Help building cabs

[nexus6]

here you can get t-molding: http://www.t-molding.com

and here a lot off arcadeparts: http://www.arcadeshop.de

for your cab

[JohnnyG]

HI All,

I've been trying to find an old cab to gut and MAME-ify here in Ireland, but I've had no luck at all. I have a lot of plans from Jakobud so I'm going to try building a widebody Nintendo style.

I found this link

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?...d=19139;start=0

it's for SpyStyles guide to building a cab: with HKs LED guide on the boards, it gives a really comprehensive layout for beginners (I think). I think Iano was talking about this guide as well?

Cheers,

Johnny

[wobbly]

hello i would love my own cab but i live in qld Australia anyone know where i can get just the shell or anyone know of 1 for sale

i would love to make my own

i have a disability so making my own as out of the question

i can do all the pc stuff no worries about that it's just the wood work that i can't do

thx all

[mightypeniz]

where in QLD do you live? I've got an old upright cabinet that I should sell.. Doesn't have PC inside it (at the moment), but it has a fully functional control panel, 21" CRT monitor, etc etc.

[wobbly]

i live in Maryborough qld i hope your not to far away

[Tempest]

No disrespect intended towards anybody, but It's funny that the cabinet part is the hard part for you guys,

I (like Nologic) am a carpenter too, It only took a day for me to build mine. It definately helps to have the tools!

It's this computer crap that sucks!

I would be happy to try and answer questions about building a cab if I can.

[bkenobi]

Speaking as a non-carpenter with only half the tools needed, I find repairing cabs fun but building a bit daunting. The computer side is the easy/fun/pain-in-the-ass part. Building a simple cabinet would be easy if you aren't a perfectionist about straight edges or have a table/panel saw available, but building something like an Atari or NeoGeo cabinet is a different story!

[Tempest]

Speaking as a non-carpenter with only half the tools needed, I find repairing cabs fun but building a bit daunting. The computer side is the easy/fun/pain-in-the-ass part. Building a simple cabinet would be easy if you aren't a perfectionist about straight edges or have a table/panel saw available, but building something like an Atari or NeoGeo cabinet is a different story!

Those look do-able, its a shame you live so far away....or we could make a trade!

[bkenobi]

Doable yes, but not easy for the non-carpenter. With the *wrong* tools, that's a lot of cut's in complex shapes that *will* get screwed up!

With a CNC, I could build some SWEET stuff though! Actually, with a panel cutter and/or a decent table saw, I could probably do just as good a job. Files and sand paper fix a lot of things, but perfectly straight edges are a challenge freehand...

[DJ Infinity]

No disrespect intended towards anybody, but It's funny that the cabinet part is the hard part for you guys,

I (like Nologic) am a carpenter too, It only took a day for me to build mine. It definately helps to have the tools!

It's this computer crap that sucks!

I would be happy to try and answer questions about building a cab if I can.

And where do you live? If you lived anywhere close I'd like to hire you for a coupla projects I have in mind. A cab in a day shit that's awesome

[Tempest]

And where do you live? If you lived anywhere close I'd like to hire you for a coupla projects I have in mind. A cab in a day shit that's awesome

Ann Arbor, Michigan

I wish everyone (who's anyone) would put their location in their profile, We may live next door to each other for all we know!

[DJ Infinity]

Ann Arbor, Michigan

I wish everyone (who's anyone) would put their location in their profile, We may live next door to each other for all we know!

Indianapolis, Indiana ya know maybe I should do that

[Tempest]

Indianapolis, Indiana ya know maybe I should do that

I think Indy's only 3 or 4 hours away.....

[Tempest]

Doable yes, but not easy for the non-carpenter. With the *wrong* tools, that's a lot of cut's in complex shapes that *will* get screwed up!

With a CNC, I could build some SWEET stuff though! Actually, with a panel cutter and/or a decent table saw, I could probably do just as good a job. Files and sand paper fix a lot of things, but perfectly straight edges are a challenge freehand...

Since I said I would help, here are some tips.

When cutting the side panel, clamp both sheets together and cut them at the same time. They may not be perfect, but symmetry is beautiful in and of itself (think of breasts)

To cut straight with a circular saw, clamp a straight edge to the Panels. For rounded corners, use a jigsaw, leaving your pencil line showing, and then use a belt sander to finish down to the line. (an alternate for inside corners would be to use a hole saw).

I bought a piece of Lexan from home depot for my bezel, put it in place, marked the corners of my monitor, taped off the area of the screen, and spray painted the perimeter black.

The only other thing I saw when looking online when researching is that some people seem to think that the T-molding needs to be hot glued. If you buy the right router bit, it works well. I have a Centipede (I know, I can't believe it's not Tempest either ) shaped cabinet, and I was able to run the t-molding all the way around without cutting it. For the outside cotners you have to cut a wedge out of the back, and we drove the inside corners in with a Chisel (not sharp).

I realize that I am lucky to have most of the tools, but maybe you can borrow or rent them cheap enough for a weekend.

Also, most lumber yards will do some cutting for you. For example, they could rip a sheet for you to the width of your of your cabinet. That would get you started for all of the pieces that are perpendicular to the sides. (front, back,shelves,etc.) I don't have one, but a radial arm saw would probably work best for mitering the panels if needed, but a straight edge and circular saw will do.

[bkenobi]

The sides aren't really the concern since, as you said, symmetry looks beautiful! The problem is the center pieces that all have to be the same width. I guess one option is, like you said, having the home store/lumber yard cut the 4x8 sheets to the width of the cabinet. Then all you have to do is cut them to length. Agreed, this would work very well for a basic cabinet, but I've always liked the ones with some detail (like my Atari that has the coin box bump out), so if I were to build one, that would be a bit of a challenge (without drawings anyway).

The other part is finishing it, though. Side art can be expensive and hard to apply without wrinkles and solid colors can look blah. Then again, that's what a good marquee and some lighted buttons are for.

[shaunopp]

Having done both a 'refurbished' and multiple 'scratch built' cabinets now I'd say they both have their merits. Which you choose really depends on your individual circumstance... time, budget, tools, woodworking skills. Either way, you're going to run into hurdles with both. Below are a couple observations after having done each.

REFURBISHED.

1. Can be cheap if you can find a good used cab. Look to get a coin door as part of the deal.

2. Selection can be limited.

3. You may still have to build a custom control panel for yourself. Figure this into time and cost.

4. Trying to use a pre-existing arcade monitor can pose challenging and may require an ArcadeVGA card.

5. Putting a TV or new arcade monitor in a pre-existing cab can be challenging.

SCRATCH BUILT

1. You'll need tools and some sort of workshop. You may also need another persons help for the big cuts.

2. It's a mess. Cutting & routing MDF creates dust everywhere. Don't underestimate this, major pain in the ass.

3. Can build whatever you want, more custom. Alternatively this adds to complexity. Not always cheaper.

4. You'll still have to finish the cabinet (paint etc.). Look for black laminated MDF as an alternative.

5. Overall, fewer surprises but much more work.

Even though Tempest can (supposedly ) build a cab in day, don't be that optimistic. This will take you some serious time. My refurbished cab took me 2 good months and had me stretched to the brink at points. For my scratch built cabs my friend and I used the mameroom designs and while it wasn't rocket science, it definitely was hard work over a couple month period of time for us to build 3 of them and get everything done.

The SpyStyle and Project Arcade resources are very good reference, I'd recommend purchasing them especially since this is your first cab. Arm yourself with as much info as possible. I'd also recommend checking out all of the other build sites out there that show the process many of which are linked off of the byoac site. Here is a good one that includes a price parts list for planning: http://www.doughcade.com The spray texture for the outside is a really good idea I used on my first cab.

I think given that this is your first cab, you don't have the woodworking tools etc., and that it's tough to get parts I'd go in this order:

1.)Buy a kit, like the mameroom kit if you can afford it and use a tv for your display.

2.)Find a cheap cabinet with a good control panel you can use, without a monitor and use a tv for display

3.)Build your own.

Good luck, it's fun and rewarding to build your own cab but also a lot of work.

Below is pic of my first build, an update of a 1983 Xevious cab.

[Tempest]

The sides aren't really the concern since, as you said, symmetry looks beautiful! The problem is the center pieces that all have to be the same width. I guess one option is, like you said, having the home store/lumber yard cut the 4x8 sheets to the width of the cabinet. Then all you have to do is cut them to length. Agreed, this would work very well for a basic cabinet, but I've always liked the ones with some detail (like my Atari that has the coin box bump out), so if I were to build one, that would be a bit of a challenge (without drawings anyway).

The other part is finishing it, though. Side art can be expensive and hard to apply without wrinkles and solid colors can look blah. Then again, that's what a good marquee and some lighted buttons are for.

I know that most of the people on this site are perfectionists, but I don't think all of the pieces for a cabinet have to be cut perfectly. If you are building a cabinet without the use of a CNC, even if you have the guy at Home Depot do some of the cutting for you, (how much do they pay that guy anyway?) they are not gong to be exact. Don't get me wrong, the closer the better!

The key to having it look nice when you are done?....Caulk. Using very little Premium acrylic latex caulk, run a bead along where the sides meet the front. You may also need to caulk miter joints as well. The biggest mistake most people make is using too much caulk. When you cut the end of the tube on an angle, the hole should be less than 1/8". Also a good tip is to use a $.99 paint brush and water to smooth it out. You may also have good luck with your finger (you can get it wet too if it makes you feel better) It is best NOT to soak it in cider!

I prefer caulk because it is flexible, and hopefully won't crack out like spackle will. But if you have screw holes to fill, by all means use spackling. (two coats, and sand). It would be better to prime your cabinet before caulking.

I Agree about the side art, unfortunately I don't have any, and my cabinet is boring. I am planning on building a new one when the weather gets better (contemplating a rotating CP), and if I like the design, (I am leaning towards Tempest this time) , I will want side art. I will probably hire one of those guys that stripe cars to do it.

As I said before, there are some very good examples of what could be here, on the Gameex forums

[Tempest]

2. It's a mess. Cutting & routing MDF creates dust everywhere. Don't underestimate this, major pain in the ass.

You are absolutely right! Don't even think of doing this inside your house (not even the basement) like I've seen pictures of. And wear a dust mask. This is by far the dustiest material I have ever worked with.

Even though Tempest can (supposedly ) build a cab in day, don't be that optimistic.

You think that's hard to belive? I'll tell you what's hard to believe. I have been trying to set up emulators on my cabinet since Christmas. I already had Mame done. So in 7 weeks I have managed to get Zinc, Nebula, Raine, and Daphne running. That's probably a day or two for you software wizards (you know who you are!)

List of failures? Model2, SSF, AND Epsxe. I have them all running, but too slow for my computer.

I did get the atari 2600, 5200, 7800, and jaguar going, but the only games that look remotely interesting are the Jaguar games. So I consider these failures as well. I also start working on PCSX2, and I probably have it pretty close, but I stopped working on it when I read on their site that the minimum requirement was a 10 GZ processor.

So what is that, about 12 days per emulator? Now, that is unbelievable!

Ps. No, I'm not offended....

[Tempest]

I feel like elaborating...

It hasn't been a total waste of time, I did figure out how to get my Avatar to display (I didn't even know what an Avatar was!)

I have a pretty good idea on how to use Clrmamepro now (I was using Romcenter before)

I kind of have a rough idea of how to use the torrents now. I also didn't know what a torrent was, I had heard of them, bit didn't understand what they could do. If I had known, I wouldn't have gotten shitlisted for downloading an entire torrent when all I needed was 400 files. I joined at 0%. (there's more to it than that ) I've repaid my debt, and all is well....

I spent two days messing with my config only to finally to find out that I had indeed discovered a bug! (I don't mind taking one for the team )

I did help Nologic with some map files.

I am currently trying to do some Docs for Headkaze. ( I really am into re-paying my debts, so HK can really thank all of you guys who helped me with my stupidity, and feel free to give yourselves a pat on the back!)

OK, that's enough, I was just trying to remind myself that the 7 weeks wasn't a total loss!

[bkenobi]

If you started from scratch without any emulator experience, 7 weeks isn't bad! The thing is, emulators are not a end user type product. They are a work in progress that usually don't leave beta levels (if they even leave alpha), so they are not polished like something you would buy from EA, Microsoft, Apple, etc. I bet it took more than 7 weeks to become comfortable with just grabbing your tools and building a cabinet in a day. I would consider that a reasonable comparison anyway.

Btw, thanks for your suggestions. I've used caulk for other things, but I guess I didn't realize it could be painted. In retrospect, my older cab had caulk on it around the seams, so I guess it's not a new technique for cabs. My newer cab was probably cut out with a CNC since everything is pretty precise on it.

[gryhnd]

My newer cab was probably cut out with a CNC since everything is pretty precise on it.

Stating the obvious to experienced wood workers, so you may move on, but if you're handy with tools and have a router, it's pretty easy to get the sides of your cabinet identical to one another. Just buy a bit with a bearing on it (a template flush cutter I think they are called). Something akin to this.

After you have tweaked one side to your liking, clamp it to another sheet of material. Set the bearing against the finished piece and start cutting. It'll trace the contours of the first and cut the second identically. Some sharp inside corners may be too small for the size of your bit, but they too can be cleaned up with either or both a smaller bit, a cheap drum sander on your drill, or a file and sandpaper.

That's how I got this:

duplicated and eventually turned into this:

I really went overboard documenting my build, but if it helps anyone feel free to check it out.

[Tempest]

If you started from scratch without any emulator experience, 7 weeks isn't bad! The thing is, emulators are not a end user type product. They are a work in progress that usually don't leave beta levels (if they even leave alpha), so they are not polished like something you would buy from EA, Microsoft, Apple, etc. I bet it took more than 7 weeks to become comfortable with just grabbing your tools and building a cabinet in a day. I would consider that a reasonable comparison anyway.

Btw, thanks for your suggestions. I've used caulk for other things, but I guess I didn't realize it could be painted. In retrospect, my older cab had caulk on it around the seams, so I guess it's not a new technique for cabs. My newer cab was probably cut out with a CNC since everything is pretty precise on it.

Pure Silicone caulk can not be painted, so don't use that!

I should have said "siliconized acrylic latex caulk", and not just "acrylic latex caulk" in my previous post.

I appreciate what you said about the seven weeks, but I am as frustrated with this as you guys get with the cabinet building!!!!

[bkenobi]

Well, at least your one step up on guys that try to build a cab without woodworking OR emulation experience. That would be a truly hellish experience (if you want to do it right and get something a significant other wouldn't constantly remind you about anyway). Having some experience with one or the other makes it manageable.

[shaunopp]

Ps. No, I'm not offended....

Good, I was just razzing you a bit. You can do a cab in a day but the stars definitely have to align, ie. you need to have all of the tools, a workshop the materials prepped. Just wanted to let any newbie thinking about building a cab that it's a good investment of time and money. We all pulled our hair out at one point in the process and I see more than a fair share of listings on my local Craigslist selling half-built cabs. The funniest part is that most of them say 'almost complete'. I chuckle a little each time I see one. Anyway, I digress, it's some definite work and now anyone building one for the first time has been duly warned.

You think that's hard to belive? I'll tell you what's hard to believe. I have been trying to set up emulators on my cabinet since Christmas. I already had Mame done. So in 7 weeks I have managed to get Zinc, Nebula, Raine, and Daphne running. That's probably a day or two for you software wizards (you know who you are!)

That's not so bad! There's a lot to learn and each little problem can consume hours. That's what's great about a forum like this, everyone's help lessens the hair pulling and teeth gnashing and makes more time for the fun stuff.

I Agree about the side art, unfortunately I don't have any, and my cabinet is boring.

You should check out spray texture at Home Depot. That stuff's a great quickie finish for the sides. You can adjust the nozzle for different sized texturing. The Doughcade site tipped me off to it and I used it on my first refurb cab and was very pleased. The problem with splashy side art a lot of the times is that the significant other won't let it anywhere near the house. Texture gives it some personality and covers up imperfections nicely. It's a little expensive though at $12 a can it'll take you 3-4 cans.

Pure Silicone caulk can not be painted, so don't use that!

I should have said "siliconized acrylic latex caulk", and not just "acrylic latex caulk" in my previous post.

I had absolutely no cover-up to do with my scratch built cabs because of 2 important things that I'd highly recommend.

1.) We purchased black 3/4" melamine MDF coated on both sides. This was huge, no painting, no finishing, nice black coating. You have to be careful of it chipping when jigsawing etc.. but it touches up fine and was way better than painting. A little more expensive but it's really a wash when you consider the cost of primer and paint.

2.) A Kreg Jig. If you've never heard of one of these, you should really beg, steal or borrow one for assembling your cab. Basically it creates pockets you drop special wood screws into to draw 2 pieces of wood together. Super simple to use with a good cordless drill and it locks 2 pieces of wood together like nobody's business. Plus you can do all of the pockets on the inside of your cabinet, absolutely NO screwholes on the outside to fill and it's actually more structurally sound than driving a screw through the outside. It's a beautiful thing.

[Tempest]

2.) A Kreg Jig. If you've never heard of one of these, you should really beg, steal or borrow one for assembling your cab. Basically it creates pockets you drop special wood screws into to draw 2 pieces of wood together. Super simple to use with a good cordless drill and it locks 2 pieces of wood together like nobody's business. Plus you can do all of the pockets on the inside of your cabinet, absolutely NO screwholes on the outside to fill and it's actually more structurally sound than driving a screw through the outside. It's a beautiful thing.

I didn't think of that! I used pieces of 1x1 on the inside, glued & screwed from the inside. I agree with no screws from the outside, but I've seen pictures....

Either way, carpenter's glue will add alot of strength.