Wierd joystick issue..Need help please

[zaktallica]

Ok so I have an x-arcade stick. Im using windows xp and running hyperspin. When I booted the computer one day and ran Hyperspin I noticed that when I hit up on the player one stick nothing would happen.. I thought it was the microswitch. Since my sticks were feeling crappy anyway I bought two IL eurosticks from lizard lick. I installed them and on my pc upstairs I made sure that when you go into notepad and click the sticks a number or a letter will show up. Thinking all is well I go downstairs on my mame pc and try it. Same issue. Every direction/button works accept up on 1 player stick. Does anyone know what the problem is? Is there something messed up on my mame computer? I have no damn clue and I need to get this thing done but thursday..

[zaktallica]

Up is number 8 key btw which works fine when I press it on the keyboard..Also when I launch a mame game and it says hit left and right to continue it doesn't work..I hafta type ok

[zaktallica]

anyone?

[surface tension]

You need to give people more time to reply...

I have to assume you've been playing this already and everything was fine until one day it stops working? So P1-up shows up with the expected number in notepad? It sounds like something has changed in your mame and hyperspin configs.

[BadMouth]

So, does it work in notepad on the cab?

Are you running any autohotkey scripts or equivelent in hyperspin?

Obvious, but did you try pressing numlock?
(the default in the bios on the mame computer may be set different than the other computer)

Do you have the switch on the back of the x-arcade switched to the default config or a custom one?

[zaktallica]

Up does not show up on notepad on the mame cabinet but did show up on anouther pc. Numlock is on and the switch is set on default..funny thing is up did work on one of the x-arcade custom config slots. So as of now up will not work with default settings on the mame cab..this is outside of HS and running no scripts

[severdhed]

did you try running through the x-arcade test utility?

http://www.xgaming.com/support/questions/4/Test+Your+X-Arcade+First!+-+Download+the+X-Arcade%E2%84%A2+Test+Utility+Program

do you have a keyboard connected to the passthrough port on the x-arcade?  if not, connect one.  if so, remove it, or try a different keyboard.

is this connected via ps/2 or usb?

[Donkbaca]

I think there are known issues with hperspin and the x-gaming encoder.  did you do this:
http://www.xgaming.com/support/questions/99/HyperSpin+Frontend+and+the+X-Arcade

?

[zaktallica]

I tried running the test utility everything worked fine accept up.. I tried with keyboard and no keyboard..same results..I haven't tried a different keyboard yet but I got it to work before on a different pc with the same keyboard im using now on the mame pc. So obviously theirs something wrong with my pc or something but I have no clue what because it worked before..This is very frustrating..Any more help is needed thanks

[Donkbaca]

Did you download the modified ini files?

[zaktallica]

Thats not the issue..Hyperspin is not running at all..All this troubleshooting is outside HS. Plus the new hyperspin doesn't have control issues like it used to..I have downloaded those files in the past but how would that help right now?

[severdhed]

Usb or ps/2?

[zaktallica]

The keyboard is ps2 but the x-arcade can use either connection to plug it into the computer..I have tried both..

[BadMouth]

The only other thing I can think of is that UP was accidentally reprogrammed, but you're not supposed to be able to do that in "Mode 1" and it shouldn't have worked on the other pc if this were the case.

You can try reprogramming it as explained here: http://www.athomedownunder.com/service/programming.shtml
Make absolutely sure that you are in Mode 1 on the back.

You could use one of the other modes, but then you have to press the program button twice every time you start the pc to load the other mode.
It's a PITA.  I have to do it on mine because I didn't want to use the CTRL ALT etc keys.

I don't know what else you could try.  

Were you messing around with any new programs when it stopped working?

[zaktallica]

No i wasent..thats the weird thing..i really dont wanna start over on this thing...

[Donkbaca]

I wonder if there is a way to rig the x arcade so that you dont have to push that load button.

[postmortem]

make sure numlock/scroll lock isnt on, try resetting the direction inputs on ur frontend. make sure the xarcade is mode 1 and make sure the little red light is on. I know if you use a psx adapter with the xarcade there is a way to switch from the playstation dpad to the analog and that will make it not work for games. there is a button combo to toggle it. on my machine its coin insert + (what would be on street fighter) weak punch.

[zaktallica]

How would any emu settings effect it failing the x-arcade test/note pad test? I have it in mode 1 all the time..i wonder if something is wrong with my mame pc? But what wierd issues would make up not work? Which by default is mapped to number 8...this is seriously on odd problem..i wonder if theres some windows key settings that got messed up somehow? Idk.. Sigh more input guys ill try everything..thanks everyone

[severdhed]

this is pretty weird that it works fine on one pc and not the other.  are you positive you dont have an autohotkey script or something like that still running on that PC?    this might be more than you are willing to try, but what about booting your arcade cab pc off of a live linux cd?  you could then bring up a text editor and see if it responds in there, which would eliminate any software issues on your mame pc.

could it be a loose connection at that switch?  or even a switch going bad?  perhaps in moving it to the other pc, it moved into the right position and worked it's way loose when you moved it back.....i know it is a long shot.  what if you open it up and pull the wires off of that switch and just touch them together...does it work then? 

also, did you look closely at the wiring inside the x-arcade?  make sure all of those wire harnesses are fully connected at the pcb.  also check the wires at the sliding switch...i had one of those wires come loose one time and it caused some weird problems with my xarcade.

[garnerb350]

+1 with severdhead

Im leaning toward wiring...

[zaktallica]

Figured it out! I guess it was one of programs i installed.. It was a volume tray cab program that got corrupted and messed up my up button..thanks for all the input guys

[BadMouth]

I'm gonna celebrate with a beer. 
(ok, maybe I already had the beer in my hand)

[severdhed]

glad you got it working.  some software can cause weird compatibility problems.  i had a dell wireless utility installed on a pc one time that prevented it from loading my front end as the shell..no matter what i did, i couldn't get it to load, but as soon as I removed the dell utility, it was fine.