[WIP] Generic fighter cab

[ForZe]

Hello everyone,

I have been reading this forum for quiete some time now, and i tought it would be time to put up my cabinet project.
Ill try and update this topic during the build, anyway here's my story.


As most of the people here i grew up and loved playing arcade games, mostly whenever i was on vacation in spain or france.
Being my age i missed the whole pacman, galaga, centepide area. This is why i want to create a fighting cabinet.
Because i like playing fighting, beat'em up and the occasional sport game.
One day i was browsing a dutch forum (gathering.tweakers.net) that has a casemodding area, and there i found somebody converting a cabinet to a mame cabinet.
I decided there and then that i wanted on too, so the search for a cabinet started.

I ended up buying a complete Arcade Cabinet, as i myself would never get such a result when starting from sratch.
The cabinet i bougth included a good working monitor and marquee, it had been converted to a Neo Geo cab.




This is how it kinda looked when i picked it up, only with four buttons then tree. Never took pics of that.
A year past and over the time i started getting stuff, joysticks, buttons a j-pac and a arcadevga.
Played a couple of games and it was time to really get started.



The first thing that needs to be done is modifying the Control Panel so it would have 6 buttons as fighting games usually need.
The control panel is made out of steel with a plexiglass that has the art printed on it. So that renderd the plexiglass useless.



Took out the control panel



PLexiglass with art.

First i made a piece of carton to the CP size and did all the measurements.
Then i welded a piece sheet of steel to the bottom of the cp to full up the holes, as the old holes are useless.



Put some bondo to fill the old holes ,a fter that i drew out all the dimensions and started drilling.




Drilling 14 holes into a almost half centimeter thick steel wasnt fun at all, and almost took the whole day. (stupid rain!)
Boy was i glad we had e descent drill and bit to make the holes with.

I dont have any pics of the CP with the holes in it.
It currently is at a guy who is going to weld the bolt into the holes i made. Those will be used to screw the joysticks on.
The advantage of that is i dont have any nuts on the top side of the CP wich gives it a nice and clean look.

The plan is to make my own artwork for the CPO and create a new plexiglass part with the curve.
CPo should be done this week so i can finish it off so it can be painted.

I still dont know what to do with the whole theme, i kinda like the time of the cabinet and i kinda dont.
Perhaps its just to boring for what a real arcade cabinet is to me.

TODO LIST:
- Finish CP
- Wire the CP
- Create CPO artwork
- Rereate the plexiglass part
- Modify the frontend
- Fix the glas bezel

So what do ya guys think of the project so far, and tips and tricks are appreciated.

[severdhed]

looks like a good project...keep us updated

[ARTIFACT]

very cool. will keep checking on this one!

[4Aaron GE]

Half a centimetre thick?  That must have weighed a TON.

[Green Giant]

Half a centimetre thick?  That must have weighed a TON.

It will be the first bullet proof control panel.  A new first for arcade cabs everywhere.

[ForZe]

lol, ya dont want to know what my friends could do to the cab

Naa its about half a centimeter thick in places where you have the metal sheet thats added.
hmm.. ya made me wonder, ill have to weigh it now