Scratch Build – In Progress HULKADE © - MAME Cabinet Build

Hey chaps,

So I finished my Prodigy Build (Link HERE) and after that I've been very busy.. haven't had time to post a build log - but I've made some decent progress with the build, so I thought I'd share with you guys, so here goes:

My one mate bought a 2nd hand arcade machine for a bargain and ripped out the old hardware and replaced it with his own mame PC and CRT TV - I went there a few times to help him with a few things and once it was finished I was hooked!! The amount of fun playing classic games against mates whilst having a braai, etc is epic!

Specs of the build:

Custom Cabinet
Core 2 Quad Q8200
4GB DDR2 800MHz Memory
Gigabyte HD5450 1GB
80GB System HDD
500GB HDD for storage (Will be running MAME, SNES, DreamCast, PS1 and Xbox 1 roms as well - so quite a bit of space is needed)
DELL 19" 4:3 Monitor
Genius SW-F2.1 1500 Speakers
iPAC 2 (32 input) USB controller
Sanwa 8-way joysticks
Illuminated buttons with microswitches

I proceeded imported my buttons, joysticks and iPAC controller + wiring kit - The theme for the arcade was decided to be all black with a hulk theme and the name I decided on is: Hulkade©

I did a huge amount or research and switched between a good couple of cabinet designs, but eventually I ended up designing one myself and created a basic template to illustrate what it would hopefully look like once completed...

This was my initial design still incorporating the 22" LCD I had bought, but I have since changed over to a 19" 4:3 screen as 99% of the games I will be playing was designed for 4:3 screens:



I received my box of arcade goodies a week or two after I placed the order, I decided to go with illuminated buttons (these are my actual buttons, pretty neat) :



I was going to go buy 2 sheets of 16mm MDF board, but then my girlfriend's father said he's got a few sheets of superwood I can get for free - given, it's a little thick at 23mm, but it was free so I didn't say no.

Using the old company car to transport the wood - rofl!



We then got to work and after a lot of measuring planning, the first board and initial shape of the cabinet was found:



We then cut the base and attached some wheels - to make it a little easier to move this behemoth around.



Started with the rest of the assembly:



Basic frame and back sorted:



Wheel clearance is perfect:





Marquee section added as well:



I had a piece of wood cut at a 45° angle to fit the speakers, and then cut the holes for the speakers and attached the panel:



I then fitted the marquee light:



Made it so that the control panel fits on a drawer system so that I have easy access to the keyboard and mouse as well as quick removal of entire panel if I needed to work on the CP buttons, etc:





I made a trap door at the back for easy access to the PC and everything inside if need arises to work on it:





Cooling for the cabinet:



Fitted (I used a 127mm hole cutting bit, rather too big than too small and one won't see the holes anyway as it'll be against a wall and on the inside) :



Monitor level and monitor in place:



I then proceeded to start with the button placement and cutting of the wood:



All done:



Countersunk the joystick mounting plates:



I then had all the plexi cut for the marquee area, front bezel and 2x panels that will cover the control panel (one spare if I **** up one. ) :



That's what I've got for now - will start filling the holes and get everything ready for painting - cab will be all black and then I'll have some self adhesive vinyl printed for the sides and control panel.

Will update once I have made some more progress, still lots of work ahead.

 

Awesome!

I really like the drawer idea for the keyboard and the plexi cover over the monitor on the inside.

 

DROOOOOOL

Ohhh man, I sooo love arcade machines ... I'm drooling over that button and joy stick layout.... Brilliant project and will be watching this big time. I think every home should have at least one of these

 

Thanks for the comments guys.

Anyhow, update:

So I've ran into some problems with my control panel, I wanted a plexi cover that goes over the wood and the CP art, so I tried drilling the two sheets I had, but I messed both of them up - so my new plan entailed having a custom CP panel laser cut and bent out of 0.9mm stainless steel and then use the same CAD file to have the plexi panel that will go over the stainless panel and CP art laser cut as well, ensuring it'll be a perfect fit and match without worrying about breaking the plexi, etc.

I've signed off the designs for my self adhesive vinyl art as well...

The final designs for my art:

Marquee:



Front:



Sides:



Control Panel:



Will update as soon as I get the parts and start working on the cabinet - should hopefully be finished with the painting and artwork this weekend.

 

Great job mate ! I'm a HUGE arcade fan. Dunno if it can help, but Slagcoin is a great source for arcade : http://www.slagcoin.com/joystick.html

They do provide loads of button layout, source for panels, etc.

http://www.slagcoin.com/joystick/layout.html


[example of panel layout]

Good luck with your project, this is already looking great

 

Thanks for the info, will check them out, my layout will be the same as the wood layout, but just made of stainless steel this time round - only problem I had was clamping the plexi to the CP wood and drilling the holes in the same location as I've only got a limited amount of tools to do this at home and I kept cracking the plexi - but with the laser cut panels they should match up perfectly.

 

Hey guys, a quick update for you:

I started painting the cabinet and also got my self adhesive vinyl - I managed to mess up the control panel artwork - but I have since had it redone and I've decided that I'm going to have it applied to the back of the plexi instead, as it's much better this way, so that if I need to change something on the CP, I don't have to remove the artwork each time.

Herewith some pics:

Laser cut control panel out of 1mm stainless steel:



Art work:





Freshly painted:





Cleaned up and ready for painting:



Test fitting everything (I already messed up at this stage, but this is basically what it's going to look like:



I bought some hulk green acrylic PVA paint for the sides since I can't find any decent T-molding locally - looks pretty cool to me:



Marquee added:





And in light of the hype surrounding the Miley Cyrus VMA fiasco, HULK TWERK!!:

 

Awsome, simply awesome

Subbd

 

Thank you kind sir!

A quick update - I picked up my plexi panel for the control panel from the graphics place, as stated before, I decided to have it reverse printed and stuck to the back side of the plexi so that if I need to change something, I can, without having to rip off the vinyl.

I then gave it a test fit to check, and I'm very happy with the result - I will be wiring up the CP tonight or over the weekend.



Will update as soon as I can.

 

Great job .... next step :

 

WOOOOOT!!! Can't wait!

Marvel vs Capcom, MK3 Ultimate, MK2, Metal Slug, etc. So much of fun to be had.

One of my favourite fighting games though:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sdl_1EgmCDQ

 

Damn this build is causing some grief in my house, for some reason the other half thinks an arcade machine wouldn't look good in the front room ....

 

Been there, done that. Half built it and had to dismantle it. It was a sad day...

 

Hahahaha!! Thankfully my missus is okay with this, we've got a room that has some space, where both our PCs, my drum kit, fish tank, bar fridge and the arcade will go, so kind of the entertainment area if you wish, thankfully.... otherwise this would've not taken place either.

 

I started mine when we had very little space (it was a cocktail cabinet that would have been the 'coffee table'... It would have dominated the very small lounge!

We've got more space now. That gives me an idea...

 

Hahaha... do it man!! Every house needs at least one Arcade Cabinet!!

 

Update time!

I managed to wire up the CP on Thursday evening (Must still tidy up the cables some more though) :





Then on Sunday I connected everything up to test, and all is working:



I then took everything appart and applied the self adhesive vinyl artwork...

Front done:



Sides:



CP put in:



So now all that's left is customizing the front end software and getting everything looking nice - also need to get the front plexi bezel in place and painted to cover the screen border, etc.

More coming soon.

 

this is so cool! what an awesome idea! and looks great too!

 

Thanks for the comments.

Actually a lot of information on the net with people building these.

 

Hey guys,

Got the semi-final update for you guys right here:

I moved the cabinet into my house from the garage, and then set everything up:



I then finished up the plexi cover that covers the screen:





Still have some minor tweaks to sort out, but it's 99,9% done and everything works well.

I will be taking some better quality final pictures as soon as I get a chance.

Cheers.