Out of Africa (Afro Khon?) Finished

[Locke141]

Here is the completed build, see the original first post below.


Thank you Pat for letting me use your class room over the past 3 years to build, tinker, and play. You always half joked that I should build you one of my arcades, so here you go.

Original first post below

After more then two and a half years in Tanzania, our time in Africa is coming to an end. As we prepare to move on to our next post we’ve had to say some tuff good buys. I’ve been very lucky to make some close friends, one happened to be the Design & Technology (DT) teacher, Pat. When we first meat he needed some one to fix the DT lab's 3D printer so I volunteered. Over the next two plus years we repaired, assembled, and figured out how to get every CNC in the DT lab to work. Pat also allowed me to use his class room (the DT lab) to build my first and all but one of my other Arcade builds to date. In the past he has asked half joking when he’s getting one. Well this one is for him.

I’m kind of far along on this one. In fact I wasn’t planning on starting a thread till after it was done. It seems what started out as a build something out of whats ever I had around project, is actually turning into something nice. I thought you guys might help keep me from messing it up.

Here’s where the build is at at the time of the first post.






I have no idea why they won't post up right. If any one can post the code needed to fix them in quotes I would be most grate full.


It’s a little ornate, but wanted it to have a Tanzania/Zanzibari feel.

Flash Back

At the end of each school year the DT lab is cleaned out of the old student projects.


My materials

The original goal was to do 100% of the build from this wast wood and the random parts for projects I never got to.

I started with a top of a small rectangular crate. Then I cut some boards into strips and glued them together to make a base. 

Over the next few days I built up the frame using mostly glue, clamps and the would strips I cut.


In fact there are only 4 screws in the frame. There in the triangles holding the base to the two long vertical strips. the rest was just glued and clamped. 



Added some support for the monitor to rest over.



At this point was just going to skin it with some thing ply that was being throne away. Then had the bright idea to get a quote from the carver who did the dragon head for my pedestal. I won’t say exactly how much it was, as Pat will read this at some point. I will say this, you would be amazed how affordable it is to have things hand carved here.

I used some poster board to trace my frame and added the details like the curve for use as a template. The top of the marquee frame is held in place with strong magnets from an old hard drive. Below is the photo I gave him for the carving.



I still need to do some work on the it but want to settle on a game list. Was planning on a few classics but the 19inch monitor ended up horizontal and not vertical. Now I’m debating if a 6 button build would be better. I could add few Genesis (Streets of rage) and NES (Arkanoid) games as well, but only a few as I want a small list. The PC I have for this is a P4 running XP, but I may be able to get a Core Duo for it. Atomic FE is the front end I'm planing on using.

Also I wanted to call it Afro Khon but could not decide if it could be construed as racist if taken out of context. What do you all think?

 

[vwalbridge]

Well this build is certainly unique and nontraditional for sure. 

Is the hing on the front-center aesthetic or does it serve a purpose?

[SpaceHedgehog]

Snip

What do you all think?

Awesome, unique, crazy and magical are words which spring to mind. It's beautifully carved.

It's a shame about the monitor not being vertical as you wanted. Given it's horizontal, a 6 button layout would be my preference.

[Locke141]

The CP opens from a hidden hing in the back. That "hing" you see is actually an ornate latch.

Awesome, unique, crazy and magical are words which spring to mind. It's beautifully carved.

It's a shame about the monitor not being vertical as you wanted. Given it's horizontal, a 6 button layout would be my preference.

Thanks, coming from you that is quite the compliment.
I made a mistake in planning and ended up with the 19'' only fitting in horizontal. 

[Locke141]

The out side is finished up and back at the school.





List of things to do:
-install the monitor and computer
-Add some tinted class in front of the monitor.
-The CP

The CP has been bothering me. If you look at the lid on the build as it is now its beautiful. I don't know if I have the hart to put a bunch of holes in to it. Was thinking that I may be able to make some nice small fight stick like controller units that can be keeped under the lid. It's just so nice I don't want to mess it up now.

[emphatic]

You should go with transparent Japanese buttons and do gold leaf inside the button plunger. Great job! 

[SpaceHedgehog]

That theme looks like a great fit emphatic ... and from a B15SDM Designs stick, no less.

[vwalbridge]

This guy sells some pretty fancy wood joystick ball-tops that might compliment this cab well. They are pretty spendy at $55 and I just noticed they are sold out but...

http://arcadeshock.com/products/sanwa-denshi-briar-balltops-lb-35-brw-2-types-to-choose-from

Also this page shows you how to make your own wood buttons:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-buttons-for-joysticks-or-arcades/step5/Placing-the-plunger-in-the-button/

[ChanceKJ]

Sick build! 

[dmckean]

Someone should hack Donkey Kong to make the Jumpman and Pauline sprites black.

[Locke141]

This guy sells some pretty fancy wood joystick ball-tops that might compliment this cab well. They are pretty spendy at $55 and I just noticed they are sold out but...

Don't have $55 left in this build budget, but do have a lathe at the DT lab. Its new and I don't know how to use it but thats why there's you tube and instructions manuals. Will see if there is time.

I like your rack mount server desktop

That's the schools IT office. It's summer brake. The school is being torn apart for renovations and he probably wanted to work on it with out the network going down.

Sick build! 

Thanks, was thinking of asking to use your ultimate donkey khan art as a base, but decided less is more with carved wood.

Someone should hack Donkey Kong to make the Jumpman and Pauline sprites black.

So Afro Khon is a little over the top?

[mgb]

This is a really cool project.
I love the original concept you've got here.

Relief carvings instead of side art, very cool and original.
 

[AzureKnight]

This is a very creative and beautiful creation so far 

[Locke141]

Thanks guys,

I did some more work on it yesterday and am happy with how it's going. While in the DT lab the IT supervisor/system admin asked me if I could help with the power tools for some work they needed done. We started talking about this build and he's going to try an find me a Core Duo for it from the storage room.

I'll have some time to work on it tomorrow. Hoping to have all, but the software, done by next week.

[yotsuya]

This thread reminds me of this song (which is one of my favorites...)

[vwalbridge]

This thread reminds me of this song (which is one of my favorites...)

Zach Galifianakis hasn't aged much.

[ChanceKJ]

Funny, it reminds me of this...

[Locke141]

Funny, it reminds me of this...

The Africa character does a good job showing the level of frustrations real africans feel dealing with western stereotypes.

Cracked.com (NSFW language) says it best.

In the same way that Hollywood needs to dumb down a novel to turn it into a hit film, they also dumb down Africa's reality, because they assume that you'd be bored by a realistic portrayal of the continent (or you simply wouldn't believe it). They do have things like poverty and corruption and giraffes in Africa, but they also have universities and industries and modern cities, like Nairobi:


Mutua Matheka, Africa is a Country

Every building is made out of rocket launchers.

Imagine if every single movie set in America was filmed in Alaska and focused on gang violence -- that's how Africans feel every time they watch a Hollywood movie about warlords fighting in the desert. Which is a problem for their tourism industry: A board member for the Association for the Promotion of Tourism to Africa even takes the time to explain that there are "middle class people in every African country commuting to work every day, complaining about taxes and watching their kids play soccer every weekend."

That's right: Instead of focusing on the rich wildlife and history, the tourism industry actually has to remind people that coming to their country isn't a F****** death warrant.

       

[Locke141]

So yesterday I was given the keys to the IT storage room and was told to help my self to an old core duo PC. I was also told that I may have to mix and match parts to make a full working system.


Score

I ended up with a core duo with 4gig Ram and Win7 pro. Had to run off after getting it to boot and forgot to look up the CPU specks. I'll add them later.

I also found a milk crate filled with old video cards.

ASUS branded ATI RADEON HD4350 GPU video card the EAH4350 SILENT/DI/512MD2(LP)
It's an old card with modest specks, but it's better then the intergraded graphics on this old PC.

Back door is on, for now. It needs to come off for hole cutting and painting.

The door is a peace of ply I found that was just short of the with needed and was a little warped. I glued on some strips to flatten it back out. The black vertical strip was a piece of ply that was slightly thicker then the rest of the door. I passed it through the table saw a few times, making a lip. I then glue the two pieces together to cover the gap.

Mounted monitor.

[Locke141]

Been working on the art and had the idea to use a pice of etched plexi, with a piece of defused plexi behind it. Something like the energy ball in my VS stick build.

That was a test pice, the final was clear on the VS stick.

Here are my two concept images.



There is more work to do but I think I like the general concept. Was thinking of changing "Donkey" to "Afro" What do you think? 

[BGoulette]

Just make sure the "O" in "Afro" has the same star thingy in it! Seems like a fitting name, given your location and the contributions from local African artisans. (Looking great, btw!)

[harveybirdman]

Love the idea of the etched plexiglass for a build like this!

[JDFan]

Just make sure the "O" in "Afro" has the same star thingy in it! Seems like a fitting name, given your location and the contributions from local African artisans. (Looking great, btw!)

+1 -- Something similar to this

[Locke141]

Just make sure the "O" in "Afro" has the same star thingy in it! Seems like a fitting name, given your location and the contributions from local African artisans. (Looking great, btw!)

+1 -- Something similar to this

What fount is that? It looks good

[yotsuya]

I'd leave it as Donkey Kong myself. I mean, A) the guy you're giving it to lives in Africa, so he doesn't need a reminder, and B) I don't get the need for KHON. Did I miss the significance of that word? I dunno, using the carved Donkey Kong on the sides and a DK marquee makes it seem almost .... authentic. A punny name just makes it another MAME cab. Least that's how I see it. 

[Vigo]

I don't get the need for KHON. Did I miss the significance of that word?

[Locke141]

I'd leave it as Donkey Kong myself. I mean, A) the guy you're giving it to lives in Africa, so he doesn't need a reminder, and B) I don't get the need for KHON. Did I miss the significance of that word? I dunno, using the carved Donkey Kong on the sides and a DK marquee makes it seem almost .... authentic. A punny name just makes it another MAME cab. Least that's how I see it. 

I think your right. I kind of feel the same way about the one that replaced Nintendo with MAME.

Originally this was going to be a vertical build with a 4way joystick. I made a mistake in the planning stage that I didn't catch, so now it's a horizontal with a zippy stick. If I had it to do over and a larger budget, I would have used a 14" SCART monitor, mounted vertically, true leaf buttons, and the pac reunion joy. That would have been nice, but as I said it started off as a "what ever is on hand" build.

[JDFan]

Just make sure the "O" in "Afro" has the same star thingy in it! Seems like a fitting name, given your location and the contributions from local African artisans. (Looking great, btw!)

+1 -- Something similar to this

What fount is that? It looks good

It's Jumpman Font - ( http://www.dafont.com/jumpman.font ) layer duplicated  with a stroke added to the outside of each layer 1 black for the outermost and white for the inner upper layer so that it makes the outlines around the text.

[Locke141]

With a 15 month old, preparing for home leave for the month of August, and a move to a new country in September. I have found less and less time to complete this build. I can probably find a few more hours to work on it before I have to head back to the US. This is leading to some tuff calls, but I'll save that for the end of this post.

Yesterday I drilled all the holes for the CP.


I was planning to have the coin and start buttons side by side, but decided to offset them as I did not want to stress the small space in the hard wood to much. The lay out looks a little high but was done with comfort in mind.

I also did some work on the back door by adding an exhaust fan. I think I found an extra fan port on the mother board that I can use. It would be nice to have the PC control the fan speed as needed.

I have very little time to work on this before I have to leave for the US and the PC is still set up as a multi user work station, that requires admin pass words to make changes. I've asked the IT guys to do a fresh install or to loan me a Win 7 install disc and and the sight license key, but they for some reason done want to pass there key around  . So my problem is do I throw XP on the PC so I can finish on time or do I risk them not getting to the fresh install on time? Are there any draw backs to using XP on a dedicated bar top build?

[ChanceKJ]

I say go XP and be done with it. I don't foresee any issues if you're just throwing MAME on here. It's simples and you can do it now rather then risk incompleteness by having to wait.

[yotsuya]

I say go XP and be done with it. I don't foresee any issues if you're just throwing MAME on here. It's simples and you can do it now rather then risk incompleteness by having to wait.

I agree. Keep it simple.

[Locke141]

XP installed 

After getting XP running, I  used the band saw to cut down the PC case down to the bare minimum to mount the mother board.



 
Then mounted the mother board in the bar top.


Installed the joystick encoder.

If I had an extra Kade I would have used it, but this is mostly a what ever's on hand build.

Did some work on the Door.


After I got it all in the PC gave 3 beep's and would not boot. I think I broke it  Any help here would be appreciated.

Scored some PC speakers that need fixing, going to work on them tonight after wife and baby go to sleep. 

[vwalbridge]

gave 3 beep's and would not boot. I think I broke it  Any help here would be appreciated.

3 short beeps is probably an issue with the RAM. Try...

1. Take ram out and put it back in ensuring it clicks fully into place.
2. Try booting from only one stick of ram

-or-

3. Try booting with RAM from another computer. (Make sure it is the same type of RAM)

[vwalbridge]

I forgot to mention that beeps are going to depend on the motherboard/bios.

This page could help:

http://www.computerhope.com/beep.htm

[vwalbridge]

You guys say Afro Kohn, I think of this:

Is Jax holding his arms off-picture? 

[Locke141]

gave 3 beep's and would not boot. I think I broke it  Any help here would be appreciated.

3 short beeps is probably an issue with the RAM. Try...

1. Take ram out and put it back in ensuring it clicks fully into place.
2. Try booting from only one stick of ram

-or-

3. Try booting with RAM from another computer. (Make sure it is the same type of RAM)

Thanks for the link. It was 3 long beeps. I'll work on it in the next few days. Not to concern as there are 20 identical models in a some closet.

Also, does any one know if I could connect the positive from the monitors on switch wire and the Computers on switch wire to the Happ on button in the back door and just run the ground to the power supply to have one button turn both on at once? Or would I need to add diodes?   

[PL1]

Also, does any one know if I could connect the positive from the monitors on switch wire and the Computers on switch wire to the Happ on button in the back door and just run the ground to the power supply to have one button turn both on at once? Or would I need to add diodes?

I recommend using a DPST (Double-Pole Single-Throw) or DPDT momentary switch instead.

Add the green switch and red wires to the existing switch circuits. (the dotted line indicates mechanical connection without electrical connection)




Scott

[Locke141]

Thanks Scot, hopefully I can find one at my hardware store.

So this took up most of my day.

And it was a day well spent.

During nap time I managed to take apart the broken computer speakers and found that the doble 10k potentiometer volume nob was not nearly detached but split in to peaces. I happened to have a single 10k potentiometer and thought of converting the speakers to mono. I ended up bridging some points to remove any manual volume adjustment. Now sound can only be controlled by software.

[Locke141]

This one's going down to the wire. I made some good progress, but now only have a week until I go on home leave.

Speakers installed

It came out well. It's slim enough that you can't see it from the player position.

I pulled the mother board out to do some testing. Then decided to reinstall it flipped around with the CPU in the back. Now its fan can pull in air through a hole in the rear door.

This required me to extend part of the power supply wiring.

And finally, I got the PC running.


Still left to do.

• Laser cut the marquee
• Install the marquee's LED back light
• Reinstall the monitor
• Install the front end. I was going to use Atomic FE when I only had a P4 but now am thinking of using Attract Mode or Hyper spin. I need to find a Donkey Khon theme that I can tweak to fit this build. Does any one have one in mind?

[Locke141]

The construction is more or less Complete . If I had more time I'd have spend it fixing up the back door and cleaning up the inside, but for now I need to focus on the software.


PC and monitor completely installed.


I added a peace of plastic, that I custom shaped with the plastic bender, to direct the power supply fan out a vent on the back door. Why not just move the power supply to the back, you asked. It didn't reach, and this was a lot less work then extending the harness.


Inside with the back door. The monitor is crooked but I'll fixed later.


Door closed. If I find time I'll paint it black.


Button inserts installed. The coin is a Tanzania 200 shilling.

 
Here it is with the defuser installed, still need to add the etched persx. 



And here it is in his office.

[harveybirdman]

complex indeed!

 

[Locke141]

complex indeed!

 

"Complex" => 'Complete" fixed.

I'm attaching the Marquee files so I don't have to hunt for them in the future.

[Locke141]

Marquee installed.
 














Added a small personal touch. (I know I for got the "g" in pong. Seeing how I'm dyslexic I've decided, after the fact, that it was a charming additional personal touch)

Had to remove the diffuser do to it washing out the marquee. I need to add a piece of black card stock behind the LED's, or paint the whole inside black to make it uniform behind the marquee. Some odds and ends (like the software) won't be 100% finished until we come back to Dar on our way to our next post.

[yotsuya]

Marquee installed.
 














Personally touch. (I know I for got a g in pong. Seeing how I'm dyslexic I have decided after the fact that it was a charming personal touch)

Had to remove the defuser as you could not see the the etch marquee with it. Also ether need to add a pice of black card stock behind the LED'd or paint the inside black to make it uniform in the back. Ether way that and the software won't get finished till we came back to Dar no our way to our next post.

Good job sticking with Donkey Kong. Looks like a real "Africa" edition.

[Locke141]

Good job sticking with Donkey Kong. Looks like a real "Africa" edition.

You were right 

I also had a version that I replaced the Nintendo with MAME even though I always dislike when other people do the same. If I have learned anything from BYOAC, it's the importance not to add stuff until you thought about if it's really a good idea first.

I'm hoping to get an hour or two tomorrow to do the software setup and to fix the monitor.   

[Locke141]

It came down to the wire but it's done.



Here is the marquee with the black poster board set behind it.


I forgot to take a photo with it powered off, but thats where the black back ground made the biggest difference.

I'm literally getting on a plane to the US tomorrow and finished this with out a moment to spare. I just kind of dropped a few select games on and hobbled together Attract Mode as the FE. When I'm back in September, I'll probably to some playing to get it all just right. Seeing how it's playable, I'm leaving for a month, and he will find it on the table next to his desk on Monday I'm going to call it done.

This build started off as one of those "build something with out spending any money with whats on hand" at some point I decided to spend a little to have the carving added. I think it came out very nicely and was well worth the money.
Thanks to everyone here for helping me to get it done in time and for preventing me from messing it up.

[harveybirdman]

The things I don't like about this are few and a product of your rushed production.  Great Job!


Speaking of rushed production, something about this build makes me super miss Corybee.

[JDFan]

The things I don't like about this are few and a product of your rushed production.  Great Job!

+1 -- like the top piece of the marquee box not being cut at an angle like the bottom of it is for example ! ( minor thing but does detract a bit from the overall finish)

[Locke141]

The things I don't like about this are few and a product of your rushed production.  Great Job!

+1 -- like the top piece of the marquee box not being cut at an angle like the bottom of it is for example ! ( minor thing but does detract a bit from the overall finish)

That drives me nuts. I put magnits in the wood to hold the top in place but in hind sight the v shape and the plexi in the groove would have held it in place fine.   

Other things I hate:

• The back door looks like it was made while drinking.
• I didn't get to laser cut a slick  air filter cover for the back door.
• The lack of tinted glass over the monitor.
• It was planned as a vertical build but I I made it to short by not account for the marquee box.
• The rats nest of wiring.

That said, I really like it as is. I may find a little time in the week I'll be back here to pack up and move. I'll definitely tweak the FE more to may liking. 

[dmckean]

It could still be vertical, just only put vertical games on it and make a bezel to mask off the unused portion of the monitor.

[ChanceKJ]

I seriously love this build. Both what it is and what it represents.

Awesome job! 

[mvolke1]

Really like this build a lot. Rustic, but refined.

The only thing I would do is add a bezel. That would put it over the top.

[Locke141]

Really like this build a lot. Rustic, but refined.

The only thing I would do is add a bezel. That would put it over the top.

Thanks man, I'm back in the U.S. until the end of the month. I'll only be back in Tanzinia for two weeks. I'm hoping to get the chance to add the glass. If I do, was thinking of having a bezel painted on, but I'm unlikely to have the time for all that.

[pbj]

What the hell do you do in Africa?

[Locke141]

What the hell do you do in Africa?

Build arcades and teach at an international school. My wife works for an NGO, that's what brought us. Soon we will be somewhere else.

What the hell do you do in Texis Texas?

[pbj]

Shuffle paper in exchange for money.

 

[yotsuya]

Shuffle paper in exchange for money.

 

Texis? Did Jade Helm finally cause the Sons of the Republic to finally secede?

[pbj]

Shuffle paper in exchange for money.

 

Texis? Did Jade Helm finally cause the Sons of the Republic to finally secede?

Read his signature and stop being a dick.

 

[yotsuya]

Shuffle paper in exchange for money.

 

Texis? Did Jade Helm finally cause the Sons of the Republic to finally secede?

Read his signature and stop being a dick.

 

Oh, I've read that signature many, many times. That was just a joke between two Southwestern good ol' boys. 

[Locke141]

Spelling fixed.

On vacations and posting on my IPhone so I'm catching even less then normal.

Smart phone + dyslexia = confusing

[yotsuya]

Spelling fixed.

On vacations and posting on my IPhone so I'm catching even less then normal.

Smart phone + dyslexia = confusing

You don't have to do that, Locke. PB&J is just selective when he wants to have a sense of humor. 

[mvolke1]

Really like this build a lot. Rustic, but refined.

The only thing I would do is add a bezel. That would put it over the top.

Thanks man, I'm back I the U.S. Till the end of the month then I'll only be back in Tanzinia for two weeks till we move on to our next post. I'm hopping to get the chance to add the glass, if I do was thinking of haveing a bezel panted on but I'm unlikely to have the time for all that.

If you have more spare wood, a thin piece of ply could work. I went to a Michael's craft store with my piece of plexi and they cut out a piece of picture frame matting. Looks really nice on mine.

[BadMouth]

I like how all your builds are outside the box, but don't suck. 

[Locke141]

I like how all your builds are outside the box, but don't suck. 

Thanks,
The out of the box thinking is probably a product of living in a low resource setting. A friend once told me that when they were growing up they called the TV show MacGyver Being African, "All he did was solve problems using only what ever is on hand, here we call that life."

As for the not sucking, I owed a lot to Pat for the use of the DT lab and its tools. And even more to the craftsman who hand carved the art onto the case for a very reasonable price.

[Donkey_Kong]

Nice cab Locke!

[Locke141]

A small update on the life of this build after completion.

I have a friend from my old school visiting us for Christmas. She has informed me that the build gets played everyday by many students and teachers. It's living in the foyer of the DT lab and there is a line to play during all brakes.

She has also informed me that Pat has placed a poster (With my name and photo  ) that describes the build as an excellent recycling project with a link to this build. It has become part of his recycling unit. After re-reading the thread I quickly fixed some of my most egregious spelling and grammar.

I'm going to be sending back a small hand made brass lock I picked up to keep students from opening the CP.