GlassBox's Cab Conversion Project Log

[glassbox]

The adventure begins. Picking up an old gutted dynamo showcase cab on the weekend. (75 bucks! hah!)

I'll be updating this thread with my projects progress, and hopefully some of the more experienced people here can help me troubleshoot some stuff.

http://img1.classistatic.com/cps/kj/091111/789r8/104237g_20.jpeg

http://img1.classistatic.com/cps/kj/091111/789r7/9994j_20.jpeg

[glassbox]

the cab will have my modded ps2 built into it too. i was wondering how i was going to do this, but it looks like i found a solution. my only question is how am i going to switch between the computer and the ps2 control wise. is this thing one or the other, or can i set up some sort of master switch? I probably can, need to do some research a little later.

-edit-
I dont think i even need a switch, the ipac has a built in pass through on the board! i think it works like that anyway, anyone know if there's any sort of problem hooking up the ps2 adapter and the usb out at the same time on the ipac? couldnt find anything definitive on their site.

http://www.ultimarc.com/images/psxa.jpg
www.ultimarc.com/psx.html

and i'll need this too of course, to support all 4 joysticks

http://www.ultimarc.com/images/ipac4top.jpg
www.ultimarc.com/ipac1.html

Now, as far as a spinner and a trackball goes. I'm not entirely convinced i need both. i do have this grandiose plan of getting doom 2 etc working (using skull tag with the mouse look support) so having a track ball would make sense. the only thing i can think of using the spinner for would be to control HS. Which would be kind of cool, but i'm not sure its going to work the way i want it too. either way i need one of these.

http://www.ultimarc.com/images/optipac.jpg
www.ultimarc.com/optipac1.html

Now to come up with a design for the controls.

[Dazz]

I'd go with both trackball and spinner if you can. You can actually get USB spinner and trackball and not even need the OptiPac. Heck even with USB joysticks the U360's have become the ultimate joysticks for users now and you don't even need the IPAC.

The U360's can control up to 8 buttons as well. So, if you aren't going to have more than 8 buttons per player there is no need for the IPAC now days.

Personally, I have an IPAC 4 and Opti in my cabinet. I just switched 2 of my 5 joys over Ultimarc U360's. My trackball is hooked up to the Opti and my new spinner is a TurboTwist from GroovyGameGear. My optical pinball plunger is hooked into the Opti as well. Buttons for players 1 & 2 are hooked up to both the 8 from the U360's and into my IPAC as well. So I can use the same buttons for emulators that don't have joy support.

[glassbox]

Interesting, i was looking at those. The problem i have with them is that i'm not sure what use i'd get out of them. I'd mainly want them for the ps2 analog, but from what i've read about that converter is it acts like a switch input when switched to analog.

Although the u360s would be great for analog driving games and DC/n64.

which would solve my question of "htf do i make a control panel that works with n64?"

thanks, that gives me something to think about.

[glassbox]

been snooping around trying to find an alternative to dishing out 80 bucks for ultimarcs trackball.

i found this for 10 bucks, not to sure on how awful this will be though

http://img1.classistatic.com/cps/kj/090907/777r8/1832i6a_20.jpeg

If you look close you can see the mold line on the ball, they didnt even bother to shop it out :\

anyone know a good alternative to a trackball thats around 50 and less?

[BadBoyBill]

Trackballs have some weight to them so trying to find alternative might be hard to get a true authentic feel. You might be able to pick one up off someone selling one.

[glassbox]

I was thinking i could open it up and put a replacement ball in it, but its probably not worth the hassle. i'll just get a new happ from the local place and save some money on shipping.

[glassbox]

Waiting on parts :\

and christmas to be over.

However progress has been made.

Gutted the cabinet. interestingly the marquee still has a functioning black light in it, it's dull but pretty neat anyway.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y3/GlassBox47/Cabinet002.jpg

Removed and built a new 4 player control panel based off the old one, just extended the long edges to accomodate another set of controls. Harvested all the brackets and bolts inside the original box to save some money and time.
Waiting on my dad to harvest some sheet metal and lexan from work for the main surface.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y3/GlassBox47/Cabinet001.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y3/GlassBox47/Cabinet003.jpg

next step is to sand it down and replace some broken supports

after that i'll be making the pedestal under the control panel into a shelving unit for the ps2.

then on to painting

total spent so far

Cab - 75
Gas to get Cab - 20
Wood - 18.21
Wood Filler - 6 something
--------------------------------
Total - 119.21

[glassbox]

So, i found a trackball.

a happ, in an electronics/everything surplus store. they had a whole box full of them and imperials.

so of course in my astonishment i bought one (only 9 bucks!)

unfortunatly its lacking the optical sensor pcbs. however if i order some new pcbs it should still come out less than a new one. unless someone can point me in the direction of a good mouse hack that dosent rely on them?

like placing the wheely bits where the mouses wheely bit would be. that may get tricky though.

[glassbox]

My trackball saga continues

i went back to that store to check out the other trackballs they had and see if i could find a mini keyboard, and low and behold i found an old imperial 3 inch ball with the optical boards still installed.

so i successfully hacked an old ps/2 mouse last night and voila, the first piece of the puzzle is complete.

still waiting on my first ultimarc stick, ps2 adapter and ipac though. apparently andy had a shipping problem.

on a side note, i lost my free steel and lexan hookup (damn you recession...) but i have a friend who builds robots who can make it for me, i just need to give him money.

on another side note, I won a computer at work that is marginally better than the one i had in the cabinet. I picked up some cheap old boards at above mentioned store to improve it a bit (vid card with tv out, and an old sound blaster with two line in's) for 2 bucks a pop.

On yet another side note (i guess I havent updated this in a while) my friend who works as a repair guy in a large arcade i wont name managed to "find" some buttons for me. so i got a couple happ p1 and p2 buttons and 4 sanwa OBSF-30 out of a tekken 6 machine for free (not sure if they all work though)

However, during the button adventure i did happen to trash my remote control helicopter in the baseball dome... anyway...

total cost so far...

Cab - 75
Gas to get Cab - 20
Wood - 18.21
Wood Filler - 6 something
--------------------------------
Total - 119.21

Happ Trackball Failure - 9
Imperial Trackball - 9
Old Soundcard With 2 line in's - 2
Old Video Card with tv out - 2
Old dell P4 - FREE! score!
Bunch of buttons - FREE! score!
--------------------------------

Total: 141.21

[Garebear911]

Gonna look good, I like showcase's a lot.

Buttons for players 1 & 2 are hooked up to both the 8 from the U360's and into my IPAC as well. So I can use the same buttons for emulators that don't have joy support.

Which emu's don't have joy support off the top of your head?

[glassbox]

so far nulldc for sure, and i know there was something else but i cant remember as i set everything up a while ago on my good computer. something a little more obscure like m2 or zinc.

(i dont have a dry erase marker so i'm writing this down here so i dont forget)

Scan blue prints and instructions for USB volume control (i'll upload these here for everyone, super useful if your not affraid of a soldering iron)
Buy long headphone cable
Buy a glue gun
find an old socket 775 mobo with better ram expansion and SATA slots (DDR2 PRef)
if not DDR2, Get some ram
Find a better video card (apparently 2 dollars dosent get you a very good card lol)

[glassbox]

Woohoo! parts arrived!

got my first U360, i figured i'd just get one to see if i liked it. soooo slick, mario 64 was awesome on my trial run. I used the box it came in to mount it for a quick test.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y3/GlassBox47/IM000463.jpg

also got my IPAC2PS2 adapter and my IPAC4. Unfortunatly cant test those untill sometime next week.

this weekend i'm making the first insert for the cp, the steel plate. As well as doing a final control layout.

although maybe i'll just scrap this whole project and build everything out of cardboard

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y3/GlassBox47/IM000464.jpg

[Dazz]

I told you that the U360's were worth the price! I love mine!

remote control heli? Do you fly RC as well or are you talking about one of the cheap indoor Air Hogs type of Helis? I personally fly RC planes as another hobby, not the cheap ones either. I fly mostly RC sail planes/gliders and have several grand tied up in that hobby as well.

[glassbox]

it was just a cheap one i got for christmas. i was into building rc stuff when i was a kid though. i have an ancient tamiya chevy s-10 collecting dust in my closet. never did get around to fixing it after one of the gears wore out.

judging by my rc piloting skills its probably a good idea i never pursued that hobby too much lol.

[glassbox]

Well progress was made last weekend. Routered out the edge of the CP and cut out a piece of steel to fit in place. fits pretty nice. Next is the lexan or similar for the top.

Also picked up a 32" CRT TV for 80 bucks, I'm in the process of taking off the bezel but i'm stalled at the moment untill i go buy some proper sockets. I think the damn thing gave me a lung infection though. i've been coughing ever since i opened it up.

Mocked up some roughs for the printed insert... and, well i got carried away a little with the buttons. This is a very rough draft 1.

I think im going to have to work on this at work, 300 dpi makes my computer die, i had to res down to 170 :\

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y3/GlassBox47/Draft-01-Blue.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y3/GlassBox47/Draft-01-Grey.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y3/GlassBox47/Draft-01-Blue-close.jpg

[glassbox]

Okies, been a while.

Things done since last time:

Finished the blueprint for my button layout and got it printed off and mounted (and promptly spilled coffee all over it...)
Drilled the holes for the 1 u360 i've got
Made a bracket for the 32 inch tv
Mounted the tv (thanks to my friends who helped lift the damn thing, jebus)

i graduated design school too
BOOM SHAKA LAKA
http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x239/DoctorShop/5943884b.jpg

anyway...
I'm trying to come up with a name for this thing, but since it isnt dedicated to anything its escaping me at the moment. makes it hard to design anything for the CP, bezel & marquee. Suggestions are more than welcome.

on to the real reason for this post, i need to order the "optional" wiring harness's for my u360's. Im wondering if the normal sanwa wire harness is exactly the same or if i should get it from ultimarc?

[glassbox]

Currently working on the CP art now that all the holes have been drilled.

(all my buttons finally arrived too, joy)

I decided on making a second platform on the cp that will house the ps2. On that will be the player start and coin buttons, thats why they arnt featured on these roughs.

before i make these final i'll need to finalize the dimensions of said ps2 housing so i can design around it.

anyway, here they are. I'm still playing around with found images, havent started drawing my own yet. I plan on hitting illustrator in the next week and putting something original together to see how it turns out. i have this idea in the back of my head using that gradius version, somehow having the ship and the laser blasts pop out of the texture.

not sure how i want to accomplish that yet.

Close Up
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y3/GlassBox47/Draft-03-GradiusFibreClose.jpg

Various Versions
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y3/GlassBox47/Draft-01.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y3/GlassBox47/Draft-01-evil.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y3/GlassBox47/Draft-01-nogalaxy.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y3/GlassBox47/Draft-02.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y3/GlassBox47/Draft-03-GradiusFibre.jpg

[kfchow]

i would move the player layouts to be more even. eg players 1 and 2 in the center and 3 & 4 around the edges. Only because you don't want to be standing so close to each other if you only have 2 players.

Overall nice setup.