Donkey Kong Replica: Scratch build using Gaetan's plans - 95% done

[johnrt]

Ever since I built the Fix it Felix bartop based on Superfrog's Popeye, I've fancied a full size Nintendo cabinet. They are as good as impossible to get hold of here in Norway so If I want one I have to build it myself from scratch. I've been watching Gaetan's and ChanceKJ's project to produce an accurate set of plans and I'm gonna use that as base for this build. It will be a Donkey Kong replica.

I will probably need to make some compromises along the way. For example: Finding an arcade monitor is also close to impossible. Getting a CRT TV is very easy, they are given away all over the country. But if I can make the outside of the cab look as close to an original as possible, I'm happy with that. I'm also debating on making some minor changes on the back of the cab making it possible to have T-molding all the way around. Not sure about this though.

I already possess the top and lower marquee brackets and I have ordered a repro coin door which may arrive this week. The parts that are hidden inside the cab I will either fabricate myself or find some alternatives locally.

First thing to do is making a side panel template from 12mm particle board (it's on sale this week at my local woodshop), and then route the side panels out of 15mm plywood. It has to be plywood!

Today I printed the side panel from Gaetan's plans on a HP DesignJet T770 in real size. I did some measurements on this printout and it's exactly as the plans says down to the last millimeter.

And as usual in my world: this project will take a lot of time to finish!

[dmckean]

I'll be following this closely. I want to scratch build one of these too someday.

[vwalbridge]

Those plans look much better than Jakobud's.

When I built my mini DK, I really struggled because Jakobud's plans didn't include any of the internal supports/cross members and angles.

This is definitely shaping up to be the year of the Nintendo cab. 

[johnrt]

Those plans look much better than Jakobud's.

When I built my mini DK, I really struggled because Jakobud's plans didn't include any of the internal supports/cross members and angles.

This is definitely shaping up to be the year of the Nintendo cab. 

I really like you Mini DK. And you applied T-molding all the way around. It does look better! Not sure what to do on a fullsize though.

[vwalbridge]

Those plans look much better than Jakobud's.

When I built my mini DK, I really struggled because Jakobud's plans didn't include any of the internal supports/cross members and angles.

This is definitely shaping up to be the year of the Nintendo cab. 

I really like you Mini DK. And you applied T-molding all the way around. It does look better! Not sure what to do on a fullsize though.

Thanks for your compliments! Taking the t-molding all the way around was nice because then I didn't have to worry about getting the edges of MDF smooth. For a replica, it will just depend on how really accurate you want to be. As another example, the back door on a DK cab has some "corner halving" and "grooves" that could be tricky to pull off without the right tools. Here is picture to better explain:


The above picture is the back-bottom-right-corner of a DK cab. You will notice that there is a groove for the right side and bottom side of the back door to rest. If you take the t-molding all the way around, it will actually make your life easier because then you don't have to deal will all these goove cuts.

Sorry, probably too much info right now for you at this stage but I'm just thinking out loud in my own head. Looking forward to watching how you sort out all the details. 

What are you using for the brains? Mame?

[johnrt]

What are you using for the brains? Mame?

No. It'll be JAMMA. Either a xx in 1 that'll boot directly to DK (if possible), but preferably an original DK.

[ChanceKJ]

John, If the budget allows for it, grab an ArcadeSD.  I've got a feeling if you de-case a 19" CRT VGA monitor you should be able to get it to fit. In fact I'm wondering how well a 19" VGA would fit inside a Sanyo 20EZ monitor frame (or any 19" frame for that matter), those shouldn't be too hard to come by, or at least have shipped. Then it could plug right into the Arcade SD directly.

http://thearcadeboneyard.com/monitors,frames_and_chassis/monitor_frames.php

I'm going to be following this build closely. 

[yotsuya]

John, If the budget allows for it, grab an ArcadeSD.  I've got a feeling if you de-case a 19" CRT VGA monitor you should be able to get it to fit. In fact I'm wondering how well a 19" VGA would fit inside a Sanyo 20EZ monitor frame (or any 19" frame for that matter), those shouldn't be too hard to come by, or at least have shipped. Then it could plug right into the Arcade SD directly.

http://thearcadeboneyard.com/monitors,frames_and_chassis/monitor_frames.php

I'm going to be following this build closely. 

19" PC CRT monitors don't fit 19" Arcade CRT frames. You're better off finding a 21" PC CRT if you want to put it in an arcade frame. Trust me - been there, done that.

[harveybirdman]

you know how you tell if it's a johnrt build?

huge pics are huge...

Someone let me know when this is done so I can come give kudos without burning through my data plan 

[yotsuya]

To clarify, PC CRT tubes are about an inch or so smaller all around. Remember back in the day when you would look at computer ads, and it would show "19 inch monitor (18.1 viewable)"? Those tubes really aren't 19 inches. If you try putting one in an arcade frame, there's a gap and the mounting holes don't line up. A 21 inch PC CRT monitor is closer to a 19 inch tube size and will fit better.

And honestly, don't even try putting a PC CRT in a Vertical Frame. It's really not wired for it. Find a horizontal frame and mount it vertically if you must.

[ChanceKJ]

OH YEAH!  i remember that.   John, what Paul said.

[dmckean]

A lot of the 21" PC monitors had big metal cages for extra shielding (so they could display high resolution without vignetting) and have extra depth compared to an arcade monitor or a TV because of it.  I would measure very carefully.

[jdbailey1206]

Those plans look much better than Jakobud's.

When I built my mini DK, I really struggled because Jakobud's plans didn't include any of the internal supports/cross members and angles.

This is definitely shaping up to be the year of the Nintendo cab. 

Yeah.  When I built my Nintendo cab it spontaneously burst into flames because I used the Jakobud plans.

[ChanceKJ]

Those plans look much better than Jakobud's.

When I built my mini DK, I really struggled because Jakobud's plans didn't include any of the internal supports/cross members and angles.

This is definitely shaping up to be the year of the Nintendo cab. 

Yeah.  When I built my Nintendo cab it spontaneously burst into flames because I used the Jakobud plans.

I warned you that would happen. 

[yotsuya]

Those plans look much better than Jakobud's.

When I built my mini DK, I really struggled because Jakobud's plans didn't include any of the internal supports/cross members and angles.

This is definitely shaping up to be the year of the Nintendo cab. 

Yeah.  When I built my Nintendo cab it spontaneously burst into flames because I used the Jakobud plans.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!

[ChanceKJ]

Oh, John here's the link to the Flickr album of my cab for quick reference. Let me know if you need anything else added.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/chancekj/albums/72157650487664889

[yotsuya]

A lot of the 21" PC monitors had big metal cages for extra shielding (so they could display high resolution without vignetting) and have extra depth compared to an arcade monitor a TV because of it.  I would measure very carefully.

Good point.  When I've used a 21" PC CRT, I tend to mount it to a board rather than worry about an arcade frame.

[jdbailey1206]

Those plans look much better than Jakobud's.

When I built my mini DK, I really struggled because Jakobud's plans didn't include any of the internal supports/cross members and angles.

This is definitely shaping up to be the year of the Nintendo cab. 

Yeah.  When I built my Nintendo cab it spontaneously burst into flames because I used the Jakobud plans.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!

Seriously.  It caught fire and set my whole finished room above the garage on fire.  Thankfully the fire department got there in time.

[johnrt]

I bought the chipboard today and have outlined the cab onto it. It's ready to cut. First a rough cut with a jigsaw, then I'm gonna use the router and a copy bit to make as accurate cuts as possible. I'm gonna take my time on this and make this template as accurate as I possibly can. Then I'm gonna mass produce this cabinet, build thousands of them for sale and become a billionaire! Then I'm gonna become the president of the planet Earth and ban the X-Arcade!

Well, it started to rain this evening so my plans to become a billionaire is delayed with a day or so.

[jdbailey1206]

Ah mammories.   Looks good like usual John.   

[ChanceKJ]

John, something to keep in mind as well. when you get around to building the square base that the cab sits on, you might want to build it an inch or two higher. Not so much as it looks goofy, but something that gives you a better standup angle when infant of the cab.  Keep in mind if you ever do get ahold of a real Nintendo cab it will be that much shorter.

[yotsuya]

John, something to keep in mind as well. when you get around to building the square base that the cab sits on, you might want to build it an inch or two higher. Not so much as it looks goofy, but something that gives you a better standup angle when infant of the cab.  Keep in mind if you ever do get ahold of a real Nintendo cab it will be that much shorter.

I heard that. I'm almost eye level with the top of Janky Kong.

[matsadona]

Maybe I'm missing something, but wouldn't it be better to align the back edge of the cabinet with the board edge? Then there would be one side less to cut... 

[matsadona]

Still, a great project that I will monitor closely since I have a dream of doing the same thing in the future.

[johnrt]

Maybe I'm missing something, but wouldn't it be better to align the back edge of the cabinet with the board edge? Then there would be one side less to cut... 

There's a groove on the long edges that has to be cut away...

[DeLuSioNal29]

I mounted a 19" de-cased PC CRT monitor in one of my cabs and it was easy using the method below.  I didn't bother with a frame although I did use the existing brackets in the machine (mine were made of wood but you could also use metal ones that are in the machine already).

I simply de-cased the monitor and attached this electrical gang box cover (90 cents at Lowes or Home Depot) to the monitor bolts on all 4 corners.


Then you simply rotate the covers to line up with the existing holes on the brackets and drill a hole for each.  Solid fit without the fuss and cheap as all heck.

DeLuSioNaL29

[yotsuya]

Janky, but it works. Great tip, DeL! 

[jdbailey1206]

Maybe I'm missing something, but wouldn't it be better to align the back edge of the cabinet with the board edge? Then there would be one side less to cut... 

There's a groove on the long edges that has to be cut away...

Word.  The bottom of sides  and the bottom piece  has about an inch space between the two.  And word to the height.  I thought about adding height to my base but in the end thought it would take away from the feeling of the cab.  These things were not made to be played by adults....

[johnrt]

The template was roughly cut with a jigsaw, and all the straight edges is routed. I used a long plate that was left ofter from when I renovated the kitchen as a guide for the router. So now I know that the straight edges are 100% straight.

I haven't done the curves yet. I'm thinking about making a template for the curves and then use that template to route my template... ehhh... you know...    Or do you guys have a better idea? I need the curves to be perfect.

Here's today's pics. The last picture shows the side panel template together with my still unfinished "Tully".

[johnrt]

The repro coin door from Plonka Games (http://www.plonkagames.co.uk/products.html) arrived today. It really looks nice! What kind of front plates are recommended. I see MikesArcade  has a couple of alternatives.

[yotsuya]

Unfortunately, if you want authentic/authentic-looking ones, you're going to have to drop some coin. I found some very close looking ones for $15 each.

These are close to them. Maybe you might get lucky.

https://www.eurocoin.co.uk/products/major-products/coin-validators/series-1-coin-acceptors/2921xxs1-s1-coin-acceptor

[johnrt]

Unfortunately, if you want authentic/authentic-looking ones, you're going to have to drop some coin. I found some very close looking ones for $15 each.

These are close to them. Maybe you might get lucky.

https://www.eurocoin.co.uk/products/major-products/coin-validators/series-1-coin-acceptors/2921xxs1-s1-coin-acceptor

Will that frontplates fit a standard DK coin door?

[yotsuya]

Unfortunately, if you want authentic/authentic-looking ones, you're going to have to drop some coin. I found some very close looking ones for $15 each.

These are close to them. Maybe you might get lucky.

https://www.eurocoin.co.uk/products/major-products/coin-validators/series-1-coin-acceptors/2921xxs1-s1-coin-acceptor

Will that frontplates fit a standard DK coin door?

They should. They fit perfectly on Janky Kong. I'm not a Griff-Richer, so I didn't need OMGASIKOTAHSIKI!!!!!!.

[dmckean]

They look really close. 

[ChanceKJ]

There's also the option of buying the vanity kits from Mikes Arcade and modifying the Nintendo button holders to turn the eject buttons into Coin up buttons.

[jdbailey1206]

There's also the option of buying the vanity kits from Mikes Arcade and modifying the Nintendo button holders to turn the eject buttons into Coin up buttons.

Who would do something so absurd?

[ChanceKJ]

Build added to the Nintendo Cab Stickey!
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,144583.0.html

[ChanceKJ]

There's also the option of buying the vanity kits from Mikes Arcade and modifying the Nintendo button holders to turn the eject buttons into Coin up buttons.

Who would do something so absurd?

You would, 
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,135095.msg1423439.html#msg1423439




chopperthedog too...
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,128979.msg1318195.html#msg1318195

[Gaetan]

Hi Johnrt !

Great a new Donkey Kong cab will be born. 
Nice to see that plans can help.

I will be following too.

You will do side panels with 15 mm plywood.
You will put 9/16" Nintendo T-Molding ?

Gaëtan

[johnrt]

Hi Johnrt !

Great a new Donkey Kong cab will be born. 
Nice to see that plans can help.

I will be following too.

You will do side panels with 15 mm plywood.
You will put 9/16" Nintendo T-Molding ?

Yes to both questions. At least that is the initial plan.

[jdbailey1206]

There's also the option of buying the vanity kits from Mikes Arcade and modifying the Nintendo button holders to turn the eject buttons into Coin up buttons.

Who would do something so absurd?

You would, 
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,135095.msg1423439.html#msg1423439


chopperthedog too...
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,128979.msg1318195.html#msg1318195

I still think this was pretty ingenious on choppers part....

[johnrt]

Today I made a template for the CP part of the side panel (actually I had to make two until I was satisfied), and routed the template using this new template.






Then I found that the round leftover piece when using on of my hole saws was exactly 50mm in diameter. Enough to use that part to route the back bottom corner:






And at last I found a plastic box that was 88mm in diameter, exactly what I needed to route the upper front corner:




Now I need to find something that is 76mm in diameter to route the bottom front corner of the side panel.
The cuts are as perfect as they can be using these simple methods.

[ChanceKJ]

I find it utterly fascinating how much effort you put into your templates.  I mean, you haven't even cut wood for the cab yet and theres enough sawdust to crush a camel.

[yotsuya]

I find it utterly fascinating how much effort you put into your templates.  I mean, you haven't even cut wood for the cab yet and theres enough sawdust to crush a camel.

Yeah, I didn't think anyone could out-anal-retentive Chance, but here you go. Great job. 

[wp34]

Brilliant!    I love how you made that template.

Today I made a template for the CP part of the side panel (actually I had to make two until I was satisfied), and routed the template using this new template.






Then I found that the round leftover piece when using on of my hole saws was exactly 50mm in diameter. Enough to use that part to route the back bottom corner:






And at last I found a plastic box that was 88mm in diameter, exactly what I needed to route the upper front corner:




Now I need to find something that is 76mm in diameter to route the bottom front corner of the side panel.
The cuts are as perfect as they can be using these simple methods.

[ChanceKJ]

Brilliant!    I love how you made that template.

  Why did you quote all of his pictures too

[wp34]

Because they deserve to be seen again.   

Brilliant!    I love how you made that template.

  Why did you quote all of his pictures too

[johnrt]

There will be a little pause in this build for a week or so. I'm going to Berlin tomorrow attending the IFA fair (http://www.ifa-berlin.de/en/).

[Generic Eric]

How thick is the plywood supposed to be?  Also, which of the files from here are the ones to have printed at 1:1?  How much is a good price to pay? On what medium?

[johnrt]

How thick is the plywood supposed to be?  Also, which of the files from here are the ones to have printed at 1:1?  How much is a good price to pay? On what medium?

15mm
http://www.arcadecab.fr/Donkey%20Kong/Plans/Gaetan/Donkey%20Kong%20Cab%20-%20Gaetan%20-%20Coupe%20(1.1).pdf
Pay for what?

[Generic Eric]

How thick is the plywood supposed to be?  Also, which of the files from here are the ones to have printed at 1:1?  How much is a good price to pay? On what medium?

15mm
http://www.arcadecab.fr/Donkey%20Kong/Plans/Gaetan/Donkey%20Kong%20Cab%20-%20Gaetan%20-%20Coupe%20(1.1).pdf
Pay for what?

To have it printed? Did you pay to have it printed? If so, I just wonder how much?  So I have something to compare to.  Thanks.

[johnrt]

To have it printed? Did you pay to have it printed? If so, I just wonder how much?  So I have something to compare to.  Thanks.

I know a guy... :-) I don't know how much it costs

[Generic Eric]

To have it printed? Did you pay to have it printed? If so, I just wonder how much?  So I have something to compare to.  Thanks.

I know a guy... :-) I don't know how much it costs

Word

[johnrt]

Too much work-related crap and too bad weather at the moment. Template is as good as finished so all I need is some plywood to get me started.

[ChanceKJ]

Bonus points you make this thing in 9/16th ply like the old Japanese cabs. I can give you measurements of the battons and closeups of the interior if you want as well.

[johnrt]

Bonus points you make this thing in 9/16th ply like the old Japanese cabs. I can give you measurements of the battons and closeups of the interior if you want as well.

There's one thing you can count on: I will nag you about that Nintendo cab until you're begging for mercy! :-)

[yotsuya]

Get a room.

[johnrt]

Get a room.

.

[ChanceKJ]

Ugh.


Haha, yeah, no worries, let me know if you have any questions.

[johnrt]

So today I finished the template. The last corner was routed using an old hair styling box:


The finished template:


And I got WOOD! I bought 3 sheets of 15 mm plywood (It just HAVE to be plywood!):


Next I roughly cut the side panels and screwed (!) the template onto it:


After some routing I now have two exact copies of Gatean's Nintendo side panel:


Tomorrow I'm gonna cut the slots for the T-molding. But I haven't decided whether to apply T-molding all the way around... what do you guys think?

Ohh... And I haven't ordered the T-molding either. Any recommended place to order 15mm flat T-molding?

[vwalbridge]

Any recommended place to order 15mm flat T-molding?

ChompingQuarters.com. But it is a U.S. vendor.

Also, note #6 on that page "Approx. 15mm wide"  (Not sure how APPROX that is)

[johnrt]

Any recommended place to order 15mm flat T-molding?

ChompingQuarters.com. But it is a U.S. vendor.

Also, note #6 on that page "Approx. 15mm wide"  (Not sure how APPROX that is)

Thanks!

I also come to think of I once ordered flat 9/16" T-molding from www.t-molding.com. I'll see if I can find that one and try it on the plywood.

[vwalbridge]

You are lucky that you are building your own DK cab and can slot cut it down the center.

I have a DK cab that uses the bazaar off-set T-molding and ChompingQuarters is out of stock. AFAIK, they are they are the only guys making off-set.

[ChanceKJ]

There's a guy on KLOV looking to make more offset too. Can't find the link right now. But it's in the main forum.

[ChanceKJ]

There's a guy on KLOV looking to make more offset too. Can't find the link right now. But it's in the main forum.

Oh, found it. It is CQ....

http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=356218&highlight=Nintendo

[vwalbridge]

There's a guy on KLOV looking to make more offset too. Can't find the link right now. But it's in the main forum.

Oh, found it. It is CQ....

http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=356218&highlight=Nintendo

Yep, thanks Chance. I signed up for a set on that list a couple of weeks ago. 

[yotsuya]

You are lucky that you are building your own DK cab and can slot cut it down the center.

I have a DK cab that uses the bazaar off-set T-molding and ChompingQuarters is out of stock. AFAIK, they are they are the only guys making off-set.

Bondo the slot and cut a new one. 

[vwalbridge]

You are lucky that you are building your own DK cab and can slot cut it down the center.

I have a DK cab that uses the bazaar off-set T-molding and ChompingQuarters is out of stock. AFAIK, they are they are the only guys making off-set.

Bondo the slot and cut a new one. 

Dude...seriously. Do you think that I can get the bondo squeezed down far enough? I've REALLY been considering this but I wonder how it will hold up when I go back to slot cut it again.

[yotsuya]

You are lucky that you are building your own DK cab and can slot cut it down the center.

I have a DK cab that uses the bazaar off-set T-molding and ChompingQuarters is out of stock. AFAIK, they are they are the only guys making off-set.

Bondo the slot and cut a new one. 

Dude...seriously. Do you think that I can get the bondo squeezed down far enough? I've REALLY been considering this but I wonder how it will hold up when I go back to slot cut it again.

Mofos do it all the time. Just use Bondo and let it dry. Hell, I've done it with regular  Elmer's wood filler with great results.

[vwalbridge]

You are lucky that you are building your own DK cab and can slot cut it down the center.

I have a DK cab that uses the bazaar off-set T-molding and ChompingQuarters is out of stock. AFAIK, they are they are the only guys making off-set.

Bondo the slot and cut a new one. 

Dude...seriously. Do you think that I can get the bondo squeezed down far enough? I've REALLY been considering this but I wonder how it will hold up when I go back to slot cut it again.

Mofos do it all the time. Just use Bondo and let it dry. Hell, I've done it with regular  Elmer's wood filler with great results.

Suh weet! Thanks Yots! I have to bondo the snot out of the entire cab anyway so might as well.

And thanks johnrt for the mini derail.   

[ChanceKJ]

Mix the bondo a little "light" to keep it as viscous as possible but with enough hardener to still activate. Use a can of compressed air with a little bit of pressure to drive the bondo deeper into the groove. I do it with white glue on edges that delaminate in Plywood.

[johnrt]

About the CP: I see that they are using the same T-molding in front of the CP as for the rest of the cab. So is the total thickness with plexi overlay 15mm or is just the wooden part 15mm?

[Gaetan]

About the CP: I see that they are using the same T-molding in front of the CP as for the rest of the cab. So is the total thickness with plexi overlay 15mm or is just the wooden part 15mm?

The plexi haven't the same dimension than wood for control panel.
The plexi don't come touch the T-molding.
So it's 15 mm wood like the T-molding.

If you order flat Nintendo T-molding I'm interesting to know exactly his dimensions in millimeter and if it's good for a 15 mm thick wood.

[johnrt]

The plexi haven't the same dimension than wood for control panel.
The plexi don't come touch the T-molding.
So it's 15 mm wood like the T-molding.

Do you know the plexi dimensions?

[vwalbridge]

I just took some measurements on my DK cab this morning for you:

I used the depth gauge on my caliper to measure the thickness of the cpo:


The thickness of the cpo plexi is 1.88mm


I also measured the width and height of the cpo plexi and it comes out to:

Width: 549.275mm
Height: 174.625mm

Another item to note is the total thickness of the control panel with black laminate installed (on my reproduction CP) is: 16.03mm


Here is a shot of the front edge of my original DK control panel. You will notice that the t-molding does not cover the entire edge but is slighly off-set and favors the top laminated side


Here are 2 more shot of my reproduction DK panel and you will notice that the t-molding favors the top side to avoid a sharp edge where you wrists might hit.


Here is a really good shot showing the very small exposed edge on the bottom side. But the top edge of laminate is nice and flush with the top edge of the t-molding.

[johnrt]

So the CPO covers the whole CP? Is that normal originally, or is it variations from game to game?

[vwalbridge]

So the CPO covers the whole CP? Is that normal originally, or is it variations from game to game?

No, the cpo does not cover the entire cp.

Here is a top-down shot of my control panel.


Here is another shot of the control panel outside of the cabinet. (Not mine) The cpo is smaller than the control panel and mounts over the top with 8 small carriage bolts.

[johnrt]

Ok. Thanks. Then I presume the size of the CPO plexi matches the CPO artwork.

[vwalbridge]

And just so we are all on the same page:

This is a DK Control Panel Overlay by itself:


And this is a DK Control Panel by itself:


Just want to make sure we are talking about the same thing.

[vwalbridge]

Then I presume the size of the CPO plexi matches the CPO artwork.

Yes. In fact, reproductions are normally sold with the artwork silk-screened to the back of the polycarbonate plastic.

This is the one I will be buying. As mine is cracked in the corner.

[Gaetan]

Thank Vwalbridge !
Can you to do the same thing with your T-molding ? 

I drew this on my plans :

Not so far than Vwalbridge's measurements.

[johnrt]

So today I've cut:
- Bottom panel
- Front panel (where coin door is)
- Top panel
- The little panel underneath the CP

And I cut the hole for the coin door. Turned out to be a perfect fit. So tomorrow I need to buy some material for the battens. I also decided not to apply T-molding all the way around. I'm trying to stay true to the plans.

Here's the top panel and the marquee top bracket:


You know you have straight cuts when the panels can stand like this (I'm using a router for all straight cuts):

[johnrt]

The flat 15mm T-molding (from t-molding.com) requires a 2mm slot width. The one I've got is 1.6mm. Well, I just placed an order from toolstoday.com including that one along with a 8mm straight bit for the speaker grill and a wider ball bearing (so the slot doesn't have to be that deep). Man, this hobby is expensive!  On the positive side: There's always new gizmos arriving in the mail. 

[ChanceKJ]

....Man, this hobby is expensive! 

You're telling me, I just bought another Nintendo cab another 16 hours away....  AGAIN!

  

[yotsuya]

....Man, this hobby is expensive! 

You're telling me, I just bought another Nintendo cab another 16 hours away....  AGAIN!

 

You know other companies made arcade cabinets, right?

[ChanceKJ]

....Man, this hobby is expensive! 

You're telling me, I just bought another Nintendo cab another 16 hours away....  AGAIN!

 

You know other companies made arcade cabinets, right?

...I had no idea.

[johnrt]

How is the back lid attached to the bottom? Anyone got some pics of it? Everyone seems to be skipping that part in their restorations or builds.

[Buick455]

How is the back lid attached to the bottom? Anyone got some pics of it? Everyone seems to be skipping that part in their restorations or builds.

does this pic help? not sure what you mean by "back lid"

[ChanceKJ]

yeah, theres a small rabbet along both the bottom edge of the back panel, and along the lower back 'kick plate' (where the power switch lives).  then at the top theres a couple strips stapled to the 'top kick plate' (where the handles live). Theres also a rabbet along the the side panels too.

[ChanceKJ]

here you can see the back of chopperthedog's DK. the lower and side panel rabbets.



here you can see the rabbet on the lower edge of my cabs replica back panel.



here you an see the two small strips of half inch wood that protrude down from the top, just below the handles. My cab actually doesn't have these as they've broken off. But the rabbets on my side panels keep my back panel from falling into the cab.

[johnrt]

Ahh.. Thanks! I totally understand how it is now.

[yotsuya]

As an aside, DK back doors suck. They're really thin and have all these weird cuts.... Atari back doors FTW!

[johnrt]

As an aside, DK back doors suck. They're really thin and have all these weird cuts.... Atari back doors FTW!

So it's ok to deviate from the norm and make something stronger? And what about that cable going through there. I'm gonna install a power socket.

[yotsuya]

As an aside, DK back doors suck. They're really thin and have all these weird cuts.... Atari back doors FTW!

So it's ok to deviate from the norm and make something stronger? And what about that cable going through there. I'm gonna install a power socket.

Why not? Chance would be the only one moved to tears if you did. 

I'm sure someone with your skillset could accurately replicate the door, but I find the way Nintendo did it makes for some really thin pieces of wood. But that's just me. My door is original but warped a bit bows in the middle, but ---fudgesicle--- it, it's a back door - no one is going to see it.

[ChanceKJ]

pffft, haha, im not the cabinet cop. Something doesn't work for you, or you think you can make it better then improvise, adapt, and overcome.

[johnrt]

Man, I'm a slow woodworker!

Anyway, this is what I have made today:
(Well, I made some of the battens also)

In the back there you'll see a polarbeer(!) 

[Gaetan]

 

[johnrt]

Did some serious work on this today. Most of the battens are made and screwed on the side panels. And I have started assembling the cab. And I couldn't help myself at the end. Just HAD to try the coin door on it! Cheers guys, I'm enjoying a dark english ale tonight! 

Btw: I'm deviating from the original on the back side. I'm using the same width on the back panels as on the rest. I think the back door will be stronger that way.

[johnrt]

Btw: Chance: What's X? And can you use 15mm plywood for this piece?

[ChanceKJ]

I'll go check right now... two seconds.

[ChanceKJ]

X = 555mm.

And it's thin ply at only 8mm.

[ChanceKJ]

Keep in mind that modifying the thickness of X will also directly impact the size and fit of the display bezel plexi as this panel also acts as the mounting surface for the upper bezel bracket.

[johnrt]

Yeah, I see that. But what i CAN do is this (with a router):
(I really don't want to buy a whole sheet of 8mm plywood)

[ChanceKJ]

brilliant.

Also, take note of the battons that hold the bezel plexi into place, i don't think they were on the original plans...

[Gaetan]

Good job !

Chance can you check this measurement for Johnrt ?



I'm not sure for this one and it's important for the bezel plexi.

[ChanceKJ]

i can, however i'm just on a road trip to go collect another cab. Might not be till tomorrow. Plus, i think it would also help if we added the depth of the groove the bezel drops into.

[Shun]

I might have to build a replica DK one day. Great work so far, will be following this build 

You are lucky that you are building your own DK cab and can slot cut it down the center.

I have a DK cab that uses the bazaar off-set T-molding and ChompingQuarters is out of stock. AFAIK, they are they are the only guys making off-set.

Vwalbridge, I was watching a John's Arcade Youtube video the other day and he is restoring a Nintendo Vs. Unisystem and he was also trying to figure out how to put new T-Moulding in the off-set slot on the Nintendo cabinets. He is going to put 3/4 inch T-Moulding in the slot and use a special T-Moulding cutter to trim it to size. This sounds easier than cutting a new slot. Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=2Xpd1b2f54c#t=549.

Tool here: http://www.amazon.com/Quad-Trimmer-Carbon-Steel-Blades/dp/B000WULWX2

[Wyo]

Yeah, I see that. But what i CAN do is this (with a router):
(I really don't want to buy a whole sheet of 8mm plywood)

Yeah, that's a a good plan. I learned to do that on my Zelda build, after my first couple builds were off when I went to put the lower marquee bracket....and by then it was to late to route that edge because they were assembled.  Way to plan ahead!  Nice job on this project, following!!

[Andy_Bogard]

that is nice work!
can't wait to see the screen coming in
are you going to use a crt ou lcd?

[johnrt]

that is nice work!
can't wait to see the screen coming in
are you going to use a crt ou lcd?

Preferably a CRT. But a real arcade CRT is quite hard to find here. But a CRT computer monitor is very easy to find, even for free. So I may go with that.

[johnrt]

Made the lower marquee panel today. Also the back door (but I forgot to take a pic of it).



Chance: I need some measurements from you. Could you please, pretty please, provide these:

A. The back door:


B. Marquee area:
Diameter and position of these holes (I know it doesn't matter... it's just some minor OCD):

[yotsuya]

that is nice work!
can't wait to see the screen coming in
are you going to use a crt ou lcd?

Preferably a CRT. But a real arcade CRT is quite hard to find here. But a CRT computer monitor is very easy to find, even for free. So I may go with that.

Ugh --- I had a really nice 20 inch LCD in mine for about 2 minutes before I knew I hated it. Go with a PC CRT.

[johnrt]

@yotsuya: Yeah, I will try to find a decent PC CRT. What size do you think? 19" or maybe 21"?

And I just couldn't sit still tonight so I went out and started on the coin box, well at least the inner parts:

[yotsuya]

19 is perfectly acceptable, but if you can find a 21, pull the trigger. Decased, of course!

[ChanceKJ]

A: 119mm
B: 349mm
C: 49mm
D: 115mm

The "Vent cover" on the inside of the door is 400mm X 102mm, made from 12mm ply. With a pair of small risers on each end that are 15mm X 102mm, made from 20mm ply. Staples and glue are used to attach the "vent cover" to the back panel.



The holes are 30mm, centred from top to bottom on the panel and the centre of each sits 55mm from the side wall edge.

[johnrt]

Thanks Chance!

And if you could check this also I'll be super happy! No rush though.

[vwalbridge]

There are some really OCD things happening on this thread

....and I like it. 

[yotsuya]

[ChanceKJ]

Just checked again. Should be 523mm.

[johnrt]

Made the coin box tonight. And also cut the ventilation hole in the back door. I'm not gonna cut the holes on top of the coin box yet (where the coins will enter), I'm waiting to see what coin mechs I'm winding up with.
I also think I'll find a cute closet knob for the coin box... at IKEA for example. :-)

[johnrt]

The "Vent cover" on the inside of the door is 400mm X 102mm, made from 12mm ply. With a pair of small risers on each end that are 15mm X 102mm, made from 20mm ply. Staples and glue are used to attach the "vent cover" to the back panel.

Is the ventilation hole also covered with a metal grill on the the inside of the door?

[ChanceKJ]

Nope. That's just something I added on mine because my original back panel didn't have the cover and I wanted something else.

Would you like dimensions for the pull handle on the coin box?

[johnrt]

Would you like dimensions for the pull handle on the coin box?

Yes, of course! I won't promise I'll make one, but I can try. I don't have that many different routerbits.

Edit: And it'll be nice for future reference.

[ChanceKJ]

Shouldn't be hard to make one. you have a choice:



The one from my Japanese DK cab is on the left, and the one on the right is from my newer US made MarioBros.

they're both 100mm wide and approximately 18mm x 18mm. Just two different styles.  They shouldn't be hard to make.

[yotsuya]

I'm not as anal retentive on the Nintendo stuff as Chance is, but I gotta agree with him. A knob from Ikea would look totally janky on that coin door box.

[SlammedNiss]

You boys and your damned building abilities.

I hate you.

[Andy_Bogard]

Also you can pick up 20 crt tv for amost nothing! They look terrible
What will you be using as wiring? Jamma? PC? raspberry?

that is nice work!
can't wait to see the screen coming in
are you going to use a crt ou lcd?

Preferably a CRT. But a real arcade CRT is quite hard to find here. But a CRT computer monitor is very easy to find, even for free. So I may go with that.

Ugh --- I had a really nice 20 inch LCD in mine for about 2 minutes before I knew I hated it. Go with a PC CRT.

[johnrt]

Also you can pick up 20 crt tv for amost nothing! They look terrible
What will you be using as wiring? Jamma? PC? raspberry?

Raspberry? RASPBERRY??? There will NEVER be a RaspBerry in any on my cabs! 

It'll be JAMMA wired. I haven't decided yet. It may wind up with an original board. I don't know yet.

[Andy_Bogard]

Raspberry? RASPBERRY??? There will NEVER be a RaspBerry in any on my cabs! 

just asking, it seems to be the trend at the moment

It may wind up with an original board. I don't know yet.

Even better, if you have the chance to have one 

[yotsuya]

Also you can pick up 20 crt tv for amost nothing! They look terrible
What will you be using as wiring? Jamma? PC? raspberry?

Raspberry? RASPBERRY??? There will NEVER be a RaspBerry in any on my cabs! 

It'll be JAMMA wired. I haven't decided yet. It may wind up with an original board. I don't know yet.

I love you, johnrt.

[wp34]

Keep in mind that modifying the thickness of X will also directly impact the size and fit of the display bezel plexi as this panel also acts as the mounting surface for the upper bezel bracket.

Thanks.  You just saved me from making a mistake on my cabinet.   

[ChanceKJ]

No worries! If you need anything else let me know, i've got both the US and Japanese cabs now. Pictures of most are in my flicker galleries. But if you have questions about something n particular just shoot me a PM.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/chancekj/albums

[vwalbridge]

i've got both the US and Japanese cabs now.

No Canadian version yet? I am disappoint.

[ChanceKJ]

i've got both the US and Japanese cabs now.

No Canadian version yet? I am disappoint.

Haha, i'm not sure. When i find one that looks legit but was made with Robertson head screws i'll let the world know ASAP.  I've already found Canadian made knock-off NeoGeo 4-Slot, and Midway cocktail clones.  I bet you this is out there...

[johnrt]

Have you tried putting your cabs next to each other just to see whether they match sidepanel-wise?

[ChanceKJ]

Not yet.  Its gonna happen some time this week as i want them ready for people visiting (Read: Canadian Thanks Giving).  Ever since this thing came into my possession i've started to notice a whole bunch of differences from the Japanese version.  I'm planning on making some kind of documentation on it.

One things for sure, the side panels on the newer US Particle version look like they came off of someone CnC table.

Just for clarification, everything you're getting measurement wise is from my original Japanese cab to stay consistent. With the exception of the vent cover on the inside of the back panel and one of the two coin box pull handles.

[johnrt]

Did some shopping today. I bought the material for the base. This is 95mm width and the base is supposed to be 85mm. But as someone already mentioned this cab could easily be a little taller, so I'm going with this. Noone will ever notice until the day this cab is placed next to another Nintendo cab.


I don't have a table saw so the nice 45 degrees corner cuts is out of the question. I'm cutting these with a jigsaw and then clean the edges with the router. This results in very accurate cuts.




And here's the result. Keep in mind that I haven't used a single drop of glue yet. Everything is dry assembled. (But it will be glued of course).


At last I made a small trolley to put the cab onto. This way I can rotate the cab as I wish during the build wihtout damaging the base. The trolley was just screwed together using some leftover materials I had lying around.




Here's a pic of the back door. It's a tight fit, I suspect a little too tight. Time will tell.


My precious:

[johnrt]

There was a nice and sunny weather outside today so I did some work on the cab:

First, holes taken in the inner marquee panel:


Then I turned to one of the hardest parts, the lower bezel part. I found that the upper slot had to be approx 8 mm wide to fit the lower bezel bracket into it. My router bit was 6 mm, so I routed it twice.


Upper slot done. I'm using a long piece of wood in case I ---fudgesicle--- up. I didn't ---fudgesicle--- up, so I actually ended up with a spare part.


Then I turned my attention to the slot where the CP will slide in to. I had a routerbit that was angled, but not enough.


So I decided to angle the router itself a little to increase the angle:




After I did the angled routing, I routed the rest of the slot with a 12mm bit.
This is the "jig" I had to make before routing it. Just to keep things in it's place during routing.


Distance to the slot should be 59mm. This is dead on.


Testing the finished angle:




Once again, dead on.


Testfitting in cab:


I think I did a decent job with this if you consider the tools I have available. You will have to find untraditional solutions yourself when you're missing the right tools. I think it turned out very nice in the end.

At last I made the control panel board and testfitted it:


The next challenging part will be the speaker grill. But first the package from ToolsToday with the correct routerbit need to arrive.

[vwalbridge]

Top notch woodworking John. I can already tell this cab is going to finish looking very good.

I'd pay you to build me a Mario Bros. Widebody but I'm worried about shipping cost from Europe. 

[jennifer]

     Apparently you did that the hard way, If you vector those plans you can make stencils on the plotter...But nice build never-the-less. 

[itruk]

Great work!

Could I ask what size timber you made the lower bezel part?



Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

[johnrt]

Could I ask what size timber you made the lower bezel part?

It's a standard size here in Norway. 32mm x 95mm (or is it 33 x 95). It's a little bigger than required, but as long as the visible parts of this piece is according to plan it doesn't matter how big it is. The rest of the piece will be hidden inside the cab anyway.

[johnrt]

A non-arcade related update today:

Yesterday I was on a concert with "Brit Floyd". That's a Pink Floyd tribute band. It was a great show! Highly recommended!


This morning when I drove to work the fog was lying all over the city, except for up here in the hills. :-)


And at work today I managed to hurt my right hand handling some UPS batteries. Had to go to the emergency and glue the wound together. Bummer!


And a package from ToolsToday arrived today. Among the parts is the 8mm straight bit for the speaker panel and the 2mm t-molding slot cutter with 3 different ball bearings. Meaning I can now adjust the slot depth. The slot doesn't have to be that deep. But since I hurt my hand I have to wait at least a couple of days before I can resume the work on the cab.

[Gaetan]

Ho great ! This year I saw Australian Pink Floyd. Good show too.

I wish you a speedy recovery for your hand. 

[johnrt]

There's NO WAY I'm able to sit still even though my hand is a little reduced. I went out tonight and disassembled the cab and did the T-molding slot.


I have also started on the neverending filling/sanding procedure.


And about the base: I'm not sure how to mount the wheels. Like this?


Or like this?


These wheels may also be a little too small. I'll see if I can find some bigger ones.

[wp34]

I would go with the second option---with bigger wheels as you said.

Sorry to hear about your hand.  Hope it doesn't hurt too bad.  Did you pinch it between some batteries?

[johnrt]

I would go with the second option---with bigger wheels as you said.

Sorry to hear about your hand.  Hope it doesn't hurt too bad.  Did you pinch it between some batteries?

Yes, just as I was about to toss them in the container. I tore up an inch of the skin. Pretty deep also. But the doctor did a great job gluing it together and it's holding fine. And it doesn't hurt.

[ChanceKJ]

Yikes on the hand! Hope that heals up quick!

Second option for the wheels. Both of my cabs have the wheels attached to the bottom floor of the cab and not the back side of the base.  There are small square risers made of half inch ply between my wheels and the base of the cab too.

[ChanceKJ]

[johnrt]

I'm thinking of making a CP that has 4 buttons. 1P, 2P, Btn1 and Btn2 (then I can play a few more games on it afterwards). The original DK CP has just 1 button in addition to the 1P and 2P button. I don't want to just drill an extra hole in the original artwork. It has too look natural and be a part of the CPO artwork. Has any of you done that?

[vwalbridge]

See my post here.

Of course, this was for my mini DK so the buttons are more cramped. But I thought about labeling the second button a bunch of different things like "BOOM" or "ACTION!" or "EXTRA". (I know, they all sound dumb) I could never settle on anything so I just labeled it "JUMP" as well. Looking back, I think that I should have labeled it nothing and even left the orange triangle outline off as well.

Now that I think about it, if I had to do it again, I might labeled them "RUN" and "JUMP" (in that order) I know that none of the original DK games had a run button but it does throw it back to mario on the NES days. Or even "FIRE" and "JUMP"


...yea they all sound sorta weird.

[johnrt]

See my post here.

Of course, this was for my mini DK so the buttons are more cramped. But I thought about labeling the second button a bunch of different things like "BOOM" or "ACTION!" or "EXTRA". (I know, they all sound dumb) I could never settle on anything so I just labeled it "JUMP" as well. Looking back, I think that I should have labeled it nothing and even left the orange triangle outline off as well.

Now that I think about it, if I had to do it again, I might labeled them "RUN" and "JUMP" (in that order) I know that none of the original DK games had a run button but it does throw it back to mario on the NES days. Or even "FIRE" and "JUMP"

...yea they all sound sorta weird.

Yeah I was thinking of something like that. So it's time to fire up Photoshop again.

And you're right about the naming of the buttons. I need to think about that... One possibility is to just remove the button text on both buttons.

[vwalbridge]

Have you thought about doing 2 different control panels you can swap out?

One dedicated DK panel true to the original.

And one 2 button (or even 2 player) panel true to a VS panel or even totally original?

[johnrt]

Have you thought about doing 2 different control panels you can swap out?

One dedicated DK panel true to the original.

And one 2 button (or even 2 player) panel true to a VS panel or even totally original?

Yes, I have thought about it for sure. But for now it's gonna be a 1-player CP prefreably with 2 buttons. Making another CP is easy. I can even find an original later.

[DeLuSioNal29]

Have you thought about doing 2 different control panels you can swap out?

One dedicated DK panel true to the original.

And one 2 button (or even 2 player) panel true to a VS panel or even totally original?

Was considering this for my build.  One DK original CP, and one .vs original CP.  Hmmm.

As for the wheels, mine are also attached to the bottom of the cab.  It's a lot stronger.

D

[johnrt]

As for the wheels, mine are also attached to the bottom of the cab.  It's a lot stronger.

Yes, I have ordered some wheels that should fit.

[ChanceKJ]

My DKU project used both a DK3 control panel and a swappable Vrs panel.

[johnrt]

I've been sanding and filling the bottom of the cab. The plan is to finish the bottom so I can work on the cab uprised from now on. The bottom was also primed and painted black with a foam roller. I know it's unneccessary, but I don't like untreated wood, at least on the outside of a cab.





Next I painted the base and found these very strong stainless steel angels that has been lying around in a drawer for years. I'm gonna use these to fasten the base onto the cab.




At last I found these corner protectors which I'm gonna staple to the bottom when I'm working on the cab:

[johnrt]

I'm desperately trying to finish filling, priming and sanding the side panels and the front so I can move the cab from the shed into the house. I hate this part of the builds. It makes me regret that I started with it in the first place. However I think the side panels and the front is good enough now. The wood was very thirsty, I've use over a liter of primer on it so far.

[vwalbridge]

That priming looks very good. I love how smooth the surface is after prime paint has been sanded.

[johnrt]

Playing with some artwork. I want two buttons on my CP, so I've modified the layout just a little. Looks ok?


I'm not sure about the button text. Maybe just A and B or perhaps BUTTON A and BUTTON B?

The CPO will be the only custom artwork on this cab. And I may also make an additional original looking CP for this.

[vwalbridge]

That CPO layout looks good.

And "ACTION" for the 2nd button is perfect.

[johnrt]

Man, I have not been looking forward to the making of the speaker panel with the famous grill. But I nailed it tonight. I spent 4 hours on this!

First I found that this old kitchen door (or side) panel is exactly 16mm thick. That is exactly the same as the space between each cut.


From this I cut myself 6 spacers. The plan is to add a spacer after each cut.


Then I spent a lot of time on the "jig". Here's the first and second cut done. Note the spacer.


Next cut, new spacer. Also note the little Lexan guide that is screwed to the jig. This makes is possible to move the router back and forth.


The finished grill, front:


The finished grill, back side:


The finsihed speaker panel:


At last a tip: Don't plunge the router bit through the wood. Route back and forth while increasingly pushing the router downwards. I did a test run on some scrap wood to find the best way to make the cuts.


Edit: I forgot to mention, also add something to prevent the router going more sideways than the width of the slot.

[johnrt]

That CPO layout looks good.

And "ACTION" for the 2nd button is perfect.

And here's the photoshop file if anyone's interested:
http://n9.no/nintendo/photoshop/dk-cpo-4-buttons.zip

[wp34]

That speaker grill process should be stickied somewhere.  Nicely done.   

[ChanceKJ]

.

[johnrt]

John, can you please make a quick separate thread in the woodworking form for me? Title it something like "How to Cut a Nintendo Speaker Grill" or something to that effect, and then i'll also link it in my big "Nintendo Cab" sticky.

I'll do that tonight.

[n3wt0n]

The grill looks great! Excellent job. I really appreciate the time you spend documenting your work and the process.   

[johnrt]

So this is the cab as of today:


I'm really happy with the outcome so far. The speaker grill is done and I can breathe again. I made an extra control panel today and also tested the artwork:


Now I'm thinking of making it possible to add some LED's under the CP like chopperthedog did in his refurb:


I haven't glued that panel onto the cab yet, so I can prepare it for some nice LED's, or maybe a LED strip. I don't know. I kind of like the lit coin door.

[johnrt]

Not much going on since I fell asleep after work today. But I have fastened the lower marquee bracket. Since the wood is quite thin at that area I used machine screws.




Now a question for you Nintendo cab owners: What is the size of the visible area of the CP? What is X?

[ChanceKJ]

.

[johnrt]

Thanks Chance! I kind of guessed that the "Observable area" was 20cm. If you search the overall depth of the CP you'll find two results. 210mm and 215mm. That being said, my CP needs to go 10mm into the groove since it's 210mm deep. I guess the CPO is centered on the "observable area" also?

[vwalbridge]

Better measurements coming below.

[johnrt]

I's love that vwalbridge if you could provide these measurements.

[vwalbridge]

I's love that vwalbridge if you could provide these measurements.

No problem! I just want to make sure I get you perfect measurements.

[johnrt]

Tonight I've been playing with some tiny LED downlights. I'm not sure about this yet. Maybe a RGB LED strip would make it look better.

These are the LED "downlights" I've tried. I bought 8 of these for about a dollar on a local hardware store some years ago.








In the pics they look bright, but they really are not.

[vwalbridge]

I like those lights on the bottom. They are subtle yet add just enough flair to be interesting.

[vwalbridge]

OK, johnrt, I hope this all makes sense.

I placed a piece of blue tape on the visible edge of the control panel next to the lower bezel mount to represent the visible edge:


Then I pulled out the CP a little and measured the portion of the panel that is tucked under the lower bezel groove: 12mm


Then I placed the ruler across the entire visible area like seen here:


...and zooming into the front edge. The total visible area comes out to: 197mm   (you will notice this measurement does not include the t-molding on purpose)


I also placed the ruler on my reproduction CP (Identical to my original CP by the way) to measure the total height of the control panel:


...and zoomed in the measurement of the entire height of the control panel is almost exactly: 210mm


I also screwed in my crappy CPO and measured the wider top edge. (Distance from the top edge of the CPO to the edge of the CP tucked under the lower bezel): 20.22mm


And here is the meassurement of the opposite side. (Distance from the bottom edge of the CPO to the edge of the CP with t-molding): 15.63mm


And in case you need it here is the distance from the left/right side of the CPO to the edge of the CP: 8.53mm


Hope this helps. Glad to take any other measurements you need.

[johnrt]

Thanks vwalbridge! I really apprecaiate that! 

[johnrt]

In the marquee area I've decided not to glue anything, just in case I have to adjust something up there. I've stapled the small pieces on the side, and screwed the top piece. I don't have 5mm plywood, but a LOT of 4mm, so 4mm it is! I also decided to mount the marquee parallell to the side panel. There's so many variations on this, even on original cabinets, and I think parallell is the way to go.

[kegga]

Chance/Gaetan any plans to edit the Nintendo sticky with all the new measurements and info coming in. Seems to be a difference in the cp measurements.

[johnrt]

Tonight I've been gluing the parts together. It's been like point of no return. Now it's a couple of days (at least) with more filling and sanding.

[BGoulette]

Looking good! But is your camera teabagging us?!

[ChanceKJ]

.

[johnrt]

Yeah haha! That looks frightening similar to those rubber testicals you can get for your pickup truck out here. Haha. Related to my other thread at all John? 

Well, I'm a modern man(!). And I was just trying this new selfie trend on social media these days called "nutscaping" (google it). At least it's become very popular in this country. And since it's "movember" (google that too) and everything this should be appropriate.

But seeing the pictures make me wondering if I've aquired gangrene on my balls.

[johnrt]

I've been sanding, filling, painting, sanding, filling, painting... well, you see where this is going... It's getting there. The paint job is the best I've done yet. And tonight I got a TV for free. A 20" Samsung. As far as I know, this can easily be connected to JAMMA via the SCART (http://www.gameland.gr/geoanas/realarcade.htm).

The black paint I've been using on this build is very matte, and it looks fantastic. It looks so good I'm considering repainting all my other arcades.

Well, here's the pics:

The TV, a 20" Samsung.


Testing it with an old Xbox (with an Xecuter2 mod chip)






The inside of the speaker grill needs a little touch-up with black paint. No big deal.

[opt2not]

Hmmm, that blue looks a bit too gray'ish. Was that intentional, or are you trying to go for DK's blue?  If it's that latter then I think it needs to be a brighter, more saturated blue.  Unless it's the lighting?

[SlammedNiss]

Well, I'm a modern man(!). And I was just trying this new selfie trend on social media these days called "nutscaping" (google it). At least it's become very popular in this country. And since it's "movember" (google that too) and everything this should be appropriate.

But seeing the pictures make me wondering if I've aquired gangrene on my balls.

The things you (don't ever want to) learn or see on the internet.

[johnrt]

Hmmm, that blue looks a bit too gray'ish. Was that intentional, or are you trying to go for DK's blue?  If it's that latter then I think it needs to be a brighter, more saturated blue.  Unless it's the lighting?

It's the lighting. It's impossible to get a decent picture in that room. It's all lit up with LED bulbs. I'll try with some different lighting tonight.

[johnrt]

Not much of an update, but some parts arrived today. The speaker, a really low profile one from Visaton and a power intake with a condom.

[ChanceKJ]

.

[johnrt]

I've been playing with connecting my JAMMA boards to the TV via scart. Using my "Tully" I bypassed the arcade monitor, and soldered a connector to a SCART plug. This worked! And by connecting pin 8 and 16 of the SCART to +5V the TV automatically selects the SCART input when turned on. And another great feature of this TV: IT REMEMBERS ITS LAST STATE! That means it automatically powers on and selects the correct input when supplied with 220V! That was fantastic news. No need for the remote control, and no need for any remote control hacking!

[johnrt]

Today I found this network device in the trash at work. This had these nice ventilation holes in its chassis.


From this I made the protective grill for the speaker. It's dark blue, but I don't care. Inside the grill it looks black nevertheless.


This network device also had these rack mount angles on its side. I'll save these for maybe a CP Strike Set for a future build.


I also mounted the CP latches today:




Things are progressing fine. I'm waiting for the paint to harden so I can mask and paint what's missing.

[Frank Drebin]

Tonight I've been playing with some tiny LED downlights. I'm not sure about this yet. Maybe a RGB LED strip would make it look better.

These are the LED "downlights" I've tried. I bought 8 of these for about a dollar on a local hardware store some years ago.

Is there a name for this style of mini light?  I would love to use these on my build as well, maybe in an RGB (forgive the MAME cab bling)

BTW very impressive craftsmanship. 

[scoodidabop]

Excellent speaker hole routing.  Premium nut scaping too.  Nicely done. Those downlights are sick too.

Not to derail but have you Nintendo cab guys considered a Sky Skipper dedicated?  There's that UK fellow selling an original board.

[johnrt]

Is there a name for this style of mini light?  I would love to use these on my build as well, maybe in an RGB (forgive the MAME cab bling)

These are the ones I use:


I think I found some on ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281850513244

BTW: You can search for "LED Deck Light".

[johnrt]

Excellent speaker hole routing.  Premium nut scaping too.  Nicely done. Those downlights are sick too.

Not to derail but have you Nintendo cab guys considered a Sky Skipper dedicated?  There's that UK fellow selling an original board.

I didn't know about Sky Skipper until a couple of days ago.

[ChanceKJ]

.

[Frank Drebin]

Is there a name for this style of mini light?  I would love to use these on my build as well, maybe in an RGB (forgive the MAME cab bling)

These are the ones I use:
[img]http://n9.no/nintendo/pics/2015-11-17%2021.01.50.jpg[/mg]

I think I found some on ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281850513244

BTW: You can search for "LED Deck Light".

Thanks!

[johnrt]

A quick question: What's the distance from the CPO to the bottom of the joystick balltop?

[vwalbridge]

A quick question: What's the distance from the CPO to the bottom of the joystick balltop?

That's a strange measurement request but here it is:

13.82 mm

[johnrt]

A quick question: What's the distance from the CPO to the bottom of the joystick balltop?

That's a strange measurement request but here it is:

13.82 mm

Just to clarify. X=13.8mm?

[vwalbridge]

A quick question: What's the distance from the CPO to the bottom of the joystick balltop?

That's a strange measurement request but here it is:

13.82 mm

Just to clarify. X=13.8mm?

Correct. I just double checked to be sure.

[johnrt]

Correct. I just double checked to be sure.

Thanks! 

[SlammedNiss]

A quick question: What's the distance from the CPO to the bottom of the joystick balltop?

That's a strange measurement request but here it is:

13.82 mm

Just to clarify. X=13.8mm?

OK, somebody is beyond ANAL.

[ChanceKJ]

.

[yamatetsu]

Couldn't resist.

[johnrt]

Would it help if I told you I've just applied two strokes of primer on BOTH sides of the CP? 

Seriously: I just did.

[johnrt]

A minor update then:

Yesterday i received a couple of coin mechs from Twisted Quarter. Seems OK.


I've cut all the holes in the CP and primed it with two layers. On BOTH sides!






And I have sanded and repainted the bottom(!) and the base of the cab with my new black paint. The paint is gonna harden before I screw the base to the bottom.

In other news: It's snowing, so any outdoor activities arcade-wise is out of the question from now on. 

[vwalbridge]

I have that same coin mech from twisted quarter. It's a good mech. 

Also, I hear you on the cold weather.  I'm itching to go in the garage right now but it's cold here too.

[johnrt]

I have that same coin mech from twisted quarter. It's a good mech. 

Also, I hear you on the cold weather.  I'm itching to go in the garage right now but it's cold here too.

Do you know if there's tokens I can order somewhere that will work with these?

I don't even have a garage, just a small shed that's now filled up with tires, firewood, bicycles and other crap.

[yotsuya]

I have that same coin mech from twisted quarter. It's a good mech. 

Also, I hear you on the cold weather.  I'm itching to go in the garage right now but it's cold here too.

Do you know if there's tokens I can order somewhere that will work with these?

I don't even have a garage, just a small shed that's now filled up with tires, firewood, bicycles and other crap.

I have those .984 tokens are a tad too big and don't fit cleanly.

[wp34]

I'm planning on picking up those coin mechs as well.  Their website says they can be "adjusted to use most tokens. "  Was there anything in the instructions about this?

[johnrt]

I'm planning on picking up those coin mechs as well.  Their website says they can be "adjusted to use most tokens. "  Was there anything in the instructions about this?

As usual in this business, there's not a single paper included. But after looking at them, it seems kind of self explanatory.

[johnrt]

Top of control panel painted black.


I also cut the Lexan for the CP and the marquee:




Since I'm using 3mm Lexan over the CP the buttons won't fully reach the microswitches.


The solution is to screw in some screws into the holes of the buttons. They were just tight enough.

[vwalbridge]

Curious why your lexan is so thick? But your screw solution is clever.

Also, did you give a slight rounded corner to each corner of the lexan?

[johnrt]

Curious why your lexan is so thick? But your screw solution is clever.

Also, did you give a slight rounded corner to each corner of the lexan?

I don't have any thinner Lexan. I may change it in the future.

Yes, the corners are rounded.

[wp34]

I'm planning on picking up those coin mechs as well.  Their website says they can be "adjusted to use most tokens. "  Was there anything in the instructions about this?

As usual in this business, there's not a single paper included. But after looking at them, it seems kind of self explanatory.

Thanks.  That's funny (and typical) because their website says instructions are included. 

Your CP looks fantastic BTW.  I wish I could use those buttons on my build but I need yellow.

[johnrt]

Just couldn't resist assembling the coin door and shuff it in the cab.


I have also reset a coin cointer.


About the service switch: Is that an on/off switch or a push-button?

[SlammedNiss]

About the service switch: Is that an on/off switch or a push-button?

push button

[johnrt]

Time for T-molding. Cabinet laid down on a duvet(!) before applying it.




T-molding was applied all the way around (sorry for deviating from the original like that), but I think it adds a little strength to the edges also on the back side.




Even the CP has T-molding now:


As you can see, the T-molding from t-molding.com isn't completely flat, but it looks good nevertheless.


And during daylight today, the iPhone camera finally caught the real color of the cab:

[n3wt0n]

Looking fantastic! 

[wp34]

That looks beautiful.  Just fantastic.

[BGoulette]

What is that, velvet? That's beautiful!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[SlammedNiss]

Regarding my previous reply about the service switch.

[johnrt]

Thank you, SlammedNiss!

Today the wheels arrived. Some real strong casters with rubber wheels! The height of these are the same as the height of the base, but I will put on some stick-on floor protectors to the bottom base and thereby raise the cab a mm or two.



Wheels were mounted with bolts through the bottom panel for extra strength.


On the bottom of the base I put on some of these (to avoid scrathing the floor):


The result (Man, the floor is already scratched!)

[ChanceKJ]

.

[johnrt]

I tried the LED downlights tonight. I think they look cool!


The middle two LED's lines up exactly over the coin mechs:


My "arcade" (missing the Tully and 3 bartops). Man, this hobby is addictive for sure!

[wp34]

I really like that blue you chose. Can you take a picture of the paint code?

[johnrt]

.

[wp34]

Thanks John!

[johnrt]

Today I checked out the monitor. This is a 20" Samsung TV. The odds for me to find a 20" arcade monitor in this country is... well... first there will be peace in the middle east.





It wouldn't be a Samsung without bad capacitors. Well, I only see ONE bad capacitor with my bare eye, but I'm gonna change most of them.

[wp34]

Now that I get a chance to see this picture on my computer (not my tiny cell) I can see that my Harry Hole novels must be translated into English.     I'll take it to Home Depot nonetheless to see if they can do anything with the code.  Did you match that blue to anything or just pick out a color you liked?

I really like that blue you chose. Can you take a picture of the paint code?

Well. The paint is norwegian, but the color is in the NCS system:
http://encycolorpedia.com/24add4
(You'll probably find a conversion code on this page if your dealer don't know about the NCS)

So it's hex color code #24ADD4, and the NCS code is S1050-B10G.

The type of paint is called Lady Supreme Finish. Semi gloss.

[johnrt]

Now that I get a chance to see this picture on my computer (not my tiny cell) I can see that my Harry Hole novels must be translated into English.     I'll take it to Home Depot nonetheless to see if they can do anything with the code.  Did you match that blue to anything or just pick out a color you liked?

It's about two years ago. I did a LOT of research on this color code. Somehow I ended up with this HEX code based on some american color codes posted on KLOV and even here. I don't remember how I ended up with this, but it sure looks good. I also used this on my Fix it Felix bartop.

Edit: I don't know how it is in your country, but here we can buy a little can of sample paint for like a couple of dollars or so just so we can test the color. It' like 1/4 of a litre in such a can.

Edit2: Bring a printout of the link I posted to your local dealer.

[johnrt]

Did some CP wiring today:


And I've ordered new caps for the TV along with this powerswitch:


Because I want to individually turn on/off the marquee/LEDs under the CP and the game itself. This way I can choose to only turn on the lights in the cab just for decorations when game is not in use. And since I'll be using a LED bar in the marquee also, the power consumption will be next to nothing when lit up for decorations.

[wp34]

Good call on the separate switch for the lights. I think you will be happy with that flexibility.

[ChanceKJ]

.

[johnrt]

Mmmm yes, the showman in me applauds your thinking with that "on display" light mode, but you loose all points with that abomination of a joystick.

You've got Nintendo switches/buttons, why not find a used Nintendo 8-Way for this?

Hey! That's a JLF! Anyway, finding a used Nintendo 8-way in this country? It'll have to do at least for now. I'm planning on making an orginal CP (I've already cut the wood for it), so I'll see what I can find for that one. But I can't make any promises!

[johnrt]

It's time to wire this thing, so tonight I made the JAMMA harness. Need to find the exact length of the wires before finishing it.


And this is a 60 in 1. Okey, don't murder me. I'll probably disable most of the games in this one. And it's easy to change to something else when that time comes.


Man, there's still a lot of work left on this cab.

[johnrt]

Got the caps for the TV today. Well, something happened at the dealer. Among all caps, I ordered and paid for 1 capacitor valued 150μF/400V. What I received was this. 100 of them! 

[ChanceKJ]

.

[opt2not]

How's the DK sounds on that 60-in-1?  If I remember correctly, those boards have some crummy sound emulation for certain games, I think due to some older version of mame they hacked together for these.
I've only messed around with a 60-in-1 once before, but I vaguely remember DK, DK jr. and 1942 having some really scratchy audio.

[johnrt]

How's the DK sounds on that 60-in-1?  If I remember correctly, those boards have some crummy sound emulation for certain games, I think due to some older version of mame they hacked together for these.
I've only messed around with a 60-in-1 once before, but I vaguely remember DK, DK jr. and 1942 having some really scratchy audio.

You are right. The sound is crap!

Well, It might not stay in there for long.

[vwalbridge]

What I received was this. 100 of them! 

Why can't this happen to me when I order something like a PS4?

[opt2not]

What are you going to do with 100 PS4's??   (aside the obvious selling of them)

[wp34]

How's the DK sounds on that 60-in-1?  If I remember correctly, those boards have some crummy sound emulation for certain games, I think due to some older version of mame they hacked together for these.
I've only messed around with a 60-in-1 once before, but I vaguely remember DK, DK jr. and 1942 having some really scratchy audio.

You are right. The sound is crap!

Well, It might not stay in there for long.

That's what's cool about you wiring it for Jamma. You can easily swap it out later. The ArcadeSD is pricey but it is a much better option.

[ChanceKJ]

.

[vwalbridge]

2 dumb Questions about the Arcade SD:

1. I assume you need a scan line generator for the authentic look if you are using an LCD?

2. I'm confused how you play horizontal games on a vertical monitor and vise versa? Is the menu system rotated 90 degrees all the time if you catch my drift?

[ChanceKJ]

.

[johnrt]

3rd dumd question about the ArcadeSD: does it come in blue? No, can you connect it directly to a jamma cab without doing anything video-wise?

[ChanceKJ]

.

[johnrt]

So today I made the SCART-RGB cable. I'm very satisfied with this one. It looks like it's just came out of the SCART-RGB factory.




And it works!


So now I have to figure out how the hell I'm gonna mount that TV. 

[ChanceKJ]

.

[johnrt]

Decase it

Of course. And then what?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[vwalbridge]

Decase it

Of course. And then what?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Couple globs of hot glue should hold her down.



...just kidding, I have no idea how your mounting that thing. 

[ChanceKJ]

.

[DeLuSioNal29]

I have a method. Once I get to a computer I will search the topics where I posted it.

[DeLuSioNal29]

I think I mentioned it earlier in this thread but here it is again (this time with link and pics):
I mounted a 19" de-cased PC CRT monitor in one of my cabs and it was easy using the method below.  I didn't bother with a frame although I did use the existing brackets in the machine (mine were made of wood but you could also use metal ones that are in the machine already).

I simply de-cased the monitor and attached this electrical gang box cover (90 cents at Lowes or Home Depot) to the monitor bolts on all 4 corners.


Then you simply rotate the covers to line up with the existing holes on the brackets and drill a hole for each.  Solid fit without the fuss and cheap as all heck.






You can do the same with a TV which should have the same 4 bolts.

DeLuSioNaL29

[ChanceKJ]

.

[johnrt]

I think I mentioned it earlier in this thread but here it is again (this time with link and pics):
I mounted a 19" de-cased PC CRT monitor in one of my cabs and it was easy using the method below.  I didn't bother with a frame although I did use the existing brackets in the machine (mine were made of wood but you could also use metal ones that are in the machine already).

I simply de-cased the monitor and attached this electrical gang box cover (90 cents at Lowes or Home Depot) to the monitor bolts on all 4 corners.
Then you simply rotate the covers to line up with the existing holes on the brackets and drill a hole for each.  Solid fit without the fuss and cheap as all heck.

You can do the same with a TV which should have the same 4 bolts.

Thanks! So what about the chassis? How did you mount that? Just screwed it to a shelf or the side of the cab?

[DeLuSioNal29]

When you decase it, just the front and back come off. The chassis should remain intact to some sort of frame.

[johnrt]

I need some measurements, please. Can somebody measure the red, blue and green lines on this pic: Please??? 


I know they wont be exact, but it would help nevertheless.

[ChanceKJ]

.

[johnrt]

These measurements are taken from the centre of the monitor, not the corners of the tube. They are approximate.

Green: 9 inches
Red: 20.25 inches

Thanks! What about the blue one?

Ohh... never mind! :-P

[yamatetsu]

I took the pic into a graphics program, enlarged it proportionally and drew the three lines. According to the program,



green is about 210 mm, red is about 518 mm and blue is about 62 mm.

[Locke141]

This is such a nice build.

I'm Jealous you get to use a SCART TV. I had an opportunity to pick one up when I was living in Tanzania. Even ordered a SCART to VGA cable off eBay. Had a bit of a time crunch, was moving to Nepal, and I did not get it before the movers came. 

My understanding is if that a SCART tv is functionally identical to a real arcade monitor. You may want to try trading out the 60-1 for Groovy Mame on an old PC. You would need to get an ATI graphics card but a cheep old one should do fine, if all the research I did is correct. 

[johnrt]

You may want to use Groovy Mame on an old PC. You would need to get an ATI graphics card but a cheep old should do fine if all the research I did is correct.

Nope! This will be JAMMA only. Eventually I'll get hold of an ArcadeSD, but for now it's a 60-in-1 with ONE game enabled.

[ChanceKJ]

.

[johnrt]

...but for now it's a 60-in-1 with ONE game enabled.

PacMan?

Yeah, right! I find the 60-in-1 so crappy. I'm so glad I ordered it during chinese black friday. I paid next to nothing for the damn ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---.

[Locke141]

You may want to use Groovy Mame on an old PC. You would need to get an ATI graphics card but a cheep old should do fine if all the research I did is correct.

Nope! This will be JAMMA only. Eventually I'll get hold of an ArcadeSD, but for now it's a 60-in-1 with ONE game enabled.

You might be able to use a J-pac ($59 US) with an old PC (often free) running Groovy MAME (Free)... I think? I don't have a J-pac and Like I said, my plans to use SCART fell apart. It may be worth looking into and would probably be cheeper then an arcade SD ($325 US). 

I ordered a Pandras box 3 kit on 11.11 (Chines black Friday). It has not arrived yet, but am hoping it doesn't suck to much. It was cheep and I wanted to give a xxx-1 a try.

[yotsuya]

When you decase it, just the front and back come off. The chassis should remain intact to some sort of frame.

Many TVs and PC monitors don't have the same frame as an arcade monitor because they weren't intended to be decased. Just FYI.

[johnrt]

When you decase it, just the front and back come off. The chassis should remain intact to some sort of frame.

Many TVs and PC monitors don't have the same frame as an arcade monitor because they weren't intended to be decased. Just FYI.

And this is the case for most "modern" CRT TV's. Also for mine. There isn't any frame. I'll figure out something.

[yotsuya]

When you decase it, just the front and back come off. The chassis should remain intact to some sort of frame.

Many TVs and PC monitors don't have the same frame as an arcade monitor because they weren't intended to be decased. Just FYI.

And this is the case for most "modern" CRT TV's. Also for mine. There isn't any frame. I'll figure out something.

I fashioned one out of metal. And another from wood.

[ChanceKJ]

.

[johnrt]

Also, if you wanted to go Pi/JAMMA there's now this little beauty on KLOV...

http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=363338

That one I did like!!! And the games loads fast!

[johnrt]

I took the pic into a graphics program, enlarged it proportionally and drew the three lines. According to the program,
green is about 210 mm, red is about 518 mm and blue is about 62 mm.

You know, I just placed a random monitor picture into the plans in photoshop. I think I'll trust Chance's measurements. But I obviously didn't miss completely.

[johnrt]

So it's time to restore progress on this build also. And now I need these measurements for the service button bracket(A, B, C, D): Chance? Anyone?

[ChanceKJ]

.

[johnrt]

Thanks Chance! 

[ChanceKJ]

.

[johnrt]

I'm NOT happy with the 60-in-1. Way too crappy. So I just ordered an ArcadeSD. Man, the original board may be cheaper! (But not as flexible)

[DeLuSioNal29]

Good call.  The 60-in-1 decent for my 7 year old.  But if you're serious (which you are), the ArcadeSD is the way to go.

Did you ever figure out how to decase the TV?  In my other arcade machine, I removed my Betson 27" monitor from the bracket and built a shelf for the chassis to rest on.  Originally, the bracket was protruding out of the back and wouldn't allow the back door to close.  But I managed to shoehorn everything in there and it worked out great!



D

[johnrt]

Did you ever figure out how to decase the TV?  In my other arcade machine, I removed my Betson 27" monitor from the bracket and built a shelf for the chassis to rest on.  Originally, the bracket was protruding out of the back and wouldn't allow the back door to close.  But I managed to shoehorn everything in there and it worked out great!

Well, no. Not yet. But I do have an idea in my head somewhere. My monitor is 20" so I don't think space should be a problem.

[johnrt]

a=40mm
b=40mm
c=40mm
d=15mm

Suddenly I realized that my youngest son is a tinsmith apprentice, so I outsourced this task to him:  Made from aluminium. He also made one from steel!



And I also made the power intake (that I did by myself, although my son provided the aluminium plate for it:

[vwalbridge]

Looking very nice. A big advantage knowing a metal-work guy.

[johnrt]

This was the package I feared the most. Normally I should have paid additional $100 in customs for this. Fortunately Phoenix Arcade sets the value to $40 and suddenly it's value is equal to the limit for customs, so no additional charge! 

* johnrt happy!

[vwalbridge]

Fortunately Phoenix Arcade sets the value to $40 and suddenly it's value is equal to the limit for customs, so no additional charge! 

Now that is a classy vendor. 

[johnrt]

The ArcadeSD works great! Much better sound than the 60-in-1, and it boots in seconds (actually it boots faster than the monitor). Does anyone know if you can initialize several SD-cards on it and thereby swap SD-cards to change games? It would be great if you could make one SD-card for 8-way games, and one for 4-way games for example. I don't have an additional SD-card to test this yet.

[ChanceKJ]

.

[johnrt]

Yep,

I have one SD Card with all 6 DK games, the other with everything else.  Scores stay on the cards too.

Cool! Thanks!

[johnrt]

So today I received a little package from Canada! Thanks Chance,  I really appreciate this! And kudos for writing the ø and å correctly. 
This is going on the cab, I just need some tiny black screws.





And yesterday I mounted two power sockets, each one controlled by a switch (see earlier posts).

[ChanceKJ]

.

[johnrt]

I should have been making the monitor frame, but the past 14 days it's been like -15 degrees Celsius outside (that is 5 degrees Fahrenheit). And since I don't have a garage or any other indoor place to work, all I can do is wait for a little warmer weather. Meanwhile I'm concentrating on the details. So tonight I made a protective plastic cover for the ArcadeSD (it's expensive) and labeled the test/service-button bracket my son made for me.




When mounting it to the cab I noticed that something were wrong... See if you can find the error (Ok, I had ONE beer). 


Anyway, this is how it's supposed to be:


These details were made while watching the last episode of John's Arcade on my Out Run bartop

[ChanceKJ]

.

[johnrt]

You might want to label that service switch as "On/Off", unlike the real deal in a nintendo cab, the ArcadeSD requires a maintained switch.

Well, no. This switch is a ON-OFF-ON switch (GND in the middle), so i wired both TEST and SERVICE to it.

[Dal1980]

Lol I like the mistake you made although the jamma board will protect the plexi from damage, it's expensive stuff.

I'm impressed by not only every inch of this build but the knowledge and passion for detail driving it!

Do you guys have some sort of kit to kill the juice when decasing tv/CRT's? I was warned when I was a child to stay away from even the back of a covered TV so the fear is deep when I think about decasing!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[johnrt]

Do you guys have some sort of kit to kill the juice when decasing tv/CRT's? I was warned when I was a child to stay away from even the back of a covered TV so the fear is deep when I think about decasing!

Well, I use one of my multimeter leads like this. Just connect the alligator clip to ground (chassis) and stick the screwdriver into the anode.

[johnrt]

The temperature outside increased to about -6 degrees today (that's 21 degrees Fahrenheit), so I went outside and cut the monitor frame. I need to add something to mount the TV chassis, but I do have a plan for this in my head somewhere.


I reused some old computer PSU molex connectors for the Test/Service button. It's no problem reusing these, just solder the wires to the pins.


The coin door is now completely wired:

[Memorex]

Many nice details on this build! Much of your tips will come in handy the day(year?) I get my thumb out and start my own DK build

[johnrt]

Finally I'm "done" with the TV frame. I think I solved this quite well. The TV is double insulated so there's no need for a metal frame for this (it was originally plastic). I'll see if I can mount it inside the cab tomorrow. Over this frame I will also have a cardboard bezel.





Some spacers between the PCB and the wooden base.




Cutout for the TV buttons and remote receiver.

[emphatic]

That service/test switch is very clever.

[johnrt]

Tonight I feel like I've reached a barrier with this build. The monitor is inside the cab, it fits and it works! I have measured its position from the numbers Chance gave to me and it's dead on! It's angle is also checked and even that is dead on!

First I screwed some "rails" on the inside of the cab (after measuring for a while!). I used 5 screws for each rail.


Testing the frame:


Back side view:




And we have ignition!


Later I'm gonna mount a piece of plywood to protect the neck like this. (This piece of wood is my spare CP).


So what's left?
- Bezel plexi.
- Inner bezel.
- Artwork.
- Wiring marquee and downlights.
- Back door (It just needs painting).

Man, this is almost done!

[vwalbridge]

Crazy how much that TV looks like a Sanyo 20EZ.

[johnrt]

Crazy how much that TV looks like a Sanyo 20EZ.

It's a Samsung. :-)

What's nice about it is that it remembers its last state. So when I power up the cab, it turns itself on and with help from my SCART-RGB solution it automatically selects the correct input. So it's the perfect arcade TV! I have a larger Philips TV, and that one does not select the correct input when powered on, so apparently the trick doesn't work on all TV's. :-) I also found the service manual for the Samsung. All adjustments is done electronically with the remote so it's a quite modern TV. Hopefully it'll last for years!

[ChanceKJ]

.

[johnrt]

Oh, some degenerate bastard snuck into your house and painted the coin box white... I'm sorry to be the one to give you the bad news. 

I know right? I just hate it when that happens.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[johnrt]

Minor update: Marquee LED strip mounted.


It resulted in a nice and even marquee light.


Although a little bright, so I mounted this dimmer:


The wires to the marquee are hidden in this cable channel:


Too detailed?

[ChanceKJ]

.

[johnrt]

I mounted a switch inside the cab to turn on/off the downlights under the CP. As mentioned earlier my son made a few of those coin door brackets for the service switch. I just used another one of those:

[vwalbridge]

The downlights are a cool feature. I bet it looks even better in person. Bonus points for having an on/off switch for it.

[johnrt]

I have been on a Cisco training course in Stockholm for a week, so there hasn't been much cab building lately. And I have been playing this cab a LOT!!!

Well, tonight I primed the back door:


I also made the neckboard protection panel:


And before I went to Stockholm I repainted the speaker panel. My fillings started to rise from the wood, so I sanded them down and repainted all over the cab, also on the top. It looks much better now!


And last a pic from underneath the CP:

[johnrt]

Back door painted and lock mounted. I just need a metal grill over the vent. Not a big deal and it will not count on the finished percentage.



The cab is now only missing its artwork:


I even have a mascot watching over it:


And some days ago I FOUND another 20" Samsung CRT TV. I took it in, fired it up and it works great! I'll keep as a spare, or maybe... another project... 


Our gaming-cave is slowly coming together:

[johnrt]

Ohh... And whats A and/or B? Anyone?

[vwalbridge]

A=4 cm exactly.

[johnrt]

A=4 cm

Thanks! 

[DeLuSioNal29]

Coming together nicely!

D

[bplail]

looks so good! keep up the excellent work! 

[johnrt]

To fasten the serial number plate I bought these small black nails. They were a little too long so I just cut them in half.


It really looks good on the cab:


And here's the keychain:

[Brizzle]

VERY NICE! 

[ChanceKJ]

.

[ChanceKJ]

.

[Gaetan]

Hi John,

I followed your topic and your work is very good !
Congratulation. 

Just a question :
What is this cab ? 

[johnrt]

Just a question :
What is this cab ? 

HAHAHA! 

I'm renovating the laundry room, so I had to put away the dryer.

[johnrt]

Today I found another 20" TV nearby. It's Coca Cola branded so I may keep this as is. It's in great shape!


The picture is actually better on this one than the Samsung (although the crappy iPhone cam doesn't catch that)


The TV is produced by LG.

[vwalbridge]

Today I found another 20" TV nearby.

I see a dedicated Mario Bros in your future. 

[johnrt]

BTW: I think these TV's are a great alternative to old arcade monitors. No burn-in's, less power consumption and the ones I've tried remembers its state and can be connected directly to JAMMA boards through the SCART without any adapters.

[harveybirdman]

Wish we had SCART in North America.

[johnrt]

Wish we had SCART in North America.

You don't???

[harveybirdman]

Heck no its a Euro thing.

[johnrt]

.

[Gaetan]

I have this one (but not perfect) :
http://arcadecab.fr/Donkey%20Kong/Images%20Vectorielles/Dk_inst_long.pdf

[johnrt]

So. A little update here:

Some days ago I received a package from USA that had a LOT of stamps on it:


Inside this package was this:













































Keep scrolling...

















































Yes, I'm now a proud owner of a 100% working original Donkey Kong (yes, I've tested it)! No need to say where this is going! 
It was actually a quite risky deal on facebook! A woman is dealing with arcade cabs on facebook, and I PM'd her asking about a working DK PCB. She had one and I transferred the money and hoped for the best. A couple of weeks later it arrived! The board itself also looks very clean. And guys; this is a big deal in this country. A DK board is more rare than plutonium.

Furthermore I have built a second control panel with just just ONE jump-button. I have earlier purchased a Moon Patrol cocktail cab (that I'm currently restoring) and inside this there were 2 Sanwa JL-B's. This is Sanwa's very first joysticks, all metal. I bought a 4-way Nintendo restrictor from Mikes Arcade and this fits perfectly on the Sanwa. It actually plays great now!




Then a few days ago I bought an original 4-way Nintendo joystick from Arcade Boneyard. I'm just waiting for it to arrive. This cab will be as close to the original as it can be, at least from the outside. I don't see any reason to acquire an orginal powersupply though. The switching PSU's are more reliable anyway.

Ohh and I have also ordered a High Score Save Kit with Internet upload for my DK PCB! It hasn't arrived yet, but here's my high score URL:
http://arcadehighscores.com/dknorway

Take care and see you later, alligator!

[ChanceKJ]

.

[johnrt]

In June I spent some time in Paris/London/Iceland and I totally get the scarcity of these machines over there now.

Hmmm.. I was also in London in June. From the 16th to the 19th.

[ChanceKJ]

.

[bplail]

cant wait to see this one done! good to see its still going

[plazma]

You should cover the EPROM windows. Enough light and you start to get bit errors. Sunlight and fluorescent lamp light contains enough UV to do damage if you work with the board for days.