Control Panel Boxes For Dummies...

[Fred Smythe]

I'm new, so I apologize in advance if this has been rehashed to death.

I'm toying with the idea of building an arcade control console. (Just the controls, I don't have room for a full cab right now, but one day... )

What program do those of you use to plot out your panels? Any special tools? I know what design I want, but I don't know what size box I would need to build to do it. I have zero drawing skill, so if there is a template or something of buttons and joysticks I can use, it sure would help.

The finished product is gonna look like this, with the top of the box on an incline, ideally, for arcade feel:

               A1    P1    P2    A2
                                                    Spinner
                   B1   B2   B3
           J1                           J2          TB (2 1/4", maybe 3")
                   --BINGO! Either that, or I was attempting to say "before" but it was too many letters to type--   B5   B6

(A: adminstration, prolly Coin/Shift and Pause, P: Player 1 and 2, and B: regular buttons.)

I figure the best way to go is to use an Ipaq and OptiPaq for this. I have two joysticks in there so I can play Robotron and Food Fight and the like, and would prolly get the ones with the rotating bottom plate so I could convert them to four way if necessary. The spinner and trackball might not go in right away, although I'm finding that trackballs are cheaper than I thought, so it might happen sooner rather than later.

So I seek advice. What's the most compact box I can get this in, use it comfortably, and still be able to perform service on it when necessary? (Although I don't suppose that matters...when fixing a stick or button you just pull the whole thing out and snap in new microswitches, yes?) How thick should the material be? Can someone suggest how much slant? The box building is my weakest part of this...I am certain I have the electric skills to get it all mounted and wired up once the box is ready.

Thanks for any help!

[slug54]

I think someone made some templates for laying out buttons and sticks , I believe they were in Visio if I'm not mistaken. Search this site and they should turn up.
I think Oscar made some Autocad drawings of same controls, you can check his site for that. Theres also an Interactive control panel designer you can use to test layouts ICPD, sorry no links , Its early and Im tired.

as for the slant of the top it depends on how your going to use your panel. If you are sitting down and the panel is on your computer desk a little angle feels great.But if 2 people are playing standing up if you have too much angle it will kill your wrists.
A full arcade machine panel is normaly Higher than your elbows so your arms lay comfortably on a light slope, Stand alone controllers are a different animal mock up a couple different angles using cardboard boxes and check it out.

It looks like your building a single player panel I would try to squeeze in the buttons for player 2, if you like fighting games or other head to head games or at least a flap button for joust, Who doesn't like to play 2 player joust!


                           Goood luck
                               Slug

[Sasquatch!]

I did mine in Visio.  It's not the most elegant solution in the world, but it works great for me.  (A CAD program would be even better, but I don't own / don't know how to use any CAD programs, and Visio is really easy to use.)

My template is at http://www.arcadeparadise.org/downloads under
"Arcade Paradise 2 cabinet - cabinet dimensions -   .VSD Visio 5 format (zipped), all pages (88KB)" (or the direct link is http://www.arcadeparadise.org/arcade/ap2/artwork/ap2_dims_vsd.zip).

[TalkingOctopus]

About 10 degrees seems to be a good angle.

[AgniTheSane]

I actually planned my entire cab in excel. If you already have something better, like visio, then use it, but if you change the standard column width in Excel to "2" then it is just about graph paper size, and you can plan anything you want. I planned my custom bar, my arcade cabinet, my dartboard, and several bookcases all in excel.

Low tech solution--but it works.

As for the buttons. I read, and used, that 1.25 inches was about right for actually playing buttons, and everything else is personal preference. Worked for me.

Oh... I know the hardcore will disagree, but I like a dedicated pause button.

Ipaq is a great idea. Easy and cheap.

Keith

[Tiger-Heli]

>What program do those of you use to plot out your panels? Any >special tools?

ICPD is great.  Actually, I started with Word templates from LuciD's site.

>I figure the best way to go is to use an Ipaq and OptiPaq for this.

Either the I-PAC or the KeyWiz (www.groovygamegear.com) are good.  Personally, I plan to use OSCAR's USB mouse hack for the optical controls.  www.oscarcontrols.com.  IDEA: You could mount the spinner and trackball each in a 7x5x3 RadioShack project box and then they only take up deskspace when needed.

>and would prolly get the ones with the rotating bottom plate so I >could convert them to four way if necessary.

Or use www.oscarcontrols.com restrictor plates.  Personal preference between how likely you are to forget where the plates are against the hassle of getting at the underside of the panel all the time.  IDEA: If you go with the rotating plate idea (J-Stick, T-stick, Suzo 500):  Decide whether you mostly play 4-way or 8-way games.  Set stick 1 up in this mode and set MAME to use it.  Set stick two the opposite way and set MAME to use it for the other type games.  Now you only have to switch one joystick and only when going to or from dual joystick games.

>So I seek advice. What's the most compact box I can get this in, use >it comfortably, and still be able to perform service on it when >necessary?

Guesstimating from above, 10-12 inches deep (good to add a little wrist rest area).  16 inches wide without the T-ball and spinner, prolly about 22 inches wide with them.  Height - prolly about 4.5 at the rear and 3.5 at the front for a 10" deep panel.

> (Although I don't suppose that matters...when fixing a stick or >button you just pull the whole thing out and snap in new >microswitches, yes?)

whole thing?  you just unsnap the microswitches, disconnect the wires, and wire in the new switches.

> How thick should the material be?

I plan on 3/8" for the top and 3/4" for the sides, but most people prefer 3/4 for the top and routing out the joystick mounts. YMMV

>Can someone suggest how much slant?

IMHO, I like 1" of fall for every 10" of depth, but the suggestion of doing cardboard mockups is very good.