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Just got laser cut control panels back.
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Blakey:
First off: I was joking about the marble contact, stainless is where it's at. I know it's going to look like ass after a bit of play, but 3M stainless steel polish works wonders.

Cost: I was quoted AUD$80 for the one long CP, 2 short CP's & another 100x100 panel with lots of little holes in it including material. Material is 0.9mm stainless, brushed finish. As the laser place ended up borking my timber cut somewhat I got them for free. I'd suggest sending CAD files to all the laser cutters in the area, as I had quotes on the timber cutting vary from $140 to $888.

Bolts: If you look closely you'll see there's only 2 bolts/stick, I just used them to hold it in place for the photos. Final version will use dome allen head bolts, either chrome steel, or stainless. Black steel if I can't get either of those.

Buttons: I put the two holes where the black buttons were as an afterthought, and to balance it symmetrically. I think I'll use them for pause and escape. Coinage will be via 20c coin door (wired to both '5' and '6') or shifted IPAC function. I put 1UP and 2UP next to each other as there are also two vertical CP's that have no start buttons (plus P1Start + P2start = escape if I want to use that shifted function.

Joymonkey: How thick was your panel? Mine's .9mm, I hadn't considered csking before. Yours looks great, I'd never seen another stainless panel in my searching before.

I'll bend up the panels next week which will give some much needed rigidity, but right now it's time to break out the router and start building.
vputz:
I like the look of these, certainly.  If fingerprints are too much of a problem, would a very thin lexan cover alleviate the problem any?

My opinion's divided about the multicolor buttons.  I eventually went with the "all controls for a given player are one color" motif ("red player", "blue player") which looks OK, but I agree that on a classy brushed-metal CP like that the color splash of so many colors in one place looks a bit garish.

-->VPutz
JoyMonkey:

--- Quote from: Blakey on May 28, 2004, 07:43:15 pm ---Joymonkey: How thick was your panel? Mine's .9mm, I hadn't considered csking before. Yours looks great, I'd never seen another stainless panel in my searching before.

--- End quote ---

Mine is 1/8" (3.175mm) brushed aluminum, so you'd need a hammer to do any damage to the thing. Being so thick also made it better for counter sinking machine screws. I made a 1/8" mounting plate for the trackball underneath afterwards, so there is no black lip protruding above the panel like you see in that photo.
gprime:
Damn. These sexy cp's make me want to make another cabinet.
Blakey:
Joymonkey: 1/8" is huge, whilst I would have liked to use a thick rigid panel, but seeing as I'm folding it I had to stick with what the folder could handle.

And as it's only .9mm I doubt I can countersink, so button head bolts it is:


I'm still debating what to do with the buttons. Perhaps only two colours for each player, like red on top and yellow below, like the 1P panels. It is an arcade machine after all, it doesn't have to be too spartan and monochrome.
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