What buttons do I need for three control panels?

[VinceVega]

I am doing a Pac-Man style cocktail with two single control panels and one dual control panel on the long side. Besides the obvious play buttons, I am wondering what other buttons I need. I am trying to keep the design as simple as possible.

I know that I need Player 1 and 2 start buttons. My main question is, can I have two sets of P1 and P2 starts at the same time? Ideally I would like to have a start button on each single control panel, and one of each on the long panel. Is that possible, or do I need to have separate start buttons (P3 and P4) on the dual control panel?

I am also going to have coin buttons. Are there any others that are necessary to include?

[VinceVega]

Also on that note, which encoder should I order? I'm thinking IPAC4. Is it hard to program MAME so that the player 3/4 inputs act as player 1/2 on the long control panel?

[Paul Olson]

The ipac2 should be fine. You are just basically doubling player 1 and 2, so they can be wired to the same inputs on the ipac.

You will need credit buttons, but you might want to hide them somewhere off the panel. You can mount the switches behind the coin rejects on the coin door so you just tap those for credits. I have mine under the cp on my upright, but I don't know how that would work on the cocktail. A pause button is always nice to have. That is all you need to play. You can use the shift function on the ipac for any other admin buttons you need. I have a wireless keyboard sitting on the shelf for when I need to any admin work. I have my coin buttons shifted to tab and esc, and I use them pretty often. You want to keep any admin or esc buttons completely away from the users. Not sure how, but they are magnets for inexperienced players. It is really annoying when someone exits a game accidentally. Don't even give them a chance. I personally think a dedicated pause button is worth it, and having to shift for it is awkward since you usually want it to pause at a certain spot. I initially didn't think the pause button was good since the games didn't have this function. Well, you also never got called away from a game in the arcade, but it happens constantly in a home environment. Way too often actually.

[VinceVega]

The ipac2 should be fine. You are just basically doubling player 1 and 2, so they can be wired to the same inputs on the ipac.

You will need credit buttons, but you might want to hide them somewhere off the panel. You can mount the switches behind the coin rejects on the coin door so you just tap those for credits. I have mine under the cp on my upright, but I don't know how that would work on the cocktail. A pause button is always nice to have. That is all you need to play. You can use the shift function on the ipac for any other admin buttons you need. I have a wireless keyboard sitting on the shelf for when I need to any admin work. I have my coin buttons shifted to tab and esc, and I use them pretty often. You want to keep any admin or esc buttons completely away from the users. Not sure how, but they are magnets for inexperienced players. It is really annoying when someone exits a game accidentally. Don't even give them a chance. I personally think a dedicated pause button is worth it, and having to shift for it is awkward since you usually want it to pause at a certain spot. I initially didn't think the pause button was good since the games didn't have this function. Well, you also never got called away from a game in the arcade, but it happens constantly in a home environment. Way too often actually.

Thanks for the advice. Is it easy to wire two buttons to the same input on the IPAC?