The NEW Build Your Own Arcade Controls
Main => Project Announcements => Topic started by: hahnchen on March 19, 2016, 11:32:00 pm
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So this is my first build so any help is appreciated. I feel so left out as I just discovered MAME. Could not be more excited.
Below is a mini cocktail that I plan to mimic (adding my own touches of course)
Time to do some more research on monitors. I am thinking about using a DELL 21 inch LED IPS. I want to be able to play the classics but also play split screen fighting games. Most likely going with 6 button setup on each side. Rasberry Pi 3 and Retropie.
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Cocktails are not my favourite form factor, but that one is very tidy. Good colour scheme, too. I would go with solid buttons instead of translucent, but I think it looks great and simple enough to replicate. Just be mindful of heat, as cocktail cabs tend to fail over time due to poor ventilation (hot air from the monitor goes up, which means that it gets trapped inside if you don't vent it outside with some fans).
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You'd be better off just having this cab play 4-way classics. Putting a fighter CP on it will ruin the controls for classic games.
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I like these little guys.
Need to make one.
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I never really cared for the ergonomics of a cocktail myself. But then again, I think that had mostly to do with the fact that I never really had anywhere to comfortable put my knees. With a desk-based version such as this, that problem is solved.
I'd recommend putting some good rubber feet under something like this. An intense game of Ms Pac-Man will require it. :)
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You'd be better off just having this cab play 4-way classics. Putting a fighter CP on it will ruin the controls for classic games.
Agree. I am struggling with this duality. I really like the ability to fix the controls on 4-way. My kids will have the most playtime and having 4-way sounds so much better for games like Mrs Pacman
But games like TMNT and other smshups I am guessing I would really benefit from 8-way.
Isn't there a joystick that can electronically change from 4-way to 8-way for different games (assuming you change the setup file)?
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Agree. I am struggling with this duality. I really like the ability to fix the controls on 4-way. My kids will have the most playtime and having 4-way sounds so much better for games like Mrs Pacman
But games like TMNT and other smshups I am guessing I would really benefit from 8-way.
Isn't there a joystick that can electronically change from 4-way to 8-way for different games (assuming you change the setup file)?
And fit in a tiny tabletop cocktail cab? No.
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I think you are talking about the ultrastik: https://www.ultimarc.com/ultrastik_info.html (https://www.ultimarc.com/ultrastik_info.html)
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So let's be clear. This forum rocks :)
After a lot of reading, I decided to take some advice and list out games I want to play. What I learned was that I want to play a lot of 2-4 player games like TMNT, Smash TV, Contra, Metal Slug, NBA Jam, Double Dragon. I am building this for my family, so I need a setup for my family.
So I thought about a coffee table / cocktail table design.
What do you think about this mock up???
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What's the point of the overhang?
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I'm guessing so that it will also function as a coffee table, but who wants to sit on the floor and play games?
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The overhang is so it can function as a coffee table.
The table would be positioned next to a long couch. So you can play while seated on couch. I have not experience with this setup, but I think it would work?
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I figured that too, but that means the controls will either be at a weird height, or the tabletop will. Also, four people in a row on one side of a coffee table looking down seems.... awkward.
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If you're going to try and play this sitting on a couch, you're just going to end up hitting your forearms over and over.
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If you're all on the couch, there already exists an excellent control scheme.
(http://clipart.me/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/nesControllerPreview400x300.png)
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That's too funny. I see your point and will have to think about this. Just keep in mind you could make the same argument with any cocktail table.
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In reality how often do you think you would have four players all wanting to play at the same time? How about creating a 2 player table then having a pair of wireless control pads for player 3-4 controls.
In regards to the comments about how comfortable it would be playing from the sofa my table machine has been up and running since October last year and gets used at least once a week and no problems at all. http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,148135.msg (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,148135.msg)
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That is your build. That is sick. I saw that online a few months ago and loved it. Really great work
Great call on 2x sticks and then USB or wireless controllers in the event it's more than 2 players. That small tip helps a lot.
I am going to have to rethink design.
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Ok. I am back after a 6 month project of laying tile in my house:
I am still on the coffee table style. Very similar to GSXRMovistar's coffee table.
Can I get some help on the part list:
- Raspberry Pi3 (already purchased)
- Joysticks: 2x Mag-Stik Plus. I really like the idea of being able to switch from 8/4/diag without programming (thinking Ultrastik 360) and without taking apart table (thinking all other restricter plate joysticks)
- Buttons: GoldLeaf Pushbuttons: 6 per joysitck + 1 1player(start) + 1 2player (start) + 1 1player(select) + 1 2player (select) + 2 flippers for pinball = 18
- Controller Interface with Raspberry Pi: Mini-PAC Standard. With harness
- TV: 32 inch LED connected via HDMI
Am I missing anything major? For instance any other connectors used for connecting joysticks to Raspberry Pie?[/list]
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Here is the style I am thinking about going with.
Reasons:
-Family plays a lot of side-scrollers and smashups, results in Player 1 and 2 dedicated 8-way joysticks on the long dimension + 2 USB ports for SNES controllers (for players 3 and 4)
-Vertical mode for all the classics that we like: 1941, Pacman, DK, etc. These 2 joysticks would be 4-way dedicated and be hooked up to same contact points as Player 1 and 2.
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Assuming that's glass on the top I'd consider supporting/framing that exposed corner, as
a) Weight applied to it could break it
b) Weight applied to it make the whole surface flip
c) Someone will walk into it and it will hurt
Skip the pinball flipper buttons (and pinball games), unless you have the secondary screen and plunger you loose the experience.
As for the vertical controls, are they worth it for the larger screen size opposed to just playing vertical games on the horizontal screen rotated?
How are people going to be sat at the table? Sofa, chairs, stools?
These were all questions I went through when putting the CoffeeCade together meaning a number of things I considered were dropped due to being impractical.
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Thank you so much for your feedback.
You are right. That much glass unsupported is not the best idea.
My biggest issue is that there are like 5 games that are best in verticals with dedicated 4-way. 1941 is a great example. So much better in vertical due to larger size. I would say these games get 20% of play overall play time.
My setup is a fairly large "U" shaped couch. So I have three sides of seating.
Maybe I just do 2x 8-way joysticks and then the SNES controllers for the verticals games. I know it's not ideal but SNES controllers are not bad on 1941 (to the readers that are hardcore arcade junkies...I know this might be blasphemy using SNES controller, but this is for the family and a larger 4person cab is not in the cards)
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verticals with dedicated 4-way. 1941 is a great example.
Pretty sure 1941 is an 8-way game...
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You're right. I guess dedicated 4-way is not that key if it's for only a handful of games. I guess I will have to live with playing 1941 on a smaller scale.
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Have you seen this build:- http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,118776.msg1257994.html#msg1257994 (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,118776.msg1257994.html#msg1257994)
If you are feeling adventurous you could attempt something similar but with inset controls along the horizon side as well. I personally wouldn't have it going full size to the floor (half the height and put it on legs). Would be tight fit with the screen but I think doable with a little planning.
I guess it comes down to available/practical space in the room, when I modelled mine in sketch-up I also included the room floor plan and sofa to gauge size.
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Picture of mock setup of the table in the environment. The couch lends well to a deep coffee table, allowing the controls to not be hidden in drawers that pull out.
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So I just got the GP Wiz-40 from GroovyGameGear.
I was having issues getting Retropie to understand that it is controller 2 joysticks rather that just 1.
Here was the solution:
-Retropie only recognizies the 1 USB as 1 gamepad. I could not for the life of me find anyone that can get Retropie to recognize Qiz40 as 2 gamepads. This would allow both joysticks to be able to controller the GUI interface.
-I did find the a video (https://youtu.be/liJKFUZX4PM) on how to Remap the controllers in each "core". "Core" being defined as all the SNES games or all the Mame4All games. In the remapping you can manually change the setting to have the Wiz-40 controll both player 1 and player 2. So this will be fine for me. In the end, only 1 joystick will control the Retropie GUI. However both joysticks will work for any of the "cores", as long as I have manually setup the remapping (which is not too hard).
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Here is an update on the design. I love GSXRMovistar table, so it looks similar. I left off the tops so you can see the "guts".
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Looking good.
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(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161029/24636554a326c3dec168e418991d8f41.jpg)
Let the woodworking begin!!!
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GSXRMovistar - How much space did you leave from the "Control Panel Top" to the "Underside of Glass"... would you recommend the same?
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GSXRMovistar - How much space did you leave from the "Control Panel Top" to the "Underside of Glass"... would you recommend the same?
Just popping out for dinner but will confirm measurements when I get back in a few hours.
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(http://www.bakersplace.co.uk/Misc/CoffeeCadeBuild/CocktailCPGap.jpg)
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Thanks for the pic that help. I might think about doing a slight slant.
Progress update on woodworking:
(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161029/17a0086d07c305c630d77cb404249fa9.jpg)
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(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161029/24636554a326c3dec168e418991d8f41.jpg)
Let the woodworking begin!!!
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What's happening here?
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Looking good so far :)
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Update:
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Glass cut(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161127/a1595a099981d35808dba5035b7c5943.jpg)
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Looking good, will it be a wood finish (i.e. stained) or painted?
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Good question.
I know I want the top to be black so you can barely see the monitor when off. After much consideration, I think the body should also be black to match the top. In summary, I am thinking all black for the whole thing. You'll see in the pictures that I left a space around the outside of the table between the top an bottom horizontal supports. I am going to use this to fill in with "ARTCADE" pictures of different marquees. This will add some color to the all black scheme.
Open to thoughts as I know you thought black was too dark?
- Mike
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I avoided black for the top purely as it didn't match the room it lives in (lots of light greys).
Guess final style/colour depends on whether you want it to look like a piece of furniture or a full on arcade machine.
I can't tell what wood you have used for the frame but with a glass black top the below frame and controls combo would look cool:-
(http://netdna.walyou.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads//2011/11/Neo-Geo-Wooden-Controller-2.jpg)
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Primer going on.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161203/372e3183bf9a9766006570f00f69e4ff.jpg)
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Control panel holes precisely drilled!(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161211/ebef8456ecc0243e9bb8d7673224cc4a.jpg)
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Graphics printed(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161211/91700c879f6701c75a84b93f38ee5164.jpg)
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Update on control panel. T-nute used just under the poster of Star Wars. for the joysticks. I opted to print graphics at Costco vs vinyl as it was much cheaper. And with the plasic cover, I am pretty sure you could not see the difference.
(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161215/a858f6e5623e1dc39054f0711fe27648.jpg)
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Backside of control panel. Routed for joysticks and forrester drill bit for holes(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161215/15d4a346dab023851b1f160359af96b1.jpg)
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Getting closer. Side panels are on. These where tricky and time consuming to cut all the acrylic/plastic the exact size of the opening. Graphics are smashed between 2 pieces of acrylic. There was no need to place another spacer in the middle as the plastic ended up being very straight. This meant no need for a screw in the middle of the graphic :)
(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161220/91da65815bfe92f81ee1f0cedcc763f0.jpg)
There are spacers in front of the larger blocks, so that is why you see those countersunk holes. Within the holes are t-nuts to accept the screw from the other side.
(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161220/128f9a032af4d8c594e027b2adb9bc00.jpg)
Close-up of the graphics. They turned out sharp. With a screw there, I am able to remove and replace graphics in future if I get bored of those ones.
(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161220/5bb0cddba0bc9570b664918482103a35.jpg)
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95% done. (http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161222/e6261e79f4dc02e81c1ba48c16139b82.jpg)(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161222/66876bb3ff137e2cd91bedbbbdd59204.jpg)I
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I'm not sure about the ergonomics of it, but I generally like the build quality.
I would sagest finding a better way to install the side art.
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=150070.0;attach=354249;image)
Not adding to the look.
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Agree with Locke about the screws. The finish could look better if you capped them with something like these (as an example):
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Hinged-Piece-Plastic-Screw/dp/B00H14ALHK/ref=pd_lpo_60_tr_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=XQAB4M3R7PH6XVVA7WFH (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Hinged-Piece-Plastic-Screw/dp/B00H14ALHK/ref=pd_lpo_60_tr_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=XQAB4M3R7PH6XVVA7WFH)
Pretty nice build though. I like the artwork mashup.
The controls do look a little low though - how does it play?
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I like the way this one came out. I have to wonder at the choice of Star Wars for the control panel though. It seems out of place on a cocktail.
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Thanks for the replies.
There was no easy way to mount the side art. The screws are countersunk and backed with t-nuts. I like this because I can change out art easier. Open to other easy ways to mount?
The screw caps are cool. Not a bad option. To be honest you don't really even see the screws unless you get in your hands and knees.
The ergonomics are actually not bad at all. I have not had a long session, but hands rest just at the level of the controls. I think they are as good as you can get for coffee table arcade.
The control panel was hard to decide on the theme. Star Wars marquee was long and facilitated in the design and that is why I went with it. Again easy to change, so I'll have to think about. But for now, I like.
You've got to remember there are numerous challenges with building a coffee table arcade. Most of all is that there are not a lot of them out there to leverage ideas and designs. Also the structural integrity of the table is much different. With a standing cabinet, the box is bigger and thus adds to less complexity from a variety of angles. A coffee table has an entirely different structure. For instance, I have not seen another coffee table arcade with side art marquee. This was tough to add. Trust me it would have been so much easier to add MDF on the sides and added vinyl stickers. But I love the look of the marquee above cabinets and wanted to carry that look over to the coffee table.
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Great job. i like it with the marquee on the sides. You see other coffee table arcade builds and they look like tables, which is nice, but i think you may have started something new with this build. The graphics really let you know this isn't just any ordinary coffee table. :D
As for the marquee mounting, is it possible to have the acrylic pieces a lil larger and screw them into the frame from inside of the table so that the screws won't show? having the pieces cut larger than the size of the hole will allow for this method but the art may be just a bit farther back.
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Thanks for your post and feedback.
Good idea on the marquee. I would have had to the consider that prior as the sides butt right up to the inside side of the control panel. No space between the supports (kinda hard to explain). But thanks for suggestions. Always room for improvement.
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That's turned out really well. :cheers:
Do you have anything retaining the glass at the moment? If not I'd recommend something like these:- ttp://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Advanced-Soft-Grip-Pad-Glass-Table-Self-Adhesive-Rubber-Feet-Shop-Hotel-Refits-/221817048208?var=520687709935&hash=item33a5538c90:m:mHbm-WhlCVOTC5sCiR61Q1w (http://ttp://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Advanced-Soft-Grip-Pad-Glass-Table-Self-Adhesive-Rubber-Feet-Shop-Hotel-Refits-/221817048208?var=520687709935&hash=item33a5538c90:m:mHbm-WhlCVOTC5sCiR61Q1w)
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I tried rubber pads on all four corners. The glass held the same with or without. It really does not want to move around either way. I guess even without pads there is too much friction.
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Random Question:
I finally got my 2 joysticks + all the buttons working for my mame-liberto roms. The key was to update my retroarch.cfg to include the below adjustments!
However my joysticks for ROMs in my mame-mame4all folder DO NOT WORK. The ROMs loaded in this mame-mame4all folder work. When I enter into the menu screen via keyboard "tab" and try to edit the player1 UP button, it does not recognize my joysticks or start/select buttons. It does recognize my action buttons. Anyone know a fix? BTW I am using RetroPie / EmulationStation.
Adjustment to my retroarch.cfg for all systems.
input_player1_joypad_index = 0
input_player2_joypad_index = 0
input_player1_a_btn = "5"
input_player1_b_btn = "4"
input_player1_y_btn = "1"
input_player1_x_btn = "2"
input_player1_start_btn = "18"
input_player1_select_btn = "17"
input_player1_l_btn = "0"
input_player1_r_btn = "3"
input_player1_left_btn = "29"
input_player1_right_btn = "31"
input_player1_up_btn = "30"
input_player1_down_btn = "28"
input_player1_l2_btn =
input_player1_r2_btn =
input_player1_l3_btn =
input_player1_r3_btn =
input_player2_a_btn = "13"
input_player2_b_btn = "12"
input_player2_y_btn = "9"
input_player2_x_btn = "10"
input_player2_start_btn = "7"
input_player2_select_btn = "16"
input_player2_l_btn = "8"
input_player2_r_btn = "11"
input_player2_left_btn = "23"
input_player2_right_btn = "22"
input_player2_up_btn = "20"
input_player2_down_btn = "21"
input_player2_l2_btn =
input_player2_r2_btn =
input_player2_l3_btn =
input_player2_r3_btn =