Author Topic: Defender MAME Project (Read 34576 times)

martoon x · « **Reply #40 on:** October 22, 2009, 12:53:18 am »

Quote from: Hewskie on September 13, 2009, 08:09:17 pm

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 · « **Reply #41 on:** October 22, 2009, 12:55:09 am »

Quote from: Zakk on September 23, 2009, 01:39:31 pm

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 · « **Reply #42 on:** October 22, 2009, 07:58:51 am »

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

Yvan256 · « **Reply #43 on:** October 22, 2009, 09:37:47 am »

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 · « **Reply #44 on:** October 22, 2009, 10:27:36 am »

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 · « **Reply #45 on:** October 22, 2009, 11:34:11 am »

Quote from: drventure on October 22, 2009, 10:27:36 am

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 · « **Reply #46 on:** October 22, 2009, 11:58:34 am »

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 · « **Reply #47 on:** October 22, 2009, 04:54:54 pm »

Quote from: Yvan256 on October 22, 2009, 09:37:47 am

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 · « **Reply #48 on:** October 22, 2009, 05:10:12 pm »

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 · « **Reply #49 on:** October 22, 2009, 06:05:55 pm »

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 · « **Reply #50 on:** October 22, 2009, 06:10:21 pm »

Quote from: drventure on October 22, 2009, 06:05:55 pm

[...] 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 · « **Reply #51 on:** October 22, 2009, 06:13:33 pm »

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

Beggin' I tells ya.

Ryglore · « **Reply #52 on:** October 22, 2009, 06:18:10 pm »

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 · « **Reply #53 on:** December 13, 2009, 11:58:11 am »

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 · « **Reply #54 on:** December 13, 2009, 12:52:19 pm »

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 · « **Reply #55 on:** December 19, 2009, 09:10:25 am »

i need to work on my stop motion skillz

Ryglore · « **Reply #56 on:** December 19, 2009, 12:12:07 pm »

Quote from: martoon x on December 19, 2009, 09:10:25 am

i need to work on my stop motion skillz

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

painterinfo · « **Reply #57 on:** December 20, 2009, 06:49:10 am »

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 · « **Reply #58 on:** December 20, 2009, 09:18:08 pm »

Quote from: painterinfo on December 20, 2009, 06:49:10 am

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 · « **Reply #59 on:** December 20, 2009, 09:22:20 pm »

Quote from: drventure on December 13, 2009, 12:52:19 pm

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 · « **Reply #60 on:** December 20, 2009, 09:36:50 pm »

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 · « **Reply #61 on:** December 21, 2009, 06:32:36 am »

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 · « **Reply #62 on:** December 21, 2009, 12:16:39 pm »

Quote from: painterinfo on December 21, 2009, 06:32:36 am

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 · « **Reply #63 on:** December 24, 2009, 01:32:38 am »

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 · « **Reply #64 on:** December 25, 2009, 03:50:17 am »

Quote from: kronic24601 on December 24, 2009, 01:32:38 am

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 · « **Reply #65 on:** December 25, 2009, 09:53:22 am »

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 · « **Reply #66 on:** December 25, 2009, 10:11:43 am »

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 · « **Reply #67 on:** December 25, 2009, 10:21:05 am »

Quote from: Yvan256 on December 25, 2009, 09:53:22 am

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 · « **Reply #68 on:** December 28, 2009, 11:34:48 am »

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 · « **Reply #69 on:** December 28, 2009, 11:50:39 am »

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

Comtek · « **Reply #70 on:** December 28, 2009, 12:02:02 pm »

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 · « **Reply #71 on:** December 28, 2009, 12:13:39 pm »

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 · « **Reply #72 on:** January 26, 2010, 01:53:00 pm »

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 · « **Reply #73 on:** January 27, 2010, 03:31:38 am »

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 · « **Reply #74 on:** July 20, 2010, 03:47:54 am »

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 · « **Reply #75 on:** July 20, 2010, 05:40:52 am »

Congratulations, that is feckin awesome!

Yvan256 · « **Reply #76 on:** July 20, 2010, 08:22:36 am »

Roo · « **Reply #77 on:** July 20, 2010, 08:47:20 am »

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

martoon x · « **Reply #78 on:** July 20, 2010, 12:25:37 pm »

Quote from: jimmy2x2x on July 20, 2010, 05:40:52 am

Congratulations, that is feckin awesome!

Thanks!

martoon x · « **Reply #79 on:** July 20, 2010, 12:33:48 pm »

Quote from: Roo on July 20, 2010, 08:47:20 am

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?


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