Newbie Questions

[John IV [MameUI64]]

Hi all, decided to take the plunge and build a CP after using the HotRod SE and Ozsticks for a while.  Went through all the CP examples and read the FAQ, heh.  Lots of good info.

Couple questions arise.

1. I'm trying to make this thing slimline height wise.  What's the shortest internal height people have gotten w/ Happ Supers and Happ horizontal push buttons? 2.5"?

2. What are the sizes for the bolts used to lock down the supers, what does 6mm translate to in fractions?   Are most using 2 inch bolts if using 3/4 MDF?  Thanks -

My progress here:
http://www.classicgaming.com/mame32qa/controller/controller.htm

[Brax]

2 1/2 inches is cutting it seriously close for the supers. Thats pretty much actual height.

You'll probably want to countersink you joysticks since you're using 3/4" thick wood. If you sink the joysticks by 1/4" they will be flush with the bottom of the control panel. Then your bolts only have to be a nut width longer than the control panel thickness. 1" or 1 1/4"maybe....

I used a 5/8" thick board with a 1/4" countersink and it worked out really nice. The joystick has a nice height and the internal height is around 2 1/4"

[John IV [MameUI64]]

Thanks, I don't have access to a router [which I assume is what you're suggesting] so no countersinking for me.  I think I'll leave the internal height at 3" to play it safe.

Do you recall the 4 bolt width in inches for the Supers' connectors?

[SNAAAKE]

you can do with huge flat screw driver.

or something similer and hammer it..thats how i did and got perfect height..make sure you  go with countersinking the bottom.its very very annoying when you have a plexi on top of 3/4" wood.you get very short handle and it even effects game play.for normal super joysticks from happ.

other clones handles are slightly longer.

it depends which joystick you are using and make sure you go with original happs stuff.DONT USE CLONE joysticks.you will regreat.i have 2 of them and i dont like it much.

[Bursar]

I used Happ Supers with 3/4 chipboard when I made my prototype, and the joysticks are incredibly short to the point of being uncomfortable if you don't rout out the underneath of the panel.

If you don't have a router, see if you can hire one for a day just so you can rout out the joystick holes. It's definately worth it.

[Tiger-Heli]

Thanks, I don't have access to a router [which I assume is what you're suggesting] so no countersinking for me.  I think I'll leave the internal height at 3" to play it safe.

Do you recall the 4 bolt width in inches for the Supers' connectors?

2.6 and 3.0 if Happs figures are accurate: http://www.happcontrols.com/joysticks/super_joy_e.htm

I don't have a router either and am planning to use 3/8-inch plywood with Formica for the top panel, which should be about perfect for the joystick height.

When you rent a router, you usually have to BUY the bits for it, and the total is often more than the cost of buying a cheap one.  From my experience.

[Bursar]

Ah right, I didn't know that about hiring routers. I bought one for

[JustMichael]

Thanks, I don't have access to a router [which I assume is what you're suggesting] so no countersinking for me.  I think I'll leave the internal height at 3" to play it safe.

You could try a hammer and a chisel for countersinking.  I would suggest you practice on a scrap of your control panel material first to get the "feel" of it.

[John IV [MameUI64]]

Hmm, thanks for the suggestions.  Has anyone had success with a thinner top without countersinking the Happ Supers?  Would you want to go any thinner than 5/8 MDF for the top?

[rampy]

Thanks, I don't have access to a router [which I assume is what you're suggesting] so no countersinking for me.  I think I'll leave the internal height at 3" to play it safe.

You could try a hammer and a chisel for countersinking.  I would suggest you practice on a scrap of your control panel material first to get the "feel" of it.

*sarcasm*
Yeah! Only true elite BYOAC use chisels and hammers because we are craftsmen (or craftswomen?)  routers are for sissies.   The only thing worse than a router sissy is a buying a prepaid controller poseur...  Hell real BYOAC use their teeth and finger nails to gouge out their control panels =P  
*end sarcasm*

Can you tell I just got finished reading the " Ordered my MAME PC, now to SlikStik!" thread =P  

Seriously... a router will make your life easier for this application.    You can get buy with a chisel and hammer but you'll need to be careful and be crafstman like...

FWIW I'm thinking of going with 1/2" MDF and lexan because my x-gaming buttons I got off of ebay are too short for 3/4" AND lexan...   (i also have the x-gaming super knockoffs snaaaakes complaing about...   I think they are ok, $9.95 for 2 of them I can't complain... joysticks are really a "feel" thing anyways... )

*Shrug*

Rampy

[Brax]

Hmm, thanks for the suggestions.  Has anyone had success with a thinner top without countersinking the Happ Supers?  Would you want to go any thinner than 5/8 MDF for the top?

Well I have a 5/8" top thats countersunk 1/4". So really, the area around the joystick is only 3/8" thick + my formica top. I wouldn't want to go that thin for the whole top though. You want to be able to hammer on it like the arcades! Thats the whole point isn't it? Personally I found the joystick height a little low even with a 5/8" board and thats why I countersunk. Sorry, don't mean to keep pointing you towards the router. Have any friends with one? Any BYOACers that are close by?

[OSCAR]

You could try a hammer and a chisel for countersinking.  I would suggest you practice on a scrap of your control panel material first to get the "feel" of it.

Excellent suggestion, JM, especially if you are using MDF.  I was just about to recess the joysticks on a cab I'm working on now, and I tried it with a chisel on a scrap board just for kicks to see how difficult it would be.  Since MDF is basically a compressed and layered paper product, you can chisel it out surprisingly well.  Here's a comparison photo of two tests I did.  The one on the left is a pretty sloppy job I did freehand with a router, and the one on the right I did all with a chisel.  If you cut around the edges first with a chisel, then you can remove most of the material in one big chunk, which you can see in the pic.  I certainly wouldn't consider myself an accomplished craftsman when it comes to woodworking, but it is important that your wood chisels are sharp, though.

And a sharp chisel does cost quite a bit less than a router w/ bits if you don't have access to either and have to buy.

[rampy]

Excellent suggestion, JM, especially if you are using MDF.  I was just about to recess the joysticks on a cab I'm working on now, and I tried it with a chisel on a scrap board just for kicks to see how difficult it would be.  Since MDF is basically a compressed and layered paper product, you can chisel it out surprisingly well.  Here's a comparison photo of two tests I did.  The one on the left is a pretty sloppy job I did freehand with a router, and the one on the right I did all with a chisel.  If you cut around the edges first with a chisel, then you can remove most of the material in one big chunk, which you can see in the pic.  I certainly wouldn't consider myself an accomplished craftsman when it comes to woodworking, but it is important that your wood chisels are sharp, though.

And a sharp chisel does cost quite a bit less than a router w/ bits if you don't have access to either and have to buy.

Nice pic OSCAR (the whole pic is worth a thousand words thing)   Question:  my main concern with chiseling would be getting a consistent depth across the surface...  Are you saying it came off in chunks all in the same layer?

is it level in the recess (or level enough for joy mounting purposes) ?

Rampy

[OSCAR]

When you take out the first big chunk, it won't all be all the same layer mostly because you will be using a steep angle to remove it.  After the majority of the material is removed, I switched to a smaller 1/2" chisel (I used a 1" to remove the large portion) and tried to lay the chisel as flat as possible.  To control the depth, you will have to periodically stop and check your depth with a gage or small block of wood that is the same thickness that you are trying to recess.  When you have the area you are working on the proper depth, you can move to the other areas and pretty much just "pop" the remaining material out by keeping the chisel flush with the area you just completed.

The thing with MDF is that because it is layered, you can keep peeling it back and it will keep getting deeper.  Like trying to pull a sticker off a cardboard box, sometimes the more you peel, the more cardboard comes off with it, if you follow me.  This is why your chisels have to be sharp, cause then you can control this peeling because the chisel will cut the MDF rather than let it progressively peel deeper.

This sure does sound like a lot of work when it's typed all out, but it honestly only took about 15 minutes to do that one joystick in the picture.  When complete, the recess I did turned out level.  It really isn't hard to control the depth on MDF.  I wouldn't even try using a chisel with particle board, though.

[SNAAAKE]

okay people,this is when ply wood comes in handy.

ply wood has layers so all you gotta do is use chisel and hammer.

i did not know how to call that thing(now i know its CHISEL)

i used chisel for my panel.and used 3/4 ply wood and bootleg molding.

[Grasshopper]

Unless you're on an extremely tight budget I'd buy a router. They are far cheaper than you'd expect. In the UK you can buy them from Homebase or Argos for about

[SNAAAKE]

its not even t-molding to begin with .

found this material called "batten stipe" from ACE hardware.all you gotta do is use tacks and hammer it.

it only comes one size   3/4" and 3 different colour.
i am not buying to router because its too much hassle.i am happy with what i got for now.