YACPIT - Yet Another Control Panel Input Thread

[Tronix]

I'm having a custom blank made by mameroom.com and wanted to ask a few questions as well as get some feedback:

1) I don't want extra (duplicate) buttons littering the CP, so for the trackball I was planning on using the 1st player's buttons (like maybe the top 3). Is there any issue with doing it this way?

2) Is 2 buttons enough for the 4-way and spinner section in the middle? I could add a 3rd easily if needed.

I know some will give feedback that the spinner and 4-way may get in the way of spinning the trackball, but I really don't play the games like Golden Tee where it would be a problem. Also I'll be reversing the credit and 1/2 player start buttons so they go from out to in. Also colors are not a factor, I'm just working on placement.

TIA

[willhs]

Pretty good standard design.  My main advice is to make mockups, either in cardboard or real wood, and check them out.  I don't think the software really gives you an idea of how things will be.  Then, just make sure the CP does everything you want it to do.

[Tronix]

Thanks for the reply. Yeah I know it's pretty standard, and since this is my first outing I figured I wouldn't try to re-invent the wheel, just slightly tweak it for my prefs. I'm mostly concerned about using the player 1 buttons in a dual purpose mode as the mouse/trackball buttons. Would I need to double wire?

[pinballwizard79]

The trackball has two (3 actually) mouse leads (brown & I think black), use one for right click & the other for left click (determine by trial & error which is which).

You can splice them into your pushbuttons or clip onto the other tab on your micro switch but that will take some practice with using it as it requires you to press once for the actual "click" & then a second time for the release.....does that make sense?

Its due to the differences in using NC vs NO.

IMO a good set of buttons to use is P1 & P2.

Using any of the jump/fire buttons to double as mouse keys may interfere with a game more often than P1 & P2, especially when using other emu's....

Also, dunno how far the monitor is from the trackball but I would pull it as close to you as possible & push the joys in front of it up as far as possible & out from left & right as you can so when drinking you wont break your hand on the monitor or a 4way.

Thas just my thoughts but I am not a wise man in the tibetan mountains.

[pinballwizard79]

Also, sometimes its nice to have the left joy/controls at one angle & the P2 joy/buttons at the opposite angle.....to push the players away from one another.
see pic

[BASS!]

The only thing I think about when designing a panel with a trackball is: What is drunken friend X going to mash their hand into while playing golden tee.

[BASS!]

Also, sometimes its nice to have the left joy/controls at one angle & the P2 joy/buttons at the opposite angle.....to push the players away from one another.
see pic

Ok pinball, post your project pics now!! Hehehe beautiful machine, I like very much!

[Franco B]

There are some very nice pics in the Control Panel Database thread > Direct Link

I would like to see more pics/info too! 

[/offtopic]