Question] Some basic questions for my setup?

teve

Hello,

I am currently in the planning stages of building a retro-pie machine and have a couple of questions.

What is a good joystick and buttons set to purchase? I don't need LED. Is this a good one? https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Player-USB-Mame-Arcade-Kit-w-2-Joysticks-4-8-way-16-HAPP-Push-Buttons-60-in-1/221973824045

Do I need a Joystick set with a Zero Delay or XIN MO USB Encoder?

Are EasyJet or Dash Hop good companies? https://www.amazon.com/Easyget-Encoder-Joystick-Illuminated-Buttons/dp/B00WAY9848

I see some encoders have a turbo, mode, clr and auto plugs? Should I get additional buttons for these functions? I want to get the maximum out of this system.

How do I wire "flippers" for pinball games? Can I?

Any recommendation for speakers with volume control? The wood I am using is thick, if it matters.

I want to get close to authentic/long lasting buttons and joystick if possible. Thanks again

Also, if anyone knows of a CNC person in DC, Maryland or Virgina. Please PM me their info.

Thanks again

Lurker

Welcome to the build blows annoying party horn

First warning slash advice. There is no hands down "best" equipment. If there was I think we would all just use that. There is a lot and I mean a lot of personal preference, attributes and specific nostalgia feel that go into builds that makes a lot of different answers all equally valid.

It is the little things that may effect your build that can sway your decision one way or another.

The ebay button set you posted. for example. These button have a long thread length to them which is good if your deck material is going to be thick (ie 3/4' MDF) but if your deck material is thin (Ie 1/4' metal or acrylic) and you want a low profile the extra space + the switch attached to the bottom can get in the way. The Easy Get button on the Amazon listing has the switch built into the button and thus saves space. The trade of here is if a switch fails you trade the whole button out. Then there are the "snap buttons" that require a thickness no more than 1/4" to clip in properly.

Some people say concave is the way to go and some people like convex etc. etc. etc.

Search around here a bit and there are some informative and extensive threads on the subtle differences in buttons and joysticks. Its a learning experience for sure.

Should I add the turbo buttons? Do you use them? Do you think you would use them? Personally I don't but I might which is what rebuilds are for. I would recommend you make a cardboard controller deck and test out one or more layouts and see if you like the turbo button or not.

I have used the Easyget zerodelay encoder with no real issues and I like them fine. The Xin Mo particularly the XM-08 does have a limitation of exactly enough buttons for a full game pad and if you have a full set (often people leave of the trigger L and R buttons) and want to add say a side button for independent hot button you have to sacrifice something for it. But as you can see if you don't want that then why worry that it is not there.

Which leads me to the flippers. Adding Flippers is easy in a sense. Pick two buttons and move them to either side of your cabinet. The buttons don't care where they are. BUUUUTTTTT If you want to keep things straight forward and simple you will want to use buttons that you do not use a lot in other games. The buttons you assign for A and B for example would not be the best choice unless you like playing most of your other games wildly reaching to slap the side of the cabinet. That or having to remap everything else to accommodate.

A lot of people will take those aforementioned rarely used trigger button slots and make them the Left and Right triggers and then assign those to the L&R flippers in the pinball games. This is often the way to go as a lot of pinball games default assigned the dpad as left flipper being the left most button on a gamepad.

Yet another set up option is to duplicate a button on the side by wiring two buttons to the same slot and thus the L trigger is both on the deck and side of the cabinet.

As you will find there are multiple solutions for various options you might want. Think up what you want and post it and we will flood you with ways to make it happen.

Speakers...
If you mount the speaker inside the cabinet you will want to drill a bunch of holes to let the sound pass through. You could flush mount the speaker So the face of it sits even will the cabinet wood and there is no cover. I think volume control is good to have and it is no difficult to dissemble a cheap powered speaker and extend the wires for volume to put the knob where you want it.

Non powered speakers will work but also have limitations. Cheap $10 computer speakers also work fine most of the time. Independent car amps are also not to expensive. The wood of your cabinet only matters if you end up creating a sound chamber. Then everything will get louder and a bit more echo-y, but to do this you would need to make your cabinet out of solid hardwood or something and make a sound box like a guitar or piano. MDF by the way it is made is a natural non reverberating material.

Now that I have given you no real answers in the "you should get A over B" category I'm off to frustrate my wife with facts about various methods to prepare food when she really just wants to know if I wanted pizza for dinner.

Indesisive Man Away!

Clyde

@teve Some additions to @Lurker 's comprehensive post:

This video explains the majority of arcade joysticks on the market.

A extremely detailed website about joysticks and button layouts is slagcoin.com. Its creator approaches the topic with almost scientific commitment.

Another thing about the buttons you're considering: They have microswitches that make rather noisy clicks every time they're pressed and released. If you don't like that (I don't), you should look for leaf switches which are somewhat less durable but nearly inaudible. Alternatively, there are "silent" microswitches that are promoted as (nearly) noiseless, but they are more expensive and I don't have any experience with them.

The choice of speakers depends on your quality standards. I didn't like the sound of cheap speakers. Now I'm happy with wideband speakers for 30€ each. See my Asteroids-themed cabinet for a picture of them where you can see their brand and model.