Author Topic: "The Varsity Club" Dual Monitor Arcade Reconstruction has begun 12/29/09 (Read 177655 times)

mccoy178 · « **Reply #160 on:** April 23, 2006, 06:24:40 pm »

I forgot to mention, the main reason I routed everything from the bottom is so that it can be replaced. I keep thinking to myself, "What if an end all arcade joystick comes out?". I just don't want to be locked into having the 49 ways. I plan on having this baby for a long time.

markrvp · « **Reply #161 on:** April 23, 2006, 08:29:52 pm »

I can't wait to see it wired up.

mccoy178 · « **Reply #162 on:** April 23, 2006, 10:08:08 pm »

I can't either! Should only take me fifty years.

markrvp · « **Reply #163 on:** April 25, 2006, 01:50:50 pm »

Why did you quit? Get back to work.

mccoy178 · « **Reply #164 on:** April 25, 2006, 05:17:55 pm »

I'm still plugging away at it. I mounted the interfaces last night. I also made aluminum brackets to help with holding the joysticks in place.

vader · « **Reply #165 on:** April 25, 2006, 06:01:21 pm »

Those red translucents look incredibly slick on the CP

Congrats

Tim

mccoy178 · « **Reply #166 on:** April 25, 2006, 07:17:49 pm »

Thanks!

KenToad · « **Reply #167 on:** April 25, 2006, 11:08:50 pm »

Wow, incredible work McCoy. I live in Ohio, so initially I wondered why football and why OSU for an arcade CP overlay, but now I think it looks amazing. Of course, I know how crazy OSU fans can get. Nice work and excellent documenting. I can see some excellent games of Pigskin getting played on that box. That game really is great with the 49-ways.

Cheers,
KenToad

mccoy178 · « **Reply #168 on:** April 26, 2006, 12:50:57 am »

Thanks man. I had a hard time finding room for all the encoders. I will be missing the pics of when I installed those, but it is common sense. I'll be posting more pics within the next day or two.

mccoy178 · « **Reply #169 on:** April 29, 2006, 01:47:41 am »

I'm still working. Here is a little description of how I made my cp box.

First, I drew the box bottom based off the cp top. I want the box to be 1/2" smaller on the sides and in the front. Once I had it drawn, I use a jig saw to cut within an 1/8" of my lines:

Second, I used a brad nailer to attach a guide strip and then proceded to use a flush bit and a router table to make the edges smooooooooth:

All in all, I was very happy with how bottom came out. Here is a pick of the final piece:

mccoy178 · « **Reply #170 on:** April 29, 2006, 02:01:27 am »

I almost have the box complete. I may change the sides to mdf, so this reply may be bunk before it's all over.

First, I attached the front(side towards the monitor). I always attach the front and the back pieces first, so I know what angle to cut the sides. I used glue, brad nails, and blocks to attach the pieces:

After attaching the front, I began on the back. First, I cut the piece to the heigth I wanted. I have a one inch difference from the front to the back. I may change this, as the Golden Tee Live I measured had a 3" drop over the same distance, 18"'s:

Like the back, I cut the piece to fit and attached it. I also cut out slots on both sides for pinball flipper buttons. More on that later. Next, I began work on the sides. First, I cut the side to fit on the bottom:

Second, I secured the side to the bottom. This allowed me to work with the piece to mark and route the proper angle:

Next, I laid a piece of plywood on the cp box. I was able to use how the board rested to mark the angle with a pencil:

Next, I nail gunned a guide strip next to my pencil line so I could use the router to flush up the angle. Here is the finished side with the guide still attached:

That's all for now on the cp box. I may switch to mdf on the sides for powder coating purposes, but more info to follow on that.

mccoy178 · « **Reply #171 on:** April 29, 2006, 02:24:28 am »

Until I figure out what I want to do with the cp box, I decided to start the cabinet. I went to a local bar and took detailed measurements of their Golden Tee Live machine. I definitely want one of those.

Anyways, I drew up my cabinet in Illustrator and used the laptop to layout the measurements on the mdf board. I bought three sheets at Lowe's. I only needed two. I was able to make both sides out of one piece of mdf. My cabinet will have measurements very similar to the new Golden Tee machines with just a primary change in asthetics.

Here is the laptop with the drawing of my cabinet. I saw it squint as it's not used to seeing daylight:

I used a five foot ruler to measure out the sides:

I cut out the first side with a jig saw. Once I had completed that, I used the first side to roughly cut out second side, again with the jig saw:

Here is the router bit used to flush the two sides:

Here are some close ups of how I made both pieces flush. I used pieces of oak and three inch clamps to hold the pieces snug to each other:

I'm not a huge fan of the MDF dust:

All in all, I'm very happy with how it went. I did make a mistake on the first side I made, so I'm glad I bought three sheets.(I left out the flat part in front of the cp, so the monitor had a pretty long run

) It sucks to see that mistake after feeling a sense of accomplishment.

But, it wasn't hard to make the new sides, so all was well.

mccoy178 · « **Reply #172 on:** April 29, 2006, 02:28:49 am »

That's all for now. I will hopefully be posting the measurements I have taken of the Golden Tee Live for future users. Also, the epoxy did not hold on the cp. I am going to use carriage bolts to hold them together. I'm okay with that. What's a guy to do? Listen to good advice? Nah.

mccoy178 · « **Reply #173 on:** May 01, 2006, 01:36:47 pm »

After some extensive research, there is no one in Central Ohio with the capabilities to powder coat mdf.

So, with that said, time to get out the rollers and get to the wet sanding.

mccoy178 · « **Reply #174 on:** May 04, 2006, 08:49:54 pm »

I've continued with the cabinet this week. Here are some pics of the bottom being made, the coindoor area in construction, and the whole shabang just hanging out. I also redid the cp box with mdf on the exposed sides and lowered the back part an extra inch for Golden Tee purposes. I hope to get a start on the wiring tonight.

Here is the steps I took to make the bottom. I am using 4" castors from another cabinet and they stick beyond the bottom about 2"'s.

Here is the cabinet sitting in all its young glory. Talk about a motivator!

mccoy178 · « **Reply #175 on:** May 04, 2006, 08:52:35 pm »

Here is the coindoor slot. It is still a work in progress, so it has its own reply.

markrvp · « **Reply #176 on:** May 04, 2006, 10:41:51 pm »

Are you able to construct and store this at the OSU shop? It looks like you've got a lot of room to work.

In my dad's garage, I have to move something anytime I want to build the next piece.

mccoy178 · « **Reply #177 on:** May 04, 2006, 10:51:12 pm »

Yeah, I have it all over at OSU for the moment. I am using my own supplies and tools when possible, but you can't beat industrial sized table saws, planers, and band saws.

mccoy178 · « **Reply #178 on:** May 04, 2006, 11:03:52 pm »

Holy ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---!, I started the wiring. I'll be back in ten weeks.

mccoy178 · « **Reply #179 on:** May 05, 2006, 01:00:13 am »

Minor update: All four GPWiz49 interfaces and the 49 ways worked with the laptop!

I need to widen the bottom left corner of P1's hole by a hair and other then that, all sectors were reached and worked fine. That's a $250 relief right there. Now onto the Keywiz, then the ledwiz, then the.................

Tiger-Heli · « **Reply #180 on:** May 06, 2006, 07:03:42 am »

Quote from: mccoy178 on May 05, 2006, 01:00:13 am

Minor update: All four GPWiz49 interfaces and the 49 ways worked with the laptop! I need to widen the bottom left corner of P1's hole by a hair and other then that, all sectors were reached and worked fine. That's a $250 relief right there. Now onto the Keywiz, then the ledwiz, then the.................

Wait a minute - You're got four GP-Win49 Interfaces - that's 23 x 4 = 92 button inputs and a KeyWiz!

Was programming in RB-Joy just way too complicated for you - or you just wanted keyboard and gamepad buttons b/c you could - which is cool also!!!

Basically just giving you a hard time for no apparent reason.

mccoy178 · « **Reply #181 on:** May 06, 2006, 11:40:13 am »

When people ask me how much everything cost, I have them count the unused posted and multiply by two.

Then I tell them, "Nah, it really wasn't that much. That would be crazy!"

mccoy178 · « **Reply #182 on:** May 08, 2006, 01:04:07 am »

I decided to go with the standard marquee size and shape. I had to compromise because I'm only three inches from the ceiling of my basement. It's close to being done.

mccoy178 · « **Reply #183 on:** May 10, 2006, 11:56:31 pm »

Bought my computer today. I have the same processor in my laptop and it is great. Seemed like a good deal. Great guy to deal with so far. Here is what I bought for $210 shipped:

AMD 64 3200+ Asus K8V SE Deluxe 1GB Mushkin PC3200

Link to info about Motherboard:
http://www.cooltechzone.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1037

Link to info about Processor:
http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/ProductInformation/0,,30_118_9485_9487,00.html?redir=CPAT01

Link to Ram:
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1668

mccoy178 · « **Reply #184 on:** May 11, 2006, 12:58:24 am »

Updated marquee. Forgot to flatten image before resizing.

mccoy178 · « **Reply #185 on:** May 11, 2006, 01:20:59 am »

Ever since I started thinking about this project, I knew I wanted to decase my t.v., but I didn't know what I was going to do about a bracket for it. I did not want any bolts on the sides and that just added to the fun. On the way home from OSU the other night, I got the idea to make the bracket out of square tubing, a steel plate, and a 2" wide piece of steel. Although I don't have any construction pics, I do have completed pics. It took about four hours to make, but most of that was due to being inexperienced with metal. I tried welding first, but alas, my weld-fu is weak. I used clamps and a drill press to make the holes. I used a metal chop saw to make the cuts and a metal bender for the one bend at the bottom. Also, I used a 4" piece of MDF to hold the monitor inside the cabinet. Now after I paint, all I have to do is add another piece on top of that and the monitor will be very snug. It is by far the coolest thing I've made in awhile. Here are pics of the completed brackets:

mccoy178 · « **Reply #186 on:** May 11, 2006, 01:24:10 am »

markrvp · « **Reply #187 on:** May 11, 2006, 01:33:16 am »

That's REALLY cool McCoy. So you made the shelf that the chassis is bolted to? That addresses all my concerns about a decased TV instead of an arcade monitor.

mccoy178 · « **Reply #188 on:** May 11, 2006, 01:54:35 am »

Yes, I made the entire contraption. I didn't know where to get a monitor bracket without paying an arm and a leg, so it was pretty cool to just start with plain metal and make it happen.

quarterback · « **Reply #189 on:** May 11, 2006, 03:32:28 am »

Wow. Very impressive McCoy. Now I'm embarrased to show my jury-rigged bent-metal with pieces of wood and stacked-washer contraption that I call my "custom monitor mount"

Looking good.

spocktwin · « **Reply #190 on:** May 11, 2006, 09:13:52 am »

I have been following your work with keen interest, I have been recently getting the itch to build another one for the rec room. I have only one piece of advice........I think it would look really good in Maze and Blue don't ya think with a great big "Go Blue" sideart!!!! yeah let the flaming begin I am a Wolverine fan. In all seriousness though I love your attention to detail and the amount of information you are posting please keep it up if only to give aid to the enemy!!
Spock

mccoy178 · « **Reply #191 on:** May 11, 2006, 11:05:12 am »

I might as well paint it pink if I was going to do that!

Thanks for the compliments fellas. I am sorry to hear spock that life was not that kind to you.

I will keep the details coming. Today I am buying the 15" monitor!

whammoed · « **Reply #192 on:** May 11, 2006, 05:56:26 pm »

That bracket is nice, well done. When I first glanced at it I expected to read that you decided to go with an arcade monitor instead.

mccoy178 · « **Reply #193 on:** May 11, 2006, 07:20:43 pm »

Well, I went to buy a 15" monitor today and they are actually pretty hard to find. Yes they are around, but in the end, I decided to get a perfect 17" for $175. I knew it was too big when I bought it, but what the heck, right? Here are some pics of my day:

Here is the monitor before it knew what hit it:

First I had to determine just how big of an area I would need (thanks to Kevin for taking the pic

):

I made a simple jig. I set the monitor 1 3/4"'s back from the front. That puts the monitor right up by the plexi:

I by chance discovered that the distance needed on the backside to keep the monitor flush with the marquee shelf was exactly two pieces of mdf. So I made a bracket that attaches from the top so I would have access to the power cord and the vga out. Although not planned, it turned out to be pretty ingenious if I do say so myself:

mccoy178 · « **Reply #194 on:** May 11, 2006, 07:26:47 pm »

Here is the monitor area routed out and almost ready for action:

Here are a couple pics of the monitor mounted. It will look much more natural once I get the plexi on there:

Here is upclose pics of the front and the back. Notice on the bracket I used screws for the extra support:

Almost ready for painting! I have one more innovative idea up my sleave, but I have to do a little research. Tomorrow I'm going to finish some small details on the cabinet and get the painting started.

mccoy178 · « **Reply #195 on:** May 12, 2006, 03:05:06 am »

I got half of the LiteMite boards wired up tonight! All the grounds are done, now I just have 14 left to direct wire. I busted out the ledwiz software on the laptop and it was a thing of beauty.

So, I am hoping by Sunday night to have the wiring of the cp complete.

dweebs0r · « **Reply #196 on:** May 12, 2006, 08:31:32 am »

I sense a Mamey^TM in evolution.

This is one of the coolest projects I've seen in a while. Great job.

-D

mccoy178 · « **Reply #197 on:** May 12, 2006, 09:21:13 am »

Oh, I think I'm a far cry from that stage. I heard I had to grow my hair out like Danny to even be considered.

markrvp · « **Reply #198 on:** May 12, 2006, 12:52:35 pm »

Quote from: dweebs0r on May 12, 2006, 08:31:32 am

I sense a Mamey^TM in evolution.

This is one of the coolest projects I've seen in a while. Great job.

-D

That's what I'm thinking. I hope mccoy doesn't screw it up.

McCoy:

Is the 17" monitor to display the controls and game info on launch? If so, I would be interested to know how it all works.

mccoy178 · « **Reply #199 on:** May 12, 2006, 02:53:33 pm »

Initially, I would like it to have two functions. First, when Howard gets his dual screen coding done, I would like to use Johnny5 controls program to view what controls are to be used. In conjunction with powermame, it should be very difficult to not know how to play a game. 2nd, I envision watching sportscenter as I play Golden Tee, or a dvd if I'm playing a console rpg or something. In the future, I hope that a Golden Tee Live setup would not be impossible, but I'm not holding my breath. I also think it would be excellent to have my own instructional or trash talking videos when I fire up some of my favorite games. It could be a simple batch file callup with mamewah or something. Who knows, maybe someday there will be a FE that I could use to select my games on the clear lcd and play on the t.v.? That would be kickbutt!

P.S. I may have screwed up. I just decided to mount the plunger without measuring the cp to make sure it would all fit. We'll find out tonight when I get home. Isn't college grand?! This is now my project for one of my classes.


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Author Topic: "The Varsity Club" Dual Monitor Arcade *Reconstruction has begun* 12/29/09 (Read 177655 times)

Author Topic: "The Varsity Club" Dual Monitor Arcade Reconstruction has begun 12/29/09 (Read 177655 times)