Joystick Wiring Question

[Turambar]

As far as I feel like I have come in my project, I am still obviously a noob.  The following question will let you know that I am a noob of the highest order.  I am sure it has been answered before, but I could not find it (believe me I wanted to find it so I would look like an idiot asking). 

When I push up on a joystick (towards the screen), the actuator is actually engaging the switch that is furthest away from the screen.  If I press left, it is engaging the switch on the right of the joystick, etc...

So when wiring a joystick, would I wire the switch closest to the screen as down?  Farthest as up?  Is this the most ridiculous question you have ever seen asked?   

[HaRuMaN]

So when wiring a joystick, would I wire the switch closest to the screen as down?  Farthest as up?  Is this the most ridiculous question you have ever seen asked?   

Yes, yes, and yes! 

[MacGyver]

There is nothing wrong with that question, if you have never done it, then you have never done it.
It sounds like you have a firm grasp of the events going on in your joystick, so if you push it up (towards the screen) and it pushes the switch nearest to you, then yes, that switch needs to be wired to up, even if it is physically where you would think down would logically be, it sounds like the switch is below the pivot for your joystick, so do what you thought was right in the first place.  If the bottom of the joystick was the pivot, then the switch nearest the screen would be pressed when pressing up, but from what you described, your joystick is "pivoting" in the middle, thereby crossing the movement.

Even if you did them all wrong, you could always override it with some setting changes in mame (you'd still need them to be electrically correct, but up,down,left,right, can be fixed I mean.(might be a hassle to your frontend though)).

[Turambar]

So when wiring a joystick, would I wire the switch closest to the screen as down?  Farthest as up?  Is this the most ridiculous question you have ever seen asked?   

Yes, yes, and yes! 

Thank you, Haruman for your encouraging words   If I can save the tears of another noob, I will count myself as having contributed to the forum.

MacGyver, I don't know what show you are using for your pic, but you can't go wrong with a pic of Richard Dean Anderson.  MacGyver was the coolest.

[mzerba]

big thanks from another noob. i will be wiring my first control panel this weekend and would have for sure done this wrong.

[05SRT4]

lol I don't know how many times I messed with my joysticks and then  thought I put everything back, I had the player one and 2 switched and the down and ups. LOL I'm with you to man.

I usually put a small U, D, L or R next to the switches so I don't forget.

[Hoopz]

I ALWAYS put a LARGE U, D, L or R next to the switches so I don't forget.

Fixt.  You'd think I'd learn....   

[Well Fed Games]

For some reason looking at a CP from the backside throws my brain into some sort of stupidity mode... lets just say it took me longer than it should have to get Pac Man going the correct directions on my last cab... I gotta start labeling things...