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Yet Another: "Does this sound right?" Control Panel Thread

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DanteBK:
Justifying admin buttons:

P for Pause for MAME games -- a must! Sometimes things come up that you can't ignore, i.e. the spouse, the bathroom, the phone.

Tab for Options -- not just for MAME but you can make it the select button for Super Nintendo, Nintendo, whatever if you want console games.

Enter for Options -- again, Start button for console games, plunger for Visual Pinball.

Esc -- for everything!

If you don't want it all cluttering up your panel, think about placing them on the side of the CP box under the panel lip. If you plan on playing a lot of pinball, place the Enter button on the CP box front-right for real plunger-like action.

StarChild:
Perfect :)  Thanks, Dante.  I knew I needed four buttons, but you've cleared up the four I need.  :D.  I kept thinking, "...hrmmm...enter....uhhhh....esc....????"  :lol:

-*

DougHillman:

--- Quote from: StarChild on October 02, 2004, 10:43:51 pm ---Perfect :)  Thanks, Dante.  I knew I needed four buttons, but you've cleared up the four I need.  :D.  I kept thinking, "...hrmmm...enter....uhhhh....esc....????"  :lol:

-*

--- End quote ---

Even many of us who are admin button proponents are a bit wary of putting a "TAB" key on there though.  Too much possibility for untrained hands to mess things up.

StarChild:
I think ESC and TAB shouldn't be on the direct control panel surface, but I think they should be buttons.  Perhaps extending them to the top of the cab above the marquee would be a good spot?  That way you don't hit them accidently in "spirited" play.

Of course, MHO.  :)

-*

Kremmit:
I'll throw another vote to the Mechanical Rotary sticks instead of the opticals.  

Sure, you can play the games that origiinally used mechanicals with the opticals, and if you never played them much "in the wild", then you probably won't mind.  But since you said:

--- Quote ---I really would like to use the rotary sticks just because I like the "click click click" as it twists into each position
--- End quote ---
-I'm going to assume you did play these games back when.  I know I wouldn't play as well without the clicks, and even more importantly, the feel of rotating an LS-30 to the next position.

This thread:
http://www.arcadecontrols.org/yabbse/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=17448
contains discussion about the optical vs. rotary debate, and about the advantages/disadvantages of hooking up through a Druin board or directly connecting the rotary switch inputs to you ipac-4.  There's also some talk about using Happ Mechanicals instead of LS-30 mechanicals that may apply to you since you're planning to make these your primary sticks for players 3 & 4.

I just scored Druin interface goodness off of ebay, and I have an Ipac-4.  I'm planning to wire my LS-30s directly to the ipac, AND to the Druin board, since only some of the games that need LS-30s work with the direct connect method (so far).  For the games that won't work with direct connect, I'll use the Druin board.  For the ones that can handle direct input, controls that won't be used during Ikari-type games will also be wired to the rotary output of the LS-30s.  Then, either an alternate ipac config or a key remap for those specific games should get it working- I hope.

All of that said, others will disagree with me and reccomend the opticals- and you may agree with them.  If you do go that route, the Opti-pac you buy to interface them will allow you to interface your other optical devices through it as well, so you don't have to buy the USB trackballs and spinners.  In particular, Happ sells trackballs withoug the USB interface for considerably less, right now these 3" balls are on sale for a ton less than the 3" usb model:
http://www.happcontrols.com/trackballs/56010011.htm
You also have more choices when you go shopping for trackballs & spinners on ebay.

In the end, it's your project, so you'll have to decide what will make you happiest.  Whichever way you go, good luck!

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