23.75" control panel with 2 players... some questions!

[OC_Ryan]

Hey fellas,

I'm looking to build a two player control panel for my first mame project, but the control panel can only be 23.75 inches in width. I'm wanting 6 buttons per player, and a joystick. No trackball or anything else. I noticed Knievel had the same size control panel to work with, and made it look pretty damn good and fit a trackball in!

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=65678.0

My question is, what would y'all suggest for the spacing between the joystick and buttons if I didn't have the trackball?

Thanks!

[clickhea]

personally id stand in front of it and have a friend stand next to you and see whats a comfortable distance for you

[GaryMcT]

I'm working on a similar problem here:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=94330.0

[severdhed]

it is definitely do-able, but it will be a tight fit for two adults to get in there.  i tried to make it work on my cabinet, but in the end, it was just too crowded, i ended up cutting the sides of the cabinet and building a control panel box.  now my panel is 12x30 and it plenty comfortable for two large adults

[Ginsu Victim]

Mine is 23 5/8" and it can be done, but it is a tight fit when two people play.

[GaryMcT]

I don't like really wide control panels aesthetically, so I'm determined to make it work well enough for two players for me.

[Beretta]

im currently in a similar situation.. converting a joust i've got about 24.5inch width to work with.. a bit more then you..

i wanna also go with a 6 button layout but it appears as if it will be a tight fit.. i've had thoughts of cutting it back to 4 buttons, another thought is to build the control panel out, i think this can be done with and without cutting the side panels.. but ya it's gonna be close quarters.

let me know how it works out for you, im just getting started so i have'nt made a mockup yet.

[GaryMcT]

im currently in a similar situation.. converting a joust i've got about 24.5inch width to work with.. a bit more then you..

i wanna also go with a 6 button layout but it appears as if it will be a tight fit.. i've had thoughts of cutting it back to 4 buttons, another thought is to build the control panel out, i think this can be done with and without cutting the side panels.. but ya it's gonna be close quarters.

let me know how it works out for you, im just getting started so i have'nt made a mockup yet.

Mine is based on a Defender cab. . and before anyone screams, I'm not modifying the original at all, and it'll spend part of its time running the PCB (or likely the JROK board as the PCB is a bit flaky).  I may even put a video switcher in there so that it's easier to switch.

Here's the thread for mine so far. . . getting everything to fit is difficult:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=94330.new;topicseen#new

I think Joust is a bit different than Defender though. . doesn't Joust have a control panel that is metal and curves around the front?

[boxman]

Well here is the one I have installed in my cab, it's 24" wide.



And this is a photo I found with google where someone has kept the original layout for this cabinet.



So can be done, and in my case I have ended up with more space than the original cabinet design.

[DaveMMR]

It can be done, especially forgoing the trackball.   Below is my panel, merely 25" and sports a 3" trackball.   The key is using the space wisely.  And no one ever really complained about being "cramped".   Although I would still test it - but I don't think an inch and a quarter is that much of a difference.

[Turnarcades]

Our standard uprights have a 21" 2-player panel, which is just fine for 2-player play if each player's controls are put as close as is possible to the sides without spoiling on any fixing components (catches etc.) I'm a solid 18 stone (ex-bodybuilder, not a fatty), and I can play games just fine stood next to most people.

[thecheat]

I finally have something to contribute! Here is my control panel, it is 24"x10". Had I done it over, I would have grouped the buttons closer together. They are a bit further apart than I would like.

The joystick holes are set up for Happ Comps, the solid lines on the buttons are the through holes and the dashed circles are the sholder. The buttons on the top are P1 and P2. I should have placed a centering cross on the joystick shaft holes but I did that with pencil after.

If you want the original Visio file, let me know. I can probably convert it to something else if you like but the PDF should be dimensionally accurate if you print it. I just printed it on three pages, taped them together, then glued them to the plexi and drilled for hours.

Edit: I'm adding a .gif of the CP overlay that I'm working on so you can see the layout without having to fire up Acrobat.

PS: I have plenty of bleed on the buttons, the white circles are on another layer so I know where the shoulder of the button will be.

[z]

Here is a fugly 24" CP I have built, when two adults play we are usually at a slight angle to each other, not in line.  I don't think taking 1/4" or 1/2" off the right side would matter much, or maybe tighten the button spacing from 1 5/8" to 1 1/2".  If you have any interest don't rule out a spinner, the space in the middle has worked fine for me as long as the right side joystick is tall enough.

[DrFrag]

My control panel is 23.75" wide, with both players having a joystick and 6 buttons each.  No trackball.  So pretty much what you're looking to build.
It's quite comfortable for two adults to play, although no fat people have used it.

The distance from the left edge to the middle of the first joystick is 4".
The horizontal distance from the middle of the first joystick to the middle of the first two buttons is 2.25".
All buttons are 1.5" apart, measured from their centres.
The distance from the right edge to the centres of the rightmost buttons is 2.5".
The distance from the middle of the second joystick to the two buttons next to it is 2.5" (I'm not sure why it's not 2.25", but I didn't notice it until now).

Hope that's a start.

I recommend mocking up a control panel using cardboard, it's good for finding mistakes like not enough wrist support, inconvenient reach to start buttons, etc.  I found that a perfectly symmetrical layout isn't the most comfortable.

[Malenko]

this is a hair over 24 inches



I cant find the pix of my mortal kabinet, it was exactly 24 inches and had 2 stick 7 buttons per player plus P1+p2 start


when you have that much real estate you shouldnt be thinking of a way to wedge a trackball or spinner in there

[Ginsu Victim]

when you have that much real estate you shouldnt be thinking of a way to wedge a trackball or spinner in there

Mine is 23 5/8" and I've got a spinner at top-center.

[Malenko]

Mine is 23 5/8" and I've got a spinner at top-center.

yeah spinner there works, but a NORMAL sized trackball would really be pushing it

[Ginsu Victim]

Yeah, I definitely can't do a trackball unless I make a swappable panel just for it (which I plan on).

[GaryMcT]

Since mine is about this size, I'm likely to end up with multiple swappable control panels:

1) 7-button/2 player layout
2) single player layout that can possibly do Defender, Centipede.
3) Possibly a 4 dial panel for warlords. . I don't know if I care for having a dial on any other panel since the only other dial game that I care about is Tempest, and it's a vector game.  I may just end up getting  Tempest machine, or building another machine with a high resolution display and write a vector emulation backend for Mame.  I'm not too happy with what I've seen of vector games on LCDs so far.