Would you do it again

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bionicbadger:
Would definately do it again. Building the Cabinet is at least as fun as playing it.

Things I would do differently:
-include everything, or make provisions for everything beforehand instead of trying to fit/add on stuff later. (steering wheel, star wars yoke, etc.)
-Put another coat of paint on and some type of sealer.
-Use that lightweight MDF instead of the regular stuff.
-Wait until summer and cut/router the MDF outdoors to cut down on the mess in the garage

Amra:
A better .wav would be the one from "The 5th Element"... lol... sorry had to throw that in....

Well, lets see...

1. Would try and refrain from the "testing stage"....

Thats about it... as this single one forces you to "hurry" and thus somethings about your cabinet are not done as good as they could have been, or should be....

HeadRusch:
Yes, I'd do it again.

Changes:
1) I'd have layed out my CP differently to account for a trackball, even though at the time I swore to myself it was a useless necessity and my little $3.00 USB one would do the job. It does..bu thtats it, it just does the job..it does not fit into the cab...and generally it looks crappy. Time to order up a real one from Ultimarc, along with a USB conversion kit for my serial port optipac.

2) I'd have used 1/2 MDF for my CP instead of 3/4". Say what you like, 3/4" MDF is freakin overkill unless your CP depth is something in the neighborhood of 24"+....since my "box" underneath my CP is only 12" Deep, 1/2 MDF would have been much easier to work with, my sticks would have stuck out further...and it wouldn't have taken me 20 hours to drill through that freakin "made of diamond dust" MDF... :)

3) I wouldn't have added L brackets underneath my CP...they really are too weak to provide any support and they look kinda crappy from the front.....but its not the end of the world.....

Other than that, I am pretty pleased overall with my Cab, and the CP.....but I have this nagging feeling I'm going to be doing it over. (the CP)...I've got 1/2" MDF...I've got enough Lexan...and I've got the desire to fix some things I did on this one.......like add that trackball....

Mike:
Things I found are somewhat different than other peoples.
1. I'd build the fastest control panel I could. Not paint it or anything and stick it on your cabinet. Then play it a while and see how it fits on my cabinet and see what I could possibly change on it or make different and then build a good one.

2. I would have my cabinet completely painted, lamenated or basically have the finish done before I jack with replacing or adding t-molding. I'd do this for a couple of reasons first it's easy to jack up your t-molding and then you have to replace it again and second ordering t-molding when your about finished will make it easier to hit the happ's $25 minimum if you need any extra little parts.

3. Use an encoder, don't jack with with tearing apart keyboards, mice or joysticks.

4. Anything I think I can live without on the cabinet, I'd realize I can't and plan to get everything from the start. You think you won't want a trackball or spinner or whatever else but you will.

5. Ebay sucks, it usually cost you more and is a hassle in the long run.

6. HACKED Controls are not as good as the REAL thing.

Smittydc:
I wouldn't change a thing. Mine's perfect. :)

Of course, now I'm building a portable one for my DJ/VJ rack...

important lessons:
Right tools for the job: Router, Dremel, Spring-loaded automatic wire stripper

Learn to use Adobe Illustrator well

And murphy's law of CP-construction: The 14th and final hole you drill will be the one you screw up.

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