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For the control panel I used the IPAC controller and have had no problems with it. I got my joysticks from that site as well, and all other buttons from Happ. If I were starting over, I would get my joysticks from happ as well and include a spot on the control panel for a 4-way
controller. Either get the joysticks from Ultimarc or get an extra 4-way. It is very hard trying to play Pac-man, Tetris, etc with the
8-way controllers. I would also include a trackball. Happ has one that plugs directly into your mouse port.
I just used a 4' x 2' sheet of wood for the top of the control panel, and 1" x 6" piece for the sides. I would recommend cutting a door in the front for the keyboard, and putting the hinges in the front. I put mine in the back, and therefore I couldn't slide my control panel all of the way back.
I used a design I found online for the frame. I will try to find it when I get home and post a link to it. I modified it some, mostly by reinforcing the sides and tilting the control panel slightly.
Also, I put a solid square piece over the entire bottom to secure it. Then I bought some nice wheels at home depot and put them on.
The design I found online was made for an actual arcade monitor, or a tv out of it's casing. Since I didn't want to risk screwing up the tv, I just improvised and built a very secure shelf for the tv to sit on. And an extra board behind it to keep from sliding.
Also, a note on the tv I used - I found a cheap JVC at Best Buy that had S-Video, and automatically turned on when plugged in. I would suggest trying to find one that turns on automatically, as it makes powering on the arcade a lot easier. If you aren't sure if the tv has this feature, just go down the line unplugging and plugging in the display models.
For the wiring, I built a simple switched outlet box and plugged everything into it. The only thing that would not power on automatically was the computer. So, I bought a momentary switch from Radio Shack, and wired it into the motherboard. All you have to do is follow the wires from the switch on the front of the computer, and connect the switch to that.
I found the design for the marquee online. After resizing it in Photoshop, I just took it to a local print shop. I just asked for a thin glossy paper. It was $20 per foot, so I went ahead and printed 2 for the same price as I would have paid for 1.
I sandwiched the marquee between 2 pieces of plexiglass, and put a plain 24" fluorescent light behind it.
For the screen cover, I went to Hobby Lobby and bought some 1" thick foam. Then I painted it black and attached it around the screen. (I do not suggest trying to cut the screen hole out of the foam, use the edge of the foam as your straight line and cut four separate pieces to go around the screen)
I then measured the spot where the cover would go, and cut a piece of 1/4" wood and plexiglass to fit. I cut a small hole in the wood, and slowly cut it out to fit the screen.
Then, I painted the wood black, put the plexiglass on top of it, and screwed it borders to secure it. Overall, I am very pleased with the screen cover. It was the part I was most worried about, and it turned out alright.
Here are some of the specs on the project
For the PC, I am running:
Software:
Things left to do:
Dimensions (approximate):
width was around 32 1/2"
Contact me: davidh@blendertech.net
Updated: 04-28-03
