Mame/jukebox

[filuren33]

Maybe I should start with the standard nagging from us that is new to the board?
I'm not English speaking by native so please correct me if I'm doing wrong etc. etc.    

Never mind.
I have been thinking that my work wasn't good enough to show here if you think about all the crazy amount of work that has been putt into some builds here and the expertice preformed by some builders (you know who you are). Thank you for making my day and giving me tons of inspiration.

Then I thought that not everybody here is an expert and everybody (allmost) can benefit from other peoples work no matter the level of the build so here goes nothing.

A good friend of mine is about to go 40 and he likes to come and play with my homebuilt arcade machines and he has a pooltable room in his basement so i thought that he could use a small, nice arcade/jukebox machine.
After that thought it was just a matter of start building.
I am totally worthless when it comes to making plans and artwork, I normally make things up as i go.

So here is the start when I had picked up the MDF board and started to mount the computer parts, in the background you see the "plans" i made to buy the MDF, that i basically all the drawings that exist on this project.

[filuren33]

Maybe I should posting some more pictures. You see the build is done and is "delivered" on Saturday so I have the complete build in pictures.

The pillar was the first thing that I built, and then the foot.

[filuren33]

At this stage all the MDF is just screwed together, later when it's mocked up I took it apart and glued as well.
This is the first test with the monitor and the controlpanel. Some hardware was bought from arcadegames.se

Since I'm Swedish and the prices are very good it was a natural choice.

BTW. To the right in the back is my minipinball and to the left is my cargame, I have been busy since I found this hobby.

[Havok]

Looks very clean, nice so far. However, you are not allowed to use marble contact paper for any project, mini pins included...

 

[filuren33]

I guess you are right, shame on me. On my next pinball build I won't use that contactpaper I promise. 

I did a design for the monitor box and then I routed all the groves for T-mold.

After that it was assembly time for the monitor box.

Have you guys had any snow this year??? We haven't had this much snow for like 30 or so years. At one point I had to dig my self in to my workshop (if you can call 12sqm for a "workshop").

I hate snow.

[filuren33]

After shoveling snow I started to get everything into place.
First the coinmech and the power button.
I used a microswitch that makes contact with the coin return parts to ad credits (thats one button saved), I realy donīt like those over crowded CPīs with 50 buttons and 20 service buttons on the side (no offence to those that have built it that way Itīs just me that donīt like it).
I allso made a shot for the coins so they woldnīt short out the MB. 

A small phillips 2.1 speaker system was added, sometimes I do get lucky, I faild to measure the subbas before I started cutting the MDF and as you se It fits, but....
I did a templete to se if I liked the button layout then I joined the monitor box with the pillar.

[filuren33]

After sanding and painting it was time for the T-mold, it starts looking good if I may say so my self.
Then I tackled the CP, I like illuminated stuff so I wanted the buttons to be glow, since the buttons didn't came with this option I had to make it myself.
I made some nylon inserts for the button with a 5mm hole for an LED. The plug goes into the button.
An LED with wires was glued into the nyloninsert and the button was put together again, time to try it, ,it looks better IRL.
The 1 and 2 player start and the power button had a white LED in them but I wanted the red theme so I changed the LED to a red one.

[Ond]

Looks nice!  I like the design too, my only concern would be stability.  You could retain the current profile but put something very heavy in the base to increase stability.  Something like divers weights perhaps (if there's room).

Anyways, welcome   and keep up the good work.

[emphatic]

[swedish]
Tjenare!
[/swedish]

This build sure deserves a thread here at this lovely forum. As for one who's already seen the completed build, stability is not an issue, Ond. 

[filuren33]

@ OND: Thanks for your input, but as emphatic says the stability isn't a problem I had my test department (my kids "miss bullboozer" and "Mr wreckingball") to give it a good run and it's rock solid
BTW. I have followed your build with great interest and even started a build greatly inspired by yours, keep it comming .

@emphatic: Hej, jag kunde inte låta bli det här forumet heller  .

Well on with pictures, right?

With the buttons finished I started with the keyboard hack, I know that an I-pack would be a better choice but It's just a one player setup (almost) so there isn't to many buttons (7 buttons a joystick and a coinmech that includes all the service buttons to). And I like to "make" stuff so a keyboard hack is perfect.

To feed the LED I wanted a "driver" so I wouldn't be depending on putting them in serial or to put resistors on each LED. That way I can include or (heaven forbid) exclude some LED if I want/need to. So I put together an simple voltage regulator based on an LM317. Works great and I can in theory feed 75 LED on one driver.

Then it was time to start the CP, As I have mentioned before, I am truly worthless regarding artwork so please be understanding about that  
I started with an copy of the artwork and test mounted the buttons and joystick to get a feel for the layout. I liked it so it was time to go live.

The delicate work on wire things up is allways a time and back consuming operation (yes I have done a couple of builds before this one).
To be able to remove the CP and still have some buttons in other places then the CP I added a 9 pole D-sub connector to help me, this includes 2 buttons and power both for the LED in the power button and the LED driver itself

[filuren33]

Before I panted it I mounted a red glowing fan into the pillar. I think this adds a nice look to the build.
I couldn't resist to try the CPīs light, the picture really doesn't make it justice.
It was now time to start putting it all together, I mounted the hardware inside and started to make a top that are containing the speakers.
I have access to a lot of machines and tools at my work so I could cut and bend the sheetmetal for the top.
The speakers was mounted and some cable with a din plug allows me to remove the top. To make it complete I drilled holes for the sound  .
A powerstrip was modified to connect to a power intake on the base of the pillar.

[drventure]

Nice build!

About this though

To feed the LED I wanted a "driver" so I wouldn't be depending on putting them in serial or to put resistors on each LED. That way I can include or (heaven forbid) exclude some LED if I want/need to. So I put together an simple voltage regulator based on an LM317. Works great and I can in theory feed 75 LED on one driver.

Are you saying you could "control" each of the up to 75 led's via this driver or is the idea that you could hook up to 75 led's to one "controlled voltage source" and all of them would light without having to put a resistor on each one?

In my case, I was wanting to control each LED individually, but I could definitely see the benefit of a single voltage source wire chained to all the leds if you didn't want individual control.

[Encryptor]

Where did you get the terminal blocks in the TGB interface and the Drivsteg pictures?


Encryptor

[filuren33]

@drventure: Thanks! It's not a controller just a as you put it a "controlled voltage source" the LM 317 is set up via two resistors to in my case put out 2,1V no matter the voltage in (within reasonable limits of course). With that set up I can just hook up another and another and so on until the combined current is more then the regulator is capable of. I think it's around 1.5A.

I understand that you would like to controll every single LED. Your build is awesome. 

@Encryptor:
Well I got this specific terminals from my work, I had them in a "utility" box. There is a Swedish company called ELFA and they carry a huge stock of PCB terminals, here's an example. https://www1.elfa.se/elfa3~ex_en/b2b/init.do?shop=ELFA_EX-EN#toc=19604;
I suppose there are similar companies world wide.

[drventure]

Ahh.. Cool. Thanks for the explanation. I'm more a software guy than a hardware guy, but I love picking up little tidbits like this.

Yeah, a driver like that would sure simplify hooking up lots of LEDs!

[filuren33]

@drventure: Don't mention it  .It's nice to be able to be of some help and I have to say I'm a bit jealous of you to have the software easy at hand, I have to struggle for that stuff.

To ease my pain in configuration of software I have chosen two in my opinion extremely easy frontends to run on this build. For the games I have M-galaxy it's easy to use and setup, the down side is that you can't change the appearance (maybe you can but I haven't found a way), but it looks good enough so I go with it. For the jukebox I have "Arcade Jukebox 8", very user friendly and looks good so I am happy.
To go betwen the two frontends A Friend of mine wrote a small program that work as a frontend for the frontends  , but I works great.

The bezel is made out of polycarbonate it's easier to work with then plexi but also easier so scratch  well you can't have everything in one go can you? Anyway I like that the Polycarbonate comes with built in masking tape, I just measured and cut away the parts that was going black and sprayed on. Then I just removed the rest of the protection sheet and...... At this point it's starting to come together, the back side for the monitor box and the back door was made and primed. some soldering joints where done. A small metal box was made to collect the coins, I love the sound of a coin going down the track and end up in the metal box  .
Then It was put to the most terrifying test routine anything can go through, two kids, 5 and 6 years old, the first one is when I tested if I should go with a red bezel. On the second picture I have mounted the final bezel

[Encryptor]

@Encryptor:
Well I got this specific terminals from my work, I had them in a "utility" box. There is a Swedish company called ELFA and they carry a huge stock of PCB terminals, here's an example. https://www1.elfa.se/elfa3~ex_en/b2b/init.do?shop=ELFA_EX-EN#toc=19604;
I suppose there are similar companies world wide.

Thank you for the link and the info.

Encryptor

[jmike]

 
        That looks awesome! I'm in the process of building a bartop and would love to add a base like yours. What kind of buttons are you using? Just wondering about the inserts and how they were created.

Any more pics?

 

[filuren33]

@Encryptor: Your wellcome. Hope you find what you need!

@jmike: Thank you for the kind words  I am quite proud of that build. The buttons are from http://www.arcadegames.se/index_eng.htm and are Japanese copy's of happ buttons. The inserts.. well they where created in a lathe. I measured the inner of the button and the inner of the spring that is why it's a step on the middle. The hole is for a 5mm high intensive LED and goes 10mm in the insert I think. I have the drawings at work since I don't have a lathe at home  BTW you might want to cut of some length of the spring, my buttons became a bit hard to press since they are compressed a bit by the insert. And I have more pics, here they come.

Well the build is finished and it was meant as a gift, The person have got the game and he was very happy (I would have been  if he wasn't). So here are the finished pictures. Please feel free to ask anything about the build (I have a ton of pictures) if there are anything I have missed.

There are a nice spinoff on this one. It seams that the WAF are quite high of this so my wife sad that I may build one for myself AND PUT IT IN THE LIVINGROOM  . Normally I and the games are banned to the workshop, so I will build (in a not to far future) another one but in different color, maybe I should put up a new thread for that build with more day to day progress pictures ?


I forgot. The USB connector in the front, it´s primary function is to hook up a joypad so you can play two players.