Hello all, few questions regarding my control panel

[clickhea]

Hello all, this is my first post on the board, i have been reading through the Project arcade book, as well as viewing the forums as a guest for a little while now, just decided to register so i could become apart of this community.

 I have a few questions before i finalize my purchases. i did as much searching as possible to answer most of my questions. iam sure most of my questions were answered many times in the past but i couldn't find exact answers for them.

My cabinet is just about complete its based off jeffs ultimate mame cabinet. I would love to provide pictures but my camera is not in working condition right now.. hopefully soon tho.

alright here we go


1) Iam pretty sure iam going to go with 2  U360's and 7 push buttons for each player (2 players).  Now i understand the u360 is software driven to change it from 2 way - 4 way - 8 way but alot of the games i will be playing are going to be 4 way.  So iam thinking of throwing 1 ms pac/galaga reunion joystick on the panel as well for the real feel.  Any problems here yet?

2) as for the push buttons id like to go with the microleafs but for some reason iam not seeing the buttons sold separate , iam seeing the buttons sold with cherry switches.  Is it possible to purchase just the buttons making the purchase a bit cheaper?

3) This is one of my major concerns.  From all the reading ive done here it seems like many people opt to go with 3/4 mdf for their control panel thickness.  How are people using 3/4 mdf and adding a layer of plexi while having the t molding cover the entire edge of the CP?  From google searches the widest t molding iam seeing is 3/4.

4) As for the trackball, iam pretty sure iam going to go with the 3" from happ with the raised lip since iam planning on applying Plexiglas to the top of my control panel. 

5) Iam not exactly sure which spinner i should go with because i havnt done much research on the boards to see what the majority of people are using, any suggestions here?

any input or direction towards where i could find the answers to my questions would be greatly appreciated. I know how it is to deal with newbies on a forum, so iam trying my hardest to not get under anyones skin

[LeedsFan]

#1  The software will change the map for the U360s but you have to change it yourself between games.... unless you use a frontend with a plugin that will do it for you. Mala is one such FE... I believe there are one or two others. Some people on here can advise better on frontends other than Mala for this function.

But basically I use Mala and have it setup to load the correct map for whichever game I am playing. It even loads up a 4-way map just for navigating the menus in the frontend after exiting a game. 

#2  I think most Happs type buttons are sold with the Cherry type microswitches. They are still cheap though. Personally I prefer original leaf type buttons but they are kinda hard to find now. I bought from TheRealBobRoberts but those Microleafs are a good alternative.

#3   I can't comment too much on the 3/4 thickness of CPs. It does seem to be very popular but it's personal choice really.

#4  Yes... good choice!  If you want to add plexi to the CP with a flush finish this is the TB to go for.

#5  I believe the general concensus is that the best spinner available right now is the Turbo Twist 2 spinner sold by GroovyGameGear. (Highest resolution spinner). He is a US based supplier and there are various options for spinner tops and even steering wheel attachments.

www.groovygamegear.com

In fact he even has a brand new spinner out now with push/pull effect like in Discs of Tron.

I went with the Spintrak spinner from Ultimarc which is also an excellent spinner. You pays your money and you takes your choice. 

[javeryh]

Welcome!!

1.  No problems at all but once you get used to the U360 (in about 10 seconds) I don't think the dedicated 4 way will get much use.  Also, it will be a constant source of questions from friends and family (What is this for?  Which games do I use it on?  Do I have to?, etc. - unnecessary clutter on a CP is bad too)

2.  I don't think so but maybe someone else could answer definitively

3.  You cut the slot for the t-molding 1/8" higher (off center) so it will cover the plexi.  Then, you bevel the bottom edge 45 degrees using a router with a chamfer bit - no one will ever notice the bevel due to the angle and the height of the CP and the t-molding will appear to cover the entire thickness of the panel.

4.  Sounds right.

5.  I love the SlikStik Tornado spinner but opinions will vary.  The one from RandyT looks really cool too.

 

[SavannahLion]

3) This is one of my major concerns.  From all the reading ive done here it seems like many people opt to go with 3/4 mdf for their control panel thickness.  How are people using 3/4 mdf and adding a layer of plexi while having the t molding cover the entire edge of the CP?  From google searches the widest t molding iam seeing is 3/4.

T-Molding (Check out T-Molding.com) comes in sizes other than 3/4". For our purposes, 3/4" is the most common. You can get sizes as small 5/8" or as large as... 1.25" from that site. The ---smurfette--- is trying to find odd sizes, shapes and colors such as the flat 9/16" Nintendo style molding in black.

To expand on javeryh's answer, it depends on how you construct it. 3/4" sized MDF is nominally sized at 3/4". What that really means is that the wood can be (always) slightly smaller or (never that I've seen) larger than the specificed 3/4". Since the wood is generally smaller than 3/4" and usually by a known size, you can order your acrylic at the appropriate size, route the groove (account for the thickeness of the acrylic when you do.).

Some people order slightly larger T and trim off (or leave on) the excess with a straight blade. Or they'll round out the acrylics edge so it leads into the T. There are other techniques and tricks, but I can't recall them all.

[clickhea]

i appreciate the replies,

so you feel the u360s will be fine for the 4 way games? i like to play alot of the older games like pacman and donkey kong


id love to use 5/8 mdf but for some reason 2 home depots by me do not carry the 5/8

they have 3/4 and 1/2

think maybe i should go with the 1/2  or just stick with the 3/4 and purchase wider t molding

[SavannahLion]

id love to use 5/8 mdf but for some reason 2 home depots by me do not carry the 5/8

They carry it, but obtaining it is an interesting exercise. For some reason, certain thicknesses are not carried by all stores in the same area. I worked at Home Depot where we had about a dozen stores within a 50 mile radius of each other. Of the 12, only one carried the elusive 5/8 boards. Why is beyond me. Now to locate which store actually has it.

You need to go to Special Services or Special Orders or whatever they happen to call it. Ask them to do an inventory search for 5/8 MDF. They should get a five or so hits back. If you're unlucky, that store won't carry it. Ask them to record the SKU's  from the hits and do a store inventory search for those SKU's. That should locate which store actually carries it, if any carry it all. The store I worked at restricted their SKU search to about 8 or so stores but we had a dozen so the others had to be entered manually. The database we used could search any store in a particular region (for instance, a store in California can search a Nevada store, but not New York).

If the employee is willing and knows how to search the databases effectively, you'll be out of there in no time. However, good luck finding anyone with even the smallest incentive to actually help. Moral at most Home Depots is pretty low.

[clickhea]

yeah i noticed that very quickly, trying to find someone to help you is a task in it self.  And when you do finnaly find someone, most of the time they really dont know what they are talking about.. Its usualy some kid who works in that dept that probably has no real life expierence using any of the tools/hardware in that section.



something iam not too clear on ive been doing searches but i cant find my exact answer

the u360 compared to the dedicated 4 way..

from what iam reading the 4 way still moves in diagnols just like the u360  so my question is what would be the difference of having the 4 compared to using the u360?  is it just the ball top on the joystick that would make it feel more authentic?

[LeedsFan]

something iam not too clear on ive been doing searches but i cant find my exact answer

the u360 compared to the dedicated 4 way..

from what iam reading the 4 way still moves in diagnols just like the u360  so my question is what would be the difference of having the 4 compared to using the u360?  is it just the ball top on the joystick that would make it feel more authentic?

The U360 will not feel like a genuine 4-way stick. In a genuine 4-way you can feel the stick move along the diagonals along the gate. That's basically the only real difference. If you are a purist and must have that same feel then get a 4-way. Entirely your decision. But you won't ever have the old problem of hitting diagonals by accident with the U360 like you do with standard microswitch 8-ways (so long as you have the correct map loaded for each game of course).

If you do get the U360 then make sure to get a restrictor plate. The throw is quite long compared to standard sticks (it is an analog stick after all remember). I tried playing classics without a restrictor fitted but the throw was just too long for me. I settled on the circular one. They do circular and square (both come in one pack) or octagonal (a separate pack.

[Jdurg]

For the CP you could always use 3/4" MDF/Plywood and just use a very thin Lexan/Plexiglass overlay.  I used 3/4" Plywood and will be using a 1/16" thick Lexan overlay and a very thin cardboard backing to my artwork.  As a result, the "rise" above the top of the CP where the T-molding ends and the Lexan begins will be so very small that it will not be noticeable.

Edit:  I just went to t-molding.com and was psyched that not only do they offer free samples, but they are a quick 30 minute drive from where I live.  I wonder if they will allow local pick-up when I place my order there?