What is a good place for a volume control knob?

[Neverending Project]

I am installing some amplified PC speakers which have a volume knob. I would like the knob to be accessible to the player(s), but I don't want it to be obtrusive. My first thought was right in-between the speakers (which are mounted down-facing in the marquee box), but then I thought that this might draw your eye to it, since it right above the monitor and a little bit higher than eye level. I don't really want it on the CP either.

What have you done?

(Attached is a mock-up of my cabinet. It is (will be) a Mercs conversion, hence the marquee and screenshot. And not seen is the bezel, which I don't have yet.)

[DaOld Man]

On my first cabinet, I mounted the amp board to the underside of the control panel, only the knob was on top, in right upper corner out of the way. This worked out pretty good for me.
On my second cab I mounted it between the speakers, like you mentioned.
I did this to make the removal of the CP easier and less complicated.
This worked out better, IMHO. The knob is small, and above the screen, so you never even notice it. So my next two machines used the "between the speakers" method.

[Paul Olson]

I don't need to change the volume too often, so I mounted mine inside the cab where I can reach it easily through the coin door.

[spacies]

I don't need to change the volume too often, so I mounted mine inside the cab where I can reach it easily through the coin door.

Same as me. Great spot!

[WCBoudreaux]

I don't need to change the volume too often, so I mounted mine inside the cab where I can reach it easily through the coin door.

Same as me. Great spot!

Put me down for this option as well... It's done like that with factory cabs as well... Which is where I got the idea to do mine this way...

[NoOne=NBA=]

I have mine right between the speakers.
Mine doesn't have an actual knob though.
It's just the On/Off push switch, and scroll wheel type volume control off the set of PC speakers I used.
I thinned the wood in that area, so that the controls are barely sticking out of the wood.
With the black on black on black color scheme in that area, it's barely even noticeable.

[ratzz]

What's the situation on having a hardware set volume, and using the cp to control volume - thereby not having a visible control at all?

I'm sure I saw this somewhere ...

[DaOld Man]

I remember seeing somewhere (maybe not on this forum), where there someone made "touch sensitive" plates and used them for on/off buttons.
(Uses basically same circuit as a touch lamp).
They were made up to look like star trek type controls.
Pretty neat.
I was wondering if anyone has tried to use this type button on the CP to turn sound up/down?
To quote Peter Griffin:
"That would be frickin' sweet!"

[Zebidee]

once you have an external volume control, you don't want anything less!  It is too difficult to open the door to change volume while people are busy playing.

Here is how it looks in my front-door admin panel, which I fitted wher the coin mech used to be.  Note the headset & USB ports next to it.



This is a shot of the admin panel from behind.



Here is a closeup of how I created the control panel.  I actually took the USB & phono ports off the computer and refitted them at the front.  I then added a volume control and an audio output (from which the audio signals go to my amplifier)



Here is the cabinet itself - note that it is for sale on Australian ebay right now!  Search for Betelgeuse Arcade Classics.  You can also check out more on my cabs by clicking on my sig below.




Finally, here is a diagram which shows you how to wire each channel into a volume potentiometer.

[ARTIFACT]

I have my hardware control in the coin box door

and

ahofle's great spinner/joystick/button volume control software running!!!

Go get it! ... holding P2 Start + spinner controls volume.... very elegant.

[diverdown]

I installed one on the back of my wifes head 

[Zebidee]

I installed one on the back of my wifes head 

   

           

[Green Giant]

I installed one on the back of my wifes head 

Instructions?

Also, I mounted mine right between the speakers.  All I did was wire an audio potentiometer into a 10ft stereo extension cable.  Then I just plug the speaker turned up full power to the cable and on to the computer.  Attached a large dial and it is done.

[Zebidee]

It looks like your control panel has small "wings".  You could try mounting the volume control behind the left wing (easy reach for player one).  It is out of sight, but easy to access.  Here's how I did it on another cab:

[Neverending Project]

Thanks for all the great suggestions! I'm leaning toward the "between-the-speakers" option if I can find a black knob... does anyone have kids who has put the volume this high? Now I am worried they may not be able to reach it. Of course, that could be a good thing.

[ahofle]

As mentioned by Artifact, you can omit an additional control and just use your arcade controls (spinner, trackball, buttons, etc) to control the volume with this little application:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=69901.0

[Zebidee]

If you also have a volume control on your amp, inside the cab, then you can set and effective "maximum" volume on this,  That was your players can change the volume themselves without turning the neighbourhood into a warzone.

Just make sure you put the volume pot on the line from your PC to the amp.  That way you are effectively controlling master volume with the external pot.  But you can still provide an ffective limit this with the amp volume control.

[oqqalz]

I put mine between my speakers as well and used a black appliance knob from Ace Hardware.  I rarely even notice it there. 

You can also use some software to control the OS volume, then map it to some shifted keys.  However, in my case, I just hacked a T-Amp and converted its volume control to a long stem so that I put a knob on it.

[DaOld Man]

As mentioned by Artifact, you can omit an additional control and just use your arcade controls (spinner, trackball, buttons, etc) to control the volume with this little application:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=69901.0

Thats a neat little app there ahofle!
I may have to use it on my next project..

[DaOld Man]

I put mine between my speakers as well and used a black appliance knob from Ace Hardware.  I rarely even notice it there. 

You can also use some software to control the OS volume, then map it to some shifted keys.  However, in my case, I just hacked a T-Amp and converted its volume control to a long stem so that I put a knob on it.

Thats basically the way I did mine, except I unsoldered the pot from the board, added some extension wires to it, then I routed out the MDF for the pot to sit down inside it, no need for the extension handle.
I like where it is, but I could see a problem with short kids not being able to reach the volume knob..

[telengard]

I put mine on the top of the cab.  It's unnoticable unless you are like 7ft tall.

http://home.comcast.net/~bsturk/mame/pics/cabinet_side.jpg

That big honking monitor control thing to the left of the volume control is now gone since I have a genuine arcade monitor now.

~telengard

[Chris]

Mine is under the CP overhang.

[Anubis_au]

Website for an app that allows you to control volume via joystick:

http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/Multimedia_and_Graphics/Misc__Sound_Tools/VolumeTray.html

[Onyx_PghPA]

I ended up using an old set of Klipsch 4.1 computer speakers for my cab and the advantage of those is that the control pod for power/volume/surround is removable.  I attached it to the side of the cab up near the marquee.

Having read the responses here, though, I may be moving it behind the coin door.  Great idea!


Onyx

[Kajoq]

Do you have any actual pictures of your cab?  I bought a SF3 machine that judging by your model is the same cabinet style.

We've been trying to figure out exactly what it was originally

I hated the control panel's huge angles... I actually just pulled the whole thing off my cab and replaced it with one I custom built

[Zebidee]

I like the dog

[DaOld Man]

I too like the machine.. BUT..
I would find another place for the shoe storage..
Nothing can distract you from a crucial game more than the smell of ripe tennis shoes..
 

(Edited for spelling)

[Onyx_PghPA]

Do you have any actual pictures of your cab?  I bought a SF3 machine that judging by your model is the same cabinet style.

We've been trying to figure out exactly what it was originally

I hated the control panel's huge angles... I actually just pulled the whole thing off my cab and replaced it with one I custom built

I tend to believe the smell of used shoes adds to the whole arcade experience, much like people use 'ambiance' sounds!  Personally, I still associate the smell of new carpet to playing 'Thayer's Quest' in the arcade, since the day my local arcade replaced their carpet was the day they put in that particular game!

As a side note, I DID move my volume control pod into the cabinet.  It is happily velcro'd to the left, inside of the coin door!


Onyx

[councilface]

I installed one on the back of my wifes head 

   

           

Haha! If only ;o)