New idea for a feature on a cab-Finished Pictures!

[Tahnok]

I was sitting around earlier today when the old joke of using a CD-Rom tray as a cup holder popped into my head. "Hmm..." I thought, "I wonder if there is a way that I could actually do that in my room". Then I remembered the plans for my new arcade cab.

I quickly started going through a box of old computer parts and dug up a bunch of old CD-Rom drives. Sure enough, when plugged into only power and not the computer, almost all of them will open and close with a push of the button ! I went through my pile and found one that was built like a tank (no way THAT tray is going to break).

I am planning on mounting the drive into the side of my cab and wire a button onto a hidden panel to open and close it. The drive will be slightly recessed so I can glue a small piece of MDF board to the edge so it looks flush and does not draw attention until it opens.

If all goes well, my cab will have a retractable cup holder on the side . What do you think?

[Apollo]

Sounds awesome, cool idea.

[krick]

I think you pulled a geek muscle on that one.  

[Tahnok]

I think you pulled a geek muscle on that one.  

Oh please, that muscle tore a long time ago.

[J_K_M_A_N]

Do some CD-ROMs close automatically after some time? Or if the shut down process is started? Just a thought. It would be cool though. I wonder if you could wire a motor to do something like that with a really strong holder. Nice idea.

J_K_M_A_N

[DaveMMR]

Do some CD-ROMs close automatically after some time? Or if the shut down process is started? Just a thought. It would be cool though. I wonder if you could wire a motor to do something like that with a really strong holder. Nice idea.

J_K_M_A_N

I like the idea but some (if not all) CD-ROM drives have this nasty habit of closing when you apply a little pressure to the front (watch someone who wants to close the CD tray manually).  That can lead to a bit of a mess.  

[Xiaou2]

 funny that you say this.   A pc repair story:   someone called to say that thier drink holder wouldnt work anymore.   (cd rom tray!)  ugg..   heh

 cd roms arnt made to hold any serious weight.  thier gears will  probably strip- and or the assembly will just plain fail from the stress.

[ChadTower]

The gears won't strip.  It's not like he's going to be retracting/opening the drive with a beer IN it!  It will be moving without load and only bearing the load while open.  It should be fine if he doesn't try and put a giant mug or anything on it and snap off the tray.

[Goz]

Interesting lil program that might be of use:

http://www.rjlsoftware.com/software/entertainment/open_cd/default.shtml

It lets you run via command line and execute another prog after the CD tray opens.

Hope it helps,

-Goz

[ChadTower]

It lets you run via command line and execute another prog after the CD tray opens.

It's not necessary.  He said he's going to hook the drive to the power supply but not to the motherboard.  That would mean it has electricity but no data, the motherboard doesn't even know it exists and therefore it has no relevance to the operating system.  His theory is sound.

[Goz]

It lets you run via command line and execute another prog after the CD tray opens.

It's not necessary.  He said he's going to hook the drive to the power supply but not to the motherboard.  That would mean it has electricity but no data, the motherboard doesn't even know it exists and therefore it has no relevance to the operating system.  His theory is sound.

Yeah I read that. I figured it might help if he went the other way or if someone else was going to do it. Threads like this one get people thinking.

-Goz

[ChadTower]

Yeah... it's a good idea, though I'm still not sure how comfortable I am with liquids that close to my hardware.  I'd rather have them on a side table where a spill would just hit the rug.

[Xenepp]

Oh lordy, get yourself a bolt on cup holder! It's much safer!

And if it really makes you feel better, stick a couple of LEDs on it.  

Seriously though, isn't it a little unsafe? A bit like putting a hot cup of tea on a 4 1/2 foot pile of books in the middle of the room kind of unsafe?

Good luck dude  

 -Joel

[RayB]

NAHHHHHHHH!  don't bother with this. It's over complicating a simple problem. You really would rather cut out rectangular holes in the sides of your cab rather than just bolting on a couple cup holders??

I have another idea though... What if you front mounted this CD-drive and when the tray comes out, you have all your "admin" buttons mounted in it. When you dont need the buttons, it retracts back out of sight. Hhehehe OK Im guilty of the same over-engineering of a simple problem. Let's face it. Automation is cool, but not always practical.

[REBIRTH]

this sounds like a wacky idea to me.  You can buy flush mount cup holders that spring open.  They are made to hold drinks and fold away when not in use... like these

http://www.rvandvansurplus.com/cupholders.asp?Vehicletype=Marine#

[Tahnok]

I have another idea though... What if you front mounted this CD-drive and when the tray comes out, you have all your "admin" buttons mounted in it. When you dont need the buttons, it retracts back out of sight.

Now that's a good idea ! I have been trying to figure out where to put all those buttons. I will maybe try this.

You can buy flush mount cup holders that spring open.  They are made to hold drinks and fold away when not in use... like these

Yes, but, if you can't tell, I like moving things .

I like the idea but some (if not all) CD-ROM drives have this nasty habit of closing when you apply a little pressure to the front (watch someone who wants to close the CD tray manually).  That can lead to a bit of a mess.  

Yes, this is one of the only problems that I ran into. But all I have to do is wire a switch over the 'unload' sensor. The CD trays retract when they don't sense that they are in the 'out' or 'in' position. If you wire a switch over the 'out' sensor you can lock the CD-Rom drive into thinking that the tray is still completely out. So you will have to push the eject button (which will be panel mounted) and then flip the lock switch.

I have opened the CD-Rom drive and removed the laser unit along with anything else that in no longer needs. The drive will still open without the laser and its electronics.

The cup holder will probably not be used for its intended purpose very often. It is really more of a gadget to show people when they see my cab.

[pointdablame]

ok, i'm praying my sarcasm detector is broke and this whole thread is a joke, but if not, you guys are scaring me.

For the cup holder:
1.  A full cup would put a ton of undue pressure on the tray of the CDROM.  One too many uses and *CRACK* there goes your cd tray.  They are very fragile all things considered, and they are only meant to support the 2 or so ounces a cd weighs.
2.  A cdrom tray has NO BOTTOM. What would you put in it? You could put a styrafoam cup in it and that's about it. Everything else would have to either rest on top of the tray which is not really "holding" anything (isnt that the point?) or couldn't be used at all since it would fall right through the tray if it was small enough.  

I'm just stopping there, crappy weather today has made me grumpy.  I just don't get the point of this, it would be nothing more than a cd drive that pops out the side of your cabinet just..... just because.

And I also love the buttons in the cd tray idea, seeing as a leafswitch and microswitch are both more than likely bigger than a cdrom tray opening....

The ideas are awesome, but they both seem like they'd be so much work to get up and running, that it isn't worth it.  Buy a 3 dollar cup holder and put some buttons under you CP. Done deal.

</grumpiness>

[Tahnok]

1.  A full cup would put a ton of undue pressure on the tray of the CDROM.  One too many uses and *CRACK* there goes your cd tray.  They are very fragile all things considered, and they are only meant to support the 2 or so ounces a cd weighs.

You seem to be underestimating my CD-Rom. I found a rather old one that's built like a brick and can easily support a full can of soda.

2.  A cdrom tray has NO BOTTOM. What would you put in it? You could put a styrafoam cup in it and that's about it. Everything else would have to either rest on top of the tray which is not really "holding" anything (isnt that the point?) or couldn't be used at all since it would fall right through the tray if it was small enough.  

Mine does. It will serve the purpose.

And I also love the buttons in the cd tray idea, seeing as a leafswitch and microswitch are both more than likely bigger than a cdrom tray opening....

Yes arcade buttons are large. But no one said that an arcade machine has to use arcade buttons, especially for admin buttons that are going to be hidden. I know of many buttons that, with a few modifications to the tray, will fit very easily.

[Nefesis]

also, you might want to consider the condensation factor. what if your drink condensated (is that the correct word?) and you didn't clean the tray before putting it back into the drive... drive shorted out?

[EndTwist]

It actually wouldn't short out. Since most of the electronics are removed, and the tray isn't touching anything when going in, there is a low chance it would short out the drive.

Also - some old cd-rom drives don't go in when you tap em. I have an old 4x that is as stubborn as a mule. Doesn't go in when pushed, only when the open/close button is pushed.

Finally - its possible to reinforce the cd tray so it doesn't snap when a drink is placed down. Since the front plate of the tray is usually larger than the tray itself (height-wise), it would be pretty simple to reinforce it with a small wood or metal sheet.

Maybe I'm crazy, but this could be done. If I did it, I'd just make a game item on my front end say "Open Cup Holder" and have it open the cd drive.

[Nefesis]

if it wouldn't short out, then i agree that it sounds awesome.

[cjb]

You seem to be underestimating my CD-Rom. I found a rather old one that's built like a brick and can easily support a full can of soda.

Soda?  Come on now, tell the truth...


BTW, thanks to whoever posted this link: http://www.rvandvansurplus.com/cupholders.asp?Vehicletype=Marine#

I've been looking for cupholders for the cocktail cab I'm building, and there are some good options there...

[IncrdblHulk7]

Has anyone used one of these swing-out cup holders?  They seem really cool and would be a neat feature in a CP - but I am worried that they look a little flimsy???

[danny_galaga]

For the cup holder:
1.  A full cup would put a ton of undue pressure on the tray of the CDROM.  One too many uses and *CRACK* there goes your cd tray.  They are very fragile all things considered, and they are only meant to support the 2 or so ounces a cd weighs.
2.  A cdrom tray has NO BOTTOM. What would you put in it? You could put a styrafoam cup in it and that's about it. Everything else would have to either rest on top of the tray which is not really "holding" anything (isnt that the point?) or couldn't be used at all since it would fall right through the tray if it was small enough.  



</grumpiness>

1. just had a look at mine. itll hold a full drink no probs. how long is that beer gonna stay full anyway?
2. how hard would it be fill in the hole with a plastic disk? and then a beer coaster on top so everyone knows what its for?

i reckon go for it! one for the drink, and the other for admin. maybe use those calculator keypads you get from electronic shops? or hack an old mobile phone keypad...

[Tahnok]

Soda?  Come on now, tell the truth...

1. I am under age.
2. I don't plan on drinking when I am old enough.


It looks like if I remove the metal casing there is nothing above the tray. So it can be expanded upon vertically with out any problems. It can be fully reinforced and even a small lip for the holder can be installed.

I am, one way or another, going to install this into my cab. I will be sure to take pictures and tell you guys how it went when I am finished.

[danny_galaga]

I forgot that americans (assuming you are in the us!) have to be like 51 or something to legally drink! The lucky ones live near the Canadian or mexican border ;-) I was in the US last year and it was so funny having to show my passport to bouncers obviously much younger than myself!!

good news on the case! sounds like the skys the limit then. keep us posted

[Tahnok]

It works!... well mostly...

I still need to do some minor cosmetic work and I need to make the faceplate smaller (the weight is bogging it down). But other than that it seems to be working fine ! It looks pretty cool when it comes out.

A friend came up with the idea of gluing one of those clear CDs that come with CDR packs onto the tray. That fixes the problem of the drinks slipping through and reinforces the tray more.

[NoOne=NBA=]

There's always the "beer-hat" option.
No spills, no mess, and you get to keep both hands free.

Actually a "Camelback" works even better.
It will hold about a gallon, and is completely sealed.

[Nefesis]

i have a question about the cd drive... why is there some type of curcuit board underneath of the drive? is that for looks?

[Tahnok]

i have a question about the cd drive... why is there some type of curcuit board underneath of the drive? is that for looks?

Yes, I had to leave the main board on it for the sensors to work. The entire laser unit and its circuits have been removed though. The board does not make any difference though since it is inside and under the drive. If you were to remove it it would make no difference.