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Interchangable Control Panels
AlmtyBob:
What do you guys have against using 2 12 pin molex connectors? easier and kinda matches the whole arcade cabinet motif 8)
Frobozz:
Hmm... crimping? ;D
Eddie Fantastic:
I used jamma boards for my 5 (when they're all finished) control panels - this gave me 56 connection points to wire in:
panel 1: 2player 6 button setup with optical sticks
panel 2: 2 player twin sticks / 4 player 2 buttons each
panel 3: Trackball 3 button
panel 4: optical steering wheel
panel 5: DC wheel
And with 3 jamma connectors leading to Mame, Dreamcast and Jamma it's easy to switch between inputs and outputs. And there's no conficts between the dc and the pc controllers - that was a real bugger - cost me an ipac and a dc controller board. Keep 'em separate!
All this and I turn my cab on and have a game of Mr Do.
Dan:
I also have interchangeable control panels. I started with a stock ArcadePC mini, removed the HotRodSE, and replaced it with a home-made enclosure with removable panels. I'll submit the project with a URL to my website once I get all the pics up. I used an I-PAC with a DB-25 cable. Since I plan on only having one optical device per panel (too small to add more than one), I just have a USB extension cable inside the enclosure. After this whole project, I have two pointers to give anyone who is just starting:
1) Strip the DB-25 wires about twice as long as you normally would strip a wire and then fold it in half. This thickens it and makes it much easier to crimp the quick-disconnects or to screw into the I-PAC terminals.
2) Buy all your DB-25 cables from the same vendor! I made the mistake of starting with a DB-25 cable which I had laying around. Then I went to the store to buy another one. Turns out, the pin-outs are not standard! So I had to make a matrix of wire colors for each cable.
Here are my panels:
1) Wico 4-way joystick w/red ball, 2 buttons mirrored on either side, player 1 & 2 start buttons across top
2) Oscar spinner, Happ 4-way joystick w/button on top, two buttons on left side, player 1 & 2 start buttons across top
3) Two Happ Competition joysticks, 7 buttons per player, player 1 & 2 start buttons across top
4) Three Wico 8-way joysticks w/blue ball, 3 buttons per player, player 1, 2, & 3 start buttons across top
5) Oscar SWC w/10" Happ steering wheel, Happ 2-speed shifter w/turbo, two buttons, 1 player start button, foot switch (always mounted at base of cab)
6) Happ 3" Trackball, 3 buttons, Player 1 & 2 start button vertical on right side
The enclosure itself has three buttons for coin 1, 2, & 3. I got away with using one I-PAC for a three-player panel because I only have 3 buttons per player. I use the left over buttons for the third player controls. All of the panels are the same shape except for the driving panel, which has a very steep angle in the front and angles down in the back. You'll get a better understanding of all this once I finish my website and submit the project. All the hardware is mounted except for the trackball, which will be done this weekend. I still need to wire the fighting, 3-way, & trackball panel. Everything that's complete works 100%!
Good luck with your cab!
Dan
SirPoonga:
--- Quote ---I also have interchangeable control panels.
--- End quote ---
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