anoon's Centipede

[anoon]

First go at Laminate pt1

The weather was beautiful today. Perfect temperature for applying the laminate to the sides of the cabinet. There are two major parts to the process: The actual sticking of the laminate to the surface, and then the trimming of the excess laminate with a router.
You only get one shot at gluing this stuff down, and I haven't ever used a router before. As Centipede was to be my first attempt at either of these things, I wanted to know what I was getting into.
Seeing as I have way more free time than I know what to do with, why not spin up up a whole new side project for practice?


After contacting several cabinetry supply firms and having all of their representatives lose any ounce of interest as soon as I mentioned arcade games, I found a place that was willing to bother with me and my lousy two sheets of material.
The product arrived, and...

...it was all wrong. I wanted smooth, high gloss, vertical grade laminate. They sent some textured, flat sheen, horizontal grade stuff. Back to the supplier it went.
In the end I just ordered off of Amazon from the Formica storefront and got what I wanted. I threw in a sheet of black satin sheen as well in case the urge to laminate the front of the machine possessed me one day.


Ah, this is the good stuff. 4'x8' of super slick, high gloss laminate.
It looks so nice. It's almost a shame this will get completely covered over when the side graphic overlays go on.
I unfurled it, or rather, it violently unfurled itself when I released the tape it was rolled up in and I left it to flatten out a bit over night.
Before venturing down the path of no return with attempting to stick this stuff to the Centipede cabinet, some practice would be in order...


This here is an iCade. It's meant to hold an ipad and connect via bluetooth so you can play games. Fun story about these. Wikipedia states:

"The iCade was originally announced by ThinkGeek on April 1, 2010 as an April Fools' Day prank, however, it was widely covered in electronics media as a potential product, and ThinkGeek responded to this speculation, saying a real iCade was "a possibility". Shortly after the revelation of the iCade gag product, ThinkGeek were contacted privately by ION Audio, with a proposal to develop the concept."

And so they did, releasing it mid 2011.
It has a pretty nice little form factor, and the quality of the stick and buttons is actually pretty good. This will be a nice little test bed for learning how to laminate and use a router.


Look at that. $7 from the local thrift store. Pretty sure these things retailed for $100 when they first came out.


Just a couple of torx securty screws, and the iCade is apart.


I'll just be working on the sides.


Quick pass with the orbital sander, and this panel is good to go. I filled the screw holes with a little bondo.


Seeing as Centipede is 6' tall and the sheet of laminate is 8', I needed to trim it down to make it easier to work with. This left me just enough excess material to fit the iCade sides within.
A quick scoring across the back of the laminate with a utility knife followed with light pressure to snap it off, and I had two nice little sheets to work with.

 

[anoon]

First go at Laminate pt2

Figuring out which adhesive to use was a hassle. Again, the cabinetry reps weren't super helpful. There's basically the old school, super smelly cancer causing chemical goop that probably works, and then there's more modern, eco friendly, water based stuff, which probably doesn't work at all.
Despite my better judgement, I opted for the eco friendly as it was manufactured by the big name in cabinetry supplies. Mistake.
I received no tracking info, so when a completely unlabeled jug magically appeared 3 weeks after the original delivery date, it was a bit of a concern. I had to track down the usage and warning documentation online.
Good thing I am practicing on this project before trying it on the actual Centipede I suppose.


As this is pretty much a throwaway test, I opted for applying the adhesive with a $.59 chip brush. For the real deal, I'll use a roller so I get a nice smooth application.


Backside of the laminate.
First, a layer of glue goes on both surfaces to be stuck to each other. Then a second coat a short while after. 30 minutes later, you mash both pieces together and apply pressure across the surface using what is called a J-roller. That's it.


Once the laminate is stuck to the part you want it stuck to, you just run the router along the edge using a flush trim bit in the tool.
Applying and trimming laminate ended up being super easy, fast, and it looks great. I don't think I'll be painting cabinets in the future if I can help it.
I just need another nice day of good temps, and I believe I am ready to tackle Centipede for real.

 

[anoon]

After practicing with the adhesive and the router on the sacrificial iCade machine, I was ready to go for it and laminate the Centipede.

Here we go, materials at the ready, cabinet lying on its side.
The plan is this:
1.) Apply a coat of adhesive to both the back of the laminate and to the side of the cabinet, using an roller.
2.) Apply a second coat of adhesive to both parts.
3.) Once the glue starts to turn clear, place the PVC pipes across the cabinet as shown, ~6" apart.
4.) Place the laminate, sticky side down, on top of the pipes.
5.) Remove the first pipe from across the middle and use a j-roller to press the laminate to the surface of the cabinet.
6.) Repeat, removing the next pipe down the line.
7.) Do the same, moving up the other direction.
8.) Once all pipes are removed and the laminate has been j-rolled down, trim the excess laminate with a router.


First and second coats of adhesive applied.
Now just to wait until the glue sets...


Temps were about 10 to 15 degrees lower than is optimal so it was taking a bit longer than the recommended 20 minutes for the glue to turn clear and get tacky.
I broke out the heat gun to speed things along.


Pipes in place, laminate resting on top.
Time to commence with the wiggling out of the pipes and the j-rolling.


...aaaaand all trimmed up.
I bought a nice quality handheld router kit that came with a plunge mount base, along with a flush trim router bit. Worked marvelously.
I am incredibly happy with how this came out. The side is flawlessly flat and smooth, which will make for the perfect surface for the cabinet graphics to stick to.
This was actually really quick and easy. Much less trouble than sanding, painting, drying, sanding painting and drying...
I just need another weekend with favorable temperatures, and I can work on the other side.

 

[anoon]

Perfect conditions for laminating the other side of the cabinet.

Came out really nice. I am looking forward to putting the side graphics on.
My son came in and said "WOW Dad! It's so shiny. I can see myself. It's like a mirror."


This is the router I ended up buying. I was skeptical of going with this smaller handheld unit, but it worked out perfectly. I opted for the bundle with all of the attachments. Even came with a nice little plunge base.
I had used the plunge base on the right side of the cabinet, but tried the handheld base on the left side, which ended up being easier to work with in this situation.

 

[anoon]

Hardware Bench Test

After gutting the cabinet of electronics and hardware and then washing it all a few months back, I wasn't sure if any of it still worked. I was particularly curious to know if dismantling, painting, and rebuilding the power supply had any ill effects, so I set the parts out on the bench and reconnected it all.
Success! All of the original 40 year old parts still work. Besides a new clean power cord, not a single nut, bolt, fuse, capacitor, wire, or anything was replaced.
Now I just need to get the monitor working again.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1495499342362431489

 

[anoon]

Monitor Repair

After plugging everything in and ensuring that the game still worked, it was finally time to turn attention to getting the monitor up and running again.
During my initial triage it was clear that the flyback transformer was bad as evidenced by the large, charred crack running through it, so that needed to be replaced. Additionally, there was a small fuse on the monitor circuit board that was blown, which according to the troubleshooters, indicated that the horizontal deflection transistor (AKA: the HOT,) was also bad.

This is what the chassis looked like when first pulled off of the monitor. 40 years of dust and dirt.


I believe this monitor had been worked on in the past as the underside was pretty crusty around the solder joints.
Getting the flyback off of the chassis took some work. It has 8 pins on the bottom of it that push through the circuit board where they are soldered in. These pins were thicker than the nozzle on the desoldering gun I was using, and I just couldn't get the thing off.
The only place I could find that had replacement tips for the gun was in China. After a whole month waiting for the tip to arrive, it was the wrong size.
So I ordered what looked like a set of tips with 4 different diameters. Yet another month later, the package arrived and it came with only 1 tip, not 4.
Thankfully it was the size I needed.


Finally. The flyback was removed. Just look at that crack. Must have made one heck of a loud pop when it blew. Also looks like the top of the housing melted a bit.


Here we are with nice shiny new flyback installed.


New HOT installed.


The blown fuse was the "pigtail" sort, soldered directly to the circuit board. Every time that would blow, I would have to desolder it and put a new one on. Total hassle.
Instead, I soldered on clips for quick fuse replacement.


I flipped the switch, and nothing happened. Well, not entirely true, that little fuse blew out spectacularly.
Additionally, I wasn't getting any power to the game anymore. I disconnected the monitor and tried testing the voltages on the game, but I was getting crazy readings.
I called my buddy Anthony from work that fixes up pinballs to see if he could help. Even if we didn't get it running, maybe I could learn a few things.
We spent several hours going over the power supply, ultimately replacing the the original big blue capacitor with a new one as well as the bridge rectifier. We also made sure all of the fuses were making good connections.
We were still getting odd voltage readings though. Reaching the end of what we could try and address, we decided to just go for it and plug the game back in.
...and it worked? The game was getting power, and we could hear it playing.


Time to address the monitor again. Since the fuse kept blowing, it had to be the HOT. Anthony checked my amatuer soldering work and redid the HOT. We also put an extra insulator under it that I had neglected to do the first time.
Additionally, he reflowed the soldering job I did on the flyback for good measure.
Time to power it up and hope for the best...


Immediately we heard the screen crackle to life. After a few seconds to warm up, the picture started to appear.
Look at that! A slight adjustment to the colors and contrast, and Centipede lives again.

 

[anoon]

Centipede lives again.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1510741060015775745

 

[Phetishboy]

Couple things. When you laminate, you really don't have to apply adhesive to both pieces twice. Once is good enough. Also, be careful when you apply the artwork to that (high) glossy laminate. I used that same stuff on my Food Fight restoration and it was almost impossible to not get a million bubbles underneath the side art. I'm not sure if it's the nonporous glossy surface being so unforgiving or the fact that there were no air release channels in the FF artwork or what. It turned out all right in the end but just something to keep in mind.

 

[anoon]

@Phetishboy

When you laminate, you really don't have to apply adhesive to both pieces twice. Once is good enough.

I had honestly wondered about this, thanks for the tip!

Also, be careful when you apply the artwork to that (high) glossy laminate. I used that same stuff on my Food Fight restoration and it was almost impossible to not get a million bubbles underneath the side art.

Ok, so that is a bummer about your Food Fight graphics, but in a way I am also somewhat reassured to hear it. I did attempt to put graphics on one side, but I also had bubbles in my application.
In my disappointment I ripped it off. I appreciate you sharing your experience as it sets the bar a bit.
The graphics I bought did not mention air release either, so I figured that was part of the problem.
(Truth be told, once I originally received the graphics, I wasn't super impressed with the attention to detail, so I am not totally heart broken about screwing it up other than being out $200)

I ordered a new set from a different vendor that did indicate air release, but unfortunately they aren't scheduled to arrive for another couple of months.

I still have one side of graphics in the tube. Not sure if anyone would want to buy it. Might make a poster out of it or something.

 

[IamDJones]

@Phetishboy Did you get the bubbles on the smooth laminate by mounting it using the wet or dry method?

@anoon I have had great luck with the wet mount method.

 

[advans13]

Control Panel Overlay.

Right about the time I picked up the control panel from the powder coating joint, I started prepping the overlay. After many weeks, it was finally time to slap them down.
New graphics! Several vendors sell reproductions, but I went with the one that offered an overlay with all the holes already cut out.
The piece arrived rolled up and had to be flattened out. I taped it down, sandwiched it between two pieces of MDF, and then set a 45 pound weight on it for a few weeks.
View attachment 569653

In order to ensure the best adhesion, the surface has to be as clean as possible. A quick wipe with naptha cleaned off the finger prints the guys at the powder coater left behind.
Grrr.
View attachment 569654

In order to minimize the chance of the graphics cracking when they are being applied, it is good practice to form the overlay to the shape of the panel by warming it up with a heat gun, folding it around the part, and letting it sit for a while.
The nice thing about going with the die cut overlay is that it is really east to line it up to the panel properly.
As an added bonus, I was able to use the buttons and trackball hardware to help keep the overlay in place.
View attachment 569655

I started lining up the graphics along the bottom edge of the panel, down by the hinge. There was quite a bit of extra at the top.
That's a pretty tight curve in the metal; I wasn't sure if I was going to attempt bending the overlay around that or not for fear of cracking it.
I had plenty of time to think it over as I wrapped up the panel and set it on the shelf for the next couple of months.
View attachment 569656

I took the panel down off the shelf, gave it one more quick wipe down and it was go time.
View attachment 569657

Leaving the bottom of the overlay taped down, I started by peeling away the backside and cutting about a third of it off. Then it was just a matter of gently folding the sticky bit back down on the panel and working out any air bubbles as I went.
Once the top half was down, just had to repeat the process with the remaining two thirds.
View attachment 569658

The trak ball is mounted on the panel with carriage bolts. Phillips or flat headed bolts will tear the players' hands up. Finding carriage bolts of the right size with smooth heads was a pain.
Despite what their websites say, none of the local hardware store carry them.
I had to order way more than I actually needed, but I found stainless steel, smooth bolts online for a few bucks. Still worked out cheaper than the big box hardware stores.
View attachment 569659

While the bolts were relatively smooth, I wanted to do better.
To shine them up I put them in the drill and gave them a spin under some 2000 grit sandpaper.
View attachment 569660

Trak ball re-reassembled with nice clean optics, wiring, and freshly polished screws.
View attachment 569661

I decided to go for it and bend the overlay around the tight curve at the very top after all. No cracks... yet.
The original fire button was quite yellowed. After several attempts I couldn't get it back to white, so I opted for an old fashioned, clear, translucent leaf switch button I had ordered a while back.
Once I have the woodwork of the cabinet a bit further along, I will be able to bolt the panel back on.
View attachment 569662

unfortunately, no amount of "training", or heating will prevent cracks it is more a matter of time thing.

any reason why you went with laminate when you already have a perfectly flat surface with the new cab sides?

 

[Phetishboy]

unfortunately, no amount of "training", or heating will prevent cracks it is more a matter of time thing.

any reason why you went with laminate when you already have a perfectly flat surface with the new cab sides?

So I take it you've never laminated a cabinet before?

 

[advans13]

So I take it you've never laminated a cabinet before?

that wasn't why i asked that. and no i have yet too, because as you know i stick with like for like materials with original shit. usually i've seen people laminate when the surface is roached to hell and they don't want to put in a ton of prep before paint or side art. but in this case he has a fresh perfect surface, so it was a curiosity thing of why double up the substrates. if the thought is because the centi art will show the wood through underneath and darken the art, then you can paint or use white melamine.

 

[Phetishboy]

that wasn't why i asked that. and no i have yet too, because as you know i stick with like for like materials with original shit. usually i've seen people laminate when the surface is roached to hell and they don't want to put in a ton of prep before paint or side art. but in this case he has a fresh perfect surface, so it was a curiosity thing of why double up the substrates. if the thought is because the centi art will show the wood through underneath and darken the art, then you can paint or use white melamine.

Because if you had you wouldn't have asked the question.

 

[advans13]

Because if you had you wouldn't have asked the question.

people love to piss away money, just was curious why.

 

[Phetishboy]

people love to piss away money, just was curious why.

Perfect surface to adhere your artwork to. No major bondoing, sanding or fucking around in general. Slather on some contact cement, wait 20 minutes, j-roll, trim the edges. Apply artwork. I just think that the satin/Matte finishes work better. Glossy is just too unforgiving when it comes to air release.

 

[anoon]

@Phetishboy Did you get the bubbles on the smooth laminate by mounting it using the wet or dry method?

@anoon I have had great luck with the wet mount method.

I used the dry method as the videos I looked up did the same. I will look into wet mount though, thanks for the pointer.

 

[anoon]

unfortunately, no amount of "training", or heating will prevent cracks it is more a matter of time thing.

any reason why you went with laminate when you already have a perfectly flat surface with the new cab sides?

RE: cracking- I have heard this, but I was hoping that some shaping might prolong its life from cracks. Seemed to make sense, and I had loads of time between needing the control panel ready to go and other stuff to work on.

RE: laminate- Primarily I was intrigued by the laminating process having seen a few examples and wanted to learn how to do it myself. (I have a longer term project in mind that this knowledge will aid me with.) All this arcade stuff is strictly a hobby, keeping me busy and learning new things.

Also, there was some grain and a few rough spots/knots in the plywood, and TBH, I didn't feel like filling and sanding. Additionally, as the lead time for cabinet graphics can be quite long, I was more comfortable with the idea of a glossy high quality laminated finish rather than bare or primed wood while I waited.

 

[anoon]

Perfect surface to adhere your artwork to. No major bondoing, sanding or fucking around in general. Slather on some contact cement, wait 20 minutes, j-roll, trim the edges. Apply artwork. I just think that the satin/Matte finishes work better. Glossy is just too unforgiving when it comes to air release.

Seconding this, and will try a satin finish next time.

I was also trying to apply the graphics and squeegee bubbles by myself as that's what I have seen people do on youtube.
Next time I am going to enlist some help to hold the graphics up while I take more care to push the air out. We'll see if it helps.

 

[advans13]

if you do the wet method, make sure your squeegee actually has felt or something soft over the edge, not like the fucking noobs that scratch the shit out of it with sharp plastic. it is cringe watching and listening to those "you tube vids".

ps. avatar image is boss