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Step 4Mounting
This part is fairly straight forward, but is important as it will reveal any problems made in the previous step.
Each of the arcade buttons will just push into their hole and snap into place. Try and mount them so the legs are vertical relative to the enclosure. This will make wiring a bit easier in the next step.
The rotary potentiometers have a washer and hexagonal nut screwed on to them. Remove both, and then insert the potentiometer through their corresponding holes from the underside of the enclosure lid. Hold it in place, and then from the top side slide the washer and screw the nut down around the potentiometer shaft using the hexagonal spanner. Ensure that each potentiometer is facing the same direction when screwing them in. If the pots you have are like mine, there's a small metal guide which should fit into the little 2mm hole next to the potentiometer hole. This helps to stop it from twisting loose.
From the top side of the lid, insert the four 16mm M3 screws into the holes above and below the sliding potentiometers. On the underside screw a 10mm spacer onto each screw until it just touches the plastic. There should be around 2mm of exposed thread on the bottom of the screw. After doing this for all four screws, get one of the sliding potentiometers and line it up with two of the screws on the underside of the lid. Ensure the slider is oriented so the two legs which are close together are toward the bottom of the enclosure (the narrow end).
Using a screwdriver screw each of the screws into the potentiometers mounting holes. Don't over tighten otherwise you'll start boring the drill through the plastic lid.
What About the Arduino?
I'm glad you asked! With everything mounted in the enclosure lid, attempt to fit it to the enclosure base (without the Arduino inside). You may find (like I did) that the sliding potentiometer legs are slightly too long to fit in the enclosure when it's closed. I simply used a pair of needle nose pliers and bent each leg at about half of length at a 90 degree angle.
Now that everything fits grab the Arduino and place it inside the case towards the back, with the USB socket facing the back. I found that I could actually line up one of the enclosure's PCB stand-offs with the hole nearest the USB on the Arduino, which would mean the USB socket sat flush with the back wall once a hole had been cut.
Gently close the lid to ensure none of the components touch the Arduino. If the components do touch it, shift the Arduino to another location and try again. You may find that the arcade button legs get in the way of the Arduino. Rather than bending them like the slider legs, pop the arcade button out and insert it again at a different angle.
More Drilling and Filing?
This is the last of it, I promise! Once you've decided on the location of the Arduino, mark out where to cut a hole for the USB socket. The USB socket itself is about 12mm wide and 11mm high. Using the 11mm drill bit, drill an opening straight down on to the edge of the enclosure until the tip of the drill is about half way down.
Take your regular file and square up the edges of the opening. Sit your Arduino's USB socket in the opening to check if it fits. If not, file away some more. Repeat this process until the USB socket sits nicely in the rectangular opening.
You will also need to file a small section out of the bottom edge of the enclosure lid to accommodate the top of the USB socket. Place the lid onto the enclosure base and mark out where to file based on the opening in the base. Take out the components from the lid if you haven't already, then file away about 2mm. Check the USB socket fits with the Arduino inside the case.
One Last Thing
We need a couple of stand-offs for the Arduino PCB. I chose to cut in half one of the 10mm nylon spacers, and then glue each half to the base of the enclosure where the remaining screws for the Arduino needed to go.
Each of the arcade buttons will just push into their hole and snap into place. Try and mount them so the legs are vertical relative to the enclosure. This will make wiring a bit easier in the next step.
The rotary potentiometers have a washer and hexagonal nut screwed on to them. Remove both, and then insert the potentiometer through their corresponding holes from the underside of the enclosure lid. Hold it in place, and then from the top side slide the washer and screw the nut down around the potentiometer shaft using the hexagonal spanner. Ensure that each potentiometer is facing the same direction when screwing them in. If the pots you have are like mine, there's a small metal guide which should fit into the little 2mm hole next to the potentiometer hole. This helps to stop it from twisting loose.
From the top side of the lid, insert the four 16mm M3 screws into the holes above and below the sliding potentiometers. On the underside screw a 10mm spacer onto each screw until it just touches the plastic. There should be around 2mm of exposed thread on the bottom of the screw. After doing this for all four screws, get one of the sliding potentiometers and line it up with two of the screws on the underside of the lid. Ensure the slider is oriented so the two legs which are close together are toward the bottom of the enclosure (the narrow end).
Using a screwdriver screw each of the screws into the potentiometers mounting holes. Don't over tighten otherwise you'll start boring the drill through the plastic lid.
What About the Arduino?
I'm glad you asked! With everything mounted in the enclosure lid, attempt to fit it to the enclosure base (without the Arduino inside). You may find (like I did) that the sliding potentiometer legs are slightly too long to fit in the enclosure when it's closed. I simply used a pair of needle nose pliers and bent each leg at about half of length at a 90 degree angle.
Now that everything fits grab the Arduino and place it inside the case towards the back, with the USB socket facing the back. I found that I could actually line up one of the enclosure's PCB stand-offs with the hole nearest the USB on the Arduino, which would mean the USB socket sat flush with the back wall once a hole had been cut.
Gently close the lid to ensure none of the components touch the Arduino. If the components do touch it, shift the Arduino to another location and try again. You may find that the arcade button legs get in the way of the Arduino. Rather than bending them like the slider legs, pop the arcade button out and insert it again at a different angle.
More Drilling and Filing?
This is the last of it, I promise! Once you've decided on the location of the Arduino, mark out where to cut a hole for the USB socket. The USB socket itself is about 12mm wide and 11mm high. Using the 11mm drill bit, drill an opening straight down on to the edge of the enclosure until the tip of the drill is about half way down.
Take your regular file and square up the edges of the opening. Sit your Arduino's USB socket in the opening to check if it fits. If not, file away some more. Repeat this process until the USB socket sits nicely in the rectangular opening.
You will also need to file a small section out of the bottom edge of the enclosure lid to accommodate the top of the USB socket. Place the lid onto the enclosure base and mark out where to file based on the opening in the base. Take out the components from the lid if you haven't already, then file away about 2mm. Check the USB socket fits with the Arduino inside the case.
One Last Thing
We need a couple of stand-offs for the Arduino PCB. I chose to cut in half one of the 10mm nylon spacers, and then glue each half to the base of the enclosure where the remaining screws for the Arduino needed to go.
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