Hi everyone
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I've been thinking/planning/acquiring parts/google sketchuping for a dream cab for a long time now (i think, in fact, since 2006). Other Byoacers have been talking of buying/building me a cab (for reasons many of u know, & if u don't & want to, ask & I'll reveal) & at first I was tempted, but I finally realized that the journey is what mattered to me, & I have to build this myself (but not without help!). This is going to b a long journey. I have very little free time (I have a 7 year old son with special needs for whom I am now not only the sole caregiver but also the teacher), few tools & no real work room, & I have one 'white elephant' of a project in mind. I want to build a Ghost in the Machine Mark II-like cab, with a RandyT lcd marquee. A friend recently offered his work room for my use, once he cleans it up, & if that falls thru, I have some other ideas (& if anyone out there has any thots as to where someone might get the use of a woodshop somewhere, please let me know. I've considered looking for a school with one, or maybe the local college...). In the meantime, I'm going to build & prep what I can.
The name of the cab is Legacy, for a number of reasons, including that my late dad donated the bulk of the money that makes the project possible at all. I have acquired the bulk of the controls (lacking a Tron/DOT stick--considering a u360/Tron handle mod for that 1, a positional gun for Operation Wolf/Terminator, a 360 degree steering wheel (I'm hoping GGG will sell me one to fit on the push/pull spinner I bought from them ages back) & maybe a periscope, if I can figure out how to build one & make it work), interfaces (should I stick with my aged plans to use a Sidewinder hack for Star Wars?), & other stuff (t molding, el-wire, monitors, coin door, etc.).
I've studied the many wonderful projects, plans, ideas, photos, videos, etc., bought both of 'Saint's books, & otherwise scoured for information to decide what I wanted, & how to do it.
& if I'm ever going to do it, I have to start. I'm going to need a lot of help. I'm not a carpenter, a programmer, or an electrician (although I have completed a couple of very ugly electronic projects). So I'm going to b asking for a lot of help.
So here I go: I have a Star Wars yoke, & after letting it sit on a shelf for over a year, I finally took it down & began to figure out what I'm going to have to do to it to use it. Long ago I decided to use Jude Kelly's sidewinder hack to interface it, & bought a couple of sidewinders off ebay, but since then other analog interfaces have been made, & if anyone can convince me to switch, I will. Anyway, I disassembled it, sent the cover & handles away for bead blasting & powder coating, looked over the rest to see what would have to b replaced, & what could b salvaged. I just missed RAM Controls closure, otherwise I might have chanced being ripped off to buy one of their rebuild kits. It looks like I'll have to get the bulk of what I think I need from ArcadeFitit.com--expensive, but I don't see an alternative. I tried to clean a lot of the parts, first by soaking them in degreaser--& here I've encountered my first problem--a black goo, that I thot was just grease, on some of the parts will not come off. It looks like the crap thats left of the bumpers (which, of course, need replacing). Anyone out there encounter this goo, & found a way to remove it?
...and so it begins...