V1.1
Design by Tobias Heinemann / Softdrink 117 c. 2021
Licensed under CC-BY
This is a simple laser-cut shelf designed to mount above the cashbox in an Astro or New Astro City arcade cabinet. Contained in the repo are a dimensional drawing of the design (in Adobe Illustrator, PDF, and PNG formats), ready-to-cut cutfiles of the design (in Illustrator 8 and PDF formats - backsaved for legacy compatibility), and a few photos of the shelf as-installed.
- Sheet material - I recommend plywood. The template provided is sized for 2ft x 2ft "project panel" plywood sheets that are commonly available at name-brand hardware stores in the USA, but any reasonably rigid laser-cuttable material should work. Working area >= 310mm x 500mm.
- A supporting rod or block - I used a 1/2" basswood dowel, but again, many options will work. Working length >= 255mm.
- Some means of joining the support and the sheet
- (Optional, depending on material thickness) an M4x20 screw to replace the original one installed in the cabinet.
The first version of this design was hand-cut. If you intend to hand-cut the shelf, the only critical corner radius is the single 40mm corner on the back edge, and it does not need to be particularly precise to fit. I'd estimate a tolerance of at least 2mm for that corner will work fine. The other corners are rounded in the cutfile just for aesthetic purposes or to ease assembly.
First, cut the shelf from material of your choice. Though the prototype has only been tested in 1/4" plywood, the design should be usable in almost any rigid laser-cuttable material (MDF, acrylic, etc.). Cut the rear support and join it to the main shelf.
Second, remove the M4x12 screw that holds the upper edge of the 'BD Holder' (CQN-1328 in the manual). Then, lay the cut shelf on top of the cashbox. The slot at the front of the shelf should fit around the coin chute with just a bit of play - enough that it slides easily, but not so much that it will significantly wiggle.
Finally, use either the existing M4x12 screw, or a longer equivalent (depending on the thickness of your material) to secure the shelf in place. It is important to make sure that you align and screw through the hole of the 'BD Holder' during reassembly.
The shelf, installed for a fit test. Notice the tight but not restrictive clearance around the coin chute, and the small gaps along the side and front walls for cable management.
Additional angles showing the fit, with a Sega NAOMI system for scale. There is ample space for a cabled NAOMI setup on top of the shelf, without interfering with the operation of the coin door.
The shelf is designed not to interfere with the normal 'PCB Mounting Board' tray; as you can see, there is ample clearance between them for cables or other installed equipment.
Also notable in these photos is the interior illumination of the cabinet provided by my Astro City Service Light modification.