anybody ever made one of these?

[hulkster]

i saw this on http://www.dreamauthentics.com/index_mega.htm and thought it was really cool looking.  it doesnt seem like it would be that hard to make, but i was wondering if anyone has thought about making this design or what peoples thoughts are in general on this design.  if youve seen my other post, i was looking at the ultimate arcade II design/mamestation/etc. design (two piece design) and with this big design, you could make the cp one piece and the monitor stand/speakers another piece....this would fit well with a 2 piece travel easy design.  thoughts?    

[TheTick]

Quite a few people have done that type of design. Mine is actually just the front half sitting infront of my Home Theatre's projection screen (didn't need a second screen this way). However, I've seen someone else on this board do both pieces. Don't remember who made it but I've got a picture saved.

[TheTick]

Here's the one that's not mine....

[hulkster]

yeah ive seen that guys machine.  that looks really good.  i was just thinking that, i could make my cp as big as i needed it to be.  i mean, i want 4 players, and a trackball....with enough room in between the players.  just wondering what other people think.

[TheTick]

Does it matter what they think  
Its your home, you're the one thats got to live with it. I've yet to have anyone in my home say "that's not very authentic"    As long as its fun to play on, most people think its pretty cool. I'm surprised that girls think its cool.

[hulkster]

well when i said "what other people think" im looking for tips, pointers, maybe people that have made or thought about making one of these before that can give me some advice on this.  i mean, it doesnt look that tough to make.  

[TheTick]

Very easy to make.
The 4 player squeeze is always tough, you're never gonna have enough room. Guys don't like other guys crowding them. I wound up sticking with 2 players. I had a 2nd, older, podium I was keeping around for another 2 players. Plenty of room that way, spaced out on either side of the TV. Rarely played 4-player games, so I sold the old version.

[NoOne=NBA=]

I don't think it'll be a problem with that design, but always remember that it may have to go back OUT of wherever you put it IN at.

I scrapped my original plan of a big 4 player (plus extras) CP because it wasn't going to fit well in my den.

The swappable control panels work much better for me, but I still need to build a place to house them all.

I'm in the planning stages for a modular CP that will eliminate most of the full CP's I've got, in favor of having them in pieces I can rearrange as necessary for specific games. (i.e. 4 sticks for SmashTV/two sticks and buttons/all buttons for space duel/etc...)

[hulkster]

well i want the option to play 4 players. and with this design, i have the option of having a larger cp without the gay factor :-)  no offense, but you know what im saying

[TheTick]

well i want the option to play 4 players. and with this design, i have the option of having a larger cp without the gay factor :-)  no offense, but you know what im saying

 

Unless you're friends are all skinny... the pic you posted at top still suffers from the "gay factor"  

[Inaba]

Fortunately, myself and the friends I play with are old enough to have grown out of the "gay factor," but I understand the limitations it might place on the younger crowd

But anyway... I'm glad I built a 4 player panel.  I do play some 4 player games occasionally... however, the reason that I'm glad that I have it is primarly because I can play 2 joystick games with another person.

Stuff like Assault, Vindicators, SmashTV, etc... that require 4 joysticks total.  If I had it to do over... which I do, and next Spring I'll probably do something like this.  I would make the panel more square and wider so that I can get 4 people in comfortably and have all the joysticks in with the same orientation (I made the mistake of canting the player 3 and 4's slightly... it makes 4 player bomberman an nightmare).  

This means my next mame cab next Spring is going to be a podium style cab like the above pics.  

In addition to that, a 2 player panel with some limited controls will be on the drawing board as well.  If it's your first panel, you can do what I did to get a feel for what you're looking for...

I just cut out some basic wood, slapped on some supports and started drilling holes and then put in buttons and a joystick and wired it all up to see what it was about.  It really helped me understand the joystick configuration process and it was cheap ( 1/4 sheet of MDF ) ...  

[GroovyTuesdaY]

Does it matter what they think  
Its your home, you're the one thats got to live with it. I've yet to have anyone in my home say "that's not very authentic"    As long as its fun to play on, most people think its pretty cool. I'm surprised that girls think its cool.

Girls think its kewl, because of all the colors.....oh yea....and the "joystick" lmfao  i think there is some freudian ideas to cover this one lol.
g~

[GroovyTuesdaY]

oh yea  i was wondering if anyone has the plans for making one of these types of pedestal control panel / cabs.  or knows  where to find some detailed plans?

thanks,
g~

[hulkster]

But anyway... I'm glad I built a 4 player panel.  I do play some 4 player games occasionally... however, the reason that I'm glad that I have it is primarly because I can play 2 joystick games with another person.

Stuff like Assault, Vindicators, SmashTV, etc... that require 4 joysticks total.  If I had it to do over... which I do, and next Spring I'll probably do something like this.  I would make the panel more square and wider so that I can get 4 people in comfortably and have all the joysticks in with the same orientation (I made the mistake of canting the player 3 and 4's slightly... it makes 4 player bomberman an nightmare).  

This means my next mame cab next Spring is going to be a podium style cab like the above pics.  

In addition to that, a 2 player panel with some limited controls will be on the drawing board as well.  If it's your first panel, you can do what I did to get a feel for what you're looking for...

I just cut out some basic wood, slapped on some supports and started drilling holes and then put in buttons and a joystick and wired it all up to see what it was about.  It really helped me understand the joystick configuration process and it was cheap ( 1/4 sheet of MDF ) ...  

Fortunately, myself and the friends I play with are old enough to have grown out of the "gay factor," but I understand the limitations it might place on the younger crowd

yeah yeah, its not like its a problem for me or anything, i was just saying that to throw some humor into the mix...so...um.....ha ha.........ha.  yeah funny.  no its not a problem, but i just want my space when im playing street fighter, and its uncomfortable to be playing a game when you are rubbing shoulders with somebody else.  

and yeah i would like plans on this as well, but i doubt anybody has any, but if you go that dream authentics site i have listed up there, you can look at the 3D model of the thing and see what size cuts you need to make.