Got my cab, what do I need now?

[pointdablame]

Ok, I got my 2 cabs delivered and now I'm just trying to figure out what exactly is the best way to go about setting it up. *side note: I'll try to get pics for you guys tomorrow or sunday but I work both days so no promises*

I'm gonna build a new CP box for my Xmen cab with a 2 player setup w/ 7 buttons, 4 way, trackball + 2 mouse buttons, spinner, and your admin/player/coin/etc buttons.

Xmen is a JAMMA cab so what do I need to interface all this to my computer. I know I need an Ipac for the controls, and an Opti-pac for the TB/spinner correct? or could I use the Jpac instead of the Ipac? or do I need both?  This is where I get confused since I am unsure what each is used for specifically.

Also, I'm using Ultimarc's products as an example cuz I know the most about them, but I'd like my other options to remain open. What would I need from Oscar that could take the place of any of those parts? Or from hagstrom?  I've decided not to go the mouse/keyboard hack on my first cab, but what other commercial options are there.

Thanks for all the help guys, I wouldn't have even gotten to this point w/out BYOAC.

[hooded_paladin]

I might have some of this wrong, but the J-Pac will hook up a jamma setup to a comp, so the JAMMA controls input as a keyboard and the VGA output from the computer video card gets run back into the JAMMA and thus shows on the arcade monitor.
If you remake the control panel, you can hook up the controls IF they use the same or lower # of inputs.  As I count it, 2 players w/ joystick + 7 buttons, 1 start, 1 coin each, and a 4-way, is 30 inputs.  Subtract 4 if you daisychain the 4-way to one of the 8 ways.  Add 2 if your method of connecting the mouse doesn't have buttons (I DON'T think the optipac supports mouse buttons)  , but you don't have to if you daisy chain them.  Then add your admin buttons.

If it's an X-men 4 player cabinet, I think it has 36  button inputs :  4 players with joystick, 3 buttons, start and coin each.  If you've got this, you definitely have enough button inputs to support 4 admin buttons.  Daisy chain either the 4-way or the mouse buttons to gain more.  If you do this, you can use a J-pac and leave out the I-pac, but it will take some button-location-reprogramming of the J-pac cuz the controls are a bit scrambled  (ie, you've got 2 player and admin buttons spread out among a 4 player X-men layout, so they may go to unexpected keyboard keys till you reprogram the J-pac)  You COULD still use an I-pac for the inputs.

If it's a X-men 2 player, it only has 18 inputs.  You'll need an I-pac for all these inputs.  Then, DON'T bother daisychaining like mad because the i-pac will support all of them.

In either case, you will need an optipac or other interface for the trackball and spinners.  Also, whether you use a J-pac or an I-pac for the inputs, you will need to use a J-pac or an ArcadeVGA video card to display the computer on the arcade monitor.

I haven't built a cab yet, and I don't even have enough money to start my CP project.  If this is wrong, someone PLEASE correct me, for my sake and pointdablame's.

[pointdablame]

Thanks for the reply. Maybe someone can shed some more light on this for me. What about products from Oscar or Hagstrom?

Also, if I went the ArcadeVGA route, would I NEED the Jpac and AVGA? Or is there any advantage to using both? Or is it just redundant and can only use one of them?

Please give me some of your knowledge haha. I'm itching to order this stuff.

[paigeoliver]

Personally this is what my orders for that cabinet would be. I am assuming a 2 player layout, trackball, and spinner.

ULTIMARC
ArcadeVGA, Ipac 28.

OSCAR CONTROLS
Spinner of choice with Mouse hookup, joystick mounting plate.

EBAY
3" PS2 arcade trackball.

THE REAL BOB ROBERTS
Ms. Pac-Man joystick, trackball mounting plate (assuming the one you got from ebay didn't have one), joysticks of choice (your original ones might be ok, but otherwise bob has all the happ ones, and has Wico leaf ones if you ask nicely), whatever buttons you need.

I personally wouldn't mess with the J-PAC, you want more buttons, etc. Might as well wire from scratch, and save the extra money. Plus when you use a J-Pac you are relying on pre existing wiring that may have been done by a half stoned 19 year old 8 years ago back when the game was assembled.


You can also substitute a standard arcade trackball from any vendor, dropping the OSCAR mouse interface, and adding an Opti Pac.

[pointdablame]

Thanks paigeoliver.

I already have a 3" Happs Trackball, so I guess I'll go with the OptiPac. I was originally gonna have a 2 trackball CP but then I completely changed my plans, so I've had these for a while now. I guess I'll sell off the other one heh.

Anyway, does the OptiPac have inputs for mouse buttons? that's about my only other sticking point.

I'm gonna do some research on alternatives when I get home *28.8 at work which takes forever*  Any vendors I should avoid for any reason? I've seen stuff from Hagstrom but they seem a bit more expensive.  Thanks for the help everyone.

[hooded_paladin]

I don't THINK it has button inputs, last time I checked the site.  But I haven't ever gotten Ultimarc encoder type things, don't even plan to yet, so I'm not an expert with their stuff.

As for the ArcadeVGA card question:
you'll need an interface for the button inputs, an interface for the trackball/spinner inputs, and an output for the arcade monitor.

an optipac will provide input for the trackball/spinners
an Ipac will provide input for the buttons - all of them.
a Jpac will provide input for the buttons (if you have enough inputs on the X-men cab to just wire to your own controls)  and/or output through the arcade monitor.
the ArcadeVGA card will output through the arcade monitor.

Simplest way is Ipac - Optipac - ArcadeVGA

if you have enough inputs already (4 player Xmen cab and not TOO many admin buttons)  you could get Jpac - Optipac.

But, for simplicity and organization, an I-pac is better than the J-pac for button inputs.

[pointdablame]

Ok, looks like I'll go the Ipac - Optipac - ArcadeVGA route.

How can I get my mouse buttons to work tho if the Optipac does not have the inputs?    I'd like to avoid a mouse hack so is there any other way to do it?

[CanStick]

Ok, looks like I'll go the Ipac - Optipac - ArcadeVGA route.

How can I get my mouse buttons to work tho if the Optipac does not have the inputs?    I'd like to avoid a mouse hack so is there any other way to do it?

The OptiPac DOES have mouse button inputs...and it works great too!

[hooded_paladin]

There's a program called JoyMouse.  It can assign a joystick's input to a mouse.  Two issues I see:  1)  the arcade joysticks show up as keys, not a joystick 2) the shareware version shuts off in 20 mins  
Ask someone with a real cab what they use (not me )