Ergonomics of arcade build

[AndersHP]

I'm pretty close to starting up my bartop arcade build, but coincidentally stumbled upon some vintage arcades last week, like an exhibition in the foryer of a venue, before attending a concert.

Here, I realized that the ergonomics of the old arcades were really, seriously bad, primarily because the controlpanel was too low, and had too little place to rest my hands. This resulted in my fingers being angled a bit upwards (like you would with an oversized computermouse, while resting your hand on the desk), meaning that the fast buttonclicking in an old game of 1943 very quickly became quite painful.

I was just wondering, if some of you Guys have any experience in this regard, or maybe has tried out some of the bartop arcades available on eBay? Like this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CLASSIC-BARTOP-ARCADE-MACHINE-2-PLAYER-DIY-FLAT-PACK-KIT-12MM-MDF-T-MOLD-/162091181907?hash=item25bd632753:g:I6IAAOSwZ8ZW7omC

If I find out 2 minutes after my build is complete, that I built something with ergonomics this bad, it would be devastating, and ultimately lead to me not using the arcade.

[Le Chuck]

rest your hands?

[BadMouth]

Mock ups for the win!

I had the benefit of already owning an x-arcade tankstick when designing my upright cab.
I experimented with various control panel heights, monitor heights, & monitor angles.
My cab is as it should be....for me.

I also dealt with the issue of having enough CP below the buttons to rest your palm.
It's one of the things that determined the depth of my CP.

I can see where that would be a tougher issue with a bartop.
I'm not sure about the one you linked without knowing the actual depth of the control panel.
The CP on my full size cab is 9" front to back IIRC, but the buttons are pushed back a bit farther.
Any shorter and my palms would be on the edge of the CP.
If the front edge of the CP were rounded, it probably wouldn't be an issue.

You're talking about two people trying to use a miniaturized machine simultaneously.
There probably isn't going to be a way to get optimal ergonomics. 
If you made it one player with a front porch, then maybe.

[Ginsu Victim]

I'm in the process of remaking my CP soon because I have the same problem with pain after a short period. I didn't leave enough room to rest my hands comfortably on the CP. My palm hits the edge instead.

[Titchgamer]

When I designed my CP i designed it for use by me (obv) but i am short with small hands andmost standard CP's i find uncomfortable for prolonged use.

So what I did was rest my right hand on a piece of paper (inc wrist) with fingers spread.
I then used that as the spread pattern for my buttons (spacing based upon the tips of my fingers) and left them far enough in to rest my wrists on the CP.

And as a result i have a really comfy CP

[thomas_surles]

I based the design of mine  around my height and what felt most comfortable.

[markc74]

Based mine on height - I found having the front of the control panel front around 100cm (~40") from ground worked well, with a 5-10 degree angle going upwards towards the back of the CP. I'm 6' so YMMV. Definitely do a mockup using cardboard and books/yellow pages/spare boxes to get a feel for it first though. No matter what people say, the CP is the most important part of the cab if you actually want to use it.

Agree with moving the controls towards the back too. If your wrist can rest on the front of the CP then it's much more comfortable for periods over 5 minutes. But I'm getting old 

[BigCurtis]

When considering ergonomics, body positioning should be considred as well, how you stand, etc. My ideal ergonomic solution would likely be perfectly vertical and looks something like the diagram below. 

[leapinlew]

I figure out ergonomics like my wife buys dresses.

Try one height and angle of CP
Then try another
Then try a cocktail
then try a bartop
then mull over all the decisions for 2 hours
then go with my first choice.

[AndersHP]

Damn, hearing about rebuilds because of ergonomics just confirms my suspicion.

I have to build a mock-up, but with a pre-built kit like the one I'm linking to, the only variable is basically the angle of the CP, and the window of the possibilities for angling this is very small...

I'm just unsure if my woodworking skills and tools available will be good enough to produce a sharp-looking end product....

[BadMouth]

The guy making the kits you linked to could probably tweak the design for you.
He might even have plans for other versions that he doesn't bother listing because although more ergonomic, they don't look as cool.

No idea who the guy is, but if he's selling kits he's probably doing custom stuff as well.

[paigeoliver]

rest your hands?

Way too many people come into emulation from PC gaming and somehow think using an arcade control panel is something like typing.

Generally the more people try to improve the "ergonomics" of their machine, the more unusable they become.

[BadMouth]

rest your hands?

Way too many people come into emulation from PC gaming and somehow think using an arcade control panel is something like typing.

Generally the more people try to improve the "ergonomics" of their machine, the more unusable they become.

If I'm using more than 3 buttons on my curved layout, I lose track of what buttons I'm pressing and have to look down every so often and reset my hand.
That never happened with a straight 6.  Having convex buttons probably exacerbates the issue.

If I ever do another build, it will return to the old school straight 6, unless it's a 3 button shmup cab in which case I'll keep the curve and convex buttons.

[Le Chuck]

rest your hands?

Way too many people come into emulation from PC gaming and somehow think using an arcade control panel is something like typing.

Generally the more people try to improve the "ergonomics" of their machine, the more unusable they become.

If I'm using more than 3 buttons on my curved layout, I lose track of what buttons I'm pressing and have to look down every so often and reset my hand.
That never happened with a straight 6.  Having convex buttons probably exacerbates the issue.

If I ever do another build, it will return to the old school straight 6, unless it's a 3 button shmup cab in which case I'll keep the curve and convex buttons.

concur with Paige

I can keep track of a concave curve, but I see it as a design choice rather than an ergonomic one.  Can't do convex buttons, then I loose track.  Plus it feels off for me.  90% of the panels I've built have been straight sixes.  Love it.