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Author Topic: NEO GEO Evolution (EVS-1) - Experimenting with DIY trackball  (Read 127107 times)

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BadMouth

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3 CPs and still not happy.  ;D

First one was similar to a sega astro city with a different button layout for P1 and P2.  I liked it on paper, but hated P1 controls after trying them.
The depth adjustment on the harbor freight laminate trimmer I was using as a router moves, so it also has a spot where the pocket for the joystick went all the way through.  Number two turned out pretty good, but it had been so long since I did the first one that I forgot that I wanted to move the bottom row of buttons to the left.  I didn't like the way it felt when trying to do Sub Zero's slide or Sonya's leg grab.  The third one would have been perfect, but I cut the pocket for the joystick on the top of the panel instead of underneath.  :banghead:  Oh well, used it to experiment with the joystick mounting depth.  I'll probably wait until I have artwork done before making another attempt. 2'x4' sheets are only $10 and easy to haul home.  Each one will give me 2 shots.

I really like this button layout!  All the buttons are 35mm apart with the four in the middle being in a perfect square.
At that spacing, the retaining nuts just touch each other.  The benefit of that is that it ensures that they are evenly spaced.  :lol
After the 2nd panel, I thought about just going back to the standard 6+1.  I'm glad I didn't.  This just feels right to me.

EDIT: BY DEFAULT, MAME ASSUMES YOU HAVE THE FOLLOWING LAYOUT:
123
456
Map the buttons globally like that and nearly all the fighting games will be mapped correctly without having to remap them individually.
 
Do it like I did (the wrong way):
1234
567
...and you'll be remapping all the fighting games (except for NEO GEO ones) individually.
I had already remapped too many games individually by the time I figured this out, but the best practice is to always keep those core six in that format and make any extra buttons #7 and #8 like so:
1237
456
or
1237
4568

Saves a lot of hassle in remapping all the Capcom fighters and Mortal Kombat, at least in newer versions of MAME.

I didn't want to be off to the left side of the screen while playing vertical games, so main part of the the CP will slide on tracks.
Guide rails were too pricey, so I used miter t-bar and track from http://www.ptreeusa.com/ttrackproducts.htm
I've been wanting to redo the CP box, but that's been holding me up for too long, so I decided to at least go ahead and at least work out the mounting using the old one.





It looks like a lot of room between the bottom of the screen and CP, but by the time I get the top section of the CP and angled move list in there, it should be about the same as the top.  The few widescreen games look great.  The 4:3 games come out to 22" diagonally, so it really isn't much better than a 21-22" 4:3 LCD in that respect.

Vertical.....


Next I'll work on the area exposed when the CP is slid over.  There will be a little panel on the back with volume/bass/treble/headphone & usb ports.  I bought a drink holder to go on the flat part, but it is too deep to mount there.  I may just recess a few layers of MDF and put a coaster in the bottom....but there will be a drink holder there.  ;D

Slow progress, but I've been chipping away at whatever I feel like working on.
The software is almost completely set up.  Just need to work on making the transitions to the game starting look more appealing.
Here is where she stands now.  I went ahead and put the t-molding on.
It's not as huge as it's looked in other pictures, only sticks out from the wall 26 inches and will slide through a doorway while upright.
« Last Edit: October 30, 2013, 11:32:15 am by BadMouth »

dfmaverick

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I was just thinking about an offset control panel the last few days. I open up this thread, and there it is.

I've always wondered how it felt to play when the P1 controls are off center since I don't have a two player cabinet as of yet. I figure a majority my play would be solo, so I haven't been keen on sitting off to the side. When I saw diverman clearancing out a car seat adjustment part, I started to think about being able to slide the CP to the right like you are doing.

I'll have to keep this cabinet in mind when I finally get around to a project.

Lookin' good.

« Last Edit: November 18, 2012, 08:15:48 pm by dfmaverick »

TopJimmyCooks

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T tracks look familiar, and they look awesome.  Good implementation of a good idea.  :cheers:

BadMouth

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I was just thinking about an offset control panel the last few days. I open up this thread, and there it is.

I've always wondered how it felt to play when the P1 controls are off center since I don't have a two player cabinet as of yet. I figure a majority my play would be solo, so I haven't been keen on sitting off to the side. When I saw diverman clearancing out a car seat adjustment part, I started to think about being able to slide the CP to the right like you are doing.

I'll have to keep this cabinet in mind when I finally get around to a project.

Lookin' good.

Thanks!
I played with the controls off to the side and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. 
Ended up standing toward the middle of the cab and reaching to the left to work the controls.
It's not as bad as it sounds, but definitely not what I wanted. 
This cab is all about ME.  >:D
I considered making it a single player, but the CP was so wide, I couldn't justify it.

T tracks look familiar, and they look awesome.  Good implementation of a good idea.  :cheers:

hehe, not the only idea lifted from Switchcade, but I got tired of crediting you after the Pololu controller.  :lol
« Last Edit: November 19, 2012, 01:34:31 pm by BadMouth »

BadMouth

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creeping along...

Tape is there to mark where the CP top should be.
This is a trial CP that had audio controls on it.  I decided I didn't like them there.
They will be recessed in the open area on the left.


For some reason the very front panel was made 3/16" short.  I don't even remember why I did that.
Anyways, stuck a 3/16" thick strip of steel in there to make it level.  It should make the front edge a lot more durable.
Yeah that's it.....I did it that way on purpose for durability...yeah.


Next up, a cupholder, audio/usb panel, & painting up that area.

Getting there.......
This is how much empty space there will be around the monitor when all is done:

« Last Edit: November 26, 2012, 09:05:14 pm by BadMouth »

CoryBee

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Re: Neo Geo Evolution (EVS-1) Slim Cab, Rotating 27" LCD - creeping along
« Reply #85 on: November 26, 2012, 09:12:28 pm »
Holy flying jesus monkeys! Just saw your controller hack, is there not a common ground on those things?

BadMouth

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Re: Neo Geo Evolution (EVS-1) Slim Cab, Rotating 27" LCD - creeping along
« Reply #86 on: November 26, 2012, 09:34:48 pm »
Holy flying jesus monkeys! Just saw your controller hack, is there not a common ground on those things?

So I'm not the only one that likes to peek at the pic storage thread.  :lol

No controller hack here.  That's for a coming soon build thread.  ;)
It actually turned out to be common ground, but I didn't know when I started.
All the analog grounds need to be separate anyway.
 
« Last Edit: November 26, 2012, 09:36:45 pm by BadMouth »

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Re: Neo Geo Evolution (EVS-1) Slim Cab, Rotating 27" LCD - creeping along
« Reply #87 on: November 26, 2012, 09:36:25 pm »
Great work BadMouth!
I like they sliding CP idea. Dare I say genius?
Are you going to automate the sliding?

BadMouth

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Re: Neo Geo Evolution (EVS-1) Slim Cab, Rotating 27" LCD - creeping along
« Reply #88 on: November 26, 2012, 09:48:20 pm »
Great work BadMouth!
I like they sliding CP idea. Dare I say genius?
Are you going to automate the sliding?

Thanks!
No plans for automating the slide.

One idea I had and am probably not going to use though is to allow it to slide a little bit in the other direction
and then add a plumb bob switch for nudging in pinball games.  I decided not to add pinball to this cab.

DaOld Man

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Re: Neo Geo Evolution (EVS-1) Slim Cab, Rotating 27" LCD - creeping along
« Reply #89 on: November 26, 2012, 09:52:53 pm »
I like the plumb bob switch idea.
You know an actuator would make that CP slide with very little effort.

CoryBee

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Re: Neo Geo Evolution (EVS-1) Slim Cab, Rotating 27" LCD - creeping along
« Reply #90 on: November 26, 2012, 09:53:21 pm »
You know it, I like to make sure people didn't get lazy in the their personal thread and leave out images to later put them in the pic storage area thingy.

Also, I love seeing new builds that have something special about them that I have yet to see. Building a cab is badass, but adding auto-rotate screens and random shite to it to make it special keeps me refreshing pages on the forums like a mad man.  :applaud:

BadMouth

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Re: Neo Geo Evolution (EVS-1) Slim Cab, Rotating 27" LCD - creeping along
« Reply #91 on: November 27, 2012, 10:28:27 am »
You know an actuator would make that CP slide with very little effort.

I thought about it, but it wouldn't be software controlled because there would be no rhyme or reason to when it would need to shift.
When playing solo, I like playing from the center position regardless of the game or screen orientation. 
It could be triggered by a switch, but really it's just as easy and probably faster to slide it by hand.

I probably will add 4/8 way switching, but it won't be by mechanical means.   :)
The plan was to take a SparkCE optical joystick sensor and rig up a way of changing the sensetivity via command line.
http://www.godlikecontrols.com/
It would require being able to control a potentiometer from the PC or switching between 3 different resistors. 
(least sensetive for 4-way, normal, & super sensetive for shmups)
Worst case scenario is that I add a manual 3-way switch somewhere.

Unfortunately, I installed my SparkCE's late Thanksgiving night after driving 6 hours and failed to realize that the metal S-brackets I was using were making contact with the underside of the pcb.   :'(
It fried all the IR LEDs.  They still post presses when shining light at the sensors, so I'm hoping that is all that is fried.
I'm waiting to hear back from Toodles about a repair. 
If not, I guess I'll start trying to find the right model IR emitter or just bite the bullet and order another set.   :banghead:
I'm thinking I might be able to get away with ordering the standard non-adjustable model and just adjusting the voltage to it.
I think that's pretty much all the pot in the SparkCE is doing.  Might even be able to use an LED Wiz and pulse the power to dim them.
Some testing is in order, but I should finish the CP first.

I also wonder if doing all this really offers any advantage over using Ultimarc U360s.
(the point is moot though because I want to do it just to see it done.  :P  )
« Last Edit: November 27, 2012, 03:44:07 pm by BadMouth »

BadMouth

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Re: Neo Geo Evolution (EVS-1) Slim Cab, Rotating 27" LCD - creeping along
« Reply #92 on: December 11, 2012, 09:51:36 pm »
Toodles was nice enough to give me part #'s for the IR LEDs that I fried.
Installed them and the Spark CEs are alive again.  ;D

That done, I moved on to tinkering with the sensetivity.
One joystick was adjusted until the circular moves in fighting games came easy.
The engage distance also turned out to be next to nothing, so I think they'll be acceptable for shmups even if they still have to much throw.

The other joystick was set to a reduced sensetivity for 4-way.  I wanted to make sure the corners were not being hit.
I wanted a visual representation of the joystick on-screen while I was tweaking it.  The best solution I came up with was to map it to a virtual analog stick using Headkaze's VJoy: http://www.headsoft.com.au/index.php?category=vjoy
Bring up the virtual joystick in windows control panel and you can easily see if the corners are being hit and for how long.
Even with the trimpot on the SparkCE turned all the way, it was still possible to get it to register the corner, but just barely.
It made a noticeable difference on Donkey Kong.  I didn't get stuck at the top or bottom of ladders at all.
The circular restrictor felt just fine to me.
 
So now I have an idea of the resistance values I'll need to switch between for the two modes.
The plan is to make a circuit that can switch between the two values.  It will probably use optoisolators controlled by a Pololu Maestro servo controller (it does LEDs too), triggered by DaOldMan's joychoose.
Parts for handling it multiple ways were ordered last night.  :D

I'm really liking JLF/SparkCE/round restrictor combo.
They have LS-56 springs in them, but I may go stiffer.
Going to order a selection of springs from Paradise Arcade next time I place an order there.

The weather has been crap and it's dark by the time I get home from work.
Not getting much done on the actual building front.
I did manage to install the cupholder and bondo up the exposed edges over the weekend.
Not looking forward into sanding them inside the house.

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Dear lord! You seemed to have solved the cup-holder conundrum :applaud: No more spilling drinks on your control panel....People rejoice!

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One piece at a time......

Cut the Audio/USB panel out of aluminum.
I worked those USB ports by hand with tiny little files. :dizzy:
It's not perfect, but I don't want to do it again. 
The audio PCB in held in place by a bracket JB welded to the back of the panel.
Forgot to take a pic, but it's just small piece of aluminum angle with some holes cut in it for the pot shafts to pass through.
The nuts on the pots hold everything in place. 



Mounted after cleaning up that area.  The pieces it and the cupholder are in were painted with rustoleum bedliner, then clearcoated with automotive clear.  The result is similar to fine textured abs plastic. 
The t-molding is loose above there and will be trimmed flush with the top edge of the CP Plexi (when the CP is finished).


Not sure if I'm polishing it, adding vinyl labels, or doing a full decal over the entire thing.
It's in there for now.
« Last Edit: December 28, 2012, 11:16:38 pm by BadMouth »

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Sweet, looking great.  I'm a fan of your little touches and customizing.

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This cab looks awesome. The centering control panel with the hidden cup holder is pure genius. Now I want one!  :applaud:

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Does that metal plate need a ground or something with the exposure to the USB plug? Just seems like potential to zap something.

BadMouth

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Does that metal plate need a ground or something with the exposure to the USB plug? Just seems like potential to zap something.

I don't really know, but it would be cheap insurance to run a wire down to a screw on the power supply to be safe.
Thanks for looking out!

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I would ground the metal plate.
Attach a wire to the plate and take it all the way back to the power entry ground.
On one of my builds I did not ground the coin door. Later on (probably during winter months) the keywiz quit working. Im pretty sure it was due to static from the coin door. My nephew who I built the cab for, kept it in a carpeted room. We all know what that can do (ever get a spark when touching the door knob after dragging your feet across the carpet?)
Good work BadMouth. I like the drink holder, but is there any chance of getting your fingers pinched by the CP sliding and catching your fingers between it and the glass?

Edit: attaching the plate via a wire to the power supply should be ok. The power supply case should be the same as the power entry ground. (As long as the power supply is properly plugged in.)
« Last Edit: January 02, 2013, 06:02:58 pm by DaOld Man »

BadMouth

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I would ground the metal plate.
Attach a wire to the plate and take it all the way back to the power entry ground.
On one of my builds I did not ground the coin door. Later on (probably during winter months) the keywiz quit working. Im pretty sure it was due to static from the coin door. My nephew who I built the cab for, kept it in a carpeted room. We all know what that can do (ever get a spark when touching the door knob after dragging your feet across the carpet?)

Guess I better ground the coin door too then.  :lol
Maybe the lamp sockets are grounding it, but I'll run a wire just in case.
It will actually look cleaner to run from the control plate to the door, then to the PSU.

I like the drink holder, but is there any chance of getting your fingers pinched by the CP sliding and catching your fingers between it and the glass?

Hadn't really thought about it as it's not automated.  After your comment though, I attempted to pinch my fingers under it and couldn't.
Everything is smooth and there isn't much of a gap.  It just pushes my fingers out of the way, even up over the lip on the cupholder.
I'd have to have my hand down in the drink holder and then push the CP into it.
Even trying that, the CP doesn't fly back and forth.  It has a fair bit of resistance and moves slow and steady (no bearings).
Nothing to worry about.  Very few people will play on this cab but myself.  ;D
« Last Edit: January 03, 2013, 10:01:58 am by BadMouth »

BadMouth

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Re: Neo Geo Evolution (EVS-1) - 1/31 Finalizing CP Template
« Reply #102 on: January 31, 2013, 11:15:56 pm »
Doesn't look like much progress, but I've managed to make a full size 300dpi version of the CP in Paint.net
I don't know how to use illustrator and don't want to take the time to learn right now.
The goal with this is to get the button locations perfect and then turn the layers over to a pro so they can make a nicer version.
There is a drilling template layer with the centers marked and an outline layer that has both centers and outlines marked.

I'm going for kind of a candy cab/MVS mashup.  I'd like something brighter and more modern in the background in place of the stripes.  Might leave that up to the final graphic designer.  I'm sure they'll have some tricks for abstract backgrounds.  The grey thing in the middle is a spinner knob.  Not sure I'll add one, but I want the artwork to allow for it just in case.


The joystick and main button locations are set in stone.  I've done extensive testing (playing) on the cab and that is just where they belong.

I can't make up my mind about the start buttons though.  :-\
I like the symetrical look of them on the edges, but it feels more comfortable when using the machine to have them at a point midway between the joystick and action buttons.  If put there, I'm not sure what to do with the leftover space to the right of player 2 start.
Opinions?

I keep coming back to the same boring marquee.

I think with the same abstract background as the CP and some shading on the letters, it could look good.

BadMouth

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Re: Neo Geo Evolution (EVS-1) - Intro Vid and to-do list
« Reply #103 on: June 10, 2013, 09:52:11 pm »
Maybe if I bump the thread, I'll get back to work on it.....

Was saving this until it was finished, but that doesn't seem to be coming anytime soon.

Music by eds1275, animation by PixelHugger:



Original for reference:


eds1275 made three different versions with slightly different music.
There is this synth one, a fancy lead guitar one, and a gritty sounding guitar one.
They all rock!

PixelHugger is creating the marquee and control panel artwork, but I told him not to be in a hurry.

Next on the to do list:

> Build circuit for 4/8 way switching (accomplished by adjusting brightness of IR leds in optical switches)

> Cut out yokes for rotary sticks and figure out how to keep open bore encoder perpendicular to shaft.

It is playable and is awesome to play on, but that's not what is slowing progress.
The problem is that I have too many projects and just when I get them down to something manageable, I add more.
I'm also horrendously non-productive when I force myself to work on something when I'm not in the mood. 

EDIT:  To go along with the Evolution part, we're using DNA strands in the background.
This is just a draft, the SNK and EVS logos will receive some kind of embellishment.
Much better than my plain red version.
« Last Edit: June 11, 2013, 11:57:52 am by BadMouth »

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Re: Neo Geo Evolution (EVS-1) - Intro vid and to-do list
« Reply #104 on: June 28, 2013, 02:37:58 pm »
Whoop Whoop! This is bloody awesome BadMouth. And this is the first great cab I have seen on here without the 'US Fridge' syndrome.


 :applaud:  - I really like your genre menus too they look the dogs bollocks (British compliment)

Can you get your arse in gear cos I can't wait to see what this turns out like!!!

 :cheers:

BadMouth

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Re: Neo Geo Evolution (EVS-1) - Intro vid and to-do list
« Reply #105 on: September 01, 2013, 09:30:40 pm »
Still waiting on artwork to make the final CP top, but accomplished a few things recently.

CP box has been painted and t-molding added.


It's been mentioned before, but to recap:  I'm using Spark CE optical switches from www.godlikecontrols.com in my Sanwa JLFs.
Can't get any quieter than an optical switch.  The CE version adds the blue trimpot for adjusting sensitivity.


I thought it would be cool to change sensitivity on the fly, so I removed the trimpot and added pins for a wiring harness to connect to a separate board that would handle the changes in resistance.  (the switches work based on which set of emitters/detectors are visible to each other, not which ones are blocked)


Here is my board that switches between two resistances when triggered.  It basically justs piggybacks a second trimpot in parallel when an optoisolator is tripped.  This thing took me longer to make than I'd like to admit.  This is the second incarnation.  The first one was half the size and looked nicer, but was riddled with issues including frying the optoisolators when soldering them in and burning up the board by removing & replacing parts.  Decided to use a socket, give myself more space, & jumper with wires instead of trying to bend leads around each other without touching.

meh


It works as it should, but defaults to 4 player since that's the higher resistance setting.  You can't raise resistance when adding another channel for power to flow.  I'd rather it default to 8-way, but that's going to require a much more complicated circuit.  This proves the concept anyway and it does work.

4/8 way switching will eventually be controlled by a Pololu micro maestro servo controller.  It has a setting that can control LEDs instead of servos.  I came across one cheap and am already running the Pololu software for the monitor rotation.


Buried in a wall of text earlier in this thread, I admitted to frying the IR LEDs in the Spark CEs by having them positioned so the back of the PCB was contacting the mounting plates.  Toodles was nice enough to give me the part number to fix them myself, but once I started to calibrate them to a higher standard, it became apparent that some directions seemed more sensitive than others.  The solution is tweak the aim of the IR emitters and receivers until they are all balanced.  This took some time, but eventually it was tweaked to the point that the directions registering change where I have the black marks in this pic (when in 8-way mode).  Each direction, including corners should have an equal slice of the pie. 


For 4-way mode, I tested 2 different calibrations.  One where it would register both directions if held exactly in the corner, but change to one of the primaries if moved at all.  The other where it would register nothing in the corner, then change to one of the primaries if moved.
I tested using Burgertime, Donkey Kong, & Pacman.  It was very hard to tell any difference and the testing was very subjective, but I ended up feeling that the tiny overlap was better than a gap.  YMMV.

All in all, I'm not sure what I've created is any better than the mapping of a U360, but I had fun messing with it.
I'm entertaining the idea of using a manually controlled 3-way switch with a third, super sensitive setting for shmups.

The other unfinished joystick mod is rotary.  A friend made me custom joystick shafts with an extended bottom section for mounting an optical encoder.

I picked up a pair of these US Digital encoders off ebay cheap.  The problem is that they don't mount the way I expected.
There is nothing to keep the optical disc centered in the encoder.  Basically the base needs to be mounted to a surface that will stay perpendicular with the shaft and then the optical disc is attached to the shaft.  I ordered some tiny little bearings thinking maybe I'd build a platform connected to the shaft via the bearing, but the bearing would have to be pressed on and that would make disassembling the joystick a major hassle.  Not sure I have enough depth, but I think the better way is to get an encoder that has it's own shaft and bearing, then use a coupler to attach it to the bottom of the joystick shaft.  I may just pass on this feature as I'm concerned about them affecting the feel of the stick anyway.



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Re: Neo Geo Evolution (EVS-1) - Inching forward: CP wiring harness
« Reply #106 on: September 24, 2013, 08:32:58 pm »
I'd planned to wait until after the artwork was finished and a new CP top was cut before making the wiring harness, but needed something to do while installing games for the driving cab, so went ahead and knocked it out.

My wiring skills are not quite that of some on here.  :lol
I have this thing where I always forget to account for the long PS2 plug in the end of the KeyWiz.
Once again, I did this and had to twist its mounting position after making the harness.
The extra wires exiting at the top are for the coin door.  They are wired in parallel with the <> buttons on the CP so either can be used.
The 4/8 way switching board still needs to be added and will add to the mess.


The buttons wiring harness for the back part of the CP can be disconnected.  These connectors were sold as RC car battery connectors.


Going to focus on installing more Steam games and configuring the controls now that they are all hooked up.


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Re: Neo Geo Evolution (EVS-1) - Inching forward: CP wiring harness
« Reply #107 on: September 25, 2013, 09:43:06 am »
looks good bro. Thats a prettty clean wiring job, nothing to be ashamed of.
If you're replying to a troll you are part of the problem.
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Re: Neo Geo Evolution (EVS-1) - Inching forward: CP wiring harness
« Reply #108 on: September 25, 2013, 10:23:36 am »
+5 cool points for matching the wire colors to the buttons.  you're welcome. 

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Re: Neo Geo Evolution (EVS-1) - Inching forward: CP wiring harness
« Reply #109 on: September 25, 2013, 11:49:31 am »
Not sure if you sorted out the rotary mounting issue but you should just be able to get a small piece of metal or plexi to mount your rotary encoder in place. Simply remove the encoder from the small plastic base and create a small L bracket piece that can fit on the side of your restrictor plate.

There are two dimpled areas on your stock plate that you can drill into (see attachment) where you may be able to get away with mounting it there. Although i admit, the shaft travel may be a challenge.

btw, where did you get that round restrictor plate?  :o

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Re: Neo Geo Evolution (EVS-1) - Inching forward: CP wiring harness
« Reply #110 on: September 25, 2013, 12:16:49 pm »
Not sure if you sorted out the rotary mounting issue but you should just be able to get a small piece of metal or plexi to mount your rotary encoder in place. Simply remove the encoder from the small plastic base and create a small L bracket piece that can fit on the side of your restrictor plate.

There are two dimpled areas on your stock plate that you can drill into (see attachment) where you may be able to get away with mounting it there. Although i admit, the shaft travel may be a challenge.

btw, where did you get that round restrictor plate?  :o

The issue is that there is nothing to keep the optical disc centered in the encoder housing itself.  It is designed to be mounted to a surface that the shaft stays stationary in relation to. It has no internal bearings, guides, or anything else.  The encoder disc can move around and scrape against stuff if the housing does not stay stationary in relation to the shaft.  It's possible that US Digital has a model with bearings that would work better, but I'm not willing to drop the money on it.  I picked these up off ebay for $27 for the pair.  I'll find some use for them.

I bought the restrictors from lizardlick, but they aren't around anymore.
The center part is available from www.godlikecontrols.com (mine came with the clear part also)

www.focusattack.com now sells the same one as www.paradisearcadeshop.com (link is not working for me.  not sure what is going on)

Out of all the available restrictors, I like the circular ones the best.  When I change directions in a 4-way game, I don't get that "damn that's a deep corner and this is the wrong joystick for this game" feeling that I get with the square restrictor.  I used the octagons for a while and felt like they were a good training aid in allowing me to feel exactly where the primary and corners were (and how sloppy I was in hitting them).  But eventually I got tired of the bumps when doing circular movements and moved on.
« Last Edit: September 25, 2013, 12:27:13 pm by BadMouth »

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Re: Neo Geo Evolution (EVS-1) - Inching forward: CP wiring harness
« Reply #111 on: September 25, 2013, 02:24:24 pm »

The issue is that there is nothing to keep the optical disc centered in the encoder housing itself.  It is designed to be mounted to a surface that the shaft stays stationary in relation to. It has no internal bearings, guides, or anything else.  The encoder disc can move around and scrape against stuff if the housing does not stay stationary in relation to the shaft.  It's possible that US Digital has a model with bearings that would work better, but I'm not willing to drop the money on it.  I picked these up off ebay for $27 for the pair.  I'll find some use for them.

I bought the restrictors from lizardlick, but they aren't around anymore.
The center part is available from www.godlikecontrols.com (mine came with the clear part also)

www.focusattack.com now sells the same one as www.paradisearcadeshop.com (link is not working for me.  not sure what is going on)

Out of all the available restrictors, I like the circular ones the best.  When I change directions in a 4-way game, I don't get that "damn that's a deep corner and this is the wrong joystick for this game" feeling that I get with the square restrictor.  I used the octagons for a while and felt like they were a good training aid in allowing me to feel exactly where the primary and corners were (and how sloppy I was in hitting them).  But eventually I got tired of the bumps when doing circular movements and moved on.

its a little tricky to understand without seeing an example but i do think i know what you mean with the rotary encoder. It's a shame really.

I recently tried to buy just the octagonal insert from paradise and it wouldn't load for me either. I have two sticks at the moment using the square restrictor insert and the diagonals are just awful.  :(

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Re: Neo Geo Evolution (EVS-1) - Inching forward: CP wiring harness
« Reply #112 on: September 25, 2013, 08:51:59 pm »
(link is not working for me.  not sure what is going on)

Is the link from the old website?

When Bryan moved to the new site/servers he reorganized things which pretty much broke all the old links to specific products.  :badmood:
(So much for the free advertisements.   :dunno)


Scott
« Last Edit: September 25, 2013, 08:54:19 pm by PL1 »

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Re: Neo Geo Evolution (EVS-1) - Inching forward: CP wiring harness
« Reply #113 on: September 26, 2013, 03:53:41 am »
I might have missed it, but how do you make sure the while control panel won't slide during an overenthousiastic two player battle?

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Re: Neo Geo Evolution (EVS-1) - Inching forward: CP wiring harness
« Reply #114 on: September 26, 2013, 09:02:44 am »
(link is not working for me.  not sure what is going on)

Is the link from the old website?

When Bryan moved to the new site/servers he reorganized things which pretty much broke all the old links to specific products.  :badmood:
(So much for the free advertisements.   :dunno)


Scott

It worked late last night when i came back to the forums to read your response to this thread. I told myself i would order first thing in the morning.

Woke up, paradise is down again.   :embarassed:

Just going to find another place to get the octagonal restrictor for now. Want to see if these sticks aren't total crap before i dump more money into them on an even better restrictor.

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Re: Neo Geo Evolution (EVS-1) - Inching forward: CP wiring harness
« Reply #115 on: September 26, 2013, 09:06:08 am »
Really awesome project, can't wait to see the final version.

Which linear actuator did you get exactly? I checked Pololu, but they only have a single actuator with 6'' stroke that moves at 0.5''/s and yours seems at least twice as fast.


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Re: Neo Geo Evolution (EVS-1) - Inching forward: CP wiring harness
« Reply #116 on: September 26, 2013, 12:35:18 pm »
Which linear actuator did you get exactly? I checked Pololu, but they only have a single actuator with 6'' stroke that moves at 0.5''/s and yours seems at least twice as fast.

Mine is from Surplus Center, but it is no longer stocked.
Their item number and description was 5-1778-A   6" STROKE 27.5 LB. 12 VDC LINEAR ACTUATOR  $69.95
IIRC, it was 1.5"/s.  I haven't found a source for ones that fast since, not that I've looked that hard.
Look for one with a low weight rating.  They're usually faster.
« Last Edit: September 27, 2013, 09:05:58 am by BadMouth »

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Re: Neo Geo Evolution (EVS-1) - Inching forward: CP wiring harness
« Reply #117 on: September 27, 2013, 10:13:07 am »
Thank you, that helps a lot.

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Re: Neo Geo Evolution (EVS-1) - Inching forward: CP wiring harness
« Reply #119 on: September 29, 2013, 08:52:05 am »


And there you have an expensive, over engineered air vent.  :lol
(that doesn't let in any light)

OMG, I was looking for any solution for the "proper" vent for my Doom cab, and damn it, you've got it!!!  Thanks, stealing this!

Also: BEAUTIFUL WORK all around.