Long time reader, first time builder: MAME Slim Cab

[ambush]

I've been reading the forums for over a year and finally am getting off my butt to build my own cab. My goal is to finish by Thanksgiving of this year. I have finished a draft of the design I want to follow and made a prototype out of cardboard (see photos). I would love input from this community about pitfalls with my design before I start cutting.

I've taken inspiration from many cabs in the forum, including Knievel's Woody Cab (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=55789.0;all), gajaman's slimline cabs (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=89163.0), martoon x's Defender cab (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=90099.0;all), and others.

Overview on the project
As a big Mortal Kombat fan, I was originally planning to make a Midway clone cab. But after mapping out masking tape to the dimensions of that cab, I realized quickly that it would be much too big for the room I want to put it in. So I decided to pursue a "slim cab" design. Looking at Knievel and others, I created a design in Sketchup. Here it is:



I then built a cardboard prototype to see how it would feel fully built, and I like it!



Here's me looking like a goofball standing next to it.





Design
Here is the design broken down into steps from Sketchup.

First, the base is constructed of 2x4s and a piece of 3/4" plywood on top.



I use an additional 2x4 trimmed and installed at a 45 degree angle to support casters that will be used to move the cab when it is tilted back at an angle. Here is a view from the bottom of the base. (I have a question about the stability of this caster design)



Next, the left side is added to the base.



And then I add in cleats or furring strips along the side. Note that I would install these before attaching to the base, but I am just showing the build up steps incrementally in Sketchup. (I'm curious if it is better to use partial furring strips or full length. I'd like to keep the weight down as much as possible.)



Next I add the interior panels. This includes the monitor mount and an admin panel like Knievel had in his Woody Cab.



Next is the keyboard tray. This will be attached with sliders.



Now I add the exterior panels, including the top, speaker panel, and back. Here is a side view.



And here is a view from the back. The small panel in the upper back is meant to have a hinge on it and be a door so I can access the monitor cables if necessary. Note also that there are cutouts for the casters.



Now I add the door on the bottom front. This will be attached with a piano hinge and magnetic door latch.



Next is the control panel. I've chosen a size that nicely fits 2-player controls + a trackball for Golden Tee and spinner or 4-way joystick.



I'm hoping to do something similar to Knievel's CP layout.



Finally I add the right side and the monitor (LCD 19") and it is complete!



Questions
I'd love advice and feedback from this forum on any aspects of the design, and I also have a few questions:

1- Does the design seem stable? Any concern it would tip over?
2- Should I use partial furring strips (as shown in the design) or full strips top to bottom?
3- Does the caster design seem feasible? They are positioned at a 45 degree angle on the base.
4- Is there some way to make the control panel removable? I'm thinking about some kind of sliding lock mechanism on the bottom of the CP.
5- Paint or vinyl?
6- Any advice on joining?

Thanks!
ambush

[Donkbaca]

I built a slim cab, check out my sig. (man I need to update the pictures of the completed project.)
My thoughts:
1- it's plenty stable, just make sure it's wide enough to fit you pc in the way you want.
2- I used 1x2 batting. Doesn't matter ful or partial, just glue and screw and you will be fine
3-casters- design seems fine, but I would ditch it all together, unless you plan on moving it around a lot.
4- yes, most common way is control panel latches. I got some, but in the end used washers thumb screws and wing nuts along with l brackets
5- depends on what look you are going for. I lean towards paint, but really for no reason
6- simple butt joints, glue and screw, counter sink the screws, putty over and sand flat.

Other observations
1- put a couple vent holes in the back bottom for airflow to the pc
2- don't use a piano hinge in the front door, use hidden euro hinges, it will look better
3- ditch the keyboard drawer , it adds complexity with not much benefit. I would just PKU a mouse and keyboard into the pc to set it up and leave them ther. Once the machine is set up you should rarely , if ever need a keyboard, and having a keyboard out is just asking for trouble from guests screwing around
4 - 19 inch monitor is an okay siR. But it's still pretty small, I would ditch the trackball to save space on the CP. Nothing looks crappier than a huge bezel around the monitor. I have a 21.3 inch monitor, the screen is 17 inches wide, the internal width of my cab us 24 in. giving me a 3.5 in. Bezel on each side. I would not want a bezel bigger than this . Keep that in mind. You don't want a huge bezel it a beefy overhang on your cp box. It won't look right.

Good luck!

[quintinbiker]

Good luck with your build

[TopJimmyCooks]

Looks very familiar

I did a similar thing with the casters, but smaller and more recessed.  make sure to get the fixed casters rather than the swivels, and make sure they're rated for 200lbs or so. 



They're better than nothing but i give them about a 5 out of 10.  I grab the hand truck or just shove it around for the most part.  They barely touch the floor when level, all the weight is on the base.  so, to get them to roll, you have to tilt the cab back about 30 degrees, and the weight wants to get away from you.

Fully agree with Donk's inputs:  I am going to go back and add low ventilation intakes as everythings running pretty hot in there even with a top exhaust fan.

the pix are behind the build but take a look at my threads below.  I have an evo style cab with knievel style cp and a 19" monitor.  I can send you some completed cab pix, just haven't posted them yet. 

[yotsuya]

The only thing I would add about the casters is that they seem to be really big or far back. If you butt it up against a wall, it looks like there would be a big gap there due to the wheels. Maybe it's just the way the model looks.

[ambush]

I built a slim cab, check out my sig. (man I need to update the pictures of the completed project.)
My thoughts:
1- it's plenty stable, just make sure it's wide enough to fit you pc in the way you want.
2- I used 1x2 batting. Doesn't matter ful or partial, just glue and screw and you will be fine
3-casters- design seems fine, but I would ditch it all together, unless you plan on moving it around a lot.
4- yes, most common way is control panel latches. I got some, but in the end used washers thumb screws and wing nuts along with l brackets
5- depends on what look you are going for. I lean towards paint, but really for no reason
6- simple butt joints, glue and screw, counter sink the screws, putty over and sand flat.

Other observations
1- put a couple vent holes in the back bottom for airflow to the pc
2- don't use a piano hinge in the front door, use hidden euro hinges, it will look better
3- ditch the keyboard drawer , it adds complexity with not much benefit. I would just PKU a mouse and keyboard into the pc to set it up and leave them ther. Once the machine is set up you should rarely , if ever need a keyboard, and having a keyboard out is just asking for trouble from guests screwing around
4 - 19 inch monitor is an okay siR. But it's still pretty small, I would ditch the trackball to save space on the CP. Nothing looks crappier than a huge bezel around the monitor. I have a 21.3 inch monitor, the screen is 17 inches wide, the internal width of my cab us 24 in. giving me a 3.5 in. Bezel on each side. I would not want a bezel bigger than this . Keep that in mind. You don't want a huge bezel it a beefy overhang on your cp box. It won't look right.

Good luck!

@Donkbaca, thanks for your input! Very helpful.

You've convinced me to drop the casters. I'm not going to be moving this regularly. In fact, I'll probably earthquake strap it to the wall.

On the monitor size, what is the ideal size and aspect ratio for an LCD monitor? To keep this slim, I don't want to use a CRT or TV.

[ambush]

Looks very familiar

I did a similar thing with the casters, but smaller and more recessed.  make sure to get the fixed casters rather than the swivels, and make sure they're rated for 200lbs or so. 



They're better than nothing but i give them about a 5 out of 10.  I grab the hand truck or just shove it around for the most part.  They barely touch the floor when level, all the weight is on the base.  so, to get them to roll, you have to tilt the cab back about 30 degrees, and the weight wants to get away from you.

Fully agree with Donk's inputs:  I am going to go back and add low ventilation intakes as everythings running pretty hot in there even with a top exhaust fan.

the pix are behind the build but take a look at my threads below.  I have an evo style cab with knievel style cp and a 19" monitor.  I can send you some completed cab pix, just haven't posted them yet. 

@TopJimmyCooks that does look very familiar! I read your posts. Very cool.

Why did you decide to use MDF for the sides and plywood for the CP? Isn't MDF heavier?

I see you're using a 19" LCD monitor too. Does that feel too small like Donkbaca suggested?

You've further convinced me to not use casters. But I will add ventilation. Would you recommend installing a ventilation fan inside?

[ambush]

Good luck with your build

Thanks!!

[Donkbaca]

Its not that 19 inches is too small, its just be mindful of the monitor size when building, because a large bezel always looks bad, if you are using a 19 incher, just make sure you make the cab narrow, I wouldn't want a bezel of more than 2 inches or so on the sides.

If you look at my build, I have a 21.3 inch 4:3.  That's the biggest 4:3 lcd you can get, and they are all mostly very, very good screens.  I believe Kneivel used a 20 inch in his builds.

I would suggest smoked plexi for the front too.  The bezel was a pain in the ass and a half to get right, and the smoked plexi helps hide a lot of imperfections, and looks cool when the cab is off.

[TopJimmyCooks]

My 19" was a gift from my brother and was going to be the display from the beginning.  However, the monitor auto rotates from Horizontal to vertical, so I'm using the full screen area for gameplay both ways.  To allow room for the monitor to rotate, it is 24 1/8" wide inside the sides.  When the CP is in it's smallest configuration, it's box is the same width as the cab.  In a perfect world, I would choose the the 21" 4:3 LCD - those were great.  I would't want to go any bigger if you like vertical shooters, with the controls where they are its the biggest screen I can take in. 

I used scraps I had around for the cp which were mostly plywood, and structural rigidity was more of a concern there with the moving parts.  the cab I made from MDF because I was planning to paint it and wanted the smooth, flat substrate.  Also, the shop grade ply I like to use costs a lot more and I've been trying to keep the costs in proportion.  It is heavy as ****, hence the wheels.  As I said, my wheels are really too small.

There have been many cabs lately with this design and it's proved a good one.  Arcade looks, suited to lcd display depth, scales nicely to different widths.  I would love to see someone do a narrow vertical one like a Toobin' cab. 

[jimfath]

Looks like a really cool build. I'm actually glad I found this as I'm working on something similar myself.

1- Does the design seem stable? Any concern it would tip over?
As these slim designs go, I've heard of people either anchoring them to the wall and/or putting weight in the base. Your plans seem to be deep enough. If it's going to reside on soft carpet and it's center of gravity is higher you might run into some issues. Hard to say. You'll know once you get it put together.

3- Does the caster design seem feasible? They are positioned at a 45 degree angle on the base.
I like this idea and have seen it used in other builds. I plan on using it myself. I move a lot and my wife likes to rearrange the furniture quite a bit. The wheels do look like they might affect how flush the machine is against the wall. Topjimmy's are a little more recessed. 

4- Is there some way to make the control panel removable? I'm thinking about some kind of sliding lock mechanism on the bottom of the CP.
I'm leaning towards some sort of cabinet latch. I know GGG sells them or at least they used to. Someone used a pair of monitor brackets to hold up the panel. I can't remember which build though.

Good Luck in the build brother!

[ambush]

Looks like a really cool build. I'm actually glad I found this as I'm working on something similar myself.

1- Does the design seem stable? Any concern it would tip over?
As these slim designs go, I've heard of people either anchoring them to the wall and/or putting weight in the base. Your plans seem to be deep enough. If it's going to reside on soft carpet and it's center of gravity is higher you might run into some issues. Hard to say. You'll know once you get it put together.

3- Does the caster design seem feasible? They are positioned at a 45 degree angle on the base.
I like this idea and have seen it used in other builds. I plan on using it myself. I move a lot and my wife likes to rearrange the furniture quite a bit. The wheels do look like they might affect how flush the machine is against the wall. Topjimmy's are a little more recessed. 

4- Is there some way to make the control panel removable? I'm thinking about some kind of sliding lock mechanism on the bottom of the CP.
I'm leaning towards some sort of cabinet latch. I know GGG sells them or at least they used to. Someone used a pair of monitor brackets to hold up the panel. I can't remember which build though.

Good Luck in the build brother!

@jimfath thanks very much for the ideas! I think I will anchor it to the wall as I have a little boy in the house and don't want it to topple over.

Do you have a link to the GGG cabinet latch? Would love to check that out.

Thanks!!

[ambush]

I would suggest smoked plexi for the front too.  The bezel was a pain in the ass and a half to get right, and the smoked plexi helps hide a lot of imperfections, and looks cool when the cab is off.

@Donkbaca  does the smoke plexi make it harder to see the screen? Do you have a link to the product?

Thanks.

[ambush]

Its not that 19 inches is too small, its just be mindful of the monitor size when building, because a large bezel always looks bad, if you are using a 19 incher, just make sure you make the cab narrow, I wouldn't want a bezel of more than 2 inches or so on the sides.

If you look at my build, I have a 21.3 inch 4:3.  That's the biggest 4:3 lcd you can get, and they are all mostly very, very good screens.  I believe Kneivel used a 20 inch in his builds.

I added a mockup of the Bezel to see how bad it looks and I see your point. It's big.



The issue is that I'm hesitant to reduce the width of the cab in case I ever want to upgrade the monitor. But maybe that is not a smart strategy?

I'm also hesitant to reduce the width of the cab because I don't want to reduce the width of the CP.

Alternatively, I was thinking I could use the extra bezel area as a place to have game codes, like the MK bezel below. It would be cool to have different bezel overlays that could be attached based on what game is being played.



Other ideas?

[TopJimmyCooks]

your pic is basically what my 19" looks like.  the bezel is 4" on the sides, 6" on the top/bottom, and the reverse when rotated.  It doesn't bother me but I would def. desire to go bigger for horizontal only.  I would go with 24" width on the cab, looks proportional and it's easy to upsize the display at any time.

I used 1/4" gray tinted glass, 30% light transmission.  You really can't tell much if any difference on the screen, even when you AB compare it.  I may have bumped the brightness up a few clicks.  Mine is back painted black to create the bezel area.  glass shops will give you samples to take home and look at. 

[Donkbaca]

OK a few things:

 - I wouldn't worry about upgrading the screen, In my mind, the biggest pain was cutting the bezel ,just build it more narrow

-alternatively you can try and get a 21.3 inch screen.  You can find used ones on ebay for under $200.  If you get one in good condition, they are totally worth it as a lot of these are top of the line ones that sell for $500+ new

I just used plain plexi and grabbed window tint and applied it myself.  I know that people on here have bought smoked plexi online before. 

Applying it yourself kind of sucks, you need to be patient and do it in the most dust free place you can find.  Its pretty cheap though, and looks really good.  You can't see anything when the monitor is off, the whole screen area is black.  I also used the tint on my marquee since Its edge lit etched plexi.  I need to upload pictures, maybe tonight, if I have the chance

Whatever you do, just be mindful of proportion, and remember the number one rule, build the cab around the monitor!

[jimfath]

@jimfath thanks very much for the ideas! I think I will anchor it to the wall as I have a little boy in the house and don't want it to topple over.

Do you have a link to the GGG cabinet latch? Would love to check that out.

Thanks!!

This is the control panel latch they sell at GGG. It's pretty basic and you can find versions of it at your local hardware... BUt if you were ordering other stuff from GGG you might want to take a look.
http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=70&products_id=204

[ambush]

I'm trying to decide what type of speakers to use. Do you guys recommend car audio? PC speakers? or something else?

The speaker panel I have is 6 21/32". So the speakers could be 4" in diameter or width.

[Mister Hat]

You can buy car stereo speakers (you can find them pretty cheap) and hook them up to an old PC speaker interface or just buy an amplifier online for about $10-15.

By the way, I really like the looks of your project so far. Keep it up.

[ambush]

You can buy car stereo speakers (you can find them pretty cheap) and hook them up to an old PC speaker interface or just buy an amplifier online for about $10-15.

By the way, I really like the looks of your project so far. Keep it up.

Thanks @Mister Hat. Good suggestion. I think I'll go for 4" diameter car speakers and see how they work out.

[ambush]

Status update and plans update....

I spent some time this weekend going over the plans with a friend who is going to help me build the cabinet. He has the tools and woodworking experience. After we came up with a plan, we left to buy wood and ... bummer ... the lumberyard was closed. So, cutting is delayed one more week and should start this next weekend.

This has given me some time to refine the plans based on the feedback from this forum and my friend's ideas. First, some conclusions:
1. No casters. What's the point? I'm not going to move the cabinet much. I will add levelers.
2. I'm going to stick with the width of the cabinet and the 19" monitor. I'm not going to build a rotating motor. This is my first cab so I want to build something I know will look good and be sturdy. To overcome the issue of a bezel that is too big, I'm going to look into some artwork that can be placed on the bezel as a cool effect.
3. I've replaced my spaced out 1"x2" furring strips with full vertical 2"x2" furring strips. This will make it a lot easier to assemble, will help with screwing without splitting, and shouldn't add too much weight.
4. I'm going to build the whole thing out of 3/4" AC sanded plywood. This will be a nice surface to paint. Using all 3/4" will be heavier than optimizing with some 1/2" but will be simpler to cut and build.
5. I like the idea of smoked plexi for the bezel. Going to see how that looks.
6. Added vent holes up and down the back of the cabinet. Will add some mesh to cover the vents.
7. Will make the control panel removable, either with latches or bolts and nuts.
8. I'm going to keep the keyboard tray for now but may lose it later.

Need some links / advice:
1. Levelers?
2. Control panel wiring: I've read doorbell wiring, ethernet cables and other electrical wiring
3. Gotchas in using car audio speakers
4. Wire/metal mesh to cover air vents
5. Primer and paint - what type?
6. Euro hinge link?
7. I need some kind of flexible rubber piece to go between the admin panel and control panel. There is a small gap there and the control panel lid will hinge open.
8. Marquee mount?
9. Other things I'm forgetting?

Still to do:
* Map out the control panel
* Design the artwork

Here are updated design pics.


Base frame (2"x4"s)


Base with plywood top


Left side with furring strips attached


Left side attached to base


Both sides attached to base


Interior (monitor mount, speaker panel and admin panel) attached to sides


Rear view of interior attached to sides


Exterior attached to sides and base, with vent holes


Rear view of exterior. Note the upper panel will be hinged so that I can access the monitor from the back


Keyboard tray attached to sides (non-structural)


Door attached to sides using Euro hinge and magnet lock (non-structural)


Control panel box (top view)


Control panel box (side view)


Control panel with lid (side view)


Control panel attached to cabinet


Monitor attached to cabinet


Bezel attached to monitor mount

[TopJimmyCooks]

I would leave a toe kick area at the front.  Are you going coin door or making the front open like a door?  Also, consider rounding off the back corner of the sides at the bottom, or life will round it off for you.

It is quite nice to be able to access the pc from the front, reduces moving the thing around a lot.  I did not follow my own advice on this.

[Donkbaca]

I would reconsider the width of the cab.  Artwork around the monitor only accentuates teh bezel, IMHO.  It makes the whole thing look too busy.  I think the solution probably would be to put smoked plexi across the whole front, which will hide the whole thing when its off.  Probably will look the best and be the least amount of work.

Make sure your wood is flat!  I keep bringing this up because the sheet I used for my CP wasn't and that created issues.  Take your time in picking out the wood.

Need some links / advice:
1. Levelers? - What is it going to be resting on?  If a hard floor, I say it may be a good idea, though your floors should be level.  If its on carpet, I don't think its that necessary

2. Control panel wiring: I've read doorbell wiring, ethernet cables and other electrical wiring - Use anything you want.  just get something that is 18-22 gauge since that is the most common size for disconnects.  Stranded wire is easier to work with, solid is neater.

3. Gotchas in using car audio speakers - Can't help you there.  I am using multimedia speakers

4. Wire/metal mesh to cover air vents - I used speaker cloth

5. Primer and paint - what type? - can't help you, stained my cab.

6. Euro hinge link? I have some that I use for the panel under my CP where my xbox 360 is.  I just got them at home depot. they have  a selection of them in the cabinet hardware section

7. I need some kind of flexible rubber piece to go between the admin panel and control panel. There is a small gap there and the control panel lid will hinge open.  - I htought this too, but if you position the top of your panel right, and your wood is straight, the t-molding will cover the gap.

8. Marquee mount? - I built my own out of wood. but then again, my marquee is different since it is edge lit plexi

9. Other things I'm forgetting? - Seems good to me, as long as you have wood, tools, t-molding, controls, and wiring, you should be good

[eds1275]

What I ended up doing on my cab is drilling pilot holes through some hockey pucks, then bolting them to the 2x4 base. After that I stuck some 3" circular furniture pads on the bottom - this thing slides around no problem on a smooth floor like laminate or linoleum, but is sturdy enough to stay in place when playing. Check out the bottom of my cab, you can see one of the pucks!


I wouldn't suggest doing this on carpet though.

[ambush]

First cuts on the cabinet complete.

Shopping list:
* (3) AC sanded superply from Dunn Lumber
* (3) 2x2x8 douglas fir furring strips
* (1) 2x4x10 douglas fir
* bearing guided clone router bit
* 1/16" slot cutter router bit
* (1) box 1.5" wood screws

Photos:


Here is the AC Sanded Superply board. It is super smooth on one side and okay smooth on the other.


First we ripped the board to the dimensions 20" x 72.5" and placed it on sawhorses.


Here I am measuring and drawing the design on the board with a pencil. I used that glass jar for the rounded corners.


We started making cuts with the circular saw, cutting all of the straight areas we could. We used the jigsaw to tackle some of the curves.


Some of the curves didn't work that well. Oh well, we'll sand it up.


Here's the first side complete.


Then we clamped the first side onto the second board and used a clone router to get an exact match.


Close up!


Completed cloning. (except for that 90 degree angle, we fixed that with a handsaw)


This cloning bit takes out about an inch of wood and makes a lot of dust!


And we're done! Two identical, yet mirrored sides.


Overall, this took a long time to get perfect, but probably worth it.
We also cut some of the furring strips but did not cut the other panels yet.

More to come ...

[TopJimmyCooks]

Next time consider using the first side to trace the second side with a pencil.  then, cut to about 1/4" outside the line with jigsaw, circular saw, etc.  Then clamp and pattern rout.  The smaller, open cut will help your bit run cooler, cut better and last longer than if you cut the full width of the router bit.   good looking work, keep going!  TJC.

[ambush]

Next time consider using the first side to trace the second side with a pencil.  then, cut to about 1/4" outside the line with jigsaw, circular saw, etc.  Then clamp and pattern rout.  The smaller, open cut will help your bit run cooler, cut better and last longer than if you cut the full width of the router bit.   good looking work, keep going!  TJC.

Good suggestion. Thanks TJC.

[ambush]

I spent a while researching and designing the control panel tonight.

Here is a pic of the design. I would like feedback!

Direct link: http://i53.tinypic.com/17rgjr.png


Panel width: 34"
Panel height: 13 1/4" at edges and 14" in center

Motivations:
* I have a 28-input legacy i-pac interface that I'm hoping to use
* 7-button design supports fighters including all in the Mortal Kombat franchise (Run button in the traditional place)
* Ergonomic friendly layout of player 1 and player 2 buttons (from slagcoin.com)
* 3" trackball for Golden Tee + soft-mapped Golden Tee buttons in as close to traditional placement as possible
* Spinner + 8th button for each player placed above for spinner games
* Explicit coin and start buttons
* Implicit mouse buttons (for use with trackball)
* Soft-mapped B and A buttons for classic arcade titles like TMNT and Mario

Questions:

1. Can I achieve what I have mapped out? Specifically,
  a) can I soft-map the Golden Tee buttons across the panel like that?
  b) can I wire and map the mouse buttons to existing CP buttons? I'm looking at either the Happ 3" USB trackball (http://na.suzohapp.com/trackballs/565600xx2.htm) or the Groovy-TB Arcade Trackball (http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=74&products_id=363)
  c) can I soft-map the B and A buttons for classic games? Is this a game by game configuration?

2. Is there enough spacing on the panel for comfortable play?

Thanks!

[eds1275]

What you can do is wire 2 microswitches to 1 input. Just connect the grounds together and the no's together, and then either one works for an input. It could of course be a pain if someone reaches up and presses the daisy chained buttons in the middle of a fighter game or something.

[ambush]

First cuts are complete.

CP is designed.

Now onto the second cuts. Once again, turn to Sketchup to figure out how to best use the plywood we have remaining.
Direct link: https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-4YrxaBMXqcw/Tpj2GVW26aI/AAAAAAAAD7I/uxOIrqytARQ/s0/Cut%252520List.png


We have decided to use the 3/4" plywood for all surfaces. Originally, I was thinking about using 1/2" for the control panel, but I don't expect 3/4" to add too much weight, and it's easier to deal with consistent lumber.

Still looking forward to feedback on the Control Panel design. Any thoughts? 

[ambush]

We made a ton of progress today and now have an assembled upright cab.

First, we cut all of the various pieces on the table saw.


And cut the 2x4's for the base.


And constructed the base, using deck screws.


Wow, I look happy for a simple task.


We decided to use the nail gun, which was a genius move and made things go much faster. We are using 2.5" nails to attach the base board to the 2x4s.


Completed base with board.


Next, we mapped out the 2x2 furring strips and countersunk those from the inside out. Thanks to Blanka for the suggestion to work from the inside. It saved us a ton of time. We used 2" screws and a countersink bit to embed the screws an 1/8" into the 2x2s.










Here's the first completed side


Then we did the other side and amazingly the furring strips lined up exactly!


Here's my new idea for an iPhone cab.


Next, we attached the base, again by countersinking from the inside using 3" deck screws.


Then we attached the lower back panel and clamped it all together to hold it tight.




We stood it up and it was sturdy!


Then we added the top panel to set the width of the cab.


And we used the nail gun to attach two back panels and the top panel.


We cut the top panel at a 39 degree angle on the table saw to fit the curve of the back of the cab.


And here's the final product for today.



@Donkbaca, I wanted to mention that I considered shrinking the width of the cab, but after adding my computer in Sketchup, I realized that I couldn't gain enough to make a difference. Thanks for the suggestion though.



Next up....
1. Buy lots of parts: speakers, LED, CP buttons and joysticks, plexi, hinges, primer, paint.
2. Finalize and cut the CP. Here is the current design. Direct link: http://i53.tinypic.com/17rgjr.png

3. Cut holes and install fans, electrical out and speakers.
4. Prime, paint.
5. Design artwork and order prints.
6. Wire it up.


What do you think?

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

As for speakers, someone posted this somewhere:
http://www.amazon.com/Sure-2x15W-TA2024-Class-D-Amplifier/dp/B003XRNRB6/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1318579848&sr=1-1

You can probably power it via a harddrive molex off the computer power supply.

Looks like you could probably fit a pair of 6x9's?
http://www.amazon.com/Kicker-07DS6930-6-Inch-9-Inch-Speaker/dp/B000YPRWZW/ref=sr_1_56?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1318844742&sr=1-56

[ambush]

As for speakers, someone posted this somewhere:
http://www.amazon.com/Sure-2x15W-TA2024-Class-D-Amplifier/dp/B003XRNRB6/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1318579848&sr=1-1

You can probably power it via a harddrive molex off the computer power supply.

Looks like you could probably fit a pair of 6x9's?
http://www.amazon.com/Kicker-07DS6930-6-Inch-9-Inch-Speaker/dp/B000YPRWZW/ref=sr_1_56?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1318844742&sr=1-56

@cotmm68030, thanks for the links!

Based on my design, the max size I could go with speaker cutouts are 4x4 or 4x6. Looks like this same model is available in those sizes, but cuts out some mid range. Would I need a subwoofer?

Also, is there concern about these speakers not being magnetically shielded and being so close to the monitor?

[Donkbaca]

Looks good.

As for speakers - just get computer speakers.  I would get a cheap 2.1 system.  The one I have in my cab has the volume and bass controls on the sub, so no volume pots to mess with on the speakers, I adjust all the volume through software on a game by game basis.

 Remember the original cabs didn't have fancy speaker systems in them, and a lot of older cabs don't even have stereo sound.  A cheap sub enclosed in the cab really makes everything sound good.  With a 2.1 computer speaker system, you are looking at like 40 bucks or less, and its easy to set up, you just plug and play, no worying about amps and volume pots or any of that stuff

[ambush]

I'm thinking about buying the following from CoolerGuys. Is this overkill?

The idea is to have a dual 120mm outtake fan in the back upper part of the cabinet, and a single 120mm fan in the back lower part of the cabinet. All will be controlled by a temperature trigger with LED display.



Fan Cooling Kit for upper part of cabinet, 2 fans, LED control http://www.coolerguys.com/840556086352.html $89.95
Single fan for blowing air in at base http://www.coolerguys.com/840556093640.html $23.95
3-pin sleeved extension cable 72” http://www.coolerguys.com/3pnslext.html $2.79
3-pin Y cable http://www.coolerguys.com/840556088752.html $1.95

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

that's probably quite overkill. there was a thread not too long ago about cab ventilation, and in several pages no one claimed failure based on heat.

I've got a AMD Athlon II system with a GTX 260 video card in a small unventilated cabinet that occasionally gets left on and forgotten about. In the most recent instance, running Portal 2 unattended for two days. The metal case was almost too hot to touch, yet still it ran.


Cut some ventilation slots at the top, cover them with speaker cloth, and let convection draw the hot air up like a chimney.

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

http://www.amazon.com/Kicker-11KS46-4-ohm-2-way-Speakers/dp/B004ZH291C

Perfectly matched to that little 25w amp. Remember that the whole cabinet is going to act like a resonance chamber for the speakers, so it should really fill the sound out. These will almost certainly sound better than a cheap set of PC speakers. A subwoofer will probably take up more space in your cabinet than would be worth to include.

As for magnetic sheilding; LCDs are unaffected, so it doesn't matter.

[EvilNuff]

...
Need some links / advice:
1. Levelers?
2. Control panel wiring: I've read doorbell wiring, ethernet cables and other electrical wiring
3. Gotchas in using car audio speakers
4. Wire/metal mesh to cover air vents
5. Primer and paint - what type?
6. Euro hinge link?
7. I need some kind of flexible rubber piece to go between the admin panel and control panel. There is a small gap there and the control panel lid will hinge open.
8. Marquee mount?
9. Other things I'm forgetting?
...

1. Check and see if you have a woodworking store in your area.  Woodcraft or Rockler, alternately you can order from either of those online.  They will have furniture levelers rated for whatever weight you want.
2. Any of those work, doesn't really matter much.
3. Easier to just use pc speakers IMO.
4. Any pc supply/parts store should have wire/mesh brackets for pc case exhaust, you could use those over a hole in the back of the case easily.

6. See #1

9. Looking good so far!

[ambush]

First design of the artwork for the control panel is done.

Here is the design with graphics for the various buttons and joysticks. I decided to go with simple colors - all player joysticks and buttons are black. Coins are green. Spinner buttons are blue. P1 and P2 start are white. This lets the art do the talking.

Direct link: https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ziyn5cbRXBQ/Tp4QwxHCENI/AAAAAAAAEAk/WBgX8a_xVUg/s0/CP-art-design-2011-10-18-3.png


And here is what it would look like to print:
Direct link: https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-K_LCHbigtBM/Tp4QxAxtKlI/AAAAAAAAEAo/okwrI6l3mkg/s0/CP-art-design-2011-10-18-3-print.png


I like the general concept of "chaos" that comes across with all of the characters up to something.

Thoughts? Feedback?

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

I don't think it's dense enough to convey a sense of 'chaos'. To me it looks unfinished.

For a chaotic feeling, i would have every inch of the panel covered in overlapping characters. Usually the general rule is to not mix arcade and console characters together, and also not mix in-game vs comic book representations of characters, but in this instance it might work well enough. None the less, I don't think we should be seeing any blue in there.

Here's a fun idea-- get a bunch of sprite-sheets from various games, crop them down to one image per file (many files), then use them in a photomosaic program to generate an arrangement of characters that resembles something from a distance. That would definitely fit an 'order from chaos' theme.

[ambush]

Yes, that would be more chaotic. 

Actually, I wasn't going for chaos, but after putting it together, it felt very "high energy". Maybe that's a better word. I would like there to be some blank space so it is not overwhelming.

I'm wondering if I can add some depth in the design with some background patterns. I've seen grids and lines before on other CPs.

[edub]

Ambush,

I applaud your design efforts (very complete - maybe overcomplete, but I'm an engineer and understand fully). I actually thought I planned well, but after seeing your starting drawings, my planning was simply amateur.

I am hoping to see the rest of the pics soon. I am 50% done with my Woody copy and will share my cab soon (within the next month) with this forum that has helped me SO much.

Regarding the CP overlay artwork, man - it is SO personal. Some people can view your stuff and say "did you spill some random clipart on this thing?" Others might say "hey, not bad". My personal opinion is that this is YOUR cab and to go with what makes YOU stoked about playing it. The folks on this forum so far have given you GREAT ideas about building your cab - as they did for me - but the artwork comes down to personal taste - you're the one that has to live with it and show it off to friends and family.

I followed grynd's suggestions on the audio - he was building a jukebox (or two) and he helped me design the car audio system I have in the cab - it is outstanding - but admittedly a bit much for its intended purpose. 6.5" coax speakers, Ground Pounder amp, 12V DC power supply and a 5F capacitor between the amp and the power supply. I guess I wanted to say "mine goes all the way to 11"... ;-)

Many people have had great success with 2.1 systems and I believe that is the best bang for the buck - and the sub DOES help quite a bit. I spent a few more dollars (haha) but again - personal preference. It was the one area where people can say to me "Really? 350W car stereo system for an arcade cab? Really?" And then I can just turn the volume up and ignore them - smiling the whole time knowing that "it works" and "I did it" and "it's cool" and "that's what I wanted" - even though I know it's overkill.  ;-)

I appreciated the dialogue about the euro hinge - drats - I'll have to go find one for my front panel door. I like my drawer - used a 16" full extension glide - it not only looks good, but is somewhat practical as well - holding the keyboard/mouse close - but folks are right - won't be used that often once everything is programmed properly.

Casters? I pondered the idea and then thought otherwise. If I need to move it, I'll just put down a small roller dolly and move it. I don't expect that once it reaches its final spot (basement - carpet), that I'll have a need to move it around on purpose. But, your 45deg idea was actually quite creative.

One thing I found out about building your first cab - holy COW you need patience. I spent the better part of 6 days with my father-in-law (Papa) going fairly slowly through building the shell, making measurements, etc. I thought early on "we should be done with this in 5 days and play it on the 6th". HAH!! What a joke. I am NOT a carpenter and there are so many disciplines to get right all at once. Patience, patience. Sometimes you just have to step away - especially later in the evening and call it a day. I am now 8 days into it and only have it half done (everything but the CP and prime/paint is complete). Yikes. But the key is to have fun and enjoy the process along the way - mistakes or not. I made several, but nothing I couldn't recover from.

Keep on sending pics. I will track your progress and then by Thanksgiving, you can see my long-winded blog on my cab - Wilbarcade.

Cheers,
edub

[ambush]

Ambush,

I applaud your design efforts (very complete - maybe overcomplete, but I'm an engineer and understand fully). I actually thought I planned well, but after seeing your starting drawings, my planning was simply amateur.

I am hoping to see the rest of the pics soon. I am 50% done with my Woody copy and will share my cab soon (within the next month) with this forum that has helped me SO much.

Regarding the CP overlay artwork, man - it is SO personal. Some people can view your stuff and say "did you spill some random clipart on this thing?" Others might say "hey, not bad". My personal opinion is that this is YOUR cab and to go with what makes YOU stoked about playing it. The folks on this forum so far have given you GREAT ideas about building your cab - as they did for me - but the artwork comes down to personal taste - you're the one that has to live with it and show it off to friends and family.

I followed grynd's suggestions on the audio - he was building a jukebox (or two) and he helped me design the car audio system I have in the cab - it is outstanding - but admittedly a bit much for its intended purpose. 6.5" coax speakers, Ground Pounder amp, 12V DC power supply and a 5F capacitor between the amp and the power supply. I guess I wanted to say "mine goes all the way to 11"... ;-)

Many people have had great success with 2.1 systems and I believe that is the best bang for the buck - and the sub DOES help quite a bit. I spent a few more dollars (haha) but again - personal preference. It was the one area where people can say to me "Really? 350W car stereo system for an arcade cab? Really?" And then I can just turn the volume up and ignore them - smiling the whole time knowing that "it works" and "I did it" and "it's cool" and "that's what I wanted" - even though I know it's overkill.  ;-)

I appreciated the dialogue about the euro hinge - drats - I'll have to go find one for my front panel door. I like my drawer - used a 16" full extension glide - it not only looks good, but is somewhat practical as well - holding the keyboard/mouse close - but folks are right - won't be used that often once everything is programmed properly.

Casters? I pondered the idea and then thought otherwise. If I need to move it, I'll just put down a small roller dolly and move it. I don't expect that once it reaches its final spot (basement - carpet), that I'll have a need to move it around on purpose. But, your 45deg idea was actually quite creative.

One thing I found out about building your first cab - holy COW you need patience. I spent the better part of 6 days with my father-in-law (Papa) going fairly slowly through building the shell, making measurements, etc. I thought early on "we should be done with this in 5 days and play it on the 6th". HAH!! What a joke. I am NOT a carpenter and there are so many disciplines to get right all at once. Patience, patience. Sometimes you just have to step away - especially later in the evening and call it a day. I am now 8 days into it and only have it half done (everything but the CP and prime/paint is complete). Yikes. But the key is to have fun and enjoy the process along the way - mistakes or not. I made several, but nothing I couldn't recover from.

Keep on sending pics. I will track your progress and then by Thanksgiving, you can see my long-winded blog on my cab - Wilbarcade.

Cheers,
edub

@edub

Thanks very much for your note. Sorry I've been so long to respond. I appreciate the pep talk and advice on various parts.

Unfortunately I did not complete the cab by Thanksgiving. My friend (whose shop I've been using) and I just couldn't find the time during the holiday season to get it done.

As an update on some of the decisions:
* I ended up going with the Kicker 4x6" speakers. While they were more costly, they are compact, new and sleek looking.
* I abandoned the casters altogether. I'm not going to roll it around.
* Euro hinges are working great.

For some good news, we were able to work on the cab this past weekend and made a ton of progress. Pics are coming soon.

Cheers.
ambush

[ambush]

Long overdue update with PICS!

I did not complete the cab by Thanksgiving as hoped, but recently have made some very good progress and it is coming along nicely.

Getting the monitor to fit in the cab was quite an effort, requiring a lot of sanding. We actually blew through all of our sand paper and had to restock to finish the job.

Here is the monitor frame we cut.


And here is the support panel behind the frame.


Once those were both attached using countersunk screws, we could fit the monitor in nicely.


However, the monitor was not flush with the frame, which would have caused problems when attaching the plexi. So we added a shim to the support panel.



We attached the back access panel using some hinges.


The panel opens nicely upright.


Rather than putting a knob on the panel, we just put a "finger sized" hole there. We added a magnetic latch so the panel stays shut when down.



We attached the keyboard tray using a drawer slide and a custom cut piece of 3/4" plywood. It will sit under the control panel and above the front door.



To attach the front door, we used euro hinges. First with a forstner bit, cut into the side panel.


Then attach the hinges and the door.


We used a magnetic push lock to keep the door shut. Push it to pop it open. Works like a charm.





Next it was time to build the control panel box. First we used a drill press to cut holes for the 25 cent push buttons on the front board of the box.


These coin buttons from Groovy Game Gear are pretty slick looking

http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=295

Then we started building out the frame of the box, using 2x2s as corners to hold the boards together


We drilled 3 holes in the back of the box for wires to escape into the cab.


And we assembled the rest of the box. We used screws into each of the 2x2s and a nail gun for the control panel base.


Here is the CP box on the cabinet. Fits perfectly.


To make the CP removable, we used long bolts with wing nuts that connect through the base of the CP and into 2x2s that are attached to the cabinet frame. Here are the top of the bolts.


Final photo of the progress!



Hopefully only one more woodworking session to go, including the top of the control panel. the admin panel, and the speaker panel.

Comments? Suggestions?

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

What exactly are you doing with the marquee area?
If you are putting an illuminated sign up there you probably need to re-work this area to avoid this:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=104708.0

[ambush]

What exactly are you doing with the marquee area?
If you are putting an illuminated sign up there you probably need to re-work this area to avoid this:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=104708.0

@cotmm68030, yes I was planning to do a lit marquee. Thanks for the heads up about this! I'll need to modify those support beams I guess.

I purchased an LED light system from GGG.
http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=83&products_id=307

[alfonzotan]

Very nice work.  Looking at your pics I'm having serious deja vu; reminds me very much of the cab I built last spring--although your woodworking is a hell of a lot cleaner than mine.  Knievel's designs, like the jelly of the month club, are the gift that keeps on givin'.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=111782.msg1185448

One thought:  instead of putting a full tower case in my "cargo bay," I just bolted the mobo, hard drive and power supply to one wall (with spacers, natch).  That not only cut down on the weight and helped with cooling, it left a ton of space for other storage down there.  Here's a pic from mid-construction; I hadn't installed the hard drive yet, and the optical drive went away once I was done with the software OS installations:



Not for everybody, but I've definitely appreciated having the extra room.

You asked about marquee mounting hardware earlier... you've probably already solved that one, but just in case:  Lowe's (and probably everybody else) sells clear plastic corner protectors in 6' lengths, call it half an inch to 3/4" on each side of the "L".  I just snipped one of those down to an upper mount and a lower mount, drilled holes for screws, painted them flat black, and I was done.  Easiest and one of the cheapest parts of the whole build.

[ambush]

@alfonzotan  Thanks for the advice.

I have considered breaking down the PC into parts, but I wasn't sure whether my desktop would really run all the games so I was going to test it first as a complete unit.  Did you find that breaking down the PC into parts reduced your need for air ventilation? I'm trying to decide where and how to cut ventilation...

Great suggestion about the marquee mount. Thanks!

[alfonzotan]

@alfonzotan  Thanks for the advice.

I have considered breaking down the PC into parts, but I wasn't sure whether my desktop would really run all the games so I was going to test it first as a complete unit.  Did you find that breaking down the PC into parts reduced your need for air ventilation? I'm trying to decide where and how to cut ventilation...

Great suggestion about the marquee mount. Thanks!

I never had a full PC in the first place, I just built up the bare mobo from parts.  I probably overbuilt on ventilation, there are a couple of 120mm fans mounted (countersunk) on my back panel at the vertical midpoint of the "cargo bay," and I have a vent at the top of the cab.  It's never been remotely warm in there when I've opened the front door.

[Green Giant]

@alfonzotan  Thanks for the advice.

I have considered breaking down the PC into parts, but I wasn't sure whether my desktop would really run all the games so I was going to test it first as a complete unit.  Did you find that breaking down the PC into parts reduced your need for air ventilation? I'm trying to decide where and how to cut ventilation...

Great suggestion about the marquee mount. Thanks!

Are you making a full cab?  Will it be basically air tight?

I have about a 2 foot tall window in the back of my cab I never made a door for.  My computer is just sitting in there with the door off.  So far heat has never been a problem for anything in my cab.



If you are making it air tight, then you can simply put some fans on the actual cabinet and leave the door of the computer case.  That should be more than enough ventilation.

[Santoro]

Looks good, any progress made?

[Hockeyboy]

I have a couple questions regarding your project. I'm getting ready to build up my first cab and it's going to look much like yours, which appears to get inspiration from the Knievel Woody. I've seen a few projects now that seem to capitalize on the Woody cabinet and I have to say I love the look you came up with.

All your 3/4" plywood needs to be routed with a wing-slot cutter for the t-molding - how are you planning on running the router along the edges with everything already put together? Edit: wow, long night at work, didn't think this all the way through...but that first question still stands on how you are planning on running the router with everything already put together?

If you are building your CP top out of the same 3/4" plywood, are you going to cover it with anything, or simply stain it like the rest of the cabinet? If you are staining, are you going to put some 1/8" clear plexi over the top to protect that wood surface?

Cabinet is looking great so far! Can't wait to see more and how this finally turns out.

[ambush]

I have a couple questions regarding your project. I'm getting ready to build up my first cab and it's going to look much like yours, which appears to get inspiration from the Knievel Woody. I've seen a few projects now that seem to capitalize on the Woody cabinet and I have to say I love the look you came up with.

All your 3/4" plywood needs to be routed with a wing-slot cutter for the t-molding - how are you planning on running the router along the edges with everything already put together? Edit: wow, long night at work, didn't think this all the way through...but that first question still stands on how you are planning on running the router with everything already put together?

If you are building your CP top out of the same 3/4" plywood, are you going to cover it with anything, or simply stain it like the rest of the cabinet? If you are staining, are you going to put some 1/8" clear plexi over the top to protect that wood surface?

Cabinet is looking great so far! Can't wait to see more and how this finally turns out.

Hi @Hockeyboy

Yes, I routed the cab with a 1/16" slot-cutting bit after it was all assembled. It was actually pretty easy to do by laying the cabinet on the side. The only problem was on the very front panel where we improved with a nail gun to attach the slanted panel. When we were slot-cutting, the bit hit the nails and sent off quite a spark. It should be okay because I'll just use a utility knife to reduce the depth of the t-molding at that spot.

Here's a photo


I built the CP top out of 1/2" plywood so that I could put 1/4" plexi on top of it. That will make the width 3/4" so that I can put the t-molding on it.

Thanks.

[ambush]

It's been a long time since I updated this thread, but I have a lot to share! I will be posting in parts.

Part 1: Completed Construction
[Photos from February, 2012]

We completed major construction of the cabinet in February 2012.

We cut the control panel top to size. It has a shaped front.


Cut the admin panel that attaches above the control panel.


Attached a slanted panel above the door and below the keyboard tray.


Cut holes for air vents or fans in the top and bottom of the cab.




Cut a template for the speaker holes, then used the bearing-guided router bit to cut two speaker holes.






Used a 1/16" slot-cutting router bit to cut the edges for t-molding.


It fits!



And finally, the finished construction



Next step: painting!

[ambush]

Part 2: Cleaning up and priming the cabinet
[Photos from March, 2012]

I brought the cabinet back to my house and started the clean up work. All of those nicks and scrapes needed to be sanded down, treated with wood putty and sanded again. Then I primed the cabinet.

Here's the primer and paint I used - spray paint.


Here's the cabinet


Took apart all doors and hardware.


Lots of wood putty and sanding








Spray paint nozzle attachment, and gloves!


It got dark


Here's the result. Enough for one day.



One thing I learned: watch out for dust and pollen in the air. It seemed to leave a soft paint residue that came off on my fingers.

[ambush]

Part 3: Completing the Cabinet Painting
[Photos from April 2012]

Here was where we left off. Need to finish priming the cabinet and start painting.


I decided to prime and paint the entire cabinet, inside and out.


I painted the doors and drawers separately.


Put the cabinet on its side to reach certain interior spots


Did NOT paint the bottom


Here's the final BLACK cabinet. You can see the control panel off to the left

[ambush]

Part 4: Cutting the Control Panel
[Photos from September 2012]

Here is the modified layout I wanted for the control panel, consisting of:

• 1P and 2P buttons
• 2-player controls: joystick, 7-button optimized for fighters
• trackball
• spinner and two additional buttons

After experimenting a bit further I realized that the spinner buttons would have been blocked by the 2P joystick, so I moved them.

One mistake I made in this design is that there is a lot of space on the bottom that cannot be used for the trackball because of the size of the CP box. I had to move the trackball and joysticks up quite a bit.

I also decided to mount the joysticks from the bottom.

Here's the updated layout after a lot of measuring.


Here's the trackball cutout


Now this is what the trackball would look like without routing.


We used the bearing-guided routing bit to groove out about 1/16" to fit the trackball plate


Here is the result


Fits perfectly!


Used 1 1/8" spade bits for everything else. And the CP looks like this!

[ambush]

Part 5 (last for now): Attaching the control panel top to the box
[Photos from September 2012]

Last update for now. See QUESTIONS at the end of this post.

I attached the CP top to the box using a piano hinge.
One gotcha- the piano hinge came with 3/4" screws but the CP top was only 1/2" ply, so that was a failure. I bought 1/2" screws and lined the piano hinge up, and perfect alignment!







It even sits open thanks to that front lip


Here's what the CP looks like on the cabinet





QUESTIONS

• How should I cut the plexiglass for the CP? I want 1/4" plexi to sit on top of the 1/2" ply and on top of artwork
• I also need plexi for the monitor area and the marquee. Thoughts?
• Is there anyone out there who wants to help me with artwork for the cabinet?
• Where should I print artwork? Sides, CP top, Marquee
• How do I affix artwork to the sides?
• Other suggestions?

[PL1]

How should I cut the plexiglass for the CP? I want 1/4" plexi to sit on top of the 1/2" ply and on top of artwork

Check out this thread by Selfie -- our resident expert on all things plastic. 

Is there anyone out there who wants to help me with artwork for the cabinet?

Here's one good place to start looking.  Also check out the Artwork forum or GameOnGrafix for more ideas.

Where should I print artwork? Sides, CP top, Marquee
How do I affix artwork to the sides?

If your main concern is quality, GameOnGrafix.
If your main concern is cost, Souldraw.

If you order from Souldraw, be sure to select adhesive vinyl media.

Applying Side Art 101 by Rikitiki.

Other suggestions?

I noticed that you routed your CP top so that the mounting plate would sit flush.

By adding the 1/4" plexi on top, won't that interfere somewhat with using the trackball?   


Scott

[shponglefan]

• How should I cut the plexiglass for the CP? I want 1/4" plexi to sit on top of the 1/2" ply and on top of artwork

What's worked for me in the past is a router w/ flush-trim bit for the edges/large cut out and a hole saw for buttons/joysticks.

[ambush]

Hi Scott- thanks for the great advice and links!

I noticed that you routed your CP top so that the mounting plate would sit flush.

By adding the 1/4" plexi on top, won't that interfere somewhat with using the trackball?   

Interesting point. I was hoping that the plexi would match the height of that little lip around the track ball. See photo.

[PL1]

Interesting point. I was hoping that the plexi would match the height of that little lip around the track ball.

I only mentioned it because it looks like the lip is way less than 1/4".

A nice chamfer on the plexi trackball hole should help.


Scott

[Hockeyboy]

ambush -- LOVING the updates!! Also, thanks for the response to my earlier questions.

I love the shape your cab has taken -- I still want to do something VERY similar, in fact, I want to do the same thing as you did, except that I want to stain mine instead of black paint, much like Knievel's Woody cab. My only snag right now is my wife is saying we just don't have a good room in the house to plop something like this into -- she's suggesting I could keep it in the garage.    Our garage is actually completely finished on all the walls because it was the builder's model home but I just hate the idea of having to play my games out there. If I do decide to stay in the garage, I would definitely consider painting it black vs staining.

btw...you wouldn't happen to have dimensions/plans, would you? 

[Noshbomb]

Looks really nice! 

[Seith]

You mentioned you couldn't move the trackball down due to the box constraints, but now that you have that CP attached to the piano hinge and opened, it looks like you have considerable space below it that you could have moved it down:



I realize it's too late now, but that was one of the things this board caught me on when I came close to the point where I was going to be cutting my CP:  Trackballs should go as low as you can get them, to maximize the space your hand has to travel, and to minimize chances of banging your fingers on the glass.

Otherwise, this project is looking great!

[ambush]

You mentioned you couldn't move the trackball down due to the box constraints, but now that you have that CP attached to the piano hinge and opened, it looks like you have considerable space below it that you could have moved it down:



I realize it's too late now, but that was one of the things this board caught me on when I came close to the point where I was going to be cutting my CP:  Trackballs should go as low as you can get them, to maximize the space your hand has to travel, and to minimize chances of banging your fingers on the glass.

Otherwise, this project is looking great!

@Seith thanks for the feedback.

I screwed up on two things:
1- The CP overhangs the CP box on the lower (front) part. That means that the trackball can't be too low because of that box front panel.
2- I put $0.25 coin buttons on the front, so they need room as well. That added an extra couple of inches.

I am definitely worried about banging fingers. But since I designed this CP as removable, I may finish this one and then build another one if I don't like it.

[ambush]

ambush -- LOVING the updates!! Also, thanks for the response to my earlier questions.

I love the shape your cab has taken -- I still want to do something VERY similar, in fact, I want to do the same thing as you did, except that I want to stain mine instead of black paint, much like Knievel's Woody cab. My only snag right now is my wife is saying we just don't have a good room in the house to plop something like this into -- she's suggesting I could keep it in the garage.    Our garage is actually completely finished on all the walls because it was the builder's model home but I just hate the idea of having to play my games out there. If I do decide to stay in the garage, I would definitely consider painting it black vs staining.

btw...you wouldn't happen to have dimensions/plans, would you? 

@Hockeyboy thanks!

I designed this one specifically so it would fit in a room rather than being exiled. It is really slim. I'm attaching my 3D Sketchup file. There is a layer called "Cut List" which has all of the pieces you need to cut laid out on plywood pieces. Or you can show/hide each individual layer and use the tape measurer to figure out your measurements.  http://www.megafileupload.com/en/file/370462/Ambush-Slim-Arcade-Cab-2012-skp.html

[ambush]

Looks really nice!

Thanks @Noshbomb !

[Scott87z]

Ambush, like you I am a long time reader and just finalizing my plans before starting.  Your cab looks great.  What amp did you finally go with to power your 4x6 speakers and how did that work out for you?  I am still trying to decide between a computer 2.1 speaker set or go the car speaker route.  Thanks!

[ambush]

New Update! The arcade cab construction is complete and playable!
[Photos from October - November 2012]

In this update, I complete the construction of the cabinet, including all plexiglass cutting and assembly. I attach the speakers, LEDs, monitor and computer. I wire up the control panel and am able to play the first games.

Problems: I can't get the trackball working. Need some electrical help!  The speakers are buzzing. Don't know why.

Open items: I still need to attach the spinner and the admin buttons. AND I need to get some help on artwork!


Plexiglass

I purchased samples of acrylic ("plexiglass") and Lexan ("polycarbonate"). Ultimately I decided to go with acrylic. Acrylic was easier to cut, less likely to scratch, and does not yellow over time. http://www.hydrosight.com/technology/polycarbonate_vs_acrylic.php

I went to Lowe's and had them cut the plexiglass to the proper rectangular sizes for the marquee, monitor bezel, and control panel. Then I went to work on the control panel.

Here is a test of a pushbutton.




And here is the test of the Lexan (left) and Plexi (right).



Now I was ready to cut the main control panel plexi. The first thing I did was align all of the holes.

Here is the control panel with the trackball.


To align everything, I turned the control panel upside down and clamped it to the plexi. I had the plexi sandwiched between the CP and another board so that I would drill through the other board.


To cut the pushbutton holes, I needed a 1 1/8" bit. I originally tried a spade bit but that didn't work, so I purchased this hole cutting bit which worked great.


All of the holes are done.




The plexi melts as you cut it and leaves some plastic on the hole. Just use your fingernail to break that off.




Here is my trackball test cut using a 3" hole saw.


It fit, but the edges were a little rough.


The final cut was much smoother.




Fits perfectly


I would end up sanding the inside of the trackball hole with 250 grit sanding block just to smooth it out a bit more.



Speakers

I installed the car audio speakers. They fit perfectly.






Connected the amplifier.




Mounted the amplifier in the cabinet.



Marquee

For the marquee, I used two pieces of plexi and I plan to sandwich an art printout between them. To mount the marquee plexi, I picked up a plastic wall corner protector from the hardware store and cut it with a hacksaw.






Monitor bezel

For the monitor bezel, I first drilled holes into the plexi in the corners where the screws would go, then attached the bezel to the cabinet using black screws with neoprene washers.












LEDs

I purchased NovaMatrix LEDs from GroovyGameGear. They connect to 12v power which can come from your computer or a power adapter.





I needed the LEDs to face forward, so I added a 2x2 beam inside the cabinet where I would mount them.


I mounted aluminum foil with a staple gun to reflect light behind the marquee.




I also left the protective film on one piece of plexiglass to make the light more diffuse. Overall happy with this.



Finishing the Control Panel

First I had to cut the angled front of the plexi. I decided to use a utility knife to score and snap.





The result was very good. One minor nick. I then sanded all of the edges and drilled holes for the mounting screws.



I attached all of the buttons and the mounting screws.


Here is the inside. The control panel top is attached with a piano hinge.



Wiring

Now it was time to wire it up. At first I tried to use cat5 cables. That failed. I ended up using single lines for each connection.






Playing the arcade!

I was super excited to connect it all up and be able to play some games!

Mortal Kombat 2




Pac-Man


And my son loves Bubble Bobble


Now I really want to play Golden Tee, but my trackball is not working!



Please help me with open issues!

• Trackball - I purchased the GroovyGameGear 3" Trackball (no solder version). I connect the 3 inputs to the OptiWiz board and the USB cable, but nothing happens. I see there are two 5v connections, but I don't know what to connect there??
  
  
• LEDs - I purchased the NovaMatrix LEDs from GroovyGameGear. I attached them to my PC using the molex connector and the motherboard blew. I had to use a hardware reset of the CMOS to get it back up and running. I'm wondering if I had loose wires that shorted. What do you do with the additional molex wires?
  
  
• Speakers buzzing - I think I must have electrical current non-grounded and running around causing speaker buzzing.
  
• Artwork - I'm looking to contract someone to help me with artwork for the marquee, control panel and sideart.
  

Thanks!

[DaOld Man]

Looks good!
I can see right now that your son needs a mini cab!! (Idea for next project? A mini-slim cab?)

 

[TopJimmyCooks]

cut back the four pieces of blocking behind the marquee so they don't leave shadows in the corners.  looks good.

[DaOld Man]

Speaker buzzing: Make sure you dont have the speaker wires running next to or wrapped around an ac current carrying cable. If not, check the cables from PC to amp, make sure both shields are good.
Do speakers buzz if you unplug the inputs to the amp?
Trackball: Im not sure, need to look at a wiring diagram. I know the optics on the trackball need + - 5vdc.
Could be a driver problem too, since it connects to usb.

[ambush]

Here is the trackball connection problem broken down.

I purchased the Groovy 3" trackball http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=74&products_id=363 and the OptiWiz no-solder USB interface http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=76_85&products_id=260.



The trackball has 4 wires that come off of it. 3 of them are for motion and connect directly to the OptiWiz pin connectors.

The 4th is a green wire with a circular terminal connector. I have no idea what this does. Maybe ground? Where should it connect?



On the OptiWiz interface, there are two pin connectors that say 5v. What do I connect to these? There were no supplied cables for this.




Thanks!

[TopJimmyCooks]

green wire off trackball is a ground.  because TB's can generate static electricity.  Not necessary for the trackball to work, I would install it only if you had a metal cp. 

the six wires you have coming off the optiwiz should take care of your trackball.  I think the 5V posts are only if you have something else looking for 5 volts off usb. 

[ambush]

green wire off trackball is a ground.  because TB's can generate static electricity.  Not necessary for the trackball to work, I would install it only if you had a metal cp. 

the six wires you have coming off the optiwiz should take care of your trackball.  I think the 5V posts are only if you have something else looking for 5 volts off usb.

That's very helpful. When I plug the OptiWiz in, it is recognized by Windows but the trackball doesn't do anything. Is it possible those 6 wires are just misordered? Or a driver issue?

[PL1]

The connector with blue and purple is for the X-axis.  Connect to pins A+B.
(Looks correct in the photo below.)

The connector with green and yellow is for the Y-axis.  Connect to pins C+D.

Red and black are for 5v and ground respectively.  Connect them to the pins you circled in this photo.



If left/right are backwards, reverse the blue and purple connections.

If up/down are backwards, reverse the green and yellow connections.


Scott

[ambush]

The connector with blue and purple is for the X-axis.  Connect to pins A+B.
(Looks correct in the photo below.)

The connector with green and yellow is for the Y-axis.  Connect to pins C+D.

Red and black are for 5v and ground respectively.  Connect them to the pins you circled in this photo.



If left/right are backwards, reverse the blue and purple connections.

If up/down are backwards, reverse the green and yellow connections.


Scott

Scott, you rock!

That did the trick. Now the trackball acts like a mouse. Up/down, left/right.
(btw, it turned out yellow/green connected to A+B, and purple/blue to C+D)

Okay, now the issue is- when I run MAME, it doesn't recognize the trackball on Golden Tee. How do I get that to work??

[PL1]

That did the trick. Now the trackball acts like a mouse. Up/down, left/right.
(btw, it turned out yellow/green connected to A+B, and purple/blue to C+D)

Not sure if there's a difference between Ultimarc's list of Happ trackball wiring colors and GGG wiring colors.   

Wouldn't be the first time those two disagreed on a topic. 

Maybe you installed the trackball turned 90 or 270 degrees.   

Either way, glad it works for you. 

Okay, now the issue is- when I run MAME, it doesn't recognize the trackball on Golden Tee. How do I get that to work??

Launch gt3d (I assume this is the version you're talking about.) Tab for menu and go to the "input (this game)" menu:

Track X analog = Mouse X

Track Y analog = Mouse Y

If it is already set to that, but it still doesn't work:
1. Highlight  Track X analog
2. Press Enter
3. Press Escape (clears input)
4. Press Enter
5. Move trackball side-to-side.

Repeat for Y-axis.

You may also need to adjust the settings in "Analog Controls" menu or return settings to the default with the Enter key.


Scott

[DaOld Man]

If what pl1 suggests dont do it, in the mame.ini, make sure mouse=1

Edit: I would hook up the green ground wire from the trackball to a good ground. (Incoming AC line ground, or hook it to the PC power supply metal case.)

[PL1]

Guess I'm too spoiled playing with that there new-fangled MAMEUIFX and forgot that mame.ini mouse=1 is definitely the first place to look.   


Scott

[ambush]

Guess I'm too spoiled playing with that there new-fangled MAMEUIFX and forgot that mame.ini mouse=1 is definitely the first place to look.   


Scott

Awesome! You guys rock. That worked. I am able to play Golden Tee through Mala or MAMEUIFX now. Thanks.

[ambush]

Ambush, like you I am a long time reader and just finalizing my plans before starting.  Your cab looks great.  What amp did you finally go with to power your 4x6 speakers and how did that work out for you?  I am still trying to decide between a computer 2.1 speaker set or go the car speaker route.  Thanks!

Hi Scott87z, I am pleased with the 4x6 car speaker route. They pack a punch and are really compact as you can see in the photos.

I purchased the Kicker KS46 speakers off of Amazon or Crutchfield I think. I had to purchase a separate amplifier board - the Sure 2x15 watt @ 4 ohm. Works great. There is some buzzing, but I'm investigating that.

[Scott87z]

Thanks Ambush.  I had an old Sony 30x2 car amp laying around so I bought some Pioneer TS-A1375R 5 1/4" inch speakers for my cab.  Hopefully it sounds good.