Author Topic: The Vewlix Fighter Cabinet - WIP. The cab is dead my friends. (Read 99679 times)

Gatsu · « **Reply #80 on:** March 30, 2009, 08:40:00 am »

Quote from: ivwshane on March 30, 2009, 04:26:18 am

How or where do you get that font in your layout?

Oddly enough I think its just a standard system font. I'll check and let you know.

Bender · « **Reply #81 on:** March 30, 2009, 10:19:47 am »

Can't wait to see this

Gatsu · « **Reply #82 on:** March 30, 2009, 10:33:08 am »

yeah. I wanted to post some last night...but I forgot my camera. So I'll post some as soon as I can get my camera out there to take some pics.

Gatsu · « **Reply #83 on:** April 16, 2009, 10:49:03 am »

The fun never stops.

Sadly I'm going to have to scrap this cabinet project for a couple of weeks. Some unexpected bills have come up and I need to put together some sticks from the cabinet pieces I've cut out to help pay the bills.

Its sucks....but thats about about all life's been these past few weeks for me. A big bowl of suck.

Anyway. I wanted to change the direction I was going with the cab anyway. Necroticart posted a really cool cab design a buddy of his used. And I'm gonna go for that design and start working on a Astro-style candy cab.

So with the death of this lindberg cab....2 better cabs will be born from it. I'll post again once I get the materials gathered. But for now its dead.

Gatsu · « **Reply #84 on:** April 19, 2009, 03:06:07 pm »

Well....in another odd turn of events....the bills got paid. And I have some extra money left over. I love family.

Anyway. The project is back on full steam. I'll have some photos tonight for sure.

I'm going with the taito vewlix cabinet that I really wanted to begin with. I'm going with the plans from http://www.donovanmyers.com

He's got a ton of good info on that particular cab and answers questions pretty quickly.

I have 1 issue that needs to be worked out though.

I am going to have a PC and a Xbox 360 in the cabinet. The PC will run the classics via mame. And the 360 will run newer 3D titles like SFIV and whatnot.

My problem....if I use 2 Xbox 360 controllers hacked in the cabinet...I know I can just unplug one and into the other. But thats too much work.

How would I wire it up so that the 360 AND the PC can be hooked up to the same control panel and be able to switch between the 2 easily?

I thought maybe.... the 2 xbox controllers plugged into a USB hub. That hub plugged into a USB Y cable like this [ LINK

and from that Y cable go to the PC and the xbox 360.

I know it'll work to the PC....but Im not 100% on how it'll work on the 360...and there might be some input lag? possibly?

Not really sure how to tackle this one. I wanna try to avoid having to hack up cables or make my own.

Bender · « **Reply #85 on:** April 19, 2009, 05:34:56 pm »

From your controls you just have one set of wires going to the 360 hack and a duplicate set going to an Ipac (or whatever PC interface) and bingo controls work for both all the time

Gatsu · « **Reply #86 on:** April 19, 2009, 05:39:26 pm »

Damn. Wish I had of thought of that. lol. Much easier than rigging up a bunch of adapters and extenders.

That simplifies it a lot since I've got an ipac already. Thanks man.

Not 100% sure if Im gonna add a coin door or not. I'll have to get the cab together first and see how that'll look.

a japanese style cab with a front coin door will probably look odd. hehe.

Gatsu · « **Reply #87 on:** April 19, 2009, 10:38:12 pm »

alright. here's some pics finally. Im sure some of you were like "yeah keep posting guy...you ain't got nothing going on!".

Well humbug on that. lol

From the sketchup design, the side panels require 2 3/4" boards glued together. Since those 4 pieces are the ones with all the weird angles, Decided to get those out of the way first.

Those are the 4 side pieces clamped together. Got a lot of sanding to do to even them all out. I'm tempted to just go buy a flush trim bit and give them all a once over with the template piece.

These be the car speakers I got for the sound bar along the top of the cab. I figured anything over 100 watts would be overkill really...especially in my small apartment. And if I need more punch later, I can always upgrade without it costing much.

Close up of the 4 sides clamped. Got A LOT of sanding to get that all even. Scared to use a belt sander though. I might sand a dip in the wood. I've done it before. lol

The coin door I might....use in my cab. Not 100% sold on using it yet. If I do...its getting painted black so the red coin lights stand out more.

Closeup of the coin mech. They need some love for sure. They are from 1981, the manufacture sticker said.

Anyway. Thats all I got done this weekend sadly. Might be able to work on it this week...but we'll see.

Here's what the cab will look like when its finished hopefully. (minus the control panel, Im still tweaking that.)

Bender · « **Reply #88 on:** April 19, 2009, 11:44:08 pm »

looking good so far!

How come you don't use a flush trim bit on a router to match the sides up?
I know you'd still have a tiny bit on the inside corners to clean up but not much at all really just the diameter of the bit

be very, very, carefull with the evil belt sander, I always use a much finer grit belt than I think I need I'd go with 220 or 320 for that

put an 80 on there and you have a dent in a millisecond

oh yeah, I'm really psyched that this project is moving forward, I was really sad when you said it was dead

Franco B · « **Reply #89 on:** April 20, 2009, 03:10:57 am »

Glad to see your back on it

I would definitely invest in a flush trim or pattern bit (or both!), It will make your life 1000x easier, faster and neater to boot. Bearing guided bits are so handy and make your router even more versatile. I hardly use anything but flush trim and pattern bits now.

Gatsu · « **Reply #90 on:** April 20, 2009, 03:13:45 pm »

Thanks guys.

I'm gonna have to get a couple of bits this week then before i crack back on it this weekend. Thanks for the support. I really didnt want to kill the project either. But thanks to some family help the bills got paid and my cab project didn't have to die.

bgspot · « **Reply #91 on:** April 22, 2009, 05:43:28 am »

I'm excited to see the actual building too. Luv the design

Gatsu · « **Reply #92 on:** April 25, 2009, 10:27:58 pm »

A small update. I got the 2 sides for the bottom box cut out.....but sadly that was it today. I got side-tracked helping a buddy put a new door on his truck. Fun fun.....

So tomorrow I'll hopefully have EVERYTHING cut out and ready to assemble.... But I'm really hoping I can get most of the cab assembled and ready to paint tomorrow.

I'll post more pics tomorrow evening when I am done.

Also....I tried the flush trim bit....and the bearing dented the top pattern piece pretty badly, also didn't like going through that MDF. It was making all kinds of horrible noises that it probably shouldnt be making. So I'm just gonna trim it with the jig saw as close as I can and just hand sand the rest. It'll take a little more time....but I can keep a better eye on it so I don't go too far. I really wished that had of worked though.

Bender · « **Reply #93 on:** April 25, 2009, 10:49:35 pm »

something is seriously wrong there with the router situation
your removing maybe 1/8 in of material or less
should go through that like butter
you should bearly even feel like your removing any material at all
and I never dented a pattern piece, man you must have been fighting that thing hard
was this a really old bit? does the bearing spin freely? and are you moving the router in the right direction (you should only run it against the rotation of the bit)

Can't wait to see the Pics!

Gatsu · « **Reply #94 on:** April 26, 2009, 12:11:58 am »

the bearing oddly was spinning ok. I think the bit I got was too big for the job and did more damage than it was supposed to. I'll have to take it back tomorrow and get a smaller bit.

Gatsu · « **Reply #95 on:** April 27, 2009, 01:33:45 pm »

I'm a total idiot for sure.

Saturday night when I got home I started hacking and coughing so much it gave me a huge migraine.

I forgot to wear a mask while I was sanding. Stupid stupid. And I paid for it.

So Sunday I spent all day feeling like total garbage, hacking up dusty loogies and trying not to pass out from coughing so hard I started to black out. Lesson learned.

So important safety tip for anyone working with MDF...or any wood for that matter. WEAR A DUST MASK.

So nothing got done Sunday. Which really sucks.

Namco · « **Reply #96 on:** April 27, 2009, 02:59:41 pm »

Quote from: Gatsu on April 27, 2009, 01:33:45 pm

I'm a total idiot for sure.

Saturday night when I got home I started hacking and coughing so much it gave me a huge migraine.

I forgot to wear a mask while I was sanding. Stupid stupid. And I paid for it.

So Sunday I spent all day feeling like total garbage, hacking up dusty loogies and trying not to pass out from coughing so hard I started to black out. Lesson learned.

So important safety tip for anyone working with MDF...or any wood for that matter. WEAR A DUST MASK.

So nothing got done Sunday. Which really sucks.

Screw the masks, a respirator is the way to go. They're $20 and well worth the price when you think about the alternative... black lung. Hope you're feeling better today, man.

Gatsu · « **Reply #97 on:** April 27, 2009, 05:35:58 pm »

thats what I meant...a respirator. drat..

thanks man. I feel better today. still coughing, but I dont feel like hammered dog $%&*#$.

Anyway....I hope to get some work done this week...but more than likely it'll be the weekend before I can really start up again.

Bender · « **Reply #98 on:** April 27, 2009, 09:46:54 pm »

yeah MDF is really bad most brands still use Formaldehyde, so your beatheing that stuff in, BAD BAD BAD!!!!

Respirator all the way!!!!!

SNAAKE · « **Reply #99 on:** April 30, 2009, 04:22:07 pm »

why even use mdf? I learned by lesson long time ago. now a days I just the smooth "laminate friendly" pine wood. its about 5x lighter and the least dust build up. ive been working on a smaller sit down cabinet made with all pine wood. its a lot lighter than anything I build before.

Gatsu · « **Reply #100 on:** May 01, 2009, 10:32:10 am »

Because I can't find just plane black laminate anywhere here locally....so I've gotta paint whatever projects I build. Ordering it online is out because of the retarded shipping costs.

And MDF is the easiest to shape and paint that I've dealt with, and relatively inexpensive. Aroun $18-$25 a sheet depending on the thickness.

Franco B · « **Reply #101 on:** May 01, 2009, 11:39:53 am »

MDF is awesome in some respects, not so much in others. It's easy to work, a little too easy though as if you make templates/straight tedges from MDF and use them to guide/template route you can expect the bearing to compress the MDF slightly and you wont end up with the true profile/dimention that you are routing. I've learnt the hard way and am now making my precise templates from polycarb, ally or brass. I really need to play with some harder woods, I know a fair bit about metal but next to nothing about wood (oo-er)!

I'm deffo going to try some Pine or other lighter/harder material for my Video Pin.

Are your Happ sticks on route to me Gatsu?

Gatsu · « **Reply #102 on:** May 01, 2009, 03:16:25 pm »

They will be next week. I haven't had a chance to get them in the mail yet. But they will go out first thing Monday.

Gatsu · « **Reply #103 on:** May 16, 2009, 11:18:10 am »

Alright. About to head over to my parents place to work on the cab some more. I should have some more progress photos this evening for sure.

Gatsu · « **Reply #104 on:** May 17, 2009, 12:46:43 am »

Sorry I don't have any pictures tonight. (I forgot the damn camera again....). But Im going back over tomorrow afternoon so I packed the camera in my side bag so Im good to go.

But some progress updates.

Got most of the pieces for the bottom box cut out and ready to go. Just some slight sanding to make them all flush and I can start putting it together tomorrow.

After that will be cutting out the control panel and finishing up sanding down the side pieces so they are all flush. Thats really gotten to be a huge pain in the ass since that flush trim bit didn't work out. But the jig saw has helped a considerable amount.

Also, priced some parts for a new computer since the PC specs for SFIV have been announced. I can put together a great system that'll run SFIV and anything else for under $400 through newegg.

So gonna sell the few arcade sticks I've got laying around and hopefully that'll help go towards funding that.

I'll post more pics tomorrow.

- Gat

Gatsu · « **Reply #105 on:** May 18, 2009, 11:19:23 am »

Didn't get anything done on Sunday. But its looking like today's gonna be a short day at work. So I'll be spending most of the day working on the cab. I'm gonna have the bottom box done and the sides finished today for sure.

Pictures are in the works.

Gatsu · « **Reply #106 on:** May 18, 2009, 07:06:39 pm »

Just a quick update while I'm taking a break from routering.

I got a different flush trim bit (the one I was using for the plexi), and tried that on the 4 side pieces and its working like a charm. I am sooooo friggin happy that I don't have to use that belt sander any more.

Now all 4 side pieces are flush and I can go back to cutting pieces out and getting those all flush and neat.

Next update will be later on this evening. I've still got 2-3 more hours of daylight so Im gonna take advantage of it.

I've got the camera set up as well. And I'm snapping lots of shots.

drventure · « **Reply #107 on:** May 18, 2009, 07:18:36 pm »

About the laminate. I found some at a kitchen remodelling place, it was fairly cheap (I guess there's not a lot of demand for remodelling a kitchen with black formica

), and it went on very easily.

And the stuff is tough as rock.

It's a textured, almost leather like look, so it's not glossy or anything, but, at least for my purposes, it worked out well.

ivwshane · « **Reply #108 on:** May 18, 2009, 08:05:33 pm »

Quote from: drventure on May 18, 2009, 07:18:36 pm

About the laminate. I found some at a kitchen remodelling place, it was fairly cheap (I guess there's not a lot of demand for remodelling a kitchen with black formica ), and it went on very easily.

And the stuff is tough as rock.

It's a textured, almost leather like look, so it's not glossy or anything, but, at least for my purposes, it worked out well.

When you say cheap, how cheap are we talking? When I looked into the stuff it was about $80 a sheet!

Namco · « **Reply #109 on:** May 18, 2009, 09:47:18 pm »

I don't know how I missed it, but you mentioned earlier that you had 2 xbox 360 controllers hooked up and was thinking of having both connected to the pc and xbox? I have that same setup. The way I have it is that I have the xbox controllers hooked up to a KVM switch that does USB switching (works kind of like a usb hub, with only 1 usb cable running to the PC and Xbox. So at the push of a button, I swtich the monitor signal and controls between the xbox and PC. It works very well except:

Sometimes after having the system off for awhile, the xbox controllers don't turn on when the xbox turns on, however they ALWAYS are on when the PC is on and the signal is switched to the PC. If I wake them up while connected to the Xbox, they will always seem to wake up correctly with the xbox. This stuff wasn't a problem until I introduced the KVM/USB hub.
On the PC the sticks get reversed. Xbox 1up controller becomes controller 2 in windows, and xbox 2up controller becomes controller 1 in windows. I don't know why, but I"ve just configured MAME to compensate
The KVM draws power from PC1's USB line, so it better have juice all the time. Not necessarily on, but plugged in.

... ---Cleveland steamer---, just wire it up like to both the ipac and xbox like Bender said lol

Gatsu · « **Reply #110 on:** May 18, 2009, 11:18:35 pm »

I'm having some issues uploading my photos anywhere....flickr, photobucket, and its not giving me the option to attach anything to my forum posts like it usually does.

Any idea how I can fix this?

Ond · « **Reply #111 on:** May 18, 2009, 11:27:18 pm »

Quote from: Gatsu on May 18, 2009, 11:18:35 pm

I'm having some issues uploading my photos anywhere....flickr, photobucket, and its not giving me the option to attach anything to my forum posts like it usually does.

Any idea how I can fix this?

That's weird, you haven't reached your limit (access bandwidth) for photobucket? If you can't attach does that mean you can't see the 'insert image' tag?

seems to work for me...

Gatsu · « **Reply #112 on:** May 18, 2009, 11:31:53 pm »

I can insert the IMG tag....but the option to attach photos to the post is gone.

I tried a completely new/fresh photobucket account and its not letting me upload. Same with Flickr.

I dunno whats up. Something with my upload is screwing up. Im gonna fiddle with my router and see if that fixes it.

Gatsu · « **Reply #113 on:** May 18, 2009, 11:57:50 pm »

ok I figured it out. Any flash or java uploader for some reason isn't working on my system. But if I try a standard uploader, it works fine. Dunno...might have to re-install flash for firefox and java.

So anyway...here are some progress photos.

I did a clamp assembly test to see how the bottom box and the sides fit. Im pretty pleased with it so far. Tomorrow Im gonna glue & screw the side pieces together and cut out the side holes for the television to sit in.

Also gonna start working on the control panel.

Not a ton of progress....but you can see how its shaping up.

Sosetsuken · « **Reply #114 on:** May 19, 2009, 12:28:21 pm »

Looking sweet Gats! Some nice woodworking there!

I might try my hand at one of these Vewlix cabs someday...

...if I could only finish my Wooden Candy Cab

Gatsu · « **Reply #115 on:** May 19, 2009, 12:40:21 pm »

keep workin on that candy cab man. Its lookin sweet.

You're farther along on yours than I am on mine so....get back to work! lol.

Once I get everything done, I'll make a "how-to" pdf for everyone to have and share.

After I get the vewlix done, if I can manage to find any more room in my apartment, I'm gonna start on a candy cab like yours.

So keep it up!

Gatsu · « **Reply #116 on:** May 21, 2009, 12:32:24 am »

A few more progress photos from this evenings routering adventure.

Added the 45 degree bevel around the front edges of the side pieces, made the side pieces for the bottom box flush. And cut out the control panel mounting panel.

Tomorrow I'll have some more done. Hopefully the speaker bar and the holes the TV will sit in on the sides.

(closeup of the bevel)

(lower left side)

(my sister sitting at the helm)

(she approves)

Gatsu · « **Reply #117 on:** May 24, 2009, 04:23:47 pm »

Ok. A small update.

I got the access door cut out on the front of the box (will post pics of it later). But hit kind of a snag with a certain part.

across the top of the cab are 4 bars that make up 1 solid piece. They have rounded edges as you can see in the sketchup photo.

I've tried using a jig-saw to cut those rounded areas out.....a router....I just cant keep the cuts clean enough or I end up sanding too much off or cutting too much off. Any suggestions? I probably wasted 3 hours on these things. Re-drawing the template, cutting the piece out, sanding, *&^#%$ it up then start over again.

Sucks. I even tried just cutting the rounded edges first as seperate pieces then cut the middle straight bars. Cannot get those rounded corners.

Franco B · « **Reply #118 on:** May 25, 2009, 03:18:40 am »

If I was you I would make a round template with the same radius as the corners you ant to cut and use that to template route the corners.

You could make an adjustable circle Jigs like Javs, you could make a quick one use jig by attaching the router to a piece of MDF and then bolting to the piece you want to cut.

You could even use something like a tin can with the same/similar radius as the piece you want to cut. Remove most of the material from the can leaving the bottom + 1/2" of the sides and then screw that to your material and use a flush trim bit to template route it.

Either way I would make a master template with both radii's and the straight length and then use this again to template route the four pieces.

Gatsu · « **Reply #119 on:** May 25, 2009, 12:51:08 pm »

The problem is there isn't enough material to clamp the piece down once its been cut free of the main board for the router to sit on.

I'll try a few other things this afternoon and we'll see how it goes. Also gonna be trying to get the control panel built and the bottom box assembled.

Photos to come later.


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