Pacman style bartop cabinet build

[fieldofcows]

Hi all,

I few weeks ago I was sitting at home wondering what to do with my evenings and looking for a project to build. I've got a homemade CNC router sitting in the garage and I felt guilty that I hadn't used it for a while so was looking for something I could make with it. I don't get a lot of time what with work and 3 kids so had to be something that wouldn't take too much time.

Enter the bartop project!

I must admit, I'm not much of a gamer but I do have fond memories of hours spent down the local arcades, mostly playing pool rather than video games but I did spend my fair share of my pocket money on some of the classics.

So I set about looking for a similar bartop to base mine on. I went through a few designs and thoughts and decided I wanted something that looked a bit arcade like but didn't look like a scaled down full size cabinet. I finally settled on a pacman style bartop based on one I found here: http://web.archive.org/web/20100406035835/http://www.emuchrist.org/cpviewer/pics_bartop.htm. I'm sorry but I can't seem to find the name of the person that made that cabinet and the original site seems to be long gone. There seems to be a related topic on this forum here: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=64250.0

I already have a number of parts that I can use in this build and want to adapt the design so I can minimise the amount of extra parts I need to buy. The parts I already have are:

• 6mm/12mm/18mm MDF
• Plexiglass (or something like it)
• Original XBox
• Microchip PIC microcontrollers
• Dell 19" LCD monitor

I just need to buy joystick, buttons, amplifier, speakers, Composite to VGA adapter and anything else I haven't thought of just yet.

I have three priorities for this build in descending order; The build project should be fun  , My kids should enjoy playing it, It should do a reasonable job of allowing games to be played well. To support the second priority, I decided to make it a 2 player cabinet. I know it's far too small for this really and the CP is going to be far too cramped but I like the idea of playing the odd 2 player game against my son. I will make the CP swappable so if it really is unplayable then I can just swap it out for a less cramped single player version.

I've already made quite substantial progress on the build and I plan to use this thread to document the build process.

So here we go. Onto the first pictures.


This is the first cut of the project - cutting the sides out of 18mm MDF. I was quite surprised at how large the bartop looked when seeing in the flesh. Oh well...


Here it is with the monitor surround dry-fitted in place.

So, that's it for the first installment. I hope you find this interesting and please tell me what you think.

[fieldofcows]

I wanted to see how cramped that CP really would be with control for 2 players so I ordered some cheap buttons and joysticks and made a CP to fit. Here it is in place on the build so far:

.

As you can see, the left joystick is far too close to the side. It was unusable so I remade the CP moving everything as far right as possible. The result is a CP that is cramped but definitely usable. I don't think it would be acceptable for the real gamers out there but for me it's fine. You can see the adjusted CP layout in some of the photos that will be coming later.

[PL1]

Welcome aboard.  Looks like you're off to a great start, Fieldofcows.   

Have you tried getting two people on the controls at the same time?

Looks like you'd be better off either widening the cab/panel or only putting one joystick/6 buttons.

Even if you go to single player controls, keep P2 Start for the titles that use alternating play instead of head-to-head play.

I assume that the black button between the start buttons is a coin button. 

If you keep both player controls, consider adding another coin button for P2.

Gauntlet2p, Simpsons2p, etc. add credits to a player based on which "coin slot" is activated.


Scott

[Termin8tor]

Will be following, keep up the good work. 

[fieldofcows]

Have you tried getting two people on the controls at the same time?

I've just got my 7 year old to sit next to me at the controls. It's tight but playable. I think I'm going to go with this but make a second 1-player only control panel. I've already put a pluggable connector on the XBOX interface board so I just have to remove the CP, unplug it then plug in the other version.

Even if you go to single player controls, keep P2 Start for the titles that use alternating play instead of head-to-head play.

I don't plan on making the front panel removable so the 2-player button will stay regardless.

I assume that the black button between the start buttons is a coin button. 

If you keep both player controls, consider adding another coin button for P2.

I didn't realise there was a second coin operation for the second player. I will remake the front panel with 2 coin switch buttons. Thanks for that 

Roy

[monkeychunkuk]

Handy machine look forward to seeing it finished 

[sharpfork]

I really like the Pacman inspired profile.
I agree with PL1 that the CP seems a tight for two player.  Fewer players or fewer buttons might help.

I'm a big xbox1/cab guys so I'm curious how you are doing video conversion and control encoding.
If you are going to do a removable CP, DB 25 connectors work well if you are going to use the same encoder(s) for both CPs.  I've been testing some other solutions for switching controls that might make sense if you are looking for options.

What are you using for software on the xBox?

[fieldofcows]

Hi Sharpfork,

I've seen on this forum that you are a bit of an xbox/cab expert and wondered if you'd comment. Take a look at this image:

.
Ignore the messy wiring for the minute - I just threw it together to try it out. I currently have two DB25 connectors for the switches and joysticks. One for the CP itself to allow it to be swapped and one for the front panel (which cannot be swapped but makes it easier to work on the control board).

The control board itself is a very basic microcontroller board I made for work that contains 2x PIC18F4550. The original purpose for the board was to provide two USB device interfaces, one configured as a USB keyboard, the other as a serial port. You could then connect this to two computers and use the serial port to mimic keyboard input on the other computer. We used it to try out some automated testing but the board was redundant after that. It's perfect as an xbox interface as it provides me with 2 USB devices for 2 players.

To get the controller working, I found quite a lot of info on the Internet. Particularly this: http://euc.jp/periphs/xbox-controller.ja.html but I couldn't find any examples of anyone actually getting a microcontroller to work with an xbox. I borrowed a USB analyzer from work and connected it between the xbox and a real controller and worked out what I needed to provide as a handshake to get this working. It was pretty easy with access to a USB analyzer.

I've provided a few hard-coded profiles that need a bit of tweaking in the code that allows the joystick to be either digital, analogue or both switchable with a magic button combination.

As for the video conversion, I just got a cheap S Video to VGA converter from eBay. It is quite noisy but works quite well.

I'm using coinops 5 on the xbox. It's got far more games than I actually want but is so convenient that it made sense to go with it.

[fieldofcows]

So to continue the build log...

I finished cutting out all the other parts of the cabinet and pieced it together. The slots on the side panels were so tight that once I squeezed the parts together it is rock solid without any sort of fasteners! Here's what it looks like with the monitor in place:


At this point we had a christmas party coming up with lots of guests that I thought might like to have a play so I thought it would be a good idea to throw some wires onto the control panel, shove everything in the back of the cabinet and give it a go. Indoors it went...
.
It went down a storm. I'm sure if I made a couple more I could find homes for them!

And that's as far as I've got at the moment. The danger is that I can now play it so don't want to take it apart to finish it off! However, I must. It's going to be a few days before I can get any further with it but I'll keep this thread updated with my progress.

[dextercf]

Eager to see how this turns out.. Looking Nice so far. Bit cramped cp, but if your ok i guess its fine.
👍

[jammin0]

Looking great.  Did you happen to document your CNC build?  I'm really interested in doing that as my next big project but not really sure where to start other than searching around on the internet.

[fieldofcows]

Looking great.  Did you happen to document your CNC build?  I'm really interested in doing that as my next big project but not really sure where to start other than searching around on the internet.

I didn't create a build log of the router but there are a few build photos here http://www.fieldofcows.com/index.php?title=Joe%27s_2006_CNC_Router

It's an excellent machine that doesn't take up too much space and it is fairly easy to build. It was my second router. The first was a JGRO design built entirely with non CNC tools (http://www.fieldofcows.com/index.php?title=JGRO_CNC_Router). This was also a capable machine but not quite as sturdy. I think if you look on CNCZone things have moved on a bit since I built mine a few years ago.

[PL1]

Please tell me you are going to put some backshells/strain relief on those DB-25s.

Also, not sure if you're familiar with the KADE, but Sharpfork is one of the three main guys on that project.


Scott

[fieldofcows]

Please tell me you are going to put some backshells/strain relief on those DB-25s.

Also, not sure if you're familiar with the KADE, but Sharpfork is one of the three main guys on that project.

All the wiring so far is temporary. I have a stock of covers for the connectors.

I have heard of KADE. It sounds fantastic and perfect for what I need but I enjoy the challenge of getting it working myself 

[sharpfork]

I've seen on this forum that you are a bit of an xbox/cab expert and wondered if you'd comment. Take a look at this image:
I currently have two DB25 connectors for the switches and joysticks.

perfect

The control board itself is a very basic microcontroller board I made for work that contains 2x PIC18F4550.

To get the controller working, I found quite a lot of info on the Internet. Particularly this: http://euc.jp/periphs/xbox-controller.ja.html but I couldn't find any examples of anyone actually getting a microcontroller to work with an xbox. I borrowed a USB analyzer from work and connected it between the xbox and a real controller and worked out what I needed to provide as a handshake to get this working. It was pretty easy with access to a USB analyzer.
I've provided a few hard-coded profiles that need a bit of tweaking in the code that allows the joystick to be either digital, analogue or both switchable with a magic button combination.

This is absolutely kick ass!  I must admit absolute jealousy for your access to cool stuff like a USB analyzer and your own CNC setup 
It is stuff like this that makes me love this hobby.  I love how you repurposed the PICs for this application.  You should be able to get the setup exactly how you want it then never have to think about messing with them again. 
Most folks can't do what you have done so we are solving a similar encoding issue with KADE using an USB programmable AVR and a simple GUI/ loader.  We'll be opening up the source hopefully in late February and I'd love to know your thoughts.  I'm going to point Degenatrons and Bootsector this way so they can see this awesomeness!

As for the video conversion, I just got a cheap S Video to VGA converter from eBay. It is quite noisy but works quite well.
I'm using coinops 5 on the xbox. It's got far more games than I actually want but is so convenient that it made sense to go with it.

Svideo should be fine.  I personally do a hacked VGA bios + a simple component converter on a hard modded xBox.  There is a softmod solution too.  Let me know if you want to know more about this.

CoinOPs 5 is super cool.  The update to 5 r2 is worth doing.  I'd aslo check out Vision.  I'm going to use a simplified version of Vision as my boot application for an easier to navigate best of list then launch coin ops (out of Vision) for a deeper list of games and consoles.

Great project!

[fieldofcows]

This is absolutely kick ass!  I must admit absolute jealousy for your access to cool stuff like a USB analyzer and your own CNC setup 
It is stuff like this that makes me love this hobby.  I love how you repurposed the PICs for this application.  You should be able to get the setup exactly how you want it then never have to think about messing with them again. 
Most folks can't do what you have done so we are solving a similar encoding issue with KADE using an USB programmable AVR and a simple GUI/ loader.  We'll be opening up the source hopefully in late February and I'd love to know your thoughts.  I'm going to point Degenatrons and Bootsector this way so they can see this awesomeness!

This is very flattering coming from yourself! It seems like your joint KADE project is very innovative and popular.

I am lucky to have access to a USB analyzer. I only use it very occasionally at work but when it is used it is invaluable - like for this project How did you work out how to get KADE working with the xbox if you didn't have access to a USB analyzer?

We'll be opening up the source hopefully in late February and I'd love to know your thoughts.  I'm going to point Degenatrons and Bootsector this way so they can see this awesomeness!

I'd be very happy to contribute in any way I can to your project. I have a good amount of experience with microcontrollers, USB and that sort of thing. So if I can be of any help or if you want somebody to bounce ideas off/analyze USB ( ) then let me know. Also, if you want a copy of my PIC source then I can provide you (or anyone else that's interested) with a copy.

Regarding the SVideo/VGA output - I have the converter now so will stick with that but I've got a few friends/relatives interested in having their own machines now so if I end up getting a few xboxes I will probably look at a cheaper conversion if possible.

[sharpfork]

I am lucky to have access to a USB analyzer. I only use it very occasionally at work but when it is used it is invaluable - like for this project How did you work out how to get KADE working with the xbox if you didn't have access to a USB analyzer?

Bootsector figured it out prior to KADE for his open source USB RetroPad Adapter (these are pure awesomeness): http://www.brunofreitas.com/node/41 .  Degenarons and Bootsector are the real brains of the operation, I feel privileged to work with smart guys like them.

I'd be very happy to contribute in any way I can to your project. I have a good amount of experience with microcontrollers, USB and that sort of thing.

I have some ideas off the top of my head I'll bug you about offline.  We are pretty swamped getting our Kickstarter rewards together so be a bit.

Regarding the SVideo/VGA output - I have the converter now so will stick with that but I've got a few friends/relatives interested in having their own machines now so if I end up getting a few xboxes I will probably look at a cheaper conversion if possible.

If you are pretty confortable with the general xBox modding, the VGA mod is cheap and easy.  Component cable + VGA hacked bios or softmod + this thing http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10235&cs_id=1023503&p_id=6025&seq=1&format=2

When it comes to the cab, I'd be interested to know how it plays best with the complexly vertical monitor.

[fieldofcows]

When it comes to the cab, I'd be interested to know how it plays best with the complexly vertical monitor.

The monitor is mounted landscape in the cab I am building. I do quite fancy maybe building a vertical one when the first one is finished though.

I did manage to make some progress tonight. No photos though I'm afraid. I completely disassembled the cabinet and sanded all the cabinet parts ready for painting. Hopefully I'll start the painting process this week and update with some photos.

[sharpfork]

When it comes to the cab, I'd be interested to know how it plays best with the completely vertical monitor.

The monitor is mounted landscape in the cab I am building.

Sorry I was unclear.  By vertical I mean that it isn't reclined at all, not rotated.  It is perpendicular to the surface the cab is sitting on.  I might be using the wrong word to describe the tilted back nature the orignal Pacman monitor.

[DaOld Man]

Interesting.
I really do envy you guys that have access to CNCs.

[fieldofcows]

Sorry I was unclear.  By vertical I mean that it isn't reclined at all, not rotated.  It is perpendicular to the surface the cab is sitting on.  I might be using the wrong word to describe the tilted back nature the orignal Pacman monitor.

My bad - I read "portrait" instead of "vertical"

I wondered about tilting the monitor back. The bartop I am basing mine on was designed for a CRT so I guess it was vertical to provide the maximum room inside the cabinet. As I am using an LCD I don't really need the space. When I sit in front of my monitor at work though, the monitor is vertical so I thought it may make sense to leave it like that for my bartop.

I actually quite like it. It minimizes glare and means the screen is directly facing you when seated in front of the bartop at a table.

I really do envy you guys that have access to CNCs.

I know - I am very lucky to have a CNC router. All I can say is that they are not that hard to build so if you're thinking about building one then go and do it!  My machine is not fast but it must have taken no more than a couple of hours to mount the MDF, setup the machine and cut every part out for my bartop. I dread to think how long it would have taken for me to do it by hand.

Just to make you a bit more jealous, I happen to have a CNC lathe and CNC mill as well 

[fieldofcows]

I managed to get an hour out in the garage tonight to give the panels their first coat of primer. I've never done any painting like this before so am a bit apprehensive. I'm using a spray rattle can and was very pleased at how evenly the first coat went on.

[monkeychunkuk]

I managed to get an hour out in the garage tonight to give the panels their first coat of primer. I've never done any painting like this before so am a bit apprehensive. I'm using a spray rattle can and was very pleased at how evenly the first coat went on.

You can get a really good finish with spray cans just make sure you give it a sand with a ultra fine sandpaper between coats

[DaOld Man]

Looking good monkeychunkuk!

I hate painting. I am thinking of investing in a spray paint set up, but Im sure I would be lousy at that too.
Not meaning to change the subject, but is that a home made CNC? And did you use metal tubing for the rails? (Would love to see that CNC lathe, is it home made?)

[fieldofcows]

Looking good monkeychunkuk!

Fieldofcows making this one - not monkeychunkuk

I've now given it a second coat of primer. The MDF has taken it very well. I can't wait to get some colour onto it What with all the rain we've had in the UK over the last few weeks, the paint is taking forever to dry in my garage so I think this is going to be a slow process.

Not meaning to change the subject, but is that a home made CNC? And did you use metal tubing for the rails? (Would love to see that CNC lathe, is it home made?)

The CNC is homemade. It is a Joe's 2006. For anyone out there thinking of making a CNC you can't do much better than Joe's designs IMHO. The plans are free for the 2006. He has designed a newer model that uses less MDF for which you can purchase the plans. I plan on starting work on one of these when I get a bit more room for a larger machine.

Yes that is metal tubing for the rails and skate bearings for the linear bearings. The tubing was salvaged from an old water pipe in my father-in-laws workshop and was covered in paint which took me ages to strip and get smooth. It works very well - I've only had to adjust the bearings a couple of times in the 4 years or so that I've had the machine.

As for the CNC lathe, unfortunately it's not homemade. It's a Boxford 125TCL - a small lathe commonly used in schools for training. Although it's not homemade, I did replace the control system in the lathe to convert it from BBC micro to PC parallel port using EMC2 under Linux to drive it. It's fully working with an encoder on the spindle for screwcutting as well as a fully functioning ATC turret.

[fieldofcows]

I've been thinking about the power requirements for my cabinet and I am wondering how people manage the turning on and off of their machines.

In my machine I am going to have the following electrical devices, all individually switched:

 - Xbox
 - Amplifier
 - S Video to VGA converter
 - Dell LCD monitor

So far, I have been using a 4-way power block to power all devices, using the socket switch to power on/off all 4 at the same time. I can get everything to power on at the same time with the exception of the xbox which needs me to press its power button to bring it to life.

I think what I really want is either a physical on/off switch on the back of the unit or a button (like a PC power button) that turns everything including the xbox on and off. I see talk of some smart power strips such as this one. Does this work with the xbox? Are there any other solutions? I guess if it does work with the xbox then all I need to do is bring the xbox power button out to an external button on the cabinet.

Thanks!

Roy

[DaOld Man]

Looking good monkeychunkuk!

Fieldofcows making this one - not monkeychunkuk

Oops.. sorry man. Sucks getting old..
I will check out the link to the 2006. I have thought about making a cnc but I dont know if I have the room to store it when not in use.

[PL1]

In my machine I am going to have the following electrical devices, all individually switched:

Wait . . .That not right.   Did you just imply 4 power buttons??!!?? 
 

So far, I have been using a 4-way power block to power all devices, using the socket switch to power on/off all 4 at the same time. I can get everything to power on at the same time with the exception of the xbox which needs me to press its power button to bring it to life.

I think what I really want is either a physical on/off switch on the back of the unit or a button (like a PC power button) that turns everything including the xbox on and off. I see talk of some smart power strips such as this one.

Whether you use a Smart Strip or a relay, one external power switch for the XBox is the way to go.

If you use a smart strip, you may want to stick with the Smart Strip brand (several models available) instead of the Belkin, since the Belkin doesn't have a sensitivity adjustment and won't work with some builds IIRC.

Rablack97 used a time-delay relay powered by XBox 12V on his build here.  It was smaller and less expensive than the smart strip.


Scott

[kuchta]

So far, I have been using a 4-way power block to power all devices, using the socket switch to power on/off all 4 at the same time. I can get everything to power on at the same time with the exception of the xbox which needs me to press its power button to bring it to life.

If you want to keep this setup, you can just wedge a toothpick or piece of paper or something between the Xbox power button and the Xbox case (to keep the button depressed) and it will just turn on as soon as it gets power.

[CoryBee]

Why not use a regular power strip, extend the power switch on it to the outside of the cab and throw on one of these to plug a PC power cable in it.



Solder this to the power strip. Use a momentary push button (or an arcade button) to power on the XBOX once the switch is flipped on the back (which should turn everything else on).

AC Socket

I am a little tipsy but I think that is good.

[sharpfork]

If you want to keep this setup, you can just wedge a toothpick or piece of paper or something between the Xbox power button and the Xbox case (to keep the button depressed) and it will just turn on as soon as it gets power.

When I leave an Xbox in the case, I put a tiny wood screw between the power button and case plastic, holding the power button in.  You have to take it out if you want to eject the DVD drive.  Same side as the toothpick but a bit more stable long term.

[CoryBee]

Without the power button on the outside you end up having to kill the power completely without a proper shutdown. Last I checked the Orig XBOX used IDE drives and this is never good for them while reading\writing to it. Just a thought.

[fieldofcows]

Thanks for all the power suggestions - very useful.

Wait . . .That not right.   Did you just imply 4 power buttons??!!?? 

It did sound like that didn't it? No, not 4 power buttons but 4 things that need plugging in. Everything except the xbox (or so I thought) could be setup to come on as soon as you apply power.

I didn't realise you could wedge the xbox power button in so it starts when powered. Like CoryBee I don't like the idea of just removing the power to the xbox without shutting it down. I really like the idea of the smart power strips. Unfortunately it I can only find the belkin one for sale in the UK. It's also quite expensive. So I think I might just make something myself.

How about this - I already have a microcontroller that gets it's power from the xbox controller connector (my controller interface). Why don't I just extend this to energise a relay when the xbox is started? This relay could then switch on a power strip that powers the LCD, amplifier and S Video to VGA converter. I would put a socket like the one CoryBee posted a picture of on the back of the cabinet. The xbox would be permanently powered from this and the power strip would only be powered when the xbox is turned on.

Using this approach I could solder wires to the xbox to be able to provide a power button on the outside of the cabinet.

[fieldofcows]

I sprayed the first coat of black paint tonight. I'm quite pleased with how it has turned out. It's going to need a few more coats though.

[sharpfork]

The Xbox doesn't go through any kind of noticeable power down sequence when you power off.  It pretty much just instantly goes off.  I'm going to dig into this more but I highly doubt there is a differences between pulling the plug and hitting the power button, especially if you have an emu running instead of a formal Xbox game.

SIII + Cyanogen + Tapatalk 2

[jammin0]

On my Xbox arcade I originally used a relay off of the 5v rail to trigger a relay that turned on some lighting.  The relay stopped working after about 1 month and I bought a Belkin smart strip and it works great.  It's a version 1.0 if that makes a difference though.

[fieldofcows]

I can't believe over a month has gone since I last updated this thread! I haven't had a lot of time since christmas to work on my bartop but I have chipped away at the work to the point where it is now nearly complete.

The painting took forever. Mostly waiting for each coat to dry before sanding and applying the next coat. I'm really pleased with the result though. It's not perfect but it looks great.

Onto some pictures:


Couple of coats of yellow applied.


Painting complete.


Nearly there!


T-molding applied.

I've still got a bit of work to do - the marquee is made out of paper at the moment just to give the impression of it being complete and I need to tidy up the innards a little bit though but it's been getting a good workout from me and the kids since moving into the house!

[sharpfork]

Looks great!
This is the point where I start to wonder what you would do differently if you were to do the same basic design over again.

[monkeychunkuk]

Great work looks very cool!