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javeryh's Small-ish Bartop ["Jack Attack!"]
javeryh:
--- Quote from: leapinlew on May 30, 2018, 09:23:57 pm ---Nice score on the 10" monitor.... that's a good form factor to be working with since you can get lots of tablets in 10" size.
Looks like a good start Javery! It's a little late, but the only consideration I would have for you is to consider where this cabinet is going to live. My 2 bartops never could find a proper home. I ended up building a table for them, and by then, I wished I just made them full size (like a lowboy or cabaret). My defender just hangs out in storage.
Besides the Raspberry Pi, also consider a Pandoras box, or other jamma board. It's hard to beat the simplicity of configuration. I had a PB3, and I didn't love it, but I'd consider a 5 after watching some reviews. For a kid, I'd be worried about improper shut downs and corruption of the SD card (I assume that's still a thing).
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Thanks lew. I also like the 10" screen size. I opened it up and the insides were... unexpected. Just a wafer thin panel and a ribbon cable connecting it to the outputs. It is mostly empty inside the plastic shell. I was planning to decase it but now I'm not sure I want to mess with it. I'd lose the easy Vesa mount if I decased it but would have more room inside for stuff. I'm on the fence. The great thing is that it is 4:3 and not 16:9 like most tablets. I hooked up my desktop real quick and Windows looked just fine.
I have thought a little bit about where this thing will live and I think it will be just fine in my son's room on his dresser or something. The footprint of this cabinet is small - probably 8" deep and 10" wide total. It's also only about 15" high so not taking up a lot of space even on a table. I'll get some accurate measurements tonight.
--- Quote from: ivwshane on May 30, 2018, 10:56:41 pm ---I'm looking forward to this project if your past work is any indication! I can't believe it's almost been ten years since I remembered following your bellas arcade. Your daughter has to be close to graduating now right?
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Haha thanks. I can't believe it has been that long either. I built that arcade cab in 2007! She is a teenager and going into 8th grade already. Send help. ;D She still likes to play games and about a month ago she sat down and played through all of Bad Dudes on her cab.
javeryh:
Alright... next step on this thing was to use my 1/4" pattern to cut out the actual sides out of 3/4" MDF. I traced the pattern on the MDF and rough cut it leaving about 1/8" all the way around. Then I used some double sided table to stick the pattern down so I could run all the way around with the router and my pattern bit:
This produced 2 exact copies:
After that was finished, I switched bits and routed the slots for the t-molding. Easier to do this now but I could have waited until the cabinet was assembled. Centering the slot cutter was such a pain. I ruined a lot of scrap MDF getting it just right.
Next up - cutting the interior panels (8 total pieces that are each 9-5/8" wide). :cheers:
javeryh:
First question for you guys. I’m building the rear panel and trying to decide what to put back there. I have a power socket that will go on the right side and a power button and volume knob that will go on the left.
I’m ripping apart a pair of $10 AmazonBasics speakers and I plan to relocate the volume knob to the back panel. I want the ability to control the volume even though I could shift that function. The knob will be out of sight and this needs to be simple to operate.
I have 2 buttons I could use for power. One crappy 1/2” red button that will be fine and one cool looking PC button that has an illuminated blue ring of light. The problem is that no one will see this and I do not want it on the front of the cab where it could get accidentally hit.
So my question- which power button would you use and how would you lay out this panel? The socket could be installed vertically or horizontally and power and volume could be side by side or on top of each other.
Thoughts?
Slippyblade:
I'd use the lit button just due to the fact that the other one sticks out and could get bumped accidently. Or just pick up a vandal button separately.
javeryh:
--- Quote from: Slippyblade on May 31, 2018, 08:17:15 pm ---I'd use the lit button just due to the fact that the other one sticks out and could get bumped accidently. Or just pick up a vandal button separately.
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Hmmm... the vandal button looks pretty nice. $7.49 shipped from Amazon so I ordered. I'm probably overdoing it but whatever... I'm a little over $200 into this thing already!
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