Fast Tracks

How To Create Great Looking Control Panels

By Tim Warris (This newsletter was originally published on July 19, 2003)

This issue of the Fast Tracks newsletter will explain how to build professional looking control panels with nothing more than an ink jet printer, graphics software, some plastic sheeting, some scrap pieces of wood and a little imagination.

I will also cover a sure-fire method of drilling clean, precise holes in plastic with no burring, breakage or special drill bits!

The Ink Jet Printer -- My Favorite Tool

When I was building the 34th street yard for the Port Kelsey Railway I was already making extensive use of my nice new ink jet printer and thought that maybe I could also use it to create a nifty looking control panel for my layout as well. And after a bit of experimenting and trial and error I come up with a method that I think gives very good results that I would like to share with you.

At the same time I also come up with a way to drill accurate, burr-free holes in plastic for my homemade pushbuttons. (I will be covering how I build my own pushbuttons in an upcoming issue of the Fast Tracks newsletter.)

The Creative (Fun!) Part

The first thing you have to do is to come up with a design for your control panel. You may want to do a few hand sketches first to kind of get all the bit and pieces in the places you want and to come up with a draft design. Once you have that finished, it is then time to fire up your computer and start your favorite graphics editing software.

My all time favorite is CorelDRAW, but of course any kind of software that allows you to draw lines and edit text will work. Let the creative juices flow and draw your control panel at full size. For me, I added the Port Kelsey logo in one corner of my panel, adding a nice personal touch to the layout.

Once you have a design you are happy with, then print out two copies of the panel onto a high quality legal sized paper.

Creating The Panel

To build your control panel you will need the following materials:

• 1 piece of 3/16" polycarbonate cut to the same size as your printed panel
• 1 piece of 1/2" plywood cut to the same size as your printed panel
• 1 piece of masonite cut to the same size as your printed panel
• 2 copies of your printed panel
• Drill press (or in a pinch a hand drill)
• Standard drill bits for drilling the pushbutton and LED holes

Plexiglas is Passé?

At one time Plexiglas was the de rigour material for building anything out of plastic, but if you have ever worked with the stuff you will know that it can be very unforgiving material - especially for drilling holes. Which is why most people no longer use it.

Today's miracle plastic is "polycarbonate" more commonly known by the trade name "Lexan". Polycarbonate is a much more forgiving material that is a little "softer" and easier to work with. It is also much harder to break and will not go hazy over time. Almost any plastics supplier will stock it and it is very reasonably priced. The piece I used for my control panel was about $10.

Tip Of The Hat To The Earl Of Sandwich

Now if you try to just drill through the polycarbonate not only will your drill bit tend to grab at the plastic as you drill through it, but you are almost guaranteed to break out through the bottom leaving a very messy hole. Plus plastic has a tendency to "crawl up" the drill bit creating a potentially dangerous situation. Just ask my old friend lefty.

To cleanly drill through the polycarbonate and your printed panel graphic you need to make a sandwich. To make your sandwich start with the 1/2" piece of plywood. This will provide good support for drilling. To this add a copy of your printed panel (printed side up), followed by the piece of polycarbonate, then a piece of masonite, and finally to finish off your sandwich glue another copy of the printed panel (printed side up) to the top of the masonite.

This may sound like a lot of work but its not that difficult and will produce the polycarbonate cover, the printed panel and a masonite backing all in one operation with all of your mounting holes precisely lined up and ready to mount your components.

Make sure that all the pieces line up buy tapping the whole stack of material on a tabletop. Now using the printed panel that you glued to the top of the masonite as a guide, drill all of the holes that you need for mounting your push buttons and LEDs.

Drilling through this stack of materials is easy and will produce clean, burr-free holes through the polycarbonate, masonite and the paper drawing of the panel. Gluing a copy of the printed panel to the masonite helps to prevent the paper from crawling up the drill bit potentially effecting the accuracy of the drilled holes.

Fit & Finish

Once you have finished drilling, discard the plywood, make a simple wooden frame and slide in the masonite backing, printed panel and polycarbonate into the frame. Add your pushbuttons and other components and finally stand back and admire your handiwork!

You can check out the kind of results that I got by going to Control Panel

- Tim

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Have a question or comment about this issue of the Fast Tracks newsletter? Then post a reply! I will be happy to respond to any posts. - Tim

Good morning,
I noticed a mention your homemade push buttons in this newsletter. I for one would love to know how you build them. I've been thinking about building some as well, maybe using inexpensive retractable ball point pen mechanisms as a start. I'm sure yours are great. Any guess as to when this may project may be presented?

I just recently ordered a turnout kit, anxiously awaiting it! Your work and products are truly amazing, from the graphics to the extremely helpful and friendly gent I ordered my kit from ( thanks Terry).

sincerely,
Stephen

Hi,
Below is a picture of one of the home made push buttons I used on the (former ) Port Kelsey....

As can be seen it is made from simple materials. The body is a piece of wood, about 1/2"x1/2"x3/8". A piece of brass rod (1/8") is used as the button. The contacts are made from a strip of about 1/8" wide Phosphor Bronze, but brass or copper would also work, phosphor bronze is less prone to corrosion. I shaped it using a Kadee trip pin tool. One of these things....

📷 Image no longer available Originally hosted at www.wig-wag-trains.com — the host went away before this archive was made.

I chucked to brass rod in a drill and used a file to round over both ends, and polish the end that will be exposed on the panel. I also cut a small notch to hold the clip shown in the picture. This clip keeps the rod from falling out of the body.

The shape of the contacts will also act as a spring, keeping the switch open. This is a momentary contact, normally open pushbutton.

The contacts were epoxied to the side of the body, and thread wrapped into the wet epoxy to keep them in place.

Thats all there is to them. They work great, last forever, cost nothing and look good on the panel as there is only a small brass (or what ever you choose to use) button sticking up.

Many people have asked if they are some sort of heat sensing unit, as you can't see or feel them move when you use them, just a slight touch to get the to work.

Enjoy!


This is the back of the panel, the button is simply glued (epoxy) to the back.

_________________
Cheers!

Tim Warris
Fast Tracks
http://www.fast-tracks.net
service@fast-tracks.net

The switch idea is just what I am looking for. What a great, inexpensive, way to make them. Where did you get the phosphor bronze flat stock for the contacts and what are the width/thickness dimensions?

Thanks for sharing this information.