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Timeline
Control Panel
Cabinet Construction
Software
Parts & Supplies
Design
Construction
Components
Wiring
8-Way Trigger Project
I'll start by listing my goals:
- Controls for some of my favorite games; Trackball (Missile Command, Centipede),
Spinner (Tron, Tempest), two Joysticks for each player (Robotron, Smash TV),
49-way Joystick (Sinstar, Food Fight), Trigger Joystick (Tron, Zaxxon), and a
customizable 2-way/4-way/8-way restricted Joystick.
- Button layout for single player classics. Should allow for left-hand or
right-hand play and put the player on or close to center.
- Button layout for fighting games.
- Four player games.
- Good wrist support.
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| Using MS Visio, I started designing full scale layouts. I was intrigued by the two-tier
design of the Supercade and
focused on a similar layout. To help determine if my design tasted as good as it looked, my
wife baked a replica for my birthday (ignore the number candles)!
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| When I was pretty sure I knew what I wanted, I took the advise of the ArcadeControls forum members and built a prototype.
This was immensely helpful! Not only did it help identify some layout issues with the controls, it also gave me the ability
to play test the two-tier design. I was concerned that the reach to the upper deck might be a strain on the
arms. As it turned out, the two-tier control panel works very well. My kids and I played Marble Madness, Centipede, and
Omega Race for extended periods with no problems.
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| During the panel design, one question I struggled with was which controls should be left-handed and which control should be right-hand. I did research using
Controls.dat, the
Control Panel Overlay Museum,
Google Image searches, and of course the
ArcadeControls forum. Here's what I learned;
joysticks are usually on the left, spinners are
usually on the left, and trackballs are centered or on the right. Of cource, a left-handed player
might think otherwise, but these seem to be the most common placements.
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| So here is my finalized control panel for Project Arcade Addiction.
Mouse over each control for descriptions.
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Control Panel Dimensions
- Entire panel is 40 inches wide by 20 inches deep.
- Upper Deck is 29 inches wide by 12 inches deep.
- Lower Deck is 40 inches wide by 15 inches deep.
- The height from the Lower Deck to the Upper Deck is 2.75 inches.
- The reach to the Upper Deck controls is 12 inches.
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If you use MS Visio and wish to view the actual layouts, download them here:
Full Control Panel
Upper Deck
Lower Deck
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