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Laminated upright cabinet. [99.9% done]
syph007:
Well it seems to have worked out just fine. You cant really notice that I made the addition from the top, and it allowed me to move the trackball about 2 more inches from the screen. I was thinking i might mount usb ports on that part so it looks intentionally done.
njay:
Good work, you can always think this has been a good learning experience even for some of us here !
syph007:
Well I finally got my control layout figured. I was totally against having the spinner above the trackball, but it actually works fine as long as it's not too close. This was after 10+ test panels, so I picked it based on testing not random guessing and I'm finally happy.
I got the panel drilled and routed last night, so it's getting there. I laminated the bottom just because I didn't have any black paint, but lots of laminate scraps. The only goof I made was to drill the laminate from the top without wood backing, so it chipped. Not concerned since it's underneath, but that did feel like a noob mistake.
Next is to get the plexi cut to size and using the trackball mounting kit as a router guide to cut the plexi hole.
More to come... cheers!
syph007:
Well I'm making good progress today which is nice for a change. I used the trackball mounting kit to make a template for the 3 inch trackball hole first. I then used that to make the corresponding hole in the plexi. It made sense to me to get that centered and on correctly first, then do the rest.
I then installed the trackball and made sure that fit the plexi hole. The rest was way easier than i thought it was going to be. All i did was use a spade bit to drill holes in the plexi for each button, then cleaned up the holes with the router. I did the trick of installing buttons as I went to secure the plexi in place as well as using clamps. Once all of these were done, I routered around the edge and it turned out great. I still have to make the joystick hole in the plexi, but I'm going to whip up a quick template for that too, to make sure it's centered.
It feels great to be finally on to the fun parts of the build!
syph007:
Well I'm done for the night, was really trying to get it done today, but I'm just out of time and energy. This is how far I did get though, all the controls mounted and the graphics on and cut, with plexi installed.
I'm REALLY happy with my final layout, simple and all the controls are accessible and nothing is in the way. I attached my final drilling template svg file (should be readable in illustrator, but I used inkscape) if anyone else has any need of it. This did go through many iterations to get to my final version, so maybe my testing and fiddling will help out someone else.
My goal here was to allow enough space for trackball use, but have the joysticks close enough together so that it doesn't feel like you are standing too far to the side when using them. I actually like the look of the straight buttons better, but had to go ergo for the feel, I was getting wrist pain.
Edit: The layout I attached here, didn't seem to work. I posted it here instead.
http://pdainitiative.com/temp/finallayout.rar
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