The NEW Build Your Own Arcade Controls
Main => Project Announcements => Topic started by: jammin0 on February 25, 2012, 12:42:51 am
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I just cut out some side panels for a slim build. I'm using plans from markc74's Terminus build. Here's a link to his original build:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=92156.0 (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=92156.0)
After cutting out the side panels the cab feels a little bit small. (I'm 6'3") The sides are about 70". I was thinking about just building up the base a little bit like in the drawing here. Any thoughts?
I am thinking about using the same black on white on black look like the original but doing something different with the graphics.
Thanks to mark for providing his sketchup plans. You rock.
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Sweet. Love that design. Good start so far - those curves aren't easy to cut!
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Cool design and good looking profile.
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Extra credit for having the 'nads to try and copy Terminus, easily my favorite slim cab design. I sure didn't have the nerve (or the chops) to even take a swing at that one.
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The addition to the bottom makes the cab look alot better.
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The addition to the bottom makes the cab look alot better.
That's funny because am thinking about extending the bottom purely out of necessity after cutting out the sides and not realizing how short it was and how the angles would be off for me.
Had time to sand down the curves really well and then route the side pieces with the slot cutter. I'm kind of flying by the seat of my pants since this is really my first cab. I'm thinking about putting in some supports for monitor, bezel, marquee, and then putting on the top and partial piece of the back. Then I'll build the entire base and stack them together. I'll leave a decent opening on the back that I can bolt the wood on to serve as an access panel for both the monitor and the and the PC that will be housed in the base.
I'm waiting until last to do the control panel so I haven't purchased joysticks or buttons yet but am thinking about u360's so that I can play a few newer PC games. I also like the idea of using the joystick as a mouse in Windows 7 in a pinch. I don't plan on having an keyboard or mouse because I think they make it a little bit tacky and there isn't really a ton of room in a slim cab. I can always use VNC on my iPad to mouse and type as well.
I already have the computer and a 28" LCD monitor. The PC is a C2Duo E6600 with 2 gigs of ram and a Geforce 210 with 512 of DDR3 ram. Unfortunately my 2 year old 320GB hard drive just died and so I need to get another one but almost pooed myself when I saw HDD prices right now. I picked up a 2 TB external for my Xbox 360 at Christmas time for $60 and now that won't even get me a 500 GB.
I want to find an over under coin door to put in it but I'm not really willing to fork out a ton for it so I don't know what I'm going to do. Hopefully I can scrounge one up locally as everything online seems to break the bank. I might try to get a free cab off craigslist but it seems like such a waste since all I need is the coin door.
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Ordered my hard drive and hopefully I can sneak away from the kids tomorrow to get the base built and all the bracing for the inside of the side pieces. I really love how simple the artwork is on the original terminus cab so I'm trying to copy that. My son really, really wants ninjas so I'm thinking something like this for the marquee. Unless. . . anyone has any better ideas. :-\
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I had spring break this week and finally commandeered the garage for a couple of days. Here's the progress I've made. I'd say I'm about 75% there with the structure. I got my u360s in the mail but I'm holding off on buttons until I have a theme/artwork. Any ideas on that by the way? I'm sad to say that I'm not liking any of the mockups that I've done and I'm kind of starting at scratch again. I do have the original artwork from the terminus build with the space invaders monster but I really want to do something different, just not sure what. Any thoughts are welcome.
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Added a few things, back panels, support for the CP section, marquee bottom with speaker holes. I took a picture of the coin door set in there for good measure. I started another thread when I bought the coin door, I got it off of ebay and it was missing the bezel. I decided I would just install it without the bezel in a routed hole. I plan on making it permanent since the slim is so shallow and the entire back is basically removable. That way I can get in to access it from the back if I need to. Not the most elegant solution but saved me some money in my already over budget project. :)
Anyone have any tips for the curved front of the CP? I was going to use MDF and kerf it but I'm starting to rethink that due to the amount of work it will take to make that look nice from the inside. Anyone know more about that sort of thing than me and can recommend a type of wood that bends easily? What thickness? Etc.?
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Looking good so far. The Terminus has always been one of my favs.
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Thanks, yeah, I love how terminus has some elements of a full size cab but a little profile. Hopefully I can get a chance to make the CP this weekend and then maybe even fill, sand and prime. Maybe the northwest rain will let up for some working outside.
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you spoke too soon, I've just applied my first undercoat to my bezel and it starts raining :banghead:
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Looks awesome! Can't wait to see this finished...
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We had the first actual, honest to goodness sunny and warm day here in the Portland, Oregon area since who knows when. It has to have been at least 4 or 5 months. I don't know if this helped me work on my build or hurt me since we did a lot of other things today. Anyway, did a couple of things. Got the parts cut out for the CP. I finally did a curve the smart way, this was waaaayyyy better than trying to cut it out with the jigsaw which I had contemplated.
Thought about bending some wood for the CP front but settled on just doing some kerfing with my 3/4" MDF. It turned out pretty good in the end. I'm happy with it at least and it only took me 15 or 20 minutes so I'll call it a success. Hoping that I can get to painting next weekend and then all that will be left is the artwork, and wiring everything up. I've been thinking about a LEGO starwars/batman/indiana jones/harry potter type theme but I'm not sure I can pull it off to my liking. I'm sticking with the simplicity of the original terminus and only going to have CP and marquee artwork. Once again, any ideas are welcome. ;D
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Very nice work on the curved front of the CP.
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Thanks, props go to markc on his original terminus. His looked a bit more clean than mine but hopefully I can do his design justice in the end.
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Anyone have any experience with souldraw.com. I read one post on the forum about it and after checking it out it seems pretty legit and cheap. I'm thinking about doing my marquee and CP overlay using the backlit PVC material. Seems like it would diffuse the light better in my marquee then just normal paper and it seems more substantial and thick for the overlay. Here's a picture of the material with a backlight.
I just got a quote for $34 shipped for 10sqft of printing. That's the minimum order. Also $14 of that is shipping so if you were ordering more it is only costing about $2 a square foot. They have adhesive vinyl and all other types of materials as well.
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Very nice thus far! Makes me want to start on my own shameless terminus copy. :)
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Very nice thus far! Makes me want to start on my own shameless terminus copy. :)
Thanks, you should do it. It's actually pretty straight forward the hardest part has just bee the curved front. I actually took a step backwards with mine. I was working on the monitor mount (which I did get in so the wasn't a complete loss) anyway, I hadn't secured that front on yet, it was just being clamped in place. Well, I kind of forgot that, bumped it hard, had that CP front all out and crack on the floor. I've been trying to repair it but need to jut break down and cut and build it again. I filled and sanded the rest so with any luck and sunshine I hope to at least prime this weekend still. I need to get the holes cut out of the back panels for some fans and redo the front and then it will be ready for paint.
Other things left to do:
Choose color scheme, paint, order buttons and artwork
Get glass and back paint for bezel
Mount fans and CPU components (this will not look as pretty as some)
Finish up a few front end things
Mount speakers
Cut plexiglass and mount to cp and marquee
Order t-molding and slap it on
Wow, that list is a little overwhelming, might take me a few more months.
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Keeping a close eye on this myself. Had started a cab that was more like a custom vewlix style but was not happy with the finish I was heading towards so scrapped that and have been looking around for inspiration. This looks like a great cab to build, strikes the right balance between traditional lines and more modern needs.
You said you got the Sketchup plans from Mark? Any chance you could point me towards where you got them? I've searched all over and can only find the original 3dx format, don't seem to be able to import that into Sketchup.
What kind of paint are you intending to use on the body of the cab? Im thinking of laminating mine instead, seems expensive at first glance but I have found that paint is not as cheap as I thought and the difference in price and quality of finish is swinging me towards laminate. And that's in the UK where laminate is pretty hard to get hold of and seems even more expensive than others have said for other parts of the world.
Anyway, keep up the great work, blaze a nice trail for me :)
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Yeah, if it weren't for cost and then the fact that I haven't ever done laminate and it might turn out horrible I love how it looks. Definitely avoids all the headache of painting. I'm going to try and spray on some latex based paint this time, hopefully it comes out even and nice. I think that I am going to steer clear of the gloss finish because that shows mistakes in paint more. Here's some files that I came up with. Hopefully Mark doesn't mind. The sketchup file is for viewing only(maybe some one with more skills can make lines and faces out of it), I just took the original 3d file and got it in there. The original was pretty obviously built around the monitor and had very little wiggle room. I scaled it up a bit to make the measurements match inches/feet a little bit better and I figured it would give me a little bit more wiggle room around the monitor. I also added height to the base. I'm a pretty tall guy though so the control panel ends up fairly high for me. Just beware of that if you start making yours any taller, it might be better to extend the sides at the top so that the control panel sits closer to the same. I actually added about 5" to the overall height of everything and it seems to fit me just right.
I get my MDF from home depot. There happens to be a guy who used to work in a cabinet shop who can actually measure and make straight cuts so I always go when it isn't too busy and he will be there and he will do the majority of my cuts. I'll include a rough sketch of the cuts for you, I can explain more if they aren't obvious enough. After that I just measured with the tape measure tool in sketchup and came up with most everything else. CP, bottom of marquee, back panels are all about 27." That gives about 1/2" on each side of the monitor when mounted too if using the same 28 incher.
I had to zip the sketchup file to get it under 2MB. I'm on my work MAC so let me know if you have any weird problems opening it.
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Wow! Thanks man!
Made my life a little easier with the sketchup plans. Although when AGarv and I start making our versions of this you will have to come up with a topic title for us along the lines of Shameless :)
Going back to the laminate vs paint topic, I urge you to look really carefully at how much paint is realistically going to cost. Then weigh that up with the fact it will NEVER come out perfect, and although nobody will ever see the imperfections you will know they are there (this is all assuming you are not another godlike Ond...) against the knowledge that laminate is relatively easy to use and will be much more durable. Ive been through this process making a custom stool out of MDF for sitting at the arcade machine, did this as a way of getting some experience of painting and getting a good finish. I went through 3 different types of paint before deciding that rolling was just not going to look good enough no matter what kind of paint I used (by the way, I used to be a professional painter and decorator!). I ended up trying auto spray cans, and yes it does look good and shiny. The thing that has finally decided my mind on laminate is that the stool already has some scratches on it....
The pain I went through getting that thing to look good I was worth it in the end but only to show me that if I went to massive effort to spray a cab to a perfect finish and then someone scratched it I would be mortified.
Thanks for all the info on height and measurements, all very useful to me. I'm 3" shorter than you so I think I will have to compromise between yours and the originals.
In the UK the best place I can get to for MDF cutting is B&Q. They have a decent cutting service there if you dont expect them to actually cut to exact measurements. I always make them cut it a fraction bigger and then route it to the correct size at home. The only reason I ask them to cut it at all is so it will fit in my car :)
I have a couple of other jobs to finish before I can get my teeth into mine by which time the weather here should be a bit better. Pretty certain this is the cab for me though, and really looking forward to seeing them start to pop up all over the place :)
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Yeah, I'll have to do laminate on my next one. I made a pedestal first and swore that I wouldn't make anything else. Now I'm in the middle of this build, I can admit that it probably won't be my last. It's a little bit addictive.
Anyone out there have any experience with pcb etching. I'm working on the circuit for my cabinet back lighting. On my second try, the toner transfer method worked pretty nicely for me except I'm having a hard time cleaning the toner from the board now. It came off of the copper easily enough so the board will still work fine, it just looks a bit ugly now. I've tried nail polish remover and paint thinner.
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Got the first layer of primer on. This is not Ond worthy work but hopefully it will turn out ok. I used a sprayer to put on the primer and just used Gliden latex primer. Has a little bit of a texture to it so I need to sand it down really well now. The plan is to just roll on the final colors using a foam roller. Still not super sure on color and theme. I'm all over the place on it. I'm starting to second guess the black and white. I plan to use glass in front of the monitor and back paint a bezel using vinyl sticker to mask it out since I have a vinyl cutter. The glass will sit right on the original monitor bezel so it should be pretty close up.
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I love all the curves you have going on. That coin area looks awesome as well. Nice work. :cheers:
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I love all the curves you have going on. That coin area looks awesome as well. Nice work. :cheers:
Thanks, I can't take any credit on the design though. Your tron build is going to be pretty sweet. Ever since I saw neon mame I think that it is all about the lighting. Unless you have serious skills in a la ond for design then each cab needs something to set it apart. Anyway, yours rocks. Hopefully my backlighting turns out, just waiting for my Pcb drill bits in the mail.
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Here is a small update.
Did some painting and got the cooling going. Am I being a little bit overkill with the fans? I've got 2 12cm fans for intake and 2 for exhaust. I figure that there isn't a ton of room inside and I'm worried about air circulation. Left the speakers in their cases so that they would sound better. They are $6 second hand radio shack speakers. They must be from the 70's or 80's but they put out a lot of sound and have some decent sized drivers.
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I had to zip the sketchup file to get it under 2MB. I'm on my work MAC so let me know if you have any weird problems opening it.
Love this project, any updates?
Thanks jammin for posting the SketchUp plans and board cuts! Are the dimensions in the SketchUp plans the originals from Mark, and the board cuts for your taller build?
I am thinking about my own "shameless" using a Dell U3011 30" 16:10 monitor that I already have - although sadly that monitor is about 1/4" too wide for the current plans, so some sketchup tweaks are in order.
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Just did a small update today. Sketchup didn't import the dimensions at all from the original 3d file. I just made it approximately the same. The board cuts that I used were for my taller version. Shouldn't be too hard to blow out the sides a little bit. A 30" would look sweet.
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Just did a small update today. Sketchup didn't import the dimensions at all from the original 3d file. I just made it approximately the same. The board cuts that I used were for my taller version. Shouldn't be too hard to blow out the sides a little bit. A 30" would look sweet.
I think that a 30'' lcd is bigger for the terminus; it's internal width (do not consider the 2 sides) is 68 cm. (26.77'') !
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I plan on making it permanent since the slim is so shallow and the entire back is basically removable. That way I can get in to access it from the back if I need to. Not the most elegant solution but saved me some money in my already over budget project. :)
I see that the back is made up of multiple smaller panels. Can they all be removed, or are some fixed? Also what did you use to make them removable, insert nuts, magnets?
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Yeah, I'll try and get some pictures of the back in the next little while.
I used nut inserts and then the panels just bolt on from the back.
The top will remove to allow access to the monitor and the PC components will all be bolted down to the bottom panel. I kind of wish I had done like the original build and hinged the bottom so that I could just fold out the back and work on the PC components. There is an additional brace that is permanent at about 5 or 7 inches on both the top and bottom of the cabinet.
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I was planning on doing something similar: small fixed panels at the bottom, middle, top; and two large removable panels in between. But unlike your build I'll have my pc components on a removable shelf.
Anyway, the back is usually not detailed in most builds that I have seen. And even when it is, its either fixed or a large door. So some pictures would be much appreciated ;D
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Apologize in advance for the crappy ipad picture but here is the installed coin door. Didn't have anything to match the curve on my cutout so I went more square. I figured it would look better being uniform than having a bumpy curve. The fit was pretty tight where I ended up pounding it in with a rubber mallet. Pretty much permanent now unless I get from the other side and pound it out. What do you guys think? Feel free to critique but I'm not going to change it now. :D
Would have looked better with the door frame but I'm ok with not putting more money into this project. I'm at about $400 all in right now and have about $100 to go for tmolding, buttons, and plexi. Oh yeah, and then there's the graphics still. :) Better off not adding it up eh? I can't believe how much some of the people on this forum spend on their cabs. I guess it's a hobby, no looking back.
I'm really pleased with how the paint is turning out. My last pedestal project I was set on using a glossy finish. It worked ok but then didn't hold up the best. Attracted fingerprints and dust like no one's business. I went with a satin paint from Home Depot, Glidden brand. It has a nice thick and smooth finish after 1 coat of primer and 3 coats of paint.
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Glad to hear you are digging the paint. I laminated the sides of a cab years ago and really liked the results. However, when it went into storage a few scuffs made it onto the laminate. If it was paint, a spot touch-up or even follow-on coat over the entire side would have been easy. With the laminate, I just had to deal with the scuff, so there are definite up-sides to paint!
BTW how does the cab/panel height feel now that you have it mostly assembled (although maybe not on wheels yet?) I'm around your height, but am wondering if smaller folks (e.g. my 5'4" fiance) might struggle with the controls.
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It's a little bit tall. CP height is really the only thing that might be too tall for smaller players. The cab itself is great at about 75" tall. The angle on the screen isn't too extreme either so I'm sure that the viewing angles will be fine from lower. I have two taller stools so I guess I wasn't really thinking about anyone but myself and figure that anyone can jump on a stool to play if it is uncomfortable. My wife is about 5'6" so I'll have her do a test run once I get the controls all up.
I'm just putting some feet to level it and not going with casters since it will spend it's life on carpet. Actually, being a slim it isn't even too heavy. I can heft the whole thing if I've eaten my wheaties for the day. I would estimate it at between 150-200 lbs. with all 3/4" MDF.
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Anyway, the back is usually not detailed in most builds that I have seen. And even when it is, its either fixed or a large door. So some pictures would be much appreciated ;D
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This is coming along beautifully. :applaud: I too am planning to build a Terminus clone, and I'm also 6'3", and was a bit concerned with the shorter height of the cab. I'll be following your progress, good sir. Though, I may just extend the side panels to hit the floor...
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This is coming along beautifully. :applaud: I too am planning to build a Terminus clone, and I'm also 6'3", and was a bit concerned with the shorter height of the cab. I'll be following your progress, good sir. Though, I may just extend the side panels to hit the floor...
Yeah, I think I mentioned earlier that my decision to not extend the sides down was poor planning. The sides weren't tall enou on their own.
Ok, I might get some criticism for this one but I'm scrounging to finish this project and all tapped out at the moment. Instead of putting in a trackball I decided that I am going to put in a trackpad that I salvaged from an old laptop. The little sucker had 14 wires but I somehow managed to find the 4 required wires for the ps/2 interface and I think it is going to be cool. Right?
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Trackballs are awesome! The trackball on my old dynamo conversion has gotten a lot of loving use. I think playing trackball games like centipede or missile command with a trackpad would be difficult, and would also probably confuse friends/relatives sitting down to enjoy themselves on your cab.
You sure you can't spring for $30 to get a 3" Betson Imperial with a ps/2 connector off of ebay (may take a little patience but they come up still) or even one of the lighted 2 1/4 USB trackballs (http://www.ebay.com/itm/LED-2-1-4-Trackball-MAME-PS2-Arcade-Pc-Not-HAPP-/120848605081?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c23235f99 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/LED-2-1-4-Trackball-MAME-PS2-Arcade-Pc-Not-HAPP-/120848605081?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c23235f99)) for around the same price?
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yeah, I've thought about it. I'm sort of leaning in the other direction. I have a 5-year-old who is going to play this thing constantly. There are certain games where I'm thinking the trackpad is going to be easier. (Angry birds, Trine 2, anything on the web, he is big into flash type games.) I thought about getting this one:
http://www.paradisearcadeshop.com/en/joysticks-trackball/47-ps2-led-trackball.html (http://www.paradisearcadeshop.com/en/joysticks-trackball/47-ps2-led-trackball.html)
I don't know though, I feel like I am treading on some of the purist thinking here but I have never even played centipede and only ever played mission control with a mouse. Maybe I need to think about it a little bit more before cutting into my CP.
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I can kind of relate. I put a spinner on my old cab about a decade ago mostly because it seemed the de facto thing to do, even though I had never really played tempest or tron much as a kid. I even spent a lot of time manually hacking one together from an old hard drive and a ball mouse. When I finally played tron and tempest on my cabinet - well, obviously there was no nostalgia for me and they just felt like very dated games (i.e. not a lot of fun). However, I have had many friends and family play on the cab over the years, and a few almost passed out when they had a chance to play spinner games - in the long haul I am happy I did it.
That said, I agree wholeheartedly that the panel design should be what is going to be the most fun for you and your unique situation, other people here on the board aren't going to be playing it, so they just have to deal with your non-traditional controls! :)
Seriously, anymore something that doesn't look like an x-arcade tankstick clone with ball-top joysticks can be branded a "frankenpanel" - sometimes pretty snarkily, which is not cool.
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Hey Jammin,
Just noticed this and I have to say it's looking niiiice!
And if anyone ever wants to see a picture of mine I might just show them yours as the paintwork looks a lot better! :applaud:
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And if anyone ever wants to see a picture of mine I might just show them yours as the paintwork looks a lot better! :applaud:
No way man, the hardest part of doing this project is the fact that everything I do seems to be not quite on par with your original version. :notworthy: You have some extra finesse that I think mine is lacking. Your curves are curvier and your lines are straighter. Anyway thanks again for sharing, it looks like since I started mine there are a few others who are taking on your cabinet too.
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Hopefully you don't mind Mark if I post your artwork on here, if you do mind then let me know and I'll take it off. I just used a website called fiverr.com and paid some guy to do some artwork. What do you guys think? I think it was a steal for the $5. Still not completely into the Ninja theme but my 5-year-old refers to it as the Ninjacade already and he came up with the title. I figure I can always change out the artwork later, not a huge deal if it gets old quick.
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Don't mind at all - the whole point is to share!
Unfortunately the original terminus is no more as after storing it for a while (new family member took the room) it got pretty destroyed by water damage :angry:
Plus side is I get to build another one!
Liking the artwork. I think you can spend a lot of time on little details but once you get it working you end up forgetting about it and just enjoying it for what it was made for - a rockin' machine that makes ur mates jealous!
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Don't mind at all - the whole point is to share!
Unfortunately the original terminus is no more as after storing it for a while (new family member took the room) it got pretty destroyed by water damage :angry:
Plus side is I get to build another one!
Liking the artwork. I think you can spend a lot of time on little details but once you get it working you end up forgetting about it and just enjoying it for what it was made for - a rockin' machine that makes ur mates jealous!
:hissy: :cry: :hissy: :cry: :hissy: :cry:
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Don't mind at all - the whole point is to share!
Unfortunately the original terminus is no more as after storing it for a while (new family member took the room) it got pretty destroyed by water damage :angry:
Plus side is I get to build another one!
Liking the artwork. I think you can spend a lot of time on little details but once you get it working you end up forgetting about it and just enjoying it for what it was made for - a rockin' machine that makes ur mates jealous!
Markc, imagining the original Terminus wasting away in a leaky room brings a tear to my eye - please keep us posted when you create Terminus II!
Jammin0, any updates on your project? I will start mine in the next few months - I opted to go with a 27" 16:10 S-PVA screen and just found a local company with a nice CNC machine with reasonable pricing (about $200 not including materials). I'm currently planning for 5/8" MDF with 1/16" laminate on both sides.
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I'm at a standstill because I ran out of funding. They are talking layoffs at work so we're trying to be pretty frugal until we know what is going on with that. I'm a teacher and they are tossing us out like we're dirty underwear right now, about 1/3 of the entire staff. We'll see if I make the cut.
I have left the artwork, buttons, plexiglass, tmolding and I should be done. Here is one blurrycam shot.
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Sorry to hear about your job, man, I hope you get to stay.
Your cab is looking real good.
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Sorry to hear about your job, man, I hope you get to stay.
Your cab is looking real good.
Yeah, pretty much par with the course these days. I've been pretty lucky with my employment up until this point so I have no real complaints, lots of people have it way worse than me. This hobby is great to occupy the mind, keeps me looking forward to things.
Thanks for your comments.
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The cab is looking great buddy, sorry to hear about the uncertainty at work. Things will work out - in the meantime you can agonize and change your mind a dozen times about your button choices!
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Here is a picture of the bezel after my 4th attempt. I had the hardest time getting the lines sharp without any bleedthrough. Picture isn't the best but you can kind of see it. :)
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Cool, is that back-painted plexi?
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Cool, is that back-painted plexi?
It's actually back painted glass. Luckily it wasn't plexi which I almost went with. The glass cleaned off easily enough with a razor blade, the plexi would have been a 1 shot deal. I finally used a vinyl decal cut to the size of my window for a mask and then spray painted black for the bezel area.
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Ok, I'm totally hung up on the artwork now. I knew this would happen. I'm not sold on it and need some advice/ideas. I originally thought of a ninjacade theme. Not a fan of that name anymore so I'm thinking ninja renegade but I'm not sold on my artwork choices. I'm going with light blue T-molding so something simple like the gradient background I have going on will be good enough.
Does anyone have any other ideas, the ninja in the picture kind of sucks so I don't want to use it. I love TMNT too so I'm wondering if I could throw together a cool them with them. Since I'm only dealing with the marquee and then copying that onto the control panel it seems like it shouldn't be too hard but I'm out of my element here.
Please Heeeeelllpppppppppp. ??? :'( Anybody?
Here's a link to the .ai version of the graphic if anyone wants to help out. ;)
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B0dsw4BlVOtSdFZPa0pGMFpOd2c (https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B0dsw4BlVOtSdFZPa0pGMFpOd2c)
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Maybe it's the blue, doesn't seem right to me. I'd consider losing the "cade" part and just give it a definite title.
Couple of ideas, do a search for "Ninja Monkey" there were some great arcade style artwork knocking around you could possibly use. Obviously slightly different than your current theme but just throwing it out there. I nearly themed my other machine of the very same thing.
Another "Revenge of the Ninja" lots of 80's ninja films, this one being a well known one. Could give you some inspiration from posters/vhs boxes for text and feel.
Artwork is damn hard, completely sympathise where you're currently at as it really is a key part of the machine visually.
Looking good where you're at tho :cheers:
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One more. The last ninja, how about on the CPO at the top edge having something like the face used in the artwork, all in black.
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A name for your machine is a tough one, and some unfortunately wind up being kind of cheesy. One thing I liked about the original Terminus is that Markc basically came up with a name that sounded like an old school arcade machine that could have existed, but never did. You could try something similar? Maybe a play off the original Terminus name to give a shout out?
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Thanks JayB and AGarv
I really like ninja monkey idea and my son was way into it. I emailed the two guys who made these two images to see if they wouldn't mind me using them. I guess I'll pull it off if they tell me no.
On a better track?
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It's great your son is so into the machine :applaud:
A couple of things I've picked up from my partner as she's worked in the print trade is placement and consistency. Looking at the two characters they are very different in terms of design style which can make them conflict with each other visually by not sitting in context. I'm guessing your son liked the one on the right?
Text wise, what about something in a Bamboo style? Maybe play around with different size text for either monkey/Ninjas, making one much larger or even one at a different angle. Just throwing some more ideas out there really. I'd consider some kind of backdrop, and drop the opacity so it's more of an atmosphere. It could pull it al together nicely.
I've attached some art to get some more inspiration from :cheers:
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Hi, loving the machine! I'm a former art director, so maybe i can help you with a couple tips on how to get the most out of your graphics.
The text being brownish, with a black outline, and tight kerning (the space between the letters), is leading to a very muddy look. Contrast is your friend in these kinds of applications where you want things to be bold. So, be sure to pick colors that stand out from each other. Don't kern too tight because the contrast between the text and the background is also important. If you do need tight kerning, be sure to make up for it by using high contrast colors. A trick to make graphics like this pop is often using what I call color shells. Your text has a fill color, and an outline color, it can also have a shell color which is outside the outline. Typically I use white or a very pale color as you need to keep high contrast with the outline. This can make text with a dark stroke on a dark background POP. you can make it pop even more by adding a subtle drop shadow. Look at old arcade graphics and you will see loads of variation on these simple techniques.
The background is kind of boring with just a gradient, and a kind of calming blue. The idea of Monkey Ninja just screams bounce off the walls action, but the background is not carrying it through. I suggest something in the red orange and yellow area as the basic palette, as those are action colors that go with your theme. You don't have to use them in their full color strength (like ketchup and mustard), they can be used as tints or what-have-you to make a subtler feel. The background does not want to overpower the text.
As for background graphics, you don't want a lot of detail, but you do want the feeling of an environment. This can be very simple using things like silhouettes, or even layers of them. Some outlines of stylized Japanese buildings, trees, etc. could be cool for a "situational environment", you could also make a conceptual environment, using silhouettes or outlines of ninja weapons, or ninjas doing karate moves. Less is still more in this area though. a few well placed images with the right colors can make a huge difference. Saumurai Jack is a great example of both color palette, and making simple graphics work hard for you. Some inspiration: http://tinyurl.com/bvsaa7l (http://tinyurl.com/bvsaa7l)
As for the monkeys, I like them. One note to consider is that an outline around them can also make them pop if needed. It can also denote directional action if used in other ways. You could add some speed lines behind them for one.
Anyhow, I hope this helps. Best of luck completing your cab. Looks stellar so far! :applaud:
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You guys rock. Thanks for all the great tips. Believe it or not I did take an instructional design class for my graduate program where I learned about typography and CARP design. I guess that didn't transfer very well into my hands on skill set. I'll keep working on things and throw back out my attempts here as I get them done. I have been stuck on blue tmolding and that is why the blue color but I think I'll have to rethink that as that seems to work better with rainbows, bubblegum, and fighter jets instead of killer ninja monkeys.
Thanks for all of your guys' help so far. :applaud: :applaud: :applaud:
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Thanks JayB and AGarv
I really like ninja monkey idea and my son was way into it. I emailed the two guys who made these two images to see if they wouldn't mind me using them. I guess I'll pull it off if they tell me no.
On a better track?
That left pic I was going to use on mine, before I commissioned custom character designs from Trebeck. I don't like the one on the right though.....
Maybe this one (http://genkimon.deviantart.com/art/Ninja-Monkey-62680848?q=boost%3Apopular%20ninja%20monkey&qo=26) instead.
Or this guy.....
(http://smartlemming.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/ninja-monkey.jpg)
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Another Monkey :lol Shaolin style
Actually, looking the marquee again you could put him on the left hand side and duplicate to have 3 of the ninjas on the right side. Reduce the size of two to give the illusion they're all jumping down in a V formation. You'd have to flip them to face left though.
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:lol Makes me want to design one now
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Ninja Monkey is pretty cool, I like TMNT also, although that doesn't mesh cleanly with your current color scheme. How about the:
"Half Shell" Arcade
(http://www.ninjaturtles.com/artwork/profile_raphael.gif)(http://members.tripod.com/derekchan_88/cgi-bin/proleo2k3.gif)
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Ok, your guys' feedback has been invaluable.
How about something like this? Different direction using everyone's input. Or at least my interpretation of your input. :)
**edit
So it is called Ninja Monkeys so I thought I'd try to throw another monkey in there.
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I vote for number 3 ;)
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Looking good, the background really brings it together! Gives you a nicer overall color scheme versus the ninjacade also IMO!
2 or 3 definitely, leaning toward 2!
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Thanks for the feedback guys. Any more votes? I was leaning towards #2 as well.
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2.
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At first I thought 3 but, I think there's a better space balance with 2.
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Final thoughts before I send this off to souldraw.com?
Your guys' help has been invaluable. You can see how far I've come with your guys' suggestions and help.
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That big blank space in the middle of the CP seems so empty, are you going to be adding a Trackball?
Never heard of souldraw.com, are they any good?
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Great work! This has really come into its own. I vote 2 as well.
Only things I'd say to try before your done is make the foreground darker (almost black) for more of a dramatic feel. That's probably going to interfere with the text some so I'd tweak that to fit. It'll probably be a matter of just changing the "monkey" color some. I'd suggest bright red for that text, plus black outline, and a white shell. I think overall it will feel more cohesive. But even if you just roll with it as is it's a great improvement.
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Looking good! Eventually I would replace the buttons with a color more aligned to the artwork (e.g. keep the red for P1 and shift P2 to orange or something similar).
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Looking good! Eventually I would replace the buttons with a color more aligned to the artwork (e.g. keep the red for P1 and shift P2 to orange or something similar).
Maybe yellow, like a banana. IL makes the joystick (http://www.paradisearcadeshop.com/en/il-eurostick-joystick/161-il-eurostick-joystick-yellow.html), too.
Also +1 to adding *something* in the vast, bright white expanse on the CPO.
Scott
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I haven't been on for a while so I missed the start on this one.
Great job!!!
It's about time someone made a Terminus copy. It's one of the greatest mame cab designs ever.
Your cabinet looks great!
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Looking good! Eventually I would replace the buttons with a color more aligned to the artwork (e.g. keep the red for P1 and shift P2 to orange or something similar).
I did a mockup with red and yellow and orange and yellow. I don't think it looks too good. I think the red and blue work because they are such a contrast but complementary. I like the yellow banana suggestion. Looks kind of cool with just all yellow.
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Meant to post this earlier.
My inspiration for suggesting the yellow joystick comes from the 2000 Sega game "Monkey Ball" (http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8736)
The control panel has a unique joystick handle.
(http://forums.arcade-museum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=108588&d=1336709994)
Closeup. (http://s38.photobucket.com/albums/e107/bongoben/Monkey%20Ball%20and%20Naomi%20GDRom%20Kits/?action=view¤t=IMG_3691.jpg)
(http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e107/bongoben/Monkey%20Ball%20and%20Naomi%20GDRom%20Kits/IMG_3691.jpg)
Scott
P.S. Looking at the CPO again, I got the absurd image in my mind of bananas growing on a glacier. :lol
Any chance of adding a faded tone/gradient of one of the marquee colors to break up the "glacier"? The marquee looks like it's late fall. Maybe some brown dry grass in the "field" (rice paddy?) leading to the bridge and pagoda.
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Oh man, I'm getting all of these suggestions now but I just put in my order already with souldraw.com yesterday morning. I feel what everyone is saying about the blank spot in the CP. basically that is because Mark's original Terminus cab had a spinner. I've decided that I will add a spinner but it will just be at a later date since it would add too much cost to my build right now and I'm going on 6 months with this build and am anxious to get it done. Luckily I am doing the CP last so that it won't be playable until it is completed. I love the banana joystick! GizmoGames also PMd me a yesterday with some mockups. I thought I would post them here since they look pretty cool even though I'm not going to be able to use them, maybe somewhere down the line.
I ordered up 2 sets of CP graphics and marquees from souldraw.com. That still came in under the 10 sqft minimum order and cost me $35 shipped. Just as a side note, they send their graphics to the printer in either JPG or Tiff format. I had originally uploaded my graphics in .ai format and when the digital proof came back whatever they had used to convert my graphics to .jpg looked horrible. I had lost transparency and color information, also the dimensions were right but I lost some detail so it must have been in 72 dpi at the highest. Anyway, I exported them myself from Illustrator and then their digital proof came back a lot closer to what I had sent them. Just a heads up for anyone else trying to use them. At $35 for 2 different sets I don't think I have a lot to lose. It would cost me at least that to have them printed on just plain paper and laminated at my local FedEx/Kinkos place.
Thanks again Gizmo for the extra mockups.
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I just had this idea that you could take GIZMOs rendition with the masked ninja. I think JayB showed us that one and you could pretty easily crop the human face and add this one.
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ok i think at a guess you mean like these :P
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v716/gizmo_69/ARCADE%20BUILD/ninmonkey-1.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v716/gizmo_69/ARCADE%20BUILD/ninmonkey.png)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v716/gizmo_69/ARCADE%20BUILD/ninmonkey2.jpg)
and oooh wide love to get a couple of those monkeyball joysticks just for fun factor lol :)
im away quitte a bit now but ill try to log in when i can fiancee is in hospital for op tommorow :( and i got djgigs at weekend/bh monday as they say life goes on :)
it was quite fun getting the ape face to match the original :D and i aways have fun messing about artwise :)
ciao for now
GIZMO
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Good luck with finding the joysticks.
Only 526 games/kits were made IIRC.
Seeing the render with the yellow and black buttons made me think about swapping the plungers in 6 yellow buttons for the plungers in 6 black buttons.
I like the masked monkey face idea. Do you have any concerns about the more realistic monkey face on the CPO conflicting with the cartoon style of the rest?
Scott.
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artwork shipped from Shanghai :applaud: Kind of bummed that I didn't get the leopard print drop cloth like GregD on his Arcade Nebula build. :) Did I mention that this was only $35 shipped.
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Think the artwork looks great jammin0 :cheers:
Definitely better without the last ninja face, changed the mood of the overall look of the artwork. I do like the other monkey used with the banana sword. I was going to suggest a large shuriken if you were using a trackball on the control panel.
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I also used Souldraw and i think they shipped my items the same day as your Jammin0. I ordered a complete 6 set order (2 full sides at 3'x6', a front at 30"x36", a marquee, a CP and artwork that covers the sides of my CP) $109/shipped. Can't wait to see it and apply it. Worst case I am out $100, best case I saved about $500 by bypassing an artist and using a US vinyl sticker maker.
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The artwork turned out great! Did you do all that yourself? Looks very sharp... almost like a game that could have been but never was!
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Think the artwork looks great jammin0 :cheers:
Definitely better without the last ninja face, changed the mood of the overall look of the artwork. I do like the other monkey used with the banana sword. I was going to suggest a large shuriken if you were using a trackball on the control panel.
+1 to what JayB sez. :stupid
I look forward to seeing how well your souldraw art works out. If you don't mind, once you get it installed maybe include a mention of which material and finish options you chose as well as any observations on working with it.
Scott
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The artwork turned out great! Did you do all that yourself? Looks very sharp... almost like a game that could have been but never was!
I guess I kind of did it by myself if you factor in the fact that JayB gave me all the creative direction even posting most of the graphics. Oh yeah and killsurfcity basically gave me a graphic design 101 lesson that I tried to draw from.
:) Anyway, thanks for all the help everyone. I'm excited to get it in and stick it all down. I realize that the CP ended up a little bit plain but the entire sides are going to be plain white and at least simple won't clash horribly. I plan to add some text below the buttons but I will do that with vinyl decals later so that I can get the placement right on with the buttons. I was also thinking of that since this is my first cab build that if my buttons were overlayed over white then I wouldn't have any chance of getting the placement wrong.
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I installed a full vinyl decal set on a pinball before and I primed the sides, sanded to a smooth touch (but still painted, to prevent liquid from quickly absorbing) and then applied a soaking coverage of Windex to the area for the decal. The windex allows for shifting of the decal for a minute or two. Once the decal was where I wanted it, I placed a clear piece of painters tarp down (to protect the decal) and I roller squigeed it down. This squeezed out a lot of the excess Windex and ultimately made for a firm seal. Once one side was on, I walked away for a day to let it dry good. The next day you trim excess off with a brand new razor blade and move to the next decal.
What are you using on top of your CP to protect the decal? I use an epoxy resin. You have seen it before, the heavy clear plastic looking wood bar tops. Spreads evenly to a glossy glass finish, super strong, non-yellowing, wipes down easily. That I let sit for a week once applied.
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I'm just going to cover mine with plexiglass. I've never heard of using windex but I used to run a side business doing vinyl decals for cars, mostly advertising stuff. Anyway, with a huge decal you can do a wet apply just by mixing some water with a few drops of dawn dish soap. Takes a lot longer and sometimes you can get really small bubbles trapped in there but it has saved me a couple of times.
Smaller decals seem to be easier to just do it dry. I hinge the decal, remove the backing from one part and then stick it down. After that it's just a matter of peeling off the other side of the backing since your decal isn't going anywhere. I'm yet to see what quality vinyl decal comes from souldraw.com. Not sure how sticky it will be and how thick the material is. generally in my experience, thicker, less sticky decals are going to be way easier to install.
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artwork shipped from Shanghai :applaud: Kind of bummed that I didn't get the leopard print drop cloth like GregD on his Arcade Nebula build. :) Did I mention that this was only $35 shipped.
ok shoot me a pm with details of who you went with :) im having problems locating someone in uk who can do my side art :( not thought about marquee till i know exact dimensions but the side art is my main concern :(
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I see the tracking info has my artwork in the state but the sad part is I am going on a 4 day business trip. Bummer, next weekend I hopefully will have an update. Jammin0 you show yours being delivered in the next day or so?
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Yeah, as soon as I get it. I feel your pain.
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Got my artwork in today. I'll post some impressions and picks tomorrow aft I get off work. Been a little bit swamped lately.
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Ok here's the skinny.
I bought the backlit PVC with matte lamination material for the marquee.
I have not a whole lot bad to say about this, it is pretty thick plasticky and lights up really well with any kind of light behind it. I was worried about hotspots with my flourescent light behind but it was a non issue. I'll get pictures of that soon.
For the CP I bought the black adhesive vinyl with matte lamination.
The material seems great, it is really thick, the adhesive isn't anything crazy sticky which I was worried about for application. The colors look a little bit oversaturated on this material. It isn't too bad and I'm really just trying to nitpick and have no comparison.
Shipping was really fast and there was only one issue that kind of made me realize that some people might want to pay more for a local company. The entire shipment came in a roll about 2" x 20". The vinyl was rolled extremely tight. Because everything was rolled so tight I could tell right away that there would be no damage in shipping, it was pretty solid. However, as I tried to unroll the adhesive vinyl it became apparent that it had stretched some in shipping and straightening it out created some bubbles and folds in the vinyl. To lay it back down on the substrate I peeled it up, applied a little bit of heat from a blow dryer. Then I used a vinyl squeegee to straighten it out as I put it back down. Here are the low quality before and after pictures. I'll keep updating this post as I get the artwork installed.
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When do we get to see the final glamour shots of Ninja Monkeys? :)
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Buttons and tmolding are coming from groovygamegear and should be here mid to late next week. :) I've waited so long I didn't feel like spending the extra $5 for priority shipping. I'm trying to make a custom hyper spin intro in flash. It just dawned on me that everyone is going to ask to play ninja monkeys and the game doesn't even exist. :D
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Looks great. Sad to say my side art from Souldraw ended up being a casualty. The edges kept peeling up probably because i didn't clean the cabinet well enough before applying. I tried to use 3m spray adhesive to keep it down but it ended up bubbling through the decal. I actually didn't like the look of it on the side anyways. Inam going to order a big decal of thevsame design and put it on the front door. Just a warning, prepare the surface well with alcohol before applying.
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Looks great. Sad to say my side art from Souldraw ended up being a casualty. The edges kept peeling up probably because i didn't clean the cabinet well enough before applying. I tried to use 3m spray adhesive to keep it down but it ended up bubbling through the decal. I actually didn't like the look of it on the side anyways. Inam going to order a big decal of thevsame design and put it on the front door. Just a warning, prepare the surface well with alcohol before applying.
That's too bad, I did notice that the adhesive wasn't super duper sticky. That made it easier to install but I guess that's the drawback. The only place I have it is underneath plexiglass on the CP so it shouldn't be a problem.. Backlit PVC film is holding up isn't it. That stuff really impressed me for the price, I was really worried about shadows or hotspots on the Marquee but there isn't any of that.
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That's come out really good :cheers:
I'd be tempted to paint the sides of the cab banana yellow :lol
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I'd be tempted to paint the sides of the cab banana yellow :lol
The only problem with that is that you'll get black spots as it gets older. :laugh2:
Scott
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T-molding will be yellow. Sides are just going to be white for now unless I think of something better. I'm not super sold on the colors/theme but it is a million times better than what I had planned and it is fun and sharp looking. My son helped with some of the ideas and he loves it.
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Looks great. Sad to say my side art from Souldraw ended up being a casualty. The edges kept peeling up probably because i didn't clean the cabinet well enough before applying. I tried to use 3m spray adhesive to keep it down but it ended up bubbling through the decal. I actually didn't like the look of it on the side anyways. Inam going to order a big decal of thevsame design and put it on the front door. Just a warning, prepare the surface well with alcohol before applying.
Yikes. Just wondering if you did a wet application of this peeling side art?
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Looks great. Sad to say my side art from Souldraw ended up being a casualty. The edges kept peeling up probably because i didn't clean the cabinet well enough before applying. I tried to use 3m spray adhesive to keep it down but it ended up bubbling through the decal. I actually didn't like the look of it on the side anyways. Inam going to order a big decal of thevsame design and put it on the front door. Just a warning, prepare the surface well with alcohol before applying.
Yikes. Just wondering if you did a wet application of this peeling side art?
Wondering the same thing myself. So far I would highly recommend them for marquee backlit PVC. I have some doubts about the stickiness of the vinyl black adhesive, that is what I got. Doesn't seem to effect mine but I could see it being a problem uncovered or mounted vertically.
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So far I have to recommend them. I got the Vinyl Sticker with Gloss finish and I am happy. Hope to post installed pictures this weekend. About half way through right now on FULL cabinet art install. Samples above a few messages in purple. The colors are brilliant but slightly saturated as stated. So the lighter the artwork the better looking. Dark colors will come out a little darker. Would and will use again.
Steve
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So far I have to recommend them. I got the Vinyl Sticker with Gloss finish and I am happy. Hope to post installed pictures this weekend. About half way through right now on FULL cabinet art install. Samples above a few messages in purple. The colors are brilliant but slightly saturated as stated. So the lighter the artwork the better looking. Dark colors will come out a little darker. Would and will use again.
Steve
Excited to see yours Chappie, I take it you got back into town and had a nice package waiting for you. My mailman delivers all the package first and then comes back around with the mail. I was so mad because I missed him and had to wait a full extra day to get mine. Oh well, over and done with now. :)
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Ninja Monkeys Custom Arcade (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Zb-KQG08N4#ws)
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I'd be tempted to paint the sides of the cab banana yellow :lol
The only problem with that is that you'll get black spots as it gets older. :laugh2:
Scott
:laugh2:
Ive only just seen this thread. Dont know how i missed it. your thread makes for a good read.
Wish I had seen it earlier... A friend of mine who restores cabs had one of those monkey joysticks! Noticed your avatar. My daughter has red hair and does ju-jitsu. Calls herself "ginger ninja". Would have suggested it, but you seem sorted theme wise now.
Did you manage to get the toner off the pcb? I'm looking into it myself and saw that acetone was recommended. Do you have any tips to pass on? Any pics of it all soldered up?
Great work. Always Nice to see the father & son angle too.
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awesome job :applaud:
the cabinet looks great.
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Came out great, man. Love that Terminus profile. Looks impossibly-thin at the curve. :applaud:
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This turned out to be an awesome cab, congratulations!
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Promised to post...here are the 90% complete shots. Got 2 DOA LED buttons that I need to replace and waiting for the test trim to arrive to make the final trim determination but leaning toward orange on the cabinet and black around the CP. Still have software to work out...namely the two monitor marquee attempt.
Steve
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Promised to post...here are the 90% complete shots. Got 2 DOA LED buttons that I need to replace and waiting for the test trim to arrive to make the final trim determination but leaning toward orange on the cabinet and black around the CP. Still have software to work out...namely the two monitor marquee attempt.
Steve
So you're happy with the souldraw vinyl, Chappie? Looks good in the pics. Did you install dry or use the spray bottle method? Windex or water?
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Installed dry and the smoother and more finished you can get the cabinet the better. make sure to prime and sand. Probably would be even better if you put poly down and then sand. But bottomline, sand to smooth. I would and will use again as I progress to my driving machine. Next up the XBOX 360 sitdown from a driving arcade cabinet and seat...complete with force feedback arcade wheel. I have all required items gathered and just need to finish up the trim and software on this one and out she goes to the gameroom to make room in the workroom for the driving arcade ,
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I'd be tempted to paint the sides of the cab banana yellow :lol
The only problem with that is that you'll get black spots as it gets older. :laugh2:
Scott
:laugh2:
Ive only just seen this thread. Dont know how i missed it. your thread makes for a good read.
Wish I had seen it earlier... A friend of mine who restores cabs had one of those monkey joysticks! Noticed your avatar. My daughter has red hair and does ju-jitsu. Calls herself "ginger ninja". Would have suggested it, but you seem sorted theme wise now.
Did you manage to get the toner off the pcb? I'm looking into it myself and saw that acetone was recommended. Do you have any tips to pass on? Any pics of it all soldered up?
Great work. Always Nice to see the father & son angle too.
Never got the toner off. I was using acetone and then water as I scrubbed. I think the water was a no-no. I think the water was what helped the toner seep into the cleaned board. Here's the finished board all soldered up. It looks horrible but is functional. I decided to forego the lighting on the cab and will probably use the backlighting for a different project.
I wasn't super excited about the finished product but I've always wanted to try my hand at board etching so I can say that I have now. :laugh:
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Sweet cab!
:cheers:
This project has many of the elements I've been looking for aside from an xBox brain like your last project.
I do have a few questions when you have a spare minute:
using the cheepo Chinese printing service
- how would you do it differently next time?
- What material would you get for side art next time?
using latex paint and not hating the results
- what did you use for application?
- Specifics on the paint brand/sheen?
- How is it holding up after some time playing?
Anything you would refine about the Terminus slim design after having it for a while?
It is also super cool that you printed your own PCB. I'm thinking of doing the same to make a ScanLine Generator for my first LCD project.
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I do have a few questions when you have a spare minute:
using the cheepo Chinese printing service
- how would you do it differently next time?
It's actually holding up really well, I don't think I would change anything. I got the matte finish because another user (I think GregD) mentioned that the glossy finish scratched easily. I don't think it matters under plexi though. I can't say enough good things about the marquee. Someone could probably make decent money printing up a whole bunch of custom Multicade marquees and having them printed in bulk and then selling on ebay. I could have gotten about 7 or 8 of them done for $35 shipped.
- What material would you get for side art next time?
I would stick with black adhesive vinyl and matte finish
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using latex paint and not hating the results
- what did you use for application?
small foam roller from homedepot. I started with latex primer and then put on the latex satin topcoat. 2 coats of primer and then 3 or 4 of the satin colors. I have heard some people say that they got lines when using the foam rollers. I noticed that too until I built up the coats a little bit more. I sanded after the primer but didn't sand too much on the topcoats. I haven't had too much luck before sanding latex paint. It has a little bit of texture to it but the color is very uniform and without blemishes. I used high gloss spraypaint on my xbox build and it looked way worse then the latex satin. I think the trick was in the satin colors. I wouldn't try even a semigloss again because it shows variations too much.
- Specifics on the paint brand/sheen?
Gliden Latex grey primer, black and white satin Gliden paints. I found that I needed more primer then paint as the MDF really soaks up until it is sealed.
- How is it holding up after some time playing?
perfectly, the top is covered in plexi and it hasn't scratched or anything yet. I'm pretty anal with my kids about not putting the stools too close, etc.
[/list]
Anything you would refine about the Terminus slim design after having it for a while? I made mine taller but probably too tall for some people. Works great for me. I was really concerned after it started taking shape that the angle was too extreme on the CP. After using it for 1 or 2 hours at a time (it takes a couple of hours to beat bubble bobble) I haven't noticed any pain or fatigue. I think it has to do with the having some real estate in front of your controls. I wouldn't have that steep of an angle with the controls right on the edge or it might get tiredsome. I also play almost always sitting down.
It is also super cool that you printed your own PCB. I'm thinking of doing the same to make a ScanLine Generator for my first LCD project. You should do it. It's not too hard and if you mess up with the toner transfer method you can clean off your copper and try it again. You don't have to etch it until you are sure of your mask and it looks like it is going to turn out good. Let me know if you find a good way of getting the toner off :)
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Follow up a year later and the artwork is still holding its edges down.