2 Player control panel project (now with pics)

Main > Project Announcements

(1/4) > >>

LeedsFan:
I recently sold my Mame cabinet to a mate of mine. And now I have no retro gaming action in my house. :badmood:

So to rectify this atrocity I have decided to embark on a much smaller project, but one in which I want to improve from the cabinet control panel I had before. I simply don't have the space or the funds to do another full cabinet project. Also I'm still a n00b when it comes to this stuff really and my woodworking skills are nothing compared to the projects I see on here. I just wanna try and make the best looking and most functional CP I can... so here goes:

There are three criteria this panel has to strictly adhere to:

#1 Maximum coverage of the games in Mame (as is possible with the final specification)

I've been planning and thinking recently about all sorts of ideas to try and "encompass" the maximum number of Mame games. I thought about dual spinners, dual joysticks for each player, a top fire on the second stick for Battlezone etc.etc. :blah: But then the whole look of the panel would be compromised and I just felt that would detract from the final finish. Battlezone or games like those could still be played, but would need a little dexterity in pressing buttons.

So in the end I decided upon a 2-Player control panel with two joysticks - 7 buttons each, one trackball and one spinner. In fact the same layout as I had on the cab :P But this time I'm not as restricted on space.

#2 Absolutely no compromise on quality or "feel".... even if it's just my personal preference

2x UltraStik 360s (I can play analogue games now... which means Star Wars fun for me! :applaud:)
1x SpinTrak spinner
1x Happs 3" High-Lip trackball (I have more room now so this is my TB of choice)
1x Minipac unit
USB hub
One and Two player start buttons with microswitches
Original leaf switches for all the play buttons (my personal preference... simply a "must have" for me :notworthy:)

I was gonna go the full monty with all translucent buttons and trackball and have them all lit up. I think the effect looks marvelous on cabs, but after a little thought I decided that this would be overkill for a stand-alone CP. Having to feed it with an extended 5V supply from the PC would be a bit daft I think. Just one USB cable to power the Minipac through the installed USB hub will do fine thank you very much. ;)

#3 CP has to be able to be stripped back down to replace/repair any aspect of it.

One "mistake" I made on my cab was to recess all the bolt heads for the joysticks and TB and then smooth them over with wood putty. This was to give a smooth surface for the artwork to lay on. All very nice... but if anything goes wrong with those parts it would be a nightmare to fix. :-\

So this time I have an image in my mind of how I see the control panel when it's finished. A 15mm main base with a thin overlay where the artwork will sit then a covering of plexi for the final finish. This means that each "layer" can be removed if necessary should something need attention. Even if it's just a scratched plaxi cover. This is probably something all you guys do anyway, but it's something I didn't do before. I haven't decided yet whether the artwork overlay will be on aluminium sheet or just thin hardboard. Whatever happens the plexi must come up flush with the lip of the trackball.

So that's it so far. I will update with pics etc.etc. when i get started. Stuff from BobRoberts and Happs has already been ordered. Any advice, criticism, suggestions are all welcome. Me still n00b remember. :cheers:

LeedsFan:
OK... plenty of planning and more research has been taking place. I managed to get my MaLa frontend setup this week on my PC exactly as MameWah was on my cabinet. I'm new to MaLa, but I have to say it is really brilliant! However, this has just made things worse though. Now I have access to the games again but can't play them properly at all. So frustrating! :timebomb:

Anyway, below is my final CP layout I have settled on. I was thinking of adding some buttons to the right of the spinner but have decided against it. I will simply use the Player 2 buttons for spinner games. I may also add pinball buttons to the side panels. I don't play pinball games really but I might just add them for completeness sake. Not really much extra work at all. Two buttons each side towards the front of the panel is OK yes?

The panel measures 24" x 12" and the trackball sits dead centre. That's to fit the artwork which I am using (Same as Knievel's Neon Mame cab). Those middle player buttons may not be as raised up as they are in this pic. Might only be raised about 10mm, but they will be set in that pattern. It's to suit my finger placement as they naturally "fall" to the panel in this arrangement.

24" may not seem very wide but I want the panel to be as compact as possible so that the joysticks aren't too far apart for games like Robotron and Smash TV. At 24" x 12" it is already bigger than the panel I had on my cab with the exact same layout.... except then I had to use a 2.25" trackball instead of a 3". So I'm confident that this is gonna be 100% playable.

LeedsFan:
:blah:

RetroGreg:
I like your layout. I'm actually in the process of making a "solitaire" desktop panel myself. I've received most of my parts already.

I have a very similar layout, except I am putting my trackball and spinner on the right side of the panel as they feel more natural in my right hand rather than my left. My second joystick is an 8 way "topfire". This way I can play the two stick games, and also use it with the spinner for tron even if the controls are on the wrong side of eachother.

I'm also squeezing in a 4 way stick for classic games. I know it sounds like a lot and that is frowned upon around here, but the functionality is what I am really concerned about and I will really be the only person using it. So if I'm happy with how it turns out than great.

I am not forking out the $ for the U360 sticks though. I'm sure they are great though. Are you still going to use 2 of the U360's? That sounds like it might be an un-needed added expense for just a little extra use? But if that's what you want I'm sure you will be happy with it.

I'd like to see you update this with your progress as you move along to see how it turns out. :cheers:

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

Go to full version