Sub Mini Dragon's Lair In Progress

[ark_ader]

Well I have been procastinating this cab for nearly six months, but I have the tools and the space to put it together.

I have scaled down the size to a third (ish), and collected the artwork.  I have been working on the designs for a week now and I happy with the result.

I bought a 13 inch TV and will use the Xbox as it has all the games on it anyway, and today its hard to find a platform that will play Mame and Daphne for less than $60.

Its the interface that is causing the headaches.  I want to use a hack but I also want to play Xbox games on it.  So it is a controller hack and an additional controller for playing the xbox games.

I'll document the build and post pics.

Stay tuned!   

[javeryh]

Well I have been procastinating this cab for nearly six months, but I have the tools and the space to put it together.

I have scaled down the size to a third (ish), and collected the artwork.  I have been working on the designs for a week now and I happy with the result.

I bought a 13 inch TV and will use the Xbox as it has all the games on it anyway, and today its hard to find a platform that will play Mame and Daphne for less than $60.

Its the interface that is causing the headaches.  I want to use a hack but I also want to play Xbox games on it.  So it is a controller hack and an additional controller for playing the xbox games.

I'll document the build and post pics.

Stay tuned!   

Wow - a third!?!?!?  That thing is going to be TINY.  My "mini" is at 80% scale and it's pretty small...  I can't wait to see some progress pics on this.  I'm especially interested in the guts of the thing (the hacked xbox) as I've never seen one in action...   

[amadama]

I hope you meant you scaled it back by a third because a 2ft tall machine (while neat to look at) would be real tough to play!
Best of luck with this build and I hope it comes out better than the one I built!
Alex

[Dudeman]

I hope you meant you scaled it back by a third because a 2ft tall machine (while neat to look at) would be real tough to play!

That's got to be what he meant. A 13" monitor wouldn't fit in a 2' cab. It would only be about 8" wide!

[ark_ader]

I hope you meant you scaled it back by a third because a 2ft tall machine (while neat to look at) would be real tough to play!

That's got to be what he meant. A 13" monitor wouldn't fit in a 2' cab. It would only be about 8" wide!

Yes and no.  It will be 2' tall but will be wider to accommodate the monitor and the xbox which will be mounted vertically.  I had a 10" IBM 240 laptop  that was originally going into this project, but the gear is sitting in a crate back in the UK.  While not wanting to be a slouch, I opted for a 13" TV and Xbox instead.

The screen orientation is giving me grief at the moment, and IMO I never liked the screen placement in the original, probably due to the player standing over it.  Since this will be table top size, the screen will have to compensate.

I have been trying to make a smaller LED display to into this, but will have to cheat and base this project on an Atari Euro version.  Jakobuds plans are being helpful, and I'm using SketchUp to model this to save time.  I will cut the base down to one third too, or it will look dorky.

I can really make this into a cabaret real easy, but I wanted to see if I could turn it into a bartop, yet still keep some of it original identity.

Today I'm mocking the unit together and (to be honest wasted a couple of hours playing it) and it looks very do'able without compromising too much, at least I will get some laughs from the purists, that are hoping to see a scaled exact replica.  Maybe I'll do that with the laptop when the shipping arrives.   

I'll get some cardboard tonight and mock it up and get some templates made.  The marquee is the hardest part, and I'm at odds on how to make the rails for it.  I'll be cutting the lexan to match once the pieces are cut.

What is cool, there is a local Happs in town and I can pick the stuff up, which should save some shipping costs.  I got some good info on Xbox controller hacks, and I'm sourcing a MadCatz as they are the easiest to wire up.

The way I look at it is that I can always goof it up. And start all over again. 

[leapinlew]

Awesome.

You can do this a couple different ways. I created a bartop of Galaga and kept the theme of Galaga.
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=68683.0
Mine was 18" high and I'm not sure you'll be able to get a 13" tv in there. I'm using a 10" monitor.

Or you could build a mini to scale like Melarky
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=75936.0

Can't mention small Galaga's and not nod towards Patrickl's awesome pocketgalaga
http://arcade.laweb.nl/PocketGalaga/

Good luck. I'll be watching with interest!

[ark_ader]

Well today was spent in Sketch Up! and Powerpoint after cutting out the cardboard shapes to try and make a Dragon's Lair bartop and I have settled on a design.

Luckily I have more patience then I had with my first cab, as it was try this and try that for hours.

I had problems hitting my head on the marquee and screen orientation of the TV.

So I have come up with this which will work once I have properly measured:



I got the Atari logo and printed out some sample graphics and ordered the T molding.  I want one of those wico joystics but will have to settle for a happ universal.

I want to play my other games too so I will augment the CP for a three button instead of the one on each side.  I hope I have room on my desk for this bad boy when finished! 

I'm going to mount the Xbox in the marquee section as it will fit and have better airflow.  The marquee will have a hinge and will give me access to the DVD etc.

Stay tuned as pics will follow. 

[ablizno]

Cant wait to see the work in progress pictures

[ark_ader]

Cant wait to see the work in progress pictures

I have been working with the cardboard mock again, trying to make this cab smaller or shorter.  My fingers are itching to get this together, but I want to get it right the first time, and build it without screws, just dowels and glue.

I got the madcatz controller on ebay and will use that for the controls. 

Work has been taking priority at the moment, and getting time off is hard at the moment, which is delaying things. 

I'll upload some pictures soon.

Thanks for the interest. 

[ark_ader]

I had a few hours spare today, so I created a mock up with cardboard again, and did a slighlty better job.



The marquee is giving me headaches and I know from the pictures it is still a bit large, but cutting that sucker is going to be a fine art.

I played around with monitor placement, and even though I could not get the original orientation of the monitor like in the arcades, I thought it was a good compromise.



The height is another factor I'm still debating, as I am not completely sure I want a noisy Xbox near my head.  I measured and could still place it under the monitor or vertical behind the well (well meaning where I plan to put plexi and speaker grills and the Atari logo.



I'm not sure if the xbox will like being on its butt like that, and I could leave a disc in it for the other emulator roms.  I'm also debating if to get a wico than a happ universal.  I like the cherry balltop look.

I still want to scrap this and make a cabaret as the screen can sink lower and I can put more controls in it.  I then can wait until a decent Thinkpad 240 comes around to make the submini DL as intended.

From the photos it looks a bit of a porker, not true to form, but the best I can come up with, with what I have to play with. 

Please give me some feedback with what you think it should be.  A fat bartop or a thin cabaret.  Or maybe something totally different like a Space Ace Dedicated Mini. 

[RenegadeX]

Xbox fans direct out the back, if I remember. Be careful, it needs to keep cool.

[Havok]

Man, that thing is never going to hold up - it looks like it's made out of cardboard!

 

[ark_ader]

Man, that thing is never going to hold up - it looks like it's made out of cardboard!

 

Oh no.  I have to start again? 

Well things are looking up.  I managed to snag a el cheapo laptop from Ebay, so the Sub Mini Dragon's lair project has gone back to the drawing board and will be more accurate in size dimensions and look the business.

The Xbox and TV is not out of the picture, as I was day dreaming of owning my very own Stargate cab.  So I will be walking in TOK's shoes and trying to make a bartop Xbox Stargate.

I have all the parts for the Stargate first, so that will go ahead with that and when I get the thinkpad, I shall start taking it apart and getting the measurements made.  So I will still go ahead and make the DL third in scale.  I have to find my German friend who has all those mini joysticks and buttons.

Cardboard and wood cutting tomorrow, stay tuned.

[retrofuture]

I'm looking fowards to updates...