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| I would like some advice/input/thoughts/mounds of cash... |
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| Mark70:
You can only loose by trying to make the everything in one panel.... panel. For example, two trackballs is an extraordinary expense just to play dual marble madness. In my experience marble madness is far too difficult by design to be enjoyable anyhow. I compare it to the C64 title gyroscope, which was wonderful. but I digress. For the cost of a sheet of MDF, youw ould be better to make more than one cabinet, or a cabinet with changeable control panels (since more than one cabinet has cost implications in a monitor and takes up more space). There is a fantastic topic here somewhere where a guy has used a printer connector to make interchangable control panels. simply the best multiple control solution I've seen here as far as functionality and simplicity of build. This is all just my opinion and about four beers talking of course, but the everything panel ends up just looking silly and isn't functional. Think ergonomics. How long will your guests want to play a fighting game tourney if their capel tunnels start hurting after 10 mins? or if they keep scraping their forearm on a spinner while trying to execute that finishing move? |
| Mark70:
Damn if I can't find it. It was a topic where a guy was trying to use cel phone contacts to make swapable control panels and someone else responded with what he did, which was use a 37 pin connector or a serial connector of some kind. It was all set up where there were pieces of wood on the control panel to guide the connectors together etc... If anyone else can remember which topic that was please link it.... I can't think of anything more specific to search and the forums are being really slow and frustrating right now. |
| Mark70:
Oh and constructively: the right side trackball user will constsantly be banging into the four player stick. You may want to aim the top of the trackballs in at 45 degrees, or whatever angle gives the most room. I thought I had lots of room in front of my track ball and everyone is still knuckling the glass while playing golden tee. |
| lharles:
SO, here come the pictures...but before that, a little narrative. Player 3 and 4 have Wico Leaf Switch Joysticks, (part of the 'lot' of joysticks that I got from the evilBay for $20), player 1 and 2 have top fires, player 1 trackball is black, player 2 is white, two 'Mad Planets' spinners with dials/knobs...from 'Radio Shack', (oh, I am ashamed... ;D ). Then there are a bunch o' buttons. The covering is the textured vinyl from 'Parts Express' and it worked well. I decided to cover the, er, inaccuracies of my newbie routing with 'poster board' as suggested by some person in some thread here...the result of which is the sort of odd, mystery outline in the picture taken from above. I'm planning on adding some directional artwork to the control panel as well as to the sides of the cabinet...please feel free to ridicule me now. After a lifetime of this sort of thing, I'm used to it. Just be sure to use smileys so that I don't become sad and morose inside. ;) PICS: |
| DaveMMR:
--- Quote from: Mark70 on May 11, 2006, 07:09:11 pm ---For example, two trackballs is an extraordinary expense just to play dual marble madness. In my experience marble madness is far too difficult by design to be enjoyable anyhow. I compare it to the C64 title gyroscope, which was wonderful. but I digress. --- End quote --- Balderdash! Marble Madness is completely worth the price of "two trackball" admission (especially if you're savy and find used, cheap ones on eBay). And if you're not crazy about the difficulty, you can always change the settings. I'm bias since that was the game that got me wanting my own cab, but I still think you can't go wrong having a little MM tourney every now and again. Plus it works great for Cabal and that unreleased Atari Centipede/Missle Command 2-player simo remake I forgot the proper name of.... However, I do agree that 2-player MM is not worth the CP real estate. If you're doing 2 TBs, you need to start looking at swappable panels. I'm actually planning two seperate panels of trackballs: 1 with a single trackball ala Centipede and another with the dual set-up (though that's down the road). Yes, it is slightly ridiculous. No, I'm not going modular. Hey, for me, having a dedicated MM panel is well worth the hassle and needless expense. Back to the panel: So, um, that's a pretty big panel. It could almost double as a dining room table. ;D Iharles, not trying to be funny, but maybe you should look into putting an anchor into the wall to keep the cab from falling forward. Maybe just screw that puppy into the wall directly for safety's sake. The panel itself probably won't take the cab down. However, someone leaning on it to reach the back might. That whole science thingee of levers and fulcrums and such comes into play here somehow. BTW I'm basing this on pictures - it may be perfectly safe in real life. I am not an engineer. Just looks a tad dangerous from where I'm sitting. EDIT: I just reread your post - so you were the guy who beat me out of the "trackball lot" on eBay, huh? |
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