ARCADE10 (finshed)

[painterinfo]

Knocked this model up in Sketchup, have collected all the main components and am now starting my build.


It is a single player machine, nothing special really, the only design criteria was that it fit my 20inch CRT and that the control panel height is in a comfortable position. It looks familiar but it is a is a unique design ie I have not deliberatly copied anything from other machines. Except I liked the way on another machine the control panel sits on top and clamps down from underneath.  It has the standard 16mm MDF sides, backlit marque, probably will use tinted glass in front of the monitor as I have heard that looks cool. Instead of a kb draw, that panel above your knees is a fold down. I like machines that have checker plate kickboards so am going to have one of them. It is shown with 2 car type speakers mounted in the top. I am still shopping around for a decent but cheap set, I am thinking of using either a car amp or even a complete car stereo (one of the new ones with AUX in)

Here are the metal plate components I picked up yesterday

I shopped around and one stainless steel specialist place wanted to charge $125 + postage for cutting just the control panel.
I ended up picking up all three pieces from "Caloundra Sheet Metal" for 80bucks. I probably got it cheaper because I gave them the design in AutoCAD and they knocked it out with a CNC machine.

Here is the control wood backing I made today

Do you like the job I did with my cordless router? Contrary to  the advice I got at the hardware store today you can chisel out MDF. Notice the mounting plate will overlap two button holes? No heart attack there, I planned that in my Sketchup model and was all prepared to cut a chunk out of the plate, you cant see it so it does not matter.

Here is my trackball mounting plate snugly sandwiched between the wood and stainless steel top plate.

I found you can get sheets of MDF from the hardware store that are pre cut 600mm wide. That is perfect because that’s two edges that are guaranteed parallel and all panels will be exactly the same width ensuring the cabinet is square. The sheets ended up being 605 so I was cut about that, my metal panels are a couple of mm too short now.  Probably no one will notice it unless they read this post.

[painterinfo]

Arcade10 Build Day2

Today I had another look at the control panel and decided my mag-stik would be better if mounted on top of the MDF rather than underneath so did some more carving out.



The only dilemma I have with it now is that I have to make the recess deeper or counter sink the holes in the plate so that my stainless steel cover sits flat on top. I have not allowed for the height of the screws on top of the mounting plate.

Here is a shot of one of the side panels. 16mm raw MDF with 2mm black plastic edge banding.

[Franco B]

Looks interesting.

How do you find it with the joystick and buttons being so far apart? I just tried using the player one joystick and player two buttons on one of my cabs and it was freaky! If works for you though thats fine.

Is there a reason you only went for one player on a full sized cab? Don't you know anyone who would play a game with you?

[painterinfo]

The first reason I went for a one player control panel is that the monitor is sunk and the original design did not have the side curves cut out narrowing the field of view.

Also a really wanted a trackball and that sealed the deal, two joysticks and two sets of buttons + a track ball is too cramped for this 600mm wide design. 

I also have cocktail cab that is two player and I have never played anyone else on that yet. Granted my son plays Metal Slug with his friends split screen a lot.

One final thing about the decision that makes it easier for me to sleep at night is that the control panel will be locked down with two quick release metal clamps and connected by one USB cable. So if it bugs me and I am looking for a mini project I could make another control panel later.

Here is one of the clamps I am thinking of using, though I found a couple of nice stainless steel ones today for a couple of extra bucks and am thinking of swapping for them.

[Yvan256]

Just a small tip before you go any further: I would round up the corners a bit. Unless you don't plan on using T-molding on the edges of the side panels, of course.

[painterinfo]

Ah tips are good, I toyed around buying a router and some t-molding, but I recon I would have screwed it up. I decided to spend the same money and get the side panels professionally made by a cabinet maker because I recon if the side panels are identical and quality made the cabinet will end up looking professional.

But that is another story, the quote was for two panels with back plastic edge banding as per diagram, but he ignored the curves shown in my diagram (my fault apparently, a diagram showing all dimensions including the radius's of the curves was not good enough, he thought the curves were some internal detail?) that cost me another $40 to get the main curve put in.

Typical of tradies in this area, they are happy to offer a cash / no GST deal, ignore some vital detail no matter how plain it is and then hit you for more above the quote.  

I was just happy to get them in time. I still ended up paying the GST the deal there was that I pay cash, no receipt and he would make them tomorrow not next week.

[painterinfo]

Arcade10 Build Day3

The other day I picked up a couple of good wheels rated at 80kg load capacity and this morning I finalised my design around those.



This afternoon I  managed to cut out nearly all my panels. Only a couple of odd shapes to go.  <brag> Notice how neat and square I got them. </brag> 


Finding MDF sheets pre cut 605mm wide was a God Send. When I screw it together it will be extra strong because it will be 100% square. I have had this el cheapo saw for several years now and my cuts have been laughable.  It was only recent that I came across a tip where someone clamped down a board as a straight edge. This is the first time I tried it, the guide that came with the saw is now in the bin.

[emphatic]

 

The 1 player panel is an excellent decision. I have only 1 player panels for my cabs (1 has a 2 player panel stored away in a box though, takes 5 minutes to change) as the games I play is very scoring heavy. Most 2 player games are either casual ones, or fighting games, none that appeal to me.

[painterinfo]

Thanks emphatic, this forum is a good sounding board.

Arcade10 build day 4

martoon x posted some details of his wheel setup for me, thanks again for that. So as a result I have done a last minute design change and will mount the wheels at 45degrees so that the wheel goes all the way to the back. It looks reasonably mechanically strong, not as strong as martoon's. I can always throw more wood at it if necessary, but it is surprising how strong wood glue and a couple of screws is.

[painterinfo]

Arcade10 build day 5

Today I started to assemble the machine, there is probably an easier way of doing it, i.e. using larger square beading and drilling from the outside, but I only have 2cm square beading and I decided to take the time and maximise the coverage, i.e. take it to the edge using 45 degree cuts if necessary.



I also cut the slots in my top vent panel as shown, I used a spade bit and jig saw. I think the day of reckoning will be tomorrow when I see if the second side panel lines up with the panels I have glued in place today.

[painterinfo]

Arcade10 build day 6

Today I positioned and dry screwed on the second side, I discovered the side panels made by the cabinet maker were not identical which did my head in for a bit so I had to purchase a large set square to make sure the panels were straight. I was going to just measure it to be the same as the first side.

I decided to give the wheel mounts a lick of paint before bolting on the wheels.


Here is a picture just before I started to put on the second side.


A milestone reached.

Second side in place and screwed on, now that I have the screw holes right, next job will be to re-attach side with glue.
It was quite time consuming doing all that, measure, clamp, re-measure, pilot hole drill, counter sink, glue, screw all 90 screws. I recon I am going to use nearly all 100 screws in the pack.

I think I am over the hump, I would have liked to have got up to painting stage, but I have to put it on hold for a couple of days now and then work on it with reduced hours.  Family and the real world calls.

[painterinfo]

Arcade10 build day7

Am back at it and got a full days work in, though there is not much visible progress.

• Carved out a deeper recess in my control panel for the joystick, now the bolts will sit flush under my stainless steel cover plate.
• Permanently glued down the second side.
• Glued down a couple of 1mm square thin strips as a marque bezel and one for supporting monitor glass at top.
• Slapped some spack filler into any cracks and holes.

Here is a shot of the rear vent I made. At the moment it is just a press fit and held in place with gravity. Have not decided whether to put a couple of screws in it or whether to add another slot or not.

[TOK]

Hope I'm wrong, but that looks like it's going to break right there. When you tip it back, all the weight of the cab is levered away from the bond, plus on a very small piece of wood.

[painterinfo]

Arcade10 build day8

Thanks TOK, You are right that is a weak spot.

When you tip it back, all the weight of the cab is levered away from the bond, plus on a very small piece of wood.

I don't think the wedge is going to lever away from the bond because it is pushed hard up against the skid.
I am no structural engineer but I recon the weight of the cabinet will only be on the wheels when it is tilted and then the weight will be distributed half on that weak spot and half on the front of the wedge. Additionally the wedge is screwed and glued onto the side panel. 

Anyway if it starts creaking under the strain I will have to think about reinforcing it further but here is what it looks like assembled.



I put some cross beam supports on the skids to stop them from twisting in. I may end up doing that for the wheel wedges too.
I ended up weakening and put some screw holes into the outside of the side panels. You wont notice of course after it is sanded and painted. My the trick is to drill a 2mm hole with a spade bit to hide the screws.

[painterinfo]

Arcade10 build day9

Not much physical progress but have reached a milestone of sorts. I have given it a lick of undercoat signifying that the wood work phase of the build is finished.  It is amazing how a coat of paint can dramatically change the look of the cabinet. makes it more real somehow.





The underneath where I sprayed flat black directly onto the wood seems to be ok, I could almost have done the whole cabinet that way.

[painterinfo]

Arcade10 Build Day10

Another milestone, I have put the cabinet upright. One more coat of undercoat on the sides and then I can start putting on the colour. I also have also started assembling the control panel. The wheels seem OK, ie appear to be under no strain. In fact the cabinet is so easy to move I recon a small child could move it around easily.

It looks quite striking with the white, but soon it will be black and blue with stainless steel highlights. There is light at the end of the tunnel, In a couple of days I will be able to fire up my favorite game..... maybe..

[saurian333]

Wow, looking sharp!

Quick question...how are you applying the paint without getting it all over the T-molding?    I don't see any masking tape; or are you removing it for the photos and re-masking for the next coat?

My $.02:  Those wheels look all right to me.  Seems to me the weight would be distributed pretty evenly.  But I'm no structural engineer either, so I could be wrong.  If you say it's working out, we'll take your word for it.

Nice design, and it looks like you're progressing quickly without cutting corners.   

[painterinfo]

Arcade10 Build Day11

Wow, looking sharp!

Quick question...how are you applying the paint without getting it all over the T-molding?    I don't see any masking tape; or are you removing it for the photos and re-masking for the next coat?

Hi saurian333, Thanks for the complements.
I am applying thin coats with a brush and flicking the brush towards the edge so none gets on the edging. If any paint does get on the edging then I wipe it off with a damp rag.

Today I put on two coats of blue but I found that paint a different consistency and a trick I used with these coats was that after did a coat, I ran my finger nail along the plastic edge and any excess paint just peeled off.  (One more top coat of blue will do it I think)

Another thing I did today was cut a hole for my coin mechanism and credit button. I though that I would do that before I started putting top coats of paint onto that area. The jigsaw marks the paint.

[painterinfo]

Arcade10 Build Day12

I had a good run at it and got another couple of milestones today.

1. The final coat of blue is on the sides. I did a third coat and there were a couple of tiny spots that were not entirely even so did a 4th coat. It took 35mins to apply the last coat of blue, (applied thinly with a brush) to get an idea of how long it took to paint.

2. I completed and tested my control panel. The stainless steel makes it feel nice and solid (it is quite heavy) I think I could almost leave gravity to hold it in place, (I might get lazy and do that). It has probably been done before but rather than buy or make a wiring harness I just striped some CAT5 and soldered directly to the terminals. I always intended to use this method, saved myself the cost of the wire, connectors and trackball wiring harness. Did make one mistake, the DIN plug going into the I-PAC was blocked by player1 button, so I had to move the circuit board over a bit, I found these motherboard mounting posts that I striped from a computer 15 years ago to mount the I-PAC and OPTI-PAC. I just drilled a pilot hole into the wood and twisted them in. (they are not coming out)

[saurian333]

Ooh...as much as I dig nice artwork on a CPO...you're not going to cover that stainless, are you?  I think it looks sexy.

Good idea for mounting the I-PAC boards, by the way.  That's essentially what I was thinking of as well, and I planned on working out the details when I got that far.  Good to know it works.

[painterinfo]

No I am going to make it pretty much the same as the render at the begining of the thread. Though I am toying with slightly different marquee art and maybe this logo on the side.


Here is a close up of the mounts, I marked it out (drawed a circle around botom of threads with a pencil) and then drilled a small pilot hole slightly less than the thickness of the thread and it screwed straight into the wood. (tight enough that I had to use a spanner) They make a solid mounting point for securing the USB cable with a cable tie (so you don't accidently pull the cable and damage the board)

[saurian333]

No I am going to make it pretty much the same as the render at the begining of the thread.

I see...just went back and saw that piece of stainless you'd bent for below the CP.  That whole assembly with the "ARCADE 10" logo on the front is sweet.  Those together, and the diamond plate kickplate...I like.

Nice side art.  Will you put a border around it to separate it from the blue side panel, or do you intend for it to blend in a little?  Those blue sides turned out very pretty, BTW.

Thanks for the shot of the mounting posts.  Good deal.  I'll probably do the same.  What size bit did you drill with?

You're really moving along with this build; you'll be done in no time!

[Gamester]

No I am going to make it pretty much the same as the render at the begining of the thread. Though I am toying with slightly different marquee art and maybe this logo on the side.

Looking good!

Would love to see you do something more original for the marquee and side art.  Maybe it's just from being around these forums for so long, but the generic 'MAME' theme is getting a bit tiring to me.

Obviously it's your cab and ultimately my opinion doesn't mean much...  

[painterinfo]

Looking good!
Would love to see you do something more original for the marquee and side art.  Maybe it's just from being around these forums for so long, but the generic 'MAME' theme is getting a bit tiring to me.

Thanks, good point, Problem is that the MAME theme fits in with my conservative tastes. Though I have hit a snag with this image, I almost got it printed today but the guy had problems reading the AI file format, Adobe Illustrator lost some detail. I am going to have to find another guy to do it or find some different art, so you may be in luck Gamester. BTW saurian333 I was going to get it printed and cut round on vinyl.

Thanks for the shot of the mounting posts.  Good deal.  I'll probably do the same.  What size bit did you drill with?

The post measures 3.7mm and the drill measures 2.4mm Just find a drill slightly smaller and if it is too tight a fit, give the drill a wiggle to make the hole bigger.

[painterinfo]

Arcade10 Build Day13
Today made some more real progress and fit in a productive shopping run. (A real winner day)

1. Picked up two sheets of 3mm PLEXIGLASS @ 602mm x 156 for $13AU from Trademark, Sugar rd Maroochydore (The guy cut it on the spot)



2. Got a quote from Sunstate Glass Kawana for a sheet of 5mm grey tint glass @ 430mm x 602mm for $30 bucks (excellent price thanks guys) I hope to pick it up tomorrow. BTW they quoted $10 for the same Plexi
3. Picked up a 30LED light strip for the Maquee box. $29 from Jaycar Maroochydore


It is super bright and it is made of 10x3LED modules that you can snap off and reposition/angle or use elsewhere.



4. Got my ARCADE 10 logo printed on white vinyl cut out from the StickerMan Maroochydore $15
5. I was going to pickup a new car stereo + speakers from SuperCheapAuto but they put their prices up by $50 over Christmas. May have to rethink the sound system or fork out.

Another two milestones, Finished the black coat. (may have to do some touch ups though) and I mounted the monitor. As designed it fits like a glove. (I did design the cabinet around this monitor)

Here I spray painted the bezel (that’s it for my tin of flat black)




Lent the cabinet forward 45degrees so that the monitor shelf was level, placed the monitor on the shelf and mounted the L brackets. Slotted down the hard wood locking bar. (That thing ain’t bending)


Here it is with the monitor supported by the shelf and wooden beam at the back. I thought I would need something to stop the monitor from sliding sideways but it’s weight (30KG) + monitor’s flat back effectively stops it moving.

[saurian333]

In that last pic, is the stainless CP really reflecting that much black?  It almost looks like it was painted!  I bet it looks great in person.

About the audio -- personally, I think a 2.1 computer system is the way to go with these things.  I feel that lower-end systems would be fine for a cabinet (all the ones I've owned have been $20-50, and all sounded quite good), but if you want something higher-end, that's still possible, and much easier to implement than car audio.  My car's setup is pretty low-end (but sounds great for my purposes), and cost me about $250 just for the subs, amp, and wiring.  For that price, you can get a damn fine PC speaker system.  Won't kick out quite as much bass, but how much do you really need in a cabinet?

Looking very slick, man.  Almost finished, huh?

[painterinfo]

Arcade10 Build Day13

Yep almost finished saurian333, but when climbing a mountain there is always another bit to climb just over the rise.

Today was not so productive, I got a mole cut from my shoulder, the doctor took an extra 3mm on either side, he said if it turns out to be cancerous then he will have to cut more, I’m not worried about it being cancer, it can be cut out, it’s just that it is not a pleasant experience.

Anyway 1 hour after surgery, I was back into it. I applied a coat of clear on one side, (lucky I am left handed) but skimped and poured two old tins into one and used that, needless to say it went on like shite and may have to sand it back and redo it again with a new tin. (let’s see how it turns out). Today I would have put on the front logo sticker “ARCADE 10” if the clear coat was not so crappy.

I attached my front door and encountered another set back there too. I was going to mount a couple of round speaker magnets into the front frame so that the stainless steel strip on the door would stick and keep the door shut. Anyway after 20 minutes sawing off the magnetic shield, slipping and putting a decent slice into my thumb with the hack saw (a 1mm thick cut) I then discovered the type of stainless steel I got for this part was not magnetic. Ended up buying a couple of magnetic door latches from hardware store.  (Each have 4kg pull) BTW the old computer speakers I destroyed were destined for the bin anyway.


One win, my wife was passing the glass place and she offered to pick it up and I must say it looks excellent. It is a grey tint and really increases the contrast of the monitor, the picture tube looks very dark when powered off. I connected an old Compaq computer I had lying in the corner to make sure the monitor works and confirm the image comes through ok. I must be on drugs ( I am at the moment) I knocked the computer onto the floor and it still works. Go the Compaq Prolinea 4/33 I would have thrown it way too ages ago if it was not such a solid little beast.


So In summary I should have taken the day off, but it is the last day of my holidays. I can’t give enough praise for Sunstate Glass, If you are on the Australian Sunshine Coast and need glass, call them first and just get it.  As far as I am concerned, glass is glass and if feel free to correct me if you can get it cheaper elsewhere on the coast. 
 

[painterinfo]

I have an update, I am now back at work and have not been able to spend any time on it till today. (managed to get a couple of hours in)

I got my side art designed and printed,


Thinking about Gamester's post, Yes it is a MAME image but the cab is NOT intended to be a MAME theme, I just like this image. The marquee definitely will not have MAME written on it, I am thinking Lightning or an Australian theme. I have two sheets of plexiglass and it Will be quick and easy to swap out images so will try a few or rotate them. As well as a few custom ones I design myself, I will have a few others on hand, 1942, Galaga, Space Invaders. The cab will be more impressive to friends if they see their favorite game in the Marquee.

The coat of clear I put on the other day has had several days to dry real hard, it did not turn out that bad after all. Anyway I gave it a hard sand back with 600 grit wet and dry and then another sand with 800 grit (hit just the clear coat and not the blue underneath) and then gave both sides a coat of clear from a new tin. 

It looks so much better, the only question I have now is whether I give it a second coat of clear or stick the stickers straight on. Will see what it looks like tomorrow.

[painterinfo]

Done some more today, combined with yesterday that is enough time to qualify as an entire build day so here is:-

Arcade10 Build Day14

Today I:-
1. Stuck on the side art (used wet application method)

2. Stuck on the front logo (used dry application method)

There are plenty of tutorial videos on UTube for how to apply vinyl sticker art. I have done vinyl cut stickers before (and got bubbles and creases) but with the tutorials it was a piece of cake. I also ended up buying a second ARCADE10 logo in silver for the front. So the white one I bought earlier went on the back as a test.

3. Tried to find a piece of suitable piece of beading to lock the marquee on place from behind. (ended up making a piece from the 1cm square stuff I had on hand.

4. Finished off mounting the marquee, with image. I also mounted my marquee light strip but it is not shown lit up here.

5. Glued the bottom kick plate in place.

6. Made a bezel out of black cardboard from the newsagents. (it just sits on top of the monitor) I may have to apply some tape to seal off the edges if light shines through.

[saurian333]

Geez man, I can't believe you basically got that whole thing done in like 3 weeks! 

It looks incredible!  I love how the front logo turned out.  Everything looks very sharp, and the vivid blue is an awesome color.

Very nicely done!   

[emphatic]

 

Very nice build!

[painterinfo]

Thanks, there are still some major things to do, I have been avoiding making lists because they always gets longer.

Sound system and speakers
Computer (the one running that game does not have a USB port)
Lit up credit button (just have to screw it on and wire it up)
Wiring

It is not playable yet so that is an incentive.

[painterinfo]

Thank god for the weekend. Managed to clock up another full days work, but the machine is playable so that's now a distraction.

I noticed the buttons were sticking on their upward movement so the first job was to work that one out and fix it.




If I replace this dag with something thicker It would reduce the travel of the button, but as it is it it is a PITA. Lucky it was easy to pop out all my button tops to fix this.

[painterinfo]

Arcade10 Build Day15

During the week I repaired an old Dell XPS T500 - (replaced the CPU fan from an old server, clocked it back to silent with a 33ohm resistor)
Run up MAME .128 (I have newer versions of the ROMs but this version has save state support for my favourite game Galaga)
Applied my little box of tweaks to hide XP, (I did not go all the way because the machine has a trackball, I can lock it down further later if i want)

Major work was building a switch box to power up all the 240v devices after the computer turns on. 12 volts from the computer trips a relay which switches power to a power board. (I know you can buy these things but, I have never seen one in a shop and I wanted to make my own) All I had to buy was a 20A relay and a jiffy box.


I also wired up the coin button and coin mechanism switches (in parallel)

12volts to the coin button light

A cable to the back of the PC's ON button so I can mount it remotely

An AUX input cable to the control panel for the coin buttons (I have a few spare wires in the CAT5 cable for other inputs later if necessary)

I wrapped the two USB cables from the control panel and the AUX cable in a plastic cable wrap. <cheat> now I have my one cable to the Control Panel, </cheat>

All these cables I put in, I used plugs on the ends so that everything is quick disconnect to aid working on it or a quick control panel or PC swap out.

Coin switches and light wired up with quick a disconnect plug


Used a 3.5mm audio plug here as I only needed two wires for the coin buttons, I can replace the plug later with a din type if I need more switches.


Here you can see my single cable bundle coming down from the control panel.


A picture of the coin button lit up.


Here it is with the all the bits and pieces together.


The plan is to replace the PC speakers with something more decent. I recon a car stereo (one of the ones with AUX and USB inputs and MP3 playback) Also have to mount my light for the marquee and a power button on the front and …. Ah there’s my list starting again.

[thatitalian]

You so need a custom Marquee.... that thing looks so awesome and it would be a shame not to do a simple one to match your design. Some solid colours with a little bling....

This is a really great example of what you can do when you put your mind and soul into it! 

[painterinfo]

Thanks for the complement, Yes I agree the marquee is ordinary quality. I have a couple of other designs on the boil but your post has spurred me into testing my light. I made a massive 108 LED strip above my desk and pinched some of the LEDs from my cabinet. I only have 12 LEDs now but it still seems bright enough.


I am going to have a few marquees and maybe a better quality one of the lightning would be ok after all looking at this night shot. What do you think?

[thatitalian]

A lot of people have the lighting effect. I personally am not I big fan.

I would go retro on the marquee. Very BLOCKY with the odd curve, 3 or 4 colours, probably silver, 2 shades of blue and white...

What font did you use, I can knock up a very quick design...

Also, are you using blue speakers? The panel above the monitor seems a perfect place to stick them and it would shoot the sound right at the player!

How do you find the 600mm CP? I want that width on my cab but may have to extend by 60mm to accommodate the trackball...

[dkssprs]

incrediple clean work on everything.
I am VERY impressed with the result.
Great work!!!!!!
I also love the colours and the theme you have choosed.
Absolutely awosome!!!!!!!!!!

[ratzz]

Sweet build -- looks great, and great progress too!

[painterinfo]

A lot of people have the lighting effect. I personally am not I big fan.
I would go retro on the marquee. Very BLOCKY with the odd curve, 3 or 4 colours, probably silver, 2 shades of blue and white...
What font did you use, I can knock up a very quick design...

Also, are you using blue speakers? The panel above the monitor seems a perfect place to stick them and it would shoot the sound right at the player!

How do you find the 600mm CP? I want that width on my cab but may have to extend by 60mm to accommodate the trackball...

Thanks for the complements and great feedback everyone.

Also Thanks for the offer of the Marquee design thatitalian, sure go for it if you want and have the time, no one would knock you back after seeing your cool work. here is the font. http://www.1001fonts.com/font_details.html?font_id=384

I will use 6 inch blue car speakers, but have been hanging out to find ones with a nice looking grill. I was going to put them in the panel just below the marquee but you have me thinking now about that panel above the screen.

My original design was 680mm wide but cut it back because I found I could get sheets factory cut 600 wide (square). I love the 600mm width, there is plenty of room on the CP and underneath, trackballs do take up a lot of room underneath and I recon you would be cramped underneath if you had a two player setup. If the side panels make it hard to access the CP at an angle that would also be a factor. As far as a one player design goes, my arms are at a comfortable angle when on the joystick and fire buttons. Depends what you are used to.

[painterinfo]

I have decided to wrap it up. I wrapped up my last arcade machine build on Australia day 2009 last year so am thinking I could almost make it a tradition.

My downstairs study / games room has been completed so I can wheel in my new machine and post a short video of it in action tomorrow in the new room.

That makes it a bit tight to get thatitalian's art work printed, so if he comes through in time I will post that marquee, otherwise I have an Australian Mame theme marquee ready for the day.

I am going to put off the massive sound system idea for the mean time until I can get what I want. However I have a decent set of speakers with sub woofer that I will use instead, surprisingly the crummy speakers I have now are holding up.

The only other thing that I """Needed""" to get done was install a power on button. Once again I know what I want but have not found it. My wife keeps saying, "Why don't you use the coin button like you said you would". and I would reply, "Ah, but I have used it as a coin button now"   Then this afternoon, """revelation""", I can use the same button for both I just need a relay.



Here it is with a little $4.95 relay mounted on the back of the coin button.

[BobA]

Great idea getting 2 functions out of the single button. 

[Nacimroc]

Thats a clever work around for the power button! Love this cab! Nice curves, great colours especially that blue! Great job!

[thatitalian]

Sending it tonight!

[painterinfo]

Today I celebrate Australia Day 2010 along with my family, prawns on the barby, a XXXX in one hand and the announcement that ARCADE10 is officially finished.

Tools have been put away, garage converted back to garage, beard started at beginning of build shaved off (who has time for shaving when you can be building?) And the machine has now been wheeled to it’s new home. Thanks to Darren for the tip of measuring the doors before I started the build.

Here is a short video showing off my machine, and my new games room which is also officially completed today too. (the room was painted yesterday)


I mention in the video that the plans are in Google’s 3D warehouse:-
Arcade10 http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=8025b7b5c1580c8128fdea86734e40fc

If you like it the colour it is Wattyl’s "5444 Cosmic Navy"

Here is a link to the AutoCAD file if you want to get a metal control panel cut with same hole positions.
http://painterinfo.com/arcade%2010%20control%20panel%20holes4-2d.dxf
A metal shop with CNC machine will quote you less if you give them this.

Monitor is a 22inch Mitsubishi Diamond Pro 2070SB flat screen CRT, but the cabinet opening could fit a larger monitor.

The glass is 5mm with a 30% “GREY” tint.

Light is from Jaycar if it is too bright you can trim off a few LEDs for something else.

Marquee is 2 sheets of 3mm plexiglass and it is cheap stuff

Controls are from Ultimarc, quality bits, easy ordering, quick delivery and you get the added fun of tracking the shipment all the way from London.

Coin Button and Coin Mechanism - http://www.ozstick.com.au/prod_coinmechs.html

Art - printed by Stickerman Maroochydore - http://stickershop.com.au/

Arcade10 Font - http://www.1001fonts.com/font_details.html?font_id=384

Other details are in the thread or feel free to post any questions.

[Bender]

I know this is a stupid question but what does the relay do and how does it prevent the machine from turning off when you want to insert a coin

Ahhh, wait I think I get it now. Do you hold the button down for a few seconds to do on/off?

can you give us a little more info on the relay?

[painterinfo]

When the machine is off, the relay is not energised so the coin buton is connected directly to the power on connector of the motherboard via the relay's switch contacts.

When the computer powers on, 12volts from the power supply energises the relay, the relay's switch contacts flip and connect the coin button to the ipac instead.

Once the computer is powered on the coin button only works as a coin button. You have to turn the computer off via software shutdown command or windows start menu.

re inserting a coin, that will power on the machine too as the coin button and coin mechanism are wired in parallel.

[Gorotsuki]

The only business
I could get done in that office
is playing games!
Seriously that's a great set up
you have there.

[Gamester]

Turned out great painterinfo!  Very smart idea for the power/coin button.

It's funny how young kids find putting coins in more entertaining than actually playing the machine.   

Nice office too!   

[saurian333]

+1 on the office.  And congrats on a finished build!  It looks amazing.  I saw pics of your cocktail machine before, but hadn't really noticed until now how closely the two machines match.  Job well done, on both of those.

[drventure]

Nice job with the coin button. Very clever!

I was thinking maybe you had to hold it in while inserting a coin to power things up. I like your version better 

and dang nice cab there! 

[emphatic]

Nice move with the power button = less is more. 

[gatordad]

Nice job! looks great!
I think that the large lettered arcade 10 going vertically on the side of your cab like on the atari system 1 cabs would look sweet. It's a great theme and your cab looks great as it is, just my 2 cents.

[Mr.Ian]

Great job, and a quick build

do you know the product number on the USB light, i have been looking for one of these, and cant find it on the website, does it work well. I want one for my bartop thats still in the planning stages

Good too see another Aussie Builder too

[wilno45]

Fantastic build my friend, fantastic.

Dear God, it takes me 3 weeks to decide what screws to buy!

[painterinfo]

I think that the large lettered arcade 10 going vertically on the side of your cab like on the atari system 1 cabs would look sweet

Agreed, would have probably been cheaper too + the round MAME logo looks out of place. (Last MAME theme for me)

Do you know the product number on the USB light, i have been looking for one of these, and cant find it on the website, does it work well. I want one for my bartop thats still in the planning stages

Good too see another Aussie Builder too

Yep the light works well, sorry I forgot to post the photo of how I mounted it. (It is just hot glued onto a strip of wood wedged in the back)

This is what I used
http://jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=ZD0462&keywords=led+strip+white&form=KEYWORD
Requires a 12volt power source and I spliced into a computer power lead (yellow wire) You can also cut the LED strip down to rearrange the LEDs or remove some if it is too bright.

I have used these before and they give off a lot of light and have a computer power plug. Come in three colours
http://jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=SL2855&keywords=cold+cathode&form=KEYWORD

Dear God, it takes me 3 weeks to decide what screws to buy!

I know what you mean, this build I knew I wanted 32mm screws for MDF, thankfully a sales assistant pointed me directly to the box I needed, it would have taken 3 weeks to find it in that isle of a million different screw types.

Here is another video of the machine running Doom.

I can feel a full on DooM cabinet design brewing.

[bigpete405]

That cabinet looks real nice and clean . I've been asking my brother if doom sideart would look good on the bar top for about a week. It's so great that someone else thought about doing it too. The doom and doom2 cover art is up there as some of the best  game art ever.

[saurian333]

That cabinet looks real nice and clean . I've been asking my brother if doom sideart would look good on the bar top for about a week. It's so great that someone else thought about doing it too. The doom and doom2 cover art is up there as some of the best  game art ever.

I remember seeing the Doom II cab in Grosse Pointe Blank and wondering why I'd never seen one before.  I just KLOVed it, and apparently that's the only known appearance of such a machine.  It kind of looks like crap on the side, like someone just stuck a game poster on it.  The marquee is pretty badass, though.  I think a Doom cab would be sweet.