Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: arkowi on January 29, 2004, 12:57:00 pm
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OK, I have been reading, taking notes, planning, and budgeting...and I am now about ready to get going...But I have a question. I plan on designing my cabintet so it can be totally broken down easily (less that a half hour) for moving. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Any ideas?
I am thinking more along the lines of the construction of the cabinet and not the wiring and guts...however, if you think of anything that could help along those lines, i would love to hear it!
Thanks
Arkowi
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I'm currently doing a 2 peice. I comes aprt for easy moving but its not going to fit into a car. How far do you want to go with the easy breakdown idea? You could assemble the entire thing with screws which would make it easy to take apart.
(http://hower.us/misc/oak_cab4.jpg)
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I'm currently doing a 2 peice. I comes aprt for easy moving but its not going to fit into a car. How far do you want to go with the easy breakdown idea? You could assemble the entire thing with screws which would make it easy to take apart.
(http://hower.us/misc/oak_cab4.jpg)
My cab design is going to be based on an older style, either centipede or donky kong. I was thinking I could just use bolts to connect everything and then I could break it down into smaller parts to transport it (get it down stairs, into a truck). Take the TV/CPU out obviously. Removable CP. I just wondered if anyone else had any luck with anything like this...I planning on building this thing where I live now...and assembling it in my room which is on the third floor of my parents house...but when I move at the end of the summer, I want to be albe to transport it easily.
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Oscar has a great two piece cab.
btw... if you really want to move it... the monitor (for mine) is about 50% of the weight. I remove my monitor and the rest of the cab is big... but manageable.
You might consider a two piece where the monitor can be removed. And at the end... you could probably move all the parts by yourself... But without a HUGE amount of breakdown.
But if your consern is your moving it often... You might go with a pedistal cab instead.
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Oscar has a great two piece cab.
btw... if you really want to move it... the monitor (for mine) is about 50% of the weight. I remove my monitor and the rest of the cab is big... but manageable.
You might consider a two piece where the monitor can be removed. And at the end... you could probably move all the parts by yourself... But without a HUGE amount of breakdown.
But if your consern is your moving it often... You might go with a pedistal cab instead.
i will always have someone to help me move it. it just worries me moving something that big. if i spend tons of cash on something (sideart, etc) i dont want to risk bunging it all up moving it around. and the bigger something is, the harder it is to manage = more likely to bang it into something. also, i wont be moving it ofeten..i will probably move it when i move at the end of the summer (heading back to school) and then it will stay there for 2 years or so.
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If i was you I would go to ikea and check out all their fastening techniques and use some of them to build a fully collapsable cab--the reason i suggest this is that they have some pretty clever ways of hiding screws and bolts--mind you--build it better than they build their stuff or the thing will lean significantly after more than 2 moves ;)
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Collapsible cabs are really no more trouble to build than a regular cabinet. Every panel on my cabinet can be removed (front face coin door area, speaker grill area, top, 3 rear panels, the entire CP) except for the two large sides.
These 2 large sides could have easily been removable, as they are essentially held on with 4 large carriage bolts on each side. I chose to countersink them and fill over the heads, but I could just have easily left the heads exposed and then my cabinet would have literally been fully collapsible. The 4 heads on the side wouldn't detract from the looks at all IMO, because most video games and pinballs have a few carriage heads showing anyway. It's standard stuff.
I may never need to remove those panels, but I chose not to glue them just so I could lighten the cab a bit if I ever need to move it.
http://www.newwave.net/~flanham/wlanham/arcade/