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Main => Project Announcements => Topic started by: Santoro on July 18, 2004, 12:49:38 pm

Title: Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer." Now FOR SALE
Post by: Santoro on July 18, 2004, 12:49:38 pm
Here is my second cab, still in progress.  I am looking for opinions on the shape.  It is sort of a hybrid between my first cab  (http://www.mamenation.com) and a Defender cab. I drew up the shape on graph paper.

The front, top, and speaker panels are covered in PartsExpress black speaker vinyl.  That stuff is perfect for this and looks much better than the black semi-gloss on my first cab.

I will say right up front that I am not happy with the gray laminate.  I think it looks too 1990s, and takes away from the authenticity.  Next cab will be black.  It looked OK on Mamenation (http://www.mamenation.com), probably because the fighters that it was based on were around in the '90s.

The CP is obviously a quickie prototype I threw on to test the layout.  The spinner will be directly above the player 2 buttons.

It is going to have a 3" trackball and a 25" K7400 monitor with tinted glass bezel.

(http://www.arcadereplay.com/images/cab1side.jpg)
(http://www.arcadereplay.com/images/cab1front.jpg)

Here are my custom speaker grilles made from the perforated metal that Oscar turned me on to.  They are replicas of the ones on a Space Duel cab.  What do you think?  I love them - they make the cab look 'commercial' IMHO.

(http://www.arcadereplay.com/images/speakergrilles.jpg)


Title: Re:Santoro's 2nd Cab, yet unnamed. Opinions?
Post by: pointdablame on July 18, 2004, 01:10:33 pm
Very very nice.  I really like that gray laminate actually, where did you get it?  I might have to check out that speaker paneling too, if it'll save me from having to paint ;)

keep up the good work.
Title: Re:Santoro's 2nd Cab, yet unnamed. Opinions?
Post by: Santoro on July 18, 2004, 01:19:29 pm
Thanks,

They stock that laminate at all the Home Depots near me.

Dave
Title: Re:Santoro's 2nd Cab, yet unnamed.
Post by: SaiNRuB on July 19, 2004, 07:09:38 am
Very nice, it looks like a cross of a neo geo cab and a defender cab.

Look forward to the final project.
Title: Re:Santoro's 2nd Cab, yet unnamed.
Post by: Santoro on October 31, 2004, 03:24:36 pm
I finally got to spend some more time on this cab.   Here is the new CP, I think I did a pretty got job of fitting it all on a 12X23 surface.  

Ergonomically it all seems to work pretty well.
Title: Re:Santoro's 2nd Cab, yet unnamed.
Post by: Santoro on October 31, 2004, 03:26:39 pm
Oh, I should mention the underlay is a placeholder until I get my overlay from Mamemarquees.com.  It will go right over the lexan and down to the seam on the front of the cab.

The color on the final underlay will be blue, not shocking purple.  The one on there is a Kinkos mess-up.
Title: Re:Santoro's 2nd Cab, yet unnamed.
Post by: Santoro on October 31, 2004, 03:38:18 pm
I have the Lexan flush with the front of the CP.  I cut the front edge of the CP off, then glued it back on 1/8" higher using a plate joiner and biscuits.

After the photo was taken I dadoed 1/8" off of the bottom sides so that the CP would sit flat on the ledgers.
Title: Re:Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer"
Post by: Jabba on October 31, 2004, 09:17:25 pm
Sweet looking cab Santoro. I like what you did with the control panel and the vinyl. Interesting that you got it all the controls to fit in the 12".  I guess with 16-17" control panel I am thinking of at the moment, I will have plenty to play with.

Edit: Typo
Title: Re:Santoro's 2nd Cab, yet unnamed.
Post by: danny_galaga on October 31, 2004, 11:40:20 pm
I finally got to spend some more time on this cab.   Here is the new CP, I think I did a pretty got job of fitting it all on a 12X23 surface.  

Ergonomically it all seems to work pretty well.


that rocks!! my only concern is that the spinner looks a bit out of the way, like a secondary control for something rather than the main control it is in the games that will use it...
Title: Re:Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer"
Post by: Santoro on November 01, 2004, 09:28:31 am
Yeah, I agreee.  That was the biggest compromise I had to make.  It isn't anywhere as bad as it looks though.  Because the CP isn't very deep is is still within comfortable reach.
Title: Re:Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer"
Post by: Crazy Cooter on November 02, 2004, 08:52:12 pm
Hey Santoro, are there any conflicts on the underside of the panel where the trackball is?  My brother has been asking about putting one between his fighter setup like that but I wasn't sure it would fit.

Excellent work btw.  Are you going to use any sideart?
Title: Re:Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer"
Post by: Santoro on November 03, 2004, 09:01:51 am
I will try to snap a digipic when I get home.  Space is tight, but not unbearably so.

I will probably try to sell this one.  I want to sell a few cabs on the side - I even had Pixel do up a logo for me.  

(http://www.arcadereplay.com/assets/images/REPLAY-c.gif)

I might put it on the sides, but I haven't decided yet.  If the Logo is the primary focus of my Marquee it will probably be too much on the sides too.

edit:Grammar
Title: Re:Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer"
Post by: BobbyG66 on November 03, 2004, 12:08:43 pm
You could tweak that log for the sideart.
Make it more "square" by stacking the words Arcade and Replay, then put the joystick logo on top or in the middle.

Just an idea...
Title: Re:Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer"
Post by: Santoro on November 03, 2004, 12:17:45 pm
Great minds....

I actually had Pixelhugger do that already.  I was thinking about narrow newspaper ads when I asked, but Side Art is a good use also.


Title: Re:Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer"
Post by: Gunstar Hero on November 04, 2004, 03:13:52 am
Santoro...

I sure would like to see a pic of the underside of that CP.

I have a cab with similar dimensions that I'm trying to fit a trackball into.

It looks like you have met success where I have failed!
Title: Re:Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer"
Post by: Santoro on November 04, 2004, 06:58:11 am
here you go.
Title: Re:Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer"
Post by: javeryh on November 04, 2004, 12:15:47 pm
That is a very slick CP - I like how it doesn't take up much space and still has a ton of controls without looking crowded.  Nice work!
Title: Re:Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer"
Post by: Gunstar Hero on November 04, 2004, 03:03:08 pm
You are awesome.
Title: Re:Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer"
Post by: Hiub1 on November 04, 2004, 06:48:49 pm
Could you give us some more info on those speaker grilles? They look VERY nice, I would love to add some to my cab. Everything looks good too, love the simplicity of the design!

Thanks, Fred.
Title: Re:Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer"
Post by: Will on November 04, 2004, 07:20:32 pm
Where did you get those wire routers/holders?The little black square things that you use for guiding the wires.I also want to know where you got the speaker grills.Btw it looks great.
Title: Re:Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer"
Post by: Santoro on November 04, 2004, 09:04:05 pm
Where did you get those wire routers/holders?The little black square things that you use for guiding the wires.I also want to know where you got the speaker grills.Btw it looks great.

I think I got them in Home Depot.  They are in bags by the nylon ties.  I love them.

(http://www.mamenation.com/tiedown.gif)

The speaker grilles were cut from perforated metal.  (I didn't do it, someone on the board did it as a favor)  It was Part # 9255T661 at www.mcmaster.com  (http://www.mcmaster.com)

Title: Re:Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer"
Post by: Santoro on November 04, 2004, 09:27:48 pm
Here is the link to a Visio 2002 File of the CP.   I grant permission for this to be used only on cabinets that will not be sold in central NJ.  (ie. you'd better not use it to compete with me !!!!!!!)   :)

http://images.santoro.com/ArcadeReplayCP-v2002.zip (http://images.santoro.com/ArcadeReplayCP-v2002.zip)
Title: Re: Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer"
Post by: Santoro on February 12, 2005, 06:15:15 pm
I actually got to spend a few hours on this cab....

Left to do:
Paint a bezel on the back of the safety Glass
Replace Coin and Power buttons on underside of CP with black ones that don't stand out so much
Replace temporary paper Marquee with one from Mamemarquee.com
Install a vinyl CPO from Mamemarquees.com
Title: Re: Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer"
Post by: Santoro on March 19, 2005, 06:56:24 pm
Woohoo, finished!

(http://images.santoro.com/cpperspective.jpg)
(http://images.santoro.com/full.jpg)(http://images.santoro.com/above.jpg)
(http://images.santoro.com/back.jpg)

The CD is accessible from the coin door.
(http://images.santoro.com//CD.jpg)
Title: Re: Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer" FINISHED!!!! *Dial-up alert: many pics.*
Post by: Santoro on March 19, 2005, 07:19:39 pm
Oh, and I just had to give two thumbs up to Scott at Mamemarquees.com.   Great service all around. The CPO annd Marquee kick butt.
Title: Re: Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer" FINISHED!!!! *Dial-up alert: many pics.*
Post by: NIVO on March 19, 2005, 07:23:27 pm
nice job Santoro, smooth and clean, the way it should be done  8)
Title: Re: Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer" FINISHED!!!! *Dial-up alert: many pics.*
Post by: Witchboard on March 19, 2005, 11:07:11 pm
Looks really nice.  That's a clean cabinet there.  Good job.
Title: Re: Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer" FINISHED!!!! *Dial-up alert: many pics.*
Post by: M3talhead on March 21, 2005, 10:50:23 am
What resolution did you print the CPO in?
Title: Re: Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer" FINISHED!!!! *Dial-up alert: many pics.*
Post by: Santoro on March 21, 2005, 10:55:01 am
Funny you should ask. It was 72 DPI, but only by mistake.  I didn't realize that when I first started my artwork I had creaded it at 72DPI.  You really can't see any pixels though because the texture obscures it a bit.

After printing the CPO, Scott from MameMarquees emailed me asking if I wanted to redo the Marquee at a higher resolution.  Thank God he did.  It looks great.

Title: Re: Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer" FINISHED!!!! *Dial-up alert: many pics.*
Post by: darktemp on March 21, 2005, 01:59:48 pm
Nicely done!  I noticed you wrapped your cpo just a bit at the front, would it be possibe to wrap the mamemarquees cpo material 80 degrees without any problems?
Title: Re: Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer" FINISHED!!!! *Dial-up alert: many pics.*
Post by: Santoro on March 21, 2005, 03:16:01 pm
Someone else asked the same question in a PM.  The CPO is tucked under the CP and is held tight between the CP and the top edge
of the front panel.  There is only 1/4" tucked under though, and it would not stick to the underside of the CP because there wasn't enough glue to fight the tendency for the plastic to straighten.  I had to use duct tape to secure it while I worked on the panel prior to attaching it.

I believe that if the CPO were extended at least a few inches past the radius it would be fine.  But if it were only 1/2" or something, the rigidity of the CPO might be enough to overpower the glue and peel it up.
Title: Re: Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer" FINISHED!!!! *Dial-up alert: many pics.*
Post by: Bloinkxp on March 21, 2005, 04:00:03 pm
This is a very nice cabinet.
It looks very clean and the CP is awesome.
Give us a webpage for your Cab!
Title: Re: Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer" FINISHED!!!! *Dial-up alert: many pics.*
Post by: quarterback on March 22, 2005, 01:56:21 am
Looks sweet.

From the underside pic it looks like you used a mounting plate for your TB, did you then recess it on the top of the cp before applying the cpo?
Title: Re: Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer" FINISHED!!!! *Dial-up alert: many pics.*
Post by: paigeoliver on March 22, 2005, 06:59:40 am
Awesome construction quality, but I must admit I have having problems understanding a couple things on the cabinet design, mainly why is the coin door are recessed so much, and why is the control panel bump out so tall (rotating panel idea later scrapped?)

In the future if you build this design again I suggest having the rear come back out towards the bottom so it comes out to the same distance as the monitor bump out. 2 Reasons for that, first it allows the cabinet to be laid down, which you or a future owner is probably going to want to do someday (cabs that can't be laid down are a BEYOOTCH to move from one location to another). I would also suggest toning down the front area a bit, just bring that coin door wood forward about 6 inches, it will add stability and make it easier to insert coins.
Title: Re: Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer" FINISHED!!!! *Dial-up alert: many pics.*
Post by: Santoro on March 22, 2005, 08:47:32 am
The CP top is 40" off the floor, the same as my Space Duel cab.
Title: Re: Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer" FINISHED!!!! *Dial-up alert: many pics.*
Post by: Santoro on March 22, 2005, 10:59:07 am
Looks sweet.

From the underside pic it looks like you used a mounting plate for your TB, did you then recess it on the top of the cp before applying the cpo?


Yes, but I did a very rough job since the whole deal was covered in lexan anyway.
Title: Re: Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer" FINISHED!!!! *Dial-up alert: many pics.*
Post by: paigeoliver on March 22, 2005, 11:34:35 pm
I don't mind the cut out back so much as cabinets that can't be laid down bother me, my candy cab is like that, Gorf is like that, it is really annoying!

I really like that cab, that is why I made a couple of suggestions about perfecting the design, the Atari System One cab has a similar monitor bump out, but it is mated up with a tiny bump out at the bottom of the game which allows the machine to be laid flat. This is actually better than a flat backed cabinet because then you can reach back there and hit the power switch.

Also, a small matching bump out at the bottom is a real wall save, push that cabinet out against the wall and you hit the drywall first, if it had the bump at the bottom then instead the bump would hit the molding at the floor level instead.
Title: Re: Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer" FINISHED!!!! *Dial-up alert: many pics.*
Post by: Knievel on March 23, 2005, 11:59:23 am
Hey Santoro, that cab is fabulous...very professional looking...the tinted glass makes it.
I love the grey laminate, the artwork is amazing, I could go on...
Enjoy!
Title: Re: Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer" FINISHED!!!! *Dial-up alert: many pics.*
Post by: Santoro on March 24, 2005, 09:29:30 am
I don't mind the cut out back so much as cabinets that can't be laid down bother me, my candy cab is like that, Gorf is like that, it is really annoying!

I really like that cab, that is why I made a couple of suggestions about perfecting the design, the Atari System One cab has a similar monitor bump out, but it is mated up with a tiny bump out at the bottom of the game which allows the machine to be laid flat. This is actually better than a flat backed cabinet because then you can reach back there and hit the power switch.

Also, a small matching bump out at the bottom is a real wall save, push that cabinet out against the wall and you hit the drywall first, if it had the bump at the bottom then instead the bump would hit the molding at the floor level instead.

These are good suggestions, I will probably incorporate some of them into the next one.
Title: Re: Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer" FINISHED!!!! *Dial-up alert: many pics.*
Post by: IntruderAlert on March 24, 2005, 10:11:04 am
Really nice job there
crisp and clean ;D

by the way, when paigeoliver was asking why you made the control panel bump out "so tall"
I think he was referring to the thickness of the bump out from top to bottom
Title: Re: Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer" FINISHED!!!! *Dial-up alert: many pics.*
Post by: AceTKK on March 24, 2005, 05:38:42 pm
Very, sharp-looking cab!  It comes off looking very polished and professional.  I have one quick question, can you tell me what brand/style of laminate you used?  I'd like to find something with the same texture, but with a blue-ish hue. 

Thx,

-Ace-
Title: Re: Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer" FINISHED!!!! *Dial-up alert: many pics.*
Post by: Santoro on March 24, 2005, 05:53:00 pm
This was Home Depot stock stuff, I don't remember the brand to be honest.
Title: Re: Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer" FINISHED!!!! *Dial-up alert: many pics.*
Post by: MameMaster! on March 24, 2005, 08:59:29 pm
....wow she's a beaut!....another winning cab....between the tokens and your cab.....do you eat?   ;D

MameMaster!  8)
Title: Re: Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer" FINISHED!!!! *Dial-up alert: many pics.*
Post by: paigeoliver on March 24, 2005, 11:34:43 pm
Really nice job there
crisp and clean ;D

by the way, when paigeoliver was asking why you made the control panel bump out "so tall"
I think he was referring to the thickness of the bump out from top to bottom


Yes, that is what I was referring to.
Title: Re: Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer" FINISHED!!!! *Dial-up alert: many pics.*
Post by: Santoro on March 25, 2005, 09:28:40 am
Sheesh, I need to read slower.
Title: Re: Santoro's 2nd Cab, "Classic Gamer" FINISHED!!!! *Dial-up alert: many pics.*
Post by: Santoro on January 22, 2006, 04:35:07 pm
I am selling this cab, please see here:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=48950.msg475878#msg475878

if interested.