whats the contol panel height on most cabs

[rackoon]

I am drawing my side profile on a sheet of mdf right now and was wondering what is the standard CP height of a cab.

Originaly I wanted to make the CP height 30" so that it could be played sitting down with a standard chair, but now I'm thinking about just getting stools.

[severdhed]

i dont think there is a standard height for arcade cabinets, but i've always found most of them a bit too low for extended play sessions.  my Donkey Kong cabinet's control panel is around 36" high.  my regular mame cabinet control panel is right around 40"...which is much more comfortable.  i love my DK cabinet, but it is not nearly as comfortable to use as my mame cab.

[XeviouS]

  my Donkey Kong cabinet's control panel is around 36" high.  my regular mame cabinet control panel is right around 40"...which is much more comfortable.

Yeah, I reckon the original cabinet makers were aware that the games were primarily made for kids so made the controls lower to suit. I'm six foot tall so I made my panel 39.5" tall which is just about perfect for me - I can't imagine using one 3 to 4 inches lower than what I've made.

My method at settling on 39.5" was very scientific. While standing I bent my arms to a position on an imaginary cabinet that felt natural and comfortable - with my arms still in this position I touched a wall and then took a measurement from that point down to the floor with a tape measure. When I built my cab the height was perfect for me!

[DeLuSioNal29]

Here's the easiest way to decide.  Head to your local arcade.  Dave and Buster's, Chuck-e-cheese, etc.  Take measuring tape with you.  Try a few cabinets and then measure the one that feels most comfortable.

DeLuSioNaL

[bkenobi]

It doesn't really matter what other cabs use.  What matters is what is comfortable for you.  If you are buying an existing cab to convert, you might want to check it's height to see if it works.  However, if you are building one from scratch, you might want to mock something up to physically try the screen and CP heights.  If you have access to an arcade with a variety of cabs, you could always give them a play to see what works, but you need to give your dimensions a try to make sure they are correct.

[GaryMcT]

The Defender and Omega Race machines right next to my here measure about 41" high at the front of the control panel, although the Omega Race has the casters jacked up pretty high for tall people.  My Asteroids Deluxe is about 40" high at the front of the control panel. . definitely feels to short to me. I'm 6'4".

They could all stand to be taller for me. . I end up playing on a stool most of the time anyways.