DIY arcade "cabinet" - Dumb idea?

[Jibbajaba]

Damn EG, that Saturn kiosk looks awesome.

 

[Electric Grave]

I got that thing befoe I even got a cab from New England comics, it was sitting there with Marvel Super Heroes and Resident Evil, they had a out of order sign, I asked the manager then how much to get it off their hands as it was taking up space and we settled for 150, The CRT in it it's only composite but it provides a real decent picture considering. Has noise reduction and all kind of settings, it's a Samsung. A PVM in it would be boss though...

Curious thing, the poswer strips are SEGA, pretty cool thing, they only made 100 of them, this is #73.

I used to use it a lot for Light Gun games, that was great...small screen but fun 'cause you could paly standing up.

 

[c0nn0r]

I went ahead and bought some wood today at the cost of $30 Canadian (about $20 bucks US), and built this little rig while watching gaming youtube videos. It's pretty close the my original design. It's not perfect, but it's pretty decent for a first try - and considering the only tools I had were a saw, tape-measure, screws, a pen, and a c-clamp. The whole thing is quite sturdy. Sturdier than I thought it would be - I'm not worried that it will topple, even with rough gameplay.



After playing a few rounds of Street Fighter Alpha 2 on my Saturn (via RGB to the PVM), I realized that I need to secure my CP to the frame better. Tomorrow I'm going to add some velcro strips to the bottom of the CP, but before that I'm going to paint the whole frame white using spare wall paint. I'll post some action pics after it's all done showing a human playing for scale.

All in all took me about 4 hours to make, and about $30 bucks.

 

[Karou]

nice! they will come.

don't want to be a critic, but it looks like you could use a few more woods here and there?
can you get inside the control panel and screw it down? I mean its relavely permanent for that unless I'm forgetting that it is used elsewhere from my skim of your op? if only the bottom removes maybe mount those slot things that slide over the heads on screws/bolts? maybe velcro is enough but player 2 buttons are over there and all?

 

[BanishingFlatsAC]

Why did you bother making a thread if you were going to just make it anyway? That's takes up more room then any cabert cab btw.

 

[Electric Grave]

Lol, I prefer the cardboard Pac-Man...

 

[madman]

Reading this thread was a great way to start my day. A++++ WOULD READ AGAIN!!!!

 

[Electric Grave]

I get the shakes from just thinking of playing it...

 

[Jeneki]

Back in the day I started off with: Put the TV on a table, and place the joystick on a keyboard stand (as in music keyboard stand) in front of it. Nothing fancy and it folded up nicely when I needed to use the space.

 

[Electric Grave]

Cheap walmart desk...just for a project I was thinking of starting and I wanted a feel for it.

...stretched...not stretched...freaking thing...not stretched plays better but them borders drive me nuts...first world problems...

 

[c0nn0r]

Back in the day I started off with: Put the TV on a table, and place the joystick on a keyboard stand (as in music keyboard stand) in front of it. Nothing fancy and it folded up nicely when I needed to use the space.

Nice. The music stand is a great idea, especially with the ability to adjust the height on-the-fly. I've already tested hanging my rig in a closet on a bike hook to get it out of the way. It's nice to have the flexibility with a smaller apartment. I value being able to quickly pack, or to just toss stuff when I move countries again, so a $20/$30 expense makes it easy to put at the curb.

 

[c0nn0r]

Why did you bother making a thread if you were going to just make it anyway?

I guess I'm just a rebel.

 

[c0nn0r]

View attachment 32337
Cheap walmart desk...just for a project I was thinking of starting and I wanted a feel for it.
View attachment 32338
...stretched...not stretched...freaking thing...not stretched plays better but them borders drive me nuts...first world problems...

Decent setup. I like the minimal branding and symmetry on the LCD. It's weird seeing TATE screens that are asymmetrical. Just rubs me the wrong way.

 

[c0nn0r]

I used to use it a lot for Light Gun games, that was great...small screen but fun 'cause you could paly standing up.

I'm really looking forward to playing light-gun games on this rig. at 20" my screen is a bit small as well, but playing standing-up is the right way to go.

My fiancee and her girlfriends are addicted to Bust-A-Move, and play it on my CMVS quite often, but they have been asking for some gun games, and I'm only too happy to oblige.

 

[c0nn0r]

Lol, I prefer the cardboard Pac-Man...

I may add some cardboard flair when I get a bit of time, as well as a coin-bucket that accepts cheetos for play.

 

[c0nn0r]

I get the shakes from just thinking of playing it...

I'm excited too!

 

[c0nn0r]

I get the shakes from just thinking of playing it...

I'm excited too!

 

[c0nn0r]

I was thinking of doing something similar myself, but as a slim sit down cabinet that could hold a Sony PVM 20" monitor in a kind of frame mounted at a slight angle on a heavy duty portrait/landscape TV mount like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Mount--Landsc...453827025&sr=1-3&keywords=wall+mount+rotating

This thing has a 110 pound capacity, so I assume it could hold a 70lb PVM and mounting frame.

I think that mount is for LCD only. I've not seen VESA ports on a CRT yet. Correct me if I'm wrong - would be cool if this worked.

 

[Electric Grave]

I get the shakes from just thinking of playing it...

I'm excited too!

...wrong kind of shakes man, that's the difference between you and I...lol.

I added your masterpiece to our hall of fame, might be prudent to give the guys some words of inspiration, I'm sure they'll be grateful...

 

[cornerstone]

I would add some cross bracing. Just get another 2x4 and nail it in diagonally from the bottom to top on one of the sides. It honestly doesn't look bad in the dark. A lot of terrible MAME cabs are trying to do too much, yours is pretty straight-forward. I would take breaks for your eyes though; that screen is pretty close.

I would also go to the lumber store and find some thin boards you can paint over, and attach that to the outside of the framework you already have. Sometimes they have them for cheap in the damaged section. If you do a good job with the paint, it'll look a lot better.

 

[Neodogg]

You could put some 1/4 ply on & stain it, ebonize or something dark?
I'd suggest you putting the horizontal 2x4s (holding the PMV) on top, it gives you greater load capabilities and take stress off the screws.
You could also build a controller tray with a lip on it to keep it from moving.
Put some PC speakers in the area behind the CP and get some wire/fabric mesh?

 

[Karou]

or these since I cant find the slot kind.

 

[c0nn0r]

I would add some cross bracing. Just get another 2x4 and nail it in diagonally from the bottom to top on one of the sides. It honestly doesn't look bad in the dark. A lot of terrible MAME cabs are trying to do too much, yours is pretty straight-forward. I would take breaks for your eyes though; that screen is pretty close.

I would also go to the lumber store and find some thin boards you can paint over, and attach that to the outside of the framework you already have. Sometimes they have them for cheap in the damaged section. If you do a good job with the paint, it'll look a lot better.

I am going for the minimal/functional look for sure. I have been calling it the The Skeleton. I agree about the monitor height. It's great for close-ups of your scan-lines. Perhaps I need glasses. I have about 8" of vertical to play with, so I would definitely build the next one a lot lower. I would also have to play with the angle the monitor was at.

The issue with building this was I had no real feel for how it would turn-out until it was built. Now that I have a reference, I think a 2nd generation one would be a lot better.

 

[Electric Grave]

If your goal is playing standing up then yes, I see your point making a mockup. I don't think it's a dumb idea at all to want to build something. With that in mind I think you're going on the right track, you never know it until you try it. I suggest more measuring and really understanding how our eyesight works with relations to a CRT. Think of the general consensus when designing a cab, since people that got paid for doing this sort of thing made things a certain way, there must be a reason for it, use that knowledge and move forward with it.

The way I see it, that setup looks a lot like the general footprint of a SNK Goldie, or those cabaret cabs, you could use that design to understand the distance between your face and the screen. Also learn a bit more about bracing, it's not gonna cost you much more to beef it up so it's solid.

 

[Heinz]

I'd rather go without a cab if you're going to make one. Honestly a simple PVM setup on a table and you're done. Get a cabinet when you actually can, otherwise it's easier,cheaper and I think better to stick to the tried and true.