Former Hit The Ice Cabinet - nearing the end...

[Sinner]

I'm converting an old "Hit The Ice" cabinet into a MAME unit...it was converted into a "NFL Blitz" cab...the original artwork is there, but there is a coating of black paint over it...I want to strip it down to the wood and repaint everything...I have a "Killer Instinct" cabinet I will try to restore (outside, anyway)...

I picked up the cabinet for $100CDN...it was missing the PCB, marquee and monitor, however, everything else was there and in great shape...

Tonight I removed all the wiring, speaker panel, bezel, and glass...then I wiped the inside down...it was filthy...the cloth I used and the water were black when I finished...I guess that's what 10+ years of not being cleaned will do...

Tomorrow the plan is to get a heat gun and start at the vinyl that's covering the sides...it's not in the best of shape, the original colouring was a horrible orange, and I want something different, so I'm just going to remove everything and paint (or use a laminate, but at $80CDN a sheet, I dunno)...

What should I use to fill any defects in the cab??  Wood filler or Bondo?  What's the strongest to use on wood??

I will post some pics as I take them...

[Sinner]

Anyone know anything about using a Midway bezel with a regular TV?

Will a 27" TV fit into the cab?
Will I need to uncase it?
Is there anything special that should be done to mount this?

I measured diagonally inside the bezel...it was about 26"...I assume this is for a 27" tube...

The cabinet is about 25" or around 25" 1/8" wide...what is the width of a regulat 27" TV in a case??  I would think it would be bigger than that, especially any of the newer ones with the speakers on the side...
 
Does anyone have any experience with this?

Any help will be greatly appreciated...

[geomartin]

Some 27" TV's will fit, but thinks to look for are this...avoid TV's with stereo speakers mounted on the side of the tube.  These will be too wide.  Look for the ones with the speakers mounted under the tube.  Also, take a tape measure and measure the depth of the tv while at the store.  I have never had a clerk question me about this, I always figured I would give them some line about the tv needing to fit in a small tv stand.  Also don't buy the extended warranty, as you will void it if you decase it, which you will probably do.

Best of luck,
Geo

[Sinner]

Here's a few pics...

[Sinner]

There's a couple of spots with damage, that I need to fix, but I'm not sure what product I should use...bondo, or wood filler?

[Sinner]

It's a little hard to see from the picture, but you can actually see the side art through the paint...

I started to peel some of the vinyl away...what a job...
How do you remove that stuff? 
Will a heat gun do any good or is it not recommended?

[Lord Iceman]

nicely done!

[Sinner]

nicely done!

Thank you...I think the hardest part of this, is going to be building the CP...

[Q*Bert_OP]

I started to peel some of the vinyl away...what a job...
How do you remove that stuff?

[Sinner]

I started to peel some of the vinyl away...what a job...
How do you remove that stuff?

[Q*Bert_OP]

I started to peel some of the vinyl away...what a job...
How do you remove that stuff?

[Sinner]

I started to peel some of the vinyl away...what a job...
How do you remove that stuff?

[Sinner]

Would using an iron work?  I'm sure it would throw enough heat.  I may give this a try tonight, unless someone knows that I shouldn't...

[Q*Bert_OP]

I had no trouble getting the decals of an '89 crime fighters off...

[Sinner]

I had no trouble getting the decals of an '89 crime fighters off...

Did you use any kind of special scraper or anything???

[Q*Bert_OP]

I had no trouble getting the decals of an '89 crime fighters off...

Did you use any kind of special scraper or anything???

Nope, While the machine was being loaded, we tryed to scrape it as much as possible so sevral corners was worn, i picked at it, and started ripping it off.

[Sinner]

I'll give it a try..., maybe I can get a razor blade or something to get under the plastic...I don't have long nails, and I can't get a hold of the edge easily...

[Sinner]

OK, I worked at this for almost an hour, and I didn't even get half way through...it's horrible...I tried using a regular iron, and that didn't work...
I guess I'll have to go and buy a heat gun...I'm going away on holiday at the end of this week, so it looks like I won't get to do anymore on it until I get back in 2 weeks...
I'll update when I can...

[Q*Bert_OP]

OK, I worked at this for almost an hour, and I didn't even get half way through...it's horrible...I tried using a regular iron, and that didn't work...
I guess I'll have to go and buy a heat gun...I'm going away on holiday at the end of this week, so it looks like I won't get to do anymore on it until I get back in 2 weeks...
I'll update when I can...

A heat gun is your friend when removing CPO's

[Sinner]

I used to work for a sign company, many years ago, and I decided to try and call some of my old contacts to see if I could get a quote on some vinyl to cover the sides of this project with...I figure if it was good enough for the original, it should be good enough for me...well, here's what I came up with...
48" wide by 5 yards of a meduim finsh vinyl (means not high gloss, but not matte), 3mm...
$23.05CDN + 15% TAX = $26.50CDN

This should cover both sides, and the off-cuts should do the front panel, where the coindoor is...

Anyone know if using vinyl is a bad idea??

[CheffoJeffo]

Anyone know if using vinyl is a bad idea??

I haven't used in on the sides of a cab, but my Neo-Geo 2-slot has vinyl sides and I've used the Happs pica vinyl for the overlays/underlay on my MAME cocktail ... looks great.

I'm trying to figure out what I'm missing, though, because your price seems to be too good.

Cheers.

[Sinner]

Anyone know if using vinyl is a bad idea??

I haven't used in on the sides of a cab, but my Neo-Geo 2-slot has vinyl sides and I've used the Happs pica vinyl for the overlays/underlay on my MAME cocktail ... looks great.

I'm trying to figure out what I'm missing, though, because your price seems to be too good.

Cheers.

Well, I used to work for a sign company in Toronto, and I've called one of their suppliers...they're giving me a good deal...I'm sure it's probably not the same stuff HAPPs has, but I think it'll be good for a home cab...and with fromica for the sides at $80CDN a sheet, vinyl it starting to look really good...

There are a lot of different options you can get, there's high tac vinyl, different thicknesses...I'm getting 3.5mm, but 5mm is also available...colour, finish, etc...I called another place, and they wouldn't give me much of a deal...it was $7.30CDN a yard, for the same material...

If we're still on for the heat gun, when I get back, I can show it to you...I'm also getting a sample book sent out to me from one of the places...

[CheffoJeffo]

If we're still on for the heat gun, when I get back, I can show it to you...I'm also getting a sample book sent out to me from one of the places...

We're still on for the heat gun ... I've stripped everything I need to off of my current projects.

Cheers.

[Sinner]

If we're still on for the heat gun, when I get back, I can show it to you...I'm also getting a sample book sent out to me from one of the places...

We're still on for the heat gun ... I've stripped everything I need to off of my current projects.

Cheers.

Kewl...I'll be gone for 2 weeks...I won't be working on my project, but I will be checking the board now and then...

[Effayy]

Anyone know if using vinyl is a bad idea??

I haven't used in on the sides of a cab, but my Neo-Geo 2-slot has vinyl sides and I've used the Happs pica vinyl for the overlays/underlay on my MAME cocktail ... looks great.

I'm trying to figure out what I'm missing, though, because your price seems to be too good.

Cheers.

Well, I used to work for a sign company in Toronto, and I've called one of their suppliers...they're giving me a good deal...I'm sure it's probably not the same stuff HAPPs has, but I think it'll be good for a home cab...and with fromica for the sides at $80CDN a sheet, vinyl it starting to look really good...

There are a lot of different options you can get, there's high tac vinyl, different thicknesses...I'm getting 3.5mm, but 5mm is also available...colour, finish, etc...I called another place, and they wouldn't give me much of a deal...it was $7.30CDN a yard, for the same material...

If we're still on for the heat gun, when I get back, I can show it to you...I'm also getting a sample book sent out to me from one of the places...

Here in Ottawa I'm using countertop-grade Formica on the sides of my cab, and I'm paying less than $50 per 4x8 sheet.  This is at the Home Depot down the street.  Is the price jacked up that high in Toronto?

- FA

[Sinner]

Must be, because Home Depot here told me it was $79.99
Those dirty BASTA...

[NIVO]

well seeing as your canadian, whats wrong with going back to a hockey themed cabinet? (unless you dont like hockey, and that'd be a sin you being a canuck and all LOL)

HOCKEY HOCKEY HOCKEY   GO RED WINGS!
and sirPoonga if you read this 

[Sinner]

well seeing as your canadian, whats wrong with going back to a hockey themed cabinet? (unless you dont like hockey, and that'd be a sin you being a canuck and all LOL)

HOCKEY HOCKEY HOCKEY

[AlanS17]

How this might seem off the wall, but when I see that cab, it reminds me of a big orange tank. Repainting it in OD green with tank treads at the bottom would be slick. Of course, I might just be full of it.

[CheffoJeffo]

Sinner: Don't know if you are still around, but apparently Canadian Tire has heat guns on sale for C$9.99 this weekend ...

You are, of course, welcome to use mine (which, presumably, is worht more that $10), I just thought I'd mention this as I saw it on CGCC.

Cheers.

[M3talhead]

As far as the monitor goes, I can say this:

That Midway/Williams cab is 99% identical to my old Mk3 cab. The most budget-oriented solution is to find an old (broken) 25" monitor and get a 8liners chassis. Thats the route I went and I love it. You can usually pick up a busted monitor that size for less than $25 depending where you live, and the 8liners chassis is a snap to install at $114 (shipping included via USPS Priority).

Let me know if you have any more detailed questions.

[Sinner]

I picked up one of those heat guns for $9.99, regular $32.99...I'm hoping that it's what I need to get that vinyl off...BUT...I'm still on vacation, so I won't be able to find out until a week from now...

I have no idea what an 8liner chassis is, or where I would find a 25" monitor...I have a friend who gets skids of TVs, so I'm going to try and get one and cram it into the cab...

[AlanS17]

An 8liner chassis is a ready-to-go arcade monitor chassis to fit many different TV tubes. You basically remove the TV tube from its original chassis and just plug it into this thing. You find them at:

http://www.8liners.com

I'll likely be doing this since I have two 25" arcade monitors with toasted (as in black) chassis.

[Sinner]

Well, I'm back from holidays, and I've had a day off before going back to work today...
Yesterday, I put my new heat gun to the test, and got the entire cabinet stripped...I put some wood putty in a few spots, and I'll be leaving it until the weekend, or maybe even week to continue working on it (family obligations and work, always seem to get in the way)...
Heere are a couple of pictures...

[Sinner]

There is this panel on the cab, right next to the coin door...it serves no purpose, I just assumed this was a cabinet the Midway used for a bunch of different games, and wasn't needed for "Hit The Ice" specifically...anyone know what it's for?

[Sinner]

The coin reject buttons, have no markings on them...I want to know how to add a $.25 label to it, I think it must be by sticker, because I don't see any other way of doing this...

The coin door itself is in good condition, though it needs to be cleaned...I think I'm going to sand a couple of areas down, and rpaint the whole thing...
Someone drilled holes around the lock on the bottom door, I may see if there's a way I can cover these, otherwises I'll just have to live with them...

[Sinner]

I'm going to add some castors to the bottom of this thing...they're cheap ones from Wal-Mart, but they are rated for heavy weight, so I'm hoping they'll work...
I'm 5'8", so I hope this won't make the cabinet too tall for me, I tried to simulate the extra height by putting some spacers down and using a piece of MDF to simulate the CP surface, and I think it'll actually be better, but time will tell...

Here's a picture of my next project...it's in my garage, just taking up space right now, but I've collected a few parts...

[CheffoJeffo]

Someone drilled holes around the lock on the bottom door, I may see if there's a way I can cover these, otherwises I'll just have to live with them...

I can't quite make the holes out in the photo, but perhaps this will help:

http://www.rgvac.com/restoration.asp?projid=19

Cheers.

[Sinner]

That's a great link...thanks...I may be able to get rid of the padlock on my KI now too...

[CheffoJeffo]

That's a great link...thanks...I may be able to get rid of the padlock on my KI now too...

It was posted in another thread yesterday. Was surprised that I had never seen it before.

Cheers.

[Sinner]

Well, I put casters on the cabinet last night, but that's about all the time I had to work on it...
The wood filler is dry, but I don't think it's going to hold at the edges...I think I'll have to knock it off on the edges and use Bondo...
I put some wood on the cab, where the CP goes, and I think 20" is a little too wide...so I reworked it to 18" and 48" wide...

[Sinner]

Here's with just some colouring...might be easier to picture what the layout will look like...
I don't have a spinner or a flight stick yet, but I'm hoping to get both before I finish the cutting and drilling...

[Sinner]

Well, I decided to start playing with the CP a little...I decided to go with an 18" wide CP top, and will be shaped, so I can have pinball buttons...
Here's a picture of what I started doing...

[Sinner]

I've left half an inch border all around (with the exception of the back), this is so the box of the CP won't be flush...it's hard to see, but I've marked the 2 portions in the front, that need to be removed...I'm not 100% sure if I should do this to the top, so I've not done it as of yet...

I measured and taped everything down, marked the centers of all my holes and started drilling...
I'm not sure if I will route the bottom of the joystick, since the wood is only 5/8" thick...maybe an eighth of and inch, since I'll be using T Stick pluses...

I don't have pictures of it drilled yet, but I will get some tonight...I also hope to cut the hole for the TB, and hopefully get everything routed as well...I lent my slot cutting bit to fernakis, so if I can pick it up tonight, I'll try and route for the T-molding too...

[Sinner]

Here's a picture of what I think I will end up with in the end...the cutouts, will allow me to add buttons for pinball, and be comfortable to use...it's not quite the shape I would like, but it's functional...
I took a measurement of the cab, where the CP sits, it looks like it's 7" high, this means that my CP box, without the lid (top), needs to be 7" deep...does that sound right??

[Sinner]

Is 10 degrees the proper slope for a CP?

I think I can build the box straight, and cut wedges to slant it, when I do the install on the machine...

[tivogre]

I think I can build the box straight, and cut wedges to slant it, when I do the install on the machine...

Wuss!

 

[Sinner]

I think I can build the box straight, and cut wedges to slant it, when I do the install on the machine...

Wuss!

 

HA!  Thanks...maybe if I had all your tools and workspace, I might be able to figure out how to do it properly...

[Sinner]

Well, I worked on my CP a little more last night...I finished drilling everything, cut out the hole for the TB, routed the joysticks, routed the area for the mounting plate, and routed for the T-molding...

The first picture is just a shot of the CP after I cut and drilled everything...
The second is a shot with buttons and TB dropped into it...the TB just has a flashlight behind it to make it glow, for the picture (I'll be using a high intesity LED in the completed project)...

I set up the router to do the T-molding on a 3/4" piece of wood, then routed my CP from the bottom...the wood is 5/8" thick and I will be using 1/8" plexi on the top...this will give me the 3/4" thickness I want...

I hope to pick up some T-nuts, bolts, and Bondo today...I won't be able to work on it tonight, but I'm hoping on Wednesday, I can get the thing filled and sanded...if not, I hope to start on the CP's box...

[Sinner]

I picked up some Bondo last night, though I haven't used it since I was in my teens. I'm sure it will come back to me...
Tonight I hope to get all the T-nuts installed, Bondo applied to the areas that need it, get it sanded and a couple of coats of paint...

[Sinner]

Well, I put in the T-nuts, and used Bondo to fill in where I routed...if I can say anything about this experience, I say to spread it thinly and smoothly...get it as close to where it needs to be...I had a couple of high spots...what a time I had sanding...do yourself a favour and use as much as you need to cover/fill the area and no more...
I gave it a quick spray with some black paint...I plant to cover it with vinyl, so I'm not worried about using primer, etc.
Tomorrow I hope to start on the box, however, I have no idea how to do it...

[Sinner]

Got a bunch of stuff done...I got the cabinet painted, and new T-molding put on...I scuffed the side a little, getting it into my basement...I was alone, and was too impatient to wait until the next day to get someone to help...
I've sanded and repainted the coindoor...
Installed the speakers...
Installed the marquee light...
I've been using an X-Arcade to play, and I have a 21" monitor thrown in there, until I find a solution for a TV...I think I will be de-casing a 27" TV...
I have an old AMD 733MHz in there right now and a 200GB external drive with some games installed, not ideal, since I have MAME .97, and a few things are really choppy and unplable...

[Sinner]

I don't get as much time to work on my project as I would like, so I was in a bit of a hurry to get the CP done...I decided to cover the surface with vinyl, that is typically used for sinage...I din't want any imperfections from the surface to show, so I decided not to stick the vinyl down, so I applied it with the paper on...it looked great, but eventually it wrinkled, so now I'm going to take everything off and stick it down...
Luckily I haven't wired it yet, so I'm in less of a mess than I could be...

[Nipedley]

I have to say, great work on the cab! It looks very good =) I have the same problem with the corners of my machine, they were ripped to shreds.. considering the best option to re-make them, probably Bondo, but I dont know how to get that in the UK... anyway

There is this panel on the cab, right next to the coin door...it serves no purpose, I just assumed this was a cabinet the Midway used for a bunch of different games, and wasn't needed for "Hit The Ice" specifically...anyone know what it's for?

On my terminator 2 (very similar cab, only mine has a flat front panel instead of 3-edged), that panel serves the purpose of removing the game-boards. (They are mounted on the side of the cabinet and can slide out through that panel, which is held on by a latch inside) I presume yours had a similar purpose, though I could be wrong

[Sinner]

I have to say, great work on the cab! It looks very good =) I have the same problem with the corners of my machine, they were ripped to shreds.. considering the best option to re-make them, probably Bondo, but I dont know how to get that in the UK... anyway

There is this panel on the cab, right next to the coin door...it serves no purpose, I just assumed this was a cabinet the Midway used for a bunch of different games, and wasn't needed for "Hit The Ice" specifically...anyone know what it's for?

On my terminator 2 (very similar cab, only mine has a flat front panel instead of 3-edged), that panel serves the purpose of removing the game-boards. (They are mounted on the side of the cabinet and can slide out through that panel, which is held on by a latch inside) I presume yours had a similar purpose, though I could be wrong

Hey, thank you very much...I have a Midway cab as well (Killer Instinct( and it has the flat front...the one in the HTI cab actually doen't go all the way through...it's like they routed the section about 1/4' deep, then filled it with a piece of wood cut to the same shape...anyway, I ended up countersinking the screws and using Bondo to fill in the seam...
If you're having trouble finding Bondo in the UK, maybe you could go to a auto-body repair shop,a nd ask what they use there...I'm sure it would be the same type of stuff, but would have a different name...

[Sinner]

Just a couple of pictures...
I finished hooking up the speakers, most of the CP (though still having a problem with the IPAC being detected), TB light and one side of the coindoor...
I used a 220ohm resistor, and a red super bright LED...I made a bracket from a piece of metal, and got my power from the Optipac...I think the light is dim...if you look straight down on it, it looks fine, but from angles, it looks orange...I know that the LEDs are directional, but I think if I put a 100ohm resistor in, instead of the 220, it will be much brighter...
Once I get all this hardware stuff done, I still have to try and get a frontend working...I've played with MAMEWAH a little, and I'll probably go with that, though I do like some of the features of Atomic...I just wish there were some better skins for it...anyway, more on that later on...

[Sinner]

I finally got aa bigger screen in, but that's about it...I still have to tidy it up...add a smoked glass, etc...

I'm finally almost done...

Does anyone have an Act-Labs TV light gun working through smoked plaxi???

[Sinner]

I finally got some glass cut for this thing (the orginal broke as I picked it up to bring it in the house)

I got grey smoked, tempered glass...looks good, but it's not dark enough for me to put in, without a bezel...you can still see the tube mounts...
luckily, I still have the original bezel, and it seems to fit correctly...I cleaned it, and it looks good...
I hope to get everything together this weekend...

Also, I'm getting a new PC today (P4 2.4GHz, with 256MB RAM)...
I'm getting a really good deal on it, and it'll be much better than the 733MHz AMD I have in there now...

A few touch-ups with a paint brush, and the cab itself will be finished...

All that will be left after this weekend, will be a theme...I'll need to create artwork for the marquee and for a MAMEWah layout...

[leapinlew]

Looking great dude!

I have a quick question about your speakers. Are those car speakers? Were they hard to hook up?

Thanks!

[Sinner]

Looking great dude!

I have a quick question about your speakers. Are those car speakers? Were they hard to hook up?

Thanks!

Thanks a lot...
Yeah, they're Sony X-plod...I wanted to get something that had a good sound, and looked good...I was originally going to backlight them, so they glowed red, like the TB, but that's on the back burner now, as it's taking me a lot longer to get to the point where I consider it finished...
I had a set of PC speakers...a sub and 2 satellites, they were the same resistance as the Sony (I can't remember if they're 4 or 8 ohm)...I just cut the wires, added an extension with some quick connect clips and that was it...I mounted them, and I think they sound pretty good...

[jhanson]

Someone drilled holes around the lock on the bottom door, I may see if there's a way I can cover these, otherwises I'll just have to live with them...

I can't see the holes in the picture, but in the past when I've had a coin door with a hole drilled in it, I was able to cover it using a carriage bolt (like the ones used to mount joysticks) painted black.  You can see an example in this picture:



Sure, it's not perfect, but it doesn't look out of place unless you're looking for it.

[Sinner]

That's a great idea...I never thought of that...mayb get in the way of the coin bucket, but I guess I can always trim the bolts down...
Thank you.