Horrorshow Arcade
Building the cabinet
After some searching on possible materials and thicknessess, I decided to go with 19mm (3/4") MDF-board. This is the standard thickness for T-molding, and it is rigid enough to make the cabinet stand well. Do note that when working with MDF-board, the sawdust from it is a bit toxic. Use respirators at all times when cutting or drilling MDF. For supporting structures I chose 39mm x 32mm (1,54" x 1,25") laminated veneer lumber (fin. kertopuu). I got the MDF-board precut, so I don't need to bother cutting the little pieces, and so the price wouldn't be too high because of all the excess pieces.
First thing was to cut the sideboards. I got two rectangle pieces where I had to trace the edges according to my plans. I used a jigsaw on most of the cuts, but some round corners were made with drills.
I decided to make this cabinet well reinforced, so I can later put in any kind of screen. Also I wanted it to be sound and strong. I don't want my cabinet to wobble when someone leans against it.
Note the small trolley under the cabinet, it made the construction job a lot easier. It is just a sturdy piece of wood with four wheels, but the maneuverability it brought made the world of difference. It also helped me to preserve the lower corners of the sideboards from unnecessary damage.
The construction itself went as any other build. There were some calculation errors in the plans, and I didn't foresee all the things I should have. Some changes was made in mid flight, and a lot of reinforcements were added to it. The cabinet will weigh a lot when it is done, so why not add some added protection for it. I also added an U-shaped boards to the bottom of the cabinet with slightly rounded edges. This was so that when I use a dolly cart to move the cabinet around, I don't have to lift the cabinet on top of the cart. I can just slide the cart under the cabinet and the tip it over.
The power strip that I put in unfortunately is not a smart strip, as those are unavailable here in Finland. So I just used a normal grounded strip and soldered an extra switch for the whole strip and run the switch to the back of the cabinet. Right next to it, I soldered an extra switch for the speakers. I chose not to have mute or volume controls in the control panel, so this would be my mute if I ever needed one.
The speakers itself are small Logitech 2.0 speakers that are fastened to the panel above the screen. The grills are about double the diameter of the real speakers, but it looks better if it is not as small as the speakers.
The backlight for the marquee is a small fluorecent lamp with a high kelvin value and small heat output. The marquee light was not a big deal for me, so I just wanted it to create as little heat as possible.
Mainantance door for this cabinet is located in the lower front below the controls. The door has a handle that is only visible if looked from low enough angle. Pretty much you need to be a toddler or really crouched to see it. The hinge is a long piano hinge painted black. It does not show up unless you know where to look.
The artwork in the marquee and bezel are wedged between two 2mm plexiglass plates. The annoying thing when dealing with those is the fact that you need to remove every single piece of dirt from the plexi or you will end up seeing it every time you play. It is best to handle the plexiglass somewhere else than where you are doing all the wood work. The sawdust is a pain to remove from the plexiglass because it builds up a lot of static electricity.
The bezel picture is between the two layers of plexiglass and is held with sheer pressure and static electricity. The plexiglass itself is held in place by a 3cm bar going around the open screen, but not in the bottom. On the bottom there is a wedge cut in the wood so that the plexi will have no place to move. After installing that, there is a very small triangle shaped bars put on top of all the sides and nailed with very small nails to the sides. The nails are, of course, painted and are virtually invisible.
My thanks with this build goes to my step father, who was a really big help. Without him, this would have taken a lot longer, and it wouldn't have turned out so well.
Last updated 11.6.2009.