Here is yet another look at the control panel. As you can see there is now a level base for a steering wheel. That back splash is flush in the picture but will have a bit of room because there will be a place to plug in a USB port in behind it and on the front of it. That backsplash has to be all the way to the top (without any give) because of the rotational forces of the steering wheel. My friend actually lifts one side of his dining room table every once in a while when he plays Gran Turismo, so I don't want that happening here. I will have to fix this to be a 90 degree rabbit joint instead of one board on top and one board on the bottom.

I am still thinking of a latching system that will allow me to open this control panel for swapping, but not let it move. I have heard of other people using ball latches, and I've priced these out, it seems reasonable. I also need to work on a way to block lateral movement. I don't want these panels sliding around on me when I playing a good game. I can get pretty heavy handed, so this panel needs to be sturdy. I've even considered the peg and hole idea, and I like it, but it isn't my idea I found it here: http://www.beersmith.com/mame/. Anyway this stuff doesn't have to be figured out right now, it's my winter project remember.

Control Panel Detail

This is the first of many close ups of the design of the control panel. As you can see, I'll be using a modular design so I can switch between different game types all the time. I'm a bit A.D.D. so this will come in handy. Don't worry, those funny squared up sides will be fixed to a slope as soon as I can figure out how to do that in Sketch-Up. My first thought on this was to have 3 or 4 different fixed size control panels, and be able to switch among them, but then storage would become an issue. I've decided on this scheme because it lets me build them one at a time and slowly build up my controls.

I will have to include a squared off mounting board for a steering wheel, which is the next part I will be modelling in Google Sketch-Up

This is my first concept, a cocktail machine with an office chair cylinder for a monitor stand. It's only a concept right now, but it looks almost workable. I'd employ the same up down mechanism as a standard office chair (a lever) and thereby creating something unique, yet easy to use. I haven't laid out the controls on this Google Sketch Up model yet, but I will probably use a Neo-Geo layout or a double Neo-Geo layout, since those are invariably the machines I go for in the arcade. Oh, and the Initial D games, so I'll probably need a replaceable Steering Yoke. I may even opt for the customizable control panel that every control lifts out and can be replaced with either buttons or joysticks or whatever, using a custom wire harness. I really need a trackball with this because I find myself playing a lot of mouse games (defender), and I've been using a trackball on my computer for ages. Anyway I'd appreciate comments from the community, so drop off some here.