Paint and adhesives

[TJ_Kat]

I'm in the process of modding my Dreamcast. I just finished the painting, and will be getting into the electronics shortly. However, there will be as many as 3 points where I will need to attach something to the painted surface. I'm not sure what to fasten them with. I'm sure a glue gun would work, but these are exterior stuff, and glue gun doesn't look all that nice. I'm considering super glue, but I'm concerned that this will eat my paint. Other suggestions are welcome.

I'm using a decent quality automotive spray paint if that makes a difference.

[kendrick]

Can you be more specific about what you'll be attaching? As long as what you're attaching is light and porous, the usual super-glue/crazy-glue variants should do the trick and last a good four or five years. If you're attaching something functional rather than ornamental (like a light or an extra LCD readout or something) then I would go for a more mechanical solution, like an extra bolt or a notched hole with a pin.

-KKC, who wants to drop a Gamecube into a more portable case for no reason.

[TJ_Kat]

oh, it's just going to be some LEDs, nothing big. load isn't an issue, I'm just trying to avoid something that will eat through the paint I've the last 2 weeks applying.

[Adeptus]

-KKC, who wants to drop a Gamecube into a more portable case for no reason.

Yeah cool... a "GCP" to compete with the PSP  

I'd be interested to know how much empty space is in a GC, they're pretty small already

[kendrick]

Okay, if you're actually adding light sources to the case, then it's a better idea to drill a hole and mount the thing from the inside. If you're looking at a round LED, there should be a lip around the bottom edge of the diode that will keep it from popping all the way out of a correctly-sized hole. Square or other oddly shaped LED's usually have mounting brackets made for them, and they should also be available from wherever you bought the LED from. It's a bad idea to use glue on them, because a good number of the plastic glue varieties actually melt the two surfaces slightly, and this is bad for a solid state piece of gear.

-KKC, who notes that the empty space inside a Gamecube is all on the bottom where the network adapter plugs in. Darn it.

[TJ_Kat]

not an option. these are kinda going to be on the inside of the lid.  

[kendrick]

That's actually a pretty cool idea. I still wouldn't apply glue directly to the LED's, but I might try mounting the brackets or whatever sideways along the edge of the lid. Also, you might want to explore using extruded plastic, or maybe even fiber-optic strands to provide light in a directional way, and have the source of the light somewhere safely tucked away in a non-moving part of the console. Not to over-engineer your concept or anything.

-KKC, watching Dell and Blockbuster lie to their shareholders with disturbing regularity...

[Lost Monkey]

I put an LED on the inside of the lid of a Saturn using a hot glue gun about 2 years ago - it still holds great and the best thing is that the glue is pliable enough that I could conceivably remove the LED without damaging either the lid or the LED...

[NFG]

I tried shoving the LED in a saturn lid, but I found there just wasn't enough of a glow effect with it.  As your pic seems to indicate, with the lid closed it's just kind of ...  unimpressive.  I suppose I could have frosted the view window, but...  Better to use some flat cold cathode lights...

[Lost Monkey]

I tried shoving the LED in a saturn lid, but I found there just wasn't enough of a glow effect with it.  As your pic seems to indicate, with the lid closed it's just kind of ...  unimpressive.  I suppose I could have frosted the view window, but...  Better to use some flat cold cathode lights...

Yeah.. it is almost more useful for seeing what the hell game is in it in the dark than it is as a light effect...  

I suppose some el-wire around the inside edge would be pretty though..