CP Planning

[steve42]

OK, so I'm probably a bit of an oddity in the forum.  Truth be told, I joined more because of the DWjukebox section than anything else, and as a teen, I was much more into pinball and the cockpit-style Turbo and Pole Position games than in the other arcade games. But now I am a grown-up and I have kids who love to play these games, and I would probably enjoy the older arcade games more if I didn't have to pay to play them.

The "show us your CP" thread is really nice for those of us who have not yet begun to build.  It appears that many of you are happy with the basic 2 Player layout using 2 joysticks and 6 buttons, plus a few admin buttons. 

I have a friend who has a CNC routing table and I'd like to get him to do a CP cutout for us to try as a tabletop unit and then we can decide to either go with that one as the final version or make changes based on our preferences.

Also, I've seen some of the cabinets with the rotating CPs and the flipup extensions for things like trackballs.  Has anyone ever designed a quick-change plug-and-play cabinet for swapping from driving to flight to conventional joystick/button CP configurations?

Thanks in advance for your assistance!

Steve

[nussmier]

I think you are talking about a modular control panel.  Check out the wiki here  http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/wiki/Modular_Control_Panels

[shponglefan]

I've been working on designing swappable panels using roller catches.  The main thing I don't like about other modular designs (imho) is they don't allow for nice CP art.  So I want something where each panel is fully self-contained.  For simplicity I'm going with a seperate interface for each panel.  The interface will be mounted to the underside of the panel, with all controls wired up to it.  So then the only thing required to plug/unplug is just a USB cable.

So far I have a single player prototype w/ a couple removable panels.  Roller catches seem to hold the panel in place well enough, although I've thought of experimenting with other latches/catches.

The downside of this approach is it's more expensive as it requires seperate interfaces, plexi, art, etc for each CP panel.

[keilmillerjr]

I am no professional, and my first build is currently in early stages. However, if I were to go the route you have explained, I would:

Make superstar control panels.
Control panels released via "quick release" pin or other method. Think aerocatch brand flush auto hood pins.
Each control panel contains necessary encoders built in.
Each control panel has a USB port underneath, where a short USB cable can attach control panel to USB port on cabinet.

[steve42]

You are all thinking fairly close to the lines along which I was going. 

Nussmier was close, but it got me to where I could find the Swappable Control Panels writeup (such that it is).

What I was considering was 3 different CPs, each with its own custom artwork, (Arcade Superstars, Air/Space Combat, Street Racer) that swap out with some manner of snap in/out solution.

Rather than use a separate encoder for each CP, I was thinking about programming one larger capability encoder for all of the various functions that would be in play for the games and accessories we have and then using a few multi-pin connectors (like the http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/DISTRIBUTED-BY-MCM-28-2195-/28-2195) to plug and play the desired CP.  If the CP installed didn't have a particular function, that pair of wires would just be unterminated on that specific CP.

i would not need a 4-player option like the I-PAC 4 has, but the more programmable models that allow for 2 player clusters, plus a trackball, plus a spinner, plus a flight stick, etc would be the best for this configuration.

[Le Chuck]

Can't believe nobody brought up the Switchcade yet.  Without a doubt the greatest implementation of swappable controls to date.  If you're gonna do it, this is certainly a preferred method. 

[steve42]

Can't believe nobody brought up the Switchcade yet.  Without a doubt the greatest implementation of swappable controls to date.  If you're gonna do it, this is certainly a preferred method. 

Meh... I guess it has its benefits, but it seems rather gimmicky.  I'd prefer something a bit more classic in design.

[shponglefan]

Can't believe nobody brought up the Switchcade yet.  Without a doubt the greatest implementation of swappable controls to date.  If you're gonna do it, this is certainly a preferred method. 

That does look like a good implementation of the modular concept, but like other similar modular panels, the downside is the lack of continuous CP art/plexi.

[Le Chuck]

Can't believe nobody brought up the Switchcade yet.  Without a doubt the greatest implementation of swappable controls to date.  If you're gonna do it, this is certainly a preferred method. 

Meh... I guess it has its benefits, but it seems rather gimmicky.  I'd prefer something a bit more classic in design.

Also, I've seen some of the cabinets with the rotating CPs and the flipup extensions for things like trackballs.  Has anyone ever designed a quick-change plug-and-play cabinet for swapping from driving to flight to conventional joystick/button CP configurations?

Is it that the cab itself you think is gimmicky or after seeing the idea in action you decided that it's not what you were expecting afterall?  I'll tell you, when it comes to ease of panel switching it really hasn't been done better than TJC's example above.  I agree it's not for everybody but I don't think it's gimmicky personally. 

It sounds like you're wanting to combine your love of environmentals and cockpit games with some classic functionality.  Is that right?  If so I'm sure we can help dig up some more example that might steer you in the right direction. 

[tony.silveira]

after a long pause, i am starting up the rebuild of my control panel.  currently it has a star wars yoke attachment that plugs in via usb.  but for the redo, it will still be an attachment but i am adding a vga plug to the panel where each attachment will snap into.  i have motorcycle handlebars ready to go and will be adding a forcefeedback wheel in the same maner.

check my sig for more details

[steve42]

Is it that the cab itself you think is gimmicky or after seeing the idea in action you decided that it's not what you were expecting afterall?  I'll tell you, when it comes to ease of panel switching it really hasn't been done better than TJC's example above.  I agree it's not for everybody but I don't think it's gimmicky personally. 

It sounds like you're wanting to combine your love of environmentals and cockpit games with some classic functionality.  Is that right?  If so I'm sure we can help dig up some more example that might steer you in the right direction.

The Switchcade modular CP looks modular.  It is designed to be interchangeable, but not to be interchangeable attractively.  I'd rather have something that is classic in design that just happens to also be interchangeable.  Each CP for the cabinet would therefore look like it was a permanent fixture.  Look at Stoli's Neon MAME Cabinet (http://home.comcast.net/~stoli16/mame/index.html). 



In this image where Stoli's CP is folded up for maintenance, if it were able to be removed at this point by unplugging a wiring harness and pulling a couple of pins, then when the new CP was installed, it too would look like it belonged there.  At that point, you would have a modular CP that was attractive as well.  That's the direction I am heading.

As for the cockpit/environmental games, I'd love to be able to do such a thing, but it's not likely to be possible until I have a house with a large basement.  I truly don't enjoy the standup versions of the games.  Take Turbo for example: as a young teen, I held the top 5 high scores on "cockpit" Turbo for months on end at the arcade where I played.  On the "upright" Turbo in the local pizza place, I could barely finish in the top 10 and it wasn't because of one particular opponent; I underperformed when I tried to drive standing up.

[Le Chuck]

^ Isn't that a knievel clone?

You can definitely do multiple CPs, they are pretty easy to do and you can hide the clips without too much hassle.  There are ways to get that sitdown cab without eating up all your space all the time - take The Final Stage for example.

[Le Chuck]

Mentions Knievel one time on all the pages and not attributively either 

Edit:  Found it here.  He attributes to knievel right off the bat in the first post which is nice. 

[mgb]

Yeah thats a bit of a ripoff