RetrocadE, Mac bartop

[killsurfcity]

Argh... somehow in all the shuffle of puting this thing together, i managed to misplace a button and 2 reed switches. sonof a %^$#&*!

Panel wiring is going well otherwise. I'll post some more pics later when I'm further along...



Here you can see I'm daisy chaining the grounds. Gotta say having done a lot of soldering in the past on projects, it sure is nice to just crimp on these qd's and hook it up cold. It'll be nice if I ever need to upgrade anything too.

[killsurfcity]

Major progress today! Finally got the iPac wired up to my CP. Really impressed with it. This being my first build I had no idea how it worked, but my computer recognized it instantly, and all of the functions worked like magic. Quite impressive.

Here's some shots of the progress...



CP wired up



Gotta clean up that rats nest, but I wanted to do some testing tonight.



Obviously have some things to address, but really siked to see it come together.



I'll get my CP printed tomorrow, and then I can re-arrange the buttons. I managed to find the missing one and the reed switches, so i'm going to go with a 3 green over 3 black button layout. I have to remove them to put down the panel art anyway, so it's no biggie. Hoping to have this puppy done by the end of the month!

[killsurfcity]

Small update.... Working on finishing touches, and looking into Linux again. So frustrating. I've wasted so much time researching all of the distros. Already tried lubuntu and kubuntu, both fails. (well lubuntu live CD ran, but it looks like reliable wifi is a pipe dream) Downloading a regular Ubuntu live CD now. We'll see.

Actually using the cab for a few days has really made me want to smooth out the process of jumping from game to game, and wah!cade would allow me to do that I think. However I only have so much patience for the "quirks" of the Linux world. Either way, hoping to have this thing in decent shape by end of week. I'm stoked already. It's so much fun!

[killsurfcity]

Ugh, still trying to sort through the Linux business. Ubuntu seems to be a dead end. I'm running out of patience. But I may try installing a couple more distros before I quit. I'm again looking into the sdlmame + frontend method in the mean time.

Also finally got fuses in for my IEC socket, so it looks like I'll be able to start cleaning up the insides soon.

[DaveMMR]

Thanks! All in all I'm still stoked on it. I just need to settle this marquee issue in some way i can live with, and the rest of the build will be easy, as it's all hook up, which is the part i'm best at.

The bartop is starting to look very cool.  But yeah, the marquee retainer would bother me too.  I suppose dismantling is not an option to cut down the sides front edges.

I didn't see how much plexi you're using (two pieces sandwiching the art?) You could try only using one piece if that's the case (or two thinner pieces if possible), tacking the artwork into place (that will be covered by the brackets).  Another option would be to use those marquee retainers from Happs (Divemaster sells them for .19 an inch in B/S/T) which may flush a bit better to the artwork.

Other than that, everything is coming together quite nicely.  

[killsurfcity]

It is actually just a single sheet of 1/8 plexi. I had originally designed the cab to have the marquee be set back between the top panel and the under marquee panel, which would solve the problem. however, being a n00b, I assembled it before routing t-molding, and i realized i could no longer hit that angle with the router. I saw some outer marquee retainers like the one I have now and decided that was the solution, but now i'm second guessing. Know of any other solutions for facing the cut sides of the MDF if the marquee is moved back to the set back position?

Here's some more pix:




Pics of the bezel install


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I was actually able to slide the paper between the bezel of the monitor and the screen for a real clean paint job


Nice and black now




In other GOOD news, after days of agony I finally found a linux distro to run, so I can stop using MacMAME and move to sdlmame and wah!cade!
Currently my old 1.67Ghz Powerbook is running a shiny new install of Lubuntu 12.04. It still has some minor bugs, but is altogether working great. Really looking forward to setting up wah!cade and doing some fontend design for this cab!

[tapule]

have you tried with Debian? It has a powerpc version.

[killsurfcity]

Yeah, debian was a pain in the balls. I wasted days on it. Lubuntu just installed with no hassle and runs great. Getting sdlmame and wah!cade set up now.

[killsurfcity]

So, while I've been trudging through Linux hell (again!), I've been thinking about this marquee molding issue. I could totally resolve the problem if I could find some kind of 3/4" black molding I could glue on. That way, I could recess the marquee, and just face the edges that would now be showing with the molding. I've looked around, but I don't think I'm using the right terminology. Anyone have any ideas?

[killsurfcity]

Another week from hell. At some point I'm going to be playing the out of this thing with not a care in the world, and it's pretty much only that idea that's keeping this project afloat. (Warning, RANT) So Linux was going as well as expected. Everything takes so damn long though. Had to do every single last thing from the command line... not fun. Anyway, MAME and Wahcade were finally friends after days of false starts. I just had to get sound working again, and tweak some video settings and I was happily in kiosk mode. Well, apparently I did something wrong, because genius that I am, I decided to install all the updates in the package manager, (figuring that'd be a good thing) and the whole thing ate it. After a couple hours of desperately trying to right my wrongs in the terminal, it wouldn't even boot anymore. Since then, I've been simply trying to get the machine to boot anything! I think I finally have an OS X install on it's way, and if it works, that's that.

I realized some time last week, while in the midst of another Linux related headache, that I'd spent about 2 weeks pulling 6 or so hour days, pissing my wife off, just so my machine felt  a little more like a real arcade. And by a little, I mean, a tiny bit. Well, it's not worth it, if it means what I just went through. I don't care if players have to use the keyboard to launch games, and can still see an apple tool bar when selecting games, all I want to do is play, and not spend hours writing endless terminal commands. Oh, the other thing I realized is that Linux is a lifestyle. Either you want to live it, or you should leave it alone.

[END RANT]

In other news, I have my wiring pretty much tied up. Power entry module, is installed and everything is working great. The only other details that still needs attending to, are fixing the marquee, and putting graphics/plexi over the CP. For the marquee, I think I'm going to give a go at dropping it back into the recess, which means molding the panel edges. Thing is I only need 5 feet at most for that, but no one sells that little of Galaxian Bright Green. I guess I could go ahead and get the full 20 feet, but It's just going to sit around. Anyone got an extra 5 they can sell me? 

[404]

with all of the time and effort you put into this, you could have just bought a cheap older windows rig and used that.

[killsurfcity]

Well of course, we can say that now, but I had no idea the headaches I'd have doing it this way. And really it would have taken half the time if I just stuck with Mac like I intended. Luckily, Mac is back and I got to play some on it today and it's running flawlessly. No more sojourns into platforms I'm unsure on for me. It's not going to be seamless, but it works great and plays all the titles I want. So hopefully it'll be done and rocking soon.

[AGarv]

while i'm waiting for parts to arrive, (damn you amazon!) i thought i'd work on the art some. i was going for a hybrid new/old look, in a sort of fantasy/metal feel. so far, i'm pretty pleased with it.

Great job on the cab so far - I wanted to give you props for the marquee artwork, it looks really sharp!   

[killsurfcity]

Thanks a lot! It was really hard to settle on a design I felt I would be into for a while and I think I did pretty well. I tried to do something that was a mix of old stuff like Xevious, and Arkanoid a more modern digital feel.

[GIZMOGAMES]

i dont know why i remember but i think saint is a bit of a unix wiz or so i read haha might be worth dropping him a mail he maybe able to help you regarding yr mame issues
and no matter which you use it gets a thumbs up from me very RETRO shame you missed the outter yellow stripe tho reminds me of atari

[killsurfcity]

No need now. I worked it out. I just reinstalled OS X and everything is working like a charm. I may rig a dual throw button to issue the "open" command in the mame menu, so you don't have to open the keyboard tray to launch a new game, but beyond that I'm happy. Even made a nice screen saver and desktop background to go with it. All I need to do now is finish the marquee and cp graphics and install them.

Glad you like the cab. I think the galaxian green t-molding makes it. It's been fun putting it together. Already planning my next one! 

[killsurfcity]

Ok, so I ordered some more green t-molding so i can inset my marquee, and lose the marquee retainers that are currently sticking out. (see previous images)

Here's my predicament... the cab is assembled, and I don't have a t-molding slot around the marquee. What are my options here? Glue? What kind? I could try to route as much of the slot as I can, but that's going to be very tricky.

Any thoughts? 

[GIZMOGAMES]

looking awsome shame about the marquee retainer protruding hmmm options
? How is yr top board mounted is it glued and screwed if it is just screwed in place why not try to remove the screws and remove the top board giving you ample room to routte it
obviously you have option 1) to carefully routte out even 3/4 of the slot for the Tmolding when youve done that youll need to ammend yr retainer by the relevent ammount the bottom angle could be left as that doesnt protrude like the top does that would give you the look you want its tricky youll have to be very confident and know when to stop !!!! You are talking about putting the T-molding facing you yes and not on the top ?
ide use a 1/16 disk with a dremmel for more control being a small area to work on

option 2 ) why dont you use a sander to sand the top board back the distance required if routting seems impossible its what maybe 1mm protruding either way its tricky as you have pretty much fixed the unit together
and thanks ahead for reminding me i need to take into account the retainers to my build

ide say option one if you feel comfertable with it test with a good few practice boards set up similar to the situation at hand so you can get a feel for what you need
ive heard others say about using glue and its viable but messy at same time
option one gives you a way to remove retainer if you need to Where as gluing does not
apart from that looks great

[killsurfcity]

GIZMO, Everything is screwed and glued. And there's really no great other option to just carefully attempting to route it. In hindsight if I used screws for the retainer instead of velcro, it would have ducked back a bit, but probably still stuck out. I just need to leave more wiggle room in the future.

So I got my t-molding in, and I've got loads to screw up, so when I get some time, I'll make some attempts.

I did think, in case it's too hard to route all the way across, that I may just cut a few small slots. Then I could cut the t-molding track off except where it would engage those slots, and use glue for the rest. I'm trying to decide what glue to use just in case. I think hot glue is too weak.

In other news, I FINALLY covered my CP. The art isn't perfect, but the overall feel is great. It's more professional looking than I imagined, and the plexi, and slightly reduced joystick height, make gameplay super comfortable.

So close to getting this thing done!





Yeah, I know the 2p button is wonky. I'll fix it. I just didn't have time and wanted to snap a shot of the progress. 

[killsurfcity]

I've also been working on a way to solve one of the macmame related problems. For whatever reason the only way to return to the games menu is to issue a 2 button command sequence. This means you have to open the drawer every time. Lame. So I've been messing about and I've figured out a way to get a regular push button to double throw, by adding a leaf switch. This means I can crack open the keyboard and wire directly to the two buttons I need pressed, so that the key command can be issued with the menu button seen above. Pretty sure this will work nicely, which means the cab will be functional without a keyboard and mouse for the most part. I'll post some pics when I'm further along.

[killsurfcity]

A small but HUGE update! The Marquee retainer issue is fixed! I was able to find a router and a box of bits at the flea market for $15! The router is one of the nice older Sears models and runs perfectly. I got up the confidence and just routed the two edges of the marquee box. I couldn't go all the way to the edge because of the router base, so i used a dremel, and a rotary bit to get as close to the edge as possible.

It was a b1tch, and my routing sucked, but after some hooha, it looks pretty great. Molding's a tad off, but 1/32" never killed anyone, haha.

check it! (sorry about the tape. the ends needed some securing)



I've also been working on my double throw switch. It doesn't look like much but it works! I utilized the second depressor in a standard arcade button, to press a home-made leaf switch. Next move, installing it, and testing/tweaking. hopefully it will be durable enough to last a while, but I have hopes since it's a low traffic button.



I also tied up the rest of the wiring in the back. It's now totally self-contained! Some pics of that to come...

[Sparkolicious]

Looks really nice! I'm a little late, but I was going to suggest a dremel and an xacto for your retainer troubles.  Both of those tools are a must in a shop!  That's how I would have rolled  

[killsurfcity]

Thanks Spark!

I did have an idea of how i could fix the retainers. I probably would have just removed some material from the top of the cab so that the mounted retainer bracket was flush with the top of the cab. I was kind of into adding more t-molding tho.

So, this thing is basically done. I'm sure I'll make upgrades over time, but I'm really happy with it as is. I realized after some fooling around that the double throw switch thing was not going to work out. Then I remembered that there's a special section in the OS X key commands preferences that allows you to re-map any key command, for any application, so long as you follow the general guidelines (One of the buttons has to be command, option, or control, and one has to be a symbol/character). After determining, which symbol and command keys were already in use by the iPac, I was able to come up with an 2 button sequence that is unlikely to occur during play. The sequence is L Control (Button 1) and 1 (Player Start 1). This allows operation of the machine without ever having to touch the keyboard for most functions. I've been playing it this way for days, and not having to open the drawer really makes it feel more like a standalone machine. I also added a switch hidden under drawer opening, that can turn the marquee off and on. This means I can basically just leave it on all the time. The computer/display just go to sleep after a while. It's nice to be able to go down to the basement, click a button to wake it up, and be in game in a couple seconds.

I'm having so much fun with this thing now, It's great. Whenever I have a couple minutes, I'm down there trying to beat my last high score. 

By the way, anyone know how to get it to keep high scores in MacMAME? Once you exit a game the score info is lost.

Here are some pics of the unit complete... sorry for the quality, I'll get some better pics/video, when I have a little inauguration party for it. 




Installed hinges for easy servicing. Still need to put the brackets in to seal it up, but I'm having too much fun playing it. I'll just be sure to get then in before I move it anywhere.




This is one of my favorite parts of this build. It doesn't look like much, but that's not what's important. I was totally freaked out about cracking open my laptop to put a boot switch in, and even more freaked out about wiring up my poer entry module. But it all went very well, and works great. I really love the sound system too. It sounds great, and really kicks for something so small. Can't beat it for $5! It's nice all cranked up when playing Guwange, or DoDonPachi!

The other day I built a simple table for it to sit on in the basement. I'd got just enough room on each side for a beer. So far it's seeing quite a bit of action!

[mike boss]

Again another top shelf project from the users of BYOAC.
Amazing work, amazing detail.
This is really really nice.

[killsurfcity]

Thanks! I'm really excited about it. I had always wanted a mame arcade. Even started a control panel years ago. Finding this forum is what made me believe i could do this on my own. You guys all rule. This forum has so much inspiration, it's incredible. I'm already planning my second build! In the mean time, I'm finally getting to play my favorite, Lode Runner with a real arcade feel. Beats the ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- out of my computer keyboard, I can tell you that!