Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Project Announcements => Topic started by: Tiberian Fiend on September 17, 2012, 08:54:40 pm
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I've been working on this machine with my stepfather for over a year, now. He mostly worked on the cabinet, and I mostly worked on the electronics. I wish I had found these forums earlier! It would've saved a lot of trial-and-error. We weren't planning on recording our progress, so I don't have step-by-step photos, but I did take a few pictures along the way.
The earliest image I have, taking measurements for the side art:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/tiberianfiend/Arcade/measure5.jpg)
I tried spray-painting it at first. As I'm sure you all know (but I didn't), spray paint and particle board don't mix:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/tiberianfiend/Arcade/paint2.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/tiberianfiend/Arcade/paint1.jpg)
I eventually got it to look OK after enough cans of quality spray paint, but it was much too rough to put any decals on:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/tiberianfiend/Arcade/paint3.jpg)
My stepfather eventually sanded it and painted it with a brush. We tried to put a plexiglass cover on the control panel, but it looked like crap. The edges were rough and a couple of the button holes cracked. We removed it eventually. Here's a first test of the marquee light and illuminated buttons:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/tiberianfiend/Arcade/buttontest.jpg)
Here's the underside of the control panel:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/tiberianfiend/Arcade/arcadepanel2.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/tiberianfiend/Arcade/arcadepanel1.jpg)
I switched the coin door lights over to 12v to use with the computer power supply. I ended up using a discrete power supply anyways. Here's the first test of the coin door lights:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/tiberianfiend/Arcade/doortest.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/tiberianfiend/Arcade/doortest2.jpg)
The computer's on-board video turned out to be S-Video incompatible. I eventually had to install an old Radeon I had lying around. With on-board video:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/tiberianfiend/Arcade/vid1.jpg)
In its current state, none of the artwork is done, the speaker cover panel isn't screwed in, and the front-end isn't set up (I will remove the keyboard, eventually), but the machine is now playable:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/tiberianfiend/Arcade/nearcomplete.jpg)
A video of the nearly-completed machine: http://youtu.be/CH5WLj2eltk (http://youtu.be/CH5WLj2eltk)
Now, for the stats. It's got a Core2Duo in a server case that slides in the back, a 29" Sony video monitor, and car speakers wired through an old stereo audio receiver for sound. The control panel has IL transluscent buttons lit with incandescent lights, Leaf-Pro joysticks, and a generic PS/2 trackball that also functions as a mouse. The cabinet is made from 3/4" CF board, has a real 4-player coin door, and has two 220mm fans at the top for ventilation. And it's massive. We had to take the machine apart and re-assemble it inside because it wouldn't fit through the bedroom door.
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What does Player 3 and 4 have 6 buttons for?
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Symmetry.
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That's a beast. Great job especially since you found the forums after doing the majority of the work. I think my only critique would be having all the controls right at the edge of the CP but that's just a preference. Nice leaf switches. It's awesome that you worked on it with your step-dad. Good stuff. Now unplug the CP so you can't play it and get it done. A working cab is a huge deterrent to a finished cab ;D
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The main obstacle I face in continuing the project right now is a financial one. I'm going to commission artwork for the sides and marquee, but I'm going to have to find a new job before that, so it's still a while away.