Build My Defender MultiWilliams

Michael Roma

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I am about to embark on building a MultiWilliams in a Defender cab. The cab is completely empty and will require just about everything.

Can any fellow collectors that have already traveled down this path provide some resources to purchase parts as well as lessons learned (ie, I used X joystick/buttons but should have used Y, vendor A has the best prices for parts X, Y, and Z, etc)?

My main concerns as far as procurement are the following:

1) control panel - I saw appolo.com sold these at a time. Is there another source for these?

2) joysticks - Will the Wico 8-way, 3.5" shaft, microswitch joysticks work from LizardLicks. Will the 4" shaft be too long (mind out of the gutter guys). Alternate source for purchase?

3) JAMMA harness - will any normal JAMMA harness do or is the plus needed for the additional buttons (or are the wires for P2 used for single player games w/ more than 3 buttons)? Did I just answer my own question?

4) buttons - microswitch vs. leafswitch. I am leaning more towards microswitch but realize any pre-fabricated control panels might be drilled for leafswitch). Sources to purchase from?

5) Power - any good sources for an ISO and switcher???

6) Bezel, Marquee, CPO - I already purchased a Defender MW CPO from Rich at TOG and the stencils from Prok. Since I am going the "keep it as much as a Defender as possible" route I figured I stick with original Defender bezel and marquee.

Thanks for the assistance....

- Mike


Here she is in all of her nekkid-ness...

emptycab01.jpg


emptycab02.jpg
 
I did one a few months back.

Don't sell yourself short... You did the Defender multi-Williams that all others will be measured against. I bought a jrok board when they first shipped and it's been sitting in the garage for quite some time waiting for a Williams cab. Thankfully I just picked up a fairly solid Defender cab so I've read your thread a few dozen times thus far ;).

Keep us updated on your progress Michael :cool:!

-T
 
Build My Defender MultiWilliams with DJ DNS's One Stop Shop

Here is what I found. I should have a coin bucket, but can't get that far into my parts room yet. I think all you need is your control panel, Jamma shit and a top bezel bracket that holds the top part of the bezel in place. Merry Christmas in August!
 

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Don't sell yourself short... You did the Defender multi-Williams that all others will be measured against. I bought a jrok board when they first shipped and it's been sitting in the garage for quite some time waiting for a Williams cab. Thankfully I just picked up a fairly solid Defender cab so I've read your thread a few dozen times thus far ;).

Keep us updated on your progress Michael :cool:!

-T

I couldn't have said it better myself! Greg's Defender is fantastic. Anyone who missed the original thread should go back and read it and check out the pics. Simply amazing craftsmanship.

To the op - make sure you put a silver coin door in that cab. Everyone knows that only true Defenders had the silver doors... ;)
 
I would use leaf switches for buttons, or at least micro-leaf from groovygamegear which fits in a microswitch button.

I'd try to find leaf wico sticks and I like the robotron-length shafts for most games. You can get light blue shafts from Wu on here in that length.
 
Thanks for all the input gents...

Gregatron... you did a fantastic job on your MW. Any chance I can outsource the creation of a control panel to you? I am sure I will have plenty of questions to ask when it comes to the stencil/paint portion.

DJDNS... I love X-mas no matter what month it is! :) Thanks, I'll pick them up next time I am down.

Is the main complaint with micro v. leaf switches soley the sound? I read someones blog that stated that you can get faster action with a leaf switch. Is there any credence to that?

If leaf is truly the way to go then which is it...

True Leaf
http://www.mikesarcade.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?sku=PBLSHOLDER

or Micro-Leaf?
http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=73&products_id=309

Keep the advice rolling in...

- Mike
 
I still prefer leaf over micro-leaf (mostly a feel thing), but micro-leafs are pretty darn nice if you like non-clicky buttons.
 
Leafs or nothing. Cherry switches are loud and annoying. Save the cherry switches for MAME projects ;) In all seriousness use what you like and make it yours. Doesn't matter who did what with their cabinets, just use those as a template but throw your own spin on it.
 
i don't like the feel of the multi playing defender, it's much better with the reverse button in the right place and a 2 way stick, to each his own though, defender/stargate are the only williams I bother playing. might play some robotron if I had a cab and the correct controls.
 
i don't like the feel of the multi playing defender, it's much better with the reverse button in the right place and a 2 way stick, to each his own though, defender/stargate are the only williams I bother playing. might play some robotron if I had a cab and the correct controls.

On a related note, I ended up with a Defender cab with a jrok board in it to play Defender and Stargate (going to build a control panel that has the inviso on it), and I play Robotron and Joust in a jamma cab that has Robotron sticks in it. The only reason I ever go back to the real Defender hardware is to get the correct audio frequency response (jrok is much thinner sounding), which I plan on trying to fix via an external amp with either attenuation or the iine-out on the jrok board.

If I had a single Defender cab that I was trying to do this with, I'd build a Stargate panel for Defender and Stargate, and another panel for Robotron, Joust, Bubbles, and Splat! (don't care about Blaster, and would want a rotated monitor to play Sinistar even though you can play it sideways.) Swapping panels is pretty quick on a Defender machine.
 
Here is the file I created for my JROK Defender/Stargate:

4349983573_88e6e3e784_z.jpg


I too felt the need to stick with the 2-way stick for Defender and Stargate so this is what I came up with. One of these days I will get it all wired up and finished....
 
Here is the file I created for my JROK Defender/Stargate:

4349983573_88e6e3e784_z.jpg


I too felt the need to stick with the 2-way stick for Defender and Stargate so this is what I came up with. One of these days I will get it all wired up and finished....

Nice! Is that Defender spacing for the smart bomb or Stargate spacing? I haven't decided which way to go with mine. I'm thinking that it'd be best to go with Stargate spacing so that the smart bomb and inviso are equally accessible.

I've also been meaning to build a Sinistar panel for my Double Dragon since it has an easily rotatable monitor. :) I have the joystick already. . . too many projects tough. :)
 
Here is the file I created for my JROK Defender/Stargate:

4349983573_88e6e3e784_z.jpg


I too felt the need to stick with the 2-way stick for Defender and Stargate so this is what I came up with. One of these days I will get it all wired up and finished....

Oh yeah, and this seems like deja vu, but you have very good taste in games! I'm jealous of your Star Castle since it's the last machine that I'll be able to fit in my gameroom.
 
That does look pretty nice. I new he was working on something but hadn't seen it yet.
 
I just ordered 3 sheets of 1/16 ABS plastic to use as a backer for this overlay...

I will have enough material to make 3 of them.... 1 for me and 2 extras.

Normally I would use plexi or lexan for the backer but I don't like the thickness of it. Once the CPO is adhered to the abs sheet, the sheet can be glued to the wood panel, like the original control panel assembly of Defender.

Its going to be a bit before I get the stuff and cut them to fit...
 
it's awesome looking

This is just sweet... To bad I abandoned my Defender MW to build one in a Robotron...

I like the classic PA MW overlay also... the problem is that those joust/robotron/stargate CPs are hard to convert and the metal one is impossible to find now.

It really leaves you with Defender as the only easy way to build a MW w/ a good looking CP.
 
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