Arrggh, not enough PACLED64 outputs, need suggestions

[GSXRMovistar]

So after many months of planning, building, (and what I thought was testing) I’ve reached final assembly of my current cabinet and discovered two things, I’ve made a mistake and I can’t count. Just realised I have one RGB button too many to be controlled by my PACLED64 so looking for options.

Currently have 22 buttons and believe the PACLED64 can only control 21

P1 - Start/Select
P1 - Coin
P1 1-8 buttons
P2 - Start/Select
P2 - Coin
P2 1-8 buttons
Pause
Exit

Now I can’t physically remove any of the buttons as all holes cut/buttons fitted.

1) Swap my MiniPac and PACLED64 combo for an I-PAC Ultimate I/O (and hopefully use the old bits in another project)?
2) Add a second PACLED64 to gain the extra output ?
3) Lose RGB functionality for some of the buttons but which ones?

Any ideas folks as this really has annoyed me after making good progress recently.

Thanks
Andy

[Typefighter01]

Since Pause and Exit are admin buttons and are not something seen on a regular arcade cab, can you not just wire these together? I can't see anytime during your boot animation or during a game where you would care if they were both lit, same colour, or on/off...I would think they would always act the same 

[mgb]

You can still have each buttons led be separate from each other and just choose to not make a couple of them RGB.
Personally I would just make the player buttons RGB and have the coin, start exit and pause buttons single led.
That'll free up a lot.

[n3wt0n]

Are you using a coin door for your build? If so you can skip RGB control of the P1 and P2 coin and just have them lit all the time. I lit my coin door buttons by hooking them directly to the power supply with the proper connector.

[SavannahLion]

+1 to all of the solutions presented above

My personal preference would be to forgo giving RGB to the admin buttons Pause and Exit. These are not part of the regular player experience and I would simply give them single colors each (likely a soft white) and tune them to be a unobtrusive as possible.

I would even go so far as to give them a different appearance entirely, like a button that's ring lit to make them noticeable and still indicate their role is not part of the game.

[Nephasth]

8 buttons...

[geeteoh]

You'll have one extra control line. You could connect only the red led line of the exit button. Then turn it off when cycling colors for an attract mode.

[yotsuya]

8 buttons...

Yeah, I mean, THAT'S the issue, but you know... positive thoughts only!!!

[GSXRMovistar]

You'll have one extra control line. You could connect only the red led line of the exit button. Then turn it off when cycling colors for an attract mode.

Can you explain a little more regarding this extra control line? My original intention was for the exit button to either be unlit (during attract mode etc) or red during games, and the pause button to be amber or green depending on pause status.

And FYI no coin door, and the coin buttons will also be used as 'select' for certain console emus.

Thanks again

[geeteoh]

The PACLED64 can control 64 LEDs. If you use rgb LEDs, then you divide by 3 (there are three individual LEDs in an rgb led package). You'll get 21 remainder 1. You can connect 21 rgb LEDs and one extra single led.  If you look closely at the PCB, you'll see 21 groupings of connection posts for the rgb LEDs. And a 64th all by itself.

Just reading the instructions. I don't have a PACLED64.

[SavannahLion]

You'll have one extra control line. You could connect only the red led line of the exit button. Then turn it off when cycling colors for an attract mode.

Can you explain a little more regarding this extra control line? My original intention was for the exit button to either be unlit (during attract mode etc) or red during games, and the pause button to be amber or green depending on pause status.

And FYI no coin door, and the coin buttons will also be used as 'select' for certain console emus.

Thanks again

Given that one has two and the other has one, that would be the equivalent of one RGB. That solves your problem right there.

Afterall, just because it says "RGB" does not actually mean that the three colors must be Red, Green and Blue. Could easily be any color really. UV even if you were jonesing for that kind of thing.

[matsadona]

I'm just gonna second what SavannahLion just said, but with a picture.

You can have RGB leds, you can have two color leds and you can have single color leds connected, and mix it as needed.
If you have RGB leds on all buttons, regardless how many pins you use, will make it more convenient when programming the sequences/animations (in order to get the right colors).
I.e. if the Exit button only have the red pin connected you can have a red light in the animation and so on.
The other two pins for a second button could then either be red and blue, red and green or blue and green. Just give it a thought what kind of color combinations you would like.

[geeteoh]

Correct, but...

It is a PACLED64, not a PACLED63. It can control 64 LEDs. You have one more single LED you can connect after using 21 RGB LEDs. Check out the 64th connection post below.

[GSXRMovistar]

Excellent, thanks geeteoh/all.

Will go with hooking all buttons (inc Pause) up as fully RGB, use the remaining single output to power/control a single red LED in the exit button.

[GSXRMovistar]

Just to follow up I went with the above approach and it works perfectly.