Cafe au Cade - Coffee table arcade conversion - Finished with loads of pics!

[Evetsllub]

Hi all,

Been lurking around here for a few months now.  I came across some commercially available arcade machine coffee tables online and instantly wanted one.  The price tag of a few grand or so was enough to put that one off, but then every night i started eyeing off my coffee table and my old laptop with the broken hinge and i thought "this could work".  The wife when told of the plans rolled her eyes but she knows there is no way to stop me and i will be attempting to make it as living room friendly as possible.  Suprisingly I havent come across many examples of what I am doing, not even with the hundreds of great builds on here.

One of the key things i want to do is reuse whatever possible, both from a cost and sustainability perspective, thats why i like to use a coffee table and a computer i already have.  The main two costs are going to be the controllers and the glass inlay, everything else should be pretty cheap.

Here's the donor coffee table.  I bought it about 5 years ago in some flood damage sales at a local place that sells indonesian imported furniture.  The cost of it would have been no more than $50, and it has copped a beating ever since.  I was planning on sanding and restaining the top anyway as this baby has never seen a coaster on it and hot drinks have left plenty of marks.



The donor laptop, a Dell XPSM1530.  Broken hinge thanks to me dropping it a while back... When i purchased it though i upgraded the screen so it is pretty high quality, with a decent viewing angle.  Decased and screen flipped (and looking very dirty...).



The wife left me at home one weekend, when she returned this is what i'd done to the coffee table:



I was a little concerned that the timber insert was glued in, in which case pulling it out could have been ugly.  Thankfully it was just screwed in so after removing the screws (and drilling a couple out that has stripped heads) it came straight out.

With a decased laptop and a coffee table with a big hole in it now i could get a feel for how it will look like when its done:




Next step was building some control panels.  I'm going to build some 'wings' that will go out either end.  I live in a small unit in the city, so this was a job to take back to dad's where he has the biggest shed you've ever seen and just about every power tool a man could dream of.  A few hours with drop saws, table saws, table top sanders and nail guns and we came up with 2 nice looking control panels that will screw onto the sides of the table and should look pretty nice.  In my interest of sustainability and recycling, I reused the timber I pulled off the top of the coffee table and then used some scrap wood for the extra pieces i need.  When stained dark it should all look the same.

Didnt get many photos of the build of the CPs as i didnt have a camera with me, but grabbed this one on my phone.  It is the completed panel with the control template stuck on to drill pilot holes for the controller holes.  I got the template from here.  I also spaced out the space between the joystick and buttons as you can see where there is a gap, and added 2 extra holes at the end for start/coin buttons.  There will be some buttons on the front of the P1 panel for admin buttons (exit, pause, menu)... not sure yet, i'll see how many buttons i can fit and the rest will be from a shift button.  Going with 6 button so i can play the fighters, the split screen mode works pretty well so P1 and P2 can play fighters and the screen size is decent enough given how close you are to the screen when you are playing.



Thats all for now.  The next challenge is soldering a power button onto the laptop button.  Bender gave me a nice pic of his soldering effort on the same computer he used for the Benderama build.  I managed to short the circuit and fire it up just with a wire so i am certain of the 2 contact points, but damn it is a couple of tiny contact points.  I thought dad might be able to solder it for me too as he used to be a technician and do a lot of soldering.  He doesnt have an iron small enough but will hunt one down from someone and work and have a crack at it.

Moving house next weekend (should be packing right now!) so there wont be much action over the next couple of weeks, but i've got my controllers so once the panels are stained and lacquered i can screw them on and get going with working out how i am going to fit everything inside this thing!  Also need to get some glass ordered and have a crack at painting the back of it to form a bezel.  How i will mount the laptop in there?  No idea at the moment.  Where am i going to fit speakers?  No idea at the moment.  How will i run power to it?  No idea at the moment.

Hope to have an update soon!

[EightBySix]

A man after my own heart! How are you going to attach the control panel?

[LeedsFan]

This... looks... AWESOME!!!  

The decased monitor fits perfectly in that space! Isn't it a great feeling when a plan comes together perfectly like that?  

I love cute little projects like this and I'm keen to see how this turns out.

What do you have planned for a bezel or cover?  It looks like you could lower the monitor a little and then drop in a piece of plexi to replace the square you removed. Painting the back of the plexi with a stain you use on the rest of the table could make a perfect bezel. Though how well that would "take" to the plexi is another matter.

[drventure]

Great little project! Love it.

Looks like you have a decent about of space underneath the top, I'm betting a pair of smallish computer speakers and the rest of the laptop will fit there nicely.

If it hangs down a bit, just build a nice wood box to hide it, stain the box the same dark color and noone will notice it. That's how I hung the computer (and the subwoofer) underneath my buffet project.

[Evetsllub]

Thanks for the encouragement guys!

Eightbysix - Control pane screwed onto the side of the table.  I have sanded the pieces where it attaches to be the same curve as the table, so it will slot in nicely.  Should be plenty strong enough.

Leedsfan - Planning on getting a piece of glass cut and tempered, then just painting the back black for the bezel. Never used Plexi before but i cant imagine it being as scratch proof as glass.  the stain is a good idea to match colours but i just dont know how you'd make it stick...

drventure - yeah i'm hoping theres enough room under there to mount some little computer speakers.

[LeedsFan]

Leedsfan - Planning on getting a piece of glass cut and tempered, then just painting the back black for the bezel. Never used Plexi before but i cant imagine it being as scratch proof as glass.  the stain is a good idea to match colours but i just dont know how you'd make it stick...

Yeah I've never used stain before myself. It may well be that the stain has to soak into the wood a little and then it might dry a different colour to how it applies right out of the tin. But then again I'm just thinking out loud here. You could always try to stain/paint a separate piece of glass beforehand to see how it goes.

[Evetsllub]

Well its been a while, damn house move.  The good news is i'm all moved into my new house and found some time this weekend to continue on the project.

Back to dad's place who was kind enough to stain the panels and tabletop and put a couple of coats of varnish on over the last few weeks.

Here's the panels, before their last coat of varnish:



Drying in the sun.  This will give you an idea of how it will all come together.  Those panels will screw into the sides of the table.



Power button on laptop all soldered up.  Special thanks for Bender and his great photo of this.  It made what could have been an hours and hours long job a 5 minute job as we knew where the contact 'points' (more like pinheads) were.  Dad's a much better solderer than me so i left him to do it.  Got it right, tested and it worked!  The white stuff was some glue to try to make sure it stays there.



After 3 coats of varnish the panels were ready to go, so buttons all put in, and joystick screwed into place.  The buttons arent perfectly aligned, in hindsight, the piece of paper we stuck over to drill pilot holes should have been glued down.  Now that all the buttons are in its difficult to see the mis alignment though, so not the end of the world.  Really happy with how the control panels look!  The red buttons look sweet i reckon.



Here's the underside.  Its a tight squeeze.  There's literally no room for any more buttons.  If i decide i need more admin buttons they will be going on the side of the table.  I have include a pause, exit and 'service' button.  All others will need to be operated with shift function.



That's all for now.  I am having a bit of trouble with the table varnishing.  I originally just sanded the surface, re-stained it and lacquered it.  But it looked a bit silly as the colour wasn't exactly the same as the rest of the table and the shine on the varnish was different.  So i've decided to lacquer the whole thing, but its a bit too glossy for me (i prefer satin), and the colour still isn't quite right as i didn't sand the rest of the table back to bare timber (it would have been extremely time consuming and i am not really interested).  Once the last coat dries i'm going to put it in the house for a few days and see what i'm thinking.

Once that little problem is sorted i need to get a piece of glass cut for the tabletop and work out how i'm going to mount the laptop into the table.  after that its working out how i will power the thing, and i'll be on the final stretch!

[Drunkraccoons]

this is a great idea and its low enough for children

[emphatic]

Such a cool project.  Panels looks great. Just get some smaller washers for your joysticks.

[Evetsllub]

yeah washers look crappy.  any idea where i can get something that looks better?  Was thinking something stainless steel or chrome.

[emphatic]

yeah washers look crappy.  any idea where i can get something that looks better?  Was thinking something stainless steel or chrome.

http://www.arcadeshop.de/index.php?cPath=103_109&osCsid=c4fc3a7b9a76f14601a069c3f05af7ba

Not sure that the shaft of your (u360?) sticks have the same dimension as the JLF though. Double-check!

[drventure]

I used cabinet knob backplates and just drilled them out

Do a google shopping search for "Knob backplate", there's tons of different styles

Here's one that kind of goes with your theme



There's a ton to choose from. Only one comment. if you want to keep them from really dulling up the wood underneath, you might stick some felt pads or something under it (or on the base below the washers).

[BobA]

I used cabinet knob backplates and just drilled them out

Do a google shopping search for "Knob backplate", there's tons of different styles

Here's one that kind of goes with your theme



There's a ton to choose from. Only one comment. if you want to keep them from really dulling up the wood underneath, you might stick some felt pads or something under it (or on the base below the washers).

Great idea drventure!   

[Evetsllub]

I'll have a look for those back plates. Looks like a good idea, yeah scratching the surface would be the main issue. The other thing I thought of was a cheap pizza cutter or some large stainless steel washers or even cutting out a hole from a thin piece of timber with a hole saw, sanding, staining and lacquering the same finish as the table top.

I've decided I don't like th gloss. Last night I had a crack at flattening it with a scotchbrite pad. It looks better but I still don't really like the finish. I think I'm going to getsome satin lacquer and give it a go with that.

[Donkey_Kong]

I'll never look at old coffee tables the same. Looks like a sweet setup, and the table was a pretty sweet find as well!

[Evetsllub]

A bit of an update.  I got some satin lacquer and re-did it with that.  Much happier with the finish now, and its had about 5 coats so should stand up pretty well.

Got the glasstop ordered, should pick that up on the weekend,  Much cheaper than i expected.  When i told them at the glass shop what i was doing they thought that getting it toughened was not worth it.  So i took their advice and the glass only came to $30.  At that price if it breaks i'll get a new one, this time toughened.

Control panels are all wired up and ready to install:



I've been battling with how to fix the computer to the table for some time now.  then it came to me and is oh so simple.  2 strips of wood under the table.  Fixed with bolts from the lip that the glass will sit on.  Some wingnuts screwed in from the bottom and it will allow me to lift the computer to the exact height it needs to sit flush with the glass.

Some strips of wood cut out (some scrap hardwood i had).  Just need to find some bolts to fit it now.



I've got a piece of painted glass drying, just to make sure the paint i got sticks and the masking tape doesnt bleed.  If that all works then i should be able to paint the tabletop and fix the control panels on over the weekend.

[Nephasth]

Question 1 - What input interface are you using?

Question 2 - Is there a reason why you didn't utilize the U360's input feature?

[drventure]

Is there a reason why you didn't utilize the U360's input feature?

+1, though I didn't use it iether (didn't realize at the time the u360 supported button inputs).

But the prob here is that there's more buttons on that side panel than the 360 will handle (it only handles 8 inputs, right).

So if you're going to have to run wires anyway, doesn't really save you much....

[Nephasth]

But the prob here is that there's more buttons on that side panel than the 360 will handle (it only handles 8 inputs, right).

But U360s also have a shift function for the inputs, which could eliminate the need for dedicated admin buttons if desired. But he may have wanted dedicated admin buttons, which is why I asked. Using the U360's I/O feature would also save on one more piece of hardware you have to buy.

[Evetsllub]

Question 1 - What input interface are you using?

Question 2 - Is there a reason why you didn't utilize the U360's input feature?

1. IPAC2
2. Had no idea it was possible!

Just looked it up and it wouldnt have been enough buttons as drventure said.  I'd prefer not to use shift buttons for some of these admin functions as i want it to be as idiot proof as possible.  It would have made things less messy by not having to run as many wires through but not the end of the world.

[Evetsllub]

Well a lot of progress made over the weekend, spent a lot of time on it and am all but finished.

Got the computer mounted inside the table with the timber strips above, and some 100mm bolts, screwed tight to sit flush with the glass top.  This method works real well.  Still need to properly support the computer in there, at the moment its velcroed onto the timber but i'll probably get some 90 degree shelf brackets to hold it in there nice and tight.

The control panels screwed onto the side of the table nicely and feel very secure.

Some 6mm 'quad' strips gave me just enough height to make the lip that the glass sits on perfect height so the glass sits flush.

Here's it all being glued up:



Glass taped up and ready to paint.



Today i installed the ipac 2 and got it all wired up.  Had to make sure the wire was cut nice and short and then kept nice and tidy so nothing hangs below the table.

Also installed a 4 port USB hub under there to handle all the USB requirements.

Installed a power button, hooking up the previously soldered on wires to a normal arcade button.  Unfortunately when stripping the wires i managed to remove one of the wires off the tiny contact points, so its going to have to be re-soldered. I can still start the machine by pulling the top off, but will get around to resoldering in the next couple of weeks.

Once all that was done it was time to fire it up.  A couple of hours spent configuring everything.  Getting the joysticks to work was an effort but got there eventually.  I had set up Hyperspin & Mame on another PC already so was able to just copy it all over.  It all seems to be working well now.  A fresh install of Windows 7 on the machine, and i get from power up to Hyperspin in about a minute.

Here's how she's looking now:







Played for a while tonight.  Initial thoughts:

It is suprisingly comfortable to play.  From the couch the height is perfect and so is the viewing angle.  Player 2 doesn't have it so well having to sit on the floor.  I think i'll need to make some sort of stool for player 2 to sit on.

I should have ordered the hard springs for the u360 joysticks, it does seem too soft.  I am also finding in games like pacman if you let the joystick go it will flick back and obviously push slightly in the other direction pushing pacman in a direction you dont want to go.  Is there a way to make the joystick less sensitive?

the split screen mode for horizontal games works real well.  It means each player has only essentially half a laptop screen, but you're sitting that close that it is big enough.

The laptop speakers are actually ok.  I wouldnt say its fantastic but you can definitely hear it.  When i get my cheapie ebay speakers i'll give them a go and if sound isnt much better than laptop speakers i wont bother installing them.

Whilst the painted glass bezel looks awesome, it shows fingerprints really bad!!

Whats left to do:

Install speakers if they're any good.
Fix the laptop button soldering effort.
Install a power plug into the side of the table so i can plug straight into that and hide the laptop power cord up inside the table.
Install the 2 USB plugs that i've got to give USB access from outside the table.

And that's pretty much it, so i'm all but finished really.

I'll try to get some pics of the guts of it all too some time.

[kingchimp]

Looks awesome. 

After you've finished your soldering, it might be worth hitting it with some hot glue or something to make sure the wires stay put.

[IG-88]

  I love it!! Been keeping my eyes open for similar tables at the local thrift stores!!

Question: you may have said this before, what are the dimensions of it? Especially the height off the floor?

[Nephasth]

That looks like a catalog photo. This turned out really nice!

[emphatic]

+1 on the catalog photo. It's beautiful. 

[Bender]

Looks really Great!!!!!

[LeedsFan]

This looks amazing! Excellent job... I'd be proud to have that in my house.

And I see your wife helped you out too!  She let you use "In the Kitchen" on the glueing stage.   

[jimmy2x2x]

Fantastic job, well done!

Any chance of a couple of action shots, I'm curious about play position

[drventure]

Fantastic job!

 

I love these kinds of builds, esp when they come out looking that nice. And damn you were quick about it!

[ark_ader]

Great Job! 

Did you use tinted or smoked glass?

From your photos I see the laptop display bleeding from one side.  Does it distract?

[Evetsllub]

Thanks guys.

Kingchimp - thats a good idea.  is there any risk that the glue will damage anything?
IG-88 - Just measured it, L/W 60cm, Height 35cm.  I think the photos tend to make it look taller than it is.
Leedsfan - Lol, its about time that book as well as the Jane Austin all 7 novels came in handy for something.
Jimmy2x2x - i'll try to get you some action shots...
ark_ader - Its just regular glass, no tinting or smoking.  Bezel painted with black spraypaint.  I wanted to get something anti glare but the glass shop said it doesn't come in 6mm glass.  I was worried that smoked glass would dull the screen too much.  Yeah there is a bit of light bleed, that screen always had it at the bottom.  I don't think it is as bad in real life as it looks in the pictures.  Not enough to really bother me.

[kingchimp]

Digging back to 2004 (well, Google did all the hard work  ).

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=21244.0

If you have good solder joints, the wires won't break loose unless you move them around enough to actually break the wires.  This is where the hot-melt comes in.  Hold your wires to the board close to the solder joint, but not on the solder joint.

It will offer the same benefits, plus allow you to fix a problem if one occurs.

[ChurchOfSolipsism]

Absolutely fantastic work, although, to be honest, I think the red buttons and balltops stick out too much and detract a little from the luxurious vibe; black would have worked a lot better for me. Anyways, I've always wanted to build something along those lines, but now the urge has become really strong...

[Evetsllub]

Thanks Churchofsolipsism.  I know what you mean about the Red.  I agonised over red vs black controls for a while.  In the end i decided i wanted it to stand out a bit, and i love red stuff so this was making a bit of a statement.  The red actually matches the new tabletop stain pretty well which has a bit of a reddy tinge to it.  I am happy with the decision to go with the red controls.  I can see how people would prefer black though as a piece of furniture that would better blend in.

PS.  I've got a bit of an idea for player 2 stool (assuming player 1 has the couch) which will incorporate the red!  stay tuned.

[LeedsFan]

Regarding the "anti-glare" glass.   I have a local glass trader that I've used before and I went to enquire about this stuff. It's basically useless for what we want to use it for. Anything behind the anti-glare glass at some distance (such a a high street shop display) will look fine. But anything close or right up to the glass looks awful. The glass has a microscopic film on the surface to stop glare that you can barely see with the naked eye. But it affects the look of stuff close up to it.

[jordancbr]

Beautiful 

[vast]

I've not yet finished my bartop but i just installed mame & de-cased an old laptop and am now looking on ebay for a coffee table! 

[Evetsllub]

Good to hear I've inspired others! Try those shops that sell imported Indonesian furniture too. There's plenty of them in Australia but that could just be because of our close proximity to indonesia. You might find you can pick up a new one pretty cheap.

[pharoah007]

DUDE!!   good job!

[ChadTower]

I dig it.  Looks great!