In the beginning!

[SS427]

Greeting to all,

New to the board, so correct me on any board etiquette.  I have started on my cabinet.  I'm using 3/4" plywood and will stain and finish (wife requirement, if going in house).  Just started cutting out the pieces and have ordered some buttons, 2 supers and a dedicated 4-way.  Plan on getting a trackball/spinner and using an ipac and optipac.  Here is my first background/question (many more to come).

Background:  My wife like games that are played with the 4way (supers she doesn't care), but she operates the joystick and fire buttons opposite what I do, so I am doubling the buttons needed to use the the 4way (2 on each side).  We are still laying out the control panel.  We know that we will be using the 4way more than the trackball and spinner.

Question:  Most of the panels I've looked at have the 4way above the trackball.  Does the trackball hamper or bother the play when using the 4way and has anybody mounted a 4way below a trackball and does this mess up the trackball play....clear as mudd??

Oh...one other question.  The 4way is a happs 4way galaga/mspacman.  I plan on using 5/8 cp with 1/8 lexan.  Do you have any comments, suggestions, mess-ups on the controller and this setup.

thanks---SS427

[Lilwolf]

1) I don't know... I went with a hotswappable control panel instead of one with everything.  Consider it... It really is nice to be able to make as many as you want.

2) no-can-do... the happs ms-pacman 4ways are ment for a metal controlpanel.  IE, you will have to route your CP down to almost nothing to get it it.  They sell a metal plate that you can use (you mount the metal plate to the cp, and cut a huge rectangle out of the cabinet under the metal piece... similar to installing a trackball on a wood controlpanel).

You can also try for a wico 4way.  They have a longer shaft for wood cps.  This is what I did.  btw, go for the wico leafs if you can www.videoconnect.com used to have some... I've heard bad reviews of their microswitch version.

good luck.

[slug54]

First off , Welcome to the board

I put my mspacman/galaga stick over the trackball and I have had no troubles. when I use the 4-way stick my arm does not lay across the T-ball it  naturaly goes off to one side with the elbow or forearm resting on the control panel.

Putting the stick below the T-ball would definitely interfere with the T-ball use. People tend to sweep there arm across the c-panel as they roll the T-ball and would be hitting the 4-way. 1 note on putting it above the T-ball make sure it is far enough above the trackball that wont interfere when you are playing Golden Tee golf or ShuuZ.

Also spend a couple of hours making and Ergo testing
Carboard or thin Plywood Control Panel mock ups. This will be time well spent and you will have a much more useable panel.

I routed out the control panel to give maximum height of the 4-way stick.

                                Good luck
                                 Slug54

[SS427]

I thought I might have trouble with the 4way after I ordered it (came across another post that discussed having to route the panel alot).  So I guess my options are to route out the panel, use a metal plate or order an additional 4way with a longer stick.  I also came across some posts about the joysticks over at ultimarc and the restrictor plates.  Any comments on those, as I will be ordering from there anyway?

Multiple control panels is still an option as I would possible like to add some different controllers in the future.  I had thought about trying a multi-level control panel with the upper section sticking partially over the lower one on some scrap material.  The cabinet will designed around the ultimate arcade II cabinet with some variations of my own.

[J_K_M_A_N]

I would HIGHLY recommend finding a way to use the Ms Pac Man/Galaga joystick! I think it is the best. It has a great feel for all of the older 4-way games. I use mine about 80-90% of the time. Of course, I am old and like the older games (Donkey Kong, Frogger, Galaga, Pac-man, Ms. Pac-man). A friend of mine made a plate like the trackball plate from Happs. Works great! Good luck.

J_K_M_A_N

[Jungle]

Here's what I did

1)  My CP has the typical Player 1 - Trackball - Player 2 layout across the bottom.  Across the top I have a 4-way MsPacMan above the player 1 buttons, then 2 buttons for the 4-way and spinner above the left side of the trackball plate, then the spinner above the right side of the trackball plate, then a trigger stick above the player 2 buttons.  It works out quite well, and with some modification I could fit additional buttons to the left of the 4-way if I wanted to.

2)  You can put the 4-way into a wood panel pretty easily.  You will have to take the thing apart (take off microswitches and pull the handle/spring out of the case).  Once that is done, you need to route out an area on the top of your CP equal to the max area of the joystick and to a depth equal to the lip of the joystick mounting section.  Then, you need to cut out completely a square for the smaller part of the joystick to fit into.  You then slide the joystick down from the top and secure it to the panel.  The top of the panel should be flush with the top of the joystick.  In the Lexan you would just have the center hole for the stick itself. Once you put the lexan on, you can reassemble the joystick and the only height you have lost is the thickness of the lexan.

This may sound complicated, so if I didn't explain it very well let me know.

[menace]

I don't want to upset any marital bliss but you should try talking your wife into painting it a solid color rather than the stain.  An arcade machine with stain just doesn't look the same IMHO.  Originally my girlfriend had the same objection, but after I showed here a couple that were stained versus some that were a solid color, she agreed the solid color was a better look--as long as it wasn't too flashy!  We also had the opposite hands control problem but I won that one hands done due to lack of real estate on the control panel to have dual interfaces.    Good luck--if you're like most people you're probably just glad that she is "letting" you make one AND keeping it in the house!

[Lilwolf]

You should also consider getting a set of the oscar restrictor plates.  

I've heard very good things about them.  I'm planning on getting 2 sets for my cocktail table... if I ever finish it that is..

[eightbit]

Good luck--if you're like most people you're probably just glad that she is "letting" you make one AND keeping it in the house!

If you build it she will play it, my wife wasn't remotely interested untill she started playing, no I had to build a secound cab so that I could get some playing time.