Bartop Cab Build Log - From Scratch - **FINISHED**

[i64X]

For years I've been wanting to build a full-sized arcade cab from scratch. I've been curious about the whole arcade scene for years, and I'm a big console collector. Last month I bought a Dynamo cab with a 25" CRT from a friend that had been connected via a J-PAC to a PC with a video card capable of doing 15Hz. It's running an older version of Wahcade on Linux and I've been very much enjoying it for the past several weeks.



Getting this full sized cab to fit in my game room was a real stretch, and it's very crowded in there now, but it's been totally worth it. I don't really have any room to put another full-sized cab, but I do have several places to stick a bar-top cab, so I've decided to build one. After seeing the beautiful job Unstupid did on his cab, I was finally pushed over the line with inspiration to build my own. If you haven't seen his yet (and I'm sure you have) check this out:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=114435.0

So awesome.

After doing so research and investing in some tools (a router table, jigsaw, palm sander, and a few essential router bits) I got to work. I wanted a cab that was the same general shape as Unstupid's cab, but I really wanted a 19" LCD. I decided to base my cab template around a Dell 19" that's fairly common and easy to find. I figured that if I finished this cab and the design was good, I've got a few gamer buddies that would want me to make them one too, so as I'm going along I'm trying to template as much of this as possible.

I started by ordering everything I'd need to get the cab done aside from raw materials - this included the iPAC, router bit for T-molding, the T-molding, buttons, joystick, Dell 19" LCD monitor, and some other stuff. I figured if I put some "skin in the game" as far as dollars, it would force me to actually do what I rarely ever do - and that is complete a project that I start. :-) Stuff started rolling in as I was doing my planning, and that was a huge inspiration:



I started out by looking at the Google Sketchup model that was created for Unstupid's cab. I don't really know how to use AutoCAD or Sketchup or anything else that involves mechanical engineering (I'm a Network/Cisco engineer by trade - so 100% logical and not really mechanical). I measured angles and tried to figure out dimensions, and came out with a fairly close idea to what I thought would work. I used a protractor and a ruler to draw everything out on a 2'x4' piece of project MDF (Home Depot - $10). There was only one problem - the original cab was designed for a 17" LCD in mind, and I really wanted to use a 19" LCD. The solution? Extend the top a bit. :-)







At this point I had no tools and didn't have my router table. I decided to make this cutout absolutely perfect so I could use a template bit for a router and make as many side panels as I wanted if I ever decided to make more cabs in the future. I spent a long time perfecting the template cut-out in my dad's shop.



I then spent quite a long time figuring out where the 1x2" supports would go and how the two sides of the cab would be connected with the lateral support panels, how the LCD would fit, how deep the control panel needed to be to accommodate buttons and the joystick, etc. etc. I spent a lot of time measuring, drawing, and planning. This was the result:



Finally picked up my router, router table, and template bit from Home Depot. The router and table was only $99 + tax for the pair, which I thought was a good price. The router can be disconnected and used as a standard handheld router, or can be mounted to the table to use as a router table. I used this in conjunction with a template bit and a jigsaw (rough cut at first) to cut out my two final side panels. I'm able to get two of these side panels out of a 2'x4' piece of MDF ($10).



I picked up a box of pine ground stakes that are 1"x2"x36" long for around $4 at Home Depot as well. I'm using these for my supports to make sure the panels are where they need to be. On my template I ended up cutting out the locations of supports with the jigsaw so I can lay the template on to the freshly cut side panels and just trace the holes to position the panels (sorry, I don't have a picture of this yet - I'll make an edit when I do). This allows for perfect placement of the supports every time. :-)



I tried to clamp up a jig and use the angle function on my new jigsaw to cut the lateral supports at angles, but it didn't work very well at all. The cuts weren't nearly as straight as I would like. My dad has a full woodshop with a NICE table saw. The table saw is able to cut up to a 45 degree angle in either direction and is very accurate, so with his help we used that to create my lateral panels.



This morning I was able to drill holes in my template and transfer those holes to my side panels for placement of the lateral panels. I'm going to cut a large access door for the back and put it on a hinge. I'm also going to hinge the control panel at the bottom so it can fold out and be accessible in case I need to fix wiring or replace microswitches. I was able to piece together the two side panels with the top and bottom panels that will be fixed in place when I'm done. This is put together temporarily just so I could check fitment. I only glued the lateral panels to each other - I did not glue them to the outer parts of the cab. I'm hoping the glue will dry and I can take off the laterals as joined pieces in order to fill/sand to make them look very finished and make the joints perfect.





Now I need you guys' help. I'm debating on laminating the panel with laminate, which I've heard that people have had good luck with. I would laminate the insides of the two side panels (with the pine support pieces removed), paint the pine support pieces back, laminate the outsides of the top and bottom laterals (which I understand would require a heat gun (I have one) to bend the laminate, screw everything back together, and then finally laminate the outside of the outer panels to cover up all of the screws. This would leave NO visible screws (except on the pine supports from the inside) and should provide a fairly professional and uniform looking finish.

My question is - is this feasible? How easy/hard is it to bend that countertop laminate with heat applied? Will I be able to bend it around the angles as shown? Is there a better option? Paint seems easier, but I can't see it looking as nice or as uniform as laminate. Cost isn't an issue, but I want to make sure I'm not going to royally screw up my panels before attempting this.

Any comments/concerns? Thanks guys!

[Eldritch1969]

Hi, Nice beginning !

As for me I wanted laminated finish and I bought some particle boards already laminated white. Nice surface, very durable, but very hard to cut properly..
I precise I am also building a bartop (Space wars vertical shmups bartop, in Project annoucements - too lazy to get the link )

What strikes me on your photo is that it looks like you haven't pre-drilled your screw holes before screwing the screws and they sorta stick out. What I would do is first unscrew all of them, pre-drill the existing holes with a slightly bigger drill so that the screwheads disappear into the wood.

Then you will be able to apply your laminate more easily. Or use some wood filler to hide the holes left, sand it smooth and you're good to go for painting it.

Also, why do you bother yourself with laminating the inside of the panels ?

Just my 2 cents

[i64X]

I did pre-drill the holes, but I don't have a counter-sink bit and that's why they're sticking out. These screws are only 1 and 1/4" long, which isn't as long as I'd like, so these screws won't be the screws that go in the final cab. Right now, they've essentially just been installed to hold the whole thing together while the glue I used to glue the laterals together dries. There are 3 laterals on the top and two on the bottom which share an edge, so I'd like to wrap the laminate around those common edges for a more finished look. Sorry if I didn't make that apparent.

When the final build goes together, I will use a counter-sink bit and the screws will be flush if not slightly below the surface of the exterior panels.

Thanks :-)

[Unstupid]

Hey cool beans!  Glad my project could serve as inspiration....   Couple things to note that may help you...
- my cab was based on a 15" monitor it 17"
- the floor of the cab was flush to the bottom of the side panels.  This would allow more space under the control panel.  You may want to double check that your joysticks/buttons will fit in the space provided.
- my control panels followed the same angles as the side panels but were inset 1/4 inch..  Yours look pushed back about an inch...
- my speaker panel was built perpendicular to the screen and did not follow the angle on the side panel.  This allowed the speakers to be a little more hidden.

I'll be following this thread

[i64X]

I modified the CP design slightly while we were cutting the pieces so it's a little different than the template would suggest, though not too much different. The top of the CP basically rides parallel to the bottom of the cab now, vs at a slight angle like the template shows.

I haven't moved the support pieces that hold this in to place yet - notice that it's a bit "off" with the back being up slightly higher than it should be. The piano hinge gives it a full range of motion both ways, so rest assured it will be level when I move those pieces.



Kinda hard to tell, but there's about 2 fingers width of clearance below the buttons. The stick has even more because I countersunk it about 1/8" in to the MDF on the bottom of the panel. After I put on my plexi, the buttons should be raised even more.



I was worried about clearance, but it doesn't look like it's going to be an issue, thankfully.

I made my cab slightly wider than it needed to be because I wanted to be able to fit two sets of controls on the CP. After looking at it, I didn't think I'd be able to, but once I cut the holes I realized that I easily could have if only I would have stuck the start and coin insert buttons someplace else. I might re-do the CP now that I know it'll fit.

[i64X]

Found a countersink bit in my random toolkit full of drill bits. Didn't know I had one. Ah well, one less thing to buy. :-)



I was also able to move the support pieces for the control panel, so that sits nice and level now and is very sturdy. To keep it held in place I'm going to do something similar to what I've seen other people do and integrate a female threaded standoff in to the rear corners of the CP that will allow it to be held in place by threaded bolts that come up through the bottom of the cab. The standoffs will be hidden by the CP art and the plexi.

I'm envisioning something similar for the bolts that will hold the joystick in place. I want to avoid visible bolt heads on the top of the CP for a cleaner look.

[MTPPC]

When I see all those screws, I can't help but think how much easier it is to use glue and an pneumatic brad nailer. I think I got my combo compressor and nailer for about $60. I've seen guys use a bunch of angle brackets and screw everything from  the inside too, but I don't think that works in the confines of the bar top. The beauty of a brad nailer is that you can sink the brads in from the inside or outside and the glue pretty much does all the work once it dries. Please don't think I'm busting on you. I think your project looks great and I'm looking forward to watching its progress.

[Drnick]

That's a lotta screws, I count 42 on each side, Braver man then me screwing into the end of MDF    Are you going to redo the CP as a 2 Player, If so are you going to add a 2nd coin up and start button. I put the coin up buttons on the front of the CP and the start buttons in the top far corners. As long as you have 20" or larger CP then 2 player will fit easily  

[i64X]

There are 19 screws on each side.

I used screws so I could take it apart. I originally planned on laminating the whole thing (still might). The top 3 lateral sections are glued together and smoothed out now. The bottom two pieces are as well. They come off as one solid piece each, and if I wanted to it'd be easy to laminate them separately, and laminate the insides of the side panels, put everything back together, and finally laminate the outsides of the cab - thus hiding all the screws. 

I don't know if I want to go through all the hassle of laminating it though, since I'd have to heat the laminate up and try to bend it - which I've heard is a mixed bag if you've never done it before. The last thing I want to do is ruin what I've worked so hard on thus far, so I think I may end up just painting it. At least being able to take everything apart like I've planned out (and explained above) would let me easily paint both the insides and the outsides with a roller. Obviously I'd paint the outer portions of the two side panels last, after I filled the screw holes with filler and smoothed it out.

I haven't had any issues with the MDF splitting with the screws yet. I'm pre-drilling all of my holes and using a screwdriver to do everything by hand. No screw guns. If you're careful it's fine.

Few more updates...

Got the standoffs installed for the joystick and for the two bolts that will hold the CP closed when it's not being serviced. This is my first time  using these and they're pretty slick. Just drill a 5/16ths hole, drop it in, thread a bolt in from the bottom (with a washer on it) and tightening the washer pulls the standoff in to the wood. As you can see, they work pretty well and are a lot flatter than a bolt head:



This is the bottom of the control panel. Button proximity doesn't get much closer than this. Like an idiot I didn't try this layout out on a test piece of material before drilling holes in my finished control panel. It's a tight fit, but everything worked out well (thankfully). Lucked out on this one.





I added two more stand-offs. We'll see what these are for in a second...



The bolts that I got are  LITTLE too tall. I'll probably have to use a couple more washers under each bolt for the joystick in order to back them out a little. I could cut them down, but washers are 10 cents each and it's much easier than cutting.



Here's what the other two stand-offs are for. These guys hold the control panel shut tightly when the cab is in use. When I need/want to service the buttons, I'll just be able to flip the cab on its back, remove these two screws, and the hinged control panel will be accessible.  This actually took much less time to pull off than I thought and was one of the things I was worried about.



Now to do something about those stand-offs sticking up. I really want them to be flush to the surface. You'll notice in previous pics that I traced them with a pencil. I ended up popping them out and routering JUST deep enough to where they'd sit flush.



I got as close to perfect as possible, but there was gap, so I filled it with wood filler and I'll be able to sand it off as soon as it dries. My control panel art will cover this up, so I'm not too worried.



This wood filler stuff is messy. I'm not a fan of it. Hopefully it works well.

[Steven kurylec]

Good approach to your build, but the pressure is on i64x! Since you are being watched by unstupid..

Lovin the collection by the way

[Unstupid]

Hahaha there shouldn't be any pressure coming from this way!  I love seeing the different approach to things!

BTW, I64X... Looking good!  I vote for laminate... no need take em apart!

[jdbailey1206]

Thanks for the detailed pics i64x.  I've been contemplating doing this CP setup for my Weecade and now I can push forward full steam ahead with your detailed pics. 

[Drnick]

I added the screws for the inside supports to the maths

You could always use laminate for the sides and then wrap the top with a vinyl or Carbon Fibre finish.  The 3m Carbon Fibre is pretty good stuff and comes in a variety of colours/finishes.

[i64X]

Good approach to your build, but the pressure is on i64x! Since you are being watched by unstupid..

Lovin the collection by the way

Haha. I don't feel any pressure... as long as it turns out decent. Aside from the jigsaw and router (and my dad's stuff if I decide to take the trip over there) I'm basically using hand tools to do this. I wish I had access to the stuff Unstupid has. I know it's not going to be 100% professional perfect, but I'm trying to make it as good as I can make it with my limited knowledge of woodworking... and by limited I mean none. haha

If you want to check out some of my old video game stuff, I've got some in depth photos up at i64X.com. I also have a YouTube channel - "i64X." I plan to stick details of this arcade build up there when I get a chance to record a video.

Until my buddy sold me that MAME cab I was really in to old console stuff. Sega and NES in particular. I had a ton of that stuff growing up, sold it all, and regretted it. I just got back in to collecting again as of a few years ago. I'm currently trying to collect a complete NES collection (sans the ridiculous stuff like the World Championship carts).

Hahaha there shouldn't be any pressure coming from this way!  I love seeing the different approach to things!

BTW, I64X... Looking good!  I vote for laminate... no need take em apart!

I really want to do laminate. I'm wondering how tight they could possibly roll it - since I have no way of getting a 4x8' sheet of it home. I do have a CRV that's pretty cavernous though if I lay the back seats down.

Thanks for the detailed pics i64x.  I've been contemplating doing this CP setup for my Weecade and now I can push forward full steam ahead with your detailed pics.

That's awesome! If I'm able to help someone along the way that's great. I'll continue to post pics as I go, even though a lot of the fabrication stuff is out of the way now.

I added the screws for the inside supports to the maths

You could always use laminate for the sides and then wrap the top with a vinyl or Carbon Fibre finish.  The 3m Carbon Fibre is pretty good stuff and comes in a variety of colours/finishes.

That's true - I didn't think about those. Honestly I've been doing all of this over the past few weeks as I've had time and it seems like a lot less work when you only get a chance to do a little here and a little there.

I'm going to do a little more searching around to see what options are out there. There's a graphics/vinyl place near my work that I might stop by and check out during lunch. I'd like to at least laminate the sides, since that'd be easy and probably the most durable. My dad has a router bit for flush cutting the laminate and all of the edges of the side panels are obviously 90 degrees so it'd be cake to do just those, inside and out.

A few more updates - I've really gotten a lot done today. I was able to get my top and bottom marquee holders lined up and in place. I do need to trim the bottom one similar to the way Unstupid did on his cab, since it's sitting flush with that speaker panel on the top side of the holder. Unstupid - how did you cut yours? I want to make sure I get it straight and I need to take about 1/8" off.

I bought the bulk stuff and had to cut it to length and drill my own screw holes. I got the screws at the hardware store and tried to countersink the holes so they'd sit flush and look nice. I didn't torque them in all the way since this was just for fitment and I want to try to avoid tightening a lot of these screws fully when I'm just fitting things to keep the integrity of the screw holes. I think it looks pretty good though.



I finally countersunk the bottom screws as well, giving me flush sides. After doing this I was able to pop my slot cutting bit in my router and router the groove for the T-molding. This was really stressful and was something that I was NOT looking forward to doing. It turned out pretty good though...



At least in most places.   

Luckily this is in the back and I caught it before I went too far. I'm not sure what happened. I was routing at a weird angle and I don't think the router was completely sitting flush on the board or sitting on the guide correctly, but this happened...



Like I said, luckily it's in the back - and a little on the top. Luckily it was far enough off from where the actual line was supposed to cut that I had a THIN buffer of solid wood in between. I filled the "oops" slot with glue and it's currently drying. I'm going to let this dry ALL THE WAY and keep adding glue until it's level and I can sand it smooth and hope for the best. I'm definitely not taking this T-molding off once I put it in for fear of tearing this, so that'll be the last thing to go on!

That's it for today. It's getting dark and cold out and my hands are destroyed. I got 2 hours of sleep last night so I stayed home from work today because I feel awful. Honestly I probably shouldn't have been playing with power tools on this much sleep, but all of my fingers are still in tact so I guess it worked out ok. Getting all this done helps put me in a better mood though, so hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Thanks for all the comments and the help guys. Much appreciated! If anyone has any suggestions I'm open to them. This is my first time doing anything like this and I didn't do a whole lot of homework before starting the project. haha

[DaOld Man]

Looks good!
Ouch about that t-molding slot. I have done the same thing before, I have no idea why it gets off like that sometimes.
Just for the sake of clarity, those standoffs are actually called "t-nuts" I have used them on all my builds, just counter sink them like you did, and fill in with wood putty or bondo, but since you are covering the CP and not painting it, I wouldnt worry about filling them in.

[dextercf]

Looks like a nice build! 

[Unstupid]

A few more updates - I've really gotten a lot done today. I was able to get my top and bottom marquee holders lined up and in place. I do need to trim the bottom one similar to the way Unstupid did on his cab, since it's sitting flush with that speaker panel on the top side of the holder. Unstupid - how did you cut yours? I want to make sure I get it straight and I need to take about 1/8" off.

Yea that's tricky...  I ended up using the 5 axis router to shave off a 1/8".  I was able to screw it down to the table then I just walked the router along the edge to trim the little bit off...  if I had to do it again and didnt have access to the router I'm mount it right side up along a 1X4 and rip it with a table saw.... kinda like so:

Sorry my rendering is a little rough, not sure if you can make sense of it...

[i64X]

Looks good!
Ouch about that t-molding slot. I have done the same thing before, I have no idea why it gets off like that sometimes.
Just for the sake of clarity, those standoffs are actually called "t-nuts" I have used them on all my builds, just counter sink them like you did, and fill in with wood putty or bondo, but since you are covering the CP and not painting it, I wouldnt worry about filling them in.

I'm not sure what happened. Kinda sucked. Ah well - could have been way worse. On the plus side it would have only taken me about 10 minutes to knock out another side panel thanks to my template and router table. On the negative side, I don't have any spare MDF so that would have been a trip to the hardware store. I'll see if the wood glue will be able to salvage it. So far it's looking promising.

Looks like a nice build! 

Cheers

A few more updates - I've really gotten a lot done today. I was able to get my top and bottom marquee holders lined up and in place. I do need to trim the bottom one similar to the way Unstupid did on his cab, since it's sitting flush with that speaker panel on the top side of the holder. Unstupid - how did you cut yours? I want to make sure I get it straight and I need to take about 1/8" off.

Yea that's tricky...  I ended up using the 5 axis router to shave off a 1/8".  I was able to screw it down to the table then I just walked the router along the edge to trim the little bit off...  if I had to do it again and didnt have access to the router I'm mount it right side up along a 1/4 and rip it with a table saw.... kinda like so:
Sorry my rendering is a little rough, not sure if you can make sense of it...

That makes a lot of sense. I might have to end up doing that.

[Unstupid]

oops I meant screw it to a 1x4 not 1/4! 

[i64X]

oops I meant screw it to a 1x4 not 1/4! 

I actually read it as "1x4."

Alright I lied about being done. I walked downstairs and saw my monitor staring at me. While I was lying in bed last night unable to sleep I envisioned a way to mount this thing. My 2 year old was being good for once, and playing by himself (watching videos on "his" iPad) instead of his typical routine of going ape and driving the wife and I nuts, so I decided to get to work.

Trying to keep the weight down around the monitor I used 1/4" thick MDF for the bezel vs 3/4". These project panels are a little cheaper than the 3/4 panels, and I figured would be a little easier to use for this purpose since cuts around a perfect monitor have to be almost exact, and if they're off by just a little everything will look like crap.

I started off by using the trusty jigsaw to cut a roughly 17" x 20" piece out of my 2' x 4' piece of 1/4" MDF. Once that was done I set it in the cab and used the monitor bezel as a template. I chose the Dell monitor I did because a.) they're easy to get apart and have a thin bezel that can be easily used as a template and b.) they're cheap and readily available. I rough cut with a jig saw, taking more time than I've ever taken to be exact with my lines, and cleaned up my cuts using a jig that I made from a 1"x2"x36" piece of wood, some clamps, and a hand-held orbital sander.

I spent about an hour sanding a little, checking, sanding a little, checking, etc. etc. I figured time spent here would be worth it in the end.

When I was done I set the piece on top of the monitor and checked for fitment. I somehow had it almost perfect. I needed to make a way to keep it centered exactly behind the piece of MDF. I laid the MDF on its face and laid the monitor down on top of it. Starting with the bottom, I positioned my trust 1"x2" pine tight against the bottom edge of the monitor and clamped it in to place. I took the whole lot (minus the monitor) in to the garage, drilled my pilot holes from the front, ran through counter-sinking the holes with that bit, and then took it back inside and installed screws by hand.

I went around the entire monitor like this, keeping each piece tight and exact.



The final product, from the front:



I will fill those counter-sunk screw holes and sand them flat so the front of the bezel is flat. I'll likely paint this flat black. Eventually a piece of plexi will go over it... I just have to find some place to cut me a 17x20" sheet of 1/8" plexi.

To keep the monitor from falling out of the back temporarily I used some extra 1/4" MDF as shown. This won't be a permanent solution. I wouldn't trust it in the long haul, plus it doesn't hold the monitor as tight against the bezel as I would like. I thought about taking some small left-over L brackets I had and bending them flat to make metal retainers, but I'm open to suggestions if anyone has any good ideas.



Like I said - this won't be a permanent solution - I just wanted to see what the whole thing would look like in my cab. It's starting to look like a real cab now.

[Unstupid]

Awesome!  What are your plans for the speakers?

As far as snugging the monitor up tight you can find some rubber spacers or gasket that would fit between the piece of wood and the monitor.  Here is what I did for my cocktail cab... I used some z-brackets and some long thumb screws. Then I tapped one end of the z-bracket for the same thread as the thumb screws.  Then I screwed the thumbscrews backwards through the z bracket so that the fat part of the thumbscrews was against the monitor and.  I screwed the z bracket to the wood frame and used the thumbscrews to push the monitor tight against the bezel.

A rubber shim is probably easier though!  Hahaha

[Ryglore]

Nice build so far, I can't wait to see it decked out with graphics and such! 

[emphatic]

Yes, good work!

[i64X]

Thanks emphatic. Thanks Ryglore - I can't wait either. Cheers fellas

LOL @ Ricky from Trailer Park Boys BTW. Love that show.

That's a good idea for the monitor brackets. I'll have to stop by the hardware store today and see what they've got. Part of the fun of this is trying to figure stuff on your own, since there's really no manual on how to do it, and it's not a kit. The whole process forces you to be innovative and creative with your limited means.

[i64X]

More updates -

Waiting for paint to dry sucks so bad. I primed a lot of the laterals and the control panel. I also primed the inside of the two outer panels and I'll be painting those as well. I let the oil based primer (used Killz) dry for 24 hours, added another coat to ensure that I had plenty to sand, and then let that dry for another 24 hours. At that point (earlier tonight) I sanded the primer as flat as I could get it on all of the pieces with 320 grit sand paper. This was for two reasons - 1.) I wanted the paint to lay as flat as possible, since every time you paint with a foam roller the texture gets more and more aggressive. 2.) I wanted to make sure my acrylic paint would stick to an oil based primer, and quite a few sites I saw mentioned that you should sand the "sheen" off the top of the prime coats to ensure that the paint will stick.



The acrylic paint I used (water based) was freaking AWESOME. It coated like a champ in one coat. For those who are wondering - I used Valspar Premium in satin black with a 6" foam roller from Lowes. After sanding all of the pieces and cleaning them up to make them dust-free, it was time to paint!



The paint looked REALLY shiny at first, but the more it dries the more matte it's getting. It's been sitting for around 45 minutes now and it's calmed down quite a bit (thankfully). It's too cold to paint outside, so I put some garbage bags down and painted in the kitchen. Luckily we haven't remodeled that room yet (it's the last one to go) and we still have the gross carpet that I don't mind getting dirty.

I'm a big fan of the texture. It's hard to capture in photos with my phone camera, but I'll get out the DSLR and get some good pictures after it cures up a bit. Still, the texture is awesome. It looks like leather almost.





I thought I would need a bunch of paint coats to cover the white primer, but it looks like I'm only going to need this one. 

The can says it dries to the touch in one hour, so when that happens I can at least move the panels in to the basement so my 2 year old doesn't destroy them. Cure time is 7 DAYS though. I'll probably wait at least a few days to put the cab back together, depending on how strong the paint feels. Eventually I'm going to have to fill, sand, and paint the outer parts of the side panels. Those I will try to make as smooth as possible, since I plan on applying vinyl art over them.

[i64X]

Quick update - found a local place that will print on adhesive vinyl, so I sent them my art and it's coming back Monday. I went and got acrylic cut for my monitor panel, the top of my control panel, and my marquee panel. I put the cab back together (the paint dried faster than I thought it was going to - still not 100% strong yet, but fine to assemble) and got my speakers in.



I had originally planned on lighting the marquee, but my art is REALLY dark, so it won't show through anyway. I can't wait to get my art and finish up my CP and my marquee to see what it's going to look like.

I've got all of the screw holes on the side of the cab puttied up and I'm waiting for them to dry so I can prime the sides of the cab and paint it. I hope to have everything ready to go on Monday to get the art at least on the control panel and the marquee. I'm thinking I'll let the sides cure 100% before I put the art on the sides and finally throw the T-molding on because the paint won't cure with no air (read: vinyl on top of it) if I don't wait and I don't want bad things to happen.

It's nearing completion now! I'm excited. After I get the physical cab done I can throw the PC in it and I'll be ready to rock. I'm hoping to be finished some time next weekend. 

Pro tip: For the CP I got 1/8" acrylic. Everyone freaks out about drilling holes in this stuff for the sticks and buttons because it's really easy to crack. My buttons were SUPER close together so I was really afraid of breaking it and then having to go back to the store and buy another 24"x18" piece for $19 just to get another 4x20" control panel topper out of it. Solution? Take a Dremel - put a drill bit in it, use it like a router. Burns through the stuff like magic, no risk of cracks. The only down side? It throws tiny bits of molten acrylic everywhere and they feel like little bullets when they hit your skin. Also, if you do this be sure to wear safety glasses!

[i64X]

Got quite a bit more work done today.

The filler on the sides dried and so I sanded them down and primed them really early this morning.



I also sanded and primed the monitor bezel. These were the last things that needed primer/paint.



While that dried I started getting the PC installed. I got the motherboard, PSU, hard drive, and speaker wiring all installed. This was taken when I was waiting for the soldering iron to heat up to solder some of these connections.



I installed a power button in the back of the unit. The power plug/cord will also be in the back.



I installed a button up next to the left speaker which will act as the "Exit Game" button for MAME. I know the iPAC comes with a shift function for holding Start 1 and pressing Start 2 to exit the game, but there are two issues with that. #1 on this cab I don't have a Start 2 button. #2 even on my full sized machine I found out the hard way that if you're playing 2P and both players die simultaneously (happens a lot to my friends and I in bullet-Hell shooters) and they both press the buttons simultaneously it can exit the game. Sucks when you're really far in to the games.

Anyway, here that is:



Note all the dust. Having to drill holes or sand or ANYTHING once a single spec of paint is on the cab is the worst. I'm constantly wiping it down because it looks like shoyt. haha

Looks like everything barely fits, but it fits. I'll still be able to get a power strip in there. The iPac is going to be mounted under the control panel, so all of the button wiring will be tucked away cleanly up under there. I have to get a shorty black power strip with a long black cord - OR I'm thinking of installing a female end standard PC style power plug on the back of the cab and cutting and soldering the main lead from a standard small black power strip to it so I'll have a female PC power plug outlet on the back of the cab instead of a long cord hanging out of it.



I just an hour or so ago I sanded the primer flat and put on a coat of black on the outer sides of the cab and on the bezel. It covered completely. I REALLY love this paint. Even though it's acrylic it covers like no other and lays so flat and smooth. It was kinda expensive for the quart, but it's totally worth it.



I also rolled another THIN coat on the control panel just to cover up a few imperfections. Not like it matters since that'll be covered in vinyl anyway, but hey - I'll know the imperfections are there and I don't want them.

The guy at the vinyl print shop said that my vinyl should be done end of day on Monday. I'm going to put this cab right next to a furnace outlet and hopefully it'll be nice and dry by Monday night so I can apply vinyl. Once I get the vinyl on, I'll throw the T-molding on, and after that there will only be a few minor software and wiring things to work out. SO exciting.

[rCadeGaming]

I've been following this, very nice.  I like the Kenwood speakers.  What are you using to amplify them?

[i64X]

I've been following this, very nice.  I like the Kenwood speakers.  What are you using to amplify them?

I destroyed a set of Logitech stereo speakers to yank the board out for the amp, so I'm using that.

If I have to do this again, I might get one of these:

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=310-300

They have very good ratings and from what I've read you can drive them off of a PC power supply.

Another option would be this:

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=320-329

I looked at both of them. End of the day I decided to pay around $30 for a pair of Logitech PC speakers, brought them home, and destroyed them for their amp. The Kenwoods I got at Best Buy - they were open box for $30. They came with the grills. I could have spent a little less and gotten some-full range 4" speakers at Parts Express for less, but the Kenwoods came with grills and I don't trust myself to make arcade-style slots with the router just yet. Maybe when my skills improve a little. 

I bench-tested the 4" Kenwood 2-ways with the Logitech amp and they didn't sound too bad. There wasn't much bass, but that's to be expected from a 4" 2-way. I'm hoping that when I get everything put together and get my back on the bartop to close it up a little they'll sound a LITTLE warmer than they did just sitting open-air on top of my desk. We'll see.

I do like the way they look though, although if I have to do it again I'll probably go with some more bespoke grills; probably something like this:

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=260-420

[rCadeGaming]

I would watch out for those cheap Chinese Amps.  A friend bought a similar one and it was not so hot.  Those speakers can handle a lot more than 20W, there's not much to work with there before you run into distortion.  Stay away from 8W.  That one may have gotten some good reviews from some people, but it looks there were a from more knowledgeable people who noted the potential for distortion, and overall noise.

An amp is like a power supply.  You will get much better performance pulling 190W out of a 400W power supply than you will out of a 200W.  The 200W supply is straining near its limit, while the 400W is running super smooth with no problem.

I haven't done enough research yet to make a choice for an amp in my cab, but this guy is fairly knowledgeable, and he recommended an Alpine 4ch 45W amp for use in a cabinet:



http://www.soundoftristate.com/alpine-ktp-445u

If you don't want to spend that kind of money, I'd stick with the Logitech amp.

Also, yes they should sound much fuller and less over-treble-y when mounted in a box.  You might want to try sealing the speaker box area, and stuffing some pillow stuffing in there too eliminate bad reflections.

[i64X]

That makes sense - we used to do that back in the day with "polyfill" on our sub boxes. I was heavy in to car audio a long time ago and have dropped thousands on car audio systems in the past. I don't have a problem dropping money on quality stuff, but the problem with the bartop-sized cabinet is what you can physically fit in to it. There's just no room in here.

I think the Logitech speakers I bastardized were rated at 5W RMS. They don't like to post stats, so I had to go off of hearsay. They seem to work well enough for my purposes with this cab though. We'll see. I don't really have the sound cranked when playing games like this anyway - especially when my head is only 12" from the speakers. Honestly, I'm more worried about the cab looking good after I get the art on.

Thanks for the feedback and the info though. It's much appreciated!

[rCadeGaming]

We'll see. I don't really have the sound cranked when playing games like this anyway - especially when my head is only 12" from the speakers.

Haha, yeah.  It's the treble that grades on your ears though.  You may be able to produce more bass with a sealed speaker approach.

[i64X]

Haha true. I hope so. If even a LITTLE bit more.

I just ran upstairs and tried it out. Even though I don't have the back panel on the cab or even the monitor and monitor panel installed, I hooked my phone up to it and it sounded much better than the speakers just flat sitting on a desk open-air. I'm sure once the cab is enclosed it'll be a bit better still.

Monday night can't come soon enough.

[i64X]

Finished it up! Graphics on, T-molding on!















Just got a few more wiring things to take care of (need to get a power strip in here and wire up the AC, as well as the "exit" button on the speaker panel for exiting games). I also need to get my software in order. I've got a Hyperspin install on here now with a full 8/16-bit console and MAME set, but I really need to weed out all of the MAME crap that's garbage (Mahjong games, crap games, games with controls I don't have - trackball, spinner, etc.)

Finally awesome to see the fruits of my labor though. I've put SO many hours in to this thing.

[Unstupid]

Hey!  Let me be the first to congratulate you on a kick ass looking machine! 

[Eldritch1969]

Sexy bartop ! 

[i64X]

Thanks guys.

There's still some software stuff to take care of, but for the most part the physical work is 99% complete.

[rCadeGaming]

   Very nice.  Third Strike online artwork?  Your Hyperspin setup looks pretty slick.

I really need to weed out all of the MAME crap that's garbage (Mahjong games, crap games, games with controls I don't have - trackball, spinner, etc.)

This will take quite a while.  I'd take care of everything you do want first.

[kuchta]

Looks great! I'm looking to do a similar build (19" bartop) in the near future, so I appreciate all of the pictures and documentation.

Is there any chance that you could weigh the final product so I can get a general idea of how heavy these things are?

Steve

[i64X]

  Very nice.  Third Strike online artwork?  Your Hyperspin setup looks pretty slick.

I really need to weed out all of the MAME crap that's garbage (Mahjong games, crap games, games with controls I don't have - trackball, spinner, etc.)

This will take quite a while.  I'd take care of everything you do want first.

For sure. I liked the Akuma image that's on my CP a LOT. It's been my wallpaper for a while so I was excited to be able to use it.

I think I'm just going to go through and pick out the games I DO want. It'll be much easier and far less bloated than every possible thing that's in there right now. There are so many hacks and crap games and stuff that I'm not interested in.