The control panel is constructed of 1/2" medium density fiber board. This seems to be the material of choice when it comes to cabinets. Construction is fairly simple. I used a circular saw with a plywood blade to make the cuts. The holes were drilled with 1-1/8" drill bit. The are much better than using a hole saw as it chips the wood away, resulting in much less dust. The holes for the trackball and flight stick were made with a scroll saw. I drill the holes for the blind insert nuts using my dremel and its optional depth gage. I used epoxy to glue the sides to the top. I then used inner angle reinforcements on the corners.
The cabinet itself will be mostly 3/4" mdf.
The basic design and dimensions of the cabinet and control panel:
Some 3D renderings of what it could look like:
This is my completed control panel, and my temporary setup for testing/playing:
The controls themselves are as follows:
Ultimarc Ultrastik 360 with 4-8 way restrictor and custom green knob (player 1)
Ultimarc Ultrastik 360 (player 2)
Ultimarc iPac
Happs Competition joysticks x2 (player 3&4)
Ultimarc U-trak w/usb interface
Turbo Twist 2 spinner w/usb mouse interface
Logitech Extreme 3D PC game stick (hacked to fit the panel)
Click here for my plans in AutoCAD dwg format.
You can download the dwg viewer for free from Autodesk.
Click here for the plans in Adobe Illustrator.
Click here for the plans in PNG image format.
