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Author Topic: Wire Management  (Read 1436 times)

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Tommy714

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Wire Management
« on: January 03, 2023, 03:36:27 pm »
I am getting ready to install buttons and wire the control panel.  In the interest of maintaining some semblance of cord management I figured I'd develop a strategy instead of just plowing ahead.

So, should I work from the I-Pac outward or start at the outer most buttons and work toward the center (see picture please).

The three wires you see already on the I-Pac are for admin buttons located on the top of the machine.

Thanks in advance for the feedback!

lilshawn

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Re: Wire Management
« Reply #1 on: January 03, 2023, 05:03:44 pm »
i personally would work from center from the ipac in each direction along the top row, around and down to the towards the trackball. (my preference)

be sure to orient the ipac so that the p1 controls and the p2 controls are on the appropriate sides and leave room for anything that might need to be mounted or plugged in so there is plenty of clearance for plugs wood etc.

PL1

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Re: Wire Management
« Reply #2 on: January 03, 2023, 08:53:14 pm »
I took the advice, and put the J on the left and the spinner on the right.
1. Buttons 1 and 3 are good for right-hand-on-spinner games, but they are backwards for left-hand-on-joystick games.
- You want the default fire button (button 1) to be under your index finger instead of your ring finger.
- It will be less work to remap buttons 1 and 3 in the shorter list of spinner games than in the much longer list of joystick games.   ;D

Viewed from the top of the panel, the joystick-friendly arrangement is:

               2
  Joy    1      3    Spinner
               4

2. Are you absolutely certain your admin buttons are labeled/arranged the way you want?
- The current arrangement looks like you haven't considered the problems that it can cause or thought through the ergonomics of a simultaneous 2-player game.   :banghead:

Looks like both Start buttons are on one side of the panel, leaving both Coin buttons on the other side of the panel.
- That will force players to reach across each other to add credits or start/continue a game.
- Picture a vertical line running through the center of the trackball.  Strongly consider putting P1 Start and P1 Coin somewhere on the P1 side of the line and P2 Start and P2 Coin somewhere on the P2 side of the line.

Looks like the Exit button is still right next to the other admin buttons.
- That increases the odds that someone will accidently hit it, especially with the current layout (Exit next to P2 Coin) when P2 reaches over the Exit button with their left hand to press the P2 Coin button on the P1 half of the panel.
- The longer distance someone has to reach, the more likely it is that they will hit an unintended button.

If the advice in this post sounds somewhat familiar, it should.   ;)
One other thing to consider is slightly rearranging the admin buttons.
- Move the P1 Start over to the P1 side.
- Move the P2 Coin over to the P2 side.
- Move the Exit button away from the other buttons so you don't accidently hit it.
- Consider using P1B1 for Select instead of a dedicated button.


Scott

Tommy714

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Re: Wire Management
« Reply #3 on: January 17, 2023, 08:34:21 pm »
Well, it's pretty much done.  I have to add a trim piece under the control panel, but that's easy.

I have the stuff I need for the bezel and screen cover.  Just haven't gotten around to it yet.

Thanks all for the help.

mixlplex

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Re: Wire Management
« Reply #4 on: January 18, 2023, 10:17:09 am »
If I can ask, what's the measurements you used for spacing between the buttons and the spinners (and spinnter/joystick to trackball)? This seems to be a layout almost identical to what I'm trying to do (and just posted an inquiry about). I was thinking spinner above the buttons, but yours seems like it would be better. Do you have dimensions you can share for your CP with me? Thanks.

Tommy714

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Re: Wire Management
« Reply #5 on: January 24, 2023, 05:19:59 pm »
This should give you all you need!
« Last Edit: January 25, 2023, 11:31:42 am by Tommy714 »

chris_lemasters

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Re: Wire Management
« Reply #6 on: March 14, 2023, 04:54:38 pm »
Well, it's pretty much done.  I have to add a trim piece under the control panel, but that's easy.

I have the stuff I need for the bezel and screen cover.  Just haven't gotten around to it yet.

Thanks all for the help.

Would you mind posting a picture of how you ultimately wired things up (wire management)?  Thank you - nice looking setup!
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lilshawn

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Re: Wire Management
« Reply #7 on: March 15, 2023, 12:41:43 pm »
honestly, it really doesn't matter HOW you do it... or even IF you do it... unless you had a transparent panel that is going to make it visible, simply bundling the wires together to keep them tucked out of the way, in line with the rest of the harness is going to be plenty good.

having a good color code system goes WAY further in the cabinet than butthole clenched to the millimeter wiring. I'd rather deal with a rats net of wires on a panel that I can easily ID by color, than that an OCD looking, super tight, wire route job... all made of ONE color... ziptied every centimeter... that is literally impossible to troubleshoot without cutting the damn thing to shreds to get at one wire.

bundle player 1 controls together... bundle player 2 controls together. bundle the 2 bundles together.  :cheers: bob's your auntie.