Control Panels - how to attach

[Lilwolf]

I need some ideas.  I'm trying to attach some control panels (multiple, so they have to be able to swap somewhat easily) to a cabinet. 

the troubles.  I can't get inside once its attached.  (no door or anything to reach up from). 

The control panel itself will be a flat piece of wood that goes past the base box by 1/4 inch on each side.

The base box is a rectangle, flat, nothing special.  Each for the 4 corners does have a small bit of wood in the edges to make it stronger.  This is part of the original cabinet so I don't want to make any major changes to it.  (cosmetic anyway from the front).

The only idea I've come up with is to put 2 pieces of wood on the underside of the control panel so it can't move around... then 4 eye hooks that I will attach a cable too (in each corner).  The cables will go under the base box where I can pull them tight and hook them on something. 

Any better suggestions?  I could have some hooks in the back.... But nothing seems right so far.

Thanks

[sstorkel]

Have you looked at any of the modular control panels (e.g. Doc's Modular MAME)? Without seeing your design, it's difficult for me to know what the possibilities are... Perhaps Velcro could work? There are some "industrial strength" versions that provide quite a bit of holding power... You could also have dowels sticking up from the base that mate to holes in the bottom of the control panel.

[Lilwolf]

I wasn't going to go with a modular design this round.  The control panels themself are just flat boards that sit ontop of a wooden box (with an open top).  Nothing special at all about them. 

I'll try and take a photo or two tomorrow. 

[sstorkel]

I wasn't going to go with a modular design this round.

I wasn't suggesting that you go with a modular panel, merely that you look at what the modular guys have done and see if you can apply it to your situation...

[javeryh]

Velcro baby!  This is how I attach mine and it doesn't move when I play - not even a hair - but when I need to get in there I just pull it off (it's tough to do).

[WaRpEd]

you might try a magnetic cabinet door latch.

[sstorkel]

you might try a magnetic cabinet door latch.

This isn't a bad idea... in spirit. I think that a cabinet door latch might be too weak to keep the CP in place. You could, however, use rare earth magnets. I'd try to keep them away from wires and electronics, though! The magnets will need some metal to latch onto. Just find some small thick pieces, chisel out a recess in the wood, and epoxy them in place.

[shardian]

Put some stop blocks on the bottom of the control panels, that way it actually sits inside of the CP box. It can be as simple as small blocks place at the 4 corners. It will be perfectly centered,and can pop right out for easy exchange. It won't go anywhere but up and out.

[InsanePoetry]

i used 4 panel clamps from happ controls, 2 for the top of the cp and 2 to attach the cp box to the cab

[NIVO]

t-nuts could be used. Mounted to the bottom of the cp, you could use thumbscrews to attach or detach the panel rather quickly. I use thumbscrews to mount my panels, and it does not detract from the look in my opinion.

[ArtsNFartsNCrafts]

Good question!  I'm building a cocktail cab, and I'm thinking I'll just connect the control panel "boxes" with L-brackets, assuming that will be sturdy enough to take the average pressure from playing.

As far as acessibility to the panels' "guts" is concerned, I've actually considered just leaving the panels bottomless...you wouldn't notice if you weren't below the level of the panels (which would ultimately amount laying on the floor on your back).

If anyone has any better suggestions as to the route I'm taking, I'm certainly open to them!

[pacmandude]

Put some stop blocks on the bottom of the control panels, that way it actually sits inside of the CP box. It can be as simple as small blocks place at the 4 corners. It will be perfectly centered,and can pop right out for easy exchange. It won't go anywhere but up and out.

Bingo! Or you could use small dowels with corresponding holes in the underside of the panel.

I would not leave the panels bottomless, even if you can't see it.

[WaRpEd]

I agree with pacman you need the bottom to keep out unwanted pests, animals or small children.
Attaching the bottom with screws is another option, also t-nuts or brass inserts for machine screws just drill the correct size hloe and drive the insert in.

[Lilwolf]

Great ideas everyone.  I'm not sure I can use some of them.  Mainly because I want to be able to put the original control panel back without major surgery.  But I'm starting to thing maybe I have to rethink this.

So, without cutting away anything, I don't have ANY access to the inside.

The top is perfectly rectangle and flat.  The back side has a slight lower lip to it (barely enough to get a keyboard cable through.

I have two original wholes in the front just big enough for buttons (where originally for a weird latch, but it never really latched it well.  But I'm hoping to keep these for player start 1 and 2.

I'm now starting to think I might want to have a hinged 3 sided frame that I can slide a control panel in, then that latches down.  So I would only have to route each control panel.  But without metal, I don't know if it would be strong enough.  (note the back space was to hold the original hinged area.  So I already have that.

Or I might try and make a single wooden hinged area that new control panels snap into from the underside.  Again, so I would have a single solution, not one for each control panel...

[bertthedefender]

Don't know if this is of any use but I mocked up a control panel out of some spare MDF a while ago, with the idea that it would be removable and interchangeable.  It never got past the mock-up stage, but proved the concept.

The way I achieved this was by screwing a piece of angle steel ( basically inverted L shape) to each side of what would be the cabinet chassis - these angle pieces have holes drilled in them, with a thread tapped into the hole.

The control panel "top" then has corresponding holes drilled through it, and it simply bolts through - I used polished dome headed allen bolts.  The sticks and buttons are terminated in plugs so they could be quickly removed and reconnected to the cabinet harness.   

It was fairly robust - I didn't managed to break it with some fairly forceful pulling and pushing.

If your angle steel isn't really thick enough to get enough threads tapped in it, you would always weld bolts to the underside.

See attached pic.  The circled bolts hold the control panel to the angle steel. Also, notice how my dog managed to get his ear in the bottom corner of the pic!