More HUO Jamma v1.0

My work on these two cabinets continues.  I haven't been posting everything, but I'll try to catch up here.  Last time I posted, I had only just assembled the cabinet shell.  It seems like this project is taking forever, but I'm only just working on it here and there, when I get the time.  It's actually been good, because it's allowed me to think through each new step before doing something rash.

I want these cabinets to be capable of playing vertical as well as horizontal games.  So it was with this in mind that I built the monitor display in a manner that will allow the owner to rotate the display without tools. It seems to work as I had planned.  The monitor mount is held in place, by the control panel, and after removing the glass, it is easy enough to slide out and rotate the panel.  It all goes back together, and since it's a square panel, the fit is exact.  I can thank the new table saw for this little miracle.

Today I spent a great deal of time trying to design an effective control panel.  I purchased a printed control panel overlay from Phoenix Arcade.  Having the control panel artwork already designed will require me to have the buttons and controls in the exact location as the overlay.  Also the control panel is going to have a trackball so that will require some extra attention.  I ended up making a small two part jig that allows me to cut both the opening for the trackball to mount under the control panel, and also the recessed area for the trackball plate that will rest above.  This took me almost two hours, that's crazy.  Although now that I have the jig, I can cut these in about three minutes.