Mame on a stick

[Mr Wilson]

top quality work love all the attention to detail your putting into this 

[kop]

Awesome!  Welcome back! 

top quality work love all the attention to detail your putting into this 

Thanks guys. 

I love how clean this cab is.  I am praying that I can get my woodwoork and sanding to look as nice!  (...and I hope you'll forgive me, but I am totally stealing your speaker mounting idea.)

 

Thanks, but it looks so nice because there don't happen to be any pics of where the wood joins together. Every single joint has shown through the primer!  First & last time I ever use MDF!!! Terrible stuff, the sawdust is a killer and sealing the edges is a PITA.  My unwanted dragging out of this project has proven handy though. I would have almost cried if the joins had shown through the final paintwork.

Feel free to use the speaker mounting idea, it's just a variation on what's here. This board's full of innovative ideas that have helped my project evolve to what it is now.




I've finally finished uni for the year and have promised myself to spend every spare second between now & Christmas working on my cab.  It's taking a change of direction though.  The sleek & compact cab I had in my head when I started this project kinda didn't eventuate when I finished the building. It looks a bit bulky in areas & the lines just don't flow.  Serves me right for not spending the time to draw something up in a 3D sketch program and rushing out to just start building it. Oh well.

Anyway, I've decided to make it a 2P cab & trim some excess hanging off the CP & the base to give it a more slimline & uniform look. I plan to have some more updates on progress very soon.

Cheers.

[Vebbo]

Very cool idea and that stick looked so slick powdercoated! Keep up the good work.  

[Malenko]

welcome back! I was hoping to see the finished product, been following since the beginning!

[vidmouse]

Awesome build, truly unique.

One thing I am concerned about though is the fit of the PC components
inside the CP box... esp now because it sounds like you're making it smaller?
I know you said you measured, but I haven't seen any photos w/ components
in -place as a test-fit.

Great ideas here though -- inspiring

[drventure]

Good to see this is still coming along!

[skinz]

Regarding the MDF - If you dont want the joinery to show everything has to be mitered.  Ply wont be any better if its not mitered.  You are having trouble sealing the edges because MDF has a dense layer on the outsides and less dense material in the center.  If you want a consistent density try something called Ranger board - Looks just like MDF but dense all the way through.  More expensive but well worth it - It would still poke through the primer though if its not mitered.    Still protect yourself from the dust - It will kill you !!!!

Build looks really good though - Even if you covered the CP with something the seams would still show through eventually - even if you sanded it perfectly smooth.  If the wood moves at all due to any moisture change (and it will if you don't have humidity control in your house) it will never look seamless.  

Every time I looked at this I always thought you wanted it to look like that and did that on purpose - Personally I like it and will pretend you meant it to be that way.  The exposed joints will make everything look like its boxed off - I like it!

EDIT - I just went and looked more and read what you wrote last and you are crazy to beat yourself up about any of this project - It looks awesome.  You might have visioned sleek - and thats what it is. Sleek.  I want one!

[NiteWalker]

From shopnotes a long while back:

[kop]

Very cool idea and that stick looked so slick powdercoated! Keep up the good work. 

Good to see this is still coming along!

Thanks guys! 

welcome back! I was hoping to see the finished product, been following since the beginning!

Thanks mate! The beginning feels like an eternity ago.  Here's hoping the end is now closer than the beginning.

Awesome build, truly unique.

One thing I am concerned about though is the fit of the PC components
inside the CP box... esp now because it sounds like you're making it smaller?
I know you said you measured, but I haven't seen any photos w/ components
in -place as a test-fit.

Great ideas here though -- inspiring

Cheers.  My measurements say a mATX motherboard should JUST squeeze in width wise. My main concern is the height of the PC components with the joysticks, buttons etc. mounted on the CP. I plan to build everything else first & then build a PC within my space limits. There are plenty of pretty nifty HTPC & mini ITX systems around these days that aren't too expensive so I should be OK in finding bits small enough to fit into the confined space.

From shopnotes a long while back:

Regarding the MDF - If you dont want the joinery to show everything has to be mitered.  Ply wont be any better if its not mitered.  You are having trouble sealing the edges because MDF has a dense layer on the outsides and less dense material in the center.  If you want a consistent density try something called Ranger board - Looks just like MDF but dense all the way through.  More expensive but well worth it - It would still poke through the primer though if its not mitered.    Still protect yourself from the dust - It will kill you !!!!

Build looks really good though - Even if you covered the CP with something the seams would still show through eventually - even if you sanded it perfectly smooth.  If the wood moves at all due to any moisture change (and it will if you don't have humidity control in your house) it will never look seamless. 

Every time I looked at this I always thought you wanted it to look like that and did that on purpose - Personally I like it and will pretend you meant it to be that way.  The exposed joints will make everything look like its boxed off - I like it!

EDIT - I just went and looked more and read what you wrote last and you are crazy to beat yourself up about any of this project - It looks awesome.  You might have visioned sleek - and thats what it is. Sleek.  I want one!

Thanks guys!  All great advice.     

Since I spotted the joins coming through, I've spent hours on the net reading up on the best ways to finish MDF.  Most are pretty similar in explaining sealing techniques (bondo, drywall compound etc.) and most also conclude that there will be movement regardless of what you do.  It's just the nature of the material.  I think half my problem was I initially used a water & PVA glue mix to seal the edges many months ago. (Great advice from the man at the hardware store  )   Although a pretty common way people seem to seal MDF, water is MDF's natural born enemy & will make the ends of the wood swell.

Anyway, my initial plan was to use a wrinkle/textured type of matte paint as they are normally pretty hard wearing & it will match the texture of the powder coat on the frame.  After my joint dramas, this type of paint should (hopefully) also help in hiding any small movements in the MDF due to moisture.


Here's a few pics of how I'm modifying the base.


The existing base marked with where I want to cut.  Rapt that my bondo work covering up my terrible routing skills is also being cut out.


The shape of the old base.


Cut & new side trim attached.





The new shape.  Fits in better with the monitor & marquee box I think as now they're all the same width and it's more rectangular in shape.  Not really sure what the shape of the old base was all about.  Just a random hexagonal shape I pulled out of my butt I think.


Cheers.

[kop]

I finished up work on the base of my cab today.

Here's a pic of the wooden cover with all the woodworking done.


Now the fun part!   Dragging a 70kg piece of metal outside to cut.  I prey I never have to do this again!

I borrowed an angle grinder from work that's as big as my dog. The thing scares the hell out of me but it's the quickest & easiest way to trim the sides off the metal base.


One side cut off. This took me ages as I was taking extra special care not to accidentally slice my leg off.


Both sides cut off, the rough edges cleaned up, and all limbs intact.  


Here it is with the wooden cover fitted.


& finally with the metal frame fitted as well.

[emphatic]

I'm glad no one was hurt in the process!  Looks great.

[drventure]

Lookin good, but I still say that plate metal base would look good as is. Got that boiler room aesthetic going!

[DaOld Man]

This build looks great!
I highly suggest you invest in a oxy-acetylene torch. That would beat the tar out of cutting with a grinder.
I was wondering about the slot you had to cut in the metal base for the power cord, I was thinking wouldnt it be easier to route a slot in the MDF? But now I see you have raised the MDF off the metal, so there should be lots of room for a power cord. I guess I am used to taking the easy way out.

Anyway, nice design, very unique. Cant wait to see it completely finished.

[jipp]

looks great, and i like the new design for the base.. i live in the desert so i live in bare feet.. i could of imagine stubbing my toes way to offend on the old design.. keep up the good work.

chris.

[BurgerKingDiamond]

Still looks great, but for what it's worth I thought it was awesome before.

[mgb]

This is definately a different type of build. very original and very nice.
keep up the good work

[kop]

Appreciate all the positive comments guys!    Helps keep me motivated to try & finish this project.

This build looks great!
I highly suggest you invest in a oxy-acetylene torch. That would beat the tar out of cutting with a grinder.
I was wondering about the slot you had to cut in the metal base for the power cord, I was thinking wouldnt it be easier to route a slot in the MDF? But now I see you have raised the MDF off the metal, so there should be lots of room for a power cord. I guess I am used to taking the easy way out.

Anyway, nice design, very unique. Cant wait to see it completely finished.

Cheers! 

An Oxy torch sure would have made light work of that metal!   I've got access to one at work, problem I had was that the bottles were massive & would've be a big PITA to transport in the back of my car.





I started on the trimming of my CP this weekend.

Here's a pic that gives an idea of how much I'm trimming off the sides.



Pic with the new lower profile sides attached and the front of the CP trimmed to the same lower profile height.





I've trimmed just over an inch from the height of the CP. This pic gives you an idea of just how much I've taken off the top.



I've had to use the angle grinder to cut the metal frame to lower the overall height of the CP.  Feels a bit like I'm on an episode of Overhaulin' 







Everything trimmed. Now all I have to do is glue & clamp a couple of strips of wood to the rear of the CP to bring the rear up to the same height as the rest of the CP.


Cheers.

[kop]

True to form with most of this project, I remembered that I have to somehow cool the CP enclosure AFTER finalising the shape of the new enclosure.  Now that I'm cramming the same amount of stuff into a smaller area, cooling becomes more important.

This is what I came up with.  I'm using 2x 92mm square x 25mm CPU fans.
 

2x 92mm holes cut into the sides of the CP.



I'm attaching these 2 9mm pieces of MDF to the sides.  The part you see routed out will act as an air vent.



Here it is fixed into the sides & trimmed.



Here are the 2 outer covers for the CP with sections routed out to form the other side of the air vent.



I've applied some bondo with my finger to seal the MDF ready to paint.



Painted & dry.



The sides attached.



Here's the final result. 



I'm pretty happy with how it all turned out considering I forgot all about the fans when initially redesigning my CP.  The slots are 10mm wide and this design keeps the fans out of the way inside the CP.  Should be enough to keep the enclosure cool, and doesn't add too much bulk to the overall shape.

[Nacimroc]

 

Those fan inlets are fantastic. I always think leaving open holes with grilles looks crude, but I can see how this can be used on our 'amateur' cabs aswell.  Are you planning to router a chamfer on the edges of the CP or leave them sharp ?

[kop]

Those fan inlets are fantastic. I always think leaving open holes with grilles looks crude, but I can see how this can be used on our 'amateur' cabs aswell.  Are you planning to router a chamfer on the edges of the CP or leave them sharp ?

Thanks for the kind words. 

Don't really have a problem with fan grilles, as long as they're not in direct view when looking at the front of the cab, or the grilles actually compliment the look of the cab.  This design above just seemed the best mix between maximum internal space & minimum external size.  I can also assure you that judging by the amount of bondo I've used to fix mistakes over the journey, this classes me as an A class amateur. (There is nothing that this stuff can't fix )

I will router the edges of the CP with a 1/4" rounding over bit.



I was bored today & feeling a little under the weather to actually work on the cab, so I decided to just loosely piece the cab together with the new base minus the CP. I took a few pics.

[gryhnd]

Twiggy!

(ya, that's even before my time)

Looks awesome man!

[Mr.Ian]

Awesome work, Original Idea. 

Love watching this thread

  Happy Xmas

[BurgerKingDiamond]

a sit down version with vertical screen would be awesome for shmups

[matsadona]

Haven't seen this thread before but I have to say I love your work. It will for sure be awesome. Makes me wanna build something again

[dugg8]

Really nice.

[kop]

Thanks guys for all the comments above. 

Getting back ito this project after a terribly lazy period over Christmas & new years.


I've glued two thin strips of MDF to the back of the CP to fill in the gap made by the removal of some of the metal supporting bracket.  I also filled in the 4 holes I had drilled for support bolts. The wooden bracing I have inside the CP will be enough to hold everything together.  It also gives the outside of the CP a cleaner look. 


Also cut out a lid for the CP.


Here's the lid now sitting flush with the edges of the CP, and with a coat of primer.


No bolt holes anymore.


The underneath primed & with the air vents finished.


The CP in its final position, perfectly balanced on 2 chairs.  The existing bolt holes no longer match up since trimming the height of the CP.

[dextercf]

holy mushrooms, thats one special lookin' cab! =D

[mgb]

Thats lookin real good.
I'm not sure if it's been discussed or not, but that base would look real nice with some diamond plate.

[drventure]

Coming along nicely! Glad to see this thread is still going!

[emphatic]

That's a cool looking cab! 

[notroubleclubber]

What happened to this project? I think its awesome and would love to build a slightly smaller version of this for a 22" lcd monitor.
Would it be possible to build this completely out of mdf or some sort of wood?

[kop]

& the seemingly endless journey to completion continues.............................

I've spent the last few months just staring at the cab and nit-picking all the things I'm not happy with.  The CP & enclusore holding the marquee & speakers still seem too big and extend out too far making the cab look bigger than I intended it to.  So i've decided to take a couple of steps backwards & modify the parts of the cab I don't like.  It'll take more time to complete, but I think I'll be happier with the final result this way.

Firstly, the cab sitting assembled for a few months showed up some of my dodgy woodworking skills.  The enclosure holding the LCD warped under the weight of itself plus the LCD panel.  Nothing a few blocks of reinforcing pine can't fix.





While doing this, I also moved the position of the LCD panel enclosure about 1 inch down & 1 inch backwards from its previous spot on the metal frame to bring it closer to the CP & make it sit more flush with the metal frame.

I had to modify the metal frame to accomodate this move.




Also had to accomodate the newly installed pine reinforcing blocks, so i had to cut away a piece of the frame and reinforce that with some extra metal.


Here's the new position of the LCD enclusure.  Photos don't really show up much of a difference.







Moving the position of the CP was just a matter of cutting the frame & drilling some new bolt holes.


The new position of the CP fixed on the frame.





Next thing I'll do is trim about 30mm off the front of the CP enclosure & then redo the entire marquee/speaker enclusure & make it smaller.

[drventure]

Nice work!

I had to modify the metal frame to accommodate this move.

Yeah, it's just that easy!    You, my friend, definitely know your way around a welder. I'd have turned that into a big glob of metal.

I think your positioning works well, and it seems like you've thinned the CP a bit, though that may just be the pics.

Completely off topic, but what were the seats from, in the background? I've been contemplating a driving cab and those look like they'd be perfect.

[Malenko]

Glad to see this project is alive. It still looks great, cant wait to see the finished product.

[kop]

Glad to see this project is alive. It still looks great, cant wait to see the finished product.

Cheers.  Neither can I.  At this rate it'll be around October 2014 

Nice work!

Yeah, it's just that easy!    You, my friend, definitely know your way around a welder. I'd have turned that into a big glob of metal.

I think your positioning works well, and it seems like you've thinned the CP a bit, though that may just be the pics.

Completely off topic, but what were the seats from, in the background? I've been contemplating a driving cab and those look like they'd be perfect.

There were (many) globs of metal.  What the photos don't show are the magic of angle grinding, an average welder's best friend.

Those seats are from a 2001 Impreza WRX.  They're (eventually) getting fitted into my car.  They would make the perfect driving cab seat, they're super supportive. 


Just a few photos showing the 30mm I'm removing from the CP.

[kop]

Finished the trimming of the CP.  Just took plenty of routing & sanding plus a re-coat of primer.


My initial plan was to have a piece of plexi covering my artwork and extending all the way to the edge of the CP.  I've since decided to add a little raised border so the plexi sits level with it.  I hope for it to give the look of a smaller CP without actually making it any smaller.

3mm MDF glued down to form the raised border.




Trimmed with a router & re-primed.


My fantastically artistic plain white artwork. 


I've also puttied up screw holes & re-primed the monitor enclosure after the repair a few posts up.  This now leaves the CP & monitor enclosure done.  Now to redo the top enclosure!

[emphatic]

Excellent! 

[dextercf]

love the white artwork! <3

[wsnyderco]

Excellent! 

I agree I would love to see the finished product, this is exactly what I would like to build for a MAME Cabinet

[drventure]

kop hasn't posted in almost a year. I'd love to see how it turned out too, but it might have died already....