DK Cab Scratch Replica: HELP!

carlettosan

New member
Joined
Jul 19, 2011
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Location
ROME, Italy
Dear Friends,

my name is Carlo from Rome, Italy. Just subscribed here on KLOV (amazing site).

I am about to embark on a (sad) mission to build a scratch replica of a DK Cab.

I will need to buy a bunch of items from the US so i will use all the help and suggestions you could give to do the job right (also used parts are very welcome).

Main issue is... CABINET BUILD !!!

While ppl in the US are lucky cause they can buy a ready made Nintendo cab from companies like Mike's Arcade etc... i simply can't cause shipping charges would be IMMENSE.

So.. i al left with the challenge to build one.

I have downloaded the files from Jakobud.com (jpeg + eps files). Awesome bit of info!

I have been to a great place this morning, a "wood workshop" that has an incredible machinery that cuts wood from autocad files, PRONTO !!!

I was amazed to see it working live action.

They guy who is "behind the wheel" told me he needs DWG files in order to perform the side panels on this machinery w/ou having to re-trace from the EPS files.

I wonder if anyone here got them and could supply them to me or point me to some online website that shares them.

SK8ersublime user contaced by me through youtube sent me a temp list of what would be needed for the additional bits:

Side Art - $69 arcadeshop.com
20ft T-molding - $7.40 - T-molding.com
Control Panel Latches - $6.50 - mikesarcade.com
DK Panel - $85 - mikesarcade.com
Coin sticker - $3 - arcadeshop.com
Sticker under bezel - $5 - arcadeshop.com
DK Bezel - $45 - arcadeshop.com
2'' casters - $5.36 - Lowes
Marquee - $21.95 - Gameongrafix.com
Marquee Holder Top - $17 - mikesarcade.com
Marquee Holder Bottom/top bezel holder - $21 - mikesarcade.com
Bezel Retainer bar - $17 - Mikesarcade.com
control panel retainer - $8 - Mikesarcade.com

Could you add aything to this list or propose alternatives ??? Use CUT/PASTE of my list.

I guess I will need a monitor and a PCB. That's for sure!

Unless i want to go the MAME way.

But i would def prefer a PCB classic route.

OK, i need all the help i can get for the cabinet DIY guidelines.

Thanks in advance to anyone who will want to contribute to help me fulfill my dream.

Ciao, Carlo
 
An honorable quest! I think it's quite doable. Don't forget, that you will also need a power supply and an isolation transformer for the monitor. Nintendo monitors run on 100v, so if you're going to use the Sanyo 20EZ monitor that these originally shipped with, you'll need an isolation transformer meant to output 100v.

A modern switching power supply should work, you'll just have to do a bit of wiring if you're using an original harness.

If you decide to use some other arcade monitor, you will need a video inverter. Donkey Kong (and all other Nintendo boards) output inverted video, and were meant to be used with the Sanyo monitor. To use a standard game monitor, you'd need to use a standalone inverter board as well. In addition, the Sanyo monitor has the audio amplifier for the game - so if you use another monitor, you'll need one of those too. You could easily hack up a cheap pair of computer speakers to get one, however.

Another option would be to wire the cabinet with a JAMMA harness (easy to get) and use one of the available Donkey Kong to JAMMA adapters, with the built in audio amplifier and video inverter. That would allow you to use a standard monitor, speaker, and a readily available wiring harness.

Also, I believe the Jakobud plans are notoriously incorrect - or at least, slightly different from a real cabinet. The ones I've seen built to those plans look... odd. Nintendo coin doors are different, and many people seem to use a more standard Happ type door instead. Nintendo cabinets are also built out of 5/8" wood, instead of the more standard 3/4". If you go with the original thickness, you'd need T-molding meant for Nintendo cabinets.

-Ian
 
Hey Carlo!

Good to see you trying to start this. The jacobud plans are close but a bit off.

Here are pics of my old mamed build next to a real DK cab

I'll try to get bigger photos when I get home.

The plans have a slightly taller cab and the curves are a pain. But it's pretty close. Get a bezel marquee and CP and build around that for the width of the cab.
 

Attachments

  • ImageUploadedByTapatalk1314380826.479753.jpg
    ImageUploadedByTapatalk1314380826.479753.jpg
    8.9 KB · Views: 83
  • ImageUploadedByTapatalk1314380837.148465.jpg
    ImageUploadedByTapatalk1314380837.148465.jpg
    9.5 KB · Views: 62
Hey Carlo!

Good to see you trying to start this. The jacobud plans are close but a bit off.

Here are pics of my old mamed build next to a real DK cab

I'll try to get bigger photos when I get home.

The plans have a slightly taller cab and the curves are a pain. But it's pretty close. Get a bezel marquee and CP and build around that for the width of the cab.

Yo, how are you?

I will def get the bezel, marquee and cp soon as per your suggestion... i am not in a rush.

I am a bit worried about the monitor... i have seen Nintendo monitors for sale here on KLOV but again.. shipping a monitor from the USA to Italy would be expensive and dangerous...

What are my other options? LCD ?? Would it look weird?
 
Yo, how are you?

I will def get the bezel, marquee and cp soon as per your suggestion... i am not in a rush.

I am a bit worried about the monitor... i have seen Nintendo monitors for sale here on KLOV but again.. shipping a monitor from the USA to Italy would be expensive and dangerous...

What are my other options? LCD ?? Would it look weird?

If you are going to use an original board, I would not use an LCD. Your cheapest solution would probably be a 60-1 and a computer CRT. You could get a non nintendo monitor and just get an inverter board, do you have a source or any arcade monitors in italy? If not a computer CRT or LCD would work fine with a 60-1. I would recommend a CRT tho as lcds have strange viewing angles and some might wash out the screen from certain views.
 
European CRTs have the SCART connection which I believe makes connecting to an arcade setup considerably less difficult. I would look into how you'd wire one up to an original DK board with a SCART connection and then decase a television and put it in the cabinet.
 
Actually to follow up my last post, you might want to get a DK -JAMMA adapter and use a JAMMA harness. That should wire up to a SCART connection pretty easily. I think all you would need is the proper connecter for the RGB wires to your television.
 
European CRTs have the SCART connection which I believe makes connecting to an arcade setup considerably less difficult. I would look into how you'd wire one up to an original DK board with a SCART connection and then decase a television and put it in the cabinet.

Not a big deal to find a suitable CRT TV but... what about aspect ratio etc?

I am not an expert on this i must admit so maybe i am wrong but...

Normal TVs are 4:3 aspect ratio while a classic arcade dk monitor sits vertically no?

Isn't this a problem?

Or would you just "matte out" the side of the exceeding blank image sides? Wouldn't like that much though...

Is this a non problem? Any suggestions or easy workarounds?

@Sk8: ther initial idea was to go the "cheap way" so the 60-1 route but "ideally" i would like more a PCB + jamma adapter solution and buy a modded DK Junior board and get it upgrade to play both DK + Jr.... i'd like that a lot.

About the bezel and marquee pieces from the sale post i will write to him and see if he wants to post it to Italy. Thx for pointing these put.

Aheeem.. What is an inverter board? What is the purpose? :imbarassed
 
Normal TVs are 4:3 aspect ratio while a classic arcade dk monitor sits vertically no?

Isn't this a problem?

Just turn the it sideways. Donkey Kong uses a vertically oriented monitor - lots of games do. But there's nothing electrically different between a vertical monitor and a horizontal one. A vertically oriented game just has it's monitor bolted into the cabinet vertically, instead of horizontally.

-Ian
 
Aheeem.. What is an inverter board? What is the purpose? :imbarassed

Yeah, I should have explained that better when I brought it up earlier...

Most games use "standard" video - analog Red, Green, Blue and sync signals, and it's usually 5v peak to peak. So, in other words, when the red wire has a 0v signal, the red gun in the monitor will be off. When the red wire is carrying a 5v signal, the red gun will be turned on all the way. When the red wire is carrying a 3v signal, the red gun will be on - but not quite as bright as at 5v. With this method, you can display any color in the rainbow on a monitor. VGA computer monitors work the same way, only the signal levels are different (1v peak to peak) and the sync frequency is completely different

In a Nintendo game, the monitor uses "inverted" video. That's exactly the opposite of the above. When the red wire is carrying 0v, then the red gun is on all the way, and when the red wire is carrying 5v, the gun is off.

The Sanyo monitor that shipped with these games was designed to use this sort of inverted video signal. So, if you connect the Nintendo game board to the Sanyo monitor, it'll work the way it was designed to work. But, if you connect the Nintendo game board to a standard monitor - one that takes normal video, then the picture will be inverted - it'll look exactly like looking at a photographic negative. The blacks will be white, stuff that was supposed to be red will be a combination of blue and green, etc. It's not going to hurt anything, it'll just look really ugly. So, what you need is an inverter board, to invert the video signal to make it compatible with a standard monitor (if you don't use an original Sanyo 20EZ monitor)

Nintendo actually made these boards, they were shipped in some games. It's not too hard to find one used. Also, there exist JAMMA cabinet adapters, that allow a Nintendo board to be plugged into a JAMMA game, so those adapters contain the necessary inverter circuit, as well as an audio amplifier. That's why I suggested you wire your new cabinet with a JAMMA harness, and just use the adapter - less parts to track down. Also, the wiring harness will be very easy to get, as JAMMA harnesses are cheap and readily available.

-Ian
 
Also, there exist JAMMA cabinet adapters, that allow a Nintendo board to be plugged into a JAMMA game, so those adapters contain the necessary inverter circuit, as well as an audio amplifier. That's why I suggested you wire your new cabinet with a JAMMA harness, and just use the adapter - less parts to track down. Also, the wiring harness will be very easy to get, as JAMMA harnesses are cheap and readily available.

-Ian

Interesting.. could you point me to one of these adapters please? A link to a website that sell it would be perfect... Thx! Carlo
 
Click on pic for the link




I have one of these in my JAMMA Cabinet at the moment (And a DK 2 addon for my DK PCB)

The cab is running a standard 21" tube from a TV, and has a JOMAC Universal Chassis in it

The Jomac chassis needs no isolation transformer and works from 100 volts up to 260 volts

Jomac lives in my home town and is a pretty helpful guy

Talk to him
http://www.jomac.net.au/

PS I have a 2nd DK PCB too if interested

PM Me if you want (Might be able to put it in the same box if you buy a Jomac Chassis from him)
 
Last edited:
DK Replica Monitor

If you are using a 60 in 1 PCB just use an LCD if you can find a used 4:3 VGA LCD. I put one in my DK cabinet as I have a 60 in 1 in it right now. I used an older NEC 4:3 19" LCD and it remembers the last power state. If you don't like an LCD get a used TV monitor. For mounting I used aluminum pieces from the HW store and screwed them to the original frame mounts and VESA mount. Then I cut a new cardboard shroud like the original to fit. The EZ 20 went to a more important project since I was not using an original PCB for this game. It looks great. If you use a 22" wide screen it would probably look good once you masked the extra side edges with cardboard.

Its a replica not an original game you are making so why spend money on expensive parts.

Michael
 
I mamed mine, and for the screen i just mounted a board across the cabinet and I put a VESA mount on it. worked great.

I have used a 19'' widescreen and a 19'' standard LCD. The wide screen gave me a larger Vertical game, but a tiny horizontal game. The standard size mounted vertically was better overall i guess...
 
Back
Top Bottom