After getting quite a bit done in my basement, I decided it was time for a short break so I could upgrade my MAME controller. I wanted to try some of the games that required more buttons (like Vangaurd), and especially some two-joystick games (like Robotron and SmashTV).
I found a template for use with Microsoft Visio which allowed me to lay out my new design on the computer. You can download the Viso file here. Then, once I had everything the way I wanted it, I could print it out and tape it to the plywood.
This worked out great because it took me awhile to decide how to lay out the buttons. I wanted the "diamond" pattern used in Vangaurd (like the four left-most buttons). But I also wanted the bottom two buttons somewhat isolated and easier to reach. This was because 90% of all MAME games that I play only use two buttons.
With all the 1 1/8th inch holes drilled, I was ready for assembly. So I proceeded to take the parts from the first Prototype, and re-assembled them in the new one. That was easy enough. Next came the wiring.
The wiring became pretty tedious. It's not so bad wiring the single lines from each switch to the keyboard encoder, but wiring the common lines are a pain. The problem is that it's tough to get two wires into the solderless connector that clips to the switch. When I finally get around to wiring the real thing, I'm going to try to use some kind of "bus" to run single Common lines to, rather than having to "daisy-chain" the lines the way I did here.
