Spinal Tap/Marshall amp arcade - updated 4/16/2015 - Glass

[eds1275]

One of the skills I apparently never obtained as a child was sticking a sticker on straight. It took me an hour to get it on right and bubble free. But damn it looks good. I don't have marquee lights but I did flashlight it from behind and it really glows nicely. I will probably wait until xmas to get some lights, what I did for the Lime Aid machine was poke some xmas lights through some pegboard and mounted the pegboard in there; easy and cheap and great coverage.



The day looks promising - supposed to rain like crazy but it's hot and just a bit overcast, so I'm going to start on the new control panel.

[TopJimmyCooks]

did you set mouse=1 in your mame.ini?

[ids]

Plus 1000 points if you figure out a way to coin up by inserting a bottle cap into a slot on the machine.

yeah ok i'm a bit slow but....

It should be fairly easy to hide a reflective optical based thing behind this and wire it to a keyboard encoder to trigger a coin press whenever a bottle is inserted.

For lack of a better example, see http://www.johnsretroarcade.com/hardware_pinball.asp

I can just imagine the hillarity that ensues for games that encourage pushing in lots of quarters to keep going.

[eds1275]

did you set mouse=1 in your mame.ini?

Yeah I had that going on. It looks like the issue was having some conflicting settings in mame and mala; it's working now and that's the important thing.
Other things that are working - the joysticks and buttons, and the automap plugin for the u360's in mala. The 'puter is now generating the master list for Romlister and then I'll be on to configuring the buttons for 5 and 6 button games, using romlister and CFG Magician.

I had a minor hiccup with the u360s not registering some button presses but then I swapped to version 2.3 to remove the shift functionality and everything is working as it should. This week I am going to find out how much that damn brass formica will cost me and if I have the funds I will order it. If not it'll get pushed back a week, but there's plenty of work to be done on this. For example I have decided to do away with the pause and exit buttons, instead adding a plate in the bottom left corner of the monitor bezel where the plate is on my amp that has instructions for pause and exit (up and start, down and start)


And here it is now. Looking rough but the laminate will make it beautiful again.

[eds1275]

The bolts for the trackball will be hidden under the laminate, the bolts from the joysticks will be on the laminate and replaced with brass carriage bolts when I can find some with a big head. My local stores only had little ones.

[eds1275]

I've just been putzing around on this; my new job leaves me with less time to do stuff. The only major updates are that I have secured the sale of one of my guitar amps, and that will cover the funding needed for the aimtrak guns. I will order them next week! I have also made an acrylic top for the control panel, and countersunk some t-nuts into the top for the trackball. I can hardly wait to get that brass laminate to cover the control panel If there's enough left over from the guns and extra long handles for the joysticks...


I have also decidedto go with GGG's TurboTwist spinner because the black inset knob looks more like a marshall knob than anything on the ultimarc website, and with a little imagination I should be able to get a brass disc in the hole and make it look roughly like this:

[mgb]

I have the turbo twist on my cab.
It's a very nice spinner.

[eds1275]

Can you believe that home depot wants $192 for a sheet of that decometal formica? I'll be shopping around for sure, and considering other options. On top of that, the guy who was going to buy my amp has put it back a week, as he was too busy to get together with me this weekend. I live on an isand and he doesn't, so that's definitely a big factor there. Of course he told me this today, the same day we were to meet 

[sabreerbasAlpha]

This is coming along nicely. Can I just say that marquee looks Sweet. The black with silver letters and White T moulding really sets it off. Nice. Looking forward to seeing this finished. Any thoughts on the CP art ?.

[TopJimmyCooks]

cheapest I've seen that metal laminate is about $160 us.  it's pricy stuff. 

[eds1275]

This is coming along nicely. Can I just say that marquee looks Sweet. The black with silver letters and White T moulding really sets it off. Nice. Looking forward to seeing this finished. Any thoughts on the CP art ?.

Control panel art is numbers to 11 around the trackball.

[sabreerbasAlpha]

This is coming along nicely. Can I just say that marquee looks Sweet. The black with silver letters and White T moulding really sets it off. Nice. Looking forward to seeing this finished. Any thoughts on the CP art ?.

Control panel art is numbers to 11 around the trackball.

To 11. What does the 11 numbers represent mate.

[PL1]

This is coming along nicely. Can I just say that marquee looks Sweet. The black with silver letters and White T moulding really sets it off. Nice. Looking forward to seeing this finished. Any thoughts on the CP art ?.

Control panel art is numbers to 11 around the trackball.

To 11. What does the 11 numbers represent mate.

Scott

[eds1275]

I picked up a screen today. Before I hear the whole "eww, widescreen, ewww lcd" schpiel, let me reannounce that this screen will double as a second television set for my nephews (and other visitors but mainly for them) and this cab will have an hdmi input on the underside of the control panel for them to plug in their xbox when they visit (they stay with me for 2 months every year.)

The screen is an LED by Insignia, which seems to be one of the cheaper brands out there. I chose this one because it a) fit the budget, b) looks pretty good, especially for the money, and c) most importantly has some pretty swell dimensions. It is a 31.5 inch screen, which is claimed as 32" on the box. The bezel is minimal. In fact, the thing is 28 5/8 wide, and my cab is 28 3/4 wide. Couldn't have gotten a better fit. The viewing angle is not great, but 2 people playing it end up in the sweet spot anyways.


I need to rebuild my mala layout to be widescreen and set the games to be 4:3 so that it will look right. However I played a round of Mortal Kombat II on this thing, and couldn't be happier. When I build the mount for it, I can move it back 2 inches which will be nice - it isn't overbearing as it is but moving it back a notch will help with the enormity of it. It will also come up an inch or 3.

[BadMouth]

The big widescreen will make you downright giddy if you get the taito type x widescreen fighters working on it.
It's also cool to play the multi-screen games like Darius and X-Men in MAME.

For MAME, you do have the option to run games at 4:3 with or without bezel art on the sides if you choose.

[yotsuya]

"eww, widescreen, ewww lcd" schpiel

You said it best, Bro.

[Monkeyvoodoo]

Nice to find another local on here.

I love the build and the theme! I'm subscribing just so I can see it when its done.

[eds1275]

Well it's been a while and not much progress. Things that have happened: I mounted the screen, and this thing gets played a whole lot. I will post pictures sometime tomorrow when I wake up. I'm working the night shift right now.

The screen mounting took so much measuring to get right, there's just no play between the screen and sides so it had to be perfect. I got it on the second try, both left to right and top to bottom. It's mounted to a piece of plywood, which is mounted to the interioror of the cab on a strip of hardwood - fir, I believe. It isn't going anywhere. The plywood has a t-nut left over from the trackball mount and is held in place with just one bolt. Since there's nowhere to rotate it stays level.

As for the software side of things, I have been working on a new, widescreen version of the menu. It will probably be done tomorrow. The menu is widescreen, but when a game loads it goes to the proper shape which is excellent. I will try out some multi-screen games soon and test that out!
Next up will be mounting the awesome under-cabinet LED strips I got behind the marquee on sale. After that it will be making the bezel. I think I'm going to make it out of 1/8 mdf or hardboard (is that the same thing?) and then velcro it to the television. There will be no glass. Instead, the plan is to make the bezel, add some holes for the screen (duh) and the speakers and the sensor for the aimtracks which I don't have yet... and then wrap it in speaker cloth, white piping around the edge, and the brass badge in the bottom left corner like a marshall speaker cabinet has. Mine will not say 1960 lead, or JCM900 - it will have some brief instructions on exiting and pausing the games. P1 Up + (picture of start man) = Exit or similar.

Hopefully soon one or both of the amplifiers I have up for sale sell. That will fund the aimtracks and the stupidly expensive brass laminate. I looked around for other options, but nothing looks as good so I'm biting the bullet and am gonna do it. $189 quotes home depot - there's a specialty countertop company in town that says they "might" be able to do it, but I have to talk to the manager. Apparently they only make counter tops, not sell the materials... we'll see.

[Rick]

Well it's been a while and not much progress. Things that have happened: I mounted the screen, and this thing gets played a whole lot. I will post pictures sometime tomorrow when I wake up. I'm working the night shift right now.

Tick tock! We need to see some pics, good sir! (Yes, I'm arbitrarily resurrecting threads.)

[eds1275]

Too busy playing the thing! I'm at work until late, but I swear tomorrow when I wake up I'll bust out my DSLR and take some sexy photos for you pervs.

No one has bought any of my guitar amps which is a shame because Andy FINALLY has black guns back in stock, as well as the lighting option for the trackball. And I don't really have any extra cash laying around... actually I do but I'm finishing a long-running reno project.

Lime Aid however is really near complete! I'll post some pics and bump that one tomorrow as well.

[eds1275]

So much sleep!










So I am aware that the plywood just looks nasty. Even the piece that i painted with the brass look spray paint (that I bought for another upcoming project). But if you can imagine it all squared up (the control panel isn't screwed together, it's just held on by gravity ATM) I think it will be stellar. The screen is awesome and awe-inspiring and a joy to play on. Just waiting on the funds... maybe I'll throw together the surrounds for the gun holsters. Or start work on designing the side pedestals - after some D&D and gauntlet I've decided to make some stand alone units that can plug in for the 3rd and fourth players. I have the material laying around to make them so it would be easy to start on without diverting the other funds.

Other projects I am forever working on include finishing up the trim in my recording studio, working in the garden (one of my neighbors' morning glory problems just dove into my yard), getting ready to install a patio and pour some concrete for a single hole mini golf.

The mini golf is gonna be awesome. It is just one hole, 30 feet long, and straight and level. But I am going to have some other things laying around such as a loop, some mini ramps, and some odds and ends so it can be changed up every time we play. Prioritizing is very difficult for me.

[Superfrog]

Great project so far 

Also like the Spinal Tap logo, but maybe replace the volume drawing for a topdown Marshall volume  picture 

Keep a eye on this one 

[eds1275]

More and more baby steps. I have done quite a few little things in the past few months, however nothing really gave me the urge to micro-update until today. I have made the decision to remove the spinner. When I rebuilt the control panel I moved the trackball down to allow more space to play. There is not enough room for a spinner where I wanted it, and anywhere else will throw off what I have planned. I really only wanted it for Arkanoid, but have gotten pretty good with a trackball.

One of the little things I've done is swapped the screws holding the bottle opener for bolts with nuts and washers.

I installed 2 USB ports on the underside of the control panel for the guns, and received the guns a few days ago. They only had one in stock, and a kit for another. I only have one gun up and running right now, and it is super awesome. I'm really enjoying the quality of them, considering they are running the sensor bar setup. They aren't perfect, but they are pretty good. I made surrounds for the gun holsters as well. I made a surround for the screen that is off by a hair - I will have to remake that one.

I also purchased a light-up rocker switch similar to the one I have on my amp. This is sort of in place on the front of the machine, and controls the marquee light. I need a file to finish installing it, which I will pick up this week.

DOUBLE SIDED TAPE is my new friend. I used 3m mounting tape, with a 20lb hold, to tape my wood to my small router templates. I had to use my heat gun to get them off but it worked really well even when hogging out a bunch of mdf.

I am nearing the end of this build. So close, in fact, that I can make a small list of what is left to be done! Not necessarily in order:

• Make a new bezel
• Cover that bezel in Marshall style speaker grill cloth
• Some white trim around a few parts of the machine
• Cover the control panel in that brushed brass laminate, and apply the numbers to 11
• Make my wiring pretty
• Replace the computer and update mame

Replacing the computer is not super high on my list, but needs to be done. I am running mame 139 I believe and there's been a few advances I would like to take advantage of - as well as improve the speed of a few games. But first things first - finishing up the cosmetics.

[TopJimmyCooks]

Aimtrack = funz.  Looking good.

[Monkeyvoodoo]

Glad to see you're continuing on with this. I was wondering how you were doing with it. Let me know how the aimtraks are. I've thought about adding them to my build.

[eds1275]

You know how it is... damn life getting in the way. I am planning a safari in africa, so camera goodies are taking priority over arcade parts. But I don't imagine I'mm be too many more months on this!

[Monkeyvoodoo]

Oh I do, I'm planning a Disneyland trip this summer so that's putting a damper on part purchasing.

[eds1275]

I'm having a hard time finding this part of a Marshall amp for some reason:



Not the brass part, but the plastic surround. I am going to make my own brass bit in a similar style that explains exiting and pausing.

Speaking of brass... I have an appointment on Friday to go peruse some brass samples at a local metal fabricator. Very excited. I am going to get them to cut out the shapes but drill the button holes myself. Looks like it will be around $80 CAD which isn't too bad. So hopefully they can do it that day, assuming they have what I want. I am going to cover the control panel in 3 peices instead of one bent piece. Part of the reason I have changed the design in this way is to add more white to the design to simulate the look of the white piping on a marshall amp. Another reason is that all those supermen out there are shaving the bottom of their hands off during golden tee. Why can't they just take it like a man (my wife included)? Sissies.

Not as exciting as the brass - I ordered some mini pushbuttons, not arcade style - and they have arrived. I am going to recess two of them into the bottom lip of the control panel and wire them up as left and right click to my trackball so that I can have hidden mouse functions. Hopefully noone will notice them there, especially if they are recessed.

**Update**

I just popped in to the metal place, as I happened to be driving by and noticed the empty parking lot. Probably not all that busy since the big snow dump. They were really helpful, showed me the brass, and I made my order. Unfortunately they do not have enough in stock to complete my order, but will be getting some in the next few weeks. WEEKS. Boooooo. The suspense is killing me. I will need to clear coat it after I cut the holes, but that minor inconvenience is worth it.

[eds1275]

It's nice that my last few posts aren't warning me how old this thread is. I am on a night shift right now so it is definitely the time for me to write a wall of text. I will update with pictures in the morning. I need to wipe the machine down and take some nice ones.

The brass came. Damn was that ever exciting. Drilling all the holes was not. I didn't have a cutter for the trackball hole - I tried using one for wood and it just got hot. It did however score a nice line so I was able to use that to guide my jigsaw. Not the prettiest hole ever but it's covered up by the ball's bezel. Adding the brass also brought the bezel up a hair and it makes the transition from panel to bezel to lip around the ball to the ball itself a little smoother. It has a better feel. So anyways after drilling all the holes, I peeled the protective backing off the brass and cleaned it like crazy. A few clear coats later I was ready to apply the numbers to 11.

The numbering didn't go so smooth. The transfer paper which is basically just wax paper ended up sticking like crazy to the clear coat. Maybe I was jumping the gun and it hadn't fully cured yet. Either way, I went to align it and it was pretty much stick it as it is, or order another one... so I stuck it. It is a little off-center and crooked as well. As you can imagine, I was a little angry about this. My wife noticed right away - she said "Oh it looks awesome crooked like that!" I tried looking at it through her eyes. It does indeed look intentional. In fact I really like the way it looks now.

I used FRP corners to go around the control panel's edges. After cutting them to length I just spray painted them. They are easy to work with, $3 for an 8 foot length, and solve a million problems with this hobby... worth checking out for sure.

The power switch on the front turns on the marquee. It's a nice touch that I am happy about.

The control panel weights about 30 lbs now. It runs all the way to the back of the machine, and is secured there with T-nuts. At the front sides, it is held in place by the black pushbuttons. There is no bottom on it except for the front lip, and on that lip are 2 tiny (secret... shhhhhh) buttons wired to the trackball for rmb and lmb. There is also 2 usb pass-throughs for the guns.

The only issue I have is that I cleaned out the inside of the machine and vacuumed it all up. And I suppose I plugged things into different spots, because gun on needs to be reset for each game that I had already set it up for - which is thankfully a small list.

I also put a washer betweek the stick and the bat-top, which has improved the height of my joysticks considerably. I will probably order the long handles and do the same thing.

[Monkeyvoodoo]

so.... pics?

[eds1275]

I forgot :O And now I'm back at work! I'll set an alarm so I don't forget again.

[eds1275]

As promised! The control panel is straight! I was just standing really close to it. In the last picture it looks curved, but that's just the close proximity with the lens. I also unfortunately scratched up around the rocking power switch on the front, but I'm not too worried about it. I have a feeling my crazy wife (who uses Superman technique with the trackball, and refuses to change...) will absolutely destroy the brass behind the trackball.

[jbenesh]

Looks great!  Been waiting to see this brass for a while now. 

[eds1275]

Looks great!  Been waiting to see this brass for a while now. 

me too 

[Monkeyvoodoo]

That looks awesome. Glad to finally see it with some brass on!

[Todd H]

Looking good! Can't go wrong with Spinal Tap. \m/

[eds1275]

Sigh. The brass at the back of the control panel already has a massive gouge. I adjusted the trackball sensitivity to make it work better with this setup - there is barely room for any follow through. We went over this before the games. People didn't adjust their technique, and were smashing into it EVERY. SINGLE. TURN.

The scratches don't bother me. I knew it would happen. I just thought it would be eventually, and not on the first game! My wife, the worst of the bunch, has learned her lesson.

[eds1275]

Oh, the shame of bumping such an old topic. I have ONE LAST THING TO DO... and that is have an instruction card I made printed. Today I picked up the glass, some form of greylight that is very dark and beautiful and mysterious.

Here's a before. I suppose for the big photo shoot I should have straightened the anti-fatigue mat ($3 well spent at the dollar store!)



And here it is with the glass installed. Just not enough to cover the little spot underneath the screen where you can see the guts hanging down.




Sliding in a piece of construction paper did the job however and it looks amazing.



When I put the instruction card up, I'll take some nicer photos with my dslr and share.

[Dawgz Rule]

Still a great build...and it goes to 11.