What is best pc pad for cheap control panel UK

[Drnick]

A friend of mine is interested in building a control panel, Only problem is the guy is a cheapskate.   It doesn't matter how many times I tell him to go get an Ipac or some other controller he just comes back with but why can't you just hack a keyboard for me. (Already went with zippy joystick and cheap buttons) Looking to do 2 player setup each with 6 Buttons & Coin/Start & Pause/Exit Keys

I have tried most arguments to get him to sway towards the Ipac.  Well he won't give in.  So can you advise the cheapest and easiest game pads I can modify for use. (Must be common ground with nice big solder pads). They must also be available in UK,  (I have a week off coming up and want to get all the parts sorted to build it in advance).

Also on another side note,  what would be the best way to put a sheet of 1/2" MDF onto the face of another sheet of 1/2" MDF "It must be easily removable and without any visible fixings.  Basically I have routed out a section of an mdf sheet for some LED panels. I then took another piece of mdf the same size and routed out a piece which has the plexi glass inserted into it. I need to be able to attach these 2 pieces together so that the front piece is easily removable To replace LED's when they die.   I was thinking about the little inserts that they use on speaker cover panels but cannot find any. Would dowels work well do you think? If so how many?   The MDF Sheet is approx 850mm x 300mm

[ark_ader]

Actually I was thinking the same thing for my up and coming project and I'm based in the UK, was trying all types of PC pads but they all had machine soldered points and you have to have kid fingers to solder them on.

So I bought mine at GroovyGameGear, but you can get them on Amazon.  About £8 and I remember seeing them at the Pound Store a few months back.

They are called Tremon, and they have little holes you can run a cable through, and the trigger buttons are pre wired too. 

10 buttons 4 way and an autofire too!   

[Drnick]

Cheers,  I'm sure I have a couple of pads that look very similar floating around. I think they were poundland jobbies too Will bust one open and have a look see.

[apfelanni]

looks nearly the same as the eaxus ps1 controller i sometimes use as universal pad + adapters.

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Playstation-1-Controller-EAXUS-NEU-OVP-/300492344459?pt=PC_Viedeospielzubeh%C3%B6r&hash=item45f6bd4c8b

or the cheap snes usb pad :

http://www.ebay.de/itm/SNES-Style-PC-Controller-USB-Gamepad-ergonomisch-SLIM-/230738121804?pt=M%C3%A4use_Tastaturen&hash=item35b910544c

i d recommend this only for 1p setups .. for a 2 player panel it isnt worth the effort . dont waste ur time , buy a pac or at least something like this :

http://www.arcadegames.se/en/products/io-cards/arcadecontroller-usb-to-pc-or-ps3.html


btw : i do like the zippys .. they are worth every penny ..

[Drnick]

I can get the xin-mo controller for about £20 so I suppose I can tell him that he has 2 choices, either buy one of those or pay me £15 an hour to do the keyboard/game pad hack which would take a minimum of an Hour and Half