Anyone used tiny displays to "label" buttons on a Mame cab?

[GaryMcT]

Has anyone used tiny displays either right next to a button or inside of a button to label the purpose of a button for each game in a Mame cabinet?

[javeryh]

Such as???  These displays would have to be quite tiny, right?

[GaryMcT]

http://www.mini-box.com/picoLCD-20x2-OEM
http://www.crystalfontz.com/product/CFAL9664B-F-B1.html

[GaryMcT]

There may be smaller ones out there. . haven't done a big search yet.

[drventure]

I don't imagine you could use that PICOLCD for that purpose, its a tad big. The Crystal screen might work. I've seen a keyboard that has an OLED in every key to label them, but it's INSANELY expensive.

I'm guessing it might be easier and work a little better to get a small LCD screen (say 4x5 or so, from a car stereo TV or something) and run an image out to it to show your CP layout, but that's just one idea.

[gatordad]

pongo still does vinal adhesive stuff for buttons, search the BST forum it can't be more than 1 or 2 pages deep.
They look awesome BTW.

[Ginsu Victim]

pongo still does vinal adhesive stuff for buttons, search the BST forum it can't be more than 1 or 2 pages deep.
They look awesome BTW.

They ARE awesome, but this topic is about something completely different.

[bkenobi]

Even if you could get the small displays like are available in that keyboard, would they be able to withstand the kind of key "presses" that a CP goes through?  I don't usually slam my fist down on a keyboard, but I have been known to do so on my CP.  I would love to see an example of the displays next to each button.

Personally, I would opt for a small widescreen LCD (~7" max) and have CPWizard (or another CP viewer program) display a picture on it for the current game or front end controls.

[javeryh]

Those screens look a little big to me...  Maybe a 5" screen that displays the controls for each game would be cool on the CP or right below the monitor but I think the most elegant solution (if you have to have something along these lines) is to use lit buttons but only have the buttons that are in use for a particular game light up when that game is selected. 

[bkenobi]

Agreed, I like lit buttons as well. 

However, that doesn't show you what they do unless you use a CP viewer program in conjunction with it.  The problem with small LCD displays (even 7" is really too small IMO) is that the font will be so small that you will have to lean in to the display to see what the controls are.

I personally don't use any of this.  I have solid buttons and no LCD anywhere.  I just use CP Wizard launched before each game to tell the user what is active.  I like lit buttons, but I really don't like the price.  I haven't been willing to drop ~$200 for my 2 player CP when I don't think it will add that much usability or even cool factor.

[javeryh]

I personally don't use any of this.  I have solid buttons and no LCD anywhere.  I just use CP Wizard launched before each game to tell the user what is active.  I like lit buttons, but I really don't like the price.  I haven't been willing to drop ~$200 for my 2 player CP when I don't think it will add that much usability or even cool factor.

Same here.  I might try some bling way way way down the line if I ever get that mansion with a dedicated gameroom but for now if something doesn't add to the WAF then I want no part of it.

Did any one else hear that whip crack or is it just me??

[AndyWarne]

Buttons with built-in LCD screens are made by a number of amusement parts suppliers such as Gamesman and Industrias-Lorenzo.

But they are all rectangular. I doubt if we will ever see a round one of these, the size of a normal arcade button.

Andy

[koz319]

Well,

I was saving this for when it was completely finished, but in a word, yes, sorta, kinda

I bought 30 surplus oled modules on ebay for $1 each that seem to be (almost?) identical to these:

http://www.crystalfontz.com/product/CFAL12864N-A-B1.html

(the ones I have are the same size, same connector, 2 color, same controller, but say different manufacturer) 


Currently, its all running in prototype form.   I'm using an FTDI FT232RL breakout board as a usb->serial driver for an atmel dev board I had laying around, which parses commands from the serial data and shifts data out to the individual displays.   I have a prototype control panel with the displays inlaid on top of the panel but under the lexan cover.  The panel has two joystics w/ 6 buttons each, and a player 1 and 2 button.  Each joystick gets 1 display.  The admin displays are at the top of the panel with the displays just below.  The six buttons per player are 2 rows of three. each button with a display, with the displays above the top row and below the bottom.  And yes, aligning the displays was painful.

I have a crude plugin for mala running as ringmaster for this circus at the moment.   

Everything is far from a finished state, and development has stopped cold due to the fact that our first kids (twins!) decided they just couldn't wait to meet us and arrived 2 months early.

I'll try to take some pics of the displays in action if I can, but it may be a little while. (The workshop is sort of verboten at the moment) I was actually hoping to be able to make some of these available once I was finished, but who knows when that will be now.  If I can ever get it to the state where it's not horribly embarrassing maybe I'll just open source the whole thing.

Anyway, I'll try to get some pics sometime soon.

Koz

[GaryMcT]

koz, Awesome!  I can't wait to see this!

[rooter]

I don't imagine you could use that PICOLCD for that purpose, its a tad big. The Crystal screen might work. I've seen a keyboard that has an OLED in every key to label them, but it's INSANELY expensive.

I'm guessing it might be easier and work a little better to get a small LCD screen (say 4x5 or so, from a car stereo TV or something) and run an image out to it to show your CP layout, but that's just one idea.

I'm working the exact same thing right now.  I bought a MiniDVD Player for under $20 and I am going to build the screen into my cab somewhere.

I just have to figure out how to load an image on my second screen with a Frontend.  I use Hyperspin currently, but I don't even know if what I want to do is possible with it.   How are you guys planning on sending data to your monitors/lcds?

[mvsfan]

Well,

I was saving this for when it was completely finished, but in a word, yes, sorta, kinda

I bought 30 surplus oled modules on ebay for $1 each that seem to be (almost?) identical to these:

http://www.crystalfontz.com/product/CFAL12864N-A-B1.html

(the ones I have are the same size, same connector, 2 color, same controller, but say different manufacturer) 


Currently, its all running in prototype form.   I'm using an FTDI FT232RL breakout board as a usb->serial driver for an atmel dev board I had laying around, which parses commands from the serial data and shifts data out to the individual displays.   I have a prototype control panel with the displays inlaid on top of the panel but under the lexan cover.  The panel has two joystics w/ 6 buttons each, and a player 1 and 2 button.  Each joystick gets 1 display.  The admin displays are at the top of the panel with the displays just below.  The six buttons per player are 2 rows of three. each button with a display, with the displays above the top row and below the bottom.  And yes, aligning the displays was painful.

I have a crude plugin for mala running as ringmaster for this circus at the moment.   

Everything is far from a finished state, and development has stopped cold due to the fact that our first kids (twins!) decided they just couldn't wait to meet us and arrived 2 months early.

I'll try to take some pics of the displays in action if I can, but it may be a little while. (The workshop is sort of verboten at the moment) I was actually hoping to be able to make some of these available once I was finished, but who knows when that will be now.  If I can ever get it to the state where it's not horribly embarrassing maybe I'll just open source the whole thing.

Anyway, I'll try to get some pics sometime soon.

Koz

Congradulations, Koz.

are they identical?

you really hit good here if thats it.

My Granddad was an identical twin, and both of them followed each other through life as best friends though they always dressed different to differentiate one another.

my uncle always had long wily hair like Einstein, and he dressed in bright colored suits

while granddad always had short hair and wore a lot of grey.

good luck, and have fun. its a unique experience if your fortunate enough to have identicals that youve know all your life in your family.

[koz319]

Congradulations, Koz.
are they identical?

Thanks!
They're not identical, they are fraternal twins -  a boy and a girl.
I don't think I could be happier. Or more tired

Koz

[SirPeale]

Congradulations, Koz.
are they identical?

Thanks!
They're not identical, they are fraternal twins -  a boy and a girl.
I don't think I could be happier. Or more tired

Koz

Did you know you can have identical twins of opposite sex?  It's true!  I don't know how it works though, something for the science guys.

You can also have identical twins that don't look anything alike.  Only a DNA test will tell you for sure.

[SirPeale]

Link: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art1291.asp/zzz

[Hoopz]

Congrats Koz.  Everyone healthy? 

I've got twin girls that are 9 months old.  I'm eternally tired so just get used to it.  It's gonna be awhile. 

 

[DeLuSioNal29]

I have a son (first child) and he's turning 1 next month.  I am FINALLY starting to slowly get back into my arcade projects.  He is certainly a handful...  I can't imagine how it will be with twins.     But congratulations!

Getting back to the topic:
I can't see the LCD screens being used on actually buttons for gameplay.  They do take a beating.  I can however see them above the buttons embedding into the control panel.  Or better yet, on square buttons for admin purposes along the top of the panel, or along the bottom of the monitor bezel above the control panel.

Interesting idea.  I'm going to keep an eye on this topic.

~ DeLuSioNaL

[Ginsu Victim]

I can however see them above the buttons embedding into the control panel.

This is how I've envisioned them the whole time.

[brandon]

I can however see them above the buttons embedding into the control panel.

This is how I've envisioned them the whole time.

That's what I was thinking as well.. maybe a long LCD to label two or three button.. "----FIRE----JUMP---BOMB-----"

[Bender]

this is similar to an idea I had a while back
this is a lower tech approach and you could only really have two labels per button (one above and one below) and they're permanent
I was thinking a labeled set for the front end and one for emus
if you did it with a LED-Wiz you could light them up in different colors and only light up the ones you wanted for a particular game

if the LED's are off you would see nothing on the CP


then light up the LED's and you have a label

[bkenobi]

You could do the same thing with tri-color LED's and 3 different labels couldn't you?  The red light wouldn't illuminate a red tag...perhaps that means you can only have 2 labels though.

[brandon]

You could do the same thing with tri-color LED's and 3 different labels couldn't you?  The red light wouldn't illuminate a red tag...perhaps that means you can only have 2 labels though.

actually.. red would illuminate a red tag... red is the only color light that can pass through a red filter..  Maybe use a blue LED, Sort of like 3D glasses?  I dunno.. seems like if they were stacked on the top most one would like and only if the correct color of light could pass.  I guess they would have to be edge lit.. 

[CheffoJeffo]

* CheffoJeffo  is glad, for a change, to be old, since his twins are 9 years old and he is no longer exhausted every single day ... only every other day or so ...

Where's that damned Nelson graphic when I need to poke fun at the noobs with young twins ? And no :tommy smiley to boot!

 

[koz319]

Congrats Koz.  Everyone healthy? 

They're doing great.  They spent a month in the NICU, but they are home now and growing like crazy.  She was 3 lbs 9 oz at birth, he was 4 lbs 7 oz. 3 1/2 months later and she's 9lbs 9oz, he's 11 lbs 6.  The only things the doctors are a little concerned about is heading into RSV season as their lungs are not yet as mature as full term infants, but that's purely precautionary. 

    But congratulations!

~ DeLuSioNaL

Thanks!


A little more on topic:

I cant get to my cab to take a pic of the panel with the inlaid displays, but I did take a quick pick of one of the extra displays next to a button to illustrate the size.

Koz

[Yvan256]

Might be of interest to some...

http://store.gravitech.us/13secogrlcd.html

Seems easy enough to send a picture to it and AFAIK there's no need to refresh the picture. Display it once and it stays there as long as its got power.

Small E-ink displays would be better suited for button labels, I suppose. You could probably get them round, too!

[Bender]

wow these might work
a tad expensive though

[bkenobi]

You can save 20% if you buy 100+!  Now that's a deal.

Seriously though, they are pretty cool looking.  I would be really concerned about their durability for arcade applications though.  I didn't read all the specs, but they would have to be mil spec'ed for some people's arcades.