Day 9 - The finishing touch
After installing all the emulators, roms, testing, fixing bugs, testing again, fixing more bugs and then some more testing; the system was finally customized and fully functionable just the way I wanted it. It was time to finish the arcade cabinet by attaching the monitor bezel and the back panel.
I temporarily attached the plexi-glass and used masking tape to trace the screen.
Then; I removed the plexi and covered the entire “monitor surface” with masking tape. Make sure you have the entire surface covered, as even the tiniest breach in the masking tape will mess up the paint job.
After using a razor blade and a ruler to carefully cut off the excessive tape, it was time to do some painting. I used spray paint, but I’ve heard that you can also use latex paint to paint the bezel with.
I sprayed a layer of paint, then let it dry for a while, then sprayed another layer etc. I believe it took 4-5 layers before the plexi was sufficiently covered.
I was surprised how nice the bezel looked when I faced the painted side inwards and let the light shine through it. I was very happy with the results on this one.
While the bezel was put away to dry, I started attaching the back panel. As the back panel is the best (only) way to access the cabinet’s hardware, I believe it shouldn’t be fastened using wooden screws. Instead, I used a pair of hinges so I could easily open and close the back panel in case the cabinet needed service of some sort.
Now I could just flip the back panel down, whenever I needed to access the cabinet’s hardware.
I also attached the power button on the back panel. This is a power button I ripped out of an old ATX cabinet I had lying around. It’s actually pretty cool because the button is huge and it can be illuminated. Since I was using a powerstrip inside the cabinet, all the hardware (marquee lights, computer, monitor, speakers) are switched on by the push of this button.
I also picked up a black wooden list which I thought would be a nice way of “separating” the control panel from the plexi/bezel.
It’s hard to see the black list in this picture, but it actually gives the cabinet a nice finish and looks pretty cool.
So what am I doing here? Well, I eventually decided that I didn’t just want to put the bartop cabinet on top of a bar (or table), so I decided to “convert” it into a mini-cabinet instead. Therefore, I went to IKEA and picked up a nice black dresser of some sort. It is as plain as it gets and it really looks good when it's attached to the cabinet.
After putting the dresser/cupboard/whatever together, I put some black molding tape on top of it to fasten the cabinet and to prevent vibrations. The camera flash makes the dresser look brownish on this picture, but I assure you, it’s almost the same color (black) as the arcade cabinet and it suits it perfectly.
No one wants a dirty arcade cabinet, so I wiped it off thoroughly before attaching it to the "dresser arcade stand".
...
Ladies and gentlemen, I’m proud to present to you the final result:
So I was finished. Done. Finito! The picture above does not really bring justice to the cabinet at all, as the flash makes the screen and marquee look very dark. Actually the screen is bright and colorful, while the marquee really lights up good in the dark.
This was my first cabinet project and I learned a lot during the process. For my next project I will build a larger upright cabinet for 2 or more players. I am thinking of using a 25"+ arcade monitor and perhaps also attach light-guns to the cabinet.
Feel free to ask any questions you might have. Until next time... Adios!
(Scroll up to the very first post for a larger image and a demo video I made)
Oh heck, doesn’t matter much really, as you can hardly notice it.
