My first Arcade Build Rotating CRT & More

[epicfatigue]

Hello Everyone,

Love this sight for the past year i have spent a large amount of time reading it, and dreaming that one day i would be able to set forth and build an arcade of my own that i could sit down with my daughter and play.

I have posted bits here and there around the net but that all ends now.

I would like to create a small thread on here and list my project as it happens here on out to gain valuable input from you all, as i have alot to learn and may be over looking the simple things.

If there is anything i am doing you would do different please let me know, also please note the build as it is now will be fully stripped once i have it the way i want it to be so i can restore it to show room condition.

I know that is alittle backwards from how you should create a cabinet but to be honest i just wanted to get on the beers with mates here and there and have some fun like the good old days.

[epicfatigue]

I had been searching for a very long time for an arcade cabinet as they are becoming

harder and harder to find. Whilst driving I came across an old bike shop that was

closing down.

By chance out the back they had an old arcade machine that was not functioning.

I offered to buy the machine and to my surprise the owner was happy to part with it.

The next day the machine arrived at my door, it was in very poor shape, the game

board was missing the coin door has been stolen and the back of the machine was

missing.

None of this really bothered me to much as I wanted to restore the cabinet and was

just happy to finally have a starting point.

[epicfatigue]

The monitor had seen better days it was a WGK7000 and was made in the early 1980’s. The screen was excellent however the monitor chassis being so old many of the components had exceeded their expected life span.

I removed the monitor which is always a fun experience as you have to discharge the 5000volts out of the unit using a screw driver which always leaves your heart racing!

Here is a before and after shot of the monitor prior to restoration.

As you can tell there is a noticeable difference. (Please note i did try and adjust the monitor in the before shot but it would not clean up for the life of it)

Before

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yV_p-_Hb1xA/UTMSeJGlowI/AAAAAAAAB3I/c38qezC804Q/s1108/Before.jpg[/img]

After

[epicfatigue]

One of the largest issues I faced was having a machine that could go the distance, as many arcade games out there today are still unplayable do not utilize Graphics cards for game processing.

One of these games off the top of my head is Gauntlet Legends, which this machine runs perfectly.

The largest issue was getting the correct resolutions into the machine, for this we used a HD4890 and Calamity created a special set of drivers that allowed the creation of 200 original resolutions that would suit all the Arcade games emulators and PC games.

CPU-------------- Intel Xenon E3120

Cooler----------- Corsair H100i

RAM------------- 8GIG HyperX 1066 Kingston DDR2

Mother Board--- Asus Rampage Formula X48

GPU 1----------- Arcade VGA (Native 15Khz)

GPU 2----------- HD4890 (Hacked Drivers)

PSU ------------- TBA

Case ------------- TBA

Speakers--------- Logitech Z-640

[epicfatigue]

Since the machine features two graphics cards, one for native bios support the other is software controlled using hacked drivers the monitor would normally have to be switched off during boot.

So I created an Automatic KVM switch, this device allows the Arcade machine to be booted with once graphics card and once Windows has loaded the device will then trigger and switch to the second internal graphics card.

This device is not on a timer, it has a custom driver that will talk to the KVM and let it know when it is ready to switch. You can see it in action here in a video I created for you.

[epicfatigue]

I wanted to keep the arcade spirit alive by keeping the coin door and all its functionality in place. However someone had stolen the door and I had to acquire a new one. I managed to locate an original door from a local arcade.

I also wanted to keep the coin counter fully functioning but the problem I had was the originals generated a large EMP pulse that would destroy modern day electronics while connected (The IPAC that controls PC Input)

I used a custom circuit that allows the coin counter work fully on its own separated from the Computer hardware, when a coin is inserted it triggers the counter which then flashes an Infrared beam that triggers a Phototransistor and lets the computer know a coin has been paced into the machine, here is a short video.

FYI Resetting this was a world of pain, i am now a master of this can do do it very quickly but nutting it out was not much fun, and the drunker i got the harder it was!

[epicfatigue]

The unit has the ability to be able to use 4x Xbox360 wireless controllers; this is used for various reasons. There are a lot of PC games out there that require analogue Joysticks (Mainly PC Games) the purpose of the machine before any other is to keep the true arcade feel and I didn’t want to over complicate the Unit with multiple joysticks so I decided the ability to pull out a wireless controller would be a fantastic idea.

The issue that I imminently faced was there are no drivers written for the Xbox360 receiver for windows XP 64. It is not possible to install Windows 7 due various reasons, mainly the resolutions switching feature will not work as components had been removed.

So the decision was simple.... I had to write the drivers myself!

Here is a very short video using the Xbox 360 controller.

Unfortunately my wife is away while I was drafting this letter for you and I didn’t have a second person to use the Namco Gun.

The idea is to turn an all-time favourite of mine into a 2 player game.

One person would move the character around reload etc.

The other would use the Namco gun to Aim and shoot with recoil.

It takes BOOM HEADSHOT to a whole new level, and is a crazy amount of fun!

The machine uses a program called Xpadder that allows multiple mappings of profiles for different games; the program will sit in the background and load the appropriate profile when it detected a game that it is configured for.

[epicfatigue]

When building the cabinet I wanted to be able to play gun games, not just for arcade games but console and computer games.

Playing Duck hunt or Wild-Gunman with a Namco recoil gun has to be the most fun I have done in a long time. Forget the ZAPPER - this is the way the game should have been!

The ability to play all the classics on all the consoles gives the user a wide variety.

The machine also features Steam support, and 8000 of my favourite dos games.

However the issue I had when I first installed the gun circuitry was the recoil would only fire when the trigger was pressed. This was perfectly fine for majority of the arcade games and consoles. But modern games when using a machine gun the one recoil just was not enough.

This prompted me to create a rapid fire mode and build it into the guns, there is a push button switch that will allow you to be able to switch between full Automatic and the regular Semi-Automatic.

Here is a video of the Gun in action on House of the Dead.

The Guns themselves are fitted with an Aimtrack module, it emulates a mouse and its accuracy is amazing, I tested its competitors and they all fell well short.

The guns are original Namco Guns, and the kickback (Recoil) is very strong.

i Am currently fine tuning this it is almost done, if someone would like one and are happy to pay for shipping and materials please raise your hand, if you would like to make your own i will post a schematic soon!

[epicfatigue]

The machine is equipped with the following emulators, and I personally own all of the games that are installed on the machine, as I am a collector of retro consoles and games.

• Nintendo Entertainment System

• Super Nintendo

• Nintendo 64

• Nintendo Wii

• Microsoft Xbox

• PlayStation

• PlayStation 2

• Sega Mega Drive

• Sega Master System

• Sega Dream Cast

• MAME

The machine also features Steam support; any game purchased on the steam account will show up under the steam menu and display all information about the game and the trailer.

The unit also has a MS-DOS section that has all of the dos game I have purchased over the years, my collection totals to just over 8000 Dos games.

To Name some of my favourites to play on the machine are as follows.

Doom, Wolf3d, Commander Keen, Paganitzu the list could go on forever!

[epicfatigue]

And the moment alot of you have been waiting for.

Its a very simple circuit, this is just for rapid fire,

When the SPDT switch is on rapid fire will be active, the recoil will act as normal.

[epicfatigue]

So this is the largest hurdle i have to get over, the control panel....

From the first picture before i touched it it looked pretty good, well i was in for a surprise when i lifted the plexi and the sticker!

most of the CP metal is gone, i am either left with the options of cutting it right out and getting a new part welded in, or getting a whole new one made.

So as a temp solution i created a back plate

This goes underneath the panel as there is still structurally enough to give the panel overall support.

As a temp solution i have used Black Plexi until my artwork is done so it doesn't look like a complete mess!

A Part of me wants to make the control larger but i want to keep the outside as original as possible

[epicfatigue]

Now i like things to be looking perfect, i know thus far it doesn't look that way, but i have learn t over the years that i will always change something a million times before i have it the way i want it.

That is why i have taken the approach of getting it up and running and ironing out all the faults.

However the first thing i wanted was a modulated Control Panel, i wanted to be able to fully remove it if needed.

As later down the track i may think about building a bolt on Steering wheel etc etc

Now once i am finished i plan to have all of my cables soldered (I am not a connection man hate the stuff)

Then i will sleeve all cables to go with the appropriate theme inside, as i want this thing to look as good in as it does on the outside!

So this means i will have to modulate the IPAC as i would like to house this inside the machine as i dont wont it to be knocked or damaged.

I will paint the unit when i have settled on the look for the inside but i can not do that untill i know whats happening on the outside!

[epicfatigue]

So i have never been happy with the temps on the factory Overclocked HD4890 and it has always generated alot of noise.

The fact i want this machine to keep on ticking over for at least 8 years (the pc) i needed to address this issue.

The main issue i was having was the VRM temps, after pulling it apart i quickly discovered why.

For some silly reason this model either didnt come with cooling and relied on airflow... or some nub took them of at some point in the cards life.

This was quickly addressed like so

One

Two

And Three

I am currently running in the thermal compounds i will put it to the test shortly and see how it goes

[epicfatigue]

And here is the moment of truth.

I bench marked the cards, the top temperature set is with the Original HSF and the below is with passive cooling.

Note i have not added a fan yet this should decrease the temps by at least 10-18 deg!

I am still not happy with my VRM temps they are good but i want perfect, the glue that came with the chips is nasty as all hell.

I Will Glue them on with a special Epoxy when i install it into its final resting place

[epicfatigue]

So here is my design. the sketch is horrible but i thought i would share it anyways!

The Idea is the monitor will be sandwiched between Wood mount 1 & 2.

Mount 1 will have be routed from the back as the monitor will be screwed to it backwards as it can not go the other way as i am restricted but size.

Then it will be drilled into mount 2 creating the sandwich effect that will hold the monitor in place.

Mount 1 will have a diameter of the outside of the RIM

Mount 2 will have the diameter of the inside of the RIM.

When mount 1 & 2 are secured together it will be able to slot perfectly inside the rim.

It will be held into place using tekscrews through the spoke holes.

This will then fit inside the existing cavity by routing out a small amount of the internal surround 3mm on each edge.

The whole thing will be held into place by 4 Rollerblade wheels that fit perfectly inside the rim and offer a fluid movement.

All that aside let the work begin, i wont be able to go any further till the following week as its mothers day this weekend and need to do something special for the wife.

All i did this weekend was measure plan measure plan made sure it all was going to fit, once all that was over it was time to cut a perfect circle.....

Yeah right i am no wood worker this calls for some cheating!!!!

I decided i would make myself a router jig, was simple enough just get some wood cut it to size route it out so i could get the required depth then drill some holes to keep it steady and the required size. This will allow me to have my perfect circles !!!

[epicfatigue]

Like always anything i do/create is free to anyone if you want this modified driver its yours pm me

Hey thanks for your input i take everything on board,

I agree with the PC games on Arcades, however i have a few tricks up my sleeve that i wanted to save but i will bring to light.

The purpose for my stupidly powerful arcade machines was to be able to play games that are un-emulated but also the new.

The arcade machine has full wireless support, it has 4x wireless Xbox 360 controllers, now the issue i faced was they only work on Windows XP 32.

A 64bit driver was never released for XP, so i had to write my own, took awhile but it works flawlessly, this with Xpadder allows me to play those games but as you said who wants to stand there for hours on end.

When i play the machine it with mates over a beer or ten.

Now i am a NBA-Jam fan the thing i loved about the arcades was team work, i feel this has been lost in translation in today's games.

I am a Counter-strike fan have loved the game forever but it was something you could not play two player.

So i figured wouldn't it be fun to have someone use a xbox360 controller to run around jump duck etc and another to use a NAMCO recoil gun to shoot.

Takes boom headshot to a whole new level.

This is why i created to recoil circuit, it allowed a person to get off the required rounds and make use of machine guns.

I know this may sound a little silly and not fun. But man it is fun.

Blind drunk on the internet with your mates shooting people, the accuracy is so so good because you are completely ready for it.

Here is a short video i filmed of the controller working my wife was not home to show how it all unfolds 2 player.

The video is horrible i would create a new one but i have everything apart

Like always anything i do/create is free to anyone if you want this modified driver its yours pm me

[epicfatigue]

Today i managed to cut the inside and outside part to my design of the rotating monitor, i created a nice little lip on the wood for the inside of the bike rim to allow it to sit nice and flush.

Its a very small lip only 2mm but its perfect

Here is the two parts side by side.

A view from the back without the rim.

A view from the back with the rim!

And finally a view from the top with the rim.

Im pretty happy with how it came out, the photos dont do it justice it was taken with my Phone and it was covered in MDF dust! evil &**(& that is!

If i get alitle more time this week i will try and cut out the monitor and rout out the face plate for it.

I feel i did well for an newbie to wood work, first thing i have done in 15 years.

[epicfatigue]

Well i could not help myself so i had to have a quick look and make sure my measurements were correct.

So i quickly took the monitor out and is just as i thought!.

Perfect fit, i just have to take out 2mm either corner of the disc and it will fit nice and snug

this gives everyone a little idea of how it will look

[epicfatigue]

So slowly over the last 2 days i have been chiseling out the 3mm either side so the plate is able to slip it,

I just have to sand it back and make it nice and tidy now.

I am looking at the types of wheels and mounting methods, once i find something that suits it will be time to pull it all out and install the monitor into the mounting place.

Here is a few pictures.

Please note it does need a tidy and the original face plate will not be used.

[epicfatigue]

So rain stopped for a little and i got the rim mounted in, now all i need to do is measure correctly for the monitor cut it out and mount it in. Here is how it is looking.

[epicfatigue]

So did so it came to the time of cutting out the hole to fit the crt inside, and i sat down to it but with one small problem, i had a 20cm ruler....

I couldnt let this stand in my way, was not going to happen so the answer to my problem, TRIANGLES LOTS OF TRIANGLES.

Funny thing is it was the most accurate measurements i have ever taken, it all added up perfectly and was not even 1 mm out.

I have decided to not use the original backplate i would rather reinforce it with some stronger wood.

So the mounting will have to wait, here is a little look thus far.

[epicfatigue]

So i had a little time tonight,

I have decided to use 3 discs instead of 2. I wanted to make the unit alot stronger.

The Final disc is slightly larger then the others, all i had time to do to night was cut the disc itself then cut the hole for the monitor. It came out rather well, i am keen as to put it all together!

Im stupidly tiered at the moment and i am typing like a 2 year old. good night all.

[epicfatigue]

Hey everyone, so this weekend i was very productive.

I finally got around to cutting out the third disc and then placing the monitor in-between them.

Came out very nicely.

I was very happy with it, i created the new frame for it to be mounted in, to increase the overall strength of the unit.

Then came the tricky part.

Dropping it in! was hard as a 1 man job thats for sure, but after doing it once it is now easy just a slight trick to getting it in there.

I need to do a few touch ups, i think i will create the frame again and maybe use a different method for mounting the wheels and i think i will add 3 down the bottom, but i will see how i go. But i am not in a massive hurry it is functioning and will give me some time to create the interface that will control it and work out the mountings for the motors.

Upright has to be the only way to play the flying games its not the same on a horizontal monitor, i played the best game of 1942 i forgot how good that game is!

[epicfatigue]

Hey all,

So it all finally came in the mail last night.

Will take alot of mucking around but once finished it will be nice and simple, the firmware will be free to all who would like it.

Below is a very simple version of what i plan to do, if anyone can think of any nice added features let me know.

The rotating system is nice and simple, its USB controlled and i plan to operate it like so.

Call rotate left()

if rotate-status = left then stop

else

turn monitor off

rotate motor left

once pin X is pulled low

stop rotation

turn monitor on

endif

Call rotate right()

if rotate-status = right then stop

else

turn monitor off

rotate motor right

once pin X is pulled low

stop rotation

turn monitor on

endif

It will be a simple exe that will be attached to mame that is executed with vertical or horizontal games.

If i am getting alot of picture distortion i will create a degaussing circuit separate that can be fired after orientation is completed.

This is just a building block at the moment more features will come in, i figured its time we all moved away from parallel ports, mainly because i don't have one!

[zerojay]

C-c-c-c-c-combo breakerrrrr!