First build, just another Vigolix

[hyperbolist]

My small kids (3 and 4) play games on their iPads and I wanted to introduce them to games from my childhood.  I was going to build an 8bit/16bit emulator kit with a Raspberry Pi and RetroPie housed in an old NES and slowly add games to it over time as they aged.  But the project languished in a box for a few years and then Nintendo announced their NES Classic, so I'll just get that for them.

But I still wanted to build something.  I had a joystick and buttons from an old custom fight stick, a display, the Raspberry Pi and some speakers all laying around.  I've never worked with wood or power tools, so the flatpack kits were appealing.  But then I found the Vigolix plans on instructibles.

This is a standard Vigolix with a vertical display like the Vigolix Invader.  Nothing fancy.  Construction is coming along nicely.  I'm dreading the sanding/priming/sanding/painting/sanding/painting loop.

My workspace is a garage that I've previously used only as a storage shed.

First cuts.


Cutting the arms made me a little nervous.


Clamping it together to see what it'll look like.


First joins.  This worked way better than I expected.


I attached this before I'd seen the Spike, and now I kind of wish I'd gone with that straight-down kick plate angle.  Oh well.  Next time.


Both front panels are on, bottom lumber attached and the CP arms are complete.  I'll likely only attach the power strip to the bottom.  RPi will likely attach to the back side of the kick plate, and the speakers will likely be mounted right behind the CP on the sides.  Also I went through the 1/2" plywood when mounting the bottom piece so I just attached little toes there from CP arm scraps.


A mockup of the bezel.  It'll just be black art board at first.  I'll eventually replace that with painted plexi.  I will likely cut the ears off the top.


Detail of the CP arms.  The CP will have 1/8" HDF and thin Lexan on top.  This is because my buttons are the short screw-on type and I don't have a router.


Next is mounting the display, followed by laying out the CP.

[hyperbolist]

Mounted the display.

I had to break these "mounting brackets" off and start again a few times.


And it's still 1/8" off level from one side to the other.


These 1x1 dowels are not exactly straight.  They'll probably sag and get worse because this display is kind of heavy.


Lesson learned: I'll replace these wonky dowels with a 1x4.

[Slippyblade]

Good job so far.  Have you been thinking about art yet?

[hyperbolist]

Have you been thinking about art yet?

Only barely.

I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do for artwork but I have a few guiding ideas: high contrast two-tone, referential stylistic design instead of "real" logos/characters, invoking the early 80s and not some modern remembrance of the 80s.

Something I can easily create with two colors of spray paint and masking tape.  Like the generic Taito stencil, but adapted to the Vigolix silhouette.

The best/worst part of this project is how I'm inspired to built another as soon as this one is done.  A multi-Williams cab specifically so I can paint the Joust ostrich on one side, Sinistar on the other and recreate that amazing control panel.

[hyperbolist]

I don't have a router so I'm drilling the button holes in Lexan on top of HDF, then wider holes in the underlying plywood.

Pilot holes.  Bottom row are game buttons.  Top row are Exit, Coin and Player1Start.


Disaster.  I don't have a drill press either.  Something about my method caused the bit to adhere to the Lexan and crank the whole piece.  Luckily I think most of the mess will be covered by the button collars.  We'll see.


I'm hoping I can just sand out the larger holes in the plywood with a dremel enough to hold the screw-on button nuts.


Immediately after I held the whole thing in place like this I realized I hated the layout.


Lesson learned: A forstner bit, a drill press, or more patience would have made this less terrible.

Next task: bottom-mount the joystick, screw in the buttons, wire it up and plug it all in for testing before disassembly for sanding and painting.

[Slippyblade]

Get... a... router...

Best money you will EVER spend.  I put off a router for years, once I got one I realized I was being a colossal dumb ass.  It is literally one of the most versatile tools you can own.

[vwalbridge]

Get... a... router...

+1 Slippy....is...correct

[Richie_jones]

Sandwich the Plexiglas between two pieces of wood make sure it's clamped really tight before you drill. Get a forstner bit.
Get a router and round all your edged off will make a world of difference
Take your time don't rush..
You've done good so far

Sent from my SM-N930F using Tapatalk

[hyperbolist]

Countersunk the bottom-mounted joystick bolt heads and dremel-sanded the cavities where the button nuts will sit.  Turns out I didn't need much clearance at all since I can screw the buttons on to the Lexan + HDF then just drop it in before screwing on the joystick top.


First coat of black before sanding.


I realized I did this kind of backwards and now am applying some fake t-molding.  2 coats.  If I hate the arm faces I'll just blacken them.


I think I'll chicken out on artwork.

Next: mask off the fake t-molding, apply 2 more coats of black, rub some 400 grit all over it to knock down any bumps, and give it a few clear coats.

Lessons learned: I should have painted everything before I glued any of the joints.  I should have used wood filler pretty much everywhere, especially along the edge, not just on holes and imperfections.  I might want to consider some roll-on paint next time, or vinyl.  Sanding isn't so bad, especially when the results are so touchable.

[Richie_jones]

Have you tried the buttons in them holes yet...looks like they'll bind against each other

Sent from my SM-N930F using Tapatalk

[hyperbolist]

Have you tried the buttons in them holes yet...looks like they'll bind against each other

I did, and yes, they look really close but they all turn without sticking.  I didn't take any pictures of testing the control panel because it was a nest of wires and I figure I'll take a nicer one during final assembly.

[Titchgamer]

But can you get the nuts on the back? They look way to close!

[hyperbolist]

But can you get the nuts on the back? They look way to close!

No.  I didn't consider this a problem though because I could screw the buttons onto the Lexan + HDF, then lay that down onto the plywood, and fasten the "button plane" to the plywood with screws with finishing washers in the corners.  It is a super-tight fit between the button nuts and the plywood, but I didn't anticipate ever having to unscrew them.  This _might_ be a problem.  You've convinced me to switch to some kind of bolt at the corners so that I can easily remove the button plane from the plywood if I ever need to unscrew the buttons.

[Titchgamer]

But can you get the nuts on the back? They look way to close!

No.  I didn't consider this a problem though because I could screw the buttons onto the Lexan + HDF, then lay that down onto the plywood, and fasten the "button plane" to the plywood with screws with finishing washers in the corners.  It is a super-tight fit between the button nuts and the plywood, but I didn't anticipate ever having to unscrew them.  This _might_ be a problem.  You've convinced me to switch to some kind of bolt at the corners so that I can easily remove the button plane from the plywood if I ever need to unscrew the buttons.

Sorry totally confused me there but I would defo make it so you can easily remove the buttons in the future for maintenance purposes.

[Richie_jones]

Yeah scrap that panel and cut another.. .

Sent from my SM-N930F using Tapatalk

[hyperbolist]

Yeah scrap that panel and cut another.. .

I'm committed to bringing this cab into the house this week.  But there's always the next one...

After a few coats of black, some misguided sanding and some coats of clear.


Lessons learned: I really wish I'd painted all of the pieces before point-of-no-return assembly.

I think final assembly will be tomorrow.

[hyperbolist]

It's not as terrible as I thought.


But it's still pretty bad.  The gouges in the Lexan are an eyesore.


First full test.  Aspect ratio is a bit wonky, I'll have to tweak that.


I'm going to do something stupid and mount the speakers on the sides with Velcro.

This project is truly my shop class birdhouse.

Next steps:
1. adhere speakers with velcro
2. cable management (zip ties and zip tie mounts)
3. art board bezel
4. let the kids play with it
5. think about how to deal with a proper Lexan bezel
6. think about how to close up the bottom of the control panel and back

[Titchgamer]

Dont stick em on with velcro!
Strip em apart and screw the case to the cab before re-assembly.

[Richie_jones]

I'm sure he said Velcro No.1





Sent from my SM-N930F using Tapatalk

[hyperbolist]

Dont stick em on with velcro!
Strip em apart and screw the case to the cab before re-assembly.

Thank you!  The velcro would have been shameful.  These speakers are in solid plastic enclosures so it will take some investigation to get them open.  Found some secret screws!

[Richie_jones]

You can use the volume control if the speakers have it

Sent from my SM-N930F using Tapatalk

[pbj]

Scuff up that plexiglass and adhere some shelf paper to it to cover up the cracks.  Something with a marble pattern on it would look pretty tight.

[Wyo]

I like the faux t molding idea. Very cool! 

[hyperbolist]

Scuff up that plexiglass and adhere some shelf paper to it to cover up the cracks.  Something with a marble pattern on it would look pretty tight.

I'll definitely check it out.  Lots of patterns out there, thanks!

I like the faux t molding idea. Very cool! 

I stole it from the Vigolix Green Invader, a fine Vigolix specimen.

[hyperbolist]

Cable management in the back.  I'll likely leave it open.


I went with much smaller speakers and used velcro after all.  There are electronics in the bottom plates for these speakers, plus if I were to attach the bottom plate to the cab I wouldn't then be able to re-assemble the speakers.  I have no shame about using velcro in this case.

The power strip is also adhered with velcro.

The zip ties and anchors held everything taught with no jiggling while I lifted the thing through the house for a test run.  The kids enjoyed it!

Now I just need to cut and paint the bezel.  I'm really not sure how I'm going to deal with the top of the bezel.

Oh, and I'll probably close up the bottom of the control panel with HDF, but I'm not quite sure with what hardware.

[hyperbolist]

Painted the bezel.  I have no idea how I'm going to "retain" it at the top.  WD-40 worked like magic to remove masking tape residue.


It's the perfect size for my kids, and it's sturdy too.  They can put all of their weight on the control panel and it doesn't tip, which was my primary fear.  Thanks Vigo!


I just need to deal with the top of the bezel and close up the bottom of the control panel and it's "done"!

[Slippyblade]

It's an amazingly simple design that gets the job done. 

Good job on your first build.  So...  when's #2 gonna happen?   

[hyperbolist]

Good job on your first build.  So...  when's #2 gonna happen?   

Thanks.  I'm thinking Spring 2017 I'll start a 4-player pedestal.