Friday, September 12, 2008

Behind The Front Panel V

Well, I'm getting there. Last night I removed quite a bit of material from the back of the front panel. This was done so the monitor will be able to sit almost flush with the Plexiglas. I say almost because of the 1/8" space needed for the "Transducer Wedge" on the front of the monitor.

This process was really no different than what I have been doing to remove the material behind the Plexiglas. I measured the distance from the edge of the monitor picture to the edge of the glass on all 4 sides (with the monitor on, of course). Then I laid out the lines, set up my router and a straight edge and cut out the rectangle so the glass would sit in the routed area.

Check it out - I am getting tired of photographing this thing!

These close-ups give you an idea of how I am setting the router at different depths to get the screen positioned as close to perfect as I can. I should also note that the cutouts here are not symmetrical. As you can see, I left 1/8" of material for the screen (glass) to rest on because I have to compensate for the "Transducer Wedge" located on the bottom left side of the monitor.

The red area I circled shows the Transducer Wedge - it sticks up approximately 1/8" from the glass. I am going to have to route down to the Plexiglas in this corner in order for the monitor to sit as close to flush as possible. The wedge will be against the Plexiglas and the 1/8" of MDF remaining will provide support.

Finally, I couldn't resist placing the screen behind the front panel and putting the volume knob in place for a quick picture. This gives you a really good idea of what I am striving for.

The next step, with the monitor in place, is to trace around the edges with a pencil. There are a lot of weird shaped wires and stuff that stick out on all 4 sides. Once that is done I'll freehand with the router until I am able to fit the entire monitor into the routed area. Finally, I'll trace the tabs that are on each side which hold the screws that will secure the monitor in place so I can route out a shallow area where they can sit.

I anticipate the monitor mount being completely finished by Saturday night! Now I can start thinking about artwork for the marquee area above the volume knob... and start trying to find a Photoshop expert to help me out!

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