Author Topic: Smithotron: Build finished - Pictures (Read 23943 times)

monkey puzzle · « **Reply #40 on:** October 24, 2011, 05:55:59 pm »

Ok, I've started building my control panel now. I've ordered the spinner and some more buttons from GGG.
Going to try and create artwork for the marquee and CPO soon, I'm going for a modified Robotron theme I think.

41/ Drilled out my control panel

42/ Routed areas for joysticks

43/ Fitted the front to the cp

44/ Made some restrictor plates for my U360s

monkey puzzle · « **Reply #41 on:** November 13, 2011, 03:54:15 pm »

Today was a bit disasterous. I'm using Glazelite acrylic sheet on my pull-out trackball panel. I cut the piece to size, and then started to practice using the holesaw on a big offcut. I cut a couple of practice holes no problem, but then reallised that it wasn't the offcut I was practicing on, it was the actual piece and I just ruined it!

Rather than buy more acrylic I decided to use the offcut piece which is actually smaller than the top of the trackball panel. This shouldn't be a problem though because I will just have the panel not pull out as far.

I think I've just about finished all the woodwork now. Must get round to doing that artwork.

45/ Coin door fitted to cab

46/ Drilled and routed top of trackball panel

47/ Cut and drilled acrylic for trackball panel

48/ Pull-out trackball panel

EightBySix · « **Reply #42 on:** November 13, 2011, 04:33:31 pm »

Quote from: monkey puzzle on November 13, 2011, 03:54:15 pm

I cut a couple of practice holes no problem, but then reallised that it wasn't the offcut I was practicing on, it was the actual piece and I just ruined it!

Awwww man, you must have been gutted! Glad you found a work around. Someone should start a thread for similar silly mistake stories. Like the idea of a slide out trackball panel.

monkey puzzle · « **Reply #43 on:** November 13, 2011, 06:03:39 pm »

Quote from: EightBySix on November 13, 2011, 04:33:31 pm

Awwww man, you must have been gutted! Glad you found a work around. Someone should start a thread for similar silly mistake stories. Like the idea of a slide out trackball panel.

Yeah, I guess we all do it at least once. You can spend as much time as you like measuring and preparing, but take your mind off things for just a second and you end up doing something stupid like this. Could have wasted a bit of money, lucky I could use the offcut.

monkey puzzle · « **Reply #44 on:** January 29, 2012, 06:34:10 am »

I haven't posted pics in a while because I have been working on my artwork. I didn't start from scratch, I'm just modifying Robotron artwork but I still found this very frustrating and time consuming when you are new to Adobe Illustrator.

Anyway, my art files are finished now and I'm just waiting for a delivery from Game on Grafix. In the meantime I fitted my trackball with LEDs.

49/ Fitted white LEDs with 110R resistor to a piece of shiney plastic.

50/ Trackball fitted underneath control panel with LED assembly. I used nuts as spacers because the screws were too long.

51/ The hole may look a little big, but thats because I need to fit the bezel there.

monkey puzzle · « **Reply #45 on:** February 11, 2012, 05:26:30 pm »

Artwork has arrived from Game on Grafix. I have fitted this to my cab now and I am very impressed with the quality. This project will soon be finished now I think.

52/ Marquee fitted. I think I need to fit some trim around the edge to tidy things up.

53/ Main cpo fitted. It was scary fitting this, I really didn't want to mess it up. Hard to line it up straight, but I got there in the end.

54/ Trackball panel overlay fitted, and ball and buttons fitted.

jimmy2x2x · « **Reply #46 on:** February 11, 2012, 07:10:30 pm »

Artwork looks great!

monkey puzzle · « **Reply #47 on:** February 11, 2012, 08:10:05 pm »

Quote from: jimmy2x2x on February 11, 2012, 07:10:30 pm

Artwork looks great!

Thanks. The design was a Robotron rip-off. I just modified it a bit. Looks exactly how I was hoping it to look though.

monkey puzzle · « **Reply #48 on:** February 13, 2012, 05:52:34 pm »

Ok I've done all the wiring of control panels and various other parts of the cab, and suprisingly everything worked first time! Expect to see some completion pictures very soon.

55/ Wiring of trackball panel.

56/ Wiring of main cp. I will secure the wires down with cable clips.

57/ Wiring of coin door. I fitted 2 switches inside the door to control various LEDs on the cab and a volume knob.

58/ I think these fake coin slots look great when illuminated.

Nephasth · « **Reply #49 on:** October 28, 2012, 08:53:40 pm »

As a Smith, I really like this build.

Also, add some of those nice pics you posted in the CP Database to this thread!

Arturius · « **Reply #50 on:** November 02, 2012, 10:09:57 am »

I love the idea of a pull out trackball panel, may have to use that with your permission

monkey puzzle · « **Reply #51 on:** January 01, 2013, 04:54:51 pm »

Quote from: Nephasth on October 28, 2012, 08:53:40 pm

As a Smith, I really like this build.

Also, add some of those nice pics you posted in the CP Database to this thread!

Sorry for the late reply here are those pictures:

monkey puzzle · « **Reply #52 on:** January 01, 2013, 05:00:49 pm »

Quote from: Arturius on November 02, 2012, 10:09:57 am

I love the idea of a pull out trackball panel, may have to use that with your permission

Of course you have my permission. It makes me so happy to see that somebody likes the work I have done and want to do something similar. When/if you build it, please post pictures here or leave a link to your project if you have one.

And don't forget to ask questions if you need to.

Jumpman64 · « **Reply #53 on:** January 10, 2013, 11:55:19 am »

I really like this cabinet! Do you have any photos from further out, to show the whole cabinet?

yotsuya · « **Reply #54 on:** January 10, 2013, 12:04:37 pm »

Personally, I'm not a fan of drawers or add-ons, but yours is nicely intergrated and looks great! Kudos!!!

Vidiot · « **Reply #55 on:** January 10, 2013, 02:05:39 pm »

Those controls are beautifully executed. Well done.

Yvan256 · « **Reply #56 on:** January 10, 2013, 07:48:36 pm »

Quote from: monkey puzzle on November 13, 2011, 03:54:15 pm

48/ Pull-out trackball panel

Wow, I'm not sure if it's a new idea or not, but IMHO that's a good and easy way to get more controls without crowding the main CP.

PL1 · « **Reply #57 on:** January 11, 2013, 01:08:03 am »

Quote from: Yvan256 on January 10, 2013, 07:48:36 pm

Quote from: monkey puzzle on November 13, 2011, 03:54:15 pm
48/ Pull-out trackball panel

Wow, I'm not sure if it's a new idea or not, but IMHO that's a good and easy way to get more controls without crowding the main CP.

It's a great way to hide pinball flippers or put them at a comfortable distance on a 4-player panel.

Scott

drventure · « **Reply #58 on:** January 11, 2013, 01:53:51 am »

Nice job on the pull out panel.

How did you get it to lock? or does it?

Love how it completely hides away.

TopJimmyCooks · « **Reply #59 on:** January 11, 2013, 09:47:45 am »

+1 love the drawer. do you use those stereo cabinet magnetic push-in to pop out latches for it? please say yes!

monkey puzzle · « **Reply #60 on:** January 13, 2013, 11:55:22 am »

Thanks for all your kind comments, I'm glad you all like the pull out panel. The reason I thought of doing this is because I'm not a big fan of cluttered control panels and I don't really like cps that are wider than the cabinet. I'm not sure if anybody has thought of this before but I haven't seen anything here like this.

Quote from: drventure on January 11, 2013, 01:53:51 am

Nice job on the pull out panel.

How did you get it to lock? or does it?

Love how it completely hides away.

I have used magnetic kitchen cupboard latches to lock the slide out panel (2 at front and 2 at back). I found some spare peices of steel that are like half boxes, these are screwed to the bottom of the drawer and hit against the back magnets when the drawer is closed and the front magnets when the drawer is open. This seem to work really well and the magnets are strong enough so that the drawer doesn't accidently move when you don't want it to.

I used good quality drawer runners that make the pull out panel feel very solid (there is no wobble). Also I fitted a limit switch at the back of the drawer so the illuminated controls turn off when the drawer is closed. You will see this better when I upload a video.

59/ Magnetic latches for pull out control panel.

monkey puzzle · « **Reply #61 on:** January 13, 2013, 12:00:02 pm »

Quote from: TopJimmyCooks on January 11, 2013, 09:47:45 am

+1 love the drawer. do you use those stereo cabinet magnetic push-in to pop out latches for it? please say yes!

That sounds like a really good idea, unfortunately I didn't think of that. Do you think the springs would be strong enough though? They usually spring open a glass door on a stereo cabinet, but I'm not sure if my control panel is too heavy. I wish I would have thought of this and researched it.

Vidiot · « **Reply #62 on:** January 13, 2013, 12:48:20 pm »

I love your use of the magnets. I would love to do something like this someday.Brilliant! Also I wanna say that I love the artwork too. Everything looks so well done.

monkey puzzle · « **Reply #63 on:** January 14, 2013, 02:29:40 pm »

Quote from: Jumpman64 on January 10, 2013, 11:55:19 am

I really like this cabinet! Do you have any photos from further out, to show the whole cabinet?

Ok, here are some photos of the finished build. The project is not actually finished yet, I still need to sort out the layout for Mala. I am looking for a layout that is 1280 x 768 but I'm not having much luck so I might have to make my own. I will upload a video when I have finished.

monkey puzzle · « **Reply #64 on:** January 14, 2013, 02:31:31 pm »

And some more:

SpaceHedgehog · « **Reply #65 on:** January 14, 2013, 04:30:26 pm »

Really nice cab, lovely artwork and some great photos, particularly the last one.

BadMouth · « **Reply #66 on:** January 14, 2013, 04:41:47 pm »

That's all I have to say.

Vidiot · « **Reply #67 on:** January 15, 2013, 09:16:55 am »

Beautiful! Great job!

atog · « **Reply #68 on:** January 15, 2013, 05:04:48 pm »

Your artwork is amazing, the colors pop and the lines look nice and crisp. I have a soft spot for Robotron, one of my all time favorites to play in the arcades back in the early 80's!

monkey puzzle · « **Reply #69 on:** January 16, 2013, 12:55:02 pm »

Quote from: atog on January 15, 2013, 05:04:48 pm

Your artwork is amazing, the colors pop and the lines look nice and crisp. I have a soft spot for Robotron, one of my all time favorites to play in the arcades back in the early 80's!

Thanks for the kind feedback everyone. I didn't ever play Robotron back in the day but when I was searching for inspiration for artwork I realised that this style is for me. I really like the simple colours and lines, they have a look to them that is really retro looking now. Also I really like the font (Data70) which I remembered being used for lots of robotic/electronic themed things back then, but is not used anymore. I modified the Robotron artwork using Adobe Illustrator and I'm very pleased with the results, I'm glad I went this route.

jasonbar · « **Reply #70 on:** January 16, 2013, 08:26:46 pm »

Slick idea with the pull-out drawer for alternate controls! How does the height difference between the fixed & sliding control panels feel when you play with the trackball??

-Jason

monkey puzzle · « **Reply #71 on:** January 17, 2013, 03:49:46 pm »

Quote from: jasonbar on January 16, 2013, 08:26:46 pm

Slick idea with the pull-out drawer for alternate controls! How does the height difference between the fixed & sliding control panels feel when you play with the trackball??

-Jason

Thanks, glad you like it. I've never had a problem with the height of the pull out panel. It is 32" from the ground, which is only 4" lower than the main control panel. Also I purposely didn't put a slope on it because it feels more comfortable that way if it is slightly lower. I think joystick would be less comfortable lower down, but trackball doesn't feel bad at all. Also, I can't think of a situation where you would need to use both control panels at the same time.

stigzler · « **Reply #72 on:** March 23, 2013, 12:10:37 pm »

Monkey,

This machine is the mutts! I'm just about to start my first build. Love the compact nature of the cab and also the ingenious pull out design. Perfect cab!

Soooo.... can i nick your ideas!?

The cab design is just what I'm looking for - you don;t have any plans or layout drawings do you? Needing those dimensions so can make a start!

Also, where did you get your spinner from. Researching controls at the moment, and those things are looking expensive!

Cheers,

Steve

z-kun · « **Reply #73 on:** March 23, 2013, 02:06:11 pm »

Wow, that's gorgeous! I love the stained wood sides. Stained wood just has a nice, classy, timeless look to it. And I love the pull-out control panel for the extra controls! That was a great idea.

monkey puzzle · « **Reply #74 on:** June 09, 2013, 06:43:19 pm »

Quote from: stigzler on March 23, 2013, 12:10:37 pm

Monkey,

This machine is the mutts! I'm just about to start my first build. Love the compact nature of the cab and also the ingenious pull out design. Perfect cab!

Soooo.... can i nick your ideas!?

The cab design is just what I'm looking for - you don;t have any plans or layout drawings do you? Needing those dimensions so can make a start!

Also, where did you get your spinner from. Researching controls at the moment, and those things are looking expensive!

Cheers,

Steve

Of course you can nick my ideas. I would be happy to share them with as many people as possible.

Unfortunately, I didn't make any proper plans for the cab, I just kind of made it up as I went along. If you check earlier on in this thread I listed some of the main dimensions, just let me know if you want any others and I will measure them.

As for the spinner, it is a TurboTwist2 spinner from Groovy game gear, and is my favorite control on the cab. Highly recommended. http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=268&zenid=q6p1mesppj7s7tlli4is7tugk5

The joysticks are U360's and although they can be used for many different types of game (4-way, 8-way, analog etc), I'm thinking of changing them for something with a more positive feel. Also, they don't always return to the exact center in analog mode. I think it is maybe better to use 4-way/8-way switchable joysticks.

keilmillerjr · « **Reply #75 on:** June 09, 2013, 08:02:18 pm »

This cabinet came out nice. Good job!

Ond · « **Reply #76 on:** June 09, 2013, 08:52:28 pm »

Great use of stained and varnished plywood in this cab. I'm using the very same spinner model and color on my cab.

SnaXen · « **Reply #77 on:** June 10, 2013, 04:08:22 am »

Nice work!!

Maximus · « **Reply #78 on:** June 10, 2013, 12:06:52 pm »

This is a beautiful project. The control panel artwork looks fantastic, and I love the drawer for the trackball, a really nice approach. The retro art combined with the stained wood gives it an uber-classic feel, well done fine sir!!!

My only worry would be trying to play Golden Tee with that trackball - OUCHY FINGERS@!!!

mgb · « **Reply #79 on:** June 10, 2013, 12:42:21 pm »

This is a very nice build.
It's a thin cabinet but still has classic styling. Very nicely done.
That pull out panel is very slick.

I imagine the trackball placement may not be great for that drunk superman power shot technique that some use for golden tee but it must be nice for classics like centipede and missile command.

Again, great job


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