keyboard drawer, external mouse, cordless mouse, what to do???

[bsoder52]

Ok,
I'm just about ready to assemble my cab.  But I'm stuck on a decision.  Do I need a front door on it or not?  I'm not a huge coin door fan, and I'm planning on just installing a couple buttons on the front of the cab for coin 1 & 2.  Do I need a door down there to get at the keyboard and mouse?  

Any recomendations???
Can I program my IPac to completely run the machine from just my Control Panel?

Will I need a mouse either way?

What do you guys think is the best way to build it?

bsoder52

[Sprucemoose]

You don't NEED a mouse, but I would recommend that you have one.  If you want easy access to the computer then a front door might be a good idea.  You can always put a coin door on you front cab door.  Check out this guys site:  

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/thomas3120/T's%20Arcade%20Cabinet/T's%20Arcade%20Cabinet.htm

this may give you some ideas.

[BobA]

I can live without a keyboard most of the time but I like to have a mouse.  I installed an RF mouse so no cord is needed and it does not even have to be kept in the cabinet.

BobA

[zaphod]

Do I need a front door on it or not?

It's a lot easier to get to your PC from the front than from the backside, IMO.  Door or drawer, your choice.  There are also numerous examples on this site, like the one Sprucemoose posted, of where they removed the components from the CPU case, if that's your thing.

Can I program my IPac to completely run the machine from just my Control Panel?

Depends.  I use a trackball and two buttons on my CP as the mouse and works very well.   I have an Imperial PS/2 trackball but the Happs work fine, too.  You can perform most Windows functions with just the mouse.  Installs generally require (for me at least) a keyboard.  I built a keyboard drawer, but find it less necessary than I originally thought.  As long as you can get to the keyboard when you need it, just keeping it on top of the CPU case might be fine.