Joystick case (lexar and so on...)

[ScatMan]

Hello!
Some questions about the box which is supposed to contain stick and buttons...

1) I found many posts about Lexar instead of plexiglass to cover the top of the box... why is that better? And where can I buy it? Can I drill it using the same tools I use for wood?

2) Which wood do you suggest?

3) I found Capcom-style button positions... but I'd like to mount them not in row... are there other models?

Thanks and sorry for my english :-)

[Brax]

1)Lexan is MUCH easier to work with than Plexiglass. It's slightly more expensive than plexi but well worth it. Lexan is a brand name. The material is polycarbonate and you may find it under a few different names. Any home building center that carried Plexi should carry Lexan as well. You can use the same tools as you would for wood including hole saws and routers, just take your time. And leave the protective film on the Lexan until you're finished working on it.

2) MDF (medium density fibreboard) is the most popular choice. It's cheap and easy to work with. I think most people around here go with a 5/8" thickness but some choose to go with 3/4" for extra strength.

3) Theres a few examples on this board that have the 6 buttons in a slight semi circle. It just a matter of personal preference. Maybe try a few different layouts on a cardboard box. You can quickly change the botton positions in the cardboard and it's sturdy enough for a quick play test.

Good Luck!

[ScatMan]

Hello!
Thanks for your kind replies... just a final question: you told about examples of semi-circular layout on this board... where can I find it? Is there a topic or so?
Thanks again

[spidermonkey]

I used ultralite mdf for my whole cabinet EXCEPT the top of my control panel. (5/8" PLYWOOD) Why?  Because I wanted to screw my joysticks from underneath instead of throughbolting. I didn't want to see the boltheads on the top of my control panel. Especially since I was covering it with polycarbonate. Mdf just doesn't hold screws very well especially when you'll be constantly abusing the joysticks in gameplay. If you use mdf then you'll have to throughbolt your joysticks. If you use plywood you can get away with just using screws that are almost the same lenth as the thickness of your plywood but just short enough so that they don't poke through the top. If you still insist on throughbolting then get the carrage bolts with the flat heads instead if the convex heads. This way when you tighten them they will sink into the wood to a flush position. Then you can cover everything with artwork and lastly apply your lexan. Personally I think using plywood and screwing from underneath is just easier. My cabinet has been done for a year now and my joysticks haven't come loose yet. The machine gets ALOT of use too. Other guys around here will have some good ideas and opinions for you too so you'll just have to take it all in and decide what you think is the best way to do it.
Good luck
S.M.

[ScatMan]

Hello!
Thanks for your reply... as you noticed I'm just a newbie in this "hobby" :-) And as I never built an AJ before I can't imagine now the problems I'll find...  

bye

[Brax]

Hello!
Thanks for your kind replies... just a final question: you told about examples of semi-circular layout on this board... where can I find it? Is there a topic or so?
Thanks again

You really need to look in the examples section and look at other projects. There are plenty that use the curve on a capcom layout. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to pour through 500 examples (again) to find it. It's your turn now. All the resources are here. Now it's time you use them instead of taking the easy way out and have someone else do your homework.

[eightbit]

I used ultralite mdf for my whole cabinet EXCEPT the top of my control panel. (5/8" PLYWOOD)

What is "ultralite mdf" I've never heard of a lighter weight MDF. Is this available at the normal big box lumber yards like home depot? Its not the stuff that looks more like sawdust than cardboard is it?

[Brax]

Hello!
Thanks for your kind replies... just a final question: you told about examples of semi-circular layout on this board... where can I find it? Is there a topic or so?
Thanks again

http://www.doughansen.net/arcade/standalone.htm

[Xphile]

I used ultralite mdf for my whole cabinet EXCEPT the top of my control panel. (5/8" PLYWOOD)

What is "ultralite mdf" I've never heard of a lighter weight MDF. Is this available at the normal big box lumber yards like home depot? Its not the stuff that looks more like sawdust than cardboard is it?

we use crown molding made of the Ultralight MDF at work, it's the same consistancy (very fine fiber mixed with glue/resin/whatever-it-is) so it's not like OSB or particle board if that was what you were wondering....

very nice, sharp, smooth cuts..great smooth paint surface..just like working with regular MDF molding, but it weighs ALOT less..probably half the weight... not sure about screw holding ability, or the strength of the flat stock though..never had an opportunity to work with sheets of it yet..

[spidermonkey]

You can screw ultralight mdf together as long as you use glue along with the screws. I just don't recommend using mdf for control panels since you certainly wouldn't screw and glue your joysticks to your control panel. I cut out the two sides of my cabinet using 3/4" ultralight mdf and then screwed and glued 1 3/8" ballaster all the way around the the edge of the two sides. I recessed the ballaster inwards 1" so that the side panels overlap all the front panels by a 1/4" I think recessing all the front panels a 1/4"  just looks more like real arcade cabinets. If your going to use ultralight mdf for your cabinet then you MUST use screws AND glue with plenty if pine supports throughout the cabinet. I used "PL-400" construction adhesive in a caulking gun. For your supports you can use 1 3/8" ballaster or even 5 quarter x 4" pine planks and rip them into 1 3/8" wide strips. I wouldn't use strips of standard 1 x 4 pine as its only 3/4" thick  and in my opinion just isn't enough meat to glue and run screws into. Don't worry, your cabinet will still be plenty heavy so that it doesn't tip or shift around during gameplay. Ultralight mdf just cuts down some of the weight so that you'll have a little less trouble moving it around. Some people will say "Well how many times will you really have to move your cabinet ?" All I can tell you is I just moved to a townhouse and my cabinet is up in a loft on the second floor and since I did'nt want the moving guys touching it I moved it myself  and I could kiss myself for using the lightest material availiable. I do have casters on the bottom but they don't  do squat if you're carrying it upstairs. I don't know if Home Depot carrys it or not. I got mine at a privately owned lumber yard. It does cost more then standard mdf but its worth every penny and much cheaper then having surgery on herniated discs in your back.