I'm tired of painting

Here are my latest ramblings...


I applied all the coats of red, blue, and black paint I am going to apply. I have some polycrylic that will be going on as the last coat. I also used some foam board to make a sort of bezel. I'm not too happy with the placement of the monitor in the cabinet (which I painted as well). It seems too far away with too many things inside. I plan on using some of the foam board to fill in the gaps. My goal is to be able to move it inside the house this week to begin actually putting the arcade in my arcade cabinet...

I'm so blue

And the blue paint on the other side...

This is for you Ron

Here is your update Ron. I've got the control panels "hung" as well as the front door. Still looking for a coin door. And my son and I applied the first coat of red paint. It's going to be blue on the other side and black down the middle. Getting closer...

Progress...

I've got both control panels cut and the monitor shelf mount. It's starting to look like an arcade cabinet now!

It's been a long time since I rock and rolled

I've finally started to work on this project again. I've cleaned the paint and decals off, cleaned the inside out, done some initial sanding, and finalized a layout for the control panel.

I made a slight mistake with this control panel. The buttons are too far apart, probably by 1/4 to 1/2 inch too far. I don't think it will be a problem with the 1 or 2 button games, but SFA3 and MK might be a little uncomfortable. I might cut the control panel one more time.

My logic behind the control panel layout is all based on personal preference. Most of the time, I will be playing single player games, or games where 2 players alternate. Having the joystick in the middle was more natural to me. The buttons would then be placed on the right hand side, leaving the trackball to go on the left.

P1, P2, Credit, Pause, and Exit buttons, as well as the speakers and volume control will go above the joystick on a second control panel. Instead of using the speaker holds of the Atari cabinet, I will build another panel to hold the admin buttons.

I still need to vacuum the cabinet out to remove the dust and dirt. Then I will build a shelf for the monitor and get the second control panel cut. After that work will probably slow again as I'll have a playable arcade cabinet...

Need 2 player button

I will need a two player button as well. Can't start a 2 player game of Mr Do without the other button...

Marquee

Here's the marquee I've designed using images from the Internet. I may have to redo it since I believe the DPI is to low for print, but I haven't looked into it yet. This has been my first real attempt at using the Gimp, so it's good practice.

Control Panel 2

Here's how the control panel looks with a joystick and buttons. The trackball will look good there. I'm still investigating the spinner...

Control Panel

The control panel layout is complete. After getting the right drill bit for the buttons (1 1/8"), I finished the layout. It is designed with one player in mind. I think I will have a wireless USB controller for 2 player fun, since 95% of the time, I will be playing this alone or playing games player 1 and 2 rotate using the stick.

I am still undecided about the trackball, which will sit on the right. If I get one, it will go as shown in the picture. If I decide not to use one, I will move the joystick and buttons back to center. It is very tight with the trackball, but I really want to be able to play Centipede and Missle Command.

I wonder if I can get a spinner in there as well? Tempest just isn't the same without a spinner. This all has to fit in a 24" x 8" control panel.

I am still missing a few buttons. I need an EXIT button, PAUSE button, and CREDIT button. I also want to change the color of the buttons to match the Neo-Geo layout.

The Cabinet

Here is the cabinet I am starting with. It was originally an Atari Road Blasters System 1 cabinet. As you can see, I am missing some items from it. I am removing the monitor and building a control panel for it. I also will need a coin door. As for the control panel...