BAR TOP TRIO - gutting the cabinets

[mike boss]

Trying to build a Jukebox using Uncle T's software.
Decided I would do a blog to outline this project, here is the link.

http://www.thebossbox.blogspot.com/

[Franco B]

Just a tip, you'll get much more people reading your project and receive feedback if you copy the relevent info from your blog to this PA. Many people (me included) are too lazy to follow a link to another site.

If you don't update this thread I doubt many people will reply and this thread will disappear into the murky depths of project announcements. 

Saying that I have since read your blog and your skin is looking good. Keep us updated

[mike boss]

Good idea, and t hank you.
I did my skin in Photoshop and it was rather easy. Sadly it isnt so easy to create in Uncle T's itself. None the less the overall look is VERY IMPORTANT to me.
So I will indeed take the time to make sure I get it as good as I can.
I would have loved it if I could have branded it the BOSS BOX. But it doesnt apprea so.

Any feedback or tips would be great, thanks guys.

[mike boss]

UPDATE TO THE BLOG :

Begin To Skin      

I'm looking forward to making this Jukebox, a.k.a "The Boss Box."
A touch screen jukebox built using the great software provided for FREE by Uncle T.
I've purchased a Dell 2.2ghz P4 PC with a 40gig hard drive (now full), and 512MB of ram.
I'm going to look into using my 160 Comstar external hard dirve in connection with this project.
I haven't tested it yet, but I'm pretty sure that once I point Uncle T's software to the external
hard drive it will retain that path once powered off. I have had issues in the past when trying to
share my external hard drives. They don't retain the permissions set when powered off. So each and
every time I power it on I needed to give the permission again to share. Not really a big deal, but
not exactly plug and play. From a cost standpoint it would be ideal if I could use my Comstar EX HDD,
as is it isn't used at this time. It contains all my music, and I can bring it back and forth from
PC to PC when needed. saint's edit. No piracy! honestly
feel I'm better served to move the music on and off the PC via my home network or moving back and
forth the external hard drive. As is I am running one PC with Windows Vista, the Jukebox running XP.
The PC with Vista is my main PC, it has a larger hard drive and all downloads are done using that PC.
I plan on keeping the existing set up as for now it works best. It's for that reason I wish to
incorporate the use of the external hard drive. It will make the transsion from downloading media,
storing it, and transfering it rather easy. Once "The Boss Box" is built all components will be contained within
the unit. The PC itself, mouse, and even keyboard will be tucked away out of site and not easily accessed.

I'm waiting on my 17" ELO touch screen to come in from the states. For now my efforts are bieng foccused on getting
the PC to run the way I want it. Testing the software to make sure it works the way I want, and working on creating
the custom skin. I can see why no skins have been created by users and uploaded to the BYOAC forum, it isn't easy.
I would say I've spent about 3 hours right now working on my custom skin. As mentioned in the above post I created
a mock up using Adobe Photoshop. I feel that was a great first step as it gave me a good idea of the direction I
wanted to take. The creating of the skin itself does take some trial and error. I ended up skinning the buttons to
the point where no text appears on them.........not what I wanted to do.
I decided to save that skin and move onto the next one, taking a more carefull approach. I want to make sure the colors
are uniform. I must have had about three different shades of red on one skin, not the look I wanted.
For my next skin, which I will make available for download I am going to take advantage of the preview function
available within the software. It will take some time, but with every change I want to preview the effect. This way I
won't ended up with skinned buttons I didn't want. I also plan on creating some custom buttons for the "Page Forward" &
"Page Back" buttons, as well as the "Mute" buttons. I dont like the existing buttons, and feel this will really add
to the custom look I am going for. I would expect my skin to be completed for this weekend and as always I will update
with my progress.

Screenshots to follow tonight.

[Barry Barcrest]

Might want to edit that post -- piracy and copyright infringment are not allowed on this forum. (Edited by saint)

[mike boss]

piracy and copyright infringment ?
I don't follow. Where do you see violations ?
OH..................... Now I follow !

http://www.thebossbox.blogspot.com
http://www.thebossbox.blogspot.com/

[mike boss]

I posted a few screenshots on the blog :
its still a work in progress

http://www.thebossbox.blogspot.com

[mike boss]

Installed Uncle T's software and tested it.
Moved majority of my music collection from my external hard drive to a dedicated PC.
(for use solely with Uncle T's Jukebox)
Added an external hard drive to the PC for additional music storage.
Configured Uncle T's software to look for external hard drive on power up.
Tested to make sure it retains both paths and no issues location music.
Corrected folder system on external hard drive to work with Uncle T's software.
Hid the start menu bar after power on.
Started the process of creating a custom skin.
Started the process of downloading required album artwork.

Installing Uncle T's software was simple, I followed the steps laid out on the website.
Transferring of the music from one PC to another was also simple. I use my external hard
drive to back up my collection, so I simply plugged it in and moved the files.
Once the hard drive on the Jukebox PC was full I decided to use a spare external hard drive
as a means of additional storage. I have had networking issues with external hard drives prior.
once they are powered off they lose the "sharing" permissions. In this case no permissions were
changed, I simply created a folder for music and told Uncle T's where to look. Once the PC is
turned on it will see the audio files stored on the external (providing it is powered on also).
I had to fix the folder system so it would work with Uncle T's. No big deal in doing so, simply
create a folder for each artist and store his/her albums inside. I wanted to make sure the program
would be running in full screen with no distractions so I hid the start menu bar. Simple task in XP,
simply right click on it, go to properties, then select the "hide" option. I also began the process
of going through all my album folders to make sure they had the required art work. Albums missing artwork
I downloaded from Amazon (http://www.amazon.com).Once all that was done I went onto creating
my custom skin!

Creating the skin takes time, I won't say its hard....but it does take some time. I'm glad I had
created a mock up in Photoshop. Had I not, and I had no direction I think I would have given up.
Each button, each background, each pressed button can all be customized. There are many elements
to this skin. And getting each element the way you like will take time.
I'm happy with the skin I've created however I do plan on creating a few more.
I like the brushed steel background, I think the simple texture works. However I want to rethink
all the fonts I used. The fonts play a major roll in the look of the jukebox, they need to work.
http://www.dafont.com/ Is a great site that I use to get a majority of my fonts. I also found
http://www.clker.com/ which is where I got some of the buttons used in the creation of my skin.

I plan on starting a second set of skins tonight. These ones a little more thought out, perhaps
a little more polished. I'm going to revisit dafont and try and get some new simple bold fonts.
The background I might leave the same as I do like the look of it. Now what I don't like !!!!!!
I created a set of function buttons for the play,stop,fast reverse,fast forward,skip,volume up &
down, and mute. They were saved as gif's with a transparent background. However when I uploaded
them to the skin that was not the case. They instead displayed with a white background around them
which I didn't like. I also had created buttons using the brushed steel background, however the
text then vanished. Taking a closer look at the skinning tool I noticed an option that could be
checked that would rectify that issue. So with my new skin I am going to try brushed steel buttons
with a simple black text and see if I like the look. In fact if I get a look I like I will change
every button. I will also be looking to create some square buttons that I can use to replace the
circle buttons for the top pics. However if I can figure out how to load a button with a transparent
background I will use circles.

http://www.thebossbox.blogspot.com
http://www.thebossbox.blogspot.com

[mike boss]

[mike boss]

Newest Post : new screens available on the blog

I'd say, wait, scratch that, the wife said I've spent about 15 hours on the computer in the last week. Most if not all of that time was spent working on Uncle T's Jukebox.
I've got the skin just about done and so far I'm happy with the look. I want to find a font with a speaker icon for the mute, and something different for the page forward/back. Once I do that I think I have about two or three small changes I want to do. I wrote them down some place, I don't recall at this time.

The program is great,simple to use, and works as one would expect. The layout is good, and everything is rather straight forward. I had one issue where the software said I had an invalid image. I removed the cover pictures from the four albums on that page and the problem was solved. Now I'll put the cover art back one CD at a time until I determine the problem.

The only thing left to do (other then a few minor skin adjustments) is the renaming of some music. Many of the song titles have additional info like producer, artist name,etc. Once you've selected the CD you know which artist is playing, so I'd like to eliminate the artists name from the folders. This should help to ensure that the FULL song title is visible onscreen.

[mike boss]

update :

I have nothing but good things to say about Uncle T's jukebox. In fact I would suggest anyone and everyone use this program.
It's a great way to enjoy your digital music collection. You don't have to go into individual folders, select the songs
you want to play, then send them to media player. All your music is displayed on screen and as you click the album the
track list is clearly visible. No need to make play lists, that you keep repeating. I love it, I really do.

I spent a few more hours this weekend fine tuning my skin. There were a few buttons or small background elements I
wanted to change. I also continued ripping my old CD's to the hard drive and editing my music collection. I had a couple
of albums listed twice so the duplicates were removed. I also did some custom art work for compilations I had that had
no original artwork.

(I will make the skin available for download soon, as well as provide links to the fonts used)

The program is well laid out and very well thought out. Everything works the way I would expect it to work. I think
the fact that Uncle T built his own working jukebox shows you that this program is the real deal. Everything you
would want it to do can be done on screen. In fact everything can be done with the touch of a screen! There is nothing
that I can think is missing. Included in the options menu is a computer shutdown button allowing you to easily shutdown
your PC without exiting the jukebox.

Right now I'm really happy with where this project stands. My music is installed and organized, each and every album
has its own artwork. The computer itself is running the program well, I left about 7gigs of space on the hard drive. I
plan on adding more ram shortly, but as is the program runs well. There is no delay in page flipping, on screen
animations, or most importantly the playing of the music. As I said hats off to Uncle T, he did an outstanding job.

I'm in the process of creating a few more skins, my main skin takes about three to four minutes to load. Once the program
is running there are no issues as mentioned. But now that I have a better grasp for how the program runs I feel I
can create some better skins. There is an option when creating screen to "set defaults." I'm unsure if this would
implement your changes for all like elements. For example if I select I want black text and set default, all text
elements will be automatically changed to black. It would save tons of time ! I have a few other questions for Uncle T,
and I will pick his brain over at the BYOAC site.

Thanks for reading !
My skin will be up shortly, thanks!

[mike boss]

Every time an idea for a skin pops into my mind I start a new one. Thats why I have about six or seven skins contained within
Uncle T's in various states of completion. Now I'm sure at some point I will go in and complete each and every skin, but for
now I'm like a kid with a bunch of new toys. Every now and again something else, another idea will consume me and I start
working on that idea. So now I sit with about 30 hours invested into this project so far. I have many grand ideas that I'm
not sure I can pull off. But for now I'm not sweating it, I'm not going to put the cart before the horse. (I've been known
to do that) Right now I'll take things one step at a time or as they come, and in the end I'm sure it will come together.

I've picked up some old three way speakers I built in my teens that were at my parents just sitting around, I also dug out a pair
of bookshelf speakers from my house doing the same thing. I've also looked into the availability of old stereo recivers on Kijiji.
I don't need anything fancy, no 5.1 sound or DTS needed for this project. Just something simple that delivers raw power and can
accomidate two pairs of speakers. The idea being that I will run the computer into the old amp and in turn hook up these four
speakers. Pair A would be the primary speaker system and contained within the jukebox itself, and pair B perhaps run to another
location in the house/basement.

My blue led fans have not yet come in from Hong Kong, but I'm in no rush as I don't have the main unit. The idea again
being that I can/will convert an old floor model stereo into the jukebox itself. My only real criteria for the stereo
is that it fit all the compnents inside, from the computer itself, to the speakers and external hard drive.
I will modify the back of the unit in such a way that it will allow for the fans to be mounted to the back. It should
also provide the back of the unit with a cool blue glow. I'm hoping that will really add to this and make it pop when
placed against the wall. I ordered a total of three laptop cooling stations which will result in nine fans. I also have
a 9" blue neon tube used in car interiors, it would plug into your lighter and can pulse to the music. I'd like to find a
way to use this in the design.

Oddly enough with all the blue lighting I plan on using I had never created a skin with a blue background. Deciding now
that the jukebox will have blue as the main color in the color scheme I've started a serries of skins. I wan't these skins
to be perfect as they are the face of the jukebox. Each font has to work, each button has to look good, every bit of text
needs to clear and readable. It's not an easy process, and it takes time, but it is worth it. I've decided I will create
these skins over a few days. MY first plan of action is to create the backgrounds and select the colors, making sure both
skins are completely uniform. I will then move onto the fonts at a later time, as this seems to take a little longer.
Certain fonts just dont work in sections of the skin, be it they get cut off or are not clearly read.

I've been busy as of late but I do plan on zipping the other skins and sending them to Uncle T making them available for
download. The new skins, which I hope to be my final used skins should be ready this week.

I also belive that the monitors will be available in London within the next few days, however I won't pick mine up

[orion]

I just read your last post and I had to grin! I am going though the EXACT same thing right now in my build..... fussing with speakers ect. I know what you mean with the skin thing, I have invested probably about 80 hours in my Xlobby skin before I got it just right http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=93382.0  My advise to you is to not over think this thing... seems like every idea I have had I have had to nix for one reason or another, and I come up with something different on the fly that works just as well if not better.  Sometimes these builds just kind of evolve on their own. Good luck!

[unclet]

The reason why skinning my software takes time:

1) This was my first attempt at implementing skinning functions for an application.  In fact, I coded my software before I used anyone's skinning software so I just tried to provide a bunch of options which I thought would be utilized.   

2) One of my requirements in created my jukebox software was that I wanted as much stuff being seen as possible instead of having the user's have to switch to/from certain pages to get to certain information.  For example, I have the album selection, song track lists and song queue all visible at the same time.   I did not want the user to have to switch between album tracks and song queue all the time.   Due to this requirement, there was a need to provide more buttons on the same page to allow the user to manipulate all the certain application sections available.   This means there are more stuff to skin per page.   I know it takes time to skin, but it is worth it once you find the correct images and colors to make it work.

PS:  I also have an application (I downloaded as freeware) which allows the user to determine what the exact color is of a selected pixel.  I personally would generate a nice background image to use for my software (ex: brushed steel), then I would use this little color match application I have to determine the exact color of the brushed steel.  I would then use that exact color for buttons or backgrounds in the skin tool.  This way my buttons and stuff are the exact same color as the main image I am using instead of being a "close color" to the backgrouns image I am using.

[mike boss]

Well despite the fact that it takes time, Uncle T's software is awesome.
I don't mind spending the time when I know the final product will be something I am very proud of.
As of right now I'm playing with two options, and really not sure what I will do.
Option A
getting an old floor model stereo, gutting it, and making that into the jukebox.
Option B
building a case for my touch screen monitor as the exterior is very raw. It was pulled from a kiosk.
then simply building a pedestal really, hiding the PC inside that (with fans for cooling) and hooking up my speakers throughout out the room. This would be a space saver idea, and a more simple build.

As of now I have not decided, I'm still in the process of getting my music and folders %100 the way I like them.
I just created folders for misc A thru Z inc # for the singles I purchase.

Anyway gotta walk the dog, here is the final skin

[mike boss]

UPDATED THE BLOG : http://thebossbox.blogspot.com/

This past Sunday prior to any planned fathers day celebrations I headed out to Woodbridge Ontario to pick up three bar top
arcade machines. They were a good deal, and I couldn't pass them up. They will be a future project of mine, but won't be
started until the Jukebox is completed. In fact, I can't tell this to the wife but I do feel I've bit off more then I can
chew. I have my MAME project that is %90 complete, yet remains undone. Now in my defense the Sony PVM monitor I picked up
for this project is about 110lbs. And I am unable to lift it up into place by myself. I'll need the help of two more people
to get this sucker installed. I have to lift it into place, eyeball where I want it, mark the position, install some
supports and I'm good. It's not a hard task, it just requires some time & help. Two things I cant seem to find as of late.
Not that it has anything to do with Jukebox but I thought I would add my little rant.

Now the bar tops! I guess like anyone into the coin-op scene we all have our "must have" list. For me that list included
Street Fighter II: Championship Edition, NARC, Bad Dudes, one of the classics like PAC MAN or Donkey Kong, a classic
Nintendo cabinet, and a cocktail cabinet. But with this dream comes certain reality's, (A) I'm not going to find
everything on my want list. (B) I'm not willing to pay top dollar for everything on my want list. (C) Lastly SPACE !
That's a big one, in fact its the first thing the wife said to me as I loaded the bar tops into the car. "Where are these
going? You know our basement isn't that big don't you?" Now in my defense, the plan for the bar top is to fix it up give it
a retro feel. I'm thinking a PAC MAN yellow is in order. The other pro to a project like this is once I add a 48-in-1
I'll no longer want a cocktail cabinet!

For the record I'm more than aware of my space "issues." In fact I think my collection is modest. As is I have three
cabinets one of which is my MAME project. I have my FAS Foosball table, a Japanese slot machine, a bar top project and
the Jukebox. I do understand why my collection might seem (to my wife) bigger then it is. When I was looking for a monitor
for my MAME project I came across and add for three Sony PVM monitors. I bought all three ! I wanted one bar top, but I
bought three. Even when it came to the touchscreen for the Jukebox, I bought two. Now all these extras will fit nicely
under my stairs and as I see it I now have replacement parts. In fact I'll go on record as saying that I'm willing to
part with some of my extra parts. One of my Sony PVM monitors has issues, and I think a repair is far beyond what I am
capable of doing. So why have it take up space ?

Now onto the Jukebox, something I've always wanted in my ideal games room. When I was over at the CGCC site I saw a member
was trying to broker a deal for some 17" touchscreen monitors. One of the regular posters had suggested something like that
would be ideal for a touchscreen jukebox. Right away reading that my curiosity was peaked, that idea sounded "soooo cool!"
Hitting up Google for a few hours I had found tons of info. There was a ton of great information available, and a ton of
options. As I read on the best option seemed to be Uncle T's. Making a jukebox himself he seemed to have really thought
of everything. I liked the fact that the program could be skinned, something very important to myself. I liked the fact
that it was free and would bring the overall cost of the project down. I'm %100 satisfied with his program and tell everyone
to try it. It really is that good !

My skin is now complete and I'm happy with the overall look. I'll create a few more background images, but the buttons and
text will remain the same (for now). The new skin is pictured above.
As mentioned in prior posts I've rounded up some old speakers and ordered some LED fans to provide me with cooling and a
cool lighting effect. I'm debating on ordering some cold cathodes to add to the overall effect. However I'm now
faced with a tuff decision. The original idea for the "Boss Boxx" was to convert an old retro stereo. Something I felt
I would be capable of doing myself. It would be easy (I hope) to contain the elements of the speakers,computer,monitor,fans,
etc all within the unit itself. Other then sanding and refinishing the cabinet, the only real carpentry project would be
the modification of the inside top. With most of these stereos once you open the lid you are exposed to the turntable
and tuner. I would obviously remove all this, and install the monitor dead center. I had the idea of cutting a window and
installing some plexi lit from below. Perhaps adding a "Boss Boxx" decal to the plexi. Again just one of many ideas that
float around in this head of mine.

My other idea would be a real "space saver." The idea behind this design is to build a casing for the touchscreen monitor.
The monitor itself would then be put on a swivel base. The monitor could be moved from table, to counter, to bar, etc.
But further develop the concept I wanted to build a pedestal base of this, inside which would be the PC, additional fans,
and perhaps some lighting. Perhaps even adding a plexi top to the pedestal to let the light escape. Simply put this would
be a two piece build, a cased monitor on a swivel base, and a pedestal/tower that would hid the PC itself. Wires would then
need to be run to a receiver and in turn the speakers. I don't mind this idea to be honest, I like the fact that it would
indeed save me some space. I also think the build would be rather easy, as all I'm really building is a rectangle out of
wood to serve as the base. The result of my vintage stereo hunt will determine what build I do go with.

As always I'll update.

[mike boss]

This is a work in progress, and honestly I'm not sure when I will start it.
I picked up three bartop machines on the weekend, the idea is to 48-in-1 them.
(well one for now, perhaps sell the others)

I've been playing around with some design ideas, these are very ruff.
Im trying to get a quote now on the side art ,a friends dad can print and die cut the vector images so that is cool.
My concern is can I paint right over the laminate thats on the machine as is ?

[mike boss]

Got some parts today, for the bartops !

[mike boss]

Over and above getting my new parts (which made me as happy as a kid in a candy store) nothing has been done with the bartops. The same can be said about the jukebox.

However I have decided that the bartops will soon be gutted, but then left until other projects are finished. I would like to complete my mame cabinet once and for all.

Then move onto the jukebox.

[mike boss]

I think I'm a spazz! It doesn't bother me, but I think that is my reality. I get really excited about stuff and tend to jump all over it. That would best explain why I have three (well 5) projects going on now and none complete.

There is my MAME cabinet
www.mymissiontomame.blogspot.com

Its just about done ,but I need to install the monitor. I have three Sony PVM monitors one of which needs repair and I'm yet to complete that repair. In fact I don't think I will, I'll simply use that monitor for parts. Not to mention it was suggested that I use the local Kijiji to source out free TV's. I guess the point being that if I score a free TV it will just "even out" the loss I took on the 3rd monitor. Really for this MAME project and any other I would take on I love the idea of simply using a TV hooked up via S-Video.
On a positive note I just picked up some 6" bolts and some 2x4 to be used as monitor supports. I'll need to cut them down to size and install them soon.

Then I have my jukebox, aka "The BossBoxx"
http://www.thebossbox.blogspot.com

I started this project when I had the opportunity to purchase a touch screen monitor.
I've since picked up a Dell PC with 80 gig hard drive that is the brain of this machine.
The monitors I wont get until September when I goto a local video game auction.
I've revised my original design idea and will now go with a pedestal type base that would contain the PC inside. I hope to install the monitor on top cased if possible, and if it can be done installed on a "lazy Susan" type device so it can be rotated.
I'm thinking I will somehow run the jukebox through my existing 5.1 Home Theater Audio set up. However for now I've decided to put this on pause until I complete my MAME project. (I'll still tinker with the PC end, but the build will not begin)

The bar top machines a.k.a "The Mini Pac"
No blog for this project

Simply put these three bar top machines were available at a good price and a good time.
I was able to pick up the three bar top machines for $100.  I also got a great deal on some Sanwa joysticks and buttons to be used later in the construction of these machines.
I will keep one and sell the other two. All three will be designed in a "retro-style" and I'd like them to feature a 48-in-1. Again this project won't begin til MAME is completed.

Now to clarify one thing :

I'm not the most handy of guy and believe it or not I'm not an avid gamer. I think its better to say that when I became a home owner at 30 I tried to fill every dream I had ever had. Be it getting a dog, or putting graffiti on my wall (all be in done on canvases), and them owning an arcade game. It was simply something "cool" and different. Once my collection
began to grow space became a huge issue. With the concern of space lurking over my head the idea of a MAME cabinet was born. I'm shocked I was able to pull it off to be honest. Now why I've stalled. Getting married took up major time, and other family issues have cause many social aspects of my life to stall. When I do have time I'm not motivated, and when I'm motivated I don't have time. The monitor itself is 110 lbs and I am unable to lift it by myself and put it into place. The monitor needs to be installed on an angle and I had a difficult time doing the math when it came to this element of the installation. My brother in law who is far better with tools and general know how suggested it was simply better to lift it into place, eyeball it, mark where the supports are needed,then install.
As of now that is the plan, however it requires 3 of us to do it. To this point I haven't had the help. SO I'VE STALLED !

Any hints would be great :

I have the original wood bezel from the cabinet, as well as the cardboard bezel that goes over top. The wood bezel fits over the Sony PVM well, in fact it reveals the Sony badging (logo). I'm debating on weather or not to paint this black and eliminate the cardboard bezel. I have two 4"x4"x14" wooden supports that going to be mounted inside the cabinet using 6" bolts the go from the outside to the inside of the cabinet. Sitting on  top (inside) will be a shelf to place the monitor on. Now as far as figuring out the required angle, as suggested by my brother in law we should simply lift the monitor into place. See if we can somehow rest the monitor on the existing supports. Place the bezel over top to get a general idea of the look. Or once the monitor has been lifted into place slowly angle the monitor until I get the desired look. Then from behind the cabinet using a level draw 2 black lines with a sharpie. Once the lines are drawn mount the supports 1/2" below and install. The 1/2" would compensate for the shelf thickness.

[mike boss]

I just picked up my ELO touchscreen monitors. So I'm very excited about that to say the least. This coming weekend I'm hoping to see my friends carpenter buddy....and hoping to have some direction to give him. I'd like to find the time this week to develop my ideas so I can get his input. I promised myself I wouldn't start anything til I complete my other projects. As per usual I have made little progress with my MAME project, but think I should be able to complete it this week.
As far as the bartops go I have received the boards and the new jamma harnesses.
Simply put I'd like to complete the MAME project before moving onto the bartops. However since I have help with the jukebox that will begin once a design has been finalized.

[mike boss]

I've located a console stereo locally for a great price ! The issue, no transportation suitable to pick it up. I'm still working on it as I really want this.
For right now I've decided to put my efforts into finishing my MAME project which I expect to be done this weekend.

www.mymissiontomame.blogspot.com

Once completed I will move onto my 48-in-1's and do more work on the jukebox.

[Zakk]

You need to slim that writing down some son. 

Try "started work on the sides, it's tough"

 

[mike boss]

Some of the posts are long winded, it's true I confess.
Once I have my MAME project done I do plan on refining the Jukebox blog.
While nothing was getting done I put stuff about albums, etc.
But again I will modify that once I begin work on the project.

[mike boss]

I thought I would take some time and sorta re-purpose this thread.
I have several projects that I'm working on (or going to start working on).
And would like input from fellow enthusiasts regarding these projects.
Advice, tips, ideas, etc, etc, etc.

I know I sorta had the thread "scattered" so I think I need to give it some direction.
These are the projects I'm working on :

www.mymissiontomame.blogspot.com
this is my Dynamo cabinet converted into a MAME cabinet.
It features a two player control panel in your traditional "fighter style" aka 6 buttons,
and a 25" Sony PVM monitor.

www.thebossbox.blogspot.com
My jukebox. Simple PC using Uncle T's awesome software as the interface.
240 Gigs of hard drive space and will feature a 17" ELO touchscreen.
The jukebox has no form as of right now and is going to take one of two shapes.
Either a simple pedestal base or a converted console stereo.

The Bar Tops
3 bar top machines purchased for the idea of resale.
1 I will keep, 2 I will sell.
I have for these 48-in-1 game boards.
New jamma harnesses, and Sanwa joysticks and buttons.
These I will paint using Krylon fusion which comes in some awesome bright colors.
Although I wont start these projects until the MAME cabinet is finished.

[mike boss]

www.mymissiontomame.blogspot.com

As my MAME project comes to an end I have encountered some issues.
Some easy to fix, others do leave me with questions.
I've included some pictures.

I miss-measured the opening at the front of the cabinet. Its about 1" smaller than I had thought. I'm unable to get my PC tower into the cabinet.
As a solution I wanted to remove the components of the PC and mount them to a board that I could easily get into the cabinet. Id simply rest the board (perhaps using some small pieces of 2"x4" as legs) on the bottom of the cabinet. I could leave the PC outside the machine, or tucked around back also.
I'm unsure what I should do , be it leave the PC outside, tuck the PC around the back, or mount the elements onto a board and store inside the cabinet. Also if removing the components of the PC and mounting them should I be aware of anything ?

I neglected to cut a hole on my monitor shelf. This left me unable to run the speaker connection(s) into the PC sub woofer, it would also leave me unable to run the s-video down into the PC. It's a very simple fix, I simply need to drill a hole which I will do today.

The monitor is large, and heavy. Another project I had seen on this site someone used the exact same PVM monitor. He mounted a shelf level to his control panel and used would to shim the monitor up into the ideal angel. I had a ton of issues trying to determine the best way to mount my shelf. But when I saw that, I decided I would do the same thing. I have done so, and the monitor has been installed. However I will need to cut out a portion from the back of the cabinet to allow my space to move the monitor backwards. As you will see in one of the photos it sits way forward. I think when I remove a portion of the back it should solve this easily.

Now for my biggest problem, and this has my really upset.
Each an every time I went to test my MAME PC I had no issues. I simply had my PC on the floor along  with my PVM monitor. But if I needed to do some configuration or add a game to favorites, whatever it was it always worked. So now I have the monitor installed and of course I cant get an image on the monitor.
I've done several tests and am very confused. The video card has s-video out that runs into the PVM monitor.
I've confirmed the video card works as I've tested a PC monitor.
I've used the s-video off the card to display an image on a TV.
I've tested the s-video hook up of the monitor by running a DVD.
So I know the s-video input on the PVM works.
I know the video-card works as I can get an image on a PC and a TV.
But when hooked up to the PVM I get nothing.

I am at a loss as to what this could be ! Any ideas ?

[mike boss]

This is the monitor shelf, I will cut a hole today that will allow me to pass the required wires through.



Here you can see that the monitor is sitting very far forward. I would be unable to add the bezel and glass to the cabinet with it seated the way it is. I think by removing a portion of the back cabinet  I should be able to rectify this.



Just a shot to show the cabinet coming together.



Testing the PC and video card on a computer monitor, its working fine.



Testing the PC and video card on my 32" crt tv, again its working !



A prior test of the PC on a Sony PVM monitor.............it was working ! Yet now tested on 3 monitors I don't get any picture. I might try again today. This has me real pi$$ed.

[mike boss]

I spent many hours this weekend trying to complete and/or make some serious progress on the MAME project. With the monitor installed I had no more excuses. That was until the monitor was installed and then stopped working.
My monitor had worked each and every time I had tested it prior.
But once installed into the cabinet it got no signal.
I tested the PC on a TV - it worked
I tested the PC on a PC monitor - it worked
I tested the PC on each of  the 3 Sony PVM monitors - NOTHING !
Countless starts and restarts and nothing. I even got a nice shock, an electric SHOCK while fiddling with the monitor while plugged in. The only thing I could think of was perhaps damage to the s-video cable itself. However I had used the cable to test the input on the monitor via a DVD player and it worked. Unable to get another s-video wire at the time I still persisted to test the monitor.
I plugged everything in and made sure the s-video cable was as straight as possible. I wanted to make sure no snags or bends in the wire. I ran the wire from the back of the PC (located beside the cabinet) and into the monitor. This time it worked !

I made a few oversights while working on the cabinet. But for the most part everything is an easy fix.
The PC itself doesn't fit inside the cabinet, however I plan on leaving it beside or behind the cabinet for convenience. I didn't drill any hole in the monitor shelf, I need to do so to pass the s-video wire and speaker wires through to the PC. I'll also need to cut out a portion of the cabinet itself. The monitor is bigger than I had guessed, and is not sitting correctly. By removing a portion of the cabinets rear I should be able to sit the monitor in place and shim it up to the correct viewing angle. I'm also leaning towards painting the bezel with a protective layer of clear coat. I love the flat black as it hides flaws in the painting process itself, but I find it marks easily. It will be behind glass, but for the 20-30 minutes it takes to paint it I think it will be worth it.

I've included some pictures including an instruction card I plan on printing for the bezel.











* I've slightly revised the instruction card removing the Dynamo logo and keeping the CAPCOM logo. I've also modified the circle to look more like a button by adding an embossed effect *

[mike boss]

I've revised the instruction card AGAIN!
I'm going to print out a few options and see which one works best.
I've got just about everything hooked up in the MAME cabinet.
I had to reconnect some loose wires on the IPAC, but thats done.
I also had to rewire the speakers, but now the audio is sounding good.
I have the sub woofer tucked in beside the monitor, its a lil bass heavy.
I'm thinking to mount the sub on the outside back of the cabinet to improve the sound quality. I also picked up a jigsaw this weekend off my brother. If I get an opportunity to work on the cabinet I'll start cutting away the back of the cabinet in order to pull the monitor out. Then it will be officially done !

[mike boss]

Picked up a a jigsaw so that I can cut out a portion of my MAME cabinets back panel.
I should get to that this week. Once I've cut a big enough slot that the monitor can fit through I would expect the MAME to be assembled and completed immediately after.

I located a console stereo on a local Kijiji site. It was delivered to my house yesterday.
This weekend is the Canadian Thanksgiving, so with my time off I will gut the cabinet.

No real progress with the bartops. I still need to drill out the locks. But I will bundle my jamma harnesses according to the direction available online from Bob Roberts.

The idea is that I will work on one project at a time until they have been completed. However when I get to an area that I am unable to do myself (and/or) requires help as not to stall I will move onto other things.

The bartops should be a priority as they are investments, but I think the jukebox could be completed faster so it will be the focus of more attention. I will post pictures and updates as available.

[mike boss]

MAME IS DONE !

[mike boss]

MAME is DONE !
www.mymissiontomame.blogspot.com

With the help of my brother I put the finishing touches on my MAME cabinet.
A few small things remain to be honest, but its %100 playable.
I need to change the BIOS in the PC as it does a RAM check upon power up that requires the ESC key to bypass.
My instruction card wont fit on the bezel, but I'm thinking to do it sticker form and add it onto the bottom of the glass. Other then that just clean up a few wires, tuck the PC nicely beside it.
I look forward to have some friends over to give it a good thorough play.

I've moved onto the Boss Boxx now. It's going to be a real challenge. I jumped when I had the opportunity to have a console stereo delivered to my house. Sadly its a little small then I would have hoped for. Its going to be a tight squeeze to get my two 3 way speakers, PC, touch screen, and receiver into it. For now I wont sweat it, I'm just about done gutting the unit. Once that is finished I'll begin a dry fit. I want to get an idea as to what would work.

As I update my blog I'll post the info and pics on this site.

[mike boss]

So with the exception of a few very small TWEAKS my MAME cabinet is done.
I've started to move onto my bar top arcades and jukebox.

The jukebox has been %100 gutted as of right now. I just need to find some time to clean it and mark everything out inside with tape. It seems it will be a little small but im hoping I can find a solution.

I picked up the paint for my bar tops and Ive paid each with a possible side art candidate and buttons & joystick ball tops.

[mike boss]

Here are some quick examples of the look I'm going for.







Some of the work I see on this site is OUTSTANDING! A bunch of talented people on this site and it really is an inspiration to a novice (noob) like myself. I'm proud to report that my MAME cabinet is done, and all be it it can't compare to a ton of the stuff I see on this site .........................I'm happy none the less. When all is said and done IT WORKS so I can't be all that upset. With the bartops I'm sure I will have a fair share of challenges. I've never wired a jamma cabinet from nothing. But I'm excited to try !
Cosmetically I think these machines will be really sweet looking and no doubt fun.
I'll post more as more gets done.

[mike boss]

Right now I am still trying to balance both projects. Be it the jukebox or the bar top machines.
The bar tops in many respects should be top of the list as 2 of the 3 are for resale but the jukebox is the more simple of the two projects. The jukebox has been %99 gutted and can be seen on my blog.
The bar tops remain as is with new boards and wiring waiting to be installed.
I've purchased the paint and paired up the parts, I've even selected the art work. I need to convert the artwork to EPS format before I can be provided with the quote.

I'll post some of the jukebox images later.

[mike boss]

So I have a ton of projects I'm doing,starting,stalling,etc.
My MAME cabinet is finished and despite a PC set back (the AGP slot is f**ked) MAME will be back working in no time.
In fact my cousin has provided me with a PC that I will get into working order in about a week or so.

My jukebox project is going to take major time & work so for now I'm not really going to sweat it.

As far as the bar top machines, they are a threesome. Two of which will be sold and one kept. I've started to work on the keeper.
More info is on my blog

www.mymissiontomame.blogspot.com

Would it be ok if I use this forum as a way to ask questions that I have during my build ?
I've never wired a cabinet and have some real hesitation.

thanks

[mike boss]

Like everyone I'd like to use this forum to post my project as I start it and complete it ! (Hopefully sooner then later !)
I was hoping I could use this thread as a means of posting questions, seeking advice, just getting overall feedback as I work on this project.
This will be my 1st time wiring up a jamma cabinet from the bottom up. Needless to say I have many questions and am very nervous.



When I took apart this bar top machine I noticed the power went :
From the plug to the fuse
fuse to the power switch
and from the power switch the wires were spliced into the power supply and isolation chamber (not sure what it is called)
from the isolation block (or whatever two lines went to the monitor chassis)

Now when you look at the above diagram I found done by Bob Roberts he has a filter and power distribution block.
These were not found in my bar top, are they important ? required ? should I get them ?

Or is it ok to simply take the wires from the power switch and run them to the isolation block and power supply ?

[mike boss]

Now for another question.
I've purchased three 48-in-1 jamma boards, 1 for each of the three cabinets.
I know the monitor will need to be mounted horizontally for these games.
When I was looking at the chassis I noticed  two switches.
They say "posi" (which I know refers to the position) followed by a letter H/V (horizontal & vertical) and then "nega" (which I would assume is negative)
I'm going to try and modify the pictures to give everyone a closer look, but I would assume for the vertically mounted monitor, such as I would need it for my 48-in-1's I would have the switch with the "V" moved over to the "posi" side, and the switch "H" to the "nega" side.

[mike boss]

Here is a closer look at the switches on the chassis.
I apologize, as a tool NOOB I know some of the questions might be "stupid & lame" I just don't want to f**k anything up.

[mike boss]

I noticed the chassis had two connections for the yoke.
One for V and one for H. Obviously depending on the orientation you would use the corresponding connection.
In my case I will need the connection for V.YOKE
However I'm unsure which one it is.
Would it be the connection with V.YOKE printed directly on top of it ?
I'm unsure if it would be the top or bottom connection.
I know the V.YOKE is directly printed on top, but the H.YOKE is sort of directly of the right of it.



I did this is photoshop, I don't know if this would be the correct positioning ?