pressure sensitive buttons?

[jcterzin]

Hello

I want to take a parted out racing game and try to turn it into a tabletop arcade. The only problem I see with this is that the gas pedal on the original arcade game may or may not be pressure sensitive for speed. If it is, then I would Ideally like to find some alternative to the pedal so that the player could adjust the speed with their hand. I don't think a spinner would be ideal, who the heck drives a car with a spinner? Any suggestions.

[BadMouth]

Hello

I want to take a parted out racing game and try to turn it into a tabletop arcade. The only problem I see with this is that the gas pedal on the original arcade game may or may not be pressure sensitive for speed. If it is, then I would Ideally like to find some alternative to the pedal so that the player could adjust the speed with their hand. I don't think a spinner would be ideal, who the heck drives a car with a spinner? Any suggestions.

What racing game?  Using original board or a computer running emulators?

How about if the control panel has an overhang, and underneath the overhang is a lever similar to the analogue triggers on an xbox 360 controller?

There are some PC steering wheels that have analogue paddle shifters that can be used for gas and brake.

[jcterzin]

Hello

I want to take a parted out racing game and try to turn it into a tabletop arcade. The only problem I see with this is that the gas pedal on the original arcade game may or may not be pressure sensitive for speed. If it is, then I would Ideally like to find some alternative to the pedal so that the player could adjust the speed with their hand. I don't think a spinner would be ideal, who the heck drives a car with a spinner? Any suggestions.

What racing game?  Using original board or a computer running emulators?

How about if the control panel has an overhang, and underneath the overhang is a lever similar to the analogue triggers on an xbox 360 controller?

There are some PC steering wheels that have analogue paddle shifters that can be used for gas and brake.

game is super-off road and I have the original board and wheels for it. don't think I can use steering wheels with paddle shifters because the wheels don't have a stopper, that is they can spin around indefinitely.

[BadMouth]

In that case, you need something that uses a potentiometer like the original pedal did.  You could eve re-use the one out of the pedal.

It will take some custom work and since you're using the original board, the potentiometer will most likely have to rotate the same amount that it does now.
If the pedal can be calibrated in the setup menu of the game though, then you might not have to worry about that.

You could attach the potentiometer to anything;
a lever under the edge as I mentioned earlier,
or set up an old hi/lo shifter kind of like a boat throttle
Happ sells something like that, but you could build it out of old parts a lot cheaper if you have some skills.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Turbo-Throttle-made-by-Happ-MAME-NEW-lower-price-/320456669695?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4a9cb4b9ff
(that item is actually from Divemaster, a member here.  http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=47066.0  Very good to deal with.   Hmmm, it does have the nitro boost button already built in    )

If you look for pressure sensetive buttons or other options, the main thing is that they be 0-5k Ohms.

[BadMouth]

You could rig up one of these to a regular pushbutton, but you'd only use the little part of the travel that goes from 0-5k.  (that's probably all the travel of a regular pushbutton anyway)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1pc-50K-ohm-Potentiometer-Audio-Slide-Pot-Resistor-S50K-/390363937773?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5ae380fbed

[jcterzin]

In that case, you need something that uses a potentiometer like the original pedal did.  You could eve re-use the one out of the pedal.

It will take some custom work and since you're using the original board, the potentiometer will most likely have to rotate the same amount that it does now.
If the pedal can be calibrated in the setup menu of the game though, then you might not have to worry about that.

You could attach the potentiometer to anything;
a lever under the edge as I mentioned earlier,
or set up an old hi/lo shifter kind of like a boat throttle
Happ sells something like that, but you could build it out of old parts a lot cheaper if you have some skills.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Turbo-Throttle-made-by-Happ-MAME-NEW-lower-price-/320456669695?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4a9cb4b9ff
(that item is actually from Divemaster, a member here.  http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=47066.0  Very good to deal with.   Hmmm, it does have the nitro boost button already built in    )

If you look for pressure sensetive buttons or other options, the main thing is that they be 0-5k Ohms.

Hey, thanks for the info AND the link. Was thinking that a shifter like throttle would be the way and since that one has a turbo on it already that would be an idea. Im hoping to find somethng a bit cheaper for now. I still don't know if the outrun has a pot pedal or not, ill need to ask.

[BadMouth]

I still don't know if the outrun has a pot pedal or not, ill need to ask.

It does.  It also has a pot brake and a high/lo shifter.

The shifter only has one switch in it so a button could be substituted for it, but it would have to be held down to stay in gear.
IIRC, the game is automatically in low gear then if you hold the switch closed it goes to high gear...but I could have that backwards.

[jcterzin]

I still don't know if the outrun has a pot pedal or not, ill need to ask.

It does.  It also has a pot brake and a high/lo shifter.

The shifter only has one switch in it so a button could be substituted for it, but it would have to be held down to stay in gear.
IIRC, the game is automatically in low gear then if you hold the switch closed it goes to high gear...but I could have that backwards.

haha, I'm sorry, Its not for Outrun its for super-off road!

[Mysterioii]

There are pressure sensitive pads that vary their resistance with pressure... i.e. just like a pot...  Sparkfun sells several in various sizes, as would Parallax and numerous other sources.  So you could essentially put thumb nubs on your wheel that act like pedals.

http://www.sparkfun.com/products/9673

[jcterzin]

There are pressure sensitive pads that vary their resistance with pressure... i.e. just like a pot...  Sparkfun sells several in various sizes, as would Parallax and numerous other sources.  So you could essentially put thumb nubs on your wheel that act like pedals.

http://www.sparkfun.com/products/9673

that would be cool, but seems like it would be somewhat inconsistent.

What I might try is widdling up some kind of hand gas pedal that will sit on the control panel for players to use.

[GeoMan]

Use the throttle of a HOTAS controller. You will get analog Gas plus plenty of buttons in easy reach.