Need layout advise

[shwnicus]

I am laying out a 2 player board on a 26" by 13" panel.  my display is only 20" so I don't want the cabinet to dwarf it, plus space in my house is at a premium.  I'm going with the 6 button alternate Sega layout as seen on that wonderful slagcoin joystick page.  I've played around with placement, and the feel (as far as I can tell from banging on paper circles and resting my fist on the table) is good, but something just doesn't look right for player two.  advise?

The 'X's at the top are for player and coin buttons, the dark circles at the bottom are left and right click buttons for the t-ball acting as a mouse.

thanks!

[shwnicus]

some numbers:

3" from left edge to center of joystick 1
3" from right edge to center of right most buttons of player two
4" from top edge to center of highest button of each player
9.5" from player 1 right most button center to player two joystick center

I'm leaving a little space at the top center in case I decide to add a 4way joystick wired to player 1 joystick

[mgb]

I would ditch the left and right mouse buttons. you wont really need them.

[bbmonster]

Could be just an optical illusion/distortion because of the guide lines on the left whereas there is none on the right. Also you could scoot over player two closer to the edge since the button hand doesn't move much. Well, that's the way I made mine because CP is small. Figured the joystick hand would need more space to prevent from hitting player1's button hand.

Also, have you tried making a Google sketch up model? That helps a lot if you are afraid of dwarfing your monitor.

[Benzinbruder]

[...] you could scoot over player two closer to the edge [...]

Seconded. Especially when your CP is flush with the sidewall of your cabinet this might be an option.
If it's not it might be uncomfortable for Player 2 to have the right hand rest on the edge of the sidewall.

Like bbmonster, I also suggest making a quick SketchUp model to get an idea how your cab will look like.
You could also go the old school pencil and paper route of course. 

[shwnicus]

Thank you!

I have already cut and painted the side panels to the cabinet, this is my last "nervous cut" before starting the assembly process.  I've even clamped the two in a mock up of the cab, and it "feels" ok....  I'll try moving the player 2 config over and see if I like that.  after that, its off to the project announcement thread for assembly 

I had the mouse buttons in case this cab ever gets use for a mouse game.  I've seen people put those buttons on the side of the cab too, as in pinball buttons.  What's the general thought on the pinball buttons?  I see them a lot, but I don't see anything in standard MAME that would benefit.  I've had zero success getting virtual pinball, future pinball, or pinMAME to work.  Is it worth it to hook them up anyway?  ROMs in MAME to simulate pinball that I am missing?  I do have fond memories of "Epic Pinball" on an old 486!

[PL1]

I'd avoid using mouse buttons for flippers since Visual Pinball (VP) and Future Pinball (FP) can be more difficult to re-configure controls than MAME is. (some table scripts are coded to the default keys IIRC)

There's quite a bit of overlap between MAME and VP/FP controls -- search for my posts containing the keyword "MagnaSave" for info and wiring tips.

If you're having trouble installing VP, there is a step-by-step installation guide on vpforums.org.

Look for the red bar near the top -- "Getting Started" has all the essential files and info.

PROTIP: Use the installer program and follow the installation guide precisely instead of skimming and half-assing it -- one missed step can make the installation unusable because of the complex inter-dependencies.

Future Pinball (FP) should be easy to install after that.   

VP tables may need ROMs:
If the original pinball table used ROMs (includes most tables newer than the old EMs and any with a DMD), the VP simulation (physical table/flippers/bumpers,/etc.) uses VPinMame to emulate the ROMs. (software/firmware)

FP tables will not need ROMs:
FP uses scripts to recreate/simulate the DMDs, etc. instead of the original ROMs.

Since you mentioned EPIC Pinball, there are VP and FP versions of the Enigma table. (don't remember where I got the VP version, probably from a torrent with a bunch of older VP8 tables)



There's also a Super Android FP table here and Cyborgirl FP table here.


Scott

[MKFan4Life]

I am laying out a 2 player board on a 26" by 13" panel.  my display is only 20" so I don't want the cabinet to dwarf it, plus space in my house is at a premium.  I'm going with the 6 button alternate Sega layout as seen on that wonderful slagcoin joystick page.  I've played around with placement, and the feel (as far as I can tell from banging on paper circles and resting my fist on the table) is good, but something just doesn't look right for player two.  advise?

The 'X's at the top are for player and coin buttons, the dark circles at the bottom are left and right click buttons for the t-ball acting as a mouse.

thanks!

Just finishing up the final steps of fabrication on my own MAME cab panel and it is VERY similar to this one you are working on here.  I also got some printouts from SLAGCOIN and am using the 8-button SEGA Astro Cab type layouts for player 1 & 2 (So there is a slight difference in the button placement for each side on mine.).  My Player 1 layout is identical to your buttons minus the rightmost upper and lower button.

I agree you could move your player 2 controls closer to the edge on the right.  You seem to have plenty of space below your controls to rest your wrists.  Perhaps a little too much, but it may be just fine.  Just remember, you don't want to have those start and coin buttons too crowded up top, because they will have to clear your cp box edges underneath.  As they appear now, you will not have enough clearance for the thickness of your box underneath and the button nuts.

Your trackball position looks pretty good, but there may be clearance issues there as well, because you have to allow for any overhang of your top panel, the thickness of your cp box wall, and the casing of the trackball itself.  I used a U-TRAK from Ultimarc and it's housing extends 1 3/4" in each direction from the ball edges.  Then you need clearance for possible hinge mounting as well.  Lots to consider before you start drilling.  There's no way those 2 buttons under the trackball will clear even the thinnest of boxes and have room for the button nuts to go on.  Plus, player 2's joystick arm will be pressing the right button a lot.  I'd get rid of those 2 buttons or relocate them for sure. 

My panel is 31 1/2" x 14".  Pretty close to yours with a bit more width.  I also considered mounting a 4-way stick in the future if I end up wanting one above the trackball, but if you want to play those Golden Tee type golf games, you may hit the stick when launching the ball forward hard.  If you only want to play games like Crystal Castles, Missile Command, and Centipede, you'll be just fine.  Hope it turns out great in the end!