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Obligatory New Builder Post
Brian Lenz:
--- Quote from: drventure on June 23, 2013, 03:34:37 pm ---I initially wanted to go in that direction too. I got pretty far into the build and realized that a standalone cabinet works much better, and is just more "attractive" to guests that might be interested in playing. Granted a CP only solution seems like it'd save space and all, but I decided that the hassle of trying to store a big panel was just too much.
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The main reason I'm looking to do a portable Control Panel, is purely because I won't be playing games solo, and usually not at my own home. Frequently, I go to LANs or just to hang out with other people, and lugging a decent sized Panel isn't too big of a hassle for me (plenty of trunk space, and plenty of helping hands). It will be a 4 player Panel because the big draw for me has always been the 4 player games: Gauntlet, Simpsons, TMNT. I probably wouldn't even have the Panel "displayed" when it's at my house, and probably just tossed in a back room or closet space. If and when I actually have guests, pull 'er out for the night, and toss it back when we're done.
Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have a standalone Cabinet, but I'm not really looking for an "authentic" experience necessarily just yet. Perhaps down the road if this build goes well, I'd look into a full cabinet that looks truly gorgeous.
For now, it's all about functionality.
drventure:
--- Quote from: Brian Lenz on June 23, 2013, 05:04:03 pm ---The main reason I'm looking to do a portable Control Panel, is purely because I won't be playing games solo, and usually not at my own home.
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Ahhh.. Well, that makes sense. Not sure how big you plan your panel to be but mine is a fairly normal 4p panel, and it's just at 4' wide. You might get away with a bit smaller dropping the trackball, but not a whole lot.
And mine is freakin' +heavy+. If you use 3/4 MDF, you might have a similar issue.
Looking forward to what you come up with, in any case!
nick3092:
If you want the flexibility of a 4 player panel, but you may not use all 4 players every time, you could consider building separate "parent"/"child" panels. The "parent" panel would have controls for 2 players and house all your electrical components. Then wire up your interface for P3 and 4 to some form of a jack (or jacks as needed) and then build a smaller panel for both P3 and 4 that just has sicks/buttons and a cable to connect to the parent. Or even separate smaller panels for 3 and 4 (2 child panels). Separating them out gives you the flexibility of letting people spread out a bit, instead of trying to all cram in on a couch or something.
Sort of like a modular panel, but portable. You could also do things like put the trackball on it's own child panel with a couple buttons to help keep the size down of the parent panel you would primarily be transporting. Especially if you don't play that many trackball games, but still want to be able to from time to time.
Brian Lenz:
--- Quote from: nick3092 on June 23, 2013, 07:26:52 pm ---If you want the flexibility of a 4 player panel, but you may not use all 4 players every time, you could consider building separate "parent"/"child" panels. The "parent" panel would have controls for 2 players and house all your electrical components. Then wire up your interface for P3 and 4 to some form of a jack (or jacks as needed) and then build a smaller panel for both P3 and 4 that just has sicks/buttons and a cable to connect to the parent. Or even separate smaller panels for 3 and 4 (2 child panels). Separating them out gives you the flexibility of letting people spread out a bit, instead of trying to all cram in on a couch or something.
Sort of like a modular panel, but portable. You could also do things like put the trackball on it's own child panel with a couple buttons to help keep the size down of the parent panel you would primarily be transporting. Especially if you don't play that many trackball games, but still want to be able to from time to time.
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This all seems like a wonderful idea, but seems like it may be adding a bit too much complexity I'd be willing to handle for my first build. I have a fairly strong understanding of electronics and wiring (especially with the amount of excellent tutorials 'round this site in particular), but adding in additional ports and plugs for a more modular design seems a bit out of my skill range as it stands. It would be an excellent second or third build for sure.
shponglefan:
^ Actually, building two (or more) control panels shouldn't be any more difficult than building only one. If you put a seperate controller/encoder in the "child" panel, you could connect it to the main panel with just a USB cable.
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