Finally found a cab to convert!

[bkenobi]

You can always make your own CP and keep the feel of the original if you don't like the layout of the buttons.  I was given a stripped Area 51 cab that was in pretty decent shape (only problem was a decent sized hole where a hasp bar tore some particle board out of the front.  I fixed that and made the CP with similar artwork to try to keep the feeling of the original.  I think I did an ok job and I kept all the artwork intact!

Note that the original had a large metal grate over the hole in the middle where the speaker was which wasn't going to work.  I didn't have any boards, guns, monitor or anything with the cab, so I was literally saving this from the landfill.  My original thought was to save the bits and pieces for a home built cab and toss the box, but the artwork was so nice that I had to keep it.

[drpcken]

I really wanted a CP with a trackball, but if I use the original, it probably won't fit.  I think I can live without a trackball for now but I definitely want to build a custom CP for it later down the road.



What I'd like to do is take that and bondo the holes and do a 2 player, 7 button layout, with a couple admin buttons.   I wasn't expecting this CP to be metal though and I dont' know where to start.  Would bondo fill in the holes?  What would I use to drill new holes?

[Beretta]

not sure, i seen a project once someone used WOOD filler.. although bondo will probably work better especially since its NOT wood..

anyway they put a new sheet of metal under it, filled in the holes, sanded it, then drilled the holes and put a overlay on it.

im not sure what they used to drill the holes.. that would have to be a pretty meaty twist bit.

im curious as well i have a centipede i was thinking of using but it also has a metal CP..

i had thought of trying to replace the top with a section of wood.. or recreate the whole pannel in wood, but have'nt looked seriously at it.

ps i dont know if i previously mentioned this i have a pair of those sticks as well and they are the sux, extremely short throw, weak centering, if for some reason you dont like the feel.. dont toss them the shafts also fit a happ/Il competition base and probably others, although not the supers they seem to use a larger shaft.

[drpcken]

I agree about the sticks.  I don't like the way they feel either.  I plan on buying 2 u360's.

[Trebeck]

Great Find!  Glad to see this going to a person who will enjoy it.

[smalltownguy]

  I wasn't expecting this CP to be metal though and I dont' know where to start.  Would bondo fill in the holes?  What would I use to drill new holes?

My Rolling Thunder conversion (currently underway) uses a metal control panel. I have a friend who works in a manufacturing plant, and he had access to a punch press. Once I was able to get him the correct die size, he was able to punch the new holes I needed. Then I took it to a local metal shop and slipped the guy a $20 to clean up all the burrs, rough edges, etc. The guy even sandblasted it for me. 

There were also holes in it that I did not need any more -- that's what I'm working on now. I was going to use the punch blanks to fill them, but instead I'll be using some 2 part Epoxy to bond a small square of plexiglass behind the hole. Then I'll level it off to the panel by filling it with bondo, sanding it smooth, & covering it all with my CP overlay. Why plexiglass? It's strong enough to hold up to random pressure without flexing much, yet it can be removed (or at least drilled through) should I need to make any more changes in the panel layout.

For a DIY approach, your best bet for cutting the new button holes in your panel would be this:


http://www.amazon.com/MK-Morse-AV18-8-Inch-Bi-Metal/dp/B000E8HTWK

You'll need the matching arbor to go with it (link is further down the page), but you can get both for just under $16. Just make sure you use a drill press (a good strong one...) and use cutting oil.

[drpcken]

Good advice smalltown on filling the holes!  I have a friend of mine that knows alot of machinist so I'm going to see if he can drill the new holes for me.

Thanks!

[jtslade]

To answer your question on the CP first after using lots of elbow grease, Goo Gone and a razer blade  to scrap I then used a wire drill bit brush on a high speed drill to get the metal smooth and some shine to it.


I switched sizes and once the metal gets short you have to switch otherwise it gets dull.

end result:




Then to get it to be a mirror finish I used a ton of German Metal Polish compound (any will do) and a polishing bit on the drill.

Then Sprayed it with Auto Paint black


Its dirty here so the mirror finish can't be seen well:


Ordered a custom made and cut overlay from Arcadoverlays.com (mine was a bit taller) They are HIGHLY recommended.

The back has and adhesive and used the soapy water trick to get it positioned just right.


The plexiglass was cut on a laser engraver. I think when it need replacing I'll order some lexan and drill it.

[jtslade]

I really wanted a CP with a trackball, but if I use the original, it probably won't fit.  I think I can live without a trackball for now but I definitely want to build a custom CP for it later down the road.



What I'd like to do is take that and bondo the holes and do a 2 player, 7 button layout, with a couple admin buttons.   I wasn't expecting this CP to be metal though and I dont' know where to start.  Would bondo fill in the holes?  What would I use to drill new holes?

If you get a MiniPAC or IPAC from Andy at Ultimarc then you really dont need any admin buttons, the shift function allows you to do anything you would like...

IE, press an hold player one start and push player one button to enter coin credits. Hit Player one and player two start and the same time to exit.

I map out the Tab button and volume control slider in mame for changing stuff on the fly in MAME.

You could design a reproduction of the CP POW SNK artwork that is laid out for the six button street fighter config and it would still look original.

Just an idea.

[jtslade]

Just to give an idea of a reproduction that is changed to adjust for six buttons. Again with a minipac or using a JPAC for jamma you can have shift functions for the front end (HS or what ever) and still make it look as first sight to be original.

Just need to find a high quality scan of the Original POW CP artwork.


This is just a quick PS for ideas, its by no means a quality Photochop.

Later a glowing trackball recessed and placed where the "O" is in POW on the CP would be interesting.

[drpcken]

very nice mock up!!  I'm impressed

This CP is the part I'm worried most about.  I'm going to start polishing it this week and get the art off.  Then I'm going to bondo the holes and mock up a layout.  I have a friend who knows a machinist that owes him some favors and he's going to drill the holes for me.

Thanks for the suggestions!!!

[drpcken]

To answer your question on the CP first after using lots of elbow grease, Goo Gone and a razer blade  to scrap I then used a wire drill bit brush on a high speed drill to get the metal smooth and some shine to it.

Can you elaborate more on the wire drill bit used to polish it?

[Dr Zero]

To answer your question on the CP first after using lots of elbow grease, Goo Gone and a razer blade  to scrap I then used a wire drill bit brush on a high speed drill to get the metal smooth and some shine to it.

Can you elaborate more on the wire drill bit used to polish it?

I think he means one kind of like this


You can use one kinda like the center one in a drill press to jewel a piece of metal kinda like you have seen on the spirit of st Louis or on some pistols



http://www.3me.us/jewelling.htm

[jtslade]

Yes they should be available at Home Depot. the one on the left in the above picture is the type that i used. Just keep it smooth and moving, replace when the bristles get short. Must use a drill that plugs in, it won't work with a cordless.  Borrow one.

Clean all the adhesive off of the panel... Lots of goo gone and a rag with a ton of WD-40 is supposed to work. Goo Gone works well.

Buy a ton of the razor blade scrappers as they break easily.


I don't know where to get things in the US/States since I have not lived there for almost 4 years...  I miss Target/Home Depot/Sonic/Chick Fil-A/Wal-Mart/Blockbuster/Best Buy/7-Eleven/TCBY/Checkers...

Great now I'm starving hungry.

[drpcken]

great advice slade! I actually just removed the graphics off the CP last night.  I bought a cheap heat gun at Lowes and it took me about an hour to get the laminate (was it laminate??) off.  Then I cleaned up with GooGone and a scraper.  Worked really good.  The GooGone with the scraper would pull layers of that adhesive up at a time.  Here's the final result:

Before




After



All the adhesive is off and it is smooth. I'm going to pick up a wire brush drill bit today to polish it up a bit

What no Sonic??!! 
 

[Epyx]

Nice job on the CP so far, curious to see how it turns out with the mods.

Ya those brass drill bit brushes make short work of paint/rust:




Took about 20 mins and barely broke a sweat.

[drpcken]

Wow that looks great!  Do you have a specific brand you recommend?  I'm not too familiar with those tool types   And I should probably get a couple of them huh?

[SirPeale]

Wow that looks great!  Do you have a specific brand you recommend?  I'm not too familiar with those tool types   And I should probably get a couple of them huh?

You should get a couple different types, for sure.  The ones that look like a bowl are good for a lot of area, but the ones that are flat are good for nooks and crannies.

And for those areas you can't reach, rough steel wool FTW.

And don't forget about electrolytic rust removal. See my thread in Arcade Misc.

[Dr Zero]

Wow that looks great!  Do you have a specific brand you recommend?  I'm not too familiar with those tool types   And I should probably get a couple of them huh?

You can get those at most hardware stores and even wal mart has them. They make brass ones and steel ones I like the brass as it doesn't dig into the metal as bad.

On the bench grinder I have one side is a brass wheel the other a fine stone the brass wheel makes short work of rusted bolts and the likes.

Word of caution when working with brushes the wire will come out when you are using them and can stick you so be careful and wear eye protection!

http://search.harborfreight.com/cpisearch/web/categorySearch.do?catPath=All%2BProducts%252F%252F%252F%252FUserSearch%253Dsafety%2Bglasses&currentPage=1&lastPage=1&isNext=false&isPrevious=false&category=Safety+Equipment&attributeValue=&attributeName=&requestedPage=1&resultsPerPage=50&resultsPerPageBottom=50

I have a flip down face shield since I wear glasses and it doesn't fog up.

[Epyx]

Agree with Dr Zero on the brass and the jabbiness of the wires...have the scars to prove it!

[drpcken]

I got it brushed pretty well. Got pics coming.

One question, should I start a thread in the projects forum?  I know I'm going to have tons of questions and I wonder if it would make more sense to put all of this there?

[Beretta]

ya wire wheels work pretty good, i dont have a corded drill but i have a rotary tool.

i bought some stainless wire wheels the other day from harbor freight, they work but man it's a lot of work.

im working on the same type of coin door, the backside was just covered in rust, i mean big flaky rust.

i thought the rotary tool would be good to get in those nooks and cranies and it is but damn it's taking forever, a lot of that is probably beause of the complexity of the mech holders.

anyway whats the recommended way to strip the paint on the front.. i've heard some people have done it with heat guns, others use chemical strippers.. of course there is the wire wheel approach.

thoughts?

[Epyx]

Beretta,

I used the wheel style in the picture above and mine too was coated in rust (worse in the back as well).  The wheel is nice cause you can angle it...only effort was bending (with glove) the bristles forward a bit as after a while they tend to flatten and make grinding more effort.

Took me about 20 mins but was night and day.

[drpcken]

The coin doors on mine are in great shape with the exception of the front, which is either dirty or slightly rusty, I haven't gotten that far yet.

Now my next question is the actual body of the cab.  I cannot tell if its a laminate or if it is painted really well.  I want to leave it black and replace the t-molding with a different color (currently it's black).  The paint is actually in pretty good condition but there are a few problem areas.  I hope I can just touch up the problem areas and do something to the good areas to make them look even better.  Any ideas?  I'm not going for the painted look, I want it to look nice and smooth.

[drpcken]

Can you guys help me out?  I'm trying to figure out whether the wood is painted or has vinyl/laminate.  I'm not good at telling these things.    I can't find an edge for any laminate, but if it is painted its painted REALLY good.






The inside is in such good shape it's really hard to tell 




I want it to be black still, but I'm wondering if I should sand, prime, repaint.  I want to go for a 'non-painted' look of course.
Any ideas??

[Beretta]

looks like paint to me of course it could also be covered in thin vinyl i suppose.

hard to tell by pictures, i would'nt worry about painting the inside.

[Silas (son of Silas)]

Well I would recommend preserving as much of the artwork as possible.  You never know, P.O.W could be someones favourite game and they are just missing that last piece...  This comes from a Champion Wrestler fan who has spent years collecting whatever original pieces as are available...

I'd LOVE a POW. I used to drop many a coin into that game. I have a photo of me somewhere 'back in the day' playing one of these. Such a shame to convert it 

[drpcken]

I'm not painting the inside, I was just giving you an idea of what it looked like.

Ok so I'm also guessing its paint.  If I wanted to touch up some areas whats the best way.  I've heard of sanding (what grit?) and priming and then repainting.  And I would want to bondo the really bad areas with holes.  What do you guys use to clean with?  The front is especially dirty of course from being kicked over the years.

Thanks!

[saleem]

just washing up detergent and water.

if you want to be real scientific use isopropyl/alcohol.

just soap and water man,sponge,wipe.clean!

if your thinking about repainting it.you want to consider what you got now,can you live with it?

do you want an arcade cab that looks like its just well,been painted?or do you want it to be smooth and look like something special?

i am like several coats in just on one side after 6 coats of primer and sanding..now i have put the 5th coat of enamel paint on and am wet sanding it with 240 grit and 600 grit wet and dry.you are only gonna get something special if you put work into it other wise it will just look like its painted or sprayed.

some times you might plan on just filling the areas that need it and sanding and touching up,then before you know it your doing the whole cab and its a full cosmetic job.

[drpcken]

good tips!  I 'd like to make it look NOT painted.  I want it nice and smooth

[saleem]

then my suggestion is wet sanding using 240 grit on each coat,after like the third coat of paint use 240 grit then after is smooth,switch to 600 or even higher,just to get the sanding scratchs that bit more less.then its just a case of putting the shine back.

this is how a lot get their cps and such to look like piano smooth.

just be carefull to use a good sanding block and i am personaly using rustoleum enamel paint.its a case of patience,each coat takes one day to dry properly for sanding.i got the cab on its side and i am tackling it one side at a time.when i finish the side i am on i will flip her over to the other side,work that one till i am happy,then on its back and the front  will be done.

then i got to just put the shine back.
 

[Beretta]

jesus christ 6 coats of primer and 5 coats of paint?

and you're gonna give the back the same attention? WOW.. personally id just give the back a quick cleaning, sanding, and a coat or two and call it done.

[drpcken]

I'll start with the back removable panel and see what I can make it do.

[saleem]

jesus christ 6 coats of primer and 5 coats of paint?

and you're gonna give the back the same attention? WOW.. personally id just give the back a quick cleaning, sanding, and a coat or two and call it done.

well i will show you the result i will get but,the back will just get painted as per normal.

if i want a cabinet that looks like its painted i can just slap on any old s**t if that was case.i might as well use an old side board!

i want my cab to look the s**t!

piano orange.
 

[mvsfan]

Agree with Dr Zero on the brass and the jabbiness of the wires...have the scars to prove it!

my granddads friend was using a bench grinder years ago in his shop and it got him one day.

a wire flew out and stuck in his eyeball. he had to go get it removed. he didnt lose his sight though.

i never forgot about that. get a good pair of glasses anytime you do metal work, its worth it.

[mvsfan]

I really wanted a CP with a trackball, but if I use the original, it probably won't fit.  I think I can live without a trackball for now but I definitely want to build a custom CP for it later down the road.



What I'd like to do is take that and bondo the holes and do a 2 player, 7 button layout, with a couple admin buttons.   I wasn't expecting this CP to be metal though and I dont' know where to start.  Would bondo fill in the holes?  What would I use to drill new holes?

my control panel is the same as this one, and it was converted at one point and what they did on mine was they cut out the old button layout and tack welded a new piece of metal on top. then they drilled new holes in the new piece and covered the cp with plexiglass.

ya wire wheels work pretty good, i dont have a corded drill but i have a rotary tool.

i bought some stainless wire wheels the other day from harbor freight, they work but man it's a lot of work.

im working on the same type of coin door, the backside was just covered in rust, i mean big flaky rust.

i thought the rotary tool would be good to get in those nooks and cranies and it is but damn it's taking forever, a lot of that is probably beause of the complexity of the mech holders.

anyway whats the recommended way to strip the paint on the front.. i've heard some people have done it with heat guns, others use chemical strippers.. of course there is the wire wheel approach.

thoughts?

If your planning on using it for other things down the road, and you probably will,

get a Blast cabinet from harbor freight. thats the best way to get down to bare metal on any odd shaped piece like a coin door for example.

when i was growing up i used to fix up old cars and ive still got some of the tools.

Ill mention something else here too. when you need new power tools, dont forget to check your local pawn shops. its amazing the stuff things end up there.

[mvsfan]

Could this be why my crt isn't working?  Notice the green wire not connected?  I know nothing of CRT's except not to touch the anode

my monitor is wired the same. it has the red and blue in the connector and then the green wire. you need to hook up that green wire to the monitor frame.

Just take a good look and make sure that green wire is in fact hooked up to ground first. its amazing what people can do over the years to keep a game running.

[mvsfan]

jt thats incredible what you did with the CP.  How did you polish it?  And what did you use to stick the graphics on?

that was a nice shot of the Cp.

what im thinking though for my cabinet that i havent seen done yet is to strip it just as clean as Jts panel and then send it off to a bumper replater and get the whole thing dipped chrome. whaddya think?

[drpcken]

Actually I connected that wire... nothing    I've removed the chassis and neckboard and have someone lined up from here to buy.  Just waiting for his response on some photos I took  

[drpcken]

Can anyone recommend a good bondo to patch up the holes?  I've never had to do it before