Think I've found a good steering wheel integration design... opinions needed.

[Turnarcades]

Hi folks. Being a driving game fan but only wanting a single cabinet for all my gaming, I've spent years looking at viable cabinet designs that would allow a PC steering wheel to be occasionally be used but not disfigure the cabinet shell into some kind of crapMAME monstrosity or permanently mounting controls on the cabinet that would get in the way.

Anyway, I've messed with dimensions and after building a lot of cabinets I know what height control panel and everything I like as well as all the other normal cabinet points, so based on those I've come up with this:



It's virtually to scale but demonstrates roughly what I plan. The cabinet shell will follow my usual cabinet designs with a 'drop-down' front door and a small-form-factor PC on a shelf for easy access. Above this will be a keyboard+mouse shelf on wooden runners and above this will be a longer shelf that protrudes just enough to clamp a PC wheel to. Rather than use regular drawer runners which are vary easy-gliding and loose (like on a PC cabinet), I would just use a set-length shelf for both the keyboard and wheel shelf that is just big enough to fit the keyboard and wheel on when pulled out. These would be fitted between strong wooden runners (that would offer good strength against downward force like being leaned on), and have a wooden 'bump stop' across the rear to stop the shelf at the correct moment when pulled out. These 'bump stops' would have double roller-catches on the face areas that touch the runners (so 4 in total on each shelf) so would engage when the drawer is pulled fully out. The combined grip of these catches, the tight fit between the runners and the rear of the steering wheel rack (with adhesive foam strips on the rear to avoid scratches to the cabinet) would provide the resistance to stop the shelf retracting back into the cabinet during play. The wiring for the wheel could be fed straight down through a hole drilled in the shelf and the pedals plugged in to the front USB ports on the front of the PC. Obviously when not in use, everything is then easily unplugged and the shelving slid away, the front door closed then the regular control panel used for normal games.

I think this design allows the cabinet to look normal like every other generic cabinet when the driving games aren't being played, but the retractable mounting is still strong enough and does not spoil the cabinet look whilst in use or not in use. I suppose I could go even neater with some kind of vertical sliding front door that could slide back up and re-engage under the steering wheel shelf to close the front up, then flush-mount the pedals or just create a storage space for them towards the base, but I'd rather have them loose so they can be placed comfortable for anyone who plays. To ensure both the controls on the control panel and the steering wheel are at a comfortable height for play - the front of the control panel is about 1.5" higher than usual and the steering wheel about an inch lower than I like, which I think is a good compromise to acceopt this mechanism and make both still comfortable to play.

Any comments/suggestions welcome....

[garwil]

That looks like a much better way of doing it than having some sort of space on the control panel for bolting the wheel onto. I think my only concern would be snapping the shelf (I'm a fat bloke and a bit heavy handed lol) but as long as the runners are strong enough to support being leaned on and stiff enough that you won't get lateral movement then go for it.

If you were to build these would you be supplying the wheels? If you did then you might be able to make a system that slides out and then slides back in and locks in place with the wheel so that it is closer to the cab and supported from above and below.

You've also got the potential for a modular system where you could replace the racing wheel for a couple of 360 degree wheels.

I may possibly be stealing your idea when I finally get around to building my cab!

[DashRendar]

Not bad.

I think the key thing here is that it is available when you want it, but tucks away nicely the rest of the time.  If it was always out, then it would cross into Frankenpanel territory.  This way, you just get functionality without the permanent eye sore.   

[Turnarcades]

That looks like a much better way of doing it than having some sort of space on the control panel for bolting the wheel onto. I think my only concern would be snapping the shelf (I'm a fat bloke and a bit heavy handed lol) but as long as the runners are strong enough to support being leaned on and stiff enough that you won't get lateral movement then go for it.

MDF is surprisingly strong so as long as the runners are thick and secured properly, they should spread the force out evenly enough to avoid runner damage and not create a major stress point at which even pressure would cause a break (ie. not getting that 'plexi snapped over a table edge' effect). I would probably taper the shelf that comes out from the cabinet edges to the edges of where the wheel would mount (think of having a kind of 'V' shape shelf sticking out) so there is less weight sticking out unsupported and less surface area for people to be tempted to lean on.

If you were to build these would you be supplying the wheels? If you did then you might be able to make a system that slides out and then slides back in and locks in place with the wheel so that it is closer to the cab and supported from above and below.

Don't quite get what you mean. For this kind of situation I perceive PC wheels would be best as they can still be fine-tuned for games individually, but all the gearing and whatever is contained within the steering rack housing, they are easily removable and sometimes adjustable. For now, this design is going to be built for me personally to test the theory, then maybe offered as a design option for the Turnarcades range, when I would look at supplying a suitable wheel with the cabinet. Right now I'm not a fan of genuine arcade wheels as the generic ones are boring and require a fair bit of fine-tuning (not to mention cost), whilst the ones reclaimed from dedicated racing cabs are not easily interfaced and suitable for a wide variety of games.

I may possibly be stealing your idea when I finally get around to building my cab!

Would be pleased if you did - not everyone's a fan of my other 'UK-orientated' designs.

This way, you just get functionality without the permanent eye sore.

Exactly - that was the aim of the design and the challenge faced.

I'm hoping (if no-one can point out a major flaw I have missed) to get this cabinet started next week. I don't usually document my cabinet builds in detail as the Turnarcades cabinets follow a very simplistic and common build method for regular production, but I may start a build thread just for this one as although it may not be as pretty as other people's personal projects (I'm a believer in function over finish), it may help others to see how the design and mechanism works to see if they could use the same kind of arrangement.

[bkenobi]

I personally consider having a bunch of panels or other components sitting around with no home just as bad as having too many controls on the CP.  The big problem I see here is that there is no "home" for the wheel and pedals once you are ready to switch back to a normal setup.  I think you need to be able to:

• unclamp the wheel
• put it and the pedals next to the PC
• shut the door (without unplugging even)

If you can make that happen, I'd say you have a winner.

[garwil]

I'd have to agree with bkenobi that having somewhere to stash the wheel/pedals would be a nice/important touch.

What I meant about having the wheel supported from the top and the bottom is probably best explained with a diagram... but I drew one and I realised that trying to slide the "base" of the wheel back under the CP would mean you'd end up with the wheel at crotch height as the bottoms of the joysticks and other CP internals would be in the way. I'm sure there's a line on the crapMAME pages somewhere about penis driving! 

On the subject of PC wheels, can you recommend any in particular or point me in the direction of someone who sells them in the UK? I've had a look around online and only seem to be able to find out of stock stuff on Amazon or wheels for the PS2 or Xbox.

[Turnarcades]

I'd have to agree with bkenobi that having somewhere to stash the wheel/pedals would be a nice/important touch.

What I meant about having the wheel supported from the top and the bottom is probably best explained with a diagram... but I drew one and I realised that trying to slide the "base" of the wheel back under the CP would mean you'd end up with the wheel at crotch height as the bottoms of the joysticks and other CP internals would be in the way. I'm sure there's a line on the crapMAME pages somewhere about penis driving! 

On the subject of PC wheels, can you recommend any in particular or point me in the direction of someone who sells them in the UK? I've had a look around online and only seem to be able to find out of stock stuff on Amazon or wheels for the PS2 or Xbox.

Hence the intention of making it fully removable - having any kind of fixed wheel assembly would mean either a monstrosity of a mounting mechanism and tons of spare internal space. Creating a viable storage option once unclamped may be viable though if I play around with the dimensions a bit. I may end up building it to my existing sketches first to test the practicality of the design, then sell it to a friend once I've made notes and go back to the drawing board once I've been able to assess the results 'in the flesh'.

With regards to wheels, most PS2 wheels are USB and work fine on a PC, which opens up your selection somewhat. I have 3 different wheels I may use for various projects but the main contenders are between the first-generation PS2 Gran Turismo force feedback wheel and the Tevion modular wheel kit, which very handily has a seperate gearstick unit, pedals and even a seperate handbrake unit that would allow easy cabinet integration and be great for racing games with more emphasis on simulation. I intend to run a PS2 in mine for Crazy Taxi and Gran Turismo 4, though I may still create a sit-down or enclosed cockpit cab for the hell of it and keep it at the workshop just for console racers.

I personally consider having a bunch of panels or other components sitting around with no home just as bad as having too many controls on the CP.  The big problem I see here is that there is no "home" for the wheel and pedals once you are ready to switch back to a normal setup.  I think you need to be able to:

unclamp the wheel
put it and the pedals next to the PC
shut the door (without unplugging even)
If you can make that happen, I'd say you have a winner.

The wheels I have all have clamp mechanisms with easy removal, so all this would be a case of is increasing the gap between the PC and keyboard shelf, or ditching the keyboard shelf altogether as I'm not that bothered about it. That way the PC shelf could be made to go a bit deeper too and both the pedals and wheel could be stored inside. The storage issue will probably not be a problem anyway as this is going in my games room which will have storage for these kinds of things anyway.

[garwil]

Cheers mate, I'll look into some PS2 wheels!

[Turnarcades]

After discussing the ideas here a customer has approached me and asked us to build a cabinet for them, so this 'project on paper' is now being tested in reality as we are going off my initial design as shown above. The dimensions for the overall size are loosely based on the proportions of the UAII cabinet to accomodate a 27" monitor the customer has already purchased. Construction is well underway so here are some pics of the build in progress:

This shows the cabinet cut, assembled and with the drawer test fitted before being shaped:



This shows the drawer mechanism close-up, with the PC shelf (fixed) and keyboard drawer above it:



This shows it cut to shape, with the corners taken off to reduce the shelf weight that protrudes and leave an area just wide enough for the steering wheel unit:



And here shows the drawer framework and runners. The driving shelf fits between two thick runners, with a solid rear stopper and a couple of roller catches to hold it in whilst closed, and with 4 catches on the front edge to hold the shelf firmly whilst pulled out to the exact shelfdepth needed to fit the steering unit:



The coming week will see the cabinet sanded and painted now the drawer mechanisms have been tested, and I will try and get some comparison shots done with a steering wheel test fitted.

[Turnarcades]

Not had chance to post much until now with all the Christmas orders, but for anyone curious as to how this would turn out here are a few pics of the finished cabinet shell (the customer will be fitting the internal electronics themselves):



The 'driving shelf' mechanism shown fully retracted and fully engaged for play:



And finally a shot of the control panel with the shelf engaged, to give an impression of the space available, which was set according to the wheel unit's dimensions:

[drventure]

Reminds me of the old "Bread cutting boards" that would slide back under the counter in the kitchen when you didn't need them. Very nice!

Sure would be nice to have a place to store the wheel right there in the cab somehow. Maybe put the pc up on a shelf inside or something?

It's probably more trouble than it's worth, but would it be possible to make the front panel hinge open such that the shelf and wheel could just swing down into the cab, then you just close up the front panel and bob's your uncle.

Then again, I always seem to overcomplicate things 

[Turnarcades]

The customer in question did not want storage space for the wheel and pedals. The lower fixed shelf you see is actually for mounting the PC or components, as is common on most of my upright designs. This could have been elaborated to fit a wheel in but having the PC components accessible from the front has always been a design I've found useful.

Having a 'swing down' shelf would mean losing stability of the shelf whilst in use with most designs I thought of, plus would mean a much bigger opening on the front and loads of space inside for it not to foul on anything. In this instance, it would also have meant doing away with the keyboard drawer, which was specifically requested.

Hope this build's given others some food for thought though and maybe this idea can be taken further by another racing game fan.