The control panel...

Now; the controversial part; everybody has an opinion on what a control panel should look like, and how it should be spaced, the placement of the buttons / joysticks, whether there should be a trackball, or whether it should be joystick only... Well, these are the decisions I made and why:

1. I like the Sanwa joysticks, so the plates are a different shape to the standard, but they will be much nicer when they're in.

2. I like HAPP buttons best; to be precise the competition buttons that can be mounted in anything up to 28mm (I'm using 18mm MDF for my control panel so the deep fit is important, as SANWA and Seimetsu buttons only allow shallow fit, meaning either much more routing, or a metal control panel).

3. I much prefer the natural feeling of the Sega layout for buttons, so after much trial and error, I've created a Sega layout.

4. I wanted a trackball, and on impulse, I purchased one, so I felt the need to use it, and it also doubles as a mouse, which is important for a MAME machine, so without further ado; here it is, the MD Control Panel Mk. 1: