EPOCH arcade Completed!

[jordanshadow]

Almost no pictures for this step sorry. I'm using logitech z-3 speakers as so many other have for my sound. They are an excellent 2.1 setup. Originally I cut out two rectangles and used a router to flush speakers aka "mountain dog style." I used some speaker mesh/fabric to hide the inside of the cabinet. I wasn't a fan of how it looked so I simply added some metal speaker grills externally. With the addition of the speaker mesh they turned out really good!
Here is where I wish I had that picture. The speakers sit within a recess that holds them in place, then I placed a metal handle on each side of the speaker. Heavy duty zip ties then hold the speakers in place. Simple but effective.

The marquee was similarly drama free. I bought two pieces of aluminum, one channeled down the center 1/4" and the other simply 1" by 1". Each piece was spray painted matte black. Low bracket glued into place using wood glue and the top brack put into place using some small 3/4" screws. The lighting is a novamatrix x5. Simply wired up to 12v and wow that artwork pops! A little more work to stop light bleed was all that was needed. I used very thin strips of mdf and simply taped them into place using black duck tape. At just the right thickness the light bleed was gone. The marquee is sandwiched in 1/8" plexi simply cut using my table saw.

[jordanshadow]

Second project was to create exhaust speakers to vent heat. I used x2 120mm fan mounted in a rear panel. These fans glow blue to hopefully cast a light blue shadow on the wall. To create the holes I removed the fan internals and used the inside of the fan as the router template to create a perfect circle jig for air flow. The fans are then simply wired up to a spliced molex connector. Fan grill over the top for aesthetic.

Oh and tell me the rings don't look amazing lit up!

[jordanshadow]

I wanted to create a rear panel that allowed the bass to escape without booming the entire enclosure as well as provide an air intake at the lowest point of the arcade.  The bass escape is simply a router cut rectangle with speaker cloth carefully stretched over it. Simple but effective. I mounted an arcade button and wired it to the pc power which is connected to a smart strip to turn the whole arcade on with a single button. Simply drilled a hole for the plug to exit. Attached two handles. The rear panel simply fits tightly without being full secure. With some effort it can be removed to service the back.

[jordanshadow]

Finally the entire cabinet is enclosed. Here is pictures of the rear with all the t-moulding in place. And finally the very first system boot up! It was very late when it was all completed. Next pictures will be of the final physical construction.

[tophite]

Looks really great!  I like the speaker cloth idea too!

[jordanshadow]

I wrote up a long final summary and of course the pictures were too large and it deleted it  . So here is the shortened version.

I present to you the epoch arcade. It was a long build process filled with literal blood sweat and tears. I learned a lot along the way. I am very pleased with the final outcome and I feel I met my goals and can put this project to rest. I am in no hurry to start up another one!

The final arcade is nearly 7 feet tall, over 450 lbs, solid. Roughly 6000 games from arcade,snes,nes,genesis,n64.

I'm using this as an excuse to throw a party at my house with meat, beer and arcade games. Street fighter tourney included. Over 30rsvp so far! Should be fun. I look forward to stomping my wife in high score contests and seeing how many games I can dismantle with either 1 credit or 3.

Thanks to the various people who have posted over the years and provided insight into the details of undertaking this project. Pictures to come of the party, and I may take a video to show how cool the music video game remixes are that play in the background of the menu.

[jordanshadow]

Looks really great!  I like the speaker cloth idea too!

The speaker idea was just a natural progression of the grate that was used on the alien epyx cab, mame abduction. Lowes and Home depot had really ugly aluminum grates so I simply covered it in speaker cloth. Now it looks good but also acts as a filter for dust. Air gets exhausted out the top thanks to the fans and filtered coming in thanks to the speaker cloth.