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Need ideas/designs for a differnt type of cabinet

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Ond:

--- Quote from: Unstupid on May 05, 2013, 07:09:40 am ---Don't do it!  These "Way out there" designs never seem to get finished.  I mean, look at the 2 examples you linked.  Neither of them have made it to the "completed stage".  If you want another example do a search for "retro-futuristic mame cabinet".  Look how long that has been under construction.  I think the problem is that when you are the first one to do something you need to have a very clear, very conscise plan of attack.  You need to know exactly what you want and exactly how you are going to get it.  When you start changing things up in the middle of the project because you think something may look better a certain way it starts to push the finish line further away.  Plan, plan, plan...  If you jump in without enough planning you'll soon realize "oh I can't do that because it'll interfere with this".  If you have access to some 3d cad software use it to design "everything" down to the screw holes.  It's easier to make/fix design mistakes when you can visualize it in 3d.

--- End quote ---

I actually missed this comment.  I  guess you were laughing at me not with me.  There's plenty I could say, but instead I'll just say this.  You're wrong.  It will give me all the more pleasure when I finish that project for comments like this.

My designs (which ALL start life as pencil scratchings on some scrap of paper) have been built and are being built and completed by other folks as well, check the top of this Forum board for that.  I've stated the benefits of detailed planning and taking advantage of CAD software many times myself elsewhere.  Telling someone not to bother dreaming up an ambitious idea  because it takes longer or is harder to execute is ---That which is odiferous and causeth plants to grow---.  No one is a greater advocate of careful planning around here than me, my point is, having an exciting dream comes first, not umpteen details.  10/4?  Loud and Clear?   ::)

Xiaou2:
Ive built a Lot of projects from Scratch, without so much as a quick pencil sketch.

 For example, I built a complete working StarWars yoke, On-the-fly.  No Cad.  And only limited sketching at best.
Cut parts out, sanded them, drilled holes, cut shafts, mounted gears, routed and chiseled out the handles, etc...

 Anything Innovative is going to take some work, and possibly a few revisions.   But not everything can be done well in Cad... if you even know how to use it well.

 For example, some people might design, or copy a design, that has a commonly reproduced flaw... such as a control panel that has no angle... or too steep an angle.   Maybe they space the buttons out curved, but find they dont like the end result.  Maybe the trackball ends up too close to the sticks or monitor...  or the controls are too deep in the CP to be comfortable when playing for more than 5min spans.

 Point being... is that you cant always get a good result, without some physical test, with some trial and error.


 Ive failed on certain projects, such as a 6 way shifter... but I also learned a lot about the mechanics of the device, material worksmanship, martial stress factors, and much more.   At that time, I couldnt afford a 6 way shifter.  There were no commercial 6ways.

 If money and time is more of a concern than getting something right the first cut... then sure.  But to say that one should not Invent or Build something unique?   Thats just going too far... and IMO, its Laughable to hear someone protest such a thing.


--- Quote ---Decide, first, exactly what you're building and stick to it.  Think it through.  You should have built the cabinet in your mind a dozen times before you even pick up the first piece of wood you're going to cut
--- End quote ---

 Thats assuming you even know what you want.. and that your mind will never change.

 I found out after making some CPs, that I wanted real restricted 4ways... and Real Leafswitch buttons & Joysticks. These things only realized after playing some real classic machines such as Robotron, Galaga, and MsPacman.  I used to be totally against anything Leaf, until I realized my misunderstanding of how to operate them properly.. as well as the benefits they attain in gameplay, over Micros.

 Im fairly knowledgeable about this stuff, yet there were many things even I didnt know or realize at the time.

 If you change your mind... you jusy rebuild the CP... or whatever else you have built.

 Or... you could just sit there forever in contemplation...  never actually building anything, because you are waiting for a 'perfect design',  that someone else already built... which actually came from a visonary, and plenty of revisions.

Xiaou2:
All that being said... 

 The Op said he has no Imagination.  IMO, its very difficult to create, without that.

 Either you try to exercise your creative side.. and expand its abilities..   or, you will just have to resort to
copying something note for note.   Not something thats only an unfinished 'general idea' sketch.

Unstupid:

--- Quote from: Ond on May 07, 2013, 04:39:30 pm ---Telling someone not to bother dreaming up an ambitious idea  because it takes longer or is harder to execute is ---That which is odiferous and causeth plants to grow---.  No one is a greater advocate of careful planning around here than me, my point is, having an exciting dream comes first, not umpteen details.  10/4?  Loud and Clear?   ::)

--- End quote ---
I wasn't telling him not to do something ambitious, I was telling him that if we was going to do something different to plan, plan, plan everything.  When you build something never done before its like walking down a long lonely road, and it's better to have a map.  You can jump on BYOAC for suggestions but no one will be able to tell you how they did it.  Now I'm not advocating building someone else's design.  In fact I dislike all those ---smurfing--- weecade clones.  I love the creative designs that people come up with like your retro cab, and anything that pops out of griffindodd's garage.  In fact my rule of thumb is either 1) Build something different or 2) build it better.

Unstupid:

--- Quote from: markc74 on May 07, 2013, 03:57:27 am ---Here's a design I was playing around with for a while - the idea was to use a 21" LCD and have it manually rotate using a handle on the back.  In the end I decided against it as couldn't be sure how stable it would be and found that lag on the Samsung 214t monitor was really distracting so gonna go CRT instead.

Always interesting to see other peoples ideas tho - even if they don't make it to final builds!

--- End quote ---

I do like this design... I like everything about it except for the rotating monitor idea.  Rotating monitors leave you with a tiny screen surrounded with a huge black bezel.  Just build one horizontal and another vertical.  Hey, why build 1, when you can build 2 for twice the price?   :D

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