| Main > Main Forum |
| I need some advice before buying parts |
| (1/4) > >> |
| jaharr01:
I need some advice before I buy some parts.Iv'e built a couple of arcades The first I used x arcade hardware for the controls, which I didn't like. The second I bought a keywiz interface and bought buttons and joystick off ebay. It was ok. So i'm building a new cabinet which I want an exit emulator button, an exit frontend button, along with 6 control buttons and 8 way joystick for player 1 and 2.Also 1 and 2 player start buttons, coin door, and room for whatever else I want to control.I want the buttons to be LED lit also.A long story short I want my kids to be able to easily navigate the frontend and know what buttons do what function. The arcade I have now they get in an emulator and don't know how to exit the game without help. Another issue is when I play racing games the key emulator doesn't work as well as a gamepad.The questions I have are: Do I need an Ipac 2 because it says it is the only one that holds memory, or will any interface do that? Do I need an analog or a digital interface? Do I need a separate controller like led wiz to control the leds,marquee lights, and etc? Do I need a separate switchable power supply? Does it matter where or what kind of buttons I get, for instance do I buy off ebay, or buy from someone like ultimarc or groovy game gear? Does the ipac or keywiz or whatever kind of interface control the coin door? The bottom line is I want the cabinet to be as simple and user friendly as possible.My wife complains that no one knows how to use the one I have now but me, because of combination keys for emulator exit and so on. She is onboard with me building one but she wants it very user friendly to navigate between emulators and games so the kids can enjoy it when I am not home. Any advice will be appreciated |
| clok:
--- Quote from: jaharr01 on February 14, 2014, 02:37:58 am --- Does it matter where or what kind of buttons I get, for instance do I buy off ebay, or buy from someone like ultimarc or groovy game gear? --- End quote --- Im sure they don't care to much, but you said advice.. get them (hardware/buttons) from somebody here.. support um.. they are the guys getting new stuff made and keeping the interesting stuff coming. |
| PL1:
I suggest you read through the FAQ and look through Project Announcements so you can start to narrow down what you want your build to have and ask more specific questions. --- Quote from: jaharr01 on February 14, 2014, 02:37:58 am ---So i'm building a new cabinet which I want an exit emulator button, an exit frontend button, along with 6 control buttons and 8 way joystick for player 1 and 2.Also 1 and 2 player start buttons, coin door, and room for whatever else I want to control. --- End quote --- 1 or 2 inputs - Exit emulator button / Exit frontend button - Not sure you need both. Is this going to be a dedicated cab or standalone controller that plugs into a PC? 20 inputs - 8 way joystick (4 inputs) + 6 player buttons (6 inputs) for player 1 and 2 2 inputs - Start buttons for players 1 and 2 2 inputs - Coin door (2-slot) So far, that's 25-26 digital inputs. "room for whatever else I want to control" - :angry: This makes it impossible to answer without reading your mind. :lol Check out this part of the FAQ to add up your desired controls/input types/number of inputs required/encoders. Do you also want a Pause button? --- Quote from: jaharr01 on February 14, 2014, 02:37:58 am ---I want the buttons to be LED lit also. --- End quote --- Single color or RGB? Single color always-on or adjustable-color/brightness/animated? Single color always-on LEDs are MUCH easier to wire than animated RGB buttons. --- Quote from: jaharr01 on February 14, 2014, 02:37:58 am ---A long story short I want my kids to be able to easily navigate the frontend and know what buttons do what function. The arcade I have now they get in an emulator and don't know how to exit the game without help. --- End quote --- Dedicated admin buttons and proper software configuration will make this easier for them. You can configure all your emulators and Front End to use the same exit button --- Quote from: jaharr01 on February 14, 2014, 02:37:58 am ---Another issue is when I play racing games the key emulator doesn't work as well as a gamepad.The questions I have are: --- End quote --- Are you talking about racing games in MAME or console emulators? --- Quote from: jaharr01 on February 14, 2014, 02:37:58 am ---Do I need an Ipac 2 because it says it is the only one that holds memory, or will any interface do that? --- End quote --- IIRC most encoders will hold custom settings without needing to reload other than the KeyWiz, X-Arcade, and I-Pac VE. --- Quote from: jaharr01 on February 14, 2014, 02:37:58 am ---Do I need an analog or a digital interface? --- End quote --- Depends on the controls you use. Digital - anything with a microswitch Optical - trackball/spinner Analog - 270 degree steering wheel, SW yoke, analog stick --- Quote from: jaharr01 on February 14, 2014, 02:37:58 am ---Do I need a separate controller like led wiz to control the leds,marquee lights, and etc? --- End quote --- The controller is for controlling the color (on RGB buttons) and brightness of LEDs. Marquee lights are usually constant-on. --- Quote from: jaharr01 on February 14, 2014, 02:37:58 am ---Do I need a separate switchable power supply? --- End quote --- Depends on the number and current draw of your LEDs. :dunno --- Quote from: jaharr01 on February 14, 2014, 02:37:58 am ---Does it matter where or what kind of buttons I get, for instance do I buy off ebay, or buy from someone like ultimarc or groovy game gear? --- End quote --- You're definitely safe buying from Ultimarc, GGG, or Paradise Arcade. --- Quote from: jaharr01 on February 14, 2014, 02:37:58 am ---Does the ipac or keywiz or whatever kind of interface control the coin door? --- End quote --- Yes -- the coin door is electrically just like an LED button. There's a microswitch that the falling coin triggers and a separate lighting circuit. Scott |
| thewisteron:
I don't want to hijack this thread, but I think this helps answer one of your questions. I didn't realize that I need to think about the Power Supply not being able to handle all of my leds. I'm probably going to use a laptop that I got a few years ago for my emulation machine. Does anyone know how to calculate how much power you need? I'll have about 38 rgb led buttons, so I am a little worried now. |
| PL1:
Check the product page to see what the max current draw is for your LEDs. For example if you have the new GGG Helio9 RGB LEDs, they draw 55mA per color = 165 mA when all 3 colors are at full intensity. 165mA * 38 buttons = 6,270 mA = 6.27 Amps. You should leave a little wiggle room, so get a 6.5-7 Amp power supply. If you use the GGG RGB-Drive II, they draw 20mA per color = 60 mA when all 3 colors are at full intensity. 60 mA * 38 buttons = 2280 mA = 2.28 Amps ==> 2.5-3 Amp power supply. Also be sure that the wiring is large enough to handle the current, unless you really want an electrical fire. ::) Scott |
| Navigation |
| Message Index |
| Next page |