The Kronos Project - 95% DONE... SOLD

[Games001]

Converting a beat-up cab I picked up for a few bucks... best part, for the $100 price tag, it's a fully loaded (not working) machine with FREE delivery to my home.  BONUS! 

Seems to be a converted cab, not sure of it's original game.  Now has the guts and markings of a Zero Point shooter cab.

I will be posting the guts and such for those who might wish to buy/trade/take them off my hands as needed.  i refuse to even think of just trash-heaping these items.  Feels almost sinful to think that way with such classic items as arcade machines.

I already have a template (cut into 3/4 MDF as a test setup) for the CP, ready to mount to the old cab once she's been stripped, gutted and repainted.

So it begins... after many weeks of searching for something locally to convert.  I thought of building one from scratch, but the time constraints at this time in my life made buying a cab for the same cost as the basic wood purchase a much better plan.

Pics posted later this week.

Wish me luck wiring this blasted machine together. 

[leapinlew]

so... it's going to be some kind of time keeping system?

[AcidArmitage]

or the father of zeus!

[Games001]

heh..  it's being given the name Kronos: Aeon Project, meaning it's a look at at the history of arcade systems through MAME, Daphne & other Emus as well as a their continued changes over the coming years.

Yes, I tend to over think my titles. 

The basic marquee is this, or close to it.. I just have to improve me artistic skills some day.

[Games001]

Thus begins the project.. with Pre-Build pics.

A Zero Point shooter cab with 2 working (nearly new) guns, working coin box, brite marquee light and only a bit of 'cosmetic' issues.

I'll be taking out the very working arcade monitor and replacing it with a 24in PC monitor so I can run a MAME with all computer guts.  If you should want to take the arcade monitor off my hands, or any other parts I have posted, check out the Buy/Sell section:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=75968.0

CP should be rebuilt and cut as of this morning next, so pics of that work soon.

[Games001]

Well, I have the cab now fully formed up and filled with a reasonable PC:

1.6cpu, 1gb ram, ati 9600 256mb video, 21inch PC montior, AC97 sound-2.1 speakers & subwoofer, etc...

The machine works, all the lights, bells, whistles are up and ready to run.. then my GP-WizRX controller board suddenly stopped working.  Looks to be a bad chip or the like.  Really odd.  It was tested just a few weeks before, fully wired and was 100%, then stored in a quiet plastic place while I worked on the cab.

The issue I face now is the building of a home brew spinner (thanks to Fixumdude for the optics and such).  I have a good idea of the building of the device, but how does one hook it up to a controller like the GP-WizRX?  Or is it only possible to use the Opti-Pac and other chips of this type?

I need a mentor.    If anyone would like to assist with some of these basic questions drop me a PM or hell, I'll give out my cell number and we can all sit down and powwow how you experts out there have built your machines that make newbs like myself drool with desire and anticipation. 

Thanks all for the amazing assitance thus far on my first, and I would think not last, arcade project.

Games001

[Games001]

And, after a few days of doing nothing... coin light LEDs are in and working, as well as the volume control.  (this bugger is going to need alot of puddy and paint soon)

[DaOld Man]

I think you are doing a fine job...
That cabinet is very similar to the last two I built.
You might get some tips from my website, especially how I mounted the monitor.
Take a look..

The Rage

Edit: The monitor method I was referring to is in this blog:
Clint's Badda Bing Club

[Games001]

Thanks DaOld Man.  Given the fact that I need a bigger knob on my volume switch, a total paint and puddy job, plexi, marquee, and a 100% FE (using Game Ex right now)... I still have some work ahead of me.

But yeah, not bad for someone who never used more than a dremel or hand-drill tool before. 

Paint and minor detail corrections coming up in the next day or so.

[Games001]

Welp, the paint is one, though its not 100% done.. yet.

The Cab is painted what was meant to turn out as a nice dark blue tone.  But, due to the primer having a slight 'white' tint in it, the blue is now somewhat more child-like.. but it will do for now.

The CP is primed black.  I have considered the CPO and the hand painted CP.  Time will tell what we do with this bugger.

The only things still left to get on the Cab to get it up to 99% done is the marquee, side art, CPO, replace the old beatup t-molding with something 'glowie', and a tad of GameEX configs to make it a 'game cab' and not a WinXP looking machine.

[Malenko]

you put the player 2 stick on the wrong side! better fix that before you finalize anything

[Games001]

My wife plays right handed. 

She asked to have the controls in opposition to P1 so she would not have to play lefty.

[ErikRuud]

you put the player 2 stick on the wrong side! better fix that before you finalize anything

From my point of view he has player 1 stick on the wrong side. 

[Games001]

I'm a lefty, she's a righty... I have little choice since she is the voice of reason 50% of the time. 

[Games001]

Well, the Bezel (made of a cheapo $5.00 bit of plexi from my local Lowes) and the twin smaller sheets (the same plexi) for the Marquee are in place. 

I set a temp marquee printed on my little laser jet B/W printer.  It works until I throw that last bit of coin into a real marquee.

So all that is left is the little bit of random painting retouches, setting the rubber or metal brace just above the area where the CP and the Bezel frame meet (there's a small, 1/3 in space open below the bezel right now) and then just a cool color or blue or otherwise for the new t-molding.

Geez, its nearly done.

A basic v123 MAME machine, running at 100% right now.
GameEX in full force on the Front End.
Daphne running but not mapping keys well, say 50% working.

I wonder what other games I should emu in this sucker.  Time, no pun intended, will tell.

[Games001]

The as yet unfinished Kronos wanna-be project is SOLD.

That was fast. 

Now I can begin work on a true built from nuthin version of the Kronos project.

Updates on that one as soon as I begin work on it.