Tempest Replica

[johnm160]

It's Official,

Project Tempest has begun. I am still waiting on a few parts, but I could not hold out any longer. I had the itch and had to start cutting.  It has been so long, I forgot how relaxing it can be. I took pics, I will try to get them posted tomorrow.

 

[danny_galaga]

the race is on then! whos replica will be finished first? yours or mine? time will tell!

[spacies]

Whats happening with the Donkey Kong Johno?

[johnm160]

Donkey kong is next Spacies,

I already had the control panel and marquee for Tempest so it went first.

I am working on a deal for a DK coin door with someone here so It will not be long.

[johnm160]

Well I got nothing done arcade wise today, I spent my afternoon on a job site watching a crane swing a 72 foot house onto its foundation. I could not help but think how useful that thing could be for moving arcade cabinets.

But I digress.

So here is how Sunday went. I will describe in the order of the pics (hopefully they will stay in order)

First we have a piece of 3/4" BC sanded plywood with a template made from 1/2 ply. It was nice to make the template out of thinner material so it was easier to handle, but it warps rather easy and had to clamp it just to get it to lay flat. I am thinking it was not the best choice for a template material.

I then trimmed the wood to about 1/2 inch larger then the template with the saw so the router did not have to work too hard. As shown in the next two pics.

Pics 4 & 5 show side one completed after routing with a 1/2" pattern bit. Then since I had a slight problem just under the control panel, (the router bearing did a job one the wood filler I had there) I used side one as the pattern for side two as shown. Following the same procedure, I trimmed to about 1/2" and routed. Presto, we now have two sides.

Now this may seem obvious, but I will mention it anyway. When using BC Sanded plywood it is sanded smooth only on one side the other side is regular ply and may contain voids. Remember to flip on side over when you cut so that you end up with smooth sides out. If you cut side one with the smooth side up, then cut side two with the smooth side down.

Next is time for the t-molding slot, so we sacrifice a piece of scrap to do some testing on. It took two shots to get it right

Continued below:

Thankfuly I learned something else from the nice people on these forums.
That was to type these posts in a word processor and paste it here. My pics were too big and it ate the post.......No problem paste it again

Lets try again

[johnm160]

Now the moment of truth, can I actually cut this entire slot without damaging them

[Aurich]

I have nothing to add at this point other than I cut a hole for that exact same coin door yesterday myself. 

[johnm160]

I have nothing to add at this point other than I cut a hole for that exact same coin door yesterday myself. 

You cut a hole for MY coin door? 

[danny_galaga]

hmmm, im thinking i should be taking more/clearer pics for my build...

[johnm160]

hmmm, im thinking i should be taking more/clearer pics for my build...

It is easy to forget to pic up the came and take pics once you get rolling. A couple of times I forgot and had to move a previous piece back to take a picture of...

I guess you just get in the zone....

[johnm160]

Raining and windy today, got nothing done. 

Hopefully tomorrow will be better and I can have this thing standing.

[johnm160]

Day 2

As soon as I got home from work today I started working on the cab, we are suppose to have 20 mph winds all day tomorrow, so I wanted to get as much done as I could tonight.


I started assembling the cab and realized that I forgot to start taking pics so we start today’s photos with most of the center pieces already glued and nailed to one side.

I (re) learned several lessons today:

1)   Don’t Rush when you are building.
2)   Getting side 2 on with everything sticking up and full of glue is ideally a two person job.


I was in such a hurry to get things done I did not realize that the side was sagging a little on the saw horses, causing a 1/8” gap at the center of the front panel where it meets the side. I only noticed this when I dropped side two on top of everything and the problem was exaggerated up there. I repositioned the horses closer together but it was too late since the first side was glued nailed and pretty well dry already. It would have done more damage to remove it then it was worth. I am not happy about it but it is only 1/8” I will fill it and lesson learned for next time. I think when it comes time to glue everything on the next cab I will do it on the ground. The is no chance of anything sagging there and it frees up the horses for something else while the glue dries.
After both sides were attached I test fitted the marquee and used it as a guide to attach the nailers for the speaker board. Their was no sagging on the top end of the cab, the joint was nice and tight….maybe a little too tight, the marquee fit, but it damm is it SNUG.

I gave the glue an hour to dry before I attempted to drop it off the horses, (note to self, this is best as a two person job also) I quick lift at the bottom and I kicked the horse further up. I carefully started lowering it when it happened…….The horse slide and tipped, the plastic ones are way too light. No big deal though the bottom got put down a little hard as I grabbed further up. Thankfully the glue was dry and everything held.

Next I measured and cut the speaker board and started thinking I needed a template for a 6x9 speaker, Hey wait, I am not using a 6x9, I need pc speakers. That killed it I had no idea what size holes to cut so I had to run to the store to find speakers. I found a 3 pc set of Phillips that had a remote volume control…Sweet… 39 bucks later I am home and destroying my new speakers. With the drivers removed from the housing I marked and cut the holes and attached the speakers to the top of the board. Did not attach the grills because of the design of the Tempest cabinets they will never show. Tomorrow I will try to get the monitor supports in and make the supports for the sides of the CP. I am still not 100% sure if the monitor will fit. Tomorrow should be interesting.

[spacies]

Nice one John,

Shame about the sag. I never build cabs on saw stools. Always on the ground. Looks like you have some smoooooth concrete there too.

You sure you can't fix it? You could clamp it from side to side, and front to back, remove the bracing and and then put in a new piece? Leave the clamps on 'til it dries.

Some things would easier with 2 people, but most of don't have the luxury of that. I work from home and there isn't anyone here except my puppy, and all she is good for is stealing my tools, screws etc. An easy way to make sure everything is lined up is to mark on the 2nd side a few guide measurements to correctly align the first side upright pieces. I am sure you next build will be easier.

Nice speakers, its gonna make an awesome sound!

Anyways, looks good.

[johnm160]

Thanks Spacies,

Yeah on the concrete next time for sure....

Man I got a ton of glue on there, if I try to take it apart you know its gonna tare out some wood. I will deal with it and fill it, once its painted I don't think it will be noticeable, especially since it is around the height of your knee 

[johnm160]

I still don't know what I am gonna use for a speaker grill and upper glass retainer on this thing. I have not been able to find them anywhere.

Any suggestions?

here is what it is suppose to look like.

[theCoder]

The front sheet appears to be a little too high.  It looks like it is going to get in the way of your controls.

Are you using solid pine or plywood for your attachment strips?

Your cab is coming together quickly.  Do us all a favor, build a little, take a few pictures, think some more, build a little, take a few pictures.....

Nice job so far.

[spacies]

For the retainer, go see a sheet metal shop. They should have something like that grill.
You could also get them to bend a bracket to suit as well.

That kinda stuff is not as expensive as you think.

[johnm160]

The front sheet appears to be a little too high.  It looks like it is going to get in the way of your controls.

Are you using solid pine or plywood for your attachment strips?

Your cab is coming together quickly.  Do us all a favor, build a little, take a few pictures, think some more, build a little, take a few pictures.....

Nice job so far.

Hi Coder,

That is how the front sheet is on the original also according to the pictures I have seen(well I might have added 1/2"). I test fitted the control panel and it does not interfear at this point.

I used solid pine except for the bottom where I used plywood. No reason except that when I was thinking about the bottom I wanted something wider for extra support and all I had on hand was ply.

There was a lot of time that went into making the templates for this and the one for my next project that I did not document. I was not sure if anyone wanted to see a template project.

I believe this pic is borrowed from a fellow forum member here.

Thanks

John

[johnm160]

For the retainer, go see a sheet metal shop. They should have something like that grill.
You could also get them to bend a bracket to suit as well.

That kinda stuff is not as expensive as you think.

Good Idea Spacies,

I am not sure where there is a sheet metal shop yet but I know we have to have several.

[Glaine]

Consider setting up the speakers so that the volume knob pokes outside the cab if you can. Just saying, while you're this far ahead you can consider ways of doing it. If you search there is a guide on attaching a seperate pot, but I've not done that one.

[johnm160]

Consider setting up the speakers so that the volume knob pokes outside the cab if you can. Just saying, while you're this far ahead you can consider ways of doing it. If you search there is a guide on attaching a seperate pot, but I've not done that one.

Since this set already has a remote volume knob I can do just about anything with it. I am thinking about just mounting it to the top of the cab, or behind the coin door. On top would require and extention cable, but that is just a 1/8" stereo cable so no biggie.

[johnm160]

Well not much of an update today. I spent a couple of hours working on it but seem to have accomplished very little, I am not sure where the time went.

I set up the saw board and cut the panel that goes below the speakers then used the chop saw to cut the nailers for it. While that was drying I put the wheels on the back and tacked to blocks of pine on the bottom to act as feet until I get levelers. I was afraid the concrete was going to tear up the edges of the cabinet. Somehow I did not get pics of this but wheels are not that exciting anyway.

I tried to measure for the placement of the control panel but I could not get it to hold still when I swung it open to mark it. Without an extra person it is hard to get it accurate, but I thought I did a pretty good job

[johnm160]

the race is on then! whos replica will be finished first? yours or mine? time will tell!

Whoa, don't know how I missed this post. 

A race....

If you define finished to include all artwork I can make a prediction, My art is gonna be a bit expensive 

But at least I don't have any mirrors to deal with 

[danny_galaga]

yeah, the race is over it looks like  . the mirror thing has really slowed me down and i have a few other things happening. when i built my last cab there was a hardware store less than a km away AND i used to work there so anytime i wanted to do something i could normally get stuff there. this time around is a bit trickier. next weekend ill go find some glass shops. your tempest is looking great so far by the way 

[johnm160]

Thanks Danny,

I think the race might be far from over.

My monitor is too big, glass still has to be ordered.....and I have my real estate test in a few days.... so I will not be getting any work done.

Please get lots of detailed photos of the mirror setup. One day maybe I will be *TRY* to tackle a project like that.

John

[johnm160]

Ok after a brief hiatus to cram for my state exam it is back to the project.

This is just a small update, I only had a a couple of hours this morning to get anything done.

First I made the pieces that attach to the sides that hold the shape and position of the control panel. [cp_braces.jpg]

Then I ripped a 2” strip of plywood and made the frame that the glass will rest against.. The board that the monitor will mount to will be attached to the back side of this 2” strip.[glass_frame.jpg]

After the frame was dry I mounted it in the cabinet and attached the CP braces. I coated the entire back of the braces with glue, then used the air nailer to secure it in place. After some thought I decided that with that much glue it would probably take a bomb to ever get that piece off again! At this point my first bottle of glue is officially empty. Good thing I bought two. [braces_on.jpg & frame_installed.jpg]

With the frame mounted I was able to measure for the monitor board. I mounted the board temporally to test the fit.[monitor_board.jpg]

The board I was using across the top of my horses was almost the right length for the back door, a quick trim and I was ready to test fit that. It was at this point that I realized that I forgot to cut a rabbit in the board under the door so that it does not slide out. I will be harder now to cut one, but there is too much glue to take it apart. [back_door]

The last pic is the detail of the removable panel behind the marquee. For those not familiar with tempest, the marquee is screwed in from the inside, so you need a removable back panel to get to the light or to remove the marquee.[back_marquee.jpg]

Well just enough time to sweep up and shower for work so that was all the progress for today. With the glass frame now installed I got a finish measurement for the glass which I will order tomorrow. I hope to find a good deal on a 19” LCD tomorrow also so I can keep moving forward.

[theCoder]

The board I was using across the top of my horses was almost the right length for the back door, a quick trim and I was ready to test fit that. It was at this point that I realized that I forgot to cut a rabbit in the board under the door so that it does not slide out. I will be harder now to cut one, but there is too much glue to take it apart. [back_door]

I recently made a similar mistake on my door.  I ended up adding a strip to the door to keep it in place.  It runs the width of the door, mounted on the bottom inside, sticking down about 3/4 inch. 
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=57479.0;attach=61067

Good luck with it.

[johnm160]

The board I was using across the top of my horses was almost the right length for the back door, a quick trim and I was ready to test fit that. It was at this point that I realized that I forgot to cut a rabbit in the board under the door so that it does not slide out. I will be harder now to cut one, but there is too much glue to take it apart. [back_door]

I recently made a similar mistake on my door.  I ended up adding a strip to the door to keep it in place.  It runs the width of the door, mounted on the bottom inside, sticking down about 3/4 inch. 
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=57479.0;attach=61067

Good luck with it.

Hummm somehow that idea never crossed my mind 

You just saved me some time and maybe a few fingers 

Thanks!

[MameMaster!]

Man these replica cabs are inspirational....great job! 

[arcadefever]

  great stuff ....

[johnm160]

Thanks,

A slight setback money wise so I have not got the LCD monitor yet.

I guess I will start sanding and prime and paint.....that way I can continue with the electronics until I can buy the monitor.

[WaRpEd]

Great Job
I love replica cabs.
It should inspire other to try the same.
 

[miles2912]

Great job on the cab guys.  I have to tell ya that tempest gets a lot of play on my cab.  It is just a straight forward fun easy to learn and hard to master game.  I always forget about the blasted super zapper!  Argh.

Looking forward to seeing them finished..

Don

[javeryh]

Looking really good!  It's amazing what the artwork will do to a plain wood cab even if it's not fully installed yet.

[Mr. Bubblehead]

I love it.

Do you have sideart for it yet?  I am working on a Tempest-inspired cabinet myself but I have been unsuccessful in locating either raster or vector files for the sideart and control panel.

[johnm160]

Ok,

This project got put on hold for a while due to a lack of funds.  But things are looking up a bit and things are slowly under way again.

So a small update:

I am a little disappointed with the BC Sanded ply I used. It felt nice and smooth in the store, but now that I was ready to sand and prime all of the defects started to show. I'm not gonna get to crazy about it since the side will eventually have full side art.

I got two coats of primer on it before work today. When I got home it looked pretty good, until I got around to the left side that is. Now that it is primed it shows a pretty good size dip about a quarter of the way up that extends from the rear of the cab about 3/4 of the way to the front. It is gonna take a pretty good coat of bondo to level out. While I am at it I can fill in some of the smaller defects that I would have otherwise left to be covered by the sideart.

The 19" monitor has been decased and is waiting for me to paint the board it is going to mount to. In the mean time I will cut the metal strips that will spread the load on the board.

The PC is up and running with a nlited version of XP and has mame .62 and the tempest roms loaded. Now I just have to remember how to config beam with and other options. I usually let the front end handle the .ini files, but this machine will not have a F.E.

Still left to buy:

Marquee light
PCB feet
leg levelers
Power strip
Black paint
graylite glass
Locks
CP Latches
Sound Card for PC

Not too bad,

Tomorrow I plan on making the coin box for the tokens to drop into.

I will take more pictures when their is a bit more of an update.

 

edited cause I can't spell...

[kizer]

Man I really like Tempest.

Great Job man. Looks like its going to fun as heck when its all done.

[johnm160]

Small update

The monitor is mounted to a board to be put into the cab after it is painted.
 
Picked up some bondo this morning to work on the dip in the side of the cab. I had to darken up the pic a bit to get it to show.

I have had the tempest control panel for months now but have never actually tested it.   so I dug out the opti wiz and keywiz and my trusty soldering iron. Everything worked find with one exception. One of the tabs broke off of the player one volcano switch 
After a little hunting around on here to see how hard they are to find I got out the dremel tool and cut the plastic away enough for me to solder a wire to the broken connector.

I hope to get the bondo on the side tonight so I can paint as soon as the rain stops.(hopefully soon)

I have a pm out for some of the last happ parts I need so I hope to have those soon also.

[johnm160]

Had a really busy day.

Got it painted, the paint job is not going to win any awards for sure. I got the wrong roller and there was a lot more defects in the plywood then I thought.  The side art will cover a lot when I get it so I am not gonna sweat it too much.

My next cab will be built out of a smoother material and I will take the time to make a spray booth to paint it in.

I planned to stop after it was painted but I decided well I will just put the monitor in, and as long as that's in I will just mount the motherboard......ect....




The 19" PC monitor was a tight fit, I think I have about an inch to spare if that. And that is after I made the cabinet deeper to begin with.

Here is a back view of the monitor mounted.



Another rear shot with the motherboard, power supply and hard drive mounted.




And since I am impatient, as soon as that was in I had to plug it in and make sure the monitor still worked 



So IT'S ALIVE

I put the t-molding on one side.....why not both? I could not find my mallet and being a knuckle head I figured mallet / hammer whats the difference 

Needless to say even being careful, it is not the greatest. So tomorrow I will have to find my rubber mallet to finish that.

I tried to mount my Key Wiz, but that thing has some tiny holes in it. The #6 screws that I put the motherboard in with are too big so I will have to buy smaller screws tomorrow also.

Still waiting on some parts from ponyboy, and I still need a sound card and glass. It's close though, I can feel it.

[leapinlew]

I used a hammer with a towel to cushion the blow. Seemed to work ok.