Mini Mortal Kombat

[katuuuz]

Brainstorming.

So, I've got the plans for the 2 player MK1 machine from trusty 'ol Jackobud. I'm still in the process of scaling the plans down to the 4 foot height. I'll be going out to buy the materials this weekend, and placing an order on Ultimarc or from my pal Tornado Terry shortly thereafter. I'll be using 1/2" MDF vs. that cumbersome 3/8" crap I used for my full-size. A few things I'm brainstorming on...

#1 - Is anyone out there vector savvy? I've never personally worked with vector images before, but as I stated in the introduction thread, the control panel will pose a problem once it is scaled down. (The push buttons/joysticks obviously have to remain actual size... so is there a a way to scale down the CP image, but then resize the button template?

#2 - I had also opted out of putting side art on my first arcade, but to be a replica, this would be a must. Is there a special paper to get it printed on? Do you sand the outer side walls, primer, paint, then apply the art? Any help would suffice.

#3 - To my batch file extraordinaire friends - I think it would be cool for the machine to be shelled obviously, with no windows splash screen, and boot directly into Mortal Kombat upon turning the machine on. Afterwards, if the user doesn't want to play MK, or are ready for a new game, they could then back out of the game and into the GameEx front end. (Is this possible)? I just think booting directly to MK would put the cherry on top in terms of replication.

That seems to be it as of now. These are my only concerns going into the project thus far. (Whoever has built an arcade cabinet knows that more problems/troubleshooting are in store unfortunately).

Anyhow, I hope I sparked some interest in at least a few of you. I'm wide open to any ideas or recommendations. The only laws of this build are it has to be around 4 feet tall, and as close to a replica as possible.

Also, anyone know of anywhere else to gain vector art/arcade plans please do share. Jackobud is the only whereabouts I know of for arcade dimensions, and Vectorlib is the only place I can find vector side/CP/marquee art.

[Brian Hoffman]

#1 - Is anyone out there vector savvy? I've never personally worked with vector images before, but as I stated in the introduction thread, the control panel will pose a problem once it is scaled down. (The push buttons/joysticks obviously have to remain actual size... so is there a a way to scale down the CP image, but then resize the button template?

Yes, You cut the button part out, keep its aspect ratio, then redesign the CP art and put it back on top.

#2 - I had also opted out of putting side art on my first arcade, but to be a replica, this would be a must. Is there a special paper to get it printed on? Do you sand the outer side walls, primer, paint, then apply the art? Any help would suffice.

Yes, there is special vinyl and its laminated, Mame Marquees is your guy for printing the art and marqueee, just give him the dimensions, and instruction for applying.

http://www.mamemarquees.com/mortal-kombat-p-923.html

http://www.mamemarquees.com/mortalkombat-marquee-p-843.html

http://www.mamemarquees.com/mortal-kombat-sideart-p-516.html

Q - How do I mount the Control panel or Sideart?

A - The Control panel/Sideart will not stick well to bare MDF. Always ensure that the receiving substrate is thoroughly cleaned, free of dust, dirt or cleaner residues. Wood surfaces should be painted with latex/oil paint containing no waxes or silicones. Allow the paint to dry for 48hr or more in a humid environment. Poor surface conditions will cause adhesion loss or failure. Make sure to let the paint cure for a couple of days to let it "gas out" otherwise the gas could push the vinyl off, and you can get a bubble affect under the vinyl down the road.

Installation Te c h n i q u e s : Proper contact of the adhesive to the mounting substrate is critical, and maximum pressure should be used to install the vinyl. If insufficient pressure is used during the install, the edges of the vinyl can lift. It is recommended that water not be used during the installation but if it is used, use minimal amounts. All water must be squeegeed out from under vinyl. If liquid soap is added to the water to increase the ease of installation, use only one drop per gallon of water. Soap must not contain moisturizer. Do not use heat guns to install vinyl. Material should not be stretched during installation. It is a calendered vinyl, and it will shrink back to original size, which might cause edges to lift or create gaps between panels

Here is a link to someone installing our sideart www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0a40QiFt_k

#3 - To my batch file extraordinaire friends - I think it would be cool for the machine to be shelled obviously, with no windows splash screen, and boot directly into Mortal Kombat upon turning the machine on. Afterwards, if the user doesn't want to play MK, or are ready for a new game, they could then back out of the game and into the GameEx front end. (Is this possible)? I just think booting directly to MK would put the cherry on top in terms of replication.

SuperEasy and there is a thread here already about this, Compile a AHK script to EXE then use instant sheller and shell to that EXE.

Code can be

Run, C:\MAME\Mame.exe mk -joy -Skip_gameinfo -tripplebuffer

ProcessWait, Close, Mame.exe

Run, C:\Programfiles\Gameex\Gameex.exe

This way it would launch MK when you first boot up, while still hiding windows and once mame is closed gameex loads up. Dont forget in addition to hiding windows alot of motherboard manufactures allow you to flash the bios with custom art, this way you can even hide the bios boot up.

[katuuuz]

Dont forget in addition to hiding windows alot of motherboard manufactures allow you to flash the bios with custom art, this way you can even hide the bios boot up.

Wow, a ton of great/needed advice. I wasn't aware of flashing bios with custom art, I thought you could only do it with windows. Wow, this will turn out even more authentic than I had imagined. I have a Dell Dimension 3000 for the project.

Now about the CP, how would I do this? I'll be able to figure out how to layer the buttons/joysticks and take them out, scale the image down, then re-insert them. Do I just send that vector file to mamemarquees and he prints it?

[katuuuz]

figured out how to scale the cab down. what i did is decide i want it 4' (48") tall. so i took the neo cab's original height of 75.875" and divided by 48" and got 1.580. So, alls I had to do was take the rest of the dimensions and divide by 1.580 to get my desired scale. Finally we're in motion. I thought of another obstacle in my later future:

Is there anyway I can power everything (marquee light, monitor, speakers, ipac, possible coin lights, and fan) from my pc's power supply? I'm trying to avoid a power strip due to the lack of space I'll have, plus i can power everything on with one button. I'll be using dissembled pc speakers, an ipac, and a vga monitor which obviously already plug into the mobo. will wiring the marquee lighting, coin lights, and fan to molex connectors fry my power supply? or is it strong enough? the pc is a stock dell dimension 3000.

thanks in advance.

[bkenobi]

With a large enough power supply, all accessories running off DC, and all DC voltages being 5, 7, or 12 volts...yes. If you need a high current supplied to something, you will want to check your PSU more carefully for what it can output on each connection.

[Brian Hoffman]

With a large enough power supply, all accessories running off DC, and all DC voltages being 5, 7, or 12 volts...yes. If you need a high current supplied to something, you will want to check your PSU more carefully for what it can output on each connection.

Yes, Bkenobi is right, +3.3 +5 and +12 are very common, Also check the Amps on the rail. It should tell you on the side of the PSU what the ratings are. Dell is notorious for providing only the bare minimum PSU's in thier PC's. If your using normal case fans you will be fine, check around homedepot for a ligiting fixture that can operate with the voltage your PSU can output.

Remeber you can always use a smartstrip to power your marquess light and monitor.