Family room friendly cab: The Armoircade

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

I've been working on this project a while before discovering this forum, but the really interesting stuff has only happened recently.

From the very start of deciding I want an arcade cabinet I challenged myself with a rule: little to no out of pocket cost.
So my first cabinet was a generic design:


PS3 controllers, PC trackball, and monstrously heavy 3/4th inch MDF. Also very ugly. However everything was procured for no money out of pocket. Mostly parts exchanged for working on PCs.


So after discovering a local amusement company's cache of discarded cabs (all in some state of disrepair) I started pulling components to put together something with more respectable controls, and a more family room friendly design:

Thus was born the Armoircade:


The control panel sources buttons and joysticks from derelict WWF Wrestlefest and Marvel Vs Capcom panels (never found the rest of the cabs). A Happ 3" trackball from a Golden Tee cab, and an odd little three-in-one button from a slot-machine type game:


The base of the CP is a scrap bit of 1/8th aluminum. I haven't decided on how to finish the aluminum though. I'm thinking a solid color will probably blend into the overall look better than a more traditionally designed overlay.

The entire CP slides out like a drawer and locks into place with pins on either side. A small shelf behind the controls will have room for a keyboard and two cut out holsters for dual light guns. The holes in the front are for the speakers.

The monitor is a decased 21" Hitachi VGA CRT:


So far none of the wood working has begun, as I've been tweaking the design. Another goal with this layout was to fit the machine into the smallest possible footprint. Currently it's planned to be roughly 25"x26"x60".

I'll have actual pictures once some wood gets cut.

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

First wood finally cut today!

One of the side businesses where I work is an 'architectural millworks' so we've got all kinds of fun equipment:


Since the control panel is the widest non-flexible component, the drawer is being built first and then the cabinet built around that:


The metal CP is going to fit into a dado groove on either side, and a notch in the front, then the back will have a small ledge (two light guns to holster) set on a piano hinge with another dado in the reverse direction to sandwich the CP. That way it can be freely removed for service, but can also be locked down.


I also took a few minutes to polish up all of the mounting hardware I pulled from the scrapped cabs I found. Makes a huge difference!

[javeryh]

Nice - I'm looking forward to this.  I don't think anyone has pulled this off in an elegant manner so I am anxious to see what you come up with.

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

I've only seen two other cabinets in a similar design, both by the same guy:
http://gadgetdon.smugmug.com/Video-Games/Arcades/52382_Mudht#1814879_DKD2J
Neither of them struck me as being particularly attractive.

I've been planning and thinking about the implementation of this cabinet for almost a year now, and the guys doing the actual woodworking do excellent work, so I hope my plans and diagrams live up to what they can produce.

[HaRuMaN]

I've only seen two other cabinets in a similar design, both by the same guy:
http://gadgetdon.smugmug.com/Video-Games/Arcades/52382_Mudht#1814879_DKD2J
Neither of them struck me as being particularly attractive.

Wow, that's some ugly stuff.   

[Jasonmm]

I've only seen two other cabinets in a similar design, both by the same guy:
http://gadgetdon.smugmug.com/Video-Games/Arcades/52382_Mudht#1814879_DKD2J
Neither of them struck me as being particularly attractive.

Wow, that's some ugly stuff.  

are you kidding , thats some beautiful stuff... I think

[Gorotsuki]

I personally don't find arcade cabinets
to clash with a couch any more than
a giant dresser, but there's always tits
that disagree. So good luck on your machine!

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

Outside body coming together:


From top, drawer nestled inside with back clearance for cables:


Standing up:


Drawer assembled and top edge routed out:


CP seated:


My schematics:


Sizing up the monitor:

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

more progress!

The final size is going to be 27"x27"x64"

The doors will be double hinged to allow them to open fully flat against the sides. They are one of the last things to complete. I'm toying with the idea of making the voluminous space below into a 'toybox' for the kids, with another drawer to hide/hold things, and then another shelf to set the computer on sideways at the top.

These are actually flat and level. Blame poor light an an unsteady camera hand. This back space will have a 'plug' to lock the CP into place, as well as slots for the light-guns to sit rear-facing, so the cables keep out of the way of the controls. Below a thin shelf under the CP allows a keyboard to hide away, but available for quick game searches and what not.



A few more shots of internal construction.
Shelf railing system. Heavily waxed. Under the weight of the box being forward, provides enough friction to keep it from sliding during game play.


CP Notch


Under monitor shelf

[Gorotsuki]

Looks awesome, so far.
One thing though, children have been known to climb
and pull large furniture like this onto themselves.
I wouldn't store toys in or around it, and you
may want to secure it to the wall.

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

Yes, definitely aware of the tipping possibility. A co-worker's friend lost their child when they pulled over a flat screen TV. We've got a little climber as is (2 years) and the youngest (6 mo) will probably follow in her big sister's footsteps! It's fairly heavy empty, and loaded down with the monitor, computer, and the bottom drawer full of linens and such, it will probably not be possible to pull it over. We'll have to see once it's finished.


Here is the first fitting of the double hinge doors. The piano hinge on the side will be repositioned and sandwiched between the door and the frame so that only the edge shows, however there will be a slight gap.


The bottom will be partitioned into another shelf for the power strip and computer to side (sideways) on, below that will be a large pull out drawer similar in design to the CP drawer. It'll probably end up with blankets and bed sheets it in, but that's better than a ton of wasted space. It makes me glad to think that this case will not be wasting any of the space inside of it, essentially everywhere is used for something.

Also, full size pictures of the entire project are here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/cotmm68030/Armoircade

[Dr Zero]

Very Cool! 

On the metal how about jeweling? You can use a cup brush or they make a rubber rod like a big eraser with abrasive or even a scotch pad.

http://www.cs.ucr.edu/~eamonn/et/et.htm

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/cid=363/k=/t=P/mfg=/Products/Jewelling-Tools-Abrasives

http://www.pledge.co.uk/pledge_and_aldworth/ref/refconts.htm

[Donkey_Kong]

I've only seen two other cabinets in a similar design, both by the same guy:
http://gadgetdon.smugmug.com/Video-Games/Arcades/52382_Mudht#1814879_DKD2J
Neither of them struck me as being particularly attractive.

Wow, that's some ugly stuff.   

are you kidding , thats some beautiful stuff... I think

Some of it has appeared on crapmame. NTTAWWT, my stuff look similar.

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

Crawling along slowly.

The molding around the edges has been set:


And the CP is cosmetically finished:


Some final trim around the speaker holes and the light gun holsters in back, the monitor bezel, then staining and wiring and it's complete.

[sstralkowski]

Lookin good man!  Keep the updates coming!

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

Look, a rat's nest!

[mpm32]

Looks very good.

But why didn't you mortise in the hinges so only the knuckle shows instead of laying them on the flat?

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

I've considered it. I kind of like the rustic look of the exposed wood. Once it's stained a darker oak color, I think they'll blend nicely. If they were sandwiched on the front the gaps between the bits would just be too big, I think.

You can't tell from the later photos, but the large piano hinge on the side HAS been tucked inside, so only the edge is visible in the crack.

[mpm32]

If you still wanted to, you could mortise them like this;

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/how-to/articles/mortising-hinge-chisel.aspx

the gap would remain consistent as the leaves of the hinge are embedded into the wood.

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

Progress!

I fixed up a 2004 25" WG K7400, so I decided to use that instead of the 21" VGA monitor I had. We had to move the shelf lower to accommodate it, but there's still enough clearance for the joysticks. Just.

Hopefully this won't be a problem for more frantic trackball games like Golden Tee and the like. I gave it a few good thwacks and didn't stub any fingers.

The bottom drawer is finished and huge enough to store lots of stuff, making this a functional bit of furniture aside from just another MAME cabinet (bonus WAF points).

It's going in the stain booth tomorrow, and then a layer of polyurethane one top of that. Looks like this one is starting to see the finish line.

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

Stained and polyurethaned:






Though I realized to my disappointment that the pencil line for the original monitor position didn't get sanded off before it got sprayed. Only a few inches of it will show on either side after the bezel is in place, so hopefully it won't be too much of an eyesore.

[Lewis Black]

Pretty cool!

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

After letting the stained cabinet 'air out' for a few weeks, I believe this to be the finished state of construction. Cabinet hardware has been installed, a service hatch cut in the back for access to monitor controls, and the monitor screwed into place:





Hopefully I should be able to bring it home in the next few days.

Having some issues with the light guns, however. They are Act Labs PC USB guns, and putting them in calibrate mode produces a black image with a single white bar across the top. One day I'd like to replace them with an Aimtrack setup, but for now if I can't get them to work I don't mind waiting.

[opt2not]

Wow, this thing is turning out great!
Arcade Incognito! I love how you still made it functional as a storage unit.

Are you planning on putting tinted plexi/glass in front of the monitor? I think it would look pretty slick having some in there to cover up the space in front of the bezel.

Oh, what would be also cool is if you wired the power switch somehow, so that when you pulled out the CP drawer, the machine turned on by itself! Just a thought.

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

I've thought about the glass a lot. I loved the look of the smoked glass in my first cabinet. I'm not sure how to mount it in this one though. I don't want to have to dismantle too much if I ever need to take the monitor out, so I'm hesitant to fix glass in place. As it stands the bezel is secured with bits of black velcro. I thought about making a thin wood frame that sandwiches the bezell and glass and then use velcro in that too.. but im just not sure yet.


As for the cp switch I actuall thought about that some early on. My concern was that's just one more complication to go wrong. Maybe one day though.

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

Finally brought it home last night and got it set up this morning.


My wife's first words when she saw it "Oh! That's pretty!". The previous cab was called "that ugly thing", so I'm pretty ecstatic about that reaction.



There is some final tweaking left to be done (I think there's a red drive pot on the neckboard asking for some attention), but I think my daughter's reaction speaks for itself. Before I know it I'm going to have my high scores in Robotron replaced with her initials, I suspect. (:

[DirtyDachshunds]

Amazing work!  It came out great.

I love any idea that gets an arcade into the family room.

[severdhed]

looks great....good job.  i'm sure that will bring your family a ton of enjoyment. 

[Mikezilla]

Man that looks awesome! Amazing craftsmanship! Im sure the kiddies will love that one! 

[BobA]

A great way to get the Wife Acceptance Factor climb.  It does look like a nice piece of furniture.   

[skinz]

Really awesome - A shop that big in NYC would be 75k a month - very very jealous.  we have NO space in our shop.  Really, you'd be scared.  Extremely painful.  The armoire is a fantastic idea and it really came out well.  Cute kid too lol.  She's gonna be whoopin' your but in bowling in no time!   

[drventure]

I didn't realize you finished this one. Nice job!

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

They're never really finished are they? (:

Added velcro to the speakers to keep little fingers from dislodging them and made some adjustments to the closing latches. Discovered vsync make trackballs lag. Still tinkering with hyperspin..

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

Spinner!

GonzoJoey traded me a couple of spinners, so I had to drop one in the CP. Unfortunately neither of them seemed to work with my minipac. I'm not sure if the boards are dead or if there is just something odd about them:


Luckily I had a spare Imperial 3" trackball that I knew worked. Unluckily, it does not have helpful mounting holes.

That's ok though, because there are very few problems that can't be fixed with MOAR TAPE:


Also I decided to try some 'steel stick' material we had laying around at work. I knew it dried very very hard and could hold metal surfaces together:


I need to find a more secure way of holding the optic sensor in place, but for now it works well enough. I'll edit with a pic of the actual spinner in place when I remember to take one.
Edit: Pic of top with spinner

yes, those are two different latches to keep the thing closed. Still trying to decide which one I like better. Visually the pinch/roller one looks nicer, but the magnetic one does a better job holding it shut and flush.

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

The family has been enjoying lots of Golden Tee, Cameltry, and Bubble Bobble, but after finally running NullDC and playing some Crazy Taxi, and realizing how cab-friendly some web based games like Entanglement and the various flash games my daughter enjoys on NickJr.com would be, I decided it's time for a higher resolution monitor.

I'll be putting the current monitor back into a Golden Tee Classic cab I have and am giving it to a friend who runs a pawn shop, along with helping him set up software to run the shop in exchange for a new 27/29" Makvision from Happ.

One disappointing point though is that it seems that was I originally though I was ordering, the 1024x768 version, is no longer sold by Happ. At the time I placed my order the webpage was listing it as the XGA version. Now it's says SVGA, 800x600, and my invoice lists the monitor as "M2929D4G-TS" I probably would have ordered it from XArcade.com if I knew that so that I could have saved around $40 on shipping.

Specific mounting dimensions have been hard to locate online, other than a small picture on the bottom of the Happ page. I hope those are accurate, because it's going to be a VERY tight fit in the cabinet.

Pictures when it finally arrives!

[Epyx]

Love the build and love the handle...some of my fondest memories are my C64/Amiga days

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

it fits! barely

[DirtyDachshunds]

Awesome, looks good

[clutch]

That turned out great!  How did you cut all the holes in your cp?  I've got a blank sheet of metal that will need various shaped holes cut out of it.

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

I cheated As I have with most of the cab, by exploiting available tools and talent at work.

The holes were cut on a big industrial drill press with hole saws. I printed out the template 1:1 on a plotter, taped it down, handed it to the shop mechanic and said "can you punch these for me as indicated?" Of course in doing so the attention to detail I might have done myself was lost, and as such the holes are not perfectly spaced.. but no one will ever notice.

Even the metal itself was scavenged from the scrap pile behind the machine shop.



Next step is getting some glass cut to cover up the whole area... It's just too tight against the wood for a plastic bezel to make sense.

[yuanyelss]

One thing, the children already know to pull their climb such a large furniture. I will not be stored or toys around, you may need to be fixed to the wall...

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

Finally got the Plexi over the monitor:




Cut to the perfect size by TAP Plastics http://www.tapplastics.com/. Literally pulled it out the shipping container, peeled off the protective paper, and popped it into place.

It's their Solar Grey Acrylic. It's a LITTLE darker than I'd like, but even without masking the back it's hard to see through it to the mounting brackets. And as you can see, the AimTrack bar shines through just fine.

I still might find some small quarter-round trim to frame it a little more, but as is I think it looks alright.

[Mikezilla]

Looks amazing. 

[Donkbaca]

I should have done that instead of tinting my own.  Looks good!  How much did you pay for the glass?

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

Traded it for a few cellphones with a coworker... He paid $ ~32 shipped from california to south carolina.