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Steampunk MAME!

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Fri, 09/25/2009 - 14:37 — Jake von Slatt

Doug writes:

I thought I'd pass on a project I've been working on for a couple weeks. I am a Steampunk fan, to be sure...but also a fan of old horror films.  I thought it would be fun to take both and combine them for a "MAME" arcade cabinet. You probably know what that is, but put simply it's an application that allows you to play arcade games (pac-man, donkey kong, etc) on a pc.  By building a cabinet, you can get some of the feel and fun of the old days of playing video games at the local arcade.  My cabinet combines some of the victorian elements found in steampunk with electrical mad-scientist designs from the man behind Karloff's Frankenstein lab(Strickfaden).  I'm finishing up the Marquee (the machine name plate usually found at the top of a cabinet) and will post pictures of that soon....

 

 

The details are amazing! I love the vintage panel meters on the control panel!

The book hides the power switch and you can see the PC motherboard that runs the whole thing in the background lit with blue light - I am a total sucker for blue LED lighting.

For me the most amazing part of Doug's work are the side panel cut into corian with a CNC carving machine and back-lit, Doug explains:

I own a carving machine....I can convert a photo to grey scale, then carve the photo as a lithopane. I carve in 1/4" corian (the stuff they make counter tops from). Once the carving it back-lit, it appears as a grey-scale photo...It's backlit with a green low watt bulb. These are on the side of the cabinet. This image was originally created by Rick Baker (special effects Davinci).

 

Doug really did a great job with the patina!

For more information and pictures click through to Doug's blog at: http://frankencade.blogspot.com/

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Comments

zahal - Fri, 09/25/2009 - 16:53.

Would have liked to see a Van de Graaff/huge sparker going up to the top!

Waltz - Fri, 09/25/2009 - 18:44.

Wow! Absolutely gorgeous.

LauriJon - Sat, 09/26/2009 - 13:05.

This is totally amazing!!! I'm just getting started designing Steampunk accessories, and your work is inspirational. Thank you! -- Lauri Jon

akanichiyoubi - Mon, 09/28/2009 - 14:04.

If you didn't show the entire process, I wouldn't believe it was made of wood. You did such a fantastic job, and I agree that you are an inspiration for SteamPunk creators. I just love the arcade idea, and mixed with horror movies? Genius.

Jake von Slatt - Mon, 09/28/2009 - 17:02.

 Not me this time! This one was built by Doug Haffner - see his blog: http://frankencade.blogspot.com/

VonBassenheim - Fri, 10/30/2009 - 18:30.

Surely Doug should have loaded up the snes classic Gouls'n'Ghosts on that beauty!? Great cabinet anyway. If Doug ever wanted to sell it (or make another one) I'm sure you could find a Goth/metal club that would pay good money for it.

Tess Elliott - Mon, 12/14/2009 - 12:03.

One of the things I always loved about the era of William Morris is his belief that useful things should also be beautiful. As an artist, I embellish where I can, but in my adult life one of my goals is to replace ugly plastic tools, and kitchen implements with beautiful ones. It took me years to find an affordable antler carving set like the one my grandmother had. Sewing with my Victorian chatelaine tools doesn't feel like drudgery (they also do double duty as crafting tools). My kitchen broom is a handmade, gorgeous multi-colored masterpiece that hangs on the wall where it can be admired. Beautiful tools make the work more enjoyable, and usually work so much better than cheap plastic knock-offs from China. So I have to agree that there is always plenty of time to be productive if we stop web surfing or TV watching long enough to get into a handmade project. My treasures are all handmade things, and I like it even better if I know the person who made them. That simplicity of life, using simple, beautiful things in daily work, and knowing the people who crafted those beautiful things is how our ancestors lived--it was rich in a way many don't understand now. I have my morning coffee in a mug made by a friend. It's being connected to a much bigger world, to people I love and admire...it's PERSONAL. Anyhow, Doug is so right about time.