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Author Topic: My first arcade controls  (Read 1488 times)

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basbase

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My first arcade controls
« on: August 28, 2022, 07:49:33 pm »
This is a project I started 3 years ago. I took a bunch of pictures during the process so I could document it, but I never got around to posting them online. Until now. I will try to comment on them as best as I can remember.

I was talking with my boss about getting an arcade machine at work. Did some googling and this primed my ad-bubble into showing me an ad for a dual zero delay kit on a chinese webshop. It was quite cheap so I gave it a try and ordered it, without having any build plans yet. Some time passed and I came across a wood grain melamine board that used to be part of my desk. Then it clicked that was going to be my project. It would be an easy way to get nice finish on a control panel without having to go into painting/plexi/vinyl. I already had a raspberry pi 3 that could be used as the brains and I could use a family member's shed and tools.

I started with a piece of scrap from the same board that I had lying around. I was looking for a button layout that would be most comfortable for me and because I'm a pc gamer this extra wide spacing of the buttons and stick felt very natural for me.



Being this wide it also meant that I could have the controls on my lap and still have a stable control panel. This would allow me to also play it while sitting on a couch.

The controls kit came in red and blue, each containing: an 8-way stick, 8 large buttons, 2 small buttons and a zero delay encoder with support for 12 buttons, turbo, auto fire, clear and analog/digital toggle. Because I did not want to limit myself for future usage I wanted to use all those inputs. I figured I could use these small generic push buttons to add the extra inputs without taking up to much space.



I cut the actual board at 60cm, almost as big as the scrap piece. Then I drilled the holes.


Because I wanted to only have the colored plastic cap of the small buttons exposed I tried my very best to drill the holes for them without any chipping of the melamine.


Then I met my new best friend:


Really enjoyed using the router to create space to mount the buttons.


I used a piece of metal to keep the small buttons in place.


End result was good enough for me. From left to right: L3, R3, auto, turbo, clear, analog/dialog.


I bought a piece of MDF and build a box out of it. I routed out some extra room for the stick and button cables.


I did not want to have any screws on the outside, so I used metal angle brackets to screw everything from the inside. I had to get creative to make them fit on the front side.



First test fit


The idea is to have small deadbolts under the overhang at the front to allow the angle of the control panel to be changed to the players preference.


That is enough writing for now. Hope you enjoyed. Next time I will show the inside.

basbase

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Re: My first arcade controls
« Reply #1 on: August 29, 2022, 07:11:26 pm »
I really don't like painting and since this control panel does not have big visible panels that need painting, I just did two simple coats of black spray paint.
I also won't do any t-molding to save cost on a router bit and the plastic. I can always add it later or just screw on a new piece of wood for the sides if it gets worn too much.

Ordered some supplies to tackle the wiring.


This is the starting point with just the zero delay kit attached.


I used a piece of string to keep the panel upright while working on it.


Laying out all the parts. I wanted to reserve space for a fan and supporting brackets besides it, in case I would run in to overheating issues. Have not needed them yet.


I drilled some holes and used a file to create an opening for the power switch




Next up: a C8 power receptacle.



The usb hub needed a bigger hole, so it got messy.





This usb hub has 3 ports on the long side and 1 on the short side. I plug in the zero delay encoder in the single port which is on the inside. My idea was that I could add a 4 prong switch to the male cable of the hub and have an outgoing usb port so I could use the control panel as a controller for a pc without opening it up. Have not got around to doing that to this day...


Above the usb hub comes a hmdi extension cable




Some more spray paint to hide the damage


Now wiring up the power supply. I paid a lot of attention at making sure all conductive parts were isolated.




I added two power sockets, one for the Pi and the second for powering the led lights in the buttons in the future.



This is my first time using specialized crimping tools. I was really impressed with how well that works.



Ghetto cable management...


..and tidying it up with velcro and double sided tape.


First iteration is now done :) . I picked up a free 29 inch Trinitron which I placed at my work. I added a mini jack extension to the control panel (forgot to take pictures) so I could use the composite out of the Pi. In this picture you can already see the player 2 panel, but that is something for next time  ;D


« Last Edit: August 29, 2022, 07:38:04 pm by basbase »

basbase

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Re: My first arcade controls
« Reply #2 on: September 02, 2022, 04:47:41 pm »
Time to build the control panel for the blue buttons. This will use the same button layout, but will not have the internals that the red one has. It will hook it's usb cable into the usb hub of the red panel.

Reusing the slagcoin template


Drilling goes a lot quicker now that I now what to expect


Carved out the area clear with the router


I wanted to make the joystick replacable without wearing out the thin wood with re-screwing each time. I like the idea of using threaded inserts, but the I had to cut them to size to make them fit.




Routing job was a lot cleaner this time


Went with a piece of wood for the small buttons to mount, since it is a lot easier to drill without drifting.


Also used threaded inserts here



Upgraded from a cord to a fancy chain. You can see the deadbolts that keep the lid shut and make the angle adjustable.


Wiring done. I did not bother with cable management here.


The twins in their finished state on a standing desk. The wide form factor is really nice because there is no elbow bumping.



basbase

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Re: My first arcade controls
« Reply #3 on: September 02, 2022, 07:46:45 pm »
Fast forward a couple of months. I've got a new job and the new office does not have space for a gameroom. I did not want to ditch the crt tv so I had to bring it home. My home does not have much space either so I need to get creative. I plan on making a movable cabinet on caster wheels that will support the tv and will house all my consoles and the arcade controls. Being a programmer the natural thing for me is to make a design in code, so I made it in OpenSCAD. Designing in SketchUp would be a lot more efficient but now I could change certain dimensions around and have a bunch of other dimensions change with it automatically.
The arcade controls go on the bottom shelf. Center shelf will house the consoles. Top shelf will hold the console controllers. Tv goes on top.


I planned this build to use 2 boards of 2400mm x 600mm x 18mm. It is the same melamine print that I used for the control panels. The front will be slanted for the looks and to move the heavy front of the crt more to the center for stability.



Top panel gets a hole to run the tv cables through.


I mount the angle brackets on the bottom panel on the bottom and have them stick out on top through small slits. This way the top of the panel stays flush so the arcade panels can slide in and out without any obstructions.



Added the sidepanels.


Center shelf.


Top panel.



This is the back panel for the center shelf that will hide all the power strips and cables. It has two holes to run cables through to the consoles.




Top shelf added.


And then disaster struck... It. Did. Not. Fit. :cry: I had measured the control panels to need a height of 11 cm, while it now appears to need 13 cm  :dizzy:


Luckily there is a workaround. Removing the ball gives it just enough clearance. I will just have to live with unscrewing the ball each time.


Now how did I screw up my measurements with 2 cm ?!?. I found out when I opened the blue controller. I had the controllers standing on their side for a couple of weeks and at one point they were tipped over. I did not see that the controller that I measured the height of had it's stick ripped loose...


The shortened threaded inserts did not provide the sturdiness that an arcade stick needs. I found a better way to mount it. I used some small screws to prevent twisting and added some wood blocks to make it flush with the rest of the panel.


Then I used metal plates to press fit it to the panel.


Both panels can be tucked on the bottom shelf now.


Having them behind each other looks the best



Backpanel has a big hole to provide cooling and access to the power bricks and cables.


Added caster wheels. These are barely rated to support the final weight, but they are small and not too expensive so I will risk it.


Most of the 2 big boards has been used. Cab can now move to my home to finish it.


Cats did their inspection and approved.


Ironing on some edge band for a finished look.




Now the though part. Getting this heavy mofo on the cab with no help available at that moment.



Fits perfectly


Getting everything in there. There is 6 socket power strip mounted just out of view behind the backpanel.


Finished ;D


The amount of storage is amazing. This all fits in there.


« Last Edit: September 06, 2022, 08:10:01 pm by basbase »

Zebidee

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Re: My first arcade controls
« Reply #4 on: September 04, 2022, 02:57:43 am »
Nice photos

You can do my ironing anytime! (I never iron anything anyway, unless it is for a job interview or something).

At least your projects are progressing faster than mine :D


Check out my completed projects!


basbase

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Re: My first arcade controls
« Reply #5 on: September 04, 2022, 03:42:20 pm »
Thanks. This was also the first and only time that I had used an iron in years  ;D

leapinlew

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Re: My first arcade controls
« Reply #6 on: September 05, 2022, 09:35:31 pm »
Good job! Love the scrappiness of this project and I love the comic theme of the retropie.

basbase

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Re: My first arcade controls
« Reply #7 on: September 08, 2022, 07:28:57 pm »
Thanks  :D For me the comic book theme is the only EmulationStation theme that feels right, all others don’t have the playfulness that goes with with the games.

DaOld Man

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Re: My first arcade controls
« Reply #8 on: September 09, 2022, 08:27:06 am »
Looks good! Very creative work. Sucks about the joysticks being too long but that's life I suppose.
Your project got me to thinking about building similar. It would take up a lot less space than a regular sized cabinet.