Control Panel Tilt

[sk8ersublime]

Hey Everyone,

So I am about to redesign my control panel, hopefully starting tonight.  The one i currently have has a pretty steep slant to it, and my wrists hurt it i play it for more than 15-20 mins.  What slope do you guys typically use for a control panel?

Chad

[bkenobi]

10-15° max IMO.  If you want to put a drink on it, the slighter the slope, the less likely it will be to slide off (if you have plexi).

[javeryh]

5 degrees exactly is what I used on mine and it is plenty.

[1UP]

I agree, 10-15^o is the butter zone.  Too flat or too steep will definitely cause pain after a while.  Depends on your height and how high the CP is, and whether you sit or stand to play.  Best to bolt a stick to a scrap piece of wood and try it out to find your ideal angle of comfort.  I'm 5'10" and my panel is about 36" from the floor, and I find 15^o to be perfect.

[bkenobi]

I was thinking about that after posting.  It really depends on the height of your elbows relative to the panel.  If your elbows were to rest on the panel (if it was deep enough), then you wouldn't have any problems with virtually any angle.  The problem is bending your wrists at an awkward angle and that can happen on any CP depending on your body position.

Figure out how you (and any guests) will be positioned, then mock something up like 1UP said.  I've tried playing my cab with a bad position and it hurts after a few minutes.  If I play the way I planned when building it, then I'm good for the duration.

[sk8ersublime]

ok cool, i shall try that, im not too sure how high it is right now, ill check when i get home

[severdhed]

i never took the time to calculate the angle, but my control panel is 12" deep, the box below it is 11.5 inches deep, and the box is 1" taller at the back than it is at the front, which makes a nice angle.

[javeryh]

FWIW I used Knievel's exact dimensions to build my CP box and it is exactly 5 degrees.  15 seems like it would be too steep but I guess I've never seen it in person so I don't know.





It's upsidedown in both pics but you get the idea...

[bkenobi]

FWIW mine is 12°.  It's perfect for my cab, but it has one drawback.  Like I mentioned, drinks want to slide off?!  Fortunately, I installed some drink rails nearby, so it's not too critical.

[sk8ersublime]

Thanks for all the info everyone!

I just started my new panel.

Here are a few pics of the old one next to the new one, and the Cab itself.












I think i screwed up the new panel a bit, its hard to cut a straight line with a jigsaw....atleast for me that is....
so i might have to see if I can borrow my neighbors circular saw, or see if he has a table saw.

So far I am liking the new one, but I still have a ways to go before its done.

[bkenobi]

It's impossible to get a perfectly straight cut with a jig saw.  You can improve your results by clamping a guide board onto your work piece, but the blade can still tilt as you go along.  I would highly recommend a circular saw for anything that can't be hidden with putty.  A table saw works just fine, but it isn't required for most things.

[monkey puzzle]

I'm half way through building my cabinet and havn't allowed for any slant (the cp is going between the sides and not on top). I'm now beginning to think this may be a problem. It would be a lot of work to add a slant now, do you think its worth doing? Heres my project: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=90472.msg949443#msg949443

[clickhea]

mine is flat, and its perfect.

[severdhed]

mine was perfectly flat for a long time, and it felt just fine to play on, however i think it looks a better with a little slant on it

[bkenobi]

I think you're putting too much thought into it.  Just mock it up and see how it feels.  It has nothing to do with what was done in the past.  It really has to do with what feels right to you in your playing configuration (standing, sitting, etc...).