Currently Unthemed LuSiD-style cabinet

[Bobulus]

Well, I've been lurking around the boards since November, and started planning in late December, so it's probably time to start a thread!

Just a warning up front: This will probably be one of the slower builds on in the forum. Just as I started, my workplace decided we needed to work 7-day workweeks to make up for some downtime later in the year, so I've only had whatever time I could spare in the evening to work on this. 

When its all done, I'm shooting for a two-player upright cabinet (based off of LuSiD's 7th gen plans, but with a few tweaks here and there) with trackball, spinner, 7-button controls and lightguns. But I'm leaving the lightguns off for now, since that seems to be a rapidly evolving field, and I want to wait and see what resolves.

One reason I'm doing this project (beside the actual playable arcade cabinet!) is that I need to improve my wood-working skills. Luckily, my lovely assistant (e.g. a family member who lives in the area and owns a table saw) knows just enough to be dangerous, so between the two of us, we're figuring this thing out.

At the moment, I've got the controls figured out, the actual wood-work slowly started, and the software mostly running. What I don't have done, is picking out a color scheme / CP overlay scheme. I haven't even figured out what to name it! I want it to look understated but classic, and it wouldn't hurt if it stood out from all the all-black cabinets you see posted in here. I'm going to need some help there!

Computer:

I've recycled a former primary computer for this project. It's a (fairly ancient) Athlon XP 2000+ system w/ 1.25gb of ram, a good enough graphics card, and a fresh copy of Windows XP Pro. I've got MAME/MALA up and running, and just need to do some tweaking, like setting up analog calibrations and setting all the 4-button games to use the 4-in-a-row in my 7-button layout.

Using v.134 compiled with the hiscore/no-nag code posted on this great forum.

I've got it rigged up with a wireless connection to my main PC so that I can robocopy backup the highscore directories and the like regularly, just in case of harddrive failure or the like.

Monitor:

I got pretty lucky here. One of my first days looking for a monitor here, someone not twenty minutes from me was selling a 26" television with VGA-input in the buy/sell forum. Snatched that thing right up.

The tricky bit is that the TV won't turn on in VGA mode is power is restored at the plug, so I can't just do the powersaver power-strip trick with it. I'll either need to switch it on manually (yuck), get it out of commercial mode that is preventing it from turning on in VGA mode (would require buying a special remote off ebay) or finding some other way to turn it on without using the power plug (It has a serial port connection that can supposedly turn it on, but I have no idea what signal to send...)

Cabinet materials:

I decided to go with 3/4" plywood, rather than MDF, despite all the consensus here, since I'm more comfortable working with it, and it will hopefully keep the cabinet a bit more durable.

I got a good deal on some beautiful birch-veneer plywood at my local hardware store. Almost seems too nice to paint over it, but it should save on the sanding. Sadly, predictably, as soon as I got it home, it started warping. I've managed to avoid most of the problems by solidly gluing and screwing everything into straight angles, but the big side pieces are going to be...interesting.

Control Panel:

As mentioned above, I'm going with a fairly standard setup:

- Two u360 joysticks, bottom mounted, with bat-handles, longer sticks, octagonal restrictors, and harder springs.
- Seven NovaGem player buttons each, lit by Randy's RGB-LEDs, plus two more for flippers on the sides
- A TT2 spinner
- A Ultimarc trackball
- A few misc admin buttons, most tastefully hidden somewhere, like the top of the cabinet.

I'm running into a little trouble at the planning here, since I'm using 3/4" plywood in the rest of the cabinet, but I don't know if I want to use it for the control panel top. With my test wood, it splintered an awful lot when I put my buttons as close together as I plan to. I considered using solid wood, but finding solid wood in 5/8" (plus the 1/8" plexiglass) in the dimensions I need has proven troublesome.

I'm contemplating using MDF for only the CP top, since it will get covered up on all sides anyway, but haven't set anything in stone yet, since it will be one of the last things I do.

I've received most of the pieces from GGG and Ultimarc, and started building a test board to make sure there's nothing I've overlooked.

Don't worry. I'll do my best to keep it somewhat unplayable until I have the cabinet finished!



What you came here to see:

On to the actual building!

As mentioned, I'm working off LuSiD's revision 7 plans, available here. I had to make a few tweaks, since it's for 5/8" material, rather than 3/4". I'm going to make the coin door panel hinged for easier access, and may play with the control panel top dimensions to better accommodate those flipper buttons. Other other thing I think I'm messing with is the where the coin door panel meets the bottom of the cabinet, since I want to make that a little more ascetically pleasing. Yes, I overthink this stuff.

Here's the 20+year old table saw I was planning to use to cut the wood. It's not in the best shape ever, but it gets the job done. The plans call for one of three boards to be cut into 4'x26" strips. Only one problem: The fence on this saw only goes out to 20 inches....so 26inch cuts were right out. 

...So I had to resort to something much more primitive: Clamping a really straight board to the wood to use as a manual guide for a hand saw.

After doing this for the 26" boards, I realized just how much of a pain in the ass it was, especially trying to get all 26" boards exactly the same, down to the 1/16". Luckily....

...aforementioned family member had been wanting to get a new table saw anyway, and had enough Safety Bucks saved up from his workplace to buy this sweet baby for free! It's a lot easier to adjust, the fence goes up to something like 30", so on, and so forth. It's shiny.

I'm going for strength in the final build, so I've been following a rigid regime of wood-glue and deck screws for every board connection.

The first thing I put together, since it was one of the pieces I was modifying, was the base. I shorted it slightly, depth-wise, so that the front of it doesn't stick out as far as the edge of the cabinet, and better matches the door depth.

Sadly, just doing that took something like two weekends to accomplish. I am very slow, and the amount as measuring, thinking, and remeasuring I do probably doesn't help.

Anyway, what I'm working on now is the control panel box. Decided to get a little fancy here and cut the front/back cp-box pieces to the exact angle of the control panel top. This wasn't really necessary, I know, but I wanted to see if I could do it.

As you can see, it turned out pretty well.

So that's where I'm at, at the moment. Bought a jig so I an cut the angle on the side cp-box pieces, and will do those next.

I'd really love some comments and such. And, again, I really need some ideas on what to do for a theme, since I will need to start incorporating those ideas before I do things like order the trim (need a color) and so forth.

[javeryh]

Nice start!  My table saw is in my garage which is not temperature controlled.  It is fairly new (less than 3 years) but there is ALWAYS that rust build-up on it.  How did you clean yours?  I avoid using my table saw because I always have to spend an hour or two scrubbing the table surface!

[Epyx]

I am very slow, and the amount as measuring, thinking, and remeasuring I do probably doesn't help.

Wrong, it does...you will benefit in the long run from your multiple measurements and plodding pace

Good luck!

[Gamester]

I am very slow, and the amount as measuring, thinking, and remeasuring I do probably doesn't help.

Wrong, it does...you will benefit in the long run from your multiple measurements and plodding pace

Good luck!

+1

As you progress through the project, good planning, taking good measurements and making careful cuts will serve you well.

[Bobulus]

Nice start!  My table saw is in my garage which is not temperature controlled.  It is fairly new (less than 3 years) but there is ALWAYS that rust build-up on it.  How did you clean yours?

I didn't. That's two different saws. The first one is ancient and (as you can see) fairly rusty.

The second one is brand new, and so hasn't had time to rust yet. 

[Xenor]

I have that very same craftsman table saw, probably just newer because mine isn't 20+ years old.  Mine wasn't rusted as I put gun blue on the table surface the day I got it.

Make sure you put something like gun blue, or similar, on your new saw!  That's a nice delta table saw you got there!

[Bobulus]

Bah. I said I'd be slow working on this project, but then right after that, I ended up moving to an apartment closer to work, separating me from my tools. (Reducing a 48-minute commute to a 18 minute commute makes it worth it, but still)

Anyway, I'm still plugging away at this, but now my big tools are currently staying with a friend (can't exactly set up a table saw in my apartment, and there's no rentable garages to work in), so I can really only work when both he and I have a free weekend.

When I last posted, I'd been working on the control panel box...

Decided I didn't want the wires running back into the cabinet through a rough hole, so I picked up a plastic desk grommit and used a Forstner bit to cut an appropriately-sized hole. (Annoying bit: The pack said it was a 2 3/8" grommit, but that turned out to be the size of the desk-overlapping-bit, not the hole you put it in. The hole it fit in was more like 1 7/8". Glad I measured before I cut!)

Next I needed to but the CP-box sides, so I picked up a taper jig and went to town. Lots of measuring and double-checking on this step!

I plan to put pinball flipper buttons on the CP, so now seemed like a good time to cut the holes. Also seen: OCD pencil marking for screw-hole predrilling needs.

As you can see, it came together pretty well. Got the angle 99% right, and clamped a block of wood in front to make sure the front pieces lined up perfectly. I also started puttying the screw holes, but I'm terrible at puttying.

---

Now, while I've been moving and packing/unpacking my stuff, unfortunately this wood as been sitting idle in a basement, and it developed a bit of a warp to it. Those two boards are being held together at the other end.  

I know this is why everyone goes with MDF, but I made my bed and now I have to lie in it. So, it's boxes of heavy books to the rescue!

[Bobulus]

It sat like this for like a couple weeks and most of the warp went out of it. The rest can be corrected when I start screwing pieces together.

Starting to cut the curved bit. Ended up using a coffee-can lid and a rubbermate container lid to get the curve the way I wanted it.

Here's the finished cut of the curve. I'm not so great with the circular saw...burned the wood a couple times. At least that bit will be covered by paint/trim.

Still, nothing so jagged that it can't be fixed with a belt sander!

---

Decided that putting the wheels on would make it easier to plan how I was going to attach the sides, so did that step next.

Went with a 3" wheel, 120lbs max-load per wheel (that's additive, when the load's distributed, right?). Put them as close to the kickplates as possible minimize wobblyness.

Even though it'll be on the inside of the cabinet, I didn't want to banging my knees on bolt-heads if I was fiddling with the computer in the cabinet, so I countersunk the screws for the wheels. OCD, I know.

To minimize the number of screw holes I need to putty on the outside of the cabinet, I decided to attach the bottom to the sides with a 2x2 block of wood.

My plan is to glue-and-screw it to the cabinet side, and then only screw it into the cabinet bottom, so that if I have to, I can remove those screws and take the cabinet apart.

Between that, the monitor shelf brackets, and the cabinet back pieces, I think I'll have plenty of support to keep the cabinet togther!

Anyway, that's all I've had time for in the last couple months. Like I said, slow but steady. Hoping to get this thing done before 2011.

[brock.sampson]

You may want to rethink that spinner placement.  That is going to get smacked everytime you play golf, bowling, horse shoes etc.  Mine is a little off center and it still get's smacked at least 50% of the time.

[Bobulus]

It's worth considering, yeah. I thought I had it far enough that it wouldn't matter, but maybe closer to the P1 controls would be more comfortable anyway.

[Bobulus]

Dumb question. I tried searching, but while I found people asking the same question, I didn't find any answers:

I'm laying out 2x2s to hold all the back pieces and it occurred to me that LuSid's plans don't give any details on where to put the monitor shelf.

I assumed you would angle it at a 90 degree angle to the angled part of the sides, but many projects on here mount it flat horizontal.
- Which is better? I know you want the TV angled.
- If you put the monitor shelf flat, what, do you just stick a block under the TV to get it at the right angle?
- If you put the monitor shelf at an angle, what's a comfortable viewing angle for the monitor?

[drventure]

I wonder what those buttons would look like if you took the "button" part from some opaque standard buttons (maybe blue or black) and mounted them in those clear base rings., then lit them?

Anyway, good start on the cab!

[Number21]

Nice start!  My table saw is in my garage which is not temperature controlled.  It is fairly new (less than 3 years) but there is ALWAYS that rust build-up on it.  How did you clean yours?  I avoid using my table saw because I always have to spend an hour or two scrubbing the table surface!

To prevent rust or prevent more rust.  First if you have rust use a fine grade steel wool to remove it.  Then use mothers carnauba paste wax on the surface of the metal, the same stuff you use on your car.  It does not come off on your wood when sawing and also makes a slick surface.  Thats an old woodworking trick that has been around for decades.  Works on all power tools with uncoated cast iron or steel surfaces.  But it does not prevent beer rings!

[Bobulus]

Geez, has it really been six months since I updated this thread? I am too lazy at posting.

I have still been working on this, though still at the same glacial pace. I've been cursed a lot with warping wood. Really wish I'd listened to everyone here and gone with MDF instead. Now, where was I....

I didn't want any external screwholes on the sides of the cabinets, so I opted to do things a little wacky.

As mentioned, I first used some 2x4s cut in half to form a inner corner that both that the sides could be screwed to from the inside, using some left-over deck screws.

I opted to secure the back panels to the 2x2s with larger, back-facing, counter-sunk screws so that I can easily remove any of the back panels for access without worrying about stripping out of the holes from overuse.

This worked pretty well

---

After that, I got to work on the tv shelf. Was all paranoid about the weight of the TV buckling the shelf, so opted to reinforce it with some 2x4s.

---

This is the point where I started running into warping problems with my plywood. I'm expecting some mocking laughter at my solution to the problem, so don't hold back. Let new people learn from my mistakes!

While the back of the cabinet was square, the front was more a parallelogram shape due to both sides twisting the same way.

Plus the right-hand side-panel was skewing something awful.

Without any good ideas on how to fix this, I ended up doing kind of a weird fix where I used a heavy-duty angle brace to force the front of the cabinet into the shape I wanted. (I could probably have accomplished the same with the front panel, but I really wanted a door, so....

This straightened out the weird right-panel skew, but it was still not quite square...

...so I added some angled bits to force it into the shape I wanted.

---

With that fixed, I moved on to hinging the front door of the cabinet.

Went with a euro-style hinge for that, installed in a bass-ackwards way so that it would work with the sides of the cabinet.

---

After that, I wanted to make the speaker shelf. Decided to get fancy again, and almost ran into trouble doing it.

See, I wanted the trim on the front to be square with the other pieces of trim, not angled like the speaker shelf would be. So I wanted to cut the edge of the front of the speaker shelf at an angle that force that.

Routing into an angled-cut posed a momentary challenge, but I ended up cutting a complementary angle out of a piece of scrap wood:

This mostly worked, but man, did it come close to not working!

But it turned out okay in the end. I know that looks like the wrong height, but it works okay with is piece of scrap trim I had laying around (still haven't decided on trim color)

Now that the front was cut how I wanted it, I just had to cut the speaker holes.

Grabbed a cheap set of 2.1 speakers that someone on here had recommended a while ago...

...and then cut off the plastic housing to expose the speakers within.

Then used two different bits to cut concentric circles, such that the speaker would rest in one, and on top of the other.

It worked out pretty well. (Other than the fact that it's bowing down in the center. Damn it, wood, quit warping!  )

---

So that's where I'm at, at the moment. Here's a 'current' shot:

(Note that the control panel top is currently just a cheap-plywood standin, built so I could test my controls. As mentioned above, I'll probably move the spinner over so I'm not hitting it when using the trackball)

I still need to rout out the slots in the sides, and do some patch at the top on the right side there where it started splintering badly.

My big trouble at the moment is that I can't decide on a color scheme so that I can buy the trim and start designing the artwork.

[Rick]

How are these hinges working for you?  I'm asking, because I had some hinges I was trying to use for my fireplace/media centre, and they were similar, but wouldn't open as I had intended.  It looks to be the same issue, with the door frame interfering, but if you have any pics of 'open vs. closed', they might help me out.

Otherwise, your cab is looking A-MAZING.  Quality workmanship, for sure!

 

[Bobulus]

Hinges work great. For the set I have, they can be adjusted in three different axes, but in the 'center' position of each, it just clears if I set the hinge inward exactly the thickness of the door. So scrap wood worked well.

(Excuse the photo quality. I took these with my camera phone)

The door when closed. Not much of a crack. I could probably turn the screws and adjust this more, but I'm waiting for it to 'settle' a bit first.

The door when opened. There's maybe a 3/16" or something gap on the side, when open.

Shot from the inside. I used the guides that came with my hinges to space it out, and it turned out pretty good.

There's no binding, and it doesn't touch the side of the cabinet at any point. I'm pretty happy with it.

[Bobulus]

Actually, that's still not very clear. I think the key here is that I'm using the hinge backwards of how you'd expect it to be used, and using a spacer to adjust for that.

Labeling!

[Rick]

I think it's the attached 'the right way' vs. 'backwards'...  All of my cabinet doors in the kitchen are routed on the door, and have the adjustment on the wall.  Thanks for all the pics!  (I think I still have a problem - confusing to have to explain, but let's just say the door has to open 'upwards', and there's some trim work in front of it...  ...so really, I think I'm looking for a hinge that will 'drop' the door down and swivel outwards under the lip.  Yeah, confusing.)

 

[Donkbaca]

Did you ever figure out how to make it turn on to the VGA input?

[Bobulus]

It was actually much, much simpler than I thought. It bases what channel to default when turned on based on what's plugged into the back.

So as long as VGA is the only thing plugged in, it defaults to that.

I was planning on plugging my original NES into the thing, too, instead of running NES emulation, but I can live without that for now.

[BurgerKingDiamond]

Nice. I didn't even know that there were old school CRT TV's with VGA in.

[jipp]

looks great.  i almost used these plans for my first cab.  but my narrow door ways made me go with a two piece design.. keep up the good work.

chris.

[Bobulus]

i almost used these plans for my first cab.  but my narrow door ways made me go with a two piece design.

Actually, I'm living in an apartment, so doorways was a concern for me, too. So I modified the plans a bit and the thing is can be fully disassembled for easy movement.

I actually just took it completely apart so that I could paint it better. Plan to reassemble it in the apartment, and do the last few cosmetic things there.

Nice. I didn't even know that there were old school CRT TV's with VGA in.

Yeah, I got lucky. Bought it from another member here who had stalled out on his project. I don't have the remote, but I don't really need it anyway.

[Bobulus]

Well, it's been a long time since I posted in here, hasn't it?

No, I didn't give up, it just too a very long time to paint the cabinet. Had some trouble where the primer I put down never dried properly (even after months in a properly temp-controlled, humidity-controlled environment). You could handle it without a problem, but if it touched any surface for more than, say, thirty minutes, primer would start transferring! Had to put multiple coats of black semi-gloss over it to cover it properly. Should never have used a primer in the first place.

Combine that with the fact that I could only paint for about an hour a week, and didn't have enough space to paint more than a couple pieces at a time, and, well, it took nine months to paint!

To make up for the long delay, here's a sped-up video of the reassembly after painting.



Only trouble: The paint added just enough thickness that my door catches quite a bit now. It'll be scratching up my paint unless I take it off and sand off an 1/8 of an inch or so of wood.