Author Topic: C-Boy's Mini Arcade Project (Bartop) (Read 10042 times)

cboy · « **on:** July 18, 2009, 03:51:31 am »

so after lurking and reading this forum for about a year I finally decided to build a bartop.

I bought the arcade parts about 3 months ago but it sat in my closet till 2 weeks ago....

Parts List:
Mag Stick Plus with Long Ball top
6 Red Happ buttons
2 Black Happ buttons (Exit and Pause)
TurboTwist2 Spinner + 5" Mini Wheel
Ipac
GGG NovaGem Coin Button
Red T-Molding

Sony all in One pc 2.5ghz

here are the build pictures

Started by drawing out a basic shape (no marquee this time) The back is actually straight the shadow makes it look curved

Slot for T-Molding

Inner Blocks to make assembly easier and stronger

More Blocks

Control Panel taking shape still very rough

Snug fit for my all in 1 Sony PC, CP Still rough and not secured into place

CP drilled for buttons, and TurboTwist2 Spinner... The Joystick handle is just placed in there (its propped up high) to see what it will look like (I'm not sure but i think i got the wrong one. It was supposed to be the LONG version but its the same length as the original Bat joystick)

Still need to drill holes (3 black dots in the front are where they are going) for Player 1, GGG Nova Coin button, Player 2...... Trying to figure out where to put my Exit and Pause button.....on the front or somewhere on the CP....suggestions???

And 1 small(big) problem....here is the power button.....its an all in one pc so im not so sure about taking it apart to wire in a power button. I'm debating on drilling a small hole on the side to press the power button with a small dowel or something.....

dizney · « **Reply #1 on:** July 18, 2009, 05:20:43 am »

Nice, I would for sure go with wiring in a switch I did that with mine after playing with the idea of a button in the front but it makes for such a clean finish to have the power button run somewhere else.

cboy · « **Reply #2 on:** July 18, 2009, 10:42:22 pm »

I need some suggestions on what to do as far as side artwork.....

cboy · « **Reply #3 on:** July 19, 2009, 03:24:06 pm »

I found the CP overlay that I will be using. Simple, and I hear MameMarquees does excelent work.

do I NEED to get a plexiglass/lexan overlay or will the MameMarquee CP Overlay hold up fine without it?

javeryh · « **Reply #4 on:** July 19, 2009, 05:57:14 pm »

Please don't ruin your awesome looking cabinet with that artwork! It is way too busy, IMO. Ask around and I'm sure someone can whip up something nice for you in Photoshop or whatever. The simpler the better. At least in my opinion the nicest control panels/side art are the ones where you barely notice it is there and it ties into the overall theme of the cabinet (or just looks nice if there is no theme). Even something as simple as the one HERE (without Bender, of course) would look great on a CP. It doesn't have to be arcade themed or character based or anything...

cboy · « **Reply #5 on:** July 19, 2009, 06:24:02 pm »

aw do u really think its that bad? Hmmmmm

My original thought was to just use black vinyl for the CP, cause the rest of the cab will be painted satin black.

well thanks for chiming in, back to the drawing board.

Franco B · « **Reply #6 on:** July 19, 2009, 06:31:41 pm »

Quote from: javeryh on July 19, 2009, 05:57:14 pm

Please don't ruin your awesome looking cabinet with that artwork!

I have to agree 100% with Jav. If you do REALLY like that artwork then go for it but I think it won't do your bartop justice. Do you have any idea of a theme/coulour theme? As J said I'm sure if you posted something in the Artwork forum then someone may be able to help you out. Worse case scenario there is loads more of generic artwork that is 100x nicer than that muti-marquee image.

cboy · « **Reply #7 on:** July 19, 2009, 06:37:59 pm »

Thanks guys.

No theme really. Color combo is gonna be Black Cab, Red T-Molding and Red buttons/spinner.

I just want it to be "arcade like" I dont have the exact measurements for the buttons so its not gonna be easy to translate it to someover lay that needs to be specific about button placement which is why I thought about going something generic.

Bender · « **Reply #8 on:** July 19, 2009, 09:03:44 pm »

I too agree with Franco agreeing with Jav

I even have a red/orange version without bender I'll send you if you want, but please please don't use that busy art on your nice Cab!

severdhed · « **Reply #9 on:** July 20, 2009, 01:02:28 pm »

i agree with everyone else. your cabinet is off to a great start...busy artwork just would not do it justice. simple is better...even a plain single color would look much better than that busy marquee artwork. look at the Post pics of your control panel thread in the main forum...you will notice that the best looking panels have simple, subtle artwork.

ratzz · « **Reply #10 on:** July 20, 2009, 03:21:42 pm »

Quote from: Bender on July 19, 2009, 09:03:44 pm

I too agree with Franco agreeing with Jav

I even have a red/orange version without bender I'll send you if you want, but please please don't use that busy art on your nice Cab!

I agree with Bender who agreed with Frango agreeing with Jav.

Get a theme for your cab, and the rest will follow a lot more easily.

Black is a dead easy colour to work with ... reds, yellows and oranges look great with black.

Good luck with the build!

retrofuture · « **Reply #11 on:** July 20, 2009, 04:13:48 pm »

Gotta agree with everyone here, the multi-game/mame artwork is not good. Less is more and all that

Have you got any favourite games in mind that you'll be playing on the cab that you can use as a basis for the design?

cboy · « **Reply #12 on:** July 20, 2009, 05:52:12 pm »

I'm a Bust-A-Move, Tapper, Galaga, Ms. Pac man fan.....DK is also cool

I've found that I like old games, nothing too fancy. This is prob why I cant get into the newer SF's SFII was the best IMHO.

retrofuture · « **Reply #13 on:** July 20, 2009, 06:06:09 pm »

A Bust-A-Move themed cab would be great. Nice bright colourful sideart with SNK / Neo Geo MVS control panel artwork could be the business.

cboy · « **Reply #14 on:** July 21, 2009, 06:17:35 pm »

I ordered this for my side art. I might just skip the CP art and just do plain black

retrofuture · « **Reply #15 on:** July 21, 2009, 06:57:58 pm »

Much more classy.

cboy · « **Reply #16 on:** July 22, 2009, 02:13:01 pm »

Thanks....I cant seem to find what a bubble bobble control panel is supposed to look like....

suggestions on how to carry the theme thru?

retrofuture · « **Reply #17 on:** July 22, 2009, 02:53:15 pm »

Hi cboy, do a search at localarcade.com: http://www.localarcade.com/arcade_art/search.php and there's plenty of inspiration.

I particularly like the idea of using the flyer artwork as a basis for the control panel.

Franco B · « **Reply #18 on:** July 22, 2009, 03:04:47 pm »

Much better

It's a shame you haven't got a marquee. thatitalian did some awesome [Bub n Bob marquees] that never got used.

Maybe if you asked him nicely he may be able to sort something out for you as regards to your CP?

cboy · « **Reply #19 on:** July 22, 2009, 04:07:26 pm »

Retro - thanks I'll take a look at that site.

Franco - I wish I had done a marquee now, when I 1st did the cab I didnt want a marquee because I was concerned with the size of the machine, and not sure if i wanted to spend the money on artwork. I'm regretting this decision now.. I was thinking of maybe installing one of those plexiglass headers that some arcades used to hold NEW GAME!! or something similar on the top and just inserting a marquee there...we will see thou

Franco B · « **Reply #20 on:** July 22, 2009, 04:17:30 pm »

Quote from: cboy on July 22, 2009, 04:07:26 pm

I was thinking of maybe installing one of those plexiglass headers that some arcades used to hold NEW GAME!! or something similar on the top and just inserting a marquee there...we will see thou

Good idea, I like that.

If you do, put some rounded corners on the top two marquee corners with a similar radius to the corners at the top of the side profile to tie it all in nicely. You could even have a nice large chamfer with blended radii.

cboy · « **Reply #21 on:** July 24, 2009, 10:14:46 pm »

small update:

drilled the holes in the front panel for

Player I Pause Coin Exit Player II

Made the rear door, and added holes for air intake and power cord and the lock...

Still need to cut out hole for USB cooling exhaust fan

My custom Glass retainer (aluminum angle iron)

still need to cut my 1/4" bezel out, waiting for the USB fan to come in.

got my glass today, still need to put a 50% layer of tint on it.

More parts came in today
TurboTwist2 Spinner

5" Mini Wheel

Token Top

should be ready to paint next weekend, and wire up soon after. Thanks for looking!

uolarethian · « **Reply #22 on:** July 29, 2009, 12:03:28 pm »

Where did you find the 5" Mini Wheel?

saleem · « **Reply #23 on:** July 29, 2009, 12:25:18 pm »

grooveygamegear sells them,if you use google,get to the site and its under turbotwist product,its just an addon.it comes in different sizes also.

personaly,i think it will look crap with a mini wheel.but,thats just my opinion.

mwong168 · « **Reply #24 on:** July 29, 2009, 12:37:17 pm »

Quote from: saleem on July 29, 2009, 12:25:18 pm

grooveygamegear sells them,if you use google,get to the site and its under turbotwist product,its just an addon.it comes in different sizes also.

personaly,i think it will look crap with a mini wheel.but,thats just my opinion.

The mini wheel you can interchange with the token top and I think it will look just fine. Also would like to point out that RandyT from groovygamegear will only sell the wheel if you own a TurboTwist2. There is a thread going into this in the Main forums and the reasoning behind this is because the mini wheel is optimized and designed to be used with the TT2.

Good luck with the build and for the control panel artwork I would highly recommend ordering from Scott at mamemarquees. His work and product is top notch. I will warn you ahead of time to be patient because this is a side business for him and he gets busy quite often but will respond to you if you don't have any sophisticated questions. I was a bit frustrated and after some searching I found out I wasn't the only one. However once I got the details worked out and ordered placed everything was done and shipped to me in about a weeks time.

cboy · « **Reply #25 on:** July 29, 2009, 03:36:49 pm »

Quote from: saleem on July 29, 2009, 12:25:18 pm

grooveygamegear sells them,if you use google,get to the site and its under turbotwist product,its just an addon.it comes in different sizes also.

personaly,i think it will look crap with a mini wheel.but,thats just my opinion.

Well its a good thing the wheel is removable eh?

Its mainly for the spinner, but I'm sure ill love being able to play some sprint or off road. I dont think I'll care how it looks when i'm playing

cboy · « **Reply #26 on:** July 31, 2009, 11:04:48 pm »

Today, I cut the bezel out of 1/4" MDF

the bezel + glass was 1/16" away from my glass retainer. so i added the aluminum angle iron to bring it up 1/16"
fits like a glove now!

and here is how i took care of the power button

I need to still finish sanding and then i can paint it

cboy · « **Reply #27 on:** August 05, 2009, 10:01:03 pm »

got around to finally finish sanding it, and primed it....gonna give it a good sand and start painting

Using some Valspar Satin Black with foam brushes for the small areas and foam roller for the big areas

cboy · « **Reply #28 on:** August 06, 2009, 05:35:00 pm »

Originally I was planning on doing Black sides with Red T Molding.

I'm starting to think maybe I should do Red sides with black T molding......with the bubble bobble side art... Thoughts?

retrofuture · « **Reply #29 on:** August 06, 2009, 07:00:27 pm »

Definately red sides

Your cab is looking really great. I love the whole fun 'feel' of it.

PeteDiak · « **Reply #30 on:** August 06, 2009, 09:44:15 pm »

Wow... looks great good job!

Yvan256 · « **Reply #31 on:** August 07, 2009, 12:52:46 am »

Quote from: cboy on August 06, 2009, 05:35:00 pm

Originally I was planning on doing Black sides with Red T Molding.

I'm starting to think maybe I should do Red sides with black T molding......with the bubble bobble side art... Thoughts?

Red sides with black T-molding... isn't that a Neo-Geo MVS cab?

You could do a puzzle bobble theme though. It's the same characters even if it's not the same game.

YoGaBaR · « **Reply #32 on:** August 07, 2009, 09:12:47 am »

Hey I found an awesome cp for bubble bobble. I was going to use it on mine but give me a day or so and I will see if I can find the pic. Assuming you have not got a cp design yet.

cboy · « **Reply #33 on:** August 07, 2009, 05:41:53 pm »

I havent found a cp design yet, i was gonna just use black happs pica

post it up if you find it

YoGaBaR · « **Reply #34 on:** August 08, 2009, 12:19:23 am »

Sorry I cannot remember how to link pics, click here Bubble Bobble CP

Thats as big as I could get the pic from the website. I cant find it right now so pic is as good as it gets.

Edited - short url thing

cboy · « **Reply #35 on:** August 13, 2009, 04:01:11 pm »

Progress......

Installed the vinyl overlay i got from ebay. its pretty thick and has a nice texture to it. It was WAY cheaper than buying from Happs directly (althou I'm not exactly sure what the quality difference is)

Installed the buttons, joystick and turbotwist spinner too.

Still need to finish wiring everything up

Thanks to thatitalian for letting me use the Marquee he created! Its printed 16"x3.25"
I'm going to create a plexiglass holder for the top of the machine like on Megatouch machines and others where it says "NEW GAME" or similar....

retrofuture · « **Reply #36 on:** August 13, 2009, 04:44:05 pm »

Hey C-Boy, that vinyls looks just as good as the Happ pica stuff (I've got a roll in the garage).

Your cab is looking really great

SpeedEng · « **Reply #37 on:** August 17, 2009, 06:38:45 pm »

looks great!!

I have to ask how big is the monitor?

cboy · « **Reply #38 on:** August 17, 2009, 08:43:46 pm »

Its a 15" LCD monitor

there is 1 1/2" on the top, 1 3/4" on either side of the monitor and 3" on the bottom for the bezel so it looks pretty good.

I've got it set up and playable but there are a few more finishing touches I need to do. Maybe this weekend and then I'll take some pics

cboy · « **Reply #39 on:** September 04, 2009, 10:56:42 pm »

I'm done with the bartop for now....

I decided not to put art on it for now. I might revisit thinking about art later.....

I put in the tinted glass today, man thats a MUST! It totally gives it an authentic feel and look!

Kronos · « **Reply #40 on:** September 05, 2009, 09:51:20 pm »

This is exactly what i want, any change on getting the plans for it.


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Author Topic: C-Boy's Mini Arcade Project (Bartop) (Read 10042 times)

ratzz