Gigantic cocktail cabinet, 4 players, etc

[Com[Plex]]

okay, so this is my first cabinet, but don't let that fool you.

I came into possession of a 31.5" monitor, and decided t was time to make that cabinet Ive been wanting all these years. I dont have a lot of room in my apartment, so a large upright with a frankenpanel wouldnt work. Therefore, I decided to build a cocktail cab big enough to replace our kitchen table, and call it good.

the end result, is a four sided cocktail cabinet, with a 4 player side for those few four player games, a two player joystick side for vertical scrollers like 1942, the oposite side for vertical oriented games with a trackball and custom spinner for tempest, arkanoid, centipede etc, and the second horizontal side for two player HTH combat games.

I had been warned that too many different controls in too small an area was 'tacky', so I felt that four sides for four different style games was just as good as a "spincade" and alot easier to construct.

I also needed it to be modular so I could move it out of the kitchen if I had to, so I built a base to house the tv and computer, and a seperate removeable control deck that can be taken off, alloweing the base to be rolled around

[Flinkly]

my *blank*....

i always aspired to build a cocktail.  but now i don't think i'll even try.  good idea to make it the kitchen table too.  insterad of reading the newspaper everymorning, just play a quick round of pacman or somethin...

i like it, but what about the edges of the glass?  it looks like it overhangs a little too much without any support, i'd be afraid of it breaking.  oh, and while i'm thinking about it, what did you pay for all that glass?  well, i have a ton more questions, but i'll let someone else ask for a bit...

[Silver]

Awesome! I love something a bit unusual.... A 31.5" in a cocktail....

I take you don't play many trackball games where you need a big push - that could hurt!

Ah you do have pics up.... any dimensions?

[danny_galaga]

  

now surely THIS is 'hall of fame' material?

[walls83]

That is the biggest cocktail cab Ive ever seen.  That might be the biggest cocktail cab in the world.   How does it pay with 4 peeps hudled around.   Can everybody see or are people leaning into each other?

[Witchboard]

I like your trackball mounting plate.  Is that a square NBS plate and you just routed a larger round hole so you can see it?  Looks good, and looks very functional as a table as well.

[Com[Plex]]

lets see if I can answer all your questions so far.
the glass:
the glass is quarter inch bronze smoked glass, 48"x42"
the surface it rests on wraps around the TV and distributes the weight nice and evenly.

[Com[Plex]]

That is the biggest cocktail cab Ive ever seen.

[Com[Plex]]

I like your trackball mounting plate.

[Com[Plex]]

Looks good, and looks very functional as a table as well.

funny you should mention that,
last night I was chowing down while playing tempest and trying to trap the memory region for the superzapper, (cheater)
and I had a big bag of chips, dip, bowl of meatballs in sauce and some sub rolls, making mini meatball subs and wailing on a four pack of guiness, and NOTHING was in my way!!

what a great table!!

[RayB]

This is not a cocktail table!
This is insanity!
 
*WOW*
I think this qualifies as a category all it's own. A Dining Table machine.

[Santoro]

I like it.   It is always nice when someone breaks the rules a bit and creates something new.

I especially like the way the glass overhangs.

[Com[Plex]]

This is not a cocktail table!
This is insanity!
 
*WOW*
I think this qualifies as a category all it's own. A Dining Table machine.

LOL, my friend SpyStyle just suggested that I name it the "GIGANTO-MAME"
I think its a good name, and you are right, this isnt a cocktail cab,

its a dinner table cab.

[Com[Plex]]

I like it.

[Witchboard]

In my humble opinion, I think you should just print up some nice instruction cards to put under the glass and let it be.  It looks good the way it is now, like a piece of furnature.  If you start sticking stuff on it, it will look like a nice armoire that some kid has slapped stickers on.

[Gunstar Hero]

*thunk* 

That was my jaw, dude.

That is awesome.

[Com[Plex]]

I want to add a few things

first, it isn't entirely finished. the controls are exposed from below, and I intend to cover them, but I have some minor bugs to work out first.

[Com[Plex]]

In my humble opinion, I think you should just print up some nice instruction cards to put under the glass and let it be.

[RayB]

I'm sure others are wondering... Are you married? If so, how'd you manage to get the green light on something like this?

[Com[Plex]]

I'm sure others are wondering... Are you married? If so, how'd you manage to get the green light on something like this?

LOL, it was easy! My girlfriend plays it more than I do!

the only hard part about the project, was devoting this huge tv to it. at first, the tv sat out in the hallway, blocking traffic, on the back stairwell, but basically out of sight, out of mind.  when I finally decided to carry it up the rest of the stars and test it out, the picture was so bad that we didnt want to use it. - however, once I fixed it, the picture was great, and my girlfriend(Tory) started using it in the back room to watch movies and stuff off her computer. we Have 3 other Tvs, but they are all smaller. 21, 25, and 27.
I could have used one of those for the mame box, but by the time Tory started uysing this monster for her movie watching pleasure, I had allready constructed the base around it.  I wanst going to change that.

my solution:
I got her a video card that would output over svideo and popped it into her machine back there. that way she can watch a video in theater mode (outputs video in full screen to tv, but on the monitor she can be doing other stuff).
this worked out great!

Ironically enough, she really does play the arcade more than I do.  I want to play mortal combat and stuff, and shes playing bubble bobble and other girly games.... GRUMBLE...

here is a pic of Tory taken after two coats of poly

[Nannuu]

That is the coolest table I've ever seen!  Games and food together.  If you could just place 4 toilets around that baby you'd have it made.  Toilets on casters for the 4 player games.  Good good work, and very nice looking to boot.  Are you going to put a website up for it?

[Nannuu]

You might think about adding some black grommet around the edge of the glass just in case of spills.  It might hold it long enough to clean it up.

[Com[Plex]]

That is the coolest table I've ever seen!

[Santoro]

Dunkin' Donuts and Drakes Funny Bones.  My kinda people!

[tommy]

That looks good man my only concern is that bronze glass, im sure its not temp glass and if its not and someone hits the edge of that glass theres going to be huge mess and i dont mean glass mess im mean a bloody mess ive seen people lose there arms/fingers by not respecting glass make sure they know its very dangerous , that could save you a lawsuit           -tommy

[Gunstar Hero]

Respect Bubble Bobble man! That game is awesome! 

[Com[Plex]]

That looks good man my only concern is that bronze glass, im sure its not temp glass and if its not and someone hits the edge of that glass theres going to be huge mess and i dont mean glass mess im mean a bloody mess ive seen people lose there arms/fingers by not respecting glass make sure they know its very dangerous , that could save you a lawsuit

[tommy]

As a glazier   you should have temperd glass to protect your self

[sasuke_kun12]

oh my goodness! thats GINORMOUS! Hey complex did you have any probs with your joystick microswitches? coz i've got one x-arcade joystick and i had to bend the the prongs.

[Witchboard]

As a glazier

[Com[Plex]]

oh my goodness! thats GINORMOUS! Hey complex did you have any probs with your joystick microswitches? coz i've got one x-arcade joystick and i had to bend the the prongs.

Yes, I had to tune them a little. for sure. but I changed the "button pusher peice" alot too. they work great now

[Com[Plex]]

UPDATE:

http://www.angrymods.com/mame/

I started a web page for it.
its not done, but then, I have to go to work now. hehe. Ill work on it later!

[GGKoul]

Great work!!!  This deserves a MAMEY for sure!!!

[Otraotaku]

Crazy!!! You deserve to be in the news for that... or Ginius Book of records!Jeez Table. I think you should discuss some arcade art with your wife/girlfreind... ^.^

[Mr. Dude]

This may be one of the coolest things ever made!!!  Awesome job man!

[Com[Plex]]

This may be one of the coolest things ever made!!!

[whammoed]

Wowzers!
Certainly no reason it couldn't be in the HOF.  Definitley unique enough.
Interesting way to read the morning paper too!
How is the ergonomics of seeing the entire screen while playing in a seated position?  I thought my 27" cocktail was pushing it a bit which is why I ask...I use office chairs so players can adjust the height for best viewing.

[GGKoul]

I passed this project on to the "MAMEY" people.... so we'll see..

[bioart]

This is impressive.  I'd love to do something like this (though I would still be concerned about the glass not being thick enough for use as a table...)

Hmm...

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Honey??? we need to move...
Why?
"giganto-Mame" is coming...
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[RetroJames]

effing awesome.  THIS is why I keep checking back.  Just awesome.