Wiring an Arcade Control Panel for Beginners

[ilikecheetos12]

i used cat 5 cable as well a few years ago when building a flight simulator. It makes things a lot easier by having different colored wires, plus i had a ton in storage so it saved me money.

[magicguy88]

Great video!  Thanks for posting. I'm building my first cabinet. You've provided numerous resources on the web and I've found them all extremely useful. Thanks!

[magnumpantera]

i want to buy your arcade machine;if its for sale let me know my e-mail is briziotires@gmail.com

[LaxCentral09]

do the buttons come with the wires or where do i buy the wire??

Sorry i am new and want to play my favorite games again

[hugo1221]

NO and NC is normally open and normally closed basically means no power if you give it power then it switch's the contacts

[Deluxejames]

Also how would an eight way joystick work? would both of them go?

[NeintyNein]

@Deluxejames 8 way joysticks still only use 4 switches per joystick. They just have a mode that triggers two of the switches at once. Diagonal upper left just triggers the up and left switches at the same time for example.

[Deluxejames]

What does ground do exactly and why is it needed?

[seikenflyer]

Thanks man.

[MrMikey73]

Hi, nice arcade!! I'm in the process of figuring out exactly how to build one and your videos are really helping. Do you have to run a set up to configure the buttons for your computer? Right now im playing them on my keyboard and not all buttons are the same like control might be high punch on one game and block on another. So i guess im wondering if you have to configure each game separte so all the buttons are the same. Thanks again

[toyotaboyhatman]

I totally used your idea of using cat-5 cable, keeps everything neat.

[djfreebey]

what vottage and amp cable do i need to wire up a Control Panel and the leds as i get little mess up on amp and vottages

[delusional2971]

@djfreebey The leds are +5v. That's the red wire on your power supply for the PC. The ground would be the black wire. Check out my other video on how to hook up leds and you'll see how I did it. It may explain it for you.

[TheNews1990]

love the vid but how do you hook up a coin door via a ethernet cable

[delusional2971]

There are microswitches on the coin door. Hook them up exactly like you would a normal button.

[TheNews1990]

@delusional2971 ya but my point is ethernet is small howd you make up for that

[delusional2971]

@TheNews1990 I was able to crimp them just fine using .187 quick connects. I used a ratchet crimper which made a huge difference they never come out now.

[wiedz]

Amazing video. What type of material did you use to construct the cab? And what material would you suggest for a cab?

[delusional2971]

It's actually a used cab that I stripped down and painted it. However if I were to build one I would use 3/4" MDF all around, including the control panel.

[TheOmarruvalcaba]

I finally get what you mean! I remember when I first saw this video I thought.. yeah right, i'll never be able to get this, but now it totally makes sense.

I spent sometime asking questions on the byoac forum, and that helped a lot. I'd suggest that to anyone who who feels they have no idea what's going on.

Delusional: it would be great if you could make a video showing daisy chaining and stripping wires. Does daisy chaining basically just mean you but two wires into each ground connection?

[delusional2971]

I already made one for daisy chaining. Look in my profile page or at the video response to this video. As for the stripping wires one, I still have to make that one. I'll consider it.

[Namurashi]

I'm making my first mame arcade machine and I was wondering where to find the wires and such for the control panel and how much that might cost me.

I was thinking of making a standard 2 player 6-button panel with 2 buttons for pinball on the sides. Thanks in advance for any help!

-Justin

[delusional2971]

Try ultimarc . com or groovygamegear . com

Prices vary. I used cat 5 cable here in this video (harder to crimp since they are smaller) but in my future builds I now use "doorbell" wiring. MUCH cheaper and it's the perfect size. It comes in different colors. Just look in the doorbell section at Home Depot. Goes for about $5 for a nice sized spool. I usually get either black or a dark color for ground and the rest another brighter color.

Good Luck!

[Sho81]

I've been researching prices myself and the prices I found are 2 joysticks a white player 1 and 2 button plus 18 black buttons for $39.95 at xgaming . com or Happ comp. arcade sticks for $8.49 each with a price of $1.20 per push button and $1.40 per player button plus cheap tools at groovygamegear . com Ultimarc carries 100 crimp clips for $9.00 and also a 28 clip daisy chain. Not sure of the price. Hope it helps

[delusional2971]

Happ will kill you with shipping. I usually get mine from GGG since I'm already getting the KeyWiz from them anyway (another encoder brand similar to the ipac). Alternatively you can look up Tornado Terry's or Lizardlick amusements.

[Sho81]

the happ sticks are from GGG. My wife always yells at me because the way I word things are always confused. lol my fault.

[TheWiiHackerz]

Damn this stuff is complicated I'm starting to second guess my ability to make one of these things

[delusional2971]

Don't it's really easy. It just looks hard since it's a Quad panel with tons of controls in it. But if you follow the simple instructions it's a piece of cake. You'll see.

[Sho81]

if you are building your first control panel you would probably be better sticking with the i-pac 2. Or if you want to work your way up to 4 players go with an i-pac 4 and just connect to the 1 and 2 player places and expand later whenever you feel comfortable. Zip ties are a good way to go for keeping the wires organized or color coded cables. If you have wired a car stereo or even a home stereo you will be able to figure it out.

[nick12882]

oh by the way where did you pickup your nuts and bolts for the joysticks.

[delusional2971]

If you have a 3/4" wood pane, I install the joystick bases from underneath the panel by first drilling a shallow pilot hole smaller than the sctual screw. Use 1" long zinc plated wood screws from Home depot or Lowes at about $4 per 100. The size is #10. The box would then be marked 10 X 1.

[delusional2971]

If you have a metal panel, you can buy black bolts from Tornado Terry's ebay store. Just Google "BLACK JOYSTICK BOLTS ARCADE JAMMA WKS W MAME tm PANEL" and his ebay store will come up. You'll find them there for a couple dollars for 4 (they come with the nut).

[nick12882]

thanks for the help man I am def. subbing to your channel!! by the way could you take a look at my mame cabinet videos and give me any suggestions on what to do with it

Thanks.

[nick12882]

are there any alternatives to the cat 5 wire?

[delusional2971]

@nick12882

Sure. I use doorbell wire for my current builds. It's economical and can be found in your local Home Depot or Lowes. You get more band for your buck with the roll that you get. They come in different colors. I usually get the dark color for ground and the brighter color for the other switches.

[nick12882]

thanks man as you can see i am in the process of building my own MAME cab. take a look on my youtube I have part 1 up

Thanks.

[nick12882]

what would be best for door bell wire 3 strand or single?

[delusional2971]

It depends. I use single. It's easier for me to work with (in my opinion) and easier to crimp. However, it's a bit stiffer than 3 strand wire. Keep this in mind if you move stuff around a lot. Bending it back and forth may not be a good idea. But I've never had a problem with it.

[Goattongue]

I ordered my Ipac2 tonight and i'll use your Cat5 idea...(which is brilliant!)

I don't know what size / style connectors I need to pickup though! I'm assuming those are fast-on...blade style female connectors?

Are all Cat5 cables created equal? Do they all use the same gauge wire inside? Looking at mine...they seem pretty thin. 22 gauge maybe? (i'm guessing....just hoping YOU know)

I've never crimped a wire in my life...so this should be interesting to say the least!

Thanks in advance!

[delusional2971]

You'll need .187 connectors. They work the best with the microswitches. The ones at local stores were a bit to big and the cat 5 wire kept slipping out (and expensive too). I found some online that were perfect at Sherco Auto Supply (google it).  Part #: FDV1-187. 100 for under $5! Also, make sure you buy a ratcheting crimper! Trust me on that one! Part #: RIC1. I learned the hard way buy buying a cheaper one that didn't have the ratchet feature. They crimp these connectors perfectly!

[delusional2971]

@delusional2971

Forgot to mention that I got the Cat5E cables from cablewholesale . com

Choose NETWORK / PHONE PRODUCTS on the list at the left. Then click on the Cat 5 E Network cables link. Get the 7 foot size ($1.63 each). Don't worry about the end connectors that they come with. You can just cut them off. Comes out to be super cheap in the end and you can choose from tons of colors!

[MameMk]

Im building a bartop mame machine do i have to use the i-pac 2?

[delusional2971]

Not at all. You can also use other keyboard encoders. I just happen to have Ultimarc's Ipac-4 since it has 56 inputs for my 4 player setup. But you can also use groovygamegear's keywiz instead. The principle is the same as described in the video. It also has a terminal block to screw the wires into.

The other option is to hack a keyboard, but it's not suggested, as ghosting will occur. Try googling byoac wiki. There is a guide there explaining your options. Good Luck!

[MameMk]

Well thanks for the response! Ill end up buying a 10$ game pad from gamestop and and using it for the 6 buttons for KI SF MK and start for p1 start and select for coin one

[delusional2971]

Yes, that's also a good option. It's a bit tricky to do, but if you search the BYOAC forums you will find some great tutorials (with pics) on what gamepad works the best for hacking, as not all gamepads have easy solder points to do so.

[MameMk]

Alright thanks man

[mrcoolr429]

its not the i pac that decides if its a 4-way, its the joystick its self. the 4-way joystick will just only move up, down, left and right it wont move diagonally and let you push two directions at once which (makes a diagonal motion of course.)

[delusional2971]

To clarify: Both 4 way joys and 8 way joys have 4 microswitches on them. The 8 way achieves diagonals by pressing 2 switches at the same time. ie: up and left = diagonal up/left. 4 ways limit motion to only allow 4 directions: Diagonals are not possible. You can connect a 4 way and 8 way at the same time to the 4 inputs on the ipac. That's what I did. I actually connected the flight stick to it too. So I have 3 joys connected to the ipac's 4 joy1 inputs.

[manlys]

Great vid here! feelin confident on embarking on my first control panel!!

question though on how to get power to the illuminated lights? im guessin it's not just through the ipac4? or is it?? (i'm still awaiting my orders so i cant test)

cheers!

[delusional2971]

Glad you liked the video. Hope it helps!

I illuminate the lights by running it directly to my PC's power supply. I use the +5volts (red wires) for the buttons and the +12volts (yellow wires) for the marquee light above. The coin doors (not shown) are also illuminated using the +12volts on the power supply.

[delusional2971]

The best bet it to find a standard molex 'Y adapter' and modify it. That way if you screw up splicing the wires, you won't be messing up your PC's power supply wiring. Then all you have to do it plug that connector into your power supply in your PC.

[manlys]

hey way cool idea... clueless when it comes to wiring - although i've learn 1000% more than i did last week :)

But a Y adapter looks like a possibility...! thanks heaps :)

[delusional2971]

Always glad to help.

What Y adapter are you talking about? I'm not sure what you mean.

[manlys]

you suggested to use a standard molex Y adapter and modify for the LED buttons :)

[tchuncly]

How do I mount an Arcade controller for Snes? Where do I plug the wires??

[delusional2971]

You'll have to purchase an adapter for the SNES. Google -- retro usb --

[teamgod]

Delusional,

What's the output coming out of the I-Pac? Is it a straight male-to-male (I-pac to PC) connection? I see the new ones have USB, too.

Anyway, what I'm looking to build is two seperate control panels which can fit on your lap that both connect to a central "hub", which will contain the I-pac. I want it the hub to be able to reach to the PC from the couch so I'm wondering if I'll have to build my own cable or if they make long enough keyboard cables. Thanks.

[delusional2971]

The I-pacs come in two flavors. PS2 or USB inputs. I have the PS2 version. Basically there are two female ports on the ipac itself. It comes with the two male ended cable to plug from the ipac into the pc's keyboard port. The other "pass through" port on the ipac is where you would plug in your ps2 keyboard (or in my case I have a USB keyboard with a PS2 adaptor on it).

If you go to Ultimarc's website and click on the ipac link you will see a picture of it.

[delusional2971]

I'm not sure if there is a limitation to the length of a keyboard cable though, if the signal would get degraded or not. By why not go wireless? Perhaps you can buy cheap wireless USB controls and then hack them to the controller's joysticks and buttons?

[delusional2971]

My joysticks are 8-way for most games. I have a dedicated 4-way as well near the top of the panel. (check out my Ms. Pacman joystick review). You can easily connect both to the i-pac4 on the SAME INPUTS! :-)

[delusional2971]

The only problem with widescreen is that the image will get distorted and not be in it's "true" format. Personally, I am building a new machine with a 22" CRT (4:3, not widescreen) in it. You can even find a 21" CRT cheap nowadays. Check your local Craigslist.

[Fyfie45g]

how did you attack the wires to the poles of the microswitches? do you just loop it through and it will stay? on yours it looks like you have soe extra things....

[delusional2971]

You can either solder them on or crimp them on using a crimper and some .187 female connectors (shown in red in the video on the end of the microswitches and wires).  I prefer crimping the ends on, since they can be easily removed if necessary.

[Fyfie45g]

thanks

[braderzbs]

Can you give me a link of where to buy the I-pac 2 in the UK?

[delusional2971]

You're in luck. The company that makes them is base in the UK. :-) They are called Ultimarc.  Take a visit to their website (just google it).

Hope this helped!

[neildaust]

your vid helped me out man, thanks =)

[delusional2971]

No problem. That's what it's here for.  :)

[GUZMANSBARBERSHOP210]

1 Question can i connect 2 wire together because i have a street fighter and i wanna put mortal kombat 3.there to different kick harness and i dont want to disconnect the street fighter kick harness.just incase i wanna play one or the other.have u seen those connectors that u can put two wires together.its slices into one and then u clip it close u think i can use one of those to do this?

[delusional2971]

You need to get a Jamma harness splitter. They go for around $50 or so online.

[delusional2971]

The I-pac is made by Ultimarc.  Just go to their website to order it.

[Adeptzed]

Excellent, excellent video. Much appreciated for starters like myself!

[vidmanx0]

Colour-coded CAT-5 = genius. I'm definitely going to use that when I do mine.

Thanks for the video.

[dirtrider92]

Ok but how did you connect the trackball? Thats the part I need help on

[delusional2971]

I used an "Electric Ice-T" by GroovyGameGear. It has a USB port on the end and is simply plug and play. To mount it you need a Trackball mounting plate which goes on top of the panel, and then you screw the trackball to the plate from underneath which "sandwiches" the wood. I flush mounted mine, which means that I route out a grove for the plate to "countersink" into. Then the overlay (blue lightning) is applied over it to cover it.

[delusional2971]

For a Happ brand mouse however, you need to buy not only the trackball, but the Optipac (Ultimarc) as well. The Happ requires a mounting plate, but there is a fantastic product that just came out (by Ultimarc as well). That mounts from underneath without the need for a mounting plate. You simply cut a hole big enough for the ball and then mount it from underneath. They you can plug it into the Optipac or the more recently introduced USB interface adaptor. Plug and play.

[dirtrider92]

Yeah i am buying the Ultimarc (because of the price difference), but it says without wires. If the trackball has no wires how do you wire it?

[delusional2971]

Usually the trackballs have some sort of wiring on them. The interface for the PC may not be there but it has some sort of wiring. The Opti-pac would be the interface that the wiring on the trackball plugs into.

[Arm12342342423]

Well done Jason ;-)

[fatbambam]

Hi Jason,

I'm starting on my own arcade my self.

Thanks to your video's i understand much more about making an arcade.

Thanks for the vids.

If i have some questions during the building progress i'll pm you.

ps: Do you have some tutorials of tips for me.?

Grtz Bam

From Belgium

[Mikey1322]

Awesome video! You really broke it down step by step. I used an x-arcade controller but I think i'll use the i-pac 4 player and upgrade to a 4 player control panel. Wasn't sure how many buttons to put on the 3 and 4 player, suggestions? Do you only need 4 buttons for each? Killer lightning design.

[delusional2971]

I've never seen any MAME games that needed more than 4 buttons for player 3 & 4. So 4 is fine.

[adidas1984x]

thanks for this awesome video

[teamgod]

This video is great. The only thing I was worried about (first timer here) was the way the grounding works. The daisy chain method seems pretty easy. Where does the grounding start exactly? On the first button?

Another question - does the ipac have a ground for the joysticks as well or is everything (buttons and joys) connected to the same ground?

[delusional2971]

The grounding can start anywhere you want. I started on one side of the panel and worked my way through to the other end.

The ipac and joys can be connected to the same ground. :-)

The iPac has 2 ground inputs, in case you decide to daisy chain half of the panel to each one. Either way it does not matter how many or how few you connect, since they are all ground.

[delusional2971]

I've followed up with a "how to ground" video. You can click on it above (reponse video section). Enjoy!