Complete NOOB question re: buiding a controller

[Vinni]

I'm about to attempt building a MAME controller (only for a single player) to hook to my PC. I would ideally like 2 joysticks, a trackball, a spinner, and about 12 buttons, as well as a few other buttons such as coin, start, etc. Is there any way to accomplish this with only 1 USB out to the computer? Will I need to use both the Optipac and Ulimarc boards? I only want to use quality parts, so any advice, thoughts would be welcome ... this looks to be a VERY expensive endeavour.

As an aside, do you think it would be more beneficial to me to buy kit parts and build a cheapo controller just to get my feet wet?

I know what I want, I think, I'm just not sure how to go about it.

Thanks for any help in advance.

[PL1]

I'm about to attempt building a MAME controller (only for a single player) to hook to my PC. I would ideally like 2 joysticks, a trackball, a spinner, and about 12 buttons, as well as a few other buttons such as coin, start, etc. Is there any way to accomplish this with only 1 USB out to the computer? Will I need to use both the Optipac and Ulimarc boards?

You can connect a trackball, spinner, and up to 32 microswitch inputs to an IPac2.
http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/FAQ#How_many_encoder_inputs_do_I_need_for_my_control_panel.3F



12 player buttons + some admin buttons for a single player controller?
- Which games that you want to play need 12 player buttons?

Check out the design process in the What type of build meets my needs? entry in the FAQ.


Scott

[Vinni]

Thanks for the response Scott, I will definitely check out the "What type of build meets my needs? entry in the FAQ". As far as why so many buttons, it's simply to accommodate familiar layouts on different machines. It's overkill I know. I'm just spitballing at the moment. Arcade controls were built the exact opposite of how I played them, my arms crossed and used the opposite hands, and even though I could fix that ... it wouldn't feel right to me. I want as close to what I grew up with. That's why I sometimes prefer the MAME bootlegs, they're what I remember best.