Introduction



Most people opt for wood as their control panel material of choice. However on
my PacMan cabinet, as well as many other original arcade machines, the control
panel is constructed of a single piece of steel. To many, this is a big deterrent
to that style of cabinet. However using a steel control panel has a plethora of
advantages over a wooden one.



Number one is weight. A steel panel will actually weigh less than a comparably
size wooden one using 3/8" MDF. Second is the variety of shapes and bends
you can produce with metal that wood just cannot do cleanly. Third is the working
space under the panel. With wood panels in small to medium sized cabinets, space
under the panel is a premium. Working with metal allows for much more space to
work with underneath. It also is no more expensive working with metal and is often
a faster process.



Tools for the project



1) Metal Brake

2) Angle Grinder with cutoff wheel

3) 1/16" Steel plate

4) Hole saw kit

5) Drill or Drill press

6) Small drill bits



-You can purchase the metal brake from Harbor
Freight for $20.00



This is exact brake I have, and it worked just fine with 1/16" plate.

-You can get the angle grinder and cutoff wheel from Harbor Freight as well, I
recommend this 7"
electric model for $29.99. It should come with a cutoff wheel, but if not,
get a pack of them for $7.99
also at Harbor Freight.

-I purchased the plate from Lowes, a 24×24 piece cost me about 25 bucks. I’m sure
you can find this considerably cheaper at metal work shops, but I know they sell
it at Lowes.

-The hole saw kit also comes from Harbor Freight for $11.99
(the link doesnt appear to work, but the item number is 38425-0VGA, you should
be able to find it in store or call and order it)

Everything else (drill and bits) are pretty common tools everyone should have
around.



Bending



I started by taking the existing panel and drawing it out on a large sheet of
paper by rolling it from one end to the other. This way I could mark the diameters
of each bend, the placement of the bends and figure out where the holes should
be placed. I HIGHLY advise drilling the holes after bending, as they will weaken
the metal tremendously otherwise.



After tracing everything out on the metal plate with sharpie marker, a buddy and
I bent the panel as needed. It took us about 20 minutes, mainly because we didn’t
secure the metal brake to a bench. What came out was a near perfect blank of the
original panel. This was the first time I ever used a metal brake, so it really
is as easy as it sounds. Basically you move the breaker bar away from the brake
pivot to determine the radius of the bend. Use clamps to secure everything and
then make your bend. My panel required three bends to mimic the original.



Next you take your drill or press and use your hole saw kit to cut the openings
for the buttons and joystick. Be sure to accurately measure the needed opening
size for whatever buttons you choose to use, most need a 1" opening and have
a 1 and a 1/4" lip. We used a 1" hole saw for the buttons and a 1.25"
for the joystick opening. Next drill out the holes for the joystick screws and
mount screws for the panel to cabinet mounting hardware. We used regular wood
bits for this, but keep in mind they are going to be pretty much destroyed after
drilling the 12 or so holes you need.



Once all that is done, put in all your buttons and joysticks to make sure everything
lines up properly (it better, because you cant readily undo metal cutting).








Next up, disassemble and get out some 120 grit sandpaper. Sand everything smooth
and get rid of the grease from the brake. Once its nice and smooth, switch to
320 grit to get out the big gouges.



After that you can use any regular spray paint or auto primer. I chose Krylon
white for my base coat and ended up liking it so much I kept that as the final
color. Put on thin even coats. It took me about 8 coats to get
it nice and smooth. Do a coat and let it sit and dry for 10-15 minutes.