4 player control panel build (some questions for more experienced guys, have pics!)

Tech Talk
#1

Here’s the status of where I’m at. Sorry the pic is so blurry:

http://www.numbski.com/cab/Site/Arcade%20Machine_files/AUT_6512.jpg

I have more detailed shots on the page I’m tracking my progress on:

http://www.numbski.com/cab

The issue I’m running into right now, is that if you look closely at the plates, I have indeed inset the joystick and button plates, but being as this is the first time I’ve mounted this kinda stuff, it’s a pretty bad hack-job. :\ I don’t have a router, so I used my Roto-Zip with a 1/2" inset router bit and attempted to set it to 1/8" depth. I failed though…it appears to be closer to 3/16", and I used 20 AWG plates to make the plates, which appear to be the exact same thickness as the joystick plates.

I’m curious. When I go to put artwork on here, how critical is it for me to have that surface 100% flat? I’m imagining that if I don’t fill in every little gap with bondo and sand the whole thing smooth, any imperfections will then show through on the artwork when I sandwich it down with plexi, right?

The other thing is that with a surface this large, it’s going to cost me upwards of $50 to do a NICE artwork print for that surface, so I want to get it right the first time. I’m a bit nervous about gluing artwork down. I’m thining maybe a light double-stick tape to hold it in place long enough to cut the button holes with an xacto knife and then screw down the plexi. I run the risk of damaging the artwork or cutting in the wrong places if it isn’t firmly in place though, so I have to be careful no matter what. Any tips?

#2

Okay, well apparently coral cache is acting up. If the link up there doesn’t work for ya, try this one:

http://www.numbski.com/cab

In the meantime, phear the Line-X :slight_smile:

http://www.numbski.com/cab/Site/Arcade%20Machine_files/AUT_6516.jpg

#3

Nice work so far congrats…
about your questions…you could use a thicker paper for the artwork and that would help cover everything…thats what i did on my chessboard stick…
and also about printing the artwork…try cutting it in 2 pieces it ll make things easier for you…
i hope i helped…there’s more experienced ppl than me though who could advice you better

good luck with the rest

#4

cabinet looks insane. keep up the good work.

#5

The only concern about cutting it in half would be lining it up again.

Paik4Life had suggested thicker paper in chat as well. I have a sign company doing the print, so I’ll see what they can do. Perhaps I could have them flip the image and screen it directly onto the plexi? (but then if I need to replace the plexi I would lose my artwork…bleh).

Maybe they have a stiff substance they can print onto that isn’t too terribly thick? Perhaps do like 1/16" lexan? I think I can get away with that with T-molding and sanwa parts. Have to do some measuring.

#6

no need to print it on lexan or any of that…i ve never seen it so far…

you could just print 2 pieces of paper and line it in the midde where as i see in the pics you have plenty of space…

also paper would be easier to cut holes and stuff too

#7

Well, did a little more work last night. I guess I was feeling a bit psychotic, because I made the button plates a permanent fixture. I did two coats of bondo over them. The first coat I applied over the edges, and over the entirety of player 2, sanded the whole thing smooth, then applied the second coat over the other three plates and any gaps that were still visible. I’ll take some more pics today after I finish sanding. This will at least ensure that the button plates are flush. I had laid my plexi over the panel and I didn’t like how the plexi bowed down toward the button plates when pressure was applied.

http://www.numbski.com/cab/Site/Arcade%20Machine_files/AUT_6518.jpg

#8

Well, I’ve updated my cab picture page from the link above (have almost twice the pictures now!).

Here’s a quick shot in the dark. I have to test the wiring to the marquee light. For some reason it doesn’t want to turn on now.

http://www.numbski.net.nyud.net:8080/cab/Numbski/Arcade%20Machine_files/AUT_6556.jpg

#9

BTW, here’s a link to that lid support. Had fun finding something to hold the weight of that control panel up while I work. :slight_smile:

http://www.handlesets.com/display.cfm?productid=9240F&manufacturer=Ives

#10

so what games would that thing be used for? :S GG isuka?

#11

Well, I haven’t taken pictures of the insides yet. :smiley:

Right now I have:

CPS2 A-Board w/ X-Men vs. Street Fighter
6 Slot Neo-Geo MVS (only one board right now, SvC Chaos)
CPS1 Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting
PC running FreeBSD and AdvanceMAME, looking at getting a Dreamcast emu running under Wine for some MvC2 and CvS2 goodness.

Waiting to order a MultiJamma boardset so I can switch between the 4 systems. The SFII board will probably be my misc Jamma board since CPS1 is near flawless in MAME. That way if I pick up random boards I can plug them in at will.

#12

GG isuka?

I must be dense. Guilty Gear Something. :slight_smile: Guilty Gear is a game I’ve never picked up. No good reason, I just never did.

#13

Very nice work thus far. A word to the wise on the MultiJamma: read the instructions very carefully and thoroughly. Looks like you have more knowledge of these things than I did going into it on my first cabinet build, some 5 years ago, but due to a lack of reading/paying attention to the instructions, my MultiJamma died after about a year. It’s a great device, nonetheless, and will really make your cab a keeper! :tup:

Also, how are you interfacing with the PC/FreeBSD setup. Are you using Ultimarc products? If so, I would be very interested to see how well an Ultimarc->MultiJAMMA works.

#14

Yup, Ultimarc ArcadeVGA and a Multipac with enough switches to handle all of my buttons. :slight_smile:

Basically the jamma standard stuff will get wired as per usual. The rest of the buttons will get switched using an external electronic sensing switch. Basically, if I detect 5v on a certain multijamma harness, I switch to a different array of buttons. :slight_smile: That way it’s all automatic.

What did you do that killed your multijamma?

#15

Dangit. Gonna have to go buy more wires. I only have enough bundles to wire up 3 of the 4 players. Then again, at the moment I only have enough buttons for 3 players, so I guess it evens out. :\

#16

I didn’t populate the multijamma IDE connectors as recommended populating in order, and leaving no unpopulated slots for the number of connections you are going to us, i.e. if you have 4 connectors, you populate IDE’s 1-4. It worked fine for about 6 months, then randomly started freaking out, switching between games at light speed and crazy stuff like that. I finally figured out why, by re-reading the manual thoroughly, populated the slots as recommended, but it was too late. The damage had been done. :frowning:

#17

Hmm. Good to know. thanks for the head’s up on that.

Out of curiousity, when you ordered your unit, how long did it take to actually get it? He wants check-by-snailmail payment, and that leaves me concerned, as it seems around the net he gets your unit made more or less when he feels like doing it.

#18

Now that you mention that, I seem to recall that it did take quite some time to receive it, to the tune of 3-4 weeks. It’s been about 5 years since I purchased, but that does ring a bell. I do remember some e-mail correspondence at the time, initiated by me asking the status of the order at some point, to which he responded that he was having more made at that time.

I don’t think they are all necessarily made to order, but I don’t think he maintains much of an inventory, either.

Either way, good to see somebody else that will be getting experience with a multijamma. I look forward to your finished cabinet…btw, I dig the lighted speakers. :slight_smile:

#19

Did another update. Got some cup holders for Christmas. :slight_smile:

They fold away out of sight, and I got 4 of them. I’ve only mounted 2 so far, the other 2 are going onto the control panel after I get the T-molding and my final artwork/overlay installed.

#20

Other stuff to do with your cab with a PC:

  • N64 emulator, Super Smash Bros, Goldeneye, Starfox, Rogue Squadron for lol factor
  • Ragnarok Battle Offline. Only 3 players, but it’s SICK.
  • Gauntlet 2, the best of the series!