Bartop build...'Black Ops' finished (look at the pretty lights)

[ninjasquirrel]

gryhnd- yeah that's what I'm thinking.  I don't think it really needs any molding unless it were very small. Just something to 'break' the edge. I wonder about the adhesive back trim you see on car door edges. I don't know if it's a right angle or u-channel trim, I'll have to look into it.  The easiest solution is sometimes the best, so I might just leave it as is.
The round over would work, it would just be extremely difficult to achieve with all the curves on the cab...most of it would have to be done by hand.  The transition between the CP overlay and round over might be strange too.

Keep the suggestions coming!

[BobA]

Really great workmanship and it is nice to see brand new ideas.  Your cab looks like it is going to be a MAMEY winner for sure.
 

[ninjasquirrel]

Thanks BobA!

Small amount of progress lately.  I've been working on the bondo and sanding...slow progress, and I can't seem to get much time to work on it.  Lets start off with a couple tools of the trade I've been using-



If you notice on the right hand side of the picture, I have a homemade bondo spreader.  It's just a scrap piece of laminate that I've semi-rounded the edge over on and it works surprisingly well for spreading bondo.  Good news is that if it gets too messy or breaks, you can easily make another!
I started with a pretty thick coat of bondo all around the speaker area.  After a quick sand over, I then began to skim the entire area around the cab with a second coat.







After quite a bit of sanding, including electric random orbital, and hand sanding, this is what it looks like.







I think that last pic might have been after 3 coats, can't remember, it all kind of blurs together 

I guess this weekend will involve buying some glazing putty and filling all the small imperfections including air pocket holes, cracks, etc.  To make sure I know where all these spots are at, I made some pencil marks around the bartop.



This weekend will also involve working on the color scheme and artwork...wish me luck on that one!

Question: Does anyone know the easiest way to import an autocad drawing into gimp? I use the primitave method of saving as a bitmap, importing that as a layer, draw a circle at 1 1/8" in gimp, scale the imported layer to match the button circle to this 'gimp' exact circle. (If that makes any sense at all) Not very accurate and frustrating...suggestions?

[opt2not]

 
This project delivers.
I love the custom design. I love the techniques and craftsmanship. I love this project!  
Great job so far, truly an original design.

As for your question, you might be able to find some dxf plugins for The GIMP out there. I only did a quick google search, but I saw a few links that mention addons for importing dxf and dwg files. There might be an avenue there.


edit: another thing I'm seeing is converting an autocad file to pdf, then opening the pdf in GIMP. You could try looking into that.

[EwJ]

That's some nice work ninjasquirrel!
This project starts out awesome and just keeps getting better.
It's so bendy and curvy and smooth...can't wait to see the next update.

[filuren33]

I love this, it's a very nice build and you sir are very good at this 

When I have looked at this build I had this nagging feeling I have seen this lines before and now I have found it..

Maybe I am the only one to think they have similarities.

[ninjasquirrel]

I'm glad you guys are following the thread! Because from here on out, I might be needing the help/suggestions that this forum is great at delivering 

filuren33- Nice find! It's crazy how extremely close my cab's lines are to that pc! It even has the angled front similar to the coin area on mine     I've never seen your pic before...well I guess there are no original ideas left 

This past weekend was fairly slow, spent time on the honey-do list and enjoyed the family on mother's day.  But I did manage to find some 2 part glazing putty (catalyzed) and some heavy weight automotive primer to continue the finishing process.  I was also able to transfer my autocad drawing into Gimp and things are slowly coming along on that front.  This week will involve continuing to work on the CP overlay, marquee, and prepping for the paint.  In the midst of that, I'm going to try and figure out a good way to make my speaker grills, make flush mount covers for the joysticks, make the metal back for the cab, and ramming all the goodies inside... little overwhelming but it will get there.

I know some of you guys are in the graphic arts from reading your own builds like opt2not etc, and I know all of you have a good eye for design, so I might need some critiquing/suggestions when I post some artwork later this week, so be prepared...lol.

p.s.- If anyone wants to know how I transferred the drawing into gimp...I simply went into autocad, pulled my drawing up in a viewport, went to plot under file, under plot I selected a plotter that actually 'printed' (saved really) onto the hard drive as a jpeg (a very large jpeg) and pulled it into gimp as an image-new layer.  I knew how wide the cp was thanks to autocad, 26", so when I created a new page in gimp, I made it 26" wide.  When the image was pasted into gimp, I simply locked the scale, and scaled it to the width of the page 26"...that way everything kept it's original scale etc.  If this makes sense great, if not and you need more understanding, just ask!

[opt2not]

I know some of you guys are in the graphic arts from reading your own builds like opt2not etc, and I know all of you have a good eye for design, so I might need some critiquing/suggestions when I post some artwork later this week, so be prepared...lol.

You betcha. I'll definitely give you some critiques on the artwork, I'm looking forward to it! Your construction design is great already, putting some equally awesome artwork to it will make this project godly.

[Epyx]

I really like this build as well. It has my creative energy going for another future portable bartop build.  Can't wait to see this one done! 

[javeryh]

Those curves are great - I don't think you will need any molding around the edge...   

[ninjasquirrel]

Well after alot of head scratching and numerous start overs, I came up with a first draft of what I'm thinking about for my graphic overlay.  I went with the military'ish theme and kept the overall look in shadows. The top section is trying to replicate a scratched, grungy looking metal, and as you go down to the controls area, I put a carbon fiber in the background faintly and added all the rest on top.  This is my first real project using gimp so it took a little time to learn and I'm sure things could look better so please critique away.

First pic shows what will be printed-



Second shows what it would look like with the cutouts-





This was a learning experience with the ol' gimp and I like the way it looks, but I'm not dead-set on this as being my final version.  I'm thinking about painting the cab with a pearlescent black maybe to go along with the darker theme.

Edit: ok so I've thought about it and I think that instead of a standard shiny looking black finish, I think I'm leaning toward a satin/matte finish much like what is on this car...I'm thinking about a brand called Hot Rod Flatz



As far as marquees go...nothing yet  
I'll focus on the overlay before I get too deep into the marquee.

At the bottom are much larger pics to show the details if you wanted to see them, and the carbon fiber is a little messed up at the bottom on the bigger ones at the bottom, just ignore that part.

[NinjaGerbil]

Looks awesome!!!!   Like what you did on the graphic!

[TEKNYNE]

I think it is perfect, nice simple and clean graphic. It will work well with this, as the art is not the focus of the Bartop.  The great curves and originality of the Bartop are the focus.

[opt2not]

Nicely done!    I like the tarnished/scratched metal look for the top, and I really REALLY like the joystick cross heirs. Especially the way the colours work together, the light green with the teal/blue really works well, and I kinda wish there was more of that colour-mix in the button outlines. Perhaps sprucing those lines up inserting a teal/blue line could be cool looking. Or, perhaps parts of the green lines could fade in-and-out of the teal/blue.

Another comment is the tarnished/scratched metal, how do you feel about tinting it towards green more to go with the green coverage you have in the CP area? It looks like the metal part has a warm hue, going more towards brown...whereas the bottom has more cooler tones. Perhaps play with the tint a bit to get to a cooler tone would work nice.

I'm not too crazy about the dude's face, mostly 'cause I don't know who he is, and if he's just a generic soldier guy I would have gone with a masked dude, or with camouflaged face paint -- like someone in the special forces. This is probably more of a personal feeling, but I would've gone with an unrecognizable face, so that people wouldn't come up to my cabinet and ask, "oh where's that guy from?"...if he had unrecognizable features the viewer wouldn't try to associate him with anyone.

This is an awesome first draft though, and most of my comments are just being nit-picky. Overall, great job man.

btw, how do you feel about faded thin-green grid lines...perhaps under the buttons, and creeping up towards the top?

[emphatic]

That paint choice (like the car) is very cool, and I'm sure that you can pull it off.  I'd go for a more generic graphic on the CPO though. That soldier makes the cabinet look semi-dedicated, and it's a bit distracting I think.

[ninjasquirrel]

Ok so I've got the second draft ready for your enjoyment.  

Taking into consideration opt2not's and emphatic's suggestions and a little surfing on the web, I was able to replace the soldier with a spec ops soldier covered with a mask so hopefully no one recognizes him now   I did agree with what you guys were saying about the dedication look of it after I took a break from staring at it and came back later. Great suggestions!

I still don't know if the metal at the top looks quite right...something seems off a little  
maybe it's just me, but what do you guys think? I did tint it more green, hopefully not too much.

I tried to find a nice illustration of a tank or plane to place where the soldier is, but after over an hour I couldn't find the one with just the 'right' look and was big enough.
Anyway keep the comments coming, I still have time and room for additional drafts  

[emphatic]

That's much better!  You should really consider using transparent dustwashers for your joysticks and as well as artwork packed Seimitsu buttons that let's you preserve that mesh pattern you have in the "button area". Or do you already have a button color theme chosen?

How about these planes:
http://integrator.hanscom.af.mil/2008/September/09112008/Link16.jpg
http://www.defenselink.mil/dodcmsshare/homepagephoto/2009-03/hires_090309-F-6911G-207a.jpg
http://bbccupholder.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/two_f-22a_raptor_in_column_flight_-_noise_reduced.jpg

[Bender]

yeah, much better, but I'd ditch the soldier all together

Simple and clean, with just that smoke and your awesome joystick and button layouts would really rock!

oh and the top bit I feel could be a little more toward the green side it looks more toward the yellowish side at least on my screen, I don't think the color should be any stronger just a little hue shift toward green but still really muted

Also Mountain, tuned me on to this stuff which I think would just be amazing for your build, a matt soft feeling coating, would just be sick!
http://alsacorp.com/products/softtouch/softtouch.htm

[javeryh]

+1 on ditching the headshot altogether.  I will admit that I'm not the best judge of art when it isn't done in a cartoony/arcade/retro style though which is what I think all cabs should have in my warped little brain.

[ninjasquirrel]

emphatic- I think I'll definitely be using transparent dustwashers, and as far as the buttons go, glance back at the my first page again. They will be the competition buttons with the green plexi inserts with a glow effect. That's where the green theme first started from.  Thanks for the plane pics, still trying to decide what to do in that area but I could do alot with them!

Bender- that paint is VERY nice!!!!   But really $$$$ for even a quart.  Haven't seen that brand before so thanks for the link...really considering this as an option now!

javeryh- I'm still considering leaving that section blank like you said...didn't feel too good about the new soldier when I looked at it for awhile.

I was out of town this weekend but I'm back at it starting this week. Hopefully I can get another version up and see what you guys thank.  If anyone has anymore ideas, no matter what they are please suggest them.  This is how revisions and tweaks work...I love peer judgment, even when it's my final say so, bouncing ideas around helps out alot!!  I really am enjoying where this is going with all of your input!  

I was even thinking about making it more cartoony/illustrative like javeryh was saying so lets try to get that thought flowing also...

[emphatic]

as far as the buttons go, glance back at the my first page again. They will be the competition buttons with the green plexi inserts with a glow effect.

Doh! I knew I was forgetting something.  Those will of course look even better.

[ninjasquirrel]

After taking a break from the graphic area of the cab (it's giving me a headache!!), I started work back on the finishing of the bartop. 
Small problem when I went out into the garage tonight. We've had alot of rain lately and after forgetting that my garage door leaks a little in the corner, and leaving my mdf bottom of the cab on the ground...well you know what happened-



The edge swelled and I had to recut the piece. I was out of mdf and so opted for 1/2" ply which works better in the long run for attaching everything to it-





After that small mishap, I was able to focus on the priming. After 2 coats of primer I was left with-



After those two coats were applied, there were still many pin holes from air bubbles in the bondo, so I sanded it back down in those places.  I won't spray it again until most of the internals are worked out, just in case I scratch or nick it in the process of fitting things in it-





I was also able to snag a piece of 1/16" aluminum from my brother-in-law this past weekend. I'm going to use this as the back of the cabinet...hopefully! It is surprisingly stiff for being so thin, so it will be an interesting time trying to bend the 'S' of the back into it! I'm toying with the idea of creating a graphic for the back also, since it will be seen. More on that when I get there.

[Ond]

Comes up a treat after the spray hey?  I have a way of dealing with the pinholes.  You can end up spraying coat after coat of filler or putty and still have pinholes,  I reapply a thin smear of bondo where pinholes are the worst, sand back, and then spray with putty, reinspect and repeat if necessary. It's time consuming but you'll get rid of every last pinhole that way.  I'm getting near to my own curved surface challenge, I'm using a slightly different method to your shaped MDF ribs but the results should be similar.

[ninjasquirrel]

Ond- Yeah it's a slap in the face after you think it's ready for final coat! Good luck with the curved surface, I'm excited to see what you come up with...I'm sure it will be fantastic much like the rest of your build 


Not much progress for quite awhile now because of life and new job transitions, but tonight I was able to tinker a little.  I went ahead and routed out a circle in the bottom ply piece for the computer sub.  The entire cab will be on rubber feet so I'm hoping it will sound decent pointed down close to the front.  The pic shows the hole from the inside of the cab.  It has a small rabbet in it to accept the rubber gasket around the sub.



And here it is from outside the cab looking at it-



I'm still deciding on what type of speaker grill to use to cover this sub and the smaller ones in the curved area, maybe the perforated metal many have suggested in the past...I just need to look around the hardware store to see what I can find.

Next challenge was to begin the bending and forming of the aluminum back for the bartop.  It's a little over 1/16" thick so it doesn't like to cooperate when trying to bend, but I was able to use a 3.5" pvc pipe, a 2x4, a workbench, and some clamps to get the job done.  It's taken over an hour to get to this point, but it's getting there, the hardest part is keeping the bends parallel with each other and the bends smooth.



Here is a close up, the clamp is lightly holding the aluminum against the cab side-



I'm hoping that when I get to the curved top of the cab, my router bit won't have trouble cutting through the aluminum.

On another note I'm struggling to decide if I should update my pc specs before I go any further.  The dilemma right away is the monitor connection though.  The original connection seems to be labeled as LVDS and it looks like this-



It connects to the motherboard close to the video card shown here in the pic-



After doing a little research, I think that there is a LVDS to DVI converter but I'm lost in all of this so I could use some input from you guys.  Is it worth it to go this route?

Also, I've been out of the loop when it comes to pc parts and combos...can anyone suggest a reliable build that would include a micro atx motherboard, low profile video card, micro power supply and RAM etc. Main thing is for the parts to be small enough to fit into the cab with it's limited space and to keep the price down (hopefully under $300), the video card and processor don't have to be top notch, just enough to future proof. (core 2 duo or equivalent) I get lost when I go to Newegg to look around so anything you can suggest will be helpful.  Something low wattage to keep heat down also would be nice...use your best discretion 

[Bender]

That is sexy!!!!!
great work!!!!!

how are you attaching the aluminum?

[ninjasquirrel]

Thanks Bender! Hopefully it'll pop even more once the paint goes on!

As far as the aluminum, I'm still contemplating that.  Possibly using inserts in the side panels and allen head bolts through the aluminum with a possible piano hinge riveted onto the bottom...I was also thinking about jb welding cam lock handles on the inside of the aluminum, in this way I could access them from the bottom of the cab and it is seamless on the outside of the aluminum. I'm thinking about wrapping the edge of the aluminum with rubber c-channel to finish it off too.

[ninjasquirrel]

I've been taking a little break from the build due to life etc but I haven't been completely unproductive.  During the break I've ordered a new sata 500gig hard drive, some perforated aluminum metal for the speaker grills etc, and other misc pieces to help complete the build.
One of these extra goodies was a type of carbon fiber vinyl that 3m makes that's suppose to be an outside/inside vinyl that has an actual texture to it to make it look like dry carbon fiber.  I received my piece in the mail today-

The piece sent to me-


A better picture of what the stuff looks like-


I'm going to use the carbon fiber on the aluminum back once it has all the necessary cutouts and buttons applied.
So I decided to use threaded inserts to attach the back.  In this way it will handle all the abuse of taking the panel off and on multiple times since they accept a machine screw.  Putting them in was a pain in the rear end because of how close they needed to be to the edge of the plywood, but a clamped a scrap piece of wood on the inside of the cab during that process and it worked fine.



I decided to use stainless steel screws for their hardness and because they just look nice 



After working my way around the back by placing the aluminum on the cab and pilot drilling through both, screwing in the insert, attaching the aluminum with that screw, and going to the next one...i ended up with this-





I still need to rout the top of the aluminum back to match the cab but it's close to the rough shape.
I also went to autozone and picked up the door c-channel molding to go around the aluminum back.  It will go on at the end after the carbon fiber has been attached etc.





Still contemplating on the paint finish.  The satin/flat black would still look good but I'm also considering getting some dupli color out of a can and trying that...we'll see.  I still need to get a fan or two for the back so I can cut out the area, and also the power supply attachment section and power button...
Seems like the little purchases will kill you over time!! It's a never ending list of things to buy because you forgot to get them the time before.

[crip102468]

Been following the project but i must Speak and say the work you put into this is phenomenal ty for sharing your extreme Craftsmanship 

[emphatic]

Nice idea with the carbon look on the backside.

[javeryh]

I love the panel on the back but I don't love the joint.  Is there a way to trim it down so the edges are flush and you don't have to use the c-channel molding?  I actually like your beveled tabletop much better.    

[ninjasquirrel]

crip102468-  Thanks for the nice compliment! There are many around that have inspired me and I'm just hoping to give some of the same inspiration back.

emphatic-  thnx, it's a little more than paint would have been but it is suppose to be really durable and looks pretty neat in person!

javeryh-  I'm thinking of using the channel for a couple reasons.  I'm having a hard time matching the aluminum exactly to the side panels, so once the screws are tightened, the channel will fill in the open areas to make it look nice and tight. Another is to keep the vinyl carbon fiber from pealing on the edge in the future. And the last is a vibration insulator to keep the back from rattling when the sub starts bumping etc. These aside, I could maybe look into a nice foam tape to mount on the side panel to accomplish the same thing.  The back is nice and flush with the sides so I could just simply wrap the carbon fiber over the edge...

Any suggestions on the joint?

[dkssprs]

In the name of god PLEASE stop killing us with every pic you upload.

THIS IS BY FAR THE BEST BARTOP EVER CONSTRUCTED IN OUR GALAXY.

My friend you have talent.

I am looking forward for the final result.
 
  X 100000000000000

[Joezero]

javeryh-  I'm thinking of using the channel for a couple reasons.  I'm having a hard time matching the aluminum exactly to the side panels, so once the screws are tightened, the channel will fill in the open areas to make it look nice and tight. Another is to keep the vinyl carbon fiber from pealing on the edge in the future. And the last is a vibration insulator to keep the back from rattling when the sub starts bumping etc. These aside, I could maybe look into a nice foam tape to mount on the side panel to accomplish the same thing.  The back is nice and flush with the sides so I could just simply wrap the carbon fiber over the edge...

Any suggestions on the joint?

This is probably more work than it'd be worth, but when I saw it, my thought was to run a couple layers of fiberglass around that outer edge and then trim it flush with the aluminum. That way the rear panel would be recessed/flush mounted.  But after all the sanding and prep work you already did, it may be better at this point to go the route you're already looking at.   

[ninjasquirrel]

dkssprs-  thanks! Stay alive for the final result at least!

joezero- yeah a recessed back sounds nice about now...hindsight stinks sometimes. I'll come back to the panel later, more than likely it'll be something similar to what I have worked up for the ease of finishing.

Not a big update but I worked on the bottom a little this afternoon.  I ordered some perforated aluminum (about 1/16" thick 5/32" holes) and will use it for the speaker grills and pc fan covers.



Then I used my router to make 2 holes near the speaker sub cutout to allow 2 air inlet fans to circulate fresh air.



The reason I rabbeted out around the bottom of the holes was to allow the screen to set flush with the bottom.  I am going to laminate the bottom instead of just painting it to give it more strength and better wear resistance.



Here is a quick view from the bottom.



Next step is to work on the back panel again, placing the power button, power connector, fans, etc in their spots.
  Time to order more stuff online again!

[ninjasquirrel]

In case anyone was wondering, I haven't given up on my project, life is starting to get a little crazy.  I'm working 3rd shift now and 7 days a week sooo needless to say I've been preoccupied 
I have made some small progress though, mainly on the rear panel. The fan holes, power input hole, etc have been cut out and many of the internal components have arrived. I'm still trying to decide on the exact theme of this beast...
Once things settle down at work, I should be right back into the midst of building again.

[Bender]

good to hear, I was getting a little worried
 

[Rick Dangerous]

  What a great work man, i'm really waiting for the final result !!!! Hope it will be soon !!!!

[EvilNuff]

Fantastic looking project...I cannot believe I haven't seen this before thanks for the link ninja.  What size hole did you use for the button jig?  7/8"?  22mm?  Do the buttons fit in tight so there's no movement or do you clamp them in place while running through the saw?  I would imagine the saw puts quite a bit of force on them.

[wxforecaster]

I second 'Nuff's comment! I know what it's like to work the 3rd shift as a meteorologist, but in the name of everything holy, finish this thing I cannot wait to see those illuminated buttons on this incredible bartop!

  

[Santoro]

How the heck did I miss this project until now?  Looks amazing, another landmark project!