Scratch-build, dual-board, cocktail stereo

[louksd]

Cocktail games are a difficult prospect - they shine in very narrow use cases, and deviations breed abominations very quickly...

...which is why it took me two years to complete this blend of an original Tekken 2 System 11 PCB, a Raspberry Pi 4B, and a 200W Stereo system with 10" subwoofer...most of that time was frankly NOT working on it in fear that I'd paint myself into a corner during assembly.

This is based on a 1981 Bally table (Galaga/Ms. Pac-Man), extending the width of the table by a half-inch. The top uses European-style cabinet hinges with the maximum offset I could find (1 7/16"), and I have two 45-lb gas struts holding the lid up.

The base construction is dowel-and-biscuit for strength and vibration resistance, and the control panels are reproduction blanks with a custom layout and internal structure to make them modular. They are held onto the cabinet with McMaster-Carr low-profile rail systems that can support 110lbs! The connectors are DB15 PC connectors, and the socket connectors were "doubled up" to make NEO-GEO style plugs.


Monitor is a Dell 19" 1024x768 de-cased and held in by fabricated sheet-metal brackets.

Woodgrain is a vinyl overlay, and really makes this table look great! I designed the CPO and bezel/top overlay, including re-building the Tekken 2 "Move List" from scratch at 300dpi using replacement font text and "fresh" portrait assets cropped to match the original.

Wiring was a bit of a mess, but it's bound to be when almost every component in the box is serving more than one function - the power supply is handling the Tekken 2 PCB, the LED control panel lighting, and the Raspberry Pi. Everything orange inside the cabinet is 3D-printed/fused filament.

It is now at my brother's house, as it was a commission for him! He bought the stereo, and I handled the remaining cost...pretty much getting a pass on birthday gifts for a while (and because of production delays).

If you have any questions on what I did, please feel free to reach out, but hope this is an inspiration for those that don't like the "Control Panels EVERYWHERE" style of cocktail tables!

[javeryh]

This is a great build.  Really creative use of the control panels to get to play horizontal games - is it comfortable with 2 people side by side?  How did you measure/size everything?  Did you use Kyle Lidstrom's plans?  I'm also curious how you connect the CPs to the cabinet and keep them plugged in and whether there was any software configuration you had to do to make it all work.   

Also, your second to last pic need to be resized.

[emphatic]

Very nice! 

[louksd]

This is a great build.  Really creative use of the control panels to get to play horizontal games - is it comfortable with 2 people side by side?  How did you measure/size everything?  Did you use Kyle Lidstrom's plans?  I'm also curious how you connect the CPs to the cabinet and keep them plugged in and whether there was any software configuration you had to do to make it all work.   

Also, your second to last pic need to be resized.

Admittedly, the two people side-by-side is a little cozy, but since it's for personal use (family/friends), it works out just fine.

I built the table from CAD files at classicarcadecabinets.com - I took the core dimensions for the top and exterior from the DXF, then modified the structure based on that. (I even mis-cut the top to be a half-inch wider, so the viewing notches are just a touch larger than the original, but didn't realize it at first since I laid it out relative to the corners.

I made my own DB1-15 "NeoGeo-style" connectors from PC connectors. The pin side on the control panels are as-provided, but I took the metal frame off pairs of socket connectors - one socket I used as normal and the other removed the contacts and bored out the holes to cover the soldered ends and keep wires in place. I then bonded those back-to-tack with silicone adhesive and covered with RayChem 202A-132 heat-shrink boots to hold it all and provide strain relief.

I have four plugs inside the cabinet - two for the Raspberry Pi and two for the Tekken PCB, both with color-coded tie-wraps for the player joystick ball they're supposed to attach. The two not in use at the time can be clipped into a holder on each side of the interior (I think you can see them in the interior picture up near the lights on each side.

I didn't have to really make any software configuration - I wired the Tekken PCB directly to the JAMMA+kick harness and the Ultimarc, which already provided reasonable keyboard commands for MAME. The only button that is simultaneously connected to both boards is the "Reject Button" which adds credit to both games if they are both active.

Thanks for the complement, and the "second to last" is now updated to be the last picture, in an appropriate scaling!