New Project -----> Freaky Freaky@!

[Estabon]

Let me tell you a story about a super computer freak and his mates who are always working on new ways to out do each other.  We've had a good collection of mame roms on our pc's for years and now it we had all heard about people who have made mame cabinets, so I figured this would be how I would out do the other geeks - by building a mame box.  So now that I've finally found the time to get started on it - here I go. 

First thing I wanted to do was find out what others had done, what had been sucessful and unsuccessful.  While reading many websites and drooling over many neat cabs made by other hardcore retro gamers and talking to many people I got a bit of a surprise from of all people my bro.  Thinking that he'd be supremely impressed by the idea of a mame box, he tells me that his mate 'Bones' has already built one.  So my bro tells me two of the most useful things you can do.  First was to buy the 'Build your own Arcade Machine' ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002F1BXS/qid=1151147315/sr=8-2/ref=sr_1_2/104-8711148-6892763?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=551440 ) book and second, to look up Bones' cab project on this site - and all I can say is Bones Dude - You are the master of cab project documentation.  If you are thinking about building a mame cab and need to read about what works and what doesn't, you really need to read his project here ( http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=54542.0 ). 

So I've read Bones project and I've read the project arcade book and I'm ready to start building.

 - I haven't got a name for the cab yet but I do know that it'll end up being something geeky
 - I plan to loosely follow the plans in the project arcade book to start and modify as necessary
 - I plan on building a four player control panel as gauntlet has always been a favorite with my fellow geeks
 - I've picked up a new twin slot coin door that accepts $1AUD all ready configured
 - I'll use an old pc with specs - Pentium 3 650 133mhz, 512mb, 80gb hdd, 19inch screen
 - The primary color will be yellow with black tmoulding

I'd started building before I remembered to document the process.  I will document it as best I can offering any insight that I can draw on from my computing and industrial arts background.  I'm planning on building a cocktail cab after this one as a coffee table for my lounge room after I complete this project - I promise I will document and photograph it in more detail for the benefit of others.

Anyway, back to the current project. It moved along very quickly considering that I am an industrial arts teacher and have at my disposal a fully equiped workshop (see attached pic), so as soon as I had purchased three sheets of mdf I was off and racing. 

1. It was quick to mark out the shape of the sides and other pieces and even quicker to rip them down with the table saw in the workshop. 

2. Next I took my time sutting out the curve using the jigsaw.  The trick here is to take your time and don't push on the jigsaw blade hard at all.  If the jigsaw is cutting at speed (and it's a new blade) it will do all the work.  The harder you push on the jigsaw then the more course the resulting cut will be, therefore more sanding you have to do.  So ten minutes later (yes, I did take my time) the front curve was cut out.  Nothing more than a light sand around all the edges and the side panels were done (see picture 100_1312.jpg).

3. I've begun to assemble the cab but have left the pictures at work. I'll post them up and document the assembly changes I've made.

 

[theCoder]

I'm assuming you are not doing ANY of this on company time now are you?  Nice shop.  Good luck on your project. 

[Crafty]

Welcome Aboard

I have to agree with you about Bones's Project and level of detail...

It's a massive help to have people freely provide advice in these forums..

Keep the photo's coming

[Estabon]

I'm assuming you are not doing ANY of this on company time now are you?  Nice shop.  Good luck on your project. 

It's all done after hours (weekends), but it does go towards my professional development ie: keeping my tool skills current. So I get to claim the project as a tax deduction since it is an expense incurred in maintaining currency in skills. 

[Estabon]

Welcome Aboard

I have to agree with you about Bones's Project and level of detail...

It's a massive help to have people freely provide advice in these forums..

Keep the photo's coming

There's defintely many more photos to come - as soon as I grab the pictures off the camera I left at work.

[Bones]

Glad you found my thread helpful. All I need to do now is finish the bloody cab.... 

Good luck with your build (even if you are going down the gayest of paths and choosing to paint it yellow).

[theCoder]

So I get to claim the project as a tax deduction since it is an expense incurred in maintaining currency in skills. 

Tax write-off huh?  I like it.  I donated my last cab to my kids school for their annual auction.  Next year I'll write off most all of the money (not labor) I've got into it.

I'm sure students will come out of the woodwork (no pun intended) following you on this project.

[Crafty]

I'm assuming you are not doing ANY of this on company time now are you?  Nice shop. 

So I get to claim the project as a tax deduction since it is an expense incurred in maintaining currency in skills. 

There must be some way to work the tax deduction angle into the name or Marquee..

Claimed Arcade???

It's nice to see government tacking an interest in our obsession

[Estabon]

Glad you found my thread helpful. All I need to do now is finish the bloody cab.... 

Good luck with your build (even if you are going down the gayest of paths and choosing to paint it yellow).

Bones - he who is without sin may cast the first stone.   Nah hang on got that wrong, he who has finished his cab may fling shyt on others. 

I'm sure the yellow will match the other toys in my shed.  What colour is your cab? Kombi Orange isn't it?

[Estabon]

Oops posted twice.

[Estabon]

So I get to claim the project as a tax deduction since it is an expense incurred in maintaining currency in skills. 

Tax write-off huh?  I like it.  I donated my last cab to my kids school for their annual auction.  Next year I'll write off most all of the money (not labor) I've got into it.

I'm sure students will come out of the woodwork (no pun intended) following you on this project.

You're certainly right there.  I've got a number of kids who would normally not show much enthusiasm at school are keen to see were it's up to each lesson.  That was one of the many fringe benefits of building it at work.

I had talked with one of the other teachers I work with and we had discussed the idea of building a cab to donate/auction off to raise funds for the school, but I figured I had better have a go at building one myself first so I was not giving away a machine with problems that could leave the school or myself open to liability.

[Estabon]

I'm assuming you are not doing ANY of this on company time now are you?  Nice shop. 

So I get to claim the project as a tax deduction since it is an expense incurred in maintaining currency in skills. 

There must be some way to work the tax deduction angle into the name or Marquee..

Claimed Arcade???

It's nice to see government tacking an interest in our obsession

For the ridiculous number of hours I work in that place, the government should pay me to employ someone to build it for me.

[Bones]

I'm sure the yellow will match the other toys in my shed.

Hey man, I am only joking. There was a time here of growing resentment for black cabs mostly headed up by missioncontrol who owns an (unfinished) yellow cab.

I was just having a stir. I genuinely like yellow as a cab colour. 

Yellow Triumphs on the other hand.... that really is queer.

[Estabon]

I'm sure the yellow will match the other toys in my shed.

Hey man, I am only joking. There was a time here of growing resentment for black cabs mostly headed up by missioncontrol who owns an (unfinished) yellow cab.

I was just having a stir. I genuinely like yellow as a cab colour. 

Yellow Triumphs on the other hand.... that really is queer.

Hey Bones, Don't you know red is not the only color for Ducati's - they come in yellow too!

Dude, I know you're joking - good to see I got a rise out of you LOL

[Estabon]

As I promised, there are more photos of the construction process.

This picture shows the base and wheels attached.  A fairly straight forward step.  I did opt for swivel casters on the rear and fixed casters on the front.  I figure with two or three players wrangling joysticks that I didn't want the cab moving from side to side, but I still wanted some ease of mobility when moving, hence the swivels on the back.

An extremely cheap purchase at $1.50 per wheel from 'Clints Warehouse'.  Unfortunately they didn't come with bolts so they cost $4 a set at the local hardware store. 

It's at this point that I might begin to keep a running total of expenditure for the cab.  I'll keep this as accurate as possible for peoples benefit.

Initial purchase of 3 sheets of mdf board @ $35 p/sheet = $105.00
4 x casters @ $1.50 each                                          = $   6.00
4 x 35mm bolt and nut @ $4.00 each                           =$  16.00 
Total                                                                     =$127.00
(yes I know these items could be ALOT cheaper but I live in a very small isolated town where everything costs more)

[Estabon]

2. Next I took my time sutting out the curve using the jigsaw.  The trick here is to take your time and don't push on the jigsaw blade hard at all.  If the jigsaw is cutting at speed (and it's a new blade) it will do all the work.  The harder you push on the jigsaw then the more course the resulting cut will be, therefore more sanding you have to do.  So ten minutes later (yes, I did take my time) the front curve was cut out.  Nothing more than a light sand around all the edges and the side panels were done (see picture 100_1312.jpg).

Next step was to cut out the sides.  To do this is fairly straight forward.  I did grid out the curved edge and cut it out using the jigsaw cutter.  I already explained this in my first post but here's the pic of it.

I then took the finished side and clamped it to the board to be used for the second side.  Once clamped, I ran around the edge of the side using a router with a flush trim roller bearing router bit.  This cut out the second side identically to the first in less than 5 minutes.  This link show you the type of router bit to use ( http://www.apworkshop.com.au/html_routerbits/08-lam-ftb2.html )

[Estabon]

My next step was to attach the sides to the base.  Traditionally most people have used glue and right angle brackets to secure base to sides. 

I had taken the weekend to travel to our major populated center to stock up on shopping and supplies.  As a part of this trip I usually stop at the big hardware store called Magnet Mart - it's the equivalent of a huge Bunnings Hardware.  Anyhow, they had these angle bracket strips that you could bend into just about any shape, so when I saw these the light turned on in my head.  I was prepared to try something a little different on the cab and it has worked really well.  You can see in the photo that all I did was bend the flat strips into a 90 degree angle and used them to secure the side to the base.  This is much stronger then a couple of right angle brackets.

As for the rest of the detail in the picture, don't look too closely.  The bolts from the casters protruded so I whiped them off with a grinder.  Toasted the mdf on the surface - nothing a quick hit with the sander won't fix in a couple of seconds.   

The other thing I did do was to counter sink all the screws and the bolt/nut locations - very good move for obvious reasons.

[Estabon]

Forgot to add the flat brackets to my running total.
Balance                                  = $127.00
2 x flexi brackets @$3.80 each   = $7.60
Sub Total                               = $130.80

Here is another pic of the sides attached to the base.  It's starting to look like an arcade machine already - now I'm getting excited and want to spend more time working on it.

[Estabon]

Next step was to attach the top board. 

Most people have been using blocks of wood to screw into, but I have decided to try something different again and I'm pretty happy with the results.  It's very quick and easy to set up each part for assembly and secure to the cabinet.

I'm using what is called a Kreg pocket hole tool (see here http://www.kregtool.com/ ).  This is a neat bit of gear.  Using pocket holes does away with the need for blocks of wood along every joint (see pic 3a).  This is a pic of the top board being attached using the Kreg pocket hole tool.  It has two screws securing it to show you what it looks like. 

[Estabon]

I'm using what is called a Kreg pocket hole tool (see here http://www.kregtool.com/ ).  This is a neat bit of gear.  Using pocket holes does away with the need for blocks of wood along every joint 

This pic shows how easy the Kreg pocket hole tools are to use. 

You simply align the blue jig against the edge of the board and clamp it down.  (It's very much like a dowel jig but with angled holes)
Then you adjust the depth gauge on the drill bit, stick it in the jig and drill down to the depth gauge - Wellah!  Now you have professionally predrilled holes to secure parts of the job together without the need for many blocks of wood.  Notice in my next few posts how clean the internal assembly appears without the blocks of wood to secure parts together. 

The only thing you need to remember when using this method of assembly is to use a coarse threaded screw.  And if you don't think a couple of pocket holes will hold the parts together - just drill a few more for good measure. 

[Estabon]

Here is a pic attaching the back bottom section using pocket holes.

[Estabon]

Next was to attach the top angled section to the cabinet.  This section had bevelled edges.  (bevelled means 45 degrees)  (why didn't I just write that instead of being so technical in the first place LOL  ).  Cut the bevel on the trusty table saw (it really speeds things up if you have access to one of these).

[Estabon]

Next was to attach the top back section to the cabinet.  Again using pocket holes to secure.  Pocket holes really are fast and easy to do on a project like this.

The second pic show the internal view of the cabinet  - it just looks so clean and tidy using the pocket holes instead of blocks of wood everywhere.  This makes for one very happy gamer 

So far I have spent roughly 12 hours on reading and researching and 4 hours on cutting out and construction up to this point and only $130.80. 

I know it will get much dearer very shortly as I am buying a brand new dual coin door - and I know I won't get a good price on it.

[Crafty]

Most people have been using blocks of wood to screw into, but I have decided to try something different again and I'm pretty happy with the results.  It's very quick and easy to set up each part for assembly and secure to the cabinet.

I'm using waht is called a Kreg pocket hole tool (see here http://www.kregtool.com/ ).  This is a neat bit of gear.  Using pocket holes does away with the need for blocks of wood along every joint

This neat bit of equipment will obviously reduce the amount of screw holes to be filled on the outside of the cabinet, and therefore decrease build time overall..

A very handy hint..

[Estabon]

Most people have been using blocks of wood to screw into, but I have decided to try something different again and I'm pretty happy with the results.  It's very quick and easy to set up each part for assembly and secure to the cabinet.

I'm using what is called a Kreg pocket hole tool (see here http://www.kregtool.com/ ).  This is a neat bit of gear.  Using pocket holes does away with the need for blocks of wood along every joint

This neat bit of equipment will obviously reduce the amount of screw holes to be filled on the outside of the cabinet, and therefore decrease build time overall..

A very handy hint..

Too right Crafty.  So far there is not a single hole drilled through the side panels - and there's no plan to do so either.  I cannot see any reason to make a single hole visible to the exterior of the unit - I love pocket holes - they are great for just about everything 

[Estabon]

No posts for a while, two weeks actually, as I'm on holidays and am nowhere near the workshop.  I have decided to travel around the bottom end of Australia for a look see.

Will post more in a couple of days.

[Estabon]

So I've finally gotten back to the arcade box.

Here's a couple of pics of the monitor that I'm going to use for the screen.  It's a 19 inch screen.  I pulled the cover off it to work out how I should secure it to the arcade box.

[Estabon]

I've secured the monitor shelf into the cabinet using pocket holes.  I'm not sure which way to mount the screen - horizontal or rotate it 90 degrees.  Any ideas and experiences from members would be greatly appreciated here.  I think I'll hold off securing the screen in until I hear from some others and do a bit more research myself.

[Estabon]

While I work out how to secure the screen in I decided to work on the coin door.

I'd looked at the hinges that others have used, I decide to go with piano hinge to give a uniform hinge the whole way along the side of the door. 

I bought a AU$1 configured dual slot coin mechanism (new) and had it shipped out.  It ended up costing me more than I wanted it to, but I just had to have it.  That pushed the cost up a bit.

SubTotal --> $130.80
coin door -> $280.00
Total -------> $410.80

I was keen to get the mech into the door, so quickly measured it up and cut it out with a jigsaw (sorry, no pic of the cutting out) and then dropped in the coin mech ----> Sweet!

[Estabon]

Getting the coin door done got me really motivated.  I moved onto the best part - the control panel. 

As I mentioned in a previous post, I wanted a four player panel.  So far using the Kregg pocket hole system I haven't got one screw showing on any external surface and I wanted to maintain this hidden construction especially for the control panel.

This pic shows the basic shape of the top panel.

[Estabon]

here's a few more pics of the control panel during the design and construction phase.  I'm still not certain how I'll secure the control panel top to the bottom of the control panel box - I need to do some more research.

[Estabon]

Here is a pic of the dry assembly of the control panel.  It's upside down.  The holes were cut using the better version of a hole saw - they are called forstner bits (see a pic of a set here - http://www.carbatec.com.au/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=100_8800_8940_8960 ).  Forstner bits are really nice, you can drill/counter sink flush bottom holes using this type of a drill bit.

[Lutus]

Great job so far!!

Better documentation and faster progress than most on this forum.  (including myself)

I also like 4-player games but don't have that big of a cabinet.  My only suggestion is that once you get this thing finished you may with you had a larger monitor in there.

If money is the problem (when isn't it in this hobby) you could put a temporary bezel in there and in the future, should you want to, upgrade to like a 27" real arcade monitor.

My two cents...

Keep up the great work.   

[postalp123]

I had better have a go at building one myself first so I was not giving away a machine with probelms that could leave the school or myself open to liability.

If this is going in a school or to children, and I'm sure you already know this, but one major thing to screen is the MAME Romsets for those "Adult" games, which pretty much eliminates 99.8% of the Mahjong & Pachinko Games, or the bloodier games for that matter.

No sense in "Little Bobby" having Sex Ed. a few years early.

Good Luck!

[Estabon]

Great job so far!!

Better documentation and faster progress than most on this forum.  (including myself)

I also like 4-player games but don't have that big of a cabinet.  My only suggestion is that once you get this thing finished you may with you had a larger monitor in there.

If money is the problem (when isn't it in this hobby) you could put a temporary bezel in there and in the future, should you want to, upgrade to like a 27" real arcade monitor.

My two cents...

Keep up the great work.   

You point about the size of the screen was a good one.  Since reading your post I've replaced the 21 inch monitor from my PC and am planning to use that instead of the 19" monitor.  I think I'll save the 19" for a cocktail table top cab.  I might make a cab for my brother and use it there.

[Estabon]

I had better have a go at building one myself first so I was not giving away a machine with probelms that could leave the school or myself open to liability.

If this is going in a school or to children, and I'm sure you already know this, but one major thing to screen is the MAME Romsets for those "Adult" games, which pretty much eliminates 99.8% of the Mahjong & Pachinko Games, or the bloodier games for that matter.

No sense in "Little Bobby" having Sex Ed. a few years early.

Good Luck!

While the cab is being built in my school workshop, it won't stay there for long once complete, "it's going straight to the pool room".  Thanks for the reminder to censor the games though.

[Estabon]

I've been taken away from building the cab for some time now, but now I've got a heap of time to get the ball/cab rolling again.

I have only this year to finish the cab and build a cocktail cab as I am moving at the end of the year, so I'll make more posts shortly.  I expect to have this first cab completely finished before June.