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Laminated upright cabinet. [99.9% done]
syph007:
I swear I'm making this CP thing harder than it needs to be... I'm now considering sticking with the smaller box I already made, and making mutliple panels for it. I've been using my test panel with controls in the middle for all my 1P games, and my test mockup with the controls over to the left bugged me more. I found it much more preferable to play the single player games, with controls centered. So I'm debating getting an extra u360 controller for a dedicated 1P panel, and a separate 2P panel.... But then, where does the trackball go... on its own? Argg... maybe I should just make a standard typical 2P setup and get used to it.. i dunno. Is this an issue for anyone else?
syph007:
Alright, I think I needed that break, I'm back at it with vigor again. After my CP box issues, I've gone full circle and am back to using my first one, which fits my new control design layout ok.
Now the next stage for me was cutting the CP panel itself. I knew I wanted the front curved. From my diagrams in inkscape I have been using a curve with a 6ft radius, so that's what I needed to cut. I've thought about this for quite awhile and I really could not come up with a simple way of cutting a perfect curve... if there is, I just couldn't think of it. So what I actually had to do was make a 6ft arm to attach to my router, bolted it all down and made the cut. This was more of a measure 20 times, screw, align then cut once! But it turned out perfect! This isn't the final dimension of the panel, but I cut the curve side first. At its full depth it will be 15 inches deep, 35 wide.
This piece is just cut with particleboard since this isn't the actual CP, but the template. I don't want to be using this technique every time I want to cut a CP, so this is just going to be used for the shape. I will pattern bit the final ones. I know for a fact I will be making more than one CP. I'm way too picky to get it just right the first time.
Anyways, its nice to be back on the project. I'll head back out and make the rest of the cuts after a mini break.
Cheers!
syph007:
I finished the template CP piece just now. It turned out exactly as I wanted so I'm happy. I got the corners rounded and all smoothed down nice. I'm glad I bothered to do the long setup method to get the front curve, if I tried to do that by hand it would been a butcher job.
I test fit the template to my CP box and its all good. I then used the template to make a copy onto real plywood which will serve as my first test panel. What I plan is to keep tweaking and cutting panels until I'm happy and one of the test panels will get 'promoted' to the final one. Next I have to get my template printed out at staples or somewhere so I can do the drilling.
syph007:
These are the two panel layouts I'm toying with at the moment in my inkscape mockups. I don't like the 7 button layouts and dont need them so I knew I wanted 6. I like the look of the straight 2x3 layout best, but on my last test panel that has this I got wicked wrist cramps, so Ive opted to give the ergo layout a try.
My first concept leaves out a dedicated 4 way in place of a topfire stick at either corner for tank games. Im not sure if this will be comfortable though.
My second is a more traditional with a dedicated 4 way.
syph007:
Well life got in the way and I got stalled for quite awhile. Finally I'm back on track though. For the last month or so I've been messing around prototyping control layouts. I just about had what was perfect for me, but with one snag. My CP box was just a bit too narrow to have the trackball far enough from the monitor. I only needed a couple more inches though.
So my first though was to build a new box that was bigger, but when I tried that it didn't look right on the cabinet. So I got to thinking and figured what don't I try to make a tasteful extension to give the trackball a bit of room. Seemed easy enough, but it took 5 tries and some swearing to get the angles right, and the laminate glued on without breaking the small corners. I took some pictures of the small triangular piece from hell being made :angry: and you can see how it attached. Took alot of filing and shaping to get it just right.
I didn't have proper tools to do the small angles so I came up with all these weird braces to screw the part too, so that i could use my router on it to get a straight edge. I'm finally happy with how it turned out though, and I can actually mount my controls next... I knew this was going to be a long term project... I started buying parts in 2006.. but whats the rush eh?
If I ever redo the CP box, I'm going to make a rounded front to match the curve of the CP, but recessed. That way there will be plenty of room for the trackball.
Cheers!
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