New Cabinet, same old ideas (Update 12-03-11)

[Zero_Hour]

That is looking really nice.

Any chance you have measurements for your design that you'd be willing to share?

[Dudeman]

Which measurements are you looking for? The whole cab, or just the CP?

[mccoy178]

Great idea on the cp.  Keep on keeping on.  These things do take forever.  Nice Tattoo by the way.

[Dudeman]

Thanks for the praise, McCoy. Your cab is model of perfection.

Even though you're a Buckeye.

[Zero_Hour]

Which measurements are you looking for? The whole cab, or just the CP?

The CP would be ideal. I think I can work out the rest of the cab based off the CP.

[Dudeman]

I used Alibre Design to create the design. I'll have to look and see what formats I can save to. PM me you email and file types.

[Zero_Hour]

Thanks,

PM sent. 

[Dudeman]

Not that anyone is still keeping up with this seeing as how my updates are coming almost as slowly as PixelHugger's, but here is the latest.

The first 2 are of the completed contruction of the rotating CP.
The next 2 are of the volume control in place on the speaker panel.
The last is yet another failed attempt at creating a plate to act as stops for the ball catches.

Even though I measured 50 times, when the holes actually get cut, they don't line up. The holes need to be exactly 4 5/16" from the center point, on 120 deg. angles to each other. I think when I end up drilling the holes, that is when the errors are introduced. I'm not sure how to get the accuracy I need without using a water jet.

I've also cut out the plexi and started some test bends, but we've seen enough of those type pics to know what it looks like.

[Kaytrim]

With your holes use some kind of punch to set the center of the cut.  That way when you start to drill the bit doesn't skip around.  Second are you sure that the ball catches are at the proper places to match your holes?

TTFN

[Dudeman]

I did! That's what sucks so bad. I've got an auto-punch. I even started with the smallest drill bit I have and worked my way up, but still no joy.

I didn't test it on the ball catches. I placed the piece on a board and affixed it at the center. Then I drew on the board where the holes were and spun it to see if it lined up. You can guess the rest.

It LOOKS like it is lined up if you look at the circles and lines drawn on the plate, but it isn't.

[Kaytrim]

because you are using seperate drill bits that is more than likely where the error is coming from.  Get a step drill bit or go straight to the size you need.

[Dudeman]

Here is a bit more on the cab. I've been extremely busy with work and helping attend to family matters, but when I get a free day, I try and get a little time in on the cab. I've gotten the majority of the inside painted (I know, waste of time, but I'm anal like that). I've pruchaced the vinyl and I've gotten 90% of it applied.

While applying it, I figure out the best thing to do is keep it long over on the edges and just use the iron the smooth it over the edge. That way you don't have to worry about the vinyl and t-molding not lining up prefectly.

Here are a few pics of my progress.

BTW... When trying to paint into the holes for the speaker panel, I wasn't able to spray enough paint to actually get into the holes. I finally figured out to use pipe cleaners and dip them like a paint brush. It took forever, but it worked!

[Loki]

Looks great Dudeman!
I gotta remember the the vinyl trick... looks like a nice finish.

[Dudeman]

I finally got the all the painting done, and 90% of the vinyl applied. Having the pieces just laying around the garage while I try and find the time to finish the control panel was torture, so I decided to put the cabinet back together and have a look. So this is where I'm at!

I know... black and blue have been done to death, but I'm not trying to innovate, just trying to please my eye!

[bfauska]

Looking good, there's a reason that classic shapes and colors are seen so often. They just work.

[blueznl]

More on that control panel, more on that control panel!

[Dudeman]

Sorry... still working that one.

The rotation is causing me a bit of problems. I'm working on an effective way to lock the CP at each side.

But I'll post what I have.

[Dudeman]

Yes... it has been forever since I posted anything about this project. Life and work continue to get in the way of what I consider important.

I've spent what time I can on trying to solve a little problem. I didn't like the idea of having to manually open the coin door in order to spin the CP. I just seemed like there had to be a way to automate it. So I've been working on a fix.

I just wanted to push the top of the CP away from me and rotate it into place. I'll never push down on the top, so the only time the coin door needs to move is when the CP is rotating up into place. Now that I've typed it, I get that it is hard to imagine. Think of it like this. You are standing on the left side of the cabinet. The CP will only rotate counterclockwise, never clockwise. So the coin door will tilt open to allow the CP to rotate past and then close back. I've installed these things called Blumotion, which keep the door from slamming shut. They allow it to close slowly.

I created a cam to push a cam follower out, which in turn pushes on the door and opens it. When the CP finishes it's turn, a return spring closes the coin door. That's it. But designing that cam was a pain. I had to make it out of hardboard so I could adjust it just right. Then I covered it in Bondo to try and harden up the edges. I should have used JB Weld, but hindsight is 20/20.

The cam follower is made from a piece of 1/8" thick steel with a roller blade bearing on one end and a skateboard bearing on the other held in place with JB Weld.
 
Here are some bad pics and an even worse video. It's bright enough in the garage to work, but to dark for good pics. And yes... I know it's dirty. I'll clean it when I'm done.

Link to video  http://tinyurl.com/6j86de

[mccoy178]

Really cool!  Do you plan on any type of tutorial on your cam system?  I bet there will be interest in this.

[Dudeman]

 

I guess it depends on the interest. But I've realized the JB Weld isn't strong enough by itself to hold the parts together. I tried scuffing them up so the epoxy would have something to hold on to, but it finally broke last night. 

My original idea was to make an axel and weld it to the steel and slip the bearing over it, but I couldn't find a piece of steel rod the same size as the diameter of the bearing. I found a piece of aluminum, but I can't weld that.

I'll be coming up with a way today. I want that working again. Maybe I'll get that AL rod... thread it... tap a hole in the steel.... hmmm.

[Dudeman]

Another update. It's ake a long time to get back to this. I've started teaching my sport on the weekends, and I've been trying to get my motorcycle back on the road, so not a lot of time for the cab.



Here is what I decided to do for the cam. I tapped the cam follower and threaded a bolt into it. On this image, I ground off the end of the bolt used just that tiny bit to hold the bearing in place. I also used JBWeld on it to be sure it wouldn't move.



On this end I completely cut the end off and created a slot for a screwdriver because of space issues. I still used JBWeld though.

I have started on the wiring. I decided to put the LedWIZ and the IPAC in project boxes and use connectors for each panel. The fighter and the dual joystick panels each have a 25 pin from the LedWiz and the trackball panel gets a 9 pin. The fighter gets a 25 pin from the IPac, the dual joy gets 2 15 pins, and the trackball gets a 9 pin.





As you can see, I soldered everything up and used heat shrink to cover all the exposed wire.

[Dudeman]

After a long hiatus, I've started working on this thing again. Life always seems to get in the way. Now I'm working on the artwork. Having loads of trouble here.

I can't think of a name for the cab.

I don't can't really think of a theme. Blue is the primary color because I selected blue t-moulding and that is the color I chose for my LEDs behind the buttons.

Here is my first attempt at a CP. The controls are not exactly the right color but are just there for reference. Everything above the red line (which won't be printed) is on the backsplash, everything below is the CP... of course.

Any opinions?