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Main => Project Announcements => Topic started by: shock_ on December 02, 2006, 04:56:04 pm

Title: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [Complete. Plans now attached]
Post by: shock_ on December 02, 2006, 04:56:04 pm
I've been registered for a couple of months now, but only due to Sirwoogie's recent cleverness can I now post!  Nice to meet you all after such a prolonged lurk.

The plans are for a cocktail in sort-of an Aussie / Hankin arrangement.  My wife calls this thing Calvin (http://www.amazon.com/Calvin-Klein-Obsession-For-Men/dp/B00021AJJE) so that's its working title for now.


(http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/2581/plansummarylt6.th.png) (http://img70.imageshack.us/my.php?image=plansummarylt6.png)

Here's what I was thinking before we began:
  • rotating 19 inch CRT
  • oversized - 1m (http://www.google.com.au/search?q=1m+in+feet&le=en&sourceid=mozilla-search&start=0) by 75cm (http://www.google.com.au/search?num=100&hl=en&safe=off&q=75cm+in+feet&btnG=Search&meta=) top piece
  • 1UP has option of sitting either side
  • Turbo Twist Spinner, Ultimarc 2¼" trackball, 3 Sanwas (J-stiks)
    all locally sourced here in Australia (I'm in Brisbane)


I hope to throw up a website
for it sometime,  perhaps when
it's more nearing completion.  So far
it's a nice box of old and  dirty ply :)
(http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/9009/rawboxsz6.th.jpg) (http://img138.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rawboxsz6.jpg)

 :notworthy: At this point I should also tip my hat to some of Spacies' work in particular, which helped inspire quite a bit of this, and gave my wife hope that these things don't necessarily turn out fugly! Choice, bro.
Title: Re: First post, first cab. (Oversized Aussie cocktail)
Post by: spacies on December 03, 2006, 02:44:38 pm
Hey me 'ole Ocker mate!.

Thanks very much for the comments.
Glad you can finally post and if I can help you any way possible, just ask.

You know, when I first started building these machines I went through various designs and although I settled on a different style for my 'standard' cocktail, the design you have chosen to build is prolly one of my favs.

To build a high quality finished product with big W.A.F. (Wife Acceptance Factor) has allowed many-a-man their very own Arcade Machine in there house to relive their mis-spent youth.  I am happy for you now too :laugh2:
BUT, tell your soon-to-be 'Arcade Widow' not to blame me when your grass is a foot high and the paint is falling off your house because you are in the basement playing games, OK?

I am not sure what you have planned for the finish, but those cocktails I built were all covered with a high grade vinyl. The finish was abosultely stunning and it really made them look high-class. So if really want something stunning, cover it with vinyl and then you don't have to worrry about paint imperfections either.

(http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL757/2715941/5432451/138014383.jpg)

All the best with your project. I will be watching  >:D

Too much.

Title: Re: First post, first cab. (Oversized Aussie cocktail)
Post by: shock_ on December 03, 2006, 03:36:49 pm
Vinyl eh?  I did wonder how that cabinet was covered and now it all makes sense.   I must admit, the "one coat" approach of vinyl does sound rather fascinating :)

Yesterday we ripped the cover off the monitor and scratched out heads thinking about how to make a ventilated cage to mount on the lazy susan bearing.  Nothing like working with monitors to slow you down somewhat....
Title: Re: First post, first cab. (Oversized Aussie cocktail)
Post by: danny_galaga on December 10, 2006, 07:19:12 am


yes, vinyl would be infinitely nicer looking than cement  ;)

(damn good use of old form ply by the way. what a way to retire  :) )
Title: Re: First post, first cab. (Oversized Aussie cocktail)
Post by: loadman on December 16, 2006, 06:24:42 am
 :notworthy:
Title: Re: First post, first cab. (Oversized Aussie cocktail)
Post by: theCoder on December 16, 2006, 03:51:40 pm
Nothing like working with monitors to slow you down somewhat....
Be careful of your lower back, not to mention the "big red wire".  Welcome & good luck with the build.
Title: Re: First post, first cab. (Oversized Aussie cocktail)
Post by: shock_ on December 17, 2006, 04:01:04 pm
It's funny how some things you think are going to be easy turn out to be bloody ridiculous, and other things you lose sleep over seem to fall in your lap...

Getting this monitor cage constructed in a way that will still allow for rotation is ruining my waking hours at the moment, but my brother-in-law is a shop teacher at a high school and instructed a teachers' aide to weld up some 40mm steel legs for this project between lessons :)  Another friend wants to contribute a bottle opener to mount under a control panel.  That's friendship!
Title: Re: First post, first cab. (Oversized Aussie cocktail)
Post by: danny_galaga on December 18, 2006, 07:38:06 am


what will you make the 'cage' from? mine was fine in mdf but then it was only a 15". mdf was good because i was able to keep chopping bits off until it rotated freely. will the monitor rotate electrically? and dont forget to kep the aussie arcade thread updated too  :)
Title: Re: First post, first cab. (Oversized Aussie cocktail)
Post by: shock_ on December 18, 2006, 08:04:46 am
rotation will be manual, unless I change tack yet again. 

Cage is to be essentially plural strips of ply - I have made a squarish frame for the front (i.e. the screen side).  That frame rests up against the front plastic housing which I have left intact.  The weight of the screen should put downward pressure on that frame, which then will transfer to angled and braced strips of ply (several per side).  Those strips themselves press onto a bit of, wait for it, ply, which is the base of the cage.  If the whole thing doesn't spring apart in an instant, then I'll be laughing.

All I need is a couple of hours where I can operate a circular saw without having to hold a 3 month old baby :)

I shall cross-post to aussiearcade once there's something useful to add, which is hopefully soon!
Title: Re: First post, first cab. (Oversized Aussie cocktail)
Post by: loadman on January 19, 2007, 03:45:13 pm
I shall cross-post to aussiearcade once there's something useful to add, which is hopefully soon! (http://I shall cross-post to aussiearcade once there's something useful to add, which is hopefully soon!)

Hey I'm an auzzie too (Sydney) .. Where is that Website?
Title: Re: First post, first cab. (Oversized Aussie cocktail)
Post by: shock_ on January 19, 2007, 11:19:26 pm
Hey I'm an auzzie too (Sydney) .. Where is that Website?

Why, it's on the internet!  Specifically, here: http://www.aussiearcade.com.au/
Title: Re: shock_'s oversized Aussie cocktail cab
Post by: shock_ on March 11, 2007, 05:55:37 am
Well it's been a while. 

[monitor] Cage is to be essentially plural strips of ply ... All I need is a couple of hours where I can operate a circular saw without having to hold a 3 month old baby

Bwahahah, what was I thinking.


(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=69226;image]) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=69225;image)

I've cut the control panels out. Hooray!
Here's a shot showing the panel layout for one side.  It's all drilled now, as is the other one.

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=69228;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=69227;image)

Here is the monitor cage. Looking at the dirt factor on it, you'd be forgiven for assuming I'm not planning a very tidy cabinet at all. This will all be hidden, and I'll give it a good wash down first anyway to prevent cement dust getting in all the nooks and crannies, like, say, hard drives...

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=69230;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=69229;image)

Here is the cage with the monitor sitting inside.  Note that it has not collapsed in a pile of splinters. This is a good thing, and completely took me by surprise!

That piece on the bottom will mate with the top of a lazy susan.  Adjusting for height will be fun.

Next weekend my esteemed brother in law is visiting again, so I hope we can do something worthy of further photography - maybe even something that looks like a cabinet! 

I also has someone return a loaned-out computer to me yesterday, which means I can salvage a hard drive out of it and put together the PC that will be driving this beastie. If only I had more time.

All you people suffering through your northern winter where it's too cold to do any meaningful cabinetry work because your fingertips will snap off, think of poor me sweating here in 38°C (http://www.google.com/search?&q=38+degrees+celsius+in+fahrenheit) temperatures being eaten by hundreds of mosquitoes and doing the type of work I hate just so I can bring you these boring and butt-ugly pictures!
Title: Re: shock_'s oversized Aussie cocktail cab
Post by: Havok on March 12, 2007, 10:24:04 am
All you people suffering through your northern winter where it's too cold to do any meaningful cabinetry work because your fingertips will snap off, think of poor me sweating here in 38°C (http://www.google.com/search?&q=38+degrees+celsius+in+fahrenheit) temperatures being eaten by hundreds of mosquitoes and doing the type of work I hate just so I can bring you these boring and butt-ugly pictures!

Time to get back to work. Heat wave here now - it's 34°F (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=34+degrees+fahrenheit+in+celsius) Yahoo! T-shirt weather!

Two words: bug + spray ?

 :D
Title: Re: shock_'s oversized Aussie cocktail cab
Post by: shock_ on April 24, 2007, 06:33:22 pm
Quick status report - it's starting to look like a cabinet now.

Still to 45° chamfer the monitor window edge and slot-cut everything, then need to get on with surface prep, then attach those panels and the legs...
Title: Re: shock_'s oversized Aussie cocktail cab
Post by: danny_galaga on April 25, 2007, 07:32:03 am


good progress so far (",) i see youre still going with the cement on form ply look  ;D
Title: Re: shock_'s oversized Aussie cocktail cab
Post by: shock_ on May 20, 2007, 09:01:14 am
My first officially hidden piece of form ply :)
Title: Re: shock_'s oversized Aussie cocktail cab
Post by: Anubis_au on May 21, 2007, 03:01:28 am
Time for a bit of thread hijiacking / diversion:

Assuming you get a monitor rotating between landscape and portrait, how do you go about configuring the software to change between. Can you get MaLa to automatically flip between modes, and launch the games appropriately.. cos if you can, then I'll seriously look into doing this for my cab design...

Otherwise, good to see another Aussie building a cab. Good luck with it Shock, will be watching... with great interest, regarding this rotating monitor business...
Title: Re: shock_'s oversized Aussie cocktail cab
Post by: spacies on May 21, 2007, 04:39:05 am

Now that is tight!

wOOt

Its gonna look ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- hot.

Anubis. You can change screen rotation in MALA on the fly.
Its a very cool feature and MALA is an awesome piece of software.
Title: Re: shock_'s oversized Aussie cocktail cab (+pics of cp)
Post by: shock_ on May 21, 2007, 08:27:21 am
Cheers lads :)

Anubis_au: As Spacies said, MaLa can be flipped or rotated at will (bound to a keystroke, naturally), but even cooler, it will adjust MAME's config file to auto-rotate the game inside MAME to match the orientation of MaLa, and/or swap MaLa to match the rotation of MAME when you exit back to the front end. 

Rotating monitor still keeps me awake at night.  WTF was I thinking, for a first cab when I have zero engineering or building skills/experience?  Oh well, I have more experience than I did when I started, and still the same number of fingers and toes.

Here's another photo of the other control panel, while I'm at it.
Title: Re: shock_'s oversized Aussie cocktail cab (+pics of cp)
Post by: Anubis_au on May 21, 2007, 08:40:46 am
That sounds like a pretty damn nifty bit of software.

So, can you tell us a bit about how you engineered the actual rotating monitor setup? I'm *very* curious to know... this would be the #1 thing I'd try to incorporate...
Title: Re: shock_'s oversized Aussie cocktail cab (+pics of cp)
Post by: shock_ on May 21, 2007, 09:54:05 am
Rotation, eh??  Well it isn't actually built yet, but it's coming together.

Here's a PDF that kinda shows you what the plan is.  (attached below)

See that cage up in message 641074 above (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=60685.msg641074#msg641074)?  That will have a few strategically placed bolt holes in the bottom, and will then sit on top of another piece of ply with one corner rounded off into a quarter-circle.  The bolts will be fixed into that, and will poke through the holes in the cage baseplate to hold it in position; gravity will do the job of securing it in place, and I can just lift it straight out again when I need to move the cabinet. (nb - I think the attached plans show the bolts pointing down, not up - but you get the idea)

That intermediate base piece is secured to a lazy susan bearing (much like the model L-120 here (http://www.timbecon.com.au/productsearch/default.aspx?txtSearchBox=susan)) with just the right amount of shim (about 40mm in my case) to bring the whole thing up so the tabletop glass is about an inch over the screen.

A 150mm diameter wheel (lawn mower spare!) will be mounted offset just enough to stick through a slot in the side wall of the cabinet, so I can spin it by hand.  This will grab against the rounded corner of the baseplate to rotate it through 90°.  Two bump stops (just some cabinet door catches attached to hunks of wood screwed into the base of the cab) will prevent any over-run and hold the screen in place at either extremity.

Assuming all this works out, I need to solve the small issue of the Earth's magnetic field playing silly buggers with the screen as it rotates.  I intend to splice in a power switch for the monitor under the cabinet adjacent to the wheel.  This is so I can power down the monitor and allow it the few seconds required to cause an auto-degauss when it gets juice again. 

It would have been nice to make this hard-wired (ie. power only supplied when the screen is resting at either end of travel) but it was all getting too hard for me to bother with.  The only 240V wiring I've done is nice easy safe stuff like putting plugs on power leads.  Explaining to guests how to use a switch is not such a big deal so this was an easy compromise to make.

There are still issues with rotating setups that make it a real pain in the arse... the bezel situation is a ---smurfette---, plain and simple.  You have to hack away at the monitor housing and/or increase the overall size of your case or settle for a smaller screen too - it has to have room to fit diagonally! 

Something else I noticed in others' cabs is that if you want both horizontal and vertical to be exactly centred, you can't just whack the monitor case over the centre of your bearing; you need to centre the exact point under the middle of the screen.  This added another 20cm or so for me since it now had an eccentric orbit, with the net effect of needing even MORE space for the diagonal.  Not really an issue unless you're using a PC monitor, though.  It's a picky thing, but the sort of thing I notice  :'(

Recommend you wait and see if I give up on rotation before embarking  :cheers:

wow - that was a hell of a post

Title: Re: shock_'s oversized Aussie cocktail cab (+pics of cp)
Post by: Anubis_au on May 21, 2007, 08:53:59 pm
Sounds complicated... The guy in my office helping me to design my cabinet in CAD makes furniture, so I'll ask him about the possibility... if you mount your monitor on a circular backing, and the area the backing sits in is square (or, at least, has enough space so the circular plate can rotate through the 90degree motion) then it might be possible... I have to investigate how much monitor space is there in a lowboy, but it looks pretty square to me... so might work...
Title: Re: shock_'s oversized Aussie cocktail cab (+pics of cp)
Post by: shock_ on May 22, 2007, 02:22:54 am
If you're planning a lowboy, the rules for cocktail rotation all go out the window :)

Spend a bit of time in the Wiki (http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/wiki/Special:Search?search=rotating+monitor&go=Go), there are plenty of upright rotating examples in there, and they generally are anchored at the front (screen) end rather than the back (yoke).
Title: Re: shock_'s oversized Aussie cocktail cab (+pics of cp)
Post by: Anubis_au on May 22, 2007, 06:02:09 am
A wiki dedicated to rotating monitors in uprights?

Friggin SWEET!!!!

 :applaud: :applaud: :applaud:
Title: Re: shock_'s oversized Aussie cocktail cab
Post by: danny_galaga on May 23, 2007, 08:42:27 am
My first officially hidden piece of form ply :)

huzzah!

oh, and persevere with it. i picked a rotating cocktail for my first effort too. its damn worth it in the end (",) .
Title: Re: shock_'s oversized Aussie cocktail cab (+pics of cps)
Post by: shock_ on May 23, 2007, 09:05:54 am
oh, and persevere with it. i picked a rotating cocktail for my first effort too. its damn worth it in the end (",) .
I hope you're right!!  I have been struggling with how to cope with the bezel lately, and after re-watching your rotatin' video the other night I realised another approach to the problem, far simpler than what I had imagined I'd need to do.  Far too complicated to put into words out here, but think of the shutter of a camera lens, manipulated by a piece of bicycle brake wire connected to door security chains and you begin to see how insane I was going. (Yes, I have a Visio diagram of it, too)

It's a ---smurfy--- grainy, tiny little video but it keeps on giving, years later  :cheers:

Anyway, someone has to put something different in this Project Announcements board - it can't be all bartops!!    ;)  Incidentally I've never seen a single bartop 'in the wild' here in Australia, indeed had never heard of them before BYOAC introduced me.  The things you learn online...
Title: Re: shock_'s oversized Aussie cocktail cab (+pics of cp)
Post by: danny_galaga on May 25, 2007, 05:04:50 am


i cheated. i used the magic of black paint and darkness to disguise the fact that the bezel is basically a picture frame made of quad (",)
Title: Re: shock_'s oversized Aussie cocktail cab (+pics of cp)
Post by: shock_ on May 25, 2007, 09:15:36 am
i cheated. i used the magic of black paint and darkness to disguise the fact that the bezel is basically a picture frame made of quad (",)

Mine is a little bit different, since there will be such a wide gap between the "useful" part of the screen and the surrounding wood.

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=75924;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=75923;image) I'm not too worried about the interface
between the Gaping Hole and the tabletop.
I've chamfered that edge of the cutout.
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=75922;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=75921;image)
 
I'm planning to use some picture framing card
that I'll spraypaint and affix to the underside of the
tabletop.  The square hole inside that card will be a
snug fit for the longest edge of the visible screen
in both directions.  The monitor casing itself will either
be sprayed to match or masked somehow.
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=75920;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=75919;image)
 
IMHO the job of any bezel is to be entirely ignorable and
let you concentrate on the screen itself - unless it's
specifically created as an artistic addition to the game, which
doesn't make a lot of sense to me for a multi-game capable box.
Hopefully mine will be quickly forgotten too.
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=75918;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=75917;image)
 
I mentioned earlier something about a camera shutter design.
Here's what it was to look like - with each of the four corners
sliding on their own concealed track from one position to the other,
their edges overlapping in a continuous loop.
This was to be all rigged up using something like bicycle brake wire
attached to the lazy susan so the one movement would rotate the screen
and also shift the proportions of the aperture.

Just nuts.  If James Bond had a cocktail he'd do it like that.
Title: Re: shock_'s oversized Aussie cocktail cab (+pics of cp)
Post by: shock_ on July 16, 2007, 11:11:44 am
More of a mental checklist than an update.  But there you go.

Recent hardware developments

Next steps

Also been doing various tweaks and fiddles to software which I won't go into here.
Title: Re: shock_'s oversized Aussie cocktail cab (+pics of cp)
Post by: squirrellydw on July 18, 2007, 09:41:31 am
looking good, it's is so much fun when it's done :)
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [rotation is working!]
Post by: shock_ on July 22, 2007, 06:28:28 am
Got one big piece of the puzzle done this afternoon.

It turns!

Click for youtube video: (http://img.youtube.com/vi/YEXHMJX-jzI/default.jpg) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEXHMJX-jzI)

She's a bit stiff, but that's probably got something to do with all the sawdust lodged in the ball bearings  ::)  I'll get that fixed up once it's out again.

Seems to work nicely when turned using a toe, too.  Who'da thunk it.

I'm really getting sick of seeing it unpainted.  This form ply was in pretty bad condition when I started...
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [rotation is working!]
Post by: Anubis_au on July 25, 2007, 06:52:35 am
Do you think that lazy Susan approach would work if the monitor / rotation setup were also angled? As in, placed in an upright cab, not cocktail?
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [rotation is working!]
Post by: shock_ on July 28, 2007, 11:12:23 am
The big deal is supporting the centre of gravity with the monitor, which would be very different if you took my configuration and set it up on an angle.  And very easy if you're mounting vertically such as in a cocktail.

If you're angling the monitor, you need to support the front of it where the weight is going to be.  This will mean holding it tight by the corner screws.  You could, I guess, make some cage for it that is pinned/swiveled at a point at the base/rear of the yoke, but I've not put any thought into how to achieve a rotating screen in an upright so you'd be advised to research and contact the builders of other upright rotaters!

The big gotcha from what I can see is the bezel... how to avoid it looking like a big flat or round slab of nothing with a little screen inside it.  That's the bane of all rotating cabs I think, simply because of the huge variations in ratio that must be accommodated.  Find a way to incorporate square shapes rather than circles wherever you can, aesthetically speaking of course.

If I ever build a second cabinet, I would want it to be a LAI lowboy or Taito-style coversion without rotation - for ease of completion and all-round beauty!
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [painting started]
Post by: shock_ on August 18, 2007, 10:42:59 am
Today I started painting.  Nine months after the basic cabinet shell was put together, that is a significant milestone, to say the least.

Why so long?

Low levels of experience.  It takes me forever to make a cut or join.  I have no training in how carpentry or cabinetmaking works so I have had to take guesses and try everything on scrap first.  I've probably built this thing two or three times over, in scrap mockups :)

Little expended time spent. I just don't get much time to work on this thing.  Especially for the noisy stuff like saws.

Ridiculous ambitions.  Did I mention... bloody rotating monitors

So anyway, we got an undercoat on today.  Actually, an undercoat, then sanded back, then another one.  Never intentionally scratched up anything I'd just painted before - but it worked nicely :)

Here's an artist's impression, a before shot, and an after shot.
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [painting started]
Post by: philby85 on August 22, 2007, 06:09:20 pm
Looks great shock! Take your time and enjoy it, I think as we get older we tend to get more pleasure on the building and tinkering side? I'm always thinking gee what if I did that or changed this. Of course i still enjoy a game or two! Your doing really well and I am enjoying watching your progress.

cheers

Philby
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [painting started]
Post by: The Chugnut on August 22, 2007, 06:41:24 pm
Looking lovely shock_  :applaud:

Have you worked on a Mala layout for this beaut? I remember you doing some amazing looking stuff in the software forum a few months back.
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [painting started]
Post by: shock_ on August 22, 2007, 10:51:09 pm
 :cheers:  Have got a first coat of black on there now, too - and it's going on well.

Have you worked on a Mala layout for this beaut? I remember you doing some amazing looking stuff in the software forum a few months back.

Yeah, working on two possible layouts at the moment, derived from the stuff I had been doing you've probably seen.

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=77158;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=77157;image) One is a custom version of the applesque layout, with an emulator menu built in (not MaLa tree).  I don't have a current pic of it, but here it is semi-recently.  I like it because it's very specific to my machine, and I've got some great "starting" screens that change depending on the emulator too.

I've actually added a red version of the background pattern you can see in the other layout below, since my buttons/sticks/ball/t-moulding will be red.  It's given the layout a bit more depth.

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=69785.0;attach=81055;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=69785.0;attach=81054;image) The other is something I've released as beta (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=69785.msg713022#msg713022), but nobody ever got back to me with bug reports...  :'(

There are bugs I found in it anyway, such as faux scanlines that don't scale well so they'll have to go, or I'll provide it as a series of fixed resolutions. I'll re-release another version soon - in a range of colours since I can never decide.


edit: here are more/updated screenshots for the layouts above. (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=82668;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=82667;image)(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=82672;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=82671;image)(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=82670;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=82669;image)
 
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [+MaLa screenshots]
Post by: philby85 on August 23, 2007, 06:40:48 pm
Hi Shock,

i just tried out your mala layout (beta one) I like it. I use a horizontal monitor so it displays as a vertical layout which is ok as I play some vertical games anyway. I really like the layout. I only use mame no other emu's at the moment. I reckon your button graphics would look cool in this layout as well.

thanks for a cool layout!

phil
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [+MaLa screenshots]
Post by: shock_ on August 23, 2007, 08:08:49 pm
The layouts are actually square with letterbox bars -- either beside or top/bottom.  I find that's easiest for horiz/vert consistency :)
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [Mmmmm paint]
Post by: shock_ on September 02, 2007, 07:50:12 am
Back to matters of hardware.

A wee bit more painting to do, but things are improving. 

Secured a control panel today, too.  Yippee :)
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [Mmmm paint]
Post by: shock_ on September 04, 2007, 10:02:19 am
I've mounted the controls now - they're hanging there by a swag of angle brackets.  I will need to take them off to get the thing in the house and complete painting but couldn't resist mounting both sides and taking a happy snap!

Just a couple more holes (for passing through panel wiring, mounting fan grilles etc) to drill and then it's off for hopefully a final coat of paint.

It's so cool when it starts to resemble the picture :)

Final dimensions are approximately 1000 x 1000 (inc c/panels) x 670 - which translated to oldskool is about 1.1 yards square by a bit over 2 feet high. 
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [pics of it largely bolted together]
Post by: RXII on September 05, 2007, 03:35:49 pm
Looks great, well done -  :applaud:
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [pics of it largely bolted together]
Post by: Malenko on September 05, 2007, 04:19:44 pm
look great bro.

just a funny FYI.... when this thread is #1 it says
"Topic: shock_'s Aussie cock..."

on the main forum listing, made me laugh
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [pics of it largely bolted together]
Post by: shock_ on September 05, 2007, 10:58:58 pm
Well that's sure to get a few extra clicks :)  I don't even own a rooster.
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [pics of it largely bolted together]
Post by: loadman on September 11, 2007, 07:30:29 pm

Sweeeeeeet   :P
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [pics of it largely bolted together]
Post by: shock_ on September 11, 2007, 09:49:33 pm
I've moved it upstairs to the room where it might live.  Now the wiring begins.

Still don't actually have a reliable PC to put in it yet... I turned on one that I was planning to use and found that the motherboard died in its sleep sometime in the past couple of months.

I'm working on quick-release plugs for the control panels since they'll need to be removed in order to shift the cabinet outside the room it's in right now.  I have a lot of soldering ahead!

I also found that the brand new piece of glass I have had under a protective sheet of upholstery vinyl since January actually has some bloody big scratches in it from something (they weren't there when I bought it).  I've got no idea what cost or effort is involved in polishing those out.  :hissy:
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [pics of it largely bolted together]
Post by: Anubis_au on September 12, 2007, 12:13:30 am
shock, she's coming along beautifully.
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [pics of it largely bolted together]
Post by: loadman on September 12, 2007, 07:03:40 am
I turned on one that I was planning to use and found that the motherboard died in its sleep sometime in the past couple of months.

Have you tried raplacing the watch battery on the Mb? Or is it something more terminal?
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [pics of it largely bolted together]
Post by: shock_ on September 12, 2007, 07:16:17 am
Have you tried raplacing the watch battery on the Mb? Or is it something more terminal?

That battery just keeps the clock / BIOS running while she's without juice I think.  I did remove it and replace it in order to reset the bios in case something weird had happened, but it wouldn't POST nor wake up the monitor attached (various video cards tried).  I'll rip everything off it sometime and do a proper troubleshoot, but it pishes me off because that mobo is almost new - but just out of warranty after sitting idle for months and months...

Meanwhile I'll keep sitting here stripping the ends off old lengths of CAT5 ready for soldering.  Surely there's a third world out there where I can get people do do this !!
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [pics of it largely bolted together]
Post by: loadman on September 13, 2007, 06:20:32 am
I used cat 5 cable too.  Keeps it nice and neat in a cochtail cable where you have controls on opposite sides.  Good call, and a cheap option as there is always some lying around ;D
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [pics of it largely bolted together]
Post by: danny_galaga on October 03, 2007, 05:48:10 am
look great bro.

just a funny FYI.... when this thread is #1 it says
"Topic: shock_'s Aussie cock..."

on the main forum listing, made me laugh

hehe. that reminds me of when my mum was visiting and i was showing her my website which was headed 'dans cocktail lounge' and sure enough initially it just said 'dans cock' which alarmed her just a tad...
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [pics of it largely bolted together]
Post by: squirrellydw on October 06, 2007, 10:57:25 pm
dude that is looking really nice, keep up the great work.  I also like what you've done with the layout, I bet the one you made for me would look really sweet with that background in blue  ;D
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [pics of it largely bolted together]
Post by: shock_ on October 07, 2007, 05:24:38 am
Cheers squirellydw  :cheers:

The least you could do though is link to the actual size image :P   ;)

»» (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=82668;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=82667;image)

Attached below is that texture in blue... if you can make any use of it!
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [pics of it largely bolted together]
Post by: squirrellydw on October 13, 2007, 12:28:43 pm
thanks, but I can't use it.  All the fancy icons you made me would be gone :'(  oh well, thanks anyhow and keep up the great work
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [pics of it largely bolted together]
Post by: shock_ on October 18, 2007, 08:03:36 am
thanks, but I can't use it.  All the fancy icons you made me would be gone :'(  oh well, thanks anyhow and keep up the great work

(yet another) PM sent.  :angel:

Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [pics of it largely bolted together]
Post by: shock_ on October 18, 2007, 09:58:49 am
So anyways, back to the project at hand.

I deeply understand why people choose to gut existing generic cabs for their first efforts.  I don't regret what I've undertaken although I wish it was done already.

Please excuse the detail below, but it's been a while since I bumped this thread and this is my way of convincing myself I'm making progress.

So it's been upstairs for a while with its panels detached.  Kinda necessary to remove the panels or it won't fit through doorways.  Since I only have one Keywiz (1.5) to share between both panels (and one Opti-Wiz on the TurboTwist and shared with the trackball on the other side) this means that I had to sort out a quick-release system or face rewiring every time I lugged the thing in- or outside.  I remind you, dear reader, that I live in subtropical Brisbane, Australia (http://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=Brisbane,+QLD,+Australia&sa=X&oi=map&ct=title) where The Done Thing is to sit with mates on your back deck, throwing back plenty of Very (http://www.coopers.com.au/beer.php), Cold (http://www.cascadebrewery.com.au/), Beer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_Lager).  Not inviting Calvin the Cocktail Cab would be unthinkable.

My particular back deck, however, is still just that, a roofed deck - and Calvin will be exposed to the splash from the rare shower of rain, at least a little bit.  I plan to get something like a motobike cover for it, but I'll need to drag it inside occasionally - during winter, leaving the house for extended periods, passing cyclones etc.

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=86978;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=86977;image)
^ quick disconnects for control
panels so the unit can be moved
through standard doorways.
So all that has led to a lot more soldering than seems to go on for all you lucky people who just have your buttons wired straight into your encoder.

I've been making these sorts of things with the second-cheapest soldering iron they had when I bought it many years ago, with the second-biggest tip I'm sure.
 :cry:
Side 1 (with the trackball) has 22 switches plus ground, all going through that D25 plug you see in the photo.  The matching female for that (not pictured) has three lengths of cat5 hanging out of it which will lead into the encoder.

Side 2 has far fewer switches to handle, but there is that matter of the trackball and spinner (Opti-Wiz, anyway) that need to communicate, so more plugs and sockets there too.

The ground from both sides is going through a DP switch so I can isolate one of the "player 1" controls depending on which side the players are sitting at.

There are also three admin buttons, identical on both sides, in the carcass itself (just above the control panels) that don't need to go through the plugs since they don't detach.


(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=86986;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=86985;image)
^ Power input bottom-left,
monitor killswitch bottom right.

  The first thing I did was actually get power inside the box.  A kettle cord socket on the outside means I don't have to wrap the wire around the legs when transporting it, and is generally a bit neater.  Inside that the wiring goes through a connector block and powers a powerstrip for the PSU, monitor and amplifier.

Luckily for me the motherboard I am using supports "always on" for "AC power loss restart status" in the BIOS.  I have one switch on the outside of the cab that boots the PC, powers the monitor and turns on the sound.

The monitor cable from the powerstrip actually passes through a junction box with a switch behind it (bottom right of the picture).  This SPST switch cuts the neutral wire, allowing me to turn the monitor off and on without needing to touch any buttons inside the case.  Kinda important for forcing a degauss in this rotating monitor cabinet.

I should note here that the flash is VERY unkind to the cabinet in this photo - the big gougey shapes visible in the wood are not at all obvious IRL, and that side of the cab is intended to face the wall as well.  The wood I started with had, after all, been boxing in concrete until last year ;)  The edges will be covered with aluminium angle strips too.

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=86976;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=86975;image)
^ On a temporary bench for... benchtesting, I suppose.
  I've dug an Athlon 2500+ and motherboard out of a box that I bought from some guy a few years ago and never actually tested when I got it. A bit of thermal paste, a quick repair job to the chipset heatsink that had come loose in transit and bounced around all over the motherboard for a thousand kilometres ( :dizzy: ), quick injection of some fast-moving electrons and hooray, it booted first time !

That photo shows a green motherboard attached to the side wall of the cabinet.  That's a dead mobo I'm just using to locate the screwholes for the real mobo which is the red one.  (Yes, I know one is μATX and not all the holes will match!)  That's also not the actual monitor.

The motherboard will be fastened to the wall using the Bic Trick (slices of ballpoint pen used as insulated spacers and a normal pan-head screw through the guts).

The good news is that the software side of things should be fine.  I've migrated MAME and Vpin over from my desktop machine and playtested a little.


(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=86984;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=86983;image)
^ A little mounted panel for all the stuff you don't want to have to open to lid to reach.
  Some of the niceties I wanted for this cab were two headphone jacks, a couple of USB ports for mouse/kb as required and a volume knob for the speakers. To get my wish I had to create a metal mounting plate that could house the USB and headphone jacks (they don't seem to make them to fit 17mm form ply, for some reason).  I jigsawed the wall of an old PC case to get a metal plate, then drilled, then filed the rectangular holes for the USB jacks, and drilled through for the headphones and volume potentiometer. Note for those who aren't up with these things, the old Oscar Controls site had a nice tute on adding a volume knob (http://web.archive.org/web/20061025182800/http://www.oscarcontrols.com/volume/index.shtml) to a cab. (nb: link via Wayback machine since site is defunct and I don't know if/where it's mirrored?)


(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=86982;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=86981;image)
^ Hand-made headphone splitter.
Just parallel wiring, nothing to see here.


(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=86980;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=86979;image)
^ Little hack for connecting the front panel audio wiring to my headphone jacks.
  I wanted two headphone jacks so that two players could play happily until silly hours of the morning, and the music/fx from the games wouldn't wake up my wife or kids (assuming the kids weren't the ones playing).  Instead they can get woken up by the microswitches and constant swearing.

I tore up some old "CDROM audio connector" cables which were just perfect to fit over standard jumper pins for the front panel audio connector. And luckily for me, they had just enough actual wire in the right spaces to fit the pins that I needed to cover.

The motherboard I'm using (Abit NF7-S) has this dorky front panel audio header that kills the rear output if you try to use it.  Not just when the headphones are attached (which would be fine) - but if you want to use the normal, back-o-the-mobo audio output at all (which I do, for my speakers), you have to 'close' the front panel by leaving a couple of jumpers across that pinout, or plugging in headphones.  I didn't want to have to leave 'phones, or some dummy plug, connected all the time in those sockets so I wired it all up using an additional CDROM cable.  The upshot is that I am telling the rear connector that it's on, while using the headphones through the "front panel".  Actually muting the speakers while headphones are in use is managed by turning the volume knob right down.  Hooray!

That paragraph may make no sense to anyone other than Abit NF7-S owners, but please take away from it that if you choose to use surplus hardware, be prepared for it to be not quite up to the task in bizarre little ways you don't discover until you're up to your neck in it.

Squeezing two back-to-back like this meant I had to gnaw off part of the plastic housing intended to guide the plug into the right pins.  Long-nosed pliers worked a treat and they were soon squeezed together.

Yesterday I made up a Things to Do list, and it has about forty-five things on it.  Only a couple are going to be tricky; I changed my mind on the t-molding recently, and bought some chrome.  The bad news is that the slot is already cut for the red stuff, and it's a thicker core (I needed the 1/16" for the chrome).  So I have to either painstakingly glue and clamp this chrome stuff and hope it doesn't pop out, or fill / purchase-slot-cutter-again / re-cut / re-paint-since-I-will-scratch-the-bejebus-out-of-it.  Or just put my tail between my legs and settle for the red molding after all.
 :hissy:  :banghead:
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [mmmm electrics]
Post by: SithMaster on October 18, 2007, 01:58:16 pm
Would using scraps of wood help?  Try gluing the chrome to the scraps and wedge that into the slot.
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [pics of it largely bolted together]
Post by: Steve B. on October 18, 2007, 03:05:49 pm
So I have to either painstakingly glue and clamp this chrome stuff and hope it doesn't pop out, or fill / purchase-slot-cutter-again / re-cut / re-paint-since-I-will-scratch-the-bejebus-out-of-it.

I had the same problem with my cab and I solved it by using a glue gun to hold the new t-moulding. It was easy, sets quick, and will certainly be a lot easier than refilling the groove. Good luck!
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [mmmm electrics]
Post by: spacies on October 18, 2007, 04:19:17 pm
Hey Shock,

Your machine is coming along very well.
I love your posts, very well laid out.  :applaud:

Use some lengths of masking tape on the T-Moldings barb,  squeeze it onto the barb and hammer it in. Works fairly well.

Good luck mate.
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [pics of it largely bolted together]
Post by: Kaytrim on October 18, 2007, 04:54:11 pm
So I have to either painstakingly glue and clamp this chrome stuff and hope it doesn't pop out, or fill / purchase-slot-cutter-again / re-cut / re-paint-since-I-will-scratch-the-bejebus-out-of-it.

I had the same problem with my cab and I solved it by using a glue gun to hold the new t-moulding. It was easy, sets quick, and will certainly be a lot easier than refilling the groove. Good luck!


DING DING DING!!!! Here is your answer shock_.  Hot glue the stuff in place, works every time.  And if down the road you decide that you like the red better you can still strip out the chrome and put the red in it's place.

TTFN
Kaytrim
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [mmmm electrics]
Post by: shock_ on October 18, 2007, 06:59:59 pm
Cheers all for the suggestions!

When I read the wiki (good people read the wiki first, you know  :angel: ) glue gunning got a mention there too.  What scares me is the "get a friend to help" and "whatever you do, don't stop" parts.

It's actually really fiddly to test-fit/measure that chrome stuff since it's so much stiffer. Especially around tight curves. 

Spacies your tape suggestion sounds bloody good, I'll give that a try first I think!  I don't doubt that the hot glue would give a proper result but I'm scared of effing it up.  Besides that, I have no glue, nor gun  :-\  Tape, I have kilometres of.
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [mmmm electrics]
Post by: dmworking247 on October 18, 2007, 08:01:55 pm
Masking tape is paper thin... try some cloth tape

something like THIS (http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/4717f55909985e9e273fc0a87f9c06fb/Product/View/N1395)?
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [mmmm electrics]
Post by: loadman on October 18, 2007, 09:00:06 pm
Quote
Since I only have one Keywiz (1.5) to share between both panels (and one Opti-Wiz on the TurboTwist and shared with the trackball on the other side) this means that I had to sort out a quick-release system or face rewiring every time I lugged the thing in- or outside

Oh my the pain.  :o

Should I sell you my spare ipac at mates rates?
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [mmmm electrics]
Post by: shock_ on October 19, 2007, 09:31:26 pm
Use some lengths of masking tape on the T-Moldings barb,  squeeze it onto the barb and hammer it in. Works fairly well.

Whaddya know - I did a test piece on the edge of one of my panels and this kinda works!!  Very painstaking but at least I can take it a little at a time.  Six layers of masking tape is enough to require a rubber mallet to whack it in.  I may give dmworking247's gaffer tape suggestion a go too, if I can find some lying around.

See attachment (inset) for the gap I'm trying to plug.

Should I sell you my spare ipac at mates rates?

Nah that'd make it too easy :)  The work's almost done now!

Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [mmmm electrics]
Post by: shock_ on November 28, 2007, 04:47:09 pm
So here's the deal.  I clocked up 10 years with my employer and they gave me thirteen weeks of paid leave.  Good thing Howard (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/07/21/1984522.htm) hadn't gotten around to WorkChoices (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WorkChoices) when I took the job!  So I've been at home looking after the two kids since 1 October, while Mrs shock_ went back to work full time to put away a bit of extra cash.

This has meant less, rather than more time to work on Calvin (yes, the name of this project has kinda stuck, although it won't be visible anywhere on the cab).  We're almost there.

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=90604;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=90603;image)
  Had some troubles (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=72949.0) interfacing a GGG Opti-Wiz with an STC/Ultimarc 2.25" trackball, but that's been resolved with some pull-up resistors. Crazy harness time.  The resistors are hidden inside those D9 backshells.
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=90606;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=90605;image)
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=90608;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=90607;image)
Finally finished the t-molding yesterday - five layers of PVC electrical tape to thicken up the 1.5mm spine to fit the 3mm slot and a bunch of mallet action = hooray.

The protective plastic strip is still on the t-mold in these pictures so it'll look better once it's all off.  One of Spacies' lovely clips is hiding the join in the first photo.

You can just make out the control panels sitting off on the floor behind the cab - I will put those on after I get it through various doorways. Calvin will live on my back deck under a nylon car cover.  Tried a 1000CC bike one but it wasn't big enough !!

Just some internal wiring, bezel, angle strips for the corners etc. and it should be up in time for Christmas.
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [shiny pics, sort of]
Post by: spacies on November 28, 2007, 05:09:47 pm

So close you can taste it.  :applaud:

Keep trucking mate, you're almost there.

Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [shiny pics, sort of]
Post by: shock_ on December 06, 2007, 06:13:35 pm
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=90922;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=90921;image)  (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=90924;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=90923;image)  Sneaking along.  Aside from the addition of a bit of Spacies' stainless, faux-chrome and aluminium (5 syllables in that word where I come from!) here's the photo mounting board bezel (see above (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=60685.msg679693#msg679693)). Two parts - the big square to be affixed under the lid, and a rotating part to be affixed to the monitor.

Double-sided tape to the rescue.

Once that's done, and the panels are re-attached, everything you can see from the outside will be finished.  Pesky internal wiring and wire-routing remains, and attaching a child-proof lock for the lid.  We don't want little ones reaching in to retrieve their coins and grabbing the anode wire by mistake now do we ?!

Tomorrow I have to move this to live outside the house... we need the room to whack up a Christmas tree, and this is the only room we can reliably secure from our 1-year-old!
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [shiny pics, sort of]
Post by: shock_ on December 06, 2007, 06:32:50 pm
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=90926;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=90925;image)  Oh, and I've gotten bored with the MaLa layout again.  Here's version 7 WIP.

Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [bezel, front end pics in progress]
Post by: loadman on December 07, 2007, 03:44:05 am
hmmmm I like the old layout better  ;)

Are you having  a mob over at Xmas to play on your new cocktail?
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [bezel, front end pics in progress]
Post by: Franco on December 07, 2007, 07:15:14 am
Looking awsome fella  8)

I feel your soldering pain. Im using D Subs too for my CPs but I have to do them for the three LED wiz's and the IPAC. I just started soldering the 60 odd 8,15 and 25 pin D Subs last night, got about 800 solder buckets to do all in all.  :o

Anyway, keep up ther good work, wish I was half as close to finishing main as you are yours! 
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [bezel, front end pics in progress]
Post by: shock_ on December 07, 2007, 04:13:39 pm
hmmmm I like the old layout better  ;)

Well you would wouldn't you... I only showed you the horizontal version :)

Are you having  a mob over at Xmas to play on your new cocktail?

Yeah apparently.  My wife and a couple of friends decided that we need a good 80's party for Calvin's debut.  I've been deferring that event since about winter (that's OUR winter of course).

It pizzled down in Bris-Vegas last night (which is great), and the only dry-ish spot on my back deck is exactly where Calvin is going to live (which is even better!)

got about 800 solder buckets to do all in all.  :o

E-gads...  :o:o:o Good luck with those !!  Maybe there's an east-Asian country you could outsource to.

Yours is going to be spunktacular I reckon.  The little details like the button surrounds are amazing.  I wish I had your skills with metal, and access to the tools too, I guess. I am watching your thread with interest!
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [sea trials!]
Post by: shock_ on December 16, 2007, 07:50:04 am
What a busy few days.  I have become a statistic in an infamous set; namely, one who makes a cabinet playable prior to completing absolutely everything.  But I had no choice, honestly!! How else do you test it?

This weekend saw my beautiful wife's 33rd birthday.  Two separate gatherings on my back deck provided some motivation to forego sleep in favour of wiring and general assembly.

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=91320;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=91319;image)  I spent between about 10pm and 2am on Friday night in low light conditions, with a bad back, hunched over the cabinet properly installing my cat-5 cable harnesses and continuity-testing each microswitch to work out which switch related to which wire, and measuring, stripping, tinning and running extra hookup as required to my happy little Keywiz or elsewhere.  Ouch.

Oh well, at least it's earthed.  That's that trace of half-speaker-wire snaking across the middle of the side wall.
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=91322;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=91321;image)  As superbigjay said recently (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=64434.msg761323#msg761323), you start out with the best of intentions to create the wiring equivalent of an origami crane, you end up hoping nobody ever reaches inside there without their eyes wide open and a bloody good reason.

So just in time for Saturday night I dropped in the monitor, connected it up, screwed on the lid and invited a guest to flip the power switch while we all held our breath.  Thankfully, it booted straight to MaLa and invited us along for a friendly game of Galaga, Namco Revision B.  That was basically the last we saw of my friend's 11 year old daughter for the evening, except when she needed the spinner sensitivity adjusted for Arkanoid, which was fair enough :)

Still to do now:


(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=91316;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=91315;image)  Oh, and just for loadman, here's the MaLa layout, all vertical-friendly.   :cheers:  
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=91318;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=91317;image)


I'm now thinking that the easiest way to maintain cocktail-mode flipping, correct rotations, all that stuff, is to maintain separate gamelists for horizontal and vertical.  MaLa has this nice feature which will rotate MAME to match the orientation of the MaLa display that launched it.  Still got to play with that and get my head around how it will / can work best, since I know others have had troubles with it, and it didn't seem to work for MAME when "flipping" rather than just "switching" (eg. horizontal but upside down should rotate MAME 180°).

The other downside to split gamelists is missing out on favourites / most played etc.  I'll have to do some more usability testing with friends, and with plenty of beer to make it realistic.
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [sea trials!]
Post by: loadman on December 22, 2007, 04:49:44 am

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=91316;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=91315;image)  Oh, and just for loadman, here's the MaLa layout, all vertical-friendly.   :cheers:  
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=91318;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=91317;image)


hmmmm I like the old layout better    ... Sorry  :-[
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [sea trials!]
Post by: shock_ on December 22, 2007, 05:11:08 am
It's okay Loadman, I like it too.  I've nearly gotten around to finishing a clean 4:3 ratio version, and since Swindus went AWOL and never uploaded it to the official MaLa page, I'll sneak it in as an update sometime :)

Anyways, here's some cab shots.  Still gotta get around to sticking on that top bezel piece... and found a major and stupid flaw in my wiring that will involve a teeny bit more solder!  :banghead:
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [sea trials!]
Post by: loadman on December 22, 2007, 04:58:57 pm
He He, I got the same kinda plastic stools from Bunnings Warehouse, except they are white. Or did I tell you that already?  :dizzy:
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [pics of it largely bolted together]
Post by: danny_galaga on December 22, 2007, 07:17:01 pm
rboTwist and shared with the trackball on the other side) this means that I had to sort out a quick-release system or face rewiring every time I lugged the thing in- or outside.  I remind you, dear reader, that I live in subtropical Brisbane, Australia (http://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=Brisbane,+QLD,+Australia&sa=X&oi=map&ct=title) where The Done Thing is to sit with mates on your back deck, throwing back plenty of Very (http://www.coopers.com.au/beer.php), Cold (http://www.cascadebrewery.com.au/), Beer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_Lager).  Not inviting Calvin the Cocktail Cab would be unthinkable.


wait... all this time you were in brissie? i'm going to have to drop in and 'roadtest' calvin, you realise that?

on the t-molding subject. what i did was cut the 'rib' every 5mm or so for in side curves, and make v-notches every 5mm or so for outside curves. to hold the inside curves, which had a much smaller radius i used 5 minute araldite. i was aptient enough to just hold it in place for ten minutes or so each time. epoxy wont stick to vinyl, therefore it is being held just by being really snug. it should also be possible to remove the t-molding again using araldite, although i can't imagine why i would need to. i know your t-molding will be much stiffer than the regular stuff but the same principles should apply...
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [Completed, with pics]
Post by: shock_ on December 23, 2007, 09:43:13 am
wait... all this time you were in brissie?

Actually I was on Straddie for a few days in November, but, yeah !  :cheers:

There are a couple of spots where I'm not happy with the t-mold, on the inside corners.  Looked fine when I whacked it in there, but after a couple of days it's shrunk out again a little.  Already fixed it once, but I think I'll have to glue it, or just pretend it's perfect and not mention it to anyone.  One day, anyway.

I got that bezel mounted and fixed my wiring today (needed a distinct ground for Player2 for happy cocktail flipping).

The cab is now functionally complete, it's playing everything I have thrown at it, so I'm upgrading its status to "done".  Merry Christmas to me  ;D
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [Completed, with pics]
Post by: loadman on December 24, 2007, 02:27:59 am
Enjoy  :cheers:
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [Completed, with pics]
Post by: The Chugnut on December 24, 2007, 10:43:20 am
 :notworthy:

Stunning mate. Truly stunning.
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [Completed, with pics]
Post by: shock_ on December 25, 2007, 01:22:38 am
 :cheers:

Quick front end shot, again.  Just cos I like it and to prove to loadman that the old stuff isn't dead yet.

Merry Christmas, all.


(edit: updated snaps, with improved controls help)

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=92418;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=92417;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=92420;image) (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=92419;image)
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [Completed, with pics]
Post by: shock_ on January 02, 2009, 12:45:48 am
Sorry to bump my old dead thread.

Attached are my working plans for this cab, as cleaned-up as I'm ever likely to make them.

Not strictly as-constructed, but you get the idea.

It's a zip with a Visio 2007 file in it.  I think you need Visio 2003 or newer for the transparency (I've got the glass in the plans too!).

Visio 2007 viewer download here (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=D88E4542-B174-4198-AE31-6884E9EDD524&displaylang=en) if you want one.
Title: Re: shock_'s Aussie cocktail [Complete. Plans link fixed]
Post by: shock_ on August 31, 2009, 05:34:09 am
Plans link broken - here's a new one

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/1879164/Calvin-release-v1.zip