The NEW Build Your Own Arcade Controls
Main => Project Announcements => Topic started by: Ritalin on January 15, 2008, 02:52:10 am
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Hey all,
Long time lurker, first time poster.
Ok, so my New Year's resolution is to build an arcade cabinet. After reviewing many of the options available my end space is limited so I want to go with a bartop/tabletop arcade cabinet.
This will be made on the cheap. It will be powered by old computer parts lying around the house.
They are:
Toshiba Satellite 2805-S202
PIII @ 500 Mhz
256MB RAM
10 GB HD
Dell 1905 Ultrasharp 19" LCD (Pretty big for a bartop I know)
Old External PC Speakers
Powered by:
MAME 0.65
MaLa v1.04 front end
Luckily I've been reading these forums a lot and have installed tiny XP on the lappy, with all games running smoothly. The key factor of this bartop is that I'd like to make the screen rotate (manually) between vertical and horizontal.
Here is a simple sketch of the basic cab layout (ignore the missing trackball on the left):
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=93161)
The image on the left is in the vertical orientation.
The image on the right has the display rotated in the horizontal orientation.
Since this is a bartop/tabletop, I've disassembled the laptop and taken out all non-essential parts. The LAN, floppy, laptop display, internal speakers, touchpad and internal keyboard are all gone. I want this baby to be as light as possible and not a power hog.
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=93163)
Setup running in the vertical mode
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=93165)
Setup running in the horizontal mode
Games are running VERY smoothly. So far, so good.
The Dell 1905 LCD is great too because it's made to rotate. Visual angles don't have many dead or dull spots and I figure I could use the mounting bracket inside the cab for the swivel.
CONTROL PANEL QUESTION:
I'm a bit new to all of this and would like some input on the controls I should include. Again, this is a small tabletop, but because of the rotating LCD and the size of the LCD itself, it will likely bit a bit wider than expected. Control panel width will be about 23" wide. Is that too small for two player controls?
I was thinking a Player 1 joystick on the left, three buttons for player 1, then a trackball in the middle, then a Player 2 joystick with three buttons for player 2 (as shown in sketch).
Is this control setup too ambitious for a smaller setup?
Any input is appreciated as I still don't know how many buttons I truly need for each player, etc.
That's it for now.
This project has officially been launched! :D
EDIT: This originally started as a rotating display project. For a bartop, the 19" LCD was just too big for cab to look good (too wide.) I'll save teh rotation idea for my full stand up cab someday.
EDIT 2: I just can't give it up. The monitor rotation is back on.
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Since this is a table/bartop you might want to consider making a detachable panel for the trackball. Things get really crowded with 2 joysticks and a trackball and you'll want a bit of space to comfortably spin the ball.
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Hi Ritalin,
Your plan concepts look very close to my own bartops that I'm nearing completion of at the moment... you might want to look at my project thread (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=72281.0) for some ideas.
You're likely to find if you're going for a 'rotating' LCD that you'll end up with a larger (especially taller) bartop than you planned on. Since you're going for a manually rotating LCD (at first, I was going motorised), I would suggest the method i'm going to use which is a bezel with the LCD mounted on the back of it that you can pull out, rotate, and put back in easily. If you go for rotation INSIDE the cabinet, you need to consider a LOT of extra room because the LCD when halfway rotated is diagonally longer than the width.
If you're stuck on having a trackball I also second the recommendation to do a removable control panel. 23" is NOT big enough for 2 player controls and a trackball in the middle... for that matter its going to feel cramped enough for just 2 player controls even with only 3 buttons each. My bartops will be able to do virtually everything my upright can do but two players will never be its strong point, although I can plug two 'single player' control panels in at the same time (due to them being removable).
I'd also make sure you test ALL the games you're likely to want to play with that configuration, as a PIII500 is not going to be able to run Mortal Kombat, Golden Tee, anything 3D, etc... even things like Snow Bros or Bubble Bobble might choke a bit when the screen gets busy (my first config was a PIII 600 and I recently upgraded it to a P4 1.7ghz for that reason). Similarly you'll quickly run out of room with a 10gb drive unless you're going to be selective with the games you put on it.
Good luck with your project, I look forward to watching your progress since its a very close theme to my own (I hope for my own sake I beat you though since my projects have been going for months :D )
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That machine will run Alien Vs prediator? When I built my first machine, I tried a P3 550 mhz and it wouldnt run hardly any of the newer games. Even Galaga 88 was so choppy it wasnt playable. I wound up going with an AMD 950 mhz, and I plan to change it out to a 2.4 ghz P4 this spring.
Anyway, looks like you are off to a good start.
I suggest you go ahead and put a motor on the monitor. I dont think it will take up that much more room.
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With a 19" bartop - I wouldn't even worry about rotating the monitor for vertical games. They'll display of decent size already. My 2 player bartop uses a 24" CP and it's the smallest I would go for a 2 player cabinet.
2 player bartop:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=65651.0
Galaga Themed small bartop:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=68683.0
I also used a laptop for this project.
My advice would be to ditch the rotating idea. It'll force you to build a cabinet with a very large monitor enclosure to deal with the rotation, or the rotation will be such a pain you'll quit doing it. Put it behind some smoked plexi and you won't even notice the wasted space on the monitor.
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Since this is a table/bartop you might want to consider making a detachable panel for the trackball. Things get really crowded with 2 joysticks and a trackball and you'll want a bit of space to comfortably spin the ball.
Thanks for the suggestion, and a good one at that.
Is there a link to a connector to purchase for making detachable controls?
I have no problem even making the two-player controls detachable as a removable "side-car" when needed.
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dmworking247, thanks for the link and excellent. Wow, your project was eerily similar, (except I can already tell that you have much much much better woodworking skills than I will ever have. :)
It's starting to sound more and more like detachable controls would be the way to go for a trackball or two player controls. Since there's something "special" about a trackball mounted on the fixed controls, I think the idea of making all two players controls detachable is a much better idea.
Your point about making the display fixed for manual rotation also makes sense.
I could just make this thing vertical and be done with it, but Aliens and Robocop look so good in the horizontal mode!
As for the performance of the machine, I'm a computer geek and I've spent a frustrating week getting everything running VERY smoothly. After trying out SpyStyle's DOS boot disk, Gamelauncher, MAME32 and others, the very best way to get things running smoothly for me was to use Tiny Windows XP with the Explorer interface completely removed from Windows, and an old version of MAME (in this case, MAME 0.65) I tried all sorts of flavors and options, and this works perfectly. I also needed to install MAME 0.85 just to have MAME create xml files for MALA, and then go back to using MAME 0.65.
Performance is shockingly good, especially considering this laptop is driving an external display at a high resolution.
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Galaga Themed small bartop:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=68683.0
I also used a laptop for this project.
My advice would be to ditch the rotating idea. It'll force you to build a cabinet with a very large monitor enclosure to deal with the rotation, or the rotation will be such a pain you'll quit doing it. Put it behind some smoked plexi and you won't even notice the wasted space on the monitor.
You're the one who got me addicted to this stuff! Yes you!
That Galaga theme is exactly what pushed me over the edge into an actual build. I honestly think that's the coolest project I've ever seen here. Yours is really small, and excellent, but I think I want to essentially just expand the scale to accommodate my 19" LCD.
Everyone is right about the rotation. I should give it up and just make it vertical.
However, it's like pocket kings in Texas Hold 'Em that you just can't fold when an ace comes on the flop and you know you're probably beat. I'm struggling here! :D
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"....the very best way to get things running smoothly for me was to use Tiny Windows XP with the Explorer interface completely removed from Windows, ......"
A little off topic here but would you mind describing a little on how you did that? I got a copy of TinyXP. What else did you do to it? Did you have any driver issues? As others have said, those are some tough games to run on such a low spec machine, I'm impressed. :applaud:
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"....the very best way to get things running smoothly for me was to use Tiny Windows XP with the Explorer interface completely removed from Windows, ......"
A little off topic here but would you mind describing a little on how you did that? I got a copy of TinyXP. What else did you do to it? Did you have any driver issues? As others have said, those are some tough games to run on such a low spec machine, I'm impressed. :applaud:
Actually, if you're using TinyXP, you're all set. The TinyXP install CD has explorer removed already. It's setup to dramatically reduce CPU usage by Windows. For me it was a struggle of finding the exact combo of an OS and and old MAME version and settings to get things working. I tried doing DOS only then Win 98 SE and then finally settled on TinyXP when I was really impressed with the performance.
For my setup, MAME 0.65 was the one I needed to use, but I had to use MAME 0.85 (I think...it was a later version of MAME) for a brief moment to generate XML files to use with MALA.
Also the setting that drove me CRAZY trying to figure out was to turn OFF the setting for "Stretch using Hardware." When I had this on (it's on by default) the resolution was always blurry. Turning it off did the trick.
Hope any of this info helps.
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I use TinyXP and the newest version of MAME that allows the skip claimers to be set. I use PIII 600mhz with 256-512mb of ram and they run most everything at full speed.
Whats the side profile of this machine going to be? To be Galaga themed, I think it's important to incorporate both the top curve and the point at the CP.
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I really hope you stick with the rotating monitor.
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You may want to check out my post and this link :
https://share.adobe.com/adc/adc.do?docid=68037683-c164-11dc-be2b-2b3a237bf757
You can rotate the monitor in a pretty small space and at pretty low cost. To keep the cabinet small, I woul be tempted to simply cut slots in the side that allow the monitor to pass through as it rotates around. You could even make spring loaded doors that pop open or control them using a servo
Also, the Velcro panel mounting I did might also be adapatble to a smaller cabinet to allow you to swap out controls easily..
Cheers!
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You may want to check out my post and this link :
https://share.adobe.com/adc/adc.do?docid=68037683-c164-11dc-be2b-2b3a237bf757
You can rotate the monitor in a pretty small space and at pretty low cost. To keep the cabinet small, I woul be tempted to simply cut slots in the side that allow the monitor to pass through as it rotates around. You could even make spring loaded doors that pop open or control them using a servo
Also, the Velcro panel mounting I did might also be adapatble to a smaller cabinet to allow you to swap out controls easily..
Cheers!
Holy bananas! :notworthy:
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I use TinyXP and the newest version of MAME that allows the skip claimers to be set. I use PIII 600mhz with 256-512mb of ram and they run most everything at full speed.
Whats the side profile of this machine going to be? To be Galaga themed, I think it's important to incorporate both the top curve and the point at the CP.
What exactly is the "skip claimers" setting?
I totally agree. My sketch was crude, but I'm going for the same curve/proportions of a real Galaga cabinet.
I love the look of the real ones, so that's why I want to mirror it in a smaller tabletop cab.
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I really hope you stick with the rotating monitor.
Me too.
I just can't give it up.
I tried some rough proportions that would make my bartop 23" wide and 39" tall if I stick with the rotating display.
I have all the software setup in Mala for horizontal/vertical and I have an LCD that's made to be rotated and looks great, complete with the rotating swivel mount. It would be a shame to ditch the idea simply because of my lack of woodworking skills.
Plus, it will be THAT much more rewarding if I pull it off. :D
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To keep the cabinet small, I woul be tempted to simply cut slots in the side that allow the monitor to pass through as it rotates around.
Excellent, excellent suggestion.
I was thinking more about the rotation, and my goal would be to have a long dowel go straight trough to the back of the cabinet, with a mini turning steering wheel in the back. This way the front and sides would not need a lever or something to pull to manually turn it.
Space inside should not be a concern because I'm running this from a dismantled laptop and using an LCD instead of a CRT.
I like about the idea of the slots and the potential to even mask them visually with overlay artwork and careful cutting. Thanks.
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I use TinyXP and the newest version of MAME that allows the skip claimers to be set. I use PIII 600mhz with 256-512mb of ram and they run most everything at full speed.
Whats the side profile of this machine going to be? To be Galaga themed, I think it's important to incorporate both the top curve and the point at the CP.
leapinlew, I noticed that you included a pic of the Galaga side panel, complete with measurements of the front control panel, etc. Thanks!
Are these found somewhere online?
My goal is to make the exact same curves and proportions of this, so if you have any additional images/measurements of this bartop image you included, I would really appreciate it if you could post them, thanks!
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However, it's like pocket kings in Texas Hold 'Em that you just can't fold when an ace comes on the flop and you know you're probably beat.
GOD I HATE THAT.
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I use TinyXP and the newest version of MAME that allows the skip claimers to be set. I use PIII 600mhz with 256-512mb of ram and they run most everything at full speed.
Whats the side profile of this machine going to be? To be Galaga themed, I think it's important to incorporate both the top curve and the point at the CP.
leapinlew, I noticed that you included a pic of the Galaga side panel, complete with measurements of the front control panel, etc. Thanks!
Are these found somewhere online?
My goal is to make the exact same curves and proportions of this, so if you have any additional images/measurements of this bartop image you included, I would really appreciate it if you could post them, thanks!
I downloaded it from somewhere. I'd like to give credit where credit is due, but I do not know who designed it. Really it's just the top of the Galaga machine.
What you want to do is print out a copy of that to size (I used visio to print out across many sheets of normal paper). And when you get the size you want - trace it and cut it. Here is a link to my multi-williams build. You only need to read the 2nd post to know what I'm talking about
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=60017.msg593094#msg593094
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Got it, thanks, leapinlew.
I use Illustrator all the time, so I'll place the graphic into Illustrator and do exactly what you said from your link (scale up, print, cut). Thanks again.
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[I was thinking more about the rotation, and my goal would be to have a long dowel go straight trough to the back of the cabinet, with a mini turning steering wheel in the back. This way the front and sides would not need a lever or something to pull to manually turn it.
Using a manual method will work, but depending on the friction in your mount you may need a Brake to keep the monitor from moving as people are playing and shaking the Cabinet, or just under its own weight (my monitor was bottom heavy to the 4x3 position)
The other thing I found was that a LCD monitor is easy to turn if you grab the outside-- not so easy if you try to turn it from the center. One of my first attempts used a belt and and a pulley, and I simply couldn't get enough torque with my motor to move it.. then it tried to move it by hand... it was really, really hard. Torque is God. If you plan on moving this on a dowel arrangement, plan on having a large wheel (greater than 16 inches) on the back . Also, I imagine a large wheel will assist in feeling ones way to the back of a of the cabinet to turn it -- unless it literally is going to be on a "bar top" and you can just walk behind the bar.
I am not sure what Mala lets you do (i used 3d arcade), but you may consider letting the PC do the turning. I wrote an .exe file to turn things via the parallel port automatically based on the mame info fo rthe game, and it uses "off the shelf" electronics. 20 Solder connections, and you are done..
Also, It has a lot of WOW factor when it happens (guests are always somewhat surprised when they select a game and the monitor starts moving. ) It also has the benefit of applying a brake to the motor wheel once its dione moving so the monitor is likely to stay where it stops.
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Excellent points. An automatic motorized rotation mechanism controlled by the PC would be AMAZING, but I have absolutely NO idea how I would pull that off.
I'll definitely keep your suggestion in mind about maximizing the amount of torque. Good point. I really don't want to ditch the idea of a rotating display, so even if I run into issues with a back wheel idea, even if I have to use a side lever, that to me if better than no rotation at all.
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Excellent points. An automatic motorized rotation mechanism controlled by the PC would be AMAZING, but I have absolutely NO idea how I would pull that off.
Just copy mine? Our two projects are very similar, the mechanism I used is pretty simple, and I am certainly willing to help you get it done. What part of the project seems difficult? If its the electronics work, I can easily order the parts, build them and ship the driver to you in an envelope at cost. (it would take me about 20 minutes to solder it all together) The only part I am not sure of is how your front end would call my driver program with the required parameter for each game (3x4 or 4x3) I can modify the program to use different values of course. I could probably even make it parse through Mame Info to get the right parm, but I am not sure how gracefully that would work, as you would have to call MAME from a BAT file so my program could see what game was being loaded....
On an unrelated note... there is one other caution I forgot to mention--- Make sure Your ANSI mounting holes are dead center if you are using a standard monitor mount. Mine were not, so the screen ended up almost an inch to the right of center when the monitor rotated. I said a couple of curse words and described what an Idiot I was, and then proceeded to design a new mount....
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weisshaupt, that's an incredibly generous offer. Yes, my biggest concern is the electronics works as well as getting things to work properly with MALA. I think what I'd like to do is simply put any automatic motorized rotation mechanism controlled by the PC on hold for a bit. I've read how many others ran into problems just having a rotating display in their bartops, so if I add this to the mix, it may be a bit overwhelming for a newbie like myself. But seriously, thank you so much for the offer of your time and experience and if I get the manual version working properly, I may be able to modify it for automated rotation later on down the road.
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Ok, so based on the artwork sample provided by leapinlew, (thanks!) I've been playing around with some dimensions and proportions for the galaga bartop. Here's what I tentatively came up with using Illustrator (I reduced the depth a bit, etc.):
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=93315)
One issue is that the LCD I have for free is great but pretty big for a bartop. It's a 19" 4:3 LCD. This means I think I want to recess it back into the cabinet a bit so that it isn't too "in your face" during gameplay. Also, the closer I can get it to the back, the more torque I would have with a rear wheel during rotation from vertical/horizontal, etc. Would it be crazy to move it even farther back? Any thoughts on this?
I have the LCD tilted to 20°.
Anyone have any thoughts on whether lowering the display so it's actually positioned below the control is a bad idea? For example, maybe having the bottom of the LCD be just three inches above the base of the unit, so you need to really look inside and get in the game.
Also, by my proportions above, the marquee would be just over 4 inches in height. Is this too small for a bartop that is 27" in height total?
I have some wiggle room to work with by lowering the LCD, but I really would like some input from those who have built cabs before since I don't want it looking too disproportionate. Thanks.
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Mala can switch orientations on a button press, and I'm pretty sure it can launch MAME in the orientation that matches the layout.
ie if Mala is horizontal when you launch MAME, mame will have the game horizontal, and vertical if Mala is vertical.
An idea I'm toying with is having a 'sliding switch' on the back of the bezel, which is basically just a ball bearing in a tube... when you turn the bezel it would roll down and 'press' the button which would automatically rotate Mala's display (and thus MAME when you launched it).
Whether you motorise the rotating mechanism, rotate it manually, or use a 'pull out, rotate, put back in' method like I am with my bartops... I think this is a novel way of easily rotating the orientation of the screen 'automagically' without pushing any buttons.
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Ok, so this weekend I got to brainstorm with my dad about this cabinet I'm preparing to build. After telling him I wanted to rotate the display and using words like "steering wheel", "torque" and "automatic mechanisms" my dad broke things down like only he can. He just said, "Woah, why go through all of that? Why not just build a frame and then have a door open on the side so you can turn it?"
What he said made perfect sense. This low-tech solution solves all rotation problems and even allows me to use the existing stand I have for the LCD!
Essentially this is an interior frame built from 2x2s, with a fixed shelf for the top, marquee bottom, and the base. The Galaga curved sides will be cut from 3/4" plywood. They will be fixed on the left, but on the right, the Galagaesque curved side will open on a hinge like a door to allow me to reach inside and rotate the LCD manually. This avoids all issues with a steering wheel, etc. (An automated mechanism would be the best alternative and I really do appreciate the suggestions, but I feel that's frankly over my head with no skills at all in woodworking or wiring.)
So I sketched out an idea of my updated plans.
(Please excuse the crude sketch, but now the revised design concept might make more sense:)
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=93673)
I may not make the door go all the way to the top, but rather stop at the bottom of the marquee shelf.
There will be a circular bezel to allow for vertical or horizontal orientation.
With the side door, turning it from the right sound be a snap.
I already have Mala setup for vertical/horizontal orientation via the keyboard (for now) and can create custom game lists for vertical or horizontal games.
I'm estimating a width just over 23" for the control panel.
With this type of width (23") does anyone have a suggested button layout they could recommend for this bartop?
I have the following on order:
OMNI-Stik PRODIGY (TM) Arcade Joystick System
TurboTwist 2™ Arcade Spinner Control
HAPP CONTROLS 3" USB TRACKBALL
KeyWiz-ST
Assorted buttons..lots!
I would like to eventually make a Player 2 control panel w/joystick more like a "side car" that can be plugged in via cat-5 cable on a side port. So for now, I'm thinking that the full 23" should be devoted to player 1 controls/buttons.
The player 1 & 2 along with a coin button will be fond on the front base much like the excellent layout provided by leapinlew's galaga themed bartop.
But for now, any suggestions are appreciated with the button layout, etc. Thanks.
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Novel idea for rotating the screen, but you're going to need to ensure you still have enough structural support for the rest of the cabinet now that your back wall isn't attached.
I still think the 'remove secured bezel, rotate and re-insert' method allows you a much bigger screen, but then if your cabinet is going to be 23" wide thats a WIDE bartop so you shouldnt have any problems (although it will be tall).
As for the CP layout, again if its 23" then you could get away with 2 player 6 button... but if you want a trackball, and if you are going for removable/interchangeable control panels, I'd suggest your main control panel is a 1 player, 6 button, with a right handed trackball (re-use the p1 buttons), and maybe a spinner above the trackball if it can fit (thats what I'm doing with one of my bartops but I'm using a micro-optical trackball).
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I'm also in the process of planning a bartop using an old laptop. But I read on the FAQ of TinyXP that it couldn't be used on laptops as there was no built in hardware support for laptop batteries. Of course I won't be bothering with batteries as it will be mains use only... but I was thinking that maybe TinyXP might still not operate on a laptop if it enounters a laptop BIOS or whatever. I'm not too technically minded with PCs I'm afraid. But you seem to have no issues with it so far?
EDIT: Sorry Ritalin... I see you posted in my Q on this in the software forum. Thanks! I will give this a shot then. :laugh:
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Just curious, but why are you going to use 3/4" ply on this thing? 1/2" would be alot lighter and plenty strong.
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Novel idea for rotating the screen, but you're going to need to ensure you still have enough structural support for the rest of the cabinet now that your back wall isn't attached.
Thanks for your reply. Actually, the back wall will be attached. It was hard to sketch out, but essentially it will be a frame of 2x2s, with just the right side door on a hinge for opening. This will allow access for turning, but also allow for other troubleshooting in case I need to get inside the thing. I could make the back also open up as well I guess, but it probably will not be needed (famous last words I know.) :D
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Just curious, but why are you going to use 3/4" ply on this thing? 1/2" would be alot lighter and plenty strong.
Good point. I debated over this for a bit and went with 3/4" for the following reasons:
* I'm using a super light gutted laptop as the engine for this thing along side a really light LCD, and I actually needed the extra weight. If I make the control panel two player, I didn't want the thing to be too light.
* Personally, I love the look of wider 3/4" t-molding on the edges. The smaller t-molding with this pretty large bartop would look disproportionate I think. This is a big bartop due to the size of the display I'm using.
The bezel will be 1/4" oak and my goal is to make the circular bezel fit perfectly BEHIND triangular matting (also made of 1/4" oak. Then I want to use bezel artwork to tie it all together. My goal is to make it so that when it's rotated, there isn't a clear indication that some art is "on its side". Galaga has some great bezel artwork (thanks to localarcade.com) that I will clean up in Photoshop and custom make so that the moons and scorpions and things will look correct either horizontal or vertical.
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Just curious, but why are you going to use 3/4" ply on this thing? 1/2" would be alot lighter and plenty strong.
Good point. I debated over this for a bit and went with 3/4" for the following reasons:
I'll support the use of 3/4". The screws will have more to bite into. I've built with 1/2" and it's not fun to work with.
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Just curious, but why are you going to use 3/4" ply on this thing? 1/2" would be alot lighter and plenty strong.
Good point. I debated over this for a bit and went with 3/4" for the following reasons:
I'll support the use of 3/4". The screws will have more to bite into. I've built with 1/2" and it's not fun to work with.
I hear ya. It's just a matter of preference I guess. I can't stand working with that thick heavy stuff. :P
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I've created some custom Windows XP boot screens for my galaga bartop project.
I thought I'd share them since others may want to use them as well. (it's all about sharing!) :D
These are easily added to your Windows XP system by doing the following:
Go to My Computer >Properties >Advanced >Startup and Recovery >Settings. Select “Edit startup options file”. Add “ /bootlogo /noguiboot” to your default operating system path (there must be a space between each switch)
It will look something like this:
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=93891)
Then download the custom 16-color 640 x 480 pixel BMP files I created in a ZIP file to this post.
Change the name of the file you want to use to "boot.bmp” and add it to your WINDOWS directory.
(I can't upload bmp files directly here, and I included a horizontal and vertical option.
JPG files below are for PREVIEW only and are full color JPGs
The ZIP file contains the 16 color bmp files you will need.
Enjoy!
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Does that work? I can never get it to work...
Nice job sharing. :)
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It worked perfectly the very first time I tried it with Windows XP.
At first I didn't know where to add the line of text, because many instructions don't officially show where for noob's like me, so that's why I included the screen shot.
I'm officially using "TinyXP".
Worked great, the only drawback is that you don't see the moving progress bar, but I didn't want to use a third party utility for this. Just a simple text hack/graphic.
Hope someone gets some use out of this. :D
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Ok, being a total woodworking novice, I finally broke ground and made my first cuts for this project.
First I created the template in Adobe Illustrator, printed each tabloid page sized @ 100%, and did page tiling to reproduce it:
(Bottom is approximately 22" and height is 27")
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=94103)
I first cut the two sides of 3/4" plywood separately with a jigsaw.
Then I clamped them together to see the small areas where the two pieces were off a bit.
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=94105)
After sanding them down evenly with a belt sander, the cuts are level and the curves came out pretty good.
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=94107)
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=94109)
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=94111)
Everything was even and I called it a night.
I'm happy with the results (dollar bill shown for scale):
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=94113)
After I use the router on it for the t-moulding, I'll clean up the edges with some plastic wood to give it a flush feel.
Since this was the first time I've ever used a jigsaw and belt sander, I'm pretty happy with the results.
That's all for now!
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Looks good!
One thing Patrick pointed out to me is that a real galaga machine doesn't have as pointy of corners near the CP. I rounded mine and it still looks good and the T-molding applied a little easier.
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Excellent point, leapinlew!
I'll round that out a bit. You're right, the t-molding having to have a near crease would be tough to apply.
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After mocking up the bezel with cardboard, it is with great sadness (sarcasm) that I will be ditching the rotating display idea for this bartop. The 19" LCD made for a cab that was just too too wide to look good with the LARGE circular bezel needed. No worries, I can always make a stand up cab that rotates the display someday!
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After mocking up the bezel with cardboard, it is with great sadness (sarcasm) that I will be ditching the rotating display idea for this bartop. The 19" LCD made for a cab that was just too too wide to look good with the LARGE circular bezel needed. No worries, I can always make a stand up cab that rotates the display someday!
Sorry to hear that Ritalin... I thought doing the rotating monitor was a great idea, but I understand your frustration.. I had my share of cussing mine trying to get it right. But I guess that is the price paid for pushing the envelope a bit.
Just one question.. Why are you using a circular bezel? When I made mine, I merely masked off the 3x4 and 4x3 aspects and painted the plexi. The monitor itself has 2 thin strips of plexi velcro'd to it only where it needs to.. (top and bottom when in 4x3, sides when in 3x4) The Strips are only about 2 inches high ..
You can see inside the cabinet for a second while its rotataing, but when at rest is looks great.
If you cut slots/or make doors for the monitor to move through you can pretty much make the cabinet any width/heigh you want. In mine there are slots cut that allow the monitor to rotate behind the control panel and behind the marquee area... height was my problem ;)
Anyway, I respect your decision to abandon the idea, but if you reconsider, let me know. I can certainly help with getting automatic control of the servos to open and close the doors and such.. or in a manual model, you might be able to spring load them and let them open as the monitor pushes against them..
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weisshaupt, thanks for your post. I really do appreciate your comments. For me, I wanted to go with a circular bezel because I simply wanted the user to be able to quickly rotate the display in one shot and have everything "ready to go" in a mode to play it. By making the circular bezel, it's the only way I could think of to have the proper coverage without removable bezels, etc. If you have a pic of your cab, I'd really like to see it with the slots on the sides, etc.
The actual theory of my design would work perfectly, it's just that my 19" LCD is so big for a bartop that the width of the thing makes it ascetically unpleasing as a cabinet to me. It's just far too wide for a galaga themed cabinet to me. So this design would still be perfect for a stand up cab. The irony is that since the LCD is 19" and large, playing horizontal games on it letterboxed with the LCD fixed in vertical position really isn't that small. So the end result will be a much more narrow vertical cab that follows the look and feel of a galaga setup if I just stick it in vertically and be done with it. Sad but true.
To me, the design, mockup, tweaking and building of these things is almost more fun that when I assume the final product is ready. So I'll simply make the rotating display for my next cab. :D
Thanks again for your comments.
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weisshaupt, thanks for your post. I really do appreciate your comments. For me, I wanted to go with a circular bezel because I simply wanted the user to be able to quickly rotate the display in one shot and have everything "ready to go" in a mode to play it. By making the circular bezel, it's the only way I could think of to have the proper coverage without removable bezels, etc. If you have a pic of your cab, I'd really like to see it with the slots on the sides, etc.
The actual theory of my design would work perfectly, it's just that my 19" LCD is so big for a bartop that the width of the thing makes it ascetically unpleasing as a cabinet to me. It's just far too wide for a galaga themed cabinet to me. So this design would still be perfect for a stand up cab. The irony is that since the LCD is 19" and large, playing horizontal games on it letterboxed with the LCD fixed in vertical position really isn't that small. So the end result will be a much more narrow vertical cab that follows the look and feel of a galaga setup if I just stick it in vertically and be done with it. Sad but true.
To me, the design, mockup, tweaking and building of these things is almost more fun that when I assume the final product is ready. So I'll simply make the rotating display for my next cab. :D
Thanks again for your comments.
I agree Ritalin, in fact, I believe I suggested as much in my first post, but it's cool you took a look at it for yourself. I look forward to seeing your progress.
To me, a 19" is too big for a bartop period.
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As Mark Twain (or someone) once wrote, "The reports of my rotating display's death have been greatly exaggerated" :D
I just can't give it up.
Like the ex-girlfriend that you know is bad for you but you can't help but calling after a drunken stupor, I just can't give up the idea of making this display rotate. I know it will be my downfall, but I have to go for it.
Thanks to weisshaupt's suggestion, I've revisited the idea of ditching the round bezel and working with either side cut slots or my original plan of a frame with side doors that open to allow the display to rotate. Either way, do or die, this thing will spin.
Wish me luck folks, I'm going to need it. :D
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I have updated my design to look something like this:
(http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/2773/arcadesketch2av8.jpg)
This design allows for the cabinet to be much thinner and not totally out of proportion due to a circular bezel. Also, when artwork will be applied OVER the door seams and cut with an Xacto knife, I have a feeling the seams will be, well, almost seamless.
The doors will stay put with a simple magnetic latch, and the beauty is that the galaga cabinet design itself (with the curved sides) means that the side panels extend past the interior box frame. No handles will be needed since the panel itself can be grabbed to open.
It will also be nice since you really won't have to open the door all the way, just a bit during the rotation.
This to me would be the easiest for a noob like me to implement.
We'll see how it goes. *gulp*
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Here's a mockup of what the cab will look like.
Tonight I finished cutting the side pieces, base, top and marquee shelf cut.
In this pic all pieces are just balancing on top of each other and nothing is actually attached.
I still need to make the back panel, use the router for t-moulding, sand everything to make it even and round out those sharp edges on the CP area.
The sides will have doors that open so they can't be attached directly to the base, etc.
Next step is the back. The back panel will be fixed without any door, etc. I will attach this to the base along with some "L" brackets for support, and then cut some 1x2s and 2x2s for the interior box frame for support since the sides will not be solid.
Please bear with me as I have no clue what I'm doing...but I'm having fun. :D
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:applaud: :applaud: :applaud:
Love it.
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I had thought about that but never started anything cant wait to see it. I also thought of having the LCD rise up out of the cab when powered on.
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Well, I got some tools like my router, bits, etc. and was able to start chipping away at this project (no pun intended).
Since I've never picked up a router in my life and am a general woodworking noob, I have a genuine fear respect for the tool, so I'm taking things really slow. I was able to route the 1/16" slot for the T-molding and things went perfectly.
I cut the back panel, which will be fixed to the base permanently. I fixed it with about 10 long screws and two "L" brackets for extra support. Drilling pilot holes and counter sinking the flat head screws again went really smoothly as I took my time and practiced on some scrap.
Here's a pic of the base and back panel with the side panel just held up for positioning only. (It's not fixed to anything since it will be cut for a door.) When the base is mounted to the side doors, it will not be flush with the ground. I want about 3/4" off the floor for the base. That explains the gap at the top for now in this pic.
Screen in horizontal mode (there's about 3/4" of free space on each side in horizontal mode):
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=94913)
Screen in vertical mode:
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=94899)
The 19" LCD display I'm using is a Dell 1905FP and it comes with a FANTASTIC stand that is adjustable in all sorts of ways, Up/down, left/right, back/forward, and it locks in rotation from horizontal/vertical. I'd be crazy to ditch the stand so I plan on using it. One thing I have to ensure is that the thing is dead center when rotating. It sure looks that way thus far, but I'll have to do an exact test soon.
In any event, I needed to lock the screen to not rotate from side to side, so this low tech solution should work:
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=94907)
Here's a side pic using some scrap to test the best height/angle fro the display:
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=94909)
Okay, besides the doors needing to open when the LCD rotates, I also have to make the middle marquee light shelf accommodate the turn as well, otherwise the LCD will hit the top of it when it rotates. So I cut a wide slot to allow for the rotation:
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=94903)
Please excuse the poor cutting. It's never seen, but I'll probably clean it up in the finishing stage. I just need a 3/4" finishing bit for the router. After doing this cut out, I'm also glad I went with 3/4" for the extra stability.
Here's a sample pic of the top of the LCD poking through the slot as the LCD turns:
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=94905)
I'll be sure to put the marquee light in FRONT of the monitor slot to reduce any light leakage through that slot and may use a wood partition as well for no light leakage.
That's it for now, next up will be the interior "shell" of 1"x2"s and 2"x2"s to hold up the shelves and allow the side panels to act as doors. Wish me luck.
P.S. QUICK MARQUEE QUESTION: Do people usually use t-molding on the top/bottom? (horizontal, right above/below the marquee art)? How are they mounted? Any link to a specific "how to" on mounting a marquee would be great, for some reason I can't find it. Thanks!
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Nice job,
What I've been reading, some kind of angle is popular. I didn't want the screws showing, but could easily use angle if the below does not work well.
This is what I did, the marquee will be held in with t-molding.
I ran the slot on the tablesaw before assembly at the proper angle. the marquee sits in two slots routed in the sides, then in rabbets cut in the speaker panel and top.
Not much material is left, but should hold a marquee.
(http://s2.supload.com/thumbs/default/P1010038.JPG) (http://s2.supload.com/free/P1010038.JPG/view/)
(http://s2.supload.com/thumbs/default/P1010039.JPG) (http://s2.supload.com/free/P1010039.JPG/view/)
(http://s2.supload.com/thumbs/default/IMG_1138.JPG) (http://s2.supload.com/free/IMG_1138.JPG/view/)
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it looks like a 19" may be too big to view in vertical mode once the marquee + control panel are installed.
So your monitor will be no slope? I usually tilt mine back a bit.
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Nice job,
What I've been reading, some kind of angle is popular. I didn't want the screws showing, but could easily use angle if the below does not work well.
This is what I did, the marquee will be held in with t-molding.
I ran the slot on the tablesaw before assembly at the proper angle. the marquee sits in two slots routed in the sides, then in rabbets cut in the speaker panel and top.
Not much material is left, but should hold a marquee.
I see, so the marquee sort of "falls back" against the material due to the angle?
That would make sense.
Is your t-moulding just the standard plastic or a harder material?
Thanks for the info and pics!
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it looks like a 19" may be too big to view in vertical mode once the marquee + control panel are installed.
So your monitor will be no slope? I usually tilt mine back a bit.
Actually, I think it will be fine.
I have plenty of slope on the screen. Below is a pic of the standard slope due to the tilt of the display stand. However, I added a 3/4" riser in the front of the stand (not shown) to give it a more severe angle.
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The t-molding is just standard t-molding, my saw blade is 3/32 not 1/8, which helps.
There was a picture of another bartop that used t-molding, sorry no link, but it looks like the marquee is set back. It looks really nice, it's orange (i think again) and ties it all in.
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Here are some final mockups before I make a final decision on the monitor position and angle.
Does this look ok?
After adding the marquee shelf, I realized if I pushy the LCD too far back, or tilt it too far back, it will be hard to see. But if it's too close, the large 19" LCD is too big for a bartop. So I took out the riser completely and positioned the LCD about halfway toward the front. The tilt of the display is the max allowable for the existing stand and it's actually just right. The last pic (with the side panel removed) should give a good idea of the tilt/positioning.
Just wondering in this will look ok as the LCD position. Thoughts welcome, thanks.
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sorry Ritalin... but, the monitor is just too big to rotate. You don't have to believe me. Build the CP and after the CP and marquee box are installed, you will know if you have the viewing angle or not.
good luck!
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sorry Ritalin... but, the monitor is just too big to rotate. You don't have to believe me. Build the CP and after the CP and marquee box are installed, you will know if you have the viewing angle or not.
good luck!
I think it will be very tight, - The CP will probably need more clearance than you are allowing, and the Marquee will have to be unnaturally narrow. Leapinlew might be right-- that monitor might just be too big for the size cabinet you are contemplating. I think you could overcome these difficulties by adding another 3-4 inches to the height...
but as that mockup stands, it appears its going to be pretty tight in there.
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Perhaps a 17" LCD would work, but at this point - I would build the CP and Marquee box and see what kind of space you have left. For my CP - I mounted 2 pieces of plywood at 90 degree's and then I took a roundover bit to it.
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Yeah, it might be too large to rotate, but please remember that these side panels are not attached. They will have doors in them where the monitor hits the sides during rotation. This will allow for the spin.
The keyboard itself is just there under the control panel for the demonstration.
If there's not enough room under the CP, then the keyboard can go in the back for troubleshooting only. Since the doors will open, I can always pull it out when needed so it doesn't have to be under the CP.
I'll see how things go!
if I build the entire thing and the LCD is just too big, I can always pickup a 17" replacement and use the existing cab, no worries.
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Yeah, it might be too large to rotate, but please remember that these side panels are not attached. They will have doors in them where the monitor hits the sides during rotation. This will allow for the spin.
The keyboard itself is just there under the control panel for the demonstration.
If there's not enough room under the CP, then the keyboard can go in the back for troubleshooting only. Since the doors will open, I can always pull it out when needed so it doesn't have to be under the CP.
I'll see how things go!
if I build the entire thing and the LCD is just too big, I can always pickup a 17" replacement and use the existing cab, no worries.
What I'm saying is, once it's vertical, there isn't enough viewing angle to see the monitor once the CP and Marquee are installed. Finish building it and give it a whirl...
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What I'm saying is, once it's vertical, there isn't enough viewing angle to see the monitor once the CP and Marquee are installed. Finish building it and give it a whirl...
I tested it out by holding up the top and marquee shelf with the LCD inside and I think it'll work. It's not the type of bartop that you sit "on top of" and look in really. it's more the type that you sit down in an office chair and play on an office desk at a comfortable arm's distance kind of thing.
I'm going to give it a try, but an ugly but possible option can be to simply do the opposite. Have the screen in the vertical mode to play horizontal games, and have it in horizontal mode to play vertical games. Easy one-button change in mala. Again, I don't think it'll come to that, but just in case, I like to have options. :)
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Quick shot of the underside of the new marquee shelf piece I had to cut. I had to scrap the original piece since the repositioning of the LCD means the slot needs to be more toward the middle. It gave me a nice excuse to use the router and the 45° angled bit to gain a bit more space. (Be nice, I've never used a router in my life until a few days ago.)
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Ok, so I had some time this weekend and got to work on my rotating LCD galaga bartop.
Here are some pics of the process:
Before taking the plunge of cutting the side pieces, I worked on extending the speaker knob.
The speakers will lay face down on the marquee shelf and I want a physical knob sticking out slightly from the underside. The reason for this is that I will use a "Y" audio connector for the audio out on the laptop to allow for a headphone jack. It'll be much easier to just have an actual knob to turn off the speakers when using the headphones.
I popped off the plastic knob and cut a dowel to fit to the desired length:
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=95403)
Then I used an "L" bracket and screwed tiny screws into the bottom of the speakers for mounting:
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=95405)
Then I just popped the speaker into place and cut a small hole for the knob to stick through.
Here's a shot from the underside (actual speaker holes not cut yet):
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=95407)
These are the main parts of the project BEFORE cutting the side doors for the rotating display.
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=95393)
Here are the sides AFTER cut them:
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=95395)
This is a simulation of what the doors will look like when they open for the rotation.
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=95397)
Here is a shot of the bartop with the LCD. Front angle with the LCD vertical.
Here's the simulated rotation and you can see it clears the sides and the marquee shelf slot also will work nicely:
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=95399)
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=95409)
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=95413)
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=95415)
Next up to work on are the hinges for the doors...gulp!
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Ok, I'm starting to have some real fun with this project.
Today I was able to add the hinged doors and the result worked PERFECTLY.
Here are some pics:
Back view of the bartop with the doors opened all the way:
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=95873)
Close up of the concealed hinge I purchased at the hardware store.
(Door is open in this pic and the gap will be covered when the t-moulding is added to the door)
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=95875)
Close up of the concealed hinge when door is closed:
(It locks to a 90° angle so there's no "stopper" or anything even needed on the front.)
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=95877)
Side view of the bartop with one door open:
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=95879)
Interior view of both doors closed with hinges:
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=95881)
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Here's what the revolution process looks like with the newly applied hinged doors:
Step 1 (horizontal)
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=95883)
Step 2
(Without doors, this is where the revolution would not work. The LCD would hit the sides walls and not be able to turn. Marquee shelf [shown in earlier pics] also has an interior cut slot to allow the LCD to pass through)
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=95885)
Step 3
(Voila! With the doors open, the LCD doesn't hit the sides and the display can turn.)
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=95887)
Step 4
LCD fully rotated into the vertical position.
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=95889)
Another shot [front] of the bartop with the doors fully opened
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=95891)
Side view of the closed door with the hinge applied.
That famous Galaga curve is still intact!
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=95893)
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Again, I'm really starting to have some real fun with this project!
I've found that the marquee shelf is the key piece to this entire build. I cut the slot in it for the LCD to pass through when rotating, but another feature is that I angled the sides to that this shelf will NOT be attached at a 90° angle to the back. It will be positioned at an angle which will allow for greater viewing angle of the display and a large marquee. The top piece will also be mounted at an angle and not flat.
The marquee should be 18 1/4" (w) x 5 1/4" (h) which should be fine proportionally for this bartop, I think.
Next up is to mount the marquee shelf, small side pieces and top.
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....wish me luck because if I haven't explained this before I have NO WOODWORKING SKILLS AT ALL and NO IDEA what I'm doing! lol
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Things are coming along actually with this weekend project and I had some time today to make some progress.
Since this is a rotating display, the marquee shelf panel is by far the most complex piece of the entire build. It needs to be positioned on an angle, needs a slot for the LCD to rotate, needs a bevel around the slot, speakers, light, and routed out slots for the marquee itself and t-moulding. I also added a physical volume knob that pops out a bit through the panel itself.
I'll be adding black felt to the inside opening of the slot itself to minimize light leakage, etc.
After finishing this piece, I was really happy with the results, and ironically, it looks like a smiley face. :D
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=96578)
I just used "L" brackets from the hardware store to mount some cheap Gateway speakers to the shelf.
Also included is a 12" undercab light assembly:
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=96580)
Here's a close up of the speaker grille with the volume knob slightly poking out:
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=96582)
The reason I wanted a physical volume knob is because I will be adding a headphone jack to the side of the cabinet, and I wanted a simple way to turn off the speakers completely if need be.
With the new marquee shelf added, I slid the LCD into place, rotated it with the doors open and it works perfectly!
Here's a pic of the LCD in its stand with the doors fully opened:
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=96584)
The cool thing is that after adding the marquee shelf, it obviously added a ton of support to the structure, and I will not be needing any sort of interior "box" for support. :applaud:
Here's a side shot of one of the doors opened just to see the depth, etc.
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=51525.0;attach=96586)
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Nice Job!
Looks like its coming along nicely!
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does it still spin with the doors open. the top half that doesnt open looks like its to low and in the way.
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Nice Job!
Looks like its coming along nicely!
Thanks, Weisshaupt! :cheers:
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does it still spin with the doors open. the top half that doesnt open looks like its to low and in the way.
Yeah, that's the reason the doors need to open (to allow it to spin.)
The top is fine actually.
I have wiggle room by cheating and using the LCD's built in size/positioning settings to tweak the display if need be, but so far it doesn't need it. I'm totally happy with it thus far, I just need to create the control panel, etc.
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I forgot to include pics of the LCD in the horizontal format.
Here are some added pics:
1. LCD rotated in the horizontal format for horizontal games
2 & 3. Overhead shot of the slot cutout for the LCD rotation (I'll be adding black felt over this hole with a slit cut in the felt.
4. A Straight on pic of the LCD in the vertical mode.
NOTE: I hope purists won't be mad, but even though I'm going with a galaga theme for this, I will be painting it in Galaxian colors. That means black interior with white side panels and alien green t-molding for the sides. (Sides will actually be 100% artwork with white background)
I just really like the Galaxian color scheme, but I'll be sticking with all Galaga artwork for marquee, side panels, CPO, etc. Again, sorry purists, but I figure I've already created a rotating display with open doors, so purity was gone long ago. ;D
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Getting there....added the top today.
The marquee is cardboard right now ;D
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Did you ever finish this project? What was the display like on the 19" monitor, as apparently 19" monitors are 5:4 aspect ration not the normal 4:3. Did you get boarders either side of the screen?
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Ok, this might be the biggest thread bump ever from a dead project.
Well, it's not dead anymore. I'm back and ready to finish this sucker!
I'm working on the control panel this weekend. Wish me luck...I'm going to need it. :)
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I'm planning on one of these two control panel layouts:
Layout 1:
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=103207.0;attach=272434)
Layout 2:
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=103207.0;attach=272436)
My favorite part is creating custom graphics.
Here is the custom side art I created for my cabinet in Adobe Illustrator:
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=103207.0;attach=272412)
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Those graphics are amazing! I like the way you were able to make the side art follow the curve of the cabinet, particularly the lower left hand side. It looks very natural and perhaps something Midway would of implemented if they were to have developed this bar top :cheers:
David.
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"Rise from your Grave!"
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Welcome back!
I really do like the idea of the swinging sides to allow room for the monitor to turn. (Just need to automate everything! :) )
It looks like a good answer to the diagonal room needed to rotate the monitor (we need a good phrase for the diagonal room... hmmm..)
Im looking forward to seeing your new progress!
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Nice to see you pull up the old thread. It's funny that I just happen to be reading this thread yesterday and then you came back. Can't wait to see how this ends up working, especially with a 19" monitor. Good luck!
Steve
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consider moving the reset button away from the pause button. too easy to hit accidentally.
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Those graphics are amazing! I like the way you were able to make the side art follow the curve of the cabinet, particularly the lower left hand side. It looks very natural and perhaps something Midway would of implemented if they were to have developed this bar top :cheers:
David.
Thanks, David!
I'm a graphics guy, so making the artwork is my favorite part. Wiring? Not so much. ;D
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consider moving the reset button away from the pause button. too easy to hit accidentally.
Good point. I'll definitely look into this. Thanks.
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I worked on the mock up of the control panel last night.
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=103207.0;attach=272444)
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=103207.0;attach=272446)
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=103207.0;attach=272448)
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=103207.0;attach=272450)
So I'm new to the wiring, for a bartop like this, on the control panel, what exact keys are these buttons usually assigned to?
(These are being wiring into a KeyWiz.)
I'm really only playing old arcade games with this thing, not N64 or SNES, etc.
Any info is appreciated, thanks.
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So I'm new to the wiring, for a bartop like this, on the control panel, what exact keys are these buttons usually assigned to?
(These are being wiring into a KeyWiz.)
The KeyWiz default keymap is set up for use with for MAME.
Installation document with wire-connection directions and the default keymap here (http://groovygamegear.com/PDF/KEYWIZ40_ECO_ST.pdf). For your panel, you won't need to use the Shazaaam! button for alternate functions. (shaded boxes in the pdf)
P2 Button 1 connects to board terminal "A". Pressing that button sends an "A".
P2 Button 2 connects to board terminal "B". Pressing that button sends an "S".
Just wire one input at a time. When you finish the inputs, connect a daisy-chained ground. :cheers:
Scott
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Welcome back!
I really do like the idea of the swinging sides to allow room for the monitor to turn. (Just need to automate everything! :) )
I was thinking the same thing ;)
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PL1/ Scott, thanks for your info. It's starting to make sense to me now.
Ok, so I've been working on the control panel this weekend. Here was my final design that I ended up mocking up in cardboard:
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=103207.0;attach=272506)
The cardboard mockup was really helpful, because after cutting out the holes and popping in the buttons, joystick and trackball, I was able to see just how much room I have underneath. (Not much!)
Next up was cutting it out of 3/4" plywood.
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=103207.0;attach=272508)
All the cuts seemed to go very well from the top view:
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=103207.0;attach=272510)
I couldn't really wrap my head around how to mount the Mag-Stick plus onto the control panel, and still have the CP flush from the stop. After a bit of brainstorming and beer, I routed out the underside of the control panel, to mount the plate.:
Underside View:
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=103207.0;attach=272512)
I then countersunk the screws, with clocking nuts from the bottom. Now the joystick is connected very well, sturdy and flush with the CP.
Then, I am going to use the mounting plate for the 3" trackball, so I routed out just a small thin layer of wood to get the mounting plate to also sit flush with the CP:
Top view:
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=103207.0;attach=272514)
Ok, next up was my toughest challenge, and one I was dreading this entire build.
I'm running this MAME bartop off a laptop, and the POWER button from the laptop is one that I had no idea how to make into an arcade button to turn on/off. This "button" isn't really a strong physical button at all. (Have I mentioned I know nothing about wiring? LOL) The button is more like a dimple, firmly attached to a ribbon cable. It looks like this (note this is a different button, not the power button, but just to give you an idea of the style of button I was dealing with):
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=103207.0;attach=272516)
Well, here, was my completely low-tech stupid idea, that actually worked perfectly. I simply drilling into a switch, and then filled that switch with a hard piece of plastic that will act as a contact point. (unlike a switch, this contact point in firmly in place.) Then, I just trimmed the ribbon cable, while holding it up to the light to ensure I wasn't cutting through any actual wires. I lined everything up before attempting, making a note of exactly where the arcade button's contact point hit that small piece of plastic. Then, the moment of truth: I KRAZY GLUED the button to the laptop's power button onto an arcade button. Now, when you push the arcade button, it touches the laptop's power button, and works perfectly each and every time! It looks like this:
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=103207.0;attach=272518)
It works!!
Then the last step was to go into Windows XP and set it so that the computer will shutdown automatically when you push the power button.
You do this by right clicking on the desktop and then selecting Properties > Screen Saver > Power > Advanced > "When I press the power button on my computer" select "Shut down". (You can also set it to "Ask me what to do", but then you'l also need an ENTER button on your cabinet to confirm the shutdown. I think I'll live dangerously, and just put the power button in the back.)
This way Windows XP properly shuts down, all via the Power button. It's not a power cut, it's a proper shutdown.
Onto the wiring of the control panel...
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I feel like you could probably have soldered a single wire to where the ribbon cable goes to the laptop and then one to any ground point. But I see no up close pictures posted.
Looks like what you did will work if everything is nice and secure, careful you don't rip the ribbon cable or you will be very sad. I have done exactly this when building one of my first bartops (it was a more important cable than Power Switch though).
Interesting to see you incorporate the screen rotation with a bezel in place, good work :applaud:
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You may very well be right that I could have cut the ribbon cable and spliced into the power cable wires, but I cut a different section with a non-essential button and the wires are so hard to wrok with, I would definitely mess something up. (Wiring is my weak point) so I just went with the low-tech solution.
Works like a charm!
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The guts:
I mounted the stripped down laptop and the rest of the guts into the interior, and I can't believe it...it all fit!
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=103207.0;attach=272538)
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=103207.0;attach=272540)
The good thing about having a strange bartop where the side doors open is that accessing the interior is actually really easy with both doors open.
My little ghetto power button attachment contraption is works great inside even when mounted in...whew! ;D
It's strange seeing all these components now take up such small amount of space. I've had this case, laptop, monitor and a big box of items lying around my place for YEARS. It's coming along...
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It's starting to take shape.
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=103207.0;attach=272599)
Here is the control panel (before wiring) of the layout.
Complete with 4/8-way joystick, 6-buttons, spinner, and light-up 3" trackball.
I tried Tempest and Arkanoid at home with the spinner for the first time ever...WOW. It rocks!