SABRECADE LIVES ON!

[bluevolume]

I'm starting my first MAME machine, after taking way too long to figure out what I was going to do.  I picked up a Bad Dudes machine with the intention of modding it, but had a change of heart about gutting a working game.  Bye bye Bad Dudes via Craigslist.

I now have a cabinet that was converted at one time to NBA Jam, but after removing the paint and top layer decals I found that it was actually a Hit The Ice cabinet.  OK, so I could have figured that out by checking the manf. plate on the back, but this was fun too.

Here's a couple pics of the cabinet, before and after removing the paint.  Does anybody know what the story is with the shape of this cabinet?  I might be nuts, but the contours almost resemble a zamboni...

[bluevolume]

While I'm waiting for my Ultimarc parts, I decided to start with the sound.  I might put some simple jukebox software on this machine at some point, so I wanted to have decent sound.

The case had 2 speakers installed on a removable plate, a tweeter and a mid on the same channel.  I made a matching plate out of MDF so I could cut it to fit some Logitech computer speakers I have.  It turned out pretty good, and it sounds decent for cheap-ish speakers.  I still have to mount the electronics and the transformer, but here's what I have so far:

[ARTIFACT]

Cool! Congrats on starting your project

Respect to you for not Mame'ing a working arcade - no matter how much I hate Bad Dudes

For the sound, check out the new software was just released and posted in the software section - it allows you to control master PC volume from your buttons/joysticks/spinner/etc ... very cool

Looking forward to see your progress

[bfauska]

Good luck with the project.  I just wanted to clarify the mention of software from the last post.  While Randy has done some great stuff, the software that was recently released was from Aholfe. 

I look forward to seeing your progress.

[ARTIFACT]

bfauska: oups that was a typo/confusion - modified my post.  should know, i started the thread that led to him msking that software

[bfauska]

I figured as much, I just wanted to keep any feelings from being hurt, Randy has plenty of projects that he rightfully gets credit for, and Ahofle definitely deserves credit for this nice little app.

[Malenko]

just a side note, if you run a IPAC, you can hold start and press up to get to the volume control in MAME =)

Also, hit the ice was one of my faves as a kid, Ive always been a hockey fan. good name for the cab, you plan on keeping that side art? its freekin awesome sauce. I will be keepin an eye on this project =)

[bluevolume]

I would love to keep the sideart, but it looks pretty bad.  I was able to get the black paint off but getting to a decent final product would be a LOT of work.  The other side is way worse too, as they tried to make it look like a NBA Jam box on that side.  The original vinyl was sanded or something.

I am a huge hockey fan too, which makes me want to keep some kind of hockey theme on the cabinet.

[bluevolume]

8/20/07 - Received my ArcadeVGA board and the breakout cable, but things are going very wrong.  I cannot get a signal to go to the arcade monitor, and if I leave it connected for a few minutes there is a loud "pop" and the computer shuts off.

I have checked the breakout cable with a voltmeter and it is wired correctly.  I have an email out to Andy, and have posted in the monitor forum as well.  Hopefully someone can help me out, I'm stuck.

[bluevolume]

8/21/07 - The problem with the monitor seemed to be because the power cord was missing the ground prong.  I didn't know that it was so important, but apparently it is.  Hooked up a proper ground and everything is working.

[Malenko]

NICE!
don't forget to buy the power drink at intermission, lol

Maybe you can find some open ice side art on ebay or something?

[bluevolume]

8/24/07 - Big step backwards in the project.  When I powered up the monitor yesterday, it made a really bad squealling sound and sparks started flying around the anode cap.  I shut off and let it rest, and when I turned it back on the monitor is not warming up at all.

Ordered a cap kit and a new flyback, hopefully I can replace those parts and get it going again.

[bluevolume]

8/29/07 - Took the monitor chasis to Amusements Plus on Monday, haven't heard a diagnosis yet.  Hopefully its something simple that they can fix.  I'll probably have them to do the cap kit while they have it.

While I'm waiting for this mess to be over, I starting working on the coin door and the control panel.  The coin door had some rust and paint flaking, but it looks pretty good now (not that the picture shows that).

The control panel is not my creation, the guy I bought the cabinet from said I could have it.  It was thrown in with a truckload of games he bought and had no use for it.  Its a pretty decent design, I haven't decided if I will actually use it or not.

[bluevolume]

8/31/07 - Received the chasis back with a clean bill of health -- it works, but it could use a cap kit and new flyback.  The technician told me to clean the connection on the monitor with alcohol and make sure there was no dust in there.  I cleaned it, re-installed the chasis, and it is working fine.

I will probably do the cap kit and flyback anyway, just to get the best pic I can on an old monitor.  I also worked on my coin door, got the slots lit via the PC power supply and some 6v bulbs.

[bluevolume]

9/4/07 - Big update!  I was tired of tripping over wires and having my cabinet look like its guts were spilled all over the floor, so I took on the task of mounting the computer.  I decided to mount the computer, power supply and drive on a sheet of MDF that could be easily removed.  Right now it sits in a channel I built into the sides of the cabinet, but I might put a couple of bolts with wing-nuts in there so the board won't fall out if the machine is tipped.  I haven't finished tying down the wires yet, but I think it looks pretty nice.

I also installed the solid-state relay and that is working perfectly.  It is triggered off of the 12v line from the computer power supply at the moment, so when the computer turns on the monitor and marquee light up along with it.  This setup doesn't work for "suspend", as that line is live during suspend, but it will work for hibernate.  And for regular "shut down", of course.

The entire machine now has only one plug, with all of the connections made inside the cabinet.  Still need to figure out how/where I'm going to mount the speaker controls and transformer.

I picked up an AtomArcade board from a guy locally and started wiring that up as well.  I wanted to get a tag strip like the I-PAC ships with, but couldn't find anything that lined up with the small spacing on this board.  I'm sure digi-key has it but I decided to go with what I could find here.  I picked up a few terminal strips from RS and am going to connect them with short wires.  More time consuming, but it works.

Finally, I installed the speakers and they sound great.  I had to pick up a shielded woofer because the Logitech one was really screwing with the monitor.  The sound was good for music but it was a bit much for games, luckily I found that there is an equalizer built-in to the motherboard I'm using so I was able to get rid of some of the boomy-ness and over-saturated mids.

Remaining task list:
- Install cap kit and new flyback (already ordered from Bob Roberts)
- Finish removing vinyl side graphics, strip glue, fill, sand, prime, paint
- Design and build control panel
- Figure out a theme and color scheme

[bluevolume]

9/12/07 - Still moving forward, and I have finally picked a theme!  My theme is going to be the Buffalo Sabres, of which I have been a die-hard fan for almost 20 years.  I've been working through some designs in photoshop, I think I'm getting close to something nice.  (The painted version is PS'd, incase anyone didn't notice).

I put in my first cap kit and flyback over the weekend, and to my complete surprise it worked.  The monitor lit up and after some adjustments looked great.  I'm still having my "sparky" problem on occasion, but I'm not going to worry about that for now.  Check out the pic of my monitor chasis -- I'm surprised there's no tire tracks across it.

[theCoder]

I'd be a little concerned about "sparky".  House fires are considered poor form in some circles.  Good job on the PS'd proof of concept overlay. 

Great progress.

[TheDriver]

Impressive bluevolume, your cab is coming along nicely.

[bluevolume]

I'd be a little concerned about "sparky".  House fires are considered poor form in some circles.  Good job on the PS'd proof of concept overlay. 

Great progress.

I'm still hoping to get the monitor fixed, but for now I'm moving forward with the rest.  If I end up having to replace the monitor before I bring it into the house I'll do that.

Here's a video if you'd like to see what I'm dealing with: (Divx)

[TheDriver]

Holy  make sure the volume is down when viewing the vid. That sounds serious, hope you are able to sort it. 

[bluevolume]

Holy  make sure the volume is down when viewing the vid. That sounds serious, hope you are able to sort it. 

The video does no justice to what its like to actually hear it.  Scared the out of me the first time.

[bluevolume]

10/01/07 - Lots of good things happening on this project.  I finally fixed the monitor problem, and feel a bit dumb as the fix was so simple.  The sparks were actually jumping across dirt and grime that had accumulated on the back of the tube.  I cleaned the whole non-grounding area of the tube, and "sparky" is now gone.

I decided to jump in and start building my control panel.  After going through like 15 design changes I needed to get moving.  I bought a drill attachment from Sears that keeps your drill at an exact angle, sort of like a drill press.  It worked very well for the buttons.

I'm still waiting for my trackball mount (come on Divemaster! ) to get finished with the cutting.  I'm looking for a good hinge solution too, no luck with that so far.

[Kaytrim]

I got these hinges at Lowes or HD.  They work like a European hinge without the need for drilling a hole.  I have also used them on a CP about the size you have there.  Three of them will hold the top open easily.

TTFN
Kaytrim

[bluevolume]

I'm not sure those will work -- but that would be great if they do.  The problem I have is that the control panel extends further back than the box below it (this is to have it flush with the cabinet).  So the hinge wouldn't really be at the back corner where it should be.  The hinge needs to be able to extend an inch or to.  You might be able to see what I'm talking about by the side view I posted.

[Kaytrim]

You are probably right.  I see the notch you are talking about in the first pic of this thread.  In that case I see two options.

1.  Use a piano hinge on the front.
2.  Cut a hole in the bottom of the CP box and install CP clamps where you can reach them from the coin door.

TTFN

[bluevolume]

10/11/07 - More work done on the control panel.  I came up with a sick design for the control panel overlay, and I'm waiting for it to get here from Mamemarquees.  Even if you aren't a Sabres fan, I'm sure you'll approve.

I received the trackball mount, and got that sucker installed.  I'm glad I got some practice with the router on the underside of the panel, because sinking the mount flush required routing on the top, which could be visible if I screwed it up.  I actually did it free hand and I think it came out pretty good.  I finished the control panel box and got both pieces primed.

I also wired up my AtomArcade board -- much more work than an I-PAC.  I wasn't able to find any terminal blocks that could be soldered directly to the circuit board (the pins are very close together) so I decided to use blocks with screw terminals on each side.  This was a good compromise, and will let me change things out without having to re-solder or cut and tape wires.

Much more coming, as soon as I get my overlay and paint!

[bluevolume]

10/16/07 - BIG Update!  I received my order from Mamemarquees, and that's the big one I've been waiting for to get this project finished.  This is also my first unveiling of the graphics I designed -- what do you think?  If there are any Sabres fans here, you'll see that the logo on the control panel is not a standard logo, I came up with that one by combining the "slug" with the sabre from the "B" logo. 

The materials from Mamemarquees look great, very impressive.  I should have made my marquee graphics darker though, when the light is on it looks a bit washed out.  I might be able to compensate by putting a filter along the back of it.  For now it is fine.

It was hard to get the control panel overlay lined up exactly, especially since I had it made 1/2" oversize on each edge.  I put a bright light inside the control panel box, then set the overlay on top.  That way, I could see the holes in the panel through the overlay.  When I got it lined up where I wanted it, I cut away the extra material on the left and bottom.  This gave me a starting egde for adhering the overlay.  It came out pretty close, its not exactly right but I'm not going to worry about it.

I spent the next couple hours wiring up the controls, this was a lot of fun.  I'm not being sarcastic, I actually enjoyed it.  I still need to tie up the wires and make it look a little nicer, but right now I'm going for function.  And what do you know, it works!

Last night I dismantled the machine (removed control panel, computer, monitor) in preparation to move it into my house.  This is a huge cabinet and I'm trying to get the weight down as much as possible before I move it.

Left to do:
- Come up with a bracket to hold plexi down onto bezel
- Paint everything
- Finish bracket to hold marquee in
- Install & wire up coin doors
- Build rear panels for cabinet

[Knievel]

Looking sharp, love the art. And do those speakers shake or what?

If physically possible you could try moving your marquee light further back to solve the wash-out problem. Or try a different bulb like a plant/aquarium one.

We'll have to push the Sabercade and Flyercade out on the ice sometime for a little skills competition!

[bluevolume]

I can definitely move the light back -- good suggestion.  Yeah, the speakers are a bit overkill for an arcade cabinet.  They sound nice though 

Flyercade.  Hmmm.  That would be interesting, since I know you're center and goaltender still have some blue and gold blood...

[SECONDandBOWERY]

Being a huge Sabres fan myself, I must say: I love this project!

I must also say, why the Buffaslug and not the classic crest?  Obviously, anything Sabres is just absolutely awesome, but that logo...

Still, I love it!

-2&B

[bluevolume]

I thought about including the classic logo, or maybe all three of them.  But after I came up with the "slug" in front of the swords, I decided to just go with that.

I was mad about the logo change at first too, but I was happy enough about the colors that it was worth it.  Once I got my new jersey, it really started growing on me.

[SECONDandBOWERY]

I thought about including the classic logo, or maybe all three of them.  But after I came up with the "slug" in front of the swords, I decided to just go with that.

I was mad about the logo change at first too, but I was happy enough about the colors that it was worth it.  Once I got my new jersey, it really started growing on me.

I'm actually refusing to buy anything with the new logo on it until they either win the cup or change the logo again, at which point I'll need a jersey with the Buffaslug to complete my collection of Sabres sweaters.  At least you did put the swords in there - the team is called the Sabres, right?

But I digress, this is an arcade forum, not a hockey forum.  I really like the CP - it's got everything you need and doesn't try to do too much.

[bluevolume]

10/19/07 - Got the cabinet moved into the basement, not an easy task.  I decided to remove the "guts" to get it as light as possible before moving.  Also good to take the monitor out so it didn't get jarred as we walked it down the stairs.  This cabinet is freaking HUGE.  To get into the basement, it had to go through two regular doors and a storm door, and all of them had to be removed from the house to get it through.  This is part of why I waited until it was in the house to paint it, I was sure I'd scrape it up on the way in.

I'm in the process of finishing 1/2 of my basement to be my arcade/music/sports zone, so I've got everything crammed over to the other side.  I finished painting the cabinet, went pretty quick except for me having to go back and get a different paint color.  Keep in mind that a gloss finish will change the color!  All of the sample cards are matte; you're going to see a pretty significant increase in brightness if you go with gloss.

[chopps]

love it!!.. the buffalo logo with the swords looks really good! 
love the sabres colors... awesome

[bluevolume]

Its been a long time, but I'm back to say that the Sabrecade now lives!  Since tonight is the home opener for the Sabres, I figured today was a great time to provide an update.

The only thing I have left to do is put plexi over the monitor.  This should be fairly easy, but I just haven't got around to it.



I started this project when my wife got pregnant (there were about 3 months where it was best to just 'give her space'  ) and I wanted something productive to do with my new found free time.  Our little boy, Owen, is here now, and I'm looking forward to building a mini-cade with him in a few years.

[Franco B]

Wow! That does look nice! I have no idea who the Sabers are but I love the artwork. Great job     

[bluevolume]

Wow! That does look nice! I have no idea who the Sabers are but I love the artwork. Great job     

www.sabres.com

[Malenko]

Wow! That does look nice! I have no idea who the Sabers are but I love the artwork. Great job     

www.sabres.com

Buffalo slugs!

I actually remember posting in this thread soooo long ago, looks great

[jeffhlewis]

Nice paint job

If I ever have a basement big enough for a sports bar type setup, I'm making a Redskins themed cab.

[bluevolume]

Hello friends - I'm back and am going to give the Sabrecade a bit of an overhaul.  It's still running the same PC (Windows XP) and same WG monitor and both are getting long in the tooth.  I'm trying to decide if I should go LCD as the convergence on my CRT is getting really bad and it's a low-res monitor to begin with.  Not sure; lots of pros and cons. I'm going to spend some time catching up on all the new machines being built and see what ideas come out of it.