Arcade Controls Interface

[jwoods]

I was thinking about making a new arcade control panel. Here are my questions:

Are the I-Pac 2 interfaces a good choice?
Here's the link: http://www.ultimarc.com/ipac.html

My second question is: Are they compatible with the MAME Software?

Thank you in advance.
JW

[Slippyblade]

Um, yeah.

I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but have you read *anything* on these boards yet?  The I-Pac is very widely used in many projects.  It registers to the computer as a keyboard, so yes, it's MAME compatible.

[BobA]

If you are going to be reading up on encoders.  Take a look at the Kade encoder as well.   Great for the budget minded. 

[PL1]

Are the I-Pac 2 interfaces a good choice?
Here's the link: http://www.ultimarc.com/ipac.html

I-Pac is good for push buttons and 4/8-way joysticks.

It won't work with spinners/trackballs.

There are a number of different options for encoders. (IPac, mini-pac, keywiz, KADE, ZD, Xin-Mo, . . . )

What controls are you planning on including on your panel?

Before you start buying parts, you may want to go through the design process like here and read through the rest of the FAQ to see other considerations that you may find useful.

My second question is: Are they compatible with the MAME Software?

MAME accepts inputs from all of the various encoder types: keyboard, gamepad, optical (spinner/trackball), analog (analog joystick / Star Wars yoke / 270 degree steering wheel / gas pedals), and rotary joystick. (ikari warriors)


Scott

[mgb]

My ipac2 has been going strong for 10 years. They're very dependable.