A different sort of mod... Why do I do this crap.... (Not really car related)

[rlith]

Some of you may be familiar with the "Terror Machine" http://www.pghconsulting.net/teal/arcade.htm

Well I've never really been happy with the side mounted Player controls for the horizontal games and because some of those games require trigger joysticks, guns, spinner, track ball, etc...(At least 3000, out of the 5000 games I have) I decided to go a build one just for the horizontal games!!!! So far I have about 2/3 of the cabinet done.. I still have the following to do..

Note: Using 3/4 Particle board. Everything is held together by wood screws AND liquid nails.. This puppy will last for ever.
Painting
Lighting
Foot deck
Control panel..(Need to integrate 2 joysticks, a trigger joystick, trackball, spinner, and 6 player buttons per side for 2 player gaming or head to head fight games (i.e marvel vs capcom)
Lots of wiring
The 25" Wagner arcade monitor I bought (new)
Power supply
Side graphics
Controller Graphics
Marquee graphics
A few other odds and ends

I'm hoping to have it complete by the end of next weekend. I should finish the case by tuesday, it's all the other stuff that's so damn tedious....

After this the cocktail goes to being a cocktail and will only have cocktail style games..

On to the pics!!!! (again, see the cocktail at http://www.pghconsulting.net/teal/arcade.htm )

This case is loosely based on the Tatio Chase HQ Arcade machine

Here is the 1st side I worked on... So far so good... Got all my measurements right...



5 Hours later...



I wanted to mount the coin system at least so I felt I actually accomplished something today





I'll keep posting updates and hopefully the complete system by end of week (sunday)

Lemme know what you think!

[blazee]

Looks pretty good. The Wagner arcade monitor and coin door are a nice touch.

I used MDF and built mine based on Lusid's plan, I like the larger control panels. I used large wood screws, liquid nails, and metal braces..... I get a little rough when playing and wanted to build it tough.

What kind of side art are you going to use? I still haven't decided what to put on mine. I don't care for the "MAME" logo side art, and it doesn't seem right to put the classic single game graphics on an arcade that plays 30,000 games. (Hopefully it will play more games soon..... I got a guy that's suppose to be sending me the some CHDs and Laser disc games.)

Are you going with the 3darcade frontend on this one? How are you doing the controls? IPAC? Computer specs?

**Edit** That doesn't look like much room, is the monitor going to fit?

[s10blazerman4x4]

Lol go finish it i cant wait to see this beast. Should have made it take dimes for giggles.

[blazee]

You might want to check this out to be sure that you don't make the classic mistakes:

http://www.wickedretarded.com/~crapmame/

I made a couple the first time I built my cabinet..... including the marble contact paper.

[rlith]

Originally Posted by blazee

Looks pretty good. The Wagner arcade monitor and coin door are a nice touch.

I used MDF and built mine based on Lusid's plan, I like the larger control panels. I used large wood screws, liquid nails, and metal braces..... I get a little rough when playing and wanted to build it tough.

What kind of side art are you going to use? I still haven't decided what to put on mine. I don't care for the "MAME" logo side art, and it doesn't seem right to put the classic single game graphics on an arcade that plays 30,000 games. (Hopefully it will play more games soon..... I got a guy that's suppose to be sending me the some CHDs and Laser disc games.)

Are you going with the 3darcade frontend on this one? How are you doing the controls? IPAC? Computer specs?

**Edit** That doesn't look like much room, is the monitor going to fit?

I'm doing a Jamma module for the monitor... I probably will use 3darcade for the front end like the cocktail... As far a art goes, I'll design it like I did for the cocktail. As a raterized graphic in photoshop. I'll send the file to a buddy and he'll print the whole thing on vynyl... Any imperfections on the outside of the cab will be patched with a mixture of sawdust and wood glue...(in otherwords, liquid pressboard).

I didn't go with MDF only because when moisture gets bad, mdf has a nasty habit of peeling... And pressboard is somewhat lighter but as strong.

The sides won't be painted, they will be covered with formica then the vynyl sheet applied to the formica then trimed...

For controls, yes, as usual I'll use an IPAC, the guts will be an Athlon 2800 w/ 512 megs ram and a 100 gig SATA hard drive. Very overkill but I had the parts laying around.

I also have to design the control panel yet and the control panel graphics. Then remove the side controls off the cocktail and clean that cabinet up so it just does the cocktail games. I'm also still thinking about lighting and what I want to achieve with that.

As far as the monitor I could go to a 27 if I wanted to, but didn't want to spend the money. 25 fits fine.

And yes, I know I still owe you those discs...

[rlith]

Update: Well the particular monitor I was getting fell through... Apparently the model I ordered was discontinued... They gave me a deal though on a nice 27" w/ complete mounting frame made by Wells Gardner (good company) and they threw in free shipping. The cool thing too is that I just found out yesterday that Mazzco (a vending company local here in pittsburgh) was bought out by Happ a few months ago... So now on everything else I can go downtown to pick stuff up and no longer pay for shipping. YAY!

Also the artwork has been started. Final print will be done on a sheet of self adheasive vynyl done in 4 color lab mode with a satin clear coat for protection.

Designed the control panel template and converted it to DWG. One of our clients printed a couple of copies out on the plotter so that I can use it as a drilling template for the wood and lexan.

I have all the controls at this point. 2 8/4 way Happ competition joysticks and 12 user buttons (removed from the cocktail since I'm putting the cocktail back to factory condition). 1 Spinner (created out of a steering wheel control with an extended shaft and a SlikStik anodized black spinner knob. I'm working on a quick switch for the steering wheel. Gas pedal (salvaged from another case I had). 2-1/4" Imperial trackball, with new bearings and rollers. And a multi trigger joystick (for games like tron, zaxxon, etc). 1 and 2 player buttons, as well as misc buttons...

Due to the new monitor, I have to remove the mounts that I created for the other monitor I was getting. The 27" mounts top and bottom instead of the side so I have to create bracing for that. It sucks though. The current bracing is held by screws and liquid nails. Not going to be easy to get of.. Have to work slowly so I don't damage the cabinet.

[blazee]

Wells Gardner monitors are real good. I had originally thought about getting the 27" D9200.

It must be nice to be able to run up the street to buy the parts that you need, there is nothing around here. I ended up ordering my controls from Ultimarc when I got the IPAC.

[rlith]

I got my ipac from ultimarc as well... He's the only one that has them! LOL

[rlith]

Got my monitor in today!!!!!!!!!! YAY.... Ends up being a Vision Pro 27" arcade monitor.... Very very happy with the quality....It's farking huge, and it's farking heavy... Also recieved my optipac (trackball and spinner interface unit) today as well... Looks like I'll be able to get back to work...(Was stalled without the monitor) On to some pics!!! (Note, I have this hooked up to my cocktail unit for test purposes) Sorry about the crappy quality of the pics... Lemme know what ya think...


The monitor!





Dragon's lair!





Defender!





Tron!






Space Ace!!!

[rlith]

Well, I got the monitor mounted today in the case..(What a biatch. Not fun working w/ a 115 pound open monitor and risking crushing the tail of it...)

Things to finish

Patching counter sunk screw holes then sand....
Lighting
Guts installation
Vinyl pica wrap...
Marqui (and theme)
Side graphics (and theme)
Control panel...(already have all controls and interfaces)
Monitor bezel and glass
Foot set...


All told I hope to have it done Sunday, if not sometime next week...

Anyway, here's a pic of it in the case, for giggles I threw on the Chase H.Q. Steering wheel and marqui I had lying around....

[rlith]

Ahh, after several weeks, it's almost done.

Here is a shot of it in the house... Things still needing to be done

T-Molding on control panel
Artwork for control panel and marquis(this week)
Flight stick, spinner, and track ball install
Lighting

Should be finished by this weekend
(The control panel is green because I've left the protective coating on the lexan till the artwork is here..


Ignore the smudgy fingerprints on the glass..

[blazee]

Originally Posted by rlith

And yes, I know I still owe you those discs...

Any update on the discs?

I know that after I paid you, you said that you were busy with work, and didn't have time to make them, and then later forgot to mail them for several weeks. Last that I heard was several months after I paid, when you said that you will ship them soon. I haven't heard anything since then. There must be something wrong with the PM system, because I've sent you several PMs over the last 6 months and still haven't gotten a reply.

[mike1224]

This thread is 10 months old, please look at dates.. Now wheres a MOD?? jk Chris

seriously though I haven't seen rick around in forums in some time... Too busy for us I guess.

[blazee]

Originally Posted by mike1224

seriously though I haven't seen rick around in forums in some time... Too busy for us I guess.

He still lurks a lot, just quit posting much after ripping me off.