I made this topic because after looking around I honestly couldn’t find much that would help with exactly what I wanted to do. I’ve put together a hitbox already and it has a pretty specific button layout and buttons sizes so I’m used to the 24mm buttons. However, I like the TE2 encasement and want to use that. All I need is the metal button panel and plexi cut to have the hitbox layout, the artwork would be a plus but honestly not needed because that’s easy enough to do with a knife. Anyone know of anywhere I could get this done or even suggestions on getting it done.
As of now, there are no places that have done parts for a HitBox Set-up for the TE2.
Only thing I can suggest is custom work. Best bet is find a metal plate cut in the same dimension and have holes (30mm to 24mm) drilled in their respective areas. As for Plexi, follows the same procedure.
That’s what I was afraid to hear. If that’s the case, this is going to be a lot more annoying then I wanted it to be. Happen to know a good way to drill these holes? Plexi is touchy and metal is hard to work with. As for the layout I can use another sticks plexi to trace out a pattern so no issue there.
you probably want to look around locally first and see if there are any machinists who will make this for you for a reasonable price (a lot of them won’t.)
if that doesn’t work… i don’t know if you could take a custom TE panel from art’s hobbies and just drill new holes so it could be mounted on a TE2 (it might be too small for the TE2?), but that’s what i would do to get the job done with the least amount of effort.
if you’re going to drill the button holes yourself, you’ll need a step drill bit (unibit is the brand name they sometimes go by) to lower the chances of cracking your acrylic. they’re kinda expensive and usually come in a bunch of sizes except the one you need lol. (enlarging a 7/8" hole to 15/16" is kind of a pain in the ass, and you’ll have to do it 13 times).
working with metal would probably be easier since you could just buy a 15/16" hole saw online for like 5 bucks and rent a power drill from a hardware store for $15. i don’t know how you would get the panel cut to correct size though.
That’s a lot of help. It looks like my options are pretty much do it myself atm. Art would prolly be cool with sending me an uncut panel for the TE2. Service there is amazing btw for anyone that sees this and was curious. Cutting plexi isn’t to hard to be honest, you just have to not put on to much pressure and go slowly. It’s a long process but doable. Not sure how I’ll go about the metal yet, I need dimensions on a few things as well as placement of the layout. I do have the tools I’ll need, just not sure what ones I want to use. I’ll update this post as I move on so anyone curious about doing this themselves have some reference.
edit for spelling
Hang tight, there should be a solution on this soon enough from the community here that should offer you a proper solution.
Speaking personally as someone with a custom-cut TE2 hitbox, it’s a far more error-prone task than a typical setup. The metal panel and plexi (which sits freestanding and is held in by the bezel) are two entirely different dimensions, requiring you to measure and cut them separately in order to line up together. I know the guy I commissioned (before he stopped taking orders) spent a considerable amount of time refining his two manufacturing blueprints (one for panel, one for plexi) before he could assure that any layouts he cut would line up correctly. This is less of an issue on, say, a traditional TE where the metal panel and plexi are the same physical dimensions.
So I did it but it’s far from perfect. I left the bezel off and just used the internal dimension for my plexi (which I had to drill myself). And you’re right about plexi being annoying. I jacked up my drilling and now need to make another because the holes are imperfect. Also, keep the thickness of the plexi in mind. Mine is too thin so the buttons spin in their holes.
Can anyone here link me to any tutorials or guides on how to Mod my TE2 into a hitbox? I am really desperate, anyone help would be appreciated. i need to know all the extra/new supplies i would need to by from buttons down to wires and SOCD cleaners and such.
Late update but it’s pretty much done. I’ll give a run down for anyone that wants to know how I went about it. First I started off with securing a pattern. To do that I needed to custom make a template and get Art at http://www.tek-innovations.com/ to cut it for me. Once I got that I moved onto what to do about the metal. I had to get a 16 gauge stainless steel plate and then trace the old one onto it and then cut it with a special metal cutting blade on either a chop saw or circular saw. Once it fit, I traced the 2 knob holes and then clamped it all together and drilled them out. Once those were drilled out I put some drill bits or anything that securely fit into those holes to hold it all steady and then marked and drilled out the screw holes. Once I checked to make sure it was all lined up I took a bigger drill bit and slowly used it on the screw holes to make the dip in the metal. Now that I had all the holes drilled I moved everything into place and painted on the pattern because I was going to mark those holes and mark the middles but that risked being off center so skip this step it’s pointless. I got some double sided tape and marked the perimeter of the metal and a bit of the middle. Once I had it all marked out I put the plexi and bezel in place so everything is where it was going to sit and then firmly stuck it all together. I removed the plexi/metal together since they’re stuck together and used the plexi holes to center my drill bits. I had some trouble finding bits that would work though, you need a 24mm and 30mm metal hole saw bit. Finding those in the states can prove to be stupidly hard so I had to specially order them. I used a drill press for this step. All that’s left to do is carefully and slowly drill out the holes and your all done. If your not perfect though you will ruin the plexi around the holes so be the best there ever was.
For plexi needs I really suggest http://www.tek-innovations.com/ just be patient if you want anything custom.
Here are some step by step photos. Nothing impressive.
Looks good!
Nice job dude. Would you do this for someone else for a fee?
Yup, I will be adding them right after Christmas. 10 are being made as we speak!
To answer, yes I would, but I couldn’t promise times and so on. I’m actually usually very busy. Thank god someones actually making these panels. Which honestly speeds up the entire process by a ton. I’m also willing to bet he will have a better set up for cleaner mass production. So if anyone wants to do it, I honestly suggest waiting for his panels. Chances are he can offer them cheaper then me at better times and cleaner quality. If anyone does this, feel free to ask me about getting it put together, Id be happy to walk you through it. To be honest though it isn’t to hard.
@Jasen Hicks Are you only offering Hitbox layouts?
@“Jasen Hicks” on the Hori VLX hitbox layout. Is that 8 button or 6 button? I need 8 button. Please let me know. Later man.
Astro, Wide Astro (aka Noir), Fanta, and Hitbox.
- Just like the picture