A frustrating, persistent state. [...a bit of random ranting]

[lharles]

That would be the pursuit of the completion of this monster control panel that exists mostly in my otherwise empty head.

Before you read any further, please note that this post is in no way relevant to anything pertinent to anything that has to do with something that may be of interest to people who know about entomology.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way...on to the random ranting.

I have managed to, over the course of the last five months, get a functional mame cabinet built and I'm currently using a dual X-Arcade for the thing.  This was always supposed to be a...temporary thing. 

I've gathered more parts than I'll ever use, (from various sources, used parts including what appears to be an original 'Tempest' spinner, a 'Mad Planets' spinner, what appears to be a 'Tron' type joystick but has a black plastic housing and a red trigger for the index finger and two buttons where the 'Tron' logo sits on an actual 'Tron' joystick, a box of joystick parts, a zillion buttons, [zillion is a number, right?], two 3" Betson/Imperial trackballs, a Wico Command Control Trackball, a Microsoft EasyBall, two Mini-Pacs, 23523 feet of wire of varying gauges, .187 quick disconnects, and 672 board feet of wood of various widths and lengths, a bunch of power tools from the local pawn shop...and so on).

Yet I'm still not done.  Why?

It is because I am not exactly adept at building things.  The electronics part I'm fine with.  I wired things up as I got them to test them and all is well with the various pieces and parts.  Now, I'm just destroying pieces of wood, trying to figure out to build...wait for it, wait for it...a slanted box.

Ugh.

I never knew I'd miss that shop class that I took in the eighth grade so much, (although I do occasionally think back on the kid who put the bit in the drill press through the center of his hand - never really heard a person make that sort of noise before or since).

I do though.

I wish I had a bit more knowledge or a resource that could help me figure out what the heHHHHHl I'm doing.

I thought...'Hey, I'll take a class or go to some sort of local woodworking shop!'

So, I found the only place that seems to exist in 121 square miles and went there to find out about their classes and the use of their shop.  I arrived and found that they were closing in eight days.  So...that worked out well.

Last night, for what seemed like the thousandth time, I decided to try and cut pieces for this thing, this [dripping with disdain and frustration] control panel [/dripping with disdain and frustration].  I already had what I considered to be the 'support pieces'.  Four to be exact.  They weren't perfect, (far from it considering I cut straight as effectively as a corpse can knit), but I thought they would be passable.

This rant will now be momentarily interrupted while I provide a bit of...

****INSIGHT INTO MY SITUATION****

I'm trying to fit this thing into an existing, 'converted' cabinet.  I'm trying to build this control panel to 'wrap around' the cabinet.  The width of the interior space where the original control panel sat is 23.75 inches.  SO, I decided to make 'cut-outs' for the new, bigger control panel so that it can slide into the current space and also expand outside of this.  The four 'support pieces' were cut to sit on either side of the existing control panel space to bolt through and...well, keep the thing in place.

Don't be alarmed if this doesn't make sense.  It doesn't make sense to me either.

****END OF INSIGHT...FOR NOW****

Anyway, I cut the new pieces longer than the original ones.  This is because these would be the pieces that sit along the outside of the bottom of the control panel box. 

(I should mention here that I did buy 'Project Arcade'.  It was very enlightening.  I know now that I'm a complete moron for trying to 'convert' a cabinet rather than just trying to build one from scratch.  However, I can see endless possibilities for failure there too.)

So, I got done cutting the longer pieces and I was pretty excited.  The cuts were easily the most steady and clean ones I'd done to date.

I put the new ones up against the previously cut ones and --WHAT THE HECK!?  The angle of the slope was off.  I HAD MEASURED ENDLESS TIMES!  AAAAA!

Then I looked at them.  The original ones.  Then I looked at the new ones again.  My error became obvious to me.  Well, outside of being an idiot - which I'm sort of used to.  The error was that I had cut the originals with these dimensions:

6.25" tall at the 'back', 3.5" tall at the front, and 14" long.  Fine, right?

I wanted to extend this for the sides of the box so that it would cover the side of the bottom.

SO, I took the original dimensions and made it 17" rather than 14".  I made a straight line from the 6.25" mark to the 3.5" mark, just like I'd done on the 14" piece.

This, of course, made the angle of the slope different.

I only wish this had occurred to me before I ruined another piece of wood.

Ugh.

Well, I'm off to discuss the option of a brain transplant with this guy who panhandles outside my place of employment.  He insists that he's got some sort of education from some alien civilization that makes this possible, some name that can't be pronounced by humans but apparently sounds somewhat similar to the word 'bacon'.

I hope that the next brain is better with carpentry.



I wonder if I'll remember where I put my keys?

[nullb0y]

i like cheese!
 

[Dartful Dodger]

I like to waste time reading/writing useless posts on the internet while I'm at work.



This post is beyond even my tolerance for useless reading.

[lharles]

I like to waste time reading/writing useless posts on the internet while I'm at work.



This post is beyond even my tolerance for useless reading.

When I read something like this, I question why sometimes groups of people who have a common hobby are called a 'community'. 

[MYX]

Want some cheese for that whine?
Want me to call the WAAAAAAAAAAAAambulance?
Why so glum chum?
Try a smile once and a while.
Be real neat lift the seat.

[Clonedsheep]

The rest of the posts went like this.

Iharles:   What do you know about Trigonometry?
                           
MYX:  I could care less about Trigonometry...
                           
Iharles:  MTX, did you know without Trigonometry there'd be no engineering?
                           
MTX: Without lamps, there'd be no light!

Keep it fun pal.

[pointdablame]

go grab some spare useless wood (you appear to have a lot of it) and try to build a box.


Just a plain old box... a cube even.  Just go cut 6 identical pieces of wood say 6" square.  Build it... put supports in it.... learn as you do it.

That's really all a CP is... just calm down and try again with something smaller.  get some confidence.


And if you can't build the box... well..... step away from the power tools, you may hurt yourself.

[dirkamiss]

yah my cuts are never quite perfect either.

I would be lost without wood putty.

[Clonedsheep]

Everyone has made a mistake or two on a cab. I have made plenty and when I have cut something off or incorrectly, I have used those pieces for braces and smaller pieces. Be creative and try to have fun. Don't turn this into a frustrating job. 

[AtomSmasher]

The best home builders are not the ones who make the fewest mistakes, they're the ones who are good at covering up their mistakes 

[lharles]

Want me to call the WAAAAAAAAAAAAambulance?

 

My best friend uses that one on me on occasion...

 

I was just lookin' for a little camaraderie in my failure.

Thanks for the ribbing and the advice...



Lharles

[Dartful Dodger]

I like to waste time reading/writing useless posts on the internet while I'm at work.



This post is beyond even my tolerance for useless reading.

When I read something like this, I question why sometimes groups of people who have a common hobby are called a 'community'. 

This is a community revolving around a hobby that involves building a giant crate that costs a couple hundred (if not thousands of) dollars to play games that are on $10 pocket devices.

[lharles]

This is a community revolving around a hobby that involves building a giant crate that costs a couple hundred (if not thousands of) dollars to play games that are on $10 pocket devices.

Yes.  I would have to agree with that.  I am inept at the crate building though.  So, I was venting.    For some reason I'm more apt to pour $10 here and $10 there into the process, over the space of months to be spectacularly mediocre at the process, rather than just buying the $10 'pocket devices'.

I believe I may suffer from mental illness as well.  However, I don't really mind it.

[Havok]

Just build it. Then slap Bondo or wood putty to cover up the mistakes. Then sand to cover up the other mistakes. Then paint, and say screw it - done!

 

Or, buy a cab kit - some of them are quite reasonable, check this place out - a lot of people copy their design:

http://www.mameroom.com/arcadecabinets.asp

[lharles]

Just build it. Then slap Bondo or wood putty to cover up the mistakes. Then sand to cover up the other mistakes. Then paint, and say screw it - done!

 

Or, buy a cab kit - some of them are quite reasonable, check this place out - a lot of people copy their design:

http://www.mameroom.com/arcadecabinets.asp

First, let me say to everyone who has responded to me so far that I appreciate the interaction.  Makes me feel a little less alone in my pursuit of arcade nirvana. 

My kids enjoy this thing in its current state, (and it works pretty well with the X-Arcade), but I'm hoping for this ultimate control panel.  One that will make dinner and take the trash out on Friday's, you know? 

Anyway, here's the cabinet in it's current state:



I'm not so much looking to build a new cabinet as to add a custom control panel to this thing.

If you're interested in all the rambling I did about my process to reach the point it's currently at, you can look at the blog I made about it, (I imagine this will be tedious to most of you who don't know me - and that would pretty much be everyone on this forum ), and see the before and after stuff.

The blog is at:

http://rsmame.blogspot.com

SO, I'm gonna' try and actually build the 'box' piece in its entirety tonight.  This won't include the 'top' which houses all of the controls but rather the support structure that sits underneath it.

It's just amazingly impressive to me that so many folks here are able to make these wonderfully functional and aesthetically pleasing setups.  On the other hand, it is VERY frustrating that I have difficulty keeping flesh on my fingers when using power tools. 

[PCtech]

OK.....here is my $.02 worth.....from one ranting/raving lunatic to another (hope I'm not assuming too much).   

Unlike most of the highly skilled folks on this board (and they are...no joke) 
I lack a certain "mechanical imagination", and have had the same problem engineering anything (Control Panel, Monitor Shelf, etc), and find myself flagrantly copying anything good I can find.   

I have Reverse-engineered a Mortal Kombat Cabinet, a 2P Control Panel, and many other non-arcade items.  For me, it's easier to take apart/destroy a perfectly good peice of equipment/machinery, than to actually work it out in my head.

If you are like me (at least in that way)...buy a Control Panel (let me know if you need recommendations), and reverse-engineer it.  Take the thing apart, and you will say "OH, that's how they get those angles in there".

It is not the "best" way to do it, but it beats    for months on end (I speak from experience).

One other peice of advice...keep the posts short (unlike this one)...just like little kids, the folks in here get bored quickly, and distracted by anthing shiny....

[lharles]

Well PCTech, 'reverse engineering' is the way I figure out most stuff that I'm not familiar with too, (and I'll cop to the lunatic label).    However, I didn't/don't have a control panel to start with so I didn't get to go that route.

Anyway, in an attempt to follow your advice and be short with my posts, I'll give it a shot tonight and pester ya' if for suggestions if necessary...and if I make it out alive. 

Lharles

[PCtech]

It would involve an initial investment, but I know slikstik, and other vendors, sell just the wood "Box" for the CP (which would probably be all you need)  They can still be expensive (couple hundred at least), but would be cheaper than buying the CP with all the electronics and joysticks and stuff.

There are plenty of detailed plans available, but if your like me, you need to tear it apart with you own hands and say "oh, that's how it works" 

Good luck, let us know how it turns out!

[Stingray]

[zillion is a number, right?]

It's pronounced "brazilian".  Also, I don't think your hammer is big enough.

-S

[MYX]

The rest of the posts went like this.

Iharles:   What do you know about Trigonometry?
                           
MYX:  I could care less about Trigonometry...
                           
Iharles:  MTX, did you know without Trigonometry there'd be no engineering?
                           
MTX: Without lamps, there'd be no light!

Keep it fun pal.

Completely!
Not that I expect everyone to run over and read my cab building thread, but I have had the total comedy of errors trying to build this muther. It was more or less me giving lharles the same lines my wife gives me some times. wuz meant in fun jus forgot the smiley thing. there that should fix it.

[DrewKaree]

[zillion is a number, right?]

It's pronounced "brazilian".  Also, I don't think your hammer is big enough.

-S

-S, just because your wife tells you that all the time doesn't mean that's the problem with everyone ELSE!

Besides, if anything, my hammer is TOO big! --> :farley 

Somebody tell Chad I just drug the fort out in the open

[Stingray]

Somebody tell Chad I just drug the fort out in the open

There will be beatings, and not the kind you're hoping for.

-S