Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum

Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: sofakng on March 02, 2005, 01:10:28 pm

Title: Best place on a cabinet for a volume control knob?
Post by: sofakng on March 02, 2005, 01:10:28 pm
I'm getting ready to setup a volume control knob on my arcade cabinet (thanks to Oscar from oscarcontrols.com -- he was a **HUGE** help).

What I'm wondering is where to put the actual knob.  It would be nice to have it on the front of the control panel, but I personally think it looks a bit ugly there so I was thinking about putting it on the top of the control panel next to where my power button is going... (please feel free to comment on the placement of the power button too!)
Title: Re: Best place on a cabinet for a volume control knob?
Post by: Shape D. on March 02, 2005, 01:21:54 pm
I'd try to find a place to hide it, and I deffinately wouldn't put it on the control panel. Maybe under it though.
Title: Re: Best place on a cabinet for a volume control knob?
Post by: IntruderAlert on March 02, 2005, 01:29:02 pm
how about putting it next to your pause button?
Title: Re: Best place on a cabinet for a volume control knob?
Post by: SirPoonga on March 02, 2005, 01:32:55 pm
Arcade owners that hacked a pot onto the speaker usually put the voule on top of the cabinet next to the marquee light switch.
Title: Re: Best place on a cabinet for a volume control knob?
Post by: sofakng on March 02, 2005, 01:41:01 pm
Thanks for the replies!

I don't want to put it next to the pause button since it's on the control panel itself...

I also don't have a marquee light -- mine stays on all the time.  Is that bad?  (the switch for the light is on the cable itself, which is inside the cabinet)  It turns on whenever I turn the cabinet on (using a smartstrip).

I agree with trying to hide it, which is why I'm thinking about mounting it on the top of the cabinet next the power switch... (which isn't there yet, but will be soon... [honest!])
Title: Re: Best place on a cabinet for a volume control knob?
Post by: IntruderAlert on March 02, 2005, 01:43:54 pm
what's a voule? 
Title: Re: Best place on a cabinet for a volume control knob?
Post by: Shape D. on March 02, 2005, 01:52:56 pm
what's a voule? 
A, E, I, O, U, and sometimes Y
Title: Re: Best place on a cabinet for a volume control knob?
Post by: missioncontrol on March 02, 2005, 01:55:59 pm
I would put it on the top of the cab.....
Title: Re: Best place on a cabinet for a volume control knob?
Post by: SteveJ34 on March 02, 2005, 02:07:44 pm
My cab is fashioned after a modified Lusid design and the control panel contains a recessed piano hinge under the front edge so that the entire top raised up towards the player.

I put my volume control and power switch inside.

As to your marquee light, mine has no switch, if the cab is on, the marquee is on....never been a problem for me.



Title: Re: Best place on a cabinet for a volume control knob?
Post by: RayB on March 02, 2005, 02:48:16 pm
I vote for on top, somewhere where it will not be accidentally touched by someone "hanging on the side while watching you play".
Title: Re: Best place on a cabinet for a volume control knob?
Post by: SirPeale on March 02, 2005, 02:53:43 pm
A lot of real games had this inside the coin door.  If your machine doesn't have one, on top would be your next best bet.
Title: Re: Best place on a cabinet for a volume control knob?
Post by: IntruderAlert on March 02, 2005, 03:03:43 pm
what do you guys think about having a mute button in addition to the volume control?
Keep it in easy reach like a pause button so that you can keep playing with the sound off while someone else is say taking a phone call or whatever and then switch the sound right back to the level you had it before?
Title: Re: Best place on a cabinet for a volume control knob?
Post by: NoOne=NBA= on March 02, 2005, 03:12:21 pm
I actually mounted the volume knob and power button off the speakers I was using into the speaker area above my monitor bezel, between the speakers.

Pressing the power button will mute, and you can adjust the volume in-game without much trouble.
Title: Re: Best place on a cabinet for a volume control knob?
Post by: SirPoonga on March 02, 2005, 03:18:52 pm
If you use a SB Live or newer they have a header pin set on the board that you use two buttons to volume up and down and if you press them at the same time you mute.

Doesn't pausing the game mute?  And in most cases when you'd want to mute you will also pause?
Title: Re: Best place on a cabinet for a volume control knob?
Post by: RayB on March 02, 2005, 03:21:05 pm
I have a very easy MUTE solution: Turn the volume knob all the way down.
Title: Re: Best place on a cabinet for a volume control knob?
Post by: SirPoonga on March 02, 2005, 03:22:36 pm
I have a very easy MUTE solution: Turn the volume knob all the way down.


Not really depending on where your volume knob is...
Title: Re: Best place on a cabinet for a volume control knob?
Post by: IntruderAlert on March 02, 2005, 03:24:07 pm
sometimes its nice to play with the sound off if you don't want to disturb someone else too much
.. of course you still get the clicking sounds  ;D
Title: Re: Best place on a cabinet for a volume control knob?
Post by: FractalWalk on March 02, 2005, 04:22:20 pm
I put a volume knob next to my speakers underneath my marquee area. I don't have a mute button but it is easy to turn it all the way down.
Title: Re: Best place on a cabinet for a volume control knob?
Post by: Thenasty on March 02, 2005, 04:50:05 pm
mine is right here underneath my Horizontal Monitor. You can't really see it when playing unless you played my cab already.
Title: Re: Best place on a cabinet for a volume control knob?
Post by: DrewKaree on March 02, 2005, 09:21:32 pm
what's a voule? 
A, E, I, O, U, and sometimes Y

You forgot the silent Q and the tilde.
Title: Re: Best place on a cabinet for a volume control knob?
Post by: Paul Olson on March 02, 2005, 09:49:24 pm
My CP is wider than the cab, so I mounted it on the back of the CP.  It's really easy to get to.

Paul
Title: Re: Best place on a cabinet for a volume control knob?
Post by: jelwell on March 03, 2005, 12:38:29 am
I put two buttons on my control panel labeled Volume - & +. Then I use VolumeTray to map the two buttons to modify the system volume up or down.

Here's a shot of my control panel's function buttons:
http://www.singleclick.com/gallery/album288/DSC05890

Joseph Elwell.
Title: Re: Best place on a cabinet for a volume control knob?
Post by: quarterback on March 03, 2005, 01:10:08 am
Here's a shot of my control panel's function buttons:
http://www.singleclick.com/gallery/album288/DSC05890

Holy carp!