Project - Xmas Present

[ephect]

*** Disclaimer: For entertainment purposes only ***
The title won't be updated, and I'll avoid posting certain words, please respect this when posting replies. I wont hesitate to remove my content from the thread. You will not find any links to software either, nor will i post them, don't ask.

I share here only for your information, inspiration, and entertainment purposes.



This one has been in the making for the past 4 months in prep for Xmas and one of my proudest accomplishments to date. It's taken a lot of blood, sweat and tears getting it to look and function as close as possible. I've also unlocked some new programming skills

I found some threads relating to emulation software with lots of dead links. Those threads were enough to fuel my curiosity, if i could get it working, my parents Xmas present was locked in.

After some long nights searching, I found it. I had no idea if it was going to work or if I was going to be able to figure it out. Over the next month I checked each game and moved the non-working ones to clear up the clutter. The emulation software was clunky but worked. No pics of software until later. This emulator has set keyboard keys with no way of changing them, ruling out normal joystick or button controller boards, so i built one using arduino. Combination of button matrix with LED outputs and keyboard keys

Once the emulator and games were good, I focused on the front-end to make it pretty. I found the suggested frontend suggested in my searches and it was easy to add games, but it was very limited in visuals and menu, and hated it. CoinOps to the rescue. The Dev team has been making massive headway in speed and visual improvements in the arcade scene. Of course, there was nothing based on my project.

Queue the next month tweaking the layouts, finding and creating media and logos for the menu system and integrating the emulator. Testing, tweaking, testing, tweaking.

 

[ephect]

At this point i was done with software and moved onto the build.

There are that many cabinets out there but took most inspiration from the most recent designs out there.
Using materials i had at home for the cabinet, knowing i'll need specialised bits down the track. Wasn't my brightest idea using board with predrilled holes. live and learn lol.

Shaping up nicely.
Moved onto finishing the back and setting up the monitor mount points. also filling in those bloody predrilled holes and smoothing out the melamine edges.

 

[ephect]

Screen fit testing,

a lick of paint for the inside and all external holes prepped and sanded

Computer and Screen test fit, like a glove

 

[losh1971]

Do I remember you doing a Covid project? You are handy on the tools and gear.

 

[ephect]

With the cabinet base done, it was onto the next phase: creating the remaining panels from acrylic.

I purchased a few 3mm sheets from a mob in Sunshine. I cannot speak highly enough of them and happy to share their business if anyone wants. I've plastic welded in the past and did some basic shaping but nothing this complex. So i built a plastic bending "machine" for the big bends. Few bits of wood, hinges, transformer and some ni-chrome wire.

Didnt take many photos of the bending, but lots of measuring and checking on the cabinet

bent into shape and fitted for routing down to size. routing this stuff makes a hell of a mess

 

[ephect]

Do I remember you doing a Covid project? You are handy on the tools and gear.

yea made a pinball machine and still halfway through a racing sim.

 

[ephect]

Next onto the control panel area, this was a complex shape to attempt and was happy enough with my first try. Bending acrylic is a bitch if its not a straight line. getting even heat across the bend area took 30mins with my heat gun, then more heating to get it to kinda flow into shape. didnt help i was using a 1200mm long sheet.

This is 1 of 2 bends in my design.

Wrinkle paint for the win, I wanted it to look industrial and metal, so it was the obvious choice and come out mint. Also used ESP on the melamine to ensure adhesion. worked a treat.


Here you can see 2 supports the same shape as the bottom curve area, under the plastic. And therein lies my first problem, where the supports are, you can see the plastic warped around it while it was pushed into place.

I had to raise the screens up with some packers since all my measurements were based without the plastic panel on top of it.

 

[ephect]

here is version 1 of the control panel. I formed the second bend around a pipe, which as you can see warped the area where the buttons would go. It sat ok when screwed onto the cabinet which pulled it into shape.

annnnnnnnd antihalation by stressing the acrylic using a spade bit. Never every use a spade bit for such delicate work.

I swore a little too much after the first one, the 2nd and 3rd crack i laughed and cried inside. I finished drilling as i needed to see how my layout was going to look instead of my cardboard cutout template.

said stuff it and poored a double scotch.

 

[ephect]

Buttons arrived woohoo, snippet below.

now to disassemble and check what im working with

Measurement taken, button labels designed and sent off for printing on transparency, exiting!

Also my Pac Drive LED driver board arrived. This sexy little thing is really cool: read up on it here

so back to software to play with my AHK scripts to interface with the board and see if cant get these buttons to light up.

 

[ephect]

Control Panel #3

We're not discussing my 2nd attempt at shaping the large curve, so onto round 3.

Back down to sunshine for 2 more sheets of acrylic. This time i did a heap more research on bending acrylic around a curve and finding these little gems on the net are priceless. Off to bunnings for some 3mm mdf, cut down to size, hit the back of it with a steam machine, and then wait. Slowly flex the sheet and due to the heat and water, it slowly relaxes the glue and fibers and then conforms to the shape.

This provided a better surface for the acrylic to bend/flow/droop onto, which turned out great.

no more photos of it in the mold or bending the curves, i was too focused on not stuffing this one up. I did clamp the control panel between 2 boards to minimise warping on the tight bend. As you may have noticed, i scratched it up internally with my many attempts of getting the acrylic right.

While at bunnings, i grabbed myself a stepped drill bit, OMG these things are a godsend. and was able to (still carefully) drill through the acrylic without fear or stressing or cracking it. my single hole template seen to guard it during drilling.