Need Suggestions on button layout for My Pole Position Control Panel

[ratabase1]

 ???I am converting an empty upright pole position cabinet to Mame and would like some suggestions on how I should modify the control panel allowing me to play all of the driving games in Mame, N64 rom driving games, and PC driving games such as the Need for Speed series, etc.  I am using an actual control panel for pole position, so I know I am going to have to add some buttons.  My question is how many buttons do I need to add, and where should I locate them?  Also, what types of buttons (size, etc.) should I use?  To start with, I know I'll need a button for credits and a start button, and at least a fire button.   Thanks in advance for your suggestions.  

[Xiaou2]

 My favorite driving games require a 360 degree wheel - (or spinner).

 Of course, you listed need of n64 driving - which prolly needs a standard analog steering wheel...

  Not seen often... but I think a good solution, is to have both types
of wheels.  A spinner dosnt take much space up... so they both should fit just fine.
 
  You should have at least one analog pedal... and maybe a 2nd digital pedal (which could be used for brake, or digital gas games, or a 2nd player ..ect)  

  Or maybe you will choose to make a 2 player cab... with dual wheels and dual spinners, dual pedals...ect.

  Some analog wheels have buttons on them already... but some spinner wheel games need aditional buttons.  You should pop on a few buttons twords the bottom of the panel for quick and easy access.   You could pop emulator functions on the top of the panel.  (Ive had this idea to use a telephone keypad interface for the emu buttons..)

 The most buttons I can recall a driving game having is spyhunter - 7 buttons needed.  

 And of course... you may want to add shifters instead of using buttons to shift. (maybe mount them on either side of the cab, sticking out a bit, at hip height! :-)

   

[ratabase1]

I appreciate your input.  I am going to be using the controls steering wheel, gear shifter, and gas pedal (using oscar's mouse hack and a dual strike hack) which are on my Pole Position cabinet, so those functions will be taken care of.  What I really need to know is what other functions do I need buttons for and where they should be located.

[pocketbikez]

for 360 games 2 extra gameplay buttons should be fine. an APB setup, fire and siren, will also work as a turbo button in games like super offroad.

i would replace the pole position shifter with a 4-way shifter. it will work with a lot of other 360 games(dragrace, superbug, night driver) and you can map it with a stock version of mame. if you use the original pole position shifter you will have to make a custom version of mame that uses the single microswitch on-off shift mechanism.

since the upright version of pole position didnt have a brake pedal you can get away without one.

[Gunstar Hero]

Wow, someone else backwards enough to MAME a Pole Position cabinet.

I did mine with the original 360 wheel and it was fine for 360 games and the others were playable with some serious adjustments. I put function buttons on the back of the dash top, on the monitor side, easy to reach, but kept that authentic look. Also converted the pedal to a microswitch, cause I'm lazy, and getting the pots to work was a complicated procedure. The real trouble part was the shifter, since it acts like one button, it wasn't very useful.

In the end, I got tired of it, and built a fighter panel, and I'm rebuilding the wheel panel so I can use a newer wheel/shifter setup I got off of a PolePos converted into a World Rally I snagged for free in a badly swollen cabinet. It's not "authentic" anymore, but I have alot more fun that just being able to play a dozen racing games.