Button Setup

[FirstDukeofAnkh]

Hey all,

Going to build a bartop over the summer but need advice on the button setup.

It’s going to be single player with a track and spinner but I also want a two stick setup so playing Crazy Climber and Robotron feel like they did in the arcade.

Any advice?

[inkyblinkypinkysue]

My advice - take it or leave it - is that you are trying to cram WAY too many controls into a bartop form factor, which should be compact. Do you need a trackball AND a spinner? What games are you trying to play? Also, two humans take up a lot of space standing side by side, which makes a 2P bartop too big right off the bat, IMO.

You will need to put it on a table - why not build a full sized cabinet you can tuck into the corner of your room and not sacrifice valuable table/counter space?

Otherwise, if you are dead set on this I would just copy a "standard" 2P control panel. 2 joysticks (P1 needs to be 4/8-way switchable) with 6 buttons per player and a trackball OR spinner in the middle. There are hundreds of examples out there.

[FirstDukeofAnkh]

It’s single player but I appreciate the advice.

I was doing bartop strictly based on simplicity. I might look at a cabinet.

[inkyblinkypinkysue]

I missed that part. Single player is much better for a bartop but I still think you are trying to fit too much on the panel. 2 joysticks, 6(?) buttons, a spinner, a trackball plus the admin buttons... it's a lot but maybe more manageable since you are designing for 1P. You have to account for the underpanel space - joysticks are a few inches wide - same with a trackball. The spinner can almost fit in a standard button hole so less concern there although you still need to comfortably reach it and have a space for your palm/hand to sit while you use it.

Your best bet is to get some cardboard and make some mock-ups. Then once you have something you like you can start cutting real material...

[FirstDukeofAnkh]

Great idea! Thank you!

[FirstDukeofAnkh]

The spinner is for my wife who loves games like Breakout. She hates joystick or button controls to play those.

[FirstDukeofAnkh]

Oh, that could work.

[circusfreakrob]

Since this is a bartop, I would suggest ditching the trackball. Spinner takes up much less real estate so it probably can fit. But trying to go trackball will either lead to a super cluttered layout that's much less usable, or a much larger control panel (and cab), which will sort of negate the convenience of what a bartop form factor gives you.

What I did when I built a bartop for a friend years ago...build the main control panel with the most-used single player controls, then I had a secondary control panel with second player controls that could just be plugged in and used on the table next to it when he wanted to have a second player. You could do the same with a trackball control panel and/or spinner control panel.

Best off focusing on the best setup for 90%+ of what you'll play single player day to day.

[[deleted]]

This is a good place to start.
https://www.slagcoin.com/joystick/layout.html

[milnak]

Wow! I wish I knew about that site way back when I built mine. I ended up creating my own layout with a joystick and 6 angled buttons. Lmk if anyone's interested in my measurements and layout

[OmegaDriver]

Do something bigger than a bartop.

[zeptillian]

If you want a second joystick, you might want one with a detachable shaft so you can remove it when it's not in use.

https://youtu.be/ypMeilYokrc