Hang in there. I'm still finishing the thing! I'm taking lots of photos for my site, and I'll put them up as soon as I'm done (should be this week.)
Well, guess I'll show you what I've got so far. I sketched out a dozen ways to do this, and even built a working 3D CG model, before hitting on the right solution, so maybe you could benefit from my R&D. Basically, I'm using a unique approach. On the prototype panels, I used a hitch pin on either side to hold everything in place. This is basically what Xiaou2 (http://www.homestead.com/xiaou2/Xiaou2s.html) did with his rotating panels. I knew I didn't want to have Frankenstein bolts sticking out of my final cab, and ideally, I wanted the panels to self-locate when they were rotated into place. Finally, looking around Home Depot, I found the answer:
(http://www.1uparcade.com/images/posts/rollerlatches.jpg)
Roller latches!
I decided I would put 3 of these on each side, so with 6 roller latches, it should hold everything pretty well. All I needed was a way for them to lock in with the sides of the cabinet. Back to Home Depot several times, I never could come up with a simple solution (my favorite kind!) It was finally on the night before begining final construction that my eyes caught something I must have passed a dozen times:
(http://www.1uparcade.com/images/posts/lockingplate.jpg)
It's a 5" diameter wall protector, you know for keeping doorknobs from bashing the walls. It was the perfect size to act as a track for my roller latches, and it was plastic, so I didn't have to wear out my tools on a metal plate. I drilled a 2" hole in the center thru which a PVC pipe protrudes, forming the axle for the CP. There are three 5/8" holes drilled equal distances from center, and 120o apart, into which the rollers can lock. The plate also keeps the rollers from getting stuck in the 3/4" slot routered into the inside-right of the cab, thru which the wiring from my CP passes to the PC in the back.
(http://www.1uparcade.com/images/posts/CPend_mounted.jpg)
Another PVC piece is inserted thru a 1 3/4" hole in the CP end plates, and fits somewhat tightly into the PVC axle. I will be adding a screw or something to keep it secure, as it tends to work its way out as I turn the CP around. I will also be adding a screw in the outside of the end plate, that will hit another screw or metal plate on the inside of the cab, so that the CP can't be turned around more than 240o. So you can rotate from panel 1, to 2, to 3, but no further, so the wiring won't tangle or twist.
(http://www.1uparcade.com/images/posts/whiteCP.jpg)
And there's the whole thing together, with the CP sans artwork and lexan. The black "splash" panel above the white CP provides clearance for the joysticks to rotate under the monitor. I can put anything up to a full Tron joystick on the CP without anything scraping. It also provides space to put instructions if I find that my guests need it. The CP is connected to the splash, which is hinged to the rotating CP frame with a piano hinge. Plastic child latches click into the holes on the CP end caps, so I can hinge the CP up for some quick tinkering with the controls.
Also, when I'm done, I will be bolting a metal plate across the top front edge of the front access door. Right now, the door keeps the CP from rotating downwards during play. There is a little bit of slack in the roller locking system, so the CP would wiggle upward a bit during rough play. With the addition of the metal plate, the CP will also be kept from rotating upward when the front door is closed. So the roller latches allow the CP to automatically click loosely into place, but the front door provides a second, more stable method of locking everything down. It also allows me to control access to the rotary feature of my cab, by simply removing the key! This is good for parties, since my guests don't know how to work the rotation, and tend to play only on the main CP anyway.
And here's how the finished panels will look:
(http://www.1uparcade.com/images/posts/CProtation.gif)
Heheheh! My baby! 8) (And, NO, it does not rotate 360o like that!
Hope this helps with your project! Watch my site for the final report and a detailed writeup! ;)
OK, now I've got a couple of other simple things you've thought of all ready.
First, how are you able to (without too much effort) install and remove the CP? From what I can tell, you've got a PVC pipe through the entire CP setup and that connects to larger PVC in the same area where you have the door knob stopper...
You misunderstood. When I cut out the sides of my cab, I drilled a 2" hole thru each side panel. Then I laminated the sides with the yellow Formica, which covers the holes from the outside. When I had the cabinet together, I glued a piece of 2" PVC into the holes in the 2 side panels, using a strong polyurethane glue. These PVC tubes are just long enough to protrude about 1/8" from the wood, and they are flush with the door stoppers once they are mounted.
Now, the 2 triangular end caps of the CP frame are drilled with 1 3/4" holes. I put the CP frame into the cab, latch the rollers into the locating holes in the door stoppers, and then insert a removable 1" long piece of 1 3/4" PVC thru the hole in each end. This PVC goes into the larger (2") PVC in the cabinet side, and therefore holds the CP frame to the cab walls. This can be removed at any time if needed, but once the CP is in place, it's going to stay there!
My other question is have you devised a simple way to get into the CP piece? Assuming it's 3 seperate panels all mounted on a wooden triangle, there isn't really any room to work with it as is. Are you just removing the panels all together, or have you devised a system where they can easily be worked with?
Yes, I have thought of this already (I've been designing this for a full year!) Panels #1 and #2 both are hinged to the frame with piano hinges ( I already explained this above...) Here's a pic of how that works:
(http://www.1uparcade.com/images/posts/sideCPopen.jpg)
See? The CPs are connected to the back plates, and the backplates are hinged to the CP frame. (They open farther than that too.) Panel #3 is fixed, to give strength to the whole setup, but you can access the back of it by opening one of the other panels. Each panel is also supported by a metal arm like the ones inside of briefcases, to prop it open for easy access to the CP guts. Oh, and the panels are held closed by child-proof latches, which can be accessed by rotating the whole CP assembly upward a couple inches, then pushing the latches thru the holes in each "arm" of the CP ends (that's what the extra holes are for...)
Oh, and one last thing.. in your prototype pictures you have a seperate board with the 1/2 start buttons above the rest of the CP that you mentioned might be hinged to allow it all to slide under. In your model, and the pictures of the design it seems you cut this out. Have you decided to put seperate buttons on each panel?
Yes, I am putting separate start buttons on each panel. On the prototype, for some reason it seemed like a good idea to use the same player start buttons for every panel, so I came up with this solution. While finishing the prototype panels, I finally realized I was only adding complexity to the design, so I scratched it. Originally, the flip-up player button panel was going to be a door on my final cab, so I could get enough clearance for the joysticks to get under the monitor when rotating. But it turned out (as I discovered on the prototype) that the door had to be almost as large as the panel itself! I later came up with the clever idea to have the backplate on the panels, which would rotate WITH the panels, giving the proper clearance and making the switchover much easier! I'm really glad I built that into the prototype though, so I could see firsthand just how awkward and complex that part of the design was before I started my cab! :-[ Live and learn...
Anyway, the answers to all these questions and more will be explained, illustrated, and animated on my site in good time...
Some more pics, with my first completed panel! ;D
(http://www.1uparcade.com/images/posts/cp01cab.jpg)
Just a little wiring, and I'm ready to play Pac-Man and Street Fighter II! My cab is about 95% complete, but those last finishing touches (like lexan and artwork) seem to be coming excruciatingly slow, in part because I'm looking for work right now...
(http://www.1uparcade.com/images/posts/cp01detail.jpg)
Artwork has been a major consideration on this project. I wanted everything to have a real arcade feel. I've attempted to label buttons for common games (like Asteroids and Defender) in as close to the original positions as possible, while maintaining a generic Street Fighter layout.
(http://www.1uparcade.com/images/posts/cp01open.jpg)
And here's the CP open for wiring. The support arms weren't able to function properly in the tight confines of the rotating CP, so I'm going to have to devise something else, or just prop it open with my shoulder or forehead as I've been doing... :-\ Note the white childproof latches toward the front of the panel. These latch securely into the small holes in the CP end plates. They can only be pushed by rotating the entire panel assembly upward a few inches, which means when I add the metal security plate to the front door (as described above) only I will be able to open them! Muahahaha!