DISCLAIMER: Yes, I know some of my design choices and decisions are questionable, and that this build is 100% ridiculous and unnecessary. I'm always ready for some constructive criticism, or if you straight up think I'm an idiot, lemme know. Thanks!This build thread is organized as follows...-Story Time
-Parts and To-Do Lists
-Main Cabinet
-Control Panel
-Software and PC
-Misc.
-Latest News
CURRENT CABINET PICTURE
STORY TIMEAfter obsessively poring over dozens upon dozens of arcade builds on these forums, and being envious of every single one I'd seen, I figured that enough was enough. I was going to set off on a journey to engineer my own machine of wonders.
I began the process of designing and gathering materials for the (patent-pending) Overkill-a-tron around a month and a half ago, with a clear vision in mind. A 23" screen, 2 joysticks, 16 buttons, and a Raspberry Pi...
...if you are questioning why I would name such a lackluster build the "Overkill-a-tron", I wouldn't blame you. I had designed a nice little cab design in tinkercad and was about to purchase everything I needed when I had an epiphany. Why pay a reasonable $300-400, when I can instead throw away all my money, go deep into debt, and end up with the cab of my dreams? (I'm joking...mostly)
The new and improved vision for the cab was...4 Joysticks, 38 Buttons, 2 Light Guns, a Trackball, a Spinner, a 43" 4K UHD Screen, functional coin door, automated cooling system, and a budget PC build.
What could go wrong?Currently Finished Portions:-Control Panel
-Main Body
-PC Build w/ AttractMode FE
-Glass and Marquee Installation
Unfinished Portions:-Painting
-Artwork
Parts List:-
Sticks and Buttons-
RGB Trackball-
LightGuns-
Spinner-
43" Vizio 4K TV-
Blue T-Moulding-
3/4" MDF Sheets-
Double Coin Door-
Fan Ventilation System-
4" Speakers-
Speaker AmpMAIN CABINETImgur AlbumAlthough the design is heavily drawn from the files and designs ChanceKJ had posted in his
Flynn's Arcade Build, a couple of changes were made (namely to the width and height of the build). The 4x8 sheet of 3/4" MDF was able to fit both side panels perfectly, and I used a combination of circular saw and jigsaw to cut them out. I then clamped them together and used a sander to make sure they were symmetrical.
Instead of simply cutting slits and hoping for the best, ventilation issues were solved with two AC Infinity Fans, located at the top and bottom of the back panel. Overkill? Absolutely.
I'll post final dimensions and lengths when all is said and done, but it's roughly 6ft 2in tall and 21in deep. Most of the support pieces and the front panels were made through a process of trial and error, and lots and lots of measuring and re-measuring. All support pieces were made from MDF aside from the base which is 3/4” plywood. There are wheels also attached to the base for movement.
When attaching the first side panel supports, we accidentally applied them both to the same side, so we ended up with two mirror pieces, which was not the intended effect. Instead of cutting them off and sanding down, we rolled with it and are making it into a detachable access panel to reach the PC and stuff. We used magnets on each corner and it seems to work perfectly.
CONTROL PANELImgur AlbumShape and Design
The Control Panel was the first obstacle to hurdle. I had used a lot of different pieces for inspiration, but mine was most definitely influenced by
ChanceKJ's Beautiful Build. I used 3/4" MDF from Home Depot for the majority of items in this project, and the CP was no exception. Button spacing was achieved with a slightly modified template from Slagcoin and it worked out beautifully. Many people will think the amount of buttons is excessive, and I can't disagree, but the PC allows emulation of more current systems that require a higher button count.
Hardware
The buttons were the "lower tier" DIY kit ones from amazon. They come with everything you need to get em working, and they aren't lying when they say that. They are 100% plug and play and were very nice to use. I'm looking for some new ball/bat-tops however, but I can't decide which to get. Any suggestions?
We had a few issues with the trackball (mainly because there was miscommunication about where to order from and we didn’t order from Ultimarc when we definitely should have) so we are still waiting on a replacement to arrive. We tested the fit with the faulty unit and it’s spot on, so that’s nice.
The Aimtrak Lightguns (with recoil, of course) work beautifully, and we have tested them with the screen size to ensure they work within 5-6 feet. We got one red and one blue for some variety.
SOFTWARE AND PCSoftware
The front-end I use is AttractMode, for two reasons. It looks freakin sexy (I use the nevato layout), and it's relatively straightforward and easy to use. It can currently emulate everything from MAME and NES to Gamecube and Wii at a solid 60FPS (If you haven't seen 4K Dolphin emulated Smash Bros...you are missing out.)
I’ve decided to use Retroarch for most of the emulators (MAME, NES, SNES, N64, SEGA, ATARI) because it’s nice to have standardized shaders, controls, and general items. Unfortunately this doesn’t allow us as much flexibility in some regards, so I’m also using a second version of MAME standalone to better keep the lightguns, trackball, and spinner separate from the rest. I’m also using Dolphin for the Wii and GameCube emulation.
PC
Here’s the current specs list for the build. GeForce GTX 1050 2GB, 2x4GB Corsair Vengeance RAM, Intel i3-8100, ASUS 8th Gen MOBO. I used an “old” power supply that was lying around and it works perfectly. We have a 1TB hybrid drive that’s also worked wonders.
MISCELLANEOUSI purchased a small arcade style computer power button that is installed in the side of the cabinet. It's in the perfect spot to both be concealed when playing, but can be reached by player 1 to turn on the machine.
We are also applying some LED strips to the back of the cabinet, but that’ll be way down the line when it actually happens. Should look cool though!
The coin door looks amazing, but we decided to switch the red insert coin buttons with some blue ones. Unfortunately the red diodes that came with the unit aren’t bright enough to shine through the blue, so we’ve ordered (and received) some white and blue replacements to see which will work best. After testing, the whites work beautifully and they’ve been replaced!
LATEST NEWS9/4/18- Started the thread
9/5/18- Tinted Display Glass and Marquee Glass arrived from OneDayGlass.com and look amazing. If only I had some artwork to put in the marquee...
9/6/18- New brighter diodes for coin door lights have arrived, along with two shop stools that should do the trick. I also got a set of joystick extenders to make them long enough, while keeping them flush on the bottom of the CP. Less work, more money
9/8/18- First coat of primer has been applied, and the glass is fully fitted and ready to go!
9/9/18- The backside, and inside has been painted with the black, and it looks fantastic! We used two coats of primer with sanding between each layer, and used a 6” foam roller to apply the paint. We also ordered a small “standin” marquee for a dozen bucks to make sure the light source will work well.
I will be periodically updating this post with information, pictures, and a comprehensive parts list.