Cheap and easy mounting plate

[paigeoliver]

I making my latest control panel. I found myself in need of a cheap and easy mounting plate for a Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga stick. In my previous 4-way panel I had used a "Bill acceptor block off plate" with a big hole in the middle that I had found in the bottom of a gambling cabinet.

Well. I didn't have any more of those. But I did find a cheap rectangle of sheet metal at home depot, and it worked like a charm. It is thin enough where it does not show under the standard rubber overlay that I use on everything.

Whew! 2 Panels down for this cabinet, 4 to go!

[paigeoliver]

And here is the finished product. Except for the buttons, those are just placeholders for the picture, I have new buttons on the way from Peale and Bob Roberts.

[SirPeale]

Well. I didn't have any more of those. But I did find a cheap rectangle of sheet metal at home depot, and it worked like a charm. It is thin enough where it does not show under the standard rubber overlay that I use on everything.

What is the overlay stuff you use?

[paigeoliver]

Rubber "carpet runner". You get it at home depot in the carpet section. It will be on a rack on a huge roll, and the guy will have to come cut some off for you. It is 24" wide, and $1.80 per foot.  It works really well, and it holds up since it is designed to be walked on. I have used it on many panels in the past, and I also just used it to make a bezel for my Amazing Maze. One side of it has vertical lines, and the other side has sort of a diamond pattern to it.

Another good choice there is the black plastic stair covers. I used one of those on the Artic Mini. They are big enough to fit most smaller classic panels, but they are a bit thick, and don't really bend, so they are only suitable for panels without bends.

The really good thing about using either one of those is that you don't need any sort of plexiglass at all.

[Hoagie_one]

How are you sticking it on?

[paigeoliver]

Nails in the corners. You can glue it down too if you want to, but you don't really have to. It just stays put on its own.

[Hoagie_one]

cool, I'll check this stuff out.  May be perfect for the ugly countertop color that I want to hide on my table top cab I'm building.