Pics of My First Control Panel

[urbecrisch]

Well here's some pics (not very clear, sorry) of my first CP I ever built.  I used the same pattern as acevedor2 (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=62871.0) but made some minor changes.  The CP is 34.25" x 20.25" on center.  I wanted to give myself plenty of room for my trackball so you will notice there's enough space to really give it a whirl when playing Golden Tee

I also countersunk some bolts that hold my hinges on cause I didn't want to use screws thinking in time they will probably strip the wood and fall off.  This way I can take off the top of my CP with no problems and don't have to worry about stripping the screws.  The holes on top will be covered by artwork and the plexi so they will never be seen.

For controls I have a Topfire joystick, 1 player Ultimarc Mag-Stik Plus for easy 4/8 way play, 2 player Ultimarc Mag-Stik, TT2, Happs Translucent Trackball, and various buttons for play and admin.  I figure I should be able to play a variety of games with this setup.

All in all I'm happy so far with my work.  Now I have to rout for T-molding, prime and paint the CP box, wire everything together, and somehow fit it on the CAB below which will be a whole other topic!

I'm also going with some artwork from Mame Marquees.  It won't be original but I really like the lightning pattern CP art and marquee and I think it would look cool with my black and blue CAB.

Anyway, let me know what you think and I'll keep updating with some more pics.  Hopefully soon  I Will have a digital camera and I won't have to rely on my crappy phone for pics:) Later!

[acevedor2]

Great job and you are moving very quickly.  I wish I was that far along.  Looking good! 

[paigeoliver]

  Danger Will Robinson, Danger!! 

That project needs to change right now or somebody is going to get seriously injured.

That panel is way too deep for that Defender cabinet you have pictured there. In addition to looking funny the machine will be unstable and will want to tip forward and crush the player. Children will be particularly vulnerable because they like to hang on sticks.

If you want to salvage your existing work then I suggest making that panel sit on its own little stand in front of the defender cabinet.  This has the added advantage that you can put a real Defender layout on the machine itself, and not  have to chop up the machine to install the Frankenpanel that will just have to come off later.

[Donkey_Kong]

Danger Will Robinson, Danger!! 

That project needs to change right now or somebody is going to get seriously injured.

That panel is way too deep for that Defender cabinet you have pictured there. In addition to looking funny the machine will be unstable and will want to tip forward and crush the player. Children will be particularly vulnerable because they like to hang on sticks.

If you want to salvage your existing work then I suggest making that panel sit on its own little stand in front of the defender cabinet.  This has the added advantage that you can put a real Defender layout on the machine itself, and not  have to chop up the machine to install the Frankenpanel that will just have to come off later.

Or trim a few inches off the inside edge of the CP. Move the admin buttons down and to the left. Shave about 4 inches and you should be good to go.

Good Luck!

[urbecrisch]

Well, originally I was going to build an addition to the front of the CAB so it would support a large CP like mine.  I was planning on attaching it to the CAB by some latches of some sort so I could easily remove the CP.  I guess I have two options here.  I could continue to "remodel" the existing CAB to have the ability to support the CP or I could trim the CP down a bit without losing too much surface.  Donkey Kong suggested 4 inches which would make the CP around 16 inches center but is 4 inches really going to make a difference?  What would be the most I could get away with regarding the CP while keeping the original CAB the way it is? (BTW I would still make a cut on the CAB to so the CP is not pitched)

[fjl]

That cp is huge! You could land a 747 on it.

[paigeoliver]

Well, I am intimately familiar with the art of Multi-game projects in the Defender cabinet (having done 6 of them in Defender cabinets alone, heck, one of my projects lives in Saint's gameroom today) and in my early days even attempted to attach a large panel to one of them.

And my best advice is DON'T do it. Defender cabinets are really lightweight. The become unstable as soon as they have a panel sticking out more than about 2 inches in front.

Don't chop the front of the cabinet. Just don't do it. Eventually you will become unhappy with a large panel grafted onto a 19" cabinet, and want to redo it.

You really do seem to want a superpanel, so I really suggest making the superpanel a free standing unit that is on its very own base directly in front of the defender cabinet. You can put some different controls (something weird for a favorite game), on the defender panel itself. This has the added bonus that the separate control panel unit can later be moved to a different project, and you will not have destroyed that Defender cabinet.

Also, it is easy to make swappable panels on a Defender cabinet, since the panels are just a flat bit of wood.

[urbecrisch]

You're right!  This is my first CAB,CP, etc. so I have to listen to the pros!  I definitely don't want to make more work for myself than I have to so I'm wondering if I cut down the CP so it would be around 16" (14" base), if that would be enough to keep my current CP layout.  It is only then an 8" overhang and with the weight of my 21" CRT, CPU and any other weights I place in back would that be sufficient?  Also remember I will be reinforcing the frame with 2x4 which should strengthen the CAB.  I could make interchanging panels but I want to avoid the constant plugging/unplugging of the USB, PS/2 etc.  Maybe my other option would be picking up a gutted out larger CAB at an arcade auction I will be attending April 7, 2007.  Then I would have more flexibilitywhen dealing with my CP.   Will have to ponder this and listen to suggestions.

[paigeoliver]

If you have the option to go to an upcoming arcade auction and get a larger cabinet than by all means do that. You will be much happier with a big panel on a big cabinet than you ever will be with a big panel grafted onto a Defender cabinet.

There isn't actually any reason to reinforce the cabinet itself. That won't help the balance issue, and those cabinets are very strong. They hold very heavy monitors with no problems at all.

You still have a nice looking Defender cabinet there, you could really do a great looking project. Doing a Defender/Stargate combo mame in it would be really cheap and would be a lot of fun.

[shorthair]

What page says about the cab and keeping your panel separate (don't cut it - it's great for 27" monitor - good distance) makes much sense.