Adding front end button support to existing cabinet with no permanent mods?

[JODY]

Having several dedicated cabinets where I would like to use the original control panels without butchering them, what ideas have others used or heard of to allow a fully functional front end setup?  Basically take a dedicated cabinet and leave it intact with no permanent modifications to the cabinet or control panel but allow a front end for multi-gaming using a PC.

Ideas I've thought of:

• Are there front ends that allow use of the standard joystick / analog controller and buttons to allow game selection (as in programmable).  If so, remaining issue would be support of exit.  Something like holding down Start Player 1 & Start Player 2 for 2 seconds would work for an exit on some cabinets.
  
• Adding switches in the coin reject push button area.  E.g. Pushing in coin reject could start a game on the left and exit on the right.
  
• Using micro switches on a mini button grouping that would velcro to the front of the coin door with wires running through an existing hole or the coin return.  Basically a mini control panel of special buttons that velcros over a pre-existing hole in the cabinet to allow the running of wires to the inside.
  

Example cabinets would be a Star Wars upright with Star Wars controller and a Tempest with original control panel.

I'm not necessarily looking for support beyond the basics.  Initial setup could still be done with a keyboard.

[JODY]

And I'm not looking to replace the existing control panels with newly built ones.

[bkenobi]

Most of the popular FE's allow you to use the CP.  Pick pretty much any one from the wiki and you should be fine.  I personally use GameEx, but I know that Maximus Arcade and Hyperspin (just to name a couple) are also popular choices.

As for adding buttons without butchering things...I used small radioshack momentary switches on my Championship Sprint cabinet.  I mounted them through small holes that were already in the cabinet (gaps in the corners that Atari "designed") so that I wouldn't create new holes.  I also added a power button near the pedals and used double sided tape to attach it.  That cabinet could easily be converted back to a Championship Sprint or Paperboy without any repairs.

[Smeghead]

just redefine the shift key functions on your IPAC? I dont know anyone that is maxxed out

[severdhed]

between the flexibility and mame and most front ends, this shouldn't be a problem.  MaLa is pretty easy to get set up and customized to suit your controls.  assuming you have already succesfully interfaced your existing controls to your PC, you should be all set.

[JODY]

For some cabinets, such as Star Wars, the controls are limited at the moment.  Star Wars has an analog yoke with 4 buttons.  Mame32 does not support analog controls to make a selection.  At least I am not aware of how to make it work.  Then within the game there is not an exit button without interfering with the buttons used for game play.

Thus, I think I'll need to add some buttons to this cabinet and possibly switch to a different front end.

Because all the controls are in place (although I may switch the yoke interface) for gameplay, I may not buy a new controller interface board such as an iPac for button handling.  E.g. a hacked keyboard should work fine for non-game use to control escape, coin, etc. buttons.

[severdhed]

perhaps a usb gamepad hack might be a better choice. you can pick them up pretty cheap, and don't suffer from the ghosting/matrix problems that keyboard hacks have.  i have not used mame32 with any front ends, only command line mame...not sure how it deals with analog controls. I have used MaLa on my cabinet and have used a trackball and spinner to select games from the front end, so i know that works, havent tried analog joysticks, but shouldnt be a problem