Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Project Announcements => Topic started by: Quarters on November 16, 2004, 09:55:55 pm
-
Hello All.
This weekend I made my first cuts on my first cab. This forum has taught me much. I hope someone can learn something from this thread, even if it's only what *not* to do. ;D Watch this space for further updates.
pics lost in the forum upgrade, reattached:
-
next pic
-
That's crazy! You must be Canadian. Oh, anyway, you really got that coin door on the floor. Hey, that rhymed.
-
I got a good start on the control panals. The front edges still need to be rounded.
All but one joystick will be 4 way/8 way Omni-Stik Prodigy Retro editions, the other will be the TopFire edition. The TopFire and Oscar Vortex make one side for Tron :)
-
Witchboard,
When Control panels lay upon each side,
Down low the coin door will not hide
::) ok, I promise - No more verse :angel:
-
Are you using four control panels for your cocktail cab?
-
Are you using four control panels for your cocktail cab?
You bet.
My glass is in! I will be cutting the top tomorrow
-
It's beginning to look like a cocktail. :)
I ordered a Slickstick Tornado Spinner instead of the Oscar Vortex. The Vortex would not have fit in the planned space.
Opinions please:
All the oak will be stained a slightly darker shade. There will be black t-molding in all the obvious places. All the controls will be black or white. Should I paint the top black, or should I leave the wood grain showing and just make a black bezel?
-
That looks great!
Personally I'd stain the wood fairly dark and go with the black top (or custom artwork). However, I have never been a fan of light woodgrain cabinets, so take that advice with a grain of salt 8)
-
That looks great!
Personally I'd stain the wood fairly dark and go with the black top (or custom artwork).
-
I third that (neat looking table by the way). I used dark cherry stain to refurb the astro fighter cocktail I picked up--i really like the color--although it looks slightly different depending on what wood it goes onto.
-
Do you have pics of the inside, how you mounted the monitor, etc...
-
It's beginning to look like a cocktail.
-
It's shaping up to be one of the best cocktails I've seen.
I particularly like the fact that you've fitted 4 control panels. I can't understand why more people don't do this.
A lot of tables I've seen recently have only 3 panels which looks unbalanced IMHO.
-
Hi. Thank you for all the kind words.
As you can see I chose a darkish stain and got my t-molding installed. The stain will match well with the glass of Guinness that will often sit on it ;) I had a hard time deciding between a black top or wood grain. I stained the top and am happy with the result. It can always be painted later. This cab is strictly the furniture look. My next one will be an upright with sideart, marquee and lots of primary colors. My next one after that... Well let's just say I will be seeing you lot around for a while ;D
I am going to attempt to make my own bezel and have been looking for a source of cheap back plastic. I think I found just the thing! Any crazy Canadian should have thought of it long ago. I bought a black Crazy Carpet for 79 cents (that's about 50 cents US). For those who live in more moderate climates a Crazy Carpet is a sheet of flexible plastic that you sit on and slide down snow covered hills, a very effective method of filling ones pants with snow. I'll let you know how it turns out.
-
Do you have pics of the inside, how you mounted the monitor, etc...
mounting the monitor was a bit of hit and miss. I built a shelf then shimmed and blocked until it was level and would not move. All the computer bits, encoders etc. will live in the drawer pictured below.
-
nice work! I'd recommend the monitor bezel be Black as a finishing touch.
-
Cool design. Way to break out of the mold for a cocktail. The top looks like a piece to a puzzle. ;) How did you mount the trackball in wood without a mounting plate? 4 panels gives you lots of room to put controls. Only drawback is you can't put it up against a wall, eh?
-
Quarters, that is simply beautiful my friend. Major kudos to you!
Craig
-
N I C E .
Beautiful curves.
-
Could you please share the dimensions on your project with the rest of the board?
Thanks
:D
-
Love those corners!
Nice craftsmanship ;D
-
Could you please share the dimensions on your project with the rest of the board?
Thanks
:D
Yes. In fact I will probably make a web site documenting the whole process. I have a lot more pics and all my plans are in CorelDraw files. This will have to wait until I can free myself from the mess of wires I'm currently tangled in. I may also play a game or two first. ;)
How did you mount the trackball in wood without a mounting plate?
That was not too hard. I used a 2 1/2" hole saw through the cp, routed the cp from the bottom to about 1/4 ", and chopped the tops off the posts meant to secure the trackball assembly to the mounting plate. I also had to use a slanted router bit to angle the 2 1/2" hole. I secured the hole thing to the cp with wood screws. see pics below.
-
Finally Done!
-
More pics.
-
wOw!! great job! :)
your project reaaaallly makes me want to build a cocktail!
-
That's fantastic. Really has a modern feel with throwback styling. Great effort.
-
really beautiful!!! Congrats on a well made project
-
I noticed you had it up against the wall making one of the CP useless until moved. I thought when I first read about the project that it would take up a pretty large footprint (I thought about doing the same thing). I have to admit, it's a very nice cab.
-
I noticed you had it up against the wall making one of the CP useless until moved. I thought when I first read about the project that it would take up a pretty large footprint (I thought about doing the same thing). I have to admit, it's a very nice cab.
Yes. If You put 4 chairs around it it would take up a lot of room. I hope to be moving into a house come late spring or summer. I've told my wife this is conditional on me getting a game room. :D
-
Nice job eh, very cool design...must be very sturdy as well.
I think a black top and maybe even smoked glass would better compliment all that oak, just my 2 cents though.
-
WOW!! That looks great...
I need measurements!!!
-
I like that a lot.
Are you a carpenter by trade?
Have u installed any casters to help move it away from walls or rotate.
Again nice wood.
Bowza
-
Honestly, I did not mind at all the original, light, unstained/unpainted look. ;D I mean, come on - who hasn't seen black laminate or wood stain on a cocktail cabinet? 8)
-
I love the design as well. Really sharp.
Good work!
-
nice!
-
Now THAT is a cabinet with class.
-
A+ i would keep the glass clear i wouldnt want to cover your wood stain , and darker glass would hide it some. looks very well made.
-
How does it work for playing fighters on the longer CP? I'm planning on doing the same thing but I also want it to be comfortable to play at...
-
This cabinet should be nominated for the HOF for its sheer simplicity. I'm sure we all would like to know what the measurements are or what plans you used. This one is for everyone: Do you think a Ms. Pacman cocktail top would fit instead of the one pictured?
-
Web Site is up.
Measurements are available on Site.
My HTML was never much good. Now it's now not much good and also very rusty. These pages are hosted on my home PC until I can find better hosting so they may be a bit slow.
http://quarters.ca
-
Are you a carpenter by trade?
Have u installed any casters to help move it away from walls or rotate.
Bowza
While I would not call myself a carpenter, I have been working with wood most of my adult life.
It slides fairly easily on the t-molding. I have the t-molding going all the way under on both short sides.
How does it work for playing fighters on the longer CP? I'm planning on doing the same thing but I also want it to be comfortable to play at...
I find it comfortable, but then I drive with my seat all the way back and have been known to get a good night sleep on carpet covered concrete.
Do you think a Ms. Pacman cocktail top would fit instead of the one pictured?
My top is 30" x 36" I think a Ms. Pacman is 22" x 32"
-
This is by far the best looking custom cocktail arcade I have seen, thanks for sharing the plans, it makes me want to build one.
-
First off I'd like to echo the sentiments of all the above. A great design and beautifully built.
Couple of questions for you if you have the time.
1. How are the control panels attached to the frame?
2. Have you boxed in the control panels completely or are they open underneath?
3. What did you use to cut the slots for the interlocking sides?
-
excellent cocktail, but why the fourth side? i can't imagine a cocktail ever being out away from a wall unless you're talking about the dinner table one called complex. nice work though, looks fantastic. needs some artwork on the top panel though. then it would look like some sort of real arcade cabinet. did you do all the woodworking by hand? or cnc some?
sorry if any of these questions were already answered, i'm trying to finish some homework for class, so i don't have time to read it all...
-
1. How are the control panels attached to the frame?
2. Have you boxed in the control panels completely or are they open underneath?
3. What did you use to cut the slots for the interlocking sides?
1. I was kind of hoping no one would ask me that :-\ I wanted to use some sort of hinge system for easy access. even tried a few hidden hinge types. They all made gaps or left the cp a bit loose. In the end I rigged a cheap home depot connector attached to the back of the cp. This slides into a routed slot in a 3" piece of scrap oak to secure the back. See diagram below ( must learn some 3d modeling program ). At the front I secure the cp with a few wood screws.
2. Closed in. I have a 3 year old son.
3. A skill saw with clamped straight edge guide. I finished the cuts with a jig saw.
-
excellent cocktail, but why the fourth side?
Quick reason: Fighters.
Not so quick: I don't play fighters. IMO if you've have played one fighter game you've played them all. For that reason I did not want 2 joysicks and a pile of buttons crowding up my primary horizontal side. Some of my friends are big fighter game fans so I wanted to have the ability to play them. When my friends demand Xmen or some such it's easy to turn the cab around. While it's there I do enjoy a multiplayer game of Mario Bros. and a few other games.
Also The semitry is nice. Most 3 sided cocktails appear lopsided IMO.
-
I think I've said this before, but that is one of the nicest cocktail cabs I've seen.
I agree that using all four sides gives it a more balanced look. It also gives you more space for different types of controls without the need for swappable panels.
-
Thanks Quarters for taking the time to answer. I love the construction technique and would be looking at doing something similar whilst trying to remain mildly original.
I'm pretty sure a skill saw is what we would refer to in the UK as a circular saw.
That said, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!
-
Great cocktail!
Just out of curiosity...did you end up using that plastic you mentioned for the bezel or something else?
-
Looks great. And I'd image it'd get pretty good wife/girlfriend approval since it looks fairly inconspicuouse. :)
-
I'd like to chime in and congratulate you on a design well done.
Darryl
-
That is AWESOME! Man my next project is gonna be totally along these lines... meaning next summer I'd like to have something like that kicking. Cocktails IMO are the cabinets that look best with the natural wood finish, infact I think it really classes em up about %100
Great Job!
-
Awsome build, Was gona check out the measurements but the site is down :(
Web Site is up.
Measurements are available on Site.
My HTML was never much good. Now it's now not much good and also very rusty. These pages are hosted on my home PC until I can find better hosting so they may be a bit slow.
http://quarters.ca (http://quarters.ca)
-
Pulled these out of the internet archive for that site. Can't guarantee accuracy but they look correct.