Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum

Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: Spinach on March 26, 2009, 10:14:46 pm

Title: Idea for control panel button identification
Post by: Spinach on March 26, 2009, 10:14:46 pm
While in a deep sleep one night it came to me, the answer to make my cabinet extremely high tech!

OK, so I do not have the know how nor the ambition, but someone might.  My thought was to project the individual game panel overlays onto the CP from somewhere near the speaker panel area.  Of course you would end up blocking it out as you played, but it would be nice to have "authentic" looking overlays for each individual game.  Guests could easily see which buttons do what at nearly any time, and tech factor might even gain a few points  ;)

I think I took this idea from one of those "Extreme Kitchen" shows where they had a recipe projected onto the countertop.

Just some fodder for your noggin.
Title: Re: Idea for control panel button identification
Post by: AMDman13 on March 26, 2009, 10:33:52 pm
It would be awesome to have them projected on to the CPT!

There is a program called CPV2 which is suppose to tell you what buttons do what, but I have never spent the time to figure it out. I think it shows up on your FE as you scroll through game selections.
 http://www.emuchrist.org/cpviewer/index.html
Title: Re: Idea for control panel button identification
Post by: RayB on March 26, 2009, 10:45:24 pm
WOW, how about rotating 3D hologram above the CP ?  ;D
Title: Re: Idea for control panel button identification
Post by: Ginsu Victim on March 26, 2009, 11:27:35 pm
Good luck finding enough proper CP images to make it worth your while.
Title: Re: Idea for control panel button identification
Post by: Namco on March 26, 2009, 11:57:33 pm
Sounds like a Xiaou2 project  ;D
Title: Re: Idea for control panel button identification
Post by: arzoo on March 27, 2009, 09:02:46 am
In the near future, we may be able to use thin flexible LCD displays as panel overlays, or digital paper, or OLED buttons!

But for now, cp viewers or LED buttons w/voice are the best options.
Title: Re: Idea for control panel button identification
Post by: TheShanMan on March 27, 2009, 12:28:53 pm
Good luck finding enough proper CP images to make it worth your while.

You wouldn't necessarily have to go that route. You could always use images from CP apps like CPWizard. That would be better in my mind anyway because then it's customized for your CP layout.
Title: Re: Idea for control panel button identification
Post by: RayB on March 27, 2009, 12:56:58 pm
In the near future, we may be able to use thin flexible LCD displays as panel overlays, or digital paper, or OLED buttons!
Or E-Ink "paper" like the Kindle uses.

Title: Re: Idea for control panel button identification
Post by: Spinach on March 27, 2009, 01:51:47 pm
Oh come on, one of you stuck in the 80's, Chuck watching power geaks could easily find an old rear projection TV on Craigslist and transform that into what we are talking about here.  ;D

Honestly, I would have absolutely NO intention of trying this, just thought it sounded cool and wanted to throw it out there.  Now come on, someone get ambituous!
Title: Re: Idea for control panel button identification
Post by: Ginsu Victim on March 27, 2009, 01:52:46 pm
Good luck finding enough proper CP images to make it worth your while.

You wouldn't necessarily have to go that route. You could always use images from CP apps like CPWizard. That would be better in my mind anyway because then it's customized for your CP layout.

I love CPwizard. My reply was based on:
Quote
My thought was to project the individual game panel overlays onto the CP from somewhere near the speaker panel area.  Of course you would end up blocking it out as you played, but it would be nice to have "authentic" looking overlays for each individual game
Title: Re: Idea for control panel button identification
Post by: TheShanMan on March 27, 2009, 02:08:14 pm
Oh, I know that's what you were replying to, although I don't think it's totally obvious from that statement that he meant pictures of the original cp's. In fact, I don't know if that would even be practical, as you'd see control images and text in locations that don't match your cp. So I think a cp viewer image would be the only practical way to do this.

Kind of a neat idea though.