Mission Control Project: 5 years on, what to do with the leftovers?

[Pixelhugger]

And there is the explanation I failed to find in the 15 page skim.

 

[GreenKnight37]

Man...every time new pictures show up, I'm just amazed at this project.

Up until this point I had no idea you intended to use such sturdy and thick pieces of wood for the cab.  Its definitely going to be unique for this board.  Keep up the good progress!

[Pixelhugger]

Not much unusual here. At least you can see the bow front of the CP. All controls have been countersunk. I notched the trackball plate in order to set the buttons closer and make room for the dedicated 4 way on the far left.

[markrvp]

What are the two buttons between the trackball and player 2 joystick?

[SNAAKE]

Bestest wood ever

[nostrebor]

What are the two buttons between the trackball and player 2 joystick?

"O" and "K".

 















(My thanks go out to Mark for this perfect setup!)

[nostrebor]

Whey you say "Walnut T-Molding" are you using faux wood plastic T-Molding or are you edging the CPO with real Walnut?

[hyiu]

first... like everyone, I follow very closely on this project (although I don't post much...)

to me, you are like finishing a dream machine that I will never have the resource and skill to finish.... (kinda like 1ups first rotating panel, but in a different way....)

now comes a question... (maybe its already answered in the previous pages but I missed...)

you're using double thickness titantium errr... I mean REAL wood... (not even ply !!) for the sides....

you went thru 8x what other people went thru in plexi to bend the marquee to shape

and now a particle board CP ??

I mean, the cab will weight 3 tons, can withstand a direct nuclear attack, but if the CP got water spilled on it and soaked it, it'll expand, crumble, and turns into pieces ?

Plz tell me this is just a sample board for try and fitting....

[versapak]

first... like everyone, I follow very closely on this project (although I don't post much...)

to me, you are like finishing a dream machine that I will never have the resource and skill to finish.... (kinda like 1ups first rotating panel, but in a different way....)

now comes a question... (maybe its already answered in the previous pages but I missed...)

you're using double thickness titantium errr... I mean REAL wood... (not even ply !!) for the sides....

you went thru 8x what other people went thru in plexi to bend the marquee to shape

and now a particle board CP ??

I mean, the cab will weight 3 tons, can withstand a direct nuclear attack, but if the CP got water spilled on it and soaked it, it'll expand, crumble, and turns into pieces ?

Plz tell me this is just a sample board for try and fitting....

LOL


I was thinking the EXACT same thing.


Had my reply all typed and everything, only to be warned in red that you had beat me to it.


 

[BobbyG66]

Ya, I agree, you are going high end with everything else.
Get rid of the particle board, use MDF or plywood.

That particle board is going to be like cancer in your beautiful cab.

[Pixelhugger]

It doesn't really matter what the cp panel is made from. It is not a visible part of the cabinet and to be honest I didn't give it more than about 10 seconds of thought at Home Depot. It's sealed beneath 1/4" Lexan and an overlay and trimmed with solid walnut. I guess moisture would be a concern if there were a way for it to get wet enough to cause a problem but I just don't see how that could happen.

In other words....

I'll  be rebuilding it wednesday.  Only because you guys care so much. 

[RetroACTIVE]

It doesn't really matter what the cp panel is made from.

Agreed.

I'm not sure I get what all the venom is about when it comes to pb...  Any composite material, when saturated will loose its structural integrity...  bottom line it does not matter.... If your cabinet is getting that wet your material is turning into a spitball you then have bigger problems...

[Pixelhugger]

Oddly enough Retro.. MDF is the only composite I've actually had moisture issues with... I left a 2 foot wide scrap outside and even without rain (overnight dew, actually) it curled up like a party horn.

I will say that MDF takes a waaaay cleaner cut than this stuff however. Kneivels CP's look gorgeous in the raw.

[RetroACTIVE]

I used a hefty amount of pb in my cabinet... but I did choose mdf for the panel.   

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=43594.0

It is very weird stuff... and it does route and cut way better...  I especially like the curly-q's the forsner bits created.  But holy cow...  the dust is so pervasive!  This was the first time I used it for anything.

[Pixelhugger]

Whey you say "Walnut T-Molding" are you using faux wood plastic T-Molding or are you edging the CPO with real Walnut?

Solid walnut. Planed to as thick as I can make the bend across the bow front. I tested it at 3/16 and it works seamlessly so I would imagine 1/4" or so.

[Pixelhugger]

What are the two buttons between the trackball and player 2 joystick?

The upper hole is for a spinner and the lower hole is a mouse button for use with the trackball.

EDIT: But I like nostrebors answer better.

[markrvp]

Mitch:

I don't care so much about the particle board (although I think I would prefer to do it out of birch plywood), but I am concerned about how thick it is and how things are going to mount.

Please note - I know it doesn't matter what I think, but I want to share a couple of thoughts I've gathered from building my control panels.

First of all - is it your plan to have the overlay on top of the wood with the 1/4" plexi on top?

[Santoro]

I second this, I have cabs both ways, and the textured overlay feels way more authentic.

[nostrebor]

From a moisture perspective, there is no benefit to using MDF over PB. Either will swell up profusely when introduced to H2O. I would not re-work the PB unit unless  it had another flaw, or because you just like to make stuff.

You would not want to use real hardwood for this panel. Engineered material is flatter/more stable.

MDO would be ideal, but it is spendy.

[Pixelhugger]

Surface mounted carriage bolts make baby jesus cry.

On my previous panels I've recessed the bolts (flat head) into the joystick base by drilling away a small amount of plastic. I now have special coutersinking drill bits which make it even easier

[Santoro]

oooo forgot about that.

[Pixelhugger]

I would not re-work the PB unit unless

[Pixelhugger]

The bullnosed trackball recess is indeed sexy.

Heh
....  aaaand it matches the bullnosing (or at least will) on the minimarquee, nav panel, and optical drive slot.   

[DrewKaree]

What is MDO?

An MDF core with MAYBE an eigth inch overlay.  I've seen the overlay be some REALLY nice cherry veneer, which would be the shiznit if you were going with a natural wood CP, and I've also seen it with laminate-looking stuff (it may have indeed been laminate, I didn't care much to investigate).  It's a tad more expensive than MDF, but really easy to machine, flat as.....a board , and nice to finish.

Menards is the only place I've seen it in my area, but right now, we've ONLY got Menard's and Home Depot.  In a few months, we're getting a Lowes, and it's been several years since I had a Lowes to go into. 

Go with plywood.  IMO, you'll find the walnut easier to attach to the ply than the particle board.  If you still want to go with that, something that MAY make the particle board machine somewhat better is to get some generic masking tape and tape BOTH sides of the cut, if possible.  Particle board in and of itself isn't a bad material to use for a cab, it just "flakes" so much when machining it, your edges won't be as crisp and nice as I'm thinking you want them to be. 

I've been contemplating picking up some edge-banding router bits for just this purpose with plywood.  I'll see if I can find 'em and link 'em, otherwise, you could do a nice little dovetail or t-joint or something equally esoteric that'll have us "ooh-ing" and "ahh-ing" at your madd skeelz

[DrewKaree]

Okay, found a few options for you, and the OVER A HUNDRED BUCKS SET  is what I was speaking of, but I KNOW there's a set out there that does a "V" groove and matching edge that aren't that expensive.  I also found a few other things, tongue and groove bit perhaps, and one other thing that I had always seen and thought about buying....and you simply HAVE to buy it.....I'll add that next.

A few options, all can be found at Rockler:

Tongue and groove


Finger joint


Burgess Edge (the Big Daddy)


I don't have a link for the "V" groove/edge bit, but it's identical to the Burgess Edge bit in principal, and I KNOW it's cheaper.

[DrewKaree]

And finally....the thing I pondered....with as much time, effort, and planning as you've put into your masterpiece, I am letting whoever wants to have a BYOAC group meetup know in advance that if you DON'T get one of these, I'll be heading to California to personally kick you square in your ass   Being the ringleader of the meetup idea, I get first dibs, and everyone else can get in line behind me.  I am also open to the idea of forcing you to lick the road from your house to the local hardware store while we each take turns wearing our legs out on your backside.   I may have to start a separate poll for this.  We'll see how receptive you are to this:

A personalized branding iron to finish off and "sign" your cab when done.




All in favor of giving Pixel a good bootin' let's plan on buying our plane tickets for January 1, 2007.  Pixel should have just wrapped up finishing this thing the week prior to that date

Ok, all in good fun, but seriously, you've GOT to give serious thought to signing it this way, and a woodburning iron just ISN'T going to be as classy.  Now shoo.  You've got some buying to do

[Santoro]

I saw the v-groove thing in a woodworking mag one time.  It was really sharp (no pun intended.)  I can't find it with Google. 

[DrewKaree]

It was REALLY bugging me.

All the above bits can be found at Rockler, this one I found at MLCS (www.mlcswoodworking.com).

This is the "V" bit, in two different versions



$50

[Santoro]

Yeah that's the one.  When I saw it used, the side inlay was exactly flush with the top edge, sort of like veneer.   

[DrewKaree]

If it ain't, it's easy enough to clean up with a straight bit with bearing.

Now, back to the important stuff.....application of foot to rump! 

[dema]

I read that you're cutting two joystick holes, for a dedicated 4 way and an 8 way. Did you decide to do without Randy's GP-Wiz 49 way? I know some like the feel of the 4 way but having everything controlled by one joystick would do well for this CP, seeing how the artwork is so beautiful.

[markrvp]

Artwork still looks good with the added 4-way.  I've got the 49-way setup, but I still prefer the Wico joys and I wouldn't try and talk you out of what you are doing.  I think the 3 joysticks you are using is the best for gameplay.

[markrvp]

Pixel:

I fully respect the direction you are going with your CP.  I just wanted to throw in my 2 cents.



I do have two more questions/suggestions that you can consider or toss. 

1st is the size of the hole you drilled for your spinner.  I've got both a Slikstik Tornado and an Oscar Push-Pull spinner and neither one requires a hole bigger than 3/8" in diameter.  The whole spinner assembly mounts underneath and you only have to allow for the 1/4" shaft to stick through.  Do you need the 1-1/8" hole for your spinner?

2nd - the hole for the trackball button to the left of the player two joystick bugs me.  It seems out of place and out of balance with the rest of the control panel.  Would you consider putting that button (and I really suggest two mouse buttons for "right-clicking in Windows") as the Player 1 button 1?  You could put the second mouse button as player 1 button 2.  This would require no remapping in MAME because if you enable mouse control for your MAME games, MAME automatically maps Player 1 button 1 to L-CTL AND MOUSE 0 and PLAYER 1 BUTTON 2 to L-ALT AND MOUSE 2.  Paigeoliver maps the mouse buttons to Player 1 Start and Player 2 Start, but that eliminates using the Player 1 button as the SHIFT Key for the Ipac.  That's why I say make the trackball buttons P1 buttons 1 & 2.  You would get full "mouse functionality" without having to dedicate one special button for it. 

Remember, your project impresses me more than any other I've seen and I'll be amazed at whatever direction you go, but these suggestions are just a couple of things to think about to keep the CP as clean and elegant as possible.

[Pixelhugger]

This would require no remapping in MAME because if you enable mouse control for your MAME games, MAME automatically maps Player 1 button 1 to L-CTL AND MOUSE 0 and PLAYER 1 BUTTON 2 to L-ALT AND MOUSE 2.

[nostrebor]

This is the Medium Density Overlay that I am talking about...

"MDO Plywood - The Paintable General Purpose Panel

Characteristics: An EXTERIOR type plywood with a weather-resistant resin overlay bonded to the wood by heat and pressure. This process fuses the molecules of the overlay with the fibres of the wood to form a bond as strong as the wood itself. MDO has all the advantages of regular plywood as well as additional properties. The overlay, which has 28% resin content, resists water, weather, wear and degradation. It has texture that paint can grip with remarkable tenacity. Paint finishes on MDO are up to three times more durable than the same finish applied to ordinary plywood."

I use quite a bit of this in my cabinet construction projects. It is fairly water resistant, and holds paint much better than MDF. I get scraps for free from work, and sometimes these scraps are 4'x6'

One day I will build a cabinet with MDO sides to keep for myself.

[Pixelhugger]

To answer the 49 way question... I had originally planned on using 4-8 way switchables (t stick plus) to keep the panel simple. After playing on an old 4 way leaf (at the barber shop when my son got his first haircut  ) I decided I had to look into the original leafs. Reading through some of paigeoliver and noone=nba's posts about the leaf switch feel, I decided it was the only way to go. I've read good things about the 49 way but I'm really after the original feel the Wico's have.

Here's the latest artwork for the CP, revised for a 1" narrower width, the bow front, new spinner location, and the now superfluous mouse button.

[RetroACTIVE]

I like the symmetry between the two sticks on the left and the stick and spinner positions on the right... 

IMHO: symmetry good... 

[nostrebor]

<snip>  and the now superfluous mouse button.

Does this mean that it is going away?

For some strange reason this mystery button reminds me of the Friends episode with the 3rd nipple

[GreenKnight37]

Surface mounted carriage bolts make baby jesus cry.

I'm surprised nobody else mentioned this yet...but that quote is hysterical!

[jcoleman]

Sorry if I've missed this earlier in the thread, but what joystick handles are you planning to use?  Your cab is too custom to use the standard Wico handles IMO.

Coleman