Volume Controls for Arcade Cabinets

[Zebidee]

Howdy folks,

The question of how to wire a volume control into an arcade cabinet comes up pretty regularly, so I thought I'd try and hit this one on the head once and for all.  Here is the link:

Volume Control Mounting and Wiring

This solution is those who want an old-fashioned knob for their cabinet, working independently of any software or PC connection.  It is intuitive, working exactly the same way as volume controls on most amplifiers and speaker systems.  It does require just a little bit of work on your part though.

There are other ways of skinning the volume control cat.  Most notably, ahofle has produced the wonderful CabVol program which provides a software solution to the issue, allowing you to use buttons to control PC volume output.  This is a fantastic solution for many applications and people's cabinets.  The main limitations of it are that it it requires buttons somehow dedicated to the volume control, and that it is PC-reliant.

Saint, if you're listening, perhaps you could make a sticky of this?

[Ginsu Victim]

I've had issues in the past with cabvol, though others have had great results.

I bought a new speaker setup with a volume pod and my problem was solved.

[ddrtist]

Instead of breaking apart cables to create a hardware solution, here is what I had planned.  I am going to keep my speakers maybe 3/4 of the way up, and install a Mala plugin to control volume using the joystick and adjust accordingly.

I will still have to adjust those pesky Midway games through service menus though 

[headkaze]

There are other ways of skinning the volume control cat.  Most notably, ahofle has produced the wonderful CabVol program which provides a software solution to the issue, allowing you to use buttons to control PC volume output.  This is a fantastic solution for many applications and people's cabinets.  The main limitations of it are that it it requires buttons somehow dedicated to the volume control, and that it is PC-reliant.

Most keyboard encoders have a shift function which is ideal for volume control.

[DaOld Man]

Good writeup. Thanks.
Instead of cutting the speaker wire, you could attach male and female plugs to the pot.
The male plug would have to be on a cable that would reach the pc port.
This would allow you to un-plug the speakers if you need to swap them out for some better ones, or if they fail.

[ahofle]

The question of how to wire a volume control into an arcade cabinet comes up pretty regularly, so I thought I'd try and hit this one on the head once and for all.  Here is the link:

http://scarvell.net/wiki/index.php?title=VOLUME_CONTROL_MOUNTING_AND_WIRING

That's pretty slick!

Most keyboard encoders have a shift function which is ideal for volume control.

Just a heads up that cabvol actually won't work with keyboard encoder shift keys as the 'hotkey'.  This is because the encoder does not actually send out a keydown until you release the button, at which point it sends a quick key down and key up.  This is why I made the default hotkey the player two start button.

[Zebidee]

Good writeup. Thanks.
Instead of cutting the speaker wire, you could attach male and female plugs to the pot.
The male plug would have to be on a cable that would reach the pc port.
This would allow you to un-plug the speakers if you need to swap them out for some better ones, or if they fail.

Cheers! Thanks for that!

I usually use small female crimps on the audio wire, and just hook them onto the pot terminals instead of soldering.  I also always design amplifier and speaker connection plugs so that they can be easily unplugged and replaced, as necessary. 

It's also a good idea to take the next step and wire in external audio output (and input) jacks, which you can use for headsets - or even your home stereo system (you can see these jacks on some of my featured control panels).  They automatically cut sound to the cab's amp & speakers when a jack is plugged in, and redirect it to the jack.  This way you can plug in your best stereo system without having to dig around inside the cab.  Heck, I love the music in Elevator Action so why shouldn't my neighbours? This makes even more sense if you are using your cab as a jukebox, because then sound quality is more important.  Even better, you can still use the cab's built-in volume control to control audio levels while playing games!

By using a mic jack input, you can even use skype while playing on your cab!  Or while playing first-person shooters or other networked games ....    

[Ginsu Victim]

Since I've never done it, but I've considered it, how do wire up a headphone jack?

[Zebidee]

Since I've never done it, but I've considered it, how do wire up a headphone jack?

Audio jacks aren't as standarised as pots, but generally they involve cutting the audio signal.  Sometimes they cut both left and right channels from passing past the jack once plugged in, sometimes they work by just cutting the ground.  Cutting the L & R channels is best because there would be less interference this way.  You'll have to use your multimeter to work this out for each individual case.

Often I just take the front panel PCB off the PC I'm using and mount it into a scrap piece of wood - plywood is good for this, because you can easily make slots by carefully drilling out a single layer ('ply') of wood and sliding the PCB into that.  Then just hook up the audio inputs to the volume control you designed earlier (this allows you to change the PC or game board later if you wish).  Sometimes you still need to redirect the audio signal, as sometimes the PC's front panel board isn't wired to do this automatically - although the audio jacks they use might well have the capability built in.

Not all PCs have a front panel board with audio outputs - but many do.  In any case, you can still buy an audio jack from an electronics store - you might choose to go for a 6.5mm jack in this case, depending upon your personal choice.

[Ginsu Victim]

Thanks for the reply. The PC I'm using in my cab has no front panel whatsoever (it's an older system). I have an idea on what I could do, but I'm working on getting a better system, so I'll hold off until I see what I get.

[anewcomb]

Nice write up. I might try this in the future. For now I just use the volume control that came with the speakers I bought. It was one of the main reasons (besides sound quality and mounting potential) that I bought them. It provides a nice volume knob, on/off, headphone jack and even a mic jack. I might pull it apart and see if I can mount all the jacks and knob onto a plate on the outside of the cab. Right now the volume control is sitting in my keyboard drawer. You can find a picture of it at the link below about half way down.

http://www.thesourceshow.org/node/93

[Ginsu Victim]

My volume pod is mounted just above my coin door on the inside. I have a flip-up front panel on my CP where I can access it, plus some hidden admin buttons.

[DaOld Man]

On 3 of my arcade machines, I removed the pot and amp board from the speaker, installed it in the wood panel between the speakers. I had to lengthen the wire between the amp board and the pot.
Though it works good, it was a lot of work. The above method would be a lot better, I think.

[pinballwizard79]

Software & joysticks are how I adjust my volume.

I have my pc & speakers turned all the way up all the time.

To adjust the sound I simply press a button when in the main menu of Maximus Arcade & then left on the joy to turn it down & right on the joy to turn it up.

This works on all emu's, media player & etc.....pretty sure MA is just adjusting the master volume in Windows but I also didnt think Milli Vanilli were lip synching either so dont ever trust me.

Well I dont know if thats good for your case but its a simple method that takes just seconds to set up & never requires you to dig inside your cabinet.

Superbad quote in 3....2....1..... "fawshow".

[Zebidee]

On 3 of my arcade machines, I removed the pot and amp board from the speaker, installed it in the wood panel between the speakers. I had to lengthen the wire between the amp board and the pot.
Though it works good, it was a lot of work. The above method would be a lot better, I think.

Yes, it is a lot simpler than hacking up your amplifier. 

I generally use the amp's volume control as a 'master', and set it to the maximum volume I'm prepared to tolerate - and usually not more than about 85% of the amp's max, to avoid risk of blatting the speakers too much.  Then players (who might well be kids) can adjust the external volume pot as much as they please without risking my neighbours' wrath (or my eardrums).

One reason why I was driven to make an external volume control was because different games have different noise levels, and I hate having to open the door to tweak the volume.  Beforehand I was always asking someone to move their legs, or at least interrupting game play, to open the door.

As I don't use coin slots for my cabinets, I often remove the coin mech and use the space for a control panel.  This makes something useful out of something "unsightly",  and means less work to make a hole.

[Cornchip]

  Good point that I noticed as well, the volume varies between games. Sometimes so much that full volume almost doesn't seem to be enough. Must be a Mame driver issue? I ended up using an inline amp with volume control between the PC and the amplified PC speakers (set to near full). I adjust it with most games for that 'just right' feel.

 Cornchip.

[DaOld Man]

  Good point that I noticed as well, the volume varies between games. Sometimes so much that full volume almost doesn't seem to be enough.
 Cornchip.

I noticed the same thing when I first started experimenting with Mame on my desktop PC.
I decided right away that a volume control that you could easily reach and turn would be a have-to-have thing.
On my first machine, I put the volume pot on the control panel. This is very handy.
On the others, I put the pot between the two speakers overhead.
I like it better on the control panel. It was a hassle though if you ever needed to remove the control panel.
Using Zebidee's method would definitely be a big improvement.

[miles2912]

Way over thinking this.  Look for a 2.1 pc speaker speaker solution with external volume control.  The creative cheap speakers usually have this.  Just wire control to someplace easy. 

What I did was Velcro the control to just outside my CP.  If I don't want someone adjusting the volume I just remove it and place it inside the CP where no one can get to it.

Simple and I agree that you need some type of volume control on your cab.

[Zebidee]

What I did was Velcro the control to just outside my CP.  If I don't want someone adjusting the volume I just remove it and place it inside the CP where no one can get to it.

Velcro?  Ahhhm, tasteful look.  Wireless I guess? Looking at the good work you've done on your project thread, adding a simple wired volume pot should be pretty easy for you.

[Timstuff]

This is pretty cool, but personally I just took the lazy bum way out and velcro'd the volume module that came w/ my 2.1 system to the inner cabinet wall, next to the coin door as Saint showed in the Project Arcade book. It's easy enough to access, and it's out of sight when the door is closed and locked. I suppose if you're an authenticity nut though, this way is the only way to go.

[Ginsu Victim]

Yep, mine is velcro'd inside the coin door as well. You can't see the volume pod, so it doesn't matter how it looks, so long as it holds.

Though I've been thinking about busting the pod open and drilling a hole somewhere for a proper knob.

[EVEGames]

Although I've never tried CabVol, I've used a program along those same lines called VolumeTray (Google search will easily fild it) to control the Windows volume with keypresses.  I've since abandoned this approach and elected to hack up computer speakers and mount the volume pot so the knob sticks out the top of the cab.  This way the kids (and short people  ) can't reach the volume knob, and it's kept out of sight.

The main downsides I found with using VolumeTray are:
1) If you run a bunch of different emulators, it can be tough to find two keys that are completely unused (or at least disable-able) across all the emulators.  I eventually settled on [ and ].
2) I was unable to control the volume in all emulators.  Notable, I could not use this method in ePSXe.  It seemed the keypress was blocked by the emulator and not allowed to reach Windows to control the volume.

These are probably issues that can be overcome, I just didn't have the patience at the time.

-EVEGames

[Richie_jones]

Links not working in first post anybody help?

Sent from my SM-N930F using Tapatalk

[PL1]

Links not working in first post anybody help?

Internet Wayback Machine is your friend.   

https://web.archive.org/web/20110701125642/http://scarvell.net/wiki/index.php?title=VOLUME_CONTROL_MOUNTING_AND_WIRING


Scott

[paigeoliver]

If you really want the true arcade volume knob experience then it should be a tiny knob on a big board that can only be accessed from the back of the cabinet with the door off, on your hands and knees leaning halfway into the cabinet.

[AndyWarne]

Old thread!

But just to mention: The I-PAC boards can have any input configured as a volume up or down button, or shifted functions can be configured as volume controls.