Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum

Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: Gangor on February 22, 2017, 12:34:08 pm

Title: Control panel hardware selection and questions (GGG pieces)
Post by: Gangor on February 22, 2017, 12:34:08 pm
Hi all, hardware questions: I’m looking at the Groovy Game Gear pieces for the cab I’m building so hoping someone familiar with this gear can chime in.  I really like the look of the Electric Ice buttons, so I’m going to wait for these to come back in stock…hopefully soon.  I was hoping you could provide some guidance for the rest:
-Recommended switch type? Micro-leaf or True-leaf?
-RGB drive II or Helio9 lighting?
-Joystick OMNI 2 – weren’t there lighted options for the balls once?
-LED-Wiz 32 port (enough for ~30 buttons?)
-Switching power supply? Do I need this for the LED Wiz?
-TurboTwist High-Low™ Push-Pull Arcade Spinner Control – is it possible to have 3 of these on one cab? I was thinking 1 spinner for spinner games, than 2 angled out to add steering wheels when needed.
-Electric Ice Trackball – any issue with this and 1 spinner (possibly 3)?
-Do I need any additional wiring harnesses or parts?

Thanks in advance for anyone taking a stab at these questions, I just want to make sure I get it right when ordering. Attached a picture of barebone control panel for reference.  I still need to figure exact placement and wether or not I'm trying to fit to much on it or not.
Title: Re: Control panel hardware selection and questions (GGG pieces)
Post by: Mike A on February 22, 2017, 02:38:50 pm
You don't need the push pull spinner unless you enjoy one of the 5 or so games that use it.
If you do need it, you probably only need one. Discs of tron is 1 player and that is the most popular push/pull I can think of.
Title: Re: Control panel hardware selection and questions (GGG pieces)
Post by: Gangor on February 22, 2017, 03:10:07 pm
Thanks Mike, good to know. 

Still open to anyone else chiming in.
Title: Re: Control panel hardware selection and questions (GGG pieces)
Post by: lisowskikevin on February 22, 2017, 08:18:34 pm
Sorry I can't be of much help but I can say that I ordered pretty much ALL of my parts from GGG.

I use 4 of the OMNI 2 joysticks and they are fantastic! Great to be able to switch from 4-8 way on the fly and they feel great as a joystick. All my other parts from them like buttons/switches are top notch quality, I went with the TRUE LEAF PRO pushbuttons and I love them. I can't say that they are any better than the others because I haven't tried them but I believe in the forums someone did a really good comparison.  I even used thier coin push buttons on my cab.

Very trustworthy company and fast shipping. Anyway hopefully other people can chime in on the other parts you are using re: LED. Sure you can get cheaper stuff on EBAY but you really don't want to be changing parts when they breakdown. You are investing sooooo much time and energy into this so I'm glad you are spending the money to do it right the first time.  :cheers:
Title: Re: Control panel hardware selection and questions (GGG pieces)
Post by: keilmillerjr on February 22, 2017, 08:29:38 pm
Keep it simple. You will easily get overwhelmed. Once its running, you can always modify it bit by bit.
Title: Re: Control panel hardware selection and questions (GGG pieces)
Post by: thomas_surles on February 22, 2017, 08:33:19 pm
The microswitches really depend on what games you plan on playing. I really enjoy the micro leafs.
Title: Re: Control panel hardware selection and questions (GGG pieces)
Post by: roknrol on February 23, 2017, 02:36:37 pm
I can't think of any reason you'd want three push-pull spinners. Even Forgotten Worlds only used two push spinners.

If you're wanting all RGB buttons, remember that 30 buttons and a RGB trackball will need 93 inputs to control all the colors. If you want to use the LED-Wiz, you'll need three of them.

I'm also waiting on the Electric Ice concave buttons to come back into stock from GGG. Want to order some with the Helio9 option -- otherwise, I'd give you my opinion on them!
Title: Re: Control panel hardware selection and questions (GGG pieces)
Post by: Gangor on February 23, 2017, 04:17:10 pm
yea, i think i'm getting ahead of myself.  Based on another comment, push/pull may not be for me anyway. Any idea how long it normally takes for ggg product to be replenished?
Title: Re: Control panel hardware selection and questions (GGG pieces)
Post by: rootbeer on February 23, 2017, 05:13:15 pm
Order up a few buttons. Get one with the Super Soft Touch switch, one Micro-Leaf and one True Leaf. Getting a feel for what you'll like is definitely worth a few bucks. I just did this and was surprised to find that I loved the shallow concavity of the Arcade Prime (vs. the deeper ClassX), and that I strongly preferred the feel of the Micro-Leaf over the True Leaf. There's no "definitely better" choice, but there will be a "best-suited to YOU" choice.
Title: Re: Control panel hardware selection and questions (GGG pieces)
Post by: roknrol on February 23, 2017, 05:38:36 pm
What he said.  ;D

As far as restocking: unclear. I posted a question to Randy in the Vendors forum earlier this week. Haven't heard back yet. Restocking arcade parts (esp. custom parts) can often be awhile. Hope it's soon, though.
Title: Re: Control panel hardware selection and questions (GGG pieces)
Post by: DolansCadillac on February 28, 2017, 12:20:55 pm
Order up a few buttons. Get one with the Super Soft Touch switch, one Micro-Leaf and one True Leaf. Getting a feel for what you'll like is definitely worth a few bucks. I just did this and was surprised to find that I loved the shallow concavity of the Arcade Prime (vs. the deeper ClassX), and that I strongly preferred the feel of the Micro-Leaf over the True Leaf. There's no "definitely better" choice, but there will be a "best-suited to YOU" choice.
I'll also back this up, because I had an experience that made me wish I did just that. I'd ordered a full set of class-x buttons and true-leafs, and while they're clearly top-grade kit, they just weren't for me and the style of games I play most often - it's hard to convey just how sensitive those things are (even after lots of tuning). Mostly I had no idea how much I'd miss the tactile response you get with microswitches, and for someone who plays a lot of fighters and Tetris, you count on that more than you'd think. Again, that's not to speak ill of the product itself, they're certainly high quality hardware and I definitely could see myself using them in a dedicated cab down the road, for sure.

I ended replacing them with a set of micro-leafs recently, and they're just perfect for my tastes - no issues with them whatsoever. Easily a huge improvement over cherry switches in my opinion.