First cabinet, trying to keep it simple.

[boxman]

Howdy everyone. Originally I was going to make an arcade fighter stick for my first project but I decided to take the plunge and just make a whole cabinet. Pretty daring, but I hope I can pull it off.

So, I got out my CAD program and started planning some stuff out. For this cab I would like to keep it as simple as possible and small enough to fit in my tiny room without too much of an impact. I designed these from scratch (as you can probably tell!) so there are bound to be several things that have not crossed my mind. As I said, the main things I had in mind with this design were to keep it simple and small.

I would like you all to point out (without laughing too much) the errors/mistakes/problems that I have created with this design. Remember this is my first time doing anything like this so please go easy on me!

The cab will be made with ply (most likely 3/4") and have 2 sticks with 7 buttons each.

Well, the plans so far should be attached. The panel for the monitor bezel and monitor shelf aren't on there because I haven't decided what monitor to use yet. The magneta lines show roughly where the front panel/control panel and everything should sit, I hope it makes sense. Thanks for any help/advice offered! Please help me to not screw this up!

[HaRuMaN]

After looking at your prelim plans, I have a few questions:

What kind of monitor will you be using?  I ask because the depth looks too shallow to hold a regular CRT.

What are you planning on doing for the the finish?  Paint, laminate, etc?

Looks like you're on the right track so far... its best to plan things out before you start cutting!     Keep us posted on your progress.

[boxman]

What kind of monitor will you be using?  I ask because the depth looks too shallow to hold a regular CRT.

Hi there HarumaN! The monitor will almost certainly be a 19" LCD. I'm keeping my eyes peeled on ebay for a nice enough one.

What are you planning on doing for the the finish?  Paint, laminate, etc?

I still haven't decided what to do for the finish. I have no idea about colours etc yet, although I have ordered black joys and purple buttons (I have to make another order anyway so I will probably order the correct buttons for the theme of the cab then). I think I'm leaning towards paint but I want to stay away from the glossy look.

Looks like you're on the right track so far... its best to plan things out before you start cutting!     Keep us posted on your progress.

Thanks! I will do!

[HaRuMaN]

You may want to check out Newegg for your LCD.  Here's a link to one that's got a good rating, and costs $184.16 shipped:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254009

You'll get a brand new new monitor, with 3 year manufacturer's warranty.

I've bought two LCD's from newegg, one was a 19 inch widescreen monitor, the other was a 37 inch HD LCD TV, and I've been very happy with both.

[boxman]

You may want to check out Newegg for your LCD.

Alas, I am in the UK. But dabs.com has some apparently very nice monitors in their dabs value range which I am considering. The price is only slightly higher than some of the ones I have been looking up on ebay and as you say they come with a 3 year warranty so it will probably be worth it.

http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=43WB&CategorySelectedId=11109&PageMode=1&NavigationKey=11109,44640000

Thanks for the advice!

[boxman]

Tiny update, I ordered the other joystick and buttons that I needed today. I now have the following for the CP:

2 x Happs Comp Joys Black
6 x Happs Comp Buttons Blue (top row of 3 buttons)
8 x Happs Comp Buttons Purple (bottom row of 4 buttons)
2 x Happs Standard Buttons Yellow (coin buttons)
1 x Happs Standard Button Red (for pause and quit with shift)
1 x MiniPAC with all the wiring stuff

I just realised that I got 2 coin buttons when I only need one, right? Oh well, I have a spare button now.

I also got the sheets of 3/4" ply and have been thinking about the finish. I'm not sure what kind of wood the ply is made from but it has a kind of red/pinky shade to it. My girlfriend says she would like to see it with the wood grain showing so I was thinking of using some red stain and hoping it comes out a nice red colour. Any thoughts on this? Is stain a bad idea or do I have to use a certain kind?

Cheers!

[CathalDublin]

Why not do a RBG/Scart hack ona standard TV and get the real feel

[Silhouette]

I just realised that I got 2 coin buttons when I only need one, right? Oh well, I have a spare button now.

Neo Geo games need a coin button for each player, so you'll need both.