blue will be blocked, and the red will pass.
Man, high-school physics is all coming back to me now...
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Makes sense......
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I just had to join the others and post this just to say WOW! great job!
I had to call in my family when I first saw this thread a few months ago and show it to them, and then I emailed some friends to tell them about it.
Epyx,
a few questions:
1. I was wondering if maybe one could skip the curved top (although the design is genius) and simply have a straight board for the top that is angled back to meet the back of the cab. The extended sides and marquee assembly seem to hide the top quite a bit (at least it looks that way from the pictures).
2. Did you cut the side holes to the inside or outside diameter of the speaker ring? It seems from the thread that you cut the hole 15" (the size of the whole neon thingie?) If that’s the case, is it possible to get more details on the "speaker ring sandwich" that you came up with? I can't wrap my head around it.
3. Are all the leds and neon connected to your computer's power supply, or are you using an inverter of some kind, or a stand alone power supply? (I really wish i could find a tutorial on how to hook up lighted buttons to your PC's power- cause that would save a few bucks if an inverter from radio shack is the only alternative.)
4. Did I miss what you are using for volume control? This is something that I haven’t quite figured out yet, apart from purchasing a potentiometer and hacking a speaker system that is.
Many Thanks for all the inspiration!
-long time reader - first time poster
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Hi Bangarang,
Thanks and welcome to BYOAC. To answer your questions:
1) Yes, you could just substitute the curved top with an angled straight board. That would be an easy substitution as you are right the sides and top of the marquee would hide it pretty easily...unless you are well over 180cm(6')! ;)
In fact, Nacimroc built a cab using similar curves and used a straight board to do his top: Nacimroc (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=98220.0)
2) I cut the holes on the sides using a circle jig I built. The diameter is 15" which also happens to be the inside diameter of the neon speaker rings. I did the cutting first, before I had ordered the rings but fortunately the 15" diameter worked out fine for the 15" rings (again inside diameter).
As for the speaker sandwich I didn't go into great detail on it because it was Knievel's technique that he used on his Neon MAME cabinet which I "borrowed" ;)
If you look up his Neon Mame on the Knievel Customs website he details the sandwich but I will repeat here as I pretty much used his formula with just minor modification. Knievel's Speaker Sandwhich (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,31417.0.html)
Basically you cut out a piece of plexi glass that covers the inside of the circle. I used a 16" x 16" square cut of plexi glass. You place this plexi behind the neon speaker ring. The next layer is your artwork. The artwork is also 16" x 16". The 3rd layer is a piece of hardboard that I also cut 16" x 16". You then screw all the layers through the screw holes on the neon speaker ring into the inside of the cab.
The only thing I will be modifying is that I will be adding a small slit into the back of the hardboard to backlight the crevasse. I got lazy this past long weekend and only played..no building ;)
3) You could likely get by connecting all the wiring to one PC Power Supply. However, I am using an LCD strip in the marquee for lighting (it has a molex connector 12v) as well plus both coin inserts have red LED lights with molex connectors (12v). Ill take some pictures but basically I also have the neon rings which are 12v and then the power requirements for the LEDWiz (5v). To accomodate all these power requirements I added a 2nd power supply and shorted the green wire in position 4 to the black ground next to it. This allows you to power your power supply without being plugged into a mother board.
End result is that I have a dedicated power supply for all the cab's lighting and the main PC just handles the USB feeds and video/cpu.
I can create a small tutorial if it would help but it wasn't that hard to connect them to the Power supply. Use a terminal strip as it simplifies what you need to do...
For example both the LEDWiz and Neon Speaker rings have two wire requirements, power and ground. On the Neon speaker rings the power and ground were a red and black cable respectively. However, the red unlike the red on a PC power supply was 12v...the red on a pc PS is 5v and the yellow is 12v. So I wanted to tap the red 12v of neon speaker ring into the yellow 12v of the PC PS. Using a Terminal Strip I cut off a molex connector from one of the PC PS wires. Taped up the 5v and its ground and ran the 12v and its ground into the terminal strip. On the other side of the terminal strip I connected the Neon Speaker ring wires (12v joining 12v and ground joining ground yellow pc to red neon and black to black).
For the LEDWiz I did the same thing only this time 5v to 5v (red to red and black to black)
4) Again, for volume I borrowed liberally, this time from Martijn's excellent SF cab. I used a 2.1 Logitech Z313 set. I just extended the volume and headphone as he did (although I haven't mounted them permanently inside the buttons yet. I didn't hack anything just extended what was already there as the volume dial fits in the button np as does the headphone jack. Martijn's SF Cab (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=84649.0l)
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I'd like to see some photos on that hack on the PS.......I need to dedicate a PS to all of my peripheral lighting/mods. The ideas are still growing!!!!!!
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I'd like to see some photos on that hack on the PS.......I need to dedicate a PS to all of my peripheral lighting/mods. The ideas are still growing!!!!!!
No problem. I will post them tonight along with the terminal strip feeds etc.
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For those asking, here are a few pictures showing the PC Power Supply hack in a bit more detail. As mentioned I have a 2nd PC power supply hacked to not require it to be plugged in to a motherboard (also great for using as a test PS btw). The way to do this is as follows:
1) Find the green wire on your Power Supply Mobo connector cable. It should be pin 4. Once you locate it you just need to short it to one of the black cables on either side. I used 18 guage solid non-stranded and just made a small U:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/PSHack1.jpg)
2) Then tape it up to prevent it from coming out. This is more for formality than function. If you are using 18 guage it won't easily slip out as the fit is tight...but for peace of mind... :)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/PSHack1b.jpg)
3) For drawing power to various devices like the LEDWiz or the Neon speaker rings I use Euro style terminal strips (type you screw to tighten not spade connectors). You can get these from Radio Shack/The Source (Canada). Or anywhere in Europe ;)
As mentioned the Neon speaker rings uses 12v. It carries those 12v through a red cable and ground through a black one. I connected those to the terminal strip and then ran the power supply 12v (yellow) and ground (black) into the other side of the terminal strip. You can cut these terminal blocks in between which I haven't done yet but will so its just the two hanging there.
If you were running to a 5v devices like some LEDs etc then you would just run the 5v on your LED to the strip and on the opposing side the PS's red 5v cable. Here is how mine looks 12v to 12v:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/PSHack2.jpg)
NOTE:
Any damage you may cause to your equipment is not my responsibility. If you have a blonde moment and fry something, you have been warned! :laugh:
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I always wondered what the trick was to get a PS to come on disconnected.
Very cool!
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Thanks Epyx,
Since PS wouldnt go onto a motherboard, why wouldn't you just the cut the green and black and solder or quick connect the two instead of doing the tape job. Just to avoid the where the hell did all of my lighting go............Or better yet get two tap/splice plugs, tap one and then loop into the other tap. Seems that would work the same and less likely to slip out.
On another note.....Sticks are on the way and I top mounted a happs trackball, and found a crystal clear ball to boot. I'll post some pics later on...
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You could cut the green and black but why bother? The method I use is quickly reversible and believe me the tape is more for formality than function...the U loop is in very tight and you would have to tug on it to get it loose. The 18 guage solid fits in tight like connecting a molex connector.
This way if it has to double as a replacement power supply I just pull out the U and it is good to go.
Can't wait to see your sticks in action! :cheers:
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3) You could likely get by connecting all the wiring to one PC Power Supply. However, I am using an LCD strip in the marquee for lighting (it has a molex connector 12v) as well plus both coin inserts have red LED lights with molex connectors (12v).
I posed the same question to the guy at Ultimarc (http://ultimarc.com/) (he is great at answering your questions!) and he also pointed out that "In the PC, disk drive power connectors contain these voltages. The red wire is 5 volts, yellow is 12 volts, black is ground." A connector can be bought from PC stores, as a floppy drive power adaptor, then cut off the other connector. I was thinking of using this idea, with your suggestion about modifying the "power on" by attaching green wire to ground on the motherboard plug.
But possibly, a separate power supply would be a bit simpler
4) Again, for volume I borrowed liberally, this time from Martijn's excellent SF cab. I used a 2.1 Logitech Z313 set. I just extended the volume and headphone as he did (although I haven't mounted them permanently inside the buttons yet. I didn't hack anything just extended what was already there as the volume dial fits in the button np as does the headphone jack. Martijn's SF Cab (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=84649.0l)
I thought of hacking a PC speaker system too, the kind with a wired remote, but then I came across this Knob (http://www.audiovisualdevices.com.au/viewprod.php?catid=&productid=APC554) with everything set up to just plug in the computer speakers. The downside is that there is no headphone jack, but for the price I like it.
It would be great if there was a software solution so that volume could be controlled with a shift/joystick. There would have to be a way to load the program before the front-end software got started, but I guess you guys that have your own *.bat files on boot-up know all about that.
Many Thanks for answering my questions!
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I posed the same question to the guy at Ultimarc (he is great at answering your questions!) and he also pointed out that "In the PC, disk drive power connectors contain these voltages. The red wire is 5 volts, yellow is 12 volts, black is ground." A connector can be bought from PC stores, as a floppy drive power adaptor, then cut off the other connector. I was thinking of using this idea, with your suggestion about modifying the "power on" by attaching green wire to ground on the motherboard plug.
But possibly, a separate power supply would be a bit simpler
Oh agreed, I mean I could have used the existing connectors in the PC and just hacked those as I had all the molex free but really wanted to be able to pull my PC out intact if/when required so the 2nd PS just made that process more straightforward.
I thought of hacking a PC speaker system too, the kind with a wired remote, but then I came across this Knob with everything set up to just plug in the computer speakers. The downside is that there is no headphone jack, but for the price I like it.
Nice find! Although I must admit I don't get how it works?
Headphone jack is easy as you can just extend the existing one with any male to female so not a big loss really...the volume knob is nice.
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It would be great if there was a software solution so that volume could be controlled with a shift/joystick.anks for answering my questions!
I hope I am not stating the obvious b/c I failed to read something...
In my latest cab, I control volume via Xpadder (for my GP-Wiz) programmed such that when I hold down the "pause" button, I can turn volume down by tapping P1 and up by tapping P2.
Works on Gameex and MAME. Another combo bring ups the MAME in game config.
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Ya the software exists..ive personally used Cabvol etc as Gryhnd has suggested. However, nothing beats an analogue dial for volume...the software while workable has its own share of "side effects" ;)
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Headphone jack is easy as you can just extend the existing one with any male to female so not a big loss really...the volume knob is nice.
Epyx This is neat! What a great solution.
As long as having that extension cable plugged in to the speaker's headphone jack doesn't mute the speakers until actual headphones are plugged in. I guess then, using the volume knob mentioned earlier, all one would need is simple speakers with headphone option.
There is even a panel mount extension cable available here (http://www.datapro.net/products/stereo-3-5mm-panel-mount-audio-cable.html).
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c229/Bantaras/headphone1.jpg)
I found a cheaper one somewhere, but I can't find the link right now.
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Headphone jack is easy as you can just extend the existing one with any male to female so not a big loss really...the volume knob is nice.
Epyx This is neat! What a great solution.
As long as having that extension cable plugged in to the speaker's headphone jack doesn't mute the speakers until actual headphones are plugged in. I guess then, using the volume knob mentioned earlier, all one would need is simple speakers with headphone option.
There is even a panel mount extension cable available here (http://www.datapro.net/products/stereo-3-5mm-panel-mount-audio-cable.html).
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c229/Bantaras/headphone1.jpg)
I found a cheaper one somewhere, but I can't find the link right now.
Nope.:angry:
Won't work. Cable arrived today and I quickly tested the idea. Turns out the speakers are disabled when something is plugged into the headphone port. Even if it is only an extension cable with no headphones plugged in the other end. That's too bad. It would have been a simple solution.
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I use an extension just like that. I wouldn't know how to do it in windows, but in my linux distro I can choose to un-mute the main speakers when the lead is plugged in, so the speakers and headphone jack work independently from each other. I'm guessing there must be a way of doing that in Windows too? (I am assuming you are using windows?)
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yup, Windows XP.
However, I DO want the main speakers muted when the headphones are inserted. Just not when the extension cable is and empty.
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I should have clarified...I have two sound cards (Creative and Onboard). I connect my speakers to one and my headphone jack is on the other. I then change over to the other when I want headphones and no speakers (IE Wife is on her exercise bike!).
I am sure you could modify them however but hasn't been a big issue for me.
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I have had a few people PM me for measurements. I finally got around to taking the measurements as the original cab was built with only overall height and width as a known variable and the rest was just improvised from Ond's render.
Some misc facts about the measurements before I list all them.
- The curved roof and back can't really be measured, just follow the curve at the top and around back by 1/4". That is what I did.
- The Marquee actual size is 26.5" x 8.5". The Measurements shown are from top of top retainer to bottom of bottom retainer.
- Bezel is 26.5" and 25" top to bottom but runs flush behind speaker shelf at the top and CP at the bottom.
- Bezel glass is 26.5" x 22.5" and rests just below CP out of sight and rests flush with speaker shelf at top.
- Cab is 71 7/8" from ground including the wheels...the wheels take up 1 1/8" of that height so actual cab height without wheels is 70 6/8"
- Top of CP with wheels on cab is at ~40" from the ground. This works out fine for me and my friends...your results may vary ;)
Here are the measurements:
Front:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/FrontMeasurements2.jpg)
CP/Bezel:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/CPMeasurements.jpg)
Top Side:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/SideMeasurements1.jpg)
Bottom Side:
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb312/epyx_photo/SideMeasurements2.jpg)
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Don't care about the measurements, I just like the photos of the beast itself........Hats off to ya again man, awesome job, love your machine........ :applaud: :applaud: :applaud:
Oh yeah I meant to ask you, are you having an issue with the ball top un screwing while playing on the lit j-stiks? If so what did you do to fix it, or are you just tightening as you go.....I'm worried about the stick becoming so twisted it severs those fragile wires to the led....
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Oh yeah I meant to ask you, are you having an issue with the ball top un screwing while playing on the lit j-stiks? If so what did you do to fix it, or are you just tightening as you go.....I'm worried about the stick becoming so twisted it severs those fragile wires to the led....
No, haven't had an issue at all and my cab gets a *lot* of playtime...I can screw them off but they don't come off during play. I hand tightened them and gave it a bit of an extra tighten beyond that and haven't had an issue since.
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ok i will try that.
Had to tear mine apart to do some rewiring. Installed a monster video card that didn't that baiscally spit at my power supply and cussed it for being so weak. So I have to rewire the whole thing with a new one.... :cry:
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Another example of the spirit of this community. Many people would be 'precious' about freely sharing their work with others. Hats off to you Epyx and those like you (Lokesen, Chicken McNobody, LuSid etc etc) who help this community to build grow and improve :applaud:
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ok i will try that.
Had to tear mine apart to do some rewiring. Installed a monster video card that didn't that baiscally spit at my power supply and cussed it for being so weak. So I have to rewire the whole thing with a new one....
Ya that was one of the reasons I went with 2 power supplies...one for my pc and one for all the lighting and modding in the cab. You could try a spot of glue? That should prevent it from unthreading during play but still allow you to force it off if need be. Gl :)
Another example of the spirit of this community. Many people would be 'precious' about freely sharing their work with others. Hats off to you Epyx and those like you (Lokesen, Chicken McNobody, LuSid etc etc) who help this community to build grow and improve
I have gotten so much from so many on these boards...besides they are only measurements, not like somebody couldn't just eyeball it and get it right...this just saves them some brute force and grief! :cheers:
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I hadn't seen this thread... I've been far too busy with work and life to even think about this hobby in a while, but I just wanted to say wow, I'm impressed. GREAT job!.
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I hadn't seen this thread... I've been far too busy with work and life to even think about this hobby in a while, but I just wanted to say wow, I'm impressed. GREAT job!.
Thanks nipsmg! I hear ya...thankfully a long weekend here in Canada and I have a nice lazy day today to game. Just spent about 3 hours on the cab playing a wide range of games. :cheers:
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One of my favorite cabs and I have spent a lot of time looking for ones that stand out. GREAT JOB!! :cheers:
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I have had a few people PM me for measurements. I finally got around to taking the measurements as the original cab was built with only overall height and width as a known variable and the rest was just improvised from Ond's render.
Some misc facts about the measurements before I list all them.
- The curved roof and back can't really be measured, just follow the curve at the top and around back by 1/4". That is what I did.
- The Marquee actual size is 26.5" x 8.5". The Measurements shown are from top of top retainer to bottom of bottom retainer.
- Bezel is 26.5" and 25" top to bottom but runs flush behind speaker shelf at the top and CP at the bottom.
- Bezel glass is 26.5" x 22.5" and rests just below CP out of sight and rests flush with speaker shelf at top.
- Cab is 71 7/8" from ground including the wheels...the wheels take up 1 1/8" of that height so actual cab height without wheels is 70 6/8"
- Top of CP with wheels on cab is at ~40" from the ground. This works out fine for me and my friends...your results may vary ;)
Excellent! Now I can build that "Wasteland" cab! Mwahahaha!
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Excellent! Now I can build that "Wasteland" cab! Mwahahaha!
Lol...but in all seriousness go for it. I won't be building it...going for something *different* for my dedicated vertical cab. I have a 2nd 27" WG D9800 and want to use it in a dedicated vertical but go for an alternate design this time.
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Excellent! Now I can build that "Wasteland" cab! Mwahahaha!
Lol...but in all seriousness go for it. I won't be building it...going for something *different* for my dedicated vertical cab. I have a 2nd 27" WG D9800 and want to use it in a dedicated vertical but go for an alternate design this time.
Ha, nah. As much as I liked the concept of that cab, I wouldn't build it. Plus I have other things up my sleeve.... like... :censored:.
:cheers:
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Gorgeous cab...I love the neon green and plan on using that color for my cab. Love it, very nice!
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Damn. Non of the pictures load for me. I dont know if its cause Im at work or what. :hissy:
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Thanks EvilNuff!
As for the pics...they are all Photobucket so your work may have that blocked. :(
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yup thats probably why... :'(
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disregard, found them..
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I missed this thread, wow nice job, I like the neon green and how the sides light up :)
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Thanks DCSegaDH. The fun thing about this hobby is the itch to build more never seems to leave hehe. I still play this cab at least a few days per week, every week. I also have one 27" D9800 monitor left so if I do build another cab it will be a dedicated vertical.
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Got any ideas floating around in your head for the next project? Come on, gimmee something to concept up for ya. Yes I'm giving you a small nudge for a new Epyx project. ;D
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Got any ideas floating around in your head for the next project? Come on, gimmee something to concept up for ya. Yes I'm giving you a small nudge for a new Epyx project.
Hiya Ond, btw...I check in at least monthly to see the status of your project...love your second to last update! :)
As for the next project...I have a spare 27" WG D9800 that I want to build a dedicated vertical cab around...but other than the size of screen and the fact it is going to be dedicated vertical I have no idea on theme etc.
As for concept if and when I do that would be awesome if it isn't going to impose on you...your render was what inspired me and allowed me to finish the cab. And don't even get me started on the side art you were kind enough to create... :cheers:
Ill come up with something before our Spring up here in the northern hemisphere ;) thanks!
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one word....... PROMETHEUS (http://www.ign.com/videos/2011/12/23/ign-rewind-theater-prometheus-trailer)
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There has to be some omen to that.
I just pulled out the old PSP and updated my CFW. Guess what the name is.
Custom Firmware 5.50 Prometheus......Do It
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Hi folks,
Just wanted to post a picture of a cab I built which was heavily inspired by the Aliens themed cab. Thanks for the write up!
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Nice looking cab! Course I am sooo biased :)
Slowly getting the drive back...while we don't get a lot of snow on the west coast of Canada just a few days per year its still winter...and I have had no desire to be out in my garage building stuff. My best friend and I have a bday in February 2 days apart so wonder If I can get most of it together by then...artwork commission will likely take until Spring but can have it with laminate siding for now.
Cheers everyone.
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Yaay Epyx is back! You newbs pay attention to this guy - he knows stuff.
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...artwork commission will likely take until Spring but can have it with laminate siding for now.
It doesn't need to be. I can get it to you before then if you want ...we both have been kinda relaxed on the schedule for this so far, but if you want to me to push it up in the schedule I can try to do that. Quality will not suffer, so don't worry about that: I don't go half-assed for anything I push out. ;)
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This is one of my all-time favorite builds. Glad to see you back Eypx!
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Bit of an update in order...so posted my last post on January 27, 2014 a few above...then the next day I broke my ankle...fractured my fibula, tore 2 ligaments and severed my Achilles tendon all on a lunch walk...my gut told me to not walk on the boardwalk nature trail...a 30 minute walk i usually do at lunch on a nice day...this day i decided to do it on a wet day. Despite reading an account of a woman who had hurt her knee walking there I went ahead and did it anyways :(
About half way through and not heeding my gut instinct to turn back...i slipped...left foot lost footing...and right foot got stuck in metal anti slip grating...i fell...the right foot didnt move and SNAP..within a split second I knew I had broken my ankle badly. I Macgyver'd a few branches to make a makeshift pair of crutches and hobbled off the trail...long story short took 45 mins to get to an ambulance. I waited 5 hours at the nearest hospital for xrays...then another 4 for the results...all without so much as a Tylenol 3. The doctor there put me in a boot and sent me home with tylenol 3 which did nothing for the pain...i was in a lot of pain. Wife took me to another hospital as she was concerned. The doctor there after only a 2 hour wait told me that a) I shouldn't have had a boot fitted and b) the boot was incorrect size and type and was pulling on my break.
Then 9 weeks of waiting for fracture to heal...now bone is mended but I still have massive swelling after just a few steps...use a crutch and cane and can finally drive again. Thankfully work had been accommodating and let me work from home through the worst of it and my awesome wife drove me to work the days I did go in.
I have about another 2 to 3 months for soft tissue damage to heal as its a long and tedious healing process :(
Long story short...as SOON as my foot permits im back to build...CANT WAIT. Going to document full build via video and my youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe-LT9hCzsV4aqej1P-pEKw (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe-LT9hCzsV4aqej1P-pEKw)
So with that said...just an explanation for my disappearance again! Cheers guys cant wait to get back to building my vertical cabinet.
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Get better, my friend! :cheers:
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Man that sounds just nasty. I can't even imagine... Glad to have you back again. Get better.
For some reason I was thinking you had another WG D9400 monitor you were holding back for your next project?
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Oh damn! Get well buddy. :-\
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Wow, that sounded really nasty. And wtf is with the first doctor putting you in the wrong boot!
That's malpractice...man I'd be so pissed off.
Well here's to a speedy recovery bud! :cheers:
With your timeline in hand, I should have your artwork finished and ready for you. Luckily you've been really lax on getting the art from me, so I haven't felt the need to rush it out. Which was great!
But I'll get back on it now, and in time for when you start your project back up.
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Man, that sucks. :blank: Get better soon!
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Cheers guys and thanks! Slowly by the week I see progress...not as quick as I would like...I guess it's natural. I am an IT guy so patience is something I usually have in short supply after starting my career in quality assurance and helpdesk lol.
Opt2not, have no fear...I know life and its pitfalls...we will get back on track this summer! What you have already done to date is fantastic, can't wait to see the rest.
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I know this is an older thread but wanted to update quickly for REAL this time lol. I have moved to the east coast of Canada and in the process had to destroy my Aliens Themed Cab :(
Was honestly one of the hardest things I have ever done but did it with my own hands. I never built it modular and used too much glue in addition to screws embedded under laminate. In short it could not be moved when we relocated. However, I saved all the parts including the Wells Gardner D9800 and WILL rebuild. In fact two cabinets, one horizontal and one vertical in the new space.
Once I start will do so as a new project. Also using this old thread to say hi to anyone that still remembers me lol!
Cheers Guys!
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I know this is an older thread but wanted to update quickly for REAL this time lol. I have moved to the east coast of Canada and in the process had to destroy my Aliens Themed Cab :(
Was honestly one of the hardest things I have ever done but did it with my own hands. I never built it modular and used too much glue in addition to screws embedded under laminate. In short it could not be moved when we relocated. However, I saved all the parts including the Wells Gardner D9800 and WILL rebuild. In fact two cabinets, one horizontal and one vertical in the new space.
Once I start will do so as a new project. Also using this old thread to say hi to anyone that still remembers me lol!
Cheers Guys!
What part of Eastern Canada are you at? I'm in Nova Scotia, myself.
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Dammmmmn, Epyx! That is the most heartbreaking thing I've heard! :'( Hope life is treating you well out east. :cheers:
(can't wait for the new project thread. we need more members like you coming back and showing these new members some original ideas)
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Thank you, Photobucket. I can't see ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---.
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Real sorry to hear this. This cabinet was one of the inspirations for my first build.
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Thats crap news dude....
Well from the ashes may rise a mighty Phoenix!
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That's sad new man! But glad to see you saved all the parts!
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All the pictures from the build are gone too. Dang this was a good build thread.
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Thanks guys and ya the Photobucket change was frustrating but then again their model was an expensive one and they were likely hemorrhaging cash :(
As for the cabinet, yep was honestly horrible to have to do it but im hoping I can build two nice replacements!
I am going to look into seeing if I can resurrect Photobucket somehow by grabbing the pics and hosting elsewhere so this project can still assist those who want to see.
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Host them here... or imgur
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I will, just finished downloading them all from Photobucket (What a long process grrrr).
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Hi!
I am planning to do a similar cabinet as yours. Would definitely be happy to host the build or whatever you were planning to keep online. I've been reading the thread to be able to get design, measurements and an idea out of it but it is a bit ... time-consumming.
Would really be happy to help out.
Thank you.
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And in the meantime everything is available at https://aliens.pplug.net/doku.php/epyx:start . Photos don't have 'photobucket' in the middle of them and the detailed instructions are easier to read in one single page (at least mpov).
I may make a trimmed down version with only building details, or could just document my built.
Let's see how this goes.
Fred
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Fred, THANK YOU so much!!! I haven't been here for a while and saw your link. REally appreciated! I am able to see my project as it was posted.
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Aways one of my favs. When showing people my cab and they have no idea this hobby existed, I always bring this one up