Arcade - Arcade Cabinets - Atari - Tempest Cabaret

Tempest Cabaret (Mini)

Misc. Information

Cabinet measurements provided by: [email protected] on 4/7/2015

Has a cabinet been cut from drawings: YES

Construction type:

2 sheets of 3/4" Melamine or Particle board w/ vinyl
1 sheet of 3/4" Plywood for base, monitor support structure, and blocking


Tempest Cabaret, December 1981,  2,176 units built @ $2,195 

Estimate Cabinet Accuracy 90%

What does Cabinet Accuracy mean?

 Areas of variation

Blocking - The blocking (support structure for joining cabinet components) was drawn for use with dadoes. This the makes assembly much easier as far as spacing and marking (if the cabinet is to be cut with a CNC).

Support structure for control panel - The control panel (and monitor glass) support structure was modified by design. Primary reason for the modification was the measurements were taken from the cabinet were non-destructive (no cabinets were harmed in the process of tracing the cabinet).

Light box -  At the time of tracing, I was also doing a Centipede Cabaret (nearly identical cabinet). One of these cabinets did not have a light box. The same light box design was added to both cabinets. I would expect variations from factory cabinet.  

Placement of Top Vent - Unsure if this has slid marginally forward in the drawings.

Sketch Up

Atari Tempest cabaret video arcade game cabinet. Measurements taken from ggdb.com. Centipede and Dig Dug cabarets are the same dimensions. by Edgar (Arnel) B.
https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model.html?id=d63d68d9310a036b10145cc1b33dac39
NOTE: SketchUp drawings are provided to assist with the visualization of assembly of the cabinet. Many SketchUp drawings are missing significant panel details that are reflected in the CAD / DXF drawings. Please only use the SketchUp drawings for reference.

Picture of finished cabinet

Materials used for construction: (not including tools, bits, CNC, etc...)
3 sheets 3/4" 4'x8' furniture grade plywood    $46.93 x 3 = $140.79
2 sheets of wood grain laminate   $55.00 x 2 = $110
1 container of contact cement    $29.98
Rust-Oleum black paint     $2.00

Total Cost $282.77

VCarve Pro drawing



VCarve Pro (Verson 7.5) file

Note: .CRV files do not contain tool paths. 
tempest_cabaret_final_2.crv
File Size: 373 kb
File Type: crv
Download File


DXF File (CAD file.)

tempest_cabaret_final_2.dxf
File Size: 2909 kb
File Type: dxf
Download File

Printable Files

The below files are PDF documents of the plans that are printed to scale. These documents can be taken to your local print shop and printed on 36" wide media. The prints can then be applied to the wood and used as a template to cut the side panels of the cabinet.  I have only included the side panels and any other panels that may be more difficult to cut.
tempest_cabaret_side_panel.pdf
File Size: 6 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Cabinet Art Files

Currently not available


Drawing specific notes

The entire cabinet was intended to be cut using 3/4" melamine (I hate melamine....use 3/4 furniture grade plywood). There is one exception with the top vent cover.   With the drawings below, the bottom drawing is the correct drawing. The cut piece should look like an "M". This is then covered with a 1/4 inch thick piece of plywood that should give the pockets a "roof" allowing air to exit and still protecting contents from falling into the machine and monitor (see lower picture). This is also pictured above in the completed cabinet. 
Additionally, the highlights area below has a bevel cut on the top edge at approximately 30 degree (circled in RED). The high side is on the top. This allows the top to be used as a type of handle.  


One other area of note on the cabinet is the front panel. In the front panel there are 2 "pockets" cut for the marquee and metal grill for the speaker.  The marquee pocket (blue) has a depth of .15". The depth of cut for the speaker cover is .1" (purple area).

Comments

7/20/2017 - updated drawings, corrected the "key"
11/9/2015 - Initial post
Last updated 7/20/2017