Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: Silverwind on December 30, 2002, 11:03:54 am
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I got two happ super joysticks for x-mas... need to know how to properly mount them on wood..
have not bought it yet but it will most likely be MDF 3/4" (unless there is a better size)
basically.. do I attach it to the bottom of the wood, with the stick poking through a hole.. or do I mount it on the top flush? any pictures would help :)
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Attach from the bottom, with the stick poking thru the hole. You can check out my pics:
http://home.attbi.com/~jlr2000/main.htm (http://home.attbi.com/~jlr2000/main.htm)
Go to the photo pages, there are shots of the top and underneath of my control panel. Sorry for the blurry shots....
Good Luck.
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OK cool thanks JLR2000. Do you know how large of a circle needs to be drilled out for the happ super?
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I use the same size hole as the buttons... 1 1/8 in....
oh... using 3/4 inch plywood....
hope it helps....
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Trying to remember.....I think 1 1/4". I think it is 1 1/8" for button holes and I think I went 1 1/4" for the joystick hole. You have some margin for error since the "hole covering" disc just sits over the hole, hiding it.
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I went 1 1/8 for buttons and joystick. If you get the hole drilled right (dead centre from the mounting holes) full motion of the joystick will NOT touch any of the sides.
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Thanks.. I'll try those sizes... thanks again!
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I picked me up a 1 1/8" bore bit..
now question on screws.. what type/size do you reccomend for happ super on 3/4" MDF?
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I picked me up a 1 1/8" bore bit..
now question on screws.. what type/size do you reccomend for happ super on 3/4" MDF?
Some (most) people choose to use 3/16" carriage bolts through the top of the CP, super base, and nuts to hold it in place... you can get these at ACE's hardware (homedepot sells 1/4" which will need a little extra mustard to fit the supers mounting holes)
If you want a no bolts on the CP method, you could use wood screws screwed from the bottom, although there is some debate as to whether that would handle the rigors of game playing or not...
Is that what you meant, or ????
good luck
rampy
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I picked me up a 1 1/8" bore bit..
now question on screws.. what type/size do you reccomend for happ super on 3/4" MDF?
(homedepot sells 1/4" which will need a little extra mustard to fit the supers mounting holes)
Is that what you meant, or ????
good luck
rampy
what type of mustard? heheh ;)
Yeah that is sort of what I meant..... I think i might try for the non-through the CP meathod... screw in with wood screws up under the bottom...
I may put some glue in the holes also to facilitate a good hold..
not anywhere near the happ.. but a dab up in the pre-drilled hole before I put the wood screw in :)
Another idea... I'm planning on going 3/4" and then routing a little bit under to mount the super.. now if it is mounted.. I may be able to fit some sort of bracket on the super.. so that the base is inbetween the CP & bracket? may hold a little more than just screws alone...
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I forgot the other way, and it maybe preferable in your case... countersunk t-nuts and bolts/machine screws...
saw 'em used here (http://www.canyoudigit.com/Graphics/Control%20Panel/conpanel_WebGallery/pages/counter_sunk_closeup2.htm) and another byoacer swears buy em...
ymmv
ramp0y
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Hmm.. might not be a bad idea.. i'll have to take a look at it :)
Just want to try and keep the top of the CP clean as possible
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Wood screws will hold nicely in plywood but tend to pull out of MDF. MDF is just sawdust glued and pressed into a panel. Screws do not hold well, putting glue in the holes isn't going to help.
With MDF you should bolt through. You can always counter sink the bolts in the top so that they don't stick up.
I would recomend going with plywood for the CP.
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Is plywood fairly stable? I've built car audio speaker boxes out of MDF and it's pretty solid...
How about routing,does plywood route well? :)
If it's sturdy.. holds screws.. and routes well.. don't see why not to go with it? (probalby cheaper too???)
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Is plywood fairly stable? I've built car audio speaker boxes out of MDF and it's pretty solid...
How about routing,does plywood route well? :)
If it's sturdy.. holds screws.. and routes well.. don't see why not to go with it? (probalby cheaper too???)
MDF is stable because there is no wood grain to move. Plywood is practically as stable because of the alternating grain layers.
Plywood doesn't route as nicely as MDF but it should be more than adequate for your needs. If your routing because your putting plexi on top I would go with a thinner piece of board and avoid the routing.
Plywood is also not as smooth as MDF so it depends on what your planning to put over the control panel.
Plywood is stronger than MDF but in this application I think either would be strong enough.
Plywood will hold screws, MDF won't.
MDF is smoother than plywood. You can get plywood that is smoother (still not as smooth as MDF) but cost goes up. MDF is cheap compared to high quality plywood and about the same as cheap plywood.
Plywood is lighter than MDF, MDF is very dense
A lot of cabs use MDF for the cab and plywood for the control panel. Another common option is melamine. Melamine is sawdust board with a cheap protective colored film on it. Its not near as hard as formica. Its the stuff they use for closets and shelves, usually in white but many other colors can be ordered.
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Thanks for the detailed reply eightbit!
How does plywood hold up with t-moulding? I'd rather not have any rough edges... and I was thinking maybe about rounding the edges anyway? Not sure yet...
So 1/2" plywood with 1/8" plexi/lexan sounds about right?
Right now it's only for a two player control panel. .but I know I am going to expand it into a four player control panel within a few months...
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Since you have a router, you could rout a circle (say 3/4 inch), maybe 1/2 way through the MDF, and then glue a short piece of hardwood dowel into the hole. 1/2" screws into hardwood have a lot of holding power.
I've built 3 panels, 1 painted plywood, 1 plexi covered MDF, and 1 vinyl covered plywood. They're all nice.
The biggest drawback to MDF if you are going to paint it is that the surface is paper, and it is easy to scratch.
I routed and screwed happ supers into the bottom of the MDF and it seems to hold fine, but I haven't used it much.
Bob
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Plywood and t-molding is fine.
You don't want to round the edges of plywood, its looks crummy in my opinion.
You could round the edges of MDF still not a great look in my opinion. If you paint the edges of MDF it soaks up a lot of paint. I recomend thinning some wood glue with water and painting the edges of the MDF with that to seal the edge. Then paint the thing as normal. You could use edgebanding on the MDF, which is more durable and better looking.
Routing dowels into MDF seems like a bunch of extra work. If you want to use MDF it would be much easier to counter sink carriage bolts through the top then fill with putty and sand flush. This will give you the smoothest top with the strongest mounting method. No matter which method you use your going to want to cover it with something.
My favorite covering is vinyl. Its not condusive to artwork though. It has a little give to it, a nice grip and you can get it in many colors. It doesn't make your hands sweat like plexi. The easiest to apply is the self adhesive stuff that you put on like a sticker but I've been using regular vinyl and contact cement.
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My favorite covering is vinyl. Its not condusive to artwork though. It has a little give to it, a nice grip and you can get it in many colors. It doesn't make your hands sweat like plexi. The easiest to apply is the self adhesive stuff that you put on like a sticker but I've been using regular vinyl and contact cement.
Where do you get your vinyl 8bit ? Any brick and mortar stores? Cheapo online companies? other? expensivo happs?
thanks!
rampy
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[Where do you get your vinyl 8bit ? Any brick and mortar stores? Cheapo online companies? other? expensivo happs?
thanks!
rampy
I get it at a local fabric store. I haven't bought the adhesive backed stuff. You'd probably have to order that from somewhere. I just use contact cement to hold it down.
(http://hower.us/misc/IMG_7842.JPG)
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[Where do you get your vinyl 8bit ? Any brick and mortar stores? Cheapo online companies? other? expensivo happs?
thanks!
rampy
I get it at a local fabric store. I haven't bought the adhesive backed stuff. You'd probably have to order that from somewhere. I just use contact cement to hold it down.
(http://hower.us/misc/IMG_7842.JPG)
I should tease you endlessly about shopping in a fabric store... but its all in teh name of arcade controls so....
=P
rampy
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I should tease you endlessly about shopping in a fabric store... but its all in teh name of arcade controls so....
=P
rampy
Well my wife sews, so I've been to the fabric store with her and without her many times for less manly related projects. I've actually wanted her to teach me how to sew. I've done some sewing on my own with an antique treadle sewing machine, things like tents and snowmobile seats, but I've never used a fancy machine like she's got now. I'm open to trying anything, theres nothing wrong with a man that can sew.
Fabric store isn't that bad. You want a tough errand to run. Try buying nursing bra's in a size thats hard to find. The day she came home from the hospital after my little one was born I went to 6 different stores on a mission to come home with a couple maternity bra's in an odd size. Old ladys were looking at me like I was a pervert while I was sorting through the bra racks. She was happy when I got home.
I live by the motto that a happy wife is a happy life. So if running some errands for her makes her happy then I'm all over that and it doesn't matter to me what they are.
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Ah I see... and I thought the bane of married men everywhere was the "pickup some pantyhose while you're at the store..." nude, taupe, what?!?! but there's a whole nother level I've yet to experience...
Back on the off topic for this thread, but on topic for the board - do you have a better/closer shot of your control panel that shows teh texture and look a bit better?
Thanks,
rampy
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Depending on the shape of your control panel, home depot has pieces of 3/4 MDF that are rounded on one edge -- I think they are used for shelving. I printed the vinyl of the overlay longer on that side and glued it down -- result: no need for t-molding.
Fabric and craft stores are great.
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Once you've successfully accomplished the mission of going to the store for feminine products it doesn't seem that hard to get anything she wants.
Heres a better picture but I won't put it in the message. Its almost a mb in size. Its also hosted on my cable modem so be patient.
http://hower.us/misc/IMG_7840.JPG (http://hower.us/misc/IMG_7840.JPG)
This was my first try at vinyl. You can see the 2 mistakes I made when I did this panel. I didn't use any kind of mounting plate on the trackball. I should have filled the trackball edges with putty and sanded smooth. The secound mistake was I forgot to drill the holes for the trackball buttons before applying the vinyl and the drill chewed the holes a little and I used 1 1/4" holes so it made hiding that mistake hard. Eventually I'll redo that panel and move the mouse to the right 1". Right now my hand just brushes it when I'm player 1 and rest my palm on the CP.
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My favorite covering is vinyl. Its not condusive to artwork though. It has a little give to it, a nice grip and you can get it in many colors. It doesn't make your hands sweat like plexi. The easiest to apply is the self adhesive stuff that you put on like a sticker but I've been using regular vinyl and contact cement.
Where do you get your vinyl 8bit ? Any brick and mortar stores? Cheapo online companies? other? expensivo happs?
thanks!
rampy
I used some leftover floor-covering vinyl on a recent project. I stuck it down with rubber cement. I'll probably use contact cement eventually, but the rubber cement works for now.
Bob