So much for keeping it cheep (pac cocktail project)

[atog]

A month ago I saw a post on our company bulletin board, one of the ladies at work was selling an old E-machines Celeron 333 with monitor for $40.  I have been wanting to build a nice cocktail for a while, but didn't want to spend the money on it.  I figured this would be a good start.

I bought the computer and brought it home.  My wife asked me what in the heck I was doing, so I told her, and of course she thinks the full sized arcade machine is enough, she doesn't understand why I would want a cocktail too.  But I promised her that it was only $40, and I would build this thing on the cheap.

Honestly, that was my plan, I wasn't lying to my wife, but somehow, that plan hasn't quite worked out.

I don't even have all the parts together yet (I do have almost all) and I just added up the total spend so far and it's over $700.  Now my wife has no idea that I have spent that much, honestly I didn't either until I just added it up.  Is it a bad thing not to tell her?  I think I am going to have to keep this one secret.

I have been taking pictures of all the work so far, and once finished I will update my site with a walk through and all the pics.  Here are a couple that i have taken so far:

http://members.cox.net/nebrunner/pacmini/startply.JPG
http://members.cox.net/nebrunner/pacmini/midply.JPG
http://members.cox.net/nebrunner/pacmini/endply.JPG
http://members.cox.net/nebrunner/pacmini/panel.JPG

[PacManFan]

for 700$, I hope you have more than some cut wood and a top.

-PMF

[atog]

   You mean I spent too much on that wood?

 

I have a lot more pictures but don't have them up yet, I have been too busy working on it.  Actually for the $700 I have everything that I need, I think, except for the clear contact paper to put over the control panel art.  You know how it is though, little things keep popping up here and there to buy.  Actually now that I think about it I need to buy some small carriage bolts to bolt the T Sticks to the metal cp.  Those might be tough to find in the right size, and of course.... more $$$

[whammoed]

Bob Roberts has some black carriage bolts, so does happ.  Not too expensive.

[bwest]

If my wife (The Gustapo) found out I had spent that amount of money without consulting (begging) her, I would be in deep deep trouble (@#$%).  

What is your secret to keeping it from her?  Please consul me oh great one.......

[Soulcon]

Well if you have gradually spet that much and not plunked down a bunch I don't se ehow she could get that upset. Ofcourse this is coming from a man whose wife said "You can only build an arcade if I get a Cocktail Pacman" . But I honestly see your delema but I also think she already knows and just enjoys seeing her hubby work and do something he enjoys. I was a hermit until this hobby came up and my wife has been nothing but supportive .

Oh and hint about Happs I read on another post that if you actually call them you can save a ton on shipping and spending limit. So call them to order instead of actually ordering online .

Take care and may your head be covered when the frying pans fly

-Soul

[june]

Speaking as a happily married wife and the Mame fan of our family, I feel I have a unique perpective on your dilemma.  This is probably a great betrayal to wives everywhere, but I must tell you that the classic wives' closet trick works very well in this hobby.  

If you're not familiar with it, it works like this.  We wives, when making a large purchase, will stick half of it in the back of the closet, so that our husbands never have to lay eyes on the entire purchase at one time.  Then, we slowwwwly assimilate our purchases into the household, one piece at a time.  This way, there is never one concentrated pile of expenditures, staring at you both accusingly.  No good will come of that pile - it almost always makes the "How much did THAT cost?" question unavoidable.

Keep the wood, computer and electronics all stashed in separate, unrelated piles.  Don't break out the buttons and wiring until they are needed.  Your wife, being the intelligent woman that she is, may possibly recognize this as the classic closet trick, but she certainly won't want to call you out on it.  After all, fall shoe clearance sales are right around the corner.  

[Witchboard]

Haha.. my wife does the same thing.  I always manage to stumble across her "stash" though.  She's even tried keeping it in the trunk of the car and slowly bringing it in over the day.  Busted!  She cracks me up.

[Soulcon]

I sware my wife has like a dimensional portal or something Soem of the stuff she just pops up with is insane. I came home and had dinner on a brand no dinet set one day. I asked where we got this from and she said we have had it for months.  

Ah well as long as she is happy I am happy

-Soul

[NIVO]

lol soulcon, better to eat on a table than your dinner thrown at you!  

[Soulcon]

Your telling me my wife is the down home southern woman! She just doesn't through the food usually its the food and the pan it was cooked in.  

So Atog I wish you the best of luck in your endevour and may you also be blessed with fast reflexes

-Soul

[ras2a]

Yeah, my missus has her own Tardis that she uses to transport her stuff to Gallifrey in.  But seriously women are so adept at this sort of thing it's unreal...we blokes must have been born with a defficiency in that we are crap at lying and stuff!  My wife was huffing and fluffing when she found out about the cab and her exact words were "Why do fella's 'always' have stupid ideas", to which I replied "Well you said 'YES' to my marriage proposal"...she then gave me the silent treatment for a whole 2 days!  You girls (June take note) are also FANTASTIC at turning arguments around and then even convincing YOU that YOU'RE in the wrong when you have'nt done bugger all!...it's a bloody art-form  She's fine with the whole thing now though, she must have resigned herself to the inevitability of it!  Ahh women...we love you really and couldn't manage without you!

I bet you any money that she want's to play once it's complete!

[whammoed]

"Why do fella's 'always' have stupid ideas", to which I replied "Well you said 'YES' to my marriage proposal

That is hilarious!  I will have to remember that one.  My wife was a little huffy when I built our first cab but she was way more upset when I sold it!  Now we have our new one and last night as she was playing she said "I knew I married you for some reason"  I don't think either one of us realized when I first started how cool these things actually are.

[fredster]

I check all the credit cards and bank accounts every week to make sure that there isn't something wrong.  

I found my wife doing the stash thing too.  

[Chris]

My wife actually WANTS me to build a cocktail table now, but I have no idea where I'd put it... I'm not giving up the space I have reserved for a pinball someday....

[AGGIEZ]

I must have the coolest wife in the world because I have not idea what ya'll are talking about!

[ras2a]

Lucky swine!

[Witchboard]

I must have the coolest wife in the world because I have not idea what ya'll are talking about!

That just means she's good.  

[atog]

Got some work done today, and took some pics of the progress.

These are the metal control panels my uncle made at his metal shop.  The art is just temp stuff to get the button holes drilled in the right places.  Now they need to be painted and then I can glue on the final artwork and mount the buttons and joysticks.

http://members.cox.net/nebrunner/pacmini/control%20panels.JPG

These are the rudder shaped control panel sides.  I got them cut today, but need to sand them all to uniform size tomorrow.  They were a pain, I really needed a scrollsaw if I was going to get them right the first time.

http://members.cox.net/nebrunner/pacmini/panel%20sides.JPG

Got the base made today, currently there are corner supports being glued in over night, tomorrow I will mount the leg levelers and get the whole thing painted and varnished.

http://members.cox.net/nebrunner/pacmini/base.JPG

Got the coindoor stripped and ready to be repainted.

http://members.cox.net/nebrunner/pacmini/coindoor.JPG

[atog]

Finally had more time to work on it over the long labor day weekend.  I got the laminate glued on, let it dry, and routed the edges.  The laminate cutting process was danger filled, don't do what I did if you ever use formica!  Make sure you score it along a straight edge, like a metal ruler, and make sure you score it over and over, dont just score it once and try to snap it!

If you look closely, at the middle end panel, look at the top left up-right and you will see a long scratch on it.  I did that by not scoring along a metal ruler edge, and when I went to cut the replacement, I didnt score that one deep enough, and it cracked badly.  So I went to cut a 3rd piece, and I was out of material!  So basically I royally screwed up and I have to live with the scratched piece.  How bad does that look to you guys?  I freaking hate it that I screwed this up.

[whammoed]

I honestly don't see what you are talking about...looks good to me.

[atog]

If that middle piece was a football goal post, the scratch would be the left up-right.  It's definitely visible in the picture, although it doesn't look horrible.  Probably once the whole thing is put together and the top is on, it won't be very visible.

[whammoed]

If that middle piece was a football goal post, the scratch would be the left up-right.  It's definitely visible in the picture, although it doesn't look horrible.  Probably once the whole thing is put together and the top is on, it won't be very visible.

Well, i see it now, but i still say no big deal

[atog]

Yeah I know I have been moving slowly on this, what can I say?  I have done a lot of other stuff in the meantime, built a mountain for my dad for his Birthday, done a lot of stuff around the house, but it's still no excuse for how much I have been dragging on the pac cocktail.  I did get some good work done this weekend.  Got the monitor mounted to the top frame, here are a couple pics:



and:



The monitor is mounted with three 1/2 inch long bolts to the top, and 4 1 inch long bolts into the body.  Do you think that will be enough?  I have no idea if it is going to hold it up, I sure hope it will.  

[fredster]

I think you are doing a fine job of working on it.

It's hard to get a cocktail right. I've been working on one for a while.
I have $15 in mine + a $5 monitor and a $10 computer, but it won't be as nice as this.

A new MS Pac cocktail can cost upwards of $1000 to $1600 easy depending on where you get it.

I wouldn't tell her either.