Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Project Announcements => Topic started by: glonq on September 29, 2008, 02:13:23 am
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This weekend, I started building a bartop that will primarily serve as a mame cab, but could also be a decent TV or PC. My main concern was to accommodate the fact that you'd expect a different viewing angle for each role (straight for TV or PC, tilted back for gaming). The design constraint is the fact that I'm not a mechanical engineer, nor do I have aspirations of becoming one. I'm sticking to noob-friendly woodworking. Here's the plan:
Cab in 'straight' orientation:
(http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/694/sketch1.th.jpg) (http://img522.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sketch1.jpg)
Cab in 'tilted' orientation:
(http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/8691/sketch2.th.jpg) (http://img522.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sketch2.jpg)
Here's the guts. 3/4" MDF + 2x2 frame:
(http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/3374/sketch3.th.jpg) (http://img522.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sketch3.jpg)
Note that the front panel (acting as an LCD bezel) will actually be made of wood, not plexi as shown.
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After a couple clumsy attempts at making straight cuts using a skill saw or a jig saw (w/ guide), I gave up and hauled all my MDF to a workshop that has a table saw and other proper tools. Wow, having the right tools for the job makes all the difference!
Clamping and gluing the frame onto the front panel:
(http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/4812/gluingfront.th.jpg) (http://img522.imageshack.us/my.php?image=gluingfront.jpg)
Fully assembled CP next to a fully cut/routed front panel:
(http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/3707/cpandfront.th.jpg) (http://img522.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cpandfront.jpg)
For sound, I'll sacrifice a couple low-end dell speakers:
(http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/1589/dellspeakers.th.jpg) (http://img522.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dellspeakers.jpg)
Installed the under-mount joystick kit from GGG:
(http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/7176/joystickmountkit.th.jpg) (http://img522.imageshack.us/my.php?image=joystickmountkit.jpg)
Cut the piano hinge using a jig saw + metal blade:
(http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/7586/pianohinge.th.jpg) (http://img522.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pianohinge.jpg)
Here's how the cab will look in 'straight view':
(http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/1875/frontstraight.th.jpg) (http://img522.imageshack.us/my.php?image=frontstraight.jpg)
Here's how it'll look in 'tilted' view (excuse the bad angle. and the hairy arm :P):
(http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/9513/fronttilted.th.jpg) (http://img522.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fronttilted.jpg)
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thats a smart idea with the angles for tv then arcade nice i like it :)
Good job keeping an eye on this
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Very cool! :cheers: This gives me a few ideas for my own. What kind of dimensions are we looking at? (width, height & depth)
Also are you going to have a DVD player coming out the side maybe? That'd be sweet.
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Very cool! :cheers: This gives me a few ideas for my own. What kind of dimensions are we looking at? (width, height & depth)
Also are you going to have a DVD player coming out the side maybe? That'd be sweet.
Roughly 25" wide, 21" high, 16" deep. Big enough to fit a 22" LCD plus a bunch of PC parts.
I still haven't decided if (or where) the DVD player will be exposed.
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I really like the design :applaud:
I know it's a little late but you could angle the left and right edges as well so you could do horizontal AND vertical orientation
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Smart design. Looking forward to seeing your progress.
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Slow progress this week:
Since it's cold and windy outside now, I built a ghetto-style enclosure in the garage for spraying the primer:
(http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/7990/spraypaintenclosuresk7.th.jpg) (http://img356.imageshack.us/my.php?image=spraypaintenclosuresk7.jpg)
After spraying the primer, I realized that I hate spray painting. Eff it, I'm gonna roll this sucker. Latex too, since oil is a PITA.
(http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/1584/img2595qh5.th.jpg) (http://img356.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img2595qh5.jpg)
3 primer + 3 paint + 3 clear coat = durable finish?
(http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/4959/img2599xx3.th.jpg) (http://img356.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img2599xx3.jpg)
A test fit of all the panels before I start gluing and screwing.
(http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/6082/testfitjd8.th.jpg) (http://img356.imageshack.us/my.php?image=testfitjd8.jpg)
A long weekend approaches (Canadian Thanksgiving), so I hope to finish off the CP (buttons, sticks, mini-pac), and then resume work on the cab.
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Halfway through wiring up the mini-pac harness (a nice time saver!)
(http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/255/img2602copyfo5.th.jpg) (http://img530.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img2602copyfo5.jpg)
The finished product.
(http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/3492/img2601copyht3.th.jpg) (http://img530.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img2601copyht3.jpg)
Time to finish the cab now... :P
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Looking really good.
So did you use latex based paint? and then clear coat it?
Any thoughts on this?
I used latex based and am not happy with the durability of it I think.
Kevin
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What about also making it tilt vertikal. Nice idea by the way
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Looking really good.
So did you use latex based paint? and then clear coat it?
Any thoughts on this?
I used latex based and am not happy with the durability of it I think.
Kevin
I'm sure the durability will be okay for the cab. Not quite sure about the CP, though. If 3 coats of polyurethane aren't enough, then I'll strip the sucker down and resurface it with shelf paper or vinyl or linoleum or something.
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Back to the cab. I wanted to make more progress on this, but a car decided to slam into my bike and dog and myself this week, and that slowed me down a bit. :dizzy:
Fully assembled (glued and screwed). Monitor seems to fit nicely. Piano hinges fit well enough.
(http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/6668/assembledcabwlcduq8.th.jpg) (http://img528.imageshack.us/my.php?image=assembledcabwlcduq8.jpg)
Painting the cab
(http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/3320/paintingcabrw3.th.jpg) (http://img528.imageshack.us/my.php?image=paintingcabrw3.jpg)
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No updates for a few weeks, but lots of progress. The thing is all painted now, and I stuck a $200 barebones PC inside. I haven't put the hinged top/back panels on yet.
Here's the guts:
(http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/2572/cabgutsqq7.th.jpg) (http://img135.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cabgutsqq7.jpg)
This is the cab in upright mode, pretending to be a PC:
(http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/4288/finaluprightja2.th.jpg) (http://img135.imageshack.us/my.php?image=finaluprightja2.jpg)
...and here it is tilted back, running Hyperspin and my fave classic game, Elevator Action:
(http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/6797/finaltiltedob7.th.jpg) (http://img135.imageshack.us/my.php?image=finaltiltedob7.jpg)
Okay, I'm definitely throught the woods on this project. My to-do list includes:
- Use piano hinges to attach top and back panels
- Build a little panel on the back for power cable, USB hub, power button, etc
- Decide on a front end (check out Mala and others)
- Figure a way to add sturdy handles that don't look crappy
- roms roms roms.
- Turn it into a Vista Media Center (TV tuner, remote control)
- Repeatedly spray all painted surfaces with clear coat until the bottle runs dry
FYI, cab specs are:
- AMD Sempron
- Geforce 6100 (onboard)
- 2GB RAM
- 500GB HDD
- Vista ultimate
- Acer 22" LCD
- Mini-pac encoder
- Hauppauage PVR-150 tuner
- Microsoft MCE remote
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looking real good!
Clever idea with the dual purpose too.
:applaud: :applaud: :applaud: