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Finno's Cab - Work in Progress


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Well it's taken me quite a few hours to get to this point but it's finally starting to resemble something (that's when you feel like you're making progress right?).

 

 

I've based my cab on Elvis' plans. Big thanks for going to the trouble of putting them up for everyone. Finding plans in metric was a big help.

 

Of course I've made a few mods also and when I'm done building I will post my mutated Elvis plans. Gotta double check all my measurements first! ;)

 

Anyway here's some pics of where I'm at.

 

I've also been working on some art for the CP and frontend. The CP overlay is just a mockup so it's not to scale yet. I've been using photoshop but I still haven't figured out how I'm going to get it to an accurate size when printed. What format and resolution would be best to take to the printers?

 

I also quite liked the theme DM used for MALA on his frontend. My cab is going to be black and blue so I converted the background he is using into blue. I've attached it to this post if anyone wants it. It's not that clean as I just used the bucket to recolour, but it looks ok in 640x480.

 

Comments welcome.

panels_cut.jpg.c387259bff7b70396d647ba6d59bdf5c.jpg

cab_build1.thumb.jpg.4573c5bb5269cbd91afe87e0133b9652.jpg

cab_build3.thumb.jpg.4e482e3789495ac0a2d00ef3ba70a014.jpg

cab_build4_top.jpg.e14a269bd19e5843432739b4844d2fa8.jpg

cp_overlay_lores.jpg.2a4c04483a76a177c5af67225c98c29a.jpg

mala_standard_h_blue.png.b9fb08a572f45e2d0183f38b60b6889f.png

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Hey Finno,

 

Great work... its really satisfying to see it start coming together isnt it?

 

I'm glad to see my info was useful to someone (ie the frontend), and Elvis' plans in metric sure do give a great starting point.

 

I really like your control panel design, I'd have used something like that myself if I'd have bothered with a print. For the resolution, dont worry about the pixels but if you print commercially they use around 220dpi (dots per inch), standard pixels per inch in something like photoshop is 96dpi. Best advice if your photo software supports it is to set the resolution by the DPI and the actual scale (mm wide/high) and let it worry about the amount of pixels.

 

Great work, keep the pictures coming!

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Looks like some great work in progress.

 

Hat off to the cp design. I wish I was bolder or more talented in the design side to make something more original like that.

 

been watching this forum for some time now, gathering ideas and such.

 

From what I can see we all owe Elvis a few frothies for the effort, myself included.

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It's not that clean as I just used the bucket to recolour, but it looks ok in 640x480.

 

You'll get better results using Hue/Saturation adjustment (Image menu, Adjustments, Hue/Saturation, or CTRL-U) than with the paint bucket.

 

Looks good, keep it up!

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Nice work mate. I like the subtle touches you've made to the design.

 

One comment: on your CP, rotate the buttons for player 2 about 10 degrees anti-clockwise. That will force player 2 to stand at a slightly different angle and not bump elbows with player 1.

 

Check out any newer Sega cabinet to see what I mean. P1 and P2 controls are at ever so slightly different alignments to prevent elbow-wars in game. It's a subtle change, but they are the ones that make the difference. :)

 

Great work so far. Keep the pictures coming. I love 100% scratchbuilt cabs.

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You'll get better results using Hue/Saturation adjustment (Image menu, Adjustments, Hue/Saturation, or CTRL-U) than with the paint bucket.

 

 

Good tip thanks, I will give it a bash. I'm a bit green when it comes to photoshop but I muddle my way through.

 

One comment: on your CP, rotate the buttons for player 2 about 10 degrees anti-clockwise. That will force player 2 to stand at a slightly different angle and not bump elbows with player 1.

 

That's an excellent idea. I will do that for sure.

 

On that topic does anyone have dimensions for a two player CP? I'd also like to know how far the CP top overhangs the CP base and how far (if at all) the CP base overhangs the cabinet on the sides and front.

 

Cheers,

 

F'

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On that topic does anyone have dimensions for a two player CP? I'd also like to know how far the CP top overhangs the CP base and how far (if at all) the CP base overhangs the cabinet on the sides and front.

 

I'll try and measure mine some time soon and get some dimensions up. I have to measure some Sega CPs Berty loaned me too, so I'll do it all in one hit.

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On that topic does anyone have dimensions for a two player CP? I'd also like to know how far the CP top overhangs the CP base and how far (if at all) the CP base overhangs the cabinet on the sides and front.

 

If I remember I'll put my CP measurements up tomorrow... I have them scribbled down somewhere around here.

 

Just note though that the CP design is largely up to you. I think from memory I had a 7cm overhang on each side (which makes the base of it 740mm wide), and the overhang at the front depends on whether you recessed the CP area per Elvis' cab (250-300mm) or per his plans (150mm, like mine).

 

First make sure you decide exactly what will be on your control panel before you commit to the dimensions. Mine is fine for 2 player/6 button each with pinball buttons, but I'd have gone deeper if I wanted to put in a trackball of a 'second player 1 joystick' (permanently switched to 4 way) which I'm starting to wish I did.

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  • 2 weeks later...

As you can see I now have a two-tone cab! :D

 

Progress has been slow but ramping up again now. I have to organise printing and plastics so I can get the control panel completed.

 

A guy at work mentioned I could borrow his compressor and spray gun to do the final paint job but I'm not sure about this as I haven't used one before. Has anyone used this method to paint their cab? Would it be a better finish than a good quality roller? Am I likely to end up with black paint all over the inside of my garage?

cab_build8.jpg.a5267addd537e1fd1851ce983e26c7bf.jpg

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Well done indeed... I appologise that I didnt post an update for the dimensions of the control panel, but it looks like you've done a great job yourself.

 

How are you finding the cabinet for horizontal wobble? The braces you've used are thinner than what i used (40x40mm), although your castors are nice and small so hopefully its not too bad. Just keep in mind once the monitor is in (top heavy) you might get a bit of shake when playing chaotic games unless you put some extra bracing in to keep it rigid.

 

Keep up the good work, and have fun undercoating that speaker shelf now that its mounted (I muttered plenty of profanities at that stage) :D

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How are you finding the cabinet for horizontal wobble? The braces you've used are thinner than what i used (40x40mm), although your castors are nice and small so hopefully its not too bad. Just keep in mind once the monitor is in (top heavy) you might get a bit of shake when playing chaotic games unless you put some extra bracing in to keep it rigid.

 

It's not too bad at the moment but the real test will be with the monitor in. If I need to I guess I could put a support between the two sides along the back panel.

 

I got the castors from Bunnings and they are rated to 55kg. They don't seem to glide real flash at the moment but that's probably due to the sawdust and crap on the garage floor at the moment. I have no idea what my cab currently weighs but I'm hoping it will come in under 220kg! All I know is it's bloody heavy and that's partly because I'm using the 18mm MDF.

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As you can see I now have a two-tone cab! :D

 

Progress has been slow but ramping up again now. I have to organise printing and plastics so I can get the control panel completed.

 

A guy at work mentioned I could borrow his compressor and spray gun to do the final paint job but I'm not sure about this as I haven't used one before. Has anyone used this method to paint their cab? Would it be a better finish than a good quality roller? Am I likely to end up with black paint all over the inside of my garage?

 

I used an interior semi gloss black paint, and a foam roller. the foam roller is important to get that fine finish.

I havent used a spray gun, but its not hard to use the roller. light coats, light sanding in between, and keep going over it lightly to get the tiny bubbles out of it that develop when you first apply the paint

Mine came up a treat :) I used taubmans silk interior I think, in a purple tin. I know its got teflon in it, so spills/dirt doesnt stick to it and can be easily wiped off :)

 

btw the project is looking good!

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Another Progress Update - More Pics

 

Well it doesn't look like I've done a lot since the last update but I feel like I've spent hours working on the cab since. Every time I feel like I'm getting towards the end the tiniest pieces just seem to take ages!

 

I've come to two conclusions; a.) I'm a slow worker; b.) I tend to underestimate how long things take.

 

As soon as you say something like "I should be able to knock this bit off and get the painting finished by tonight", you know you're doomed.

 

Anyway, I thought I have been a bit slack with the photos so here's a bunch.

 

http://finn61.sytes.net/arcade/cab_build10.jpg

 

I took a tip from DM and put a 100mm panel just above the coin door which I will mount volume/tone controls and headphone jack. I'm using some Harmon Kardon PC speakers that I picked up at auction and I have taken the amp and controls out which will mount into the panel.

 

http://finn61.sytes.net/arcade/cab_build14.jpg

 

You can see I put a small platform behind to screw the PCB to.

 

http://finn61.sytes.net/arcade/cab_build17.jpg

 

I had to route out the back because the MDF was too thick for the knobs to stick through.

 

http://finn61.sytes.net/arcade/cab_build18.jpg

 

Here's a pic of the electronics I ripped out of the Harmon Kardon speakers.

 

http://finn61.sytes.net/arcade/cab_build19.jpg

 

I finally got my plastics. It was about $90 bucks for everything (Lexan CP top; 2 x clear Perspex for the marquee and 1 tinted Perspex for the monitor cover.

 

I over-estimated the length of the tinted Perspex so I had to cut it which I was a bit nervous about. Luckily the guy had given me some scrap off cuts to practice on. It ended up cutting quite well with no mishaps. I used a fine toothed metal cutting jigsaw blade. It was slow cutting but prevented any cracks or splits. I didn't even need any wood underneath the cut.

 

I wanted something to hold the bezel and front Perpsex in place that will allow it to be removed if I ever need to get into the monitor. I put a piece of 9mm x 9mm pine strip across the underside of the speaker shelf. This sits just in front of the bezel and Perspex and holds them against the side rails at the top.

 

I have it clamped here because the glue is still drying.

 

http://finn61.sytes.net/arcade/cab_build11.jpg

 

http://finn61.sytes.net/arcade/cab_build21.jpg

 

At the bottom I drilled some holes in the support beams under the monitor shelf and stuck some 12mm dowel in. The dowel isn't tight so it can easily be pulled out allowing the bezel and Perpsex to slide out when I have the CP removed.

 

http://finn61.sytes.net/arcade/cab_build12.jpg

 

http://finn61.sytes.net/arcade/cab_build13.jpg

 

http://finn61.sytes.net/arcade/cab_build23.jpg

 

My fluro light only just fit in the gap between the two supports shown here. It was so close I couldn't even use the normal plastic mounts but had to use a couple of screws sticking out far enough to slide into the plastic slots on either side of the bottom of the light.

 

http://finn61.sytes.net/arcade/cab_build22.jpg

 

F/UPS

 

Finally I thought I'd post some pics of my f/ups. Everyone likes to show photo's of their cab's 'good side', but I thought it's probably helpful to show others my mistakes!

 

First one; my slot cutting on this side is not exactly centred. I'm stuffed if I know how this happened because I checked the router on a piece of scrap. Anyway, I'm safe because the t-molding just makes it to the edge. I will just trim off the overhang on the other side.

 

http://finn61.sytes.net/arcade/cab_build29.jpg

 

I had huge hassles doing angles. Mainly because my saw didn't tilt to some of the extremes I mistakenly planned. It's hard to see here but this is the top rear of the cabinet. The angled back and the top don't meet nicely. Bring on the no-more-gaps!

 

http://finn61.sytes.net/arcade/cab_build27.jpg

 

These holes in the volume control panel are atrocious. I initially drilled them too small. Of course when trying to use a spade bit when there is a massive hole instead of a small guide hole it's near impossible to keep the new hole straight. A classic case of not drilling a test hole in scrap wood first! Hopefully once it's painted black I can tidy it up with something.

 

Also note the horrible no-more-gaps. This is another example of an angle piece not meeting up exactly. When that mess dries I plan on putting another smoother

layer over it.

 

http://finn61.sytes.net/arcade/cab_build26.jpg

 

This was the first mistake I made when cutting out the side panels. In fact it was the very first cut I made on the project and lo and behold the jigsaw blade was loose. Not only disappointing but bloody dangerous too! Classic rule; always check your tools before you start. I'm hoping once it's black and the t-molding is in place it won't be too noticeable.

 

http://finn61.sytes.net/arcade/cab_build25.jpg

 

I can;t include any more images in this post but if you go back and look at a picture of the inside of the marquee area you will see a big gap where the top meets the angled back? That's to let the hot air out. No, it's another case of angles not meeting and the top not cut straight. I haven't screwed the top down yet as I will leave that to last so before I do I will probably give it a sand to straight it out a bit. Of course liberal amounts of no-more-gaps will also be called for.

 

 

Well that's it for now. I won't be making any more mistakes from now on!

 

More updates when something exciting happens (like, the graphics arrive).

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First one; my slot cutting on this side is not exactly centred. I'm stuffed if I know how this happened because I checked the router on a piece of scrap. Anyway, I'm safe because the t-molding just makes it to the edge. I will just trim off the overhang on the other side.

 

Finno, well done mate, you have done heaps, it's those little fiddly jobs that take ages. From what I can see your going to have a humm dinger of a cabinet on your hands at completion. Im glad you were brave enough to show the warts and all of your project. I think thats probably what really heaps people building there own. Ive still had issues routing on my second cabinet attempt but wasnt too phased as the t-moulding has quite alot of play. Im pretty sure that the routing issue is caused by not having the router flat on the panel, either its being tilted slightly forward or tilted slightly back thus the cutter can ride up & down. Looking at your pics Im sure you wont have any drama's.

 

I noticed that you will have the same issue as me in that both our cabinets are open at the back & thus will have the fluro light shining out of its arse (eg if it's up against a wall you will see light coming from the back of the cab), do you intend on closing in your light box or just leaving it open?

 

Can't wait to see some more pics.:cool:

 

PK

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  • 1 month later...

I can see a light at the end of the tunnel...

 

Having artwork like this makes measuring out your button holes way more precarious:

 

http://finn61.sytes.net/arcade/cab_build31.jpg

 

Feel like I'm nearing the end:

 

http://finn61.sytes.net/arcade/cab_build32.jpg

 

http://finn61.sytes.net/arcade/cab_build33.jpg

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Hey thats looking pretty good , Finno. :)

 

What have you used to keep ur marquee in place on top ? I was thinking of using some 'L' shaped aluminium painted black , or something like that.

 

I should be getting my marquee in the mail on monday or tuesday , just gotta go get some clear perspex ordered to hold it in place.

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What have you used to keep ur marquee in place on top ?

 

Black T-moulding at the top stops it from falling forward and it's resting on two small screws at the bottom (only just visible in the pic). The screws are only partially screwed in so that the perspex sits snugly between the wood and the screw head.

 

I will use more of the black t-moulding with the spine cut off and adhere it to the bottom front so that the screws are concealed. Got this idea from DM.

 

This black t-moulding is a bit thicker and more rubbery than the other arcade stuff I have. Got it from Clark Rubber.

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Black T-moulding at the top stops it from falling forward and it's resting on two small screws at the bottom (only just visible in the pic). The screws are only partially screwed in so that the perspex sits snugly between the wood and the screw head.

 

I will use more of the black t-moulding with the spine cut off and adhere it to the bottom front so that the screws are concealed. Got this idea from DM.

 

This black t-moulding is a bit thicker and more rubbery than the other arcade stuff I have. Got it from Clark Rubber.

 

OK , thanks .. might go see what they got .

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One more pic with the control panel operational.

 

http://finn61.sytes.net/arcade/cab_build40.jpg

 

Just have to hang the coin door now. Wonder how long that will take me now that I can play the thing. :unsure

 

Sorry about the crappy pic, I was planning on taking more close-ups but after I took that one I dropped my camera and broke it real good. :(

 

I will post more when I get hold of a camera.

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Well it doesn't look like I've done a lot since the last update but I feel like I've spent hours working on the cab since. Every time I feel like I'm getting towards the end the tiniest pieces just seem to take ages!

 

I've come to two conclusions; a.) I'm a slow worker; b.) I tend to underestimate how long things take.

 

Mate, it was EXACTLY the same for me. I looked at a job and went "yeah, 2 hours and it's done". A week later, fiddly little shit is still lying around waiting to be finished. There's a lot more work in a scratch-build than people realise. I had mates asking me to make cabs for them when I was half way through mine, and I was all "yeah sure". Weeks later when I was done, I changed my mind and told them to get stuffed. There's a reason I give my plans away for free - so I can give people a URL and tell them to do it themselves! :badgrin

 

Watching all your WIP images is a hoot for me. It brings back all the memories of making mine. I see your paintjob is identical to mine too: only paint the stuff black that people will see. :D

 

VERY nice work by the way. The black-with-blue-trim looks great, and the CP is a masterpiece. Well done!

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