Announcing Project "Westworld"!

[sshaw10]

Here's my announce for project "WESTWORLD".  This first post will be long, I'll explain the design ideas and the background and my thoughts on the project.  Subsequent posts will be shorter and I'll try to stick to things that have not been covered in posts already.  I've learned so much from this site and am so grateful to all the people who take time to share their experiences, ideas and expertise.  I hope this contributes in the same spirit.  I would appreciate any comments or criticisms and I understand if you don't want to read all the details below but know that I have some specific criteria for the design I'm doing.

Very quick background. 
I'm 43 and have been into arcade games since my pre teen days playing at the car wash and arcades.  My friend has a shop with all kinds of wood and metal working tools.  I saw, drill, weld, mill, etc. and have good skills working with wood and metal.  Not to brag but to say that if you're going to build a cab ground up you have to have a good amount of space to build and many tools for assembly.  Without this shop and my background I would have bought a cabinet and refinished it.  My friend is an electronics wiz which is where I'm weak so he will help with some of the more complicated wiring and power issues.  Neither of us is advanced with software and programming but I build and work on PC's so I'm very comfortable with figuring that stuff out.  There's so much on this site and so many resources that the software side shouldn't be a problem.

The Design
When I first saw Knievel's Neon Mame my mind was made up, that's what I wanted.  Then I saw his Woody.  It made me think about where this cabinet was going to go in my small one bedroom apartment and how I'd move it around.  Then I started playing around in Sketchup and decided on the design I've attached.  Couple things to note:  This is going to be a one player cabinet.  I'll be playing it 99% of the time myself and if I want a multiplayer cab I'll build it later.  I used to like the Tempest, Crystal Castles cabinet shape.  As I worked the design in Sketchup I decided I wanted to be in front of the monitor and didn't want a very wide CP.  I designed one that is more a part of the cabinet than a big table sitting on top.  With the number of games I wanted to play and the variety of controls I knew I would need a rotating or swappable control panel.  Inspired by 1Up's rotating panel I designed a rotating triangle with hinged pieces at the top and front to allow rotation of a maximum 5" high MiniGrip stick.  I like this setup because I can put the buttons common to all games, 1,2 player, coin, volume control for sound, etc. on the top flip up piece.  It also makes for a small enough setup for a design with good scale of the CP extension to the rest of the cab.  I'm 6'4" and designed the cab for my height.  the CP is 40" off the ground and the monitor will be up higher than normal so I don't have to bend my head down.  I have the details of how the CP will rotate and will post them with pics when I get there.   I don't need a keyboard tray, I have a Logitech unified receiver keyboard for a HTPC I can use. 
The cabinet is only 18" deep at the bottom, 6 '- 4" tall and 28" wide.  As I mentioned I'm tall so the dimensions fit me and also are needed to fit the space it will go.  A regular size cab would be overbearing in my small living room.  The cabinet will be anchored to the wall with screws into wall anchors to secure it and keep it safe in the event of an earthquake (I'm in Southern California and we're long overdue for a big one).  So please consider these issues with any comments or criticism. 
I've posted pictures of two test control panels I completed last week.  The one with the joysticks has two Ultimarc 360's and a MiniGrip Stick (on the right but plastic handle is off for now) I'll use for flight games, Battlezone, Tron and other games that need a trigger stick.  I'm actually surprised not to see more of these on other CP's.  Maybe there's a reason I'll discover but it seems like a very versatile stick.  This panel also has a groovygamegear spinner with the up/down buttons for Discs of Tron and I'll probably also use this for some function controls.  The buttons are laid out ergonomically and arranged for specific games.  I'll be using LED Blinky to light buttons used for a particular game.   I think this layout will be good but I'll test with all games and see if adjustment is necessary.  The trackball panel has a few buttons on it but may get a couple more or I might move them around.  The third panel will have a means of locking on various other interchangeable controllers such as a steering wheel, holster, yoke, etc.  I'll worry about it later. 
I have the two control panels suspended with steel tube standoffs about 5" above a base piece so I can mount the interface boards and get the wiring done and make sure everything is working before I actually build the cabinet. 
The cabinet back panel will open like a door for access to the entire inside.  I'm using an ASUS 27" LCD monitor with LED backlight and 1ms response time.  The picture is excellent but I wish I could find 4:3 monitors as much of the monitor will be masked off.  I'm not using a CRT because they're heavy, won't fit and disappearing.  I'm not using an LCD TV and the 30" Dell we use at work costs too much so it's a 27" 16:9.  Play sizes for square games like Defender and Robotron are perfect and vertical games like Centipede and PacMan could use another inch in height but look good and are very close to real CRT arcade sizes. 

At his point I'll be wiring up the control panels and getting the software set up.  I've got MameWah working and need to start customizing the look with graphics and making sure all the games I want work.  In a couple weeks I'll be mocking up how the CP will rotate with some parts I've ordered and I'll post pics then.  Unfortunately I can only work on the weekends at my friends shop so it will take some time to finish.   I can work on the interface and software stuff at home during the week.   I'm hoping to be done by the end of the fall so I can play all winter, at least what winter we have in Southern California. 

Lessons up to now:  Sketchup is very easy to learn and invaluable in designing the scale of a custom cabinet.  If you're not near a hardware store the project will take a lot longer and cost more.  Luckily I'm near a Home Depot.  For a first project, plan on pretty much building a complete mockup of the project before you actually build the finished project.  Spend many, many, many hours reading byoac and other internet resources before you start any project.

I'll post progress in two or three weeks.

[Yvan256]

Interesting project, I'll be following this one. I always like complex projects and a rotating control panel fits in that category.

You say you're building it as a single-player cabinet, but one of your CP has three joysticks? I could see the case for putting two for tank-style games, but three?

[sshaw10]

Three Joysticks, yes at first I was going to go with two 360's for a couple important games, mostly Robotron.  Then I thought about flight games, Battlezone and Discs of Tron which need a stick with a button.  I came across the MiniGrip Stick and added it.  As I thought about it there are some games I like using the joystick with the right hand and some with the left and the 360 is so flexible I figured I'd keep the two in and still could add the MiniGrip.  They all fit comfortable and it gives me some options playing even if it's overkill.  For that rare occasion someone is over I also have it there as an extra.  So far I've used all three in testing games.

[PL1]

Have you designed a method to keep from turning the control panel too many times and damaging the wires?

Consider using a modified version of the rubber stop bumpers on the Star Wars yoke. (Yoke pics from Retroactive's restoration thread here.)

The bumpers are badly deteriorated here, but you can see the two on the left part are positioned right/left and the two on the right are positioned top/bottom.


Here you can see the bumpers on the rebuilt yoke.

As you turn the yoke all the way left and right, the bumpers on the cab side hit the bumpers on the player side, limiting rotation.

You can remove one bumper and reposition the two on the other piece to get the needed 240+ degrees of rotation for the control panel.

Put your most used configuration (B) on the middle control panel and add arrows to indicate which direction the panel can turn.

-----
  A
  v
-----
  ^
  B
  v
-----
  ^
  C
-----

The arrows can be covered by the hinged part when closed.

Also consider having the admin buttons above the hinged part so the back of the buttons and wires aren't hanging down to snag on the joysticks while you're rotating the panel.


Scott

[sshaw10]

Thanks PL1, have a couple ideas on limiting the rotation and will take a look at what you posted, very interesting.  I have given thought to what you said about the buttons on the upper flip up piece, I have a way of neatly running the cables in a channel so they would be mostly hidden and not drooping down.  It depends on how I lay out the monitor and the surrounding bezel, I'll put speakers above and want some balance around the screen.  Will check both ways and see which looks best.  Thanks for the post and advice.

[harveybirdman]

Looks pretty narrow how you going to fit Yul Brynner with his face off on the side art?

[PL1]

I have a way of neatly running the cables in a channel so they would be mostly hidden and not drooping down.

I also forgot to mention that if you do put buttons on the flip-up part, consider the Ultimarc Goldleaf buttons, Seimitsu PS-14-KN's, or similar.

Attached pic shows a Happ/IL and a Goldleaf installed on 3/4 MDF.


Scott

[Yvan256]

I also forgot to mention that if you do put buttons on the flip-up part, consider the Ultimarc Goldleaf buttons, Seimitsu PS-14-KN's, or similar.

Attached pic shows a Happ/IL and a Goldleaf installed on 3/4 MDF.

Thanks for that photo, Scott.

edit: too bad there's no "regular blue" color available.

[BadMouth]

The return of the rotating CP!
 

[Yvan256]

The return of the rotating CP!
 

So far we haven't seen an auto-rotating CP with 4/8-way auto-switching joysticks and lighted buttons… 

[PL1]

too bad there's no "regular blue" color available.

You might be able to make a batch using white buttons and Rit Dye.   


Scott

[sshaw10]

harvey - yea, the arcade I grew up on was in Westwood, CA, Southern CA can called Westworld so I figured I'd call my cab that and at first thought about using one of those shots of Yul with his face removed but couldn't really make it work and wanted to stay away from the reference.  I still like that movie!

PL1 - already have some slim buttons from groovy, very similar to Ultimarc Goldleaf's, very thin and I'm a router expert so I may rout traces and put a backing piece so you wouldn't see anything.  As long as it's screwed in a removable for servicing.  Depends how crazy I want to get.   

This weekend we're finishing the shop after my friend moved, welding tables for the milling machine and metal lathe.  With what time I have will start wiring up controls to interface boards and am going to make a support system out of 2x4's to build a mock up of the CP and how it will rotate and stop.  Unfortunately the parts I ordered are scheduled for Monday delivery so I'll do what I can this weekend and post an update.

Thanks for the comments!

[sshaw10]

Quick update, two weeks ago finished setting up the shop so got a little wiring done, wired up LED WIZ and couple other boards.  This past weekend built a mock control panel and a stand to support it so I can work this weekend on how it will lock in place.  I got several press fit ball plungers rated at 28 pounds end force which is pretty strong.  I'm going to make a 6" diameter, max 1/4" thick round plate that I will recess in the side wall with holes at stop points for the plungers to fit in.  I have six and will start with two and add a couple more depending on how stable the panel is.  I have a 1" metal electrical conduit pipe supporting the CP and will mill some holes along it for USB and other cables to run through the pipe and into a routered channel in the side of the cabinet.  I'll have some pics after this weekend. 

It's really nice to have a Home Depot close by!  Not only to buy but also return what I don't use as plans change.  I wish I was at the shop all week and could move faster but such is life.  I'll post some pics early next week.

[sshaw10]

Made a little progress this past weekend.  My idea is to have metal plates recessed in the ends of the rotating CP with stops for ball plungers on the opposite side which will hopefully hold the CP in each position.  At 28 pounds force for each ball plunger it should be more than enough force, if not too much.  I routed the ends of the CP so the 1/8" steel plates are recessed and milled a hole just over an inch for the pipe the CP spins on, pic attached.  This weekend I'll have a lot of time to get the rotating assembly together and see how stable it is.  If that works then I'll be able to start assembly of the cabinet.  Given tolerances I'll build the cabinet and then design/build the CP into it measuring and cutting as I go.  I have the order of assembly figured out so I can drill a pilot center hole through all the parts at once so everything lines up perfectly.

I'll have pics of the mock CP this weekend.

[sshaw10]

Well....the ball plungers didn't work.  Even with 4 at 28 pounds it didn't hold the CP in place as well as I hoped.  So now I'm going with a motor.  I built CP 2.0 with better support for the CP.  Basically it's a section of what the full cab will be.  In the pics you can see the motor with gearing attached and there is a timing belt that goes to a toothed pulley attached to the PVC pipe that comes through the CP end.  I attached a 3/4" wood piece to the inside of the cab wall and routed out an area for the belt and gear which occupy about half the 3/4" thickness, the rest of the 3/4" is where the PVC center sits.  Hard to describe but when I take it apart next time I'll take some inside pics that will explain it better.  Hooked up 12V and it turns at a perfect speed.  My thought is to keep it simple and just have a forward reverse dial, it's easy enough to line it up manually.  Getting into positioning circuitry is possible and I thought about three position buttons, a forward/backward switch and it would just stop in place but I want to keep things as simple as possible as I want to spend my time playing games, not fixing things.  I have to same something for my next project.  For the actual cab I'll cut the holes on the CP top from the back so they'll be solid. 
There's still a tiny amount of play so I'm considering a brake or locking mechanism to lock the whole thing in place.  I'll be out of town this weekend so should have an update in a couple weeks.