Is this control panel too small?

[smocksam]

I'm FINALLY starting on my mame machine.  I'm using a gutted "quasar" cab that I got from a friend.



I'm working on laying out my control panel and was thinking that I'd start by just adding buttons to the existing panel with the plan of building a bigger panel with  a trackball and such at a later date.

However I was wondering if any of you thought that the panel was too small for the controls I have here.



Anyway, this will probably only be a temporary layout anyway, but I was wanting some outside input.

thanks in advance
Sam

[Brax]

I don't think it will be too small but you may want to move your buttons up a little higher. i think you'll find its more comfortable if you have a place to rest your palm. It's all about your personal preferance though.

Maybe cut and tape up a cardboard box the same size as your control panel and give it a try. If it feels right to you, then it IS right.

[hyiu]

is this a standard 24" cab ??...

if it is... it can fit a 2 player 6 button each layout....

look at mine... mine is like yours.... (I re-do mine with plywood...)

a little crowded of course... (compare to big monster cab... )
but a good enough compromise.... (in my standard...)

   

http://www.geocities.com/hyiu/pics/Arcade/Cab_and_Stick/

click on    a_bottom_half.jpg

hope it helps....

[Minwah]

Doesn't look too bad - much like a lot of JAMMA cabs I have seen control panel-wise.  Two things tho: 1) I personally would like a bit more depth to the panel so there's more room to rest your hand(s), 2) you might find it a bit cramped if you go ahead and make a trackball panel.

I'd be inclined to make a new panel and try it - that original artwork looks too nice to butcher

[smocksam]

I think I'll probably go ahead and butcher the existing panel for now.  The artwork looks nice in the pic, but it's really all cracked and peeling away from the metal so I don't feel too bad about killing it.

Right now I've got the thing gutted all over my office and need to get it to where i can play on it or I'm going to have a seizure  

I'm thinking when the time and cash allow I'll build a bigger panel that extends out to the side a little so I'll have more room for things.

[Chris]

I hope you can at least preserve the sideart!

I built a two-player layout in the same amount of space, but I used only 4 buttons per player to leave room for a trackball in the middle.  (I don't play 6-button fighters, and I don't know of any other games that require 6 buttons per player.)



However, the cabinet as I got it originally had a full 6-button layout:



My control panel is 23 inches wide by 7 inches deep.

--Chris

[Hellfromabove]

In my opinion I would want elbow space so I would just expand the CP but it looks fine to me if you dont want to expand. Hell those are the ones they have on the small cabs for all 6 button games. Thanx.

-See Ya!!!

[rampy]

As mentioned previously you can get the 2 stick six button layout in that space without too much of a problem...

In my smallish taito arcade cabinet conversion I had the same issue of how to fit a trackball (and spinner shortly) and a Street fighter esque layout... I ended up making a replacement control panel top in the shape of a "T" to extend out and make more space.  I then built and bolted on a "box" to surround it... *shrug* ymmv but i think my setup is a decent compromise for what I like to do/play...

good luck!

rampy

PS takes lots of pictures of the project during different assembly/dissassembly points and shlop em up for us to look at =)

[Xphile]

I have the same question, so I thought I'd just recycle the thread:-)

I have a unique cab design, (space harrier) So it would be a pain to
extend the panel past the sides and still have it look "right"..
I was hoping to get away with using a couple of control sets I got off
ebay (Wico ball top leaf joys, and 4 leaf buttons mounted in a stainless
steel panel that would mount in rectangular cutouts in the wood CP.)



the buttons and joys are removed in this pic, just sitting there upside
 down to give an idea of placement and a copy/paste in PSP of each
red ball top to represent the joys..the two black buttons at the top
would be p1/p2 start, the three reds at the top would be mouse
buttons, and missile command  (and other trackball games ) fire buttons..

I only really need four player buttons each (kids like tekken:-), but
I could, if you guys think it's a better idea, cut the button mount sides
 off the stainless mounting plates, and just use the joystick mounting
plate half - mounting the buttons seperate from the joys in a more
 traditional <closer together> 6 button layout....(I have to get new
buttons that would be deep enough for wood though..)

I don't know,
what do y'all think? :-)

[RandyT]

I'm FINALLY starting on my mame machine.  I'm using a gutted "quasar" cab that I got from a friend.
I'm working on laying out my control panel and was thinking that I'd start by just adding buttons to the existing panel with the plan of building a bigger panel with  a trackball and such at a later date.

However I was wondering if any of you thought that the panel was too small for the controls I have here.

Anyway, this will probably only be a temporary layout anyway, but I was wanting some outside input.

                 


If you take a look above, you can see that you can do a lot on a small panel with a little attention to the layout.

That one is about 8" x 24", probably the smallest you'll find on a cabinet.  But even so, it is very comfortable even for 2 people.  There are 17 buttons, 2 joys and even an Oscar3 spinner (don't ask how I got it in there  but the effort was worth it!).

So the bottom line is, if it fits, it's functional and it looks half-way decent then go for it!  But as suggested, make yourself a full size layout and get someone to stand next to you with it to make sure it feels right to you.

RandyT

[eightbit]

I have a unique cab design, (space harrier) So it would be a pain to
extend the panel past the sides and still have it look "right"..
I was hoping to get away with using a couple of control sets I got off
ebay (Wico ball top leaf joys, and 4 leaf buttons mounted in a stainless
steel panel that would mount in rectangular cutouts in the wood CP.)

Space harriers monitor is pretty straight up isn't it? If you mount that trackball to close to the glass its going to be tough to spin it.

I'd bring the trackball as close to the front as you can. Its easy enough to reach over. Especially with that pointed front you have layed out there.

A lot of arcade games had 2 players on a 24" wide panel.

I don't like when p1 and p2  joysticks aren't square to the screen. It throws me off and it makes games that use both joysticks for player 1 very difficult.  I don't mind if players 3 and 4 on the outside are turned inwards.

I'd scrap those metal plates, the buttons are to far apart. Either make new plates or route out the wood to use the short buttons and sticks. Another alternative would be to add 2 more buttons into the panel and have  3 rows and 2 columns. I don't like that layout but it would make your buttons, especially the ones you use the most, closer together.

[beek]

Rampy

I like your cp layout.  On your website you show the plans printed out.  Do you plan on linking them on your website?

[Xphile]

I'd scrap those metal plates, the buttons are to far apart. Either make new plates or route out the wood to use the short buttons and sticks. Another alternative would be to add 2 more buttons into the panel and have  3 rows and 2 columns. I don't like that layout but it would make your buttons, especially the ones you use the most, closer together.

good points, I angled the sticks to prevent rubbing shoulders
 if I play a 2 p game...chances are tho' that the only 2 player
 games will be my kids playing each other, so I really don't
have to worry about it..:-) and straight sticks makes
much more sense..

so a layout more like this makes sense?


I can't see needing the mouse buttons whilst playing a game (and vise versa), so
I wonder it there's a way to wire the 3 player 1 buttons to act
as mouse buttons in windows as well as p1b1,p1b2,p1b3 in mame

probably need to be a switch of some sort (well, 3: a switch for each N.O. on the 3 buttons, but
could probably find a triple pole <something> throw switch..if that's what it's called when
it has 3 circuts and a two position ("on"/"other on", not "on/off")switch controling those three circuts at the same time..

hmm..

[SirPoonga]

I can't see needing the mouse buttons whilst playing a game (and vise versa), so
I wonder it there's a way to wire the 3 player 1 buttons to act
as mouse buttons in windows as well as p1b1,p1b2,p1b3 in mame

probably need to be a switch of some sort (well, 3: a switch for each N.O. on the 3 buttons, but
could probably find a triple pole <something> throw switch..if that's what it's called when
it has 3 circuts and a two position ("on"/"other on", not "on/off")switch controling those three circuts at the same time..

hmm..

Yes, if you can get into chat sometime with mIRC I will send you pics.  I did that on my cabinet.  I use player 1 buttons 1 and 2 as mouse buttons.  I have a switch underneith connected to a dpdt relay to switch the buttons from ipac to mouse.

[Xphile]

Yes, if you can get into chat sometime with mIRC I will send you pics.  I did that on my cabinet.  I use player 1 buttons 1 and 2 as mouse buttons.  I have a switch underneith connected to a dpdt relay to switch the buttons from ipac to mouse.

hmm I wonder if it would be possible to just wire them to
a dpdt switch with out the relay? my CP will be angled downwards
on the top and bottom surfaces , so any switch at the back( underneath)
 wouldn't be visible..

not as aggressive an angle(22.5 degrees), but like this <side view>:
_
\  \
  \  \
    \ _\
instead of most normal cps:

\
  \
__\

Please forgive my ignorance, but what does the relay do
 that a switch can't do alone?

[eightbit]

 I think the altered layout looks great. The only problem you'll have now is running into the joystick with your hand if you have to spin the ball hard in that direction. In a panel that small I don't know how to avoid making a compromise there.

You can have a switch change the arcade button inputs with the mouse buttons if you want but you don't have to if you don't want to. Simply make the 3 mouse buttons p2 button 1/2/3 then change mames default to use mouse 1/2/3 as p2 button 1/2/3. I'm planning to do that on my panel when I rebuild it, Which I'm planning to do. I don't like having the extra buttons even though I have the room.

[SirPoonga]

Please forgive my ignorance, but what does the relay do
 that a switch can't do alone?

A relay is a switch to switch switches.  When you apply power to the relay it turns all the switches inside from NC to the NO position.
Here's mine
http://www.fe.donkeyfly.com/images/dpdt.jpg

So yeah, a dpdt switch would do the same thing.  But it is alot easier finding relays:)  BTW, you see th part number on the relay, it's from digikey.com.  I provided power to it from the usb port.  But any 5v source is needed.  Just hook a switch to the power to turn it on and off.

I explain in more detail here.

http://www.arcadecontrols.org/yabbse/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=3968;start=0

Note for this circuit I DID NOT want shared ground.  It had the potential of causing a ground loop which will give bad performance.  So I needed to switch the entire circuit, even the grounds from the mouse ground to the ipac ground.