My Neo-Geo MiniMVS BARTOP Scratch Build 11-01-10 Update

[WhereEaglesDare]

I have been putting together parts since I finished my Marvel Vs Capcom MAME Conversion for my bartop.  I didn't know for the longest what to build, but I went a head and got a new motherboard, hard drive, RAM, etc to make it.  I have been looking on the forum for some inspiration and I finally convinced myself that I need to build a Mini MVS like Yvan256 http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=94770.0  .  I don't plan on putting in a fancy LCD display in the marquee or anything like that though.  

One of the concepts that I want is to have a powerful enough PC on it that I could use it at LAN parties to play Call of Duty, UT3, etc or even use it as a desktop from time to time.

I still need a keyboard encoder, a new processor (socket 775 dual core), and a new power supply.  I will be running 2 GB RAM, an Nvidia 8800 GTS graphics card, and a 15" LCD Display.  I will be putting 2 6" fans on the cabinet, one on the back panel and one on the top panel, the one of the top panel as an intake and the one on the back as an exhaust.  The reason I want to use 6" fans is 1 I have them and 2 I don't want anything to melt.  I dont want to be playing Fall Out New Vegas in a couple months and have it fry on me.

Keyboard and Mouse?  I will be putting a wireless Keyboard and Mouse dongle inside the case, along with a wireless internet adapter.





Today I got the sides cut and cut the slot for T molding.  I used 5/8" Particle Board because it will we lighter than MDF or 3/4" board.

Any ideas or suggestions?

[Yvan256]

I like the shape of those sides, they remind me of something for some reason...  

I'm flattered that my tiny cab is the inspiration for someone else. However, given the size of your LCD and cabinet, you should follow jeffhlewis' Neo-Geo MVS Mini thread instead. I'm guessing your cab will be more or less the same size as his once finished, minus the bottom part.

In any case, that's one project I'll be following! I like Neo-Geo cabs!

Suggestion: use concave Happ buttons and a bat top joystick like on the original cabinets! Me, I had no choice but to use convex buttons and a ball top for my cab due to its size. The only 24mm arcade buttons are Japanese, and there's no such thing as 24mm bat tops. Unless someone can take a regular bat top and "reduce it" to 24mm on a mill or something? Can you mill the commercially available bat tops?

[WhereEaglesDare]

I read that MVS Thread, and it looks really good, but I'm going to make this a bartop, and I havnt seen that wood toned Neo-Geo Before.  Yea I saw you used those Sanwahs and I liked them but I didn't like the ball top.  I have two Red Happ Comp Bat Tops that I plan on using, I dont know if I have the right colored buttons, Im sure I got some white, but I'll likely have to get the other buttons, but should be more than 20 bucks for new 8 Happ Comp Buttons.  I am really excited about this project...  hopefully I can get some time during the week and get some of it put together.

And thank you very much for your project, you put a lot of work into research on your cabinet and I am taking advantage of it.  Thanks again.

[IG-88]

Why 5/8 and not 1/2 material?

[WhereEaglesDare]

They didnt have 1/2"     In fact I dont think anyone in this area carries 1/2 board.  Ive looked before.

[IG-88]

I hear ya. I had to go with 1/2 ply on my bartops, finished on one side. Works pretty good.

[WhereEaglesDare]

Cut the furring for one of the sides, I didn't screw them down because I ran out of furring to do two sides, good thing to because looking at it I realize I should cut the bezel piece shorter, this way I can have my CP longer and then I can have my bezel rest on the CP.  Should be able to get it standing up tomorrow. 

[WhereEaglesDare]

Okay spent about 3 and half hours on it today, lets see what happened.



Got the furring put on both sides, this wasnt too hard.  I took the pieces form the first side and traced them to the wood, and cut them out for the second side.  Any smoothing out needed shouldnt be too hard, id just grab my router.



Installed the bottom, so that it will stand up.  I used so left over 5/8 in MDF that I had laying around, the rest of the cab is particle board.  Before I get too much further I need to put the motherboard in, because my back door may not allow enough room for a drill.  I may put that in tomorrow or sometime next week, depending on how much I get done tomorrow.



Made the back of the cab, The back is going to be hinged so I can open it up. I had to bend those L-Brackets out, I just used a hammer and the cement floor in my shop.  I tried to use my bench and clamp one side down and hit it flat, but wouldn't work.  The bench was absorbing too much of the hammer's blows.



Here is a pic of the L- Brackets before and after.

I filled that crack in the joint with some good wood filler, lets see how the wood putty is dry.  I don't know if its gonna be good enough, I may need to put some shims in there to allow me to smooth it out and keep it looking good, hate to have the wood filler fall out later.

[Yvan256]

To fold the L-brackets on my cab, I put them in a vise (vertically, with the vise sides in the middle of the L-brackets only) and just forced them open by crushing them. Strangely, it worked on the first try for both L-brackets.

[BobA]

If you miter the ends of one or both of the panels you are attaching you can get a straight edge with no gap when you fasten them together.  This would be much stronger and easier then filling a large gap with wood filler.

[WhereEaglesDare]

Yea, I may need to wait til I get a Miter saw to make the back piece.  Ill grab one next payday.

I do need to cut new pieces either way.  I put hinges on and it and it didnt fit just right.

[WhereEaglesDare]

Okay, I got a miter saw, but I can't cut more than 6" at a time with it...   I guess I really need a decent table saw...  anyways, I got around it and here is what I did.

The secret it, it's 10 % Prep, 5% Skill, and 85% Patience...  I knew what angle I needed on my miter saw but my circular saw protractor (?) isnt reliable.

I cut a piece of 2x6 and made a stencil with the angle I want.



Then I put the circular saw inside the stencil



and three hours later and four mis-cuts later...

Viola!



Here is what it looks like in the cab, and by the way, I replaced the bottom piece of the cab, the MDF just didnt seem sturdy enough for me, so I put a piece of particle board on it.



Then I made a new top back piece and put the two together...


SOOOOO MUCH BETTER THAN WHAT I HAD.

And here is what it looks like with the new back on it.



and I'm ashamed to say it took me 5 hours to get this done...  Once I calmed down and started to take it slow it worked fine..

[severdhed]

looks good.  cutting angles is such a pain to get right.

[WhereEaglesDare]

looks good.  cutting angles is such a pain to get right.

Thanks, I'd like to say thats the last time I'll have to do that, but... thats not the case.

[WhereEaglesDare]

Time for another update.  I was able to get a lot of work done today on this.



I put hinges on the back door.  The hinges will open all the way down and then I can remove the back easily for maintenance.



Cut the top of the back, I am planning on putting a 6" fan on the in to be exhaust but I am not sure, and the fan is really loud.
Still need to do some thinking about fans.



Cut the top marquee piece, fits in there great.



Cut the speaker board part too, need to cut slots for speakers.


Where should I put fans? Any ideas?

[Yvan256]

I also plan on putting the fan on the "back top" panel too for my mini-MVS, if that's any help. Like me, you don't have room for fans at the top (near the marquee) and a fan in the back isn't optimal since hot air goes up.

If noise is an issue, just go with a bigger fan running at a lower speed.

[WhereEaglesDare]

If noise is an issue, just go with a bigger fan running at a lower speed.

yea you're probably right, the fan i want to use is a 24V 6" fan and if I run it at 12V off the PSU on the PC it should run fine and not be as loud...  We'll see, maybe I'll run it on a 5V Bus, as long as air is moving out then it should be fine.

[WhereEaglesDare]

Okay got some more work done today! I put it togther to see how it all fits and I cut the bezel and installed the monitor.


It looks like its fitting together pretty good.

Here is the donor monitor and here it is placed on the blank bezel.


Here is the bezel after I traced out my measurements. I took a jigsaw and rough cut around my lines and then I used my router to clean the cuts. The second shot is of the monitor installed into the bezel.


Here it is with the monitor and bezel installed!!

[TOK]

Digging the soft lines of that machine, particularly the cut away at the base in the back. Nice work!

[WhereEaglesDare]

Thank you, I really wanted that look but it was really hard to get those cuts.  Thank you.

[leapinlew]

Looks like the internals are going to be real tight - specifically the controls and PSU?

[WhereEaglesDare]

Yep, REAL tight.  Im not totally sure it will fit just yet.  I may have to get different sticks and buttons for it.

[Malenko]

PSU on the top, mount the mobo to the back door and put a piano hinge on top. You'll hafta flip the cab to make any changes to the insides, but then it should all still fit.

[WhereEaglesDare]

I am almost positive the mobo will fit on the bottom no problem, i measured it all out I before drew it up.   I think the top back is going to have a big fan on it since I will be using a higher end graphics card, I plan on upgrading it in the future to the GTX series, so cooling is very important.

[NIVO]

here is a pic of my 120mm fan from Vantec flush mounted to the top of my bartop. Whisper quiet and draws alot of cfm.

[leapinlew]

here is a pic of my 120mm fan from Vantec flush mounted to the top of my bartop. Whisper quiet and draws alot of cfm.

Looks more like a picture of bigfoot. You sure there is a fan in that blurry photo?

[WhereEaglesDare]

here is a pic of my 120mm fan from Vantec flush mounted to the top of my bartop. Whisper quiet and draws alot of cfm.

Looks more like a picture of bigfoot. You sure there is a fan in that blurry photo?

Lew, please, can you read the 6th line down.  Thanks

[NIVO]

i dont think lew speaks mazzeltav

[BurgerKingDiamond]

ahhhh. Like many other projects this makes me want to build a bartop. BAD. but I don't have time now, and too many other loose ends to wrap up (sound familiar?). I really wish that I could make a living just modding and building cab's. I can't believe how much discovering MAME, building my cab and discovering this site has affected me in about the last 1.5 years. Now I have a MAME/PS2/DC cab, one vertical candy, and I'm about to get another candy for horizontal games, also built a htpc in a NES. I'm consumed... It' such a great creative outlet.

Anyway, back to your project. It's gonna be awesome for sure. I'm know you can get that stuff to fit somehow someway. I think that you should have the exhaust fan on top and intake on bottom since hot air rises. This should make a better air flow. I hope to see progress soon