Side Weight Slot Option!
Hey guys! So I took some time and effort to find a good way to add weight to the case, for those who want it. So here’s what I came up with.
The slots are made available from the side panels. So you would take the side panels off
Then add a modified side panel (4 pieces to put together)…
Here’s how both modified side panels look with the slots.
Now you’re probably wondering why there’s a slit in slot panel. That’s because these slots serve another purpose. The slits are there because you can put another PCB or another device in the slots and run the wires through the slits. It’s just an added option.
So aside from that, you can pretty much place whatever you want in this slot, within size limitations, to add weight to the case.
Now if you’re interested in my opinion, I did a lot of hunting around for suitable items for “weight gain”. I’ve tried nuts n bolts, various washers, and even spare change. I’ll explain later why all those options didn’t appeal to me, so instead I came upon these tiny ball weights!
Okay, okay… they’re actually zinc BB pellets, lol.
I’ll explain in just a moment why I choose these as a better option, but first let me show you how these are added to the slots because you’re probably wondering how do you fill the slots up with the slit opening.
What you do is add two more pieces of 1/8" plexi to the sides of the slots. This will actually reinforce the sides.
Then you add the pellets in.
You’re wondering, how about just not having the slits in the first place so you don’t have to go through this extra step. Ah, well it’s because this step is still necessary regardless. The reason is with all the little pellets added up, (or any small materials) there’s a good deal of weight against the walls. If you fill it all up and say you give the case a good bump (like it’s bumping around your backpack) there’s enough pressure pushing the center of the small plexi wall where it can bend it just enough to allow some pellets to slip through. By adding these extra 1/8" plexi’s to the side, it will allow the pressure to even out rather than let it focus on the weak spot.
If it’s not making sense to you because I’m not explaining it clearly, then just trust me. I’ve done a lot of testing and playing around with this to come to this solution. Anyway, here’s how it looks with the case put together.
And with two slots full of pellets, it’s about an added 2.5 lbs. This case by itself was 2.3lbs. With pellets it comes to 4.8lbs. So add all your pcb’s, buttons, joystick, etc. and you can get a good 6lb fightstick going.
So on to “Why BB Pellets”???
The main reason why is the cost per lb. When looking all around for other possible weights (given that a criteria is that it should at least look decent since it’s a see-thru case) the price just doesn’t match to the pellets. For instance, each small washer can cost 8 to 15 cents each. Each smaller washer weighs about the same as a nickel, which is about 0.17oz. It will take almost $8 to add up to a lb of weight. In that respect, a lb of nickels equal to $4.7. Pretty much every other thing I can find (magnets, nuts n hex bolts, fish weights, etc) isn’t any cheaper.
So with all that searching and comparing, I found a nice heavy container of zinc BB pellets at Walmart for about $9 for 6,000 BB’s. 6,000 BB’s weigh about 4.6lbs, essentially making the cost per lb to a little under $2. And in my opinion the pellets look decent as they give a uniformed look. And as far as I can tell, Walmart had it cheapest even than what I can find online. If you look for them, make sure you’re looking for “Zinc” BB’s, not the colored plastic ones as they are way lighter. Also not the copper ones as they are more expensive… although they provide a decent weight so they are viable options. If you can’t find these BB’s at Walmart, or other retailer, I suppose for a small markup I can sell 2.5lb bags of them on my site.
Anyway, that’s my opinion and those are my findings. Your choice to whatever you want to place in the slots. The side slots will be an option and you’ll get everything you see in the pics, which includes the two 1/8" slot pieces. Price isn’t finalized yet, but it will be reasonable for all the pieces involved. Different color side panels will play into the total cost.
I will make a separate video on the installation and sample usage of the slots in the near future.
Oh, DO NOT USE LEAD WEIGHTS. Lead is toxic.
So let me know what you guys think. I’ll have a few more updates coming shortly on more case options so please stay tuned.
