Glueing and screwing

The time has come to start putting together all my cut pieces.

Lets start with the controller boxes.
Here are the cut bits.

Now for the glueing and screwing. I used contact adhesive for a bit of extra hold. And glued around the blocks. MDF isnt the best for holder small screws.

After glueing i found i needed some extra bits of wood on, so i can screw to the main box.

The bottom i will add later, so i can access the wires once i have screwed it.

Here are a few pics with the box built and some wood across to hold the monitor.

I then offered the controller box up just to see what it was like and how it would sit.

Ofcourse.... i had a quick game of Puckman, just to test it. Then tried defender and 1942. Loved it.

It worked. Only thing i have to work out is the controller. I dont want to go into every game and setup the controller buttons. 

A friend kindly downloaded the whole rom set from here : https://archive.org/details/messmame

So that should give me a lot of games : be aware, its a 42 gb download.

Next job will be the painting. I am thinking around 4 coats of undercoat, with a rub down in-between coats. Then the glossing!

I have to cut a few holes on the box. One for the LED lit fan. And a couple for the control wires to go through.

One job i need to do is extend the supplied wire set. The 2 player controller usually sits side by side, not opposite, so the wires to the controller are too short to reach both sets of controllers.

One other issue, is the monitor. The buttons are raised slightly so when i added the top, the monitor switched off, so i need to add a little packing to stop that.

The cutting begins

After getting my wood cut and a local DIY store. I started the cutting. The scary bit...

It was relatively easy with a decent Jigsaw. New blade ofcourse.

The sides were first, just a nice curve on there.

I used a piece of string and drew an arc on the edge of the sides.

The finished cut!

Next : The top and side pods for the controllers.


I bought some blocks for the controller box, the make so you dont see any screws.

It should make it look neater. 

I had a few issues with the controller. I couldnt work out, if it was the Windows updates, the Nvidia card updates. So i started a fresh install and tested every step of the way.

I contacted the place i bought it from and they suggested a new USB lead. 

Sure enough, after hours of trying to fix it. It was the cheap lead they supplied!!!

The cocktail arcade plans

So i decided to have a play around with some sizes. Seeing what i could get out of a 1200 x 2400 sheet of MDF.

I had a few interations, then decided on a set of measurements.

Its pretty much based around the screen size, so not going to be perfect.
As i say, the next will have a 4:3 screen, which will fit the look better.


Attempt one:

Not great, attempt two:

Trying to make it look ok, when i haven't a clue on sizes was hard. But i think what i settled on should work.

I still have to work out the arch radius. And the corner radius. 

I think its looks ok though. Time will tell.

I will add the cut sheets later. So you can see what i got out of the MDF.

In the end i had to get 2 sheets to make it fit. I just could quite get away with one sheet.

Maybe next time with a 4:3 screen.

Bought:

2 sheets of 1200 x 2400 mm MDF @ 9mm :  £40

Running total : £205.68

I decided to add a USB hub, so you can add music, films, roms etc via a USB stick, without opening the game.

Quality 4 Ports High Speed USB 2.0 Hub Multi Splitter Expansion for PC : £2.53

Running total : £208.21

Things i need to remember

This is a space for the things i keep forgetting.

Forget mental notes!

1. Get Speakers
2. Top perspex.


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Materials and other things

So after deciding on MDF, i research how to get a high gloss look.

Its not easy! Google "High Gloss Finish On MDF" and there are loads of tutorials out there.
Al lot of hard work, and some good tools needed.

I am going to try numerous coats or primer. Rub down, paint, rub down, paint etc etc...
Then finish with a clear gloss lacquer (sprayed on).

I am going to test an off cut to see how good it is. If not, plan B, of which i dont have one yet!

What am I building

I saw this for sale for £995. Which is good value for money.
Not something i would pay, so I decided thats what i wanted to build, but for a fraction of that cost.

Whats this blog about

The reason i decided to write this blog was for two reasons.

1.
So I could keep a record of everything i need, and what i did to get there.
I didnt want to build another and go through the whole discovery phase again.

2.
So i could explain all my finding to help others in their quest.
I find it difficult to find exactly what i need.

e.g.
How to install Mala or MESS.
I found it really hard to get some simple instructions that a lazy reader like me could use.

And any neat tricks i find along the way.

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