Okay guys, big update here, it lives!
The past week leading up to tonight I got the cab to about the 95% finish mark. Control panel & all buttons are configured and work, coin door is wired, cabling inside the cab is organized well with zip ties and cable guides. And best of all, the machine is fun as hell to play on (lost track of time "testing it" again
).
On to the pics:
CONTROL PANEL FINISHEverything works, rock on. Problem as mentioned above was just a conflicting mame config. A fresh install of mame fixed the problem. Here's me playing a quick game of Killer Instinct:
BEZEL & MONITOR GLASSAfter wiring buttons and everything to the control panel, I started work on the bezel and monitor glass. I went to Michael's crafts and picked up two sheets - one of red Elmer's foamboard and one plain ol' piece of red posterboard. The foamboard was very thick and sturdy and I thought for sure it would work:
After cutting it and trying to insert 2 things became clear: 1.) foamboard is damn near impossible to cut evenly and looks like crap after you cut it and b.) can't bend barely at all without breaking or cracking. So after a test fit where the monitor cut was WAY off, I scrapped it and instead just used the plain posterboard. It was a little flimsy but a little tape reinforcement on the back and support from the monitor glass would take care of that issue.
I did have to touch up some torn parts along the cut with red pain from the cab:
After verifying that the monitor cut would fit properly, I trimmed up the lexan monitor glass to the right size and got everything inserted. Here it is finished:
MARQUEEMarquee time....had to trim the lexan with my router and the marquee with an exacto knife to make it fit 100% but after a few adjustments it came out looking great.
I left the white backing on the piece closest to the flourescent light - it will act as a diffuser for the light. Hard to tell in these photos but it looks great when lit up:
WIRING AND TESTLast but not least i spent the night wiring everything up - smartstrip, computer parts, etc. I used cable tie downs to keep things neat and keep the air flow going out the top exhust. I mounted the power supply to the bottom of the motherboard slab - a little creative use of space that will allow for less cramping:
And here it is, playing some Capcom classics. It looks, sounds, and plays just like an arcade machine. I can't believe I didn't build one of these sooner, it's the greatest thing ever. I'm starting to actually wish I had more to do on it because I'll be done soon.
I guess the thrill is in the chase, right?
REMAINING PUNCHLIST-Wire CP buttons & test
-Copy roms over & configure Mala to run as shell-Secure complete CP to cabinet
-Paint & epoxy dowel extension to volume control
-Insert & wire coin door
-Wire service button from back of cab to IPAC
-Apply black paint to bottom lip of the cabinet MDF
-Apply paint thinner to wheels where I got sloppy
-Screw in Hard Disk, Power Supply, Smart Strip to inside of cab
-Put motherboard on shelf inside cab & wire computer parts up
-Mount monitor onto bracket
-Measure & cut monitor lexan
-Measure & cut bezel
-Apply bezel & lexan
-Screw in marquee retainers & mount marquee between plexi sheets-Wipe down & attach back panels
-ORDER SIDE ART-Attach T-Molding
-Final Cleanup
Almost done, should have most of this completed by the end of the weekend. Once it's nice and clean and has its side art (which I still need to order), I'll take fancy photos with my SLR.
Enjoy!