Ideal height of control panel?

[sofakng]

Well, last night I spent several hours building my control panel box.  We had a lot of problems with pieces fitting right so we had to cut everything quite a few times but in the end it came out fairly good.

However, when I put it on the cabinet it seems waaaaaay too high.  It's not completely uncomfortable to play at that height, but it's bordering on it...

The actual control panel (which is on top of the control panel box) sits about 38 inches from the ground in the front and 40 inches in the back (at the back end of the control panel, where it angles up).

Is this a normal height?  I've been using the Project Arcade book for measurements...

What height is the ideal height for the control panel?

[Minwah]

I make 38" = ~ 95cm...

That sounds like roughly the height of my CP from memory (I'd have to check for sure), but mine if anything is a bit too low.

How tall are you?

[SpamMe]

http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/ergonomics/standing/standing_basic.html

[sofakng]

Well, I'm about 5'10" but my girlfriend is only 5'1".  I realize that I can't make it comfortable for both of us and I'll be the one playing it more often...(plus she can always stand on a little stool or something, heh).

Is my CP height (38" - 40") good for me?

[Sylentwulf]

Personally I dropped the height on my cab by 3", and then plan on cutting the hegiht of the actual CP on mine as much as possible. I'm 5'4" and pretty much the whole family is around that heigh too.
I think the top of my CP is going to be around 33"-34"

[MiKman]

my control panel is 38" at the front and 39" at the back. I am 5'8" and it's good for me... standing at it as well as sitting on my bar stools.

[NoOne=NBA=]

Is my CP height (38" - 40") good for me?

Apparently not.

You might play with the height a bit, and see what feels best to you.

My CP is 38 to the front, and feels fine to me.
My 5-yr-old nephew plays it with no problem as well.

[sofakng]

Well, if 38" (from the ground) in the front is average then perhaps I just need to actually play the arcade and get used to it... (I still need to finish a few things before I can "test" the height)

The only problem is that I can't change the height of the control panel box without rebuilding the whole thing.  Obviously thats a very very last resort...

I'm glad to hear that 38" is common though... but it still seems quite high for me  (and I'm 5'10"!)

[pathdoc2]

All of my uprights have been 37 inches from the front edge of the control panel to the ground once the casters are installed.

[SideShow Rob]

My control panel height is 42" at the back, 41" at the front.

I am a shade over 6'4" tall, and the missus is 5'3". The height is perfect for the missus - a tad low for me, but perfectly useable and comfortable.

If you control panel feels too high for your g/f...rather than getting a stool straight away, make a wooden plinth for her to stand on (..or get a taller g/f   (only joshin' ...)

[Minwah]

I just checked mine and it's 37" at the front (lowest part) of the CP.

As I said, mine feels a bit low if anything, but I'm 6'...

[NoOne=NBA=]

Depending on what game I'm playing, I find that I actually bend over alot to play on my 38" CP.

For stick only games, I stand upright; but button only games (Asteroids, etc...) I take a half-step back and I bend at the waist to play.

I'd try the CP where it is.
You can change it later if you HAVE to; but I'm guessing you will find it getting more comfortable as you get some time in on it.

[cdbrown]

I have got mine at around 41" off the ground and I'm 6'1".  What i think you need to do is stand arms at your side, bend your elbows to 90 degrees and see how high your hands are off the ground.  That would probably be the highest you want the panel, if you have it a couple of inches lower that would be comfortable IMHO.  So maybe try for the "light work" station from the link SpamMe provided

[Minwah]

The one thing I find a bit uncomfortable on my cab is buttons...as my arms are angled down towards the CP, my hand is therefore resting on the CP, angled upwards.  With my arm angled down and hand angled up it gives me a painful wrist after a while.

I find myself standing with my legs quite far apart, effectively making me shorter!  Sitting on a stool improves it no end also...

[Fuzzguitar]

Yes, I have this exact problem Minwah, I guess it'll be easier to see why (Lowboy cab) when I finally finish it and put it up on the examples page.

[SideShow Rob]

Got the same problem here, Minwah...not the ideal thing for a young arthritis suffer like myself.

Still, if I had made the height purely for me, the missus wouldn't be able to play...and I got more than enough grief over the cabinet as it was...

 

[NoOne=NBA=]

The one thing I find a bit uncomfortable on my cab is buttons...as my arms are angled down towards the CP, my hand is therefore resting on the CP, angled upwards.  With my arm angled down and hand angled up it gives me a painful wrist after a while.

I find myself standing with my legs quite far apart, effectively making me shorter!  Sitting on a stool improves it no end also...

Advice from a long time Asteroids/Gravitar/Star Castle/etc.... player.
Take a half step back, and bend at the waist to straighten your arms out, so that you are not bending your wrists.
I used to play for hours this way.
It's the only comfortable position I've found for using buttons.
If you bend your wrists, you will develop carpal tunnel syndrome, from sawing at the carpal tunnels with the tendons in your wrist.

This same wrist position lets me play FPS games for hours without discomfort as well.
I have 12" of desk between the edge of the desk and the front of the keyboard on my main comp, for exactly this reason.
The straighter you keep your wrists while typing/button pushing, the happier they are going to be with you.

[Minwah]

Advice from a long time Asteroids/Gravitar/Star Castle/etc.... player.
Take a half step back, and bend at the waist to straighten your arms out, so that you are not bending your wrists.
I used to play for hours this way.
It's the only comfortable position I've found for using buttons.
If you bend your wrists, you will develop carpal tunnel syndrome, from sawing at the carpal tunnels with the tendons in your wrist.

Good advice...I have been trying that position out occasionally too - quite comfortable actually  Definately beats carpal tunnel syndrome too...

[patrickl]

I started a thread about this subject a few months ago too (Is there an optimal height for the CP?). I noticed that for me the most comfortable height of the CP was around 50" (my height is about 6 foot). That was also to help me from the painful wrist problem. At that height I could just extend my hands straight from my forearms. Trouble is that 50" is just ridiculously high (it looks really weird) and I'm not sure if it would give and shoulder problems (you're supposed to rest your arms on something to keep your neck from getting hurt).

[Howard_Casto]

If you are going for arrcade accuracy for that arcade feel, the average height of most control panels is around 38 inches.  Give or take a few inches.