I’ve had my authentic Pac-Man underlay replacement graphic for a couple years (stored in a safe place away from kids), but finally got some glass and am ready to move this project forward a bit! I have to say, when you are playing it, you can’t see it is all “prototype” and it feels pretty legit. I also got a bezel designed for an LCD screen, and it really works well. Unfortunately, the next step is a big one: building the final cabinet. I’ve been reading about using a wood laminate like the original machines, but really would prefer to use a nicer wood that I can stain. Honestly, since I’ve not done a laminate, it might be easier, but I’m not sure if I want to go “replica” or do it “my way”. It’s probably going to be the latter.
I’ve looked at a lot of custom cocktail machines, and there are a lot of ways to approach the control panels. My prototype looks dumb, but it’s so easy to just box it out. The real reason not to have a control panel the width of the cabinet is that you’d have to sit back farther. With the prototype, you can kind of sneak your knees under it, but when it’s all buttoned up, you will want your knees to the side. Well, that’s a problem for next year (hopefully not next year but based on my timeline so far…)