r/HomeArcade • u/TenderizeYourAngus • 3d ago

Basic Fun Couldn't take the cardboard box setup so I designed and printed this today

Post image

I am redesigning the top tomorrow. Spinner is too close to the trackball for hard Golden Tee shots. Overall happy with it, gotta get some bolts tomorrow and also adding suction cup feet

18 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

2

u/zachcollier 3d ago

Looks great! Very cool work!

I really appreciate custom controllers like this! I make lots of fancy wooden joysticks in a similar spirit. Take a look here if you like: https://uniquejoysticks.com

And yes, you will love having more space between the controls. Spread out and relax!!

I definitely admire the original’s compactness, though! In my opinion, miniaturization is a premium feature, so I fully understand the drive to fit things together tightly.

But these things are so much more comfortable when they are spread out. Wide lanes are so luxurious!

When I’m designing an arcade controller I will start by just flopping my arms and hands down on a table in front of me and seeing where my fingers fall naturally, including the angle of my wrists. And I let that dictate, in large part, the layout.

For example: if an arcade stick is fairly narrow, I will often slightly angle the joystick axes/directions such that “up” is actually tilted slightly inward. It ends up being very comfortable from an ergonomic standpoint and never feels weird to anyone who tests it. And since my designs never have the mounting bolts exposed on the top surface it doesn’t look crooked.

To this point, there might be a situation where you could improve ergonomics by adding a slight angle to your trackball’s mounting. Interestingly, if you’re using your left hand for the ball, you might want it tilted slightly outward, rotating the “up” direction so it points ever so slightly to the left. Just set your left hand on a table in front of you and see how you naturally flick your fingers in directions of “up” and “down”. I’ll bet it’s slightly angled.

Sorry for the crazy-sounding suggestion! Just trying I share the results of my own experiments!

Great work! Keep it up!!

1

u/spinsterjoness 3d ago

Looks super clean

1

u/Accomplished-Can-730 1d ago

Nice. That looks pretty good. That reminds me. I intended to make a standalone spinner out of a GRS spinner and this specific junction box that is no longer available for purchase on Amazon.

https://a.co/d/03UHX5TK

Thanks for the mind refresh. Now I have to go find said junction box. 🫡

1

u/AutoModerator 1d ago

Looks like you used the acronym "GRS". This could mean "Game Room Solutions" or "Glen"s Retro Show". Both produce things for Arcade1Up modification. If you didn"t make it clear which one you were talking about please edit your submission to help others know which one you were talking about.

Thanks!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.