Author Topic: Project Quercus - Control Panel 2 (Read 84183 times)

wilno45 · « **Reply #120 on:** January 22, 2010, 10:56:32 am »

Leaf holders arrived today at last, looks like 16mm thickness for the CP will do nicely. (702mm x 230mm x 8mm) x2.

Joysticks sandwiched in the middle, for the buttons I hope to use a 28mm bit on the top piece and I need a 20mm
forstner bit on the lower piece for the narrower bit of the button.

http://www.btowstore.com/epages/Store2_Shop1349.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/Store2.Shop1349/Categories/%22Clear%20Acrylic%22/10mm

£90 for one side panel is the cheapest and best compromise at 10mm. I need 900mm x 1800mm.

http://www.theplasticshop.co.uk/perspex-faqs-2562-0.html

This place has a formula to work out the weight. About 16kg per side panel after it's cut I estimate.

This might look good if it's thin enough to go in between to sheets - make some kind of artwork/theme out of it?

http://www.alibaba.com/product/tamnguyenvn-11578149-10991508/Pvc_Sponge_Leather_Pvc_Transparent_Sheet_Pvc_Tarpaulin.html

Cheers

Santoro · « **Reply #121 on:** January 31, 2010, 12:02:12 pm »

Mad Joinery skillz!

Can't wait to see the end result.

wilno45 · « **Reply #122 on:** January 31, 2010, 06:55:31 pm »

Thanks

Well forstner bits don't work well in thick plexi I have discovered, unless you go for the
melted look of course.

Hole saw - much better, however the current plan is to make a template out of mdf using the
holesaw and then use the router.

I am trying to find a good way to drill 6mm holes without any cracking. Not having much luck
finding any special acrylic bits in the UK.

I don't own a mapp gas blowtorch, but butane works ok on the edges.... small margin of error
though - too fast and it doesn't work, too slow and it bubbles!

drventure · « **Reply #123 on:** January 31, 2010, 07:58:18 pm »

Wow. Nice results! Bet that took some practice to get right!

That plex is A LOT thicker than I imagined. That's going to look slick.

wilno45 · « **Reply #124 on:** January 31, 2010, 10:52:11 pm »

Sorry drventure, thats not me doing that.

Just a clip I found on my travels.

RobbyMac · « **Reply #125 on:** January 31, 2010, 11:48:02 pm »

not much 'grey area' with torching that stuff. Id say get it cut via cnc/router (sign shops do it cheap) but you'd still probably have to heat the edges for the glass smooth finish. Although, if it cracks during cutting its on their dime not yours

drventure · « **Reply #126 on:** January 31, 2010, 11:54:44 pm »

Doh. Well, looks like that's a good way to do it, in any case. I actually experimented with flame polishing copper when I was working on it. I had several pieces that I'd roughed up with sand paper and a butane torch polished it decently enough, but the buffing wheel seemed to work best.

painterinfo · « **Reply #127 on:** February 01, 2010, 12:21:47 am »

The guy that sold me my plexiglass said I could polish out small scratches with a hot hair dryer and deep ones with a buffing wheel.

I have read a forstner bit is best on plexi, maybe you have to it at a slower speed or cut a couple of mm and then cool?

wilno45 · « **Reply #128 on:** February 01, 2010, 09:49:52 am »

Thanks for the imput guys,

painterinfo - I thought forstner bits were the way to go too, fantastic on wood. Even
going slow the results were no where near as good as the holesaw. I suppose the
forstner bit is removing 100% of the material where as the holesaw just removes about
1mm around the circumferus so less heat perhaps?

This is the bit I am after, can't find it in 6mm anywhere though. Other advise I have got
is to grind down a regular wood bit at the tip so it doesn't bite and crack the acrylic.

saurian333 · « **Reply #129 on:** February 02, 2010, 09:53:25 pm »

I did some testing before I drilled out my CP, and found that a forstner bit just wasn't doing it. Don't know what I was doing wrong, but I had a hell of a time cutting through it at all. They're also very expensive, and I didn't have a 1-1/8" already.

So, what are the other options? I've tried hole saws on plexi before, and they worked OK, but I don't have one in that size (and didn't want to buy one, since for the same price I plan to get a whole set soon, when I can make the trip to Harbor Freight). A regular spade bit got through, but left very rough edges underneath and took quite a while to get through.

Then I tried an Irwin Speed-bor spade bit that I had handy. Holy crap, that thing works wonders on plexi, as long as you've got a piece of scrap underneath. Went and picked one up in the right size for a few bucks and had my CP done in about half an hour. I highly recommend these. If you find the Irwin brand spade bits at your hardware store, the Speed-bors are the ones with the blue painted tips.

wilno45 · « **Reply #130 on:** February 03, 2010, 02:25:48 pm »

Thanks saurian333 I will pick up one of those for sure and give it a go.

I know I am a bit acrylic obsessed at the moment

so I promise not to go on much longer!

This might be of interest to some, it's from a german company but the language is not important.
If you have a project involving plexi etc. some of the vids can be quite educational.

Might need google toolbar toolbar to translate, Achtung!

http://www.serrox.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=71

Found the drill bits at last, hope they work...

http://www.plexiglas-shop.com/GB/en/products-groups/additional-products-85fnkzec9ku.html;jsessionid=ED2A4DC3103D3F5E931DB2784C8703F2

Cheers

wilno45 · « **Reply #131 on:** February 04, 2010, 04:10:21 pm »

Why I didn't get the supplier to do this for me I have no idea?

I now have 4 oversize panels so I can get the top and bottom pieces both wrong once.

With the two on top of each other there is still a slight flex to them but I think most of that will go away
when all the buttons are screwed in. It's not much anyhow so no real problem.

I thought they had sent the wrong kind of plexi because of the green edges but it's just the protective
wrapper reflecting apparently.

Cheers

saleem · « **Reply #132 on:** February 04, 2010, 04:28:05 pm »

post plenty of info shots if you can,i am gonna be doing my monitor bezel and cp with a plexiglass cover and i am interested in how to handle this stuff as i will have to do some drilling of stick and button holes.i have to put a small bend in mine though but,thats another story.

i wish you luck and i will be goggling your thread more now that you are doing the plexi work.

drventure · « **Reply #133 on:** February 04, 2010, 04:41:36 pm »

Oooo nice! So the CP will be all plex too? Very cool.

How are you going to hide the wiring though?

About the flexing, I'd imagine that drilling holes for the buttons will make it flex even more, not less. You might want to put a support post or beams under it to prevent that.

And finally, Just had a thought about lighting the plex.

I've seen plenty of examples where it's lit from the edges, but you can't really do that.

However, you COULD drill a hole for a led, then put a countersink in on top of it. Put an inlaid piece in the countersink, such that it now covers the hole and put the LED in the hole from below. Doing that, you could like the cp (or any other plex) from the center outward, so the edges would all glow. use a few RGB leds pointed radially and you could throw off a heck of a light show with LEDWIZ.

wilno45 · « **Reply #134 on:** February 04, 2010, 05:06:30 pm »

saleem, check this link out for bending the stuff - it's one of many in the link a few posts back.

http://www.serrox.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=66

drventure, you may well be right about the flex getting worse. I could always add a metal U bracket
at the back I suppose. Don't know if you know but you can actually buy fluorescent acrylic.

http://www.theplasticshop.co.uk/fluorescent-perspex-1282-0.html

The room you see in the pics is getting carpetted next week and it looks like I am going to have to
relocate to the cold garage, which - to put it bluntly - is a trainwreck full of rubbish under an even larger
pile of of stuff I don't want.

Not going to hide the wires, just try and keep em tidy!

Cheers

PS. If this goes wrong, it's a wooden panel for sure. Soooo much nicer to work with.

drventure · « **Reply #135 on:** February 04, 2010, 05:19:08 pm »

Quote

PS. If this goes wrong, it's a wooden panel for sure. Soooo much nicer to work with.

Nooooo. You can't do a wood cp now!

The wiring could be shaped and routed to simulate CP art work. There's actually another thread around about a guy wanting to shine a projector on a frosted cp so that he could actually alter the CP artwork dynamically. There's several different ideas about dealing with the wires there, too.

javeryh · « **Reply #136 on:** February 04, 2010, 05:35:39 pm »

A handsaw?!?!? Use your router and a flush or pattern bit and it cuts the plexi like butter - very precise too. Your best bet would be to make the CP top, button holes and all, out of MDF and then use the router to make a copy out of the plexi - you won't have to worry about cracking it or anything. Great project so far by the way!

wilno45 · « **Reply #137 on:** February 04, 2010, 05:58:43 pm »

I bought a flush trim bit today strangely enough, I am certainly coming round to the idea of using the router for all this. I have never
really used one before this so will need to practice. I have some 'nice' mdf that would make a good template and some forstner bits
which make perfect holes in wood.

I also bought some really fine grit wet and dry paper, the finest being 1200. Had some very good results on a scrap piece working up
through them and then finishing off the edges with the butane.

BTW. can you plunge the bit straight into it or do you need to drill a hole first?

Cheers.

javeryh · « **Reply #138 on:** February 04, 2010, 07:08:03 pm »

I can't believe someone with your woodworking skills has never really used a router before! It is the greatest tool in the shop - you can do almost anything with one. You won't even need to practice - it's that easy! Make your CP top out of the MDF and using your forstner bits for the button holes, clamp the plexi down and go to town with the router. You should be able to plunge right into the plexi without making a starter hole.

wilno45 · « **Reply #139 on:** February 05, 2010, 05:39:54 am »

javeryh, So scrap piece underneath - plexi in the middle - template on top? Or support the plexi and template
from the edges so the router bit exits into nothing.

Thanks

javeryh · « **Reply #140 on:** February 05, 2010, 10:16:13 am »

Quote from: wilno45 on February 05, 2010, 05:39:54 am

javeryh, So scrap piece underneath - plexi in the middle - template on top? Or support the plexi and template
from the edges so the router bit exits into nothing.

Thanks

Definitely only use your CP template and the plexi - no scrap needed. Depending on whether you have a pattern cutting bit (ball bearing on top) or a flush cutting bit (ball bearing on bottom) will determine whether the template goes on the top or bottom as you route (it doesn't matter). I would use a bunch of spring clamps all the way around your CP to hold the template to the plexi. You will have to adjust them to make room for the router as you go around as well as keeping everything clamped to your work bench. Since the CP is somewhat large I'd also use some thin double sided tape to get the plexi to stick to the template - if you use the 3M double sided tape you won't even need the clamps because that stuff holds GREAT and doesn't leave any marks when you peel it off.

It is tough to explain in words so here are some pics of what I mean:

In the first pic I am getting ready to make a copy of bender's DK control panel. I attached the original DK CP (the template) to some MDF to make a copy (which would be the plexi in your case). The second pic shows the setup of my router. You can see the ball bearing rides along the template which is on the bottom making an exact copy. Everything is clamped to my workbench - easy!

wilno45 · « **Reply #141 on:** February 05, 2010, 11:36:04 pm »

javeryh

Thanks for taking the time to show that, very usefull!

Will update when I have some progress...

Cheers

wilno45 · « **Reply #142 on:** February 12, 2010, 04:31:46 pm »

Quite nice to get away from sketchup for a while and do some old fashion planning.

I got out the circular saw which I'm a bit afraid of, and cut the mdf to the reguired depth, in this case 240mm
which allows for some overhang at the front and possibly hinges at the back. I have left it a bit long at the
moment but have marked out everything on it.

The 86mm holesaw is a bit generous but with the trim bezel attached all is well.

I printed the button layout off of slagcoin's website, very useful btw.

So glad I got room for the leaf switches, you can plan as long as you like but your'e never 100% until you see
it in the flesh.

Cheers

drventure · « **Reply #143 on:** February 12, 2010, 04:59:21 pm »

Quote

you can plan as long as you like but your'e never 100% until you see
it in the flesh.

Boy, isn't that the story of my life

wilno45 · « **Reply #144 on:** February 12, 2010, 05:58:33 pm »

This is what I'm aiming at.

I think I have worked out how to incorporate a hinge so it can open up from the back.
Working out exactly how far left/right/up/down everything goes at the moment. So indecisive - painterinfo
will have built another cab by the time I make up my mind!

Must go to bed...

painterinfo · « **Reply #145 on:** February 12, 2010, 07:07:13 pm »

Quote from: wilno45 on February 12, 2010, 05:58:33 pm

Working out exactly how far left/right/up/down everything goes at the moment. So indecisive - painterinfo
will have built another cab by the time I make up my mind!

Must go to bed...

LOL, that's the trick wilno45 shh... You work on the fine details in your sleep. You have heard of the phrase, "Let me sleep on it"?

When I build, I waste no time solving problems, If I come across a problem I use the following process:-
1 Make an executive decision
2 Solve it while doing some other mundane task like painting
3 A harder but more pressing problem I use sketchup to help
4. Finally think about the problem as I fall asleep and wake up with the answer.
5. A couple of hard problems took several nights.

No build time lost.

wilno45 · « **Reply #146 on:** February 13, 2010, 07:19:58 am »

nah, didn't work mate. Had dream about Katherine Heigl instead, so all is not lost...

wilno45 · « **Reply #147 on:** February 13, 2010, 05:00:26 pm »

Have gone for a fairly standard six button layout and hopefully placed it so I can rest my hand
comfortably.

Acrylic bit arrived from Germany today and is dead easy to use, no cracks at all. The hardest bit is drilling
through at 90 degrees.

Used a 10.4mm countersink and test fitted the M5 machine screws.

Wish I had a drill press, I'll see if I can borrow one from someone.

Cheers

drventure · « **Reply #148 on:** February 13, 2010, 06:58:14 pm »

Nice. I don't think I've ever seen a plex CP before. That'll be very unique if you pull it off.

wilno45 · « **Reply #149 on:** February 15, 2010, 04:22:32 pm »

Had a go at routing today and it went pretty well (thanks again javeryh).

Top bit almost cut to size, one cut to go but I was making too much noise and had to stop.

Really pleased with how the round over bit worked.

Finger prints dust... I know, I know....

Cheers

javeryh · « **Reply #150 on:** February 15, 2010, 04:36:23 pm »

Quote from: wilno45 on February 15, 2010, 04:22:32 pm

Had a go at routing today and it went pretty well (thanks again javeryh).

Sick dude. Just sick. Are you going to polish the edges of the plexi glass? If you use 600, 800, 1000 and then 1500 sandpaper and then use the Novus 3-step polish you can blend the edges into the top for a really nice finish. mountain does this whenever he uses plexiglass (I've copied his method) and the results are stunning.

Glad to help by the way!

wilno45 · « **Reply #151 on:** February 15, 2010, 04:53:27 pm »

Thanks, you were right - it really does cut it like butter this way. 95% preparation, clamping etc. the routing
itself is over before you know its begun.

I have 300, 600 and 1200 grit paper and have been considering polish along with the flame method, so not
sure yet.

Cheers

javeryh · « **Reply #152 on:** February 15, 2010, 05:01:10 pm »

Quote from: wilno45 on February 15, 2010, 04:53:27 pm

Thanks, you were right - it really does cut it like butter this way. 95% preparation, clamping etc. the routing
itself is over before you know its begun.

yeah - too bad that's the most fun part!

wilno45 · « **Reply #153 on:** February 16, 2010, 09:38:45 am »

Small update while I have a cup of tea.

Cheers

wilno45 · « **Reply #154 on:** February 16, 2010, 10:50:10 am »

One down one to go.......

saleem · « **Reply #155 on:** February 16, 2010, 10:50:40 am »

so your plexi is going to go ontop of your mdf?

is that hole for the trackball bigger or have you got the trim bezel that fits onto it for round the edges?

i got an all in one monitor bezel cp and i cut the plexiglass all one piece and i wanted to fit a trackball also so i am following your cp progress,so you will have to forgive me in advance if i ask you questions.i found routing the plexi real easy,it was like it was not there bar all the plastic bits that stick to everything like static electricity.

wilno45 · « **Reply #156 on:** February 16, 2010, 10:59:50 am »

Hi Saleem,

Another bit of plexi will go underneath not mdf and I've got the trim bezel for the trackball.

Yep, I am now a router convert. Strange how noone on this forum says how good they are?

drventure · « **Reply #157 on:** February 16, 2010, 01:47:46 pm »

I see a small fortune in fancy case-mod wirewrapping stuff and cable ties in your future

Very nice panel!

wilno45 · « **Reply #158 on:** February 16, 2010, 02:15:38 pm »

Thanks Drventure, I love doing all the wiring stuff etc. sad I know....

drventure · « **Reply #159 on:** February 16, 2010, 03:25:34 pm »

Hehe. Not sad at all. I just spend the better part of two weekends working on what has got to be the oddest cord cover in the history of arcade builds, so spending time on the "internal stuff" is very cool by me.

Plus, in your case, everyone will be able to see it. not really all that "internal".


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