The Restoration

I'm probably crazy but I've been thinking about this on and off for the better part of a year and I think I'm going to do it. This thing has never made it out of the basement (and I've finished another arcade cabinet in the mean time) because I can't bring myself to finish it and I think I know why - it's not as perfect and as user-friendly as I want it to be. There have been a lot of improvements in the home arcade scene since the time I designed/planned this thing out and the improvements I could make are things that will bother me until the end of time unless I do something about it. I'm not on any time table but here's the list of stuff I want to do:

• Completely remake the control panels - ALL THREE OF THEM! I can reuse the buttons, the trackball and the spinner but that's about it. I am going to install Ultimarc 360 joysticks instead of the T-Stiks I am currently using. The new sticks will allow for switching controls on the fly via software. No more twisting a restrictor plate into 4-way or 8-way mode!
  
• Redesign the button layout. I want to do this on all three panels to be a little more ergonomic as well as have better integration of the admin buttons (and label them!).
• Replace the iPac2 with an iPac4. This will allow me to have individually wired controls instead of running two sets of wires to each node on the encoder. With an iPac4 installed I'll be able to program the front end to react to whatever controls are being pressed and automatically face the list of games and front end graphics to whichever controls are active.
  

That's it as far as the "restoration" goes but I still have many things left to do that were never originally completed:

• Buy a 1/4" piece of tempered glass for the top.
  
• Install the glass clips to hold the glass table top in place.
  
• Wire the coin door and coin return lights
  
• Install the opaque plexiglass above the short control panels and wire some LEDs behind them to light everything up.
  
• Glue the grommet for the SmartStrip cord in place.
• Install artwork on the tabletop (assuming it ever arrives).
• Configure the software

It's a lot of stuff and it's probably going to take me a while but I enjoy working on these things so I'm looking forward to it.

Monitor Issues: Resolved (for now)

After some extensive tweaking in the mame.ini file I finally found the settings that display (most) games properly. The picture to the left shows the problem I was having. I kept having to disconnect the monitor from the computer and connect a spare LCD because Windows XP wasn't even showing up because it was set to output at a resolution my monitor could not handle.

Upon the advice of some people over at BYOAC I changed d3d to ddraw and then changed the following settings:

switchres 1
hwstretch 1
resolution 640x480

The picture is now completely rectangular and fills the screen (XP still looks off and so does MaLa but hopefully I can fix that later... well the MaLa gamelist display at least). With these settings enabled I'm forcing every game I run to display in 640x480 mode which isn't the end of the world. There might be a few games that look messed up running in this resolution but not many and certainly not to the untrained eye.

I also was able to launch Popeye for the first time ever on the cabinet - every previous attempt I was greeted with an "out of range" error message... it is one of the games that looks a little different than I remember it (not as sharp) but I can change "hwstretch" to "0" in a specific popeye.ini file. I'll have to continually tweak the individual .ini settings for the games that don't look quite right but there shouldn't be many of them.

Another Update

As previously mentioned, I started updating the computer with the newest version of MaLa and a fully compiled version of MAME .119u3. There's a problem with Galaga so it looks like I have to roll it back a version to MAME .119u2. Not a huge deal but it's going to be a pain because compiling takes about 45 minutes and there's no way around it.

What I'm more concerned with is the fact that after reinstalling everything, my monitor refused to output anything in the proper resolution. Every game I tried loading was completely pixelated and unplayable. I'm not sure how to fix this yet but I'm 99% sure it is a software issue either with MAME or MaLa and not a problem with the monitor itself because Windows XP and my game list (with the "snaps") displays perfectly.

I guess it's time to troubleshoot.

Quick Update:

• I tried to order the 1/4" tempered glass for the tabletop but the glass shop I went to told me it would cost about $250 - yeah, right - I'm not paying that. I am going to replace it but I need to find a cheaper solution. The 1/8" piece I am currently using will have to go in the trash I guess.
• I also contacted the artist that is doing my table top underlay and he said he will be getting me something soon (I've heard that one before though so I'm not holding my breath). HERE is a link to his site so you can see the style that I'm going for - he's very talented but very slow.
• I started updating the computer with the newest version of MaLa and a fully compiled version of MAME .119u3 - this doesn't match my romset (.118u2) but it shouldn't be a problem. I tried using MAME .118u2 but there is a bug for Mappy and Super Pac-man which are two essential games for the cabinet so I had to try a different version.

It's not much but compared to the last 12 months of inactivity it's a ton!!

I'm back!

After a LONG delay, the building of Bella's Arcade and the addition of another kid to the family I've decided to rededicate myself to finishing this arcade table. It has been playable for the last year or so but there are several things I have to do before calling this thing finished. Also, since it has been a year, there are a few things I'm going to try and improve since I last worked on it like updating the games (Street Fighter III is now playable!) and front end (MaLa is by far my favorite now so GameLauncher has got to go).

Here's the unofficial "to do" list:

• Buy a new glass top. The current glass top is 1/8" thick but that was a mistake on my part. Original cocktail cabinets used 1/4" thick glass table tops so that's what I want to use. I've got to get it tempered too.
• Install the glass clips to hold the glass table top in place. Just two screws on each of the 8 clips should do the trick.
• Wire the coin door - a working coin door will be nice even though I currently use buttons for inserting credits.
• Install the opaque plexiglass above the short control panels and wire some LEDs behind them to light everything up. The old cocktail cabinets had this feature for when people played in smokey, dank bars back in the 80s and wanted to see the controls. I'll grab power to illuminate the LEDs from the 5v line on the power supply of the computer.
• Glue the grommet for the SmartStrip cord in place - this should take all of 30 seconds to do but it might be a problem clamping/holding it in place.
• Install and configure MaLa and update the romlist - this is going to be a huge pain but I've got to do it.
• Install artwork on the tabletop. It's been two years since I commissioned the artwork from a "professional" artist and after emailing back and forth a million times I've sort of given up on ever getting anything from him. I've learned my lesson - don't ever pay for anything until you have a finished piece in hand. Hopefully he will come through and do what I paid him to do or karma will bite him in the ass. If I have to do this myself I might rethink the design (and name) of the arcade table...

Whew! that's about all that's left. It's actually not that much and I don't know why I've been waiting so long to wrap this thing up. Long term on this thing I might end up remaking the control panels and swapping out some of the joysticks. There have been a lot of cool innovations in the hobby over the past few years and the 4-way/8-way joystick "problem" has been virtually eliminated through software (MaLa's controller maps) and the corresponding Ultimarc 360 joysticks. Sometime in the future I'd like to upgrade everything but for now I just want to finish what I've got in front of me...

We refinished the third floor (attic) in our house and it's now a spare bedroom but there's no furniture up there. I think this thing would fit nicely...

Sidetracked...

Wow, it's been a while. I've been working on a new project: Bella's Arcade and I seem to have lost a little momentum on this one. I do plan on finishing it soon (definitely before Christmas) but there are a few parts I need to buy first as noted in the punchlist below. I can work on it at night for about an hour at a time once I buy the remaining parts.

I'm also considering rebuying the top layer of glass. I ordered it 1/8" thick and it should have been 1/4" thick - kind of a bummer but I want to get this right. Plus, the glass clips are way too big due to the difference in thickness.

Anyway, since I got this thing functional I had a party at the house and the cabinet was a huge hit. Watching everyone get to play and have fun was by far my favorite part of the entire project. One thing I did realize is that I need some type of instruction card and labels on the admin buttons. My guests were constantly asking questions on how to switch between games and insert coins, etc. The trash-talking was great! It was also surprising to me that certain members of my family were really good at some of the games - it's going to take me a while to get their initials off of the high score lists!

I will post comprehensive pics of the 90% complete cabinet later this week and hopefully get back on track.

Thanks for looking!

IT WORKS!!!

I'm so excited!! Earlier this week I finished mounting the monitor and I was able to attach the hinge and fire up the cabinet for the first time!! I don't have any good pictures but here's one of the thing all closed up with a game running. The flash on my camera combined with the dust on the glass tabletop really ruined the picture. When I get a few better pictures I will definitely post them.

I played a few games of Ms. Pac-man, Mr. Do! and Galaga and it felt great. I even squeaked out a 75,000 Ms. Pac-man score on my first game without really concentrating so the controls are working well. I still have a TON of software tweaking and game management to work on but if I wanted to I could have the thing playable for a party or something in a few hours of work. There are still a bunch of things I have to do until I call this project "complete" (and start the next one!). Here's the punchlist of outstanding items...


Cabinet construction:
1. Drill holes in base and install leg levelers
2. Drill hole for speaker volume controls
3. Splice speaker controls and thread through hole
4. Mount volume control underneath long CP with velcro
5. Wire coin door switches to ipac
6. Set coin door to accept tokens
7. Wire coin door LEDs to power supply
8. Wire plexiglass LEDs to powersupply
9. [Figure out how to remove CPs]
10. Seal any gaps in CPs
11. Seal any gaps between bezel and monitor
12. Install glass clips to hold glass in place
13. Install t-molding around CP3
14. Glue grommit for power supply plug in place

Other:
1. Print artwork to scale on vinyl at www.mamemarquees.com
2. Apply artwork to tabletop

To Buy:
1. Plexiglass for CP1 and CP2 lighting
2. LEDs for CP1 and CP2 lighting and coin door lights
3. Admin button labels

Computer Set-Up
1. Install and configure Front End [MaLa]
2. Manage game list
3. Hide Windows operation as much as possible upon boot up and power down

The PLUG

OK, not much to report as far as progress goes, unfortunately. I'm having a bit of trouble with the monitor mount. Attaching the monitor to the tabletop is proving to be far more difficult than I thought it would be...

As I've said plenty of times throughout this process, I want to make this thing look as "clean" as possible and not homemade in any way other than its uniqueness. One of the problems I encountered was getting everything to power on and off at the touch of a button. This was accomplished rather nicely by using a Smart Strip power supply.

Once I figured out where to place it within the cabinet, I had to figure out where to drill the hole on the outside for the power cord. I decided on the lower left side of the cabinet underneath the hinge for the access door. This simple decision turned out to be a bigger problem than I had ever envisioned.

I carefully measured the plug every which way I could and determined that it was 1" in diameter. So, in order to make this thing look "finished" I needed to drill a 1" hole in the proper location, feed the cord through the hole and then put a grommet of some kind around the hole to thread the cord through so it will look nice. Simple, right? Wrong.

The first problem I encountered was finding a 1" grommet. I looked all around at Office Max, Staples and Home Depot for something but the best they could do was a 2" grommet and it was going to be huge. I decided online would be my best bet and I eventually found one at Modern Office Interiors for approximately $10 ($3.75 + shipping). Kind of a rip off but at this point I just want to finish.

As I was waiting for the part to arrive I drilled the 1" hole using a hole saw attachment for my drill. When I tried to thread the power cord through the opening, it didn't fit. The hole was about 1/16" too small and there was no way to redrill it (and the grommet was already on the way). I ended up taking a razor and shaving off the rubber around the plug prongs until I could squeeze it through. I was able to get it through after about 10 minutes of tweaking. Whew!

A few days later the grommet arrived and I was anxious to get it installed, however I quickly realized that a 1" grommet only has a 1-7/8" interior diameter - there was no way to get the power cord through the grommet opening! I wanted to scream! Fortunately, a solution quickly presented itself. I thought about it and decided to take a razor and cut the grommet down the side. There was just enough play in the plastic to open up the grommet wide enough to slip the power cord in there. With the grommet cover in place you can't even see where the cut was made. Hopefully the pictures provide enough detail.



I think it came out nice in the end and just how I initially pictured it in my head. I just have to touch up a little tearout from drilling the hole with some leftover blue stain (that's what I get for using an old hole saw!). It was worth the trouble!

The lesson learned for all of this is no matter how much planning you do, there are always going to be things that pop up you didn't think about. It was frustrating but it was very satisfying to be able to come up with a solution.

Thanks for looking!

Bezel / Monitor Mount

Here are a couple of shots of the table top with the bezel in place. I want as snug of a fit as possible around the edges and I think once the weight of the glass is on there everything will fit together nicely. Mounting the monitor and getting the bezel just right has definitely been the hardest part of this project for me so far.

The bezel is not glued into place or anything and right now it is just held in place by painter's tape as you can see. The edges around the monitor do look nice though and I think the screen is centered. The monitor does allow me to move the picture around so if it's not perfectly centered when I turn it on I can tweak it.

I'll be posting some pics of the inside of the monitor mount later. Thanks for looking!

The Power Button

These shots are from the underside of the long CP. The red button is the power on and power off switch. One press turns everything on and one more press turns everything off (thank god for the smart strip!).

It was pretty easy to install - I used a 1-1/4" forstner bit to drill a hole about 1/2 way into the bottom panel (from the inside/top) and then using the center mark left by the bit, I just drilled a hole all the way through for the shaft of the button (note the tear out - I'll touch it up later). The reason for the "two-step" drilling of the hole is so I could get my fingers around the shaft of the button to turn the nut that secures the button in place. It also made wiring it up a little easier.

You can't see it at all where it is located and no one will even know it is there unless I tell them. Also, the button is quite tough to press so I'm not worried about an accidental press by someone's knee during play...

Thanks for looking!