Jump to content
Due to a large amount of spamers, accounts will now have to be approved by the Admins so please be patient. ×
IGNORED

Project "Anubis" - A Vigolix inspired mini-upright


Recommended Posts

Hello All.

 

I wanted to document this project which has actually been in progress for a number of months now.

 

My inspiration came from an original posting by Vigo on the arcadecontrols forums(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,119533.msg1267735.html#msg1267735) of his simple cabinet design made from a single sheet of MDF which quickly became dubbed the "Vigolix". A number of people have taken this original idea and "tweaked" it and this project is my own interpretation and modification on Vigo's brilliantly simple and elegant design. All due credit to Vigo for the original idea !!

 

The design and dimensions of this cabinet, especially the width, were largely dictated by the fact that I already have access to a number of prefabricated metal control panels that I thought would be suitable to "adapt" to the Vigolix design.

 

You can see from the pictures below the sides and framework follow the "traditional" Vigolix design and it is only when I get to the width and the control panel that the design becomes a bit more unique.

 

DSCN0366.thumb.jpg.94481ebc8c8f2843670abfbcf9cd5fed.jpgDSCN0370.thumb.jpg.3ccef35aa63090ddc96d1111845e088c.jpgDSCN0374.thumb.jpg.8aa82686905782baa4e1d0245f15b40a.jpg

 

DSCN0376.thumb.jpg.18f13a91db55ebb4e7c226623e871583.jpg

 

The following images show the control panel from it's "raw" state to the sort of configuration I want to use for this design. The vinyl overlay applied to the panel is a very tough material that I picked up from Bunnings. I think it was called a "blackboard vinyl" and has a wonderful subtle texture to it. Again, pictures are worth a thousand words..

 

DSCN0344.jpg.9439b9bccf774f6d606175625a23e74b.jpg

DSCN0347.jpg.d3b0ff3f6db552afbbe3c8f1b181af42.jpg

DSCN0352.jpg.760f358d804a56918130993a61020ad2.jpg

 

To give the control panel additional strength I used the existing base of the metal control panel screwed down to the wooden control panel shelf and attached side "arms" to the control panel that give the cabinet such a unique shape. Getting the angles exactly right for these double width side arms was quite a challenge, but I now have a simple template that I can use to reproduce them as needed. The control panel and shelf is now incredibly strong and secure and indeed when I need to move the cabinet around I can simply lift the whole unit by holding onto the side-arms.

 

WP_20150205_001.jpg.030e1b039141a3e73bdbc1ca2a86e3e7.jpg

WP_20150205_004.jpg.d30c8027f603656b5fc3a825dc250353.jpg

 

It was at this point that I came up with the name for the cabinet ... viewed at the right angles, the long pointy "ears" and the "snout" of the control panel seemed reminiscent of the stylised features of the jackal in Greek/Egyptian Mythology and Project Anubis suddenly had a name. The resemblance to this stylised image of the Egyptian God Anubis is quite striking ... or it may just be me !!

 

thFVHP4K85.jpg.e6802567ae7e01fd47794d7e9d59b89c.jpg

 

I managed to pickup a 4:3 aspect ratio LCD display for $10 from a computer swap meet to use in this project. I went with this as it will suit both horizontal and vertical games. The monitor casing was quite big and bulky and I decided to remove it so I could make a snug fitting bezel that would sit flush between the side panels. Fortunately it had standard VESA mounting holes on the back even when de-cased so it was a simple matter to mount it onto a board and position it appropriately using battens to hold it in place.The custom bezel was created by routing out an appropriate sized hole in a large piece of MDF and further chamfering around the inside edges to get the LCD panel to fit snuggly..

 

WP_20150208_004.jpg.9800aad85b8ce4ac20ee017d99ac9fb0.jpgWP_20150208_005.jpg.f00212774fbd17f78e763a6d9f3f4b45.jpgWP_20150208_007.jpg.486e193adad482ad1866224b4276fb9e.jpgWP_20150208_009.jpg.368b9fcd8dab692616feaedfc6a3793f.jpg

 

A front "kick-panel was attached, again using battens to keep things neat and minimise exposed screw holes on the outer panels. Oh and, and the cabinet was given a coat or 3 or glossy black spray paint for good measure

 

WP_20150222_002.jpg.fd806da7c0cff3c40913b5da6e7fca6d.jpg

 

A Marquee is still a work in progress, but an appropriately sized piece of plexi is ready.

 

WP_20150302_003.jpg.b67701331f8bb06c33a49bd1758e3dc7.jpgWP_20150302_004.jpg.12df3e90f65195cfa47da149e575acf2.jpg

 

Much more work to be done of course, but the basics are there...

 

More updates will follow...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

it's slim alright .... 30 cm deep at the base. Out of curiosity, are there any other aussie Vigolix builders on this forum ?

 

The pc sitting behind it is not actually anything to do with this project, I was just too lazy to move it out of the shot !! The cabinet will house a completely stripped down laptop I salvaged and mounted to a piece of mdf that fits easily into the base of the cabinet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A few more updates...

 

DSCN0713.jpg.d9c84fce2007661f15cdbefe1700036d.jpg

DSCN0715.jpg.4b67fdca03c0cd1df11c689e745ea691.jpg

DSCN0716.thumb.jpg.66553949e055e7dd72b6664807840a8c.jpg

 

The "Brains" of the machine is the guts of an old HP Core 2 Duo laptop that has been mounted on a piece of mdf.

 

You can also see the way the monitor, the bottom kick-plate and bezel have been mounted using battens so as to not have any screws installed from the outside of the machine.

 

I'll be detailing the wiring of the control panel in the next post ..

 

cheers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Just a small update to show off the wiring ---not very tidy, but just want to test everything for now

 

http://www.overclockers.com.au/pix/image.php?id=fgewp&f=1'

Click to view full size!

 

I'm using a Xin-Mo 2 Player USB Controller for this project just to test how it goes ...

 

http://www.overclockers.com.au/pix/image.php?id=vrm46&f=1'

Click to view full size!

 

Will get everything setup later today to begin testing the software... will update later

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...