"Rainy Days" - 2-player arcade cabinet

The cabinet is now 100% completed and here is the result:







Click here to see all the pictures!


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The cabinet features the following:

- Custom artwork

- Two Sanwa JLW-UM8 joysticks (one for each player) in 8-way mode

- One dedicated JLW-UM8 joystick in 4-way mode

- 7 buttons for each player + 3 trackball buttons + 1 button for the 4-way joystick + 2 x 2 flipper buttons + 10 admin buttons (all Happ)

- One U-TRAK trackball from Ultimarc

- One Spintrak Spinner from Ultimarc

- 27" WG D9800 + Ultimarc ArcadeVGA2

- Cabinet is built using MameRoom.com's UAII Kit

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Thanks to:

Andy @ Ultimarc.com for getting that arcade hardware to my doorstep faster than anyone could, Scott @ Mameroom.com/North Coast Customs for the excellent service and swift shipments, Scott @ Mamemarquees.com for the best printing work I've ever seen, Ole @ CopyCat Oslo for delivering some excellent prints, thanks to my friends and family for all the help and not to forget my girlfriend for still sticking with me after all the weird stuff I've been doing (weird to her, that is)!

BTW, this cabinet is waaaay too big for my living room, so I will start building a new, smaller one soon. ;D

That is so cool... and it sounds so expensive

Ok so the marquee is finished:

http://arcadeforum.com/gfx/marquee_final.jpg

Now to start working on the CP overlay..

Epic...

CP overlay finished:

http://arcadeforum.com/gfx/cp_final_with_outline.jpg

(huge image, beware)

can't wait to see how this one turns out. Good luck!

love your artwork

So, finally an update (lots of pictures)!

Day 1 - T-molding and assembly of the bottom part of the cabinet

So I received the UAII Kit a couple of days ago from Mameroom. The MDF were in perfect condition,









.. but unfortunately, the monitor plexi and control panel plexi had taken a beating.





When I e-mailed Scott @ Mameroom about this, he instantly replied that he was sending out replacements ASAP. I'm very impressed with Mameroom! I mean; how many companies practice such great service nowadays? Not many. Not at all.

Anyways, as the plexi weren't crucial for the beginning of the assembly, so I started putting the cabinet kit together.



First I applied t-molding, which went pretty fast as I've done it a couple of times before. A rubber mallet and a razor is all you really need for that process.



After t-molding was applied, together with all required pins and inserts, I started assembling the bottom part of the cabinet. This was an easy task, as the MDF is cut to perfect precision and the instruction manual is easy to follow.





When I finished assembling the bottom part I started realizing how big this cabinet really is. It is at least three times as big as the mini cabinet I've previously built.



The funny (and worrying) thing is, my girlfriend has no idea how huge this cabinet is. I wonder how she'll react when I bring this baby home.

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So.. That was all the time I had for today, tomorrow I will assemble the upper part of the cabinet.

Day 2 - Assembly of the upper part of the cabinet

I'm posting another update right away. This time I am assembling the upper part of the cabinet.

Once again, applying t-molding and pin inserts to all the MDF parts:



The upper part of the cabinet was just as easy to assemble as the bottom part and after a little while it was assembled:



When I started planning this cabinet I was thinking of using the biggest 2.1 Stereo speaker setup I could find, but I ended up with a "decent" set of Creative Inspire T3130 2.1 speakers (with subwoofer). The reason was because I had the chance to listen to them first at the electronics store and for a mid-range set of computer speakers, these were really good. The sound is very crisp, loud and the bass is pounding just right for an arcade cabinet. They also feature a wired volume control, which is good for integrating into the cabinet. Also, the speaker wires are long enough to go all the way from the marquee and down to the bottom part of the cabinet (where the computer will be put).



I attached the speakers using what we in Norway call "patent strips", I have no idea what you call it in the US. Very solid, stable and easy way to secure the speakers to the cabinet.



(Spot the dog)



As you can see, the speakers fit perfectly.



Also, the speaker wires are more than long enough to reach all the way down to the PC in the bottom of the cabinet.



That's all for this update. I'm still waiting for the replacement CP plexi and I can't start working on the control panel until I receive it, so there might be a couple of days until my next update.

Have a nice weekend everyone!

I'm still waiting for the replacement CP plexi and the WG D9800, but here's a quick artwork update!

My friends over at CopyCat printed the artwork on adhesive, laminated vinyl while I waited.



The marquee might look a little washed out on this picture, due to the light, but it's really crisp and colorful:


The CP artwork:



I also received a box full of toys from Ultimarc



As soon as I receive the replacement CP plexi I will start working on the control panel. Expect a new update with tons of pictures very soon. Happy Holidays everyone!