Cabinet Style/Size Issues

[arkowi]

Hey guys, this is my first cabinet. I am a long time emulator nut, so I figure the next step is building my cabinet.

My problem is this...I like the idea of 2 player games on my cab, but the newer style huge cabinets (Mortal Kombat style) are bigger than what I want. I really like the old Pac-Man, Galga style cabs. Has anyone ever put 2 sets of controlers on the older style cabs? Are they too small? any suggestions will be appreciated!

[PacManFan]

I recently put a Time Soldiers control panel and game into a PacMan cabinet, TimeSoliers is a 2-player 2button game. With games that are 4 button or more, you might run into some elbow room issues. You could probably do it through

[Stingray]

I'm in the process of making a two player setup for an old Bally-Midway cab. Two sticks with four buttons each seem to fit okay.

-S

[greywolf22]

I was able to get 2 joysticks with six button each on mine.  It was on old Top Gunner conversion cabinet, although not really sure what it was before that.  But here you can see how I did it.  I haven't completed my cab yet, so can't give you the details on how well it works, but it seems to be okay..at least for me.  

[arkowi]

I was able to get 2 joysticks with six button each on mine.  It was on old Top Gunner conversion cabinet, although not really sure what it was before that.  But here you can see how I did it.  I haven't completed my cab yet, so can't give you the details on how well it works, but it seems to be okay..at least for me.  

how many inches wide is your control panel?

[Stingray]

Here's a pretty bad picture of my mockup:



The panel is 23 inches wide. I'll be building the metal panel tonight.

-S

[JamesS]

I thought my cabinet was small at 23 3/4 inch wide for the Control Panel, but that one is small.

I need to find me a tv that will fit the in the cabinet, if I could afford that 25" Arcade moniter that would probably work perfectly.

[arkowi]

I guess another option is just do a really nice 1 player only  cp with a spinner, trackball, joystick and some buttoms and have a swappable one for 2 players games...

I just really like the older cabs so much better! So much more class!

[JamesS]

I am going to make swappable panels.  The cabinet I got was small.  I was even worried whether I  would have enough room for the 12 buttons and 2 8 way joysticks, with a 4 way in the middle.

Except for the Ultimate 4 way sucking, the panel lay out worked pretty well to me.

[JamesS]

And the panel is not even 12 inches wide.  11 3/4 I think.  Can not remember.  It does stick out farther than the normal panel would, but after I get the lock ins set up, planning on putting the front piece on.  

Then there will be no hole there.

[dmsuchy]

Check out "Dream Authentics" off the mameroom.com website, they have a Midway style cab with to sticks 6 buttons each, and a trackball in the middle. Great looking multi functional small cab!

[arkowi]

And the panel is not even 12 inches wide.  11 3/4 I think.  Can not remember.  It does stick out farther than the normal panel would, but after I get the lock ins set up, planning on putting the front piece on.  

Then there will be no hole there.

James,
What type of cab are you working with?

[JamesS]

I want to say it was originally a Crystal Castle.  But I am not sure, a standard Atari Cabinet.

The panel was metal.  I was not sure I could do the wood work, so I did not want to mess with a metal CP.

Or have the metal bent in the shape it needed to be bent to work.  So I opted to add a little to the front make a wooden(MDF) CP.  I think it worked out pretty well.  You can see the wiring job I did in the Project annoucements, as well as a pic of the cabinet, before I started messing with it.

[Stingray]

I just really like the older cabs so much better! So much more class!

I agree completly, which is why I held off for a classic style cab instead of one of the newer giant cabs.

-S

[greywolf22]

My panel is 21" wide and 7" deep.  My plan is to make at least one other swappable control panel with a trackball, top-fire joystick and spinner, at least that's the plan (of course we all know how plans go)  

[Stingray]

Same here. After the cab is up and running I intend to build a second CP with a trackball & spinner.

-S

[JamesS]

That is my plan as well.  One day.  Probably after I get a better machine.  The p3 I am planning to use does not have enough horses I do not think to push the latest mame.

[Stingray]

Mine's running on an older Power Mac G3, which would probably have problems with some of the newer games as well. That's not a real issue as far as I'm concerned, being a child of the '80s, my interest in arcade games is pretty well limited to the classics.

-S

[patrickl]

Check out "Dream Authentics" off the mameroom.com website, they have a Midway style cab with to sticks 6 buttons each, and a trackball in the middle. Great looking multi functional small cab!

That cab sure looks nice. It does seem a lot bigger than an authentic cab though. I estimate (based on measurements of the images) that the CP is about 25" wide and a 8"deep. That's a lot roomier than the original.

Cool to see so many people planning to build a classic cab. I have been "designing" (and learning on this forum to see what I need to design) a Galaga upright style cabinet. Also with replacable control panels. At least a Galaga, Stargate and multiplayer CP. Hopefully also a racing panel and flight sim panel. If I get very handy with the woodworking etc. maybe even a two player positional gun layout.

I tried to design a CP with 2 players and a trackball and I couldn't find the space to put it all on. The CP will be 23"wide and then I need to keep the sides clear since I though about buidling a box like CP (so the sides both take 3/4"wood away from the space) with about 21.5"usable space.

Another issue is the depth of the classic panels. I think they are rarely deeper then 6 or 7 inches. That also doesn't leave much extra space. I guess for some panels I will need to have it sticking it out on the front.

Personally I think I'm gonna go with a two player Neo geo layout. I tried the diamond or capcom layout and I find it hard to hit the bottom right button. With the neo geo layout this button is moved up and to the right of the upper right button (of the diamond).

[arkowi]

Check out "Dream Authentics" off the mameroom.com website, they have a Midway style cab with to sticks 6 buttons each, and a trackball in the middle. Great looking multi functional small cab!

That cab sure looks nice. It does seem a lot bigger than an authentic cab though. I estimate (based on measurements of the images) that the CP is about 25" wide and a 8"deep. That's a lot roomier than the original.

Cool to see so many people planning to build a classic cab. I have been "designing" (and learning on this forum to see what I need to design) a Galaga upright style cabinet. Also with replacable control panels. At least a Galaga, Stargate and multiplayer CP. Hopefully also a racing panel and flight sim panel. If I get very handy with the woodworking etc. maybe even a two player positional gun layout.

I tried to design a CP with 2 players and a trackball and I couldn't find the space to put it all on. The CP will be 23"wide and then I need to keep the sides clear since I though about buidling a box like CP (so the sides both take 3/4"wood away from the space) with about 21.5"usable space.

Another issue is the depth of the classic panels. I think they are rarely deeper then 6 or 7 inches. That also doesn't leave much extra space. I guess for some panels I will need to have it sticking it out on the front.

Personally I think I'm gonna go with a two player Neo geo layout. I tried the diamond or capcom layout and I find it hard to hit the bottom right button. With the neo geo layout this button is moved up and to the right of the upper right button (of the diamond).

Cool! we are on the same page! I am either doing a Galaga or a Pac Man orginal. I am still in the planning phases. I would love to see what you have as far a the cp layouts! The krux of the situation is that I want the old style cab, but I want to be able to play the newer games.

[patrickl]

Cool! we are on the same page! I am either doing a Galaga or a Pac Man orginal. I am still in the planning phases. I would love to see what you have as far a the cp layouts! The krux of the situation is that I want the old style cab, but I want to be able to play the newer games.

He, he, know what you mean. I'm going crazy over CP designs. Of course the Galaga panel will be a must, but for parties I really want a 2 player CP that I can load up. I have been cgecking loads of pictures of control panels of the games I want to be playing on it (on klov). Apart from Stargate all games I like will use at most 4 buttons.

I'm just not sure of the layout. One can put 4 buttons in:
- a diamond shape
- a tilted diamond (like a square but then the right column is slightly higher)
- a square
- the neo geo layout (4 buttons in a row with the left button lower then the other three, and maybe button 2 slightly lowered too)

So far I seem to be on the neo-geo, but I need more playtesting  Perhaps I will put in an extra button to allow both the diamond and neo geo layout.

Another problem that I have is that these classic style cabs seem too low for me. Perhaps I'm just too tall (1.85m) or these cabs were built for 16 year old kids I went to an arcade to play on a Class of 81 (Galaga/Ms Pacman) machine and the control panel was so low it hurt my wrist after even 10 minutes of playing.

[arkowi]

Cool! we are on the same page! I am either doing a Galaga or a Pac Man orginal. I am still in the planning phases. I would love to see what you have as far a the cp layouts! The krux of the situation is that I want the old style cab, but I want to be able to play the newer games.

He, he, know what you mean. I'm going crazy over CP designs. Of course the Galaga panel will be a must, but for parties I really want a 2 player CP that I can load up. I have been cgecking loads of pictures of control panels of the games I want to be playing on it (on klov). Apart from Stargate all games I like will use at most 4 buttons.

I'm just not sure of the layout. One can put 4 buttons in:
- a diamond shape
- a tilted diamond (like a square but then the right column is slightly higher)
- a square
- the neo geo layout (4 buttons in a row with the left button lower then the other three, and maybe button 2 slightly lowered too)

So far I seem to be on the neo-geo, but I need more playtesting  Perhaps I will put in an extra button to allow both the diamond and neo geo layout.

Another problem that I have is that these classic style cabs seem too low for me. Perhaps I'm just too tall (1.85m) or these cabs were built for 16 year old kids I went to an arcade to play on a Class of 81 (Galaga/Ms Pacman) machine and the control panel was so low it hurt my wrist after even 10 minutes of playing.

any links/pictures of these layouts?

[patrickl]

OK, I did some quick and dirty cutouts of what I meant.

Tilted diamond (or skewed square) (image taken and butchered from motofish CPO):


Square layout (image again from motofish CPO):

(The diamond layout would be like a square rotated by 45 degrees)

Neo Geo with top 3 buttons in a row:


Neo Geo with top second (yellow B) button slightly lowered from the previous sample:

This is the one that seems to fit best with my hand

Neo geo with a diamond combo:


for good measure a Mortal Combat layout:

[mahuti]

I have a Defender cabinet with a 2 player setup, and it's pretty comfortable.

I also have a "classics" panel made for one person that I use, and I like it more... fits most games, but the other is good for Neo & Capcom.

The defender panel is pretty small, though I think some might even be more narrow.

Roughly 24 x 7

You can see pics at the link below
http://homepage.mac.com/mahuti/Mamecab/PhotoAlbum33.html

[arkowi]

I have a Defender cabinet with a 2 player setup, and it's pretty comfortable.

I also have a "classics" panel made for one person that I use, and I like it more... fits most games, but the other is good for Neo & Capcom.

The defender panel is pretty small, though I think some might even be more narrow.

Roughly 24 x 7

You can see pics at the link below
http://homepage.mac.com/mahuti/Mamecab/PhotoAlbum33.html

thanks for the pics, that does not look to cramped at all. i can deal with that way better than with a monsterous CP.

[paigeoliver]

Recently built a 2-player Neo Geo layout on a 22" wide panel with no cramping issues at all.

Also, you guys, the majority of arcade games measured less than 24" between the sides, and many of them were still 2 player. Most of those Streetfighter 2 machines you used to play were conversions in early 80s cabinets.

[arkowi]

Recently built a 2-player Neo Geo layout on a 22" wide panel with no cramping issues at all.

Also, you guys, the majority of arcade games measured less than 24" between the sides, and many of them were still 2 player. Most of those Streetfighter 2 machines you used to play were conversions in early 80s cabinets.

You make some excellent points. When I think of SFII I always think of bigger CPs, but in retrospect you are correct.