Perfect CP hinges! (video)

[blind_dado]

I searched on the forum for advice about hinges and saw that there were a lot of potential problems with the CP top overhang hitting the CP side, etc.  The first set of hinges I purchased had that exact problem and didn't work out.  Then I found these awesome hinges that not only worked, but allowed the CP top just clip on and off, like this:



(Of course, once it's all wired up you won't be taking the top off like that, but it is handy during construction and painting.)

The hinges are Blum 95° Thick Door Clip Top Hinges:



I bought mine here:

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=5832

I hope my find will help others at this stage of construction.

[markronz]

These look nice.   My control panel should be at this point soon.  What kind are the ones you are using?  Here are the options on the site:

Full Overlay Blum Thick-Door Self-Closing Hinges (Pair)
Half Overlay Blum Thick-Door Self-Closing Hinges (Pair)
Inset Blum Thick-Door Self-Closing Hinges (Pair) 

Also, the part on the control panel appear to just be screwed on, but the one on the CP box looks like you need to drill a decent size hole in there.   How did you go about making those holes on the box for the hinges?  Like what type of tool did you use...

Thanks

[blind_dado]

You want the inset ones.  Take a look at this page, which explains the difference between the three. 

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?Offerings_ID=5832&TabSelect=Details

In the pictures where it indicates "door," you have to imagine that as the wall of your control panel box and the cabinet wall as the control panel top.  As you can see from the picture, the cabinet wall could be extended past the door, in other words, your control panel top can have an overhang.

For the hole in the control panel wall, you need a 35mm forstner bit.  I tried to use a different bit that I had laying around and then use a chisel, but it was a disaster.  I would definitely buy the 35mm bit, which you can find here:

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=19461

[thatitalian]

Nice find!!! Any of these in the UK? This is exactly what I need!

[ShoLouie]

Thank you, thank you.. i have been looking so long for these.

[headkaze]

I have a piano hinge on my CP and it's a total PITA for accessing the electronics. I have been thinking about changing to something like these for a while. They look perfect.

[DaOld Man]

Very nice!

[Organic Jerk]

This. Is. Exacty. What. I've. Been. Looking. For.


Period.



Thanks! 

[Dustin Mustangs]

I used something very similar on my cab.  This style is generically refered to as a 'euro-hinge', but mine are specifically Blum 170 series with a 9mm plate height.  They work great and look pimp!

[thatitalian]

Yours look different as they look like they don't account for the overhang on a front opening CP.

[Dustin Mustangs]

Oh, your right.  I didn't see the extent of the overhang my first time through. 

Just curious, what's the advantage to hinging in the front?  Your keyboard isn't going under there is it??

[blind_dado]

There will be a seperate keyboard tray under the panel in the cab, that way the whole control panel is independant from the cab and can be detached and hooked up to another computer if need be (for example, some day there is no more room in the house for the cab!).  It hinges in the front because with most cab designs the panel sits right against the edges of the cab walls and it just wouldn't open up that way.

[Curbfeeler]

Nice find!!! Any of these in the UK? This is exactly what I need!

I'm sure Ikea uses the same hinge for cabinetry.  You have one of those close by?

[thatitalian]

I'll have a check on their site.

[Visitor Q]

AWESOME!

How do you make these lock then in the back so the panel does not flip up when you are using it?

[blind_dado]

These hinges generally come in two kinds: Snap Closing (sometimes Self Closing) or Free Swinging.  The ones pictured above actually only come in snap closing, which is what you want.  When the panel is close to being closed, the hinges snap closed the rest of they way, and you need to provide some small amount force to open them.  The free swinging ones operate just like the ordinary hinges on your house doors.  The snap hinges, combined with the significant weight of the control panel itself, keep the CP top stationary without the need for clips of any kind.  (Of course, you do need a way to mount the whole CP to the cabinet!)

[Visitor Q]

So you are saying there is enough force when these are closed that even during fighting games there is no chance of the CP flipping or pulling open? If that is the case, that is great but I figure you would have to add something or other to the rear to keep it locked, maybe even as a safety measure.

[blind_dado]

I REALLY don't think you need anything, but others can chime in.  If you need to lock it down, you're playing wrong.  The force on a joystick is along the x and y axis, not the z.  If you're convinced you need something, just use a couple cabinet magnets or some velcro.

[thatitalian]

Just curious, what's the advantage to hinging in the front?

A main advantage I found is that when people open the CP top they forget that it may be glass covering your monitor and also forget that there is a great big joystick on the CP.

Not so nice when they open the CP top really fast and then crack the glass! As I have sadly found out when my little cousin did it to my first cab!

Another reason to get lexan and ball tops!

[Visitor Q]

I REALLY don't think you need anything, but others can chime in.  If you need to lock it down, you're playing wrong.  The force on a joystick is along the x and y axis, not the z.  If you're convinced you need something, just use a couple cabinet magnets or some velcro.

Awesome.

I can always add something down the line if needed.

[wbassett]

Very very nice blind_dado!

You got my gears in motion, but for a reason I haven't seen anyone mention yet...  I love how you can unclip the cp from the hinges.  This opens up the door to some fast change swappable cps!  With something like a db25 connector setup, or if each cp has its own encoder or something like a Dual Strike hack then it looks as simple as unclipping one cp, putting the new one on, and just plug in to a USB hub and you have a totally new cp installed!

I know that's not why you used these, but they look perfect for something like that.  Thanks for sharing this with us! 

[Triangel7D]

This is exactly what I've been looking for! The only thing is, my panel design is more shallow than most (the front panel underneath the CP has only 1 5/8" vertical clearance inside. This part may be too big.

Is this part basically the same thing, but smaller?

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=5265&filter=clip%20top%20hinges

[dirkomatic]

These aren't quite the same, but these are inset clip-on euro hinges and are a lot cheaper than the Blum from Rockler.

http://www.myhomehardware.com/servlet/the-153/Cabinet-Hardware-Hinges-Euro/Detail

With my swappable CP plan, the Blums could be too costly.

[Triangel7D]

dirkomatic -- have you tried them yet? Are they detachable like the Blums? Great price! I almost rushed to buy them because of "sale," then saw that you save $.06.

Also, do you need the Forstner bit with these? That would be another advantage besides price.

[dirkomatic]

@Triangel7D -- I haven't received them yet, but they say "clip on" and look like the kind that depress and slip on rather than the method that the Blums use.  I'm banking on them being clip on in some fashion, otherwise they'll be useless to me.  I'll take pictures and post when I get them.  They shipped today, so I imagine I'll get them Wednesday or Thursday.

It's funny, yesterday (6/21) they were "on sale" too, and the sale ended 6/21.  Today it says that the sale ends 6/22.

All of these euro hinges require the Forstner bit.  You can get one for about $9 from MLCS...  http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/smarthtml/pages/forsbit.htm

edit: Shipping is free from MLCS...

[dirkomatic]

I received these today and looked at them briefly...

They definitely look like they will do what I want.  They do clip on and at less than $2 a piece, you can get 8 of these for the price of 2 Blums from Rockler.  Shipping was very reasonable, too.

I'll get some pictures soon.