Game Grid -- *ALMOST FINISHED* Rotating panel and rotating monitor.

[phildo77]

**************** UPDATE (3/1/2011) ********************

Moved and mostly settled.  A few minor things and one major left to do.

1)  MODERATE - Replace sensors on rotating optical joysticks (blown by incorrect wiring as I read the WRONG post on here somewhere)  
2)  EXTREMELY DIFFICULT - Complete fiberglass (or other material) covers for player 3 and 4 wings.
3)  EASY - Install gun sensor and s/w setup.
4)  MODERATE - Reinforce motor axle so chain slippage does not occur during rotate.
5)  MODERATE - Sand and refinish lacquer sides due to damage done during move.
6)  EASY (I think) - Procure and install Speaker Grates
7)  UNKNOWN - Solve degauss problem on monitor rotate


Video's of attract mode:
Large:
Small:


*****************************  UPDATE **************************************************************




Alright.  So I started this beast in 2005 and never got past the first panel.  You can see my original announcement here.

Here's what it looks like right now:



POS!!  


I made a TON of mistakes and quite a few bad decisions because I was so excited.

Here's a list of mistakes and bad decisions:
1)  Plexi over glossy BOND printed artwork.  Suggestions welcome here.  
This is a huge problem as you can see from this picture.  Beer and bond prints do not go well together.
Also poor placement of controls for comfortability.  Man you'd get tired hands quick playing this thing.  The controls need to be pushed back and raised.



I can't seem to figure out how the best way to keep spills off of the artwork without permanently sealing the panel.

2)  Hasty wiring:



Nuff Said there.

3)  Poor/No interior planning:


This can be easily fixed, but goes hand-in-hand with hasty wiring (see above).

4)  Manual monitor rotation with shoddy mount craftsmanship:



This manual setup was horrendous and just DIDN'T work.  The disc was not cut well and doesn't rotate smoothly let alone its about to fall apart.  I've had to replace the TV twice now due to electrical failure due to poor mounting of the TV board.  This last failure caused me to say "screw it" and move forward with the revamp.

5) Not following through.  (Things never get done if you just play the damn thing!)

So this is to announce that I'm COMPLETELY redoing quite a bit of this machine and I'm going to follow it to the end.

First I'm going to redo the control panels (AND do ALL three of them at once) by cutting them by six inches (3" per top and bottom) and adding a permanent stationary deck just above the rotating panels (think TRON) with a black light shining on the panel and buttons.  Completely new artwork and themeing but same name (including the marquee):

Panel 1 artwork:



Panel 2 artwork:



Side art logo and marquee:





I haven't completed the third panel artwork because I'm not sure what the heck I'm going to have on it yet.  The main purpose is for a yoke and driving wheel.  I just haven't found the best of either yet.  Nor do I know how best to mount them!  Suggestions welcome here.  



I've got all the components I need except for the Driving wheel and yoke.  I also will be replacing ALL pushbuttons with GGG EICE2s and will be picking up a ton of LED controllers.

Some components I've got already and a new TV:



I've also decided to go with a motor for rotating monitor.  I just tested it today with an ATX supply I hacked up that I'll be using to power it.  I'll be using a bike chain around the outer part of the disc mount and a sprocket on the motor.



I plan to manually rotate with a momentary rotating switch (twist left/rebound to center/twist right).  I swear I saw a video of someone on here that did the exact same thing with that switch but I can't find it again.  I just want to know where he found that switch.  Anyone know who did that?  

Eventually (after I'm comfortable with the operation of the motor) I will be adding the automated rotation software and the electronics to handle it.

I'm also concerned about the magnetic field around the motor causing havoc with the TV colors.  Anyone have any ideas on how close I can have this thing to the tube?

I'm going to try and document the rest of the process so maybe something I do will be helpful.  This community is awesome and I'd like to give props to DaOld Man, psychotech and Richie Rich for their posts and contributions to the community as I wouldn't have taken the motor route without those posts.  Props to RobbyMac for helping me figure out the best way to apply artwork (which I'm still worried about).

[JustMichael]

Are you sure you want to redo the control panel first?  When it is done. you will play instead of work on the thing.

[solidteezme]

What kind of joysticks are those?

[csa3d]

I swear I saw a video of someone on here that did the exact same thing with that switch but I can't find it again.  I just want to know where he found that switch.  Anyone know who did that?  

I believe the user your are looking for is psychotech and though I couldn't locate the video (which I know the one you're talking about) his main thread that started that is located here.

-csa

[Epyx]

I can't seem to figure out how the best way to keep spills off of the artwork without permanently sealing the panel.

My remedy? Don't drink at your panel!

In all seriousness though...why do you have so many panels? I would make the CP cover as one piece of plexi...then route it and just use your buttons and T Molding to hold it in place...you really don't need the bolts/screws. Then use a thin strip of tape on the  inner perimetre of the top of the button hole to seal the space between plexi and artwork. The button will still fit in.

Ideally, shrink the CP in towards the monitor more if you are concerned about working with a piece of plexi that large.

[phildo77]

What kind of joysticks are those?

The black one is happs heavy Duty trigger joy and the red and blue colored handles are from GGG.

[phildo77]

Are you sure you want to redo the control panel first?  When it is done. you will play instead of work on the thing.

Yeah you're right.   I'll probably do everything all at once in this approximate order:

1) Rotating monitor work
2) paint and decal the cabinet
3) Build panels, paint and decal  (then set to the side   )
4) Organize and redo guts
5) Build bezel/panel riser with black light
6) Figure out a solution for enclosing the wiring under player 3 and 4 wing panels (alex/ryan and alucard panels).  Suggestions welcome here.  (fiberglass?)
7) Redo panel wiring and setup LED lighting
setup s/w
9) Make sure everything works and tweak
10) Design and install automated monitor rotation

I've got a trial license on Adobe CS4 (PS and ILLUSTRATOR) that runs out soon so I need to get all the artwork done now.

[phildo77]

In all seriousness though...why do you have so many panels? I would make the CP cover as one piece of plexi...then route it and just use your buttons and T Molding to hold it in place...you really don't need the bolts/screws. Then use a thin strip of tape on the  inner perimetre of the top of the button hole to seal the space between plexi and artwork. The button will still fit in.

TAPE!  Why didn't I think of that?  Not the best sealant but its the best non-permanent solution I've heard yet.  Thanks!

As far as why so many panels...  I wanted the flexibility to have controls for most games available (and for all available players minus the six player ones) and not have a cluttered panel.  Plus I liked the challenge of a complex panel design. (I just need to execute it)

I'm shrinking the panel because the corners of the thing are ugly and dangerous let alone the fact that the panel is just too huge anyway.  Plus, shrinking the panel will give me room to put that fancy black light deck on that will have player and UI buttons on it, so I don't have to replicate those buttons on each panel.

[Epyx]

Absolutely agree with your reasons for doing this but still think you could get away with one panel as opposed to several once you have shrunk it a bit...will create a better seal as well imo only

gl! 

[phildo77]

Absolutely agree with your reasons for doing this but still think you could get away with one panel as opposed to several once you have shrunk it a bit...will create a better seal as well imo only

gl! 

Are you talking about taking off the wings and adding the 3rd and 4th player to the main panel?  I don't think I have room for that?  The center panel rotates so anything outside that center panel will have to be separate.

[Epyx]

Are you talking about taking off the wings and adding the 3rd and 4th player to the main panel?  I don't think I have room for that?  The center panel rotates so anything outside that center panel will have to be separate.

I am talking about the plexi glass you have covering your control panel. From the pictures it looks like (starting from left to right) that player 1 is 1 piece of plexi...players 2/3 are a 2nd piece of plexi and player 4 is a 3rd piece of plexi.

What I am saying is why not have one piece of plexi that covers all the the players...that will eliminate the gap you have between each piece of plexi and create a full piece with no gaps.

Tape the inside of the button holes and cover the edges around with flush T molding...that will be a pretty good seal.

EDIT: The center panel rotates...ah gotcha...nm then

[JohnEDollar]

phildo77:

Congrats on resuming your project!

One question though:  How big is your cabinet?

It looks HUGE!!!  Will your garage, or basement, be the final location for your cab?

- John

[phildo77]

One question though:  How big is your cabinet?

It looks HUGE!!!  Will your garage, or basement, be the final location for your cab?

It is pretty giant.  I designed it to have a 1/2" clearance through a standard exterior door with the wing control panels removed.  I wanted the largest CRT possible which ended up being a 27" tube.  The width is approximately 32.5".  Eventually it will end up in a basement/entertainment room....  I hope.  (Wife approval pending)   

[phildo77]

It was emotional.

I began removing wires:



Then I made the hard decision to cut em... ALL.  I knew that the wiring was crap so I forced the issue and cut them all so I could run Ribbon to the panels and mount the I/O controllers in the panel instead of having a million wires running to the back of the cab:




I was left with pieces:




and a husk:




I plan on sending the artwork to Mame Marquees this weekend.  No more bond crap freebies from work. 

[drventure]

So, does that control panel rotate? Or does it just flip down for access?

The giant rotating monitor is slick, in any case!

[phildo77]

So, does that control panel rotate? Or does it just flip down for access?

The giant rotating monitor is slick, in any case!

The panel rotates.  But I only ever got ONE panel installed so I guess you could say it did just flip down for access.  This time around It''ll be a full three rotatable panels.

[phildo77]

Found my rotating monitor sprocket and chain for $4.50 at Goodwill. 



The sprocket had a large center hole, so I needed something to shrink that hole so it would fit around a bolt.  JB Weld rocks!




Here I sandwiched the sprocket between to fender washers and JB welded them together.  I spent a lot of time looking for something to extend the threads coming off the motor and let me tell you it was not easy.  The wiper motor I got was for a 90's Toyota Corolla.  The threads coming off the motor were metric M8 FINE pitch threads (1.00).  You will NOT find anything very helpful to extend that at your local Lowe's, Home Depot or Ace hardware.  I debated buying pieces online but after playing with a bunch of options while in Ace Hardware found a combination that'll work.  I'll post pics of that after I've finalized it.

I hope to have artwork sent off to the shop today.

I would have purchased the EICE2 pushbuttons yesterday but it seems that all you guys are busy at work.  GGG is out of stock for a couple of weeks!

[HaRuMaN]

Wow that bike is awesome!   

[Turnarcades]

If you are going to this much trouble I'dhve gone back to the drawing board and started again from scratch - you've gutted it anyway and the shell was not finished, so with wood so cheap you could better have designed the cabinet to suit the rotating design and the components you already have.

Speaking from experience, planning around parts you have is much better practice than building/hacking o what you intend to buy. A major thing I would at least re-do is the size of the control panel, which is out of proportion from the rest of the machine.

[phildo77]

Speaking from experience, planning around parts you have is much better practice than building/hacking o what you intend to buy. A major thing I would at least re-do is the size of the control panel, which is out of proportion from the rest of the machine.

I've shrunk the panel by design already by 6".  This will bring it more into proportion and allow me to create a "deck" panel that will have UI buttons, semi-auto rotate monitor switch, player 1 & 2 coin/start buttons and a black light to shine onto the control panel underneath some artwork.  I'm going to be adding to the existing rotating monitor mount to make it more robust and be operated by the motor.

Stop raining on my parade dammit!!     This thing will look great when its done!  I promise!

 

[Turnarcades]

Not meaning to piss on your chips, it's just that building cabinets for UK homes means I'm always focusing on space economy so all US cabs look big. Kudos to the rotating monitor mount system though as this is one thing I mean to try eventually and if yours works half as well as you expect I will come to you for advice.

[phildo77]

Okay, big steps today.

Reinforced the tv mount disc.  This meant cutting another disc and sandwiching the TV mounting brackets between them.  Routed out one of the boards so the mounting brackets and bolts would be "inside" the disc.  Sanded the outside of the discs down for smooth rolling.  Routed out the chain seating in one of the discs.  Mounted the motor to the cabinet and began a preliminary test of the motor.




Here's my buddy Chad holding the supply getting ready to test the basic operation of the rotating TV mount.  Excitement is building...


Attached the chain into the top edge of the disc in the routed seat with bolts through the chain pin holes.



Mounted the motor to the cabinet using half of a 2x3 and a L-bracket.



You can see the movies of the thing in basic testing and .

Lesson learned...  DO NOT DO THE ROTATING MONITOR THIS WAY!!     The other ways here on the forums are much more maintenance free and less risky.  This is a hack job as I didn't originally plan on doing a motor powered rotating monitor.  Luckily everything here will be behind a smoked piece of glass/plexi so its ugliness will be unknown to the average player.  I'll post a movie of it under operation a little bit later.  I would highly recommend not placing the chain directly on the mount.  I think it makes more sense to attach each end of the chain to the mount and run it OVER the motor sprocket so the motor is between the chain and mount.  I couldn't do this because my chain was too short.  Because I mounted my chain around the disc it goes "bump bump bump".  I can just hear the remaining rotate life count just draining.  I'm going to try and see what I can do about the noise and extra friction.  Will update when done.

[DaOld Man]

Alright! Another rotating cab project! I will be following this thread.
Its good to see someone else doing a setup like I did. (But it was not my idea.)
My chain setup works good, I dont hear a bumping sound, but Im using a plastic cog on the motor, so that may be quieter.
I couldnt open the links you posted, would really like to see this in action.
Good luck on your project. It looks like you are off and running!

[DaOld Man]

I got the links to work.
Looks like a good setup.
I mounted my motor on a disc at the back of the monitor, so the video interference from the motors magnets wasnt as bad, however I could still see it slightly.
I power the monitor down during rotation. When the monitor powers back on, it degausses, so that takes care of the magnetic interference.
I have a new project in the brain phase right now, using a LCD monitor and a stepper motor.
It looks like the stepper may be the way to go, but with my tests thus far, I need a stronger motor.
I would imagine you will need a very powerful stepper to rotate a CRT. (Or TV).
Anyway, I like this project and will be watching, but I will try not to put in my two cents worth unless asked. LOL.

[phildo77]

...
I mounted my motor on a disc at the back of the monitor, so the video interference from the motors magnets wasnt as bad, however I could still see it slightly.
I power the monitor down during rotation. When the monitor powers back on, it degausses, so that takes care of the magnetic interference.
...

That's one of the main things I'm worried about.  I'm not using a monitor, I'll have a 27" CRT TV.  Last time I rotated a TV the degauss didn't work well... If at all.  (factory degauss).  I think I'm going to have to do the same thing (power off, rotate, power on/degauss) and pray that it works..  Otherwise I'll have to build my own degauss circuit and figure out how to mount THAT as well.

Anyway, I like this project and will be watching, but I will try not to put in my two cents worth unless asked. LOL.

I really appreciate that you're watching!  Your project was one of the jobs that inspired me to go ahead with my rotating monitor w/MOTOR build!  If you have any ideas/advice go right ahead!  I feel more like MacGuyver (wheres that gum wrapper?) building this machine than I do any esteemed decorative builder... Any advice would be great!  PLUS I have no problem telling any of you guys that you're full of dukey and that I don't like whatever idea you came up with!   

The next step I've got is figuring out how to decoratively cover the plexi joints on my rotating control panel.  I'm currently thinking aluminum strips bent to the angle of the panel joint and then powder coated to the T-molding color.  I'm a little concerned about the aluminum edges being sharp, so I'm trying to figure out how to bevel them down to be safe and look nice.  I'm also still trying to come up with other options.

Included in that step is routing out a large part of the side panels to a 1/8" depth.  I decided that some aluminum tread plate ("kickplate") powder coated the same color as the trim would look pretty sweet.  I can't imagine how heavy this thing is going to be when its done.

[FlatEarth]

Deleted (reconsidered post, it would hijack your thread)  Sorry, but I cannot make the post completely go away.

[phildo77]

Got my aluminum tread plate and aluminum 1" strips.

Need to grind off the burs from cutting the aluminum sheets with a table saw.  Still need to route the side and front panels so the plates are flush with the surface.  Need to take the plates and bent bars in for powder coat. 

I'm concerned about the aluminum strips being bendable.  I need them at a 60 degree bend and they are only 1" wide and 1/8" thick.  Making some calls around to some local machine shops to see if they are able to bend them.

[DaOld Man]

Sweet! Something about aluminum! (working in an aluminum rolling mill for 23 years, maybe some of it has absorbed into me.)

[phildo77]

Update time.  We've got a lot done but there's still a ways to go.  I got my Ultimarc aimtraks in (two of em) and two act labs guns (shell only).  Here's the gun shells:


Was pretty easy to install the aim-trak module.  Just clean out a bit of thin plastic separator from the barrel to the main body of the gun.  Use the switches provided with the act labs gun and cut the leads in the PCB.  A little glue from a glue gun and you're in business.  You can see the aim-trak provided hardware here (minus the led strip):


I did a quick video of the gun after we were done explaining a little bit:


We've spent a lot of time just getting the deck and CPs done and waiting on parts.  All main panels are built (with a slight exception on the third one which will have Yoke/Wheel).  Need to complete wing panels for players 3 and 4.

Still in the mail:  Aluminum separators for the CP.  EI2 Buttons with RGB drive.  Led strip tape for CP backlighting

Still needs to be ordered:  Lexan/Plexi for CP and Deck.  Powder coating for all aluminum parts.  Misc. small piece crap.  8" monitor.  A couple of powered USB hubs.

Here's what she looks like so far:



Showing the deck with black light installed.




Front and angled look at current progress.

[phildo77]

UPDATE:  No pictures this time but will have some on the next post.  The last couple of weeks has been woodworking, and painting a la this.  I didn't like the how the foam roller did though so I switched to a smooth 1/4" roller.  This is by far the WORST part of putting a cab together.

paint
wait
paint
wait
sand
paint
wait
paint
wait
sand
etc.
etc.

spray lacquer
spray lacquer
spray lacquer
spray lacquer
spray lacquer
spray lacquer
spray lacquer
etc...

Will post pics soon.  I think I'm high on lacquer.

In the meantime I got the aluminum powder coated and all the artwork has arrived.  My whole garage floor is covered in paint tarp and arcade pieces.

[phildo77]

Update:

Here are some pics before painting of all parts (primer is on obviously):





After panels have been installed:



Here's a shot of the diode backlighting strip:



Shot of the artwork under lacquer:



This was a pain in the ass.  I really wanted the lacquer to be OVER the artwork but it ate the adhesive on the back of the artwork.  If anyone wants tips on this let me know.  One side of my cab was great, the other side looks like garbage because of this issue.  I'll post more pics of the finished product when I'm done building.  I DO think the powder coated aluminum turned out great though!! (Panel separator bars and kickplates)

Shot after I'd started a little bit of wiring:




I bought EICE2 buttons for all buttons on the machine and had 12V LED strips to backlight some of the panels.  This meant SIX 32 output LEDWIZ controllers.  All LEDs (except the backlight strips) are RGB LEDs.  I originally had casters to hold the weight of the monitor rotation disc.  I upgraded to skate wheels (with bearings) and this improved things substantially!

My 1 year old boy, Logan, REALLY wants to know what the hell is going on with this giant monstrosity in the living room (god bless the wife for letting me complete it inside.  Its like 115 degrees in Arizona):




After a couple of days more of wiring:





It's a rat's nest.  I guided and channeled most of the wires but when it got to power and USB for the LEDWIZ/OPTIPAC there's not much I can do to control it.  I'm using DSUB connectors for quick disconnect when I need to move the thing (which will be in a week when we relocate to Iowa).  I expect to be complete within the next couple of days.  After that the only thing left is the fiberglass covers for the side wings (player's 3 and 4).  Oh god I hope this thing powers up without issue.  I'm also a little concerned about having the 12V lamps behind the translucent trackballs.  I'm thinking about upgrading to white LEDs.  I'll post completion pics when I'm done in a couple of days.... I hope...

[phildo77]

Video of attract mode

Large:

Small:

Picture of Cab:  (Flash was on so you can't see the lights very well... Watch the videos!)


We're getting ready to move next week so I don't have a whole lot of time for posting details yet.  

Quick features:
Rotating Monitor (manual switch activated motor)
Rotating Control Panel
Backlit Control Panels

And I'm still waiting on the fabrication of the wing fiberglass covers (hence all the wires hanging out the sides.)

And holy God did that suck up my time.  Where did the last 5 months go?  Lets just say I never wanna deal with lacquer again...  

[DaOld Man]

Looks good!
I agree that building these things can make you enter a time warp. You wake up and it's several months later.
I like the way this is turning out. But you gotta tie the rotating monitor back to automatic rotating software.
Are you going to motorize the rotating panel? It would be neat to have it rotate automatically based on game selected.

[phildo77]

I thought about motorizing the panel but decided against it.  With all the wires coming in and out of it I don't want to increase the risk of damaging the wires on accident with an automatic motor.  I'd rather turn it with my hands and be able to feel if anything seems wrong while turning.

[phildo77]

...
I mounted my motor on a disc at the back of the monitor, so the video interference from the motors magnets wasnt as bad, however I could still see it slightly.
I power the monitor down during rotation. When the monitor powers back on, it degausses, so that takes care of the magnetic interference.
...

That's one of the main things I'm worried about.  I'm not using a monitor, I'll have a 27" CRT TV.  Last time I rotated a TV the degauss didn't work well... If at all.  (factory degauss).  I think I'm going to have to do the same thing (power off, rotate, power on/degauss) and pray that it works..  Otherwise I'll have to build my own degauss circuit and figure out how to mount THAT as well.

Ok. So we've made it to Iowa and we're finally getting settled and I'm able to attack the few remaining issues on the box, one of which includes this degauss problem.  The TV is a "newer" CRT (it has component in) and has the giant degauss cable going around the outside of the back of the screen.  I've set up a relay circuit (I think similar to the one daOldMan put together a diagram for... Thank you!) that shuts off the tv while the motor is turning.  When the TV is vertical and the motor stops the color is still whack.  Degauss fail.  Ideas? Quick solutions?  Or do I need to make my own degauss coil?

Other TODO items include:
1)  MODERATE - Replace sensors on rotating optical joysticks (blown by incorrect wiring as I read the WRONG post on here somewhere)  
2)  EXTREMELY DIFFICULT - Complete fiberglass (or other material) covers for player 3 and 4 wings.
3)  EASY - Install gun sensor and s/w setup.
4)  MODERATE - Reinforce motor axle so chain slippage does not occur during rotate.
5)  MODERATE - Sand and refinish lacquer sides due to damage done during move.
6)  EASY - Procure and install Speaker Grates

[VanillaGorilla]

Riveting. Reminds me of an amusement park ride! The wiring alone about made my head asplode. 

[HaRuMaN]

You better hope none of those wires ever, ever comes loose...  lol

[Epyx]

Just a quick question...why not go LCD for this project?  I know in my strange ranking queue I put Arcade monitors/Scart tvs highest and rank LCD just under that but above Svideo/component tv.  It will solve your degaussing issues and with the right tweaks look better than the component signal.  You will also get a progressive signal as opposed to an interlaced one which will be easier on the eyes.  Just a thought.

[eds1275]

In all honesty, when I first started reading about your plans I had some doubts. But you've really put it together well, it's impressive. I love the green. I want to do a green and black cab for my next one.

[Donkbaca]

Personally, I think you should have just built a dedicated horizontal and vertical cab.  It would have been easier, probably would have cost the same, and probably would take up the same amount of space as that best does, and I think it would have looked nicer.  I would have ditched it and started over