New CP design

[Chris]

I'm rebuilding my control panel this weekend to accomodate my new 3" Happ trackball.  I'm modelling it off DHansen's bump-out design.



My other though was to put three mouse buttons on each side of the trackball, which would make Missile Command easier, but would contribute to the "button explosion" look and possibly get in the way.



Any thoughts?

[spectre]

way too cluttered... lol just my opinion tho

[rampy]

That has to be the first time in history someone looked a 4 button per player, 2 player panel and said "it's too cluttered" =P *shakes head*

I wonder if you'd consider doing 3 buttons on side of the t-ball for missle command/etc... but doing something else on the other side (for more functionality and visual symetry sake)

I'd say spinner but it'll probably get in teh way of player 2 stick action.

Maybe you could use 1 side for missle command and the other for administrative functions --> there by cutting down number of buttons up top? (just riffing here... ) but would one accidently hit "pause" or "escape" from the player 2 stick accidently?

*shrug* Does it have to be the ergonomic triangle?  Maybe a straight line or slant of 3 buttons on each side ?  I dunno.  Maybe I should go look at dhansens to compare blueprint to reality a bit =P

Rampy

EDIT ok back... look at dhansens... and looked at mine (albeit mines not a bumpout in the same sense).  The trackball seems further away in your design (probably by design) and makes it seem like it would be uncomfortable just to use the existing buttons near the joystick for say missle command.  hmmm.. I dunno.  doesn't seem like an easy decision.  worse case scenario your panel looks a little busier but is more functional for you. *shrug*

[AlanS17]

I think putting administration butons anywhere but the top is a pretty bad idea. It's confusing and it would be too easy to accidentally hit one. That's my thought.

As for the mouse buttons, perhaps they could go underneath? Or slant them and hold them a lil closer to the curve. That would keep them out of the way of players 1 and 2.

Perhaps you could push your administeration buttons at the top closer to the middle. Then you could nudge your joys and buttons up a bit. That may leave the room you need.

If you're just worried about abutton explosion then just completely take out all those butons across the top that you don't need. You've got almost as many admin buttons as buttons for playing! Put them just inside the coin door or mount them underneath the control panel if you have to have them. This would also give the machine a more "real arcade" feel cuz no arcade machines have those kind of buttons on the control anel.

[Chris]

That has to be the first time in history someone looked a 4 button per player, 2 player panel and said "it's too cluttered" =P *shakes head*

LOL!  

I wonder if you'd consider doing 3 buttons on side of the t-ball for missle command/etc... but doing something else on the other side (for more functionality and visual symetry sake)

Well, my wife is left-handed, so if I don't have a fire button at least on the other side for Centipede, she'll be cranky...

I'd say spinner but it'll probably get in teh way of player 2 stick action.

Thank you for reminding me!  I had a spinner at one time, but it got in the way of the trackball, and I realized that I rarely used it, so I scrapped it.  I should at least plan for a space for one in the future...

Maybe you could use 1 side for missle command and the other for administrative functions --> there by cutting down number of buttons up top? (just riffing here... ) but would one accidently hit "pause" or "escape" from the player 2 stick accidently?

The administrative buttons up top do add to the clutter.  I need "pause" and "exit" up there at least, but the others could probably be stashed under the panel or in the coin box....

The trackball seems further away in your design (probably by design) and makes it seem like it would be uncomfortable just to use the existing buttons near the joystick for say missle command.

Yes, it is by design, for Golden Tee, Shuffleshot, Shuuz, American Horseshoes, and World Class Bowling.  In my testing, the trackball center should be an absolute minimum of 8 inches from the glass for Golden Tee; 12 inches is better.  On this design, the trackball center is about 9 and a half inches from the glass.  In addition, if the trackball was any farther up, I'd have to spread apart the player 1 and 2 controls because of the huge mounting plate.

Here's the layout I have now:



That's a 2-1/4" PC trackball.  It has a very small footprint, so I can put its buttons just above it.

My original panel had a 2" ball and a spinner.  Since it was a DOS cabinet, I didn't need mouse buttons at all:



There are some limits as to where I can place some items, as you can see in this blueprint:



Here you can see where the walls under the bumpout are, including the original wall.

Thank you for your comments!  I'm gonna go stare at the plans again...

[Chris]

If you're just worried about abutton explosion then just completely take out all those butons across the top that you don't need. You've got almost as many admin buttons as buttons for playing! Put them just inside the coin door or mount them underneath the control panel if you have to have them. This would also give the machine a more "real arcade" feel cuz no arcade machines have those kind of buttons on the control anel.

Well, the 1 and 2 player start buttons aren't really "administration buttons", so they don't count.  That leaves six admin buttons.  My current panel has three.

On my current panel, the three admin buttons are:

Function (Shift)
Pause/Menu
Exit/Reset

On the new design, I add Save State and Load State buttons, and a Service Mode button. Save and Load didn't really like being shifted functions.  

Pause needs to be on the main control panel, I think. Save, Load, Function, and Exit need to be accessible, but could be beneath the panel.  Menu and Service buttons can be inside the coin door.

[Chris]

Okay, I know I'm starting to succumb to controlleritis, but I've decided if I'm going to have a panel that big, I'm gonna have a dedicated 4-way joy on there somewhere.  So here's my current plan:



Thoughts?  I'm gonna try mocking this one up on cardboard tonight...

[AlanS17]

If that's your 4-way controller to left of your trackball you're going to want to move it. Reaching around it to play 95% of games isn't a very good option.

[Chris]

I was just looking at dhansen's CP, and he's managed to fit the exact same controls as me into the exact same space:



Doug, are the black buttons below the Start buttons your mouse buttons?  Is it a pain to reach buttons for trackball games like Missile Command and Centipede with this layout?

--Chris

[pathdoc2]

I think it would really be cool if the trackball, mouse buttons and 3 player one buttons (for missle command) could be mounted on a folding portion of the control panel and be flipped up when needed.  All you would have to do is cut your existing control panel and place a piano hinge into it.  The tough part would be designing a locking mechanism to keep the trackball poriton of the panel in the up positioin.  I might try to do this in my next game.

[pathdoc2]

The other option would be to place the trackball, mouse function buttons and 3 player 1 buttons on a seperate control panel that could slide in and out from under your main control panel.  Just food for thought.  I'll be working on this concept on my next panel.

[pathdoc2]

Okay, more flight of ideas.  What if you could make the trackball removable like one I saw recently on this site.  When removed it could be flipped 180 degrees and dropped back in position and have a 4 way joystick and single botton on its backside.  This could save alot of space.  By simply flipping it you wouldn't have to reconnect wires/cables.

[Chris]

I had pretty much given up on this design in favor of a modular panel, but I was getting nowhere with the design, and that trackball and 4-wayjoystick were just gathering dust, so I went ahead and put this one together as a "temporary" panel:


Not as good as DHansen's, but it'll do for now.

I had to route out a space on the bottom for the 4-way. This is where I learned that a Dremel is not a router!  I had a Dremel with a router attachment, but what would have taken a real router a couple of minutes took forever with the Dremel, and halfway through the Dremel burnt out.  I had to finish the space with an X-acto saw, and to "route" the area for the trackball plate with a razor scraper...

The 4-way stick (at the top center in the pic) is from a Donkey Kong 3 machine.  It has a suprisingly long throw for a 4-way; it's going to take some getting used to.

[Sephroth57]

im guessing you dont play fighting games? i wouldnt make a panel without 6 buttons per player im a Marvel vs Capcom fan

[Chris]

The only fighting game I play is King of Fighters, which is a 4-button game, and I only play that because my daughter loves it.

In practice, this panel is about two inches too deep to be comfortable... <sigh>  I'll get used to it...