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New builder, CP questions

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clhug:


--- Quote from: javeryh on November 14, 2008, 01:58:16 pm ---3.  You press pause a second time to resume play so only one button is needed.  I always put 4 admin buttons on a CP - P1 Start, P2 Start, Pause and Exit.  If I need to change settings (which is almost never) I pull out the keyboard.  You can also "shift" lesser used functions if there are other things like "tab" and "enter" you feel you have to have on your CP.
--- End quote ---

Regarding the pause and exit buttons, I don't remember where I got this idea, somewhere else on these forums I suspect, but I have 2 pause buttons, and the Exit is to hold one of the pause buttons down and then press the other pause button.  Still the same number of physical buttons, but prevents players from accidentally hitting the Exit button in the middle of a hot game.  I don't remember how I physically accomplished this but I use the I-Pac and I believe it's tied to the "shift" function where I have one of the pause button inputs programmed as the shift key and the "shifted" function of the other pause button being the Exit keystroke.

cmoses:

I have recently gone through most of your same questions in building my first MAME cabinet.  I did a lot of reading on here and found a lot of very good information.  Here are the choices that I made and I do not regret any choices I have made.  I found an old cabinet that had been converted a few times and was in need of some TLC.  It contained a 2 player control panel with each player having 2 buttons and a player 1 and player 2 start buttons.  I knew that this control panel would get me started, but I would eventually want to add more buttons for each player as well as a trackball.

I originally purchased a MiniPAC from Ultimarc.  This enabled me to hook up the control panel that was on my cabinet and begin configuring and working with it.  The MiniPAC is very easy to install and with the wiring harness there is no need to solder as everything connected with quick connects.  I connected the joysticks and buttons to the MiniPAC.  I configured the shift function of the MiniPAC to allow P1 Credit, P2 Credit and Pause.  So I was able to do everything I needed just by adding the MiniPAC to my existing control panel.

After spending some time playing around with MAME, I realized that the 8 way WICO joysticks that came with the cabinet were nice, but did not work perfect for all the games.  I had researched the U360 and it seemed like the best option for my small control panel.  I ordered one to test and received it and replace joystick 1.  It configured easy and with Fat Finger's plugin it works for all the games by loading in the correct mapping.  Everything worked great, 4 way, 8 way, diagonal, etc.  I have since ordered a second U360 and light blue ball tops to match the cabinet theme.

Buttons are a personal preference, but I would agree with most on here that the fewer the better.  Control panels with fewer buttons look less cluttered.  I only have a player 1 start and player 2 start as extra buttons.  With the MiniPAC the player 1 start is the shift button so I hold it down to give buttons other functions.

P1 and P2 = ESCAPE
P1 and Button A = Player 1 Credit
P1 and Button B = Player 2 Credit
P1 and Button C = Pause

With these minimum amount of buttons I can navigate my front end and play games so I am set.

I just recently added side buttons to my cabinet to play pinball games.  I connected these to my MiniPAC in the available slots.

I plan to add a trackball next, so I do not have any information on that subject as of yet.



javeryh:


--- Quote from: clhug on November 19, 2008, 01:26:14 am ---
--- Quote from: javeryh on November 14, 2008, 01:58:16 pm ---3.  You press pause a second time to resume play so only one button is needed.  I always put 4 admin buttons on a CP - P1 Start, P2 Start, Pause and Exit.  If I need to change settings (which is almost never) I pull out the keyboard.  You can also "shift" lesser used functions if there are other things like "tab" and "enter" you feel you have to have on your CP.
--- End quote ---

Regarding the pause and exit buttons, I don't remember where I got this idea, somewhere else on these forums I suspect, but I have 2 pause buttons, and the Exit is to hold one of the pause buttons down and then press the other pause button.  Still the same number of physical buttons, but prevents players from accidentally hitting the Exit button in the middle of a hot game.  I don't remember how I physically accomplished this but I use the I-Pac and I believe it's tied to the "shift" function where I have one of the pause button inputs programmed as the shift key and the "shifted" function of the other pause button being the Exit keystroke.

--- End quote ---

You could always "shift" the ESC/Exit command to avoid exiting in the middle of a game but that adds confusion.  I know it's not rocket science but you will still be explaining how it works to everyone that comes over to play. 

clhug:


--- Quote from: javeryh on November 19, 2008, 11:43:49 am ---
--- Quote from: clhug on November 19, 2008, 01:26:14 am ---
--- Quote from: javeryh on November 14, 2008, 01:58:16 pm ---3.  You press pause a second time to resume play so only one button is needed.  I always put 4 admin buttons on a CP - P1 Start, P2 Start, Pause and Exit.  If I need to change settings (which is almost never) I pull out the keyboard.  You can also "shift" lesser used functions if there are other things like "tab" and "enter" you feel you have to have on your CP.
--- End quote ---

Regarding the pause and exit buttons, I don't remember where I got this idea, somewhere else on these forums I suspect, but I have 2 pause buttons, and the Exit is to hold one of the pause buttons down and then press the other pause button.  Still the same number of physical buttons, but prevents players from accidentally hitting the Exit button in the middle of a hot game.  I don't remember how I physically accomplished this but I use the I-Pac and I believe it's tied to the "shift" function where I have one of the pause button inputs programmed as the shift key and the "shifted" function of the other pause button being the Exit keystroke.

--- End quote ---

You could always "shift" the ESC/Exit command to avoid exiting in the middle of a game but that adds confusion.  I know it's not rocket science but you will still be explaining how it works to everyone that comes over to play. 

--- End quote ---

I created a small cheat sheet that describes how to navigate the MameWah front end and how to use the pause and exit functions.  It's under the glass so it's pretty nice and neat on the cabinet.

u_rebelscum:


--- Quote from: cmoses on November 19, 2008, 11:17:52 am ---...P1 and P2 = ESCAPE...

--- End quote ---

I hate, hate, HATE this combo.  Far too easy to accidentally exit a game.  It was the default for a couple different products.  My brother got a hotrodse and then introduced me to mame.  We were in heaven, playing games we played as kids, for about ten or fifteen minutes, when in the heat of one such game at a hard part, the game exited.  WTF!!!  Fingers still twitching to play, heart still pounding with adrenalin and we're looking at windows desktop!  We deside that game must be still buggy, and try others.  Soon the accident happens again!  Took us a minute or twenty of searching to find out what was happening, and then remap so it didn't happen again.  Twenty minutes we would have been playing menories.  And had two games killed in the prime of life, of sharing fun, of bonding time we don't very much of, in an instant, of me pressing P2 button with my left hand at the same time he pressed the P1 button with his right..

Once is too many times, twice within half an hour is terrible user interface, worthy of the trash bin.

If you don't play co-op games, or any game that both players can die at the same time, or you and your friends are nice pollite gentemen that will always allow the other to press their player button first "no, after you", fine.  Otherwise, this is the worst combo to exit ever, even equal to p1b1 & p2b2.

IMHO.  :soapbox:  ;)

I say don't do it.  I have no idea how others who use this can stand it, but some do.

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