Control Panel Suggestion

[brained]

Hi, I'm sketching my control panel and I want suggestions.

it a seven button layout, I want information about the control
buttons, i'm only placing 2 a
button to power on the pc and a esc button, can you advice me on which buttons to use:

ON
Esc
P1 - Start
P1 Coin
P2 Start
P2 Coin

I hope you guys can help me out

Thanx in advance

[Tiger-Heli]

Hi, I'm sketching my control panel and I want suggestions.

it a seven button layout, I want information about the control
buttons, i'm only placing 2 a
button to power on the pc and a esc button, can you advice me on which buttons to use:

ON
Esc
P1 - Start
P1 Coin
P2 Start
P2 Coin

I hope you guys can help me out

Thanx in advance

You might want a Pause button somewhere - even if not on the CP.

What was your question??? - You could use any type of button - were you wanting opinions between standard arcade buttons and Volcano buttons or mini buttons, or lighted leaf switch buttons, or about colors, or labels, or all of the above???

[brained]

Ohhh no!!! I've bought the buttons allready. There El Cheapo X-gaming Buttons, but that's ok for me.

Pause!! good Idea, i was forgetting that one!!

I'll remove the ON button, and replace it with a switch on the back and use it a pause button! .

thanx!!

[Witchboard]

Ohhh no!!! I've bought the buttons allready. There El Cheapo X-gaming Buttons, but that's ok for me.

Pause!! good Idea, i was forgetting that one!!

I'll remove the ON button, and replace it with a switch on the back and use it a pause button! .

thanx!!

What kind of encoder are you using?  Keyboard hack, IPac, KeyWiz?

[brained]

I'm going for a Keyboard hack, but if it's too dificult, then i'll buy a keywhiz.

But right now i've gutted a compaq keyboard, it has an 18 x 6 matrix, based on a chicony chipset. I've mounted the connectors, so i need to scan the matrix now, been kinda lazy lately.

I've read a good keyboard hack method and I think i can get enough simultaneous inputs. If i can't then i'll try using an old 8 button genius (kye) gamepad I got, then I can use a MIX KeybHack and GamePad.

if everything else fails, then the keywhiz.

I'm going this route because, I've had a car problem and spent ALL my budget on that (over 600 bucks) .. But that's life... .

[megashock5]

Anyone have an opinion on KeyWhiz versus iPac? Just getting started so I haven't ordered either yet. Also, what's the benefit of OptiPac or iPac mini over iPac?

One more button question. Is it possible to assign more than one key to a single button? I read someone somewhere had a button on their cab to push whenever MAME asked you to type 'OK'.

Anyone else do this? If not, do you type 'OK' every time you load up a game?

thanks in advance!

[pocketbikez]

u might consider moving the 1st player controls to the right about an inch so you can rest your joystick hand on the panel while playing. the way it looks right now your left palm is going to hang off the control panel and be very uncomfortable. i might even move the entire controls back about and inch so your hands would rest more on the panel.

[RacerX]

Anyone have an opinion on KeyWhiz versus iPac? Just getting started so I haven't ordered either yet. Also, what's the benefit of OptiPac or iPac mini over iPac?

One more button question. Is it possible to assign more than one key to a single button? I read someone somewhere had a button on their cab to push whenever MAME asked you to type 'OK'.

Anyone else do this? If not, do you type 'OK' every time you load up a game?

thanks in advance!

I use a Hagstrom LE24 so I have no opinion on the IPac or Keywiz, other than the fact that I use an OptiPac for my trackball and spinner interface.

For pressing 'OK', just whiggle your joystick back and forth to type 'OK', use a custom compiled version of MAME with the 'OK' screen taken out, or use NoNameMAME with it's myriad command line options for removing them.

[Tiger-Heli]

This belongs in a new thread, but. . .

Anyone have an opinion on KeyWhiz versus iPac?

Yep, most everyone does - Been debated a lot, - search old threads -
Key points -
KeyWiz is less expensive in US.
KeyWiz 36 inputs, I-PAC 32
I-PAC has PS/2 or USB support.  KeyWiz is only PS/2
I-PAC has keyboard LED support.
KeyWiz has more flexible shift function.
I found KeyWiz software more intuitive.
Keywiz has switch-selectable keyboard pass-thru.  I-PAC has automatic pass-thru.
KeyWiz uses SDRAM, I-PAC uses EEPROM.
KeyWiz has a screw terminal for +5V output, I-PAC has a pin header for this.
I-PAC's can be daisy-chained if necessary.

There is also the I-PAC VE which has 32 inputs, but uses SDRAM and is USB only, but is less expensive than the I-PAC/2.  

Just getting started so I haven't ordered either yet. Also, what's the benefit of OptiPac or iPac mini over iPac?

I-PAC and KeyWiz are functionally equivalent to a keyboard hack.  Opti-pac is functionally equivalent to a mouse hack - i.e. trackballs, spinners, steering wheels, optical rotary joysticks, etc.  Mini-PAC is similar to an I-PAC with a pin header instead of screw terminals, and the optical version of it is similar to an I-PAC with half an opti-pac added.

One more button question. Is it possible to assign more than one key to a single button? I read someone somewhere had a button on their cab to push whenever MAME asked you to type 'OK'.

Not really, I read the I-PAC software was going to support this, but I don't think it does yet.  If you didn't mind losing an input, you could wire the button to two inputs, but I think MAME is looking for O followed by K, not both inputs simultaneously.

Anyone else do this? If not, do you type 'OK' every time you load up a game?

Heck no!, Run NoNameMAME and disable all that stuff.

[brained]

u might consider moving the 1st player controls to the right about an inch so you can rest your joystick hand on the panel while playing. the way it looks right now your left palm is going to hang off the control panel and be very uncomfortable. i might even move the entire controls back about and inch so your hands would rest more on the panel.

I've played with the layout a bit, now I think it's a little better, whatcha think??

[Sylentwulf]

Much better, but I would still move player ones buttons right an inch, and player 2's joystick left about an inch. As it is now, the buttons are too close to the joystick.

[brained]

Much better, but I would still move player ones buttons right an inch, and player 2's joystick left about an inch. As it is now, the buttons are too close to the joystick.

Ok I've moved the buttons and the joysticks a little to the left,  OHHH!!! btw,
This layer is 24" x 11", I think i'll need to add a couple of inches more.

Can I go with 26"x11". I don't wanna make it too BIG!!