Cabinet engineering - by a real engineer!

[bundito]

I lost my original post to a browser glitch, so the OP above was a little shorter and lacking in detail - I was ticked off.

My goal was to figure out how to build a cabinet that would let me open the game panel without the whole thing keeling over forward.

I knew from my own college education (two-year degree in CAD, but with a semester on engineering calcs) that there's a formula involving masses, counterweights, and distance from the fulcrum point. I just couldn't remember how to work it.

Why do I want to open the game panel? Because I'm a machine nerd. I can't decide if it's more fun to watch the balls on the playing field, or to watch the various levers and latches tilt, open, close, dump balls, reload, relock, etc. I plan to add some LEDs inside the green plastic tracks to make it easier to watch.

As for these comments...

Cool but be careful with engineers! They think they know everything about anything, and anyones advice who is not an engineer is inferior. Ive seen many times that their advice is wrong or not entirely true when they venture into something out of their realms, especially with electrical engineers. I work with them from time to time and they drive me absolutely nuts.

Speaking as an ex-engineer, I have to agree with PachiPachi. Back then, my ego was pretty damn big.
Not all engineers are arrogant like I was, but it is a prerequisite for the university entrance exams. (joking)

I know this all too well. I'm sitting in an engineering company office at this very moment. The guy who did the calcs is one of the two or three cool engineers I've met out of dozens and dozens (he goes to Burning Man - at age 45 - and is also a semi-pro bartender).

Most engineers treat the designers/drafters like we're just trained chimps - CAD monkeys. This guy put me and my former work partner in for a special recognition award. We pulled a couple 12-hour days to whip up a series of drawings he needed for a legitimate last-minute presentation. Of course we didn't win - we're just CAD monkeys after all.

So now you know why I measure and re-measure everything. Nerd. I had some springs that needed replacing - I measured the wire diameter with a set of digital calipers. Likewise, I want to replace my cabinet lock with a working one that will open the game panel. I'm going to model the latches in 3D (Solidworks) before buying a lock.

I may have found my calling after all these years!


-Dito