Fade to Black

Now this $h!t gets real!

I was never big on shopping as a kid and avoid the mall at all costs (even to this day), but there was something about the prospect of picking up the paint and brushes that really made me excited. My wife and I picked the kids up from school and headed to Home Depot to get the paint.  The sales guy was very helpful and even though I went in there with a plan in mind to buy primer (tinted grey as the plans prescribed), in the end he steered me towards a beautiful primer and paint in one.  Once we chose the finish we wanted we poured over swatches in various shades of dark grey and black until we found THE one.

Paint and brushes in hand we headed home.  It was at this point we decided on which graphic we would use for the marquee. The machine was going to be black there really was no other choice for me, but it is nicely set off by the light and bold marquee that Missy suggested we use.  The two I had printed were polar opposites.  The first was a stark black image with MAME in the standard font surrounded by characters from the various games, but the image below just said so much more in its simplicity.  We both loved the font that was used in it and it maintains a retro-feel through it's use of the Galaxian colors and font style.

All day long I was pacing like a lost puppy -- threatening to paint this cabinet before the day was through.  When in the early afternoon my wife said to me: "What is the reason why you want to paint it?  Is it because you want to have done the whole thing yourself?"  I thought for a moment and replied that no, it wasn't that.  Instead it was just that I wanted to do it right then and there; even though we had so many other things around the house that needed doing.  It was at that moment that Missy offered to paint the whole thing for me if I could put the kids to bed.  And she did.  In all she must have spent 6 hours painting it.  I felt like Miyagi in the Karate kid watching her technique and bellowing encouragement.  I kept the kids at bay and put them to sleep as promised and kept her coffee mug topped up and in return she took this chunk of wood (or several I guess) and transformed them into a living, breathing thing that surpassed my wildest hopes for this project when I started.

The early evening consisted of setting out drop cloths and painting the remaining pieces that were not yet attached to the cabinet:  the speaker grill, the front panel and the rear panel. While these dried Missy proceeded to paint the entire cabinet top to bottom, inside and out and despite the fact that I told her that some parts that were getting paint didn't need it, as they would be covered up by other pieces anyway, she insisted that every nook and cranny be painted.  It was at this point that I shut my big mouth and let the master work.

When the loose pieces had got a 2nd coat and dried I proceeded to affix the speakers to the grill piece.  I took some cloth from an old pair of black dress pants and stretched it over each grill and stapled them in place.  Once the squares of fabric were tacked down I screwed one end of an L bracket into the speaker and the other end into the wood.

Next I started to install the remaining pieces and then step back and look at my handiwork and Missy's Sistene Chapel.  Wow!  I could not believe how much difference the paint made. I couldn't help but snap a bunch of pictures of the process including a before/after shot of one side.  

Once I was satisfied the paint had dried I test fit the controller again and then put the tower and monitor back in place and fired it up for another software preview. The system stayed this way for about another week before the final few steps were undertaken. But that... is a blog for another time.

My wife worked diligently on this project until the wee hours of the morning and I think when she took a step back and looked at her paint job I think she fell in love with the project too.  The fact that she is going to let it reside in our dining room until it finds a permanent home out in my workshop speaks volumes on how much she believes in what we created and how cool she is.  Thank you!

The final push before painting

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity (despite the fact my blog hasn`t been updated in awhile). Between entries I have been studying the cabinet design plans and tweaking the software. In the last few weeks I received the coin-box I ordered from X-gaming.com, got the marquee printed at work and  finished the cuts on the remaining pieces.

Last Wednesday I had high hopes of painting but as is the case with first-time DIY projects I had to fix a few oversights as well as finish building the keyboard drawer, cutting and fitting the coin-box and cutting the grill for the speakers.

The cabinet plans called for a drawer about 20x16 inches deep, but I simplified this a little bit because I happened to find a pair of drawer sliders in the garage that would work fine.  In the end, the keyboard drawer is about 9 inches deep and when pulled out I have access to a standard sized keyboard and that is good enough for my use.  I forgot to take pictures of this process but it was a little bit tedious to get the measurements just so.  You want the keyboard drawer (when recessed) to be flush with the strip that resides under the controller and so you need to eyeball where the sliders that attach to the inside of the cabinet should be screwed in place to achieve this.  It took some time but the end result is well worth it.

The coin-box actually went alot smoother than I thought.  The outside edge has a lip around it that hides jigsaw cuts that suffer from too much caffeine.  I had a good look at cabinets online for placement and improvised a bit.  The model of coin-box I purchased was a single slot variety so I decided the best thing to do was to center it into the bottom front panel of my machine.  I also at this time decided I wouldn`t put the piano hinge on the front.  The coin-box is made of cast iron and quite heavy and so I wanted a solid plane to install it to.

So once I got my placement I proceeded to cut the 10x7inch hole for the coin-box.  I sanded out the rough spots and did a couple of test fitments.  I wanted a very snug fit for the coin-box so I was a little frugal with the blade.  In the picture below you can see both the fitment of the coin-box as well as the keyboard drawer in place.

Next I took my cut of wood for the speaker area and measured equal distance from the top and sides and traced two CD-sized circles into the wood.  I then lightly measured a grid across each and colored in the grill    
(rounding the edges of each cut I was going to make).   After both sides were traced into the wood I drilled a hole with a half inch bit into the end of each cut I was going to make and used the jigsaw for the rest.  If you are like me you`ll find that it can be very difficult to get the cuts straight in such a confined area, but once sanded and painted the inconsistencies tend to disappear.

After I had all the pieces cut to spec I could prepare for Thursday`s painting extravaganza. To so do, Melissa and I wrestled this beast into the house.  Since I forgot to take pictures of the speaker grill cuts I offer a few more shots below from in the house with all the hardware installed. (It stayed like this until the next evening when the painting began -- the kids got a sneak peek of the games they will hopefully enjoy playing in the future).

P.S.  My daughter was really taken with Frogger....

Baby got back!

Maybe it's just human nature to allow our excitement and emotion to get the best of us.  After a week away from the project I was able to refocus on it these past few days and step back and look at it with a more critical eye. What became glaringly obvious was that I rushed a few parts and, as a result,  the base of the cabinet was crooked. Thankfully this was a somewhat easy fix that just required detaching the base from one side and reattaching it after I had ensured both ends were equal distance from the bottom of the plywood.  I left about a 1.5"gap on all sides just in case I decide to use casters on the bottom.

Once I was happy with where the base was I was able to move on.  I deviated a little bit from the plans at this point cut a few pieces of plywood to the 20" width that is (or at least should be if my measurements and design to this point are correct) the interior width of the cabinet.  These cut pieces will form the back of the cabinet.  In total there are 3 pieces for this part.  The first piece is the angled top piece, the second extends down about half of the back of the cabinet and the third piece is the bottom back piece.  The bottom piece will be on a piano hinge and allow access to the interior of the cabinet.   The uppermost pieces I concentrated on first as they required a bevel to be cut into them so they would fit together and carry the angle created by the sides.  The plans called for a table saw to cut the bevels, but I had to make do with my circular saw.  The angle piece required a 35 degree bevel at one end and a 25 degree bevel at the other.  The second piece required a 25 degree bevel (to meet up with the 35 on the first cut piece) and the last piece could be cut straight at both ends.  Since the first two pieces were a little more critical and cutting off the last piece to fit snug is a lot easier I chose this route.

After all three pieces were cut I held them in place while my beautiful wife took some pictures with my Ipod.    This would be a perfect opportunity to thank her for the yummy snacks and hot beverages she always comes to the rescue with, the countless interruptions when I've had to call her out to help me hold a piece in place so I could secure it, stand the cabinet up, lay the cabinet down, etc. -- and apologize for the constant trail of sawdust footprints I leave in the entry way and on my clothing.

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At this point I can almost picture it finished with a nice high-gloss back paint.  I can see that my bevels were not perfect but I'm confident with a little bit of filler and some touch up paint none would be the wiser. I removed the pieces one at a time marking the placement of each underneath with pencil.

 

The cabinet plans call for only the uppermost piece to be secured in place while the other two are set aside until after painting.  So I laid the cabinet (gently) on it's side and marked on that piece where I would sink my screws and started them all beforehand.   After I had attached it and I was happy with the placement I put the machine back up on it's feet and put the other two cut pieces in place just to make sure everything was still a snug fit.

I took a screwdriver and went around my cabinet countersinking as many of the screws as I could.  Some could not be countersunk and so there will be little bumps here and there.  Next I took wood filler and proceeded to fill all holes. Unfortunately this is where I had to pack it in while I waited filler to cure.

>>>   Next week... we paint the town (Black).

It's hip to be square.

Yesterday was a necessary evil.  Sanding wood is alot like watching paint dry, but it had to be endured so that I could get to today which I consider to be the meat and potatoes of the project.   This is where the fun begins and the cabinet (hopefully) will begin to take shape. On Friday I caught a glimpse of the overall scope of it when Doug and I leaned our side pieces up against the carport wall and stepped back, but now I'm going for the full on 3-D effect.  Once I was equipped with the right length of decking screws in one hand and a coffee in the other I was ready for whatever this cabinet threw at me.

First order of business was to finish what I couldn't get done the night before (namely attaching the monitor shelf and base to one of the side pieces). After this was accomplished I proceeded to put the other side on the top so I could line it all up. 

Like an amateur baseball player with sweaty palms it took me a couple of cracks at it.  Thank goodness for wood filler as I'll be doing some patchwork when all is said and done.  After more than one attempt I had it to where I was happy.  The most important thing I wanted was for the front of the machine to be square.  If this part isn't done correctly the controller won't fit.

 After this step I had two sides attached with the base designed to support the weight of the computer tower and a monitor shelf in place.  The next step was to work the interior of the cabinet.  I centered the monitor on the shelf and recessed it 5/8 of an inch from the front of the cabinet.  To stop it from sliding out the back of the cabinet I cut a piece that I screwed into the end of the monitor shelf.  After this I cut two 2x4s to run the entire height of the cabinet at the back from the base to where the back angles up.  I cut the tops of these pieces to match the angle of the plywood (leaving approximately the width of a piece of plywood from the top).  I also fortified the cabinet by screwing in from the outside into both the base and monitor shelf.  To help prepare the cabinet for the top and back sheets I cut a bunch of 1 inch ledger pieces that were also spaced about 5/8 of an inch from the top. After all that was done I put the controller in for a test fit, stood back, and took a few pictures.  This was a good a place as any to stop for the day.

Breathe in, breathe out. Show me... sand the sides.

We're very fortunate where we live that in the middle of November we can work outdoors. Though it was cloudy over the last few days it was about 6 to 8 degrees above which made for perfect working weather. My garage is packed full with stuff.  Brimming you might say. And, unfortunately, not at all conducive to a project of this magnitude. Thankfully we have a covered carport that (though not well lit) provides a sheltered work environment which allowed me to continue on my project.

I spent most of yesterday (Wednesday) sanding the sides that Doug and I had cut previously.  Just outside of my garage (in the sunlight) I clamped the two pieces together and using my Black & Decker mouse sander (or mistake eraser as I have come to call it) I smoothed out the rough edges and made the two pieces as close to flush as someone with no woodworking skills at all can.

Even though the weather is still mild it wasn't long before it got dark.  I had tried to put a monitor shelf brace in place as well as screw the base into one of the side pieces but found out the hard way that the screws I was using were a little on the short side. Gave up on that notion until I had acquired some new hardware.  So after a few hours of sanding I began packing everything up with plans to start earlier the next morning.

Bob and Doug - Strange Crew

Today marked the official beginning of my long-planned arcade cabinet project. Even though I am excited to see this through as quickly as possible I also hope that it will be a welcome distraction that will bridge the colder months.  Flea markets and garage sales have all but closed their doors now and the only outlet to add to my nes collection is the local thrift stores.  The last few visits have been less than fruitful and, as a result, I decided to shelf that part of my gaming brain for now and concentrate on this one.

Over the last several months I have been obtaining various elements required to make this a reality. The ultimate goal was to do this as cheaply as possible and build it for under $500.Only time will tell how close I am to budget, but I know that similar machines we sell at work list for about four times as much.

The first step was to find a tutorial online that catered to someone such as myself with limited wood working skills.  After scouring the web and watching countless builds on youtube I have found the right set of  plans for my purposes on http://www.arcadecab.com.  The site was particularly helpful and very well put together and ultimately I decided to model my cabinet around the original plans on this site.

The software end of things has come naturally as I have been interested in emulation for years and have played countless different emulators for most of the popular consoles out there.  I think the hardest part has been paring down thousands of titles, weeding out the ones that don't work or are just unplayable for other reasons, and deciding which games will be included.  I'm torn because a huge part of me is a purist that wants the 'true' arcade look and feel and wants to keep it solely for playing arcade games, but there's the whole 8bit region of my brain that is always seeking new ways to play my favorite NES games.  I have enjoyed them on a front loader, a top loader, my Wii, my Ipod touch, even an old PDA, and if I could play them from a wristwatch I probably would.

When I mentioned that I had ambitions of building a system to play several of the old classics I was met with enthusiasm from one of my co-workers and so we decided to build two.  We started out by buying our controllers and managed to get a very good deal on them.  As luck would have it the site that makes the controllers, http://xarcade.com, was sold out and so we found one of their resellers.  Doug (my partner in crime on this project) ended up picking up two controllers while on vacation and saved on shipping.

A few weeks after we bought the controllers we took a list to various hardware stores and picked up 4 sheets of MDF as well as other bits and pieces for our build.  About the same time as we were gathering up our parts I was tweaking the front end we would use for our arcade and setting up the controller to make the functions from the keyboard that would be needed for our games.  I had been testing on my laptop for awhile then moved to an old tower that we had replaced.   Since the games I have planned to include do not require much processing power to run my old tower was a great fit and easy on the budget.  At work we had recently marked down some PC speakers and so for under $20 I got a nice set of Phillips speakers with a volume control that can be mounted on the side of the cabinet.  I also picked up a black 17" CRT monitor for free.  At this point I have spent a total of about $220 dollars on the project and, as I mentioned earlier, today was the day that we got into the nuts and bolts of it.

With the stat holiday on Sunday I had an extra day off and so Doug and I were able to get together and build the base of our cabinets as well as cut the sides.  We agonized over the cutting of the sides and spent most of our time on that today.  One of the big take home disclaimers is that if we didn't get the cuts right our controller would not fit properly.  That being said we took extra time to ensure that all would go well.  The irony of this is that we decided to build it in an open carport and we had had such nice, mild weather up until today.  Of all days, mother nature decided to send us some snow today so amid wind, snow and cooler temperatures then we've seen in months we set up saw horses, lights, portable heat and proceeded to make our cuts. After about 3 hours we had cut four sides for our two cabinets and completed which I think is probably the most time-consuming step.

Weekly-ish update: August 27th - September 9th, 2012

Hey fellow 8-bits!

Another 10 days have passed since my last update and though it's been a quiet week I thought I'd update on my pickups.

I had one package of ebay purchased games show up this week and I found a couple of games at the flea market.
Additions include:

Ghostbusters 2
Win, Lose, or Draw
Days of Thunder
Wolverine
Mickey Mousecapade
Wheel of fortune Jr. Edition

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Player one score:  316