New CP for my cab *Pics of console adapter plates added*

[Franco]

Ive had my cab finished for a few months now and I have decided to make another CP for it.

This is my current CP, I think I am going to go with a similar colour scheme:-



Ive just received some clear buttons from shawnzilla and rather than replace all the buttons in the old CP I thought I would build a new one, cant afford it mind but oh well!

Im gonna get some tri-leds and light them with one of the led driver projects on the go at the moment. I also want a trackball on this CP, im thinking of going for a Happ 3" with a mouse hack. You can get a low or high profile 3" from Happ, does anyone have a preference?

There are three attached drawings at the bottom of the post, you may have to open them to view them properly as lines are sometimes missed out when they are shrunk to fit the forum window.

The 1st pic is of the top of the CP. I have decided to rotate the button layout slightly as I have found this is more similar to how my hand naturally rests on the CP. The two buttons at the top are the start buttons and the other two are for the trackball. I did not cover my CP in lexan last time, this is definatly something I am going to do this time around.

The second picture shows the front of the CP. I am planning on adding a black DVD-RW flush to the front of the CP. I have decided to do this because my cab contains my only PC and it can be a pain to keep opening the coin door and reaching in to put in a CD. I was planning on just running an extra long IDE lead to the PC but I have seen some IDE>USB cables so I will probably just try one of those.
The object above the drive in the center is a USB hub. I want to add this for the same reason as before so I can easily connect my phone/card reader or whatever.
I am also going to mount some PS2 and N64 extension lead ports into some polished stainless steel plates which I will make at work. This will make it much easier when playing console games on my cab which I dont use my arcade controls for (and should look pretty bling ). The other ends of the extension leads will plug into N64/PS2 adapters inside the CP.
The final picture just shows the console port plates better.

I have only just started thinking about this CP today so the placement of all of the controls is likely to change. Any input you guy have would be great.

[jcroach]

The second picture shows the front of the CP. I am planning on adding a black DVD-RW flush to the front of the CP. I have decided to do this because my cab contains my only PC and it can be a pain to keep opening the coin door and reaching in to put in a CD. I was planning on just running an extra long IDE lead to the PC but I have seen some IDE>USB cables so I will probably just try one of those.

The object above the drive in the center is a USB hub. I want to add this for the same reason as before so I can easily connect my phone/card reader or whatever.
I am also going to mount some PS2 and N64 extension lead ports into some polished stainless steel plates which I will make at work. This will make it much easier when playing console games on my cab which I dont use my arcade controls for (and should look pretty bling ). The other ends of the extension leads will plug into N64/PS2 adapters inside the CP.

Good luck with this.  I'm going to be following your design because I'd like to add similar USB hubs to my future control panel/cabinet.

[toyfiend2004]

do they make a Power supply cord long enough in addition to the IDE cable?  if it goes IDE-2-USB, does that add the necessary power?  i have been thinking of adding something like that to my CP as well.  Keep us updated to your progress.

[Franco]

Im looking at something like this for the IDE>USB

 http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=41994&item=6782031638&rd=1

I think the cord should be long enough to reach the  power strip in my cab (its mains powered). If its not ill just knock up an extension.

[namedos]

You may want to consider one of these for your USB hub.  I'm going to mount mine on the front of the control panel with a 5 1/4 metal drive bay.

 http://www.frontx.com/index.html 
 
Door flips up when I'm done and everything is hidden.  Used the external version and plugging it into my USB ports, slick and easy.

I have purchased these and they are good quality.  Haven't installed them yet.

[jcroach]

I've seen these before.

[Franco]

Thanks for the ideas guys. I think im just going to go for a regular USB hub, probably one of these three that I can pick up for about

[grueinthebox]

You may want to consider one of these for your USB hub.  I'm going to mount mine on the front of the control panel with a 5 1/4 metal drive bay.

 http://www.frontx.com/index.html 
 
Door flips up when I'm done and everything is hidden.  Used the external version and plugging it into my USB ports, slick and easy.

I have purchased these and they are good quality.  Haven't installed them yet.

I actually used one of their USB connectors on my candy cab, without the mounting plate.  With a little fabricated aluminum faceplate, it makes for a look that's about as "original" as you're likely to get.

Franco: one thing you might want to consider / play with before doing your controller ports that way is that a lot of the PS2 adapters (assume the others are the same way) don't play nice if you don't plug the controller into the adapter before connecting to USB.  Doesn't damage anything, but you'll want to be sure to do a decent amount of testing with the adapters you're planning to use before committing to that course of action.

[Nomen]

Franco,

That is too cool. I was thinking of doing the exact same thing with the N64/PS2 adapters. I posted a thread where I said I was going to do new things that I had never seen done before and that was one of them. Keep up the good work and let us know how the game console controllers go. I'm very excited that you're doing this. I'll post some pictures too when I get mine started.

[Franco]

I started the console pad plates today, Ive added a hole for DC pads as well. I must say they are looking mighty sweet! Ill take some photos when I can find a digi cam.

[Franco]

Ive been moving house this past week so I havent really been able to spend much time on the CP. I have got the console plates finished just about though.

This is a pic of the machined plate:-



The hole profiles were milled on a CNC machining center and then I just sawed the excess plate off and file finished them. The finish is pretty good but I want it mirror like so Ive plenty more polishing to do yet!

This is a picture of the plate with the adapters in place:-



They are all just controller extension leads. I am going to shoten the N64 and PS2 ones as they plug into an adapter just inside the CP but the DC ones will plug directly into a DC that is in the bottom of my cab.

Hopefully I should be getting on with the CD drive mounting plate tonight.

[bob808]

Ive had my cab finished for a few months now and I have decided to make another CP for it.

This is my current CP, I think I am going to go with a similar colour scheme:-



Ive just received some clear buttons from shawnzilla and rather than replace all the buttons in the old CP I thought I would build a new one, cant afford it mind but oh well!

Im gonna get some tri-leds and light them with one of the led driver projects on the go at the moment. I also want a trackball on this CP, im thinking of going for a Happ 3" with a mouse hack. You can get a low or high profile 3" from Happ, does anyone have a preference?

There are three attached drawings at the bottom of the post, you may have to open them to view them properly as lines are sometimes missed out when they are shrunk to fit the forum window.

The 1st pic is of the top of the CP. I have decided to rotate the button layout slightly as I have found this is more similar to how my hand naturally rests on the CP. The two buttons at the top are the start buttons and the other two are for the trackball. I did not cover my CP in lexan last time, this is definatly something I am going to do this time around.

The second picture shows the front of the CP. I am planning on adding a black DVD-RW flush to the front of the CP. I have decided to do this because my cab contains my only PC and it can be a pain to keep opening the coin door and reaching in to put in a CD. I was planning on just running an extra long IDE lead to the PC but I have seen some IDE>USB cables so I will probably just try one of those.
The object above the drive in the center is a USB hub. I want to add this for the same reason as before so I can easily connect my phone/card reader or whatever.
I am also going to mount some PS2 and N64 extension lead ports into some polished stainless steel plates which I will make at work. This will make it much easier when playing console games on my cab which I dont use my arcade controls for (and should look pretty bling ). The other ends of the extension leads will plug into N64/PS2 adapters inside the CP.
The final picture just shows the console port plates better.

I have only just started thinking about this CP today so the placement of all of the controls is likely to change. Any input you guy have would be great.

[jcroach]

Nice. 

[Franco]

Cheers jcroach, they are getting there! Still deciding whether to get player one and player two engraved in the middle or not.

I started the CD drive plate tonight. I know some people (like me!) like to see progress pictures of things being made so Ive taken a few as I have been going along.

This is one of the Maho machining center that the plate was milled on (the same as the console plates)



Bit of a close up of the job in hand:-



The finished profile (after I had filed the radii out to give a square corner):-



Test fit of the drive in the plate, look mommy, no gaps!!



Plate cut out to size using a band saw (started with a hacksaw but im just too lazy!)



Anyway im off back for a couple of hours of filling! More pics to follow!

[jcroach]

Cheers jcroach, they are getting there! Still deciding whether to get player one and player two engraved in the middle or not.

Definately engrave on them.   That would rock. 

That machine is huge.  Do you use that with your job? What do you do?

[Franco]

Yeah think I will definatly look into the engraving. Im just wondering how easy it is to engrave ally with it being so soft.

Im a CNC machinist and work for a company that makes gas turbines. Home orders are one of the very few perks of the job!

That machining center pictured is one of our smallest. This is a bigger Mazak close to me but we have some huge ones in over departments. Im talking about 5 meters tall!