Art's Hobbies - DIY Acrylic Cases

[ewic]

I keep coming back to this thread just to stare at ur awesome pictures, man…

I’m still gonna push for a 2-player option, maybe replace the piece that runs along the top and bottom sides with a long piece that will connect two cases…

>_____________<

[wikidone0321]

Throwing out another idea.

I think some people are worried about weight of the stick, I suggested the brute method of just putting like a metal plate on/in the bottom to increase weight but lets face it, unless your going to use artwork that is going to ruin the case looks and maybe you dont really want to do that. It may also be a problem getting something cut to the right size and getting it inside the case and into position.

So now I upgraded my idea, had magnets on the brain

An easy fix is to get 4 strong magnets like these:

http://www.kjmagnetics.com/prodimages/DA4L.jpg

Glue them with some hot glue or something to the inside bottom 4 corner areas.

Now the stick will sit nice and tight on any metal surface, and you can easily come up with some kind of metal plate to put on the bottom for weight if you need. Id probably just modify one of those lap desks to have a piece of metal on it so I get the comfort of the lap desk and the added stability of the magnets.

The magnets inside wont really ruin any of the looks, it may look pretty neat since they are reflective and will kinda reflect light in the case.

If I do this I am definitely also following up by putting a metal plate on my wall somewhere. I have absolutely no space to store anything and have a hard time finding a place to put my joysticks when not in use. The magnets would just let me “hang” the joystick on the wall for both storage and display when not in use.

The trick is to find a magnet strong enough to get the right hold, I think the one pictured is about right it maybe even a bit strong since its a rare earth type, and they are only like $3.00.

Sort of a noob question, but wouldn’t the magnets effect the wiring inside?

[arthong]

Thanks again everyone for your kind words! I will update you guys as much as I can on the options/availability as I get a chance to. I’m still working quite a bit on other orders so I will get back to this whenever I can. Forgive the lapse of response from time to time.

Also my friendly testers will have their hands on my cases upcoming week so they can shed some more details from their personal experiences and you can direct some questions to them as well and get their point of view.

And the 2nd post of this thread has been reserved for Q & A’s and some future updates. Please check that posting from time to time to see if your questions may be answered.

Now on to more questions…

Thanks for the replies Art!

I see what you mean with the support system, I do not think flex will be an issue. For the hinge I would assume you can use regular stuff and just use the diamond blocks to mount hinges and a locking mech to the case.

I have experimented with plexi & hinges before…

snip

Damn, quite a setup you got going there. Pretty good for hand cutting the acrylic. I will take hinges into consideration in future designs and see how they turn out.

Just gonna throw out a suggestion.

I would love to have some kind of a connector available so that 2 cases could be linked together to make a 2-player case. It has always been one of my dreams to own an hss 0131, and I would love to have something like this available.

I keep coming back to this thread just to stare at ur awesome pictures, man…

I’m still gonna push for a 2-player option, maybe replace the piece that runs along the top and bottom sides with a long piece that will connect two cases…

I didn’t create these modular cases without some future modifications in mind ;). Just wait a bit, heh…

I don’t see any screws holding down the top and bottom panels in the middle of the longer sides. What happens if the panel is lifted with enough force?

If you pull at it then it does flex up a little. But only if you intentionally tug at it. I initially started the design with middle screws but I know a lot of people hate middle screws. So I made some changes and this size works well without middle screws in place. Under normal circumstances there shouldn’t be any reason for the top to flex upwards, and there is a lot of support to prevent flexing downwards. Now, if there is reason to prevent such flexing upwards I can always add the middle screws back in and change the setting a tad. My testers will get their cases upcoming week so they can give you their feedback on that.

will get at least 2.

you gonna put some woodworkers out of business, art

holy shit man, that’s some badass engineering- love it. i might as well just quit.

Lol, nah… wood still has its unique properties. My stuff is an added option, not a replacement =). Can’t replace perfectly cut, high quality wood with a great paint job.

Yeah The LS-32 RE plate matches up, but the shaft is noticeably shorter than a JLF. I would suggest adding 4 screw posts for the LS-32-01’s SS plate 90 degrees from the JLF plate.

Also have you tested with the Seimitsu MS plate? (LS-33, LS-55, LS-56?) The JLF plate mounting holes matches up with the MS plate on the outer radius. Also I think it would be a trivial and wicked easy to add 4 holes to your custom JLF replacement plate to add joystick mounting holes for MS plate compatible sticks. This would help quite a few people who have grown fond of the LS-56-01

I will procure more LS equipment to further test with and see what I can come up with.

Dude those are some insane cases love the design of them, do you have prices for those ?
send me a pm please

Exact pricing for all the options are not yet set in stone. But the starting base price for a full clear case will not be more than $60. Added options like etchings, different colors, side decors, etc. will be extra.

Well this totally outdoes my plexi case. More power to ya Thank god i didnt start mass producing them.

Thanks man, but there’s gonna be different taste for different cases. Yours currently brings a larger, thicker and heavier acrylic case to the scene. I would say continue to gauge interest.

I absolutely love the idea for the case, and I’m completely up for getting one.
I see that you’ve got plans for a USB pass through already, but do you think it would be possible to work something out for a DB9 connector? I want to make this stick into an all in one stick, and I’m more comfortable working with DB9 as opposed to RJ-45.

The idea crossed my mind. What is the likelyhood that I would crack the plexi though? That’s what I’m most scared of. I’ve never worked with Plexi, so I have absolutely no idea what I’d be getting in to.

I may be able to work with you on a personal level on this. But probably not until a little bit after the release, as it appears I may have my hands full once I start taking orders =O. And yeah, if it’s your first time working with Acrylic, you definitely need to exeriment on scrap acrylic first. There’s some experience to be gained from figuring out the right tools not to easily chip/crack the acrylic, and the right speeds of drills/blades to not melt the surrounding areas, etc.

The ideal way to mount an LS-32 or LS-32-01 is to have it as close to the top as possible.
Because the Shaft is short.

Snip

Hey JDM, perhaps you can clarify for me on the LS-32. The metal mount I have for it is a flat mount, not similar to the LS-32-01. With it being flat, it actually comes up to about the same height as the JLF. I compared it to my HRAP EX SE and the shaft height is similar. I know the LS-32-01 is a bit more tricky, but what are your thoughts on the flat metal mount for the LS-32 I have? I can take more pics later this weekend to compare for you. I’m not an LS expert so I’m open to input.

i dont know if this has been stated but i like the 6 button lay out, my question is will there be a option to place the 2 else where? i hate when i have friends over and one cant play without the PPP and KKK buttons. this would solve it

The panel fits 8 buttons, don’t worry. I just used 6 buttons cuz thats what I use most often. I will have some 8 button samples later.

Precisely what I was hoping to hear!

If you are able to pull this off and produce a product that is 100% Happ/IL compatible, yours would be one of the few if only option on the market catering to the “old-school” scene such as myself. I’ve longed to find a supplier for a case in which to build and customize my own Happ-based controller. With MAS nolonger truly in any real form of business, there are just too few options for to build such a custom arcade stick for these types of components. X-Arcade is crap and “Arcade-In-A-Box” while aesthetically pleasing, simply offers too limited a design base. Cudos to you, sir and best of luck!

I personally am an old-school fan myself so I definitely will be conjuring designs in my head =). What happened with MAS?

You just solved the problem I was having with the next stick…some more questions…

1. You mentioned acrylics on ‘top’ of artwork on top of the 1/8 acrylic right? If you found purple acrylic (its what I’ve wanted for a long time), would it only be in the 1/8 thickness? I was just imaging purple acrylic on top of mirror acrylic.
2. Apparently you take about ten days to get an order ‘out’, what kind of turn around do you guestimate you’d have on something like this?
3. Any thoughts on a mechanism to add weight?

Unfortunatly, I think I like this better than what I was building up to do with your current stuff …at least for ‘my’ stick. Well keep us in the loop on product availability :tup:

• :bluu:

1. Yeah purple to start with is not a “common” color amongst most plastic suppliers. I have to find them online rather than locally. But I should be getting them in late August, early Sep. And 1/8" will be the cheaper option to get them in. 1/16" of that color (and most other colors) are horrendous in pricing. However… there is a “Purple Mirror” acrlic that may be of interest to you. I can get colored mirror, but they are a bit pricey so I’d have to do a poll later on to see if the interest is high enough to grab some stock.
2. Should be about the same time frame. I’ll have more details when I start setting things up for production.
3. I thought of some some ideas last night. I’ll show it soon as I make and test the design to be a workable solution.

Looking a bit closer, have you tried the screws that sink in? Like the head of the screw lays parallel to to the surface instead of sticking out?

• :bluu:

I plan to stay away from manually countersinking all the holes. There will simply be way too much work involved to manually countersink every case order. The point of these cases are to be lower cost for the DIY concept, and less of my personal time outside of making the parts/etching.

Holy Mother Fucken Shit ! i wanted to make one of these a while back. Some dude in his shop charged me $25 bucks + $1 per screw hole just for my custom’s bottom panel. so i could imagine what he would charge me for something like this, good thing i waited. this is a Must Buy for me and starting at $60

Yeah dude, plastic fabrication places will usually charge an arm and a leg for such requests. But that’s also because they have to make something for their labor with a lot of manual work. It’s understandable, but at the same time, it’s horrendous. I started my business because Tap Plastics wanted to charge me $10 + $5 per button hole (and the turbo area) when I asked them to make a HRAP plexi for me. So the total came out to be $75 + tax for a HRAP plexi. Yeah… since then I set out to give the community a cheaper option =).

For weight, why not just make acrylic add on tubes/compartments that can hold rolls of pennies?

I do have an idea to convert the side panels with an open slot to potentially place weights in them. I’ll have to do some testing on that idea.

[jdm714]

…

Hey JDM, perhaps you can clarify for me on the LS-32. The metal mount I have for it is a flat mount, not similar to the LS-32-01. With it being flat, it actually comes up to about the same height as the JLF. I compared it to my HRAP EX SE and the shaft height is similar. I know the LS-32-01 is a bit more tricky, but what are your thoughts on the flat metal mount for the LS-32 I have? I can take more pics later this weekend to compare for you. I’m not an LS expert so I’m open to input.

…

Yes, the LS-32 comes default with Seimitsu RE Mounting Plate.
While the LS-32-01 comes default with Seimitsu SS Mounting Plate.

You used 1/4" Spacers with the LS-32 right?
I don’t know how you are getting Shaft Height to be close to JLF.

Now, the HRAP EX SE has LS-32.
But is uses the RE Mounting Plate to get standard Shaft Height.

This is what happens if install with RE Mounting Plate.

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/553/ls32re.png

This is how with SS Mounting Plate.

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/4827/ls32ss.png

Which is the purpose of this modification for LS-32-01 to use in HRAP 3.
Since the HRAP 3 does not have Mounting Bracket that supports the SS Mounting Plate.
http://erwin1.blog64.fc2.com/blog-entry-14.html

But HRAP 3 SA and HRAP 3 SE do not need the modification.
Just pop in LS-32-01 with its stock SS Mounting Plate.
Same with HRAP EX, HRAP EX SA and HRAP EX SE.

[ESCOBEN]

The panel fits 8 buttons, don’t worry. I just used 6 buttons cuz thats what I use most often. I will have some 8 button samples later.

oh so there will be a option to move the move the last 2 buttons else where on the stick right? i like the 6 button set up too and kicking myself i didnt pick up a 6 button plexi and got the standard 8.

[Izagaia]

I personally am an old-school fan myself so I definitely will be conjuring designs in my head =). What happened with MAS?

I wish I knew. Though I can tell you from recent experience, that their website has not been updated since before the launch of the PS2 in '03-'04. I was having some issues with my own MAS ProStick. Thinking at first, that the problem lie in having to replace the PCB, I called them to order a replacement. Though it took several days inorder for someone to answer the phone. No answering machine or automated business prompt. And when they did, she answered plainly with “hello?”. Not exactly the professional “in business demeanor” I had expected. Prior to that I sent an email to their support address that went unanswered. I asked her if they still performed repairs on exsisting units. She replied: " yes - however, we nolonger carry/sell the replacement PCB’s".

I remember when MAS was one of the companies that actually did the cabinets for Capcom USA and their ProSticks were the thing most talked about (much like Sanwa and the Madcatz TE sticks are now). Now they are just like a former shell of their old self catering to those, like me, who simply refuse to “let go”.

[Akka]

Are you going to be offering these cases in Purple? If so, I may be totally sold haha

[Missing_Person]

God, stick builders are going to start accusing Art of a monopoly soon! :lol:

Seriously, good stuff, I’m tempted to pick one up for myself, but I know some people that might be interested.

[System_1]

@ ART

Well what I want to know is this new Plexi stick when you say starting at $60 is it just for the base without the buttons and joystick and wires OR starting at $60 with everything in it? How much would it cost to have everything in place(jfl stick, octo plate, buttons all sanwa etc…) what would be the base price?

[arthong]

Yes, the LS-32 comes default with Seimitsu RE Mounting Plate.
While the LS-32-01 comes default with Seimitsu SS Mounting Plate.

You used 1/4" Spacers with the LS-32 right?
I don’t know how you are getting Shaft Height to be close to JLF.

Yeah, with the 1/4" spacers it’s close to jlf height. I’ll take pics soon as I can to show.

oh so there will be a option to move the move the last 2 buttons else where on the stick right? i like the 6 button set up too and kicking myself i didnt pick up a 6 button plexi and got the standard 8.

When you say move the 2 buttons elsewhere, did you have a placement in mind? Cuz the 2 extra buttons can be on the right side panel if you want, and the top panel can have space for S/S buttons.

I wish I knew. Though I can tell you from recent experience, that their website has not been updated since before the launch of the PS2 in '03-'04. I was having some issues with my own MAS ProStick. Thinking at first, that the problem lie in having to replace the PCB, I called them to order a replacement. Though it took several days inorder for someone to answer the phone. No answering machine or automated business prompt. And when they did, she answered plainly with “hello?”. Not exactly the professional “in business demeanor” I had expected. Prior to that I sent an email to their support address that went unanswered. I asked her if they still performed repairs on exsisting units. She replied: " yes - however, we nolonger carry/sell the replacement PCB’s".

I remember when MAS was one of the companies that actually did the cabinets for Capcom USA and their ProSticks were the thing most talked about (much like Sanwa and the Madcatz TE sticks are now). Now they are just like a former shell of their old self catering to those, like me, who simply refuse to “let go”.

Oh I see. I thought MAS sticks were still in pretty good production. I picked one up from Drom’s shop several months ago and he bought it directly from MAS so thought they’re still thriving. Perhaps just on a smaller level then. Very nice sticks indeed.

Are you going to be offering these cases in Purple? If so, I may be totally sold haha

I definitely plan on getting transparent purple stock.

God, stick builders are going to start accusing Art of a monopoly soon! :lol:

Seriously, good stuff, I’m tempted to pick one up for myself, but I know some people that might be interested.

Lol, nah I doubt that. Sides, lots can be done with these cases and stick builders can still use their talents to spice up my cases with their flare as well (ie: LED). And I can’t get enough of your avatar, lol.

@ ART

Well what I want to know is this new Plexi stick when you say starting at $60 is it just for the base without the buttons and joystick and wires OR starting at $60 with everything in it? How much would it cost to have everything in place(jfl stick, octo plate, buttons all sanwa etc…) what would be the base price?

I only sell the cases by themselves. I do not sell an entire stick with all the components. That will have to be done by yourself, or a stick builder of your choosing.

[hikarutilmitt]

This is definitely something I’ll end up getting 2 of (one for me, one for the wife). What is the inside usable space (basically, the gap between the top and bottom plexi pieces) on this? I know we all like low profile sticks but sometimes it’s nice to have that extra 1/4 inch so you don’t have to bend tabs when putting QDs on buttons. My other questions about the LS-32-01 has been asked (and mostly answered!).

Expect a few orders from me come September.

[ESCOBEN]

When you say move the 2 buttons elsewhere, did you have a placement in mind? Cuz the 2 extra buttons can be on the right side panel if you want, and the top panel can have space for S/S buttons.

yeah, sorry if i worded my question wrong. yeha take the LB and LT and place them on the side and keep the Start and Select top like the placement on the TE. if so thats awesome, because i still want the buttons just not next to the rest of the buttons.

[GwynLovesMilk]

Quoted from my Facebook.

“Wow, if I don’t get one of those Arthong custom plexi-cases by the end of this year I might want to cry. Those are so fucking amazing looking it makes me want to ejaculate out of every hole in my body.”

[Jesuszilla]

So wait, with the HRAP3 art template, do I need to extend my artwork ALL the way out to the red outline?

I’m kinda reusing art from an old template I used so the conversion is… a little bit of trouble.

[hecz]

i got a couple of questions:

i play a lot and when lag makes me lose i punch my TE very hard u think lots of hits will break it? LOL

the weight is lighter than the TE? how much exactly? and how can i add weight to it?

[arthong]

This is definitely something I’ll end up getting 2 of (one for me, one for the wife). What is the inside usable space (basically, the gap between the top and bottom plexi pieces) on this? I know we all like low profile sticks but sometimes it’s nice to have that extra 1/4 inch so you don’t have to bend tabs when putting QDs on buttons. My other questions about the LS-32-01 has been asked (and mostly answered!).

Expect a few orders from me come September.

It really all comes down to how much stuff you’re going to put in there. But there is enough spacing that you shouldn’t need to bend the qd tabs. There’s about 1.75 to 2 inches of workable space inside, height wise. My friendly testers can give their input soon on their opinion of the spacing, but one other tester felt there was a decent amount of room to work with and he was dual modding. Hope that helps, for a lack of more info at the moment =).

yeah, sorry if i worded my question wrong. yeha take the LB and LT and place them on the side and keep the Start and Select top like the placement on the TE. if so thats awesome, because i still want the buttons just not next to the rest of the buttons.

Oh yeah, you can have a few button holes on each side panel if you want.

Quoted from my Facebook.

“Wow, if I don’t get one of those Arthong custom plexi-cases by the end of this year I might want to cry. Those are so fucking amazing looking it makes me want to ejaculate out of every hole in my body.”

LOL!

So wait, with the HRAP3 art template, do I need to extend my artwork ALL the way out to the red outline?

I’m kinda reusing art from an old template I used so the conversion is… a little bit of trouble.

Not exactly the right thread to ask this in. But at least extending half way to the red line is suggested. The cuts can have a slight variance and this is to ensure you get a clean cut without any outlines.

i got a couple of questions:

i play a lot and when lag makes me lose i punch my TE very hard u think lots of hits will break it? LOL

the weight is lighter than the TE? how much exactly? and how can i add weight to it?

Please refer to post #2 in this thread for the Q&As. Some of which does address your questions. Also in the first post near the bottom there are specs and weight estimates.

[Don_Barracuda]

I really want to purchase one of these but do you have with keyboard layouts, ie stick replaced by keyboard buttons. I’m also concerned that there’d need to be some sort of wrist support aswell.

[doomy]

Errrrrr… Impressed!

[zerofxi]

august so far away! i am so hyped for this, that my first custom stick project will be this for sure!

[ninjaplease]

i cant wait this is a genius idea!! props!!