Rogue's Den: First project - really excited!

[Slippyblade]

Well, I've been lurking around for a while.  Posted a few times with oddball questions.  Now I'm diving in.  Found a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cabinet through Craigslist $75.  Needs a lot of cleanup work and the CP is empty, but it comes with a 25" arcade monitor and working coin doors w/mechs.  So I think I got a good deal.

I'll be picking it up in a few days and will post pics when I can.

Wish me luck!!

Slippyblade
"It's always easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission..."

[markronz]

Good luck!  Hope you have lots of pennies saved up because you've embarked in an expensive (though extremely enjoyable and rewarding) hobby!

 

[Slippyblade]

Ok, got the cabinet.  It's a bit weathered but overall I've seen worse.  Here's pics.  It's got a Wells-Gardner 25" k7000 series monitor in it.  Happ power supply as well as a normal PC power supply.  Bunch of random wiring that I'm cannibalizing since I don't like the wiring job in it.  It used to be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game that got converted to a Tekken game.  Then has been kicked around and started to become a MAME cab at some point.  Ugh.  Two really nice speakers in it and two more Radio Shack speakers.  Small hard drive as well.


This is going to make me sound like a screaming, flaming, mouth breathing noob but there were two parts that I'm not sure what they were.

I'm assuming the one is an isolation transformer - not sure what that actually is though.  The other one...  maybe a line filter?

Anyways, first steps first.  Previous owner said the monitor needed capped and included the kit.  So breaking out the soldering iron today.

Later all
Slippyblade

[Pinball Wizard]

Item on the left is a line filter, item on the right is the isolation transformer. Make sure you don't power up the monitor without the isolation transformer. Interested in seeing where this goes. Looks like you have a good base to start with.

[Slippyblade]

Ok, finally dove into the cabinet and am, of course, hitting speed bumps.  Turns out what I thought was an isolation transformer, wasn't.  It's a 120v-12v stepping transformer. Mini thread here.  Also while capping the monitor I ran into another snag as this thread shows.  I guess it helps to actually know what monitor you've got, huh?

Decided to just throw a normal TV into it for now.  Not quite as big as the WG, but I know it works.  On to the woodwork!

Spent most of the day tearing the entire cabinet apart down to individual panels.  Partly as a learning experience so I have a better idea of how these things are put together partly so I could repair some of the wood.  Turns out it was a LOT sturdier than I was led to believe from most threads.  The battens (not sure what they are actually called - the little strips of wood that the panels attach to) are attached with what looks like giant staples or small nails fed through a gun, exactly like I expected.  What I DIDN'T expect was that all the crosswise wood were actually pegged together with wooden dowels and glued into place in addition to the battens and staples.  That made things, um...  more difficult...  than expected. 

So, Side panels are in good shape except the bottom 1" had some "creep" and a bit of water damage.  I just sawed off about 1-1/2" from both panels, when I put everything back together I'm going to rebuild the base a bit taller and simply attach the sides a little higher to compensate.  One side panel is fine other than the bottom, other panel has some chunks missing.  More about that later.  Base is completely plywood not particle or MDF, this is good since I intend to mount some wheels on the back to make it easier to move.  Monitor shelf is ply as well, 3 layers of half inch for some reason.

Control panel top sanded down very nicely.  Getting the bits of old overlay off made it look much nicer.  Most of the box itself has issues, the particle had split so that is getting rebuilt.  The existing holes are for a two player CP for Tekken, so not gonna work. Now I get to fill the holes, yay!

So, I've read on a lot of threads about using Bondo to fill holes and patch chunked out panels.  So, off to Home Depot to get some Bondo.  Oh my god that stuff is amazing!  First time using it though, mixed a bit to much hardener and it set up way faster than I expected.  Once I got the hang of it though, the stuff is amazing.  Mixes easy, fills holes smoothly and sands so nice I felt dirty.  Then started on the side panels after filling all the holes in the CP.  Taped some aluminum foil across the gaps and chinks in the side panels then poured in the Bondo.  Sanded everything down and it looks amazing!

The entire thing was covered in the weird thick contact paper.  Attacked it with a heat-gun and got it all off.  Only problem now is the adhesive residue left over.  Sanding it is nasty so I'm gonna try something else.  Going to test a small portion by just priming straight onto the residue and see what happens.  We'll see.

[Ond]

Good project, nice to see you're discovering the joys of 'Bondo' once you tame it it's awesome stuff.  I highly recommend going over the Bondo filled, sanded back areas with automotive spray putty if you can find it.  The two products in combination provide the perfect base for paint primer.  I would'nt prime directly over glue residue.  Maybe test some strong solvents on it first to try and remove it like paint solvent, acetone or even mineral turpentine.  Alot of contact based glues break down with the application of mineral turpentine.  Good luck    
Ond.

[Slippyblade]

I would'nt prime directly over glue residue.  Maybe test some strong solvents on it first to try and remove it like paint solvent, acetone or even mineral turpentine.  Alot of contact based glues break down with the application of mineral turpentine.  Good luck    
Ond.

I was considering hitting it with some acetone first but wasn't sure of the effect it would have on the adhesives that are in the particle board already.  I can just imagine the wood dissolving into sawdust and slime...

[Ond]

I would'nt prime directly over glue residue.  Maybe test some strong solvents on it first to try and remove it like paint solvent, acetone or even mineral turpentine.  Alot of contact based glues break down with the application of mineral turpentine.  Good luck    
Ond.

I was considering hitting it with some acetone first but wasn't sure of the effect it would have on the adhesives that are in the particle board already.  I can just imagine the wood dissolving into sawdust and slime...

That's a fair point, test first on a scrap piece of particle board or just a small area on the cab.  I've just finished removing contact adhesive from my own cab using turps and acetone - that was on plywood, it hasn't melted yet (touch wood).

[Slippyblade]

I've decided on a theme for the build.  Well, actually I'm waffling between two themes.  I'm either going to go "Thieves World" or "Rogue's Den".  Graphics will be all treasure piles, gems, coins, crossed daggers, that sort of stuff.  Side panels I'm thinking of something along the lines of sputtering torches and cloaked figures in a tunnel or possibly a seedy medieval tavern...  We'll see.  Since I am very artistically challenged, I'll be piecing together bits "borrowed" from around the web and spliced together.  Once I get something I like, I'll vector trace it out.

[The Hubba Bubba Kid]

I'm glad I caught you at the start of your project.  I'm in the planning process, getting the lingo down, figuring out what games I want, etc.  So, please keep posting updates....  And good luck..

[Slippyblade]

I'm glad I caught you at the start of your project.  I'm in the planning process, getting the lingo down, figuring out what games I want, etc.  So, please keep posting updates....  And good luck..

Lurking this forum is an awesome start.  Most of the folks here are amazing, friendly, and helpful.  Make sure you read the stickies in each section though, they will answer a ton of questions right off the bat.  I'd set up MAME with a couple of 360 wired controllers, an OLD spare computer, and the living room TV just to see the families reaction to it and my kids went bonkers.  My younger daughter, age 8, spent an entire day playing, get this, Double Dragon!!  She literally demanded that I play with her when I got home from work, it was awesome.  So, once the kids and wife seemed to like the arcade stuff, I started scouring Craigslist in my area till I found something to start with.  I didn't want to do a scratch cabinet as a first project just because I had zero clue how they were actually put together.  Bought an old husk and started hacking.  Now I'm hooked.