Modular Cabinet\Easy to Move...Ideas?

[arkowi]

OK, I have been reading, taking notes, planning, and budgeting...and I am now about ready to get going...But I have a question. I plan on designing my cabintet so it can be totally broken down easily (less that a half hour) for moving. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Any ideas?

I am thinking more along the lines of the construction of the cabinet and not the wiring and guts...however, if you think of anything that could help along those lines, i would love to hear it!

Thanks
Arkowi

[eightbit]

I'm currently doing a 2 peice. I comes aprt for easy moving but its not going to fit into a car. How far do you want to go with the easy breakdown idea? You could assemble the entire thing with screws which would make it easy to take apart.

[arkowi]

I'm currently doing a 2 peice. I comes aprt for easy moving but its not going to fit into a car. How far do you want to go with the easy breakdown idea? You could assemble the entire thing with screws which would make it easy to take apart.

My cab design is going to be based on an older style, either centipede or donky kong. I was thinking I could just use bolts to connect everything and then I could break it down into smaller parts to transport it (get it down stairs, into a truck). Take the TV/CPU out obviously. Removable CP. I just wondered if anyone else had any luck with anything like this...I planning on building this thing where I live now...and assembling it in my room which is on the third floor of my parents house...but when I move at the end of the summer, I want to be albe to transport it easily.

[Lilwolf]

Oscar has a great two piece cab.  

btw... if you really want to move it... the monitor (for mine) is about 50% of the weight.  I remove my monitor and the rest of the cab is big... but manageable.

You might consider a two piece where the monitor can be removed.  And at the end... you could probably move all the parts by yourself... But without a HUGE amount of breakdown.

But if your consern is your moving it often... You might go with a pedistal cab instead.

[arkowi]

Oscar has a great two piece cab.  

btw... if you really want to move it... the monitor (for mine) is about 50% of the weight.  I remove my monitor and the rest of the cab is big... but manageable.

You might consider a two piece where the monitor can be removed.  And at the end... you could probably move all the parts by yourself... But without a HUGE amount of breakdown.

But if your consern is your moving it often... You might go with a pedistal cab instead.

i will always have someone to help me move it. it just worries me moving something that big. if i spend tons of cash on something (sideart, etc) i dont want to risk bunging it all up moving it around. and the bigger something is, the harder it is to manage = more likely to bang it into something. also, i wont be moving it ofeten..i will probably move it when i move at the end of the summer (heading back to school) and then it will stay there for 2 years or so.

[menace]

If i was you I would go to ikea and check out all their fastening techniques and use some of them to build a fully collapsable cab--the reason i suggest this is that they have some pretty clever ways of hiding screws and bolts--mind you--build it better than they build their stuff or the thing will lean significantly after more than 2 moves

[Wade]

Collapsible cabs are really no more trouble to build than a regular cabinet.  Every panel on my cabinet can be removed (front face coin door area, speaker grill area, top, 3 rear panels, the entire CP) except for the two large sides.

These 2 large sides could have easily been removable, as they are essentially held on with 4 large carriage bolts on each side.  I chose to countersink them and fill over the heads, but I could just have easily left the heads exposed and then my cabinet would have literally been fully collapsible.  The 4 heads on the side wouldn't detract from the looks at all IMO, because most video games and pinballs have a few carriage heads showing anyway.  It's standard stuff.

I may never need to remove those panels, but I chose not to glue them just so I could lighten the cab a bit if I ever need to move it.

http://www.newwave.net/~flanham/wlanham/arcade/