Dragon's Lair Fans - Arcade Lifestyle
General Chat => Arcade Lifestyle => Topic started by: level42 on February 05, 2014, 09:20:43 PM
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Hey guys.....
I realize these are very rare babies and not many people would need them but I am looking if there are more people interested for reproduced Namco P1/P2 buttons like this:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8546/8684904450_b46f9071da_b.jpg)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7051/8690511822_41800b65e7_b.jpg)
I cannot find them available ANYWHERE and the only place I have seen them are on actual Japanese Namco cabinets like Tank Battalion and my Namco Galaxian.
Puckman also used those buttons.
I have nothing firm just yet, I am looking into options. At this moment I think 3D scanning and printing might be the way to go because of the low volume and difficult shapes.
The buttons are insanely cool, but also insanely complex in construction.
The most difficult parts are the clear button itself and the Namco bezel around it. Other parts are metal parts that should be relatively easy to reproduce.
The actual switch should still be available, or you could use your old one. They are very similar to the usual door-switches at the cab doors and/or coin doors.
SO.....let me know if you are looking for these !
I will be going to a local 3d scanning and printing shop to see if it will be at all possible and how much cost there will be in them.
I might need someone who can digitally restore (in 3D) the shape of especially the bezel because as you can see mine has some cigarette damage that need to be fixed before printing.
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Cool project! Tank B. needs love, count me in for a pair. ;D
Btw: I could do the photoshop part with the numbers and the kanji...
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Count me in, I'll take 4.
I need 2 joysticks too!
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Preliminary pics...what on earth was done to that button, look at those bubbles....did they try to clean it with acetate ??
https://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/sets/72157644445580086/
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Started sanding this button.....seems to work, the bubbles on the left are already gone and the big area has already reduced a bit (more of the right most character is already visible).
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2922/13912648539_6f03041f04.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/13912648539/)
Untitled (https://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/13912648539/) by Level_42 (https://www.flickr.com/people/level_42/), on Flickr
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Wow, this is going much better than I expected, looking really hopeful !
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Nice !
told you they can clean up pretty well after seeing robin's zacc CPO
reminds me, i need to scan something, and drill something.
do you have a new shaft already ? i might have some place that can turn the new shaft to size to repair "our" mistake ;)
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No shaft yet. Actually I bought a Midway Galaxian joystick from ebay that I plan to use on the Namco Galaxian.
Going nice is original, but you know about my control fetish......it's got to be perfect and I don't like microswitches, if I can avoid them......
The original is microswitch and judging by the construction of it there will be a lot of play/distance between the left and right action.
I completely loved the original stick on my Bally-Midway Galaxian, especially with the welding-mod which reduced the up/down play to zero.
So, no need for any work on the original joystick parts (yet) , so you can focus on the bezel ;);););)
Here's the button now, almost done, just the edges. In the process of enthusiastically sanding I managed to break the "stands" of one side of the button. This stuff has become quite brittle. No big problem, two neat parts, can easily be glued back together and will be invisible once installed.
Of course I will now start to use finer sandpaper and then use my micro-mesh kit in the hope to get a nice and shiny surface again :)
I will go to the local 3D print shop to see if they could repro these. I think scanning the button would not be the best way to do it, the measurements and shape look simple enough to make a 3D drawing which will be much more accurate.
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i guess wet sandpaper will be the next step
place the sandpaper on a piece of glass, thats pretty "vlak" (straight surface) and keep that still and move the button in a rotating motion over it will do the trick i think
if you are a real dare devil you can Always flame polish the finish
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LOL I actually used that sanding method (well on a table) after I noticed I had created quite a dent in the surface where the bubbles used to be :)
Looks almost perfectly flat now, as with anything, it's a compromise :)
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Hey guys.....remember this ?
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2922/13912648539_6f03041f04.jpg)
now looky here y'all.....
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You see still a bit of stains because of water which is trapped between the button and the insert but that will dry up.
Is it perfect ? No. Is it an amazing improvement ? Hell yes !
The last step I did was using my Micromesh kit.....it is AWESOME !
I used it twice, I might give it a third run.
Can't wait to do this on the other button which is much nicer to start with anyway but that one is undergoing some "treatment" at the moment which will save the specs of the Namco button for prosperity :):)
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great result Andre 8)
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In all honesty.....the top layer of the button has become quit a bit thinner......but life is compromises.... :)
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Micromesh... Uh, never heard of that before.
Does that means very very fine grain sandpaper (like 6000) and anti static fluid?
The result is top notch!
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WOW ! :o
What a result !
maybe its thinner, but you just saved a Original button !
Nice work man !
maybe you call it not perfect, but its way more than acceptable IMHO :spaceace: :spaceace:
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Micromesh... Uh, never heard of that before.
Does that means very very fine grain sandpaper (like 6000) and anti static fluid?
The result is top notch!
You don't know what Micro-Mesh is sir......mmmm,sounds like it's time to give your wife a present, some nice Mirco-Mesh:
(http://s7d9.scene7.com/is/image/AmericanApparel/rsa0321s_black?defaultImage=/notavail&$ProductImage$)
Oh....oops sorry, but Google did come up with this....http://store.americanapparel.net/rsa0321s.html
OK I meant stuff from this factory:
https://micro-surface.com/
This is an online shop where you can get it but it's pretty expensive there....I also have a different (smaller) kit with less "steps".
http://www.craftsupplies.nl/250-micro-mesh
What's special about this. Well first of all the extremely fine grain steps but, the real trick is that it's not paper but some stuff that feels like vinyl. The stuff that "sands" stays in and moves "against" each other. You can use it lots and lots and lots of times. Preferably used whet. Unlike any other sandpaper you have to go STRAIGHT lines with the coarsest sheet first, then the next finer step you need to move it 90 degrees against the first movement and so on. Also remove the "waste" often and when you're nearing finishing one step, steadily reduce the force.
This gives an almost perfect result.
I bought this and used it for my MB plexi. It worked great to get the bad part out, but the drawback is, if you use it on a small part, you get a "window" around that area. So essentially you'd have to do the whole plexi with this stuff, but my kit is way too small for that.
I got my kit from a model shop in Schoonhoven, it was cheaper than that craft supplies shop. Can't find that website though...
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Wow, very nice result that you got there. I also never heard of the stuff, maybe it is useful for getting rid of cigarette burns on my moon crest cpo.
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Learned about Micro-Mesh from the KLOV (or maybe even BYOAC) forum.
Yep, that will work great, BUT as I said, you'll have to do the entire part to get an even result. There are larger sheets available and even one's you can put on a drill. These are normally used for airplane canopies and windows but also for plastic car headlights so I think they'll work on CPO's and plexi bezels too. (use the drill one's at LOW speed !!)
The model shop I bought my kit is here:
www.modelbrouwers.nl
They don't seem to have micro-mesh anymore but what looks like a (cheaper ?) alternative. I bet the Chinese have copied it....dunno, this may even be better, it has a Teflon backing that sticks.
http://www.modelbrouwers.nl/winkel/schuren-en-polijsten/schuur-en-polijstsets/schuurfolie-7-x-20-cm-met-plakrug
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Wait a minute, that stuff is WAY coarser than the Micro Mesh so that is completely different stuff !!!
My grains are:
3600
4000
6000
8000
12000 (!)
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Wow people, this looks even better !!!
http://www.modelbrouwers.nl/winkel/schuren-en-polijsten/schuur-en-polijstsets/schuurfolie-ultrafijn-tot-grit-60-000-10-x-10-cm
Up to 60000 grid !!!!
Says you can polish glass with it.....now THAT is what I need to get some scratches out of my Gravitar bezel....although I wonder what it will do to the coating.
Note that these sheets are 10x20 cm.
The kit I got the "sheets" are only 5x15 xm. or so.
10x20 sounds like you could actually use it on CPO's and bezels....
Think I'll drive by that shop again :)
Factory link: http://www.alphaabrasives.com
Not from China, from Canada, although lots of Chinese Canadians there ;)
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Very nice, i'm looking forward to the whole restoration of the cab, when it comes to art this is definitely in my top 3
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Thanks for the explanations!
Sounds like I really could use that on a lot of parts.
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Sir, what happened to the reproduction plans?
I am a solidworks engineer and can make part that can be feeded in every CNC-machine or 3D-printer but I need all measurements.....
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Well that is totally brilliant because Blanka temporarily has the best of the two buttons as he promissed to do the measurements and putting it in a 3D drawing, like he has done so brilliantly with the hand-held games for his upcoming book !
With that info you could do the next step :):)
I wonder what would be the best/possible process for these. The originals were cast or injection molded I guess. Are you saying you can make a mold for this ? I asked at a 3D printing shop and they said it couldn't be done in that quality but maybe they only refered to hobby type printers ?
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I think I replied to this thread on one of these forums, but I'd be in for 2 pairs.
The start buttons on my Galaga, the clear portion of the buttons are two pieces; the top is a clear cap (which appears to be what you sanded/polished/restored), with the text/screened portion underneath on the main body. I assume so, but is your Galaxian button the same construction? The "cap" is missing on my 2P start button..I'll add pics later to more clearly express what I mean ;D
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It is correct, we also was´nt very satisfied with the accuracy but if you sand the pieces and polish them it will be great, also the way they print it is important.
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As soon as I have the Galaxian in my house I will remove one button and make a Solidworks Model.....