Adding buttons to my arcade stick

Some years ago I build this arcade stick for two players:


It works for pretty much all systems I own, and has served me well However I never liked the button positioning for Neo Geo. So I want to add another button to the top row on the 1 and 2P sides so I can have ABCD in line. The panel is taken from an arcade machine and is made of metal of course, and the reflective New Net City overlay is also made of some kind of metal as well. How do I best drill the holes, precisely and without damaging anything? I know that masking tape is a given, and I have some experience drilling holes. What I'm unsure about is what kind of drill I should be using for this.

I found this kind of drill on ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/29mm-Bi-Met...44?pt=UK_Home_Power_Tools&hash=item4608b61544
- will that be suitable for drilling these holes?

I realize that arcade buttons are 30mm, but if the hole is drilled a little bit off center I can correct this with a file and the end result should be good

 

A friend of mine uses a Knock-out punch.

And im not talking about this:


But rather something like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Greenlee-1-...309?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35c6a2a03d

But yeah... they tend to be expensive apparently... Once in a while you can get fair condition used sets for descent price.

The thing you linked might work well, but its made for wood so expect it to not last long cutting metal, hahaha.

Edit: sorry apparently they say its good for metal, should be good then

 

Holy shit that's quite a bit more than I was hoping to spend There's a good chance that I won't be using the drill ever again, so 10-15£ is what I'm willing to spend

 

Or draw a circle, drill/cut smaller holes, then file the excess away.

For example, draw a cross to mark the position of the button, then draw a 30mm circle. Cut the cross not quite to the edge with a Dremel cutter bit, then cut a diamond. Then change to a circular file bit and file out the waste.

Bit of a bodge job method, but it works. Whatever method you use, be wary that your overlay might splinter.

 

That could work, but I'm a bit scared that doing something like that would tear up the nice overlay if I'm not really careful with the file.

 

Perhaps cone drills would work well for this?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cone-Cutt...Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM&hash=item41755d74e9
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Step-Cone...Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM&hash=item5d41eb70d6

One is spiraled and the other one isn't. Which is better?

 

A cone-drill, one specifically for holes, especially on ABS plastic will be fine.

 

Thank you I'll probably buy one of them. They are also pretty cheap and can be used for many different sizes so that's a plus. Unfortunately they aren't 29mm, but hopefully the holes will be exactly on target on the first try

 

You can always use a rotary tool or file it a little more.

 

Thanks Unless someone has a better idea I'll probably buy the cone drill

I wonder if the spiraled drill is better or worse than the straight one?

 

Then hand file it when you get nearer the line. It wouldn't if you scored it on the front, of course. And besides, the bezel overlaps the hole.

 

You're right. There's probably nothing to worry about as long as I use common sense I'll let you know once it's done