Author Topic: How many admin buttons should I use on my CP? (Read 6421 times)

Spyridon · « **on:** May 07, 2007, 08:41:11 am »

Hi all,
I'm working on my first cabinet and was wondering how many admin buttons do most people use and what do you have them mapped as?

Thanks in advance for the help as I'm about to start the CP design.

leapinlew · « **Reply #1 on:** May 07, 2007, 09:52:35 am »

I have dedicated coin buttons and a dedicated pause button. Everything else is accessed via hotkeys (hitting the 1Player button and some other button).

moriartyds · « **Reply #2 on:** May 07, 2007, 02:55:31 pm »

I have the coins (2), one for pause and one for exit. It makes it less of an authentic look, but it adds to the playability IMO (you can always hide them on the side as well).

Tiger-Heli · « **Reply #3 on:** May 07, 2007, 03:34:55 pm »

Quote from: moriartyds on May 07, 2007, 02:55:31 pm

I have the coins (2), one for pause and one for exit. It makes it less of an authentic look, but it adds to the playability IMO (you can always hide them on the side as well).

Ditto!!!

Ed_McCarron · « **Reply #4 on:** May 07, 2007, 03:47:02 pm »

2 coins. Thats my only Admin buttons. The rest can be reached via chording.

Oh, and no matter what anyone tells you...

Skip the "O" and "K" buttons.

miles2912 · « **Reply #5 on:** May 07, 2007, 08:54:37 pm »

Mouse 1 and 2 only because I use the cab for more than just mame. A pause button - HUGE when the phone rings. I love my games but need to talk to people to make money to pay for all the toys. And 1 coin button. The 3 or 4 games that need a second coin button (Gauntlet comes to mind) I just map one of the buttons from player 2's "6-Pack". Esc - Tab - Enter are all done with a shift button (player 1 start). Only time this is a problem is when they are pumping in credits and player one dies and hits the start button. They learn real quick not to do that again.

Don

RayB · « **Reply #6 on:** May 08, 2007, 10:05:51 am »

mouse buttons can be wired to use buttons from each player (like button 4 if you have a 4-button setup).

I have EXIT and PAUSE

Zebidee · « **Reply #7 on:** May 08, 2007, 12:03:52 pm »

For my favourite admin panel, I pulled out the original double coin mech and sold it on ebay for about $20. I replaced it with:

- a volume control
- a four-port powered USB hub;
- a DVD drive;
- an IPAC shift button (also keyed to ENTER); and
- a pause button (blue, to be lit).

A credit button is on main control panel.

Ripping CDs is such a breeze with this!! I cut holes out of an old dinner place mat, and spray painted it with matt black enamel. Everything is mounted into the original metal DVD drive cage and supported rock-solid by the four bolts. There was a bit of ingenious carpentry involved too ....

Since taking this photo I "blacked" the exposed edge to match the panel.

unclet · « **Reply #8 on:** May 08, 2007, 12:14:03 pm »

I added a RESET button. This comes in handy as I really $%^& at a lot of games and find it easier to restart the game quickly before anyone see how awful my score is currently.

Tiger-Heli · « **Reply #9 on:** May 08, 2007, 12:24:27 pm »

Quote from: Zebidee on May 08, 2007, 12:03:52 pm

For my favourite admin panel, I pulled out the original double coin mech and sold it on ebay for about $20. I replaced it with:
Since taking this photo I "blacked" the exposed edge to match the panel.

Slick!!!!

javeryh · « **Reply #10 on:** May 08, 2007, 12:29:27 pm »

On my current cab I have P1 Start, P2 Start, Pause and Exit (to front end) on my CP. Coin is handled by using actual coins.

shmokes · « **Reply #11 on:** May 08, 2007, 12:31:18 pm »

I vote for zero. Maybe put an exit button on top of the cab, but the control panel itself should have no extra buttons, cos they're ugly and unnecessary. You can always have your Player 1Start button (which I don't really consider admin, but if you do then change my vote of zero to a vote of two) act as a shift key and then have combinations of the shift plus other player buttons do various admin stuff. No need for coin buttons, IMO, when you can just wire the coin return buttons built into the coin door to give credits when pressed. It's not so much that I'm a hardass about authenticity (though there's probably a small amount of that going on). It's more that I just think the cleaner the panel can be, the better it looks, so adding unnecessary buttons is out of the question.

Chris G · « **Reply #12 on:** May 08, 2007, 12:35:15 pm »

Working on my final setup too. Currently have:

P1/P2 start.
P1+P2 = Exit
P1 + ? = Pause
P1 #5 = Mouse left
P1 #6 = Mouse right

Haven't decided what to do about coins yet, but I'm leaning toward what shmokes just wrote, since I have a coin door. I'm all about a clean panel.

Cfour · « **Reply #13 on:** May 08, 2007, 12:57:13 pm »

P1/2 start.
P1/2 coin.
pause
menu
exit
mouse 1 and 2 buttons

A lot, but I do like having easy access to these functions. It's all about your taste.

Zebidee · « **Reply #14 on:** May 08, 2007, 01:06:21 pm »

Can you post a photo? Not all buttons need to be on your (clean) panel. For example, you might consider using your coin-door space, or the door itself.

You should definitely consider an off-panel "shift" button, and use it + another (eg P1 start) for escape. Otherwise you'll always be quitting out accidentally all the time. And a volume control is a must for me ..... it opens up a whole new world of uses for my cabinet.

On the same cab I pictured earlier, I had the P1 and P2 start buttons on the FRONT of the panel, at waist height facing the user. This meant that for Future Pinball I could remap P2 start to be a "pelvic thrust" button, ie nudge the pinball machine slightly forward. Most people seem to do the "pelvic thrust" naturally when playing pinnies, so I thought this would make an amusing use for the button ....

Extreme8 · « **Reply #15 on:** May 08, 2007, 02:17:30 pm »

I've decided that on my new panel (currently under construction) there won't be any extra visible buttons.

All admin functions will be controlled by reed switches imbedded under the panel and activated by touching a magnet to the surface.
I have one magnet that has been imbedded in a little plastic character and another that looks like the plastic piece of a push pin that has a magnet in it.
When not in use they stick to a small piece of metal screwed under the cp.

Before you ask, the magnet isn't strong enough to effect (affect? never could keep those two straight) the monitor due to the distance from the glass to the front of the tube.

Works great for those occasional buttons.

unclet · « **Reply #16 on:** May 08, 2007, 02:59:03 pm »

I believe it kind of depends on who is using the cabinet. If you have small kids (or might eventually) or the neighbor kids come over and play, then having specific buttons for reset, pause and exit are a must in my opinion. Using shift keys to do all this stuff just means you will be called over to the arcade cabinet many times since most kids (and I guess people as well) will not remember what to do.

Basically, if you have room, then I would recommend putting them on there. You do not have to use the big 1-1/8 hole buttons either .... simple less big buttons could be used to save space.

SirPeale · « **Reply #17 on:** May 08, 2007, 03:09:59 pm »

Zero. None of my cabs have any. Any of those functions have to be gotten to with a keyboard. Keeps the players honest.

javeryh · « **Reply #18 on:** May 08, 2007, 03:10:48 pm »

Quote from: unclet on May 08, 2007, 02:59:03 pm

I believe it kind of depends on who is using the cabinet. If you have small kids (or might eventually) or the neighbor kids come over and play, then having specific buttons for reset, pause and exit are a must in my opinion. Using shift keys to do all this stuff just means you will be called over to the arcade cabinet many times since most kids (and I guess people as well) will not remember what to do.

Basically, if you have room, then I would recommend putting them on there. You do not have to use the big 1-1/8 hole buttons either .... simple less big buttons could be used to save space.

I completely agree. You have to tailor it for your audience - if you are the only one who will be using the cabinet then do whatever but if people are coming over to play and it's not immediately obvious how to start a game or insert a coin you can expect a ton of questions. Heck, people ask me how to use my cocktail cabinet all the time and everything is pretty clearly marked (each player has a dedicated start, coin, pause and exit button - they are mini buttons). However, the one I'm building for my daughter has regular 1-1/8" push buttons with large vinyl labels for the admin buttons because my daughter is only 2-1/2 years old and it has to be a simple as possible for her to operate. Just think about who will be playing your cab and if it would be confusing to operate if you were walking up to it for the first time.

Tahnok · « **Reply #19 on:** May 08, 2007, 03:34:15 pm »

I tend to make my panels as easy as possible for people who have never player on an emulation cabinet before. This means:

Player 1 coin (next to start button)
Player 2 coin (people seem to understand better when they have their own coin button)
Pause
Reset
Exit game (return to Mamewah)

Kaytrim · « **Reply #20 on:** May 08, 2007, 03:56:06 pm »

All my cabs will have the following buttons; Credit, Start, Pause and Exit-to-Front-End. If I need to get any deeper into things then I will break out the keyboard. There will also be a clear set of instructions on the bezel for menu navigation.

TTFN

Kaytrim

DaveMMR · « **Reply #21 on:** May 08, 2007, 06:30:37 pm »

One, and it's not anywhere near the panel anymore. The exit button (escape) will be located by the speakers. Pause will be handled with a shift buttons and coins will be with a coin door. And I never understood why some panels have dedicated mouse buttons also. But yeah, less is more on control panels.

Guaranos · « **Reply #22 on:** May 08, 2007, 06:31:19 pm »

The only admin button I put on mine is an exit button. Coins are added by either physically dropping in a coin, or by pushing the coin return button. Pause doesn't seem very authentic to me, so I like to avoid it. TAB and such are better suited to the keyboard - just set everything up correctly beforehand and you'll rarely need it.

Anubis_au · « **Reply #23 on:** May 08, 2007, 08:44:23 pm »

I posted a thread very similar to this not long ago, about how to get the required functionality with minimal admin buttons:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=64962.0

I got it down to one shifter button which was also the pause button.

Most non-SF2 fighter games use max three buttons, so the bottom row of buttons for both players are just normal buttons. The top row of buttons (total of six buttons for a 2-player setup) can be "safely" shifted to get P1 coin, start, P2 coin, start, Eneter, Exit functions going. The only time you would be using the top row of buttons is in the middle of a SF2 game etc, which isn't exactly the time to be using admin keys anyway...

Having said that, I'm now considering dedicated buttons for coin, start etc...

Spyridon · « **Reply #24 on:** May 08, 2007, 09:15:55 pm »

I like the idea of setting up the coin return buttons for credits. Is this realatively easy to do?

fjl · « **Reply #25 on:** May 09, 2007, 05:34:02 am »

So far I plan to have only three admin buttons on my CP. Those being "Exit," "P1 Coin" and "P2 Coin." I notice some people mentioning P1 & P2 Start. But the start buttons are not admin buttons

Anyways here is a mock up of my layout...

I still have to redesign it so the exit button is not so close to other buttons. I plan to use P1 Start as the ENTER button.

As for accessing the admin options, I will add a hidden button underneath the CP but above the coin slots. It will be upside down. It will be a shift button. You will have to hold it down and press buttons from P1 or P2 to be able to do the admin stuff like accessing the menu, resetting the game, accessing the games service, pausing, accessing mames volume control and all that other sordid stuff. But I plan to add a switch inside the CP that allows me to turn off that underneath shift admin button.

As for the whole pausing thing, I don't believe there should be a pause option. The original arcades didn't have a pause button. I'll know how to pause it though and I'll let only certain people know how to pause it as well.

As someone once mentioned, adding the pause button can lead to trouble since a person can pause the game, walk away and render the arcade useless since other players will not want to disturb their game. Or will disturb it by unpausing or changing games, causing the person who paused the game in the first place to return and be mad that his game was turned off. So no pause button for me!

Guaranos · « **Reply #26 on:** May 09, 2007, 07:37:21 am »

Quote from: Spyridon on May 08, 2007, 09:15:55 pm

I like the idea of setting up the coin return buttons for credits. Is this realatively easy to do?

Piece of cake. Just mount a microswitch from a button or joystick (or even a cheap RadioShack button) in such a way that it is triggered when the coin return button is pushed in. It might take you a few minutes to find the optimal place to put the microswitch, but that's about it.

Grinch · « **Reply #27 on:** May 09, 2007, 08:09:35 am »

Quote from: shmokes on May 08, 2007, 12:31:18 pm

I vote for zero. Maybe put an exit button on top of the cab, but the control panel itself should have no extra buttons, cos they're ugly and unnecessary. You can always have your Player 1Start button (which I don't really consider admin, but if you do then change my vote of zero to a vote of two) act as a shift key and then have combinations of the shift plus other player buttons do various admin stuff. No need for coin buttons, IMO, when you can just wire the coin return buttons built into the coin door to give credits when pressed. It's not so much that I'm a hardass about authenticity (though there's probably a small amount of that going on). It's more that I just think the cleaner the panel can be, the better it looks, so adding unnecessary buttons is out of the question.

Indeed.

I have zero admin buttons. I have a cup on a shelf near the machine full of coins and you pay to play. I use all the standard shortcuts. P1 + P1 Down = Pause etc...

Spyridon · « **Reply #28 on:** May 09, 2007, 08:30:10 am »

As a new member of this forum and someone who is about to start thier first cab, I just wanted to thank everyone for the great advice.

I think I've decided to go with Pause and Exit as my only two admin buttons. I like the idea of using the coin return as the credit buttons.

I'm guessing I can map Enter to an existing button so I won't need a seperate button for that.

miles2912 · « **Reply #29 on:** May 09, 2007, 01:14:44 pm »

Quote from: Peale on May 08, 2007, 03:09:59 pm

Zero. None of my cabs have any. Any of those functions have to be gotten to with a keyboard. Keeps the players honest.

If I want to keep my players honest.. and I do sometimes

All of my admin buttons are on a hidden switch that will lock out the buttons. Turns the machine into a 'real' arcade game.

As you can see there is a lot of debate on what buttons to put on your CP. Some people like a clean look with no or a few hidden buttons. I am the opposite. My cab was designed to be a MAME+ box that would do more than just play MAME. The mouse buttons are used all the time.

You just need to pump a lot of thought into how your cab is going to be used and plan ahead.

Don

MustardTent · « **Reply #30 on:** May 09, 2007, 01:33:56 pm »

On an editorial note, I've always preferred to label the button as "Quit" over "Exit". "Exit" feels too computery to me.

MPTech · « **Reply #31 on:** May 09, 2007, 03:20:58 pm »

Wow, great discussion and a lot of food for thought.

I never understood the reason for mouse buttons though. can someone explain?

miles2912 · « **Reply #32 on:** May 09, 2007, 03:38:28 pm »

My front end does not launch my juke player or my Karaoke setup or the videos that my daughter likes to watch or Firefox or Windows explorer to update and download new content. It is real convenient to use the trackball with a 2 mouse buttons on the cab. I don't auto load a front end either so pretty much everytime the cab is booted I use the mouse buttons.

Everyone uses their cab differently. The great thing about building your own is that you can design it how you want. I did not want a pull out drawer that would house a KB and Mouse so the mouse buttons were a must for me. I can totally understand when some people would not want them.

Don

Zebidee · « **Reply #33 on:** May 09, 2007, 08:29:44 pm »

Yes I don't like keyboard drawers either. Fit one or more USB ports and/or a trackball mouse. But you still don't need dedicated mouse buttons. Can't you just remap normal buttons like P1/P2 start or fire buttons to be mouse clicks? You might just have to change mame default controls and your keyboard interface settings to be mouse clicks .... ?

Tiger-Heli · « **Reply #34 on:** May 10, 2007, 08:55:51 am »

Quote from: Zebidee on May 09, 2007, 08:29:44 pm

Can't you just remap normal buttons like P1/P2 start or fire buttons to be mouse clicks? You might just have to change mame default controls and your keyboard interface settings to be mouse clicks .... ?

No you can't . . .

QUALIFIER: You can't tell your keyboard encoder to "Send L Mouse Button", at least not that I know of. You can of course wire P1B1 or P1 Start to the mouse button inputs on your Opti-Pac, Opti-Wiz, Mini-Pac, mouse hack, or trackball interface and then re-map MAME to recognize these inputs. (However, not all emulators will allow you to map an action to a mouse click.) I "think" you could also write an AutoHotKey script to send a mouse click when the corresponding keyboard key was pressed, but this would also not work with all emulators. (You could unload the script before launching Emu's that didn't support it, though).

Zebidee · « **Reply #35 on:** May 10, 2007, 11:24:37 am »

Yes Tiger, I reckon you are right. My posting finger was a little too twitchy.

autohotkey ... yes, a good solution especially for a mainly windows environment, and there are some other keytomouse apps around. Mouse buttons wouldn't have to work in every emulator anyway, and the keys would still be keys and available as controls regardless. So it is possible to do without mouse buttons yet get the functions. Worth investigating a solution to this if you have a gaming trackball in your CP, if only to save two "admin" buttons.

michelevit · « **Reply #36 on:** May 10, 2007, 11:48:33 am »

you dont want any admin buttons on top of your control
panel.

i use three microswitches under neath the control panel, so
they are hidden.
they are
pause, credit, and esc.

anything else is done via a wireless keyboard. (RF)

placing admin buttons like ESC invites guests to mess up
your game or worse mess up your configurations.

admin buttons are not found in real arcades, so why add them
to your cab?

Zebidee · « **Reply #37 on:** May 10, 2007, 12:38:44 pm »

I agree completely. I want my Games Cabinet to look like one.

Quote from: michelevit on May 10, 2007, 11:48:33 am

you dont want any admin buttons on top of your control
panel.

Want to play "Spot the admin CP"? My simplest:

Thurman · « **Reply #38 on:** May 10, 2007, 04:08:57 pm »

The more buttons you add to your cp, the more confused your guest will be. Luckily I figured this out on my "test build" cp.

MPTech · « **Reply #39 on:** May 10, 2007, 05:25:31 pm »

Not exactly an Admin button, but another button, none-the-less.

Can I connect the PC Power button to a normal Arcade Button (microswitch) to boot the PC up? (I want to locate it on the back of the cab, but easy to locate and turn on).
I was told PC Power button is a momentary switch, is that the same thing as the common cab button?


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Author Topic: How many admin buttons should I use on my CP? (Read 6421 times)

Guaranos

Guaranos