Good sites on building your own controller

[almies]

Due to space constraints are there any good sites for building controllers or examples of some that have been made?

[Chris Goodwin]

You could try http://www.arcadecontrols.com  

I think you might find some info there.  

[pointdablame]

You could try http://www.arcadecontrols.com  

I think you might find some info there.  

Ahh... the sarcasm is strong with this one.  

But seriously, he's right. Read everything on this site, and browse through the examples page. When you're done, you'll be infitely more knowledgeable

[almies]

I am talking stand alones not control panels to go on a cab.

[paigeoliver]

I am talking stand alones not control panels to go on a cab.

There is no functional difference whatsoever.

One is a piece of wood (or metal) with controls on it.

The other is a piece of wood (or metal) with controls on it, AND a box around it.

The difference between them is the box part, which is usually made out of wood.

If you need help with the box part then might I suggest asking your woodshop teacher.

[jerryjanis]

Seriously, click the link to go to http://www.arcadecontrols.com.  On the left pane, you will see "examples".  Towards the bottom of the screen you will see the section labelled, "Desktop Arcade Controls" with many examples/tutorials that follow.

Also, take a look at the first message in the message board's Main Forum: "Read all 67 pages and made a FAQ".  It has a lot of really good information about where to start.

[spidermonkey]

 #%?"&^(@!!    Ok I'm calm now. (just kiddin) You're at the right site you just know it yet. All I can tell you is read read read and click on every section on this site. Check out the control panels on the complete arcade games too as many of them are absolute marvels and the grade of professionalism seems to be a bit higher as they seem to get more indepth then some of the stand alones I've seen so you may even find more informative info from them. At least thats what I found when I started here. Don't get me wrong as there are quite a few nice stand alones too though. After looking a bit I quickly changed my mind from stand alone cp to fullsize upright and haven't stopped since. I'm nearly finished with my 2nd cabinet now and it wouldn't have been possible without the info and helpful, knowledgable, and friendly folks on this site. After you're done reading and looking then start posting your arse off.

[almies]

yeah, i didn't see the examples at the bottom of the page, sorry.

[armad1ll0]

how about more grace, everyone starts off somewhere.
I try to put up info on my site as well.

I also recommend the joystick builder.

[papaschtroumpf]

I do have a problem deciding on layout and those examples offer little help. Is anyone aware of sites that specifically address layout issues.
I know personal preferences play a large role in layout, and whatever I come up with I'll probably change after I have more experience with my CP, but I'd like to start with a sound base.
In my case I want a somewhat "universal" single player CP, some I'm thinking:
- P1 and P2 buttons  (P2 is used for navigation in mamewah so I want one even though this is a single player setup)
- 8 way joystick
- 6 play button  (I'm not sure what the best way to lay those out is)
- 2 "pinball" buttons
- trackball

[Smittydc]

papaschtroumpf:

I've been very pleased with my layout:
www.becauseitsfun.com/Mamecoversimple.jpg

It's a simpler smaller design than a lot of people here build.  I wanted to stay within the original lines of my cabinet (space invaders deluxe).

[papaschtroumpf]

Cute, what's the bottom at the lower right of the left joystick for? I noticed it doesn't have an equivalent on the right side of the panel.
Are 3 buttons enough to play most games?
I don't have any ROMs for fighter games but I'd like to get some, would 6 buttons be enough for those?

[Jakobud]

Cute, what's the bottom at the lower right of the left joystick for? I noticed it doesn't have an equivalent on the right side of the panel.

For Defender's reverse button I am wagering...

[Smittydc]

For Defender's reverse button I am wagering...

Nah - I built a repro defender control panel for that.    The game really isn't much fun unless you have the orginal setup.

The 4th button is just for games that needed 4 buttons.  I was used to the thumb position from playing a lot of Mortal Kombat, and it saved space.

To be honest, I haven't needed the 4th button much at all -- I would recommend people either go with 3, or if you like the fighting games, go with 6-7.  I ended up building a Mortal Kombat 4 repro panel.