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Battle Chasers Upright - Frankenpanel started!
Kremmit:
First off, I'm with you on the heat. 110 outside here, right now. We already hit 117 once this year, and it's been 105+ for the last two weeks with no end in sight. Plus, my air conditioner at the house is broken, just to make things interesting. Hang in there, and have another beer.
As to scrapping your current project: What have you learned so far? If you start over with MDF now, you'll probably be able to do a much better job on the cabinet. Think that's a reason to start over? NO! What will you learn as you complete the rest of the project? If you don't finish, but instead start over, you'll build the "good" cab body, based on the experience you've already gained, and then you'll get to the parts you have no experience with yet, and start making new mistakes. Then you'll get disgusted, since you've now "screwed up" TWO of the things, and quit entirely. Then, you'll probably just end up an old, bitter drunk on some slacker, asshat internet forum where nobody ever builds anything, or switch to model rockets, or something. ;)
Finish up, learn the rest of your lessons, and then, when it's done, you can do the next one with all that experience under your belt.
Boz:
--- Quote from: Kremmit on July 23, 2006, 06:24:50 pm ---Plus, my air conditioner at the house is broken, just to make things interesting.
--- End quote ---
Did you get your air fixed graus-hauppa? WAY too freaking hot to not have air. How'd you survive? Animals and family all good?
--- Quote from: Kremmit ---you'll probably just end up an old, bitter drunk on some slacker, asshat internet forum where nobody ever builds anything
--- End quote ---
Oh NO! I'm doomed now, aren't I? I was thinkin to myself a couple of days ago that I haven't had a lot of comments from the "old-timers" on my cab. Once in that other place, I figured out where they are all hangin' out. (of course the other reason would be that I'm not necessarily doing anything new here. It's big, but it's still just a basic cabinet.)
--- Quote from: johnperkins21 on July 23, 2006, 01:41:57 am ---...the satisfaction of actually finishing the thing through all the troubles will make it an even more glorious occasion to celebrate.
--- End quote ---
Thanks for the pick-me-up though I'm not sure I'll be celebrating *this* one. The truth is that I set my expectations a little high. I set a deadline of this coming Friday to have everything done (including the CP) and with the heat and everything else I've complained about in this build, my expectations were WAY too aggressive. I'll probably breath a sigh of relief rather than celebrate.
--- Quote from: Kangum on July 22, 2006, 09:49:47 pm ---Nobody here wants to see a project scrapped so if you do just make sure its for the right reasons and not because you are discouraged at the mistakes you have made.
--- End quote ---
A truer statement could not have been uttered. I don't actually mind my mistakes. I consider them "battle scars" of experience that I'll draw on to build a MissionControl-class cabinet someday. If I were to scrap it, it would be for the constant, weather-based, changes I have to make every day.
--- Quote from: NightGod on July 22, 2006, 05:44:40 pm ---For the rough cuts, two things-first, you want a higher tooth count saw blade. We're talking 100ish-they're generally called "Finishing blades". Second, cut from the back side of the wood, you'll get a cleaner cut on the smooth side.
--- End quote ---
If I hadn't already cut all the major pieces, this would be my FIRST task for tomorrow as I continue working this delapidated structure. I have so little experience with wood (let alone different types of wood) that I had no idea the cuts I was making weren't supposed to be coming out that way. So far, I've only blamed the wood. If I cut veneer again, I'll certainly have one of these finishing blades. It's veneered on both sides, so both sides experience the problems.
--- Quote from: NightGod ---Third-I second the stick-with-it suggestion. Take a couple of days, get some rest and perspective (and let the wood reshape back to level) and then jump back in.
--- End quote ---
--- Quote from: Kremmit ---Finish up, learn the rest of your lessons, and then, when it's done, you can do the next one with all that experience under your belt.
--- End quote ---
Thanks for all the comments 'gents. I've kind of re-established my expectations for this first cabinet of mine and set them somewhere more achievable. In retrospect, my biggest problems haven't been necessarily the wood (yes, I've thought about this). My problem was my expectations of quality and speed with a rediculous deadline I had set for myself. I saw the FIRST cab that Bones built, and thought "hell, it can't be *that* hard to build a quality cabinet, can it?" (No offense intended, Bones ;). Apparently it *is* that hard for the uber novice...me)
So, I'll finish this one, but I've dropped any considerations for a time-frame. My goal of finishing this cabinet before I started my new job (three weeks) was pretty aggressive given it's my first cabinet plus I only have a few wood-working projects under my belt to be tackling something as complicated as this.
Tomorrow
o Framing in the casters on the rear of the cabinet to keep them from swivelling (sp?).
o Cut coin door opening (from hopefully accurate blowup on Happs website)
o Mount coin door panel.
o Mount plane at bottom of marquee
o Mount control panel support
o Buy MDF for the control panel dimensions I *actually want*
Kremmit:
--- Quote from: In2ishun on July 24, 2006, 01:37:52 am ---
--- Quote from: Kremmit on July 23, 2006, 06:24:50 pm ---Plus, my air conditioner at the house is broken, just to make things interesting.
--- End quote ---
Did you get your air fixed graus-hauppa? WAY too freaking hot to not have air. How'd you survive? Animals and family all good?
--- End quote ---
Luckily, I've got one room with it's own standalone air conditioner we're holing up in until the new AC unit gets installed, this Thursday and Friday.
Boz:
NON Update: 8/17/2006
Some may be wondering whether or not I was still working on this cabinet. Yes. Car expenses, rediculous heat, and a new job have cut my progress to nothing. However, things are calming down a bit and I expect to be getting back into it as soon as I don't need 2 gallons of water in my body to work outdoors again, and have recovered, financially, from the expenses I incurred in July.
While I'm waiting for summer to end, I am working on my CP layout, computer for the cabinet, and artwork.
Boz:
Update: 9/28/2006
Although I haven't updated in a while, I've been fairly busy. Without going into too much detail, here's some of the things I've been attacking...
The Billabs monitor I bought had my horizontal output transistor go bad (or, as it was put to me, "your HOT is bad.") I haven't taken the time to replace the chassis, but will soon.
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=57316.0
Control panel designing, which included the arduous task of having to learn how to do the most fundamental tasks in Illustrator.
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=58543.0
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=58399.0
Investigating a bit of how Mame 108 works as I was considering building my own front end
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=57810.0
Setting up the computer I plan to use for the cabinet including the goal of all builders... hiding Windows completely.
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=57435.0
Oh... and getting the Arcade VGA card running properly. (which had to stop when I stuffed up my monitor
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=57017.0
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=57005.0
I purchased an amplifier for the speakers I am going to be using. This thing is pretty powerful
http://tinyurl.com/jqez2
Getting taken to school on how to do some good control panel wiring
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=50889.msg528480#msg528480
The heat has abated in Phoenix and the rain looks to have stopped until the beginning of the next monsoon season. I have a lot of loose ends hanging around right now and I'm scurrying to get a lot more done before the cabinet is due for it's debut at a 30+ Thanksgiving dinner. This coming weekend should be a good one for progress.
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