My First Build - Dual Stick Controller Project

[chemikalguy]

I just got started on my first build, which is my take on the X Arcade dual stick controller. This is going to hopefully be a stepping stone to get me up to feeling comfortable building a bar top cabinet. I'm going to document the hell out of this, in case anyone else follows in my footsteps. I did some searching for this type of build, but didn't find much that was middle-of-the-road. It was all single controllers or monster cabs.

Background:

I currently have a Windows 7 media center PC connected to my TV (a 42" Vizio LCD). It's primarily used for internet, photos and music playing through the home theatre system, but occasionally I do some light gaming on it. I've used MAME in the past on my desktop, but always used the keyboard so never got much enjoyment out of it. What I'd like to do, eventually, is to build a wireless bartop MAME cabinet, but don't think the wife will go for that just yet, so my hope is to build this, get the kids, the friends (and hopefully her) playing on it, and then put forth the request. I'm building a dual joystick controller so that I can simply unplug it and toss it in the closet when we're not using it, and I don't want to pay $150+ for an X Arcade, when I can do it myself and get something custom, and have a good experience if I have all of my fingers and toes when it's done. 

The hardware:

2x Happ Competition 8-Way joysticks (1 Red, 1 Blue)
Happ Controls buttons - 8 Blue, 8 Red, 6 White, 1P and 2P
i PAC2 Controller Board (USB)
USB hub
CAT5e Cable
various bolts, screws, etc
Running on a Dell Optiplex 760 with a Core2 Quad CPU, 4GB RAM, running Windows 7 Ultimate

The Build Plan:

Phase I - Wood cutting and dry fit of parts. (Completed) Assembly and gluing of wood pieces.
Phase II - Wood touchup/filling and attaching exterior wrap.
Phase III - Installation of Electronic components and wiring.
Phase IV - Software installation and testing. Final exterior customization.

[chemikalguy]

I started out with a 4'x8' sheet of 1/2" MDF that was cut by the nice gentleman at Home Depot.   I had to do this because I didn't have a table saw to do the rip cuts. I made a plan so that I could have them cut the long boards, and I would trim them to size.

The first piece that I cut started out as a 14" x 48" piece that HD had ripped for me. I chopped it down to 14"deep x 32" wide, which is the first pic.

The second pic shows my initial measurements of the basic layout of the top panel.

The third pic shows the top panel after the corners had been cut.

The fourth pic shows the bottom panel, which came from a 12"x48" HD cut, that I trimmed to be 12" deepx 29" wide. It's lying on top of the top panel for a sizing comparison.

[chemikalguy]

Don't think you have enough room to do any woodworking? Look at my workshop.   

[chemikalguy]

The first two pics are from cutting the front, back or sides. Note the laser (he says in his best Dr. Evil).  The Rear is 6", and the front is 5" to give a nice ergonomic slope of the control panel.

The third and fourth show a dry fit of the panels, which show the angle that the side panels need to be cut to give the slope.

The fifth shows the angle cut.

The sixth shows the dry fit of all the pieces so far.

[chemikalguy]

Cutting square wood stock for internal bracing

Dry fitting bracing

Dry fitting all bottom and sides

Fitting all pieces so far - left side. No glue, just screws. Will countersink screws when gluing.

Fitting all pieces so far - right side. No glue, just screws. Will countersink screws when gluing.

[chemikalguy]

1 1/8" spade bit used for cutting button and joystick holes

I wasn't sure I had the right size, so before I started tearing up my CP, I did a test on a piece of scrap wood. 

Laying out the P1 and P2 hole templates.

P1 holes cut

P2 holes cut.

[chemikalguy]

Basic layout with wiring overlay

Prepping for system, coin, P1 and P2 start buttons

Additional button holes drilled

Routered edges done. Note that the rollover bit was slightly too far down, resulting in a slight corner. I wanted it to be a smooth, rounded edge. This isn't critical because I'm covering it with a textured overlay, but if I were not, I'd have to do some sanding or route it again.

Top and bottom routered.

[chemikalguy]

Dry fit of the top panel.

You know the old saying..."Measure twice, cut once"?  They mean it.   

The system buttons along the top are about 1/4" too far toward the top edge of the board, so the internal bracing piece is not going to be installed internally.

[chemikalguy]

So, when I did the initial planning/purchasing, I had decided to use a textured spray paint to coat it, as the unit will be getting picked up and carried around when it's not in use, so I wanted something durable. I found this Rustoleum paint, and liked the look of it.

That was until I was at Home Depot buying the wood and found this textured contact paper. It's quite thick and heavy, so I think it will suffice for both the CP, as well as the sides and bottom.

[Drnick]

Nice job so far.  Do you have a router and are you going to be putting on T-Molding.  I ask as if you use the contact paper you will want to wedge it into the t-mold slot to keep it held down.  I have found the glue to be fairly weak.  Maybe a bit of 3m adhesive or something to help it along.  Are you going to be covering with plexi in which case a lot less chance of the paper lifting.

[chemikalguy]

I wasn't going to use T-molding on this one. I had planned on wrapping the covering around, and attaching it with construction adhesive around the edges. I figured that if I get as much of the dust off of the wood beforehand, that the 'built-in' adhesive should at leave keep it from moving around or bubbling. Tha'ts the one negative that I've seen, is that they mention that this contact paper is 'removable', which tells me the same thing - the adhesive is not that great. On the other hand, construction adhesive = permanent.

Now, when/if I do the bartop build, I'll do the T-molding. I just didn't have a router yet, and wasn't sure about what size bit to get, etc.

[chemikalguy]

I started working on this again last night, and glued all the pieces together. I let them dry for a bit, and then got out the contact paper and my construction adhesive. Lo and behold, my construction adhesive was a solidified mass, and at 10:30pm, Lowe's and Home Depot were closed so I decided to forge on without the adhesive. I figured I'd use some contact cement and a staple gun that I have for the edges, and just use the contact paper's integrated adhesive to keep it adhered to the wood - big mistake as you'll see.

[chemikalguy]

The first task was to wrap the sides with the contact paper and then to trim it, sort of like wrapping Christmas presents. 

I trimmed it down so that it would have an inch or so of overlap, and then added some contact cement, folded it over and then put a staple in each of the corners for added strength. Once the top and bottom panels are on, the compression will help to hold it in place as well.

[chemikalguy]

Dry fitting the top panel.

Laying out the contact paper for the top panel and cutting to fit.

Once the top piece is cut and placed, it's obvious where the holes need to be cut - here's where it went downhill. 

[chemikalguy]

The 'completed' wrap, held on with clamps until the contact cement cures.

Here is where using the contact paper went wrong. The contact paper I used, faux leather, is very soft, and slightly stretchy. This became apparent when I used my finger to punch the joystick and button holes, and the material stretched around the hole. This wasn't apparent until I started mounting the buttons and saw it. This could have (possibly) been avoided by both using contact cement around the holes on the top panel, as well as using a razor blade to cut the holes, rather than my fat, sausage-like fingers.   

[chemikalguy]

Continued onward mounting the P2 buttons, then the top buttons, and finally the joysticks.

A pic showing the ergonomics of the button layout. This layout is almost perfectly laid out for my hand, with the exception of the pinky buttons. Those could actually stand to be 1/2" lower. It's unlikely that these will be used very often, as very few games use 8 player buttons, so this is not a deal-breaker.

[chemikalguy]

In hindsight, I think that a good textured paint or even MDF that is already covered with a formica or other laminate material would ultimately have been better, but as this is only my first build, it's a learning experience. Plus, this is completely my own work, so there's a sense of accomplishment there.   

The next step is to start working on the wiring.

Below is a pic looking over the back of the couch at where the controller will be used when connected to the media PC and TV.

[CoryBee]

Could use a heat gun or torch to lightly heat up the material so it shrinks over those trouble spots.

[chemikalguy]

That's a good point, although I'd probably only succeed in setting it on fire.   

[mcseforsale]

Rustoleum Painter's Choice semi-gloss and a 1/4 nap microfiber roller.  That's your huckleberry.

AJ

[CoryBee]

Paint or laminate is the best way to go. That contact paper isn't a good choice, I used it quite a bit when I started making bartops and the stuff is no good for the job. Easily gets torn or scratched exposing the material under it.

Using blackboard vinyl is an easy alternative, thicker and gives a perfect painted look.

Ebay Link

[chemikalguy]

Yeah, you're right about the material not being very good. I'll chalk it up to a learning experience on my first build. If I'd had my adhesive, the stretching wouldn't have been a problem though, but durability would definitely be an issue over the long haul.

[Seith]

Yeah, you're right about the material not being very good. I'll chalk it up to a learning experience on my first build. If I'd had my adhesive, the stretching wouldn't have been a problem though, but durability would definitely be an issue over the long haul.

That's unfortunate that it came out like it did, but now that the woodworking/controller-building bug has bit you, it will make your next project that much better!

[chemikalguy]

I know, right!?  I'm already scoping out weecade plans that will accept a full ATX motherboard.  .  I have a donor PC that I'm going to gut for the project.

[chemikalguy]

Wiring progress.

My pre-built ground harness

Since I pre-built the harness, I labeled each plug so that I would know where it went once I built the CP.

Harness installed

[chemikalguy]

Using CAT5e or CAT6 cables for buttons to keep the install neat

Trimming cables to remove excess

Completed cable install

[HaRuMaN]

Man... such nice work, but you gotta fix that vinyl...

[chemikalguy]

My quality control tester...

[Drnick]

Please pull that contact paper from the top and replace it .  I got good results with 3M Carbon fibre,  I know that Griffindodd used it on his Marvel Build and I have seen it on some other projects.  You won't get that bubbling that you are currently getting, Just sand down the Mdf & put a touch of primer or something on any cut edges.  Go on do it, I bet you won't be happy until you do.

[thefox]

Nice work ! I discovered that contact stuff can be a real pain to get smooth & stick properly. Took us a few attempts and a few wasted sheets of the stuff. (It seems to stick to the workbench, the floor, and the bin ok though!)

Like you said, I found a sharp blade on the holes is a must, and it only sticks to the smooth stuff. Any unprimed cut edges just wont stay in contact with it.

Look forward to seeing what you do next...