AAArcade: Complete newbie doing a HaRuMaN widescreen bartop build

[sarcophagus]

Hey all, long time listener, first time caller.

I'm assembling my first cabinet for my daughters. My idea was to take them through the history of gaming (a la this dude: https://medium.com/message/playing-with-my-son-e5226ff0a7c3). I'm naming it the AAArcade- my 3 daughters all have names that start with A. If we have more kids (because the vasectomy fails), I'll just need to build another cabinet!

My plan is to get all the parts I need, put them together, get things functional, then beautify later. I have very little experience in woodworking and very few tools beyond what you'd get in a crappy $100 Walmart toolbox.

I bought:
From HaRuMaN's Customs:
   Widescreen Bartop-Black Melamine
   Marquee & Bezel Plastics
   Marquee Retainer
   VESA Screws
   With shipping, ~$200
   
From eBay:
   Happ concave buttons and Happ competition sticks-6 blue buttons and a blue stick, 6 red buttons and a red stick, 1P and 2p buttons (about $40)
   2 Zero Delay encoders with wires(about $10 each, $20 total)
   some PCB mounting feet ($5)

From CyberPowerPC:
   Fang Mini PC ($99 after rebates! Black Friday deal) http://slickdeals.net/f/7426850-cyberpowerpc-fang-mini-r9-sff-gaming-pc-99-after-mir
      Decent computer with laptop parts, including a dedicated laptop 3d card. Might be overkill for MAME, but hey, 99 bucks!
      
From Amazon:
   Monoprice circular 3-Ports USB 2.0 HUB with Audio (In-Desk) ($10)
   Velcro Industrial Strength 15ft x 2in tape, Black ($22)
   18oz Gorilla Wood Glue ($6)
   Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter ($10)
   1 8gb 1.35v DDR3 SODIMM (computer only has 2gb ram) ($60)

I have:
   XBOX 360 wireless gaming receiver and 2 wireless controllers for 4 player games or games that need analog controls
   Old 19" Hanns-G LCD monitor, probably TN with not so great viewing angles - this will be the first thing I replace
   Wireless mouse and KB
   Old computer speakers that I'd like to replace with something better eventually
   USB hub for inside cabinet
   Old power strip for inside cabinet
   
Beautification stuff that I'll get around to once this thing works:
   20ft 1/2" black T-molding
   LED light strip or cold cathode
   Art for sides and CP
   Marquee art
   Fused power switch for back to solder to power strip
   New monitor- 22" or 23" IPS panel with VESA mount, whatever is reasonbly priced and fits in HaRuMaN widescreen kit
   
I'm going to use this thread to keep track of progress and document all the stupid mistakes I make in the process. If you see a rookie mistake coming a mile off, let me know! Any and all advice or help is appreciated!

[sarcophagus]

HaRuMaN did a great job packaging up stuff for transport. The widescreen kit arrived and is beautiful!


I glued the admin panel, the top panel, the speaker panel, CP batons, and rear panel batons to the two side panels, and it seems very sturdy. I already made my first mistake, however. I should have waited to install the rear panel batons. Having those in there prematurely is a royal pain.

Right now I'm trying to get enough time to go to the hardware store. I need to buy some washers to mount the monitor to the monitor panel with the VESA screws, but the included ones are too long.



My first question is, should I buy extra washers? My monitor is pretty fat, and I'd like to replace it with a wider, more modern monitor later. I'd like to do that without removing the monitor panel and sliding it forward. Can I accomplish this by just putting washers between the monitor panel and the monitor, assuming the new monitor is significantly thinner than the old one? Would this be unstable?

Second question: what is the optimal monitor angle for a widescreen bartop? The widescreen kit seems to be designed for the monitor to press against the plexiglass, which is touching the back of the speaker panel and the CP batons. Is this by design for a perfect viewing angle or is it arbitrary?

Third question: The kit is made of 1/2" melamine coated MDF. I was originally planning to just screw the joysticks into the bottom of the control panel, but I'm getting the idea from reading other posts that this might not be a great long term solution, so I'm planning to use 1 inch carriage bolts and nuts to mount the sticks (the Happ stick mount is 1/4" inch thick). As this is my first build, simplicity is probably more important than aesthetics, so I don't mind terribly if there's 8 bolts on the top of the CP. I've heard people talk about countersinking and other methods, but I'm not sure my rookie skills are up to the challenge. Any advice?

[Malenko]

First Question:  I moved my mount when I changed monitors, as long as the holes for the mount dont overlap at all, you'll be fine.  Washers are a feasible solution if you want to go that route.

Second Question: The optimal angle is the one you like best. Ive seen them flat against the plexi and Ive seen them back a bit. Your cab, your choice.

Third question: I had sticks mounted in with lath screws and they were functional, but I was always afraid during rough play they'd get dislodged. I'd advocate using joystick carriage bolts. Functionality should always have precedence over aesthetics.

Went from this on the CP (you can see the screw heads):


to this:


and I used industrial velcro to mount the CP board to the CP batons.

[sarcophagus]

Thanks a lot, Malenko! I'm going to mount all that stuff just as soon as I figure out how to drill into melamine without chipping it.

[Malenko]

start with a smaller bit then very slowly work your way up.   There is no chip proof way, but that's the safest way I've come up with, but Im no expert.  Worst case, you have to order another CP from Haruman, WITH the bolt holes already cut out 

[sarcophagus]

Mounted my monitor a while back. Steps:
   

• Decased my monitor (just the front to get the screen as close as possible to the player).
• Mounted the monitor to the VESA mounting board using the included screws and a few washers I picked up from the hardware store (M4 bolts/ washers, IIRC). I made sure it was nice and snug.

   

• Turned the cab on its side and put the monitor in, just to test it out. I put the control panel on there too, just to make sure that the full screen was visible and that everything had room to fit.

   

• After removing the monitor, I put the mounting brackets on the VESA panel, drilled holes (smaller than the supplied screw size), and screwed them in. Things to watch out for: When HaRuMaN says to use washers because the screws are too long, he meant it! I got overeager and the screws started poking out when I attached them. Fortunately, it was the VESA panel and not the sideboards. I learned my lesson and bought some washers. Then I reattached the monitor.

   

• I put some masking tape on the sideboards under where the panel should go.
• I put my assembled kit on the floor, with the marquee and the admin panel touching the ground. Then I put in the plexiglass with the mounted monitor on top.
• I marked on the masking tape where the bracket holes should go, took everything out, and screwed everything in, making sure to use washers to prevent the screws from punching through the side boards. My first hole was made with a drill bit that was a touch too big (rookie mistake!), so that screw is a wee bit loose.

For better or for worse, everything is mounted now. I tested it out using my Surface Pro:


It's ALIVE!

[sarcophagus]

Note: After mounting this, I was immediately disappointed with a few things:
1. The quality of my TN panel. While it was the height of speed back in 2006 when I got it, the viewing angles are terrible. Viewed from slightly below, colors shift and the glossy screen reflects Particularly because
2. The monitor is tilted a bit too far back. If I had it to do again, I'd try to find a way to make it closer to vertical. I'm not sure this could be easily fixed; the VESA panel can't rotate back any further because it's touching the rear panel batons. Perhaps if I made a small cutout in the batons for
the VESA panel, this could be fixed, but it doesn't bother me enough to take drastic action.
3. 5:4 aspect rati.o For older MAME games, SNES and NES, the 1280x1024 resolution is not really a problem, but when I want to boot up a more modern game, I find myself wishing for a wider monitor. It would also be nice to dynamically display bezel art. Also, when I look closely, I can see individual pixels.
4. My mounting skills. After putting the plexiglass between the monitor and the back of the speaker panel, I realized that I mounted the monitor just a smidge too far forward. It will work, but there's going to be some pressure on the top of the monitor's bezel, which probably isn't great for it.

It's functional and my 3 year old won't know the difference, but it makes me want to get back on the upgrade treadmill.

[Generic Eric]

It's functional and my 3 year old won't know the difference, but it makes me want to get back on the upgrade treadmill.

Your child will suffer from withdraw.  Build a new one.  Let the kid play on the first one.

[sarcophagus]

Yeah, I was thinking of trying to do more of the woodworking myself. Maybe a Vigolix Pi-powered build?

[sarcophagus]

Next on the list was getting everything into the Control Panel. While it may not be difficult to put a quality CP together, I goofed up plenty of things despite a head start (designed beforehand, pre-drilled holes, etc).

   HaRuMaN predrilled holes for buttons and joysticks on the control panel and admin panel. Installing the buttons was easy! Just insert the button assembly, screw on the retaining nut and attach the switch. Once you get the hang of it, you can get them all in quickly. The admin panel buttons went in easily as well. I'm using authentic Happ buttons for the 12 CP top buttons, and some fake Happ style buttons for the admin panel. I thought that this CP thing would be a breeze.

   Based on the recommendation of many a BYOACer, I mounted the control panel to the batons using some industrial Velcro. It really is nice stuff. Important note: Make sure you stick the strips of Velcro to both surfaces and let them sit separately for a while (maybe overnight?) with some pressure before you put them together. I put the control panel on immediately, and when I tried to take it off again, the Velcro proved stronger than the adhesive, leaving both strips stuck together, attached to the control panel. I had to separate them and wood glue the velcro strip back on the top of the admin panel. It might not be a bad idea to wood glue it to the top of the admin panel right off the bat, particularly since that's the one surface where the glue needs to stick to MDF rather than a melamine surface.

   It was then that I realized the depth of my hubris; I had mounted the admin panel wrong, which means my admin buttons were occupying the space meant for my undermounted Happ joysticks. If I would have rotated the admin panel 180 degrees, the admin buttons would have been several inches to the right, completely clearing the joystick. I played around with using extra Happ button retaining nuts, but it looked lame to me and felt way too kludgy.
   Having read most of Project Arcade, I remembered that there were other types of buttons than the long Happ pushbuttons. Sanwas snap-in buttons are much shorter, allowing them to be mounted without interfering with the joysticks. I bought a bunch of 30mm Sanwa knockoff buttons. They look different when mounted (convex vs concave, they seemed glossier, slightly different colors, plunger diameter is a bit larger), but for the black buttons on the admin panel, it wouldn't matter much. Besides, having a different style of button might help the start buttons pop more. Later on this revealed another problem (different sized terminals), but that's a problem for another day.

   Once I had the correct buttons installed, I could mount the joystick. I bought eight 10-24 by 1-1/2" carriage bolts with matching nuts. I would have liked black carriage bolts, but I couldn't find any. I might track some down online so I don't have shiny silver boltheads on my CP. Or maybe there's a way to paint them? Electrical Tape?
   I created my own bootleg mounting template by placing the mounting plate of the Happ competition joystick face down on a piece of paper. I drew a line around the perimeter and marked the bolt holes by putting a pencil through the hole and drawing the hole. I marked the center hole by placing the paper on top of the mounting plate and shining a flashlight up through the center hole. I could then draw a circle that more or less matched the hole in the middle of the plate where the actual joystick goes. I didn't do any routing or anything; with 1/2" melamine and Happ sticks, the sticks are a good length.
   I taped my template to the CP and started drilling. Based on Malenko's recommendation, I drilled using a small bit first, then progressively larger. There was some minor chipping of the melamine surface, but the chips were small enough that the bolt head completely covered them.

   Once all 8 holes were drilled (4 for each stick), I mounted the stick underneath the CP and wrenched the nuts tightly. I put the stick, dust washer and spacer into the base, then added the square actuator and retaining clip. The clip is hard to attach, but a pair of pliers and some elbow grease got it into place.


   Wiring the buttons and the sticks to the Zero Delay encoders was not terribly difficult, but it helps to have a little practice. The Zero Delay encoders come with nice wires with .187 quick disconnects on one end and the other end has a plastic connector which goes right into the board. No need to mess with common ground or any of that stuff. Make sure that you connect the wire to the "Normally Open" terminal with the colored wire and the "Common" terminal with the white one. 
   Getting the quick disconnnects on the terminal is a bit of a pain the first few times, but if you wiggle it side to side while inserting, it helps quite a bit.

   Mistakes I made:
   I assumed that the top switch was "up" on the stick, but because it's on the other side of the fulcrum of the lever, the top switch should be connected to "down." Left and Right are likewise switched.
   When I replaced the admin panel buttons with fake Sanwas, I didn't realize that they have a different terminal size. They fit .110 quick disconnects. The .187s fit, but they're rather loose. I'd like to think that I'll fix this at some point, but I'm probably lying to myself.
   When I made a mistake wiring, I pulled too hard on the quick disconnect while attempting to remove it and pulled the wire right out of the disconnect. Be careful while pulling, folks!
   I couldn't find appropriate size screws to attach the encoders to the control panel top, so I velcroed them on. This is a bad idea; it tends to stick to the CP velcro and doesn't hold the encoder firmly to the back. Also, while I don't think that Velcro is conductive, there's a chance that it might do something funky from a circuit standpoint. I bought some feet but haven't put them on yet. The encoders are hanging by the wires, lightly stuck to the Velcro right now.

[sc23]

Hey mate, nice work. Control panels can be fiddly. On my first panel I did the same with my admin buttons. Wanted them in front of the joysticks and drilled holes before realising the buttons wouldn't fit because of the bottom of the sticks. I did the same as you and got some snap ins and just soldered some wire to the smaller terminals. Everyone makes mistakes its how you fix them that counts.
I used an old TN screen that looked perfect when I played, but from the kids perspective ( slightly lower than mine ) the picture was bad, Dell Ultrasharp monitors are a common ex-lease monitor you can pick up pretty cheap that look real good from a reasonable angle, and if your cab fits they are one of the only 20-22 4:3 you can find.
Good work so far.

[Malenko]

I think it looks great, just needs some art.   For the smaller terminals, you can slide the QC over then GENTLY squeeze the sides with needle-nose pliers, it'll bent the QC but lock it in place. The harder you squeeze the harder it'll be to ever get it off.

[yotsuya]

To get around the Admin panel button issue, I buy Ultimarc Gold Leaf Buttons.

[sarcophagus]

I used an old TN screen that looked perfect when I played, but from the kids perspective ( slightly lower than mine ) the picture was bad, Dell Ultrasharp monitors are a common ex-lease monitor you can pick up pretty cheap that look real good from a reasonable angle, and if your cab fits they are one of the only 20-22 4:3 you can find.
Good work so far.

Thanks for the advice. I'll look for some UltraSharp monitors once our budget recovers from the Christmas decimation.

I think it looks great, just needs some art.   For the smaller terminals, you can slide the QC over then GENTLY squeeze the sides with needle-nose pliers, it'll bent the QC but lock it in place. The harder you squeeze the harder it'll be to ever get it off.

Sounds good. One of the issues I was having was that because they were so loose, the two terminals were swaying and touching each other, completing the circuit and pressing the button. I might have to go in there with some electrical tape after I use the pliers. And I might have to buy a new set of cables to replace the old ones. My cheapest option (other than learning how to use a soldering iron) might be to buy a whole new ZD encoder for $10 off ebay and using those wires.

[JDFan]

Nice work - I'm sure the girls will love it (If they can get you off so they can play it  )

A couple points :

1. For the carriage bolts - Any black spray paint can be used to just remove them put them into a piece of cardboard or foam to stand them up and give a couple quick coats of Black - Or another alternative is the black Plasti Dip (It's a spray just like spray paint but is a plastic rubber so gives more of a rubberized texture for about $6 at Home Depot)

2. If looking for a Dell Ultrasharp keep an eye on ArrowDirect.com for a sale (there is a thread in the Everything else Sub forum with some discount codes or RetailMeNot.com lists them) - I picked up a couple 1905FPs for around $25 each shipped - when on sale and during their free shipping sitewide special near christmas that have great viewing angles (currently the only sale going for cheap monitors is their $10 off ( 10OffAny ) so the same monitor with tax and shipping is $41 (still a decent price but gets better when they have a sale going or free shipping (which saves $12) ) - So keep an eye out.

EDIT : Sent you a PM as Found a sale on arrowdirect.com for the 1905FP @ $27 Including shipping using code "reddit" in case you wanted to order one !

[sarcophagus]

Thanks JDFan. We did a little SNES Thomas the Tank Engine and Great Waldo Search. With kids on my lap, the viewing angles weren't atrocious. I might try and wait til I can get a larger 16:10 IPS screen with reasonable refresh so I can have some bezel art (and just in case daddy wants to play some PC games on there). Any advice on something like that? I looked at ArrowDirect, but my memory of late 2000s monitors isn't that great :-)