off topic "check out my arcade machine on youtube"

[gerble1000]

here is the link

[IMBerzerk]

here is the link

I'll say 2 things...

1. You have successfully taken game cabinet making to a whole new level. I don't think in all the years I have been surfing the web, looking at examples, etc... etc.. etc... have I ever seen such a well designed cabinet. Although it needs paint... and some graphics, which I would assume are in the works, it looks awesome!!! The Goliath... the Beast, the CRUSHER... you gotta name that thing!

2. Why is it that everytime we take a picture of, or film our dogs, they're always licking their balls? see video at 5:00 mark. LOL!

Great job man, I am now schooled on how to build a total game machine.

IMBerzerk

[gerble1000]

I'll say 2 things...

1. You have successfully taken game cabinet making to a whole new level. I don't think in all the years I have been surfing the web, looking at examples, etc... etc.. etc... have I ever seen such a well designed cabinet. Although it needs paint... and some graphics, which I would assume are in the works, it looks awesome!!! The Goliath... the Beast, the CRUSHER... you gotta name that thing!

2. Why is it that everytime we take a picture of, or film our dogs, they're always licking their balls? see video at 5:00 mark. LOL!

Great job man, I am now schooled on how to build a total game machine.

IMBerzerk

thanx m8,,

thats a hell of a comment lol,,

yea i will be redoing all the woodwork into mdf

and getting it spayed up with a few graphics

[IMBerzerk]

thanx m8,,

thats a hell of a comment lol,,

yea i will be redoing all the woodwork into mdf

and getting it spayed up with a few graphics

MDF? You might want to reconsider doing whatever guts can with 3/4" plywood, and all the stuff you see with MDF. If you do that whole thing in MDF, it will weigh a TON.

One of my cabinets is made with MDF and has a 20" LCD, with a small desktop PC, and compared to my Berzerk cabinet that is all plywood, and has a 21" CRT with a full tower PC... the Berzerk cabinet is much lighter. Size wise, they are very close. Just keep that in mind.

IMB

[gerble1000]

MDF? You might want to reconsider doing whatever guts can with 3/4" plywood, and all the stuff you see with MDF. If you do that whole thing in MDF, it will weigh a TON.

One of my cabinets is made with MDF and has a 20" LCD, with a small desktop PC, and compared to my Berzerk cabinet that is all plywood, and has a 21" CRT with a full tower PC... the Berzerk cabinet is much lighter. Size wise, they are very close. Just keep that in mind.

IMB

problem being with plywood

you cant spray it properly

need a flat surface to laquer

ive already enquired about this with the sprayshop,

unless i get it fiberglassed ££££

[bkenobi]

You can make it smooth by applying wood filler/bondo and then sanding. But, you will have a nice smooth surface to start with if you go with MDF or a higher quality plywood. Looks like you chose a rough type rather than one that is finished on at least one side. You can get plywood that has finished surfaces on either one or both sides that will give you a nice surface to paint or whatever. You will still need to prime, sand, and paint no matter what you use, so I wouldn't eliminate plywood altogether.

[ranzo]

...when I saw the video, I just said to myself "What the fuck is going on here !!"...:-)

No, really really cool. I´ve never seen such a "toy" like that !! :-)

Ränz

[sWampy]

Birch plywood is a million times better than mdf.

I would figure you would need to use a 32" or larger monitor moved back some for 4 player driving games to be much fun.

[gerble1000]

i actually thought about birch plywood but it very expensive,

maybe i will ue a combination,

[bkenobi]

I'd use the good stuff for the front/exposed surfaces and then use the non-finished plywood for anything else. I would use MDF for the CP though. When I was cutting test CP's out of plywood, the back side tended to tear out quite a bit (I didn't use any kind of a backer when drilling, so this could have been avoided on a final piece). MDF won't do that (as long as you don't push the bit through) and should result in a nicer finished piece. However, if you take your time you can make anything look good!

[gerble1000]

I'd use the good stuff for the front/exposed surfaces and then use the non-finished plywood for anything else. I would use MDF for the CP though. When I was cutting test CP's out of plywood, the back side tended to tear out quite a bit (I didn't use any kind of a backer when drilling, so this could have been avoided on a final piece). MDF won't do that (as long as you don't push the bit through) and should result in a nicer finished piece. However, if you take your time you can make anything look good!

im just worried about the heat might warp the mdf,,as the unit gets warm,

but ye i will ue mdf for the main front,,,

so what did u guy think of the motorised keyboard

[Tempest]

I'd use the good stuff for the front/exposed surfaces and then use the non-finished plywood for anything else. I would use MDF for the CP though. When I was cutting test CP's out of plywood, the back side tended to tear out quite a bit (I didn't use any kind of a backer when drilling, so this could have been avoided on a final piece). MDF won't do that (as long as you don't push the bit through) and should result in a nicer finished piece. However, if you take your time you can make anything look good!

I'm assuming you are using a spade bit...

Carpenter's tip:

Drill from the top side until the point of the bit comes out the back, then finish drilling the hole from the other side.

BTW: I used MDF for my whole cabinet. Put wheels on it, don't worry about the weight, worry about the appearance.

[gerble1000]

I'm assuming you are using a spade bit...

Carpenter's tip:

Drill from the top side until the point of the bit comes out the back, then finish drilling the hole from the other side.

BTW: I used MDF for my whole cabinet. Put wheels on it, don't worry about the weight, worry about the appearance.

lol i am a carpenter,,

and the finnish is everything,

the reason this looks cheap is because i only had little cash at the time and i wanted it there and then,,

thats y im going through every aspect of making it o i dont cock it up again,,

i hate rushing things but i do it all the time,

how much heavier is the cab than ply ,,with ur cab

as i might as well just do all mdf, as it much easier to work with,, "no knots"

[bkenobi]

No knots, but lots of emphysema!

[IMBerzerk]

No knots, but lots of emphysema!

True. I used MDF on my panels as well. I just cut the holes in my CP plus the slot for the T-molding and it looked like I ground up a 2x4.

I'll post some picks of my 2 cabinets... you can see the size. They are almost identical. Both being 24" wide. Believe me, you may not consider weight now, but I've had the Berzerk cabinet for 8 years, and tinker with it all the time. Moving it is a pain in the a$$ but definitely workable on carpet. The other I've had for 3 years, both have wheels in the back as well. The MDF cabinet I am still working on and dread moving it, it's just damn heavy, even on a painted concrete basement floor. I should also mention I have already been surgically 'repaired' downtown, so to avoid having to go through that again... weight matters to me now more than ever.

I tossed in the 3rd, it's a cafe style for the kids. It's an old Strata Bowling cabinet.

PS... the keyboard is a great idea. Judging by the video the location might be a little difficult to use? But it's really cool. You've really got talent with wood.

IMB

[gerble1000]

True. I used MDF on my panels as well. I just cut the holes in my CP plus the slot for the T-molding and it looked like I ground up a 2x4.

I'll post some picks of my 2 cabinets... you can see the size. They are almost identical. Both being 24" wide. Believe me, you may not consider weight now, but I've had the Berzerk cabinet for 8 years, and tinker with it all the time. Moving it is a pain in the a$$ but definitely workable on carpet. The other I've had for 3 years, both have wheels in the back as well. The MDF cabinet I am still working on and dread moving it, it's just damn heavy, even on a painted concrete basement floor. I should also mention I have already been surgically 'repaired' downtown, so to avoid having to go through that again... weight matters to me now more than ever.

I tossed in the 3rd, it's a cafe style for the kids. It's an old Strata Bowling cabinet.

PS... the keyboard is a great idea. Judging by the video the location might be a little difficult to use? But it's really cool. You've really got talent with wood.

IMB

your cabs looks cool m8,,

did u make the cocktail as well

i got used to the keyboard being there and i only tend to ue it for installing new emulator or talking to people in online game play,

the keyboard is run from a car window motor as the previous design was a cordless drill with a big threaded bar,, "very noisy and slow"

so ive recently updated it

much smoother and no noise

u might want to put yours on youtube as well then

[Tempest]

The other I've had for 3 years, both have wheels in the back as well.

Go crazy... buy 4 wheels.

I put two non-caster style in the back, and 2 casters in the front. I can push it all over the place with very little effort. My arcade cabs only have wheels in the back, and they are a PITA. I really should put wheels on the front of those as well...

[IMBerzerk]

Go crazy... buy 4 wheels.

I put two non-caster style in the back, and 2 casters in the front. I can push it all over the place with very little effort. My arcade cabs only have wheels in the back, and they are a PITA. I really should put wheels on the front of those as well...

Yes, I should do that too. How about movement when guys get a little rough with the cabinet... like Robotron? My Berzerk cabinet has 2 leaf joysticks from Wico (damn sucks that they don't make those anymore!!!), which causes players to toss them around a bit. With the cherry switch type, it's not as violent.

IMB

[IMBerzerk]

your cabs looks cool m8,,

did u make the cocktail as well

i got used to the keyboard being there and i only tend to ue it for installing new emulator or talking to people in online game play,

the keyboard is run from a car window motor as the previous design was a cordless drill with a big threaded bar,, "very noisy and slow"

so ive recently updated it

much smoother and no noise

u might want to put yours on youtube as well then

LOL!! No, let me add in that these are all conversions. Sorry.... no I didn't do them from scratch, I hope I wasn't leading you to believe that.

When I started building my first cabinet, MAME cabinets were a new thing. This was back in 1999/2000. There was little to go with, and not much info out there.

The Berzerk cabinet was an old Frenzy cabinet that was in REALLY bad shape. It required a ton of woodworking to get it back to life. I paid $150 for it, and by all means, should have passed on it, but I couldn't. It was my favorite game, and I was lucky to find the cabinet. Frenzy and Berzerk used the same cabinet, so I knew if I passed on it, I'd never find another one. It's too rare of a cabinet to find one without paying a fortune which kills the idea of converting it. So I spent 6 months reworking it, hand painting it, and searching the net for the glass bezel. The control panels I make from graphics on the net, usually from Arcade Art. Then I customize them to fit my needs for the cabinet. I love the classic look of the 80's cabinets, so I usually base the artwork on them.

The Cafe one was an old Strata Bowling cabinet I bought from an arcade Warehouse in Maryland. He had a ton of stuff. It was a mess, but for $100, why not. That one took 3 years to complete. It runs Mala however, and eventually, I will change it to GameEx.

Lastly is the Galaxian/Robotron cabinet. That one is for my wife. That was an old "Heavy Barrel" cabinet by Data East. I found it outside a Thrift Store, in the rain, and totally destroyed. So after 3 years, and while finishing the cafe cabinet, I slowly worked on it. Everything had to be clean, wired out and repainted...everything.

The reason why it's split in half.... it's for my wife, and she could not decide if she wanted a Galaxian or Robotron cabinet. So I decided for her.... typical.

Sorry about the tall tales... but I love my cabinets, and enjoy building them, hence why I know so much about the buildig process. After doing this 3 times, and of course all the mods I have made to my Berzerk cabinet over the years (this is the 4th control panel)... I can do this stuff in my sleep. LOL!

All the best.

PS... The window motor was a great idea!! I like it a lot.

[bkenobi]

Just curious about the window motor. Did you look for a motor that had a specific throw, or were you able to adjust how far the motor ran. In other words, did you just add limit switches to stop the motion at each end or was the motor pre-configured to run for a certain time/distance?

I really like this idea since those motors are specifically designed for this type of motion and about the right distance for this stuff too. This could be used to extend a drawer out the front just as easily (for those that have keyboards already set up that way). Good ideas here!

[IMBerzerk]

Just curious about the window motor. Did you look for a motor that had a specific throw, or were you able to adjust how far the motor ran. In other words, did you just add limit switches to stop the motion at each end or was the motor pre-configured to run for a certain time/distance?

I really like this idea since those motors are specifically designed for this type of motion and about the right distance for this stuff too. This could be used to extend a drawer out the front just as easily (for those that have keyboards already set up that way). Good ideas here!

Also, what about speed? A window weighs a lot more than a keyboard. How did you slow it down?

[gerble1000]

LOL!! No, let me add in that these are all conversions. Sorry.... no I didn't do them from scratch, I hope I wasn't leading you to believe that.

When I started building my first cabinet, MAME cabinets were a new thing. This was back in 1999/2000. There was little to go with, and not much info out there.

The Berzerk cabinet was an old Frenzy cabinet that was in REALLY bad shape. It required a ton of woodworking to get it back to life. I paid $150 for it, and by all means, should have passed on it, but I couldn't. It was my favorite game, and I was lucky to find the cabinet. Frenzy and Berzerk used the same cabinet, so I knew if I passed on it, I'd never find another one. It's too rare of a cabinet to find one without paying a fortune which kills the idea of converting it. So I spent 6 months reworking it, hand painting it, and searching the net for the glass bezel. The control panels I make from graphics on the net, usually from Arcade Art. Then I customize them to fit my needs for the cabinet. I love the classic look of the 80's cabinets, so I usually base the artwork on them.

The Cafe one was an old Strata Bowling cabinet I bought from an arcade Warehouse in Maryland. He had a ton of stuff. It was a mess, but for $100, why not. That one took 3 years to complete. It runs Mala however, and eventually, I will change it to GameEx.

Lastly is the Galaxian/Robotron cabinet. That one is for my wife. That was an old "Heavy Barrel" cabinet by Data East. I found it outside a Thrift Store, in the rain, and totally destroyed. So after 3 years, and while finishing the cafe cabinet, I slowly worked on it. Everything had to be clean, wired out and repainted...everything.

The reason why it's split in half.... it's for my wife, and she could not decide if she wanted a Galaxian or Robotron cabinet. So I decided for her.... typical.

Sorry about the tall tales... but I love my cabinets, and enjoy building them, hence why I know so much about the buildig process. After doing this 3 times, and of course all the mods I have made to my Berzerk cabinet over the years (this is the 4th control panel)... I can do this stuff in my sleep. LOL!

All the best.

PS... The window motor was a great idea!! I like it a lot.

wow,, what a hobbie,

are they worth anything in value,

[IMBerzerk]

wow,, what a hobbie,

are they worth anything in value,

When I look at some of the cabinets that are sold at 2-3K USD that have no graphics, classic appeal.... or historic value... it does make me wonder.

To me, they are priceless. I'd never sell them, but I do wonder if they are worth anything.

IMB

[gerble1000]

Just curious about the window motor. Did you look for a motor that had a specific throw, or were you able to adjust how far the motor ran. In other words, did you just add limit switches to stop the motion at each end or was the motor pre-configured to run for a certain time/distance?

I really like this idea since those motors are specifically designed for this type of motion and about the right distance for this stuff too. This could be used to extend a drawer out the front just as easily (for those that have keyboards already set up that way). Good ideas here!

it was about 2 inche to long,

so ye i just put limit switches in,

i used 2 micro switches

the motor was a great idea,

i was repairing my car window and decided to get one for the arcade machine,,

problem being it takes a lot of amps

so i went and bought another psu with 14 amps

as 12 amps busted on it

and to get the psu working without a motherboard you just connect 2 of the atx wires together to turn

it on

[bkenobi]

Just curious, but what happens if you put the cabinet against a wall and someone hits the keyboard switch? Does it have any kind of "blocked window" shutoff? Some windows do that, but I wasn't sure if that was in the motor or an extra switch attached to the door. I'm just wondering if it pushes the keyboard through the wall or if it will stall out (those motors are freakishly strong from what I understand).