Installing additional arcade pushbuttons into your current arcade
cabinet can be easier than you might think. There are a lot of older
arcade game cabinets around that have become nice additions into
arcade fans basements, garages, and game rooms. Most of the older
cabinets however only have a standard two-player setup with only a
single joystick controller and 2 or 3 push buttons per player.
Unless the game cabinet is a dedicated setup to one of the famous
top 100 games of all time; Pac-Man, Asteroids, Galaxian, and so on,
the arcade game player will usually want to upgrade their existing
cabinet to another game or even turning the cabinet into a MAME™
computer controlled system. One of the most common games that the
avid player wants to upgrade their cabinet game to is one of the
90's 6-button fighter games. Street Fighter 2, Mortal Kombat, Killer
Instinct, and all similar games use the standard JAMMA 3 button
setup plus the additional JAMMA+ buttons. Games like these would
require the installation of additional push buttons into the
cabinets control panel.
Installing a new button into the control panel.
Tools Required:
Drill
Hole saw cutter 1-3/16" in size (*)
Protective eyewear
(*)Hole saw type could either be a woodcutter or bi-metal cutter. A
bi-metal cutting hole saw has better cutting performance and costs a
few more dollars but would be required if your cabinets control
panel is metal.
Parts Required:
Arcade Pushbutton w/ micro-switch
Items recommended but may not be required:
Arcade Pushbutton nut wrench/socket (Makes it easier to tighten the
nut around the pushbutton.)
Soldering Iron (Soldering the ground loop over to your new buttons.)
Sandpaper (Smooth out the edges of the drilled holes if needed for
neater appearance and easier button install.)
Paper dust mask
Step 1: Planning the install.
Plan your layout / pushbutton placement on the control panel. You
can check out one of these two sample layout templates for ideas, or
use the pushbutton layouts themselves. Make sure that your new
buttons are not spaced to far apart or in awkward positions.
Likewise, ensure that you hole placements will not be too close
which can cause problems when installing the buttons. Minimum
spacing between each button should be at least 2.5" measured from
the center of each pushbutton placement.
SAMPLE LAYOUT 1: CAPCOM 6 Button Fighter Style Layout
SAMPLE LAYOUT 2: JAPANESE Curved 6 Button Style Layout
SAMPLE LAYOUT 3: Basic CAPCOM 6 Joystick & Button Layout
If you would like to use any of the above samples, just make sure
that you print out the graphic to scale so it is accurate. They can
be clicked on and downloaded from the original article list on
JammaBoards.com (
http://www.jammaboards.com/jcenter_installing_pushbuttons.html)
Step 2: Drilling into the panel.
** For Step 2, be sure to wear the protective eyewear / goggles to
avoid getting debris from hitting your eye and causing possible
injury.
Using the drill with the hole saw cutter attached begin drilling. Be
sure to drill straight down, or at a 90-degree right angle from the
control panel surface.
TIP: It may be a good idea to practice using the hole saw on
a piece of scrap board or metal to get the feel of how the hole saw
will cut before making a permanent hole in your control panel.
Once the first hole is drilled out, give it a good visual
inspection. If needed, use some sandpaper to smooth out any rough
edges around the inside/outer edges of the newly drilled hole.
Continue drilling out the remaining holes and inspecting them as you
go along.
Step 3: Installing / Assembling the pushbutton.
Install the pushbutton but inserting it through the top of the hole
in the control panel. Once inserted, screw on the pushbutton nut
that was included with the pushbutton. While each pushbutton is
still slightly loose and can rotate, it is a good idea to make sure
that the micro-switch direction faces all in the same direction as
the buttons you already have installed. Not only will this give a
much better looking appearance when viewing the underside of the
control panel, but it will also make it visually easier when
attaching the wires to the micro-switch leafs. Now tighten the nuts
for each pushbutton and if you have one, use a pushbutton wrench to
tighten the nut.
Next install the micro-switch into the bottom of the pushbutton.
Depending upon which type of pushbutton you have installed,
carefully insert/install the micro-switch.
Step 4: Wiring the Pushbutton micro-switch.
One side of the micro-switch must be connected to the ground loop
already going around the control panel. All games use the ground
voltage level as the trigger when the pushbutton is depressed.
The easiest and most common way to connect the micro-switches into
the ground loop is by directly soldering black wire from one
micro-switch to another. Using the other micro-switches already
located in the arcade cabinet control panel as a reference, connect
the ground loop the same way to your new pushbutton micro-switches.
For the other micro-switch leaf connection, connect up JAMMA+
harness (Street Fighter II Kick Harness, Mortal Kombat Low
Punch/Kick Button Harness, etc...whatever arcade game board you are
planning to use with the extra buttons that were just installed. If
you have installed the ground loop over from the original
pushbuttons, then you do not need to connect to ground coming from
the JAMMA+ harness if provided.
This article can found in it's full html listing format at JammaBoards.com (
http://www.jammaboards.com/jcenter_installing_pushbuttons.html)
About the Author
Tim Hensel is the owner and operator of JammaBoards.com (URL:
http://www.jammaboards.com/).
