Defender MAME Project

[martoon x]

I've been thinking about this for a long while. A mame concept based off of the original Defender arcade cabinet. http://martoon.org/defender/ It's to include a fold out control panel to accommodate up to 4 players.



I have many test renders of how It could work, but it seems I've been over thinking it. All of my previous ideas ended up being way too complicated, like how to get the side panels to fold up or to tuck the whole unit into the bottom of the cab. I believe I've finally come up with a viable solution. I'll work out some renders later this week and post it along with the bad ideas.

Afterwards, the next step will be to figure out how to get all of this:



to look like this:



 

[Octo]

  That's mighty ambitious, but I wish you the best of luck. Are you going to drill holes for the joysticks to fold into?

[martoon x]

That's mighty ambitious, but I wish you the best of luck. Are you going to drill holes for the joysticks to fold into?

Good question, when the sides fold up, they only go up 45 90 degrees and the joysticks should not end up hitting anything or end up "in" the base of the other side.


halfway to being folded up 45 90  degrees


folded up at full 45 90  degrees

[Blanka]

I think the challenge is in the hinges. Either go for a nice custom aluminium CNC-ed top plate with hinges built into (the Apple-unibody way) or to search some damn fine hidden door hinges. Piano hinges would totally destroy this.

[martoon x]

I think the challenge is in the hinges. Either go for a nice custom aluminium CNC-ed top plate with hinges built into (the Apple-unibody way) or to search some damn fine hidden door hinges. Piano hinges would totally destroy this.

I agree, i've been looking into the best way to do that. I've come across these



They're heavy duty concealed door hinges. http://www.hardwaresource.com/Store_ViewProducts.asp?Cat=603 I've seen them in action once on a high-end cabinet door once. i was wondering if anyone has had any personal experience with them.

[YoGaBaR]

That's an awesome idea!!
If you were using wood I would definitely use a strong door hinge and not use MDF but a good 7 layer plus plywood. Maybe 3/4 cabinet grade AC.  Where it would be smooth on one side and have between 11-15 layers. I would think the CP is going to be heavy. Screws may rip right out of the wood if you don't have a strong enough board or even bolt the hinges.
Sorry just my 2 pennies of thought.

[BobA]

Best of luck, a very ambitious project.  Look forward to see how it turns out.
 

[Martijn]

Nice idea.

Good Luck. You'll Need it 

[darkofpeace]

Looks real nice, keep us updated. Any reason players 3 and 4 have all those buttons?

[martoon x]

If you were using wood I would definitely use a strong door hinge and not use MDF but a good 7 layer plus plywood. Maybe 3/4 cabinet grade AC.  Where it would be smooth on one side and have between 11-15 layers. I would think the CP is going to be heavy. Screws may rip right out of the wood if you don't have a strong enough board or even bolt the hinges.
Sorry just my 2 pennies of thought.

Good point, but I also need to keep this light. So I opted to go with 1/2" instead. I should be able to add bracing for strength and still keep the weight under than if the CP was made from 3/4"

[martoon x]

This post is kind a of a big deal. It represents the first real step towards building this crazy thing.



Earlier in the week I brought home some 3/4″ plywood, but realized that it would be too thick and cumbersome for this control panel. I returned it & bought two replacement sheets , one 1/2 inch and the other 1/4 inch. Quarter inch is way too thin for a good solid control panel, but perfect for a test board. I didn’t want to spend a lot of much time cutting and drilling into something that was thicker than it needed to be, especially for just a test.



I used my plans from Illustrator to measure and lay out the marks onto the plywood for where the cuts were going to be.



Doing this test build gives me the opportunity to see what tools I’m going to need. Also to get a feel for the panel— to see where I need to tweak or make any changes.

The trackball needs to be moved over to the left. I originally laid it out so it sat dead-center on the control panel. Aesthetically, I liked the position, even though it slightly overlapped the joystick casing directly to it’s right. I thought I might be able to counter sink one or the other to make it work. Once I cut out the hole and mounted the trackball onto the board, it became apparent that no amount of counter-sinking would make it work, not to mention that quickly spinning the ball to the top-right would probably result in me snagging my hand on the joystick, bending the stick or bruising my hand. Either way, It was too close and the trackball had to be moved to the left.

To get the holes in the right place, I printed out my button positions from Illustrator which were drawn at 100%.



I printed those out to several pages and tiled them together. Laying them out on the wood, I was able to use them as a template to mark out the centerpoints.



Once the holes were tapped, I drilled. I used two paddle bits, 1 1/8″ for the buttons and spinners, and 1/4″ for the joysticks. The joystick holes seem a bit small, especially for the UltraStiks. They have a much further throw than the MagStickPlus’, so when I do the build using the thicker plywood, I’ll be sure to drill larger holes for them.



With the sample panel laid out, my next plan is to pick up some quick connectors and do a practice-wire-it-up.



Test Panel from right
That be it for now. The next step is to wrap up the plan measurements on the computer. Finalize the graphics for the overlays, bezels and stuff, do a bit more research, then begin a final build.

[martoon x]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpVt0hW3EyE&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fmartoon%2Eorg%2Fdefender%2F&feature=player_embedded#t=56

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpVt0hW3EyE&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fmartoon%2Eorg%2Fdefender%2F&feature=player_embedded#t=56[/youtube]

With the prototype panel wired and assembled, I’ve begun testing configuration and layout of the controls. This test run is performed on the iMac running “MAME Library” [url=http://www.randomsequence.com/software/mame-library/]http://www.randomsequence.com/software/mame-library/[/url] and “MAME OS X”  http://mameosx.sourceforge.net/ plugged in through the USB port. With all of the controls wired up, there are a total of 8 USB connectors coming of the top deck. Currently, I only have a 4-port USB dock, so a full test won’t be possible until I can pick up another 4-port at the local electronics store. This test run was performed using the main control deck, player two and three sticks and the trackball.

The main control deck is the top the defender layout. It contains “Ultimarc’s “Mag-Stik Plus” with 10 buttons manually wired to the I-PAC 2 board. The I-PAC was custom encoded using John Keoni Morris’s “MacIPAC.app” http://www.ultimarc.com/download.php#ipacmac The first thing noticed is how high the sticks feel from the deck. The original Defender cabinets have the stick riding closer to the deck which which gave easy access to the reverse button. These sticks screw in from the bottom and the remaining stick just up through the hole. I’ll be glad to play them once they’re sitting deeper on the final 1/2″ plywood rather than this 1/4′ test plywood. I may even toy with adding an additional spacer to sit it even lower. I like the feel of the Ultimarc control. It’s a 4-way/8-way stick with 4 switches that sit horizontal at the bottom of the shaft. They that make a satisfying “click” when they make contact.

This is the first time I found an emulated version of defender to be playable. That includes home console versions as well as MAME where I find extremely difficult to play defender using a keyboard or any of the console controllers. Having an actual deck to play from makes the game fun again. The spacing of the buttons feel great and instinctive and even though the original defender joystick was limited to up an down, the 4/8-way stick does a fine job.



Players one through four all use the Ultimark “UltraStik 360″. Although a bit pricey, these are the easiest to wire up. These controllers come with a harness to allow 7 buttons to be connected directly to the joystick and from the joystick to the computer is just one usb cable. This stick acts like a giant analog controller. I used it to play the fighting game and although it does have quite a long throw, I found it to be quite responsive. This test had Players 2 and 3 connected. I wanted to make sure two people can play comfortably. I did a test run with Mrs. Martoon where, not only did I discovered that her cat-like reflexes are a valuable asset to kicking ---my bottom--- but the controllers also have plenty of space for two people to sit side by side with adequate room to play.

The final game test was Robotron. Unfortunately, the MAME setup on my MAC does not allow for individual mapping of controls for separate games. As a result, I could not control the character using the two analog sticks. I was forced to use one stick to move and the buttons to shoot. Less than ideal. I’m hoping this will be different once I move my tests over the PC.

[Bender]

I think the challenge is in the hinges. Either go for a nice custom aluminium CNC-ed top plate with hinges built into (the Apple-unibody way) or to search some damn fine hidden door hinges. Piano hinges would totally destroy this.

I agree, i've been looking into the best way to do that. I've come across these



They're heavy duty concealed door hinges. http://www.hardwaresource.com/Store_ViewProducts.asp?Cat=603 I've seen them in action once on a high-end cabinet door once. i was wondering if anyone has had any personal experience with them.

Fantastic project! I love folding things!
after a lot of research I ended up using those hinges on my folding project
They worked out great and they're available in black which is awesome too!

good luck with this project, what a great idea

[Yvan256]

Amazing project! If you don't mind me asking, can you explain/show more pictures about how you go from picture 1 to picture 2? I don't understand how those huge "side panels" can come out of the inside of the cabinet without hitting the single-player CP that's in the middle back.

Also, will the coin door work at this angle? Or do you plan on having "credit" buttons when using the cab in 4-players configuration?

[Ryglore]

Oh wow. This is really impressive. One look at it and my brain.... 

Can't wait to see it progress!

[GaryMcT]

This is a cool project!

What is the Mac CAD program that you are using?

[martoon x]

I think the challenge is in the hinges. Either go for a nice custom aluminium CNC-ed top plate with hinges built into (the Apple-unibody way) or to search some damn fine hidden door hinges. Piano hinges would totally destroy this.

I agree, i've been looking into the best way to do that. I've come across these



They're heavy duty concealed door hinges. http://www.hardwaresource.com/Store_ViewProducts.asp?Cat=603 I've seen them in action once on a high-end cabinet door once. i was wondering if anyone has had any personal experience with them.

Fantastic project! I love folding things!
after a lot of research I ended up using those hinges on my folding project
They worked out great and they're available in black which is awesome too!

good luck with this project, what a great idea

What a cool cab your making. Brilliant! How much weight do your hinges support? That is the only thing I'm on the fence about right now. I may go the hidden hinge route or try hidden hinge like car modders use simmilar to this http://home.hiwaay.net/~sbuc/journal/hidden_hinge.htm  It's basically a hinge with a long bend in it as seen here:.

[martoon x]

This is a cool project!

What is the Mac CAD program that you are using?

I'm using Strata Studio Pro, Illustrator CS3, Photoshop CS3 and a little Google sketch-up

[martoon x]

Amazing project! If you don't mind me asking, can you explain/show more pictures about how you go from picture 1 to picture 2? I don't understand how those huge "side panels" can come out of the inside of the cabinet without hitting the single-player CP that's in the middle back.

Also, will the coin door work at this angle? Or do you plan on having "credit" buttons when using the cab in 4-players configuration?

The wings fold up at a 45 90 degree angle which makes the front piece narrow enough to swing down into the cab. The renders I have at the beginning of the post are preliminary. The coin door may end up being a sticker since I'll be needing as much real estate inside as possible which means I'll be hiding credit buttons somewhere. I'll post an animation of how it works later this week.

[martoon x]

Oh wow. This is really impressive. One look at it and my brain.... 

Can't wait to see it progress!

Thanks, me too 

[blackwatchplad]

Very neat project you've set out to tackle. I really like the idea of it all and good luck, I'm sure u can pull it off with enough engineering.
Also, I can't help but to hear the transformers theme in my head when i look at those first pics lol

[GaryMcT]

I like the fact that it only has a honking huge control panel when it needs to.

[Bender]

I'm guessing, but I'd say 30lbs over two hinges. I'd go with 3 hinges per side for you design (of the largest ones they make)

the hardest part is routeing out the insets for those suckers. I think rockler sales a jig for them. I'd be curious how well they worked.
I did a bunch of practice runs on scrap, then marked my router table to make sure I had the right dimensions

[jeef]

The wings fold up at a 45 degree angle

Do you mean 90 degrees?

Looking forward to seeing this one progress

[martoon x]

The wings fold up at a 45 degree angle

Do you mean 90 degrees?

Looking forward to seeing this one progress

haha, yes, 90 degrees. thanks.

[drventure]

Holy Hell!

How did I miss this thread

That is one AWESOMELY cool design you have there. Hell, if there was a way to put a steering wheel on that pop out instead of a trackball.... Ack, No... More.... Projects.... Right..... Now......

Very cool though. Looking forward to more pics.

And if you hook up linear actuators to that thing, I may just have to start stalking you 

[martoon x]

I'm guessing, but I'd say 30lbs over two hinges. I'd go with 3 hinges per side for you design (of the largest ones they make)

the hardest part is routeing out the insets for those suckers. I think rockler sales a jig for them. I'd be curious how well they worked.
I did a bunch of practice runs on scrap, then marked my router table to make sure I had the right dimensions

I think I found the hinges i'll be using.

[martoon x]

I'm guessing, but I'd say 30lbs over two hinges. I'd go with 3 hinges per side for you design (of the largest ones they make)

the hardest part is routeing out the insets for those suckers. I think rockler sales a jig for them. I'd be curious how well they worked.
I did a bunch of practice runs on scrap, then marked my router table to make sure I had the right dimensions

I think I found the hinges i'll be using.

I ran some render tests and it looks like I wont be able to get these to work. Probably going to have to go with the Soss hinges

[martoon x]

Amazing project! If you don't mind me asking, can you explain/show more pictures about how you go from picture 1 to picture 2? I don't understand how those huge "side panels" can come out of the inside of the cabinet without hitting the single-player CP that's in the middle back.

Also, will the coin door work at this angle? Or do you plan on having "credit" buttons when using the cab in 4-players configuration?

The wings fold up at a 45 90 degree angle which makes the front piece narrow enough to swing down into the cab. The renders I have at the beginning of the post are preliminary. The coin door may end up being a sticker since I'll be needing as much real estate inside as possible which means I'll be hiding credit buttons somewhere. I'll post an animation of how it works later this week.

[youtube][/youtube]
[flash]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZOyWbICsno[/flash]

A lot of the geometry profiles in this model are built full size in illustrator then imported to Strata, extruded and positioned. It ensures everything fits the way it's supposed to and that I'll also have a full parts list when complete.

[GaryMcT]

Freakin awesome!

[martoon x]

Freakin awesome!

Yeah, getting close!

[Yvan256]

The hinge is in the inside of the cab, no wonder I couldn't understand how it was able to fold inside!

Wow, I can't wait to see you build all that! 

[drventure]

Are you planning to make the whole front pivot in the middle like that?

Is there are reason for that? I'd just think that making the bottom part of the front panel fixed and only hinging the top would give you mode usable space on the inside for the PC, and other equipment.

But who am I to nitpick. That's going to be one awesome cab! Put some little hands on those fold out wings and you'll almost have a "transformers" cab 

[Vebbo]

OMG, i'm having a hard time just to make a new CP and some other minor stuff but this.....  Wish u good luck on this übercool project 

[Ond]

These guys that model everything 1st in 3D are just cheating as far as I'm concerned......

 

[Hewskie]

Wow. I was pretty skeptical until I saw that 3d video. This thing looks amazing, good luck with the construction, I hope you start soon! 

Hewskie

[Zakk]

Totally awesome.  Being watched by the Mamey judges, if that's any extra incentive 

[shrunkenmaster]

Great idea, this. Wish I had the stones to attempt it! Look forward to construction.

[martoon x]

Are you planning to make the whole front pivot in the middle like that?

Is there are reason for that? I'd just think that making the bottom part of the front panel fixed and only hinging the top would give you mode usable space on the inside for the PC, and other equipment.

But who am I to nitpick. That's going to be one awesome cab! Put some little hands on those fold out wings and you'll almost have a "transformers" cab 

I'm pretty sure all of the computer parts should fit in there. My bigger concern are the dangly wires and the constant bending and stress as this thing is folded and unfolded. 

[martoon x]

These guys that model everything 1st in 3D are just cheating as far as I'm concerned......

 

I agree!!

[martoon x]

Wow. I was pretty skeptical until I saw that 3d video. This thing looks amazing, good luck with the construction, I hope you start soon! 

Hewskie

thanks. I had to put the project on hold for a little bit. I'm ordering the Soss Hinges now and planning to get the wood before the end of the month.

[martoon x]

Totally awesome.  Being watched by the Mamey judges, if that's any extra incentive 

that makes me nervous and pressured  . It may be a bit of a let down to know that i probably wont be installing any linear actuators in this first version of the cab. They are expensive.

[ammitz]

Awesome projects, keep them pictures coming when you start building. Cool 3D animation 

[Yvan256]

Just had an idea... why not put the coin door on a small panel (like Ryglore has done for his The Shmup!) then hinge the top of that panel, so that the coin door is completely vertical, functional and accessible even in four-players mode.

[drventure]

yvan's got a good point. If you hinged it, and built a partial box for it with a catch at the bottom, when the CP was folded up, the coin door would be flush with the front, and it's box would be "inside" the cab.

When you unfolded things, the hinged door would fall forward exposing the sides and bottom of it's "box" and a catch would snag on the front panel to keep the door for opening completely up.

That way the coin door would always look like a "finished" element of the cab, whether it was open or closed.

I know I might not be explaining that right. If it doesn't make sense, maybe I could draw something up.

[ammitz]

I know I might not be explaining that right. If it doesn't make sense, maybe I could draw something up.

We want to se it in 3D animation as well

[drventure]

Yeah, well, I wish my cab would be finished in the next few months, too, but I don't see that happening 

Martoon's got a tad more skills in the 3d modeling area than me!

[Ryglore]

Just had an idea... why not put the coin door on a small panel (like Ryglore has done for his The Shmup!) then hinge the top of that panel, so that the coin door is completely vertical, functional and accessible even in four-players mode.

It could be pretty easy. But would the coin mechs and coin box (depending on what style of door he chooses) get in the way of the control panel when it folds in and out? It would totally be worth seeing in 3D though. And there really is nothing like having working coin slots. I don't even want to set up a shifted credit button anymore. 

[drventure]

Based on what I see in your animated render, you should have plenty of space. Let me sketch up what I'm thinking tonight and I'll post it (Won't be all animated 3-d fancy pants-ness, but maybe it'll work. 

[drventure]

Here's what I was thinking of.

First, a shot of the front panel, closed and vertical. and another image of it where it's opened up, so the front is slanted, but the coin door,being hinged, has swung out and latched.


You can see the "latch" in the second shot here, at the bottom (ok, so my latch is just a flat plate, you get the idea 



I have no idea whether my angles are right or anything, but that's the general gist of it.

This way, no matter what,the coin door looks nice and "finished"

[Yvan256]

[...] This way, no matter what,the coin door looks nice and "finished"

Yep, that's exactly what I was thinking too. But the main goal here is to have working coin mechs, since those only work in a completely vertical position (at least the ones I have here).

I think he's already got enough things to do already, let's stop adding to his list.

I do have an idea about automating the whole thing with pneumatic lifts though... 

[drventure]

Oh. this cab SOOOO needs actuators. I can literally hear it +begging+ for them!

Beggin' I tells ya.

[Ryglore]

What it needs is a fog machine that rolls fog out from under it while the actuators are opening the 4 player CP. 

[martoon x]

haha!, you guys are awesome, pure genius. The coin slot idea is badass. The actuators? I priced out linear actuators and plan for the fit, but that's going to have to wait until phase two of the project, when I add actuators and a coin slot... along with cool robot sounds.

BTW, I've been working on the cab and finally got some momentum on the final panel. Here is a clip of the SOSS hinges and angle limiters in action.



more to come in a week or so

[drventure]

Hinge porn! Very nice 

About those actuators. You might look into something I'm playing with. You ever seen those "back massager" chair pads , with the little knobs that spin and go up and down the spine of the chair?

Well, I picked one up on Craigslist for 10$, it's got gearing, a track, and plenty of torque, plus they've already got limit switches built in (though you have to reposition them to get the amount of movement you need.

in my case, I still haven't figured out quite how or IF I can use it because all my mechanicals have to be visible. But in your case, it'd all be completely inside the cab, making it much easier to consider something like that.

But you should be able to find one so cheap, you almost have nothing to loose.

[martoon x]

i need to work on my stop motion skillz

[Ryglore]

i need to work on my stop motion skillz

That totally reminds me of the Killer Vacuum from Mr. Mom.

[painterinfo]

Hi Martoon x,

Impressive design and great 3D modelling skills. With Google Sketchup being so easy to pick up it could/should be in everyone's toolbox.

A couple of questions, I caught a glimpse of the wheels at the back of your cab being on a 45 degree angle. Did you do that to put them back further or to lower the floor of your cab?

I am only planing to put 2 wheels at the back of mine so that if tilt the machine slightly it can move, though I have not got that curve at the back base like your‘s. I can't see, have you got casters at the front too?

Cheers.

[martoon x]

Hi Martoon x,

Impressive design and great 3D modelling skills. With Google Sketchup being so easy to pick up it could/should be in everyone's toolbox.

A couple of questions, I caught a glimpse of the wheels at the back of your cab being on a 45 degree angle. Did you do that to put them back further or to lower the floor of your cab?

I am only planing to put 2 wheels at the back of mine so that if tilt the machine slightly it can move, though I have not got that curve at the back base like your‘s. I can't see, have you got casters at the front too?

Cheers.

You noticed, good eye. The thing handles like it's own hand-truck due to the fact that the wheels are set so far back that they extend beyond the rear of the cab. When in it's resting position, the four rubber screw-in feet act as stabilizers. The cab wont move until you tilt it back about 5 degrees, then it's quite mobile afterwards. It's come in real handy since I'm building this on my own and I have to move it all over the garage every time my wife needs to park the car overnight.

[martoon x]

Hinge porn! Very nice  

About those actuators. You might look into something I'm playing with. You ever seen those "back massager" chair pads , with the little knobs that spin and go up and down the spine of the chair?

Well, I picked one up on Craigslist for 10$, it's got gearing, a track, and plenty of torque, plus they've already got limit switches built in (though you have to reposition them to get the amount of movement you need.

in my case, I still haven't figured out quite how or IF I can use it because all my mechanicals have to be visible. But in your case, it'd all be completely inside the cab, making it much easier to consider something like that.

But you should be able to find one so cheap, you almost have nothing to loose.

Pretty smart, I did not think of that. I just did a craigslist search on one of those and saw a one for $50 us. I'd like to see the innards of one of those before I commit. Do you plan on dissecting yours anytime soon? If so, please post some picts.

[drventure]

Yep, already dismantled it. I'll post pics here in a bit, don't have em right off.

50$ seems like too much. I got mine for 10$, I saw a BUNCH for 20-40$ in the Dallas Fort worth CL. But your location may be slimmer pickings...

[painterinfo]

Thanks for posting the wheel detail, I really like your idea it was what I was trying to achieve, mounting the wheels at 45 degrees makes it work. I changed my design and I will post some pics on my build thread tonight.

[TOK]

Thanks for posting the wheel detail, I really like your idea it was what I was trying to achieve, mounting the wheels at 45 degrees makes it work. I changed my design and I will post some pics on my build thread tonight.

Its a very nice feature. Lots of Bally cabs are made like this, and even have handles recessed into the upper back. By far the easiest cabs to move around.

[kronic24601]

Very Awesome. I was considering building a cab with detachable wings for player 3 & 4, but nothing to this crazy extent. I created a few mach-ups but was having a problem with the stability on the outer pieces. If you applied too much pressure things would start to bend.

Looking at your comps, It makes me think that you may want to add some additional reinforcements to the wings, some people tend to lean down on the cp.

Just a thought though ... Great job!

[martoon x]

Very Awesome. I was considering building a cab with detachable wings for player 3 & 4, but nothing to this crazy extent. I created a few mach-ups but was having a problem with the stability on the outer pieces. If you applied too much pressure things would start to bend.

Looking at your comps, It makes me think that you may want to add some additional reinforcements to the wings, some people tend to lean down on the cp.

Just a thought though ... Great job!

I've been mulling over the same issue. I wanted to keep the outside as clean and original looking as possible when folded up but there's no easy way to keep the wings stable. Screwing with the aesthetics a bit, I may have solved the bendy problem. I added aluminum brackets to the outside of the cab that the outer panels rest on. That with some precisely placed wood may create a deck stable enough to handle a pounding. Here is where I'm at so far...

[Yvan256]

About the side panel stability/strength issue... could you post some photos of the "unfolding" process? I think I have an idea of how to make it ultra-strong without any external signs once in two-players mode, but I'm not sure if your configuration would allow it.

Think "triangle supports at the back of the folding panels".

In crude ASCII-art, it would look like   \|   |/     viewed from the front.

[drventure]

I could see those triangle bits, and hinge them, kind of like the old butler tables (that might not be the right term).

[martoon x]

About the side panel stability/strength issue... could you post some photos of the "unfolding" process? I think I have an idea of how to make it ultra-strong without any external signs once in two-players mode, but I'm not sure if your configuration would allow it.

Think "triangle supports at the back of the folding panels".

In crude ASCII-art, it would look like   \|   |/     viewed from the front.

Exactly. I've been planning to box in panels to hide all of the bits. Once those "sides" are in place, they'll press up against the side of the cab for stability |-----| With that and the aluminum, and the fact that the whole thing will be resting on the swing out door, it should be pretty stable.

[drventure]

Here's a shot of the overall mechanism



and here's a little better closeup of the gearing involved.



I haven't had the time to dismantle it beyond this.

the nice thing is, it's got several limiter switches already. Not completely sure how to rejigger the control signals, but that little coiled cable that leads to the motor housing contains several separate wires. I'm guessing I can run them through relays of some sort for control, once I figure out the power on them and which is which.

[bigpete405]

That cab looks super strong. That cp is sick also.

[Comtek]

  now i hate my system and have to build another one.  
this is just unreal, very cool, awesome my hats off to you

I check this thread every few hours for updates.

Keep up the good Great work

[ale8oneboy]

That's an amazing CP build. Reminded me of Transformers. Now if you could just make it sound like Opus Prime when it transforms. 

[martoon x]

The mame system is wired up & began testing the complete box with some friends. I wanted to see what broke before I take it apart and added the graphics & t-molding before one last final tear down and build. I located a couple of weak spots but I have to say, I am really surprised at how solid it feels when we have 4 players on it. Seriously had my doubts that it would really work, but so far it does.

For the graphics, the control panel overlay is going to get printed, compliments of a good friend who has a printer friend that owes him a favor. The end result will be 4 giant poly stickers. The sides and bottom front are going to be stenciled. I remember seeing that someone actually matched up the red and yellow colors to some modern spray paints. I've searched for a couple of hours now and cant seen to find where I saw them. Does anyone here know or direct me to someone who may know where i could find it?

[Havok]

One of the guys on Klov posted this for Stargate, which is pretty close to the same color scheme:

Use the below at your own risk:

=====================
Stargate
=====================
1 Gallon - True Value Paint
Base: GHP-N (Daylight)
Ext. Latex/Gloss/Weatherall

Colorant Amount
KX 10
R 10Y2
V 5Y36

Yellow: Rustoleum Sunburst Yellow (spraypaint)
Black: Rustoleum Gloss Black (spraypaint)

Unfortunately I don't see anything for spraypaint in red. Good luck - looks great so far!

[martoon x]

It's been a looong while since my last update. that's because I've been busy. Busy playing games!! I finally completed the build of the cabinet and now have a working foldable arcade machine in the house. I still have to add the graphics and a more powerfull PC, but so far, it works! I'm still not sure how to automate the transformation. After everything is together, there isn't much room left for actuators and such.

[jimmy2x2x]

Congratulations, that is feckin awesome!

[Yvan256]

  

[Roo]

Nice!  I am impressed.  I know it wasn't easy going from design to reality, it turned out great!   

[martoon x]

Congratulations, that is feckin awesome!

Thanks!

[martoon x]

Nice!  I am impressed.  I know it wasn't easy going from design to reality, it turned out great!   

Thanks! Like I mentioned, it's a bit raw right now. I still need to add all of the graphics. Side art, control panel and bezel. I tried stenciling the side art, but that turned out to be an epic fail. Stencil came out great, but my adhesion skills are lacking. Can anyone recommend a reputable vinyl graphics guy?

[leapinlew]

Good job.

Some artwork would push this cabinet over the top. Looks like you spent a bundle already, but any plans for art?

[martoon x]

Good job.

Some artwork would push this cabinet over the top. Looks like you spent a bundle already, but any plans for art?

Thanks! Like I mentioned, it's a bit raw right now. I still need to add all of the graphics. Side art, control panel and bezel. I tried stenciling the side art, but that turned out to be an epic fail. Stencil came out great, but my adhesion skills are lacking. Can anyone recommend a reputable vinyl graphics guy?  In the top of this post I have some samples of overlays and stuff I was designed up

[leapinlew]

Good job.

Some artwork would push this cabinet over the top. Looks like you spent a bundle already, but any plans for art?

Thanks! Like I mentioned, it's a bit raw right now. I still need to add all of the graphics. Side art, control panel and bezel. I tried stenciling the side art, but that turned out to be an epic fail. Stencil came out great, but my adhesion skills are lacking. Can anyone recommend a reputable vinyl graphics guy?  In the top of this post I have some samples of overlays and stuff I was designed up

You did mention that. I just assumed that since it's playable...

[rytel]

That is amazing. 

Love how the controls for Players 1 and 2 fold across the button pad.

[martoon x]

That is amazing. 

Love how the controls for Players 1 and 2 fold across the button pad.

Thanks! Modelling it out in 3d beforehand really helped ensure accuracy of the button placement. I also have more photos of the build I'll try to get uploaded by early next week. 

[ambush]

You noticed, good eye. The thing handles like it's own hand-truck due to the fact that the wheels are set so far back that they extend beyond the rear of the cab. When in it's resting position, the four rubber screw-in feet act as stabilizers. The cab wont move until you tilt it back about 5 degrees, then it's quite mobile afterwards. It's come in real handy since I'm building this on my own and I have to move it all over the garage every time my wife needs to park the car overnight.

Hi martoon x

I like your 45 degree wheel design. Do you happen to have any design plans you could share on how you attached and secured the wheels? Also, did you end up putting handles on the cabinet to help you lean it? If so, where?

[severdhed]

amazing.  i remember seeing this thread a long time ago when it was still in the 3d modeling stage, and then i forgot about it.  I just ran across it today and all I can say is WOW.  very impressive.  i can't wait to see this with the artwork in place.

[Rick]

Wow.  Just... Wow.

 

[martoon x]

You noticed, good eye. The thing handles like it's own hand-truck due to the fact that the wheels are set so far back that they extend beyond the rear of the cab. When in it's resting position, the four rubber screw-in feet act as stabilizers. The cab wont move until you tilt it back about 5 degrees, then it's quite mobile afterwards. It's come in real handy since I'm building this on my own and I have to move it all over the garage every time my wife needs to park the car overnight.

Hi martoon x

I like your 45 degree wheel design. Do you happen to have any design plans you could share on how you attached and secured the wheels? Also, did you end up putting handles on the cabinet to help you lean it? If so, where?

I unfortunately don't have any dimension for this part because I eyeballed most of it and measure on the fly for the rest. But these extra photos might help you see how i did it.

[ambush]

Awesome. Thanks! I will study these.

[skinz]

This really is looking great - Gratz - I'm gonna steal your "hand truck" style wheels for my next build.  Really like that a lot!!!

[DCsegaDH]

The base looks really strong, nice wheel design too!

[martoon x]

This really is looking great - Gratz - I'm gonna steal your "hand truck" style wheels for my next build.  Really like that a lot!!!

thanks

[martoon x]

The base looks really strong, nice wheel design too!

thanks! Yeah, it had to be strong back there since the front has no real support aside from shelving and the bezel

[martoon x]

Awesome. Thanks! I will study these.

good luck. i cant wait to see your mame completed!

[Yvan256]

Any update on this amazing project?

[RetroBorg]

Great engineering on this project, well done! 

[dextercf]

Amazing build!

[martoon x]

Any update on this amazing project?

I brought it to work back in the early spring to see what breaks. CoWorkers have been beating on it. Then I plan to take it home, fix everything. But so far, nothing major has failed. Mostly the PC resetting after an outage which happens a lot where it's plugged in, or someone accidentally remapping the controls.

After playing this one for a while and two arcade builds later, the next steps are going to be:
Stuff I definitely need to do:
   •   add stiffer joystick springs
   •   add external power button
   •   add external USB ports
   •   move internal sound board controls to external
   •   replace the wing latches
   •   replace front door wire stop
   •   clean up the wiring
   •   add the final paint and decals
My wish list
   •   get a faster PC
   •   install Maximus Arcade
   •   add pinball plunger
   •   add motion sensor
   •   replace marquees with lcd dipslay
   •   install Visual Pinball/PinMAME
   •   devise method for push button transformation from 1 to 4 player

[martoon x]

Great engineering on this project, well done! 

thanks 

[martoon x]

Amazing build!

i appreciate it

[martoon x]

Good job.

Some artwork would push this cabinet over the top. Looks like you spent a bundle already, but any plans for art?

Thanks! Like I mentioned, it's a bit raw right now. I still need to add all of the graphics. Side art, control panel and bezel. I tried stenciling the side art, but that turned out to be an epic fail. Stencil came out great, but my adhesion skills are lacking. Can anyone recommend a reputable vinyl graphics guy?  In the top of this post I have some samples of overlays and stuff I was designed up

You did mention that. I just assumed that since it's playable...

i hear ya

[Yvan256]

My wish list

• replace marquees with LCD display

The problem is finding an ultra-wide display with the width your cabinet requires. A few people already know about those "mirror LCDs". A lot of them are 800xRGBx240, but only 10.2" with composite video inputs.

They would be perfect for a small desktop cabinet (especially if someone could hack it to accept a DVI signal) but not for a cabinet like Defender.

[martoon x]

My wish list

• replace marquees with LCD display

The problem is finding an ultra-wide display with the width your cabinet requires. A few people already know about those "mirror LCDs". A lot of them are 800xRGBx240, but only 10.2" with composite video inputs.

They would be perfect for a small desktop cabinet (especially if someone could hack it to accept a DVI signal) but not for a cabinet like Defender.

Can multiple displays be hooked up at once? It would most lilely be expensive (additional  video cards) and there would be at least three verticlal lines visible from the bezels...

[Yvan256]

Can multiple displays be hooked up at once? It would most lilely be expensive (additional  video cards) and there would be at least three verticlal lines visible from the bezels...

Since it's only a marquee, even a low-bandwidth video card on an old 8-bit ISA bus would probably suffice.

The best solution for the multiple-LCDs-for-the-marquee idea is probably going to be a video splitter, which would appear as an ultra-wide videocard to the computer and split the image itself to the multiple monitors. I think ATI (ahem, AMD) has (had?) such products.