This is the Control Panel for IM Berzerk.  There are quite a few things to consider when designing you Control Panel.  My main concern was the configuration of the buttons to mimic the more 'Classic' arcade games like Galaxian, Robotron, Front Line, Tempest and such.  Many folks out there use the standard Street Fighter setup, but that was not good for what I had in mind.  The very few simultaneous two-player games that I own fit the configuration I designed.  I also took into account ergonomics.  This aspect was considered for Space Invaders, and Asteroids.  The center configuration of buttons show Asteroids, Defender, Stargate, and Space Invaders.  I left plenty of room to rest the player's wrists on as they were in the original cabinets.

In a brief synopsis:  the six 'P's' apply here: Proper Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance.

Panel construction was pretty straight forward.  However, planning took a very long time.  It is critical that you think and rethink the configuration of the Panel as it will effect how you play certain games.  Most late 70's and early 80's games used very simple joystick/button configurations.  Most were one button, one joystick set-ups.  Games like Donkey Kong, Frogger, Pac-Man (incl Ms. Pac-man), Kangaroo, and the rest were just 1 joystick and a fire button.  The games that came out later on were far more complicated with controls and should be considered.  My goal was to make a MAME unit that played mostly Classic stuff so I had it easy when it came to the Control Panel.  My only problem was the size restriction on the panel.  Berzek was 26" wide, but the panel was only 24".  Due to the design of the cabinet, I was slightly restricted, but with real good planning, I overcame that.

 I  used templates available on the internet, which helped button spacing and placement tremendously.  I used the standard Happ Buttons which are 1 1/8" in diameter so a hole saw was used.

1. Choice of Wood, Steel or Fiber Board
Originally, Frenzy came with a fiber board core with a steel plate used for mounting the controls.  It was crude and not accommodating to a new panel layout, so out it went.  I decided on the cheapest and easiest way was to use 3/4" plywood available at any Home Depot, Lowes or lumber yard.  I used a medium grade as the real cheap grade was terrible.  Keep in mind that you will have to use a router on this project and the grade is important, especially when that router bit hits it.  

2. Planning the Layout
Again, I created my layout on graph paper, mind you I wasn't as exact as some guys out there.  I had some room to play with and no one really notices if your an 1/8 of an inch off here and there.  I printer the templates for the Joystick base and several buttons, then played a little cut and paste on the graph paper.  When I was happy with the layout, I simply taped the graph paper template on to my 3/4" plywood panel and punched reference holes with a Philips-head screwdriver.  I drilled pilot holes and then prepared for the hole drilling.

3. Cutting and Drilling

Panel with Plexi-glass covering

*** Important ***
OK, here's where I screwed up.  Originally I used a sheet of Plexi-glass.  BIG MISTAKE!!!  I learned the hard way.  I scored it, and cut it to size, then used it as the cover for the Panel.  What I did to make things faster and easier was to sandwich the Plexi-glass in-between the usable panel and another sheet of spare plywood.  I drilled into the Panel sheet and cut straight through the plexi-glass at the same time.  This was great and worked liked a charm.  However... plexi-glass sucks.  Twice I burned the plywood from the heat generated by cutting through the plexi-glass. The smell in my basement was horrific if not heavily toxic.  And the end result was less than desirable as the plexi-glass was melted around the holes and jagged on the end that I 'cut'.