The NEW Build Your Own Arcade Controls
Main => Project Announcements => Topic started by: nullb0y on February 07, 2006, 12:28:09 pm
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i decided i wanted to make a showcase cabinet because my 36" television doesnt get much use ;). ive thrown some dimentions together
(im tall so i want the cab to be tall too)
television dimentions
34" wide
30" tall
22" deep
Cabinet dimentions:
36" wide
72" tall
24" deep
shelf in cab
40" from bottom
Front support /cords box compartment
12" wide
4" tall
doors on front (for pc/console access)
(dimentions should leave 2 in clearance for television which is to prevent it being the wrong size lol. anyways id make a bezel out of wood and the front support box iss where the cords would goto the podium/ddr pads
if anyone has any input please let me know
materials, proper support, anything my noob arse might miss
_____ I NEED_______
4 player coin door (thought i had one must have sold it) :banghead:
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All I can offer at this point is this:
I hope you have a lot of time on your hands.
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oh deff i have NO life
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nice pics of your progress so far. How'd you get all those dimensions to line up so well in that pic? ;D
I'd suggest you buy wood. All the really sweet cabs seem to have this aspect in common, so I bet you can't skip that.
;D ;D ;D
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wood is overrated, I think you should make the entire cabinet out of glass
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The guy who's helping me build my cab suggested we scrap the whole thing and start over in acrylic.
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Acrylic PAINT, right? Laying down coats of it on glass to buld up to the thickness you want and then using that? I agree. Use layered acrylic paint if you don't have access to wood. Just remember to use the glass, otherwise the paint is hard to peel off of any other material.
EXCELLENT suggestion - top notch! BRILLIANT!
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This question belongs in Board Discussion, but ...
Is there a way I can receive notification anytime that Drew responds to nullboy ?
I'm loving these. Thanks, DK !
Cheers.
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This question belongs in Board Discussion, but ...
Is there a way I can receive notification anytime that Drew responds to nullboy ?
I'm loving these. Thanks, DK !
Cheers.
when posting a reply, click on "additional options" then check the "notify me of replies" box. And I just had a great idea...make the cabinet out of old tires.
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This question belongs in Board Discussion, but ...
Is there a way I can receive notification anytime that Drew responds to nullboy ?
I'm loving these. Thanks, DK !
Cheers.
when posting a reply, click on "additional options" then check the "notify me of replies" box. And I just had a great idea...make the cabinet out of old tires.
But I still have to find the thread in the first place ... there have been 3 differrent threads (with DK responding to nullboy) that I know of in recent days and I fully expect nullboy to start others ...
Cheers.
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This question belongs in Board Discussion, but ...
Is there a way I can receive notification anytime that Drew responds to nullboy ?
I'm loving these. Thanks, DK !
Cheers.
Go to your profile. Select a different theme. I know for sure that Orangeena gives you a link for "Show new replies to your posts" (although it's gawdawful hideous ::) I know for certain that there's one other theme that offers that as well that isn't as ugly as sin. Hit the preview to test 'em out and see. Since you've replied here, it'll list this one somewhere on the first page if it's the newest.
Other than that, well....I'm more suited to giving nullboy ideas ;)
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lol ok not making a new thread for it ok see? lol anyways
i started my designs for the cabinet and made a cardboard mockup
i also researced mdf a bit and i guess it will hold my 36" up safely if i just brace it properly
here is a picture of where i am so far lol
its prety generic but alot of the ideas i have for this one will hopefuly make it unique
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That looks like that newfangled corrugated MDF. I DEFINITELY like how thin you can make a CP with that stuff, but for whatever reason, your CP controls just leave me...welll.....flat. :(
I also like the Bender smile on your podium, that certainly IS unique ;)
Not sure if this is safe for the board or not, but I've heard and seen Boonga Boonga and the odd control to play that game and for the life of me, the only thing I can think that "control" you've got on the left of the trackball will be used for is the as-yet-unreleased "Queer Eye For The Boonga Boonga Guy" game they're talking about putting into the next version of MAME.
Excellent start!
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hehehe its the "cardboard mock up stage" that i usually do when designing a controll pannel to get a good idea for size and feel without wasting wood. if i lay it out on my computer i wont really get the actual feel for the way it will be layed out. also it showed me that i need to make the controll pannel about a foot taller then the dynamo cabnets have allways good to know ^_^
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also it showed me that i need to make the controll pannel about a foot taller then the dynamo cabnets have allways good to know ^_^
Interesting ... I'm 6'3" and having a CP "a foot taller than a Dynamo" Showcase would put the controls slightly below my sternum ...
Cheers.
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null cabinets sucks..cuz its always made out of carboard boxes. try building your cabinets with wood or somethin !
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erm huh? i have some dynamo showcase designs with measurements my foot taller was off i forgot the controlls are in a box lol so i boosted it with the depth of a box and the wood and got about 6 inches higher i need to be confortable in a chair or standing
hahahaha thanks yah my cardboard crack kills
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i like the cardboard CP - looks like some of office furnishings I remember cartman making in an ep of Southpark....
I don't know if the cardboard will be able to support your TV, though, even if you do use braces. May want to consider switching over to a cardboard TV too.
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yah mabey lol anyways i bought a sheet of mdf for the control pannel today and as soon as i leave lowes it is a freaking down pour..... hahaha yeah go figure....
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i built the extra tall controll pannel base today no sweat
mum let her ---smurfing--- muts out just as ai finished and they pissed alover it
F :censored:ING DOGS I HATE EM!
pictures as soon as im ready to stop being lazy
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i finished cutting and putting the controll pannel box together (temp top and the bottom assembly) the bondo is drying right now so ill try to do some sanding tomorow (was lazy and just bondoerated gaps) ill post the rest of the pics soon
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Thats rough about the dogs. Mine are generally good but sometimes they are unpredictable.
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yah anyone know how to remove a urine stain from unpainted mdf? lol i have a feeling im sanding that off and just throwing primer over it lol
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:laugh2: :laugh2: :laugh2: :laugh2:
Sorry about your misfortune but I skipped right to the bottom of the page and saw your last post, completely cracked me up!
As for removing the stain I cannot help you there, I cant really see It being a common problem amongst us cab builders.
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yah anyone know how to remove a urine stain from unpainted mdf? lol i have a feeling im sanding that off and just throwing primer over it lol
Hehe what you haven't seen this infomercial (sp?) ;D
http://www.urinegone.com/?cid=175193 (http://www.urinegone.com/?cid=175193)
:laugh2:
mj147
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You could cover it up with "Kilz" brand primer.
I use it on knots and such, just never had the chance to use it on urine, blood, spooge, etc....
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http://69.14.109.15/rcade.rar
anyways heres an archive of all of the pictures ive taken so far takes to long to load em all on here
i think if i just sand it down and prime over it it should be fine.. as it was a sunny day and it mostly evaporated
oh yeah btw thats the girlfriend in some of those pics...
she helped me build it on our 1 year going out anaversary thingy
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You post a link to a 26Mb RAR without mentionning the size ? :lame:
Cheers.
EDIT: Liked the embedded 8Mb RAR of house pictures, including dog dishes ... :dizzy:
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opsie ::edits file:: its now 18.2 megs.......
i got some sanding on the bondo done today...
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You should try photobucket.com (http://photobucket.com).
Very good image hosting.
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yah i hosted it like that so if u wantwed pics u could see em but so that this page doesnt take an hour for ppl to load... and i refuse to use photo bucket
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Ah I see. Why the photobucket refusal? Not tryin to push it on or anything but there's an option to do image clickable thumbnails so the only pic that has to load is the thumbnail.
Anyway the cabinet looks good so far. I was actually thinkin about doin one of those and have the control panel detachable with molex connectors and have it sort of as a mame in the cabinet home consoles out of the cabinet sort of thing.
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yup thats the plan its all run through svideo im going to get a svideo switch all my systems except ps2 have wireless controllers. so basically itll all work out good i think... my tv has been acting up tho :( so im gonna bring it in for repair.... it is really bright and lines are blury now.... to use windows i have to make it extra dark so i can actually read the screen heh...
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ok so i posted anouther picture pack....
http://69.14.109.15/rcade2.zip its about 12.7 megs
also heres a pic of me and what ive done so far ^_^
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Nice pics. Must be nice to work outside...
What is the measurement from where your hands rest to the floor?
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hmmmm
i dont knooooo
i took it apart (easy 6 screws holding the cp on) so i wouldnt know, I thinks its around 42"
36" podium 4.5 inches of wood sideways and 2 sheets of mdf
oh yeah the urine didnt sink in to deep i sanded a light layer off (eww smelly) and the stain was gone
right now im working on the button layouts
cp is a nice 49"x20"
layout for buttons is
1234
456
(yes i do repeat 4 so neogeo games dont anoy me so much)
also players 3 and 4 only get the top 4 buttons drilled with room for the others later if i decide to emulate thrill kill or something
oh also i wont be able to work outside for a while raining all week and weekend i hear... so yeah ill try to do the layouts and ordering of buttons done this week....
does anyone have a trackball drill/cut template for a 3" trackball?
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I have a 3" template in Visio format, I can shoot it to you if you want....it's what I used for my control panel so I know it's right.
Let me know.
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finally you are building cabinets with WOOD ! looks good so far :cheers:
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lol carboard mockup common ppl lol let it die anyways whats visio? i dont have it whatever it is can u convert it to an actual size jpg?
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Visio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Visio (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Visio)
I just put the trackball template on a page and printed it to PDF, it's attached here. When you print it make SURE all printing options to stretch or fit to page are off so you get the right size. Hope it helps, I don't know how to convert it to anything else.....
BTW, I didn't create this, got it from here a few years ago.....
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thanks ^_^
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Ok so today i drilled my button and joystick holes no i didnt drill bolt holes those are just pilots
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i like the cardboard CP - looks like some of office furnishings I remember cartman making in an ep of Southpark....
I don't know if the cardboard will be able to support your TV, though, even if you do use braces. May want to consider switching over to a cardboard TV too.
yeah well check it out my next project follows the plans at this site:
http://www.ugiansky.com/trashcade/index.html
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im currently trying to place locations for a spinner trackbasll and trigger stick also the admin buttons trackball buttons and start buttons I CANT FIGURE THIS OUT FOR SOME REASON i really dont want the trackball in the middle of my cp....
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What are you going to be using the trackball for? If not for Golden Tee, then you could almost put it right in front of P1's area.
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we do play a bit of golden tee but centering gets in the way
im thionking of placing over the player 2 buttons
and having the other things to the other side
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Well, unless you're going to be playing Golden Tee seriously, it shouldn't matter.
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right we usually do play it a bit but not so much umm i usualy turn the sensitivity up tho lol so yeah i think over my p2 buttons would work good
now i just need to waitr for my stuff from conseit68 to show up
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I can hardly understand a damn word you are saying. Remember, the English language is not your enemy.
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Remember, the English language is not your enemy.
I think at this point he's offended the English language enough that it has declared him an enemy.
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Remember, the English language is not your enemy.
I think at this point he's offended the English language enough that it has declared him an enemy.
thankies your offence apreiciate this i do cheese is a lovely way to sanctify a conversation
:dizzy: :dizzy: :dizzy:
but really i suck at english
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I am not trying to offend you.
But
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im going to put time into a webpage and post a link on here when im finished... im just an idiot lol so it takes me a while to properly get an idea out there
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I moved my podium indoors, here is a picture. I also put some buttons in to test out my layout. they worked rather nice for me with my large hands and for my girlfriend with her small hands.
Also im moving on to my next step on my project which is taking apart the nullifier rotating the screen for vert games and building a new control pannel. it will be my dedicated vert cabinet.
here is a pic of the podium (yes i know start buttons dont belong where they joysticks go)
conseit68 wheres my STUFF>?!>!!?!??!>
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Looks good so far. Is it stable if you mash on the buttons?
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there's no way that base can be stable enough for players 3 and 4 to do anything but dainty button presses. The CP itself looks great. The base, IMO, looks like you ran out of wood.
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there's no way that base can be stable enough for players 3 and 4 to do anything but dainty button presses. The CP itself looks great. The base, IMO, looks like you ran out of wood.
You never know. He might have a 200lb block of lead in the base at the very bottom to keep it stable.....
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:spam:
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i purchased a really nice dolby dts reciver (420 watts) with 5.1 speakers (no its not 5.1 surround:( .... ) anyways im deciding wether to hook that up to my arcade or use my 2.1 altec lansing (6 speakers 1 sub) from my gaming pc on it and put the new system on my main gaming machine.
oh also me and 3 other guys all went on a mash spree trying to tip the cp THE BASE IS TOO HEAVY TO TIP even with added weight on the top
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oh also me and 3 other guys all went on a mash spree trying to tip the cp THE BASE IS TOO HEAVY TO TIP even with added weight on the top
I'll take your word that it is stable, but I don't see how. Just as a added precaution, how about cutting some block at a 45 degree angle and putting them on each side. It would add to the stability and look aesthetically pleasing
Tim
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Looks good, Nullboy, but definitely needs a base. Just sit on one end as a test, because people get crazy while playing games. I know from experience. And you just might end up squashing one of your mother's dogs.
Good luck, post more progress pics when you get them.
Cheers,
KenToad
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Looking good nullb0y. I was thinking of building a pedestal for using my 4-player panel with my home theater system too.
Keep up the good work.
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the wedges wouldnt look too great i dont think anyways its not square its angeled but you really have to put A lot of force into it lol with a 3rd or 4th player we would probably keep it centered anyways. i cant sit on it it would definately tip even with a wider base i weigh about 220 i will do the tip test for the monitor stand tho lol.
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k so i finally did something today but not on the new one lol i rotated my monitor on the nullifier cabinet so it would play vert games yay ^_^ i still need to build the controll pannel again heh i might just cut most of the old one off and mount new sticks and such
anyways heres the pix
its all still works yay!!!
next step is building a 2 player 4 way w/ leafs control pannel
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okay so i broke my saw a while back and had other issues delaying my budget but i got thwe computer running mame and stepmania on the 36" tv aparently the drivers had to be modified to get the card to display on my television properly (something do do with the tv being older and wornout) soo i will post some pictures soon of it running but now im going on vacation when i get back i will definately be working on the monitor stand
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okay so i FINALLY put some more work into the cabinet today
i drilled the start buttons and the mouse/admin buttons also i installed the second joystick.
my 3rd and 4th player buttons starts and joysticks are on their way
i got an ipac 4 in a trade so i will use that as the main interface for the controls
here are some new pics:
oh and dont worry the screen is NOT going to sit on those stands.... thats a temp fix as my stand broke lol
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weeee no one cares!!!
lmao
anyways i worked on the placement on trackball
spinner and trigger joy will eventualy be added im really not quite shure where to put the trackball lol
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lol lamo snap duders rotf woot!!!!!!!!!!!!
;)
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lol lamo snap duders rotf woot!!!!!!!!!!!!
;)
hi ed ^_^
:cheers:
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so i added a chain got my new buttons and joys.... had to dig for an extra nut as i was shorted :( and i have yet to mount the joysticks
i am also working on cleaning the used trackball i got some one used wd40 to clean it and didnt relube so the bearings are uber dry and some of the bearings are locked.... anyone know how to fix that? i have a few trackballs i think ill take donor parts lol
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nothing new much but my cheap arsed router is here
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Wow, so.... I JUST today decided to bust out the router
Its not perfect but with artwork and plexi on top it will look just fine ;)
ALMOST 2 YEARS AFTER I GOT THE ROUTER
PS. i also bought a fiero and started focusing on that more then the r cade
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Wow, so.... I JUST today decided to bust out the router
Its not perfect but with artwork and plexi on top it will look just fine ;)
ALMOST 2 YEARS AFTER I GOT THE ROUTER
PS. i also bought a fiero and started focusing on that more then the r cade
No pictures?
:soapbox:
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You know... i forgot about pictures
Here is one picture of the holes, yeah yeah there not pretty but with artwork and plexi whos going to know the difference? NOT ME :D ;D
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Also, a pic of a joystick flush mounted ^_^
Actually recessed a bit...
I will print the art on some thick stock most likely
Ive ditched the spinner trigger stick and track ball ideas
Its going to be a 4 player fighter pad
Ive got a pretty basic art design in the works
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I'm so lost. You took a 2 year break from working on this cab?
Where is the cream filling man?! Let's see some pics....
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Yeah, I bought a car and have put most of my free time into that...
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So, bought some formica today, And proceeded to destroy a sheet with a jigsaw
So, ive ordered a $10 set of laminate cutting blades
Ive also managed to get a piece large enough for my CP
Its a bit oversized but now i know better and ordered a laminate blade for my jigsaw
hopefully it doesn't crack anymore
right now the CP base is holding the formica to the top of the cp so the glue can fully cure with alot of pressure
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Picture of the formica glued down and drilled
no worried about the rough edges i ordered a laminate jig saw blade and will be trimming the areas that got broken
The surface is a slate matte finish, i like it because its not too glossy and will make the arcade buttons stand out more.
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nullb0y, man, dont flame me bro, Im just wondering why formica? I have a little trick that would be just as cheap but look a little better if you havent already decided to go with the formica.
If you are interested than read on, if not, just ignore what you are reading!
If you want to go straight black with a slight silver or something, try this.
Remove that formica, brush paint your CP with straight black based paint. Put at least two coats. Sand lightly, just get all the brush stroke out and make it smooth as possible. Clear coat twice, then paint black again. Shouldnt have to even sand the black because the clear coat will be as smooth as glass. Put at least 4 coats of clear coat sealer on top of the black. Use a brush and lightly streak some grey or bright silver paint accross the panel. Sand very very lightly. Clear coat no less than 4 or 5 times. It comes out real nice. Its like glass but hard as steel. If it chips, just touch up with paint and drop some clear coat on the area. Has spilled drink repelent powers too...
No offense, that formica is going to let you down after you get your whole arcade done.
Clear coat wont fingerprint that bad either. If it does, clean it with Sprayway foam glass cleaner and not Windex. Windex has Ammonia which will strip the gloss.
You can also do the sides too, but it would be easier to just Vinyl.
Okay, let the flamming begin... :cheers:
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Picture of the formica glued down and drilled
no worried about the rough edges i ordered a laminate jig saw blade and will be trimming the areas that got broken
The surface is a slate matte finish, i like it because its not too glossy and will make the arcade buttons stand out more.
I like the formica! As far as cutting it out, why not just use your router and a flush cut bit. Then you can cut directly to the edge of the panel. Jig saws can be finnicky, and if that guide gets crooked on your saw, you could very easily cut at an angle or worse, cause your formica to crack.
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nullb0y, man, dont flame me bro, Im just wondering why formica? I have a little trick that would be just as cheap but look a little better if you havent already decided to go with the formica.
If you are interested than read on, if not, just ignore what you are reading!
If you want to go straight black with a slight silver or something, try this.
Remove that formica, brush paint your CP with straight black based paint. Put at least two coats. Sand lightly, just get all the brush stroke out and make it smooth as possible. Clear coat twice, then paint black again. Shouldnt have to even sand the black because the clear coat will be as smooth as glass. Put at least 4 coats of clear coat sealer on top of the black. Use a brush and lightly streak some grey or bright silver paint accross the panel. Sand very very lightly. Clear coat no less than 4 or 5 times. It comes out real nice. Its like glass but hard as steel. If it chips, just touch up with paint and drop some clear coat on the area. Has spilled drink repelent powers too...
No offense, that formica is going to let you down after you get your whole arcade done.
Clear coat wont fingerprint that bad either. If it does, clean it with Sprayway foam glass cleaner and not Windex. Windex has Ammonia which will strip the gloss.
You can also do the sides too, but it would be easier to just Vinyl.
Okay, let the flamming begin... :cheers:
yeah, too late no flaming
But i flush mounted joysticks and think plexi or this was the best idea
And i KNOW id botch the plexi
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Okay, so i bought a router bit for laminate
IT CAME OUT FANTASTIC
a little filing and some black paint and this thing will be ready to use ^_^
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ALSO, Started on the paint today
Primed all 3 sections
BTW thats the bottom of the CP
the joystick bases are perminately wedged + hotglued in place under the formica which is also held on with more heavy adhesive
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Well, goodluck man. Looking great.
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Looking good, dude! I know from personal experience what it's like to have to go through a whole two years without working on my own cab... But it looks like you're making good progress! Stick with it, and you'll be playing games on it before you know it. :)
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due to future time constraints (moving into a condo) im not bothering with the monitor portion
ill just be using my media center and 37" 720p set
ah the wonders of usb
So, this is turning out great the primer is making it look better lol
Tonight i plan on doing the textured hammered black paint (layer 1)
Im also going to use my extra mdf and formica to make some small single player pads nice for chilling on a couch and playing
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So, its painted
It came out a sort of gunmetal/black two tone mix with the hammered finish i think it looks awesome
The cp is a slate textured finish and i think its gonna look great assembeled ^_^
aparently my over taping and painting of cp ended up with some primer and paint on the formica...
the primer comes off with some cleaner and elbow grease... its just gonna take a bit of time
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Wired up ^_^
Now onto testing and re assembling the podium
p.s. im cleaning the paint on the edges of the CP up
its just primer so it cleans up fine
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A few more details like the paint not existing in one area and the cp still has primer on it... (this is taking a while)
But its assembeled and playable ^_^
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Every thing is wired up programed and works great
Had a awesome 4 player game of simpsons and turtles in time yesterday
I do need a new piano hinge as the one i installed is bent and the screws need to be replaced..
I still have a tiny bit of paint that needs to be cleaned up
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project is on hold
all it needs:
Coindoor / coin buttons
New 48" piano hinge
Wide base (doesnt really tip when your playing it but it would be nice)
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got the new piano hinge
I am considering rigging up some coin reject slots for credit up buttons
48" piano hinge installed
alot more sturdy and the screws are the RIGHT size
I probably need help lineing it up things are about .1 inches off ;)
ONTO THE CASTERS!