Cab design?

[gec5741]

I've been playing with hyperspin for the last 6 months or so and have the software well on it's way and configured for the majority of the systems that I want to play.  I would love to get started in the near future on the building of the cabinet. I've done a ton of searching for designs and have found a few that could work with some modification.  I'm kind of hung up actually getting a design from the computer to the actual wood to make my final cuts.  I'm also not a designer and not proficient with autocad or inventor.  I maybe able however to get someone who is to mock them up for me if that would be the best way to start.

 

Thanks for any advice you can provide in a newb getting started on this type of project.

 

 

P.S. Also what I was kind of planning to do for the control board is at first (because cost is a big factor right now) is to design the control board "box" to incorporate my already owned tank stick so it would basically sit inside the control boards "box".  Then have the ability to later take that out and create an actual real control board down the road.  Does that sound feasible?  It would probably be easier to just build the control board while doing the cab.  I just don't know how much that would run me?  I'd want to do it nice with light up buttons and such   I'd probably be looking to do a 4 person board with trackball, spinner, side and front buttons for pinball and other sytem type controls ie view favorites, back, esc etc, and of corse the player 1 and 2 buttons.  I guess each player could have 8 bottons, or would that be over kill?

[doohan]

Hi, 

 

First of all, you have to look on the web for really great size pictures and only do a filter on it. When you print it for the cab, it will be a very huge image

so there is a risk loosing quality. Then you have also to think if the control players will represent something particular  (on my DBZ cab, I wanted each player a specific character).

Hope it can help.

[Snakerake]

I designed my side panels in Adobe illustrator, and measured where all of the intersections were in an x,y format. Then I transferred those measurements to the wood with a t square and connected the dots with a long metal ruler.  After that I used a compass to round the corners.  My process was pretty similar to what this guy did:

 

 

 

It was pretty painless, if you have a design you want, send me your side panel plans and I can probably make those measurements for you if they are in CAD, sketchup, or PDF

[gec5741]

Thanks guys!  I've been doing a lot of looking on the internet at different builds.  I may be able to figure out my sides and figure out how to get them onto the sheet of plywood.  Question though that i'm not sure about.  How high is a typical cab from top to bottom?  I'm a tall guy measuring in at 6'4".  I want it to be comfortable for all. 

[Snakerake]

Im currently building an asteroids deluxe reproduction cabinet, and its 72" tall, Im 6' and am a little worried about how low the screen is gonna be in it from a viewing angle, It might be a good idea to modify yours to be taller.

 

If you haven't seen this, check out http://www.classicarcadecabinets.com.  They have plans to alot of classic cabinets.  If there is somewhere local to you with some arcade cabinets,  You could go check out any cabinets they have that correspond to the plans on that site. That could give you a frame of reference of how tall to make yours.