Questions regarding arcade control panel

[Frietbakker]

Dear Arcade community,

Im currently designing an arcade cabinet, roughly following Sorensen's Project MAME.
The control panel will be an RVS laser cut plate (2mm thick) i found a six button scheme online somewhere but it doesn't mention hole diameters. I have a couple of questions for you veterans out here:

- What are the mainstream pushbuttons and joysticks? There are so many products.. i'm not really familiar with original arcade machines  (There is Sawna, ILSA, Seimitsu.. What is recommended?)
- What diameter holes should i drill in my control panel to fit the controls?
- How are these controls mounted onto such a plate?
- Should i mount a wooden support under my 2mm RVS control panel plate?

This will be my first arcade project. Constructing the cabinet will be easy, electronics is not really my field of expertise.

Thanks in advance!

[PL1]

Welcome aboard, Frietbakker.   

The wiki is down right now, but there is a fairly recent copy of the BYOAC FAQ on the Internet Wayback Machine.

The control panel will be an RVS laser cut plate (2mm thick)

Not familiar with "RVS", but given the thickness I assume it is a type of metal.   

i found a six button scheme online somewhere but it doesn't mention hole diameters.

Probably Slagcoin.

- What are the mainstream pushbuttons and joysticks? There are so many products.. i'm not really familiar with original arcade machines  (There is Sawna, ILSA, Seimitsu.. What is recommended?)

Depends on what types of games you like to play.   

90's fighting games?  SHMUPS?

- What diameter holes should i drill in my control panel to fit the controls?

Buttons are almost always 1-1/8" (1.125") or 30mm.

Joystick hole size depends on the stick and how far from the top of the panel it is mounted.

A 1-1/8" hole is good for most sticks in a 3/4" wood panel -- you could use a smaller hole for a metal panel.

- How are these controls mounted onto such a plate?

Buttons either have a nut on the underside or locking tabs.
 

Joysticks on a metal panel:
- Carriage bolts are the easy way so long as you don't mind having the heads visible.

- If you don't want to see the carriage bolt heads, weld bolts/flat-head screws either to the underside of the panel or to a separate plate like Luigi did here.

- Should i mount a wooden support under my 2mm RVS control panel plate?

Assuming that it is metal, bending a small tab (1/2"?) on each edge should minimize the amount of flex.




Scott

[Frietbakker]

Thanks so much for your detailed reply! awesome!

That Wiki has everything, Thanks!
RVS.. i forgot to translate haha its stainless steel.   

I got into oldskool gaming because of my dad who owned a MSX, played a lot of a version of the first Donkey Kong. I want my children to experience the games we played instead of iPad app nonsense.

In my search for the controls i came across these buttons:
http://www.arcadeshop.de/ILSA-Buttons-Pushbutton-SL-black_555.html
With a Metric 28mm hole, easy.

I read alot on joysticks, i guess this is the most mainstream arcade joystick.
http://www.arcadeshop.de/Joysticks-JLF-TP-8YT-Sanwa_627.html

i indeed added those tabs on the edges, (Atleast in my autodesk inventor model) I might document it all and upload it in the future. Im still in early drawing stages.

[paigeoliver]

I read alot on joysticks, i guess this is the most mainstream arcade joystick.
http://www.arcadeshop.de/Joysticks-JLF-TP-8YT-Sanwa_627.html

i indeed added those tabs on the edges, (Atleast in my autodesk inventor model) I might document it all and upload it in the future. Im still in early drawing stages.

Not in any way whatsoever. That is the most mainstream arcade joystick used in Japan for the last 15 years or so. I you lived literally anywhere else then you were playing with controls that were totally different. Baby Japanese sticks couldn't hold up to the level of abuse games saw in American/European arcades and we got totally different, much higher quality gear. First time I saw one of those sticks in an American arcade was 2011 and it was on a machine imported from Japan, and both sticks were broken.

[Titchgamer]

The JLF is the most popular fight stick but not the most mainstream.

[Frietbakker]

...Baby Japanese sticks couldn't hold up to the level of abuse games saw in American/European arcades and we got totally different, much higher quality gear. First time I saw one of those sticks in an American arcade was 2011 and it was on a machine imported from Japan, and both sticks were broken.

The JLF is the most popular fight stick but not the most mainstream.

Hi guys! Thanks for your replies! What type of joystick would u recommend me? I think it will primarily play games like donkey kong and Mortal Kombat. I think it should be a joystick that can easy switch between 4 and 8 directions.

[Titchgamer]

There are not many sticks that do switch easy between 4 way and 8 way.

But I went with the mag stick from ultimarc.
It changes between 4 way and 8 way easily but they are a marmite  kind of stick you either love them or hate them.

They have a very short throw (which I like) and centre nicely.
Very good in 4 way mode but because of the square restrictor they are average in 8 way but you cant have it all sadly.

Ime very happy with mine but I know many on here hate them so its a try and see thing.

[Frietbakker]

But I went with the mag stick from ultimarc.
It changes between 4 way and 8 way easily but they are a marmite  kind of stick you either love them or hate them.

I never really played much on real arcade machines. I always looked at them in awe. Did play a lot on pinball machines. My uncle owns one and trades jukeboxes.
The only 'arcade stick' i ever played with was the one connected to the MSX we owned:


Did you upload your arcade machine here somewhere? The Mag-Stik Plus sounds fascinating! Do you often switch between 4 / 8 directions? It sounds easy from the top w/o dismantling.,.. To switch: Pull out the stick against the spring pressure, continue pulling while rotating, until the mechanism engages, then turn anticlockwise for 8-way, or clockwise for 4-way.

But it also sounds like a mechanism that will break easily

[Titchgamer]

Well here is my thread on the mag stick I started a few months ago:

Ultimarc Mag Stick Plus opinions.

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?url=http%3A%2F%2Fforum%2Earcadecontrols%2Ecom%2Findex%2Ephp%3Ftopic%3D151331&share_tid=151331&share_fid=19713&share_type=t

Hope that works as ime on tapatalk atm lol

As for the mech its pretty solid but I rarely use the stick method to change.
They also have a lever on the main body and as my CP is hinged I just lift and push the lever.

I did upload a thread for my cab but it got lost in the server outage and ive never bothered to re do it lol

But heres a pic with the mag sticks fitted.



And yes I do switch them alot.
Playing pac man with a 8 way sucks major balls lol

[paigeoliver]

I normally suggest having a separate 8-way and 4-way stick if you really need to play both Mortal Kombat and Donkey Kong on the same machine. Suggest Happ Supers for 8-ways and Happ's replacement Pac-Man stick for the 4-way. While neither is the best stick in the world, they are both durable and have smooth, even movement patterns that play a wide variety of games well

...Baby Japanese sticks couldn't hold up to the level of abuse games saw in American/European arcades and we got totally different, much higher quality gear. First time I saw one of those sticks in an American arcade was 2011 and it was on a machine imported from Japan, and both sticks were broken.

The JLF is the most popular fight stick but not the most mainstream.

Hi guys! Thanks for your replies! What type of joystick would u recommend me? I think it will primarily play games like donkey kong and Mortal Kombat. I think it should be a joystick that can easy switch between 4 and 8 directions.