My First MAME Cab Build!

[Cobolisdead]

Ok, I have got my Galaxian project to the point where all I need to do is replace the artwork and then put on the T molding. So now I m going to put that aside and continue on with my original project, a 4 player MAME cabinet!  I have ideas about the cabinet, but I am still debating what I need to do for a monitor as well as my cab's theme. I do however, know what I am going to do for the control panel.

http://webpages.charter.net/rbecker5/plans.html#design

I plan on using that design, although modified to have the 3 and 4 player joysticks angled the right way. 

Any thoughts?

[Cobolisdead]

Here is my quick mockup of the control panel:

[yotsuya]

You don't need 6 buttons for P3 and P4 if you're going straight MAME.

[Cobolisdead]

Yeah, it's more of a symmetry thing than a control requirement.

[horizon]

As it's been mentioned to others, including myself, check out the templates from http://www.slagcoin.com/joystick/layout.html.  The layout you have on your design, for me, was very uncomfortable.  I used the box that Ultimarc shipped my buttons in to play with layouts until I ended up deciding on the "standard Japanese" layout.

Also, to keep things aesthetically pleasing, would you consider making the 5th and 6th buttons on P1/2 black, to blend away, and using 4 buttons on P3/4?

I'm doing a mostly black CP, no LEDs, and am ok with the utilitarian look.

 

[yotsuya]

Yeah, it's more of a symmetry thing than a control requirement.

Your money to burn, bro.

[Cobolisdead]

As it's been mentioned to others, including myself, check out the templates from http://www.slagcoin.com/joystick/layout.html.  The layout you have on your design, for me, was very uncomfortable.  I used the box that Ultimarc shipped my buttons in to play with layouts until I ended up deciding on the "standard Japanese" layout.

Also, to keep things aesthetically pleasing, would you consider making the 5th and 6th buttons on P1/2 black, to blend away, and using 4 buttons on P3/4?

I'm doing a mostly black CP, no LEDs, and am ok with the utilitarian look.

 

That is a very good read! I definitely agree with you on the  "standard Japanese" layout too. Here is the mock up altered slightly for that look.

Yeah, it's more of a symmetry thing than a control requirement.

Your money to burn, bro.

lol. True, but it was only another $10 to do that for the buttons and wiring, as the encoder already has a spot for them.

[Cobolisdead]

Slightly modified the red controls of player three to be symmetrical with Player four.

[yotsuya]

Slightly modified the red controls of player three to be symmetrical with Player four.

**Sigh**. I was going to post some comments, but I remembered my resolution since "The Kaneda Incident" to stop getting involved in 4 Player Cab layouts, so I'm going to gracefully bow out of this one. Good luck with your build.

[horizon]

Ill jump in since I dont know wtf Im talking about Yots.

I would think angled P3/4 would be better for comfort.  Think of it as a mirror rather than symmetrical.  I'd hate to be P4, either standing crooked or "over-reaching" with my left arm.  Perhaps you could keep the same angle as the CP.  Just remember to keep the joysticks putting up to the screen.  Don't angle those.

[Cobolisdead]

Slightly modified the red controls of player three to be symmetrical with Player four.

**Sigh**. I was going to post some comments, but I remembered my resolution since "The Kaneda Incident" to stop getting involved in 4 Player Cab layouts, so I'm going to gracefully bow out of this one. Good luck with your build.

Hey, I am a noob at this, so please post whatever you feel about it. I am very appreciative of all the info I can get on this.  And this is the planning stage for this control panel, so feedback is greatly appreciated and will be factored in.

Ill jump in since I dont know wtf Im talking about Yots.

I would think angled P3/4 would be better for comfort.  Think of it as a mirror rather than symmetrical.  I'd hate to be P4, either standing crooked or "over-reaching" with my left arm.  Perhaps you could keep the same angle as the CP.  Just remember to keep the joysticks putting up to the screen.  Don't angle those.

so something like this?

[horizon]

Yes. 

I would also suggest grabbing a large piece of cardboard and testing it out from all 4 positions.  An old refrigerator box is perfect to cut to size and play with.

Whats the story with the buttons at the top?  What all are you planning to emulate?

[AzureKnight]

I would also suggest grabbing a large piece of cardboard and testing it out from all 4 positions.  An old refrigerator box is perfect to cut to size and play with.?

+1 this, I cannot recommend this strongly enough.  I ended up changing my layout several times over after mocking it up in cardboard.

[Cobolisdead]

Yes. 

I would also suggest grabbing a large piece of cardboard and testing it out from all 4 positions.  An old refrigerator box is perfect to cut to size and play with.

Whats the story with the buttons at the top?  What all are you planning to emulate?

I will do that! I had a good box for it, but the Fiance made me throw it out last month in the garage purge.

As for the lights. I bet you have never seen an arcade with Simon have you?


J/K Its the admin buttons. They are a bit of an eye sore, but I was thinking something different for the top for admin stuff would be cool. Although, Simon would be pretty awesome.

I would also suggest grabbing a large piece of cardboard and testing it out from all 4 positions.  An old refrigerator box is perfect to cut to size and play with.?

+1 this, I cannot recommend this strongly enough.  I ended up changing my layout several times over after mocking it up in cardboard.

Will do!

[AzureKnight]

You also will realize just how big your CP is.  What width are you aiming for?  46"? 48"?  That sounds good on paper, but is pretty big when built.

I actually grabbed a barstool or two and set up my cardboard cp on those to get it to the height I wanted.  I then mocked up a piece of card board to represent the monitor area (including the sides of the cap thickness 3/4" in my case).  So I could get a good monitor angle that I liked as well as monitor height.  It also let me see how much of the cp would overhang the sides of the cabinet.  In the end I slimmed mine down to 42" as it was just too wide for my taste.

Also, when mocking up layouts, make sure you keep track of what is going on UNDER the cp.  You need clearance to the sides of joysticks and buttons for wires/mounts/etc.  Trackballs in particular take up a lot of room.  Also depending on the overhand the cp top has you could  bump into the side walls of the cp box.  It might look fine from above but underneath could be a different story.

[Cobolisdead]

You also will realize just how big your CP is.  What width are you aiming for?  46"? 48"?  That sounds good on paper, but is pretty big when built.

I actually grabbed a barstool or two and set up my cardboard cp on those to get it to the height I wanted.  I then mocked up a piece of card board to represent the monitor area (including the sides of the cap thickness 3/4" in my case).  So I could get a good monitor angle that I liked as well as monitor height.  It also let me see how much of the cp would overhang the sides of the cabinet.  In the end I slimmed mine down to 42" as it was just too wide for my taste.

Also, when mocking up layouts, make sure you keep track of what is going on UNDER the cp.  You need clearance to the sides of joysticks and buttons for wires/mounts/etc.  Trackballs in particular take up a lot of room.  Also depending on the overhand the cp top has you could  bump into the side walls of the cp box.  It might look fine from above but underneath could be a different story.

I am going for a 48" width. That is the width of the plywood I have already for the construction of the panel. The original design I was emulating called for 47", but I figured that the extra inch couldn't hurt.

Great idea about trying it at the right height. I will definitely keep in mind under clearance as well.

[horizon]

Im building a pedestal arcade, personally, and I am wavering about 2 or 4 player due to the massive look the CP will have.  I feel like the 25.5" base is way too small looking for the 46.5" topper.

Just some food for thought.

[stavros693000]

Slightly modified the red controls of player three to be symmetrical with Player four.

**Sigh**. I was going to post some comments, but I remembered my resolution since "The Kaneda Incident" to stop getting involved in 4 Player Cab layouts, so I'm going to gracefully bow out of this one. Good luck with your build.

hey yots, whats ("The Kaneda Incident"? and why are you so anti-4 player C/panels?

i agree 6 buttons for P3 n p4 is ridiculous..... 2 buttons is enough 3-4 at the most........most 4 player mame games only use 2-3 buttons.

but i digress......just curious friend

[Cobolisdead]

Fellas, let me address the 6 button thing in a way that makes a little more sense. SHE said that it looks better with 6 buttons. So an extra $10 for some buttons that won't do anything is something that I can handle if it means getting more acceptance for this large device. She has referred to Arcade cabinets as being defined by two main characteristics: 1. They have artwork 2. They are large bulky things that get in her way. 

[AzureKnight]

Fellas, let me address the 6 button thing in a way that makes a little more sense. SHE said that it looks better with 6 buttons.

Ace of Trumps, you win the round   

[dkersten]

I would not drill a single hole or print any artwork until you set up a 48" wide panel at the exact height and angle you will have it on your cab, then stand there at each control and see how it "feels" even if you are just using a printout to show where the buttons and joystick are.  I made a lot of little adjustments once doing this, all would have been critical adjustments.  Also, be sure the P3 and P4 joysticks are parallel to the screen, even though the buttons are angled.. Think of it like a mouse, even if you are at an angle to the screen, you will still use the mouse relative to the screen, not to where you are standing in relation to the screen. 

If you have the patience and the time, I would make a complete cardboard mockup of the control panel, wire it up to your controller, set it at the right height and angle, and try to play a game.  As extreme as that might sound, it is the best way to ensure you have things the way you want them.  You might end up shifting some controls around, moving admin buttons, etc.  This is particularly important with alternate controls like trackballs and spinners. 

[Cobolisdead]

As it's been mentioned to others, including myself, check out the templates from http://www.slagcoin.com/joystick/layout.html.  The layout you have on your design, for me, was very uncomfortable.  I used the box that Ultimarc shipped my buttons in to play with layouts until I ended up deciding on the "standard Japanese" layout.

Also, to keep things aesthetically pleasing, would you consider making the 5th and 6th buttons on P1/2 black, to blend away, and using 4 buttons on P3/4?

I'm doing a mostly black CP, no LEDs, and am ok with the utilitarian look.

 

Okay, maybe I am missing something obvious here, but is there a way to actually print out those layouts to use them as a template? Every time I try to print them, it gets the measurements off and prints it too large.

[dkersten]

If you don't have some decent image software to load the images to before printing, then your printer driver settings should have an option to print at 100%.  The images are to scale at 100%.  Sometimes the option is a checkbox in your printer settings that is called "fit to page" or something like that.  Turn that off.  Once printed, use a ruler to make sure before you start drilling with that guide though. 

[Cobolisdead]

Hmmn, thanks for the tips! I finally was able to get it to print right using MS Paint of all things! So now I have four templates ready for this weekend! I plan on finally building the CP this four day weekend, so I can start work on the PC I will be running Mame on.

[yotsuya]

I've always just printed the 300dpi version. That one prints regular size, no issues. 

[Cobolisdead]

After a long time off due to life having things pop up, I am finally getting back on this project. I decided to change my layout a little bit to simplify the design since i am still a wood working novice.  I started off by removing a good third of the depth from this piece of plywood.



Then I laid down my templates, and taped them down to where I wanted them to be.



Then I started by drilling the holes for player 4.



I did fairly well, but my templates got tore up, and I messed up the spacing a little bit for player 1.



Still, it looks like it should be pretty awesome layout once it is up and running.

[Cobolisdead]

Well, I still need to do some work for the joysticks to get them to properly mount. However, here are some pics with the buttons in!



Looking at it here, you can definitely see where the spacing ont he bottom row got shifted over to the left. It actually still works well though so I will probably keep it for now.

[Cobolisdead]

So, is there a special technique to route the bottom of the control panel to get the joysticks to install properly? I tried searching for videos on it, but my Google Fu is weak today it seems.

[opt2not]

http://www.slagcoin.com/joystick/mounting_layering.html

This site should have all you need. Though it doesn't spoon feed the masses with a video, it has descriptions and diagrams for practically all CP installation needs.

[Cobolisdead]

Anyone have a any recommendations for a bit for my router? I got one months ago, but I didn't get a bit for it. I need to make a quick run to lowes to get one.

[wol-nz]

ekk! are those joystick holes too close to the buttons? I'm thinking the joystick body will be touching or overlapping the button mounts.
Take your time building - the planning process is the most important stage. Good luck sir

[Cobolisdead]

Well, I test fitted the joysticks, and they seem to work just fine as far as spacing goes for players 2 -4. Now since Player 1 is off, it might be a bit closer than I would like.

[Cobolisdead]

Well, I had some measure of success tonight mixed in with some failure. For my first time using a router, I think that I did quite well. Unfortunately, the router did not do so well. It got all the way through to the last joystick, and within three seconds of making a weird noise like it was caught on some wood, it broke through the wood as the bit came flying off! Fortunately it didn't hurt me or do too much damage to the control panel. Here are the pics of the control panel with everything assembled on it.











I think that this is still salvageable, but now I am definitely going to need to put some sort of layer on top of it.  Also, I still need to work on the joystick spacers a little bit more as they don't want to hit the microswitches when the control panel is turned right side up.

[rovingmind]

if you have a holse saw, a leftover plug can be glued in there, then bondo and sanding to fill the "oops" caused by the bit.  Otherwise, fiberglass and epoxy, although a new section of wood might be cheaper, although you will probably end up needing the bondo to smooth the top out anyway.

[Cobolisdead]

I might try to bondo it if I get some free time this weekend. I might be able to do Friday since I won't be shopping this year.

[Frank Drebin]

Between the mishap on P4 and the weird button layout on P1 I'd think about chucking it out and starting again.  Not trying to insult you but the effort in fixing what you have now probably won't be worth the result.  Just my 2 cents.  Cool project!

[Cobolisdead]

Yeah, I thought about doing that too. Might just end up doing that and using the first one as a template, minus player one of course.

[Frank Drebin]

You could do that, or use the printouts from slagcoin again but this time use a smaller drill bit to mark the center of the cutouts instead of going right in with the spade bit.  Once the center pilot holes are marked you can throw the paper away and drill with the spade.  I'm assuming thats what happened is that the spade bit caught your printout before you had a chance to drill them all out?

[opt2not]

Yeah, I thought about doing that too. Might just end up doing that and using the first one as a template, minus player one of course.

Or use it for routing practice, since it's your first go at using a router.

[Cobolisdead]

You could do that, or use the printouts from slagcoin again but this time use a smaller drill bit to mark the center of the cutouts instead of going right in with the spade bit.  Once the center pilot holes are marked you can throw the paper away and drill with the spade.  I'm assuming thats what happened is that the spade bit caught your printout before you had a chance to drill them all out?

Yup. It ripped the template away from the tape and tore it to pieces. The next two I ended up drilling pilot holes in the center of and removing the paper, exactly like you just said.

Yeah, I thought about doing that too. Might just end up doing that and using the first one as a template, minus player one of course.

Or use it for routing practice, since it's your first go at using a router.

Now that is a great idea! I could use it for practice when I attempt to cut the groove for the T-molding.

[Cobolisdead]

Ok. I have some new templates printed up, and I should get a chance to start back on this either tonight or tomorrow night!

Quick poll. Should I keep the rectangular look for the control panel, or go with a more traditional design like this:

http://www.retroarcadeslive.com/ebayretro/cp7.jpg

[wol-nz]

there are so so so many 4 player control panel designs. My least favorite by far is the rectangle.
I did a quick Google " 4 player control panel" and seen a whole lot of wealth.

I hope you have the tools and time to incorporate some sexy curves on your master piece. (i mean com'on how many times are ya building an arcade)

[Karpro]

My personal favorite is the "space paranoids" 4player.

[Slippyblade]

Keep in mind the plain and bland rectangle makes it a lot easier to line up the player 3/1 and 2/4 sticks for games like 2 player Smash TV.

[horizon]

My personal favorite is the "space paranoids" 4player.

This one http://spaceparanoids.net/spaceparanoids/downloads/space_paranoids_cp_render.jpg?

[AzureKnight]

I'd have to vote against the rectangle too.  Take a little time and browse through the stickied finished CP photo thread and see what ones catch your eye.  As was mentioned above, you may only build one of these so you might as well get it the way you want.

[yotsuya]

[AzureKnight]

If I were single I think I would build a dedicated flight stick machine with aircraft carrier art on a CP like that 

It does seem like that shape is very polarizing on this forum, I hear from people who love it or hate it but not much in between.

[Cobolisdead]

Well, I looked through the thread a bit, and this is probably what I could build other than the rectangle.



However, I would lose the 2 player Smash TV ability doing it like this though.  To be honest, I was just thinking of the rectangle because I like the way it looks here:



I was thinking about making this cabinet look like a wide TMNT/Xmen/Simpsons arcade, and thought that I might just stick to the rectangle, but most of you folks and the Fiance seem to like something else better. Definitely something to consider. 

[AzureKnight]

The fiance, her vote counts...ours not so much 

If you like the rectangle go for it, they don't look bad when well done.  I will say if you go with an "angled" approach you don't lose smash TV.  You should still orient all your joysticks the same way, up towards the screen even if the buttons are at an angle.  The general consensus here over time is that this is the best approach (although a few disagree).  Generic Eric has the image in his signature.



You would be misaligned so to speak but I think that with time you won't even notice that.

[PL1]

The fiance, her vote counts...ours not so much 

Very true.   

How well would that panel work if all 4 sticks were on the same horizontal line?
(P1/P2 moved back to match P3 on the left)


Scott

[Cobolisdead]

The fiance, her vote counts...ours not so much 

Very true.   

How well would that panel work if all 4 sticks were on the same horizontal line?
(P1/P2 moved back to match P3 on the left)


Scott

It would probably look something like this:



I am liking this design a it better. What do you guys think about it? I think that it should look neat on that X-men/TMNT/Simpsons style cabinet.

[AzureKnight]

It looks good all in the same row, the only thing that I can think of, is that you might have a little less shoulder space when running in 4 player mode.  The rotated buttons will tend to rotate the person allowing a bit more space. 

I would say mock it up, that is what I did about 4 times over for my build.  Get a few big pieces of cardboard and layout where the buttons will be, for the first one I didn't even have the buttons yet, I stuck screwdrivers in the the cardboard for joysticks and drew in the buttons.   Later I made 3 more with the joystick shafts and the actual buttons, each time it got me closer and closer to my final layout.

Had I gone with my first layout on paper without testing I would not be as happy with it.

Also as you are doing this keep in mind the underside of the CP, trackballs/joysticks/etc need space and the underside stuff can bump into each other or the sidewalls of the CP box.  I got lucky, I didn't take that into account enough and in a couple of spot I barely fit by dumb luck....

[Cobolisdead]

Okay. I have the the new panel constructed. The curve didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped, but everything else went well. As soon as my iPad stops being finicky, I will post some pics!

[Cobolisdead]

Ok, trying to attach the pics. Let's see how this goes.

[yotsuya]

Is that photo flipped? Or are you left handed? 

[Cobolisdead]

I play left handed.

[yotsuya]

And so will the other three people. 

[AzureKnight]

Ever think about flipping P2 and P4 to a normal right handed layout?  You could have a truly symmetrical CP with some right handers for others.

[rovingmind]

Or leave yourself with a slight advantage   

[yotsuya]

Ever think about flipping P2 and P4 to a normal right handed layout?  You could have a truly symmetrical CP with some right handers for others.

While I get your idea behind that, I'd rather see him leave it as is than have some one way and others the other way. That just never looks right.

[wol-nz]

I may be mistaken, I've never seen a left handed arcade .. Surely you've placed the buttons on the wrong side? Take all the buttons out and flip the board over and place them back in - it's just natural to wiggle with lefty and mash with righty 😜

[rovingmind]

Well, as soon as i take some pictures you can see a second one.  I've a moon-cresta panel going onto a gutted Carnival cab.  Instead of bodging the panel up with welding and redrilling, i'm putting a joystick into the old fire button hole, and going with a 2 button cab.  The girl-child is left-handed. 

The joy of this hobby is that you can make what you like.  Lefty away. 


On a non-hijack note...
If you have access to a router, you can temporarily screw a batten to the back of that control panel to use as a guide for a flush-trimming bit to clean up that curve.

batten - longish flexible strip of wood used to form curves when doing "laying up" (drawing out the lines) of boats.

[Cobolisdead]

In actuality, I didn't intend on setting it up for left handed play, I just forgot to flip the dang thing over last night before I routed out the joysticks, and didn't even catch it until you said something about it. That is what I get for hurrying and trying to get it finished before the fiance got home. Sadly, since I didn't catch it until after I routed it, that means that there is no way to salvage this piece. I might just leave it that way and use it, but I am thinking of starting over yet again.  I will have to go get some more wood/MDF though, as that was my last piece. 

I will look into Batten and see if I can find one. That "curve" didn't do too bad, but it wasn't what I was hoping for. I just had some difficulties following my lines with my saw.

[Malenko]

yay start over again.

So, are you going to actually listen to advice this time, or just keep doing what you want anyway?


Here is my 4 player panel:


Allows 4 player jamma style fun Simpsons, Xmen, TMNT, etc
Allows for 2 player 2 stick games ala Karate Champ, Smash TV, Total Carnage, etc
Allows for 2 player head to head fighting, Street Fighter and the like
Allows for 2 player NeoGeo gaming

No spinner, trackball, flight stick etc because I dont play those games enough to justify them. I will be eventually building a spinner based bartop , mostly for arkanoid but I might end up copying that sweet outrun bartop.
no Admin buttons, no coin buttons, I use shifted keys. Obviously not all the art is applied yet and I haven't been motivated enough to do the Tmolding.
The CP box is the same size as an NBA Jam CP box, because......it is an NBA Jam CP box.

[Cobolisdead]

yay start over again.

So, are you going to actually listen to advice this time, or just keep doing what you want anyway?


Here is my 4 player panel:


Allows 4 player jamma style fun Simpsons, Xmen, TMNT, etc
Allows for 2 player 2 stick games ala Karate Champ, Smash TV, Total Carnage, etc
Allows for 2 player head to head fighting, Street Fighter and the like
Allows for 2 player NeoGeo gaming

No spinner, trackball, flight stick etc because I dont play those games enough to justify them. I will be eventually building a spinner based bartop , mostly for arkanoid but I might end up copying that sweet outrun bartop.
no Admin buttons, no coin buttons, I use shifted keys. Obviously not all the art is applied yet and I haven't been motivated enough to do the Tmolding.
The CP box is the same size as an NBA Jam CP box, because......it is an NBA Jam CP box.

I didn't realize that I was ignoring any advice. I made a template mock up to test out the Japanese 6 button configuration templates and their locations on the panel. (Granted, I didn't think about the fact that smaller people have shorter arms and wouldn't as easily be able to reach the Credit and start buttons). I drilled my pilot holes first this time rather than repeat last time's issue. I went with a curved type design, rather than a rectangle. And my joysticks have always been angled to the screen. The only thing that I didn't do this time was not break up the line, as I am not a fan of joysticks angled to the screen and buttons angled with the panel.  Oh, and I used 6 buttons for all of the players instead of just the two.

I like your control panel's rectangle with rounded corners, but everyone seems to dislike the rectangle, so I was trying to do something that would look nice, but not be too difficult to do. I agree with you on the spinner and joystick, as those two inputs really weren't on the games that I used to play, so I don't really see the need right now to spend that much extra for them. The trackball was pretty affordable though, so I would like to put that in for those games that support it.

[Malenko]

advice in terms of 6 buttons for the outter players, and pretty much your entire Galaxian resto :p

As for trackball, how much do you think you'll play centipede, missile command, marble madness, rampart, golf/horsehoes/bowling, and of course SNACKS'N JACKSON! (capital letters are strictly for Vigo's amusement)
Don't let cost be your initial deciding factor. Plan the panel around the games you'll actually play and go from there.

As for the CP shape....... I think the rectangle is perfect. rounded front looks neat and Im ok with it, but all these other odd shapes are for the birds.

[yotsuya]

I like your control panel's rectangle with rounded corners, but everyone seems to dislike the rectangle, so I was trying to do something that would look nice, but not be too difficult to do.

If I were ever going to build a 4 player, I would use Malenko's layout - same shape, same amount of buttons. etc. But I'm never going to build a 4P machine anyway, so that's moot. 

[Cobolisdead]

advice in terms of 6 buttons for the outter players, and pretty much your entire Galaxian resto :p

As for trackball, how much do you think you'll play centipede, missile command, marble madness, rampart, golf/horsehoes/bowling, and of course SNACKS'N JACKSON! (capital letters are strictly for Vigo's amusement)
Don't let cost be your initial deciding factor. Plan the panel around the games you'll actually play and go from there.

As for the CP shape....... I think the rectangle is perfect. rounded front looks neat and Im ok with it, but all these other odd shapes are for the birds.

Well, the Galaxian restoration aside, the buttons on this need to be 6 player for spousal acceptance factor. Not of all of are so blessed with wives that really get into old arcade games. So if she wants it to look symmetrical, or wants the credit and start buttons closer, then I think it would be a good idea to comply.   

[gbeef]

Keep in mind the plain and bland rectangle makes it a lot easier to line up the player 3/1 and 2/4 sticks for games like 2 player Smash TV.

On my X-men Cabinet i went retangle to play off the the original design.
Also i play alot of smash TV. Consider how much room you have, like when you stack 4 people around the cabinet where are they going to stand.
Placement is key.

Other things to consider how often you will be using players 3 and 4, If you not going to be using a ton consider making the CP smaller so it doesn't look like a giant spolier on your cabinet. Unless you have a wide cabinet, to go with.

[yotsuya]

Keep in mind the plain and bland rectangle makes it a lot easier to line up the player 3/1 and 2/4 sticks for games like 2 player Smash TV.

On my X-men Cabinet i went retangle to play off the the original design.
Also i play alot of smash TV. Consider how much room you have, like when you stack 4 people around the cabinet where are they going to stand.
Placement is key.

Other things to consider how often you will be using players 3 and 4, If you not going to be using a ton consider making the CP smaller so it doesn't look like a giant spolier on your cabinet. Unless you have a wide cabinet, to go with.

It's already been suggested, gbeef, but symmetry and the ol' lady win out in the end. 

[Malenko]

I cant figure out how 3 buttons for player 1 and 3 buttons for player 4 isn't symmetrical.   

[AzureKnight]

I cant figure out how 3 buttons for player 1 and 3 buttons for player 4 isn't symmetrical.   

Just a guess here, but my wife sounds like she is a lot like his...symmetry might not be the right word for it.  Consistency might be better, as in "Why do two of the players only get 3 buttons?  That looks dumb they should all have the same amount".

[yotsuya]

I cant figure out how 3 buttons for player 1 and 3 buttons for player 4 isn't symmetrical.   

Just a guess here, but my wife sounds like she is a lot like his...symmetry might not be the right word for it.  Consistency might be better, as in "Why do two of the players only get 3 buttons?  That looks dumb they should all have the same amount".

Then you say "Honey, it's because there are no games in MAME that use the extra three buttons. At $5 a button, that saves US $30!" (she doesn't have to know buttons don't cost $5) 

[Cobolisdead]

Keep in mind the plain and bland rectangle makes it a lot easier to line up the player 3/1 and 2/4 sticks for games like 2 player Smash TV.

On my X-men Cabinet i went retangle to play off the the original design.
Also i play alot of smash TV. Consider how much room you have, like when you stack 4 people around the cabinet where are they going to stand.
Placement is key.

Other things to consider how often you will be using players 3 and 4, If you not going to be using a ton consider making the CP smaller so it doesn't look like a giant spolier on your cabinet. Unless you have a wide cabinet, to go with.

How well does your X-men cab play with 4 people? As an aside, that is one awesome cabinet!

Those are great things to consider.  I started out doing the 4 across in a a line with the trackball above it, because it gives enough room for people of my size to squeeze in rather than try to be at an angle.
As far as the width goes, the cabinet is going to be fairly large too. Probably around 36"-38" to accommodate for the display. I Imagine that the CP might not stick out that much, if at all.

I cant figure out how 3 buttons for player 1 and 3 buttons for player 4 isn't symmetrical.   

Just a guess here, but my wife sounds like she is a lot like his...symmetry might not be the right word for it.  Consistency might be better, as in "Why do two of the players only get 3 buttons?  That looks dumb they should all have the same amount".

Then you say "Honey, it's because there are no games in MAME that use the extra three buttons. At $5 a button, that saves US $30!" (she doesn't have to know buttons don't cost $5) 

Exactly. I know that they are useless buttons, and she does too, but it just looks better to her with the 6 on all of them. I am making a quick edit of the pic to show her what it would look like with just 4. Maybe she will like that, and I can save drilling 4 more holes. (Already have the buttons though. ) Also, I thought there was at least one that uses 4 buttons.

[stavros693000]

advice in terms of 6 buttons for the outter players, and pretty much your entire Galaxian resto :p

As for trackball, how much do you think you'll play centipede, missile command, marble madness, rampart, golf/horsehoes/bowling, and of course SNACKS'N JACKSON! (capital letters are strictly for Vigo's amusement)
Don't let cost be your initial deciding factor. Plan the panel around the games you'll actually play and go from there.

As for the CP shape....... I think the rectangle is perfect. rounded front looks neat and Im ok with it, but all these other odd shapes are for the birds.

Well, the Galaxian restoration aside, the buttons on this need to be 6 player for spousal acceptance factor. Not of all of are so blessed with wives that really get into old arcade games. So if she wants it to look symmetrical, or wants the credit and start buttons closer, then I think it would be a good idea to comply.   

you my friend are completly ---Bad words, bad words, whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when saint censors you?--- whipped.    but build what you want mate just remember to measure twice and cut once   this is my first build and for some reason i think its natural to want to build a 4 player beast and now that ive got that outta my system my second build will be a much more refined slim design cab with 2 player C/panel.....but as big as my 4 player panel is (and imo is not bad at all for a first time building anything) its comfortable to play and still looks semetric.... but just saying ....anyway i hope you take your time(i didnt, and i didnt have a plan) and build something special but like all of us (probably) you will notice a lot of flaws in your first build as i do. No one else does but i see them and want to do it better next time.

good luck to you and i will follow your progress, keep up the work and pics
cheers stavros

[SNAAKE]

mr albert looking BAWS with that rpd outfit there

[Cobolisdead]

okay. I have a 4 day weekend, plans, lumber, and most of the parts that I need. It's time to get back on this!

[Cobolisdead]

No pics yet, but I am working on the frame! I am going to get this display mounted tonight!

[Cobolisdead]

No pics yet, but I have the frame standing and the TV mounted on it. Tomorrow, I shall build the control panel and its stand on the frame, then I can add the sides and get the marquee setup.

[EMDB]

No pics yet, but I have the frame standing and the TV mounted on it. Tomorrow, I shall build the control panel and its stand on the frame, then I can add the sides and get the marquee setup.

[Cobolisdead]

Well, i kind of want to get it to a more finalized state before showing it. Pics will come, but not just yet!

[Generic Eric]

Well, i kind of want to get it to a more finalized state before showing it. Pics will come, but not just yet!

The more pics the better.  Consider dry fitting the pieces together and taking a pic.  Or enough for some stop motion animation goodness.

[Cobolisdead]

Quick question. What does everyone here use to power the LED buttons? I was thinking of just getting another 15A switching power supply and using that.

[AzureKnight]

If you just plan on having them steady on, you can usually find a molex connector coming off of your PC power supply and use that.

[Cobolisdead]

Yup, I just want them lit all the time. I will have to look into that, and hopefully my PC has a empty one coming off the power supply. Thanks!

[Cobolisdead]

So I got some work done today with some help from my cousin who was visiting, and I think it is coming along nicely!

So far, it is just structure, but it is sound. Here take a look, and let me know what you guys think:













I still need to work on the control panel and mount it to the box, attach the Marquee support, as well as put on the MDF casing.

[Cobolisdead]

Hundreds of views, but no comments. I must really be doing something different or extremely wrong. lol! 

[EMDB]

Hundreds of views, but no comments. I must really be doing something different or extremely wrong. lol! 

Okay:
Your CP seems too low but it is hard to see on your pictures.
Most CPs are angled a bit. Yours is not.
The TV seems a bit (too) low too. Put a keyboard on top of the CP or even better inside to get the same height as the top of the CP, connect a PC to the monitor and play some MAME to get a feeling of the heights / angles.

[yotsuya]

Hundreds of views, but no comments. I must really be doing something different or extremely wrong. lol! 

This is the cab where the girlfriend dictated the amount of buttons, right? Did you ask her? 





Joke! Joke! I agree with EMDB's comments.

[Cobolisdead]

Hundreds of views, but no comments. I must really be doing something different or extremely wrong. lol! 

This is the cab where the girlfriend dictated the amount of buttons, right? Did you ask her? 





Joke! Joke! I agree with EMDB's comments.

She rather likes it, also she has been upgraded to wife status now.   

Hundreds of views, but no comments. I must really be doing something different or extremely wrong. lol! 

Okay:
Your CP seems too low but it is hard to see on your pictures.
Most CPs are angled a bit. Yours is not.
The TV seems a bit (too) low too. Put a keyboard on top of the CP or even better inside to get the same height as the top of the CP, connect a PC to the monitor and play some MAME to get a feeling of the heights / angles.

Yeah, it's not angled, but I didn't trust myself to make that kind of cut correctly, so I made the box flat. I figured that I could always go back and build a new box f I need to later on if that becomes a problem. As for the control panel height, it is the same height that the TMNT/Simpsons/Xmen 4 player control panels were at, and I will be adding casters to the bottom so that will raise it up a couple inches even higher. Its not really at a bad height at the moment. I will try out the PC in the mount like you suggested, and see how well the height works. I could use some more arcade construction time after the week that I have had.

[a1pharm]

Here's some advice you probably don't want:

0. Buy a router, and at least a flush trim bit.  NEVER use a jigsaw for cuts you want to be straight.
1. Design and cut your side panels FIRST.  STOP what you are doing now, start over, and do the panels FIRST
2. AFTER you have the panels cut, cut the rest of the panels.  Use a router or a circular saw (or table saw) and use a guide/rail.
3. Attach your batons to your side panels, affix the remaining panels, paint
4. Mount your TV
5. Mount all other peripherals
6. Make your CP last.  LAST.  DO IT LAST.  Don't do it first.  When do you do it?  LAST.
7. Attach the CP, put the final touches on construction.

There are plenty of great and not so great builds on this site.  Ask yourself if you want something great in your house.  If you do: take others' good advice and follow other good builds.  If you don't: just wing it.

Cheers!
 

[Cobolisdead]

I have a router, as I have used it on the control panel attempts as well as rounding the edges on this CP. I will make sure to get a trim bot though.  

The front and side panels are already designed, I just have to cut them out of the 3/4" MDF. I needed to have the frame in place before I could use them though. I might make a design change to the front to put in a decorative coin door, but I haven't decided yet.

[Cobolisdead]

Put a keyboard on top of the CP or even better inside to get the same height as the top of the CP, connect a PC to the monitor and play some MAME to get a feeling of the heights / angles.

I tried this tonight, and it worked ok, but I think that I still want to go back and angle the control panel box a little bit.

[Cobolisdead]

Well, no pics yet, but I have added some slant to it, and it really helps. Thanks for the suggestion guys! I have also trimmed up the front edge a bit to even it out where I cut it poorly.  I have drilled out the holes for the controls as well as routed out the first joystick. I remembered to flip it over this time too! 

[Cobolisdead]

Well, I have the rest of the control panel trimmed up and routed.  I am about to wire it up and see how it works!

[Cobolisdead]

So I have the first player hooked up and the ground ran for it. I tried to test it out, but MAME didn't recognize it even being there. The IPAC is giving me a green light, but is there something that I have to do on the PC side to recognize it as a keyboard? 

[yamatetsu]

Just a wild guess : Did you enable joystick and multiple keyboards in the mame.ini ?

joystick                  1
multikeyboard             1

That might help (i hope).

[Cobolisdead]

I checked that, and it was already set that way. I can get it to work every now and then, but I am having a few issues still with the controls. I suspect that the ground wire isn't connected properly on a few of them. Something for me to check on tonight.

[Cobolisdead]

So, I want to get back on this and get it finished this summer before my daughter is born this fall.

I want to start by replacing the joysticks. Anyone have any recommendations for better ones? I just don't like the feel and movement of these.

[Malenko]

I want to start by replacing the joysticks. Anyone have any recommendations for better ones? I just don't like the feel and movement of these.

Looks like you have chinese knock off comps, maybe get real comps?

[Cobolisdead]

Any recommendations on where to get them?

[Malenko]

I buy everything through Tornado ( Terry tershan@1scom.net  ) Tell him Malenko sentcha