Arcade Project : Controls & Encoders
My original plan was to have a 2-player control panel, but after doing some research on what other people have done I have changed my mind. Violet is giving me crap about all the time I'm spending on just deciding on the panel layout. The thing is, it is very important to account for player spacing, controller configuration for multiple games, keyboard encoder limitations, and budget. If budget wasn't an issue, I could run out and buy up all the controls I thought I would ever need.
Anyway, I've decided to build a 3-player control panel with an additional 4-way dedicated joystick, and a 3-inch trackball for games like Missile Command. The dedicated 4-way is for Donkey Kong and Pac-Man, where the movement can get confused if using a standard 8-way controller. At first I thought I would give each player 6 buttons each, thinking this would give them plenty of buttons for all games. However, when I began looking at game controls, I found that only the fighting games like Mortal Kombat used that many buttons. 98% of the games out there which use pushbuttons have 3 or less for each player. So, 3 buttons per player it is. Of course, I am going to make it expandable for more buttons in the future. I would also like to get a spinner knob for games like Tempest, but that is low-priority.
I priced out controls and keyboard encoders, doing research on reviews for both. I also checked out pre-built control panels (X-Arcade and SlikStik ), but didn't find anything that fit me just right. Happ Controls makes what is generally considered the best arcade controls in the business. I actually found it cheaper to purchase the same Happ Controls from the SlikStik web site. They also had a better color selection available for online ordering, since it looks like Happ doesn't update their online catalog as much as SlikStik does. At this moment, joysticks are $11.50 each, and pushbuttons are $1.45 each.
Keyboard encoders are used to take the signals from your controls (joysticks & pushbuttons), and process them in to keystrokes on your computer. There are other ways to process these signals, including taking apart a keyboard and soldering connections (the keyboard hack). I decided the cost for an encoder is worth it. I was considering purchasing one from Hagstrom Electronics , but the $130 price tag was making me dizzy. I also looked at Ultimarc, but in the end I went with the KeyWiz Max 1.5 from Groovy Game Gear . At $41 (includes shipping), and all of the inputs I need... it's a bargain.
I've ordered controls from SlikStik and the keyboard encoder from Groovy Game Gear today. For now I'm holding off on getting the trackball. I know I'm really going to want one soon, but at $130+ it can wait for now. There's some mouse hacks I'm going to look in to also.
Anyway, I've decided to build a 3-player control panel with an additional 4-way dedicated joystick, and a 3-inch trackball for games like Missile Command. The dedicated 4-way is for Donkey Kong and Pac-Man, where the movement can get confused if using a standard 8-way controller. At first I thought I would give each player 6 buttons each, thinking this would give them plenty of buttons for all games. However, when I began looking at game controls, I found that only the fighting games like Mortal Kombat used that many buttons. 98% of the games out there which use pushbuttons have 3 or less for each player. So, 3 buttons per player it is. Of course, I am going to make it expandable for more buttons in the future. I would also like to get a spinner knob for games like Tempest, but that is low-priority.
I priced out controls and keyboard encoders, doing research on reviews for both. I also checked out pre-built control panels (X-Arcade and SlikStik ), but didn't find anything that fit me just right. Happ Controls makes what is generally considered the best arcade controls in the business. I actually found it cheaper to purchase the same Happ Controls from the SlikStik web site. They also had a better color selection available for online ordering, since it looks like Happ doesn't update their online catalog as much as SlikStik does. At this moment, joysticks are $11.50 each, and pushbuttons are $1.45 each.
Keyboard encoders are used to take the signals from your controls (joysticks & pushbuttons), and process them in to keystrokes on your computer. There are other ways to process these signals, including taking apart a keyboard and soldering connections (the keyboard hack). I decided the cost for an encoder is worth it. I was considering purchasing one from Hagstrom Electronics , but the $130 price tag was making me dizzy. I also looked at Ultimarc, but in the end I went with the KeyWiz Max 1.5 from Groovy Game Gear . At $41 (includes shipping), and all of the inputs I need... it's a bargain.
I've ordered controls from SlikStik and the keyboard encoder from Groovy Game Gear today. For now I'm holding off on getting the trackball. I know I'm really going to want one soon, but at $130+ it can wait for now. There's some mouse hacks I'm going to look in to also.
Labels: Arcade
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