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!
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Thursday, August 17, 2006
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
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
Monday, August 14, 2006
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!
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!
Monday, August 07, 2006
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.
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!
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
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...
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!
Monday, July 31, 2006
MORE Interior Pictures!!
Since I know you can never really have too many of these...
You can see that there are a ton of wires inside - I don't know how some people maintain such neatly wired cabinets. The speakers and subwoofer were the main culprits - there is a power cord, two cords to the individual speakers and a cord for the volume control unit (which you can see just sitting in the coin box - I haven't decided where to mount it yet). I just ended up bunching the wires with ties - I guess I could have cut the wires to the proper length and reattach them with some electrical tape but that seemed like a lot of unnecessary work.
The power supply wires to the fans were also hard to keep neat and I also have an extra wire running from the underside of the third CP to the motherboard (the twisted black and green wire) for the power button to the computer. One press turns everything on and another press powers everything off. I really like this feature - it makes it easy for just about anyone to operate (assuming you know where the button is hidden!).
I will be posting more miscellaneous pictures a bit later. Thanks for looking!
Since I know you can never really have too many of these...
You can see that there are a ton of wires inside - I don't know how some people maintain such neatly wired cabinets. The speakers and subwoofer were the main culprits - there is a power cord, two cords to the individual speakers and a cord for the volume control unit (which you can see just sitting in the coin box - I haven't decided where to mount it yet). I just ended up bunching the wires with ties - I guess I could have cut the wires to the proper length and reattach them with some electrical tape but that seemed like a lot of unnecessary work.
The power supply wires to the fans were also hard to keep neat and I also have an extra wire running from the underside of the third CP to the motherboard (the twisted black and green wire) for the power button to the computer. One press turns everything on and another press powers everything off. I really like this feature - it makes it easy for just about anyone to operate (assuming you know where the button is hidden!).
I will be posting more miscellaneous pictures a bit later. Thanks for looking!
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Technical Crap
OK, since so many of you are dying to know exactly how I hooked everything up I created the diagram below to explain exactly how I did it. I have to warn you that it's pretty technical and probably can only be understood by less than 1% of the arcade-building population though. It should give you a good idea how everything fits together and how truly great the Smart Strip is. All you have to do is press the "on" button and the entire cabinet fires up - the motherboard, speakers, monitor and lights (when I get around to installing the LEDs).
More progress pictures are coming soon - I'm almost finished!!
OK, since so many of you are dying to know exactly how I hooked everything up I created the diagram below to explain exactly how I did it. I have to warn you that it's pretty technical and probably can only be understood by less than 1% of the arcade-building population though. It should give you a good idea how everything fits together and how truly great the Smart Strip is. All you have to do is press the "on" button and the entire cabinet fires up - the motherboard, speakers, monitor and lights (when I get around to installing the LEDs).
More progress pictures are coming soon - I'm almost finished!!
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Monday, July 10, 2006
Computer Installed - It Works!!
Well, I don't have any new pictures because I can't find the camera (again) but I managed to install the computer inside of the cabinet this weekend. I haven't mounted the monitor yet - that will probably be the last thing I do but I have connected a computer monitor so I can tinker/tweak the software and front end.
Holy crap what a mess - I even used ties to bunch wires together but somehow it still looks messy. I haven't even really started wiring the controls yet but I think I can keep that pretty organized since I am the one determining wire length (I can run wires along the sides of the cab instead of stretching across the middle to power a fan or connect the HDD to the motherboard, etc.). Damn, pics would really help...
It's my first computer build and I'm pretty proud that I got it to work (with help, of course). Tomorrow I am going to drill the final holes in the cab (after painfully taking everything out):
1. 4.5" hole in the bottom for third fan
2. 1/8" hole for power switch
3. 1/4" hole for volume control (I have to cut and then splice the controls after threading the wire through the hole)
Once I get this done and everything back in there I can wire the controls. I imagine the trackball and spinner will give me the most problems...
Well, I don't have any new pictures because I can't find the camera (again) but I managed to install the computer inside of the cabinet this weekend. I haven't mounted the monitor yet - that will probably be the last thing I do but I have connected a computer monitor so I can tinker/tweak the software and front end.
Holy crap what a mess - I even used ties to bunch wires together but somehow it still looks messy. I haven't even really started wiring the controls yet but I think I can keep that pretty organized since I am the one determining wire length (I can run wires along the sides of the cab instead of stretching across the middle to power a fan or connect the HDD to the motherboard, etc.). Damn, pics would really help...
It's my first computer build and I'm pretty proud that I got it to work (with help, of course). Tomorrow I am going to drill the final holes in the cab (after painfully taking everything out):
1. 4.5" hole in the bottom for third fan
2. 1/8" hole for power switch
3. 1/4" hole for volume control (I have to cut and then splice the controls after threading the wire through the hole)
Once I get this done and everything back in there I can wire the controls. I imagine the trackball and spinner will give me the most problems...
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Computer Parts and Miscellaneous Items HERE!
The finish line is actually in sight. I've ordered what I believe to be the last pieces to my arcade cabinet besides the artwork for the tabletop.
Computer Parts (from www.newegg.com):
Power Supply:
Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-500 ATX12V 500W Power Supply -Retail
Item #: N82E16817103937
The finish line is actually in sight. I've ordered what I believe to be the last pieces to my arcade cabinet besides the artwork for the tabletop.
Computer Parts (from www.newegg.com):
Power Supply:
Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-500 ATX12V 500W Power Supply -Retail
Item #: N82E16817103937
The power supply also came with a ton of wires to power all of the fans, the harddrive (with a SATA connection) as well as the motherboard. I will probably also use one of the wires for some lighting effects behind the plexiglass above the player 1 and player 2 control panels and to light the coin slots on the coin door. Here's a shot of all the wires that came with it:
RAM (I ordered 2 of these for 1GB total RAM):
CORSAIR ValueSelect 512MB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model VS512MB400 - Retail
Item #: N82E16820145026
Hard Drive:
Western Digital Caviar SE WD800JD 80GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822135106
This finishes off the computer!
Internal Wiring / Connectors (from www.mouser.com):
For some of the internal wiring I decided to order some Molex connectors. These will allow me to easily disconnect the control panels instead of having to unscrew every wire from the iPac.
I ordered 10 plugs (female) and 10 receptacles (male) with room for 4 wires (in-line) and 10 plugs (female) and 10 receptacles (male) with room for 6 wires (matrix). The size is .062" which is good for 18-24 gauge wire. I also ordered 100 pins and 100 sockets to use in the plugs and receptacles. I hope everything works OK. If anyone is interested, this is where I got everything from: http://www.mouser.com/catalog/626/1079.pdf
This weekend I am going to install everything and configure the computer, including the monitor. I am going to try my hardest to get everything completed so the arcade is fully playable. I will install the Molex connectors next week (they probably won't arrive until Monday) but that should be easy enough to do after the fact.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
(Some) Computer Parts Are Here!!!
Ok, I know this isn't a big deal but for me this has been the part of the project I've been agonizing over. I have never built a computer from scratch but I'm determined to learn. Anyway, the motherboard and processor arrived the other day and I took a few pictures to share. Here are the specs (I don't know what any of it means):
ECS 761GX-M754 (3.0C) w/XPM 3100+ AMD Athlon XP Mobile 3100+ Socket 754 SiS 761 GX Micro ATX Motherboard/CPU Set
The outside and inside of the box:
The contents of the box:
Super close-up of the motherboard and processor:
I still need to buy RAM (1GB), a hard drive and a power supply. Recommendations would be greatly appreciated. The goal of the machine is to be able to play most games in MAME as well as some NES and SNES games. I will not be playing any modern computer games or using this as a jukebox or anything - just the games.
Stay tuned for more progress!
Ok, I know this isn't a big deal but for me this has been the part of the project I've been agonizing over. I have never built a computer from scratch but I'm determined to learn. Anyway, the motherboard and processor arrived the other day and I took a few pictures to share. Here are the specs (I don't know what any of it means):
ECS 761GX-M754 (3.0C) w/XPM 3100+ AMD Athlon XP Mobile 3100+ Socket 754 SiS 761 GX Micro ATX Motherboard/CPU Set
The outside and inside of the box:
The contents of the box:
Super close-up of the motherboard and processor:
I still need to buy RAM (1GB), a hard drive and a power supply. Recommendations would be greatly appreciated. The goal of the machine is to be able to play most games in MAME as well as some NES and SNES games. I will not be playing any modern computer games or using this as a jukebox or anything - just the games.
Stay tuned for more progress!
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Finished (almost) Control Panels!!
I finally got around to putting the finishing touches on the control panels. All I really had to do was add the admin buttons (start, pause, insert coin and exit) to each of the control panels. The hardest part was finding the right buttons. I wanted them to be much smaller than the "action" buttons that you use to play and they also had to be black to match the overall look of my cabinet. I finally settled on mini-buttons from Radioshack. They can be found here for $2.50 each. They look great and are the perfect solution!
I guess I'm not 100% finished with these things yet but I am really close. I want to label the buttons somehow so players know what they do and I am thinking about switching out the white trackball for a black one so it matches. Anyway, here are the pictures:
This first overhead shot of the player 1 control panel shows the basic layout I used for all of the admin buttons. Each player's control panel has 4 admin buttons - 3 grouped together on the left (for insert coin, player start and pause) and 1 to the far right (exit game to menu).
This is the player 2 control panel (no spinner here).
The last picture shows the completed player 3 and player 4 control panel with the admin buttons installed. The white trackball is so distracting to me... I'm probably going to change it to a black one. I've seen people use pool balls as a trackball (they are the same size - 2.25") but I think if I can find a plain black one I'm just going to sue that. Also, for some reason this picture really emphasizes the outline of the trackball plate that you can see through the vinyl but in person it is hardly noticeable. Weird. I haven't added the t-molding to the side panels yet because I'm afraid it will be more difficult to open this control panel for wiring purposes. That will probably be one of the last things I do.
I've started ordering computer parts and they should be arriving by early next week so hopefully I will be making more progress soon - I'm getting there...
Thanks for looking!!
I finally got around to putting the finishing touches on the control panels. All I really had to do was add the admin buttons (start, pause, insert coin and exit) to each of the control panels. The hardest part was finding the right buttons. I wanted them to be much smaller than the "action" buttons that you use to play and they also had to be black to match the overall look of my cabinet. I finally settled on mini-buttons from Radioshack. They can be found here for $2.50 each. They look great and are the perfect solution!I guess I'm not 100% finished with these things yet but I am really close. I want to label the buttons somehow so players know what they do and I am thinking about switching out the white trackball for a black one so it matches. Anyway, here are the pictures:
This first overhead shot of the player 1 control panel shows the basic layout I used for all of the admin buttons. Each player's control panel has 4 admin buttons - 3 grouped together on the left (for insert coin, player start and pause) and 1 to the far right (exit game to menu).
This is the player 2 control panel (no spinner here).
The last picture shows the completed player 3 and player 4 control panel with the admin buttons installed. The white trackball is so distracting to me... I'm probably going to change it to a black one. I've seen people use pool balls as a trackball (they are the same size - 2.25") but I think if I can find a plain black one I'm just going to sue that. Also, for some reason this picture really emphasizes the outline of the trackball plate that you can see through the vinyl but in person it is hardly noticeable. Weird. I haven't added the t-molding to the side panels yet because I'm afraid it will be more difficult to open this control panel for wiring purposes. That will probably be one of the last things I do.
I've started ordering computer parts and they should be arriving by early next week so hopefully I will be making more progress soon - I'm getting there...
Thanks for looking!!
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Holy crap!!! An update!!!
OK, I'm not finished or anything but I have made a lot of progress since the last time I posted. You probably can't tell from the pictures but I will do my best to explain what I have done. I'm up to the part where you have to pick out a computer and install it in the cabinet. I have never built a computer before so it is going to be the most difficult part for me to do and I seem to be stalling. I want to be able to play some of the more modern fighters like Killer Instinct, Mortal Kombat 3, Street Fighter Alpha 3, etc. so I need to put something together that is a little bit faster than most MAME computers. From what I understand though a really old computer will play about 90% of the games in MAME - that's what I'll put in my next cabinet I guess... Anyway, on to the updates:
This first picture is an overview of what's going on inside so far. As you can see, I've installed the Player 1 and Player 2 control panels and wired them up to the ipac which is the thing on the right where all of the wires go to (and it is what allows the buttons and joysticks to "talk" to the computer - interface for pc to arcade controls). The control panels screw into place underneath the cab (not pictured) and on the inside using the metal plates as you can see. Most people also use mounting blocks underneath each side of the control panels to hold them in place but I didn't have room in there and the metal plates are more than sufficient. They don't move at all. In addition, you can see that I installed the silver clips (above each side of the coin door) which are used to secure the tabletop to the body of the cabinet. There are corresponding brackets attached to the tabletop that the clips secure to when it is closed.
This next picture shows the ipac with the Player 1 and Player 2 control panels all wired up. I am using red wire for the Player 1 controls and blue wire for the Player 2 controls so I don't confuse everything. I also used black for the ground wires for each. The little blue pieces of tape were used on each with to label what button it belonged to. I also bought some electrical ties so it wouldn't look like a rats nest of wires in there when I was finished. The ipac plugs directly into the computer's usb port - it is super easy to use. I got it from www.ultimarc.com. The controls actually work! I was able to test it out using my laptop. Also note, I used a 4.5" hole saw and my drill to cut out the hole for the 80mm fan. It is going to get pretty hot in there with a computer and monitor running and I want to make sure there is adequate ventilation. There is a hole on each side for intake and outtake fans. I am also planning to cut a hole in the bottom for a third fan and mount a fourth fan directly on the chassis of the monitor.
As you can see below, I also installed the speaker/fan grills on the outside of the cabinet. They were simple to install and the layout is mirrored on the other side. I am mounting a fan and speaker on each side of the cabinet. I am still undecided on whether to include the bass tube that comes with the 2.1 speaker setup. You don't really need it for MAME and it's just one more thing to heat up the inside.... maybe if there is room. If you look closely, you can see the grill on the right has exposed screw heads and the grill on the left does not. I want the finished cabinet to look as "professional" as possible so it's the little details that matter. I found screw head covers for $0.03 each at my local hardware store and they really look nice when they are installed as you can see from the grill on the left. I thought about spray painting the screws (black screws are very tough to find) but I am much happier that I found the covers - they really "finish" the look.
I also have pictures of the totally finished control panels with all of the admin buttons installed and I will post those later today. Thanks for looking!
OK, I'm not finished or anything but I have made a lot of progress since the last time I posted. You probably can't tell from the pictures but I will do my best to explain what I have done. I'm up to the part where you have to pick out a computer and install it in the cabinet. I have never built a computer before so it is going to be the most difficult part for me to do and I seem to be stalling. I want to be able to play some of the more modern fighters like Killer Instinct, Mortal Kombat 3, Street Fighter Alpha 3, etc. so I need to put something together that is a little bit faster than most MAME computers. From what I understand though a really old computer will play about 90% of the games in MAME - that's what I'll put in my next cabinet I guess... Anyway, on to the updates:
This first picture is an overview of what's going on inside so far. As you can see, I've installed the Player 1 and Player 2 control panels and wired them up to the ipac which is the thing on the right where all of the wires go to (and it is what allows the buttons and joysticks to "talk" to the computer - interface for pc to arcade controls). The control panels screw into place underneath the cab (not pictured) and on the inside using the metal plates as you can see. Most people also use mounting blocks underneath each side of the control panels to hold them in place but I didn't have room in there and the metal plates are more than sufficient. They don't move at all. In addition, you can see that I installed the silver clips (above each side of the coin door) which are used to secure the tabletop to the body of the cabinet. There are corresponding brackets attached to the tabletop that the clips secure to when it is closed.
This next picture shows the ipac with the Player 1 and Player 2 control panels all wired up. I am using red wire for the Player 1 controls and blue wire for the Player 2 controls so I don't confuse everything. I also used black for the ground wires for each. The little blue pieces of tape were used on each with to label what button it belonged to. I also bought some electrical ties so it wouldn't look like a rats nest of wires in there when I was finished. The ipac plugs directly into the computer's usb port - it is super easy to use. I got it from www.ultimarc.com. The controls actually work! I was able to test it out using my laptop. Also note, I used a 4.5" hole saw and my drill to cut out the hole for the 80mm fan. It is going to get pretty hot in there with a computer and monitor running and I want to make sure there is adequate ventilation. There is a hole on each side for intake and outtake fans. I am also planning to cut a hole in the bottom for a third fan and mount a fourth fan directly on the chassis of the monitor.
As you can see below, I also installed the speaker/fan grills on the outside of the cabinet. They were simple to install and the layout is mirrored on the other side. I am mounting a fan and speaker on each side of the cabinet. I am still undecided on whether to include the bass tube that comes with the 2.1 speaker setup. You don't really need it for MAME and it's just one more thing to heat up the inside.... maybe if there is room. If you look closely, you can see the grill on the right has exposed screw heads and the grill on the left does not. I want the finished cabinet to look as "professional" as possible so it's the little details that matter. I found screw head covers for $0.03 each at my local hardware store and they really look nice when they are installed as you can see from the grill on the left. I thought about spray painting the screws (black screws are very tough to find) but I am much happier that I found the covers - they really "finish" the look.
I also have pictures of the totally finished control panels with all of the admin buttons installed and I will post those later today. Thanks for looking!
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
No Updates? WTF???
Work should resume on my arcade cabinet sometime this month. I have been extremely busy with work and family and haven't had the time to do much of anything else. I think 2 or 3 solid days of work is all it will take to finish it. I will update with posts and pictures when I get going again.
Work should resume on my arcade cabinet sometime this month. I have been extremely busy with work and family and haven't had the time to do much of anything else. I think 2 or 3 solid days of work is all it will take to finish it. I will update with posts and pictures when I get going again.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
... and now...
The Player 1 Control Panel!!!
The final control panel for my arcade cabinet is complete! It is virtually identical to the Player 2 control panel with one big addition - a spinner! Here are the finished pictures from the top and underside:
This control panel is assembled in exactly the same way the Player 2 control panel was assembled except for the spinner. The first thing I did was cover the entire control panel with the vinyl that I purchased from Happs.
As you can see from these first two pictures, the vinyl comes on a roll with a backing that can be peeled away to reveal an adhesive. It really is as easy as cutting the vinyl a little oversized with a pair of scissors, peeling off the backing, applying the vinyl to the surface you want covered and then using a utility knife to trim the excess to the proper size. When you are finished, the control panel will look like this:
If you look hard enough you can see the depressions in the vinyl where the holes for the buttons and joystick are underneath. These holes will also get cut out using a utility knife although you don't have to be precise at all because the trim on the buttons will hide any imperfections in your cuts.
The installation of the buttons and joystick is self-explanatory but I want to go into a little detail about the spinner installation because it was a bit tricky and required some thought. I bought a SlikStik Tornado Spinner to use in my cabinet because it has an insanely long spin time and has been well received by the arcade building community. It is quite expensive and there are other much cheaper alternatives that work just as nicely but I figured a few extra dollars weren't going to kill me (since I've spent so much already). The spinner is pictured to the left (minus the knob). There are several knobs to choose from but all of them perform the same function. They are pictured below. I went with the skirted knob because I felt this would hide any imperfections between the control panel and the spinner itself.
The reason that this was a tricky installation was because I did not want anything showing above the control panel other than the knob (such as a carriage bolt which was used to mount the joystick - see the final picture below for an example). This meant that everything had to be mounted from underneath. The problem is that the spinner is meant to be mounted from above in a metal control panel. As you can see in the picture, there are 4 holes in the mounting bracket that are used to secure the spinner in place. Without something to screw into the spinner is typically assembled with a 4 carraige bolts and nuts.
Here's where I got a bit creative... I decided to attach a small piece of plywood to the underside of the metal control panel to give me something to attach the spinner to. I cut a small 2" x 2" piece of plywood and drilled a hole in the middle (for the spinner shaft to pass through) and attached it to the control panel using Gorilla Glue. I wanted a strong bond and this stuff will work on just about any surface. As you can see in the blurry picture below (or maybe not), my homemade wood block is glued in place and ready for the spinner.
The only thing left to do now is install the spinner, joystick and buttons and this thing is finished! As you can see (again) from the picture of the underside of the completed Player 1 control panel, the spinner is attached to the wood block using 4 screws. This allows for a cleaner look on the top. That's all there is to it!
The Player 1 Control Panel!!!
The final control panel for my arcade cabinet is complete! It is virtually identical to the Player 2 control panel with one big addition - a spinner! Here are the finished pictures from the top and underside:
This control panel is assembled in exactly the same way the Player 2 control panel was assembled except for the spinner. The first thing I did was cover the entire control panel with the vinyl that I purchased from Happs.
As you can see from these first two pictures, the vinyl comes on a roll with a backing that can be peeled away to reveal an adhesive. It really is as easy as cutting the vinyl a little oversized with a pair of scissors, peeling off the backing, applying the vinyl to the surface you want covered and then using a utility knife to trim the excess to the proper size. When you are finished, the control panel will look like this:
If you look hard enough you can see the depressions in the vinyl where the holes for the buttons and joystick are underneath. These holes will also get cut out using a utility knife although you don't have to be precise at all because the trim on the buttons will hide any imperfections in your cuts.
The installation of the buttons and joystick is self-explanatory but I want to go into a little detail about the spinner installation because it was a bit tricky and required some thought. I bought a SlikStik Tornado Spinner to use in my cabinet because it has an insanely long spin time and has been well received by the arcade building community. It is quite expensive and there are other much cheaper alternatives that work just as nicely but I figured a few extra dollars weren't going to kill me (since I've spent so much already). The spinner is pictured to the left (minus the knob). There are several knobs to choose from but all of them perform the same function. They are pictured below. I went with the skirted knob because I felt this would hide any imperfections between the control panel and the spinner itself.
The reason that this was a tricky installation was because I did not want anything showing above the control panel other than the knob (such as a carriage bolt which was used to mount the joystick - see the final picture below for an example). This meant that everything had to be mounted from underneath. The problem is that the spinner is meant to be mounted from above in a metal control panel. As you can see in the picture, there are 4 holes in the mounting bracket that are used to secure the spinner in place. Without something to screw into the spinner is typically assembled with a 4 carraige bolts and nuts.Here's where I got a bit creative... I decided to attach a small piece of plywood to the underside of the metal control panel to give me something to attach the spinner to. I cut a small 2" x 2" piece of plywood and drilled a hole in the middle (for the spinner shaft to pass through) and attached it to the control panel using Gorilla Glue. I wanted a strong bond and this stuff will work on just about any surface. As you can see in the blurry picture below (or maybe not), my homemade wood block is glued in place and ready for the spinner.
The only thing left to do now is install the spinner, joystick and buttons and this thing is finished! As you can see (again) from the picture of the underside of the completed Player 1 control panel, the spinner is attached to the wood block using 4 screws. This allows for a cleaner look on the top. That's all there is to it!
Friday, January 27, 2006
Player 2 Control Panel!!
OK, a little more progress has been made. I've successfully completed the last two control panels so I am almost ready to wire everything up and test out my cabinet for real! Below are pictures of the completed player 2 control panel. The player 1 control panel details are coming soon!
The first picture shows the control panel in all its glory. The layout and design is about as simple as possible and should be able to play most vertical games without any problems. The joystick is from Ultimarc (www.ultimarc.com) and it is both a 4-way joystick (can only move up, down, left and right) and an 8-way joystick (can move up, down, left and right as well as on all of the diagonals). It is called a T-Stik Plus on their website (but may have been replaced by the new Mag-Stik Plus). Different games require different controls and this joystick accomodates most of them. The reason an 8-way won't work for game requiring a 4-way input (like Donkey Kong, for example) is because if the joystick is pressed diagonally the character game will not know which direction to move and will actually not move at all. This is extremely frustrating and it makes these games virtually unplayable. The T-Stik Plus is switchable between 4-way and 8-way mode by pulling up on the joystick and twisting it until it locks into place. What actually happens underneath the control panel is that a restrictor plate is rotated preventing (or allowing) the joystick from moving on the diagonals. It's a great design and it means I won't have to install two different joysticks on each control panel to accomodate different games.
The next picture shows the underneath of the contol panel. It is not wired up yet but the connectors are all in place on the microswitches. I bought a pack of 100 from Home Depot for about $6. They make connecting the wires really easy. All you have to do is snap them in place, insert the stripped end of the wire and crimp down on the end of the connector and it will make a very tight connection.
This last shot just shows the control panel in place (but not yet installed). Everything is coming together nicely. I hope to post about the Player 1 control panel soon - it is virtually identical except I installed a spinner in between the buttons and joystick and it was a bit tricky to do.
OK, a little more progress has been made. I've successfully completed the last two control panels so I am almost ready to wire everything up and test out my cabinet for real! Below are pictures of the completed player 2 control panel. The player 1 control panel details are coming soon!
The first picture shows the control panel in all its glory. The layout and design is about as simple as possible and should be able to play most vertical games without any problems. The joystick is from Ultimarc (www.ultimarc.com) and it is both a 4-way joystick (can only move up, down, left and right) and an 8-way joystick (can move up, down, left and right as well as on all of the diagonals). It is called a T-Stik Plus on their website (but may have been replaced by the new Mag-Stik Plus). Different games require different controls and this joystick accomodates most of them. The reason an 8-way won't work for game requiring a 4-way input (like Donkey Kong, for example) is because if the joystick is pressed diagonally the character game will not know which direction to move and will actually not move at all. This is extremely frustrating and it makes these games virtually unplayable. The T-Stik Plus is switchable between 4-way and 8-way mode by pulling up on the joystick and twisting it until it locks into place. What actually happens underneath the control panel is that a restrictor plate is rotated preventing (or allowing) the joystick from moving on the diagonals. It's a great design and it means I won't have to install two different joysticks on each control panel to accomodate different games.
The next picture shows the underneath of the contol panel. It is not wired up yet but the connectors are all in place on the microswitches. I bought a pack of 100 from Home Depot for about $6. They make connecting the wires really easy. All you have to do is snap them in place, insert the stripped end of the wire and crimp down on the end of the connector and it will make a very tight connection.
This last shot just shows the control panel in place (but not yet installed). Everything is coming together nicely. I hope to post about the Player 1 control panel soon - it is virtually identical except I installed a spinner in between the buttons and joystick and it was a bit tricky to do.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Progress Pictures:
(For the installation procedure of the third control panel see below)
Player 3/4 control panel installed (Player 2 control panel is loosely in place but not lined up or screwed in):
Front shot of player 3/4 control panel installed (still need to add the t-molding to the side panels):
The player 1 and player 2 control panels are coming soon!!
(For the installation procedure of the third control panel see below)
Player 3/4 control panel installed (Player 2 control panel is loosely in place but not lined up or screwed in):
Front shot of player 3/4 control panel installed (still need to add the t-molding to the side panels):
The player 1 and player 2 control panels are coming soon!!
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