small control panel options...

[translucentegg]

i have an old Vanguard converting into a MAME cab. this will be my 1st cabinet(for some reason everyone says booze is surely a must?)  control panel space in only 23 inches by 6 inches.  is it too much to have a track ball 2 1/4(happs) 1 joystick, 6 buttons, 1 and 2 player buttons, esc. button, and a spinner?  i have searched other peoples control panels and really have not found one with the same dimensions.  or setup.  any replys WILL be helpful! thanks!

transegg

[rampy]

Just speaking off the cuff.. I'd think yeah.. you could do that...   there might be some compromises involved....  It might be a little cramped or have the spinner in an unideal location (something is going to have to be placed on the far right of the panel..

I'd suggest downloading the visio templates available in the BYOAC downloads section... I set it up to my exact measurements (ok I goofed and was really off by 1/4" but still...)  and placed mock layouts of where stuff would go.  

I have a simliar width control panel (originally) and I decided (and did) to extend the control panel out in a "T" formation based on some other projects I had seen as a good solution to my space and control needs... but I digress,  my best guess you could get em to fit =P

good luck,

rampy

[KeithD]

Mine is 26" wide by 8" and I have (from the left) 2 buttons, stick, 2 buttons, stick, 2 buttons, with a spinner below and centered between the 2 middle buttons. All of it would fit in 6" if I had to.

Hth

K

[translucentegg]

thanks for tips!  oh yeah, does anyone think it necessary to have 6 buttons as opposed to 3?  i am not a big fan of SF style games...just old school games....

ThaNks

transegg

[chanson]

If you don't want SF specifically, you don't need six buttons.  Neo-Geo games seem to need four buttons.

If you like the old games, you might consider arranging your buttons like my first cab.  I have only one player, with four buttons. They are arranged in a square and allow me to play QBert with buttons instead of a joystick.  Unless you come up with some wierd scheme (a dedicated joy that's rotated), that game is not very good in most MAME cabs.  With four buttons in a square, you can control the direction by pushing the buttons.  Works great!

[OSCAR]

It depends on what old school games you like.  A couple of my favorites, Defender & Stargate, both require more than three buttons.  Defender needs 5 and Stargate uses 6, if you play with the cheats off.

[translucentegg]

defender is GREAT!  i did not even think about that.  so i guess i will go ahead and stick with the 6 button option. thanks for the help!

transegg