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Design Idea - Expanding Modular Control Panel

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patrickl:
Cool, a Transformer CP.  8)

I was wondering about the flap going over the modular plates too.

You will need to achieve really minute tolerances to pull this off. Otherwise the sides might start wobbling.

Ginsu Victim:
ahofle:
I thought the same.

ironpoet:

--- Quote from: ahofle on April 15, 2008, 05:30:59 pm ---Pretty nifty design you have there.
On the top flaps...it appears those fold over and sit on top of the controls?  Depending on the thickness of that flap I would think that might interfere with using the controls?  For example it looks like it would dig into your wrists if you rested your hand slightly below the joystick.  Or you would slam your fingers into the upper flap if you put a trackball in there.  Maybe if they were a thin material like metal?  I'm curious to see where this goes!

--- End quote ---

Well, this was really just a first pass on the design, so the length of each panel could certainly be increased.  There's about nine inches of space for the controls between the two flaps, but it doesn't hurt the design to extend the control panel out more (enough so that the back flap wouldn't a problem).

As for the front flap, that may be a concern.  I had considered adding some sort of (unresearched) covering, so that it could act as a sort of ergonomic rest for players wrists.  At the very least I would round the edges, although I don't know how to do that easily in Google Sketchup.

On the other hand, I wonder if the front flap would even be necessary if the panel fasteners (either velcro or magnetic strips) were strong enough...

ironpoet:

--- Quote from: patrickl on April 15, 2008, 05:35:28 pm ---You will need to achieve really minute tolerances to pull this off. Otherwise the sides might start wobbling.

--- End quote ---

That was one thing I was worried about, since I don't have any experience building table leaves.  I was considering the possibility of some kind of drawer sliders.  I have some drawers from IKEA which don't have any wobble in them, no matter which way you pull them.  But I haven't heard of anyone using pull out drawers except for hidden keyboards, so I don't know how sturdy they are.

DrFrag:
This is cool.  8)

I toyed with this idea last year but with using fold-out control panels.  No matter how I tried arranging it, I always ran into at least one big problem.  The components either colided inside, the fold-out section did not have enough structural integrity to be played on, or it looked really ugly with blatant attachment zones.

It looks like you've solved the problem of coliding components (although the wiring is going to be slightly tricker).  As long as you can make it sturdy enough to be played on, I think you're on to a winner.

I would go for metal drawer runners rated for heavy loads, and possibly rare-earth magnets for the folding sections.  They're fairly cheap on Ebay, and seem to be pretty effective.  Clips and locks are going to complicate things fast.

Overall, I don't think your design can be simplified much further.  8)

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