quick check before I do some wiring, just a quick question

[struby]

the control order for buttons is  1 2 3 for 6 buttons
                                                  4 5 6    and     1 2
                                                                         3 4 for 4 buttons right?

[Jeff AMN]

It's personal preference, really. However I went like this:

.  1 2 3
1 4 5 6

It's the NeoGeo/SF layout.

[struby]

is that the marvel vs capcom layout also    -  the extra neo geo button

[Jeff AMN]

Yeah, it's perfect for that.

You'll be going like this with your 6 button setup (most likely):

1 2 3
4 5 6

For your 4-button setup, like this (again, most likely):

1 2
3 4

I've seen some people swap the tops and bottoms, but that seems wrong to me. With the layout I have, the buttons are already mapped correctly in default MAME for Street Fighter and other games.

[Kaytrim]

Another way to layout the extra button is like this...

1 2 3 4
4 5 6

Mock them up and play around with it and see which layout you like.

TTFN
Kaytrim

[Jeff AMN]

I think he's past the mockup stage, right? Aren't you ready to start wiring today?

[struby]

yes, I have been much criticized as a non-mocker, I draw, drill and put stuff in the holes, ez pz, i'll post a pic of my cp when i'm done, it's painted black plexi over plywood 4p 48 inches wide 22 inches or so deep, buttons from pelican controllers I like them.

[Kaytrim]

Been there, Done that, got the t-shirt.  I was bit by it once.  Made my CP box and panel 6" too short.   Had to slice it up and add an extension so I didn't waste a good sized piece of MDF.  In future I will mock up my stuff so I don't have that happen again.

[Tiger-Heli]

You really can't screw this one up no matter how you wire it.

On my panel, I use

   4  5  6
   1  2  3
7

I play mostly classic games, so the bottom row buttons allow me to not have to reach over buttons to use them.

If I ever played MK or SF, I could remap buttons in MAME to use the upper row as 1-3 and the lower as 4-6, and for 4-button Neo-Geo games, I would remap in MAME so 7-1-2-3 was 1-2-3-4.

That was my point initially, you are mainly using MAME and are using an I-PAC, so if you don't like what you initially choose, either re-map MAME or re-program the I-PAC and it's changed to what you prefer.