Punch-Out Pedestal (90% done)

[jmike]

Wanted to announce my new project here. It's based on spkywlnt73'S Castlevania pedestal project here:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,117320.msg1242925.html#msg1242925

Haven't decided on the artwork yet but hopefully I can get some cool suggestions from you guys. Also not sure whether to use a PC or a modded xbox with Vision and Coin-ops.
Here are some pics. let me know what you think.
Comments, suggestions welcomed.

 

[skjerk]

Wow - looking good! - Can't wait to see that one come to life 

[jmike]

Thanks skjerk,
          I'm really excited about this project too. Here's some of the hardware I'll be using.
First pic shows the PC I'll be using (nothing to impressive but should do the job).
2nd and 3rd pic shows a sound activated LED STRIP "EL Wire"  I bought off ebay, was around $20
I'll probably use some Happ joysticks I had laying around but I had bought these aluminum blue joysticks handles to replace the plain black ones. (hopefully I can get my hands on a pair of the "Nep Rings" to light these babies up from the bottom. 
Last pic shows the art I was thinking of using, don't have a marquee idea to match the art but maybe I can talk to Snaake about coming up with something to match. (still undecided about the art).   

 

[jmike]

Got a chance to work on this project a bit more. Here's some pics. Made the height a bit smaller for the control panel (original thinking was to put the admin buttons there) but decided to make the marquee touch the top of the cp instead of having that extra space.

thinking of going with an NES Mike Tyson's punch-out theme.
Had a spare cp laying around but will have to make a new top since I want to add a trackball. Let me know what you think.

 

[spkywlnt73]

Coming along nicely. Let me know if I could answer any questions you may have on the build. It looks like you have it under control though. Can't wait to see it complete.

[Nephasth]

hopefully I can get my hands on a pair of the "Nep Rings" to light these babies up from the bottom.

They're coming dude.

[lcmgadgets]

Looks sweet. I thought those led strips were elwire, the lighting seems so well spread.

[yotsuya]

hopefully I can get my hands on a pair of the "Nep Rings" to light these babies up from the bottom.

They're coming dude.

This whole exchange sounds dirty. 

[jmike]

@Spkywlnt73: Thanks. Quick question how does the location of the speakers work for you? Any regrets or changes you would make or would suggest with my build?

@Nephasth: No problem dude. I still have to make the CP anyway so we've got some time.

@lcmgadgets: yeah the LED strip "EL Wire" was a nice find (cheap too). Not sure I'll be able to use it with this build, but we'll see.


@yotsuya: jealous   


Getting a bit cold outside but was able to do a little more.Trying to get the CP images ready for Snaake.

 

[spkywlnt73]

The speaker placement worked out great for me, the system sounds awesome.cant think of anything I'd change. I've done this build twice now, and the only thing I changed was the art work.

[spkywlnt73]

Also I'd like to point out my inspiration came fromwww.dreamhomearcades.com

[jmike]

Also I'd like to point out my inspiration came fromwww.dreamhomearcades.com

  Yeah those pedestal builds from Dream Home Arcades are pretty sweet. You gave me the idea with your Castlevania build and their Mike Tyson's Punch-out Theme is what I'm after.

Here's what their artwork looks like, mine will have some slight changes. (But hopefully I can avoid having so many screws on the top of the CP)   

[matsadona]

Looks sweet. I thought those led strips were elwire, the lighting seems so well spread.

It sure looks like el-wire to me as well...

[jmike]

Looks sweet. I thought those led strips were elwire, the lighting seems so well spread.

It sure looks like el-wire to me as well...

Guys you are correct. Went back to my ebay purchase history and it is in fact "el-wire".     
here's a link

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281087483788?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

 

[marvin_rock]

jmike - do you have dimensions for the woodworking you've done?  I've got zero woodworking skill, but I can convince a buddy to build it for me if I can give him so idiot-proof blueprints.  I just need them to cut the lumber for me, I'll put it all together, just need dimensions and such for the cuts

[jmike]

jmike - do you have dimensions for the woodworking you've done?  I've got zero woodworking skill, but I can convince a buddy to build it for me if I can give him so idiot-proof blueprints.  I just need them to cut the lumber for me, I'll put it all together, just need dimensions and such for the cuts

Be glad to Marvin. Will post it later tonight.

 

[marvin_rock]

Thank you so much!  You would totally be my hero, I stayed up entirely too late trying to figure it out on my own by measuring pixels last night.

[jmike]

Thank you so much!  You would totally be my hero, I stayed up entirely too late trying to figure it out on my own by measuring pixels last night.

Sorry Marvin_rock got back late last night.
Went out to the garage early this morning and took the measurements for you. Let me know if you need anything else.
All the side measurements are in the pic. The inner pieces are 20 inches and a notch long and you'll have to cut the height to each side measurement.

Good luck.

 

[marvin_rock]

I plan to have it mocked up on cardboard by tomorrow night!

But I'm not going to do the marquee, could you do a quick measurement of this section (sorry my poor paint skillz - once I learn how to make straight lines in GIMP, I'll be golden)

Effectively, if there was no marquee section, would would the measurement of the front to the back be?  Keeping the back angled like it is, so something more than 12, but less than 23.25 inches.

Doing some pixel to inches measurements, my guesstimate is about 20 inches.

[jmike]

@Marvin you're guess was really close. That measures 19 and 7/8 here's a pic.


Also a small update (finally)  .
Got some enormous help from spkywlnt73 and his friend William who did the artwork for me.
Thanks you both     
Here's some pics, CP cut 33 and 1/4 by 16 and 3/4.

 

[Louis Tully]

.

[jmike]

That's some bitchin artwork, man. 


If only you could get a trackball that would match his skin tone. haha

Thanks LT.  I was looking around to see if someone can paint a trackball that color, maybe even add a couple of bandaids on there too. That way his trademark bandaid shows after you spin the trackball.

 

[mgb]

The control panel looks great

[spkywlnt73]

Looking good! Love the artwork. Glad we could help out.

[Generic Eric]

That's some bitchin artwork, man. 


If only you could get a trackball that would match his skin tone. haha

Start smoking?  Leave the trackball in a smokey bar?

[Koolmaqe]

That's some bitchin artwork, man. 


If only you could get a trackball that would match his skin tone. haha

Start smoking?  Leave the trackball in a smokey bar?

This made me laugh. Seriously though, I saw some Ash coloring for T Shirts that's almost a Stain...

[Santoro]

Looking good Mike!

[jmike]

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions.

@Santoro  Glad to see you around again.   

Holidays, shopping and family have really cut down on garage time but here's a small update on the top of the control panel/plexi.
Here's some pics with brief descriptions to help out some of our new members.
 
1 pic shows plexi cut to size of CP
2 pic Placed the artwork over the CP to drill pilot holes.
3 pic Pilot holes drilled
4 button holes drilled half way to avoid chip out underneath
5 sanded CP lightly
6 I don't like using a spade bit on the plexi (I tend to put too much pressure and cause it to crack so I use a straight bit to drill out a small hole to fit the flush trim bit (you must have a steady hand to do this or you'll mess up the CP)
7 finished holes on plexi with flush trim bit
Last 2 pics just shows how it will look with some buttons in place. Will use red for player 1 and blue for player 2. (just wanted to see what the yellow would look like)

Also the protective film is still on the plexi, so the art really doesn't show through.

Let me know if you have any questions.

[jmike]

last 2 pics.
I know I said this before but I want to thank William once again, he saved me a lot of time by marking where each button/joystick holes went.   

 

[jongunz]

Sweet.  Looks good.

[jmike]

Sorry fellas,
           there's been lots of things going on at home (both good and bad).
Had some respiratory issues. For all you newbies out there always, always wear safety gear and keep those lungs clear of MDF.
Now for the good. My Wife and I are expecting our third child. (already have 4yr old twin boys) and now we're getting our little girl       Will be here by mid-year.

Anyhow. Here's some of the work I was able to do this weekend, after clearance from the Doctor and the wife.
Been using 1/2 inch MDF. But now that I'm installing the trackball I hope the CP doesn't crack in the middle. As you can see from the first pic I routed out as much as I could without compromising the structure (hopefully).
Also you can see from the 2nd pic that the trackball lip doesn't quite reach the plexi, again I'm worried about routing out more, maybe I can bevel the plexi a bit  .  (anyone got some suggestions??

Last pic has the control panel pretty much set, except for a little more router work for the joystick base.

Thanks for looking
 

[Bobbart]

Great work so far! I'm following this build closely. I think I am going to do something similar. Can you tell me how wide your pedestal is?

Thanks,

Bob

[severdhed]

looks good, i'm loving these pedestal builds.  They are a really great way to maximize functionality and space.

[jmike]

Great work so far! I'm following this build closely. I think I am going to do something similar. Can you tell me how wide your pedestal is?

Thanks,

Bob

Sorry I missed your question Bob.
The inside panels of the pedestal are 20-1/4 and measures 21-1/4 with the sides.

Thanks.

[Bobbart]

Thanks I appreciate the help and look forward to your finished project.

[Le Chuck]

I bet you can rit dye that trackball to match the color on king hippo.  Worth a shot man, worth a mf'ing shot. 

[jmike]

Thanks Le Chuck will look into that.

Crazy weather has been keeping me out of the garage but here's where I'm at currently. Pretty happy with the orange T-molding. Make the art pop even more.
Still haven't decided on a color for the pedestal, maybe color the sides one color and the center a different color 

[jmike]

lets try adding those pictures again.

 

[Le Chuck]

That art is just too much man, it's so fun!  I love it!

[yotsuya]

Props to you for not sticking a ton of buttons and extra controls on there! Looks good.

[mgb]

Looks great

[Vigo]

I love it!! 

[Malenko]

top notch job mike

[yotsuya]

One of the best pedestals here. Simple, functional, and with no wasted parts/space. Hopefully other pedestal builders will look towards this and Castlevania as a source of inspiration.

[Vigo]

Has good taste in cabinet design.

[yotsuya]

Has good taste in cabinet design.

[spkywlnt73]

Looking good!

[jmike]

Thanks for all the kind words guys, it's helping me stay motivated to do things right.   
Had a little time over the weekend.
First off I wasn't completely happy with the control panel box, it seemed a bit too long, it was almost the same size as the CP top so I cut it down 2 inches. First 3 pics, really happy with the way the CP top overlaps the sides now.

Now for the marquee, trying a little something different so we'll see how it turns out.
Basically I want to cut a slot wide enough to squeeze two pieces of plexi into it, kind of like making my own marquee holder. A couple of passes with the slot cutter and here's what I ended up with (see pic "test fit plexi pieces").
Next will have to cut each piece to about 1 inch thick so I have enough room to mount them on the top part of the base. Also will bevel the pieces to give a more finished look.

(Stay tuned for the marquee art, which was also done by William)

(side project)
My wife showed me some perler bead art on Etsy and asked me if I wanted a piece or two, I really like the way they looked but I wanted to try to do them  myself.
So I picked up some perler beads at Michaels and well...

[Malenko]

send me that deadpool pattern!

[jmike]

Will do Malenko
(btw) I like the Mario "?" block you did


Small update:
Finally finishing cutting out the back pieces for this thing.

1st pic shows the door with lock installed. (planning on putting a second door/one for the PC and another for the speakers) Still have to cut the second shelf.

2nd pic shows the wheels installed.

3rd pic: Cut the t-molding slot. Purposely didn't center it since I'm using 3/4 inch orange T-molding for the CP, I wanted it to overlap on the inside. (thought about trimming the t-molding but it would be to noticeable since it continues above the CP. (wood is 1/2 inch)


last pic shows the pedestal standing.

Still left is to mount the marquee and decide on the colors, any suggestions?



Thanks for watching.

[jmike]

Sadly this build is not complete  but getting there, finally.
Almost gave up on this project due to it being jinxed/cursed. Had water come in the garage and ruin the CP, then had 2 separate PCs die on me during this build.
Okay so I think it's about 90% done.
Here's what I've done. Since I'm always moving things around in the game room, I decided to make my own TV mount (1, 2 pics)
My other obstacle was mounting the marquee. Basically sandwiched the art with plexi, and mounted clear corner protectors to pieces of wood. Then attached them with small brackets to the stand. (Marquee pics). As suggested, I kept the CP free of extra buttons. "Escape" button is on the back left side of the CP, and mouse buttons are underneath CP. Power button is on the back. Still left to do is install fans for cooling and attached VGA plate to give it a more finished look.
 

[jmike]

Last couple of pics.
 

[pbj]

Looks great, dude!  Ditch the man cave sign, though.

[Brizzle]

Absolutely original, well designed.  I LOVE IT!

[yotsuya]

I bet that "Man Cave" sign was a gift.

And I'm not a big pedestal fan, but this is definitely one of the best ones I've seen on here. I love seeing well-planned, thoughtful projects. Great job!

[harveybirdman]

It's a fine pedestal, very nice Hordak.

Since punch out was an arcade game I can justify the theme easier,  and on top of that the artwork is very slick.

What consoles are you going to play on it? (Cause 8 buttons?!?! )

[pbj]

What consoles are you going to play on it? (Cause 8 buttons?!?! )

[jmike]

Thanks for the comments fellas.

PBJ/Yotsuya yes it was a gift from a family member and as you see from the picture I can close the door and it's gone.

Harvey, I had originally planned on putting my modded xbox 360 in there as well as a PC (since the xbox mame emulator doesn't run everything).But
someone offered me an xbox One for it so now I have to replace it.

But truthfully if I had to do it over I would definitely go with a 6 button per player layout. 

 

[yotsuya]

Thanks for the comments fellas.

PBJ/Yotsuya yes it was a gift from a family member and as you see from the picture I can close the door and it's gone.

Been there, done that, bro.

[harveybirdman]

Harvey, I had originally planned on putting my modded xbox 360 in there as well as a PC (since the xbox mame emulator doesn't run everything).But
someone offered me an xbox One for it so now I have to replace it.

But truthfully if I had to do it over I would definitely go with a 6 button per player layout. 

 

It really doesn't detract from to overall build that much jmike, just carrying the Nep torch. (pushing my narcissistic agenda of course )

I really do think this is a well executed build!  First thing I'd  play on it would beSuper Punchout on SNES, I facking love that game!

[SNAAKE]

do I see a madcatz xbox 360 steering wheel there?

wanna trade that + $ or something for another jtag/rgh xbox lol..my wheel broke was looking for another one

anyway nice pedastal

[jmike]

Yeah it's a Madcatz. I've been looking at that gray Xbox on your sale thread. PM coming.
 

do I see a madcatz xbox 360 steering wheel there?

wanna trade that + $ or something for another jtag/rgh xbox lol..my wheel broke was looking for another one

anyway nice pedastal

[DesertBlade]

Nice build.   Starting to get inspiration for my build this summer. Do you think it would support a 4 player control Panel?

[jmike]

I would actually make the base wider for a 4-player setup. Also if you're thinking of adding casters, only put 2 in the back and put leg levelers on the front. During serious street fighter/MK matches mine would shift too much so I added the leg levelers on the front. I'll post pics later. It's more stable now.

Nice build.   Starting to get inspiration for my build this summer. Do you think it would support a 4 player control Panel?

[Youraputz]

I love this pedestal (thinking of building one myself).  Do you have any updated plans with dimensions?  I think I've pieced enough together (and I'll probably build a full sized mockup out of foam board first anyway), just thought i'd ask.  Almost more important would be a CP layout mockup, I love your layout, simple and clean.