Posted by Rob Caskey on September 23, 1999 at 17:58:48:
In Reply to: Help, MAME cabinet w/ 4 player setup posted by Matt M. on September 23, 1999 at 12:27:27:
: I am going to build a MAME cabinet, and I want it to have a four player setup for games like Gauntlet, T.M.N.T., etc. Has anyone ever built a homemade cabinet like this? I’ve been looking for examples and I can’t find one. My concern is with the joystick / button setup. This is my dreamlist:
: (2) 8-4 way joysticks (players 1 & 2)
: (2) 8 way joysticks (players 3 & 4)
: (6) player 1 buttons
: (6) player 2 buttons
: (4) player 3 buttons
: (4) player 4 buttons
: (8) buttons (coin and start for each player)
: (1) spinner (just for Discs of Tron, I LOVE that game)
Iv wired up something just like without a spinner & an extra button that & im hopefullly gonna complete the CP tommorow or saturday. Its got 52 inputs currently in use with 56 max. It has a player start & credit button for each player, 8 way jsticks for 4 players, 2 players with 4 buttons, and 2 with 6. Also are 6 buttons for controlling mame, reset, sound, esc, enter, pause, & tab (menu) Read on for details on wiring
:
: I know this is a lot of controls, but the cabinet will be used mainly for fighting games (hence 6 buttons ea. For players 1 & 2) and the Gauntlet. I don’t think I can use a keyboard controller setup because of ghosting (especially with this many buttons) so what are my options? These are the questions I need answered:
: 1. Do any four-player games use more than four buttons per player?
I asked that question much too and the answer is no I think as of now. AD&D is the one I know that has the most, which is 4 but its not emulated.
: 2. How should I tie the controls to the computer? Will a keyboard interface work? Can I use two double-joystick game cards in the computer, or do I need to use USB controllers (I don’t want this because cost is a factor)
I dont know squat about spinners but basically anything besides the joystick hack will work because there is only one way to interface the rest I know of. The other stuff has to be connected to a sidewinder joystick hack. Get 4 sidewinders & daisy chain em & solder to the insides. Sidewinders are good & bad. Bad cus software support sucks (gotta use mame32 for more than 1) but also good software support in other games (Like ATOMIC BOMBERMAAAAN) & it has a good debug utility & installs easily. Good because the solder points are labeled on the board :) http://underworld.fortunecity.com/riven/208/ for more details on a sidewinder hack. 4 Linked Sidewinders gets 56 inputs for buttons & joysticks. You will need to use a different input for your spinner.
: 3. Am I shooting for too much?
Not if you got the time, courage, and money. Cashwise my project is almost exactly like yours without the spinner and is sitting $325 for JUST THE CONTROL PANNEL. With this many inputs you probably have to special order the wirespades & barriers from radio shack & have em shipped to your house. You cant skimp on these things with this many inputs. I needed 15 packs of spades & 9 Barrier Strips of 8 each. If you want a cabinet to put the CP in you need ~ 50 for a nasty ass old 4 player cabinet (I used an all american football), ~ 15 for the new marquee light its probably gonna need, ~ 20 for the New T-molding (I recommend black leather), about $60 for fleck paint (you need prolly 10-12 cans), + money for monitor & speekers & power supply. It gets expensive. Coin mechs are a pain in the ass & not very useful, just make sure the light works & looks good for the coin mechs.
:
: Any help would be appreciated, I plan to take my time and do this justice (even if I have to save money for a long time)
Im a Junior in High School with no Job. I feel your pain.
Please e-mail me at staticx@centralspire.com with any concerns. A GREAT place to order supplys is Happs Controls for the Arcade Sticks & buttons etc (Ask them to send you a paper catalog, its great bathroom reading material :), Walmart for Fleck Paints, Home Depot for Screws & Stuff, and Radioshack for barrier strips, quick connects, solder, soldering gun etc. Some people say you can build for less but by the time its done with I think you will be sitting ~ $400 for the CP or ~$600 for the cabinet, speakers & spinner included but no monitor. You need to get the cabinet locally cus shipping costs like 4x the cost of the cabinet on these things. Check in Rec.games.videogames.arcade.collecting or #rgvac on efnet. Msg me on e-fnet if you need me under the nick StaticX. ICQ #23345458
: Matt M.