Terminus clone - Game Central

[Zzap]

Hi all, I've finally kicked off my project to build a new cab to replace my aging behemoth of a 4 player showcase-like cabinet. Below is a pic of what I'm replacing, the aesthetics and size won't really be missed...

So onto the new plan. When researching plans for a slim machine based on an lcd monitor, I was blown away by the shape of the Terminus built by markc74, The way the sides made it look extra thin (already only 55cm) and the sleek curves I knew I'd be onto a winner (as long as I can cut that big sweeping curve!). http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,92156.msg1018061.html

The plan is to use a 27" monitor, along with a smaller 7" monitor to view control information.

For the actual theme I have been toying with the idea of something like "Fix it Felix", although the actual cabinet shape is a radical deviation from the original. I was thinking maybe something rather generic and in the same Fix it Felix blue for the sides and control panel (maybe with just "arcade" on the side or similar), and a Fix it Felix marquee. This would be similar to other generic cabs we were used to seeing back in the day, themed for the specific game only in the marquee. The Fix it Felix side art just doesn't seem to fit nicely onto the thin sides (would be scaled quite small) so I'm thinking blue background with some white text in a retro font and some retro lines might do the trick.

[Zzap]

Current progress includes cutting up a sawboard to help me cut straight lines (my wordworking skills would still be classified as amatuer for sure).

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,43568.0.html

While cutting the sawboard things were looking pretty good. I cut the first strip with the factory edge, then attached it to the larger strip to make the board. Unfortunately it was after cutting into the second board to get the nice straight edge I realised that the edge had a bow in it. Either the factory edge wasn't straight, or it had bowed as I glued and screwed it down. After prying the piece off and resting it on the ground I realised I'd have to bend the centre in around 5mm to get it square. so I glued it back down and reattached each end to the base plate, used clamps to pull the center out 5mm, then added the rest of the screws in.

To recover from the bow in, I found a strip of pine wood the exact thickness of the mdf (18mm), and 11mm wide. This would work perfectly, so I glued and clamped it onto bowed cut edge and waited til it dried. After drying I noticed a few small gaps between the mdf and the pine, so I went the extra step of using some epoxy resin to fill them in and make sure that pine edge wasn't going to rip itself off.

Finally another 24 hours later, I ran the circular saw over that edge and finally had a nice straight sawboard!

This has now cut up around 1/3 of the pieces I need for the build, all nice and straight (although the circular saw appears to be cutting on a slight angle, so not quite perpendicular on the vertical cut, maybe 5 degrees out which I can cope with).

Note the second photo shows the board from around halfway where the pine is at its thickest, tapering away to nothing at the end.

[Zzap]

Here's an idea of what I was thinking for the sideart, too simple?

I'm planning on the use of this blue and white (white t-molding) themed through the cabinet

[mcseforsale]

That's my favorite color blue:



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AJ

[Zzap]

Small progress, got 3 large sheets of mdf cut down into panels based on the terminus 3d model. No intricate cuts yet, but will start constructing the base soon.



To work out the best way to cut the panels out of the larger sheets, I used some software called Sheet Layout. I was originally trying to use the drawing tool Inkscape to do it manually and thought there must be an easier way! The free version worked ok as I could add all the parts I wanted to cut out, then toggle them on and off to insert them into the sheets. It seemed to optimise the first sheet well, then I could just disable every part that was shown on that sheet to create sheet 2 etc. Of course paying the $35 for the hobby version would have been a little simpler

http://www.sheetlayout.com/

[yotsuya]

If I were you, I'd come up with a different theme.

[Zzap]

Ok, playing with the graphics some more, I can see Fix it Felix really isn't going to work, so I'm heading down this more generic path now, working in the white and sky blue:



Really rough control panel, note the buttons are pulled from my previous machine, so the colours are limited:


Render - note I've dropped the idea of sideart since the cabinet sides won't really be too visible in my games room, and I think the solid blue will be fine

[PL1]

Not trying to threadcrap here, but are you REALLY SURE you want the marquee of your cab to read . . . "arcade"?   


Scott

[Rick]

Not trying to threadcrap here, but are you REALLY SURE you want the marquee of your cab to read . . . "arcade"?   


Scott

You wanna fight about it?

*gets idea*

Ah, the SPARCADE!

[DarakuTenshi]

I like the design and colors... I even thought about doing a Terminus myself.

[jammin0]

I love Terminus.

[Zzap]

Not trying to threadcrap here, but are you REALLY SURE you want the marquee of your cab to read . . . "arcade"?   

Fair comment. Sure the word "arcade" is quite generic, but so is the theme, and revolves much more around the colours and white lines than the name itself. Generic marquees like this, along with "New Game" etc were used pretty extensively in Australia, so I don't feel it detracts at all. I will consider other names, but "arcade" is working ok for me at the moment...

I love Terminus.

Thanks jammin0, your Ninja Monkeys version of the Terminus also inspired me. Can you provide any tips on cutting the sides?

[keilmillerjr]

I love the colors, but don't recycle them. Sell them on the forum and buy white buttons. Maybe a black background with white text on the marquee to break things up a bit?

[jammin0]

Thanks jammin0, your Ninja Monkeys version of the Terminus also inspired me. Can you provide any tips on cutting the sides?

I just free handed my curve with a jigsaw but I thought afterwards that a router could have done better.  Here's a crappy drawing to illustrate.  Used my ipad, nice eh?  The red is a router and it is tied down to a piece of scrap at the center point with a nail and a piece of 1x6.  You get the idea.

[Zzap]

Very nice drawing That does sound the best way to do it, but I'm a bit of a novice with my router. It may take some practice to ensure it's all attached and getting the right size cutout.

[jongunz]

I like simple so just putting arcade on the Marquee is cool.  I think the side art you had though made it look a lot better.  I would tie the white lines you had on the side in with the marquee and CP as well though.  I think the CP is too plain as is.

[Zzap]

Got a bunch of measurements of the sides taken off the Sketchup model of the terminus, helped me a lot to get the shape drawn out (this is probably the most complex shape I've ever cut out of wood!). I've attached a cut down version of the sketchup model with just the side and measurements, as well as a pdf version that might hopefully help someone else.

[Zzap]

I did manage to get one of the sides cut today, using my router, jigsaw and sander.

Looking through the box my router came with, I discovered it had parallel guide arms, and also came with a "trammel pin" for using one of the guide arms to act as a radius. Working out I could just fit the centre of the radius cut onto the board, I drilled a hole, dropped the pin in, and attached the router. I also wanted to stop the router before the control panel line, so I hammered a few small nails in to act as a stop when the router base hit them.



Using the technique of slowly lowering the router on multiple passes, I moved back and forth. Unfortunately there were a couple of times early on where the pin holding the arm in place loosened and the router bit into the panel I wanted to keep! (see below picture). I now need to work out if I can fill these with something like bondo, or to just make two more panels using this one as a template (bottom 2/3 of the cut went smoothly). The rest of the cuts went ok with the jigsaw, and all sanded down nice and smooth.




Newbie things learnt today:

• Frequently check everything attached to your router is tightly done up
• A piece of hose makes a pretty good curve drawing guide
• Random orbital sander makes light work of corner radii, just make sure you've got it perpendicular, drawing radius on both sides helps

[keilmillerjr]

Thanks for the pics and tips!

[Zzap]

Got the second side cut out using a template router bit. Looks fantastic, I'm very pleased with the result. I also got the issues with the original side filled with filler which seems to have worked really well.



Newbie tips learnt today:
 - using double sided tape does work great to join two pieces together when template routing as recommended on many router forums / videos. I used 5 pieces all up for the full side.


Made a few adjustments to the control panel art, I am leaning towards white buttons as has been suggested. Also added arrows with gradients to blend in the black joysticks / dust covers. Not 100% sure how I'll be mounting my trackball, so will either be the black mounting plate on top, or I'm just investigating the Groovy Game Gear high trackball mount (though I'm not sure if that will work with my Happ 3" ball or not).

[PL1]

Looks like it's coming right along.

Have you sorted out your emulators/frontend software yet?

Depending on your software choices and configuration, you may want/need different admin buttons.

This post, this one, and this one have some related thoughts on the design process.  YMMV.


Scott

[Zzap]

Thanks for those links, a few ideas in there. I'm thinking of using the Play button as a Pause too (my last panel had an explicit pause button, but I don't think it's necessary). Also going 100% coin based, I really like the experience of dropping coins in, and having a button to coin up previously really seemed to cheapen the experience (heh, literally too). Thinking of hiding other admin buttons inside the coin door for Tab, Mouse Left, Mouse Right.

[PL1]

Thinking of hiding other admin buttons inside the coin door for Tab, Mouse Left, Mouse Right.

. . . or tuck a wireless keyboard in there.   


Scott

[jammin0]

Wow, really nice looking sides there.  Coming along nicely.  Can't wait to see it standing.

[Zzap]

Can't wait to see it standing.

Me either!

Got the coin door cut today, and the wood for the centre right across the width at the bottom (I made it a single piece for added strength across there, but required a few extra cuts...). Also bought all the paint I need and did a test paint of a piece. The black has turned out perfect which was a slight surprise since it was on sale at the hardware store in the "mistint" section, marked down from $66 to $10!

Also got a bunch of furring strips cut for the framing, so should be able to get the base constructed tomorrow.

[Yvan256]

Coming along nicely, Terminus is a really nice-looking modern design.

One tip: if you are planning on having T-molding on your cabinet, now is the time to cut the slots.

[Zzap]

Thanks Yvan256, I knew it would need to be around this stage, but wasn't sure if it would be easier with the sides attached or not

[mcseforsale]

Do it now.  That way if you mess up (the router walks, etc), you can just cut/route another side, instead of taking a cab apart.

Looks good!

AJ

Thanks Yvan256, I knew it would need to be around this stage, but wasn't sure if it would be easier with the sides attached or not

[Yvan256]

Thanks Yvan256, I knew it would need to be around this stage, but wasn't sure if it would be easier with the sides attached or not

And don't forget to test your T-slot routing skills on a spare panel first, using a leftover part from the same sheet material to center the slot. Have a small sample of T-molding on hand to make sure it's really centered.

[lcmgadgets]

I had my doubts about that shade of blue, until I saw the drawing. Sweet!

[CaptainMarvel]

Got the second side cut out using a template router bit. Looks fantastic, I'm very pleased with the result. I also got the issues with the original side filled with filler which seems to have worked really well.

QUESTION:
Did you cut out the second panel with a jigsaw first and then flush trim it with the template router bit?
Or did you simply lay the first panel on top of your uncut piece of mdf and cut it directly with the template router bit?

[jongunz]

He says he used a template router bit which I'm assuming is the same as a flush trim bit.  To me thats a necessity to have.

[CaptainMarvel]

He says he used a template router bit which I'm assuming is the same as a flush trim bit.  To me thats a necessity to have.

Right ... Just looking for clarification, in case he did his a different, more efficient way.

[jammin0]

He says he used a template router bit which I'm assuming is the same as a flush trim bit.  To me thats a necessity to have.

Right ... Just looking for clarification, in case he did his a different, more efficient way.

I've done it both ways that you're referring to and it is a lot easier if you do a rough cut first and then trim it up.  Router bits are expensive too so you'll get a lot more life out of your bit and it won't dull so quickly if you aren't cutting all the way through the wood.  Also, a lot less force required to work your way around the template piece which for me means I'm a lot less likely to screw it up if I take the time to do a rough cut first.

I am by no means an expert though.

[Zzap]

Yeah, I placed the first side onto the larger sheet and clamped it down, then traced around the outside. I then removed the clamps and the good side and cut the sheet out with a jigsaw, around 3-5mm away from the line I drew. I then took double sided tape and stuck the good side onto the roughly cut side and used the template router bit to cut that out. Cutting first with a jigsaw definitely saved a lot of effort with the router and sawdust too I'm sure. Seems like a little extra work, but much easier really.

[CaptainMarvel]

Yeah, I placed the first side onto the larger sheet and clamped it down, then traced around the outside. I then removed the clamps and the good side and cut the sheet out with a jigsaw, around 3-5mm away from the line I drew. I then took double sided tape and stuck the good side onto the roughly cut side and used the template router bit to cut that out. Cutting first with a jigsaw definitely saved a lot of effort with the router and sawdust too I'm sure. Seems like a little extra work, but much easier really.

Thank You ... That's what I figured, but just wanted to make sure.




 

[mcseforsale]

Yeah, I usually rough cut to within 1/4" or so and clean it up with the router.  My flush bit is 1/2", so that makes light work of it.

AJ

[markc74]

Looking real good. I'm liking the blue too.

I think i free handed the curve side panel on mine but used your method to get the curve for the front of the control panel. It's definately a good way to do it. 

[a1pharm]

The design is looking sweet.  As for that gouge in the side, look into making some wood putty with your left over dust and some glue (it works great).

I agree with PL1 on the admin buttons: get your software sorted out before you decide on a final button configuration.  If you don't, just make sure you have the following: Pause, Exit (both separated if possible to avoid the accidental quitting of a game), and a generic "Admin" button you can configure for whatever you think you need now, so you can easily change its function later without having to make new inserts.

As for the marquee: use arcade if you want, but keep in mind you'll probably grow to hate it in the future (or just ignore it).  The marquee is a "marketing" tool used by manufacturers to get people's attention and money.  Using a generic marquee defeats the purpose of having one.  Trust me: I made a "temporary" generic marquee for my slim build and am already designing a more appropriate replacement.  Notice how most of the comments go in this regard:

1. Change it
2. Keep it if you like it

Those are the general responses.  No one is raving about it.  You are going to spend considerable time and money making this thing, and eventually considerable time enjoying it.  The marquee is what most people will focus on (initially), and if it is lackluster, that will translate into viewing your cab as  somewhat lackluster.  If you don't have graphic design skills, go to the Artwork forum and ask some questions.  You'll be glad you did.

If you tell me, "thanks for the advice, but I'm not going to change it" make sure you ask yourself, deep down, why you won't change it.  Don't be lazy.

[ron310]

That's my favorite color blue:



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AJ

Ugh. That picture reminds me of when some  stole my brand new GT Pro Performer that I got from Santa. I rode it to the mall and when I came out, they left their piece of crap bike and tools in its place... I had to ride their  bike all the way home. I think I cried with every push of the pedal...