MPU_FIVE Posted January 24, 2022 Report Share Posted January 24, 2022 Hi Fruity fans! I have been wanting to make a MFME Keyboard for ages, and finally ordered the parts, but still need : a USB hub 3 red round 40mm buttons (out of stock at arcade world at the mo) the wooden case to put it all into I decided i will stick with 16 buttons as that's the max one PacDrive can handle I drew a rough idea of how i want the keyboard to look, and how the buttons will be presented, i think they will cover the majority of machine layouts anyway. I went for 3 shapes of button, 8 round buttons on the bottom row, 4 triangle buttons for double hi-lo machines such as Gridrunner 4 square buttons for feature/cash/nudge/knockout stacks My brother is good at D.I.Y so will get him to help me build a wooden case for it, he's talking about using 6mm ply with a vinyl wrap... tho i'm tempted to use planed timber, but we'll see. This will be a while before it gets completed anyway but hopefully be back in the near future to show you all the finished product! - wish me luck - i will need it! Below is some pictures of : the parts, my computer setup where the keyboard will live, a cardboard mock-up just to see how far apart holes will need to be and get a feel of what it could look like, my keyboard design idea I could'nt believe how small the PacDrive was... it's diddy! It looks way bigger in picture i've seen in other peoples posts! ... and that little triangle button looks so cute! Hopefully all will go well and i won't blow up the PacDrive or I-Pac 2 Anyway... Wish me luck! Cheers all Gary. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsy Posted January 24, 2022 Report Share Posted January 24, 2022 Wicked!! Must admit I’m getting jealous seeing all these builds!!! I’m going to pm you in a bit and I will follow along if that’s ok 1 living the dream Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPU_FIVE Posted January 24, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2022 Just now, woodsy said: Wicked!! Must admit I’m getting jealous seeing all these builds!!! I’m going to pm you in a bit and I will follow along if that’s ok You can if you like matey... I will be heavily using the MFME Keyboard tutorial that @Reg made, as i am crap at most things, but want to make this so badly that i just thought "F**k it, just do it!" What will be, will be! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsy Posted January 24, 2022 Report Share Posted January 24, 2022 Yeah awesome, if you don’t mind can you pm me your shopping list and so on please, that way I can start getting items as and when possible etc living the dream Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cja272 Posted January 24, 2022 Report Share Posted January 24, 2022 2 hours ago, MPU_FIVE said: You can if you like matey... I will be heavily using the MFME Keyboard tutorial that @Reg made, as i am crap at most things, but want to make this so badly that i just thought "F**k it, just do it!" What will be, will be! I made my keyboard from Reg tutorial the other year if you follow it you should be fine it makes such a difference to have proper buttons which also light up 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reg Posted January 24, 2022 Report Share Posted January 24, 2022 3 hours ago, MPU_FIVE said: You can if you like matey... I will be heavily using the MFME Keyboard tutorial that @Reg made, as i am crap at most things, but want to make this so badly that i just thought "F**k it, just do it!" What will be, will be! ...this is how it begins... ...first MFME on a PC... ...then MFME with your custom keyboard... ...then MFME in a cabinet with your hoppers and coinmech... ...then... 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPU_FIVE Posted January 24, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2022 This was the shopping list... I ordered 3 red low profile buttons as high profile was out of stock and i'm inpatient... i'll order high profile when they are in stock again whenever that will be.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPU_FIVE Posted January 24, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2022 22 minutes ago, Reg said: ...this is how it begins... ...first MFME on a PC... ...then MFME with your custom keyboard... ...then MFME in a cabinet with your hoppers and coinmech... ...then... ....then... Arcade Simulator in the Metaverse on the Occulus Quest 2??? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jabbathehut Posted January 24, 2022 Report Share Posted January 24, 2022 looking forward to seeing what you do.I also made an mfme keyboard back in the day despite having no prior knowledge and help from Reg.Managed to do it for around £100. However it still sits in the original cardboard box which makes it a bit flimsy.I have been on the lookout for a more solid solution that doesn't involve drills and measuring but have yet to find. I don't have the space to move up to a cabinet otherwise i would be there for sure got enough grief and ridicule for this as it was. Love the flashing lights esp when it flashes quicker for holds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reg Posted January 25, 2022 Report Share Posted January 25, 2022 1 hour ago, jabbathehut said: Love the flashing lights esp when it flashes quicker for holds. It's also the button presses - on the keyboard I made I always felt there was something magical when you were pushing the buttons to control the machines. The first classic I think I tried was Dennis the Meance and it was just brilliant to use this way. The first DX I tried was Bank Job - that's when the journey began. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amusements Posted January 25, 2022 Report Share Posted January 25, 2022 8 hours ago, MPU_FIVE said: I decided i will stick with 16 buttons as that's the max one PacDrive can handle Don't forget that you need output 15 and 16 if you are adding hoppers, unless you add another Pacdrive ID#2. You can still more buttons to the IPac , they just wont all light up. For example, I added extra buttons to the back of my button box for some shortcuts for Full Screen, Random Game, Escape , and Volume +/-, which do not light up. I use 14 main buttons on my cab, and some of them get used twice on layouts with tons of buttons. 1 Treat every day like your last, because one day it will be! Fruit Machine <<<My new project! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPU_FIVE Posted January 26, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2022 On 25/01/2022 at 01:40, Amusements said: Don't forget that you need output 15 and 16 if you are adding hoppers, unless you add another Pacdrive ID#2. You can still more buttons to the IPac , they just wont all light up. For example, I added extra buttons to the back of my button box for some shortcuts for Full Screen, Random Game, Escape , and Volume +/-, which do not light up. I use 14 main buttons on my cab, and some of them get used twice on layouts with tons of buttons. @Amusements I'm not going to be using hoppers at all for this... if i ever build a cabinet, that will be when i get hoppers, so all 16 buttons are going to be lit, and i decided to put an unlit 17th button on the side for £1 input. Cheers, Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPU_FIVE Posted January 26, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2022 Prototype Keyboard box: Last night i spent waaaaayyyy too long messing around with a large sheet of cardboard, that i legitly liberated from work (it's a sheet of card off a pallet of Pringles crisps no less!) and is just what i wanted to use to make a rough model of what i would like the finished wooden box to be like. I found that i'd need the box to be 17in wide so i can comfortably place 8 round buttons on the bottom row. I don't really want it to be very tall so went with 10cm high, 30cm deep, and raised the front of the box to 5.5cm before the slanted panel for the buttons begins - this is to give room for the backs of the buttons which poke unseen inside the box. Panel is 18cm and a 12cm flat top are the total dimensions. I made some sides and a support tube to give it some strength at the back. I was going to glue them together but taped them in the end as it was getting late and also sides are not quite right (size wise) and need some adjustment. After putting 25mm holes in with a slightly blunt stanley knife, (my thumb sure got sore pushing the blade into the card - it's tough alright!) as well as scoring the edge flaps of the edge panels, it was time to put it together, and I ended up with what looks like a cardboard BBC model B computer! Tried the buttons for size, and then realised to my horror that i'd put the holes for the triangle keys the wrong side to what my design was! Oh well, this is only a mock up for me and my brother to create a wooden case from anyway! Took pictures at different stages as it took shape, i would like the final wooden box to somehow open in case i need to do maintenance to anything inside, so thinking a hinge so i can lift the control panel up (a bit like opening the front of a Barcrest MPU5 machine lol) So, yeah - bit naff really ain't it! lol... I have a question to those in the know... 1) Should I introduce the PacDrive and I-Pac2 to my computer before i wire anything to them? That's all for now anyway - Cheers, Gary. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsy Posted January 26, 2022 Report Share Posted January 26, 2022 awesome, the pictures for progress are totally up my street, i've read the instructions time and time again but when the pictures come with it, my 2nd hand brain starts to learn a bit better.. i didn't think about just having a keyboard without a full blown cabinet set up etc. and my idea for a keyboard before dif was cocktail stcks and blue tack sitting above the keyboard haha 1 living the dream Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jabbathehut Posted January 26, 2022 Report Share Posted January 26, 2022 Looks good you will need to be able to open the box easily when you wire it up and there js the odd loose connection and it will get a bit messy wiring up 16 button to the pac drive.You get a good idea from regs one what the wiring could look like 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPU_FIVE Posted January 29, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2022 Small update, Postman Pat delivered the low profile red buttons, I think i won't need to get high profile ones as they have a spacer which makes em as chunky as the high profile buttons, they all look pretty much same heightwise - i like them! I also treated myself to a Starpoint button simply because it added an extra splash of colour as it is orange! (at £5.40 a bit pricey, but it was only the one so sod it!) https://www.arcadeworlduk.com/products/Starpoint-44mm-Illuminated-Arcade-Button.html I love the way the coloured buttons all look now they are all here. The spare yellow button will be the 17th button (so will be unlit) and will go on the side of the case and will be the £1 coin input button. Think i may have to make the front panel slant a bit steeper and/or make the front step higher by a cm or two as looking at a button complete with microswitch makes it almost touch the bottom and that could be fiddly as f**k when putting the wires in and/or any future maintenance - tho I would imagine once it's built it should stand the test of time... it better had anyway! Next thing to do is do some woodwork with my brother - I am tempted to see how much it would cost to have a plastic case made tho, there is a company in my area that makes displays for shops and businesses out of Acrylic and they do custom designs but no idea how much that is... i'm poor so have a very low budget but might chuck em an email and see what they say - I mean if it was awesome enough they may find a fair few peeps from here would be grabbing one off em too and they'd be quids in! - anyway I'm waffling! - Here's some pics... Till next time! Gary. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPU_FIVE Posted January 30, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2022 Well, what a day today was! Visited my brother and his family, with a box of buttons and my cardboard prototype keyboard with me, and he done me flippin' proud so he did! He began to put together a wooden replica, while i was chatting to my nieces and his wife... I felt a right lazy so n so! The intention was to at least help him build it - in the end he did it all himself while i was chatting, bless him! Although admittedly i am crap at anything involving tools - he's definately the handyman of the family! It's not finished yet but i love what he's done so far! It's even going to have either vinyl wrap on it or paint.. he has loads of different finishes including chrome paint - i rather liked the look of the plain white vinyl i saw there, and he even said i could have lettering put on it and the like... i thought it would be amazing if he could put the MFME logo on it and maybe the little yoda pic like Clo puts on her layouts with "in memory of Chris Wren 1965 - 2020" - I'll ask him and see if he can when i see him next. Below are pics of where i want the 17th button (£1 coin entry) on the cardboard prototype and a few early stages pics of my brother's handywork as it currently stands. I'm well happy! The day of doing the wiring (the bit i dread the most is drawing nearer!) tho as long as i follow Reg's MFME Keyboard guide to the letter, i hopefully will be wondering what the worry was all about! Anyway - to the pics!! -----> Gary 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPU_FIVE Posted January 30, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2022 ....forgot to say, the bottom will be screwed on so if i ever need to access the inside to change an LED or a loose wire, my chunky hands will have an easy time getting to all the bits inside... my brother also said he will add a small bit of wood inside the top of the box so i can mount the I-Pac2 and PacDrive to that... should be cool! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsy Posted January 30, 2022 Report Share Posted January 30, 2022 Loving it!!! 1 living the dream Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jabbathehut Posted January 30, 2022 Report Share Posted January 30, 2022 That is fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPU_FIVE Posted February 10, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2022 So while the wooden box is still in my brothers capable hands, I have been thinking about the wiring of the buttons. I will need to take one spare 6.3mm crimp and add it onto the 4.8mm daisy chain harness as the Orange Starpoint button's microswitch uses 6.3mm connectors vs all the other microswitches being 4.8mm After looking at Reg's tutorial and viewing bits n bobs on YouTube about IPacs and PacDrives, I have drawn 2 diagrams to show how i will be wiring the buttons - 1 for the I-Pac2 and the other for the PacDrive. The 17th button will be on the side of the keyboard and used for £1 input, and so will not be lit, just the other 16 main buttons. I think it's all correct, but can any of you guys tagged below just check my diagrams, to give me the nod that i won't be blowing up my I-Pac / PacDrive please. Thanks in advance. @No1Stoney@Reg@WibbleWobble@uptown47@Amusements@cja272 Here's the 2 wiring diagrams: 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reg Posted February 10, 2022 Report Share Posted February 10, 2022 From a drawing POV I can't see anything wrong with it - that looks good to me. The only thing I can't remember is the microswitch conenctors - what goes where - but I think I cover that in my keyboard guide. Also for them it probably does not make a difference what way around it is. I'd happily wire up again the diagram here. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No1Stoney Posted February 10, 2022 Report Share Posted February 10, 2022 Yes, all correct. It doesn't matter what way round the microswitch wires go as the button press just completes the circuit back to the ipac 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPU_FIVE Posted February 10, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2022 53 minutes ago, Reg said: From a drawing POV I can't see anything wrong with it - that looks good to me. The only thing I can't remember is the microswitch conenctors - what goes where - but I think I cover that in my keyboard guide. Also for them it probably does not make a difference what way around it is. I'd happily wire up again the diagram here. 19 minutes ago, No1Stoney said: Yes, all correct. It doesn't matter what way round the microswitch wires go as the button press just completes the circuit back to the ipac Ahhh, brilliant, lads... thanks for your feedback - much appreciated. :) - I am relieved that I actually seem to know what i'm doing - (for once in my life! ) Thanks all, Gary 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsy Posted February 10, 2022 Report Share Posted February 10, 2022 Thanks for your pictures and sharing your experiences, it’s really helpful and motivating. 1 living the dream Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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