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Severe Ghosting problem with J-PAC
BuriedEgg:
Hello,
I've been lurking for a long time but this is my first post.
I've had a problem with certain keys auto-triggering themselves for a few months now and I can't figure it out. First I will list my setup:
*MAME PC running Atomic FE.
*Windows XP.
*J-PAC with latest Winipac for config.
*Converted 1980's Dig-Dug cabinet to MK1 cabinet.
*6-buttons/player - working Coin Slots and Test Mode Switch.
*Original MK1 JAMMA+ harness with kick harness for extra buttons all wired directly to J-PAC via edge connector and screw connections.
*LCD monitor 3:4 ratio connected directly to PC (video NOT thru J-PAC).
The problem is that any button connected to the screw connectors (P1&P2 --BINGO! Either that, or I was attempting to say "before" but it was too many letters to type--, B5, B6) will automatically trigger itself at random. Also, F1, F2, & F3 will auto-trigger. This means that I'll be right in the middle of a game and if F2 auto-triggers it will dump me into Test Mode and end my game. It is important to note that the autotriggering can sometimes take 10 minutes or as much as an hour or two to happen. It is intermittant with no discernable pattern.
To describe the troubleshooting steps I will use P2-B6 as an example. P2-B6 is mapped to letter "V" in Winipac:
I thought it was bad wiring or a short in the old MK1 harness so I disconnected everything from the J-PAC. All buttons, joysticks, coin and test switches. Then I used two wires to connect directly from a pushbutton to P2-B6 on the J-PAC screw connectors. It still auto triggered. I opened a text window in Windows and I could watch the letter "V" randomly typing itself across the screen.
I thought maybe it was a bad microswitch so I tried connecting a different pushbutton to P2-B6 on the J-PAC and it too did the same thing. Letter "V" randomly typing across the screen. Remember, this is without anything else connected to the J-PAC. The J-PAC is connected to the PC via the USB cable that came with it.
I tried disconnecting the extra USB keyboard from the PC and it still did it.
I tried connecting the J-PAC with all the buttons to a different PC (my laptop) and it still did it so that eliminates my MAME PC as the problem.
When the main JAMMA edge connector is disconnected from the J-PAC the F1, F2, and F3 keys do NOT autotrigger. When just one button is connected to the extra screw connecters, with nothing else connected, then only that button will autotrigger.
We've tested the wiring with a multimeter and continuity of the solder connections and the wires are good.
Andy of Ultimarc was kind enough to send me a replacement J-PAC and it still auto-triggered the same buttons.
I have included a video of the troubleshooting steps and what my setup looks like to aid anybody who wants to help me figure this out.
Here is a link to my Photobucket page. Its the first two videos on the top-left labelled "Malfunctioning". They are identical. One is LowRes and one is HiRes:
http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y45/Dickjones/Arcade%20Cabinet%20Project/
(NOTE: In this video I used spare wires connected with wire-nuts spliced in in
the middle. After filming I also tried direct wires with no splices and had the
same results.)
Any advice would be great at this point as I am out of my mind with frustration. This cabinet was working for about 6 months and then this started happenning. I don't recall making any changes to it at that time.
Don't be shy about asking me to provide more photos or information or to try something. I'll do almost anything at this point.
Thanks in advance for any assistance or insight anyone can provide!
BuriedEgg:
Thanks for looking at this with me!
-J-PAC is secured. Unable to come into contact with anything inside cabinet.
-Tried PS2 adapter. It still auto-triggers the buttons. Seemed to increase the frequency of auto-triggers but that may be my own subjective view.
-When J-PAC is connected to PC without any inputs (buttons, JAMMA harness, Joysticks) it does NOT auto-trigger any buttons.
If just one button is connected to P2-B6 screw connector it will auto-trigger. I've tried differnent physical buttons, different physical microswitches, even mapped different letters to P2-B6.
P2-B6 is the main culprit but, buttons 4 and 5 do it too. Just not as frequently. Is there any relevence that it is only the screw connector buttons that do it?
F1, F2, and F3 do it but not nearly as frequently. They are not connected to the screw connectors.
BobA:
Could it be that your jamma power supply is not stable or set at 5V? A flaky PS can cause alot of problems.
Check your voltages.
BuriedEgg:
That is an excellent question. I'm glad you asked. I did some testing with a multimeter. Maybe you can tell me if these ranges I'm getting are okay:
At the link below you will find 3 videos of me testing with a multimeter. One is a video of testing right at the screw connectors with the entire MAME cabinet
powered on. The other 2 videos are of testing with the power off at the screw connectors and then again right at the pushbutton microswitch connectors (Best
to test at both ends of the wires!).
Here are the videos of the tests/results:
http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y45/Dickjones/Arcade%20Cabinet%20Malfunction/
Here are the results:
-Testing with PC powered on it is 4.92 when the button is not pressed. Is 4.92 sufficient? I thought it was, but you may have a lot more insight into correct voltages than I.
-Testing with PC powered off (at the screw connectors) it is 0.04 when button is not pressed. It is 0.00 when button is pressed.
-Testing with PC powered off (at the pushbutton microswitch connectors) it is 0.03 when button is not pressed. It is 0.00 when button is pressed.
Finally, here is something that might help. I connected the multimeter wires directly to the P2-B6 pushbutton connectors while the MAME cabinet was turned on. This gave a reading of 4.92 when the pushbutton was NOT being pressed down. I tested pressing the button down and the voltage dropped sharply and quickly each time the button is pressed, as it should. So, I left a text window open in Windows and I left a video camera recording the multimeter for one half hour. When I came back I saw 5 letter "V"s had automatically typed across the screen (Letter "V" is mapped to the test button P2-B6). When I viewed the half hour of video there was no change in the voltage. The 4.92 stayed the same (4.91 - 4.92) the entire time!
So, When the P2-B6 key was being activated randomly the voltage at the microswitch (the physical pushbutton) never changed. This tells me the false signal is not coming from my wiring or my pushbuttons. It must be happening at the J-PAC or the PC. I've tried multiple J-PACs and two diffent PCs (Windows XP and Windows 7) and it still does the auto-triggering.
BuriedEgg:
The only power supply I have in there is the PC's own power supply. It powers the PC. I do not have an arcade cabinet/JAMMA power supply.
I have tried different USB ports. Actually, I just realized that when I tested the PS2 adapter on the J-PAC cable I forgot to set it to "PS2" in the Winipac software! I'll test again tonight.
I should also point out that I have tested 3 different J-PACs and they all auto-trigger those same buttons. Andy at Ultimarc has been really terrific in supporting me on troubleshooting this. He sent me the extra J-PACs to test with. I don't know how they could all have failing PCBs. That was my guess as well, at first!
When I test the screw connectors tonight, can you tell me exactly what you'd like me to test? Do you want there to be a load on them (PC power on) or not when I test?
Thanks for the recommendation on that KeyWiz!