Brainstorming a rotating control panel

[Batchman]

New here. Love some of the projects I have seen people working on. Am starting to get serious about planning out a hopefully absolutely awesome control panel that can play massive amounts of games, yet want to avoid the whole 'Frankenpanel' issue. Have really liked the look of a couple of the three way rotating control panels I have seen here, and figured it was one way to try and lessen the over-abundance of controls on a single panel.

So I thought I would throw in some of the things I was thinking about, and see what people think of the idea (assuming that anybody is interested in the topic, and that this isn't the kind of topic that has been done 347,698 times, and which people refuse to participate in, anymore.)

Some of the things I know I want in the overall layout are:

Four sets of joysticks and buttons for four player games (I know there is at least one six player game out there, but I think 4 player is taking things far enough.)
Four sets of spinners for Warlords and any other more than two player spinner games.
(Since I am going with the idea of a rotating set of 3 control boards, the main control area will not be wide enough to comfortably do four player, so players 3 and 4 will actually be on wings off to either side, lessening 'Franken-ing' and giving the players more room.)
Single and double track balls for their various games. (I don't know of any games with more than two trackballs, though I am sure they exist.)
Single 4-way joystick, hopefully that can somehow be rotated 45 degrees for games like Q*Bert or Congo Bongo.
Dual 8-way joysticks about a foot apart for games like Crazy Climber and Robotron.
Throttle/yoke and spinner combination for Tron.

At the moment, those are the things that are coming to mind. While it will take a little brain storming, it seems to me I ought to be able to fit all of the above into three panels without being too horribly over-done, and it ought to cover about 98% of the arcade games out there.

What I am wondering is A) what have I forgotten about that I need to have for the ultimate arcade machine, B) what the overall thought is on the feasibility of being able to pull off a good design with these current desires, and C) what kinds of controllers am I forgetting entirely that are used a lot that I ought to be including.

I have also thought (slightly) about the possibility of a steering wheel that can be fastened on to the front of one of the panels to better enable driving games, which I think I've seen on one of the Knievel cabinets, as an interesting possibility.

Thoughts? Comments? Or should I just shut up?

[Drnick]

Some of the things I know I want in the overall layout are:

Single and double track balls for their various games. (I don't know of any games with more than two trackballs, though I am sure they exist.)

At the moment, those are the things that are coming to mind. While it will take a little brain storming, it seems to me I ought to be able to fit all of the above into three panels without being too horribly over-done, and it ought to cover about 98% of the arcade games out there.

A) what have I forgotten about that I need to have for the ultimate arcade machine,
B) what the overall thought is on the feasibility of being able to pull off a good design with these current desires, and
C) what kinds of controllers am I forgetting entirely that are used a lot that I ought to be including.

I have also thought (slightly) about the possibility of a steering wheel that can be fastened on to the front of one of the panels to better enable driving games, which I think I've seen on one of the Knievel cabinets, as an interesting possibility.

Thoughts? Comments? Or should I just shut up?

Atari Football had 3 Trackballs if I remember correctly.

What have I forgotten that I need for the ultimate arcade?  Very Deep Pockets.  Seriously, you will need deep pockets for this. 

Overall thoughts on feasibility. I dont think that a rotating panel is the way to go, I would go down the modular panel route there is a wonderful example that I can't see for the life of me at the moment. As you are planning on having Players 3 and 4 hang from the sides as required you have already started the modular route in your head.
Found it  http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,112889.msg1198437.html#msg1198437

What controllers are you forgetting?  49Way Joysticks,  Rotating sticks, Top Fire Sticks, (There's probably more)

Steering wheel attachment,  You can get attachments for the spinners, But if you build a modular control panel you could have some real steering wheels.

[Batchman]

Atari Football had 3 Trackballs if I remember correctly.

What have I forgotten that I need for the ultimate arcade?  Very Deep Pockets.  Seriously, you will need deep pockets for this. 

Overall thoughts on feasibility. I dont think that a rotating panel is the way to go, I would go down the modular panel route there is a wonderful example that I can't see for the life of me at the moment. As you are planning on having Players 3 and 4 hang from the sides as required you have already started the modular route in your head.
Found it  http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,112889.msg1198437.html#msg1198437

What controllers are you forgetting?  49Way Joysticks,  Rotating sticks, Top Fire Sticks, (There's probably more)

Steering wheel attachment,  You can get attachments for the spinners, But if you build a modular control panel you could have some real steering wheels.

Deep pockets ... yes, I can see that!

At the moment I am more interested in the rotating possibilities, but if that should fail, I might have to consider going modular. The great thing is, there are more than one example of each style to work off of on here!

49 way sticks and rotating sticks I will have to do some research to even know what they are / what they are for ... top fire sticks I will have to see if I can find some games for, and discover if I feel I need them.

I wasn't looking at something to plop down on a spinner, but rather a full wheel controller that could be added to the front of one of the control panels  for a steering wheel ... would have to research what would be involved a bit, but even if the rest isn't modular, I was kind of figuring on the steering wheel being so.

Thank you for sharing some thoughts with me ... I really appreciate it!

[Dawgz Rule]

For the amount of money you will spend on one rotating panel (along with the technical obstacles), you can build "x" number of individual cabs that will more than likely better serve the intended function.    It is also very easy to be lured into wanting to be able to play everything but you are better off focusing your build on the games you really enjoy. 

[DaveMMR]

Having "everything" on your control panel is a great way to cover all possible games, but it's important to ask yourself how many times that odd game with the four spinners or three trackballs or Tron is going to be played. Are your friends really interested in playing Rampart or Warlords or Marble Madness over, say, Street Fighter II. (This goes for four-player games as well.)

In reality, a two-player joystick set-up (six button standard) will cover between 80-90%* of the games, especially if one of those sticks works well with 4-way games (e.g. switchable or U360.) Maybe add a trackball and spinner and maybe you're up to 90-95%*. The time/expense of covering that last 5-10% jumps dramatically and rarely justifies itself in the end. (I could be wrong, maybe you run with a group that has a strong affinity for the multi-special control games.)

By the way, look at some rotating projects and you'll see there are still games that would be unplayable on the setups. Why? Because rotating panels are actually more restricting than simple swappable (or modular)** panels. If you just have a system where you can remove/replace a panel, you can have the simple panel NOW and then add more as you go along limited by only storage space. (Hint: plan ahead and the base of you arcade cabinet makes for great panel storage.)

*Unscientific rough guesstimates - and I didn't factor in majong games or similar.
**I use swappable (full) panels and modular interchangeably but there's a different strategy in employing each one. The latter is more work but much more versatile while the former is cleaner but a bit more limiting (you'll have to repeat controls often times.)   

[BadMouth]

Are 49-way sticks even compatible with current MAME builds?

[Generic Eric]

That road has been paved.  Look up Pacmamia by 1-up and Frosticullius's cab.  Look up their projects, if memory serves they were on honest about the obstacles.

[mgb]

I really think you're setting yourself up for disappointment.
I personally like the idea of rotatable control panel but even the best executed ones area but lacking.

With a rotatable cp, there has to be that large area above & under for the swing of the cp.
to me it looks awkward because it means a smaller monitor mounted kinda high and a weird space between the cp and coin door.

Question:
  Are planning 4 player controls because you feel that those games have to have 4 sets to properly function or because you plan on party games with friends.
All of those games can be played normal with 2 players in mame.

So far, the arrangements you say you want would make for either more than 3 sides or a 3 sided Frankenstein panel.

I think the desire to play every game known to man makes for a goofy unplayable machine.
It's about compromise. The novelty of playing every single game will quickly fade.

I think the 3 & 4 player wings would be a bad idea.
Keep in mind that the rotating cp will limit the size of the monitor and now you're talking about adding east and west wings to this house sized cabinet for players 3 & 4.

If you truly want to play every game, other controls you haven't mentioned are:
Trackball with 4 way for wacko
4 49 ways for blitz and nba jam
That puck roller thing for major havoc
Handle bars for paperboy
Yoke for Star Wars

It's your build and at the end of the day it's what makes you happy but you asked for input and that's how I see it. 

[thomas_surles]

I know some may disagree,  but why not add usb ports to the front to plug in controllers.
When I want to play ps2 games, gamecube,  and pc games I can just plug in my contoller.
It can also double as player 3 and 4 controls in mame.

[mgb]

I'd agree that USB ports on the front will be better than wings

[Paul Olson]

I am one of the crazy people that wants to have every kind of controller ever made. It is just not feasible, even with a modular setup. I am currently trying cut out planned panels to try to get all of them to fit into one closet. I have already cut 30 panels, and there is still no way I can fit them all into the closet.

The rotating panels look really cool, but they are very limiting in what you can do. Mine is full modular, but I would suggest doing a swappable/modular design. Make one panel with the standard 2 player layout and maybe a trackball. Make it swappable. After playing that for a while, if you really want to add more controllers, make another panel that is either complete, or allows for modules. With good planning in the beginning, you can have a cabinet that can be both simple or extremely complicated without redesigning. It can just be an additive process when you feel the need.

I make this recommendation to try to help people avoid the situation I have created for myself. There is just too much stuff. If I would have been smarter in the beginning, I would have saved a ton of time and money (at this level of crazy, I probably could almost buy a NIB pinball machine for the amount I have sunk into this project over the last 10 years). I have changed my focus to pinball over the last couple of years, so there are some of these panels that I may never even use at this point. This pic shows 26 panels that are mostly done. I have at least 16 more to finish and try to fit in the closet. I guess the point is: listen to the people who say cover 90% of the games with the standard layout. If you think you will want more, design in the capability to add in the future if you decide you really need more than the standard games. I have owned most of the games that I have unique controllers for, and I didn't play them as much as I thought I would. The only one I miss and did play a lot is Super Sprint. You can see the 3 wheels on the 3rd shelf up. That was a must have for me, and the cabinet has 3 pedals built into it. Actually, those still need to be wired up, so I am going to get off of here and go do that so I can play. Design for crazy, then only do it if you really are crazy. lol

[Batchman]

Some very good things to think about.

Many of you say to concentrate a lot more on what I am really interested in, rather than on being able to play everything ... largely that has been what I have been doing. I never played more than a single one of the street fighter-type games, but the one fighting game I have played is the one that makes me more interested in allowing for four players, since X-Men is one of my all-time favorite games. I also loved Gauntlet. I have long wanted to play Marble Madness properly with two track balls. And the four spinners are because I have always thought Warlords was one of the wildest, funnest games imaginable, even if the graphics were as low end as low end could be.

But being terribly honest with myself, I do not have all that many friends, I do not do a lot of partying, and while I would love to have the ability to play four player on these games, I would probably have far less opportunities than most of you (who already say the four player is almost never used) to have more than two players playing at a time.

There seems to be a bit of a consensus building here that modular would be a bit easier and a bit cheaper than rotating, and (contrary to my first thoughts on it) perhaps more elegant, as well. Is this truly the general consensus?

I'll admit that, especially as a first cabinet, less expensive and less complicated could surely be a good thing. I guess I really do have more thinking to do.

And just as an aside, I have seen the heavy use of both the dual six button and the dual eight button layouts ... how many games (and which ones) actually make use of eight buttons? It seems almost insane! (Yeah, I'm really one to talk, eh?)

But again, thank you all for being willing to brainstorm with me! I really appreciate it!

[yotsuya]

Glad to see you take all this constructive feedback in to account, Batchman. We all start out wanting to be able to play those 5000 games,  but you never will. You learn how to adapt and it works out in the end.

If you're like me,  you'll also end up with 11 cabs total, but that's a different story.... 

[mgb]

The eight button per player thing seems to have really come from the console fight sticks and Vewlix.
The four button row with 3 button row comes from wanting to have a neo geo layout as well as a street fighter layout.

You seem to take the advice well.
I love warlords too but I've always played in on Atari 2600 and I find that version just as fun.

Games like gauntlet, have 2 player versions on mame where you can pick the player you want rather than each control being married to a particular character.

I'm pretty friendless my self ( or at least, I don't want the people I know to come to my house)
  So a two player works fine

[Batchman]

You seem to take the advice well.
I love warlords too but I've always played in on Atari 2600 and I find that version just as fun.

Thank you ... I'm so out of my depth here at the moment, I would be an idiot not to listen to the advice.

And I don't think I have ever actually played the arcade version of Warlords ... it was also the 2600 version which hooked me on it.

Problem was the 2600 paddles never seemed all that sturdy ... it only took a few months before they started flickering, which made them much more difficult to use.

Thinking about it a fair amount after reading this thread, I am becoming rather more enamored with the modular concept. For one thing, it backs off on the frankenpanel issue, by letting me concentrate much more on the controls I need at any specific time, and for another, it would allow me to start smaller, with 6 or 7 panel parts that will still cover maybe 80% of games (and 95% of the ones I am really interested in), then add another 5 or 6 over time to expand on that list. Less controllers to buy, early on, but easily expandable, since I will have already planned for it.

And then it lets me get a much quicker start on my planning, since I don't have to perfect massive panels ... yes, I am thinking this is the way to go, more by the minute!

Again, thank you all for the thoughts and the reasoning!

[Xiaou2]

Well, Im going to Disagree.

 Modular is a pain in the butt.   It can be far more work to build all the Sub control panels.   It can be more expensive as well.

 Its also going to slow your gaming down to a crawl.   Every time you decide you want to play something different... you will have to run to the storage closet, pull out a CP, lug it to the machine.  Swap it out.  Then lug the other panel back into storage.   You take up the same if not More space as well... with your storage closet.

 
 I think the spinner wings is a good idea actually, if done in a way that allows good controller access & comfort.   The wings can allow more CP option, without taking up valued space on the CP... thus allowing more possible combinations without comfort issues.

 What it looks like, thats a completely different ballgame.   But for someone who is passionate about these games... looks are often a far seat back in priority.


 I had decided that I would rather have a Horizontally rotating CP... like a giant lazy suzan.   Similar to Unclets cab.    But larger, and more feature packed.   Couch like seating for multiple players, and better driving game comfort.   A 2nd couch bench behind the main seating, raised up a bit... like stadium seating,  for any other players / spectators.   The entire thing would be placed into a giant enclosed box..  like a mini-theater..  or environmental cab.   Which can of course, be used for movies too..  with high quality surround sound system & speakers.

 
 My first Rotator, was a  6 sided vertical proto.   It was decent, and allowed many combinations... but when I found out the magic of true leafswitch controls.. as well as games it wouldnt play..   and that it wouldnt be as comfy as a sitdown... I decided to scrap it and redesign.


 Also note, that Id still choose several dedicated full size control panels to swap... rather than a full set of Loose controllers that need individual swapping.   They will look better, be more comfortable, and be less prone to damage.  It will also take less fuss to deal with the swaps.


- Edit -

 By the way, I had thought of Modular like 15+ yrs ago..  well before anyone posted any such designs.   I thought I had a sure fire winner at the time... but in a few more days in thought about it... I came to the realizations that it just wasnt what I really wanted to do... for all the reasons listed.   Thus the vertical rotator was born.  The first of its kind, and the only vertical rotator I know of, with 6 sides.  Ugly, but workable.   3 sides wasnt enough..  5 was considered..  but 6 was an easier shape to deal with.

 There really are no perfect solutions.  Only solutions that you can or cant live without.  Can / Cant afford.  etc.



 

[Paul Olson]

Some very good things to think about.

Many of you say to concentrate a lot more on what I am really interested in, rather than on being able to play everything ... largely that has been what I have been doing. I never played more than a single one of the street fighter-type games, but the one fighting game I have played is the one that makes me more interested in allowing for four players, since X-Men is one of my all-time favorite games. I also loved Gauntlet. I have long wanted to play Marble Madness properly with two track balls. And the four spinners are because I have always thought Warlords was one of the wildest, funnest games imaginable, even if the graphics were as low end as low end could be.

But being terribly honest with myself, I do not have all that many friends, I do not do a lot of partying, and while I would love to have the ability to play four player on these games, I would probably have far less opportunities than most of you (who already say the four player is almost never used) to have more than two players playing at a time.

There seems to be a bit of a consensus building here that modular would be a bit easier and a bit cheaper than rotating, and (contrary to my first thoughts on it) perhaps more elegant, as well. Is this truly the general consensus?

I'll admit that, especially as a first cabinet, less expensive and less complicated could surely be a good thing. I guess I really do have more thinking to do.

And just as an aside, I have seen the heavy use of both the dual six button and the dual eight button layouts ... how many games (and which ones) actually make use of eight buttons? It seems almost insane! (Yeah, I'm really one to talk, eh?)

But again, thank you all for being willing to brainstorm with me! I really appreciate it!

I would not say modular is at all the cheapest or most elegant, but it is definitely the most flexible. I was always drawn the the games with unique controllers when I was in the arcades, so modular was necessary for me. I want to be able to play all of those games. I don't really need to swap between the different panels with zero effort so I can swap them multiple times in a playing session. I don't think I have ever swapped panels more than twice in a day while playing (during testing, it happens a lot). Modular gives you the ability to use whatever controller you want, but there is work involved in changing the panels. I have up to 7 panels that can be used in a layout on mine, so that would be unplugging and removing up to 7 panels and installing up to 7 new panels and plugging them in. In that case, it will probably take a couple of minutes to do that. That has never bothered me, but seems to be a problem for some people. Rotating is cool, but you are severely limited in the size of controllers you can use.  Some of the controllers you may want to use are huge! You are not going to put a Spy Hunter controller on a rotating panel. It is just too big. A Tron stick would be difficult as well. From bottom of the switches to top of the handle, the Tron stick is 12" tall. That would mean you would need at least 24" of rotation diameter to make that work. The horizontal rotation idea solves that problem, but is also limited in scope, and the size of the cabinet could get huge.

I am trying to limit my storage to a closet, which is ridiculous, but I have a closet I can use for it. My actual cabinet is only 40" wide by 30" deep, and the TVs are mounted on the wall behind it. That was about as much space as I can use for it in my office, so that was the limit. I am testing some of the panels today, and there are definitely some fit and finish issues to work out. I hired a cabinet guy to build this, and he is not really accurate enough for this type of work. That is causing a lot of alignment issues that need to be worked out. When I built the original control panel, I was able to take the time to make sure everything was cut exactly to size, so I avoided this problem. Even with the fit problems, it is still fairly easy to get a panel installed and start playing a game. I just finished playing a couple of games of Roadblasters, and it was a lot of fun.

Honestly, the best way to go would be to build a machine that will play 90% of the games, then buy the actual games that use the unique controllers. I probably have $80 into that Roadblasters panel, and that doesn't include the pedals since they are permanently attached. I owned a Roadblasters, and I think I only paid $150 for it lol. This is more convenient for me though, so I chose this route.

Here is a pic. The filler panels aren't installed because I don't have the right size ones yet for this layout. I am waiting till the last panel is finished before I order those to try to figure out exactly how few of them I can get away with making. I think I might go out to the garage and finish putting the Enduro Racer panel together now. I haven't played that one since the 80s. lol If I was limited to just a few controller layouts, neither of these two games would make the cut, but I being able to add however many I want to, they are certainly nice additions.

[Xiaou2]

Heh,

 My proto 6 sided beast, had a Spy Hunter yoke, Starwars Yoke, Two trigger sticks... and more.  But it was quite ugly.   And is still was limited in certain ways, partially due to poor designing, and part due to changing my opinions on certain things.

 A hybrid could also allow both rotation and a modular panel.   And you also have options with swapable sections, if you build it a certain way.

 But as Ive said, I think the Horizontal rotation, is much better.  Im gettin older, so will leave standing up for work... and sitting down for gaming.  heh

 Depending on the diameter, you can have quite a lot of controllers on a circular CP.

[SavannahLion]

I thought about what you said and while, in theory, it would work. However, again in theory, it would take up an enormous amount of space. At the point you start talking about having couch-like seating, multiple players and seating for spectators all inside of a theater-like box with full surround sound, you might as well drop the lazy susan and install multiple screens so your party can enjoy all of the controls all of the time. Like a Sprint 8 or Tank 8 with a flat panel for each side.

[michelevit]

With all that effort to incorporate all those controls in one cabinet, it would be easier and possibly cheaper to build the following 5.

a cab with a 2 person streetfighter layout (two 8 way sticks allow for robotron, crazy climber, karate champ and other 2 stick games)
a cab with a steering wheel (pole position and other driving games.
a cab with spinner (tempest, arkanoid)
a cab with a dedicated 4 way joystick (dk, pacman etc)
a cab with a trackball (centipede, marble madness, missile command)

These rotating or modular cabs are never half as nice as a dedicated design.

[Generic Eric]

 Depending on the diameter, you can have quite a lot of controllers on a circular CP.

Like Uncle T's Mothers driving game?

[mgb]

 Depending on the diameter, you can have quite a lot of controllers on a circular CP.

Like Uncle T's Mothers driving game?

That's the one that came to my mind during this discussion.

[DaveMMR]

With all that effort to incorporate all those controls in one cabinet, it would be easier and possibly cheaper to build the following 5.

a cab with a 2 person streetfighter layout (two 8 way sticks allow for robotron, crazy climber, karate champ and other 2 stick games)
a cab with a steering wheel (pole position and other driving games.
a cab with spinner (tempest, arkanoid)
a cab with a dedicated 4 way joystick (dk, pacman etc)
a cab with a trackball (centipede, marble madness, missile command)

These rotating or modular cabs are never half as nice as a dedicated design.

While I agree with the overall "rethink control overload" rhetoric, especially with regards to rotating panels, I don't think building multiple cabinets (all with its own need for lumber, a PC, display, etc.) is in anyway the cheaper solution. Not to mention, many people may just not have the room for a mini-arcade.

To be blunt, unless you do have the money and space, concessions will always have to be made in this hobby. That is to say: all "all-in-one" cab ideas always have some downside to consider - even post-construction. For example:

Rotating monitor. Pros: two orientations on one screen. Cons: Monitor size limitation plus excess bezel.
Rotating control panel. Pros: numerous layouts that are easy to switch out. Cons: More excess bezel to accommodate the control clearance.
Modular control panel. Pros: unlimited layouts without duplicate controls. Cons: unsightly seams in the control panel; too complex for anyone other than designer to switch things out.
Swappable control panel. Pros: Clean design, unlimited orientations. Cons: expense (duplicate controls), storage, and again too complex for guests.

Again, I tend to favor the "swappable route" myself. Design you cab with the basic two player/six button (or seven) layout. Perhaps stick a trackball and spinner in there if you have the space (and you don't need as much as you think unless you're really into Golden Tee.) Make it so that the panel and wiring can be easily removed (panel clamps and Molex connectors work well) and, down the road, you can make a second panel with, for example, a Tron Stick and dedicated spinner or, heck, even a simple 4-player layout with only 3/4 buttons each that doesn't require a wide-panel.

[Xiaou2]

I thought about what you said and while, in theory, it would work. However, again in theory, it would take up an enormous amount of space. At the point you start talking about having couch-like seating, multiple players and seating for spectators all inside of a theater-like box with full surround sound, you might as well drop the lazy susan and install multiple screens so your party can enjoy all of the controls all of the time. Like a Sprint 8 or Tank 8 with a flat panel for each side.

 Theres no way to have every controller available for all players at the same time.  I pretty much have every specialty controller thats ever been built.

 While the idea of a mini arcade is nice in theory... that means:

1) Several PCs  $$$
2) Several Encoders $$$
3) Several cabinets, cab hardware, paint, glass, wiring, power strips, lighting, artwork
4) Several Displays $$$
5) Even if you built 6 cabs, you still wouldnt be able to fit all of the Controller configurations, into them all..  and they would still take up more space than the version I started to envision.
6) If you built those cabs to try to save space, they are going to all be standups... which isnt as comfy nor nice as sitdowns.
7) And, you wouldnt have the mini theater to boot.
8 ) Having friends over, when people are playing.. all are sort of forced to witness the great moments of gaming.  Rather than merely doing their own thing, and not really bonding.
9) Being enclosed, theres better sound quality capability.. as well as reduced sound leaks both from inside to out.. as well as outside to in.   With good insulation, it could make a nice quite meditation room, recording area, place to nap.. or place for adults to have a little private fun without the kids breaking in.  heh   It could also have its own heating and cooling.. thus saving on utilities.

---

 With an all in one, theres One PC.  One assembly.  And one artwork theme.

 
 The cabs main design would be for 2 players, but have certain controllers in the rear area for 4 players support... such as spinners, for Warlords.

 
 The design was inspired by Unclets cab design... but on a much grander scale & functionality.  More controllers, better layouts, different structural design.

 
 When I get a breather, and stability of income.. Ill get back to it...

[Xiaou2]

With all that effort to incorporate all those controls in one cabinet, it would be easier and possibly cheaper to build the following 5.

a cab with a 2 person streetfighter layout (two 8 way sticks allow for robotron, crazy climber, karate champ and other 2 stick games)
a cab with a steering wheel (pole position and other driving games.
a cab with spinner (tempest, arkanoid)
a cab with a dedicated 4 way joystick (dk, pacman etc)
a cab with a trackball (centipede, marble madness, missile command)

These rotating or modular cabs are never half as nice as a dedicated design.

Yet, with all of those cabs.. it still does not allow for playing all of the games... some of which are very fun and interesting.

 Wheres the Mechanical Rotary sticks?   Discs of Tron?   Spy Hunter wheel?   Is there a 360 deg wheel?  Race Drivin 5 way Shifters + 3 pedals each?   Afterburner II throttle?   Mad Planets Spinner + trigger stick?   Sinistar 49 way optical stick?   Baseball & Golf games  "spring loaded"  pots?   720 controller? 

 And you mention something like dual 8 way sticks.. but honestly, Nothing plays Robotron like true Wico leaf sticks..  yet Wico leaf sticks dont work well for Fighters.   Similarly, are there leaf buttons?  Micros?  Or both?   4 analog trigger sticks for two player tank games?

 Theres a lot more gems too.


 A lot of people make compromises in controls, because they 1) dont really know the difference.  2) Cant afford or get hold of the originals.  3)  Have never used the originals.. so are clueless as the to the reasons.  4) Dont care enough..  spends more time playing the latest 3d fps than their mame cabinet.  5) Dont really have as much passion in classic gaming as others.  6) Value the Look of their machines more than the functionality..

 But for many of us.. who grew up on these games..  we know what they are supposed to feel like. How they are supposed to control.  The difference in feel, performance, and control, is like choosing between a Ferrari.. and a Yugo... & to try to win a race.   Even if you get something in between those two...  Once you have tasted the top of the line.. its hard to suffer with anything less than the best.

[SavannahLion]

Theres no way to have every controller available for all players at the same time.  I pretty much have every specialty controller thats ever been built.

I'm sure that's true. But at what point does practical sensibilities kick in here? After you build a control panel for Boong-ga Boong-ga or a virtual ---uvula---? Just asking 

[ark_ader]

I vaguely remember that low boy that had every control known my man that was interchangeable set on three mounts similar to this:

http://www.rototron.info/RotatingPanels.php

[Malenko]

I'm not going to get into this modular rotating "debate" but I would suggest you do this:

Make a list of the top 50 or 100 games you want to play/will actually play. Figure out what controls would cover the majority of those games.  For me personally the standard "street fighter" set up covered the majority of the games I actually play. Figure out what you need to have and what you can live without and go from there.

Even if you made 2 panels, one with a street fighter (or SF +1) layout and a second with a 4way, a trackball, a spinner and some buttons that covers the overwhelming majority of what most people play. Its great your in here asking for advice PRIOR to building , and its great that you are listening to what people post, that being said don't lose sight of what YOU want out of the cab.

I look forward to following your build thread 

[Generic Eric]

There is just too much stuff.

Those controls, that collection...


*shuffles papers* I had a post somewhere.  Batchman.  Start small.  Start with a fight stick.  Build another project.  Reuse the controls if you want.

Build a Pedestal if you want.  Then make something bigger.

It is worth mentioning, that setting up MAME, getting high scores to safe and setting up your Frontend are adventures in their own right. 

[yotsuya]

I'm not going to get into this modular rotating "debate" but I would suggest you do this:

Make a list of the top 50 or 100 games you want to play/will actually play. Figure out what controls would cover the majority of those games.  For me personally the standard "street fighter" set up covered the majority of the games I actually play. Figure out what you need to have and what you can live without and go from there.

Even if you made 2 panels, one with a street fighter (or SF +1) layout and a second with a 4way, a trackball, a spinner and some buttons that covers the overwhelming majority of what most people play. Its great your in here asking for advice PRIOR to building , and its great that you are listening to what people post, that being said don't lose sight of what YOU want out of the cab.

I look forward to following your build thread 

Sound advice!

[Batchman]

At this point I will probably go modular, with 5 panels to start, which will cover a wide variety of my favorite games, with more to come later as time and interest demand.

I will likely start out with 1/2 size panels for the most part.

Two 8-way joysticks with 4 buttons each, close enough together for Crazy Climber, Robotron, etc, yet also allowing for 2 player X-men or Gauntlet (duplicating this panel later will allow for 4 player X-men or Gauntlet).

Tron stick & spinner, plus a couple extra buttons, so it can not only play Tron, but also (assuming a spinner can handle it) paddle games like Breakout, Arkanoid and Tempest.

Trackball and 3 buttons able to handle most trackball games. (Later can add a second one to allow two player Marble Madness.)

Five button Layout for things like Phoenix, AstroBlaster, Asteroids.

Four way joystick, possibly rotatable for Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Q*Bert, etc.

That will allow me to play the vast majority of games that I am really interested in. More options can be added over time, later. Including steering wheel options when I am ready to deal with that headache!

[yotsuya]

At this point I will probably go modular, with 5 panels to start, which will cover a wide variety of my favorite games, with more to come later as time and interest demand.

I will likely start out with 1/2 size panels for the most part.

Two 8-way joysticks with 4 buttons each, close enough together for Crazy Climber, Robotron, etc, yet also allowing for 2 player X-men or Gauntlet (duplicating this panel later will allow for 4 player X-men or Gauntlet).

Tron stick & spinner, plus a couple extra buttons, so it can not only play Tron, but also (assuming a spinner can handle it) paddle games like Breakout, Arkanoid and Tempest.

Trackball and 3 buttons able to handle most trackball games. (Later can add a second one to allow two player Marble Madness.)

Five button Layout for things like Phoenix, AstroBlaster, Asteroids.

Four way joystick, possibly rotatable for Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Q*Bert, etc.

That will allow me to play the vast majority of games that I am really interested in. More options can be added over time, later. Including steering wheel options when I am ready to deal with that headache!

Sounds like my initial plan - although I also had panel with a flightstick and thruster for Afterburner-type games, and another that had USB passthroughs for Console games.

In the end, I went with just one two player panel and never looked back. 

[telengard]

Another vote for modular.  I also have one and am so so glad I switched from swappable panels to modular controls.  For me it is the best possible without having dedicated cabinets.  Rotating monitor is the other part for me that makes the cab.

@Paul Olson  Wow, you've been busy!  So where is the Paperboy Yoke?   
I will have to hit you up on how to do my SW Yoke and Spy Hunter yoke seeing you've already done it.

~telengard

[Paul Olson]

Another vote for modular.  I also have one and am so so glad I switched from swappable panels to modular controls.  For me it is the best possible without having dedicated cabinets.  Rotating monitor is the other part for me that makes the cab.

@Paul Olson  Wow, you've been busy!  So where is the Paperboy Yoke?   
I will have to hit you up on how to do my SW Yoke and Spy Hunter yoke seeing you've already done it.

~telengard

It is sitting on the floor on the other side of the cabinet. I need to find the little screws that attach the housing to the mounting plate. I know I had them when I took it apart last year...