My First MAME Cab Build!

[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.