... 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!

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.

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!!

Another Update - FINALLY!!!

I made some progress over the past few weeks but I was too lazy to take pictures and post them - until now! The main thing that I worked on was finishing the control panels. I got two out of three of them done (minus the admin buttons) and the only reason the third one wasn't finished was because I had to think of a way to mount the spinner from the bottom without anything showing on top (except the knob, of course). I will post that process at a later date when it is actually finished.

First I will detail the construction of the player 3 and player 4 control panel (the long one). I am picking up after installing the trackball plate in the center as detailed in a previous post.

This first picture shows the inside of the control panel after I glued the front piece to the control panel top (where the buttons and joysticks go). I was a little hesitant to just use glue for this joint but after I clamped it up and let the glue dry overnight all of my worries were put to rest - this thing is strong as hell and I doubt it will ever come apart. Actually, modern wood glues are supposed to be stronger than the wood itself but I always find that hard to believe until I see it for myself.

The only thing to worry about during the glue-up is creating a very tight joint and a smooth transition from the top piece to the front piece. The top side is going to be covered in vinyl to make it look nice but an uneven transition will show through to the finished product.

As you can see here, this is what it looks like from the top. Notice that the front piece is rounded over to meet the top piece. The vinyl that will cover everything is thin so this is the part that must be as clean as possible. I used a sanding block to smooth out the imperfections and to remove excess glue that squeezed out during the glue-up. Hopefully you can see this starting to come together.

The next step is to apply the vinyl. This is not as easy as it sounds but isn't that tough either. I ordered the vinyl online from Happ Controls (http://www.happcontrols.com/). It's actually called Black Pica Vinyl and the part number is 49-0474-00. It's pretty cheap but watch out because they screw you on shipping. It comes in a roll and has a peel away back like a giant sticker so you don't need any glue or anything.


The first thing to do is cut an oversized piece of your vinyl roll for the control panel. Just lay the control panel out on the vinyl and eyeball it. You can use a pair of scissors to cut the piece out. Next, carefully remove the backing from the vinyl and lay the control panel on a flat surface with the side receiving the vinyl facing you. Very carefully (with the sticky side facing out) bend the ends of the vinyl towards you and place it on the control panel in the center. Then gently roll the vinyl to either side of the control panel making sure there are no air bubbles trapped between the vinyl and control panel. This method ensures that it goes on smooth.

Once you have smoothed out the vinyl on all of the visible surfaces of the control panel it is time to trim it to proper length and install the buttons and joysticks. For the trimming, use a utility knife with a sharp razor blade for a clean cut. Just use the edges of the control panel as your guide when cutting and it will come out straight. As you can see from the photo, this is what the control panel looks like completely covered in vinyl (with the trackball hole cut out).

The next steps are easy - just cut out the holes for the buttons and joysticks and install them. Also install the trackball to the trackball plate using the screws that come with it. Note that I used black carriage bolts for the joystick installation to give a clean look to the top. I also went with an all black button/joystick color scheme to go with the t-molding and table top. After the buttons and everything are installed the last thing left is attaching it to the cabinet (except the wiring which I will explain at a later date). This is what the piano hinge is for that I installed a few posts down.

Here's what the finished control panel looks like:


The front view of the cabinet with third control panel installed:


Top down view of third control panel installed:


Third control panel on hinge for access:


Underside of third control panel (not wired) with totally sweet foot:

Trackball Plate Installation!!!

At this rate I will be finishing my arcade sometime in the year 2047 when my reflexes are all but gone and my "good eye" is at about 20/200. Oh well, I'll have a working arcade one of these days...

Anyway, this past weekend I was able to install the trackball plate on my third control panel!!! In order to recreate the authentic arcade experience for games like Golden Tee and Centipede a trackball is a must. It's really the only way you can play these classics. The added benefit is that the trackball can also double as a computer mouse for navigating windows and performing general software maintenance. After all, the guts of the arcade is going to be a computer running Windows XP and if I ever want to add more games or emulators I'm going to need an easy way to do so. There's no way I would ever open everything up just to tweak the computer settings or add new games - it would be too much of a pain. This way, I hope that all maintenance can be performed outside the cabinet.

In order to install a trackball a "trackball plate" is needed (well, it's not required but it makes installation a heck of a lot easier). It's basically a square metal plate that the trackball attaches to from the bottom of the control panel. The 4 corners of the trackball plate have headless screws that allow the plate to be attached from underneath with a smooth top for aesthetic purposes. You can see what it looks like in the pictures below.

This is all well and good for normal people but since I am super anal I knew that after a few weeks the trackball plate will start to bother me. Eventually, I would have regretted not doing something even cleaner than the normal trackball installation. I decided to completely hide the plate altogether so the only thing showing through the control panel would be the trackball. Other people over at BYOAC have done this so this is nothing revolutionary but I think it is pretty cool nonetheless.

In order to accomplish my goal I had to use my router and a dado cutting bit to cut the area on the control panel where the trackball plate rests down by the thickness of the trackball plate itself. This will enable the plate to sit flush with the top of the control panel. After this is done, the entire thing will be covered with a layer of vinyl which will cover any imperfections in the routing job and completely hide the fact that there is a trackball plate under there at all. This is how it was done:

First, in the picture below you can see the unmodified control panel. The trackball plate will cover up the middle leaving a circular cutout for the trackball to stick out of.

STEP 1: Place the trackball plate in position by lining up the the screws on the plate with the holes in each corner of the cutout.

STEP 2: Using a razor blade and being as careful as you can, trace the plate to make an outline on the control panel. Try scoring the wood multiple times so you get a cut as deep as the thickness of the plate. If you enlarge the picture you can see that the razor marks are there. This is to ensure that when you are freehanding with the router you will get a clean edge when the rest of the wood is removed.

STEP 3: Place blue (or any color) painter's tape around the edges where you want to cut. This isn't required but if you tried to make the cut with the router without the tape it becomes very difficult to see what is going on. There is a lot of sawdust flying around when cutting and I think the blue tape just makes it easier to make the cut as square as possible. As you can see here, the area being cut away is framed by the blue tape.


This next picture shows how the trackball plate would look on the control panel if I didn't go through the effort of hiding it. It sits above the panel by about 1/16" and just doesn't look that great (try picturing it without the blue tape). Now you should be getting a better idea of what we are trying to accomplish. By trimming the control panel down by 1/16" the plate can sit flush to the control panel top. Then a vinyl covering can be applied to the entire surface which will hide any imperfections in my less-than-stellar craftsmanship.

STEP 4: Set the depth of the dado cutting bit in the router to the thickness of the trackball plate. It is roughly 1/16" but I was able to get an exact thickness just using the plate itself next to the router bit with the router upside down. Make sure to do this with the router completely unplugged - you don't want to get hurt. I also recommend finding some scrap wood and routing out a square that the plate can rest in to make sure the depth is properly set. You don't want to ruin your control panel! I had to try two different settings before I got it perfect.

STEP 5: While wearing safety glasses, very carefully (and I mean very carefully), place the router in the center of the cutout and turn the router on. Using nothing but your awesome woodworking skills (and the router of course) cut away the wood inside of the square framed by the blue tape. Try getting as close to the tape as possible without actually cutting into it. When you get close to the line the wood should break off pretty evenly because of the scoring done earlier.

The pictures below show what the end result should look like. Notice I wasn't perfect with my lines but I don't have to be - it's all getting covered eventually. Close is good enough here. The trackball plate now sits completely flush with the top of the control panel in the area I just routed out. Pretty sweet, eh?



The next step will be installing the vinyl covering that will make everything look pretty, installing the buttons, joysticks and trackball to the control panel and attaching it to the actual arcade cabinet!! It's starting to come together!

Hinge for 3rd Control Panel - Installed!!!

This is major news. As you can see by the awesome picture, I was able to attach the metal piano hinge to the third control panel. I used screws and a screwdriver for this tricky installation and it took approximately 5 minutes to install. My skills amaze even myself sometimes...

The hinge is there to provide access to underneath the control panel for maintenance or when I wire the buttons and trackball up for the first time. I left it gold colored (instead of spray painting it black to match) because it will be completely hidden once the cabinet is up and running.

I am glad to get this crucial step in the construction process out of the way - I had been dreading it for months due to its unbelievable complexity. Whew!

Update!

I was able to size the bezel using the small piece of smoked glass as a template and then cutting it to size using a straight edge and razor. I was also able to round the corners of the bezel to fit into the rabbet in the tabletop with a pair of scissors. I think it came out pretty good.

I also cut the t-molding to fit around the edges of the tabletop and placed the bigger tempered piece of glass on top. Eventually, the glass will be held to the top with some glass clips that screw into the underside of the table and extend out over the top to hold the glass in place.

Here are the latest pictures:

The Glass for the Table Top has Arrived!

I will post pictures later but it came out pretty good. I had the pieces custom made at the local glass shop and they based it exactly off of my table top which I left with them for reference. Once I print the artwork and apply it, trim the bezel to the correct dimensions and install the t-molding around the sides it will be 100% complete and ready to be attached to the cabinet. That should take no more than an hour or two to do once I have everything in front of me.

I decided to go with two pieces of glass - one smaller smoked piece for the inside that will just cover the surface of the monitor screen and then another clear, tempered piece that will be the actual table top and cover the entire table top. The small piece sits in a groove and is flush with the actual top and the large piece then covers everything.

A smoked piece of glass really makes the monitor picture pop. Check out www.oscarcontrols.com/smoked for a great comparison of smoked versus clear glass over a monitor. The reason I wanted the bigger piece to be clear is so that the artwork would be clearly visible underneath the glass. Any tint or smoke applied to the glass would make the artwork tough to see.

I will be posting detailed pictures later this week so you can see exactly what everything looks like.

Darth Maul = BADASS!!!



I just got back a piece of the artwork for the top of my cabinet. This is the "finished" Darth Maul picture. He is going to be in the same place as he is in the concept sketch posted from last time. It's not much but you can see the kick ass style I'm going for...

I'm positive the other characters and the final piece with the "Knights of the Arcade Table" font will come out amazing.

Any thoughts or comments?

Progress: Concept Art!!!

Check this out. The artist that I contacted has sent me a rough sketch for the artwork that will end up on the CPO. I can't say enough about what an amazing talent this guy is - just look at it! I have full confidence that the final result will be nothing less than stunning. There are a few little modifications that need to be done to the layout such as the lettering being repositioned to run down the side of the table top along the monitor but this is EXACTLY the idea I am going for... He is going to make a detailed full size drawing and then color it in photoshop so I can give it to the printer.

This has really motivated me to get the thing up and running - who knows maybe this weekend!