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javeryh's Woodgrain Cabaret Copy
javeryh:
--- Quote from: yamatetsu on January 10, 2021, 03:07:40 pm ---
--- Quote from: javeryh on January 10, 2021, 10:36:08 am ---Velcro was something floating around in my head and the reason I didn't think it would work is not because of strength but because of getting the CP to sit exactly where I want it to sit and also level since velcro can be (slightly) compressed. It is important that the front lip of the CP sit as close as possible to the front face of the cabinet so the roundover looks clean (it won't look 100% clean due to the difference between laminate front and polycarbonite CPO being slightly different shades of black). If I used velcro, I'd have to lower the CP support battons by the thickness of the velcro. Probably not a huge deal, right? I wish there was a way to test this before committing.
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Testing is easy. Take a piece of scrap wood, screw some battons on it, apply velcro, apply velcro to the CP, connect. Clamp the whole thing down, try to move the CP. You won't be able to.
As for aligning the CP and the front: Screw/glue some stop blocks under the CP (front, left and right) so that the CP will be inserted in the perfect position and cannot be moved.
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Damn. I wish you could have just come over and done this for me. I'm an idiot. I just spent like 3 hours getting everything PERFECT and now I just realized that the side battons lock the monitor in the cabinet... so I can't take it out to install the bottom 1/2 of the toggle clamps without unscrewing everything. Good thing I didn't glue the battons in place.
Your idea about the stop blocks is genius. I think 2 small pieces towards the front will lock everything in place.
javeryh:
OK the stop blocks are an absolute necessity. The clips work (mostly - I need to find tune since one side is a little loose) but I can still easily pull the CP forward with normal play on the joystick. The blocks should prevent that movement - I’ll install them tomorrow. Took me 4+ hours to basically install the battons and clips because I’m slow... in more ways than one apparently.
javeryh:
Control Panel is secure. This part was fun. I decided on using the clips I had laying around.
First thing I did was finally attach the battons to the cabinet but I had to be careful where I put the screws - I didn't want to them to get in the way of the clip hardware. I also wanted about 1/2" overhang (or is it underhang?) so that the glass that will eventually cover the monitor has something to rest on. So the battons support both the CP and the monitor glass.
Next, after some careful measuring, I installed the clips. You can see in this shot that I had to add a small piece of scrapwood under the bracket because the batton holding the monitor was not long enough. The screw sticking up to the left of the clip is a stop for the monitor. It is held in place by gravity only but because of the angle I needed something to stop it from sliding all the way down and out of place. The screw does the trick.
And here is a shot from underneath with the control panel in place. There will be two USB cables coming off of the panel for the iPAC2 and the servostik motor which I'll install once I'm ready to put the computer inside. There won't be a lot of room to work with once the monitor is back in pace but I did check and I can reach the clips if I stick my arm up through the coin door.
And here's where I'm at. I'd say it's looking good!
Another minor thing I did was finish the joystick dustwasher. I had an extra 38mm clear dustwasher that I ordered from Focus Attack a while ago (it's really just a piece of plastic) that I spray painted black on one side. When you flip it over so the painted side is face down, it looks perfect.
Next up is figuring out where to put the volume knob for the speakers I ripped apart. It's just a loose PCB with the knob attached so I'll probably try mounting it just inside the coin door somehow. :cheers:
Zebidee:
Looking niiiiiice. Glad you went with the clips/clamps, CP should be rock-solid now.
BTW love the wood veneer, really screams retro and never truly dies. Even if it gets scratched to hell it is possible to bring it back to life with a little wood putty, some acrylic paint, tung oil and a fair bit of elbow grease.
javeryh:
--- Quote from: Zebidee on January 13, 2021, 01:11:38 pm ---Looking niiiiiice. Glad you went with the clips/clamps, CP should be rock-solid now.
BTW love the wood veneer, really screams retro and never truly dies. Even if it gets scratched to hell it is possible to bring it back to life with a little wood putty, some acrylic paint, tung oil and a fair bit of elbow grease.
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Thanks for the kind words. The wood paneling is my favorite part about this project but if it gets damaged it won't be tat easy to fix since it is actually a vinyl sticker... but it should be able to hold up over time. My kids are older and the basement area where my cabinets are is tiny and not a place where people fool around.
Today I managed to install the volume knob. This was relatively easy once I decided where to put it and also realized there were mounting holes in the PCB... I actually cut a block of wood and started carving it to match the surface of the board so everything would sit flush until I had an "aha" moment. I wasted 2 hours on it... I can't get out of my own way LOL.
Nothing to this other than screwing it in place where it is easily reachable and then managing some cables.
Next is putting the monitor back inside and installing the computer and connecting the controls. Won't be long now...