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javeryh's Small-ish Bartop ["Jack Attack!"]
javeryh:
Got the joystick mounted. Seems solid but what a pain in the neck! I ordered the joystick mounting kit from groovygamegear but the screws that came with it were 1/2" which was too long (the CP is only 1/2" thick). So I had to go to Home Depot to find some 1/4" screws with the same threading. I thought about using washers but I was concerned about the two screws near the top of the panel sticking up too high to not allow the CP to sit flush.
Anyway, I got the plate lined up from underneath and marked the center point for the holes for the t-nuts.
I used my awl to punch a hole in the center where the forstner bit will start drilling and then used painter's tape to try and minimize tear out. I used a 5/16" bit to drill down - I had to go super slow and check the depth every mm or so. I wanted the deepest hole possible without going through (or warping) the other side.
Then I used the Allen wrench that came with the joystick mounting kit to screw in the t-nuts... this was also difficult because I had to keep everything centered and because my panel was so thin and made of MDF, it wanted to tear out rather than go into the hole.
It worked in the end and the joystick is very secure and you can't see anything on the top pf the panel. I'm glad I went this route instead of drilling through the panel (which I was prepared to do if this didn't work).
Of course, I forgot to take pics of the joystick installed but I'll do that tonight. Next up - installing magnets to keep the CP in place! :cheers:
javeryh:
The next thing I managed to finish was connect the CP to the cabinet using rare earth magnets. I drilled out 4 holes with a 3/8" forstner bit on both the underside of the CP and the corresponding locations on the cabinet. I had to be very careful - the depth on the holes had to be perfect so that the magnets sit flush and could make contact with each other. I used super glue to hold the magnets in place making sure that the +/- of each magnet was positioned correctly.
Here you can see all 4 of the locations of the magnets - I just eyeballed a good location on one side and then mirrored it on the other side.
And here are a bunch of shots showing the installed magnets:
Drilling into the rails seems to have worked out. There was not any room inside to install a latch or something else that would be stronger. The magnets hold everything in place nicely although if you pull down on the joystick hard enough it will come loose. I may need to reinforce it somehow but I won't know until I play test the finished cabinet for a while. It does not move in any other direction otherwise. I also need to scrape a layer of glue off of the surface of the magnets, which will hopefully produce a stronger bond. You know how super glue expands and gets everywhere when it dries...
Next up is mounting the monitor. I have no idea how this is going to work out. The monitor is VERY thin since I removed it from the case so I am debating on just using some strong tape to attach it to the bezel I cut out of matte board. I worry that it will fail over time though. Another option is to try and line it up with some sort of bracket attached to the inside sides of the cabinet but that seems overly complicated. Also, there is no way to attach anything to the monitor - it is literally a thin screen with some wires connected to its PCB, which is just kind of floating.
Gilrock:
--- Quote from: javeryh on May 07, 2019, 01:20:25 pm ---Got the joystick mounted. Seems solid but what a pain in the neck! I ordered the joystick mounting kit from groovygamegear but the screws that came with it were 1/2" which was too long (the CP is only 1/2" thick). So I had to go to Home Depot to find some 1/4" screws with the same threading. I thought about using washers but I was concerned about the two screws near the top of the panel sticking up too high to not allow the CP to sit flush.
--- End quote ---
I didn't get this part. You said the CP is only 1/2" thick but its sitting on a measuring pad and it looks like your control panel is 3/4" thick.
javeryh:
--- Quote from: Gilrock on May 08, 2019, 10:18:51 am ---
--- Quote from: javeryh on May 07, 2019, 01:20:25 pm ---Got the joystick mounted. Seems solid but what a pain in the neck! I ordered the joystick mounting kit from groovygamegear but the screws that came with it were 1/2" which was too long (the CP is only 1/2" thick). So I had to go to Home Depot to find some 1/4" screws with the same threading. I thought about using washers but I was concerned about the two screws near the top of the panel sticking up too high to not allow the CP to sit flush.
--- End quote ---
I didn't get this part. You said the CP is only 1/2" thick but its sitting on a measuring pad and it looks like your control panel is 3/4" thick.
--- End quote ---
The "thickness" in the last pic on the measuring pad is deceptive because that edge is actually angled to meet the monitor bezel so it looks much thicker than it actually is.
Gilrock:
Yeah I was looking at the first pic though which is even harder to see the angle. The holes looked deeper than 1/2" though but I guess you'd know. ;)