Jump to content
IGNORED

how to build a pong replica?


Seob

Recommended Posts

This might help you someone got a pong cabinet and restored it on this website maybe he can help you with your project. http://www.rgvac.com/projects.asp?projid=4

 

On this website the author says "As it turns out, Atari was very efficient as you can get all of the pieces out of a single sheet of 3/4 inch pressboard. I went to Lowes with my measurements and had them rip my sheet of wood in half lengthwise (24 inches) and again at 59 inches. This gave me the two sides, top and front to approximate dimension. Once I got the wood home, I set my stripped cabinet on its side and clamped one of the sides down on it. Using a Jigsaw I trimmed the wood to within 1/4 inch or so all around, then with my router and a template cutting bit I smoothed all the details to exactly the shape of the original.” Now if you print out the pictures keeping in mind the dimensions he states you may be able to guestimate the exact dimensions from the picture and figure out the curves and what not of the cabinet. Since he says he used 1 sheet of wood you might be able to do this very cheaply. If you figure it out or want some help with this let me know I would really like to get final dimensions as well to share with others.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Must be the day but....

 

I just drew it up in AutoCad and I can't figure out how they got it 26 inches wide. If you rip the sheet of ply in half to do the 50 inches tall by 24 wide you don't have enough left to make the 26 wide pieces. Maybe you could use two sheets to make a machine but I am not sure how to do it with less.

 

Cassidy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you rip the sheet of ply in half to do the 50 inches tall by 24 wide you don't have enough left to make the 26 wide pieces.

 

Could it be that the 26 wide was made of the remaining pieces (that were 37" high, but turned on their side are 37" wide)? The front is made of two pieces of wood.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I'm waiting to hear back from the creator of that pong website I posted in here for you I asked him if I was able to draw up some plans with his webpage pictures if he could fill in the measurements by measuring his complete cabinet for me. So let’s keep our fingers crossed that he will agree so everyone can benefit by creating their own pong replicas. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry it took so long to get back to you guys I just emailed the guy today and he wrote back telling me he just finished up the measurements for the side of the cabinet and will be sending to me really soon. He just got really busy with stuff so I don't want to rush him since he's doing us a huge favor. As soon as I get some stuff I will post it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Well I have hit a snag the guy who said he will do it didn’t respond to my last email. It kind of makes me angry the guy was really nice and all but he wanted to sell me replica panels he made I really didn’t have the money he wanted for them so I told him I would just have to wait on that and would wait for his drawings he was going to email me. He told me he would get back to me the next day with the plans but never did I gave him a week and emailed him but no response since. He may be really busy or just lost all interest because he couldn’t make any money off me. On the brighter side of things a Pong replica did go up for auction on eBay and I got some really good pictures of the control panel and insides of the cabinet to share this should help some in the gathering of information here for this project. If any one else knows of anyone who can get measurements for this cabinet please post this is one tough thing to do and were not having the best of luck.

 

post-8610-1145919116_thumb.jpg post-8610-1145919139_thumb.jpg post-8610-1145919183_thumb.jpg post-8610-1145919234_thumb.jpg post-8610-1145919475_thumb.jpg post-8610-1145919491_thumb.jpg

 

Hope these help some going to have to keep trying maybe he will write me back at some point.

 

I just talked to someone else tonight I may be able to go and measure an actual cabinet in a few months when its restored and put back together so now I need to draw up or get some basic blueprints of the cabinet so I can fill in the measurements. It will involve a road trip out near Harrisburg PA form Philly area but I think it would be worth it to actually see one of these cabinets in person.

Edited by TheBman80
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

ok months of waiting and frustration have finally yielded in a result I now have probably the only measurements of a pong cab in existence on the web. As soon as I can redraw the plans so they are a little more readable I will post them for all to see. Wow this was a pain in the ass!! :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm probably the guy who bman80 has been waiting on and I do apologize, I've just been unbelievably busy these past couple of months. I put together a really quick 10 minute side view drawing of the arcade with measurements and angles.

 

Its fairly accurate, still need some additional details of the front/rear panels, but the all important side panel measurements I'm sure will be very helpful.

 

 

Just so you and everyone else knows, my company - Awesome Arcades (www.awecades.com) also has a Special Services department where we do custom cabinet work, kiosks, Point of Sales and most importantly - Replica's of original arcades, store displays and such for classic video games and computing.

 

I am doing replica's of the original Andy Capps orange Pong proto for the Classic Gaming Museum and VAE, so if anyone else in interest in one or of a full sized Pong, please pm me.

 

 

Curt

 

 

post-23-1156121884_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

I have more to add to your side view picture but I have a crap load of games im restoring before the weather gets cold I will try to redraw and scan the plans in after next week.

hello,

 

i am from linz/austria ... i would be interested in those plans (front and rear view) ... i am planning to build the world's biggest video game and of course i have chosen pong for that ... therefore i would like to rebuild the original pong cabinet at a scale of approx. 1:5 (about 10 metres high) ...

 

fips/linz/austria

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah took me a while to find them, all the measurements are in inches so you’re going to have to convert them to metric unless you want to build it using inches your choice. Took me many months to find these measurements it’s amazing that no one has ever posted the cabinets entire measurements before. Good luck with your project would love to see pictures when it’s been completed.

 

post-8610-1162569390_thumb.jpg

 

 

 

Oh almost forgot the monitor part of the pong cabinet was measured as if the corners were straight or square just remember the corners around the monitor hole were rounded. Hey if you get into the record books an honorable mention would be cool LOL I could give you the name of the guy who measured it for me as well. :D

Edited by TheBman80
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...

Thanx for the measurments. I almost forgot i had asked. A college of mine is going to build it. He is now building an pacman arcade. After he has finished it he wants to build a pong cabinet. I was wondering, i know at one time i did see some schematics of the pong board itself with all parts and printboard circuits. But i forgot to save it and now i can't find it. If somebody knows them could you please post them here. I'm sure my college would be interesed in them. Thnx

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...