Mike's Cheap+Efficient Standing Arcade Cabinet

[miketron]

I'm just looking for a place to house my build. My goal is to create a standing arcade cabinet with as little wasted material as possible. I'd like to get the build down to 1 sheet of 3/4" MDF and a 4'x4' sheet of 1/2 inch and a few 2x4's for support. I'm sure I will mess this up a few times but I'd like to end up with a plan for others to follow.

I consider myself a woodworker first and foremost with some decent 3D design skills. I will plan my cabinet in Sketchup and then make some modifications to my plans

Cheers!

[miketron]

Here is my concept:

[Le Chuck]

Looks alright, why the same pic three times?

[Rick]

Looks alright, why the same pic three times?

Third times, the charm! (Well, of course! Right? RIGHT??!)

[miketron]

This is just an update with a list of materials and costs. Again, my goal is efficient and cheap. Excluding the ~$140 I spent on arcade-ee bits/pieces, I am trying to get'er done for around $300. The glass was expensive (relatively) but I have a friend with a laser willing to cut it for me. That's worth the expense just to brag about using a laser beam to make something.

I have negotiated a swap for graphics/artwork as well. I have access to a large format printer that I may use instead of vinyl for the sides and CP if I can find a solid way to affix photo paper to MDF. Has anyone tried such a silly thing?

I will follow up with my initial cutting plans.

Materials List

Running Total: $460

Cabinet Total: $171
48x30" Acrylic Glass (For CP): $50
49x97" 3/4" MDF Plywood: $32
Spray paint - 2x Grey Gloss, 3x Black Satin: $20
18x8x.025" Aluminum Sheet (for switch panel): $18
48x48" 1/2 MDF Plywood: $13
40' T-Molding: $11
2x 8' 2x4s (Cut to 1.5x1.5"): $7
Drywall Putty: $6
Primer Paint: $6
1 1/4" Drywall Screws: $4
2" Woodscrews: $4

Electrical/Computer Parts Total: $147
Dell Optiplex 320 Computer (craigslist): $30
LP-2020A+ Hi-Fi Mini Amplifier: $21
19" Samsung LCD Monitor (craigslist- I plan on disassembling to build into the cabinet): $20
2x 5 1/4" car audio speakers (Goodwill): $20
16" LED Undermount Counter Light (For marquee): $18
Momentary power button: $3
EL Wire w/ Sound activated controller: $35

Arcade Parts Total: $142
Mini-PAC Standard w/ Harness: $50
2x J-Stik Ball-Top Joysticks: $44
17x Happ Pushbuttons: $36
2x Illuminated Coin Buttons: $8
3x Amico 6A/250V 3Pin Rocker Switches (will use to control various lights): $4

Tools:
Tablesaw
Jig Saw
Drill + countersink bit, 1 1/8" Hole saw
Router - Straight bit, 45 bevel, Slot cutting bit
Hand sander - 120, 220 paper
Hand clamps, Bar Clamps

[mgb]

I like it.
I really like how you're setting a focus on a particular budget and you're being resourceful within that budget by getting parts from different sources such as goodwill. Nice.
A fullsize cab for $300 is nice. 

[miketron]

Here is the initial plan. I've squeezed most everything onto the two sheets digitally. I bought an extra sheet knowing that there will be a few mistakes and unaccounted for parts. I didn't spell out the 1.5x.1.5 framing because I figure there will be plenty of that to go around.

[miketron]

After some quality time in the shop, here are the first assembly pictures. Of course, I was busy, so these are near final work picks. Overall I am pretty happy with the layout and how easily the cuts came out. I upgraded my miter gauge to a high-tech incra job about a month ago and I really got to put it to use on some of the more complex cuts. The drawer seems to slide nicely without any metal hardware, so I think I may just save some expense there. I am trying a combination of the drywall putty and glue/water method for edge sealing to see what I like the best.

My original plan is to leave the back open (saving material) but I will need to make sure the cabinet retains it's rigidity.

One other item I just purchased that I will be adding to my total - Meritline had a $6 PS3 controller special - http://www.meritline.com/showproduct.aspx?source=s2010&ProductID=47352&SEName=komodo-nxp3-050-wired-usb-controller-ps3 I ordered two of them for console emulation. I don't expect to be wowed, but I will post a review of them once I get my mitts on them. I probably won't be playing anything beyond SNES anyway.

[Acids]

You're off to a great start.  fingers crossed you keep within budget 

[miketron]

Just another update...

It sure was handy having a router and a 45 bevel bit for the monitor opening. I'm planning on flush mounting my monitor behind it. I was planning on buying a circle cutter for the speaker openings but I ended up free styling it after not wanting to wait for Rockler to ship me a $40 jig. They turned out pretty good, but will need some sanding.

I like how my control board drawer is turning out. I'm not going to put any drawer rollers on it and instead I will use some low friction tape for the bottom side of the drawer.

I've been trying a combination of the drywall spackle and glue method for sealing the end grain. I prefer to use the drywall stuff because of how easy it is to sand. I would recommend sticking with that if I were to build another cabinet.

I put one coat of primer on. Now I need to do a bunch of sanding. I've never been too impressed with my painting skills, so I may end up rattle canning the final color instead of brushing it on.

[miketron]

Here it is with everything roughed in. The CP was made from a scrap, I will be cutting the plexiglass top for the panel this weekend and then using it for a template to trace onto the wood for my final.

I made blocks out of MDF to hold the monitor in, but I don't know if this is the best way to go. Does anyone have any recommendations?

[Epyx]

Very nice to pick an aggressive budget and stick with it. I only chuckle because im pretty sure $300 is what I spend each cab on just consumables like glue/paint/screws etc.  Knowing how quickly money can drain building these I will be checking in not just for the final product but your monetary status along the way!   

[mgb]

Very nice to pick an aggressive budget and stick with it. I only chuckle because im pretty sure $300 is what I spend each cab on just consumables like glue/paint/screws etc.  Knowing how quickly money can drain building these I will be checking in not just for the final product but your monetary status along the way!   

I hear you there,
 I probably spent that in ideas and materials that didn't work out and then had to be changed.

[miketron]

I hear you there,
 I probably spent that in ideas and materials that didn't work out and then had to be changed.

On that exact note, it's time for the first update with things a changin'.

First, painting has proven much more difficult than I had originally planned. In addition to the first coat of primer I brushed on, I have used one can of spray primer, two cans of grey gloss and four cans of black satin/semigloss. The spray primer was completely unnecessary and I should have only needed three cans of black paint, but I accidentally grabbed and sprayed a semi-gloss for my final coat that I wasn't happy with. I sanded it back down, and reapplied a final coat of satin.  In my list of materials, I will be adding 5 cans of paint @ $4 each.

I'm now done painting, it was a mess and hard to keep everything clean but the job I did was passable. I haven't sprayed that much paint before and tried buffing it to a fine finish. Net-net, I think I picked up some good skills. Side note, if I do a traditional cabinet again, I would think a formica-type laminate would be the way to go.

I spent some quality time with a dremel tool working on my admin control panel. I was going to hide it behind a hinged panel on the bottom. After being pretty proud of how it is turning out, I think I am going to ditch hiding it and leave it exposed. I only wish I had done a better job sealing the end-grain. The amp has a blue led light around the volume knob that might make it look nice. Good news there - I'm taking the piano hinge back to the hardware store and saving some cash.

I drove all over town trying to find a speaker lighting solution. It's Sunday and every car audio place was closed. I did some checking around online and I think I found the perfect solution for what I am trying to achieve at a pretty reasonable price ($29):
http://www.elwirepros.com/sc-portalight-5050.html

I will make some calls tomorrow and, if I can't find it locally, probably go ahead and order from this guy.

Does anyone have any first-hand experience with these?

I'll post some pics and update my materials shortly!

[miketron]

Here are updated pics of the final black paint job:

[miketron]

Well I hoped to be done by now, but you can't rush the artwork, that's for sure. I moved the cabinet into my basement to reclaim some garage space. My favorite addition so far has been the EL lighting around the speakers. I think it turned out looking pretty nice without being over-the-top. It set me back $35, but was worth it.

After a bunch of research, these guy have the best prices/selection:

http://www.elwirepros.com/sound-controlled-el-wire-kits.html

On the budget note, I decided not to use the PS3 controllers, so those are coming out of the budget. Running total is now $460. Minus the mandatory arcade hardware, I'm at about $310. Not bad and I'm not foreseeing any additional expenses since I've done some negotiating for the CP glass and side vinyl.

[miketron]

Acrylic smells bad when it's vaporized. (I learned that)

Lasers. Are awesome. (I already knew that)

Sorry these pics aren't very good, but this is the laser cutter I used for the control panel and transparent speaker rings. I will use the CP glass as a template for my final control board. Now that I know a 'laser guy,' I'm dreaming up all kinds of stuff that needs lasering.