control panel design review

[rhys]

Just wanted to get some opinions on the control panel design I worked up.  Image is attached.
Joysticks will be recess mounted from underneath with T-nuts.
The button layouts are the Sega P1 and P2 layouts from SlagCoin, joysticks are Happ Competition.
Everything is laid out to be symmetrical from the center line of the panel.
Fillets on the corners are .5" radii, should allow for simple T-molding installation without notching.

Control panel is 24x11, sorry, forgot to add dimensions in the drawing....

If anyone has an opinion on it, let me know.  It's drawn in CAD, so easily modifiable if I have a reason to.

If nobody sees any major issues with this, I plan on milling it this weekend.

BTW - I have a CNC mill.  If this works out the way I anticipate and anyone else would like custom milled control panels top boards, I may decide to offer it as a service to forum members if there is interest.  You would have to provide the CAD or Vector file and instructions on how you would like it milled.  Single sided milling only, 24x36 maximum dimensions.  I may be able to mill acrylic overlays as well.  I'll post pictures of mine after it comes off the mill.

[BadMouth]

I tried that layout and found that in reality P2's button layout was more comfortable for both players.

[rhys]

I will take that under advisement.  Plywood is fairly cheap, so I can always change the layout and mill it again if I don't like it.

How does the overall spacing and such look?  Anything that looks like it might cause interference or other issues?

[BadMouth]

I will take that under advisement.  Plywood is fairly cheap, so I can always change the layout and mill it again if I don't like it.

How does the overall spacing and such look?  Anything that looks like it might cause interference or other issues?

24" is pretty narrow, so tight squeezes are to be expected.

Biggest concern would be the corner of the P1 joystick body hitting CP box wall, depending on how it's shaped.
There isn't much room for the typical overhang seen home built CPs. 

Next concern would be the joystick bodies being close to the buttons, but I assumed you'd accounted for that.

[rhys]

Took into account P1 joystick.  There's somewhere between 1.25" and 1.5" (don't remember exactly) between the corner of the joystick and the edge of the board, overhang will be minimal on the diagonals (1/4" or so), but won't interfere with mounting.  I just measured the, and the retainer ring will overhang the edge of the controller body on the P1 side by about 2mm, but as I'm flush under mounting the joysticks, this shouldn't present an issue.  Worst case, I have to undo the ring on that button a bit if I want to remove the joystick body, although I should be able to tilt it out.  There is about 2mm of clearance on the P2 side.  If I switch to the P2 configuration for P1, that would eliminate the potential issue entirely.

I went with the smaller CP as I'm not putting a trackball or spinners or anything in it.  It's just meant to be a coffee table unit to hook to the media center machine attached to the 60" TV, not going on a cabinet.

[rhys]

Here's a revised version with the P2 layout for P1

[Dcpmark]

This is similar to a panel that I'm building, but IMHO you have plenty of room for a trackball and/or a spinner without being too crowded. You have wasted space on the far right and far left of the panel, and there is no reason to cut off the bottom left and bottom right angles of the panel so deeply. Google HotRod SE, and look at the pictures. Drop the button rows, move everything outwards, move the top row of buttons as high as they can go, and you will have plenty of room for a U-TRACK Flush mounted trackball (no mounting plate required). At the very worst you MIGHT have to mount it at a 90 degree angle, but that just requires a minor rewiring. Make the enclosure follow the contours of the edge of the CP rather than rectangle-shaped to give yourself more room.

By the way, 24x12 works just as well as 24x11, and gives more room.

[rhys]

I have no interest nor intention of putting a trackball or spinners in this unit (nor the funding, damn things are expensive).  The enclosure will follow the top panel contour with a .25" or .5" overhang, maybe a little more at the bottom.  Top buttons are already about as high as they can get with 3/4" wood for the box and a small overhang.  I'm planning to use dowels and glue to attach the box to the top, not L brackets, so the frame wood has to be reasonably thick.  Plus, I'll likely finger joint the base box.  If I use a nice wood, I can just sand and stain and it will look nice under the black painted with vinyl decal top.  I wanted to leave as much palm space at the bottom as I could get away with, which is why the layout is high on the panel.  I cut the corners with just enough clearance for the left joystick base.  I will likely dado the bottom of the frame to flush recess mount the bottom panel and attach with screws. 

I do woodworking as a hobby as well, so I have all the tools to do pretty much whatever I want with this.  Table-saw/router-table, planer, belt sander, spindle sander, 24x36 CNC mill, chop saw, radial arm saw, circular saw, half a dozen different hand saws (each has a different use), hole saws, drill press, band saw, scroll saw, chisels, and more hand tools than I have places to store them.

Thankfully, most of the tools are garage sale finds and hand-me-downs.  I wouldn't have a quarter of them if I'd had to buy them at retail prices lol!!  My latest acquisition is a 20gal 2.5HP air compressor so I can actually use the HVLP sprayer I acquired in a trade.  Should come in handy for this project if it doesn't get to cold before I'm ready to paint.  The disadvantage of living in Northern Indiana.  It went from upper 70's on average to low 50's on average in the span of two days....

[keilmillerjr]

Should come in handy for this project if it doesn't get to cold before I'm ready to paint.  The disadvantage of living in Northern Indiana.  It went from upper 70's on average to low 50's on average in the span of two days....

Word. Weather is pretty crazy here in New England too. Hot during the day and cold at night. Sunny and then terrible rain. Cold one day and summer weather the next.

I tried having a guy paint my rx7 engine bay 2 weeks ago, and got rained out. Shooting again for these weekend. All I need is a few hours of warm weather and no wind, then I can roll it into my fathers heated garage. But weather can be unpredictable when you live in certain areas.

[paigeoliver]

I have no interest nor intention of putting a trackball or spinners in this unit (nor the funding, damn things are expensive).  The enclosure will follow the top panel contour with a .25" or .5" overhang, maybe a little more at the bottom.

Significant amounts of control panel overhang past the box wall is totally a BYOAC thing and not a real game thing. You will find most factory built cabinets keep the panel around 1/4" larger than the box. The panel is more durable without the overhang and the space it gives you isn't really usable anyway.

[Dcpmark]

I have no interest nor intention of putting a trackball or spinners in this unit (nor the funding, damn things are expensive).  The enclosure will follow the top panel contour with a .25" or .5" overhang, maybe a little more at the bottom.

Significant amounts of control panel overhang past the box wall is totally a BYOAC thing and not a real game thing. You will find most factory built cabinets keep the panel around 1/4" larger than the box. The panel is more durable without the overhang and the space it gives you isn't really usable anyway.

The only thing overhang in the front is good for is clamping on a PC racing wheel, IMHO. I'm actually going to try and notch an area in the box of the CP I'm designing just for that purpose, but I'm not sure if that will work. My PC wheel clamps nicely to my current HotRod SE panel. Controls are going in first, then I'll see it I can add the area for the wheel.