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New Modular Design

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psfoley:

I have just created my own modular design and want to know what you think. The back of it is basicly going to be a C-shape hinge (which I can make cheaply with PVC pipe) that will be used to allow the CP to fold up. I will use a router on the CP pieces and then have a blade in between the pieces, simular to a keyboard drawer. All I need to do is slide the pieces into the blades, fold the pieces down, and then attach the front down with velcro. All comments/criticsms are welcome   ;).



JamIt:

Interesting.  Probably secure enough.  
You will have issues removing a "middle" panel though; it would require removal of "outside" panels.
--JamIt

NoOne=NBA=:

The only problem I see that you may have with it is the velcro.
It should be fine for buttons, trackballs, etc..., but may be loose for joysticks.

I used velcro on my panels way back when and found that, while it DID hold them in place, it still let them wiggle around a bit on the fuzz.

psfoley:

Jamit,

   I think I understand what you mean about the removal of inside panels, but I think that my drawing may have misled you. The blades that the control panel slides into are not double sided, but two single sided blades pushed together. I also think that I should clarify that I will be able to move the blades around and take them out and add others in.

NoOne=NBA=,

        Do you think a clamp from the inside would work, or something like a latch, and thanks for the input it is greatly appriciated.

Doc-:

No too bad!

I see a few possible problems - though it is hard to tell precisely without building one:

1. You need to be concerned about lateral movement.  Unless each of the panels is cut very precisely you may have some lateral "slop" that will allow the CP pieces to shift left/right especially along the end with the PVC hinge.  The other end will be dampened a bit by the velcro.

2. The velcro could be problematic.  I doubt it will be secure enough to hold the joysticks in place.  While it might work fine for some games, a good game of Robotron (you know - the kind where your hands are still shaking after you finish) might just pull the whole thing up.  The shear strength is good, but the tensile strength might not be enough.  Plus you have some seating slop caused by the hooks themselves.

3. I would be a bit concerned about the PVC pipe itself. It is prone to bending under heavy loads, so you would need some wood rails or something to bear the load especially near the center of the CP to prevent bending/twisting.

I did come up with a practical modular design that meets your design goals and is pretty easy to manufacture.  It also allows you to swap any of the panels individually, and I have a nice wiring system to go with it.

I use dowels and the bezel to secure each panel so there is only one degree of freedom on the panels.  The dowels bear most of the load so it is more secure than velcro.  Dowels prevent lateral movement, the bezel prevents rocking.  It works remarkably well under daily use/abuse.

Lots of diagrams, pictures, panels, etc...here:
    http://www.beersmith.com/mame


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