Started my first cab! ***almost finished now!***

[Xam]

Well I finally started my cab!

I just finished cutting all the wood today. Upon completing my cuts, I found why I do not work with wood more often...I suck at it!

Hopefully I can make some semblence of an arcade machine out of this stuff...I will keep updating when I can.

Oh yeah...haven't yet decided the name. I was going to call it "The MAME Frame" but then I saw the one one MAME world (I think) called that.

Was thinking of "The MAME Event"
Any comments as far as name are welcome.

If some one can tell me how to post pics here I will...til then go here

http://www.myspace.com/xamco

Xam

[Xam]

Got a lot done on the cab today. Starting to look like an actual cabinet, rather than just a large pile of wood.



Xam

[Timoe]

I cant see any pictures...

[Xam]

more pics...thanks Timoe!

[dudebozo]

looking pretty good.  coming along nicely.  yeah, one time i didn't use my breathing mask and i was paying for it later that night.  but yeah, good stuff dude. 

[Xam]

looking pretty good.  coming along nicely.  yeah, one time i didn't use my breathing mask and i was paying for it later that night.  but yeah, good stuff dude. 

Thanks for the compliment.

I really had doubts about it, but it seems as though the cab is coming together nicely, albeit slowly. Everything is level and square. My wife is just saying "I told you so!"
She has much more confidence in me than I do.

As you can pretty much tell, it is a project arcade clone...nothing special. I am hoping however that my niece will provide some hand drawn graphics for the side art. I know its not authentic, but it will be somewhat unique.

Xam

[Xam]

Really starting to come together! I know my calling will never be cabinet making...but I think it will serve the purpose. Everything is turning out nice and square...though the speaker shelf did put up a fight.

You see clamps on the front panel because I have not yet attached it...may need to have easy access to install the CP.

CP box is next on the agenda!

I'm thinking of naming it Arcadia...let me know what you think.

Xam

[rdowdy95]

Your cabinet looks great so far!  Very nice.  Are you going to angle the monitor shelf? Also what kind of display are you going to put in there?

[Xam]

Thanks for the compliment!

I do plan to angle the monitor shelf. I'll be using a 27" Happ ProVision.

Additional hardware will include:

2 Happs 360's
1 Happ's 3" luminated trackball (Sorry RandyT...got it before yours came out)
1 GGG spinner
1 Ms.Pacman/Galaga joy
1 Keywiz Max encoder
1 set Creative Inspire 3000 speakers
1 Dell P4 2.8 with an 80 gig hd and 2 gig ram (over kill I know, but my new puter uses DDR2) and a 256k video card


I wish the project was moving along faster...been working 6 days a week and just not enough time

On the plus side...it is going together much better than I thought it would! That is, with the exception of the speaker shelf...I don't know what I was cutting, but it was not a speaker shelf for my cabinet

Xam

[Xam]

Not much work done on the cab this weekend. Had my son's b-day party this weekend, so that killed most of my work time. Having only one day off a week and also working til 6:00 PM every night leaves little time for the cab.
Started on the CP box. My rudimentary carpentry skills are really showing here...guess that's why God made wood putty. Anyway...need a few more parts before I can go further on the CP.

Sorry, no new pics...not much to show anyway.

Xam

[Xam]

Not much to report...plan on getting the finishing touches done to the hull this weekend. I did have the boys start filling the screw holes with wood filler...that's gonna take a bit to smooth out...LOL!

Wife says I should not fix their parts "too well". In other words, she thinks the kids boo boo's on the cab will add to it in some way. I think I know what she is trying to say...any opinions?

Xam

[Timoe]

just explain to them that any lumps they can feel or see will be visible on the finished product.  Encourage them to do their best and take their time.  And have fun.

[javeryh]

Your cab looks great so far!  When you assembled it, how did you keep everything square and how many long clamps did you need? 

As for the "imperfections" in the cab, even though it might add character, I'd just try and make everything as clean and nice as possible.  It's still going to have plenty of character even if you aim for perfection and hopefully the kids won't really know the difference and can still say they helped build it.

[Xam]

just explain to them that any lumps they can feel or see will be visible on the finished product.  Encourage them to do their best and take their time.  And have fun.

Yup...that is the goal...to have fun with them building it. So far so good. I did go smooth out some of their lumps, they did not seem offended, they knew it needed to be done and they were more than happy to hand the sanding block to Dad...LOL!

Xam

[Xam]

Your cab looks great so far!  When you assembled it, how did you keep everything square and how many long clamps did you need? 

As for the "imperfections" in the cab, even though it might add character, I'd just try and make everything as clean and nice as possible.  It's still going to have plenty of character even if you aim for perfection and hopefully the kids won't really know the difference and can still say they helped build it.

Thanks for the compliment! I hope it turns out looking as good as your machine. The cab is pretty clean right now...no one has noticed the "glaring" imperfections (at least to me) so all is good.

As far as making it square, I pretty much followed the path decribed by Saint in the Project Arcade book. The concrete in my garage is almost perfectly level, so that really helped in making the sides square.

For clamps I have (1) 36" jorgensen, (2) 12" Pittsburgh's, and (3) generic sping clamps. I mainly use the Pittsburgh ones. A few more of those and at least one more of the Jorgensen's would be nice.

Xam

[theCoder]

Wife says I should not fix their parts "too well". In other words, she thinks the kids boo boo's on the cab will add to it in some way. I think I know what she is trying to say...any opinions?

My son didn't get this lesson until his pride was on the line.  We built several projects together, all of which were my ideas.  He would give up too early on the detailed sanding jobs.  It wasn't until his first screwed-up wood shop project that he got the message about doing a good job on sanding.

[Xam]

Wife says I should not fix their parts "too well". In other words, she thinks the kids boo boo's on the cab will add to it in some way. I think I know what she is trying to say...any opinions?

My son didn't get this lesson until his pride was on the line.  We built several projects together, all of which were my ideas.  He would give up too early on the detailed sanding jobs.  It wasn't until his first screwed-up wood shop project that he got the message about doing a good job on sanding.

I have a second cab planned...they will do most of the work on it. I think then they will get the message...pride can do wonders for you....LOL!
They have learned to do their best in basketball so as to be able to be proud of themselves win or lose...just has not translated well to the cab.

I think one thing hindering their interest, may be, they did not realize how much work would be involved in creating something to have fun on. They just have not seen the reward of a job well done.

Xam

[Xam]

Figured I should give an update.

Putting paint on the cab!
This is the part I hate the most. I despise painting and all things associated with it. As a result of my hatred, I rushed the job. I do not recommend anyone do this. Included is a pic of my sis-in-law and me trying to salvage my big boo-boo.

I became so frustrated with the paint that I had to step away from the cab for a week...it just was not fun working on it anymore. I am now refreshed and refocused, ready to work on it again.

Take your time, do it right (unlike me), and enjoy the experience.

Xam

[Xam]

I was going to try repainting the cab this weekend...may not happen though...stupid cold front.
I have the cab all sanded down again...got the paint ready...but it is too cold here right now. Too cold...in Texas...how many times do you hear that said?

Anyway...if the temp rises I will try to paint.

Xam

[Nostalgia]

Hey, may I ask what color paint that is? Pretty cool color.

[Xam]

Hey, may I ask what color paint that is? Pretty cool color.

Thanks for the compliment! I was going to go black with blue t-mold, but I want my niece to draw the side art...black would have made it hard to do that.

The name of the color is "blue burst"
I got it at Lowe's. I would recommend getting it just a hair darker than mine. It is just a bit brighter (though not quite as bright as original Dk cabinets) than I really wanted...but it was close enough to keep it.

Hope to have the finished paint job to show soon. While I wait for the cold to pass, I am working on a cp mock up.

Xam

[Xam]

Finally some progress worth reporting!

In pic A you see an overview of my CP mock up.

In B and C you see close ups of why it is suggested to do a mock up. I had the uppermost buttons up about an inch too high...and the upper right purple one is a 1/2" off center.

D is one of my boys testing the spacing on the controls. Additionally, we found that with the 4 way where it is, you may accidently bump the player 2 joy while playing...will probably switch the spinner and 4-way positions.

E is just showing more testing.

F and G shows Me and my sis-in-law repairing my paint fiasco. We were able to get one coat on this weekend despite the cold. Was gonna add another coat today, but alas, it never warmed up today sufficiently to paint.


I'll work on making a graph and template for the real CP tonight.

Xam

[leapinlew]

Looking great Xam.

Question - the 4 way. Do you think it'll be in anyones way? It would be an issue on my machine. People take some wild swings on Golden Tee and World Class Bowling. I even had one person bloody their hand on mine. Seriously.

The buttons above the trackball. They will get hit during some games while using the track ball - is that a problem. Do you need those buttons? I left mine under the cab. I don't use it to navigate windows so I don't have a reason for mouse buttons.

Keep up the good work. It's coming together well.

[Xam]

Looking great Xam.

Question - the 4 way. Do you think it'll be in anyones way? It would be an issue on my machine. People take some wild swings on Golden Tee and World Class Bowling. I even had one person bloody their hand on mine. Seriously.

The buttons above the trackball. They will get hit during some games while using the track ball - is that a problem. Do you need those buttons? I left mine under the cab. I don't use it to navigate windows so I don't have a reason for mouse buttons.

Keep up the good work. It's coming together well.

Yeah...I was questioning the 4 way myself. I think I am going to swap positions with the spinnner...maybe even move it a little to the right (of the current position). Another concern I have with it in the current position, is that it seems as though you may consistently bump the 2p joy while playing.

As far as the track buttons go...I am trying to find a better palce for them. I really don't like them there...but don' know where to move them. I could place them under the track, but then I hear you need as much space as possible  for Golden Tee (and I do plan on playing this one, though I have never played it). I would like to keep them relatively easily accessible. If I understand correctly though, I can use 1p or 2p buttons for the fire buttons with the track. Correct me if I am wrong please.

Thanks for the input.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

[miles2912]

Not sure what the buttons over the trackball are for?  You can use player 1 and or 2's buttons for most trackball games if that will help you save space.  On my cab I went with spinner on the right side and 4 way on the left.  Works out just fine.  I did put an 8 way top fire next to the spinner just for tron.  It is fairly close to the player 2 stick and that makes for a nice BattleZone combo. 

Nice work on the cab!

Don

[Xam]

I think I am going to follow the advise of all 2 respondents...LOL! I am scraping the mouse buttons (over the track). In addition to the benefits mentioned in earlier posts...it also creates a cleaner look.

I will be swapping the 4-way and spinner, and moving the purple buttons in approx 1" inward and dropping them about an inch. Everything else will remain pretty much the same with the exception of the main joys and buttons...dropped them about a 1/2" to compensate for dropping the higher buttons.

Xam

[Xam]

Finally! I was finally able to put another coat of paint on...hopefully it will be the last one.

Will be starting work on the CP next and also my niece will start painting the graphics on the side for me.

Will post pics when progress warrants it.

Xam

[Xam]

Yay! Progress again!

Started working on the CP! I am currently getting it ready to apply the CPO.

Will post more as progress progresses.

The routing was a bit tricky....especially since I have never really used a router. I think it came out pretty good...specially for freehand. It did get easier as I used it more.

Xam

[theCoder]

I was going to try repainting the cab this weekend...may not happen though...stupid cold front.  ...if the temp rises I will try to paint.

How cold was it?  I'm about to start painting and am in a pretty cold climate.

Great progress.

[Timoe]

Nice layout.

[Kaytrim]

How did that last coat of paint come out?  This is just my personal opinion but I think that the player 1 & 2 controls are a little far away from the front edge of the CP.

Keep up the progress Xam, looking good.

[Xam]

I was going to try repainting the cab this weekend...may not happen though...stupid cold front.  ...if the temp rises I will try to paint.

How cold was it?  I'm about to start painting and am in a pretty cold climate.

Great progress.

It got down into the 30's...very cold for us...I painted when it got to around 60. Seems to have done okay. Check the temp parameters on the paint you use. Mine was rated for between 50 and 90 degrees.

Nice layout.

Thanks!

How did that last coat of paint come out?  This is just my personal opinion but I think that the player 1 & 2 controls are a little far away from the front edge of the CP.

Keep up the progress Xam, looking good.

Last coat came out well.
I also thought the controls were a bit high on the panel...but after testing on the mock up, it seemed to be very comfortable for us. Our entire family is tall...we got long forarms...LOL!
Thanks for the compliments.

Xam

[Hockeyboy]

Wow, either it's a small world or something...

First off, in one of the pics your wife is wearing a shirt that is exactly like one of my wifes'!!

Second: blue burst for a color? My 12 year-old daughter wants to paint her room that color!! I'm almost finished with her window box seat and she wants to paint the front paneling that color if she can't have her room that color.

To the cabinet now -- looks great so far. I'm so envious! I was able to finally get that TMNT cab from a friend at work but because it's been so cold (here in CO) for the past few weeks I haven't done much of anything to it. Wife is a little upset that I actually took it from him because she was thinking I should just build one from scratch with real wood-grain sides and make it look more like Knievel's Woody than an arcade cabinet. 

...and now back to our regularly scheduled thread...

[Xam]

Wow, either it's a small world or something...

First off, in one of the pics your wife is wearing a shirt that is exactly like one of my wifes'!!

Second: blue burst for a color? My 12 year-old daughter wants to paint her room that color!! I'm almost finished with her window box seat and she wants to paint the front paneling that color if she can't have her room that color.

To the cabinet now -- looks great so far. I'm so envious! I was able to finally get that TMNT cab from a friend at work but because it's been so cold (here in CO) for the past few weeks I haven't done much of anything to it. Wife is a little upset that I actually took it from him because she was thinking I should just build one from scratch with real wood-grain sides and make it look more like Knievel's Woody than an arcade cabinet. 

...and now back to our regularly scheduled thread...

Thanks for viewing my thread and also for the compliments.
I do have to say though....that's my sis-in-law in the pics...LOL! Also she is wearing an  old shirt of mine as it was a bit cool out and she did not want to muss her jacket...LOL! I love that shirt...had it for bout 15 years now. My wife and parents have bought me numerous "new and better" flannels....but they waste away in the closet and are given to charities. Old blue is my fav!
Blue Burst was a pretty cool color for a cab. It should look great in your kids room...bright but not overpowering.

Xam

[Donkey_Kong]

Xam...

1 Dell P4 2.8 with an 80 gig hd and 2 gig ram (over kill I know, but my new puter uses DDR2) and a 256k video card.

I don't believe you can really overkill the PC on your game cab. They can make for nice little work stations as well as your gaming needs. If nothing else just cruising on the internet and not being a slog fest on an old beater, beater. Plus later you might want High Res Commercial games. I haven't gone there yet myself really but I know I'm gonna someday. I also tried a slower machine in my cab prior and it wasn't very fun.

Coldness does suck for this stuff! I bought Melissa a Diesel Heater for the garage she is always down there with her carving freezing her hands off. It is nice but cost kinda big $$ to run. About $1 per hour plus electricity.

Project is looking great man! Can't wait to see it done! 

[Xam]

Got a good bit done over the past week. The overlay is on...came out pretty good...I really suck at contact paper and all things resembling it. Still gotta smooth that bubble at the front edge there. Controls are all mounted. Started wiring everything.

The kids are getting really excited as the cab is really starting to take shape!

Xam

[theCoder]

The kids are getting really excited as the cab is really starting to take shape!

I've heard it many times on this forum, and lived it once myself.  Once you get it functional, the progress really slows down.  When you get the wiring debugged, unplug the keyboard and get back to work.  Great progress.

[Xam]

Just letting everyone know...this project is not dead! My niece has been laboring to paint the side art for me. Its taking waaay longer than I expected.
No pics as she will not let me take pics til it is done.
I do know that if I had known she was going to paint such an intricate art piece on the sides...I would not have painted them! I would have primed and let her go.

Ah well...she is about 3/4 of the way done...so it should not be too much longer. I have been using the time to acquire the little finishing pieces.

Xam

[Xam]

YAY! Finally some progress! Painting is done!

I installed the speakers, computer, marquee light, and t-mold yesterday.

More to come as progress warrants.

My niece did the artwork. I know its a bit unorthodox but she pretty much nailed the look I wanted.

Xam

[leapinlew]

YAY! Finally some progress! Painting is done!

I installed the speakers, computer, marquee light, and t-mold yesterday.

More to come as progress warrants.

My niece did the artwork. I know its a bit unorthodox but she pretty much nailed the look I wanted.

Xam

damn dude... very well done. Now you'll have to be extra careful moving that sucker around. You may be the first guy who puts plexi on the side of his cab.