My Panel (and marquee), take 3 (Pic Hvy)

[crackbone]

Promise this is the last time I'll post it!

Here's the 99% finished version


and the marquee


I've added a minor texture to the black surface, which probably isn't noticable at this resolution.  Also added the circuits to break up the panel.  What's the thoughts?

Here's the old one for reference:



Thanks,

Crack

[Valence]

I think that you have to much wire coverage.
My opinion. Here's what I think would make it look maybe not better but more to my tastes.

Take the wire run that goes to the mame logo away. Also the one that goes from the mame logo to player2.  Take away the  wire run that goes from the player 1 and player 2 controls to the bottom edge.

Make them all originate from a central location. I was thinking about them coming from the start buttons and branching out
to all the rest but decided that it may look a little lopsided.

Then I thought that if they originated from where you have run/end.  Have a big one (double the regular width) have these two split in the middle of the cp and branch to the trackball and player two controls. Have similar branches going to the rest of the controls.  Also if you decide to use wire runs on your CP you should have one that goes across the marqee also.

All my opinion, and I have not been know for art before so make sure you take it with a grain of salt.

Valence

[joeblade]

To satisfy my own curiosity (as I have seen this on a few control panels now), the button for each player that is offset from the rest:

(1) Is that button 1 ?

(2) Is this configuration preferable for certain games ?

Just wondering why people have been doing it.

Cheers

Joe

 

[Nikodemz]

The layout if for neo-geo games. It replicates the layout of the old neo-geo arcade boxes. The button was designed to be used by your thumb for more efficent use of your whole right hand rather than just two fingers.

As for what it's mapped to, I have heard a few different takes on this in my searching of these boards. I think the most popular set up is to double the thumb button with 4th button of the six button layout. So it would look like this:

    4 5 6
    1 2 3
  4

This may seem a little counter intuitive to the original six button layout where the 123 buttons would be on top but the adjustment isn't to much of a stretch. This is the layout I think I am going to use on my CP when the time comes to start construction next week.

Now if you're using and IPAC as most of folks do, another choice is to just map that button as a 7th button because the IPAC supports up to 8 buttons for P1 and P2. So if you wanted to stay true to the traditional six button fighter layout you could do something like this:

     1 2 3
     4 5 6
   7

I'm sure there are more options, and truthfully I'd like to hear them as well simply because I haven't started building my CP yet and if there is a better way to go about laying out a six button/neo-geo combo I would love to hear it before I get everything wired up and screwed together.

Hope this was of some help.

[mastercave]

nice improvement over the last. not sure if those lines are suppose to be wires or just graphics, but if they were just graphics, then it looks cool like that. i hope you're thinking about adding some buttons for the mouse/trackball.

question: what is the spacing between your joystick and buttons? i'm thinking mine may be too close.

[Druin]

The new stripes look kind of like a Transformers logo

[Nikodemz]

As I look at your new design I'm noticing that with the wiring added the it becomes more evident that there is more "weight" on the left side of the CP than the right. The MAME logo doesn't carry as much as the button interface on the top left so my eye tends to be contiunally drawn towards the logo because it is so different from the rest of the panel. This may seem overly technical and you'll have to excuse me but I'm a designer and I can get carried away. Anway, from a purely design perspective, if you are going for a sense of symmetry, which it looks like you are by the symetrical use of the wiring, I would suggest possibly added a similar boarder around the MAME logo. That might even things out a bit and make the whole design look more cohesive.

THis is of course only my opinion. I really do like the design, you've done an excellent job. Another option may be to create some kind of central piece and have he wiring radiate out from from there to all the other elements on the CP, similar to what Valance said earlier. Also, in response to the suggestion to remove the wiring that extends to the edge of the panel, I would say that if you are having a buttons on the front of the panel (say coin buttons or something) that you locate them at those spots where the wiring hits the edge of the table and then you can extend the design down onto the front of the panel. I personally think that would look very slick and any time you can extend your design onto a another face or dimension you're making it that much more interesting.

So that's my 2 cents. I really like the design and if you kept it how it is you would still have yourself an excellent CP layout. Well done.

-Niko

[shmokes]

i hope you're thinking about adding some buttons for the mouse/trackball.

I hope you're not thinking about adding some buttons for the mouse/trackball.

Can't you just use the bottom three buttons from player 1 as mouse buttons?  My understanding is that those buttons could just be wired to both the I-pac and the OPTI-pac.  If I'm correct, more buttons = more clutter

[jdjuggler]

I know this is off the topic a bit... But, I was wondering the same thing.  I would like my player1 1 2 3 buttons to be used as my 3 mouse buttons also.
Can you attach a button to an encoder input and your mouse button at the same time?  Do you attach both grounds?
Would this cause any problems?
Thanks.

[crackbone]

Thanks for all the replies.

Valence-  I can appreciate what you're saying.  The wires may or may not be the final versions depicted here.  I may do some more detailed work on them, but I don't think I'll be removing them.  I particularly like how the wires connect the buttons and form an "inner shape" to the panel.  The two going from the joysticks to the edge of the panel are to add help break up the black space, and I may play around with them.

Niko, yeah, I've been somewhat concerned with the weight issue with the mame logo.  I like symmetry, and without more buttons for the panel I thought the logo would the answer.  I like your idea about enclosing it in a box like the Mame buttons, which I think I'll do.  About expanding the concept, I realized it would be pretty cool to take the empty space on the marquee and put a processor there with wires that radiate out of it, to complete the theme...  so I guess I'm not 99% done

And no, I'm not adding trackball buttons.  I'm actually hacking a xarcade controller along with 3 mouse buttons to get the final layout.  When I'm done I'll create a custom controller file for Mame.  The layout should work well for selecting games and if I need to do serious windows work, I'll use the mouse on the monitor shelf.

[Brax]

Do you really think it's necessary to label the trackball!?

[DinoRoger]

If you do go with the wires I suggest finding a way to add them to the marquee alos.  Kinda have a theme going with all the components.  You might try playing around with different wire colors.  Most wires other than ribbon cables have muli colors.  I like it though.

[Erik]

I think that looks awesome.  I wish I had your skills

[AlanS17]

I may put a Neo Geo/ SF layout in my new design (if I don't go straight SF).

I was thinking of this...

1 2 3 4
4 5 6

This helps to eliminate alot of reprogramming.

Of course, the buttons wouldn'tbe in a straight row. They would have a curve, but I can't show that in text well. Maybe something like this... (Though this still isn't quite right)

   2  3  4
1  5  6
 4

You REALLY have to picture a curve in the buttons. I'ts not going to be triangulr like that. Let me try to post a picture... What do you think? (I can hears the flames already)  

[Sasquatch!]

I may put a Neo Geo/ SF layout in my new design (if I don't go straight SF).

I was thinking of this...

1 2 3 4
4 5 6

This helps to eliminate alot of reprogramming.

I plan on doing this layout on my next cab for this exact reason.'

Back on topic:
Crackbone, I'd lose the "Trackball" label.  It just looks...odd.

[AlanS17]

I may put a Neo Geo/ SF layout in my new design (if I don't go straight SF).

I was thinking of this...

1 2 3 4
4 5 6

This helps to eliminate alot of reprogramming.

I plan on doing this layout on my next cab for this exact reason.'

Back off topic:
Great Minds Think Alike!!