Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: rackoon on June 24, 2005, 12:03:38 pm
-
OK, follow what I'm thinking of,
First, I have to build a 3 sided cocktail cab with a 27' monitor (for space reasons) until my rec room is finished. Because of the display restrictions of a cocktail cab, I thought that I would have to skip the driving games that I love so much.
I tried to solve this problem yet the steering wheel always gets in the way. I thought to myself, what if I could tilt the cab 30 to 45 degrees in order to see over the wheel. This led to my first plan.
FIRST PLAN:
I talked to a local metal shop about making some feet for my cab that had a radius curve( like the front of a snow sled) on the long third person cp side. Although, this design has many flaws regarding weight and balancing, it would allow the cab to tilt better. (Then probably fall on me).
SECOND PLAN:
THEN IT CAME TO ME. WHY NOT HANG THE WHOLE CAB ON TWO ARMS THAT ARE CONNECTED TO THE BASE!
I could connect these at the perfect balance point so that the cab tilts towards the horizontal side, then it could be locked in place. The whole thing would work like a hanging decanter or a bingo number chip cage.
AM I TRIPPING?
CAN ANYONE THINK OF A BETTER IDEA?
HAVE YOU EVER TRIED TO PLAY A DRIVING GAME ON A COCKTAIL CAB?
WILL THIS THROW OFF MY MONITOR IN SOME FREAKY WAY? (I have read that they need to be adjusted for cocktail use)
WILL THE 49'ERS SWITCH QUARTERBACKS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON?
DOES EVERYTHING TASTE LIKE CHICKEN OR, DOES CHICKEN TASTE LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE?
-
You'll want to look at MAMEHac ... unfortunately, my DNS can't seem to locate the site and the Wayback Machine isn't cooperating with me.
http://www.arcadepinball.com/mameham
Cheers
-
This might be a little off topic, but a cocktail takes up more floor space than an upright. It may not have as much volume, but you're not going to be using the space above the cocktail for anything else, anyways. If you're building just 1 machine because of space constraints, you may want to consider the upright.
-
Its not just a matter of floor space, its where it has to go for now.
I have only one spot avalible and thats in my living room under part of my open stair case.
-
You'll want to look at MAMEHac ... unfortunately, my DNS can't seem to locate the site and the Wayback Machine isn't cooperating with me.
http://www.arcadepinball.com/mameham
Now I'm getting it fine:
http://www.arcadepinball.com
Cheers.
-
I think making the monitor tilt up 45 degrees would work better.
the cabs center of gravity would be lower, and it would probobly be easier to move up and down.
-
Aha! So the vertical space is being used. I pull back my statement.
-
Hi there,
I think your idea of a rotating cocktail cab on two supports is the better of the two ideas you presented. Getting the cab balanced would probably be an issue though. First off, to do the rotation, you are going to need some ground clearance below the body of your cab. So your cab is going to look more like a japanese style cocktail cab (like my cab) than a midway cab (which is basically a big box that sits on the floor). Take a look at the forums, and do a search for "japanese cocktail" or "taito cocktail" and you'll see what I'm talking about.
However, if I had a big cocktail cabinet and I was interested in driving games, I would consider a different strategy.. I am assuming you don't want another cab (my first recommendation would be to build and upright or a cockpit). Anyway, here is what I'm thinking--why not make your cocktail so your monitor can tilt upward? Make your cocktail cabinet so one of the sides horizontal to your monitor folds out like a gull wing door (kind of like the way the lower part of 1UP's spincade opens), and then have the other side of your monitor on a hinge so it can lift up. You'll have to have an enclosure protecting the neck of your monitor (and protecting your loved ones from the anode! :o). I'm hoping I have explained this well enough.. it would essentially allow your cocktail to transform into a really squat machine with an upright monitor. Possibly less effort than rotating your entire cocktail, and it would have some bling factor IMHO.
If this doesn't make sense let me know and I'll attach a sketch of what I'm thinking..
Anyway, before you go too deep down this path, it's always good to take a step back and think about things. Sure, it would be nice to play every game ever on one machine, but this type of flexibility often makes for a confusing setup, a frustrating build, or both!
Good luck,
88mph
-
You will likely get some funny colors when you tilt it due to changing the monitors position relative to the earth. You may want to think about an easy way to degaus when you tilt then again when you tilt it back.
-
Keep in mind the size of the monitor. Rotating it on an axis wouldn't be so hard, but lifting it into another position could prove pretty difficult.
-
Just as a possible option... Have you considered mirrors?
You might be able to put a 45 degree mirror ON the monitor as it sits now.
-
How about a 2-way mirror that acts as a glass table top when it's folded down and a regular mirror when lifted into position? I think Lilwolf may have really hit onto something here.
MIrror flipping is not a problem since MAME can do the flipping. Just set all your driving games to play mirrored. Then the mirror would "un-mirror it". That only requires one mirror. Did any of that make sense?
-
If you go with the 2-way mirror, though, you won't be able to have anything behind it that would show through when it's flipped up.
Heck, I don't even think you need a mirror. A dark tinted sheet of glass ought to do it. You know how you can see into a brightly lit store at night, but if you go inside you have a hard time seeing out? Same principle.
-
I've been planning to do a cab just like this for about a year-and-a-half now, and just recently got the monitor for it.
My plan is to have steering wheels on 3 sides, and get it set up similar to Sprint 8.
It will be a modular plan, so that I can swap out whatever I want, wherever I want, as well.
(2 wheels front, sticks on the side, trackballs anywhere, etc...)
I plan to use it AS a cocktail vertically, but an upright horizontally.
My concept is basically a standup cocktail, that will convert to a Candy Cab.
Here's a sketch of my tilt-up concept.
I was just going to use a piano hinge at the front, and a stop block at the rear (with locking pin holes to keep it from popping out, and crashing down).
My monitor weighs 110 lbs. bare, so I'm guessing I'll be pulling somewhere around 60 lbs. to tilt it up.
Not a big problem for me, but could be a problem for others.
-
So THAT'S your top-secret driving cab!
Nice!
-
WOW!
I just got done playing around with a mirror and my computer monitor.
It works totally great. Yea everything is upside down but like someone was saying that is easy to fix.
I'm excited now. This is going to rock! I wonder if I could find a light weight material that will work just as good as a mirror. But that's minor.
There sure are a lot of good thinkers on this forum.
-
If vertical space is the problem, you could attempt building a candy cab style setup, without the top speaker box. Basically like the diagram with the monitor in the up position......only leave it that way.
-
yea, I thought about that, but I like the ability of a 3 sided cocktail cab to play horizontal and vertical games.