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Merl's Mame Arcade Machine
Control Panel
Yes it took forever to drill out all those holes. I used a forster bit which seemed to stay sharp throughout the whole process.
First I laminated the sides so that cleanest edge would be on top, right now I am really starting to like the finish of the laminate.
The picture below was a happy day for me. After I installed the first few buttons and joysticks, even my wife was impressed. (Not an easy task). I started thinking.... this thing looks great but will it actually work? Next step wiring!
What a process! I ran all the common (ground) wires first. I used female terminal ends and took the time to crimp each end a little tighter, just to be sure. I daisy chained them all together, and have a ground connection at each end (start and finish) to avoid mass failure. The positive wires I connect to one side of the barrier strip. Next I carefully stripped and separated the wires in the ribbon cable, and attached them to the opposite side of the barrier strips. (Except for the ground I used random order, I figured I would just reprogram the input assignments in Mame). I plugged this thing into my computer and booted up. I first tested it in WordPerfect. As I hit a button, a letter actually types! Now I change plans and attempt to reprogram the assignments in the KE-72. First problem, configure utility keeps giving an error message. Found out you can't address the second set of 36 inputs unless you have a ribbon cable connected. Resolving this gets it working sporadically. Second problem, don't choose capital letters. (This involves using the shift and letter key which caused my sporadic response.) Tried playing "10 yard fight" worked like a charm! The next day I showed my two daughters and they didn't leave the control panel, precariously dangling from a TV tray, until dinner. I am a hero!
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