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Is there an optimal height for the CP?
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NoOne=NBA=:
The bezel on my cab is just held in place by cabinet magnets.
I left a couple little tabs of vinyl near the top that you can just grab and pull to remove the bezel.
patrickl:
Ah those bezel tips are good to know. I'll keep them in mind. I was thinking about a round bit of bezel that would rotate along with the monitor. But that seemed way to difficult to keep perfectly aligned (the rotating circle inside the round bezel hole I mean) Keeping a square area free around the monitor sounds a lot easier.

As far as my CP height problem goes ... I have been playtesting my CP at 37" and seriously I cannot play for more than a single game of Galaga and I'm not THAT good at it (so a game doesn't last that long). At 45"-50" I can play fine (for hours  ::) ) but that really looks ridiculously heigh. I just can't seem to figure this out.

I guess it all comes down to how you hold your hands (and then more importantly your wrist). Do you all sit on a stool so the CP is relatively a bit heigher up? Or do you really bend your wrists a lot (without it starting to hurt)?
patrickl:
I think I might understand where I went "wrong". I was trying to put my hands flat on the control panel over the buttons. With a low CP that means I have to angle my hands at about 90 degree angle to my forearm (i.e. break twist my wrist real badly). If I just press the buttons with my fingertips and keep my hand pointing down then I hardly need to bend my wrist to play on a lower CP.

I still feel playing with the CP at chest height is nicer, but since that looks so ridiculous, I think I'm gonna go for a CP placed at 38" (or something like that)

Thanks for the info people!
DrewKaree:
As I was reading this, I figured i'd give MNM's idea a try (CP sloping from front to back).  I took this to mean that the CP would be highest on the side right in front of you, sloping downward away from you.  If I'm incorrect, MNM, please correct me.

This will ONLY work if you have enough space to rest your forearms on, almost to your elbows.  Why?  In mocking it up and testing it, I found that if, when placing your hands on the buttons, your forearm was anywhere on the edge of the CP, in short order the blood supply WILL be reduced, your fingers will start to get cold, and eventually, they'll "fall asleep".  

IF you have a CP with enough real estate to have your forearm on it all the way to your elbows, no problem.  Of course, don't ever show a picture of it here, as it will probably get ridiculed for having enough room to fit every control known to man on it! ;D

Make sense?  Mock it up and try it.  It shouldn't take more than 5 minutes for you to start to see what I'm talking about.  My fingers started to lose feeling around 10 minutes.
Howard_Casto:
Without giving you all kinds of crazy calculations and reasoning let me give you the short answer:

The front of your control panel (it's slanted afterall) should be about 36 inches high.  That is the approximate height of the control panel on a midway mortal kombat cabinet, the best cabinet (comfort wise) ever made.  

You'll find that 90% of all arcade machines fall somewhere in this area.  You'll also find that the averge male's elbow joints are about 4-5 inches higher than this, thus allowing for maximum comfort when your arms are on the control panel.  

I'm suprised so much debate was caused over such a straight forward question.  ;)
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