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Author Topic: 4 player Pedestal using existing media center as base  (Read 21983 times)

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KenToad

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Re: 4 player Pedestal for games and media
« Reply #80 on: July 21, 2017, 04:35:28 pm »
I still can't get the games to extend nicely to the borders. Interestingly, even when I manually stretch the image through the tab menu, I can stretch it horizontally no problem, but there are black bars at the top and bottom of the screen that cover the the vertical stretch. I can move the mouse pointer around in those spaces, but I can't view the game screens there.

I guess I'll move this question to the software forum.

KenToad

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Re: 4 player Pedestal for games and media
« Reply #81 on: July 21, 2017, 05:08:30 pm »
Ugh, I replaced the ini file with a backup and now everything works well.

yamatetsu

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Re: 4 player Pedestal for games and media
« Reply #82 on: July 21, 2017, 05:28:53 pm »
Heh. I was just about to post my suggestion to try a fresh .ini when I got the warning that a new reply has been posted.

Problem solved, now off you go to tackle the next one  :cheers:
                  

KenToad

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Re: 4 player Pedestal for games and media
« Reply #83 on: July 22, 2017, 06:28:52 pm »
Crap, I don't know what's wrong with my Mame installation. Now it refuses to recognize mouse inputs, although I definitely have them turned on in the ini. I've successfully dealt with dual spinners and other mice devices in older versions of Mame.

*Edit* I figured it out. There was another place in the ini to tell Mame to use the mouse instead of keyboard for various forms of input.
« Last Edit: July 22, 2017, 06:40:13 pm by KenToad »

KenToad

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Re: 4 player Pedestal for games and media
« Reply #84 on: July 23, 2017, 02:21:49 am »
Now I can't get Mame to recognize multiple mice inputs as independent, even though multimouse is enabled. I had hoped that it would be automatic. No big deal, I guess.  :cry:

KenToad

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Re: 4 player Pedestal for games and media
« Reply #85 on: July 23, 2017, 03:18:52 pm »
My son and daughter playing 4 player Simpsons with their friends.

KenToad

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Re: 4 player Pedestal for games and media
« Reply #86 on: July 23, 2017, 04:12:20 pm »
The view from the couch.

KenToad

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Re: 4 player Pedestal using existing media center as base
« Reply #87 on: July 25, 2017, 04:28:53 pm »
Side view.

KenToad

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Re: 4 player Pedestal using existing media center as base
« Reply #88 on: August 01, 2017, 11:53:40 am »
So the building part of the project is done. I'm still dealing with setting up emulators and lists and such. Frankly, software could be a forever project. It will be done when I decide to stop working on it. However, I reached a couple of milestones. One, I got multimouse on MAME working. Apparently, directinput doesn't work for multimouse. You need to set mouseprovider to rawinput. Mine was set to auto, but I think my specific build was set to force directinput, so it recognized all the different mice as one mouse, which was frustrating and difficult to research, since it doesn't seem to be too common of a problem.

I didn't document much of the build process, mainly because I don't think the process that I use is very professional or repeatable. I don't use plans. I downloaded sketchup, but couldn't be bothered to learn it. All my measurements were approximations based upon what felt right. I'm not overly concerned with exact anything. I smoothed things out with a random orbital sander and filled gaps with wood filler. Frankly, I'm not much of a woodworker. I'm impressed if anything ends up plumb or square.

Even if you fly by the seat of your pants like me when it comes to woodworking, I would still suggest hanging or propping up your monitor at the correct-ish height, mocking up your CP, testing different seating and standing positions with other people, and then keeping in mind that you can always alter the plans on the fly and that you should do so, if necessary. Also, I suggest not blind mounting your controls under the CP. Just go with carriage bolts drilled all the way through. If you're not countesinking them under an overlay, maybe spray paint them black with a good spray paint made for metal, like rustoleum. Definitely use slagcoin button and joystick templates. Print out a bunch, paste them onto your mockup CP, and go with the layout that feels right. Plan on a 5 degree slope on the front. If you have a big panel, just use regular hinges and don't worry about latches or fancy supports. At that slope, it will stay shut and you can easily prop it open. If you have a 4 player setup, square all of the joysticks up with the monitor and don't try to squeeze more than 4 joysticks onto your CP. For wiring, order one jamma harness per 20-ish buttons. I ordered one harness from www.pyb-arcade.com (through ebay), but I wish I had ordered three harnesses for my 56 inputs. It made wiring so much easier and neater.

I'll just use this space to say a big thank you to those who helped out during the planning part of the thread, especially Scott (PL1) and NIVO, but also anyone who took the time to post a reply. I appreciate this community very much and it feels good to be visiting again on a regular basis.
« Last Edit: August 01, 2017, 12:00:23 pm by KenToad »

DaredevilDave

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Re: 4 player Pedestal using existing media center as base
« Reply #89 on: August 13, 2017, 06:58:43 pm »
Just wanted to comment on the Media Center / Arcade combo - maybe it's too late for any comments, I skipped page 2.

I use my arcade for both, but I have a separate 60" TV across the room for movies and driving games. It is hooked up to the arcade cab.

I can set one monitor up for the game and one up for the TV if I want. I can run MAME and movies at the same time, each with independent audio outputs. I can surf the web on the TV as well and use it as a computer.

That photo of the kids playing is great. Makes it all worth it when someone else finds joy in something you made.
"Computer Space" (1st coin-op game ever) for MAME Front Ends Available Now!
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,155041.0.html

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http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,151106.0.html

KenToad

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Re: 4 player Pedestal using existing media center as base
« Reply #90 on: August 16, 2017, 04:14:56 pm »
Thanks, Dave! Yeah, the kids and their friends are loving the new setup. I swear I spend more time fiddling with the software than playing, but I have gotten several hours in. The funny part is seeing the kids through a nostalgia lens and remembering myself at their ages. My son Dylan is the biggest gamer. Ironically, he's also the one who complains about the Control Panel's lack of graphics. But he loves multiplayer arcade games, especially, so he probably also enjoys playing it the most. My old bartop is basically retired at this point. I'm considering selling off the dual 49-way joystick setup. I even have rotary attachments, but it's always made the 49 ways have an uneven resistance that I don't like. I get better results playing the rotary games with spinners.

Your setup sounds awesome! I suppose I could do something like that, too. I considered installing a 2nd 26 inch monitor on the wall near the couch, so that it could swivel out and act as a work monitor or another way to play console games on the couch. I scrapped the idea because I have plenty of room on this CP to fit a keyboard and mouse. We have had a couple of instances where my son wants to play PS3 when I'm working on the computer, but we have plenty of gaming systems, including a wii and an N64 with a flashcart upstairs, so it hasn't been a big issue.

Thanks for the comment. I need to turn on subscriptions so I can reply sooner.