Author Topic: DeLuSioNaL's Ultra Arcade complete (with new Video of cab!) (Read 39648 times)

DeLuSioNal29 · « **on:** December 10, 2007, 06:34:58 pm »

I should have documented this earlier while it was in it's earlier stage. Oh well...

Here's a final pic of the completed cab:

Here's a video:

This was previously a cabinet that I bought for $25 which had the Wizard of Wor marquee on it. I cleaned it up and sold the marquee on e-bay for $10, so I actually paid $15 for the cab!

I have painted the cab, but it got a little scratched up when placing the 27" monitor in it. (I put it in last night). I will have to touch it up, no biggie. The cabinet was meant for a 25" monitor, but I removed the brackets and built a shelf to hold the arcade monitor's board and power supply. It also cleared just enough to close the back of the cab! NICE!

I also just mounted the LED light for the marquee (found at www.groovygamegear.com). I simply put a piece of wood where the florescent bulb would have gone and then mounted the small LED strip to that.

My control panel is a huge 48" giant. Made for 4 players. Note the dual joystick design for players 1 and 2 for co-op games like Smash TV. See a virtual mockup here (I will take pics once I have it assembled). http://linkedmedia.tripod.com/delusionalarcade

You can also view the marquee design and the custom intro video made with Aftereffects.

I'm not sure about what color T-molding I should get yet. It will either be dark blue to match the Blue Lightning theme or just plain old black.

Thoughts?

leapinlew · « **Reply #1 on:** December 10, 2007, 07:19:34 pm »

All cabinets need blue t-molding.

Looking good bro!

DeLuSioNal29 · « **Reply #2 on:** December 11, 2007, 06:56:38 pm »

"Ultra Arcade" was named because of what it will be. The Ultimate Arcade. I loved Killer Instinct back in the days and the "Ultra" combo was where I got the idea. The Mortal Kombat series was also a fav of mine and they came out with Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 which is another reason I chose the name.

"Ultracade" is weak. Sounds too cliche.

Just my 2 cents.

~ DeLuSioNaL

Namco · « **Reply #3 on:** December 11, 2007, 07:51:08 pm »

Try and find an example of dark blue T-molding on someone's project before you order any. I had an idea in mind to use until I saw one and was not impressed. It does not stand at all out and just may as well be black. You want it to pop, so the brighter the better.

DeLuSioNal29 · « **Reply #4 on:** January 20, 2008, 07:51:12 pm »

Well, I've been working hard on my cabinet (mostly software configuring) but I did make some cosmetic progress on the cabinet itself. I've added a marquee, t-molding, a monitor bezel and a fresh coat of paint. I've also added black screen mesh to where the coin doors would go (not shown). I did not want to alter the coin door holes because I eventually want to install real coin doors that take quarters/tokens.

I have to redo the wood slab underneath the marquee. It currently has 1 hole cut out for a 4 inch speaker. I have covered it up with black cloth from the inside so that the light will not show. I also need new speaker grille material for the top since the original one that's on there is shot.

You may notice that the CP is not mounted yet. I am having one custom cut for me (empty) and I will receive it by next week. I am planning a surprise wiring technique that will be a treat for the eyes. Stay tuned!

~ DeLuSioNaL

MazzMn · « **Reply #5 on:** January 20, 2008, 08:16:30 pm »

Quote from: DeLuSioNal29 on January 20, 2008, 07:51:12 pm

I've added a marquee, t-molding, a monitor bezel and a fresh coat of paint.
~ DeLuSioNaL

I like! Where did you get the monitor bezel, happ?

DeLuSioNal29 · « **Reply #6 on:** January 20, 2008, 08:55:24 pm »

Quote from: mazzmn on January 20, 2008, 08:16:30 pm

I like! Where did you get the monitor bezel, happ?

Yes, it goes for around $16 at Happs' website. When I received it I realized that it was huge and I had to cut off a lot from the sides. My cabinet was really meant to house a 25" monitor and I have a 27" so as a result the sides of the bezel are thinner than usual, hence more cutting was necessary. But it came out great!

I'm very happy and proud of the cab and can't wait to show everyone the Control Panel!

~ D

DeLuSioNal29 · « **Reply #7 on:** January 21, 2008, 03:04:42 pm »

Here's a pic I finally took of the bottom where the coin doors will eventually go. In the meantime I covered it with black screen mesh and then covered the mesh with black cloth (all stapled from the rear to the wood). I chose to cover the mesh with cloth because you could still see inside the arcade with the screen on and it didn't look too great. Also, the cloth allows it to still "breath" and ventilate the inside.

DeLuSioNal29 · « **Reply #8 on:** January 30, 2008, 02:27:45 pm »

Quick update:

My control panel is scheduled to arrive today (I had someone cut it out for me and ship it since I don't really have much equipment to cut a nice one myself). I plan to wire it up tonight and the next couple of days to have it ready for the superbowl. ;-)

I will post pics of the empty panel later tonight when it arrives from Fedex for all to see. The wiring idea I have is top secret and will be revealed in a couple of days. :-P

One other note: While I was waiting for it to be cut I skinned my frontend to match the overall lightning theme. I'm using Maximus Arcade. It looks great!

~ DeLuSioNaL

DeLuSioNal29 · « **Reply #9 on:** January 31, 2008, 06:14:44 pm »

Well folks,

I received the panel and it's gorgeous! I had Jack from www.ArcadesRFun.com cut out the custom design for me the I came up with. We e-mailed back and forth with ideas and he is very helpful. I really recommend him to all as he does some fine quality work with his CNC machine. The overlay is from www.gameongrafix.com and it works well with the flush mounted panel. The flight stick is the only thing that is not flush mounted which was done purposefully in case it ever needs replacing. One thing I would like to add: It was very, very, very well packed and arrived in pristine condition (see pics)

The panel itself is a whopping 48" long and 21" deep and features dual sticks for players 1 and 2 for co-op games like "Total Carnage" and "Smash TV". (My favs). 7 button layouts are for games like MK2 and Neo Geo. The spinner was put to the side slightly to avoid hitting it with trackball games like "Golden Tee". It is also conveniently located next to the flight stick for the "Tron" setup. Admin buttons on top double up as Asteroid buttons. (ipac's Shift button to enter admin mode). The black 4-way joystick will be replaced with a GGG lit balltop when it comes out. (product coming soon I hear) which will cycle in sync with the trackball in all 4 colors.

Other features: The coin buttons are LED lit depending on the color of the player. i.e. Player 1 (blue) has a blue LED lit button, etc.

The pictures of the inside of the panel will be coming soon, as I'm still working on it. It will be unique and I'm sure everyone will love it.

Enjoy the pics!

~ DeLuSioNaL

DeLuSioNal29 · « **Reply #10 on:** January 31, 2008, 06:15:30 pm »

Panel mounted.

DeLuSioNal29 · « **Reply #11 on:** February 02, 2008, 03:22:06 am »

Well, after 2 days of wiring, I'm just about done! I wired up all 4 controls (no admin or player buttons wired yet) so that I could test out the 4 player games. I'm very surprised that the panel wiring worked on it's first shot and there were no wiring errors! The lack of errors is probably due to the technique I am using which I will reveal tomorrow; once I take the final pictures of the inside. So far it has a great look to it and the wires are easily identifiable with my new way of doing things.

I still have to wire the pinball buttons, admin buttons, player start buttons and credit buttons (which will be LED lit in the color of each player) Back to wiring I go!

Stay Tuned.

~ DeLuSioNaL

DeLuSioNal29 · « **Reply #12 on:** February 03, 2008, 01:03:49 am »

I'm finally done! Just in time for my deadline of the Superbowl! As promised, her are some pics of the final product and the inside wiring.

The wiring is unique in that I used CAT-5 eternet cable. Each color wire matches it's controller set. i.e. Blue wire = blue controller and buttons, red wire = red controller and buttons, etc. I chose this way because CAT-5 cable has 8 wires inside and each wire is color coded differently. This made it easy to keep track of everything and kept everything neatly contained inside the CAT-5 sheath. It also thought it would look nice too with the different colors when you "open her up".

I also chose to add LEDs to the coin buttons for each player, matching the colors up.

What do you think of the overall project?

~ DeLuSioNaL

DeLuSioNal29 · « **Reply #13 on:** February 03, 2008, 01:13:26 am »

Here are some videos that I posted on YouTube.com

I'm uploading more as we speak so that everyone can see it in action!

**edit ** New videos are posted below.

~ DeLuSioNaL

Scott84 · « **Reply #14 on:** February 03, 2008, 01:47:32 am »

Excellent work

Very Nicely Done!

Dazz · « **Reply #15 on:** February 03, 2008, 02:16:18 am »

Very nice. Also, very similar to my control panel design...

I too was going to do the dual player 1/2 joysticks, but was afraid that the second control would get in the way when playing fighting games. I'm about to start designing a new control panel shortly. My control panel was the first time I ever used a router and the trackball was an after thought which is why the mounting plate is on top. Next CP everything will be counter sunk and should look really nice.

Just noticed that you have your player 3/4 joys mounted at an angle as well... Mine are currently like that, but most people are confused when playing with them like that. I will be changing mine to have up at the monitor instead of at an angle.

Do those second sticks get in the way when playing Killer Instinct or other fighting games?

Also, is that Front End Maximus? If so, would you be willing to upload your skin?

ratzz · « **Reply #16 on:** February 03, 2008, 04:07:01 am »

Very nice ... well done.

You have a 'batch files' section in your FE. Are you using them to launch Windows games?

RandyT · « **Reply #17 on:** February 03, 2008, 04:28:02 am »

Congrats on a well executed and polished final result. Definitely something to be proud of.

RandyT

kegger · « **Reply #18 on:** February 03, 2008, 07:26:16 am »

Nice Job, Keep up the good work!

javeryh · « **Reply #19 on:** February 03, 2008, 08:42:41 am »

Wow - awesome.

How do you like that front-end? It looks really slick in the videos you posted. Software configuration is my #1 Achilles heel when it comes to these projects and you look like you have done a beautiful job. I never even thought of running actual computer games in one of these things...

Fozzy The Bear · « **Reply #20 on:** February 03, 2008, 09:20:06 am »

Very nice!! Well done...... I love the front end as well. Can you tell us more about the front end software that you used and how it was configured please??

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

divemaster127 · « **Reply #21 on:** February 03, 2008, 09:52:11 am »

That is a nice frontend, which one is it
dm

javeryh · « **Reply #22 on:** February 03, 2008, 10:20:55 am »

I think it is Maximus Arcade - it doesn't look free though...

Dazz · « **Reply #23 on:** February 03, 2008, 11:16:24 am »

After watching the video.... the frontend is definitely Maximus Arcade. Very nice front end, very easy to configure and use. It does cost about $25USD, but it has been well worth it to me. Very kid friendly and easy to use.

javeryh · « **Reply #24 on:** February 03, 2008, 12:00:04 pm »

Quote from: Dazz on February 03, 2008, 11:16:24 am

After watching the video.... the frontend is definitely Maximus Arcade. Very nice front end, very easy to configure and use. It does cost about $25USD, but it has been well worth it to me. Very kid friendly and easy to use.

Is it skinnable?

Dazz · « **Reply #25 on:** February 03, 2008, 12:43:28 pm »

Quote from: javeryh on February 03, 2008, 12:00:04 pm

Quote from: Dazz on February 03, 2008, 11:16:24 am
After watching the video.... the frontend is definitely Maximus Arcade. Very nice front end, very easy to configure and use. It does cost about $25USD, but it has been well worth it to me. Very kid friendly and easy to use.

Is it skinnable?

Yup, sure is. Maximus is actually created using flash, so it can do some pretty cool stuff. He's using a custom skin that he created from the looks of it.

DeLuSioNaL- I'd like to have that Maximus skin if possible... pretty please!

DeLuSioNal29 · « **Reply #26 on:** February 04, 2008, 02:31:56 am »

Quote from: Dazz on February 03, 2008, 02:16:18 am

Very nice. Also, very similar to my control panel design...

Yes, very similar! Looks like you ordered your overlay from www.gameongrafix.com just like I did.

I plan on designing some decals for the joysticks and buttons to place over the current overlay. Then I can sandwich them in between the plexi to give it a nice flush look. But I'm not sure yet, as it may look too "Busy".

Quote from: Dazz on February 03, 2008, 02:16:18 am

My control panel was the first time I ever used a router and the trackball was an after thought which is why the mounting plate is on top. Next CP everything will be counter sunk and should look really nice.

You could always get the new trackball that Ultimarc is developing for your next panel. It mounts from underneath without the need for a trackball plate on top. See the topic posted here for more info: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=76227.0

Quote from: Dazz on February 03, 2008, 02:16:18 am

Do those second sticks get in the way when playing Killer Instinct or other fighting games?

Not at all. It's like they are not there when playing.

Quote from: Dazz on February 03, 2008, 02:16:18 am

Also, is that Front End Maximus? If so, would you be willing to upload your skin?

I still have to tweak the skin a bit and once I do I plan to upload it to the skins section of the Maximus Arcade website. I don't mind sharing it at all. It would go well with your theme. Just keep in mind that the animation intro is not part of the theme. I created that intro separately in Adobe Aftereffects. Maximus Arcade simply lets you play and intro at the beginning and I pointed it to the file that I created.

~ DeLuSioNaL

DeLuSioNal29 · « **Reply #27 on:** February 04, 2008, 02:36:15 am »

Quote from: ratzz on February 03, 2008, 04:07:01 am

Very nice ... well done.

You have a 'batch files' section in your FE. Are you using them to launch Windows games?

Yes sir! I can run any .exe file by simply creating a shortcut and then renaming it to have the .cmd extension.

DeLuSioNal29 · « **Reply #28 on:** February 04, 2008, 02:38:24 am »

Quote from: javeryh on February 03, 2008, 08:42:41 am

Wow - awesome.

How do you like that front-end? It looks really slick in the videos you posted. Software configuration is my #1 Achilles heel when it comes to these projects and you look like you have done a beautiful job. I never even thought of running actual computer games in one of these things...

I love the front end. It is super easy to configure. There is a preferences screen where you select everything with the click of a mouse. No need to edit files in notepad. It also has command line option that you can add as well for advanced users.

DeLuSioNal29 · « **Reply #29 on:** February 04, 2008, 02:40:02 am »

Quote from: Fozzy The Bear on February 03, 2008, 09:20:06 am

Very nice!! Well done...... I love the front end as well. Can you tell us more about the front end software that you used and how it was configured please??

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

I'll see if I can post a youtube video soon of how the configuration works. :-) It's a simple screen with tabs. Everything is clickable. Very easy to use.

~ D

DeLuSioNal29 · « **Reply #30 on:** February 04, 2008, 02:42:05 am »

Quote from: javeryh on February 03, 2008, 12:00:04 pm

Quote from: Dazz on February 03, 2008, 11:16:24 am
After watching the video.... the frontend is definitely Maximus Arcade. Very nice front end, very easy to configure and use. It does cost about $25USD, but it has been well worth it to me. Very kid friendly and easy to use.

Is it skinnable?

Yes, very much so. It even comes with a skin editor so that you can easily make your own.

http://www.maximusarcade.com/editor.htm

~ D

DeLuSioNal29 · « **Reply #31 on:** February 04, 2008, 02:43:08 am »

Quote from: Dazz on February 03, 2008, 12:43:28 pm

Quote from: javeryh on February 03, 2008, 12:00:04 pm
Quote from: Dazz on February 03, 2008, 11:16:24 am
After watching the video.... the frontend is definitely Maximus Arcade. Very nice front end, very easy to configure and use. It does cost about $25USD, but it has been well worth it to me. Very kid friendly and easy to use.

Is it skinnable?
Yup, sure is. Maximus is actually created using flash, so it can do some pretty cool stuff. He's using a custom skin that he created from the looks of it.

DeLuSioNaL- I'd like to have that Maximus skin if possible... pretty please!

As I replied above, I have no problems sharing!

Ummon · « **Reply #32 on:** February 04, 2008, 11:26:00 pm »

I see a little button set right below the monitor. What's that for?

DeLuSioNal29 · « **Reply #33 on:** February 05, 2008, 12:11:04 pm »

That's a temporary "admin button instuction card" that I taped on the bezel. I plan to mount in on the back of the glass that does in front of the monitor once I install it.

~ D

DeLuSioNal29 · « **Reply #34 on:** February 05, 2008, 12:15:59 pm »

I'm surprised that no one has commented about the use of the Cat 5 cables. It made the wiring a lot easier to do since each of the 8 wires in the Cat 5 cable was a different color. I also matched up the colors of the Cat 5 cable with the control colors. Blue = Blue, Yellow = Yellow, etc. I haven't seen anyone doing that before.

Thoughts?

~ DeLuSioNaL

Ummon · « **Reply #35 on:** February 05, 2008, 11:14:40 pm »

Do a search.

DeLuSioNal29 · « **Reply #36 on:** February 06, 2008, 01:23:30 am »

Quote from: Ummon on February 05, 2008, 11:14:40 pm

Do a search.

I did one, but could not find any that used it the way that I did with color coded cat5 cables to match the controls. Hmmm.

~ D

DeLuSioNal29 · « **Reply #37 on:** February 10, 2008, 09:48:55 am »

Here is another video with a closer look at the Front End:

~ DeLuSioNaL

nuka1195 · « **Reply #38 on:** February 10, 2008, 10:28:51 am »

Nice job,

I really like your marquee.

I don't want to copy the name, but would you share any tips for creating the text?

Edit: The Ulra Arcade text.

Thanks

fixedpigs · « **Reply #39 on:** February 10, 2008, 11:50:24 am »

no screenshots for your consoles...?


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