My new cabinet design

[DHTech]

Hi Guys

I've started a new cabinet design based around the Neon Mame, I wanted a built in CP rather than a box that sits on the top. This is a work in progress, any comments or suggestion are always welcome.

Ah yes, all in metric as thats what we use in the UK 

Thanks,
Jeremy (DHTech)

[yaksplat]

You may want to fillet some of those sharp corners.  It'll be difficult getting t-molding on them. 

[DHTech]

Yes I will smooth them off, to make t-moulding easier to fit.

[yaksplat]

When doing drawings like this, it can be easier to dimension it an (x,y) format from a corner.  When you layout the panel on the plywood you'll find it easier to read your drawing if each point that you're marking is Xmm from base and Ymm from side.  Then you just connect all of the points and draw in the fillets.

For the fillets, I like to print out circles that are 1-4" in diameter, mount them on cardboard and then physically place them on the wood, determining which radius I want, where.  You can then trace the circle once you get it in place, or mark the center of the circle with a nail and then use a compass.  If you don't want to trace circles, you can also dimension out radius centers in cad and use a compass on your panel.

[DHTech]

Revision 2 on my arcade design, I expect this to evolve a little more over the next few days

[mcseforsale]

For curves, I use whatever's round and reachable.  For my slim/woody, I used a tire pressure gauge for the 90 degree corners and a DVD for the arms that the CP box sits on.

AJ

[CpCaveman]

and if youre using a flat monitor you could shave at least 3/4 of a foot off the depth of it

[zanna5910]

create a template and check your angles for cp and monitor.   I built a slim and didn't do this ahead of time and feel my monitor is slightly more upright than i wanted.  Its great if you sit at a stool, but too upright if you stand.  Then again I'm 6'3, I would imagine most people it lines up pretty well for but I'm the one that plays it the most though 

Just some FYI.  Make it so its the most comfortable.  There's always some give and take.

[DHTech]

I didn't want a slim design, I wanted it to look more like a classic arcade machine, although I did slim it down by 111 mm from the original 711 mm base width, hopefully without compromising the design too much.

[DaveMMR]

When going off classic lines, I think the CP ledge being further out than the marquee area looks a bit awkward. I feel like even the ones with the overhang panels, the base was in line with the marquee area and the panel itself was a separate piece.

[paigeoliver]

Your control panel sticks out way too far from the front of the cabinet, it will be impossible to reach the coin door comfortably and it will create enough leverage that can be used to flip the cabinet over onto the player. Control panel shouldn't really stick out much more than 3" or 75mm past the base of the cabinet.

[DHTech]

Your control panel sticks out way too far from the front of the cabinet, it will be impossible to reach the coin door comfortably and it will create enough leverage that can be used to flip the cabinet over onto the player. Control panel shouldn't really stick out much more than 3" or 75mm past the base of the cabinet.

Yes I can see what your saying, but looking at the Neon Mame that I based the design on, the CP on that hangs out much more than mine, although it is a separate part.

[DHTech]

Revised CP length.

[Gray_Area]

Make the cp length the distance away you want. This may require a leverage plate or something at the foot of the cab, but totally worth the foot room. I find the cp length my candy has is minimum comfort. Of course, I don't stand at machines. Hell na. Also, nodding to zanna's comment, I find 60 degrees from horizontal to be the most I'd want a monitor face.

[paigeoliver]

Unfortunately control panels that stick out way too far are one of those things that have been sticking to original designs since the early days of scratchbuilt mame cabinets. It is because lots of guys in the early days (and some still today) bolted on oversized control panels to stock sized cabinets and the guys who drew up the first few sets of cabinet plans seemed to have little familiarity with any real cabinets and drew way too much upon those weird converted cabinets, and then everyone just copied it from everyone else.  I have a scratchbuilt cabinet that someone else built and I could easily flip the thing over with one hand if I pressed down on the overhanging panel too hard.

quote author=DHTech link=topic=131382.msg1347558#msg1347558 date=1364574560]

Your control panel sticks out way too far from the front of the cabinet, it will be impossible to reach the coin door comfortably and it will create enough leverage that can be used to flip the cabinet over onto the player. Control panel shouldn't really stick out much more than 3" or 75mm past the base of the cabinet.

Yes I can see what your saying, but looking at the Neon Mame that I based the design on, the CP on that hangs out much more than mine, although it is a separate part.
[/quote]

[sandheaver]

Unfortunately control panels that stick out way too far are one of those things that have been sticking to original designs since the early days of scratchbuilt mame cabinets. It is because lots of guys in the early days (and some still today) bolted on oversized control panels to stock sized cabinets and the guys who drew up the first few sets of cabinet plans seemed to have little familiarity with any real cabinets and drew way too much upon those weird converted cabinets, and then everyone just copied it from everyone else.  I have a scratchbuilt cabinet that someone else built and I could easily flip the thing over with one hand if I pressed down on the overhanging panel too hard.

Agreed.  Custom-designed cabinets, though they may look like you want them to, haven't been put through their paces.  Production cabinets have been engineered, tested, modified, tested again, etc.  You'll never find a production cabinet with anything approaching an issue that could have resulted in a lawsuit.

They were built the way they were built for good reasons.  People spent a lot of time and money designing cabinets for production, testing them, and so on.  It is folly to throw that work away and design your own, IMHO.  BASE your design on them, but modify the insides, not the outsides.

That isn't my design aesthetic speaking, btw.  I don't care if your cabinet is ugly.  I care if your 3yo kid reaches up and pulls down on the joystick and gets pinned under there.

[Gray_Area]

This may require a leverage plate or something at the foot of the cab, but totally worth the foot room. I find the cp length my candy has is minimum comfort.

This *was* also done on a few arcade uprights. In any case, design smartly - and how you want it.

[DHTech]

Final design for the side of my cabinet, made the CP a little shorter and rounded corners, have a local company that will CNC cut it for me. 

[Unstupid]

What angle does your cp sit at?  I think 7 degrees is about the most slope you want... Any more and it starts to get akward/uncomfortable. 

Also the top of your cab, the piece that measures 152,  can you try and make that bigger so that the speaker panel and the top back panel are parallel...  Not saying it has to.... Just curious what it would look like.....

[DHTech]

Thought I might try your suggestion and extend the top line to make it more symmetrical, yeah I like that.