I got these Yamaha YST-MS28 speaker system free at Circuit City when I bought some other equipment. They have great sound for such small 2″ speakers. I’ve used them for a few years to listen to MP3’s on my old computer. I purchased a new speaker system when I upgraded my computer. Therefore, I decided to use the Yamaha speakers for my cab.
I could have gone with real arcade speakers, but then I would need an amp. The YST-MS28 has an amp built into the subwoofer. The Yamaha speakers are screwed together for easy disassembly unlike many other computer speaker systems. Also the volume circuit board is separate. Here is what the guts look like:
I wanted to be able to have a volume knob on my CP. The pot on the circuit board is too short so I needed to build an extension. First I built a bracket out of some spare Lexan I had laying around. I used a heat gun to bend the 2 right angles. I used a hand jigsaw and box cutter to cut the shape. The bottom is smaller than the top to allow easy screwdriver access. I mounted the circuit board to the Lexan using brass motherboard mounts. I used three ½” shaft collars to extend the pot. The bottom shaft collars work by friction which prevents any damage to the fragile pot.
I added a red anodized aluminum knob that perfectly matches the Tornado spinner.
Here is the volume knob mounted next to the spinner and the volcano buttons.
Here is an inside view of the mounted speakers behind the marquee:
The speakers are so small that I don’t think grills are necessary. I just cut two 2″ holes in the cab with a hole saw under the speakers. Here is shot before painting:
