Couch pedestal 2 player living room control panel

[vfecde]

Hello all -

I have been observing from afar for a while and decided to post a build to get some input and encourage me to complete my design.

to set the stage: I bought a few original arcade cabinets at a yard sale recently, pac-man, donkey kong Jr, and rolling thunder. I gave them to my friend, but they got me thinking that I might enjoy having some arcade related entertainment. I dont have any real attachment to any specific arcade games so I didn't want to make or own a dedicated cab (for now at least) so I decided to build a panel for my existing living room entertainment system. I already have a powerful computer set up on my TV which I play games on occasionally with an xbox controller so this will just be a USB 2 player panel that can disappear when Im not playing.

So, I purchased a set of nice JFL joysticks and a bunch of happ buttons. they came with a xinmo, which I was planning on replacing with an ipac2, but honestly it works perfectly fine, so I might just stick with this as I dont really plan on adding a spinner/trackball (i could be convinced...)

My design is basically this: build a simple slanted 2 player control panel that can slide on to a simple "couch desk" This way I can use the couch desk for my keyboard and mouse while im using my computer normally, and if I want to use the arcade I can afix it to the tabletop and have couch-level controls.
This is the kind of desk I am thinking of building. (found online)

This is the cardboard mockup.


the space


and then general idea.


So before I get started, a few concerns that I have run into so far.

1. I want the control panel to be very rigid, these types of desks are inherently not the most stable. I would like to build it with curved legs, and out of MDO or Ply, not sure how realistic this is.

2. Buttons. I put together what I thought was a logical button arrangement, Ive been playing it for a few days and I dont have any real complaints, but I havent really tried anything else, maybe someone sees something I dont here?

3. Design - I really enjoy some of the simplistic black/white layouts (Blip especially) and want to keep it very simple. I designed something quick, but it still needs some work. I really like the NASA/SpaceX concepts but I don't want it pretending to be something it isn't, if you know what I mean.  This is what Im working with right now... The top area with the player buttons is level, then the CP area slants down at a 1" over 12" angle.


Thoughts?  I plan on starting the real build fairly soon (Im also using this project as an excuse to buy some more tools....)

[severdhed]

looks like an awesome project

[BGoulette]

What material will you be building the sides from? those player and admin buttons look like they're <i>really</i> close to the edges (unless I'm not appreciating the scale involved). I like the simplicity you have going on, I'd just be concerned about not having enough room under the hood for the button nuts (assuming you're not using snap-in buttons), etc...

[vfecde]

Im planning on using 5/8 finished PLY. I am open to suggestions here though.

I noticed the same thing on the upper panel when I was modeling it, I will probably extend the horizontal bit where the admin buttons are to 3" instead of 2".

I put together a few images to better explain what I am thinking. The control panel will have a removable base, simple groove routed into ply. I don't think I will need to put any kind of rail in, I will just route 5/8ths and then a little extra so its smooth going in and out. This way I can put a panel on the base when its not on the table, and when it is on the table it is secure.



The table design I have now is very simple and a little ugly. I want to get a little more creative with it, but need to better understand the strength requirements I am dealing with... more to follow.



And then, with the CP fixed to the table top.