Smallest "playable" CP for 2 players?

[stuckpixel]

Reason I ask is that my dad and I are going to be building a bartop (in addition to my sit-down cab) for their place. The focus is going to be more on classic games, maybe some neo-geo fighters at most.

In your experience, what's the smallest 2 player CP that will work? Ideally I'd like to throw a trackball in there somehow as well, but we'll have to see on that one.

[Crowquill]

Despite what some people tend to think, most original control panels were not 36" wide. My Neo-Geo dedicated 2-slot cabinet has a 23.75" wide panel. My Primal rage cabinet is the same width.

Some of this depends on how you want to lay out your buttons. The Primal Rage cab (my JAMMA cab) has a 2-button over 2-button layout. This leaves a little more room for other controls. You could easily squeeze a spinner into there and possibly a trackball. The layout won't be accurate for Neo-Geo fighters, but I currently have the MVS in there while I'm fixing up the dedicated cab and King of Fighters '99 plays just fine.

The button layout of the Neo-Geo cab doesn't leave much room for anything else. It is very comfortable to use, though.

Also keep in mind that it's not just what you can FIT into a panel, it's what fits and is comfortable to use. On my MAME cab I gave up on the trackball to have a comfortable 7-button layout for 2 players on a 24" wide control panel. Make a mockup out of scrap wood or even cardboard. See how everything fits together on the panel and how much room you have to play.

How wide were you thinking for the bartop?

[NIVO]

my 2 player "fighter" panel is 21 7/8" wide and plays extremely well on my bartop(which is obvioulsy a larger bartop styled cabinet). Agreed with Crowquill on planning your layout and your intentions. Definitely take your time and mock them up to see what suits you and your family best. This way you can help prevent unforeseen problems and keep your design the way you intended it to be. 

[stuckpixel]

I'm really torn as to how big I want to make the bartop. I have a 17" CRT, so I want to make sure that doesn't get dwarfed by the size of the thing. I'm also really torn if I want an oversized CP or not. It'd make it easier to play, but I also really dig the look of the classic cabs (nintendo cabs, galaga/ms-pacman, etc).

[shardian]

I can't remember the guy (someone will come along with a link for sure), but a guy on here has made several kick butt bartops based on the pacman cabinet. One of them has a modular panel that has the trackball on it, so you only use when you need it, plus you have the extra room to really give the ball a spin.

This may be yet another option you could consider.

[hickster]

I believe this is what Shardian is referring to... awesome cabs.....I've been admiring these ever since I first saw them.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=66213.0

Cheers

[KenToad]

Here is mine.  20" is wide enough for 2 happ joys and 6 buttons each.  (The classic panel is shown.)

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=37665.0

[stuckpixel]

Awesome, thanks for those everyone.

Debating if total width of 24" (22.5" CP) is going to dwarf the monitor or not. With that size I have two SF setups, and a 3" arcade trackball. I can go smaller and try to hack a logitech marble mouse or something for a small trackball that doesn't cost a million dollars (ie the Happ 1.5").

Thinking if that's the total width it'll _probably_ dwarf the 17" CRT. Agree/disagree?

[shardian]

Thinking if that's the total width it'll _probably_ dwarf the 17" CRT. Agree/disagree?

Yes, your monitor will look puny, but if money is an issue then go for it anyways.

[KenToad]

Yeah, 24" will probably dwarf the monitor, unless you just make the panel wider than the actual width of the cabinet.  It will look sorta frankenpanel, but it can still look good.  For an example, look at Leapinlew's bartop in Project Announcements.  Mine is a 17" CRT.  If you decide to make the cab the same width as the CP, I think you would be better off with a 19" CRT.  They can be had used pretty cheaply.  The biggest problem will be the depth.

[stuckpixel]

Money isn't a huge issue, I just have a 17" CRT that isn't being used. I think a 3" trackball is a bit overkill for this guy anyways, I think I'll try my luck with the logitech marble mouse and see if I can make a suitable hack.

Lets see what this will look like.. Looks like I can shave the width down to 20" (18.5" CP) without a full size trackball.

I don't have the exact dimensions of the guy, but I just guessed that it'd be about the same size as a happ 1 1/2". You think it'd be better at the bottom or top of the CP?