Control panel width

[GregD]

Just wondering what you think the minimum width would be for a two player control panel with six buttons per player and a 3 inch trackball in the middle?   I want it to be comfortable for two players but I also want to fit the controls within the cabinet and not have the shelf type that is wider than the cabinet.   I am working with a 19“ lcd so I can't make it too wide without the monitor appearing way too small with a huge bezel.   Thanks for your input.

[wildclay]

Hi GregD,  I am no expert at determining an ideal length for a control panel with regard to the monitor size, but ultimately it will end up coming down to personal preference.  A good reference for size might the 2-player panel from Mameroom.com. It has room for 6-7 buttons, as well as a trackball in between. Their panel is 35" wide. The links below show the full dimensions:

http://mameroom.com/Products_Classic_Kit.asp
http://mameroom.com/Products_ClassicController.asp

I don't have their 2-player panel, but I bought their 4-player quad panel (48" wide) and I think it fits 4-players comfortably. Hope this helps!

[gilby4runner]

Check out my defender build in the project section.  One if the members here designed a panel for me with 2 players and a trackball.  I want to say my panel is 24 inches wide.

[Donkbaca]

It can't be done without either really cramped controls or a huge bezel around the monitor

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

This is my 2P 7button + 3" trackball layout crammed into 24":


It can be done, but it's pretty tight. I cannot imagine it being any closer.

[Donkbaca]

How wide is that screen? 15 inches? At 24 inches you are looking at a bezel that is 4.5 inches on each side.

[Malenko]

24" for a 2 player "street fighter layout" sans track ball, its what I did on the NeoMAME machine (using the spacing already there for a 2 player neogeo 4 button layout converted to 6 button lay out. Players are close, not cramped, cant imagine squeezing a trackball in there, and thats with a 25" arcade monitor.

[t3design]

Check out my defender build in the project section.  One if the members here designed a panel for me with 2 players and a trackball.  I want to say my panel is 24 inches wide.

That was me. I just tightened up my panel which is 27":

[monkey puzzle]

I didn't want a cp wider than the cabinet either, so I had the same problem as you although I'm using a 22" widescreen LCD monitor.
The cp is 660mm wide (26") I think this is just about adequet width for 2 players but I think it would start to get a bit cramped if any smaller.(I'm going to fit a spinner instead of a trackball)
The border around the monitor is 3 3/4" thick which isn't too bad but I wouldnt want it any bigger.

I think I got the balance about right. You can't have it exactly the way you want it unless you get a larger monitor which starts to get expensive.