JIMBO's scratch designed cab [ *SPINNER PANEL PICS* ]

[Jimbo]

LATEST PLANS AND PICS...

(full project progress from the beginning follows after these pics)














FULL PROGRESS FROM THE START FOLLOWS FROM HERE...

Inspired by ARTIFACT's awesome scratch designed and built cab, I've decided to try out my Sketchup skills and FINALLY design my own cab! I'm no Sketchup expert, but I'm learning more each time I use it. I've also never built a cab (erm.. actually anything) before so this is all a first for me.

I've um'd and ah'd for ages about what I want from a cab should I build one, and decided that I just wouldn't be happy if I couldn't play my favourite game (Flying Shark) vertically on an arcade monitor.  I also wouldn't be happy with one big control panel where I'd have to lean over other controls to get to the ones I wanted for a particular game.

Size is an issue too... We don't have a massive house, I'm building it in the garage, and to put it upstairs I'll have to make it so I can take it apart. The missus has also promised that I can have it downstairs in the lounge *if* it looks like a nice stained piece of furniture, not an "ugly black behemoth"... so we'll see what happens.   I want the cab to be a social thing... so putting it downstairs rather than upstairs would be a major plus.

So, requirements for the cab are: -

- Rotating Arcade Monitor (I've gone for a Hantarex Polo/3 21")
- Hot-swappable control panels
- Narrow enough to fit through doorways, pull-apartable!
- Made from Plywood (don't want to work with MDF for various reasons)
- Stained not painted/artwork (not 100% decided on this one yet!)
- Will run my own frontend, and play MAME/C64/Amiga/Snes/PSX etc.


Enough waffle... here's some pics!


Here's the finished article (so far). As you can see there doesn't seem to be a way to rotate the monitor... well that's because there isn't!   I'm considering either making it so you have to remove the plexiglass to rotate it (I mean, how often will I be rotating it?), OR... cutting a small "door" on each side panel, which I can open, rotate by hand, and close. There's a keyboard drawer and a lockable door below it on the front panel (I want easy access inside the cab without having to go round the back).  I plan on having a coin door in the middle of the lockable door too.



After the top/back/sides come off, this base will be the largest bit that's "stuck together" that I'll have to move.  It's just small enough to get upstairs and through doors   It has the keyboard drawer attached to it, plus if you look closely you can see the mounting holes for the swappable control panels, and the hole in the middle for the control panel cables.



Here's a closeup showing how I plan to attach the control panels.  I'm planning on having bolts glued and then coming down through the panel, through the holes, which I can then easily tighten/release with wingnuts.  I may also secure the panels with some velcro for extra strength/stability.



The idea of rotating the monitor like this was not mine... I found some similar ideas on the examples on this site. I wanted the biggest monitor I could get, without making the cab too wide/deep, so I've gone with a 21" arcade monitor, supported on casters, both behind it and below it.



This shows how I plan to mount the monitor... the timber baton glued/screwed to the side panel is set at 45% to give me my favourite viewing angle, and you can see how the monitor sits on the front of the base. The monitor will be mounted by sliding it in from behind (wow that's gonna be heavy lifting it up that high). There's enough room in the cab for the monitor to rotate without hitting anything.


Still to design before I start building: -

- The cab's back door (I'm thinkin' camlock at top)
- Hinges/camlocks on the keyboard draw and front panel door
- Speaker holes (need to decide on speakers too)
- Holes in back/base for cooling fans
- Add some curves to the sides / tweak shape of side panels
- How to turn the monitor?!  Maybe holes in the side (or hinged "doors" held with magnetic catch)
- Coin Door


I may be a while longer before I start building this thing, but I'll keep this post updated as I go along. I'll also post my sketchup project file when finished for anyone that wants it.  Bear in mind they are in millimetres not inches, since I'm in the UK and everything is done that way over here. Should be easy to convert tho!

Comments, opinions and critiques welcome!

jimbo

[Crowquill]

The model's very nice, but I'd question whether you really need a full frame. If you're using MDF or plywood for the sides, it should be enough to support the monitor.

[MaMeNnO]

Apart from the designing time, I guess you have plenty of work on your hands building it with the nice features (hot swapable CP, rotating monitor and your own FE  ) you're planning on your cab.

But then again, building it is half the fun... for others all the fun!

[Jimbo]

The model's very nice, but I'd question whether you really need a full frame. If you're using MDF or plywood for the sides, it should be enough to support the monitor.

Hmm yes maybe you're right! My initial thinking was that the base/frame gives me something to attach the sides to (and take off) since I want to be able to move the cab upstairs etc. Also I'm thinking it gives it more weight/stability when its being played (I remember the arcade games of my childhood got bashed around a bit/kicked/shoved/moved etc quite a bit).  I also thought the monitor and its frame would be quite heavy and might need the extra support at the front (where it sits). Plus the frame currently gives me something to attach the keyboard drawer to, and the casters.

I have a friend who's quite good building stuff with wood, so I'll get his opinion too (might even be able to persuade him to help me build it - or at least lend me some of his tools)
Like I said, I'm new to this so your opinions are welcome - I'll do some more research about the need for the frame... thanks - maybe I'll keep it but just use less chunky timber...

Looking forward to building it definitely!  Plus I'm picking up my hantarex polo monitor tomorrow... so I'll soon know if my measurements are correct!

Latest additions to the design: -

Doors in the side to rotate the monitor (will be hinged at the bottom of the door with a magnetized-catch at the top). Also I've cut out the hole for the coin door. Ooh, and casters added (making the height of the CP 38") : -


Closeup of the door (taken off) showing the monitor wheel ready to rotate by hand: -


A couple of questions: -

- Is it safe to put a subwoofer in the bottom of the cab, next to the PC?

- Can anyone recommend a good coin door/mech (pref with 2 slots) that I can purchase in the UK?

Cheers,

Jimbo

[SodaPopinksi]

I'm no expert... but I currently have a logitech subwoofer hovering pretty darn close to an athlon 3600 in a wip bartop... no problems thus far lol 

[ARTIFACT]

HEYYYY there my friend... THANK YOU for the plug

I feel so happy that somehow my project has inspired you to dive into planning your cab... it feels so special to see your inside frame and recognize some of the parts I am working on right now (tonight!)

Good job!!! Remember to GROUP things like crazy... I'll try to post a wiki page with Sketchup tips for arcade builders...

[ARTIFACT]

New WIKI PAGE started: SketchUp Tips!

Check the link in my signature.


Regarding keyboard drawer... I went for a bluetooth keyboard which will be stored in the ROOM where the cab is (along with the bluetooth mouse) ... this allowed me to NOT have to worry about designing, planning the space for, and building a working drawer that looked good. Just wanted to throw this in as a possible suggestion. Remember that you can map MAME menus to shift+button and navigate it using the joysticks. Personally I haven't found that I needed the keyboard that much.

[Jimbo]

Hey ARTIFACT    Great idea to start a Sketchup wiki!  I definitely wouldn't have been able to do any of this without Sketchup... and you're right: group everything!   I'm still finding some cool things you can do with the program (such as the "follow me" tool). It totally rocks!

Regarding keyboard drawer... I went for a bluetooth keyboard which will be stored in the ROOM where the cab is (along with the bluetooth mouse) ... this allowed me to NOT have to worry about designing, planning the space for, and building a working drawer that looked good. Just wanted to throw this in as a possible suggestion. Remember that you can map MAME menus to shift+button and navigate it using the joysticks. Personally I haven't found that I needed the keyboard that much.

Yep I considered going wireless/bluetooth, but decided on a drawer for a few reasons... firstly I found a nice small keyboard that I like , secondly I plan on playing all sorts of games on the cab, possibly including some text adventures, so having a keyboard handy right under the CP seemed a good idea, and thirdly it gives me a nice place to put the monitor remote control that came with my Hantarex Polo. Also, some amiga games play best with the mouse (such as one of my faves cannon fodder - can't see myself playing that with a trackball) so will be handy having that in a convenient ready to use place.

I'm also planning on mounting 4 usb2.0 ports between the keyboard drawer and coin door... this will give me ports to hand for extra controllers should I ever want/need them.  I've found a cool 4-port hub that will fit quite nicely if I cut a hole for it in the front panel (http://www.cableuniverse.co.uk/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=21_57&products_id=887)
 pretty cheap too!

I'm no expert... but I currently have a logitech subwoofer hovering pretty darn close to an athlon 3600 in a wip bartop... no problems thus far lol 

Cool thanks... just wasn't sure if there would be any probs with magnetic interference etc.  Definitely gotta have a booming sub in the cab... especially for space invaders

jimbo

[arcadefever]

I've decided to try out my Sketchup skills

for sure you are better then me 
very nice design, good luck for the building 

[ARTIFACT]

how is the project?

[Jimbo]

Update coming soon!  I've got the monitor, and it now works (had the sync pins wired wrong).  Monitor looks AWESOME   I'll post pics soon.

Quick request for the sketchup page... If you could explain the differences between groups and components (in terms of what you can do with them, when to use which etc) that would be cool.   i.e. at the moment I am just using groups for everything, as that seemed the easiest way.  Also, any keyboard shortcuts you know would be handy too!

[Jimbo]

The sun was out today so there was no excuse not to start building the cab!   I wanted to get the monitor frame sorted today, so I concentrated on that.  Problem #1: how to cut a perfect(ish) circle out of ply... with just a jig (it's the only saw I have).  Well, I managed to get a bit of strong box strap/tape, which I stuck a nail through in the centre of the circle, and pinned it to the board. Then I pierced another hole into the other end, and held a pencil there while I drew the circle, with my makeshift compass   Worked great!  The box strap stuff was strong enough that it kept the pencil the exact distance from the centre of the circle.



Got a handy tip from a friend of mine to score where I'm gonna cut with a knife, before actually cutting, which saved the ply from splitting too much.



Once the circle was cut, I proceeded to cut out the hole for the monitor...



After this, I realised that 18mm ply is probably not gonna be strong enough to hold the 24kg weight of the 21" Polo I have (which is ace btw: did I say that already? ).  So I changed my plans a bit and decided to reinforce the frame with another bit of 18mm ply glued behind it... leaving enough room to place the 4 casters (I originally planned to have the casters on the "seat" frame (behind this one), but changed my mind today.





Wow... was a long day, and my arm is still vibrating from all the jigsawing I did.   The frame is now sitting in my garage overnight, clamped up allowing the glue to hold (helped by a few screws). Hopefully tomorrow I'll get time to update the Sketchup plans, and post the revised bits here for reference.  Might even get time to start on the "seat" frame for the monitor.

Fun fun fun!

Jimbo

[Jimbo]

Just had time today to cut the "seat" for the rotating monitor.  Using my Jig seemed a lot easier today... must be getting used to it!

First I used the box-strap method to measure out the circle...


Then I scored it with a knife, and cut it...


I've amended the sketchup project to account for the changes I've made, but I might need to make a few more, so I'll upload the revised plans a bit later on.

Jimbo

[Jimbo]

After a bit more tweaking with the jig, I managed to get the monitor to fit the frame nice and snug. There was always the danger that maybe I'd made the hole too big, but luckily I was ok. Me happy. Next up, screwing it onto the frame, sticking the casters on the back, and finishing the "seat" part.  Then I can test the rotation.

QUESTION for you:  Do you think it will be best to screw the monitor to the frame, or put bolts through it instead?  The frame is 36mm (just under 1 1/2") thick.



I'm glad I added the extra support layer to the back of the frame - its definitely strong enough now. Not sure it would have been with just 1x18mm sheet of ply.

Cheers

Jimbo

[javeryh]

QUESTION for you:  Do you think it will be best to screw the monitor to the frame, or put bolts through it instead?  The frame is 36mm (just under 1 1/2") thick.

I'd use bolts with large washers.  Monitors are heavy and I'd be afraid a screw would pop out especially since yours will be moving around quite a bit and constantly shifting weight (even though an inch and a half is a lot of material to screw into).

[csa3d]

I'd go for bolts.  All it takes is a tiny bump or something during installation and the monitor comes crashing out if the screws give.  My 2cents.

Good job on all that rotating stuff.  I wussed out and went LCD with mine.

-csa

[Jimbo]

Worked on the design a bit tonight... tweaked the control panel to sit much nicer, so it doesn't look like a "bolt on" anymore (although it's still removable)   Also tidied up the sides a bit by changing the shape slightly.  The coin door still needs adding in, and a few other bits and bobs, but its getting there!





@javeryh/csa3d:  Thanks for the advice on the bolts!  The other advantage of bolts is that if the monitor ever needs repairing it will be easier to get it out from the frame. 

[Jimbo]

Casters on and the frame fits the "seat" nicely!  The seat will be held in place by batons attached to the side of the cab, and it will sit securely on a solid base at the bottom/front (see earlier pics).  Next up:  Finishing the seat by adding the batons/casters to the bottom of it, and mounting the monitor to try out some real test rotations! 

This is so much more fun that I expected - building the cab.  Every time I do a new bit, I get even more excited





stay tuned for more coming soon...

[TheDriver]

Thing's look like they are going well, nice looking build.

[Jimbo]

Got the circular saw in action today, and made up the main bit of the monitor "base". First I cut myself a saw-board, but I didn't leave enough room on the top part for the clamps!!!  Note to anyone building a saw-board: LEAVE ROOM FOR THE CLAMPS!   I couldn't be bothered making up a new board today because I wanted to get onto cutting for real, so I made do.  I'll make another sawboard later.

I needed a 60x54x670mm block, so I glued 3x18mm and 1x6mm ply together to get the 60mm height I needed.  Here's it all clamped up and setting: -


Just to remind how this looks in the grand plan: -


Next up, a new sawboard , then adding the rest of the bits to the base (including casters). Then pending a successful rotation test, the building of the monitor frame should be finished!

[Mark70]

Is it too late to suggest some proportional changes to the top of your cab?

It has a lot of mass at the bottom, and the top is smallish.  Of course, that's based on my preferences which may not be similar to yours.

[ARTIFACT]

woooow

go go go!

[Jimbo]

Is it too late to suggest some proportional changes to the top of your cab? It has a lot of mass at the bottom, and the top is smallish.  Of course, that's based on my preferences which may not be similar to yours.

Hi! Yeah I was kinda thinking that myself actually... maybe I'll have a look at the top section again.  I originally based the shape on an old jamma cab I picked up years ago made by ElectroCoin, but this new design has a much larger base than the electrocoin one, so the top definitely could be bigger.  I'll load up sketchup and have a play around.

I haven't started building the cab's base/body yet, so any other design suggestions are more than welcome!

[Jimbo]

Rotation works!!!!!!!!!!    Hopefully it will work with the monitor bolted on too!

Horizontal...


...and vertical:

[shock_]

Rotation works!!!!!!!!!!  

From one manual rotater to another:     

This build is great.  You've convinced me to spend the time teaching myself Sketchup too.

Good stuff.

[theCoder]

Have you thought about using a motor to drive the rotation?  A soft rubber wheel mounted on a slow RPM motor might do the trick.  Just an idea.

Great progress.  Keep up the pace.  The rainy season is just around the corner.

[Jimbo]

This build is great.  You've convinced me to spend the time teaching myself Sketchup too.

Thanks!   Sketchup really is a great tool (I know I keep on saying it). You just have to persevere a bit at the start, and keep trying things... its *mostly* intuitive. In fact I've been delaying designing and building my cab until something like Sketchup came along

Have you thought about using a motor to drive the rotation?  A soft rubber wheel mounted on a slow RPM motor might do the trick.  Just an idea.

Hmm yeah would be nice.. I'd have no idea where to start though   There's quite a bit of space near the casters on the base, so maybe later I can look into putting a motor on there. Would be cool for sure.

Great progress.  Keep up the pace.  The rainy season is just around the corner.

Well, here in the UK it seems to rain when it feels like it (i.e. most of the time).  At the moment the garden is the only place I really have to work on the cab, but we're getting a garden shed soon, so I'll be clearing all the gardening tools from the garage and making a small "workshop" in there

I'm off to Japan on holiday on the 9th (wonder if they have a "Taito World" or somewhere cool like that I can visit?), so work on the cab will be on hold for a couple of weeks. I did get some more done today though - namely the "guard" to stop the monitor frame from slipping forward and off the casters: -

[Jimbo]

I can't decide on a name for my cab, to go in the marquee.  So far I have these as possibles: -

JIMBOZONE

@!#?&!   (from q-bert's speech for those few of you that might not know)

JB's  (my initials - this name is a take on my old local arcade "JG's")

BEHEMOTH

Arrgh I can't decide... any suggestions? 

[theCoder]

I can't decide on a name for my cab, to go in the marquee. ... Arrgh I can't decide... any suggestions? 

How about:
Roto Cab
Roto Nation
AC/DC  (swings both ways - sorry, bad joke)

[Jimbo]

heeeyyy. nice suggestions

How about "Swivel"?    I can see the marquee already.....

[Jimbo]

OK I'm back from holiday now so work will continue on the cab very shortly!

I've thought long and hard on a name and I have the following 3 on the shortlist:

JIMBO ZONE

RETROTATOR

MONOLITH  (this has something to do with some possible side art I'm planning - to be revealed shortly!)

[XyloSesame]

RETROTATOR

I love it... Or would that be RETROTATER?

I'm afraid that no one around me
Understands my RETROPOTATO
Guess I'm just a spudboy
Looking for that real tomato

[Neilyboy]

Rotation-Station..

awesome work man!! I cannot wait to see the final result!!

Neil

[Jimbo]

I love it... Or would that be RETROTATER?

Good question!  Looks like its rotatOR... http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/rotator "A person or thing that rotates"

[Akuma]

Hey, looking pretty cool so far! Just one thing on my mind I'd like to ask: How are you gonna rotate the monitor's bezel? Open up the glass front and turn it manually?

[Anubis_au]

Hi Jimbo

Thanks for the excellent write-up of your rotating monitor setup... probably the most through I've seen yet. I will be following your build with great interest as I'm also planning a rotating setup in my cab.

I'd be interested to know if you get this thing motorised, as I reckon that would be the icing on the cake.

[Dire Radiant]

Ive been looking at this for a while trying to think what was bugging me and Ive just put my finger on it. Why is there that odd vertical bit between the top of the CP and the bottom of the glass? It looks a little awkward and wouldnt be necessary if you repositioned the monitor frame by an inch or two.

[psychotech]

Great project 

Nice rotator!

-----------------------

Ive been looking at this for a while trying to think what was bugging me and Ive just put my finger on it. Why is there that odd vertical bit between the top of the CP and the bottom of the glass? It looks a little awkward and wouldnt be necessary if you repositioned the monitor frame by an inch or two.

Come on, wouldn't it be cooler to break your fingers on solid wood instead of plexi playing all those trackball games? I like that vertical bit which could be used as an admin panel also...

.. nevermind


---
Also: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=70519.msg738380#msg738380
-----------------------

Keep up the good work Jimbo 

psychotech

[Anubis_au]

Jimbo, I have a quick question on the diameters for your rotating setup...

What is the size of the circle the monitor rests on, and what is the size of the hole cut out of the bracket that supports the setup? I assume the hole is smaller in the bracket, but how much smaller?

[Jimbo]

Hi everyone, thanks for all the positive comments!   No more building as yet, but I have been tweaking the design a little, so building will continue shortly!.  Latest candidates for a name for the cab are: RETROTAUR (a play on RETROTOR), and FORK'EM OVER (something the Berzerk monster says on an episode of Futurama).  Hey I guess it doesn't matter too much what I call it until I'm ready to print the artwork...

Ive been looking at this for a while trying to think what was bugging me and Ive just put my finger on it. Why is there that odd vertical bit between the top of the CP and the bottom of the glass? It looks a little awkward and wouldnt be necessary if you repositioned the monitor frame by an inch or two.

Ah... yeah it had been bugging me too.. at first I thought it hides the bottom of the rotating monitor (the casters) but then as you said with a bit of tweaking I could get rid of it... basically my new design puts the monitor sitting slightly lower, and removes the odd vertical bit. It looks a lot sweeter now, so thanks for the idea!  I've also modified the top/sides of the cab so it doesn't look all bottom heavy.  I'm still making final tweaks but will post updated plans soon!

I'd be interested to know if you get this thing motorised, as I reckon that would be the icing on the cake.

The more I think about it the more I want it motorised, so I'm gonna pop down my local electrical store later and get some advice.  If I have it motorised it will solve the "how do I actually rotate this thing" issue   Currently my idea was to have small doors in the sides (which I didn't like much), so I'll definitely be investigating the motor idea.

Jimbo, I have a quick question on the diameters for your rotating setup... What is the size of the circle the monitor rests on, and what is the size of the hole cut out of the bracket that supports the setup? I assume the hole is smaller in the bracket, but how much smaller?

Yep, its smaller, enough for the casters to roll on.  The main monitor circle is 670mm diameter, and the bracket hole is 600mm diameter.  I'll definitely post the sketchup plans once they are finalised... not much point at the moment as I'm still tweaking.

Thanks again for all the feedback!