help! whats the best way to attach the top of the cp to my box (base)

[hulkster]

ive got the top of my cp built...drilled holes, and all that,  but i was wondering, after i build the box for it to rest on, how do i hold it together?  i thought about screws and stuff, but wont that make it look like crap, or at least split the wood?  i hope everybody that reads this understands what im asking....i have the top of the cp, and i want to know how to attach it to the rest of the box that will hold the cp.  any suggestions?

[AlanS17]

First of all, if you're using plexi or lexan on the surface you'll probably need a few small screws to hold it down around the edges, anyways. Most arcade machines using a plexi cover acroos the CP do this too. That being said, here are your options...

(1) You can use a piano hinge across the front with latches at the back on the inside. This is the way most arcade machines work whether they are metal or wooden control panels. This comes in handy when you need to open the control panel to change or fix something. It also hides any additional screws you may have needed to use.

(2) You can screw the whole thing down to the top. This is slightly more permanent as you would have to unscrew the whole thing to access your controls. This is certainly the easiet way to do it. However, you see the screws. If you use countersunk wood screws, though, they won't really be noticeable. You won't split the wood if you pre-drill your holes. Just drill in using a bit slightly smaller than the diameter of your screw and then put the screw down into the hole. You can minimize the number of screws you have to use if you just use position the screws so that they hold down the lexan AND the CP with it.

(3) You can use a piano hinge with screws to hold it down rather than a latch on the inside. This is midrange in difficulty. You still see the screws and you would still ahve to take them out to access the control panel, but the hinge allows you to flip it open and work on it more easily. Plus this methos would also allow you to put the hinge at the back of the CP instead of the front if you wished to do so. This would be the best method if you were using a curved CP (like mine).

Hope I didn't over-clarify. I do that sometimes...

(By the way, a piano hinge will most likely be called a "continuous hinge" or something like that at the hardware store.

[jakejake28]

i used velcro. no problems, works even during xmen vs. streetfighter tourneys. easy to disconnect. mainly did it because i have multiple (4) control panels and don't wanna screw em in and all.

[hulkster]

okay, piano hinge, i can put the hinge in the front of the cp?  doesnt that stick out or something?  or will it be covered up by the overlap of the cp?  i just want it to look clean

edit:  VELCRO!  awesome, i was just worried about my board shaking all around and stuff. never done this before, so i want to do it right the first time and do less of remodeling, etc.  i wont be taking my panel off and on, but if i need to make changes, i guess velcro would be a good way to go!  thanks dude.

[AlanS17]

The piano hinge hides under the front lip of the control panel. Go to an arcade and check it out. A perfect example would be newer Midway machines like Killer Instinct or the Mortal Kombat games.

Never thought about velcro. How do you make it stick to the wood? I can see the velcro sticking to itself really well, but how do you keep it from ripping away from the wood when you try to remove the thing? I've heard of people using staples, but even that sounds like it would rip away if the velcro was sticking to itself well enough.

[night]

im using dowels
drill it to be tight, cut the dowels to length, knock em in with a mallet, and put the CP on top and tap it down with a mallet. will hold quite snug and still come off easy enough

[jakejake28]

apoxy keeps it down. cant pull that velcro off now for the life of me.  

[AlanS17]

I'm gonna be having people play Golden Tee on mine so it has to be bullet proof. Nothing holds down better than good old-fashioned 2.5" screws for me. Plus with the curve around the front of my CP I don't even have the option of velcro or dowels. There just isn't enough surface area between the CP top and the base.

[madk]

I also used velcro.  The good stuff holds strong during the most intense games.  It takes atleast 2 people to remove my panel.

[hyiu]

holding down your panel top....

I used panel clamps....

a lot of arcade cab use a piano hinge on a side...
(so that it can be flipped open, and use a panel clamp on the other end....)

Happs sells them... they're VERY GOOD.... but its kinda expensive... you can try other places if they also have them...

for my last cab, I used only 4 panel clamps.... and its ROCK SOLID !!!!.....

ok.... a pic is worth 1000 words... hee hee....

but sorry... geocities cannot have direct link to the pic...
plz click the link and then click the following file name for the specific pic.... (towards the bottom...)

http://www.geocities.com/hyiu/pics/Arcade/Cab_and_Stick/

orig_cab_6.jpg

you can see clearly.... in the original cab, how they use a piano hinge and then 2 panel clamps to hold on to the whole control panel....

----------------

now.... after I modded the whole thing....
I only used 4 panel clamps to hold up the panel top....

plz click on this pic (same directory...)
a_cp_mount2.jpg

you would see how I mount the clamps....

I hope this helps.... if you need more details, plz let me know....

[ras2a]

Just done a VERY rough sketch (below)...which is the best method/position for the piano hinge: Position 1 or position 2 ?



cheers

Craig

[LordDamo]

I used L brackets and 14mm screws. The bottom of my CP box isn't whole. Its like a U shape thats 2.5" wide. With the open part of the U facing the cab. If I need to fix anything in the CP, I just open the coin door and its like working on a car.

I have other L brackets that hold the whole CP together, hold the U in place and L brackets on the bottom of the U that attach it to the cab.

I used heeps of these in the CP, but nowhere else in my cab. The whole thing is held together with little woodern blocks that I screw through (pre drilled) from 2 different dirrections, using 4 screws - 2 each way, at right angles to each other.

The whole thing is as solid as a brick shithouse. Hope this helps.

[Oddfeld]

This is how mine works. Probably not the simplest way to build it, but it's a gutted old jamma cab so I didn't do the woodworking...

The CP is hinged at the bottom of the front panel so that it folds away from the base of the CP box which is much deeper than the CP and extends back into the cab, so it's like a big shelf with the CP box on one end. This is held in place in the cab  by some wooden batons screwed into the sides of the inside of the cab to act as runners that it can slide in and out of, so it can't wobble up and down but the whole CP box and base board can slide forwards and backwards. It's prevented from doing this by retaining latches either side (you can reach up inside the cab through the coin door to fasten or undo these due to some big cutouts in the CP base board so you can stick your hand through it).

[ras2a]

Hope this helps.

Not really, lol.  but thanks anyways.  At least I have an idea how other folk do it.  I think 'for me' (as I'm using a UAII based cab) and a box construction CP (with lid/CP top), the piano hinge is the easiest option.  I can screw it to the front edge and the CP top overhang should obscure it enough.  I could also spray it black so it will blend in against my (already black) CP.  I can't hinge it at the back as it will clash with the monitor shelf when lifted up as other people have discovered.  Now I could do with some 'black screws' too as I think it will be too fidly trying to /spray them...besides the paint would come off when driving them in!

Thanks again mate

Craig