Author Topic: Nephew's Birthday Present - Mini (Read 12764 times)

CoryBee · « **on:** November 13, 2012, 04:34:11 am »

Nephew's birthday in a week and a half, turning 3. My brother and I (mostly me) are building his kid a mini arcade for his game room. It will stand about 37" tall and is going to have a Two-Player control panel with three main buttons each, a Pl1 & Pl2 button and a black button for exiting functions.

He doesn't have a lot of money to throw at it in time for his birthday, luckily for him I have a bunch of MDF scrap pieces from Home Depot. All in all the wood cost so far is about 5 buckaroonies (if that).

Here is what we got done this evening.

(Don't mind the dirty, scrap wood remember)

He thought we were building him a house

Nephew putting some work in

Sitting next to the very unfinished "Clyde's Corner" for size comparison.

Edit: He is turning 3 not 4.......brother had me fix that

CoryBee · « **Reply #1 on:** November 13, 2012, 11:03:48 pm »

The cab is going to have art printed for the control panel and painted on the sides (black probably). My question is should I paint with spray paint or bucket paint?

Buckets sounds better to me for the ease of applying (using a roller - latex maybe?)

He wants to get art done for it later on down the line. The kid loves avengers so that is the overall theme.

Most parts have been ordered, USB controllers to hack, buttons and joysticks, and t-molding. Going to get a cheap computer from craigslist as well as the monitor and the PC amplifier we can probably source from the thrift store. Already have other things like Power Strip and power button and switch.

Acids · « **Reply #2 on:** November 14, 2012, 01:45:01 am »

Looks Like your making Quick progress

Is it the photo angle or is the mini cab seem a little wide for its height?
Are you going to try get two players on there?

CoryBee · « **Reply #3 on:** November 14, 2012, 02:01:18 am »

Quote from: Acids on November 14, 2012, 01:45:01 am

Looks Like your making Quick progress

Is it the photo angle or is the mini cab seem a little wide for its height?
Are you going to try get two players on there?

Thanks

Must be the angle cause it is a perfect width I think. It is going to be two player, with a 18 1/2" control panel.

Typefighter01 · « **Reply #4 on:** November 14, 2012, 06:17:22 am »

No matter the quality of cabs you build (which seem to be getting better every time BTW), no one on here can accuse you of being lazy. You are an arcade building machine. Makes me wonder if you and Griffindodd have jobs or are you guys locked up in the garage and have food passed under the door.

Looks like the cab will fit him perfect.

CoryBee · « **Reply #5 on:** November 14, 2012, 08:26:53 am »

Quote from: Typefighter01 on November 14, 2012, 06:17:22 am

No matter the quality of cabs you build (which seem to be getting better every time BTW), no one on here can accuse you of being lazy. You are an arcade building machine. Makes me wonder if you and Griffindodd have jobs or are you guys locked up in the garage and have food passed under the door.

Looks like the cab will fit him perfect.

Haha, thanks typefighter! I am working on producing better looking cabs as I go along. Producing a nice looking cab takes some finesse when you don't want to break the bank on a project. It seems like the more money you pump into this hobby the easier it is to make a beautiful cab. I am just trying to level that a bit lower so it doesn't get out of hand when I want to take on a bigger project than bartops or "clyde's corner". Been sourcing various websites and Ebay stores to add to my list of arcade parts, that both quality and price seem reasonable. For instance, 40ft of t-molding for $18 and a set of 2 joysticks and 16 buttons for $40.

Anyways, I do have a job

I work for myself though, computer ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- mostly.....Pc repair, website design\maintenance, TV repair and among other various things (schemes). Building things with my hands trump all though, and when I found this site all those months ago.....well you see the end result of me and 50 bucks in parts lol

CoryBee · « **Reply #6 on:** November 15, 2012, 08:16:37 pm »

Monitor secured, he got it for free from a fellow churchian. Gamepads came in this morning as well, next up is the buttons and joysticks to arrive for install.

CoryBee · « **Reply #7 on:** November 18, 2012, 02:41:51 am »

Screen installed, started drilling CP holes and kick plate art started by nephew

SpaceHedgehog · « **Reply #8 on:** November 18, 2012, 03:49:27 am »

Are you on track to complete CortDee? That's a tight schedule you're working to there.

No rest for the wicked (or saintly, in this case

)

Looking good btw, nice shape and the monitor looks to be a decent size for that cab.

CoryBee · « **Reply #9 on:** November 18, 2012, 05:11:24 am »

Quote from: SpaceHedgehog on November 18, 2012, 03:49:27 am

Are you on track to complete CortDee? That's a tight schedule you're working to there.

No rest for the wicked (or saintly, in this case )

Looking good btw, nice shape and the monitor looks to be a decent size for that cab.

I got this man, would of had more done but nursing a hangover from yesterday. Nephew's b-day party at johns incredible pizza.....soooo many arcade games

And the ninja lazer maze had my heart pumping, have to contort yourself around lazers to get to the other side and hit a button (time matters to your score). I really want to build one for my backyard, like a hut or something.....

Anyways here is another update

CoryBee · « **Reply #10 on:** November 19, 2012, 12:25:58 am »

Speaker Piece

Routed for T-Molding

Didn't want to find another way to fit the Control Panel and the lexan in the space of the of the t-molding so I did the same thing as on the 2-player bartop and just routed out a lexan sized layer off the top of the CP.

Filled some of the holes with wood glue puddy stuffs and waiting for it to dry before putting the primer on it. Will be posting more updates soon.

CoryBee · « **Reply #11 on:** November 21, 2012, 09:34:23 am »

Got a ton of work done on it with the help of the Brother. Many o pictures to be looked at

Paint it

Got a cheap PC amp at a thrift store for $3 bucks. Turns out it was a Yamaha and sounded amazing (and very clear even when turned up loud)

Came up with an idea to use a 3.5mm Audio Jack to use as an input for a smart phone or mp3 player to make use of the awesome sound. So you just plug an mp3 device into the jack on top and the PC audio dims to allow for crisp music enjoyment

Just lay your phone or whatever on top. This will get more use from the father than the nephew but whatever, makes for an awesome little boombox.

Acrylic cut to size and routed, holes drilled

Made up the CP art real fast like because it needs to be done on thanksgiving (also his birthday) Didn't account for where their heads would be

But he loves it and recognizes it either way (will make more of an effort later)

T-molding a flat black paint

Just need a few more things done and he can jam on it - Screen Bezel, Software, and Marquee Printed -

Extra shots - Absolutely a blast to play on it despite it's size (on a table)

jmike · « **Reply #12 on:** November 21, 2012, 09:43:39 am »

Nicely done. If you buy some clear buttons you can save the art by putting the cut outs inside the buttons. Also how about a coin door? It could be the best piggy bank ever!!!!

CoryBee · « **Reply #13 on:** November 21, 2012, 09:46:48 am »

Quote from: jmike on November 21, 2012, 09:43:39 am

Nicely done. If you buy some clear buttons you can save the art by putting the cut outs inside the buttons. Also how about a coin door? It could be the best piggy bank ever!!!!

Haha, I thought of the same thing. Clear buttons with the cutouts in them

Not so sure he would use the Coin Door, a piggy bank he would though. Just trying to make something cheap with my brother that looks nice and his 2 year old son (3 tomorrow) will enjoy for years to come

yotsuya · « **Reply #14 on:** November 21, 2012, 10:18:10 am »

I'd strongly suggest redoing the CP art. You can actually only see one face out of all the charactes there.

jmike · « **Reply #15 on:** November 21, 2012, 10:38:50 am »

Quote from: yotsuya on November 21, 2012, 10:18:10 am

I'd strongly suggest redoing the CP art. You can actually only see one face out of all the charactes there.

Yeah only one face but that's the best one

yotsuya · « **Reply #16 on:** November 21, 2012, 11:28:27 am »

Quote from: jmike on November 21, 2012, 10:38:50 am

Quote from: yotsuya on November 21, 2012, 10:18:10 am
I'd strongly suggest redoing the CP art. You can actually only see one face out of all the charactes there.

Yeah only one face but that's the best one

Very, very true. But the buttons on top of torsos remind me of these things from Fantasic Planet:

deathterrapin · « **Reply #17 on:** November 21, 2012, 01:58:53 pm »

I'm using those same yamaha speakers in the machine I'm building!

CoryBee · « **Reply #18 on:** November 21, 2012, 02:33:30 pm »

Haha, those things creep me out

Art will be changed sometime next month after he receives it. Working on some side art too to eventually be added. I really like how it looks all together, he is going to go ape

CoryBee · « **Reply #19 on:** November 23, 2012, 02:38:29 am »

Finished it the morning of his birthday (thanksgiving) - Lots of pics

Put together a marquee for it and it turned out beautifully with the "Shield" logo and the white leds behind it.

The image on the screen is the custom boot screen I edited together.

Next to the Lightning Bartop

To get the scope of the size of the arcade, here is my younger brother - about 6' 1" tall - next to it

Older brother and I playing some "hat trick" - also bumping bill withers through the top -

Some shots of the birthday kid

Without the flash

Quick Video of the Startup Image

So I built in time and am quite sad to see it leave....

Let me know what you guys think.

Acids · « **Reply #20 on:** November 23, 2012, 04:12:50 pm »

Quote from: CoryDee on November 23, 2012, 02:38:29 am

My comment about this looking out of scale... I fully take that back. Awesome cab !!!! nice job

CoryBee · « **Reply #21 on:** November 23, 2012, 05:23:09 pm »

Thanks Acids, we had a blast on thanksgiving playing with the thing. When his little friend comes over they will fit beautifully in front of it.

Cost Breakdown -

Wood - $3

Screws - $2

Joystick\5x Buttons - $33

T-Molding - $12

2x USB Controller - $10

Acrylic - $15

Surge Protector Strip - $2

Audio Amp - $3

Art - $5

Paint - $7

Power Button - $3

Computer - Free

LCD TV - Free

Total - $95

TPA5 · « **Reply #22 on:** November 24, 2012, 10:25:00 am »

I gotta say, this is easily your best work yet! I love the SHIELD logo on the marquee...awfully tempted to steal that theme for my cab

Looks real great!

DaOld Man · « **Reply #23 on:** November 24, 2012, 10:46:32 am »

Great job!!

CoryBee · « **Reply #24 on:** November 24, 2012, 01:58:51 pm »

D'awww thanks guys. Nice of you to pop in too DaOld Man. I think it is my best as well, the 2-player bartop turned out splendid as well I think....if you disregard the marquee retainer I have yet to find a fix for...

Quote from: TPA5 on November 24, 2012, 10:25:00 am

I love the SHIELD logo on the marquee...awfully tempted to steal that theme for my cab

I must also say that I am in love with how well the shield logo turned out, I originally planned on not lighting the marquee because there was no space for the LEDs but I am glad I made some room for a few of the cheap LED strip sections. Really made the difference.

I am working on a mala layout right now to go with his cab this is where I got playing around last night
Arcade Games - Marquee only shows when the selected game doesn't have one on file

Main Menu

Not much but will help spruce up the cab until he springs for better art for the CP and Sides

Eldritch1969 · « **Reply #25 on:** November 24, 2012, 02:32:32 pm »

Nice little cabie

Wish I got such a great B'day present when I was a kid !
Plus it's a collectible : he could pass it on to his own kids one day

Woodshop Flunky · « **Reply #26 on:** November 25, 2012, 11:05:36 am »

This really looks great. I love to see the kiddos playing.

CoryBee · « **Reply #27 on:** November 25, 2012, 11:18:35 am »

Quote from: Woodshop Flunky on November 25, 2012, 11:05:36 am

This really looks great. I love to see the kiddos playing.

Too cute right. It is no American Ace, but I love it!

Being 3 years old and having his own room he tries to sneak downstairs and play it the past few nights when he is supposed to be sleeping. He also likes to press the power button too many times, so to rectify this I ordered one of these

It will keep him from pressing the power button more than once and only allow the dad to turn it off and on at will. He greatly appreciated this order

- will situate it right next to the power button on the left side

CoryBee · « **Reply #28 on:** November 25, 2012, 11:21:17 am »

Quote from: Eldritch1969 on November 24, 2012, 02:32:32 pm

Nice little cabie
Wish I got such a great B'day present when I was a kid !

I would have loved to have gotten one now for my birthday

let alone have one when I am 3. Spoiled little man

CoryBee · « **Reply #29 on:** November 26, 2012, 06:08:24 pm »

Will update when I get the key installed and see how well it works. Other than that this build is done.

What to build next, more bartops? A jukebox......hmmmm I have an itch to make more things!

spystyle · « **Reply #30 on:** November 26, 2012, 06:14:45 pm »

Super awesome

You should post the plans for the BYOAC Dads

CoryBee · « **Reply #31 on:** November 26, 2012, 06:30:15 pm »

Quote from: spystyle on November 26, 2012, 06:14:45 pm

Super awesome

Thanks spystyle

Quote from: spystyle on November 26, 2012, 06:14:45 pm

You should post the plans for the BYOAC Dads

- hahaha "plans" - All I did was measure where my nephew's hand lay around his waist to mark from the floor where the control panel will be. Then went with the height 37", which is roughly how tall he is and just so happened to be the height of the scrap pieces of MDF I got for $0.51 from home depot. Then from that did my best at making a proper curve like an old school arcade cabinet.

I can make up something from doing some proper measurements of it if anyone cares for it.

Literally best gift I have seen anyone give any child, years of enjoyment from it to come I believe

spystyle · « **Reply #32 on:** November 26, 2012, 06:42:34 pm »

Oh that's a good idea

CoryBee · « **Reply #33 on:** November 26, 2012, 06:50:44 pm »

Yea, and as he grows older\taller I can just add an extra two inches to the base to compensate.

Donkey_Kong · « **Reply #34 on:** December 19, 2012, 12:06:10 am »

Quote from: CoryBee on November 26, 2012, 06:50:44 pm

Yea, and as he grows older\taller I can just add an extra two inches to the base to compensate.

or just make him a stool. haha!

Nice work uncle, very cool build!

CoryBee · « **Reply #35 on:** December 19, 2012, 12:52:38 am »

Quote from: Donkey_Kong on December 19, 2012, 12:06:10 am

Quote from: CoryBee on November 26, 2012, 06:50:44 pm
Yea, and as he grows older\taller I can just add an extra two inches to the base to compensate.

or just make him a stool. haha!

Nice work uncle, very cool build!

Thank you, he absolutely loves it. Nice to meet you.

CoryBee · « **Reply #36 on:** January 04, 2013, 12:07:40 am »

Got the key lock installed the other day (Christmas) - he has used it a ton of times now. He says it is a godsend, little guy can't go down stairs in the middle of the night and play it as he has been doing lately.

It was a hit with the adults on New Years as well, a lot of "Hat Trick" hate being spread around.

Anyways, you can't turn the arcade on without the key switch in the on position. As demonstrated in the quick video.

BobA · « **Reply #37 on:** January 04, 2013, 12:30:29 am »

Really nice little present for your nephew. The key lock is a great idea and probably will become a very popular addition to many kiddie cabs.

yotsuya · « **Reply #38 on:** January 04, 2013, 12:41:51 am »

I wanted to incorporate one of those into my nephew's build. Looks good, Cory.

CoryBee · « **Reply #39 on:** January 04, 2013, 01:58:38 am »

Thanks again BobA & yotusa! I would like to quickly mention that he can't turn the computer off either (video shows this) which was a big issue with him as he likes to press buttons in general. He realizes that is the power button and will shut it off but his button pushing instincts kick in from time to time and ruin his game.

The keylock was a no brainer once I found one at $1.50 - Price rose to $2.00 from the Chinese.

Links

1x - $2.00

5x for $4.00

I am going to purchase the 5x set right now, not sure what to use them with but I feel like I finally found a reason to make a useless Military control panel switch box thingy. Already have a few of these and a ton of LEDs:

Maybe make it able to light a fuze by burning up a resistor, set off some fireworks demolition style!

Also, got a link to your build yotusa? You know how I love pictures!


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