Project: International Slumber – Part 2: Some Assembly Required

One of the first things to arrive was the Tek-Case. Art has the case unassembled and flat packed to save on shipping. The plexiglass parts were all wrapped in plastic and packed between cardboard and bubble wrap, ensuring that all the pieces arrived undamaged. The 6/32” and 8/32” screws  were bagged and labeled as well. While there were no written instructions in the box, the YouTube video covers everything better than printed instructions could. 

 Flat packed for freshness!

One of the nice things about the Tek-Case are the number of customization options available. Since the case is plexiglass, there are a variety of different colors you can choose from for each panel. Want a clear top panel and a smoke bottom panel?  You can do that. Mirror side panels? Doable. Clear top panel, blue support panels, red name plate, and the ability to have artwork on the bottom panel? Why not.  Want an etched image on the top or bottom panel? You know it. The whole case in Florescent Green and Orange? Questionable taste, but it’s your money…

 Are we clear? Crystal...

Blue ice. Looks like Tron...

Yellow border? I can see that

Perfect for BlazBlue

In addition to the color options, you can also specify a number of 6 or 8 button layouts, from a Viewlix layout, Sega Astro City layout, even a straight Capcom 6 button layout or a Mortal Combat style layout. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination and wallet. D3v went with a fairly simple setup: clear case, mirror nameplate, option for artwork on the top and bottom. One of the plexiglass panels between the support layer, the artwork and the top panel had Morrigan’s image etched to it, allowing it to be overlaid on a different piece of art should d3v decide to change the artwork down the road.

Nice etching

 Very nice indeed...

D3v also ordered the optional weight slots with mirror plexiglass, which would allow him to add some ballsat (such as BB pellets) inside the case for more weight.

The piece that makes everything work is the diamond joint. The joints allow the perpendicular panels to screw together with the 6/32” screws and nuts that fit into slots cut into the joints. The top of the joint is threaded for a 8/32” screw, which allows the top panels and support layers to bolt to the ‘frame’ made by the side panels. The entire setup is as simple as it is ingenious.

After a few days, my order from LizardLick came in:

That's just the first wave of parts

Even though I was still waiting for some of the electronics to come in, I decided I’d put the buttons and joystick in the case to get an idea of what the finished product would look like and how much room I would have for the PCBs. Turns out, it looked quite nice:

  So fresh. So clean..

d3v should submit the art to the editor of Big 'Uns....

Like a nameplate belt buckle. But much cooler

Button inserts FTW. Balltop just a stand in for now

Looks like a lot of room in there. That's going to change

As nice as it looked, there was still a lot of work to do. 6 Arc Eyes and 4 PCBs had to be wired up. Time to get busy…

Project: International Slumber – Part 1: The Set Up

The plan for Project: International Slumber, or P:IS, was to have all the parts shipped to me for assembly and testing then to ship the finished product over to d3v. The spec sheet for this project would be rather full: Sanwa JLF stick, clear Seimitsu buttons, a set of Arc-Eyes for lights, a MC Cthulhu dual modded with a 360 PCB for multi console support, and a RJ45 hookup with compatible USB and Gamecube cables. The one thing he wasn’t sure of initially was which case to get. 2 cases were in the running. Voltech’s VAS-HG cases are beautifully crafted, extremely sturdy works of art. While not exactly cheap, they are worth every penny. I’d know, considering how El Guapo turned out. The other choice had been teased for a few months and were finally ready to start production. Art over at  Tek-Innovationshas made plexiglass covers and replacement panels for TEs and HRAPs for a while. His most recent project is much more ambitious: a plexiglass case, complete with options for colors, etchings and button placement. All of the parts fit together with standard screws. If you can put together a Lego kit, you can probably put this together as well.

D3v decided to go with the plexiglass case, which he optioned out to his needs and prepared the artwork, based on Darkstalkers fan favorite Morrigan, to be printed. The rest of the parts I ordered myself. I hit LizardLick up for the JLF and clear 24mm (just released) and 30mm Seimitsu buttons, the MC Cthulhu, and the Neutrick RJ45 pass through jack. I ordered the least expensive MadCatz 360 fightpad from Amazon, since I didn’t care what character I got (all I wanted was the PCB). For the lighting, I had to hit up my Canadian Connection. Purplearms was able to supply me with the Arc-Eyes for the button lights as well as a Masterstrike, which would take care of switching between 3 colors, powering the MC Cthulhu and 360 PCB, and handle USB switching.

Right around the same time 32Teeth, another crazy Canuck, came out with his custom PCB, Sparky Jr. Through the power of multiplexing, this PCB would allow you to assign one of 8 colors to any of your buttons, and would even assign colors depending on how many buttons you pressed (for instance, a color for an EX move, or focus attack). This would be a perfect opportunity to try it out. So, much like the Leo in the Berserker Barrage project, d3v would get a board that I don’t have in one of my personal projects. This means that somewhere down the line I’ll have to make one with a Sparky Jr. myself, but that’s down the road.

With the major parts lined up it was time to sort out the random odds and ends. I hit up Gummowned for a Gamecube /RJ45 cable, since I didn’t want to find one at my local Gamestop. I ordered some 10 color 28 gauge ribbon wire and a 15 foot USB cable from an electronics supply shop online. Since most of my other projects have been wireless (go figure), I had no need for an RJ45 crimping tool. So a trip to the local Home Depot netted one of those, along with a 1 foot CAT5 cable which I would wire to the MC Cthulhu  (MCC from here on out, as I can never spell it correctly!).  With the parts en route all I could do is wait for everything to come in and see what happens. Turns out, quite a bit…

Project: International Slumber - Prologue

Author’s Note: I had intended to do all the build worklogs in order. However, this one is a special project that needs to get done in less than the year it will take me to catch up with the other worklogs. Just consider this a flash forward deal, and any references to past projects and events will be explained in due time. Like reading the script for ‘Lost’, only less confusing…

At this point I had 4 customs under my belt: My OG El Kabong² stick, the Berserker Barrage MvC2 stick for Nick, the Guile Generations mashup for Germaine, and my lovely El Guapo. Out of the 4 projects, I’ve worked with d3v on the artwork for 3 of them, and tried to ship some people his way for some commissioned art as well. One day I got an e-mail from him about a project he wanted me to work on with him. After doing a number of custom jobs and seeing some of the amazing custom cases available, he decided it was time to get one of his own.  This one would have all the bells and whistles on it, and he wanted me to do the wiring for him. I was honored and intimidated at the same time. This would be the first time doing a custom job for someone outside my immediate circle (I had installed a Chimp in someone else’s stick a while ago, but that was small change compared to this). I had to make sure everything was as neat as possible and that everything worked the first time and every time. Complicating matters was the fact that d3v isn’t exactly local. I’m near Washington DC in the US, d3v is in the Philippines. Any technical support would be nearly impossible. So any stick would need to be practically bulletproof to survive the trip overseas. It would be a challenge, but one I was up for. Thus, International Slumber was born.