On top of the bar...

Myrddin

Ok, so, some of you will have seen I got this cracking bartop frame from The Last Bandit





I have the pc innards here, ready to go:

Mainboard - Asus P5KPL SE
CPU - Intel Core2Duo 2.6Ghz
Gfx - Sapphire X1650 Pro
Ram - 4GB DDR2500
Hdd - 320GB sata

Far from beefy specs, but it runs Hyperspin without any lag & takes care of most of the stuff I want to run. I can obviously upgrade that over time, but for now, it's the basis of what I'll start with. It was the pc part of a mamecab I had anyway, so I know it does what I want it to do.

So, starting off. I've just gotten a monitor. A Dell Ultrasharp 1907FP, a 19" non widescreen lcd panel. Specs say it should be more than fit for purpose. The only slight hiccup being its a 5:4 format, & as the cab is cut to my requested spec of 4:3...I'll lose a tiny bit of screen, which I'm hoping I can compensate for by scaling the display in the Ati CCC.

Next up, will be the sound system. I don't want to bother hacking up an existing set of powered speakers, so on the recommendation of TLB, I'll order this shortly - http://www.ebay.ie/itm/ARCADE-MACHINE-STEREO-SOUND-SPEAKER-AMPLIFIER-2-X-GRILLS-MAME-JAMMA-/281245565115?pt=UK_Video_Games_Coin_Operated_MJ&hash=item417b8ac0bb It's a powered amp, which takes its power directly from the atx power supply I'll be using. All I'll need is a 3.5mm jack to stereo phono cable...I might actually have one buried somewhere actually.

I'll also need a neat & tidy way of delivering power to the unit. Again TLB recommends this, & cut the hole to size for me - http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Panel-Mounted-Fused-Switch-Plug-IEC-250vAC-10A-CN112-/160547651668?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Components_Supplies_ET&hash=item256162c054 That allows me to feed the power in nice & neatly, & gives a mains on/off switch too which is handy.

Further to that, I requested a single credit button, cut to size for one of these...as recommended by Achillies - http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=295 This will go center front

I'll also need an i-pac, for button interface obviously. I'll likely not bother with the clones, & buy the real deal here - http://www.ultimarc.com/ipac1.html

I already have two batsticks, some random buttons which I'll fit to this & sort out proper buttons/colours later on. Urbanledge is going to sort me out with plexi & a bezel as soon as I get pm him So that will about take care of that.

I'm going to do a reinstall of everything software wise, yes that means a full format & rebuild of Hyper Spin from scratch. Really looking forward to that {:rolleyes:} but it's better I just do it now, as the roms & emu's on it are quite outdated at this stage.

So the question at the mo is, should I stay on XP x64, or move over to Windows 7? Now that I don't need Soft15Khz any more, I'm free to use a more modern OS. I know XP is completely 'hide-able' in terms of bootup, login etc, is Win 7 the same, or less so? I'm not overly fussed at all about boot screens...but if I can do it easy enough then I prob will for the sake of completion. So, to Win7 or not to Win7?

The Last Bandit

You won't really notice the difference in screen size, its only 2mm either side once the screen is centered. I'd avoid XP 64 if possible unless you know you've got decent working drivers for all the hardware.

Those specs you list are plenty for Hyperspin I reckon. Enjoy the rest of the build

Myrddin

The Last Bandit wrote: »

You won't really notice the difference in screen size, its only 2mm either side once the screen is centered. I'd avoid XP 64 if possible unless you know you've got decent working drivers for all the hardware.

Those specs you list are plenty for Hyperspin I reckon. Enjoy the rest of the build

Aye I had it all running previously on XP x64, no driver issues there. Cool re the screen, 2mm I can more than live with!

Andrew76

Go with whatever OS you are most comfortable with and have a licence for (can't remem if XP even needs one these days).

I used Win7 with my Hyperspin setup and it was fine. Don't think I bothered removing all traces of Windows from the boot sequence because my cab has a separate switch to turn on the monitor - so powered on PC, wait 5 seconds then turn on cab. Your's probably be different. I did have a cool black background with Pac-Man figures on it appear during the boot. Sure it's mainly you/the young lad going to be using it so no big deal.

Myrddin

So I gathered together a few spare sticks & buttons I had, & decided to get going with this. I was one red button short of being able to do red both sides, but not to worry...I'll worry about the colouring when everything else is done. I also found a 1p & 2p start button, a little rough but they'll do for now. Might buy a brand new button set when all else is done.

Two brand new sticks, bat tops {I know I know}...though I'm missing two microswitches. They're not the normal type, but instead have an extended leaf-type bar that activates the switch...so will need to buy two of them. The sticks are also loose fitted here, I'm not drilling the holes to fit these properly just yet, so they're sitting very low in the final pic.

Oh yeah here's the screen too, looks like it'll be a near perfect fit but I won't be fitting that until all the wiring etc is done at the front.

Myrddin

A tiny bit more done on this today

Here's the brains of the operation



I had to add some makeshift shims to the monitor support, this just brings it up the height it needs to be



Monitor now at correct height



Test fit of the full sized ATX setup. Perfect fit actually, I thought it'd be more cramped but its fine. I'll get pcb feet for everything when I'm ordering other parts



Small steps



Still to do:

Fix joysticks into position
Make a wiring loom for all inputs
Fit double socket inside & connect to ac input
Fit speakers & amp when they arrive
Fit ipac when it arrives
Fit & wire illuminated coin chute button when it arrives
Order plexi & bezel
Format & set up new OS
Set up Hyperspin
???
Profit

Andrew76

Looking well. That's handy the monitor is slightly bigger than the viewing area - you won't need to de-case it then? (If that's even possible on an LCD).

Does the base of the unit open up? Just wondering if you have much room for wiring up the cp under there?

Very handy the PSU fits in too. Still space for mounting the iPac and any other bits too.

Andrew76

Andrew76 wrote: »

Does the base of the unit open up? Just wondering if you have much room for wiring up the cp under there?

bits too.

I hope it opens!for your fingers sake!

The Last Bandit

Looking good

Ya the back and bottom panels are removable.

Myrddin

Andrew76 wrote: »

Looking well. That's handy the monitor is slightly bigger than the viewing area - you won't need to de-case it then? (If that's even possible on an LCD).

Does the base of the unit open up? Just wondering if you have much room for wiring up the cp under there?

Very handy the PSU fits in too. Still space for mounting the iPac and any other bits too.

Yeah the monitor is slightly larger than the viewing window which is handy, I'll take care of that by scaling the display through the ati CCC & make it fit the window perfectly.

The base of the unit does indeed open up, so when it comes to wiring up the cp etc, I'll remove everything & flip it upside down...pretty handy!

Yeah I'll get pcb feet for the sound amp & ipac, so they'll fit to the side walls nicely

Myrddin

Post #5 in this thread, 2nd pic, has the unit on its back with the base off

Myrddin

Is there any easy way of mounting the joysticks so that I don't have four big mounting screws showing on the topside of the cp? Short woodscrews in from the underside maybe?

o1s1n

Countersink some holes so the screws fit in flush and then stick some CP art over maybe?

The Last Bandit

I've countersunk screws in them before and painted over but the problem is when you tighten the screws they tend to pull down leave a barely (but) annoying mark. As Oisin says a bit of artwork would hide the screws nicely.

Another trick I've used is to drill the mounting holes from the underneath but not all the way through and glue in some wooden dowels, fit the joystick base to the
dowels and secure the epoxy glue. Sounds pikey but is actually very solid - but permanent fixing.

o1s1n

Actually if you don't want to go down the CP art route, you could countersink the hole in the top, put the screw in and then try to disguise the flush screw with filler and repainting.

Myrddin

I'll prob not bother with artwork on this one, as nowhere else on it will have artwork & a fancy cp might look a bit odd on an otherwise plain setup no?

I'd also likely not bother with permanently fixing the sticks in, I'm sure its solid but I might want to upgrade them at a later stage

Myrddin

o1s1n wrote: »

Actually if you don't want to go down the CP art route, you could countersink the hole in the top, put the screw in and then try to disguise the flush screw with filler and repainting.

That might be the ticket alright. I've seen pics of bartops with the four mounting screws showing on the cp, it's a bit off putting isn't it?

The Last Bandit

Ya that cab is already a piece of art No point ruining it with tacky stickers

o1s1n

Hmmm.

How about countersinking so the screw actually goes in passed flush (leaving some depth) - and then finishing it off with those little rubber screw caps bringing the surface flush?

You'd have four black rubber circles hiding the screws. Wouldn't really be that noticeable I think.

o1s1n

Myrddin wrote: »

That might be the ticket alright. I've seen pics of bartops with the four mounting screws showing on the cp, it's a bit off putting isn't it?

Showing the mounting screws on the CP is seen as a bit of a newbie error when building cabs alright. Ideally you should try to disguise it whenever possible, looks much neater

I'd do it like this.
The red are washers.
I'd use nylock nuts too and tighten the bejasus out of them.
Depends on the thinkness of your CP tho and the lenght of your shaft has to be taken into consideration :D:D Easy!!!!!

Myrddin

Sound amp & speakers - Ordered
AC input connector - Ordered
Coin chute button - Ordered
16 pcb feet - Ordered

€60 for the lot

Edit - Feck it, ipac ordered too. €65 euro delivered from Ultimarc

Myrddin

Just hit download there on the Hyperspin site....oh god, what am I in for {again}

The Last Bandit

Myrddin wrote: »

Sound amp & speakers - Ordered
AC input connector - Ordered
Coin chute button - Ordered
16 pcb feet - Ordered

€60 for the lot

Edit - Feck it, ipac ordered too. €65 euro delivered from Ultimarc

Telling ya, bartops ain't cheap to build !!

Sure it's all the same as a full build!
Cheaper to do it right once tho

Myrddin

The Last Bandit wrote: »

Telling ya, bartops ain't cheap to build !!

Yeah the cost adds up alright. I've spent €125 euro today on parts, €50 last week on a screen, the cost of the bartop itself, & bear in mind I already had the pc for it. So it's definitely not a cheapy cheapy solution.

I must admit though, it's very enjoyable assembling it & seeing it come together I've been dismissive or bartops in the past..."just a wooden box for a pc" etc, & in truth, they are...they're just wooden boxes for pc's....but with some added effort, you can turn it into more than that.

Now that I've no real cabs anymore, I'm free of the very real headache of maintaining them, free of the fear of a monitor giving in every time you turn it on, this is much more house friendly than any cab I've previously had, it's easily fixable if needs be etc. True it's not quite the genuine article, but you know what, I'm actually genuinely ok with that these days

The Last Bandit

There really is great satisfaction in building one of your own And it if sucks monkeyballs then you've one person to blame !!

Myrddin

Ok, I've a folder now that contains the following:

Hyperspin Install v1.3.2.0
Hyperspin Update Pack v 1.3.2.0
Hyperlaunch 3.0.0.9
Hyperlaunch 3.0.0.9 exe only
Hyperlaunch HQ 1.0.13.0

So, remind me a little...what exactly is Hyperlaunch? I'm not going extracting them tonight to have a look, but from memory, is Hyperlaunch the tool that takes care of directories etc, & Hyperspin is purely just the frontend? If I were to think back, I'd have said I didn't actually use Hyperlaunch in my old mamecab, & just used Hyperspin...though it was before v1.0...

Scratch that, going through tutorials now. It's pretty different nowadays to the version i used before.

Myrddin

Some bits & pieces arrived today:

The A/C input adapter. This arrived without a fuse, so a trip to a hardware store & that was sorted. Two 250v 5a fuses, one for use & the other as a spare







The Earth & Neutral I'll wire to a double socket inside the cab itself. I'll wire the live then from the ac input, to one side of the switch terminals, & the other side then to the double socket...that way the switch will be functional



Next up is the sound guts. Sound amp with pots for volume, bass & treble, speakers & the grills that came with this I won't need as TLB threw in a spare set of grills already



And finally, the magic that makes it all possible...an Ipac

Andrew76

If you're stuck for PCB feet and screws along the way just give me a shout. Have loads spare.

Myrddin

Andrew76 wrote: »

If you're stuck for PCB feet and screws along the way just give me a shout. Have loads spare.

Cheers man. I ordered 12 or 16 of them along with that fancy fake coin slot button, so if I run out you'll prob find a pm in your inbox

I've enough of this now to start looking at further assembly & to get cracking on the software side of things too.

Myrddin

Doing the ground loops now on the cp for both players, such a chore. I didn't bother using crimp connections or anything like that as the cp will never change configuration, & I can swap out buttons/sticks if needed by leaving the microswitches in place, so figured I'd just solder the wires onto the spade terminals. It's a diy bartop, not a candy cab after all

I managed to fix the sticks into position using an extremely complex solution which I'll detail shortly.

I did it that way once,
was a pain in the swiss.
Started to give problems!like solder failing!
you should of got the pre crimped stuff with the Ipac.so handy and such a time saver.
well worth the tenner or so!

Myrddin

urbanledge wrote: »

I did it that way once,
was a pain in the swiss.
Started to give problems!like solder failing!
you should of got the pre crimped stuff with the Ipac.so handy and such a time saver.
well worth the tenner or so!

Ah I'm nearly done now, it's not difficult in any way just monotonous. The Mame cab was done the same way & never gave any hassle, maybe you're using the lead-free muck? The only time I'll need to resolder anything is if I change out a microswitch, & ecause they separate from the sticks & buttons, it means they can be changed in seconds. No big deal, & again with this I didn't see the point of using the crimp connectors...I would if I was chopping/changing cp's, button config etc..but once this is built it'll never be changed.

Myrddin

Pics from earlier, re mounting the sticks. I found some perfectly suited woodscrews, which fit through the stick mounting holes, into the wood of the cp, but weren't long enough to protrude on the other side. As simple as it gets really, & they're perfectly secured (Also found 2 spare leaf spring micro switches that I was missing for the P2 stick, hence the blue colour)





I've the ground loop done for everything now, & the P1 side fully wired. No pics as I'm done for the evening, & the wires are far too long as I'm not quite decided on where to mount the Ipac yet so will trim to length at a later stage

Andrew76

For a minute I was worried your 'extremely complex solution' involved some sticky-backed plastic and blu-tack! :eek:



Looks well though.

Yeah best to leave the wires longer than needed even after you decide on the final location for the ipac, just in case you decide to move it. Easy to just tie up the extra length rather than have to extend. Small cable ties or some electrical tape come in handy to keep the wiring neat and tidy, less likely to snag on anything too.

Myrddin

I've the cp wiring done now (dummy coin button in place, just so I could get the wiring done while waiting on the proper button to arrive), & can begin the process of figuring out where everything will go...



Loads of slack left on the wires at the ipac end...



Trimmed to correct length, & ipac secured using pcb feet

The Last Bandit

That's waaaaaaaaaaaay too neatly done

Optimus Prime

Nice Job, mine i just stuff the wires in the cab when im finished haha..

o1s1n

That's a nice neat job alright. Remind me to never let you see under my control panels :eek:

Myrddin

Ok, made a lot of progress on this today. Thus far:

PSU fixed into position L shaped brackets



Monitor & pc psu power chords routed & tacked to the side wall. I'm going to mount the double socket to the back of the back-piece, which will allow me to disconnect the back panel easily. I was initially going to mount the double socket on the side wall somewhere, but had I have done that the back piece would have been semi-permanently tethered to the whole unit. This way I can disconnect the two plugs & the back panel can be removed.



The motherboard will go here. I'm waiting on a delivery which includes pcb feet, so I can't fix it into position just yet, hopefully they arrive at some stage next week.



Oh ****! The drill slipped & I accidentally drilled three completely parallel holes in the side...



Yep, right through too. Damn.



Hang on....I know something that might fit there...



No way, phew, what a stroke of luck!



Bass, Treble & Volume



Ipac wired up with the packaged ps2/usb cable



Hdd mounted. I might get an SSD at some stage to act as the boot drive, but for now this will suffice.



Ok, so, next up. The speaker amp I bought needs a 12v power source. Time for the floppy drive connector to step up to the plate. Here's the supplied cable, jack on one end, bare wires on the other. So, 12v & ground...

Myrddin

Left side speaker installed & wired





So, apart from the pcb feet for the motherboard, & the coin chute button...tis done...



So, double socket mounted on inside of rear panel



Switch wired



Handy for connecting/disconnecting the back panel



Ok then, it's make or break time. Using a temp switch to turn the pc on...time to find out if this whole thing works or not...



Phew, relief. It's a milestone for the build, first power on test & everything is working as expected. Time to now focus on the software side of things, ya know...the easy bit...

Oh but before that, one last thing. Auto-power on when ac is detected is now enabled so I don't need a second switch to power it all on. The switch on the power input on the back panel will now control everything

Steve X2

Looking very sweet dude

On the software side, hmm, if you don't fancy spending ages on the software why not just grab someone's hard drive and get the Hyperspin from that? You'll still need to change a few bits but it'll be up and running in no time.

Of course you wouldn't copy the roms or anything illegal like that, just the completely legal Hyperspins files

Myrddin

Steve SI wrote: »

Looking very sweet dude

Cheers dude, am pretty happy with it so far.

On the software side, hmm, if you don't fancy spending ages on the software why not just grab someone's hard drive and get the Hyperspin from that? You'll still need to change a few bits but it'll be up and running in no time.

Of course you wouldn't copy the roms or anything illegal like that, just the completely legal Hyperspins files

I'm not a huge fan of the idea of dropping in a pre-configured HS setup tbh. I think if you invest yourself in the original setup, you'll be more than equipped to handle inevitable tasks like adding new systems & games etc...just my own opinion ofc

What I will need at some stage, is access to some emu-movies content for preview vids...I used to a be a subscriber there but when I got all I needed I didn't renew my sub

Steve X2

Myrddin wrote: »

I'm not a huge fan of the idea of dropping in a pre-configured HS setup tbh. I think if you invest yourself in the original setup, you'll be more than equipped to handle inevitable tasks like adding new systems & games etc...just my own opinion ofc

What I will need at some stage, is access to some emu-movies content for preview vids...I used to a be a subscriber there but when I got all I needed I didn't renew my sub

Yeah, you're dead right on the setup. I spent many months tweaking my one and doing all sorts of crazy OCD things to it. I even brushed up on my C# programming to create a few little apps to run in the background(although ReSharper for Visual studio fixed a lot of my mistakes and kept me on track )

You really do need those preview vids. Makes a big difference to the whole thing.

Myrddin

Steve SI wrote: »

You really do need those preview vids. Makes a big difference to the whole thing.

They take a mamecab from being cool, to being really really cool...such a difference from such a small little feature Is anyone here a member? If I gave them a list of games would they grab some of the vids for me? Or even give me the login credentials for a few hours? I won't need them for a while yet, still have the OS & actual HS setup to get through first...

The Last Bandit

I used to be a member there and of HS as well, only ever downloaded the older 240p videos though.

Steve X2

Myrddin wrote: »

They take a mamecab from being cool, to being really really cool...such a difference from such a small little feature Is anyone here a member? If I gave them a list of games would they grab some of the vids for me? Or even give me the login credentials for a few hours? I won't need them for a while yet, still have the OS & actual HS setup to get through first...

I used to be a member, think I still am. Will have to check.
Definitely still a gold member on Hyperspin, emumovies may have lapsed.

Edit:
Emumovies has indeed lapsed.
I have all the vids for mame .145/146 I think in the higher resolution. As well as all the other systems.

Myrddin

The Last Bandit wrote: »

I used to be a member there and of HS as well, only ever downloaded the older 240p videos though.

I think on my old cab I had the lower res ones too

Steve SI wrote: »

I used to be a member, think I still am. Will have to check.
Definitely still a gold member on Hyperspin, emumovies may have lapsed.

Edit:
Emumovies has indeed lapsed.
I have all the vids for mame .145/146 I think in the higher resolution. As well as all the other systems.

Cheers for checking anyway folks. Is there any performance hit using the higher res vids? My specs are posted earlier, not too sure if I used the low res vids before, I think I did & they were fine...

Steve X2

Myrddin wrote: »

I think on my old cab I had the lower res ones too



Cheers for checking anyway folks. Is there any performance hit using the higher res vids? My specs are posted earlier, not too sure if I used the low res vids before, I think I did & they were fine...

You'll be fine with the higher res vids. The aren't HD, just 480p or something like that.

Myrddin

Steve SI wrote: »

You'll be fine with the higher res vids. The aren't HD, just 480p or something like that.

Ah cool, sure I'll drop you a pm maybe at some stage when I'm ready to drop a few vids into the installation? You can use up some of that new google drive space they gifted you Cheers dude