My Mission To Mame

Coin Door Progress

2011-12-14T17:57:00.000-08:00

Some pics of the newly painted coin door.

Final Touches

2011-12-14T17:40:00.001-08:00

For the winter as I start my man cave my projects have been parked.
Pushed to the back of the garage like bad children to the back of the classroom.
I'm doing what I can which is honestly small cosmetic work, the wiring will be done this summer (perhaps sooner) as I prepare to move the cabinets in.

The last of my parts should arrive this week. I went out and purchased my molex connectors. For Popeye I plan on having two "EZ-CHANGE" control panels, a stock 1 player and a VS layout 2 player panel. I think this will help with selling the cabinet in the future, should I decide I want to do so. The molex connector makes swapping panels out a breeze. I've never done this before, but I've seen many MAME projects use this.

Unplug the connector and plug in the alternate panel. I'm soooo stoked on this, I think it's so awesome. As much as I love Nintendo cabinets having one button does limit the game play. The cost to make a second panel isn't really that much, so it really was an easy decision.

My upper and lower brackets arrived late last week. I've sanded them and given them three coats of paint. They came out good, I'm happy I was able to salvage them, they were priced great.

I also got my coin door sanded and painted, it has a few flaws but all in all I can't complain. The fresh coat of paint brought some new life to it. I'll clean up the mechs this weekend.

I expect the rest of my parts to arrive this week. One they come I'll inspect them, likely take the wire wheel to the bolts to polish them up, and I'll polish the buttons with Nuvos.

THAT'S IT ! That would be the last of the work. Well attach the Popeye CPO to the second panel, but that's it, DONE !

Get It On!

2011-12-06T15:19:00.001-08:00

Locally a fellow coin-op enthusiast asked me for some help on locating the various online arcade art resources. He had asked me about certain sites, forums, and anything really that would help him to establish his file library. In exchange for my help he provided me with a few sets of side art he had printed prior that were slightly flawed.
It was a great alternative as the artwork I had ordered from the US seemed to have been lost in the mail. Desperate to get the art and with it being FREE I could nothttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif say no. I thought when I installed it I would be able to work out the damaged areas, however I was wrong. I'm still torn on the install, as great as free is I love these machines. Should I have spent the http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifmoney and had flawless art ? When in a row the only art you will see is the left side of the DK cabinet. I by no means think these cabinets should be flawless, they are 30 years old. The parts you find will always have some wear and tear. I can't say I'll never remove this art and try again, but for now I'll go with it. In a dim basement you might not even notice the flaws.

I've posted the link to the full gallery, but included a few samples in the blog.

http://s286.photobucket.com/albums/ll85/vibefxdesign/DK%20and%20Popeye%20Art%20Installed

Coin Door

2011-12-06T15:11:00.000-08:00

So this weekend I was able to pick up my DK coin door. It's one of the last things I need to complete my DK project. I also have my upper and lower brackets coming from the US, I should have them this week. I was also fortunate enough to have a fellow KLOV'r send me some Nintendo buttons, coin door bolts, and a few other random parts I was missing. It was a really sweet hook up, and I thank "micksimmonds" for his awesome contribution.

Once the parts come in I can get them all sanded and painted, then cosmetically I'll be done ! All that will remain is doing the Jamma wiring this spring. (It's too cold to do it now..........the twins are living outside !)

Project Update

2011-11-15T13:53:00.000-08:00

Been very busy as of late and had some major life issues that kept me from projects.
However the Nintendo Twins (DK & Popeye) are coming along well.
I found a local source who was getting into the "Arcade Art Business" and gave me some DK & Popeye art that he had done for someone. It did come with a catch, the art had some wrinkles in it. I thought I would be able to smooth it out, but I couldn't. I can honestly say that with them installed I'm not so sure I made the best choice installing FREE DAMAGED art. I think I would have rather paid and had the art flawless. I guess the saving grace, or silver lining is that when in place only one side of DK will be visible. You wont even see the Popeye art. It's more that I know it's damaged and I see it when I look at it. I'm sure we all have something like that.
I'll snap some pics soon and post them on the blog.

Really all that remains now is to pick up my coin door which if all goes well I'm hoping to do the 1st week in December. I also need to pick up some additional hardware such as marquee bracket which I'm also hoping to do the same day. December 3rd is the local Coin-Op auction and if the seller of my Popeye cabinet is at the auction he will have a few parts for me. That day I'm also going Christmas shopping out in Vaughn, that just so happens to be the location of my coin door. So fingers crossed it all works out.

My buddy and fellow coin-op enthusiast offered to help me wire up my monitors and help with the jamma wiring. He's also busy with a bunch of projects so finding the time isn't easy. I myself had some major issues as of late and have been really taken back when it comes to the hobby. On a positive note I hope to be starting my basement man cave soon ! So all my cabinets will have a nice home to be displayed, played and enjoyed. Realistically if I don't do the jamma wiring until the spring I'm OK with that.

Painting All Done

2011-09-23T16:28:00.000-07:00

Last weekend a push was made to complete all the body work and painting on both cabinets.They both came out really good and I had to test all my plastics and control panels.LOVING THESE !This weekend I'll be wiring both cabinets for JAMMA. One horizontal, one vertical.These will be a sweet pair !Full project gallery to date : http://s286.photobucket.com/albums/ll85/vibefxdesign/Popeye%20and%20Donkey%20Kong%20Restoration/

I'll have some more detailed entries later focusing on specific areas of the build.

My GRILLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-09-12T17:08:00.000-07:00

Don't like the holes that were drilled for a speaker grill.
Have no way of recreating the Nintendo original look.
Don't feel like having one shipped and adding that expense to the project.
So in the end I decided on this look.

I'll need to sand it tomorrow, add a skim coat, I should be able to paint it in 48 hours. It should be an easy fix that will not show any sings of repair when done.

Coming Together

2011-09-12T17:06:00.000-07:00

Had a get an idea for how it was going to look.

A Few More Pics

2011-09-12T17:03:00.001-07:00

Just a few shots of the cabinets all patched up, then painted.

Popeye Progress

2011-09-12T16:33:00.000-07:00

Got some time over the weekend to paint my Popeye cabinet.
It's coming along well.
I'm still waiting on my t-molding and side art which I do expect this week.
I decided to today that I'd rather add a speaker grill as opposed to the "custom" look of drilled holes to let the sound escape. I think it's a step in the right direction.
Cabinet is looking good, I'm excited to wrap this up shortly.

A Few More Panel Pics

2011-08-30T07:14:00.000-07:00

Working with the vinyl was really easy.
I mad sure to soften the edges of my panel so that when I pulled the vinyl tight I would not damage it. I used a squeegee to bond the vinyl tight to the wood. On the underside I am thinking of running a bead of hot glue to make sure the vinyl remains in place. I paid $7 for linear foot of the vinyl which made my buddies laugh because the MDF I "wasted" was only $2. But for what it's worth the panel looks amazing and I know now I'd work with this vinyl all the time. Sometimes I don't like the easy simple "paint it black" fix, but black is so universal and works for so many things. Not sure if locally I could have found this product in different colors, but for my Popeye cabinet the black works. I used the buttons and balltop's to pop the panel with color.

Take Control !

2011-08-30T07:09:00.000-07:00

I had some MDF cut down to size so I could have some extra Nintendo panels around.
Was a good thing I did that as I ended up messing one of my panels up.
Not wanting it to go to waste and wanting to work with new materials I decided I would try and cover it in vinyl. I had decided I would mount the joysticks from above, which in reality was a bad idea. While drilling the holes out on the already painted and clear coated panel I had done more damage than anticipated.

I used some wood filler to patch the holes, sanded it smooth, rounded the edges, and then applied the vinyl. I'm really happy with the results.

Soon to be Donkey Kong

2011-08-23T16:35:00.001-07:00

Well here he is, the king, Mr. Kong.
This is obviously the before.
I look forward to completing this project.
I'll be sure to post pictures as progress is made.

Liquid Blue

2011-08-23T16:31:00.000-07:00

Over on KLOV someone had matched a swatch from a DK cabinet to a stock Behr paint.
"Liquid Blue" was said to be on the money as far as DK's go.
I hadn't had the cabinet in my possession but based on the pictures posted I went and picked up a gallon of Behr "Liquid Blue" paint + primer.

I wont say it's %100, but it's close and it looks good.

Two Control Panels

2011-08-23T16:19:00.000-07:00

The other day when I was at Rona I had the guy cut me four extra Nintendo size control panels. Two of which I'll be using for the Popeye project. One in a one player layout, the other two player VS layout.

I managed to get these drilled out today and the painting started.
I'll wrap it up tomorrow and finish them off with some Krylon Triple Thick.
(that stuff is awesome !)

Polished Popeye Plastics

2011-08-23T16:05:00.000-07:00

One of my Nintendo cabinets was delivered this past Sunday.
I'm super excited since I get the other cabinet this Saturday.
I've made some good progress in tracking down and buying the parts I need to complete both projects. In fact my Popeye CPO (control panel overlay) arrived this week in the mail. I had the marquee and the bezel was included with the cabinet. My upper and lower marquee brackets should be in this week, side art is paid for and should be on the way to me as I type this. I've located a coin door locally through a buddy of mine from the auctions, we've agreed on a price and he's holding it for me. I've also ordered t-molding for both cabinets.

Today I drilled out my two control panels, one laid out in typical Nintendo VS style, the other standard Popeye. This Popeye cabinet might make it's way for sale at some point and I want to provide options. I thought it would be a good idea to have the two different panels.

This week is the local coin-op auction and I'll be picking up some Sanwa buttons and Crystal Bubble Balltops (also in baby blue)..........I LOVE THESE TOPS ! I've used them on my Bar Top Trio project. I think the control panel is going to look good and fit in well with the existing Popeye colors.

I also managed to print out the Popeye instruction card that goes under the overlay. I did goof however, I should have added a border to it, I ended up stretching the entire thing half an inch. It does get a little cut off, this was only $2 so I'll just do them again.

Side Art On The Way

2011-08-14T07:34:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to do all I can so that these projects will completed as quickly as possible. With confirmation that both cabinets are mine (and one paid for) I decided I would order the art work.

At my local Wal-Mart I printed a 5"x7" instruction card for the Donkey Kong.
I got the image from Mike's Arcade who had a hi-res scan @ 300 DPI.
I printed it on glossy paper and I was very happy with the result for $1.

From my art supplier I ordered a set of Popeye and Donkey Kong side art.
He also threw in my Nintendo coin stickers and instruction stickers that go between the bezel and control panel on a Nintendo cabinet. I again got the image from Mike's Arcade.

The Popeye image was custom made from another KLOV'r and looks AWESOME !
I expect my art to be in in just about 10 days.

All the art cost me about $90 Canadian.

Mike's Arcade : http://www.mikesarcade.com/arcade/cards.html

Arcade Art : http://arcadeartlibrary.com/arcade_art/index.php

Got the Paint...and Panels

2011-08-14T07:19:00.000-07:00

With two Nintendo cabinets on the way I decided I would do a Kustom Kong MAME cabinet.
It will be on original Nintendo cabinet with a PC housed inside. But to give this project more playability I'm going to use Player 1 & Player 2 start as button 1 & 2.
The second Nintendo cabinet with be a Popeye and wired JAMMA with a VS. control panel layout. Again the idea being that the 2 player JAMMA layout would make it a more desirable cabinet.

I've been searching KLOV high and low for the parts I'll need.
I tracked down my complete Donkey Kong plastics set (bezel, marquee, and complete control panel) for $100 US shipped.
I also managed to track down a Popeye CPO as well as a DK3 marquee.
They should be in this week, I don't need the DK3 marquee, but the price was good.
For the Popeye CPO and marquee I paid $43 US shipped.
Even though I'm going to do the Popeye as a two player cabinet I thought it would be a cool idea to have an original 1 player Popeye panel.
I'm thinking I'd like to try and wire both panels into a molex connectors. Then I can easily swap out the control panels.

I've tracked down my upper and lower brackets on KLOV also, I'm just waiting on confirmation of the sale. They are $35 US shipped.

Over and above that I went to my local Rona store yesterday and picked up some MDF for the control panels. They no longer do free cuts but the guy was nice and cut me four panels. I only need two (VS panel/1 player Popeye) but the MDF can actually yield 5 panels.

Picked up some Behr "liquid blue" premium paint + primer, a member over on KLOV had this color matched to a DK cabinet. The DK and Popeye will be the same color so I picked up a gallon. It's the best Behr paint and cost me $54 for the gallon.

Adding The Buttons

2011-07-27T13:47:00.000-07:00

Doing what I can with this project so that I can wrap it up quickly.
The physical cabinet is paid for and will be picked up in August.
Until the time I have the plastics and things I can do such as the control panel, and even the PC. For now I'm trying to wrap up the control panel.
With it all polished and put back together yesterday I added the player 1 & 2 buttons.
I plan on completing the PC this week.

Instruction Underlay

2011-07-25T18:58:00.000-07:00

Couldn't wait to get to my printer so I sent the 5" x 7" instruction underlay to Wal-Mart to print for me. To be honest I couldn't even wait til tomorrow morning to pick it up on the way to work. Had Wal-Mart print it on glossy stock, I think it turned out well.

2011-07-25T14:47:00.000-07:00

Starting the Control Panel

2011-07-25T14:37:00.000-07:00

Thought I would start my control panel tonight.
It's been painted with some semi-gloss black spray paint, probably about three coats.
I went over the black with another three coats of Krylon Triple Thick acrylic clear coat. It's hard to get that to go on even, I had better luck in the past.
The good thing however is the CPO covers a bulk of the control panel.

The switchable 4/8 way joystick has been installed also. I'll clear coat the bolts tonight and tighten everything up.

Looking good (to me) !

Donkey Kong Plastics

2011-07-21T18:29:00.001-07:00

Here is my set of DK plastics.
Polished using Nuvos 1.
I'm very happy with these.

Some Pics & Progress

2011-07-21T18:05:00.000-07:00

With the cabinet on the way I found myself over on the KLOV site looking for parts.
I've got a source for T-molding off Ebay, but can't order yet as I don't know the width of this cabinet. Sideart is on order (well, will be shortly) I'm just waiting on my printer to return from vacation.

Over on KLOV I was able to purchase my plastics, a really nice looking bezel, marquee, and populated control panel. I've got the control panel stripped and started painting it tonight. By tomorrow I'll give it a few more coats of paint then clear coat it with some Krylon triple thick.

I used my wire wheel brush to remove the rust from the existing bolts, I'll also clear coat them. All my plastics have been polished with Nuvos and I'm very happy with the shape of all of them. Some obvious wear spots, but that is to be expected on parts that are 30 years old.

I've also cleaned up and polished my buttons. The buttons had some wear around the outside, but I was able to sand off the extra plastic. A lil Nuvos also helped bring these back to life with a nice shine.

I should have the control panel done this week, that way I can set it aside.

I'll move onto the PC shortly.

The idea is to do what I can so that when I get the cabinet I can simply do the body work, paint, then get everything into it quickly.

Donkey Kong Project

2011-07-21T18:01:00.000-07:00

In anticipation of getting this cabinet in August I've started to source out parts and do whatever prep I can. I've decided that like my Donkey Kong Jr project I will add "admin" buttons to the underside of the control panel.

To give this cabinet a wider range of playable games I am going to use "Player 1 start" and "Player 2 start" as buttons A & B. The "jump" button will actually be "Player 1 start."

The underside of the cabinet will have a buttons for Enter, Escape, Credit, and Player 2 start. The Enter and Escape buttons are used in MAME, as is the credit button.

The PC is going to feature MAME with a custom MaLa layout. I'm also going to include prior generation console games. In fact any console that requires less than two buttons will be added to the PC.

I'm really excited to have this machine playing NES and Sega games.

Donkey Kong Jr. meet your father .................

2011-07-21T17:56:00.000-07:00

Last summer (give or take) I completed a restoration/revamp of my first ever Nintendo cabinet. I've posted a few pictures on the blog about it, as well as the cost break down. After I completed that project I fell in love with Nintendo cabinets.
In all honesty I'd love more in my collection. And I can say that luckily I've added another machine to the fleet.

I pick it up at the end of next month from the local coin-op auction.
It's bought and paid for and I've already ordered parts.
I'm doing what I can now so that I can complete the project quickly.

Donkey Kong Jr MAME Cabinet

2011-05-30T15:39:00.000-07:00

I didn't chronicle this build on my blog.
However for anyone interested I did outline the build over on KLOV.
Here is the link : http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=146729

Picked this up in August of 2010. I really started falling in love with Nintendo cabinets as of late, the colors, the art, the size, the classics, everything about them. I was super stoked when I had the opportunity to get this gem. It's the pride and joy of my collection.

I spent $494 getting this project to where it is now, however I sold the original monitor for $150. Which really makes my total $344. It's running MAMEv 124 with a complete ROM set. However I used ROMlister to compile a specific list of games that utilize no more than one button. I used MaLa as the front end, and all the menu screens are custom.

I really love this project, I'd LOVE another Nintendo cabinet.

Here is the spending breakdown :

Donkey Kong Jr Cabinet $75
including Bezel, monitor, DK 3 CP &
upper marquee bracket

Donkey Kong Jr CPO + $35
lower marquee bracket (shipped)

Bondo $12

Delivery $0

Control Panel (0.5" MDF) cut $10

Bondo Kit/Sand Paper/Wire Brush $29
Paint Roller + Extra Rollers/Glue

Light (18" Home Depot) $13

Plastic Polish $15

Spray Paint x 4 $12

Art Work (local print shop) $5

Orange Paint $20

Wood base, rubber feet, $10
screws & bolts

Side Art (on order) $50

20" Samsung LCD Monitor + $122
New PC Speakers

P4 Computer $46

T-molding $15

Marquee $25

Total: $494

UPDATED : Spending Totals

2011-04-10T17:46:00.000-07:00

BAR TOP MACHINES = $100 FOR 3 ($33.00 each)
48-IN-1 BOARDS = $180 FOR 3 ($60.00) *SHIPPED*
JAMMA HARNESS = $35 FOR 3 ($11.50) *SHIPPED*
SPRAY PAINT = $62
SANWA JOYSTICKS = $45 FOR 3 ($15.00 each)
HORI BUTTONS = $15 FOR 15 ($1.00 each)
TOOLS & WIRING = $35
CONTROL PANELS = FU*T! (SEE THE BLOG FOR DETAILS...THANKS "FM")
SWITCHES & WIRING = $40
MULTI-METER = $23
JLF WIRING HARNESS x 5 = $20
MDF & MISC HARDWARE = $10
ART SAMPLES = $10
15" LCD MONITOR = $40
15" LCD MONITOR = $40
15" LCD MONITOR = $20
SIDE ART = $40
SOLDER WIRE = $7
CRIMP TOOL + WIRE = $25
POWER SUPPLY x 3 = $40

TOTAL SPENT : $787

each unit - $262

Bar Top Trio = DONE!

2011-04-10T17:42:00.000-07:00

Had the final monitor sitting around for weeks now, just never made the time to do the install. However today I did manage to find the time to complete these. Final monitor went in today and the item was tested and is ready for sale. Very happy with these bartop`s, and I learned a ton doing them.

Excited now to add the finishing touches to my DK JR machine and continue working on my MaLa Shooter arcade. It will be a dual light gun (Aim Trak) cabinet with multiple emulators including MAME,NES,SNES,PS1, and various SEGA consoles.

In Action!

2011-02-02T16:20:00.000-08:00

Just a quick video!

Bartop's In Action

2011-02-02T15:57:00.000-08:00

So today I took a snow day and decided I would do the final touches on the Bartop "Keeper." A nice lil clean up and the application of the sideart were all that remained. Despite a wrinkle that I was unable to get out it went otherwise smooth.
I'm kinda bummed as this is the machine I'm keeping, but I think I am my own worst critic. I doubt most people would even notice. But it is what it is! And most important....it's done and working great. The LCD looks awesome and really the only adjustment I can think of is taking it off free play and utilizing my credit button and lowering the volume. I have tracked down another 15" LCD on Kijiji that I plan on getting this week. Once I pick it up I'll toss it in the yellow bartop and then get that up on Kijiji.

Took awhile as most my projects do (less the DK JR in my opinion) but I learned a ton doing this project. I feel I took my time but I took no shortcuts and really didn't cut any corners. I want the people who buy these to enjoy them and know they are well put together. My buddy that helped me wire them instilled that in me. Spend a few more dollars, take a few more minutes, but have the satisfaction of knowing they are done solid and safe. He didn't let me take any shortcuts, even adding the second fuse for the fan.

Here are some pics of the trip (almost) complete. Including some art closeups.

Art Install

2010-12-10T18:22:00.000-08:00

Put the side art onto the two bartop's for sale, they look good. It makes a big difference, I'm really happy. Tomorrow I'll install the t-molding and side art onto the "keeper" making it %100 complete and finished. I was going to wire the other two bartop's tonight but a storm that was said to hit kept my plans at bay. I do however plan on picking up my own soldering iron and giving it a try. Worst case scenario I'll call my buddy.

** I also included a sneak peak at my next project **

Top One Done....AGAIN!

2010-12-08T15:58:00.000-08:00

With my new power supplies on hand I was able to get my keeper cabinet running again.
I installed the power supply this evening and just went over all the wiring to ensure nothing was missed. I even cut the end off of my monitor power cable to tie it directly into my terminal block inside. Now I only have the one plug coming out from the machine and once plugged in and switched on everything powers up nicely. Something I will do again when I complete the other two units this week.

All the power supplies have been tested and are ready for install. I also purchased additional fuse protection to connect directly to the fan lines. My only real issue comes from the fact that my crimp tool broke and I would like to re-check all the connections. I guess the last real issue is that I have 0 soldering skills......but my buddy who helped me with round one has offered to come back and help me wrap this project up. So if all goes well they should be done this weekend and ready for sale.

I've jumped the gun a little and posted them for sale on the local Kijiji. Hoping to have these outta the house come the holidays.

New Found Power

2010-12-08T15:53:00.000-08:00

Saturday I went to the local coin-op auction to pick up some parts.
Thanks to my buddy Nick V I got an extra power supply that has found a happy home in my "keeper" bartop. Also picked up an additional 3 new power supplies, what would have been one for each. Today I tested them to ensure they were all working correctly, and adjust the +5/+12 accordingly. All is a go! I installed the used power supply in my keeper as mentioned giving me a backup should I require one.

I Got The Power ! ...Well, I'll Get The Power

2010-12-03T19:10:00.000-08:00

Picking up some new power supplies on the weekend.
I also found a good deal on one of two LCD monitors I need.
I hope to finish the wiring on the weekend and get the adds posted on Craigs List & Kijiji.

Well...........Almost Done!

2010-11-20T18:43:00.000-08:00

When my friend came over last week we were not able to get as much done as we had hoped. He is a real perfectionist and didn't want to do a sloppy job. He knew two of the cabinets were for sale, and instead of wanting to rush them, or simply just make them decent he wanted them perfect. It does make sense, I'd hate for someone to buy a shotty product off me. In the end one bartop was fully wired and playable. In fact I got a few games of PacMan in that Sunday. However during play the game just died. The monitor was fine, as was the board. Turned out the power supply had gone.

I tried to test the other two I had but got really odd readings. When I told my buddy he suggested I bring them to him. Turns out all three were shot. One of them he thought I should save and is doing the repair for me. I'll keep that for testing purposes. He suggested I get new ones, not only for the keeper,but the two cabinets for sale. I agreed, when I do sell these I want them to be great machines. I want people to enjoy them and not feel the got taken for a ride. I'm just waiting now for a quote and expect to order the new parts this week coming.

Since I was going with new power supplies I thought it would be a good idea to switch all the bartops to LCD. From a selling stand point I think that would be a huge plus, from a buyer standpoint replacing the LCD is for easier than an arcade monitor. I'm sourcing out Kijiji for some good deals!

In the end I'll be into the bartops for a little more then I expected, but I think the outcome will be well worth it. No matter what I don't see myself taking a loss on them...so that's good. Not to mention I sold the existing monitors for $50. So that helps to offset my cost.

Top One Is DONE!

2010-11-14T09:48:00.001-08:00

Had my friend come over last night to help me out on the bartop's.
Took a little longer then we both had expected, but bartop number one is DONE!
A few minor things, like taping of some wires, and cutting a bezel remain. But the hard stuff is done. I might end up tying the monitor into the power supply that way I only require the one switch. My friend (who is an electrical engineer)said that wouldn't be an issue. Here is a pic of the bartop in action.

I should note the image on the screen is too large. It's cut off to both the left and the right. The monitor is not allowing me to re-size the image. So I will need to find a solution to this.

The Art Is In, And It Looks Awesome !

2010-11-08T15:28:00.003-08:00

Not much to report.
Should get these completed for the weekend.
The art came in today and it is awesome !

Final Touches

2010-11-07T18:50:00.000-08:00

With the monitors now installed in the last two bartops the end is around the corner.
All that really remains is to wire up the electrical elements of the project and install the power switches. A co-worker friend of mine was formerly an electrical engineer and offered to help. He is going to give everything the once over to make sure I've done it all correctly. He's also going help me to ensure the proper voltage is going out to the monitors and arcade board. With two of the cabinets for sale (prior to the holiday season should all go to plan) I don't want to take any chances.

I've got side art coming in this week, and I also have a lead on some cheap 15" LCD monitors should any of these monitors be on the fritz. I'm excited to have this project coming to a close. They look pretty good ! I'll also have a better idea of what needs to be done once fully wired up. The original incarnation of the cabinets had the protective film left on the back side of the plexi. The middle was cut out serving as a bezel. I've got some bristle board to serve as a bezel should I need it. I'm hoping with the monitors on and the cabinets illuminated the frosted plexi will hide some of the inner workings. If I do need to add a bezel I will.

As is some of the wires are sort of loosely placed inside the cabinet and the monitor support just plain unpainted MDF. Should I need to paint it black I will. If I have to wrap the wires in black electrical tape to hide them, I will. But for now I'm hoping these minor details can be left as is.

Once fully complete I can begin the push on my Donkey Kong Jr project.

The Final Countdown !

2010-10-30T13:14:00.000-07:00

I promised myself I'd make a strong final push this weekend to get stuff done. Not only did I work on my bartop cabinet's, but I also found time to work on my DK JR project (BONUS!). Most of the jamma wiring was done last week. I'll still need to install the fans and speakers but that will be really simple. Today I got the monitors installed. WOW! These suckers have no room inside. It's really really tight. Not to mention the weight they add. I'd like to get some LCD's in them, but they aren't keepers, they are for sale. And the more I put into them money wise the less I get out.

ALMOST All Done...........ALMOST !

2010-10-16T11:05:00.000-07:00

Today I managed to complete most of the Jamma wiring. All the joysticks and buttons are done. I'll try to install the monitors this weekend and get them wired up.
The electrical part of the wiring I'm going to seek help on. My brother's are electricians, and I just want to ensure they are done correctly and properly grounded.
With two of the machines for sale I'd rather not take chances.
I did install the monitor supports, and the monitor into the keeper cabinet. It looks good! I'll need to clean up the wiring a little and cut a bezel and then it's pretty much done. PUSH PUSH PUSH !

Jamma Wiring

2010-10-11T10:59:00.000-07:00

I decided today I'd take a little time and try to wire up what I could.
Still a little more left to do. I hope to get both cabinets wired up this week.

Putting It All Together

2010-10-10T19:56:00.000-07:00

So I've got the control panels built, shaped, filled, sanded, and painted.
I started this weekend getting the cabinets put back together again.
The goal is to have them ready for sale come Christmas. I think I should easily
make the deadline. They are looking good, I'm happy with how the control panels
turned out once sanded. I wish I would have primed them since the really soaked up
the paint. But all in for two cabinets I plan on selling I think they look good.
With tomorrow being a holiday Monday (Canadian Thanksgiving) I'm hoping I can
get some of the Jamma wiring started if not completed.

Control Panels ... Shaping Up Nicely !

2010-09-25T15:30:00.000-07:00

I haven't picked up any wood filler as of yet, but decided none the less to give the control panels a sanding. I was able to shape them quite well, taking off the hard corners. I think they came out quite nice. Only problem is I rushed when drilling out the button holes. To be honest they are rather close together. AH WELL ...these are for re-sale !

Panels About Done

2010-09-21T16:34:00.000-07:00

Got the rest of what I needed built this weekend.
I still need to drill out the control panels, fill the staple holes, and paint them.
But honestly I don't think it will be that much work.
I also got my plexi retainer cut for my keeper cabinet, as well as some monitor supports. The NEW hope is to have these complete and ready for sale by the holiday season.

The Low Down On What Is Left.....

2010-06-22T14:34:00.000-07:00

I have a few things left to do before I can get these bartop's completed and sold.
I need to fashion a bracket to mount the LCD to the inside of the "keeper" cabinet.
Both the yellow and orange bartop's need to have their monitors installed also.
I'm still waiting to get help building the control panels for the yellow and orange bartop's. I'll also need to prepare a simply bracket the holds the plexi in place in the "keeper" cabinet. All the cabinets will have to wired up and I am indeed going to order the side art. I was very impressed with the samples I had printed up.

Room To Spare !

2010-06-22T14:29:00.001-07:00

With one of the three bartop's being a keeper I don't mind spending a few extra bucks on it. With the monitor broken I have no choice but to spend a few extra bucks on it.
Went out this week and picked up a $15 LCD monitor for $40 used. Came with all the wiring and a 90 warranty. It was tested and worked, and best of all it easily fit. The great thing is a monitor that size should easily fit into all of the bartop's.
So should I need to provided an upgrade when selling the buyer would have a great option.

Oh Man A Broken Neck !

2010-06-22T14:22:00.000-07:00

I've come to realize three things as of late.
I need to stop counting on people for help with this hobby. Which leads me to......
If I'm going to stick with this hobby I need to build an even better tool kit.
I should not be so rough with my stuff !
Not having all the proper tools often comes to bite me in the ass in the world of coin-op. I can't always get things done when I want. I need to wait for this person and that person. I end up going back to things time and time again. And as I have learned the more you mess with something, the better your odds of breaking it are.
I've considered getting LCD monitors for the bartop's, or even just having it as an option at the time of sale. I had to remove the monitor from its mounting bracket so I could take the bracket with me and size out the monitors. Well me, like a bull in a china shop as my mom would say poked,prodded,and pulled until I ended up breaking the neck of the monitor. Now I have no option I NEED an LCD !

Side Art Samples

2010-06-03T16:59:00.000-07:00

Picked up some side art samples on simple photo stock.
Wanted to look at the overall print quality.
I'm very happy with the look.
Shortly I will get the images printed on sticker stock and install them onto the cabinets.

Check List

2010-04-07T17:13:00.000-07:00

So with the "four month fuck" out of the way it's time to move forward.
All three cabinets are painted. All the jamma harnesses have been bundled.
Most of my tech questions have been answered by the good people over at the BYOAC site.
With that said I thought I should make a check list so I would know what remains.

* Cut out monitor support for yellow & orange bar top
* Build control panels for yellow & orange bar top
* Paint control panels
* Install joysticks & buttons into new control panels
* Wire up joysticks, buttons, and monitors (replacing existing monitor connection)
* Install new power switch in all cabinets
* Wire up the AC elements of all cabinets

That's pretty much it !
Not that much left to do really.
This coming weekend I am going to my brothers house. He is an electrician and will be helping me when it comes to wiring the cabinets. For the time being he is going to help me with the monitor supports and control panels. Once they are done I think I'll only need an hour or so to get the joysticks,buttons, and monitors all wired up. Starting with a new jamma harness really does simplify the project. Once I've got that done it will time for trip number two to my brothers house. We will (and by we I mean him) get the electrical wiring done. From there list & sell the machines..... I hope !

The Last Of The Three Musketeers Gets Put Back Together

2010-04-04T09:17:00.000-07:00

So after the "four month fuck" as previously posted about I decided I needed to forge ahead. This week I completed the paint job of the third and final bar top. After giving it about 24 hours to cure I started to put it back together this week.

I'm hoping that next week I can get the control panels built and new monitor supports cut out. From there it's just an issue of wiring them all up.

Progress

2010-04-03T18:13:00.000-07:00

This is where I'm at with one of the machines.
The others still need a little more work.
I think a good few hours one afternoon will put a good dent into the project.

Plexi Time

2010-04-03T12:38:00.000-07:00

I still have to get some new bezels cut for these cabinets. Previously the monitors were mounted horizontally, however for the 48-in-1's I'll need to use them vertically.
All of the plexi used in these cabinets seems to have the protective coating left on them. It seems that they just left the coating on to double as the bezel and cut out the required area. I soaked two of them overnight in water then along with a putty knife and some Goo Gone got them cleaned up. One more left then a final cleaning.

Wiring/Power Issues

2010-04-03T12:30:00.000-07:00

When doing this project I wanted to follow Bob Roberts "How To Wire An Arcade Cabinet" diagram as closely as I could. However when I was out sourcing the parts I had issues finding AC Line Filters and AC Distribution Blocks. In another post you can see the parts I did pick up. I think they will be suitable. And to ensure no mistakes I'm going to get my brother to assist in (or I guess I should say "DO") the wiring of these cabinets. I had some issues with respects to the Isolation Transformers. Between the three bar top's two different Isolation Transformers existed. Two of them were "Mike Proof" as they would only connect one way to the monitor. And coming off the other end were two different colored wires, one white, one black. However the other Isolation Transformer could connect either way to the monitor chassis. And the wires coming off it were both the same color. Again I'm a NOOB and wasn't sure what to do.
Luckily some great places exist with respects to this hobby.

The guys over at www.cgcc.ca are a great source of help, as are the guys and gals that use the BYOC forums. Great site to check out by the way, http://arcadecontrols.com/arcade.htm

Taking Action!

2010-04-03T12:28:00.001-07:00

So after the four month fuck it's time to pick up the pieces and move ahead.
I'm to ask my father in law to help me cut out and assemble two control panels as well as the internal monitor supports. Today I managed to get out to the Home Depot and get a piece of MDF that I think will be suitable.

All Painting Is Done!

2010-04-03T12:22:00.001-07:00

With bar top number three back in my possession it was time to make some progress.
I had a hell of a time drilling out the locks on this machine. I ended up just opening up the back and using a long screwdriver I removed the hinges that kept the control panel locked in place. Why didn't I think of this sooner? I broke soooo many drill bits. Anyway, that got done, the machine was taken apart and the painting completed this week. I call this machine mellow yellow!

JLF Wiring Harness Is In

2010-04-03T12:20:00.000-07:00

To simplify this project just a little I decided I would order the JLF wiring harnesses. I found a good deal on Ebay and placed an order for 5.
They arrived this week. So I'm hoping that I can wire up the bulk of this project this week. My brother will be helping me with most of the power related stuff.

Existing Control Panel

2010-04-03T12:17:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of the bar top's.
You can see that the three machines have two different control panels.
one has a traditional lay out, the other two don't.
You can sorta see the angled cut towards the top of the control panel.
That was why I brought the machine to work for my co-worker.
So he could fashion a control panel that would fit over top of it.

The Four Month Fuck

2010-04-03T11:47:00.000-07:00

So about four months ago I spoke with a co-worker about helping him build his MAME machine. I turned him onto a local supplier of arcade parts who also has monthly auctions. He was really excited to get things started and decided not only to build one cabinet for himself, but another for his brother. He was going to build the cabinets himself from scratch as apparently he is a skilled carpenter. So after a bit more talking I realized he didn't really have any idea on how to set up MAME.
In the end we worked out what I thought was a pretty good deal for both of us. He would help me out by building two control panels for me and I would MAME a PC for both him & his brother. Was a match made in heaven as I didn't have the skills & tools to build the control panels and he needed help with the software end of things.

We talked it over for a few days, about what I was looking for, what I expected, what I wanted. I was honest, SOMETHING SIMPLE ! I honestly didn't care. The machines were for sale and just had to function. Something that fit and three buttons and a joystick was perfect. Even with respects to the layout I was very open. In fact I told him whatever is fastest would work for me.

I ended up printing out some templates for him that featured a layout I thought would work. I also printed out and provided to him measurements that I thought would work. On one of the bar top's they layout in similar to your standard run of the mill arcade machine. However the other two have the buttons laid out on the front of the machine. If I were to install a joystick into these machines the joystick would point toward you (the player) as opposed to up (towards the ceiling).

If you look closely at the picture you can see there is an angled cut towards the top of the control panel. My co-worker thought it would work best to design a control panel that would fit over top. Again I was cool with that. I don't work with wood so I took his word for it, as I'm sure he would if I gave him some MAME input.

He asked me what the angle was that he needed to make the cut. I didn't know. I asked him, "Is it better I just bring you the machine ? The two machines are the exact same. This way you can make it fit perfect!" So that was that.

I brought the machine into work I believe in December. Then I waited, waited, and waited. Then I waited even a little longer. Every time I asked the design was changed or a new idea had popped up. So I wanted again. It got to a point where I thought I had waited enough. All be it a favor was being done for me I felt enough time had passed. So I said to my co-worker, listen I need this stuff back done or not, I'm cool, but I really got started on this project. So I was told that weekend it would be banged out.

That Monday I went to work and to my surprise my stuff was not returned. This went on for a few weeks. Again I was told of some change, some new idea, some crap really. I began to question if anything was even done, and if not, would it ever be done ? So again I provided the easy out, done or not I need it back. I put deadlines on it, but nothing worked.

So one week I say again I need the stuff back Friday. That Friday I had to leave work right away to visit my father in the hospital. And guess what I was told on Monday, my stuff had made it work ! Yet that week it never returned odd as it was.
So yet again a deadline was put on this. I can't recall how many weeks passed from it's alleged arrival at work. But again one Friday I had to leave right away as my brother was at my house waiting for me. And yet again that Monday it was brought to my attention that my items were at work that Friday. Yet again a familiar trend, they never returned that entire week.

I spoke to a friend of mine that works with me and asked him if he would take issue bringing home my goods if they ever did make it into the office. Really my intention was eliminate another excuse. So I spoke to "the carpenter" and told him if ever my goods make it into the office, as opposed to hauling it back and forth should for some reason I miss you give it to my friend. "Great" I was told, I'll do that.
So that Friday when I asked I was told the goods were getting dropped off that night. My buddy waited at work for the bar top to show up. He was reassured several times it was coming, in fact he even stuck around for an extra hour because he was told "%100 it's coming tonight." Then to our surprise a text message was received, it wouldn't be arriving that night. Something had come up.

I got a text message shortly after to let me know that Saturday the stuff would be brought to my house. Needless to say Saturday I got no call to ask for my address or really anything. Yet again I got fucked. But now I was really pissed off because my buddy got fucked over and wasted an hour of his time. And now I was beginning to think the plan was to simply keep my stuff hoping I just let it go.

The following week I waited after work everyday to make sure to provide a "friendly reminder" that I wanted my stuff that week. Then that Thursday I must have called my office about 30 times trying to get "the carpenter" on the phone. But each and every time I called I got no answer. Finally around 10:30 PM right before he finished work my buddy messaged me to say he was at his desk. So I called my buddy who then yelled at "the carpenter" to "take this call!."

I spoke to "the carpenter" for a just a moment or two, and just let him know to make %100 sure he brought my stuff back that Friday. I let him know I'd wait that Friday after work to ensure I got my stuff. I reminded him how all past delivery attempts had failed and asked if a morning reminder was needed. That Friday I got my bar top back, however NOT A SINGLE THING WAS DONE. Not a single hole drilled, not one control panel, nothing.

That was how I got fucked for four months!

Control Panel 1

2010-03-11T15:41:00.001-08:00

As I patiently wait for my co-worker to bring back Bar Top number three I proceed with this project where I can. He is kindly (all be it slowly) making me control panels for two of the three bar tops. One of the three was easily modified to contain a joystick and buttons. I decided that while I wait I should begin that aspect of the project.
I went out and picked up my 1 1/8" drill bit, perfect for arcade buttons. I drilled a few practice holes on a spare piece of wood and all was good. So I prepared to widen the holes when suddenly I realized the drill had nothing to bit onto. I'm not the greatest with tools as anyone can tell from reading this blog. But it soon came to me, attach a piece of wood to the back of the control panel. Drill some pilot holes as perfectly centered as you can and voila! For the most part I was bang on and my practice control panel turned out well.

So now onto what I call the "keeper" the bar top that I tried to design with the wife in mind. I attach a piece of wood to the back, I screw it down, I drill out my pilot holes, I put some painters tape on the front of the panel to avoid chipping and I'm off. Don't ask me how I do a wicked job on the throwaway, yet the "keepers" pilot holes are all over the place. So I take my level and draw two straight lines based on the top and bottom of hole one. I flip over the panel and take a look, a good long look at my pilot holes. They looked good ! So I decide I'll just stick with them. In the end I ended up chipping the control panel. Luckily I glued the chipped part back into place, however it has a slight elevation from the rest of the panel.

To me when I look at it the buttons all look good and line up well, the joystick is secured well (and from the bottom), and the overall paint job is good. Three coats of flat black and three coats of Krylon Triple Thick clear coat. No matter what I do I always have to get some dog hair on it so I've come to expect that. You can defiantly tell what area was damaged, but all in all it looks good.
It could be better, but when in place I think it will look awesome. And really I don't want to have to build a new one.

(*** excuse some of the pics I was messing around with my Mighty Muggs ***)

Parts

2010-02-18T15:26:00.000-08:00

So the idea was to wire these cabinets up by following the Bob Roberts tutorial above. I didn't want to have to order any parts from the U.S. Sadly I have been unable to find the AC Line Filters as used by Bob in the tutorial. I've decided I simply wont use them. I did pick up switches that I believe will be suitable, as well as the terminal block I picked up. It doesn't quite match the one used by Bob, but I believe it will work just fine.

Painted & Assembled

2010-02-18T15:17:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures of the cabinet painted and assembled.
I'm very happy with the overall job on this cabinet so far.
I plan on picking up some new white t-moulding in the near future.

Two Down, One To Go!

2010-02-18T15:09:00.000-08:00

As I wait patiently for cabinet number three to be returned to me with my newly crafted control panels I decided I should make some progress with the two cabinets I have. Cabinet number one has been painted, and all be it I'm not thrilled with the overall job it isn't bad. The "keeper" however looks much better. I fully took the machine apart even removing the t-moulding. I was also very surprised with the way the paint covered this time around. When I painted the orange cabinet I ended needing two cans of paint to get a decent finish on it. However with the purple (aka Gumdrop as it was named by Krylon) this was not the case. Mind you I did paint over a surface primed with flat white, so that could be the difference maker.

Cabinet two is now fully assembled and just needs to be wired. Cabinet one needs to have a monitor support cut out before I can start wiring it.

Today I managed to get down to Sayal a local electronics store to pick up some required parts. I had hoped to wire the cabinets exactly as shown on the Bob Roberts tutorial. However I have been unable to track down AC Line Filters. I even had a hard time getting AC Distribution Blocks, however I think the terminal I got will do the same job....if not I wasted $9!

Anyway here are some pics.

One Painted, Two To Go!

2010-01-31T18:48:00.000-08:00

So I've got one cabinet painted and ready to go.
The other cabinet is fully gutted and just needs to be masked off for paint this week.
Cabinet number three is still M.I.A ! My co-worker built my two control panel as I mentioned prior. I gave him one of the cabinets to ensure the fit was perfect.
Sadly he keeps forgetting to bring it to work, or when he does I've left for the day. Ah well...........no rush I guess !

Today I also managed to get out to a local Auto Parts store to pick up some needed parts. I got my security bit set which is awesome! I also picked up some random connectors and some wire. I also managed to get the rest of the paint I would need for these projects this week.

I've contacted Bob Roberts about placing an order. I'm still waiting on a price from him. I'm having a hard time online locating the parts I need. So I figure with the strong Canadian dollar I really cant go wrong. The shipping is very reasonable @ Bob Roberts and I can't see him having any hidden fees (such as brokerage) .

Onto Painting !

2010-01-27T12:27:00.000-08:00

I'm not in any rush to bang these cabinets out. I really want them to be done well, look clean, and function great. I'm taking my time every step of the way. As always with any project you have some trial and error. I decided I would mask and start painting today. Two of the three bar tops have a wood grain top panel. I decided I would paint it in a flat black. I love flat black spray paint, it's very forgiving!
I also masked off the coin mechs and the bottom swivel base of the machine.

The first machine will be a bright orange Krylon paint. I found that I don't like the new Krylon tip, took me some time to get used to. I had many runs on my first crack. I found I was better served to paint the entire cabinet in the flat black first and then apply the orange over top. It isn't done yet, but I think it will look great.

After I got the top painted I masked it off as to avoid over spray.

Wiring

2010-01-26T09:40:00.000-08:00

Bar none the most daunting part of this task.
I've never done anything like this before. It will even be my 1st experience soldering. Needless to say I'm very nervous. I have this fear something will blow up, catch on fire, blind me, just all sorts of fears. However I am taking my time and trying to make sure I fully understand what I am doing. As I take something apart I try to study it, take note of which wire goes where, and take lots of pictures.
Sadly during my last cabinet destruction I didn't quite do that.
However I do think I have a decent grasp of what needs to be done.

Vertical Mount

2010-01-26T09:33:00.000-08:00

For these machines to display the correct image for my 48-in-1 boards the monitors would need to be rotated. In the 1st cabinet I could tell this had been done prior, and the bracket was already cut and able to accommodate the monitor. However in the second cabinet that wasn't the case. I checked to make sure the hole cut in the 1st bracket would indeed accommodate the monitor. Then I traced out the template onto a piece of wood so I could cut it out. The monitor in the second cabinet was mounted onto a metal housing that also secured the chassis. On the sides of the cabinet two pieces of wood were fitted leaving a small gap in the top of the cabinet. The metal housing simply slid into place. I decided to remove the chassis and monitor from the housing as it would make the monitor installation easier.

Cabinet Two

2010-01-26T09:31:00.000-08:00

I've got cabinet two almost fully gutted.
I decided I would clean it out so I can finish working on it.

Monitor Questions pt. II

2010-01-23T18:07:00.000-08:00

I also noticed on the chassis a connection for the yoke.
One of the connections says V.YOKE the other H.YOKE.
Again easy enough to determined that V is for vertical, and H horizontal.
Only thing is I don't know which connection is which!
I know I would require the V.YOKE to be connected as my monitor orientation is
vertical. However I'm unsure if the V.YOKE connection is the connection below the
typing V.YOKE or if it's the one above the typing V.YOKE

Monitor Questions pt. I

2010-01-23T18:03:00.000-08:00

As I'm taking apart the bar top I'm trying hard to study the way it was put together.
What goes where in terms of wiring etc. As noted this will be the 1st time I've ever done anything like this from scratch.

I noticed on the monitor chassis two switches.
They read :

POSI-H-NEGA & POSI-V-NEGA

I can figure out that one is for HORIZONTAL orientation, the other VERTICAL.
For my needs the monitor would need a vertical orientation. So I would assume the "V" switch would be "POSI" and the "H" switch "NEGA."

I just have to figure out which is the top and which is the bottom, but I think the top has the suction cup from the fly back.

Just About Ready To Paint

2010-01-23T16:14:00.000-08:00

So a little more time was spent working on the cabinet.
It's now fully apart and just about ready for paint.
I went to a local arcade auction today (what a bust) so nothing much else got done.
Tomorrow I'll need to goto a local Auto Parts store to pick up the security bit to remove the coin mechs. But once I have that done I can mask and paint.
Perhaps later on this evening I'll get downstairs and clean up the rest of the parts.

Pic's Continued

2010-01-22T14:44:00.000-08:00

Almost Fully Gutted

2010-01-22T14:41:00.000-08:00

Went downstairs after work to finish gutting the cabinet.
I'd like to get it painted come Sunday.
With the exception of the coin return it's fully done.
I'll need to track down the correct bit/screwdriver to remove the coin return.
I took the pictures of the monitor connections so I will know how to assemble it again. Now it's off to read the tutorial from Bob Roberts on how to wire up and arcade cabinet.

A Few More Pics Of The Progress

2010-01-21T15:39:00.000-08:00

Just a few more pictures of the gutting stage.
I'd hope to have the cabinet fully gutted by Friday.
That way perhaps this weekend I can begin painting the cabinet.
I'm going to try and wire everything outside of the cabinet to make sure I've got it correct before installing all the wiring.

I'm going to have a ton of questions !

A couple things I've noted so far while doing this project.
** My Sanwa joystick easily fits through the pre-drilled hole in the control panel.
It's a lil short but otherwise seems fine **

** It looks as if the monitor was previously installed horizontally in the cabinet. This should make for an easy rotation when I reinstall it **

** Sadly the pre-drilled button holes are too small for my Hori buttons. I don't want to replace the control panel so I'm hoping I can easily enlarge them **

Bar Top Begin

2010-01-21T15:26:00.000-08:00

I've had some issues drilling out the locks on the bar top's. But this week I was determined to get it done. One of the three bar tops is with a co-worker who graciously built me the required control panels I would need to turn them into 48-in-1's. The other two are at home with me. So I decided I would tackle the two machines for now so I could begin the prep work for turning these into 48-in-1's.
When I picked the machines up I was told I would need to drill the locks. The seller asked me, "Do you know how to do it?" to which I told him, "Oh ya, of course."
He showed me none the less, needless to say I didn't pay attention. I've turned the locks (on the bar top I'm selling) into a bloody mess. Oddly enough on the bar top I'm keeping I was able to drill out all four locks with ease. I didn't even make a mess of them! They obviously don't work, but they look perfect.

With the locks drilled out I decided I would begin gutting the cabinet.
I have brand new 48-in-1 boards and brand new jamma harnesses for the cabinets.
All I need to keep from the bar tops are the power supply's and monitors. As I begin gutting them I do feel a little over my head. I'm not really sure how to wire them.
I've researched a ton about how to wire a jamma cabinet, but not for one second did I think about how will the machines power up ? I didn't really pay much attention to the monitor and chassis.

As usual I'm sure I will count heavily on the help of the guys over @ www.cgcc.ca .
I think the machines might take me a little longer then I thought but I'm hoping I figure it out.

The idea is keep one and sell the other two.

I've included some pictures in this post.

Bar Top Break Down

2010-01-15T05:00:00.000-08:00

BAR TOP MACHINES = $100 FOR 3 ($33.00)
48-IN-1 BOARDS = $180 FOR 3 ($60.00) *SHIPPED*
JAMMA HARNESS = $35 FOR 3 ($11.50) *SHIPPED*
SPRAY PAINT = $62
SANWA JOYSTICKS = $45 FOR 3 ($15.00)
HORI BUTTONS = $15 FOR 15 ($1.00)
TOOLS & WIRING = $35
CONTROL PANELS = FU*T! (SEE THE BLOG FOR DETAILS...THANKS "FM")
SWITCHES & WIRING = $40
MULTI-METER = $23
JLF WIRING HARNESS x 5 = $20
MDF & MISC HARDWARE = $10
ART SAMPLES = $10
15" LCD MONITOR = $40
SIDE ART = $40
SOLDER WIRE = $7
CRIMP TOOL + WIRE = $25
POWER SUPPLY x 3 = $40
15" LCD MONITOR = $20

*** Still to buy :

15" LCD Monitor x 2

TOTAL = $747 TO DATE ($249 EACH)

Clean Up

2009-11-09T13:55:00.001-08:00

Had a friend over on Saturday and managed to power up the MAME and get in about 15 minutes of play. It isn't much, but it was fun none the less.
With MAME on the brain Sunday I managed to get downstairs and clean up the cabinet, zip tie the wires, and mount the power bar onto the back of the cabinet.

I also put the keyboard and mouse inside the cabinet feeding the connections out the back into the PC. The PC is simply tucked behind the cabinet for now. I don't think it will ever make it's way inside the cabinet.

Concept Work

2009-10-12T16:36:00.000-07:00

I created these quickly in photoshop using the color sample from the Krylon page.
Obviously this is a very rough, but it illustrates the look I'm going for.
I'm excited to get working on these.

This N' That

2009-10-11T21:20:00.000-07:00

So today I picked out the paint I'd like to use on the counter top arcades.
Krylon Gum Drop, Pumpkin Orange, and Sun Yellow. I paired each color up with buttons and a Sanwa ball top that would match. If all goes well and the price is good each cabinet will also feature some classic side art.

Cabinet one features Krylon Sun Yellow along with a transparent yellow ball top and 24mm yellow Sanwa buttons. I'd like to feature the art from Donkey Kong one on this cabinet.

Cabinet two features Krylon Gum Drop along with a transparent purple ball top and 30mm black Sanwa buttons. On this cabinet (which I plan on keeping) I would like to use the art from Donkey Kong Jr.

Cabinet three features Krylon Pumpkin Orange along with a transparent orange ball top and 30mm orange Sanwa buttons. For this cabinet I would feature the art from Donkey Kong 3. I think this cabinet could look the best to be honest. The side art has various pops of orange throughout. All in all I think the elements of this cabinet will work really well together making for (what I hope) to be an amazing finished product.

http://www.localarcade.com/arcade_art/

Next Project

2009-10-11T20:55:00.000-07:00

So now with the MAME project done I've moved onto my bar top's and jukebox.
Two of the three bar top's will be for resale and one to keep.
I've picked up brand new jamma harnesses, hori buttons and joysticks, 48-in-1 boards, and just today picked up the spray paint. I'm thinking of printing out side art depending on the cost involved doing so. As is it's looking like I will go with the art from Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr, and Donkey Kong 3.

Moving On!

2009-10-11T07:48:00.000-07:00

The MAME project is done, well %99 done.
A few small things remain like cleaning up some wires, going into the BIOS to stop the RAM check the PC does upon power up. It's Thanksgiving so there is a lot on the go, but as is it's %100 playable. I would expect Monday I would take care of these few small things.

I've moved right onto my jukebox project, which I'm excited about.
I've added the link :

http://www.thebossbox.blogspot.com/

DONE !

2009-10-09T19:32:00.000-07:00

It's late, I'm pissed off, and I want to smash my brothers IPOD.
Moving over 2000 songs for his trip to Poland is anything but fun.
It's 10:33 and I think I started f**king around with this thing at 6 or so.
Anyway with the help of my brother I completed the MAME cabinet today.
I'll post more pics and info later, but I'm proud to report it's done.

We cut out a portion of the cabinets rear, that allowed us to seat the monitor in the ideal position. Using some wood we shimmed the monitor into place. It's pressed nicely up against the back of the bezel and looks really good.

Anyway more to come later !

Final Stages

2009-10-02T17:52:00.000-07:00

So I can finally say (and feel good about it) that this project is finally in the final stages. I'm still waiting to get my hands on a jigsaw, but other then that its pretty much done. I had a few connections on the IPAC that were loose, but I fixed them today. I also had a problem with the audio being super quiet. I rewired the speakers and the audio is great now. Perhaps a little too much bass, but I should be able to easily adjust that. I've decided as mentioned prior that the PC will simply remain tucked behind or beside the cabinet. And the keyboard kept on top of the PC for easy access. I do have one PC issue that I am yet to fix. When I had major PC issues sometime ago when it was repaired it would do a check of the RAM every time. Pressing escape will void the process. However now running MAME I don't want to wait every time for the test to complete. And with the keyboard stashed behind the PC hitting the escape key isn't going to convenient. Other then that I feel good. I've sent out an email to price some side art. I've designed an instruction card as seen in this blog and I'm going to look for a move set sticker similar to the ones found on Tekken cabinets.

A Few More Options

2009-09-28T17:47:00.000-07:00

Revised Instruction Card

2009-09-28T13:06:00.000-07:00

Just made a few revisions. I've added both the Dynamo and Capcom logo's.
I added the plus (+) symbol in each instruction line to indicate a combination of buttons/directions are required. Other then that I just changed the spacing ever so slightly. I'll send this off to Wal-Mart this week and see how the final printed instruction card looks.

About to play a lil Street Fighter II

2009-09-27T16:31:00.000-07:00

Progress, progress, progress ! It feel's good to say that.
I need a little more time to fix some things I overlooked, but the end is near.
I can say that, most importantly I can mean it!
I hooked up the control panel to give this puppy a little test drive.

Up & Running

2009-09-27T16:28:00.001-07:00

Some pictures I took during the testing process.
For now I've decided to keep the PC on the side of the cabinet.

It Works, It Works!

2009-09-27T16:22:00.000-07:00

I think the s-video wire is the source of the problem. I'm getting a new one on Monday. Today I decided I would go downstairs and fiddle around again and see if I could make any progress. I made sure the s-video wire was as straight as possible, it seemed as if that did the trick because I got the image to display on the PVM.

As I make progress I noticed some mistakes I've made and things I've overlooked.
I love the flat black paint as its really easy to work with, but it marks easily.
Having certain elements (control panel & bezel) painted for as long as they have been, and left lying around it was no wonder they've picked up a few scratches along the way.
Looking back now I wish I had clear coated the items. Its no biggie, but something I will know for next time. I MIGHT clear coat the bezel, but I will not do the same for the control panel.

Working with what I have, specifically the X-Men vs. Street Fighter I decided to do an instruction card that would follow suit with the other elements. Having not played for a bit I forgot how to select the game. This is most certainly a good idea to have with this cabinet !

2009-09-26T12:32:00.000-07:00

I'm so pissed off! Since getting these monitors every single time I've gone downstairs to mess around on MAME I've had no issues. I turn on the PC, I turn on the monitor and away I went. It's like the second the monitor was placed into the cabinet something decided not to work. But not only did not work on one of the monitors, its the same thing on all three. It just really upsets me that I have encountered yet another set back. The installation of the PC shouldn't be all that hard. Cutting the back of the cabinet to make room for the monitor shouldn't be all that hard. Wiring everything up should be relatively easy also. But this stupid monitor or video card or whatever it is such a pain in the ass. I've spent so much time trying different configurations and nothing. The last thing I'm going to try is to bring the PC upstairs again and try on the 32". But even if that works what does it tell me ?

Shocking.............. Still No Luck

2009-09-26T11:21:00.000-07:00

So I brought the PC monitor downstairs. I powered up the PC and the PC monitor displayed the images with no problems. I shutdown the PC, started it up, only this time hooked up to the PVM monitor. But this time I got no image, I plugged the PC monitor back in and it was still working. I powered down and powered up the PC on a second PVM monitor but still no image. I tested the monitor via an X-Box playing a DVD and the monitor was working. The only thing I can think of is the s-video signal is not strong enough ? Oh I also got shocked trying to move the monitor, that was fun.
I've included images of MAME playing on the PC monitor and my newly damaged and shocked finger!

Some Oversights

2009-09-26T10:29:00.000-07:00

As the project comes together I have noticed some oversights in the planning.
Some and easy fix, others not so much. I'll need to drill a hole in the monitor shelf that will allow the s-video cable to run down into the PC. The same hole will also allow me to run the speaker connections into the sub-woofer. The monitor depth isn't working well with the cabinet and I will need to cut a pass thru in the back of the cabinet. As is the monitor is sitting too far forward. I need to move it backwards and angle it into place. By cutting out a portion of the back cabinet I should be able to seat the monitor in the desired position. Lastly I miss measured my PC case, its about 1" to wide to fit into the cabinet now that the monitor is in place. I'm thinking that I will have to remove the components of the PC and mount them onto a board that I can fit inside. I'm thinking this could also help with the heat issue as it would have no case.

Anyway I'm off to "try" and solve my monitor issues.

Display Issues

2009-09-26T10:16:00.000-07:00

So I get help and I get the monitor into place.
I began testing the computer on each of the three monitors.
For some reason no image was showing on ANY of the monitors.
I brought the PC upstairs and tested via the video card on a PC monitor, I had no issue. I also tested the s-video and hooked it up to my 32" TV, again no issue.
I took the PC downstairs and started to test it running MAME on the installed monitor and no image. I don't know what the problem could be.

To save myself from running up and down the stairs I'm going to bring the PC monitor downstairs and continue testing. I have no clue what the problem is, but its really bothering me.

Monitor Is In

2009-09-25T20:49:00.000-07:00

Today I began the process of testing all three Sony monitors using MAME.
However (just my luck) it seems the video card has kicked the bucket. I can no longer get an image displayed on any of the three monitors. I tested the S-Video cable via DVD player and it worked. I also tested the three inputs on the monitors also via the DVD player and the monitors displayed the picture. It appears I'm having RAM issues in addition to the video card issue. It never rains, it pores ! Such is my luck.

Anyway with the help of my brother and friend Andrew the monitor has now been lifted into place. It will require me to cut a little off the back of the cabinet to slide it into its final resting place. Also as suspected I will need to shim it into place.
I would expect to do that in the next week or so.

I also plan on tackling my PC issues this week. I'm rather upset, yet another set back.

Monitor Repair

2009-09-24T16:57:00.000-07:00

When I purchased the 3 Sony monitors one of the three had issues. The picture was very bad, and very green. I began tweaking it by lowering all the settings only to find out I was unable to increase the settings. All the "+" buttons didn't work.
When I removed the casing from one of the Sony's I noticed what I thought was the wiring for the adjustments. I needed to remove the casing from a working Sony to add it into the Dynamo cabinet. I decided I would unplug the connection from the working monitor and plug it into the non working monitor. PRESTO ! IT WORKED ! I was able to reset the monitor to the stock settings and do my adjustments. I'm really excited that I've now salvaged this monitor I thought was a complete write off. In fact I thought the monitor looked great, perhaps the one I will use in the MAME cabinet. However Friday I will try running MAME on each of the monitors selecting the best one for the cabinet.

So Now What's Really Left ? And When Will It Be Done ?

2009-09-23T16:38:00.000-07:00

OK so the shelf is built and installed.
So what's left to FINALLY chalk this project up in the finished column ?

I need to build a small shelf to house the PC sub woofer. It contains the volume control for the computers audio speakers. I've purchased L brackets that I plan on using, and I will house this shelf just below where the cabinets original power supply was. That will allow me to reach behind the cabinet and adjust the volume if needed.

Ill need to house the PC inside the cabinet resting on its side. Ill keep one end of the tower case off to help with cooling. I might add one of my USB cooling stations to the inside of the cabinet for the time being. But I do plan on purchasing a fan to store inside the cabinet and provide additional cooling.

Once the speaker shelf is installed and the PC contained its a simple case of putting the cabinet back together. I would expect (and this is honest) to have the cabinet up and playable for Saturday. It feels good to say that and mean it.

Shelf Is Done & Installed

2009-09-23T16:26:00.000-07:00

My brother is coming over Friday to help me move around some furniture in anticipation of my new sectional coming. I thought it would be a good opportunity to get the help required to complete the MAME project. I've had the shelf built for a few weeks now but did have some issues on just how to install it. Browsing some of the projects over on the BYOAC site I noticed that someone using the same SONY PVM monitor simply installed a shelf level to the control panel. He then used wood to shim it up into place. I thought that was a great idea and didn't require the math and problem solving on my end. No secret I've had a ton of issues on how to install this monitor and get it perfect. Anyway today I thought I would find the time to install the shelf and drill the holes. I cut a 2"x4" to about 26" so it would rest just under the 2"x4" support of my shelf. I checked to make sure the shelf was level on both ends and from the inside (and underside) I started to drill through the cabinet. Once I felt I had gone past the 2"x4" to the cabinet itself I stopped. Once all 6 holes were done I removed the shelf to complete the task. After that I simply put the 2"x4" support back into place and began adding the bolts. With the exception of one bolt that goes in cooked as a bitch I'm glad it's done. And like most things on this project the task wasn't that hard and again I regret waiting as long as I did. None the less the shelf is in and I'm just about finished.

Side Project : NEO GEO

2009-09-20T10:23:00.000-07:00

While my MAME remains in the basement stalled screaming for attention I decided I would jazz up my NEO GEO cabinet. Possibly adding some Japanese Sanwa joysticks with red ball tops and painting the motherboard cover. While I havent changed out the joysticks yet I did paint the motherboard cover. I think it came out quite well.

As far as my MAME goes I decided to simply intall the shelf level, adding no angle. As I saw over on the Build Your Own Arcade Controls site I will simply shim the monitor into the correct viewing angle using wood. So simple yet I never thought of it.

2009-09-15T16:45:00.000-07:00

Rant................and Shelf Is Built

2009-09-15T05:16:00.000-07:00

I find myself saying the same things over and over and over again.
And all be it I set goals for myself I guess I just don't care enough to really follow through. As one can easily tell from this blog I began my MAME project long long ago.
And even though each element of the build was in reality easy finding the time to do these specific tasks was not so easy. Not really having a desire to go downstairs and play on the machine I think was a major thorn in the side. None the less I push though and really do want this project finished. I think one of the other big...scratch that.....MASSIVE problems was me second guessing myself. I'm not by any means a handy individual. I'm not a skilled craftsman, in fact I didn't get a single tool until last year when I got my house. Yet for all my shortcomings I have this really overactive imagination. Now the imagination is a great thing, but when you combined that with hesitation and constant second guessing with a pinch of over thinking you have a deadly cocktail. I constantly doubt that I have the means and skills to complete this project.
As my MAME project neared completion all that remain with the installation of the monitor. Now that onto itself wasn't or didn't seem overly difficult. But the monitor was 115lbs, and quite simply I was unable to life it and maneuver it on my own. Finding the time to get downstairs and complete this task became an issue, and when I had time did I have someone around to help ? Still I thought I will do what I can, but I started to obsess over the angle of the monitor and for some reason (even to this day) was unable to figure it out. It was the suggestion of my brother-in-law to simply lift it into place, eyeball it and go from there. I spoke to my father-in-law and had him cut my shelf for me. I installed 2"x4" supports and drilled out 3 holes on each 2"x4" to allow for the bolts I purchased to be fed through. This past weekend a friend came over to give me his two cents on the build. (Again an issue formed by my over thinking of things) I showed him the shelf, I held the shelf in place and we took the back casing from the Sony PVM monitor and did another ruff fitting. I know it might not be exact, and really I don't need it to be exact. I'm pretty sure the orientation will be fine and I will have little, if not no blockage of the screen. So with the ruff install done my friend suggested I cut some of my extra 2"x4" to 28". It was 28" from the bottom of the cabinet to the bottom support of the shelf. He suggested with the wood cut it would in fact act like a second set of hands. I could shimmy the wood up to the shelf, and reach in from underneath a mark my three holes. Then move the wood to the other side of the cabinet and repeat. This would provide my with a level surface and allow the shelf to remain in place as I drill out the holes.
As I have prior I "AGAIN" feel confident this is truly the last step. I plan on cutting the support tonight and perhaps asking my father-in-law (A jack of all trades) for his two cents this weekend. I believe I've cracked the code again, but my father-in-law will be able to tell me fore sure. With this help the shelf should be installed this weekend. I should be able to move the cabinet into place myself and I'll need to enlist the help of my friend to lift the monitor.

Another thing I did notice was that the Sony PVM monitor will no doubt have to have its casing removed to fit correctly into the cabinet. As is I have removed the casing from one of the three monitors. I had some issues with the monitor not displaying in color. However I have been unable to resolve the problem. The issue was that the adjustments on the front panel don't work. However I did locate the wires and see where the plug into the back of the Sony. I'll need to remove the case from one of the two working Sony monitors. Once I do so I'm going to try to plug in the connection from a working Sony into the broken Sony. I'm hoping that by doing so I can simply access the buttons and use the factory reset. That should restore the monitor to its factory default and in theory display in color again. Salvaging a monitor that as is was set to go into the trash.

2009-09-08T18:15:00.000-07:00