I finally got some quality time with my cab, so here's a quick review of Ram Controls USB Interface:
Whats Included:The interface consists of the circuit board, a USB cable, and a surprise to me; a header cable that connects the yoke to the interface. I am assuming it was included for reliability as you don't want to be plugging and unplugging the yoke directly to the board as eventually it will break the solder joints for the socket. Not that they are really necessary, but no instructions were included with the unit. Perhaps a pamphlet showing connection and configuration would be nice, but it's really not needed.
Here's what comes in the box:
ConnectionConnecting the interface is a snap; plug in the yoke to the header cable, then plug that into the pcb. The socket on the interface is keyed so you cannot plug the yoke directly into it - you
must use the header cable. Finally, connect the pcb to your computer with the included USB a-b cable. Windows detects the device automatically, and reports it as USB Yoke 1.0. Checking the properties shows an X/Y axis and four buttons. The buttons seem oddly mapped to me, perhaps Dave can shed some light on this, but here's how they are wired:
Left Trigger - Button 1
Right Trigger - Button 4
Left Thumb - Button 3
Right Thumb - Button 2
It reminds me of old school Com ports (1,3 & 2,4)...
In the Test box, movement is smooth and precise. On my machine the crosshairs were dead center; no calibration was necessary.
MameOK, so everything's hooked up - let's play! Mame configuration is just as easy as connecting the interface. Make sure to have joysticks enabled in Mame. Edit your mame.ini file and put a 1 for Joystick under the Core Input Options. Fire up a game and play! Your default settings should allow the yoke to just work. However, it if doesn't, then just hit Tab and map the controls how you would like. You will most likely have to dial in the sensitivity setting as well. I haven't quite gotten it to where I like it, but I'm working on that. Since I don't have my permanent control panel all set yet, I'll hold off on that part until it's built. And don't think this is just for Star Wars - this should also be good for some driving games as well. I fired up a quick game of Pole Position which is a 360 degree game, but it was quite playable after turning down the analog sensitivity. I haven't tested any analog driving games yet, but hopefully someone else can do that and report back.
ConclusionThis is truly a plug and play solution for the Star Wars yoke. Most likely the only configuration change you will have to make is on the Mame side; enable joysticks and dial in the analog sensitivity to your liking. As far as the hardware is concerned, there is nothing to do but bolt it to a control panel and plug it in. It doesn't get any simpler. One added extra that would have been nice would be to include mounting feet for the pcb (with the correct screws) and a quick install pamphlet for the novice, to round out the package. Otherwise another "win" for Ram Controls!
Once more I'd like to thank Dave for undertaking the whole Star Wars yoke project; I'm pretty positive you'll never turn a profit on this, but I hope I'm wrong as this level of dedication to the arcade hobby should be rewarded. Great work Dave!
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