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Main => Project Announcements => Topic started by: xefned on August 04, 2014, 12:34:54 pm

Title: My Fake Joust | DIY stenciling
Post by: xefned on August 04, 2014, 12:34:54 pm
Joust-"inspired," - not intended to be a repro

I plan to mix up the color pallette and remove the "W"illiams emblem (out of respect.)  :angel: Something like this:

(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-dOVMbS05TSg/U_DWcdLeAAI/AAAAAAAACQs/MwTaRabXeaQ/s144/colorChoice.png)   An '89 Bally cabinet will never resemble an '82 Williams, I realize. My first plan was Rampage as the most obvious choice for this form factor / cab / CP. I could do a believably authentic Rampage with this. But last time I played at Arcade Legacy Ohio, (http://arcadelegacyohio.com/) I was a little bored of it. Yet Joust and Robotron still rocked my @!#?@!. Joust seems the most residential-zone friendly of my faves so here goes...

Current state of the build:

(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-2CoF02htfPE/U_EcLboH5fI/AAAAAAAACQ8/WcOLg_jt5yM/s640/image.jpg)

I tried my hand at a DIY stencil using a paper printout cut with an x-acto knife. Definitely worth the $$ for a properly made stencil (http://www.gamestencils.com/index.php?crn=207&rn=395&action=show_detail) but I can't afford it right now.

The spray can recommended a white undercoat to achieve the most brilliant color, but the blasts of white oversprayed in places where the paper wasn't tacked down. I'll either touch up with black, or leave it as is - it gives the appearance of faux glow.

It looks better in real life. The slight yellow overspray makes it 'glow.'
Still, I'm hoping the next layer will turn out better...

[edit]
   It didn't. I rushed it. White paint went on too thick and dripped.
[/edit]

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0TOqxaPP1bk/U-T0_I-W1PI/AAAAAAAACQE/qFP30gW-kSA/s800/image.jpg)


I also bought some JAMMA edge connectors on ebay to properly jammify the insides, as well as a Joust marquee from ebay.

Thanks for reading!   :cheers:


(http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/z/TXEAAOxyjxlTMQDF/$_57.JPG)
Title: Re: Newbie spray paints a cab without sanding, ugly! | Joust-themed conversion
Post by: xefned on August 04, 2014, 12:35:28 pm
New project: Convert an Arch Rivals cabinet into a MAME-based multigame for horizontal, 2-player games

Found a working Arch Rivals on Craig's list. Considered leaving it stock, mainly due to the ire that would be raised by gutting a working machine. But ultimately decided I don't want a dedicated Arch Rivals.


(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-LiMUY-npNTI/U8QPYLYMiDI/AAAAAAAACNg/n6AhcnTPndw/s400/image.jpg)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MG1OQN8BTGU/U8QPY0JHzQI/AAAAAAAACNo/eP5dhX1ay9M/s400/image.jpg)
Fully working, but purchased for conversion.

Best part of the original artwork
Suzy Markglen opened her mouth...

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8rHbPPWVqp0/U8QPZwMH9FI/AAAAAAAACNw/EPu4s8ikqzY/s400/image.jpg)
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-MNyd8Tt9NZg/U8QPfb8jVLI/AAAAAAAACOo/8TGwSNYpZg0/s400/image.jpg)

Tempted by the deep control surface;
it's the same form factor as Rampage.

Might still be under warranty. 'Ya think?

(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-xceW5Oyd_rM/U8QPcT6uu3I/AAAAAAAACOI/BUdPr-dOZ_Y/s400/image.jpg)
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-8ZE4z292MNk/U8QPdn0OkRI/AAAAAAAACOY/Ywnt4j3SaC4/s400/image.jpg)
Hmm. The entry at KLOV (http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=6905) led me to
believe I'd find a JAMMA adapter in there.

Wells Gardner 19K7905

Acquisition story:


As a recent convert to the "A true 15k arcade monitor is the way to go" club, I began searching for cabinets that wouldn't mind sacrificing themselves to the gods of increased emulator authenticity. When I saw this on CL I thought it was an eyesore with potential. No price was listed but I inquired anyway. "Make an offer for what you think it's worth..." Uh oh. I said, "I'd like to get it for $150." He said, "Make it $200, these things normally sell for $700 - $800."

I headed to a bank machine. I would have gotten it for $200, except my debit card expired so we had to reschedule for the following week. The evening before our scheduled transaction, he e-mailed to say, "I've got a buddy offering me $400 but I'll offer it to you for $300 since you contacted me first."

Grr. I would've declined except in the meantime I'd read about the 49-way joysticks, which intrigued me. I figured the sticks alone alone were worth the extra hundred. I picked it up at a rental house of college kids who'd probably not yet been born when this machine was manufactured in Apr. '89.   :dizzy:

Overall it was a worthwhile purchase, with the expected sniglets: the cabinet was locked and keyless. The coin door was modded for an external credit button. One of the joystick-centering spiders was snapped. The monitor had plenty of burn-in. And the whole thing reeked of dryer sheets. It sat for years in a garage next to a dryer, soaking in that humid dryer exhaust. The smell inside is still pretty overpowering.

The funny part is, the students acquired it for free in a move, thought it was broken, and had never plugged it in until the week they had to move out. The guy's girlfriend said, "I wish we'd known that thing worked. We could've played it!"



Step one - remove original artwork


I peeled off the original vinyl, mostly by hand and began spray-painting, thinking it would cover the surface imperfections. Quite the contrary, it seemed to emphasize them.

It looked too ugly to proceed but the only sandpaper I had on hand was 60 grit, which left nasty gouges. (Asked for advice here, deleted, thank you friends.)  "Right now, the idea of putting 8 hrs. of sanding into it seems daunting."


(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-c506A7HmRTU/U967O9zOFwI/AAAAAAAACPY/VgoBVnPcjVY/s800/image.jpg)


I first tried the easy route: a few layers of black interior house paint. It covered well although you could still see the bumpy contour of particleboard. But the satin finish paint gave it a semi-pro veneer, and I thought it looked moist pro.

My girlfriend called me at work, looking for some ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- around the house. Before hanging, she commented that the paint job looked "really good." Totally unsolicited feedback. So I had more faith in my own feeling about it.
Title: Re: Newbie spray paints a cab without sanding, ugly! | Joust-themed conversion
Post by: Vigo on August 04, 2014, 12:50:05 pm
In my opinion, for as much effort as you would spend in extra coats of primer and paint to make it look "OK", you could get yourself a nice little orbiting power sander and some packs of sandpaper and turn that 8 hours of work into just 1.
Title: Re: Newbie spray paints a cab without sanding, ugly! | Joust-themed conversion
Post by: xefned on August 04, 2014, 01:06:16 pm

Good advice, thanks.  1 hour of work sounds so much more tolerable. (I might be a lazy mofo.)

The good news is, the other side is untouched by paint so I began sanding it with 60 grit last night.  I'll go pick up some 150 and 220 this evening and see what orbital sanders cost...
Title: Re: Newbie spray paints a cab without sanding, ugly! | Joust-themed conversion
Post by: eds1275 on August 04, 2014, 02:26:26 pm
I'd just get some sandable automotive putty primer and some 150 grit to get that machine to near-enough smooth.
Title: Re: Newbie spray paints a cab without sanding, ugly! | Joust-themed conversion
Post by: jennifer on August 04, 2014, 02:29:33 pm
    The Wal mart has a 5in for around 50.00, Jenn was quite amazed at the quality of this thing and the little dust filter thing even works.... Although its no Hutch it will make short work of that cab, although I would use a stripper on that first neutralize it with mineral spirits and than sand it with 80gt and prime it first those 60gt scratches will come back to haunt you if you don't.
Title: Re: Newbie spray paints a cab without sanding, ugly! | Joust-themed conversion
Post by: xefned on August 21, 2014, 04:26:12 pm
Quote from: eds1275 on August 04, 2014, 02:26:26 pm
I'd just get some sandable automotive putty primer and some 150 grit to get that machine to near-enough smooth.



Thanks for mentioning the putty primer! It's like I've never heard of it before, yet it's been right under my nose all along (in the hardware store.)


Before:
(Almost, but not quite good enough.)		Now:
(scrape scrape scrape)
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-2CoF02htfPE/U_EcLboH5fI/AAAAAAAACQ8/WcOLg_jt5yM/s400/image.jpg)(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-v7vdre1f9fA/U_FT5HWtYLI/AAAAAAAACRM/WPJ-ISPg828/s400/image.jpg)
The white undercoat is bleeding out and dripping.
Not to mention causing overspray.		Primer putty might come in handy now that
I've got an ostrich shaped-gouge in my sidewall.


I've ordered a different formulation of neon paint that does not require a white undercoat, and should theoretically look bright even over black. The package arrives tomorrow so my plan is to have one finished side by the end of the weekend. [edit]Didn't happen. Cutting out the pattern with x-acto takes a long time. On a positive note, my 4-year old daughter is having a crazy good time helping me with this. She asks if we can work on the stencils every day lately.[/edit]
Title: Re: My Fake Joust | DIY stenciling
Post by: DeLuSioNal29 on August 28, 2014, 11:38:36 am
This is the Orbital Sander that I grabbed from Home Depot a few years ago for $40.  Works great!
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-5-in-Random-Orbit-Sander-RS290/100599175 (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-5-in-Random-Orbit-Sander-RS290/100599175)
(http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/300/ad/adf4f1fd-7da4-4ec6-a786-1cdefc69507d_300.jpg)

D
Title: Re: My Fake Joust | DIY stenciling
Post by: xefned on August 28, 2014, 02:54:03 pm
Quote from: DeLuSioNal29 on August 28, 2014, 11:38:36 am
This is the Orbital Sander that I grabbed from Home Depot a few years ago for $40.  Works great!

Thanks for the tip, D! I'm on a spending moratorium since I racked up some debt with Ultimarc and GGG orders. :)  But I'll keep that in mind in case of future financial prosperity. I copped out and used black indoor house paint right atop the scratched surface and it looked surprisingly great. Spouse commented as such unsolicited.

But this white undercoat business wreaked major havoc on the cleanliness of my lines so I demounted the ostrich to start anew, as you can see from the previous post, and uh, black paint atop this time doesn't look so good. You can totally see the outline of where the graphics were painted through the black.  I wonder if going with the "premium" indoor house paint would have been better. The label said it doesn't require surface prep or priming. (But probably a bit of an exaggeration, I'd imagine.)  :blah:

I'm currently wiring the JAMMA harness which is much more straightforward than I expected thanks to lots of good diagrams online.


(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-UnKIA0QdZ04/U_3WatVKp1I/AAAAAAAACSw/wQiPatm8qv0/s800/image.jpg)

Since this is for residential use, I snipped away all the lockout circuitry that checks for opened CP and tampered coin mech, leaving a very simple 5-wire harness for the coin door.  :woot
This is kinda fun.
Title: Re: My Fake Joust | DIY stenciling
Post by: xefned on August 28, 2014, 03:12:19 pm
Week of Sept. 6: Jammified the power supply by adding a castoff ATX computer power supply. Misled by Arch Rivals' description at KLOV: "The original game kit comes with a JAMMA adaptor, but the wiring on that adaptor is not strictly JAMMA," this machine had no JAMMA adaptor; all connections were board-to-wire. But I've seen an Arch Rivals JAMMA board for sale recently (by Paige O.), so I believe this game existed in multiple versions. Probably there existed a jamma conversion version which differed from a dedicated cabinet.   

Ultimately this will be a MAME-based multigame so I'm not sure there's any point in adding a JAMMA harness. I seem to be doing it for my own amusement, and for future flexibility. Nevertheless, the PSU in Arch Rivals is not so Jamma standard. The switch mode PSU provides only +5v (fer real - same size as a standard arcade switcher - just 1 voltage!) It also has a linear bipolar 12v source is provided from a 12v tap on the main power transformer which connects to a standalone PSU board with DC rectification and a giant smoothing cap. +/- approximately 14v is then jumped to the audio board which has voltage regulator ICs for +/- 12 v. This appears to only power the audio circuitry and audio power amp.

Anyway, the Jamma standard wants +12v, +5v, and -5v. Rather than keep the audio board in use just for the regulated +12v, it seems simplest to just use a switch mode PSU for everything. So I ripped out the 2 power boards, and the PSU box and put in a single ATX PSU. It pains a little since computer PSUs have notoriously short longevity. I want ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- to last for 50 years without maintenance. But whatever, as I become more handy with repairs that matters to me less and less.

I'm using a J-PAC solely to protect the CRT from VGA. But I'll wire the player one and player two controls with a connector, again for future flexibility. I may be insane. It only becomes apparent to me when I type it all out.  :blank:
Title: Re: My Fake Joust | DIY stenciling
Post by: xefned on September 14, 2014, 01:38:00 pm

Wired the ATX harness to the JAMMA edge card connector using a standard pinout diagram found online. Supposedly -5v is part of the standard, but later I find mention that newer PSUs don't provide -5v.  Grr, this one is officially "newer."  :angry: Oddly, it has -12v, so it provides nothing that I didn't already have.  Frick.

After a little more research, it seems the -5v is rarely used except on older games. The 3 JAMMA games I've researched skip the -5v rail entirely: Arch Rivals, Twin Cobra, and Track & Field. Furthermore, the modern JAMMA multigame cards, like the 60-in-one vertical, and the Blue Elf horizontal don't appear to use -5v either. It's probably safe to skip it. Perhaps I'll put a note inside indicating it's JAMMA without the -5v, since years from now I will inevitably forget that detail.
Title: Re: My Fake Joust | DIY stenciling
Post by: xefned on September 19, 2014, 11:26:11 pm

So how does one wire a 15-pin molex connector for easily swappable control panels?
I plan to avoid frankenpanel by making modular control panels I can tuck away for six month periods, then swap them out as I go through phases of playing 1 or 2 games obsessively. That seems to suit my style a little better than the all-things-always-available, which seems to be a common dream: "I've got everything. Now I can let this machine collect dust." It's the direct opposite mentality of hyperspin madness.

There seems to be no "standard" control panel disconnect plugs so I chose an arbitrary scheme. And I am now declaring it the standard for my own household machines, which will eventually total 3.   :burgerking:  Pin 6 = up, Pin 12 = down, etc. And I document it here for easy reference.

Feel free to adopt it to your own use. I call it the bitchface standard, and totally expect it to achieve some kind of universal acceptance as the de-facto, globally-dominant gold standard for correctness.    :P


(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-PVkM7lSqaro/VBzulLW0JmI/AAAAAAAACUU/At0fqupU2eA/s800/player01-molex_pin_assignments.jpg)

(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-YSpJTpdHqC0/VBzulIjFwPI/AAAAAAAACUQ/mKfscMgunY0/s800/player02-molex.jpg)
Title: Re: My Fake Joust | DIY stenciling
Post by: xefned on September 21, 2014, 08:36:31 am

Behold, a new global standard is created, ratified, and released for wide adoption by the jamma arcade community.  :laugh2:


(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-PupndlW__OQ/VB7DJ6yqGaI/AAAAAAAACU8/emdhZYv5pLU/s800/image.jpg)


Now you know how to wire a quick-release harness to make your control panels compatible with the 3 machines in my house. Feel free to bring them over to my place for testing.   :afro: