Author Topic: The new Minicade! (Read 33400 times)

menace · « **on:** February 01, 2004, 10:18:07 am »

I got the idea from oscar's site and together with the missus we crafted this little bartop unit from parts I had traded and scavenged for--total cost was about 30$ (CDN) for wood and hardware--pc was free, tube was free, hard drive was free, speakers were..well you get the idea. All in all I'm happy how it turned out but sad because we're giving it to her mom to play (yes her mom worships frogger and pacman) So looks like I'll have to build yet another mame machine..

Its running vantage on a P200 (thanks to general Zod for his help) and the hard drive is only 100mb (I still have 78 meg free). runs like a top with arcadeos as a front end. I'll post more pics when its sanded and painted. Alll in all it took me the weekend to build starting thursday night and having the day off friday helped as well--still very quick. The controls are mapped through a hacked keyboard (which works quite well surprisingly) and only has 2 buttons (i don't think and vantage games use more than that)

menace · « **Reply #1 on:** February 01, 2004, 10:19:32 am »

another pic

menace · « **Reply #2 on:** February 01, 2004, 10:20:05 am »

and another

menace · « **Reply #3 on:** February 01, 2004, 10:24:32 am »

the dreaded under the control panel shot (caution: tangled wires ahead)

dmsuchy · « **Reply #4 on:** February 01, 2004, 11:19:53 am »

Really cool, can't wait to see it finished. Is there going to be sideart, marque?

pcdoctor · « **Reply #5 on:** February 01, 2004, 11:30:47 am »

Very cute!

eightbit · « **Reply #6 on:** February 01, 2004, 12:23:03 pm »

Very nice....

SirPeale · « **Reply #7 on:** February 01, 2004, 12:33:29 pm »

Damnit! It looks just like the one I'm trying to build, but haven't found the time to do so! You're even running the emu and front end I want to. More buttons than I plan on putting on mine, though.

Smack · « **Reply #8 on:** February 01, 2004, 01:48:45 pm »

Mint. I've been thinking of a q-bert only project my my girlfriend and that would be perfect!

Harakiri · « **Reply #9 on:** February 01, 2004, 02:45:32 pm »

Looks cute but kind small form my taste...

Keep it up!

HagHore · « **Reply #10 on:** February 01, 2004, 03:10:38 pm »

Awesome, I like it! Can't wait to see it finished. These bartops are perfect for apartment dwellers where space is at a premium.

PedroSilva · « **Reply #11 on:** February 01, 2004, 06:40:33 pm »

Very cute ...

Should look great on my daughter's bedroom ...

Wienerdog · « **Reply #12 on:** February 02, 2004, 12:40:50 am »

Nice job, it sounds like you're motivating many of us to build one of these. Do me a favor though, don't make it sound so easy because it makes the rest of us look bad!

menace · « **Reply #13 on:** February 02, 2004, 06:47:22 am »

Quote

Do me a favor though, don't make it sound so easy because it makes the rest of us look bad!

No worries if your wife girlfriend ask--I'll tell them it was a grueling exercise, not to be attempted by the faint of heart--that way you can take your time and milk it for everything its worth

Quote

Damnit! It looks just like the one I'm trying to build, but haven't found the time to do so! You're even running the emu and front end I want to. More buttons than I plan on putting on mine, though.

I think thats the law of convergent evolution at work--similar environmental pressures (need to play video games in small form) will yield similar evolutionary patterns (bartop mame)--see peale, science says you have no choice BUT to build one

NY_in_TX · « **Reply #14 on:** February 02, 2004, 08:46:16 am »

Darnit Menace,

One more to add to the "MAN I WANT TO BUILD" list

so far Kegerator and A Ms Pac clone are ahead, but this is a perfect size for the overflow waiting to play, or even work.

This would have been sweet at a superbowl party I went to last night. especially during the 1st quarter.

ny

SirPeale · « **Reply #15 on:** February 02, 2004, 11:58:48 am »

Quote from: menace on February 02, 2004, 06:47:22 am

see peale[sic], science says you have no choice BUT to build one

Cuuuuuuuurse you, science!

Stingray · « **Reply #16 on:** February 02, 2004, 12:21:24 pm »

Pretty neat. I'm thinking of building a bartop in the near future too.

-S

menace · « **Reply #17 on:** February 02, 2004, 12:26:00 pm »

I say go for it--its a super easy project (using the pc monitor), its cheap, doesn't take up space and can be made in a relatively short amount of time--I'm so happy with it, I'm building more as the used pc parts come in!

str1der · « **Reply #18 on:** February 02, 2004, 04:58:15 pm »

Hey Menace,
Nice looking bartop. You wouldn't happen to have any plans lying about? what size monitor is that?

paigeoliver · « **Reply #19 on:** February 03, 2004, 03:04:25 am »

You probably wouldn't follow "plans" to build something like that, just build it around the monitor!

menace · « **Reply #20 on:** February 03, 2004, 07:09:53 am »

Paige is partly right I had the monitor first and then sketched the plans around that. I'll post them a little later in the plans section of the main forum. Just a heads up--there are no details for how the monitor was fastened to the cabinet--because i didn't really know how I was going to do it when i drafted up the plans--very bad case of crossthatbridge-itis. But any 14" monitor should slide in there with the smallest of adjustments. Also, Oscar's happy hour bartop documentation is very good and what I used for my inspiration.

BobbyG66 · « **Reply #21 on:** February 04, 2004, 09:04:09 am »

Great little machine, nice and simple!

menace · « **Reply #22 on:** February 04, 2004, 09:55:21 am »

decided on some basic marquee and sideart (my compliments to whoever created these files originally--I would appreciate names for my own reference) here's the marquee:

menace · « **Reply #23 on:** February 04, 2004, 09:58:02 am »

and the sideart (modified to include vantage only characters)

menace · « **Reply #24 on:** February 09, 2004, 08:17:15 am »

Painted with marquee installed (retainers to be painted black when its not so buggering cold outside). Control panel art not finished but soon. I also added the plans to the plans section.

menace · « **Reply #25 on:** February 09, 2004, 08:18:07 am »

one for scale

I swear everytime the camera comes out, he's right there...

JamesS · « **Reply #26 on:** February 09, 2004, 08:36:46 am »

Those feet are like that, damned feet. Oh wait, maybe you mean the cat.

Anyway, looks good.

SilverVice · « **Reply #27 on:** February 09, 2004, 09:13:04 am »

A cutie indeed!!!

Lance · « **Reply #28 on:** February 10, 2004, 02:21:54 am »

I love it, I'm going to be building one soon as well. How did you print/attach your side art?

RecycledPast · « **Reply #29 on:** February 10, 2004, 03:09:38 pm »

Looks good. I'm building one very similar. I didn't make the back big enough so once I nail in the speaker bracket, I won't be able to get the monitor out, oops.

I need to make the bezel and I'm trying to figure out how to make/attach a marquee.

Are those special brackets you're using?

Witchboard · « **Reply #30 on:** February 10, 2004, 07:47:47 pm »

Is that a switch located in the upper left corner of the CP? What's it do? Didn't notice it on any of your pre-painted pics.

eightbit · « **Reply #31 on:** February 10, 2004, 10:03:54 pm »

Quote from: menace on February 04, 2004, 09:58:02 am

and the sideart (modified to include vantage only characters)

Tagnetti created the origanel for that.

menace · « **Reply #32 on:** February 11, 2004, 07:00:12 am »

Quote

Is that a switch located in the upper left corner of the CP? What's it do? Didn't notice it on any of your pre-painted pics

Its the volume control--I got a little frisky with the router but the CP art covered it nicely

Quote

Tagnetti created the origanel for that.

Yeah, i thanked him in his original thread. best sideart for a bartop I've seen yet IMHO

Quote

Are those special brackets you're using?

nope just regular aluminum trimming i got from home depot. they look better painted black unless you have other silver accents on the cab.

Quote

How did you print/attach your side art?

glue stick--lets you get right to the edge of the artwork and it isn't wet so it doesn't soak into the paper--it's my new method of choice for attaching sideart!

Harakiri · « **Reply #33 on:** February 11, 2004, 08:12:54 am »

Wich tools did you used to build the cat!?

Is it for sale?

Stingray · « **Reply #34 on:** February 11, 2004, 08:36:43 am »

Quote from: Fiend on February 11, 2004, 08:12:54 am

Wich tools did you used to build the cat!?

Is it for sale?

One would assume that he used Cat 5 wiring.

-S

Lance · « **Reply #35 on:** February 11, 2004, 11:00:21 am »

Well I went out and bought a sheet of 5/8" MDF last night and we cut out the sides for a minicade. I'll have to take some pictures next time I'm at the shop. These are just so cool

menace · « **Reply #36 on:** February 11, 2004, 11:02:40 am »

awesome!!! can't wait to see the results! ( I used 1/2" ply so I'm curious what the differences in weight/strength are going to be)

GadgetGeek · « **Reply #37 on:** February 11, 2004, 11:13:44 am »

Quote

I also added the plans to the plans section.

Where is this plans section? I'm curious as to how you finished the edges as I can't really tell from the pics.

menace · « **Reply #38 on:** February 11, 2004, 12:08:37 pm »

I used iron on edge stripping (8' roll) and then trimmed and painted--I bought it as an experiment and was surprised how well it went on--i then trimmed with a utility knife, sanded lightly and painted. I still like the look of t-molding but this works in a pinch.

the plans section is in the main forum under "any interest in original cab dimensions" jakobud has alot of the original era plans on his site. you can also check out oscarcontrols.com for the original bartop machine which I based my construction on.

Lance · « **Reply #39 on:** February 11, 2004, 01:01:30 pm »

What did you use to round the corners on your cabinet?


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