Author Topic: My portable, all-in-one, coffee table top machine. (Read 8621 times)

swaffar · « **on:** January 09, 2009, 01:30:01 pm »

OK, so I finished my first project a few months ago, but never posted pics of it. So here it is...

two U360's with a second Happ Competition stick for Smash TV
Ultra-Mark Trackball
TurboSpin2 with wheel (note the nice storage for the wheel)
running Maximus Arcade

I could have made it a little slimmer if I hadn't used a graphics card, but I wanted to make sure this puppy was truly universal. VGA, S-Video, DVI, HDMI output. This is, however, as slim as I could get it. There is literally about 3 mm clearance between my player 1 buttons and the CPU fan; even less on the trackball and the power supply. I even made sure the graphics card wouldn't contact with the control panel during frustrated fist-pounding. But everything fits together like a puzzle during opening and closing and this rig runs cool thanks to my LED case fans (which complement my color scheme amazingly). I also had to construct my own L-bracket to hold the graphics card firmly in place so it wouldn't wobble about, but now it's solid.

It weighs in at about 70~75 lbs and is a little awkward to carry, but is totally portable. All I've done since its' completion is take it to house parties, and it's been a huge hit. I've even had 8 people ask me how much I'd want to make them one, price not an issue.

So without further adieu ...

HaRuMaN · « **Reply #1 on:** January 09, 2009, 01:37:10 pm »

Looks good! What is that, 1/2" thick MDF?

Got any pics of it all lit up?

cmoses · « **Reply #2 on:** January 09, 2009, 01:38:58 pm »

Very nice, like the work a lot.

Did you put an extension on your racing wheel? Looks like it sticks out a lot.

swaffar · « **Reply #3 on:** January 09, 2009, 01:43:02 pm »

i'm not sure if you've ever used or own a turbospin 2, but the wheel doesn't sit all the way down. looking inside the wheel's hole, it appears to be machined properly... no rough or flat spots that i can see. i'm assuming they all stick out a little? or is mine different. i DO know it takes quite a pull to get it off. that's why i had to re-enforce the spinner so heavily. without this bracket the front panel would almost separate from the box altogether when pulling the wheel off the spinner knob.

swaffar · « **Reply #4 on:** January 09, 2009, 01:46:07 pm »

Quote from: HarumaN on January 09, 2009, 01:37:10 pm

Looks good! What is that, 1/2" thick MDF?

Got any pics of it all lit up?

yes, MDF... 16mm. sorry no pics of it lit up... i'm not sure if i'm ever even going to wire LEDs for the buttons cause it looks fine to me as is. but with the lights in the room out the red/blue glow from underneath looks cool.

anyway, i'm really pleased with this as a first build. i will admit i spent about two weeks in planning just to make sure everything would fit and work well. that would have to be my most important bit of advice to anyone wanting to build one of these. my last hurdle as far as the face/spinner/wheel was concerned was that i'd have enough clearance to use the wheel without my knuckles hitting the edge of control panel. i'm happy to say everything in this works flawlessly.

swaffar · « **Reply #5 on:** January 09, 2009, 08:00:45 pm »

ok you said you wanted to see some LED pics so here you go. i also added a top-down pic of the control panel so you could better see my custom art. i wanted to stay away from anything game-specific and didnt want a MAME theme... as you can see, i opted to go themeless.

on my last "glow" pic you can really get a sense of how tight the internals are when the lid is down... trackball, power supply, cup fan, buttons, graphics card... and i guess i could have windex'ed my plexi before i took the control panel pic but you get the idea. at least this baby doesn't go unplayed.

swaffar · « **Reply #6 on:** January 09, 2009, 08:11:36 pm »

thought i deleted this (it isn't 100% accurate to my build) but this is my photoshop mock-up. i wish i knew CAD, but i'm much better with adobe. all the components are to the milimeter, but the design did change slightly in construction. most notably, i made the face/spinner brace less complicated and moved the power supply forward.

stephenp1983 · « **Reply #7 on:** January 09, 2009, 10:53:11 pm »

That's really nice. I like the way the artwork and the buttons flow together, and how you incorporated the different color led fans to work with each color.

swaffar · « **Reply #8 on:** January 11, 2009, 06:57:11 am »

thanks... i got lucky on that one. i'd already decided to go with the red/blue theme (i know it's used a lot but hey) when i went looking for zip-ties, terminals, and case fans i lucked out and everything was color-coordinated. i only wish that i'd gone with a white trackball when i placed my order, but i hadn't yet finished my artwork. oh well... if i had it to do over i'd stick with just a single joystick for each player and drop the spinner. i find that i hardly ever use the wheel and it would drastically cut the cost. my ambition was to leave no game behind. i think if i make another i'll just go with a simple 4 player, 1 trackball setup. i'm also considering making a showcase cab that this could just attach to. audio, hdmi cables are more than long enough to be routed through the base and back up to a TV.

what do you guys think?

stephenp1983 · « **Reply #9 on:** January 11, 2009, 12:23:28 pm »

Yeah I think that would be cool. That way when you bring it home you could just attach it back the the showcase cab and go. You'd just need to make sure you had a secure way to secure it to the pedestal, without making it too difficult to remove. I'm sure some type of clamps would do the trick. Also does the mother board have hdmi on it or would you just get a hdmi to dvi converter? If you do get the cables check out monoprice.com, they have great deals on cables.

swaffar · « **Reply #10 on:** January 11, 2009, 01:07:09 pm »

i have HDMI

DaOld Man · « **Reply #11 on:** January 11, 2009, 02:45:02 pm »

Man, this project looks good!!

Gatsu · « **Reply #12 on:** January 11, 2009, 11:05:41 pm »

thats pretty friggin sweet man.

swaffar · « **Reply #13 on:** January 12, 2009, 05:07:57 am »

thanks man... i only wish i had ordered some extra sanwa joys instead of the happ competitions... they would have matched my U360's. oh well...

wp34 · « **Reply #14 on:** January 13, 2009, 12:01:37 am »

Very nice. How is playing Smash TV with two different sticks? I'm interested in doing something similar as I don't want to splurge for 4 U360's.

swaffar · « **Reply #15 on:** January 13, 2009, 05:41:00 am »

you have to get used to it depending on what restrictor (if any) you go with on the 360. i went with the octagonal and i like it because i can feel the corners and hold it there. but the 360 also feels a little more liberal/natural. i have a happ competition the the right hand so, of course, its range of motion is square. it's easier to hit diagonals and harder to hit up, down, left, right... until you get a feel for it you usually have to float the stick until you hit the direction you're looking for.

my honest advice (unless you plan to be playing a LOT of two player smash tv) is to forgo a second stick. i love smash, but i'm usually the only one playing it. you could totally make due with one joy per player and keep the cost down. not to mention it'll look more natural. it's also strange to have one stick that's silent and another that uses microswitches and makes a lot of noise.

i do think my controls have a unique look to them, but that joystick goes mostly unused.

wp34 · « **Reply #16 on:** January 13, 2009, 10:07:38 pm »

That's good to know about Smash TV. I have this fantasy that my kids will like to play two-player Smash TV as much as me. Probably won't happen. I'm struggling because that was one of my favorites in college (especially two-player) but it will add $150-200 to my cabinet. That's why I was interested in your Sanwa idea.

You have a real nice set up. I really like the portability angle.

swaffar · « **Reply #17 on:** January 14, 2009, 05:56:23 am »

thanks. like i said this is a bit heavy but still totally movable. i went with MDF cause it's sturdy, and believe me this thing is solid. i cut a handle out of the bottom towards the very front. it's carried like a briefcase, with the joysticks facing toward you. i also put small rubber feet on the back so you can set it down while carrying it. i was afraid the lid may decide to open on its own, but the four hinges i have actually hold it down pretty well. just to make sure i put magnets on both sides. they're small but strong.

anyway, i'm really pleased with how this turned out since it was my first project... i'm not really a carpenter, i'm more at home fixing avionics systems on A-10s and F-15s (i'm air force). i just can't stress enough how much planning is important. i didn't really encounter any hurdles that made me alter my plans during construction. one thing i will say, make sure your hinges have enough lift when opening so that your top doesn't rub the back. my cab's top is pretty much flush with the back when closed and sits about 2mm over when open... so it's pretty tight but no rubbing. and don't forget to account for your T-molding. i almost started drilling holes for the hinges when i realized it would add a few mm's to the top and had to readjust.

so here are some pics to show what i was just talking about... you'll see how the top is pretty much flush with the back when closed (or open!) it may not look it in the pic with the top up, but like i said... with the T-molding in there, there's barely room for light to get through.

swaffar · « **Reply #18 on:** January 22, 2009, 08:30:46 pm »

just wanted to bump this to see if anyone had any more comments or questions...

Visitor Q · « **Reply #19 on:** January 23, 2009, 07:19:30 am »

I think it looks great, very nice.

swaffar · « **Reply #20 on:** June 08, 2009, 10:37:16 pm »

ok so... i'm strapped for cash and wanting to build a sweet hyperpin pinball cabinet. should i see this mame "cab" to help raise the case or hang onto it?

Bigwig416 · « **Reply #21 on:** June 09, 2009, 05:34:05 pm »

very nice all you need are some racing pedals

swaffar · « **Reply #22 on:** October 29, 2009, 06:10:59 am »

hmmmm... i'm thinking about chopping this up and using the guts in a proper upright cab.


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