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Flip open CPs
DeLuSioNal29:
I only open mine to grab my mini keyboard which I keep inside of it when I am configuring keys. Mine swings open with piano hinges so it's not an issue.
ark_ader:
Don't laugh, but I use velcro.
My old arcade cab (an Ikari Warriors) had latches you could access via the coin box. I think that would be a better idea especially for stability, versus carriage bolts.
Namco:
With all those wires, something always goes wrong. I open mine often to fix a loose connection here and there, adjust the joystick, move the dust washer, upgrade the sticks, etc...
Jakobud:
Building a cabinet very very rarely goes as planned. If you feel confident that you can hook up all the wiring 100% perfect and know without a doubt that all the connections and solid and nothing is loose and all the hardware is 100% in perfect working order and you know that you will never need to access the inside of the CP ever again.... don't feel obligated to make it openable (is that a word?).
But in 99.9% of cases, the cabinet construction, setup, wiring is never perfect the first time and you need to constantly tweak and adjust things in the beginning. Personally I would never build a cabinet without being able to get inside the CP easily (but not so easily that any random person could open it).
The truth of the matter is, building and/or Mameing an arcade cabinet is no small feat. There is a lot of work that goes into it. Making your control panel openable (there is that word again) is a very minor construction task compared to the rest of the project. It shouldn't be a problem to add it if you make that decision.
BORIStheBLADE:
I think screws put in an accessible place to get to the CP is fine. As ling as its not jury rigged together, you can always find a tasteful way to do it.
I mean.... didn't the older cabs have screws?
The other thing I did was I ran two usb extensions to the coin door so if I wanted to do anything with the computer I can easily plug a mouse, keyboard and thumb drive to load something on it.