Hi all…Again…
This will be the third time im starting a simpit project (and probably not the last) with hopes of actually completing it. And before anyone asks, Ill say right away that life is working against me in this pursuit! But more on that later!
So, earlier this summer I was suppose to get an Obutto on which to mount various panels and button boxes, I had some panels well underway in my earlier thread (Simple Simpit Panels) but since the Obutto is currently out of the picture for various reasons I have returned to an old idea; To build a small dektop mounted simpit.
Ive seen various incarnations of this idea in the past, some really impressive, and all of them fulfilling the immersion and practical use of a simpit.
So I quickly drew up a concept drawing in Sketchup, complete with future triple monitors+extra center monitor for instrument extraction...
and then a more detailed version from which to start building.
And heres a quick sketch of the panels and their design
I decided to make the main construct from 10mm MDF to give it some stability, and 6mm MDF for the outer shell.
To this, the panels will be made from 2 pieces of 3mm clear plastic with a graphical inlay inbetween. This is the way Ive previously experimented with to make panels and its a rather quick, simple and cheap way of making good looking panels, as long as you have a good cutter for the plastic and spend some time on the graphical inlay.
Also note that, as opposed to my previous panels, these are all rectangular with straight cut edges.
It make the panels look somewhat dull, but its intentional to make cutting them easier.
Its also possible to make very good looking backlit panels through this design, with graphics printed on transperent overhead "paper" but I havent tried this myself yet and have not decided if I want to go with backlights straight away or leave it for a future upgrade.
Since ive intentionally choosen the above materials and dimensions, its possible for me to buy them straight from shops in my local area so last weekend I began the actual building process. You will see that some things doesnt match up with the drawing, but thats just the way of life
Heres the front of the pit, cut, mounted and filled ready for first run of sanding.
Backside with big enough holed all the way through for the horrible nest of wired and cables as well as the controllcards for the switches.
And the front again, with mockup panels/ICP drawn so I can drill the holes needed for everything to be fitted. Im going to drill/cut those holes tomorrow and then cover the entire thing with basecoat, so I can more easily spot the places that needs extra filler and sanding.
And ill finish this post off with a picture of the ICP, which will also be made from MDF as opposed to the panels. Im not sure if i will like the finished ICP but if not i can always remake it later. Its also not a true f-16 design, I had trouble finding good components for it, but its a close enough design for me, and the size is more or less to scale so it will serve its purpose.
So there you have it, my third try at a simpit is well underway. So what was that earlier about running into some trouble?
Well, a couple of days ago it appears that there is a water leak in the apartment building where I live, and today I got informed that there is water in both the walls and below the floor in my apartment and basically they will have to tear the entire place down to dry it all up…
I will be moving to a room for the duration, while my furniture and such are housed in a warehouse until the apartment is ready to be moved into again, a couple of months from now.
While this wont halt the project altogether, it will sure make it go slower for a while now. I didnt have plans to post the project here until I had gotten further down the line, but seeing as it might be some time no until i got more to show, I decided to do it anyway.
Thanks for reading, hope this might inspire others. And tips, tricks and ideas are always very welcome!