Modding: What to use?

AcidT · Post by **AcidT** » 12 May 2008, 09:22

Hi All

I am planning on building a custom gaming rig/cocoon that will house my screen and all the other peripherals. My plan is to take my 22' LCD and build it into the "cocoon" along with the PC Case and permanently mount my MOMO wheel in front of it (Obviously a little lower so that I can still see on the screen). There will be a racing chair put in and then a few nice light mods with a fan or 2 for extra cooling and so on.

What my question is is what kind of material would be the best to use that will not cost me an arm and a leg. I was leaning towards using normal pine for the basic frame and main structure and then close the sides off using super wood.

When finished I should have a home made "arcade" setup that cn be used for gaming and all the other stuff I use my PC for.

Any other ideas.

Skidd · Post by **Skidd** » 12 May 2008, 09:35

Wood sounds good, maybe look at doing a metal frame rather with supper wood or perspex to cover.

AcidT · Post by **AcidT** » 12 May 2008, 09:42

I was thinking of doing a metal frame but the cost involved is a bit on the high side and there is also the weight issue.

Thanx for the reply...

Hman · Post by **Hman** » 12 May 2008, 09:50

Yeah, but metal will be much more durable.

You can maybe use glass fibre or wood to close it up, perspex would be way to expensive. Also, thin sheet metal is not that expensive.

AcidT · Post by **AcidT** » 12 May 2008, 10:38

Hman wrote:Yeah, but metal will be much more durable.

You can maybe use glass fibre or wood to close it up, perspex would be way to expensive. Also, thin sheet metal is not that expensive.

What is not expensive when talking about tin sheet metal?

Domino_PhoeniX · Post by **Domino_PhoeniX** » 12 May 2008, 10:48

Lol skidd, puuer wood? didnt know you were a beaver

Samaya · Post by **Samaya** » 12 May 2008, 10:55

Build a metal frame and cover it with Fibre glass (Like Hman said). The fibre glass is not that expensive, its at least WAY cheaper than wood or sheet metal. The frame would cost you but do it properly the first time and you wouldn't have it falling apart after a month. And if its heavy, well from what I understand about your idea, its going to be large as well, so just mount it on wheels...

Hman · Post by **Hman** » 12 May 2008, 10:57

A 2.4m x 1.2m x 1.6mm mild steel sheet was not very expensive last time I checked.

AcidT · Post by **AcidT** » 12 May 2008, 10:57

Did not think about mounting it on wheels. That could work. And yes it is going to be a biggy. The final idea is to make it look similar to an arcade gaming rig.

Hman · Post by **Hman** » 12 May 2008, 11:04

Samaya wrote:... And if its heavy, well from what I understand about your idea, its going to be large as well, so just mount it on wheels...

Or make it splittable.

AcidT · Post by **AcidT** » 12 May 2008, 11:10

Hman wrote:Or make it splittable.

I was leaning towards making it splittable by having the frame separate from the inner part. This way I should be able to move it easier when moving house.

Hman · Post by **Hman** » 12 May 2008, 11:39

RuadRauFlessa · Post by **RuadRauFlessa** » 12 May 2008, 12:26

AcidT wrote: What my question is is what kind of material would be the best to use that will not cost me an arm and a leg.

Oh well you can always try Carbon Fibre as it won't cost you and arm and a leg.

But it should cost you 2 arms and 2 legs

Seriously go with the Metal frame. I went through the excercise as well. The metal frame with a fiberglass body is the best to go. Just make sure you know how to work with the fibreglass before you actually attemp it. Do a couple of test runs to get a feel for how it works. Otherwise you will end up doing everything from scratch.

AcidT · Post by **AcidT** » 12 May 2008, 15:52

Carbon Fiber!!! I Wish

I am at a cross road here withe frame. On the on side I think steel should be much better and on the other side there is allot more I can do with the wood and make it very sturdy. I will have to sit and weigh the options to see which will be the best to use.

RuadRauFlessa · Post by **RuadRauFlessa** » 12 May 2008, 17:02

AcidT wrote:Carbon Fiber!!! I Wish

I am at a cross road here withe frame. On the on side I think steel should be much better and on the other side there is allot more I can do with the wood and make it very sturdy. I will have to sit and weigh the options to see which will be the best to use.

Do yourself a fav and go make two designs on paper. One from wood and one from metal. Just the frames though. Make sure your design will include any structural element you will need in order to make it sturdy. Then work out how much you need of what and then check the price. You will find that you need like 5 time more wood than you would actually metal and therefor your metal frame would actually work you out cheaper. Also it would last longer. Especially if you really want to make it properly and do a powdercoat or get it galvanized before you paint over it. If you do either of them make sure it is done after you have made all the needed holes and did all of the required welding otherwise you will undo the finish. It is worth it though.

DeanMF · Post by **DeanMF** » 12 May 2008, 22:14

So you dont wanna use your pc for anything else except gaming anymore? That sux

Get a console rather for that then.

AcidT · Post by **AcidT** » 13 May 2008, 00:26

DeanMF wrote:So you dont wanna use your pc for anything else except gaming anymore? That sux Get a console rather for that then.

The design that I have in mind will cater for all the uses I have for my PC. From gaming to surfing the web and doing my Video Editing. Once it is done I will post the pics for all to see.

By the way, I do have a PS2 and PSP but I am very fussy as to what kind of games I play on the different platforms and then you also do not get God of War on the PC now.

DeanMF · Post by **DeanMF** » 13 May 2008, 07:29

Would like to see the designs then, cause I think I have a picture in my head of this setup that is completely different to your designs

AcidT · Post by **AcidT** » 13 May 2008, 10:05

I will post the design picture as soon as I am done with them. It basically boils down to the following. Imagine an arcade racing game where you sit on the racing seat with the steering in front of you and the screen a few centimeters back. My idea is taking that basic design and make the seat adjustable so that it can move backwards and then have a retractable platform where my keydord and mouse sits on.

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