Starfighter Arcade, updated with arcadeGuns.com

[jongunz]

Hopefully everything will go according to plan.  I'm basing my project off of project mame cabinet design, only difference is I'm making it wider to accomodate a large LCD screen and I made it a few inches taller.  Hopefully everything will come out decent.  Only thing I'm really worried about is artwork.  I'm going to paint the cabinet black and have white T-molding.  I'm hoping to just do everything in black and white (buttons, controls, art).  I've used photoshop before but illustrator is not my cup of tea yet.  I've tried playing around a bit but so far not doing so hot with it.  I do have the cabinet upright so things are going ok so far.  I'll try to keep this thread updated with pics.  Hoping to be completed in a couple of months.







Here are the finished photos for ease of navigation:











New updates with Guns:

[CaptainMarvel]

Well, you're already several steps ahead of ME        


Keep up the good work  . . . and PLEASE be sure to post LOTS of progress pics as you go !!



QUESTION:
What method are you using to attach/secure the side panels to the overall frame?

[skjerk]

  Nice start! - Looks very promising, what do you plan on running on the cab?

[jongunz]

So far for attaching the sides I used a countersink drill bit to put pilot holes through the MDF and then just used regular wood screws to attach to the bottom plate that i constructed.  Alot of wood glue as well as screw on the attachment strips. 

The overall plans for the cabinet are to strictly run mame Arcade games  ( no console stuff).  I'm going with a six button layout for two players, and I bought  4 way joystick to put in the middle of the CP for pacman, donkeykong, and other games that require 4 way.  Just hope I have enough room to squeeze all that in on a 28inch wide CP.  I have downloaded a lot of fighters and a lot of old classics like karate champ, rootbeer tapper, all the donkey kong's etc.  Hopefully I'll be able to get them all to work properly.

[jongunz]

Used Gimp to come up with my first attempt at CP artwork.  NOthing fancy.  Just some button outlines.  I'm trying to do strictly a black and white theme.  Not even sure if I'm gonna do any artwork on the side.  Will help cut down on cost.  Maybe just Marquee, kickplate and cp overlay.

Here's the overlay.  I'd probably try to make the kickplate look similar.  Need to work on the marquee though.  Trying to keep it super simple and clean.



 

[yotsuya]

The MAME ARCADE (which I would personally delete) looks slightly off center. But I like the B&W lines.

[Brian74]

The space between the left joystick and buttons looks to be wider then the other side.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2

[jongunz]

May be slightly off, this isn't the final design.  Just my first attempt.  The mame aracade is off to the right.  Not sure about the joystick, I thought I copied it from the first one but I can go back and re-do it.

I threw the Mame Arcade at the bottom just to add a little extra to the dead space in the middle.

[yotsuya]

An 8-bit Space Invader would look cool in place of Mame Arcade. Just a thought.

[severdhed]

An 8-bit Space Invader would look cool in place of Mame Arcade. Just a thought.

+1

Sent from my Galaxy SIII using Tapatalk.

[jongunz]

Try Number 2 Any comments?  2 6button layout.  And a 4way/2 button layout in the middle.  Gonna work on a marquee for them as well to match.

[DaOld Man]

I like your layout, HOWEVER; I would go with automated 4/8 way joystick. No need for a separate 4 way, if you use automation, man! 
I like the way the cab is shaped, watching your project!

[yotsuya]

Try Number 2 Any comments?  2 6button layout.  And a 4way/2 button layout in the middle.  Gonna work on a marquee for them as well to match.

Much better! 

[jongunz]

I added the honeycomb pattern back.. Just like the more white that gets added.  Also I understand what you are saying, but I'm gonna go with the 4 way in the middle.  I know you could automate it with servos or something, but It's already costing more than my wife was going to allow me to spend.  I got some more work done and will post pics tomorrow with the progress.

[a1pharm]

The Mag-Stick Plus from Ultimarc = $35, and is a switchable 4/8 way stick from the TOP of the CP.  You just pull up on the stick and twist.  You should one of these sticks, and get rid of the dedicated 4 way.  Seriously.

As for the artwork, great first few attempts.  I like the space invader and the whiter background.  I know you said you want to keep the theme B/W, but have you thought about using only red hardware?  I think that would really make this thing pop!

Cheers!
 

[jongunz]

Got alot done this weekend.  Hopefully I'll start putting some paint on the cabinet next weekend.  And Have a marquee and CP printed out to start cutting the botton holes in the CP.

[jongunz]

Added a video of sound test.  I'm using the power from a set of computer speakers to drive the 4 inch speakers.  Hope it holds up cause I don't want to have to buy a amp to hook up in there.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/59064264@N06/10128401646/#secretaae6674c58

[jongunz]

Also the 4 way player stick is gonna stay.  It actually has a red ball top which I agree should set it off with a little bit of color.  Everything else on the CP will be black and white.  I already bought everything for the CP and have it on hand so I'm not gonna try and send it back to get 4/8 way swithables.  I also thought I read they weren't as good? 

[CaptainMarvel]

Looking Good !!!  . . .  It's exciting to see it coming together.



QUESTION:
You may have mentioned it already, but how did you attach the side panels to the overall framework?
I don't see any screws/screw holes.




Looking forward to seeing your control panel build progress as well ... be sure to take LOTS of pics along the way.
(yah, that's a selfish request - but seriously, the WIP photos are so incredibly educational)


 

[jongunz]

All the front and back panels have the screws going through them into the furring strips that are attached to the side panels.  There are some screw holes at the base of the sides that attach to the base plate I made.  You just can't see them in the pics.  I will fill them in though before paint so that no screw holes will be visible on the front.  On the back I'll leave them open so I can pull off the back plate if I need to.

[jongunz]

Got a lot more done of the past couple of weeks. I've primed it and am ready to paint.  Still need to find someone that prints graphics, but here are some current pics.  Will be doing black paint later tonight.

Here are previous photos of mounting coin door, marquee light, marquee holders, and potential monitor mount.

[jongunz]

Primered and back lower door and power plug installed.

[Rick]

Dude, I only JUST saw the assembly pics a minute ago! Pace yourself! (Nice build!)

[jongunz]

Black will go on later tonight, and I came up with a fresher theme.  I'm going to Call it Starfighter Arcade classics based off the Last Star Fighter.  Side art will just be a small logo from the movie, also I have modified the CP slightly but it's pretty much the same just the button surrounds are not black and white, they will have the blue and red colors in it.

[jongunz]

Pace myself... It'll hopefully be finished soon.  I've already got all the components.  Only thing I need to do is get the artwork printed up and I'll hopefully be done in the next week or so.  I hope to work on it every day this week as I go to school online while I work a full time job and I have a break from school this week. SO far it's taken a few hours each day and usually all day on the weekends.

[drventure]

Nice. I like the starfighter theme. Its just just a little more pop than the invader theme.

I've got the 4/8 switchable magsticks and personally, I quite like them. But I like the u360s way more  and they're much more flexible in how you can use them.

But hey, it's easy enough to upgrade later (or just build a different cabinet 

[jongunz]

My CP will be easily removed so It's not going to be a big deal to yank it off and re-do down the line if I'm not happy with it after playing on it a year or so.

[keilmillerjr]

Looking awesome! I'm actually quite nervous about the actual cabinet building process myself. Seems like you have that down quite well! 

[yotsuya]

My first build is Starfighter-themed (in fact, that's the name of my "Arcade"). Let me know if you need any artwork. I got the sides printed up of eBay for $15. 10x10 inch circles.

[skjerk]

Nice build! - Classic, and awesome artwork

Are you going to do something at the bottom front? - I would be a little nervous about having the sides stick out like this with no  support! - I mean when the party is on, it's easy to get those kicked a bit.

[CaptainMarvel]

Looking awesome! I'm actually quite nervous about the actual cabinet building process myself.

What parts are you most nervous about?

[keilmillerjr]

Looking awesome! I'm actually quite nervous about the actual cabinet building process myself.

What parts are you most nervous about?

I am nervous about where 1x2 strips would be needed for support, and where they are not needed. Is screwing through mdf into mdf with the aid of glue a bad idea? Would using dowels be a good idea? I'm slowly designing my cab in sketchup. When it's finished, my silly construction questions will need to be answered and it might change my final model before I actually build it.

It just seemed like you built the cab rather quickly. Some of it might have been made "on the fly", something that probably comes with experience.

PS The art looks amazing. Awesome progression from what you started with.

[jongunz]

I actually have no experience.  THis is my first build.  I got the Tmolding installed and monitor mounted.  Plus tested out what the artwork will look like.  Luckily we have a plotter/printer at my office that can print large paper documents.

[Yvan256]

Awesome build so far and I like the idea of picking Starfighter, one of the rare movies to put an arcade cabinet at the core of the story.

I think your artwork is excellent for the sides and the control panel, however something seems a bit off with the marquee, it doesn't match the awesomeness of the control panel. Have you tried to make it with two red bars and two blue bars with the text on the black background, with the swordwings pointing either to the middle or to the outside instead of pointing up? Or even omit the swordwings from the marquee since they already are on the control panel and the sides?

If that is your first ever build, I cannot wait to see what you will do on your second build.

[jongunz]

I appreciate your suggestion, but I'm gonna leave the marquee as is. 

[jongunz]

Damn.. I think I'm just about finished with the cabinet, only hangup is going to be graphics,  I called monster Arcade in Marietta because I live in Atlanta, GA, and asked them who they source for artwork, but they use gameongraphics.com.  Not a big deal, but that means I'm prolly gonna have to wait 2 weeks to get started on the CP.
  I'm getting the plexi glass ready for the bezel, so that should  be last item before putting in the CPU and firing it up.


Anyone know of anybody local in Atlanta who does good printing?  Also can anyone recommend the best Jukebox software?  I tried AJ8, it's not bad, but doesn't really sort all the songs the way I'd like.

[a1pharm]

Damn.. I think I'm just about finished with the cabinet, only hangup is going to be graphics,  I called monster Arcade in Marietta because I live in Atlanta, GA, and asked them who they source for artwork, but they use gameongraphics.com.  Not a big deal, but that means I'm prolly gonna have to wait 2 weeks to get started on the CP.
  I'm getting the plexi glass ready for the bezel, so that should  be last item before putting in the CPU and firing it up.


Anyone know of anybody local in Atlanta who does good printing?  Also can anyone recommend the best Jukebox software?  I tried AJ8, it's not bad, but doesn't really sort all the songs the way I'd like.

Lucian045 (Brad) is an EXCELLENT printer in NY.  SUPERB quality of prints, and fast turn around time.  Here's a link to his post at hyperspin:

http://www.hyperspin-fe.com/forum/showthread.php?14155-Decals-and-Printing-for-your-HyperSpin-Cabinet

I will be using him exclusively from now on.

[Sig00]

Awesome! Looks like it's coming together great! I really really really like your updated artwork, and listening to your sound test made me want to hurry up and finish my cabinet. Keep up the solid progress!

[jongunz]

I think I'm pretty much done until I can get artwork to cut out my CP.  I also am going to re-skin my hyperspin to match my artwork so we'll see how that comes out.  Here's some pics of it finished up.  I got the bezel and everything installed.  I'm not 100% sure what I want to do with my CPU.  May just set it inside the cabinet still in it's case.only reason I could think of to not do that was if i needed to move the whole cabinet, but I have an access door and it comes out easily.

Here's some final cabinet pics until I can get the CP setup.










The one thing I like the most is how well the 27" monitor works in this cabinet.  It fit perfectly with the cabinet 28 inches wide.  I used the project mame design but stretched the width and made it a few inches taller.

I think I completed my goal  (to build my own arcade and not have it featured on "Crap Mame").  I was worried at first, but all the molding and paint turned out perfect.  Hopefully the graphics will really set it off.

[jongunz]

Also the only thing I would change would be to move the coin door up about 4-5 inches.  It's a little above centered on the bottom plate but looks lower.  The thing I like about it being there is I can access the computer from the front of the cab.