Author Topic: My first project, a travel Control Panel arcade. (Read 55681 times)

JonnyBoy · « **on:** September 24, 2005, 07:46:34 pm »

Hey guys. I've sort of been lurking and posting now and then for the past six months and you all never cease to amaze me with all the crazy arcade projects you come up with.

I decided to start my own and drew up some simple plans in CAD. It's just a simple all inclusive control panel with a built in computer and hard drive that I can take to my friend's houses and have a good time on the go. It's two player and will include a koutech front panel mount system which helped me in two ways. One, it helped me move all my video and sound outs to the outside of the box, to make setup extremely easy. It's just as easy as hooking in a video game system. It also helpe me monitor my fan speeds and internal temperatures. Even better, it gives me access to 3 external USB ports incase I ever need to use a CD-ROM or hook in some game pads (or DDR pads!).

Here are some pictures of my project thusfar.

There are all the pieces, cut to size with all the necessary holes drilled. The large 3 and 1/8" holes are for the 80mm fans to keep airflow going. The slot (which you'll see better in the next pictures) is for the front panel mount. To cut those holes I got to use my friend's massive forstner bit.

There is a picture of the assembled box. The hand is my friend's dad gluing in one of the supports for the base of the box.

And there she is, all glued up and ready to be laminated.

That's all for now. Not too bad for a sixteen year old. And yes, I measured, measured again, and measured one last time before cutting.

Franco · « **Reply #1 on:** September 25, 2005, 02:00:07 pm »

Looking good mate, keep the pictures coming!

JonnyBoy · « **Reply #2 on:** September 25, 2005, 06:34:53 pm »

Thanks. Small update today. Puttied the edges at the top of the box so painting will be easier. I also puttied the inside of the fan holes. These are the only parts I'm painting, the rest will be laminated.

bossyman15 · « **Reply #3 on:** September 27, 2005, 02:27:02 am »

nice! i've been wanting to do that project someday!

maybe for my 2nd project

JonnyBoy · « **Reply #4 on:** September 27, 2005, 12:33:58 pm »

A chance for you to learn from my mistakes.

JackTucky · « **Reply #5 on:** September 27, 2005, 01:58:27 pm »

You expecting that thing to be heavy?

Art

ChadTower · « **Reply #6 on:** September 27, 2005, 02:08:35 pm »

Looks heavy.

Ed O'Neill made a briefcase mame, with laptop, about a year ago... do a search in Projects for it if you want to see. That one was a good one.

JonnyBoy · « **Reply #7 on:** September 27, 2005, 02:09:01 pm »

Yeah, it is going to be pretty heavy. I'm debating on adding handles to the sides to make carrying it a bit easier. Although it's going to be heavy it'll also be very solid. I hope it'll withstand a nuclear war.

JonnyBoy · « **Reply #8 on:** September 27, 2005, 02:10:15 pm »

I actually did a briefcase MAME a few months ago but tore it apart to do this project. It was easy to carry but the nature of the suitcase itself made me question it's durability. And plus, I'm on a tight budget so the laptop is out.

JonnyBoy · « **Reply #9 on:** October 10, 2005, 08:47:10 pm »

Well, lately there has been minor progress. I painted the top edges black and the inside of the fan holes. My black formica came in and it looks great, I'm nervous to start laminating though. I have the contact cement and some dowel rods to use as spacers but what really worries me is aligning it and rolling it.

I don't have a laminate roller, my brother said to just used anything round and heavy, do you think I should invest in a roller? Also, I'm a bit worried about using the router but heck, I need to learn to take some risks. I want to cover the top edges (where control panel would rest) with some sort of rubber or something to keep light from shining through, I'm a bit OCD. Maybe I could use some black felt? What do you guys think?

JonnyBoy · « **Reply #10 on:** October 11, 2005, 10:13:40 pm »

Nobody?

DrewKaree · « **Reply #11 on:** October 12, 2005, 10:30:10 pm »

Quote from: JonnyBoy on October 10, 2005, 08:47:10 pm

I have the contact cement and some dowel rods to use as spacers but what really worries me is aligning it and rolling it.

I don't have a laminate roller, my brother said to just used anything round and heavy, do you think I should invest in a roller? Also, I'm a bit worried about using the router but heck, I need to learn to take some risks.

Your job isn't to "align" the laminate, your job is to trim a piece that's DEFINITELY larger than the area you want to laminate, and then stick it down. The router bit removes any "alignment" issues you may think you have. Think of it as a thinner version of the sawboard I built. Look at that and see how terribly I aligned it. I did that ON PURPOSE to show how bad you could do it. This is the same concept. Slap the laminate on there, and trim it to tidy it up.

NO, you DO NOT need to invest in a J-roller, and it's a waste of money for you to do so. Go to the dollar store and see if they have a wooden rolling pin. If not, go somewhere and buy the cheapest rolling pin they have. If your mom has a rolling pin, use hers. It WILL NOT get glue on it unless you're a complete moron, in which case you should have been given a beating long ago. Might as well make it worthwhile

If I were you, I'd throw a handle on there. I bet the thing probably weighs about 10+ pounds right now (go ahead, you know you want to weigh the thing anyway!) and carrying that thing will become a chore if you don't throw a handle on the sides. Home Depot has some gate handle hardware that'll work fine and only costs about $5. You'll be more inclined to take it places if it's easy to carry.

JonnyBoy · « **Reply #12 on:** October 13, 2005, 07:27:51 am »

Yeah, I misworded the alignment thing, should I make the overhang about 2 inches or so? Yeah, I think I'll take the dive tonite and give it a try. Yeah, I'll invest in some handles too, I have supports on the button of the unit that I could attach them to and they'll be nice and strong.

Timoe · « **Reply #13 on:** October 13, 2005, 08:44:04 am »

You only need it to over hang like 1" or 1/2".

JonnyBoy · « **Reply #14 on:** October 13, 2005, 06:41:19 pm »

Man this stuff is hard to cut. I ended up just getting a really sharp razor blade and scoring it multiple times. Then bending it and snapping it.

DrewKaree · « **Reply #15 on:** October 13, 2005, 08:21:43 pm »

Quote from: JonnyBoy on October 13, 2005, 06:41:19 pm

Man this stuff is hard to cut. I ended up just getting a really sharp razor blade and scoring it multiple times. Then bending it and snapping it.

* DrewKaree smacks his forehead and sighs the sigh of "I can't believe you did the...."

JonnyBoy · « **Reply #16 on:** October 13, 2005, 08:25:10 pm »

I assume I did something stupid?

When I say cut, I mean cut with the overhang, I didn't glue yet. I didn't use the razor blade to cut it flush to the edge of the unit.

DrewKaree · « **Reply #17 on:** October 13, 2005, 10:19:09 pm »

Quote from: JonnyBoy on October 13, 2005, 08:25:10 pm

I assume I did something stupid?

When I say cut, I mean cut with the overhang, I didn't glue yet. I didn't use the razor blade to cut it flush to the edge of the unit.

Okay

Seriously, use the router since you've got it. The edges of that stuff can cut you like a razor blade itself. Just move the bit slowly to meet the wood and then trim the rest off of your panel. It might just be me, but I envision you introducing more potential for problems by fooling around with it. I'm probably misunderstanding what you're talking about, though, so ignore my concern if everything turned out fine

JonnyBoy · « **Reply #18 on:** November 29, 2005, 07:43:58 pm »

Okay...updates:

My brother came home over Thanksgiving and gave me the chance to use his router, and here are the results. Cutting the laminate, in all honesty, was the hardest part. Routing flush and gluing/placement was easy, I gave myself plenty of overhang. Just getting the stuff into the approximate size was a pain. I didn't have anything that'd work better than just scoring and snapping. I tried snips and they just made ugly cracks.

It turned out really well, the laminate makes it look nice and classy. One question though, what can I use to get some of the splotches of contact cement off the laminate? Acetone, lighter fluid?

Tell me what you think. The last picture shows how my front panel mount will fit in, it provides easy access to all the video/audio outs and some convenient usb ports.

Pictures on the next thread, photobucket is being a pain in the butt. By the way, I'm the hippie, the short haired one is my brother.

JonnyBoy · « **Reply #19 on:** November 29, 2005, 07:55:04 pm »

My brother basically just posing. The laminate was already placed, he's just pretending to do something.

Me adding a slight chamfer to the edges with a file, to reduce the chances of it peeling.

JonnyBoy · « **Reply #20 on:** November 29, 2005, 08:00:54 pm »

A few more.

JonnyBoy · « **Reply #21 on:** November 29, 2005, 08:02:12 pm »

Last few. Excuse the chipped paint on the top edges, those will be repainted. The router beat those edges up a bit, nothing a little paint won't fix. And the edges elsewhere aren't entirely cleaned up, I need to take a tad bit of contact cement off in certain areas.

mccoy178 · « **Reply #22 on:** November 29, 2005, 09:32:28 pm »

Very good job, especially for a sixteen year old.

JonnyBoy · « **Reply #23 on:** November 29, 2005, 09:47:05 pm »

Unfortunately I have no power tools, my family is way too intimidated by power tools to own them. Oddly enough, my new job is in a hardware store, I'll need to stock up on tools before college.

J-Rod · « **Reply #24 on:** December 05, 2005, 10:03:05 am »

Quote from: JonnyBoy on November 29, 2005, 07:43:58 pm

It turned out really well, the laminate makes it look nice and classy. One question though, what can I use to get some of the splotches of contact cement off the laminate? Acetone, lighter fluid?

Try some Goof Off. That stuff is great. No acetone, that would likely ruin your laminate.

I like the box, close dimensions to the J-Rcade. However my only critique is that the top of the box needs a slight slant, makes it more comfortable to use white you're sitting down. Of course if you plan to put that either on the ground or really high, that doesn't matter. Mine always finds it's way on to a coffee table or somesuch.

JonnyBoy · « **Reply #25 on:** December 05, 2005, 12:58:02 pm »

Yeah, I plan on adding some sort of fold down legs or something, not thinking that far ahead. Thanks foor the kind words. My woodworking tools are pretty primitive so adding the curve would have been an added hassle.

J-Rod · « **Reply #26 on:** December 05, 2005, 09:34:09 pm »

Well, you could always still do it too. I added the slant in the J-Rcade as an afterthought, you can see it in the pics in my sig. Look at the inside pics, and you can see around the rim where the pieces were added. We used some leftover strips, and cut at an angle, and screwed it in. Just a thought.

JonnyBoy · « **Reply #27 on:** December 06, 2005, 07:24:30 am »

Wow, that's a beautiful machine J-Rod. How's the heat buildup?

Negativecreep0 · « **Reply #28 on:** December 06, 2005, 10:19:44 am »

can you post a shot of the corner where the laminate meets im trying to decide if i should laminate my middle of my control panel to see if the offset where the two pieces of laminate joins is that noticeable an eyesore.

JonnyBoy · « **Reply #29 on:** December 06, 2005, 12:34:22 pm »

I can post a picture for you but since there is a small chamfer on all my edges, it will look like more of an eyesore that it will actually appear on a flat surface. One problem for you though would be getting the laminate together precisely without needing to shift it to get the seam tight, once the cement is together, there is no way to get it apart. I'll post a picture after school.

J-Rod · « **Reply #30 on:** December 06, 2005, 09:08:44 pm »

Quote from: JonnyBoy on December 06, 2005, 07:24:30 am

Wow, that's a beautiful machine J-Rod. How's the heat buildup?

I get asked that a lot. None at all, really. The PSU has two fans, and the main exhaust fan is pretty meaty, I forget the specs but it's +12v, and let's just say the box doesn't run silent. But hey, you're playing arcade games, not working on the computer!

Thanks for the compliments, I am happy with it for now, after we get the house I am going to try for a full racing cab.

JonnyBoy · « **Reply #31 on:** December 06, 2005, 09:13:07 pm »

I have four fans total that are going to be running...

But that's okay, I really don't mind the noise. You won't be able to hear a thing other than me beating my friends at WindJammers.

DrewKaree · « **Reply #32 on:** December 06, 2005, 11:45:55 pm »

Just go get one of those bathroom exhaust fans that are labeled "quiet". They run quiet enough that in use, you won't notice or care that it's running, and depending on how it's placed, it might give you a nice cooling breeze during a heated head-to-head session with the ass hat you used to call "My buddy"

Of course, this won't work for your portable-ish panel....it's more of an upright cab solution I've considered

JonnyBoy · « **Reply #33 on:** December 07, 2005, 07:08:50 am »

*Remove*

JonnyBoy · « **Reply #34 on:** December 12, 2005, 10:29:25 pm »

Well, after testing various styles of controls and making assorted mockups on cardboard, I settled on the following. A bit of a franken-panel, I know, but for portability sake, I wanted to get as much on the panel as possible.

JonnyBoy · « **Reply #35 on:** December 12, 2005, 10:41:43 pm »

Also, I was thinking of putting some nickel trunk corners on all the corners for that added durability, do you think I should invest in them or the corners will be fine as is? I worry about the laminate detaching on the corners over time.

Something like this:

http://www.antique-hardware.com/T-152.jpg

walls83 · « **Reply #36 on:** December 13, 2005, 09:31:19 am »

Quote from: JonnyBoy on December 12, 2005, 10:41:43 pm

Also, I was thinking of putting some nickel trunk corners on all the corners for that added durability, do you think I should invest in them or the corners will be fine as is? I worry about the laminate detaching on the corners over time.

Something like this:

http://www.antique-hardware.com/T-152.jpg

Those would be a must for a TRAVELING control panel. Since you will be moving it and such it will get dinged up and all the protection you could give it would be a plus

JonnyBoy · « **Reply #37 on:** December 13, 2005, 04:27:07 pm »

Does anybody know where I can score some simple, silver corners? All the trunk corners I find are too decorative or brass. What should I be searching for?

walls83 · « **Reply #38 on:** December 13, 2005, 04:30:57 pm »

I cant think of the name right now. Its the place were alot of people by there vinal from.. Its and Audio part store.

(BLANK)parts.com

I cant think of the first word in the name. Sorry

JonnyBoy · « **Reply #39 on:** December 13, 2005, 04:49:06 pm »

These look like what I'm going for...

They're nice and small (1.5") and look pretty cool too.

The link is http://tinyurl.com/8bjgn

I like the full corner cover. You think they'll hold up?


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Author Topic: My first project, a travel Control Panel arcade. (Read 55681 times)

Franco