Project empty loft space. Newbie try to figure out what I am doing.

[StammesOpfer]

Ok so I actually put the TV at the right height and distance (40" from screen to front edge of panel) and played a little. I think it will be ok.

This clearly doesn't really look like an arcade piece, but I think function is there and upside the panel could be mobile and it just looks like furniture.

[Nephasth]

Go back and look at all the UCA nominees from the past couple years. You need some serious inspiration, your latest design is garbage.

[vwalbridge]

There is nowhere to put your feet in this design:

[StammesOpfer]

There is nowhere to put your feet in this design:

Now that is helpful. I totally missed that. It would make it awkward.

[Green Giant]

Here’s what NOT to do

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,135635.0.html

That's not very fair, by page 6 he learned the error of his ways:

Without this forum stepping in, this build would have had some major mistakes.  The ANGLED joysticks would have been the worst possible mistake.  When playing 4 player games, Up on the joystick needs to be UP on the screen.   When you actual play a game and are standing at the pedestal at player 3 or 4, it's clear why angled would suck.

Also, the button placement is perfect.  Thanks again guys for helping out with this.   

[harveybirdman]

Yeah he accepted that criticism but it's not like that was the only thing wrong with that monstrosity.

[yotsuya]

Here’s what NOT to do

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,135635.0.html

That's not very fair, by page 6 he learned the error of his ways:

Without this forum stepping in, this build would have had some major mistakes.  The ANGLED joysticks would have been the worst possible mistake.  When playing 4 player games, Up on the joystick needs to be UP on the screen.   When you actual play a game and are standing at the pedestal at player 3 or 4, it's clear why angled would suck.

Also, the button placement is perfect.  Thanks again guys for helping out with this.   

Kaneda has NEVER learned the error of his ways. He does that where he sounds all contrite and sorry, then a few posts later he's raging against the machine again. ---fudgesicle--- that dude.

[yotsuya]

Ok so I actually put the TV at the right height and distance (40" from screen to front edge of panel) and played a little. I think it will be ok.

This clearly doesn't really look like an arcade piece, but I think function is there and upside the panel could be mobile and it just looks like furniture.

Wow, this actually makes Tully's FileCabinetCade look genius by comparison.

If you want something that functions like an arcade with that size screen, take James' advice and go with a pedestal. You'll be happier and it'll be more creative. Otherwise, just install CoinOps on an Xbox and sit in front of that screen.

[dmckean]

Holy. ---smurfing---. Cow.   

[rablack97]

Dude,

Cmon Mannnn.....

the left player has no room

now you have everyone looking  straight, try playing a game with your body straight and head looking to the right......

I give up, your animate about building this thing.....so just build it.

Im with Neph on this one, that is terrible....

What is the box for........you say you hate pedestals but your building one with a hoodie.....

[yotsuya]

Dude,

Cmon Mannnn.....

the left player has no room

now you have everyone looking  straight, try playing a game with your body straight and head looking to the right......

I give up, your animate about building this thing.....so just build it.

Im with Neph on this one, that is terrible....

What is the box for........you say you hate pedestals but your building one with a hoodie.....

[Green Giant]

Random question, are you in the Houston area?

If so friday night you can play many many old school games and see why everyone is suggesting what they are suggesting.

[yotsuya]

Random question, are you in the Houston area?

If so friday night you can play many many old school games and see why everyone is suggesting what they are suggesting.

Excellent suggestion, Green Giant.

[pixelObsession]

Have you thought about turning the tv 90 degrees on its side?

If the viewing angle is good, you could split the screen to be both the active marquee you wanted originally and the main - less wide - screen by letting the screen poke up through the speaker panel.

It's been done somewhere on these forums...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Pauly]

Don't completely omit the pedestal design as crap. If I had an empty loft...



This would look DOPE.

Also this Bad mother right here...


People here are attacking you with brute force advice. They have been through a lot and seen a lot. Heck, I am in the middle of my first build and some posters in this thread are giving really sound advice. They're trying to prevent you from making a mistake - promise.

Good luck with whatever you choose. (Don't do the shelf thing though)

[mgb]

First off, remember these tips are not to pick on you but instead to help you design something you can be proud of and enjoy playing.

Your design is not very attractive.
I'm kinda confused how you can prefer this over a pedestal.

[StammesOpfer]

Don't completely omit the pedestal design as crap. If I had an empty loft...


This would look DOPE.

Also this Bad mother right here...


People here are attacking you with brute force advice. They have been through a lot and seen a lot. Heck, I am in the middle of my first build and some posters in this thread are giving really sound advice. They're trying to prevent you from making a mistake - promise.

Good luck with whatever you choose. (Don't do the shelf thing though)

I like the pedestal it's just I feel like it is out of place. I either want it small enough I can put it away. Or I want it to be fully integrated.

So an upright is just too big and awkward at this size. (That is what you tell me. Never seen one that big in real life.)
Pedestal isn't integrated with the screen. (So I feel like it looks out of place.)
A showcase to be done right I think is a bigger project than I am looking for.

That was what led me to think about the shelf idea (which seems universally hated). It was just a shelf but spin the side around in front and put the panel on top and you have function (not pretty but functional) then you could just spin the side shelf back and it looked normal again. Throw the panel in a closet and you would never know.

[rablack97]

[yotsuya]

I gotta say, bro, I loved the "pedestal wearing a hoodie" comment.

[rablack97]

look at it, its big ass TV with a hoodie.......

My man needs to make his mind up , a respectable cabinet, a hot mess, or an Ikea build that looks like it came from the back of the warehouse.

It's getting worse, the ideas aren't getting better......

Seriously have Haruman draw you up something man, and get it CNC'd, he's a pro at design and wont steer you wrong.  It will save you time and money as well..

He designed this one for me, im sure he can draw you up something with your vision that makes sense.

[harveybirdman]

I hate to go all Josh Baskin on you dude, but "I don't get it"

You say pedestal seems out of place because the screen isnt integrated.  Okay then why not just mount that TV for balll games and find a monitor more suitable for a cabinet.

Another thing I find puzzling is you're talking about building an arcade project using a huge screen with big time $ controls and PC and now we're talking about storing the panel while not in use. WTF?  Is there wife acceptance factor issues we dont know about?

Look build whatever you want, no nerds on a message board can decide what YOU want in YOUR loft.  But if you post a project on here that amounts to Sauder furniture from Wal Mart with an aircraft carrier sized panel built with 2x4's and broken dreams you are going to become a punchline instead of a valued community member.

[StammesOpfer]

Ok all my my ideas suck. I am going to let that part go for a couple days (really I am going to try).

So without getting bogged down in size or what it is going onto. From a playability standpoint.
If I turned the Joysticks straight on the first panel design. Is that better than the straight layout of the second? It seems people have said both ways.

[Nephasth]

Just build your crap. That is obviously going to be the only way you'll get it. You aren't listening to anyone, so stop asking questions when you're just going to ignore the answers.

[Pauly]

Seriously have Haruman draw you up something man, and get it CNC'd, he's a pro at design and wont steer you wrong.  It will save you time and money as well..

He designed this one for me, im sure he can draw you up something with your vision that makes sense.

That's actually a good idea. Tell him what you want and he'll work with you in designing a good build that fits your needs. I would like to say my design was original, but it's totally a rip off of ChanceKJ, whom btw provided schematics to follow and If I'm correct was designed by Haruman & ChanceKJ together in the first place.

[sc23]

Daam people on here need to learn to give advise/criticism without coming across like dream crushers. The legends on here deserve to have their voices heard but completely sucking the life out of someones first build isn't the right way to go. This should be a place where people of all skill levels, creativity and budget are welcomed into the hobby, but it often seems like people just want crap over a project unless its a museum quality reproduction dedicated cab. So many people start threads and leave because of the mocking/dissing they get.

My advice to the builder ( if cost isn't to much of an issue ) is just knock some wood together, build what you envisioned. Don't spend money on graphics until your are happy with layout. If it turns out you don't like it, build a new cab. The cab is just wood and time. The expensive parts like sticks, buttons, encoder, wiring, and well setup PC will all slot nicely into build 2.0. And the cutting and joining mistakes of the first will help make final cab better. IF it turns out you do love it, get some graphics printed and add the finishing touches. Don't expect to plan out, and execute a flynns arcade, first pop. If you can get the side profile you want then screw it all together the width/CP can be pretty easily changed later.

[StammesOpfer]

Daam people on here need to learn to give advise/criticism without coming across like dream crushers. The legends on here deserve to have their voices heard but completely sucking the life out of someones first build isn't the right way to go. This should be a place where people of all skill levels, creativity and budget are welcomed into the hobby, but it often seems like people just want crap over a project unless its a museum quality reproduction dedicated cab. So many people start threads and leave because of the mocking/dissing they get.

My advice to the builder ( if cost isn't to much of an issue ) is just knock some wood together, build what you envisioned. Don't spend money on graphics until your are happy with layout. If it turns out you don't like it, build a new cab. The cab is just wood and time. The expensive parts like sticks, buttons, encoder, wiring, and well setup PC will all slot nicely into build 2.0. And the cutting and joining mistakes of the first will help make final cab better. IF it turns out you do love it, get some graphics printed and add the finishing touches. Don't expect to plan out, and execute a flynns arcade, first pop. If you can get the side profile you want then screw it all together the width/CP can be pretty easily changed later.

Thank you! Yes this is not going to be a masterpiece. I am ok with that. I guess I came here looking for advice about usability. Which I have received not very nicely but I'll take it. This site is a wealth of information. It just is difficult to find what you are looking for sometimes.

Ultimately I think I am going to do a simple pedestal with a plan to convert it to a simple showcase. Something like this.
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,138292.msg1428021.html

If I like that then I might try and add some details to it after that. 

I still wouldn't mind some thoughts on control panels. I guess I see a ton of layouts and designs but no real analysis of what you need to have. The kind or questions I have about it are. What kind or spacing do you need between players (or a range or average). How does the angle of the outside players affect that distance required. Is there a preferred angle (is 45deg not a good idea)? How is a simple angle different from the stepped straight panel (like where p3 and p4 are higher than p1 and p2 with the front edge move up too)? How much of a step do you need for it to actually make a difference? Most of this isn't super important with a 2p control but I AM doing a 4p.

I realize that no one has probably studied these things but it seems like enough people build panels that there should be some rule of thumb. Maybe not.

[sc23]

I like the pedestal with TV mount attached idea, gives you a good distance from screen. and gives some room for some nice speakers.
As for CP I would re-think the 4P layout, I cant think of an arcade game that benefits from 4 players, I would go with a nice wide 2 player + trackball setup. The elbow room to play 2 player comfortably outweighs the once in a blue moon time you get 4 people together who WANT to play TMNT. But if you go with 4 player reconsider how many buttons player 3 and 4 need, no 4P games use 6 buttons. But having some personal space when playing 2 player is what I would go for.
EDIT : Just saw your ''I AM '' regarding 4P. Just don't sacrifice players 1 and 2 to give space to hardly used 3 and 4. So many great 2 player games, and only 3 or 4 decent 4 player ones. With a good gap between 1 and 2 at least everyone will have elbow room on one side of body, as opposed to 1 and 2 being sandwiched on both sides. Get a piece of cheap mdf or rigid cardboard and try some layouts, panel is for you and your friends/family so make one that suits.

[yamatetsu]

My suggestion : Go to http://www.slagcoin.com/joystick/layout.html, grab the layout that you need, print it 4 times. Grab a piece of cardboard, trim it to the size of the CP, tack the prints on the positions you think are comfortable. Grab the 3 other people that are going to play the cab, crowd them around the mock CP, shift the prints around until you find a layout that suits everyone.
Better still : Order the sticks / buttons and put them into the cardboard, that way you get a more realistic setup. And while you're at it, put the TV and the mock CP into the positions you think are ok and ask the players (P3 and P4 especially) what they think about the viewing angle. Rinse and repeat until you have found the best setup.

How about doing a pedestal on wheels with stoppers ? That way you could put the pedestal under the TV when it's not in use, thus making it's footprint smaller.

Regarding the comments about your project : It's true that some folks here are a bit outspoken and some comments may sound harsh, BUT these people have tons of experience, have made plenty of mistakes themselves and ultimately just want to help you avoid doing things that WILL ruin your build. I have had some fun discussions with tempers flaring a bit while doing my build, but I ended up getting a much better cab because of it.
So, if experienced people, many of them, tell you that a certain idea is a bad one, it probably is. Just ignore the tone of the comments and take it as constructive criticism.

[Malenko]

No harm in mocking it up in 3D programs for a general look, but definitely make a cardboard mock up of the CP before you put a saw to lumber.

Just because you have a 4 player panel, that doesnt mean it has to be 52" wide.

Thats the exact same size as an NBA Jam control panel , 37" wide

My panel allows for any 4 player jamma standard game, only 4 player games it cant do are the 2 DnD games AFAIK because they have 4 buttons for each player (may add later)
The sticks are all on the same horizontal plane to allow for 2 player smash TV/Karate Champ/total carnage /etc
middle 2 players are the SF+1 aka SFNeo layout, allows for easy control of all the street fighter and Neo Geo games
Despite my love for arkanoid, no spinner (couldnt justify the room or cost to play 1 game)
no trackball because I knew I wouldnt play the games that use it.


All that being said, Im in no way telling you to make a clone of my panel, but you should understand why I did things the way I did and you should do the same.

Figure out what you're going to play move the controls around to play those games.
Mock it up, see how it feels,make adjustments, then repeat this step until its how you want it
actually make the panel.

And just FYI, You are not going to use 4 players as much as you think you will. I made my panel knowing the 4 players wouldn't be used all that much. I think a pedestal is the way to go to fit your needs.

[rablack97]

OMG, people we are all big boys here, and this is a forum.  If you have girly feelings then you shouldn't post stuff to a forum full of purists and people that work with tools.

Sc23, if you read the thread, everyone has said the exact same things your advising, we just didn't stroke the man like a cat.  He's hearing us, but he's not listening.

OP, we've all been doing this for awhile, and if none of us cared you would have 0 views, you have more views than my thread and im actually building something.  Its not a bash fest, however if you want to do your thing and throw something together we know you will hate, then rebuild again, and then again, how's that 3700 machine look to ya, now.  I laugh at it's just wood, you will laugh too once you get started, you will start buying crap you would never think you would own, and do that purchase log, then tell me again It's just wood.

Its a joy to watch people build, but your lucky enough for people to tell you different rather than watch you build a piece of crap and laugh at you.  How would you feel had you built it posted it, all proud and then had NEph and few others tell you how they really feel.  Go look at these folks builds that are so called bashing you, they are pretty good, so the legends round here are like honery old men, they say what they feel, cause they've been there done that.

You will get good advice, but USE the forum, dont just post, ignore advice and keep going down a dead path, otherwise, your gonna get left alone and posting in a ghost thread, or the mockery just gets worse, i've seen folks run away crying and deleting threads cause they didnt man-up.

Man-up and keep it moving, i got plenty of mr horses in my threads, but guess what i can say, all that negativity and advise, produced something thats in my house 5 yrs today.  It has its' spot and it not an eye sore, and it makes sense.

Do not build per se a Dream machine and you don't have a decent understanding of the aesthetics of a cab, go get Saints book, read on the subject, look at the UCA's etc.  The idea's your coming up with, are either Frankenpanels, furniture or future, curb riders with a sign "FREE, take me home please."

So dont even think wood tools, paint, parts, not even one screw till this design is correct.  I promise you if you jump into this like you are now, you are tossing, time and money down the drain.

[Nephasth]

Daam people on here need to learn to give advise/criticism without coming across like dream crushers. The legends on here deserve to have their voices heard but completely sucking the life out of someones first build isn't the right way to go. This should be a place where people of all skill levels, creativity and budget are welcomed into the hobby, but it often seems like people just want crap over a project unless its a museum quality reproduction dedicated cab. So many people start threads and leave because of the mocking/dissing they get.

There are no "legends" here. Each one of us (every member on the forum), is just a dude building toys in his garage.

Museum quality the standard around here? Hell no. The Two-Headed Beast is named such because it is a MONSTROSITY. And as someone who has built a 4 player project... DON'T BUILD A 4 PLAYER PROJECT.

If people get their feelings hurt for having bad ideas and end up leaving... Great. The next wave of new comers shouldn't be seeing garbage that might lead to them making poor design choices. There is no right way to build a cab, but there are numerous wrong ways to do so. Stop with the "One rig to rule them all" nonsense. Build something that plays a selection of games very well.

[yotsuya]

Daam people on here need to learn to give advise/criticism without coming across like dream crushers.

"Gee, buddy, good try!!! You're gonna be a rockstar, champ!!! Just try harder, superstar!! Have better design ideas, and you'll have the most awesomest project in the history of arcades!!! Gold star!!!"

There. A lot nicer, but still not effective.

The legends on here deserve to have their voices heard but completely sucking the life out of someones first build isn't the right way to go. This should be a place where people of all skill levels, creativity and budget are welcomed into the hobby, but it often seems like people just want crap over a project unless its a museum quality reproduction dedicated cab. So many people start threads and leave because of the mocking/dissing they get.

As a legend here ( ), I have a feeling the OP is getting this response because if you bother to read his first post, he pretty much says "Yeah, I know this is what you are going to say, but I don't care". Angled joysticks? Screen size? P3/P4 buttons? He knows what the general consensus (based on experience) is on these things, but HE STATES he's going to do it his way. Fine. But then when he does get good advice (if you want that size screen, build a pedestal), he follows that up with a bizarre Ikea-fueled design that's going away from an arcade cabinet and more towards game-playin' furniture. I mean, build what you want, follow your bliss, but that doesn't mean I (or anyone else who doesn't like it) has to stroke your ego over it.

And those of you who like to say "Waaaah, you're too mean" need to learn the difference between someone looking for real feedback and someone looking for validation for their ideas. I can gladly help the first person, but I'm not a fan of the second one because those ideas are usually bad. They're not looking for suggestions, they're looking for a very specific answer that they want to hear.

And get over this "everything has to be museum quality" or "everything has to be a traditional style cab" type comments. No, they don't. They just need to look like some real effort and thought went into them.

The next wave of new comers shouldn't be seeing garbage that might lead to them making poor design choices.

Too late, I think that's already happening... 



Damn, I broke my one of my BYOAC cardinal rules - "Don't get involved in a 4 Player build thread". /eject

[vwalbridge]

This thread reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:

"Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't."

[rablack97]

Do it , build it now, I say.....I dub theee Flubber!!!!!



Don't be this guy.....K, okay, good talk....

[Vigo]

'scuse me. Legend coming through. Step aside please. The legend has arrived. 

You -




Us -



You have great ambition, but this is too much for a first project. Make a 2 player cab. If you really want to bring in 4 players, toss in a couple bluetooth gamepads. Buy and install lightguns only after your cab is done. If you want a cab that will be used, focus on asthetics and good basic function more than features.

[rablack97]

Do it , build it now, I say.....I dub theee Flubber!!!!!



Don't be this guy.....K, okay, good talk....

What happened to my photo, who stole my photo.........

Apprarently crapmame photos aren't allowed here.

[dmckean]

Daam people on here need to learn to give advise/criticism without coming across like dream crushers.

There's such a wealth of information on this forum that there's no excuse for Crap MAME builds any longer. It's a nightmare that's being crushed here, not a dream.

[Green Giant]

Well you never said where you were at, but once again if in Houston, Friday night:

http://www.joystixamusements.com/pacmanfever/default.asp

9pm to 2am the first and last Friday of the month.  $15 to get in and everything on freeplay.  Place is loaded with tons of old school and new school games.  It's just north of Minute Maid.

[Vigo]

One basic thing to point out on the op's designs. Don't be afraid of an angled cut or the occasional curve. everything on here seems to be at a perfect 90 degree angle. Makes everything blocky and unappealing. Even the blockiest of arcade cabs like space invaders had a number of angle cuts on them.

How about this approach, maybe start with a theme idea for your cab. Theme could do a lot to dictate the shape and design of your cabinet. Have any ideas for a theme?

[StammesOpfer]

Ok this thread was clearly a mistake at this point. I had some sketchup diarrhea going on (oh and those were very rough I did plan on adding curves and angles not that it would have fixed them). I do appreciate you guys. You have prevented me from making some mistakes (angled Joysticks, cabinet, shelf). I might (probably will) still make others. I'm not convinced about 4p yet.

As for the tone of all the messages. Yeah I started in a way that appeared dead set on creating a pile of ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---. I don't want a pile of ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---, but I know I am not going to create a masterpiece either. I don't need to get a trophy just for participating. It would be nice if it was approached as "hey you have a pile of ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---, why are you set on doing joysticks wrong?" or "You know that cabinet isn't going to be very playable from those distances right?"

I eventually got that between short unhelpful stuff. I did ask for opinions so I'm not upset about it.