Update: October 10, 2006Took Thursday and Friday off from work to do a lot of running around for CP construction. In retrospect, I'm glad I did. If you want to jump right to the pictures,
here's the Flickr set for the day.
ArtworkAfter the messy print that I got from FastPrints (as well as being asked not to come back to their store), I finally got the artwork right and printed fairly decent. The print quality wasn't quite a sharp as the copy I had done at FastPrints, but the saturation is AWESOME. Given the application of this vinyl, I'll take better saturation over a crisp image.
As you can see, I found an image of Garrison that was mostly unobscured. I would have liked to have the sword complete through to the tip, but I'm not an artist, just a pixel jockey. It's already been printed so it doesn't matter anyway. I *do* like this image of Garrison and given the 100's of times I've been through these comics, it's amazing to me that I didn't see it.
LexanI've read various posts about the trouble people have with Lexan. I haven't cut the first joystick or button holes yet, but at least getting the Lexan cut to size was so straight forward and easy, I would highly recommend this method for anyone.
My advice... DON'T waste your time using a power tool. It's more trouble than it's worth and you are potentially asking for more problems if you DO use one. First, cut your one of your control panel bases [from your chosen wood] to size based on the artwork you've just printed. Use that control panel base as a guide to "score" the Lexan. I know there are plastics cutting blades, but I don't think you need one. Just use a standard utility knife (box cutter) and drag it FIRMLY along the edges of your CP base, cutting into the plexi / Lexan. (Obviously you'll want your CP base and the Lexan clamped down good and tight.) After you've scored it 2 or 3 times, remove the clamps, line any scored edge up with a straight flat surface, and push. It'll snap right along your score line with no trouble at all.
Honestly, I've read lots of posts where people are using routers, jig saws, and table saws to cut this stuff. They talk about it melting and sometimes cracking. Because of that I was all hot-n-bothered about possibly cracking my Lexan top. No such thing happened and I cut the whole thing out in about as much time as it would have taken me to cut one side with a router.
Ok... I *could* be singin' another tune when it comes to the button holes.
The Lexan I bought from Home Depot was QUITE expensive. It was more than TWICE as much as a standard sheet of non-branded Plexi. As I try to stick to some standards that I've read around here, I opted for the Lexan. I guess I'm just trying to avoid using crappy material that could turn my noob mistakes into catastrophic blunders.
The Lexan also appears to be tinted a bit. It looked pretty clear when I examined it at the store, but as you can see in the photos, it has a slight smokey tint to it. I wasn't expecting this, but I like it. It should slightly obscure any minor design mis-steps in my control panel artwork.
Control Panel BoxI didn't want to take any chances with potentially breathing in the MDF dust, so I opted to use an old NBC gas mask I brought home from the Marine Corp about 12 years ago. I figure if the filters in this thing are designed to stop atomized nerve gas, it'll stop the MDF dust. (It even comes with eye protection). As I expected, it worked like a champ.
I cut the CP top and bottom bases with a circular saw. I must say that I've managed to get pretty accurate with my circular saw and now only long for a table saw for angled cuts. Thanks to the CP dimensions I settled on, I had to use TWO FULL SHEETS of MDF to get a top and bottom. There's a LOT of extra wood left over. Actually there's enough left for an entire 48" wide control panel -- sides too.
I've never worked with MDF before, but cutting the bases showed me how brittle this stuff is. It looks like 3/4 of an inch of paper that's been glued together. You can tell how fragile it is when you drop a piece on it's corner. It dents like an aluminum can does when you crush it in your hand.
Before attaching any of the sides, I figured I'd probably need to do quite a few pilot and countersink holes. Figuring how pourous this stuff is, I tried to put as many screws into the bottoms of the side pieces and my butt joints as I could and as many as the "wood" (see... I almost have a hard time calling this stuff wood) could take without breaking out or seperating too much. I attached the longest piece (the 60-inch piece in back) to the shorter sides first with only two 1 1/4" gold screws on each side. From there I filled all of the holes in the bottom with screws to keep it firmly in place. From there I added the front section and the two angled pieces. I recessed the screws for the angled pieces into the "wood" though, as you should be able to tell, there's really not much material holding the angled pieces to the straight ones.
I'll be putting angle brackets or hinges inside to make sure the sides stay together and that they stay firmly attached to the bottom base.
Control Panel TopI've heard of people using a variety of bits for drilling the MDF and plexi. I opted for a forstner bit. First, because it has a super-fine tip that will allow me to pinpoint the center of each button hole. Also because I read that getting through the Plexi with as few strokes / rotations as possible (though still slow enough that you don't crack it) is highly desireable. The slanted inside planes on the forstner bit, "lifts" the material out as you go.
Finally, I think I'll be using this style of attachment not only to keep the CP top down firmly, but also to hold it in place as it sits on the cabinet. I may have to reinforce the spots where the clips will mount with some good old-fashioned WOOD.
Coin Door (July 29, 2006)I'm not sure why I never posted these images before, but here's some shots of the coin door as it was going in.
Joysticks, Buttons, GadgetsAnother image I forgot to post. If anyone cares for a parts list, I'll post one. If not... here's the obligatory picture.
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