It begins! No, really! (warning: long-ass post ahead!)

A lot has happened in the last couple days! Here's a rundown of each project:

Existing cab: I measured the existing control panel and cut a 1/2" piece of laminated particle board for the replacement panel. Once cut, I arranged the Capcom overlay decals in place and affixed them temporarily with painters tape. Once I had them placed in the appropriate positions, I traced the circle cutouts for joystick and button placement. I removed the decals from the panel and then used a 1-1/8" paddle bit to drill out the holes.

Since the Capcom overlay (underlayment) was much larger than my control panel, I decided to cut a piece of the diamond plate pattern for the top. I left about a half inch overage on each side to make my destined-to-be-sloppy placement a little more forgiving. As with the decals, I held the overlay in place with painters tape. I picked up half of the overlay and removed the backing from the adhesive. I cut off the backing with scissors and slowly smoothed down the overlay to the control panel. Once I worked all the bubbles out from underneath, I repeated the process with the other half. Using a small x-acto blade, I trimmed out all of the hole openings.

Placing the decals on top of the overlay, I screwed all the buttons in the holes to hold the decals in place. As with the overlay adhesion, I removed the top row of buttons, removed and trimmed the exposed backing, and slowly pressed the decal into place. The bottom row of buttons was then removed and the process was repeated. I also used a single button in place of the joystick to place their respective decals.

With the control panel near completion, I turned my attention to the cabinet itself. I trimmed a section of the control panel overlay with the large Capcom logo to the size of the cabinet's front (just below the control panel) and pressed it into place. I then cut a second strip for the bottom of the control panel housing, creating the illusion of one large wrapped control panel. Once I get some pictures up, you'll see what I mean. I still need to rewire everything, but that's a task for another day.

I also still need to swap out the 27" TV in the cab for a 20" flat screen PC monitor sitting in the middle of the living room floor. New PC parts are on the way to speed up MAME a bit (for games like MK3). Once that's done, I'll mask the bezel to accommodate the new size and affix the Marvel vs Capcom instruction cards. Still looking for a Marvel vs Capcom marquee ... sigh ...

Dragon's Lair cabinet: I got wood! WOOHOO! Finally! As I stated in my last post, my bro-in-law got his hands on a truck to fulfill my lumber lacking needs. We picked up three 4'x8' sheets of 3/4" finish grade plywood and one 4'x8' sheet of what I call 'shit grade' plywood. We brought the haul back to my house, only to have it spend the night on my deck. You'd think with all my whining over not having wood, I'd had actually done some fabrication. It's all good, as I think I more than made up for that today.

I awoke at the crack of dawn (ok, more like 8am) and guilted Becca into giving me a hand making some rough cuts. We began by cutting some scrap 2x4s we had to build a sturdy base for the cabinet. This foundation is the width and depth of the overall cabinet dimensions, allowing for the recessed front and rear panels. A piece of 3/4" plywood was then screwed to the top of the frame. This will later serve as the platform for the PC and speaker amplifier.

We then cut 2' off the bottom of two sheets of finished plywood, creating two 2' x 4' and 4' x 6' pieces. We then cut 30" off each 4' x 6' piece, giving us two 6' x 2 1/2' pieces. The 1 1/2' pieces remaining from this cut are basically scrap, so we set them aside. Next we removed 1/2" from the 2' x 4' pieces, resulting in two 23 1/2" x 4' pieces. These pieces will be used to make the marquee top and bottom. I apologize if this all sounds confusing. Rest assured, diagrams are coming! The rear access panel was cut from the 'shit' plywood (since no one will ever see it) and set aside. Ironic to cut this piece on day one, considering it'll be the last piece used in the cabinet's assembly.

One thing I learned quickly when constructing the first arcade cabinet was cutting once beats cutting twice. Basically, the sides of an arcade cabinet mirror each other (left and right), so you need to be extra careful to totally ensure everything will line up level in the end. The best away around this potential hazard is to screw the two side panels together and make both cuts simultaneously! We took the two 6' x 2 1/2' pieces (smoothest side facing in) and screwed them together. Once secure, I measured the two points for the angled slope and connected the dots. I used a circular saw to make the cut and was quite impressed with the results. Now I can be secure in the fact that the side panels are identical and everything should fit together snugly.

Unfortunately it started to rain, so everything was quickly hurried inside the basement. Since cutting was no longer an option, I decided to map out tomorrow's plan of attack. I began by tracing out a guideline for the arc in the uppermost portion of the side panels. I tried using a poor man's compass (a tack in the center of the arc with a string tied to a pencil), but wasn't satisfied with the result. In the end, I ended up stenciling the cover of a Folger’s coffee can to achieve an acceptable arc. Tomorrow I will cut the arc (roughly) with a jigsaw and sand until smooth. As a precaution, I'll also sand smooth all exposed sides of the panels to ensure perfect final alignment.

While I still have the panels screwed together and lying on my cellar floor, I went as far as mapping out the baton placement for final assembly. I won't go into a lengthy explanation now, as I know none of it will make a bit of sense. When I post the diagrams (and hopefully some pictures), it'll all come together. Once I plotted everything out, I became quite concerned about the size of the monitor destined for this cabinet. I measured the monitor a couple times and compared it to the cabinet markings. I'm still unsure if it'll fit in there. If it actually does fit, I'm afraid there won't be an inch to spare for the cables.

I'm more than satisfied with what I accomplished today, considering my sore shoulder and inclement weather. Once the marquee brackets and control panel arrive, things will really kick into high gear! I hate to jinx myself, but I'm almost convinced this thing could be up and running (functionally, not 100% complete) by next weekend.