defender mame project

This is a quick visualization designed to get a sense of the dimensions for the unit. A lot of the geometry profiles are built full size in Illustrator then imported to Strata, extruded then positioned. It ensures everything fits the way it’s supposed to and that I’ll also have a full parts list when complete.

This post is kind a of a big deal. It represents the first real step towards building this crazy thing.

Click the image for a giant desktop-sized render

Earlier in the week I brought home some 3/4″ plywood, but realized that it would be too thick and cumbersome for this control panel. I returned it & bought two replacement sheets , one 1/2 inch and the other 1/4 inch. Quarter inch is way too thin for a good solid control panel, but perfect for a test board. I didn’t want to spend a lot of much time cutting and drilling into something that was thicker than it needed to be, especially for just a test.

Cutting Plywood

I used my plans from Illustrator to measure and lay out the marks onto the plywood for where the cuts were going to be.

Need to modify

Doing this test build gives me the opportunity to see what tools I’m going to need. Also to get a feel for the panel— to see where I need to tweak or make any changes.

The trackball needs to be moved over to the left. I originally laid it out so it sat dead-center on the control panel. Aesthetically, I liked the position, even though it slightly overlapped the joystick casing directly to it’s right. I thought I might be able to counter sink one or the other to make it work. Once I cut out the hole and mounted the trackball onto the board, it became apparent that no amount of counter-sinking would make it work, not to mention that quickly spinning the ball to the top-right would probably result in me snagging my hand on the joystick, bending the stick or bruising my hand. Either way, It was too close and the trackball had to be moved to the left.

Track ball overlap

To get the holes in the right place, I printed out my button positions from Illustrator which were drawn at 100%.

Hole Location

I printed those out to several pages and tiled them together. Laying them out on the wood, I was able to use them as a template to mark out the centerpoints.

Tapping the center points

Once the holes were tapped, I drilled. I used two paddle bits, 1 1/8″ for the buttons and spinners, and 1/4″ for the joysticks. The joystick holes seem a bit small, especially for the UltraStiks. They have a much further throw than the MagStickPlus’, so when I do the build using the thicker plywood, I’ll be sure to drill larger holes for them.

Test Panel from below

With the sample panel laid out, my next plan is to pick up some quick connectors and do a practice-wire-it-up.

Test Panel from right

That be it for now. The next step is to wrap up the plan measurements on the computer. Finalize the graphics for the overlays, bezels and stuff, do a bit more research, then begin a final build.

1 Player Button

This is close to final top panel design. This console is about two inches shorter than the ones found on real Defender machines to accommodate the large four player panels. It also includes two spinners and 4 start buttons where on the original panel there are only two. The graphics needed to be tweaked as a result—combining the original Defender console design with an aftermarket version I found on the web.

I’ve used Illustrator to map out the design and Strata Studio Pro for the renders. I’ll be posting all of the source files once I get the console built to ensure the measurements are lined up properly. As you can see in the wireframe mode, the reverse button slightly overlaps the joystick below the panel. I’ll have to see if this happens in real world, and if so, I may trim down the joystick meat a bit or end up sliding the reverse over and 1/8 of an inch. We’ll see.