Mounting spinner vertically?

[fleskebacon]

I have a small, originally 1-player cabinet which I've modified into 2-player. So the control panel is pretty crammed with the two joysticks, 6 buttons each and 1 and 2 player start buttons.

But I really want to add a spinner as well...

There is just enough room in the centre, below the start-buttons, but the spinner will most likely interfere with the hand using the player 2 joystick. And the control panel will be totally packed with stuff.

What are your thoughts on mounting it vertically in front of the cabinet? Plenty of space there, but I'm thinking perhaps it will be uncomfortable. I've never tried using a spinner this way, so I'm not sure. Anyone got any experience with using a spinner mounted this way?

Any way, this will be a compromise, so which is the lesser of two evils?

(Yeah, I could put the start buttons in front to free up some space, but then I'd have to redo the entire control panel, and that's more work than I'm looking for.)

[Dawgz Rule]

If you are going to do it, do it right.  Don't cut corners.  I think you are better off moving the start buttons.  Your best bet is to redo the CP and you will have it the way you really want it.  It really shouldn't be too much work.

[jdbailey1206]

And if you really have your heart set on your CP try temporarily removing the Player 2 bottom right button and putting the spinner in its place.  Have a friend play in the player one slot and you in the player two and see how badly the spinner conflicts with gameplay.

If that isnt an option then I agree with Dagwz.  Recreating your CP to your specifications should not be hard and would be a fun weekend project.

[Le Chuck]

You can gain space during the rebuild by rotating your joysticks 90^o, looks like they're mounted longer than taller.  Do that, move the P1/2 buttons down onto the vert face and center mount that spinner where it belongs. 

[fleskebacon]

After sleeping on the issue and reading your posts, I totally agree with you. The CP will be a little crowdy no matter how it's done, when fitting 2 sticks, twelve buttons and a spinner on a 54 cm wide panel, so the best bet is of course redoing it all, moving the start buttons to the front and including the spinner in the new design. That's probably the only way to get this right.

But it's settled then, I'll redo the CP.

My idea will probably be using my existing CP as a template, trying to compress everything a little and fitting the spinner in the centre. Don't know if there's enough space to turn the sticks 90 degrees, but I'll definately look into it.

Any thoughts on spinner knob size? I get the impression that the "standard" knob is 44 mm, and the smaller ones like 34 mm. Main use will of course be Arkanoid (and I'm thinking perhaps Outrun, 1000 miles rally and a couple of others also could benefit from it?). I have limited experience with playing with spinners, so I really don't know what size will work best. Changing the knob is most likely a walk in the park anyway, when the spinner is in place, so I could try them all and see what works best for me.

Thanks, you guys are an inspiration. Will post pictures when I'm done.

[Xiaou2]

Actually, theres no reason a spinner wouldnt work vertically.

 The control should be fine.. its just like any vertical dial... such as a volume knob.

 I say, go for it.

 Id also recommend having a set of flip-out pedals.  Or Pull out..  whichever you feel you could accomplish.
That would allow for 2 player driving games.    The only other thing that would be good to have.. if you had the space, would be a trigger stick.. for games like Mad Planets, Tron..etc.

[fleskebacon]

No, there's no reason it shouldn't work technically, I'm just a bit concerned about it feeling awkward and giving me hand cramps after ten minutes of playing...

So I'm going for a brand new CP design.

Finished drawing it today, I think this will be dynamite.

[Xiaou2]

Yeah, holding in mid air may be a little tiring after some time.  Would probably be best to have an extended wrist support with padded top, if done that method.

 However, if we think back to panels like Gauntlet, or some of the 4player games like Simpsons..  they keep the Joystick squared to the monitor, but angle the buttons.  The player will then tilt their body and shoulders to match that angle.. effectively giving more space to utilize.   You could use that approach, to get a 2nd spinner in.

 (Possibly - as you will need to do some comfort mock up test on some layered cardboard to make sure)

 Edit:  Note that the joystick base isnt to scale... as it was not shown in your drawings.  Also note, that the spinner base can be mounted at an angle.. because spinners have no need for an Orientation.  That will help reduce the spaces, and solve any problems with the angles of the buttons.

[jdbailey1206]

If you want to try out your design before you star drilling into wood flesk, you can grab a spare piece of cardboard and set your buttons and joysticks in that.  It gives you the durability of wood but its not a pain in the ass to make all your holes. 

[fleskebacon]

Xiaou: That's an interesting idea. I'll look into what I can fit on the tiny panel. Adding a spinner for player 2 isn't top priority, as the main use will be single player only, but having the option is always nice.

[Dawgz Rule]

First check to see if there are any games that would warrant having two spinners. 

[fleskebacon]

Dawg, the only two I have played are probably Ikari Warriors and Heavy Barrel. And probably ... Pong. None of these caught my interest, so I think I'll stick with the one spinner design. Having a hard time making room for two anyway, everything gets packed up and keeps getting in the way.

[thatpurplestuff]

Dawg, the only two I have played are probably Ikari Warriors and Heavy Barrel. And probably ... Pong. None of these caught my interest, so I think I'll stick with the one spinner design. Having a hard time making room for two anyway, everything gets packed up and keeps getting in the way.

One thing to consider is that almost every driving game is playable with a spinner, so for 2 player racing games (like Off-Road, Indy Heat, etc) it might interest you to have two spinners.  Or not.   

[fleskebacon]

That's right, forgot about Off-Road, a great game, but it uses three spinners, so there I'm one short anyway... And after trying some setups here, I think fitting more than one spinner will mess up the cp no matter how I do it. It'll simply get too crowded. Hands resting on the buttons while using the spinner, hands bumping into the spinner when using the joystick etc...

The panel is only 21" x 6", and I need to keep everything at least 3/4" away from the edges because of the way the panel is fitted to the cabinet.

I see that making the panel bigger is an option, but then the whole machine will probably look like Frankenstein. I want to keep it original looking.

[fleskebacon]

Ok, after making several mockups with cardboard and toilet paper cores, it's obvious I can't fit two spinners in the panel. End of story. It's not happening.

So for the next question: Where should I place the start buttons when mounting them in the front panel? Side by side in centre, or one on each side? Or both on the right hand side? Left hand side?

I was thinking it's probably least likely that someone bumps into them while playing if they're side by side in the centre? Or would that look weird?

[fleskebacon]

Ok, so I finally finished the new cp. Very happy with the layout, graphics design and everything.

Just enough space for everything I need. Still using Sanwa JLF's with octo-gates, and a SpinTrak spinner with a TurboTwist knob.

[Le Chuck]

Looks sharp!  Good choice, I'm sure you'll be pleased with it