KADE miniArcade 2.0 beta release

[mrchrister]

I regret to inform you that the Arduino Pro Nano uses a 328P processor, not a 32u4 processor -- 328P boards won't work with this firmware.

Sorry, got the names mixed up, I did order the Pro Micro 

Thanks for the explanation. I will use blank.dat and have it recognize as a HID keyboard in that case!

[UnoWho]

I got given two original Kades off a mate.

Those old Minimus boards and the Loader program are great.   

Are these encoders still supported and is there a website that doesn't ask me to install malware before going to it?

The official KADE site is now at http://www.kadevice.tk. (It was .com, then .net, and now it's .tk.  )
- If it changes domain again, I'll update the URL in the KADE-compatible AVR vendors list thread linked in my sig.

It's not what you'd call an active site, but all of the old pages/threads/posts are still available.
- Pretty sure that the new account signup process got broken when Bruno moved the site to the new domain or updated the forum software.
- Your best bet to get questions answered is to ask here on BYOAC.

Download the Loader program at http://www.kadevice.tk/loader/setup.zip.

You can find the quickstart guide at http://www.kadevice.tk/kade-miniarcade/quickstart-guide/index.html.

Also can I connect a trackball and spinner to them?

You can connect a trackball for use with the XBox firmware or a trackball and spinner for use with the two trackball-specific firmwares, BUT I would advise against it due to major problems with backspin if you're using medium to high resolution encoder wheels.

Optical controls are the one thing that KADE encoders attempted, but didn't do well.   

You'd be far better off using an Opti-Wiz 3 from GGG or StefanBurger's Illuminated Spinner firmware (Firmware .hex file here on Thingiverse) on a Pro Micro.


Scott

Thanks for the help.  I managed to program the Kade but I have been given a two Player Mortal Kombat 1Up cabinet from a mate.

I want to put my old Xbox in the cabinet and I saw that the Kade can control it.  One side is for Xbox and the other player side is for PC for Single Player.

Can I use the four remaining inputs from the Player two joystick so I can play games like Robotron and Crazy Climber, as I do so now with the xbox controller using the analogue sticks, or is Kade just a single use programmed encoder or do I need to enable something special to get the analogue controls to work?  Like the Shift Function?  Currently I have B7-10 for Analogue Stick Right and the other setup for DPAD,  I'm hoping that will work.

Does the Kade allow me to use LED buttons and is there a way to animate them?

Can I hot swap between the Xbox and PC controls if I add the other Kade for Player two? I have two zero delay encoders for the PC side (two players) and two Kades for the Xbox (two players) by using the volume controls on the Arcade 1UP to select between paired encoders (using a a 4pdt switch)  One player (sharing the two player joystick) is the default option and would like to swap between Xbox and PC without having to program them every time.  I know they are both USB and was hoping there was a hybrid function.  Similar to hacking a PC keyboard for the PC controls and using a Xbox PS2 Keyboard and Mouse adapter.  Obviously I cannot have both machines on at the same time, but they are voice controlled via Alexa and smart plugs. Its been a bloody nightmare wiring this all up.

Thanks.

I just had a thought:  would it be easier to have each Kade programmed for Xbox and PC respectively and wire it up for 6 buttons and 2 joys for each set, and do away with the zero delay encoders? What is the limit for inputs on this Kade?

p.s.  What if I use the PSX firmware option and wire up both Xbox and PC to use the analogue controls?  Will that work instead?

[PL1]

Does the Kade allow me to use LED buttons and is there a way to animate them?

You'll need a separate LED controller board to animate the LEDs.

The "LED Sequence (Demonstration)" firmware is as far as Jon ventured into LED controller firmwares with the old Minimus boards.


Scott

[mrchrister]

Hey guys,

very excited getting this flashed onto a Pro Micro. One question:
I have a Astro City control panel I want to wire up, which in total would be 24 buttons. I don't fully understand how to wire the shift function to access additional buttons - or is this not possible with the Pro Micro?

Thanks,
Christoph

[PL1]

I have a Astro City control panel I want to wire up, which in total would be 24 buttons. I don't fully understand how to wire the shift function to access additional buttons - or is this not possible with the Pro Micro?

The Pro Micro has 17 regular inputs plus the shift input so a total of 24 buttons isn't impossible however a setup with joy + 6 buttons for 2 players needs 20 regular (unshifted) joystick and player button inputs.
- Consider either using two Pro Micros or a 32u4 AVR with 20 (or more) regular inputs. (Teensy 2.0, Arduino Micro, Adafruit ItsyBitsy, etc.)

The User Guide covers shifted functions on pages 3, 10, and 11.

Port D7 (32u4 pin 27) is the input you use to access the shifted functions.

You can do that with either a dedicated shift button or by using diodes with dedicated admin buttons.

With a dedicated shift button, you'll press shift and another button to output the shifted function.



If you use diodes, you only need to press one button to output the shifted function.
- Pressing "P1 Start" button (yellow) triggers the shift and "P1B1" (red) inputs.



If possible, try to limit shifted functions to admin buttons -- less chance of accidently triggering an unintended shifted function during 2-player gameplay.
i.e. P1 Coin as a shifted function of P1 Start and Exit as a shifted function of Pause.


Scott

[mrchrister]

Awesome, thats helpful thanks! I will just get a second Micro Pro for Player 2, that makes it easy..

[gazz292]

I'm building a couple of input devices for a bus simulator, they will be seen as joystick buttons by the pc, but for one i need 26 buttons, and another i need 35 joystick button inputs.

i still have the original KADE Loader software on my laptop,band i have about 20 minimus boards that were for use with the original KADE, but they can only handle 19 button inputs i think (maybe more with the shifted functions)

Way back when the first KADE kickstarter project was active, the writer of it (went under the name Degenatrons i think??) sent me a code that allowed i think 32 buttons using a matrix, but it ran slowly on the minimus boards (like had to hold down a button for a second for it to be picked up)

Anyhoo, i've found this KADE 2, but when i try to download the programming software, the links are dead, google drive bit says its in the owners trash, and cant be seen, and other links that should go to the main page to download the program instead go to [a webcam spam site]!!

Would it even be possible to have a single joystick that has 35 buttons show up in windows? (i guess i could use 32 joystick buttons plus use the 4 way hat switch buttons for my other 3 inputs i need for the ticket machine?)

But where can i download the KADE2 loader stuff from nowadays?

[PL1]

I'm building a couple of input devices for a bus simulator, they will be seen as joystick buttons by the pc, but for one i need 26 buttons, and another i need 35 joystick button inputs.

That's a lot of inputs for one joypad.   

i still have the original KADE Loader software on my laptop,band i have about 20 minimus boards that were for use with the original KADE, but they can only handle 19 button inputs i think (maybe more with the shifted functions)

Way back when the first KADE kickstarter project was active, the writer of it (went under the name Degenatrons i think??) sent me a code that allowed i think 32 buttons using a matrix, but it ran slowly on the minimus boards (like had to hold down a button for a second for it to be picked up)

For your 26 button encoder, you can use the 32 button "USB/HID Buttons Only (Beta)" firmware on a Minimus.
- If your version of Loader doesn't have that firmware, LMK and I'll upload a copy of v1.1.3.1.
- Wire the 20 un-shifted inputs normally like the two on the top left in this diagram.
- Wire the 6 shifted buttons using blocking diodes like the two on the right.  Shazaaam! is the shift key, same as HWB.

Anyhoo, i've found this KADE 2, but when i try to download the programming software, the links are dead, google drive bit says its in the owners trash, and cant be seen, and other links that should go to the main page to download the program instead go to [a webcam spam site]!!

The KADE forums have been hacked/hijacked several times, the latest time was around 6 months ago.
- I haven't heard from Bruno yet if he intends to try to regain control of the domain and restore the forums, but that does not appear to be a likely option at this time.   

I just e-mailed him asking for copies of the Mac and Ubuntu packages and will try to find someplace to host these large files.  (58MB for the Windows version)

For now, I've uploaded the Windows version to Sendspace.
- IIRC, this link will be good for 30 days.
https://www.sendspace.com/file/fbzg13

Would it even be possible to have a single joystick that has 35 buttons show up in windows? (i guess i could use 32 joystick buttons plus use the 4 way hat switch buttons for my other 3 inputs i need for the ticket machine?)

The HID limit is 32 buttons, but you should be able to use hat switch or D-pad inputs for the other three if you find the right hardware/firmware.
- Unfortunately, there are no firmwares in the original KADE miniArcade or KADE miniArcade 2.0 that will handle that combination in a single gamepad.   

Tripped over this project -- it might work for your 35 input encoder.   

https://github.com/FreeJoy-Team/FreeJoy


Scott

[gazz292]

Awesome, thanks for that, i've got the kade 2 downloaded now,

I do have that 32 buttons only thing in the original kade, thanks for reminding me of this,
Wonder if it's possible to add the 4 way hat switch input to that button map somehow, tho TBH i have about 20 minimum32 boards, so i may as well just split the ticket printers keypad in half electrically, and have 2 joypad button inputs for it,

I remember with the original Kade if you were good enough at programming you could edit the hex files and do almost anything, an lcd output was possible at one point, along with the matrix input that i had (but cant find anymore)

that freejoy looks interesting, i have a couple of STM32 boards i can play with... bought them for a part later on in my simulator project when i get to the force feedback steering wheel, and i need 6 turns lock to lock which the EMC FFB project allows.

[PL1]

I do have that 32 buttons only thing in the original kade, thanks for reminding me of this,
Wonder if it's possible to add the 4 way hat switch input to that button map somehow, tho TBH i have about 20 minimum32 boards, so i may as well just split the ticket printers keypad in half electrically, and have 2 joypad button inputs for it,

If the simulator software can accept inputs from several gamepads, that might be the easy way to go.
- The problem that might arise with that approach is the controller renumbering issue in Windows.

I remember with the original Kade if you were good enough at programming you could edit the hex files and do almost anything, an lcd output was possible at one point, along with the matrix input that i had (but cant find anymore)

If you have a copy of the KADE Loader source code (LMK if you want/need it) and you're good with Python, you could probably copy the extra buttons code from the the "USB/HID Buttons Only" firmware to the "USB/HID Joystick Encoder" firmware, reassign some input ports, make sure the extra buttons are added to the KADE's USB HID report(?), and compile a custom firmware or you might want to copy the D-pad code to the 32 button firmware so the new firmware doesn't have the code for a simulated analog stick on A1-A4.   

That would use 37 of the possible 39 inputs -- IIRC shifted input B7(?) is reserved for Shift Lock.
- 4 for D-pad
- 32 for buttons
- 1 for HWB


Scott

[gazz292]

Yes, the bus sim (omsi2) accepts as many gamepads / joysticks as you have connected to the computer it seems, so using 2 minimus 32's with KADE running the 'USB/HID Buttons Only' program, and having upto 20 buttons connected to each board should do the job.

And the 26 buttons with the shifted ones on another board in the Ibis unit will handle all the buttons from that,
Then an arduino in each unit handeling the LCD stuff, , plus the 2 other arduino's that handle the dashboard indicator lights and gauges.... good job i have lots of USB ports on my simulator PC

As for playing with the source code, unfortunately i can barely type sentances with the correct spelling into the arduino IDE to get anything to work (add 4 lines of code and i get 6 errors i need to correct when i compile)
So playing with python is not something i think i could handle,

Tho i would love to learn to be able to do programming on the computer, if i could id re-write the .dll and that which gets the data out of the bus simulator and sends it to the arduino's, as there's a few issues and the writer of it has moved onto better things,
But i think that stuff is written in delphi or something, and i only know the extreme basics of C from using aruino's.

[DiktatorShadaloo]

Hello all, First of all thank you very much for your work!
I have a question regarding the RJ45 pinout cable for the Wii, in the image below it says that 2 and 3 correspond to VCC, do I have to connect both cables to VCC or just one of them?
Also it says it is 3.3V however in the schematic for Arduino Leonardo the VCC corresponds to the 5v pin. Do I have to change it to the 3.3v pin or do I leave it like that?
 

[PL1]

I have a question regarding the RJ45 pinout cable for the Wii, in the image below it says that 2 and 3 correspond to VCC, do I have to connect both cables to VCC or just one of them?

Bruno developed and tested the pinouts for these cables.

Looks like both wires should be connected to the VCC pin because his notes say "2 and 3", not "2 or 3".
- For an "or" example, see the ground connection for GameCube.

Also it says it is 3.3V however in the schematic for Arduino Leonardo the VCC corresponds to the 5v pin. Do I have to change it to the 3.3v pin or do I leave it like that?

Connect the Wii connector pins 2 and 3 to the Arduino 5v (VCC/"orange 8") pin, not the 3.3v pin.

In this case, the VCC pin is being used as a 3.3v power input from the Wii to the 32u4 AVR board.

Remember that the board can't be powered by USB 5v when you're using the RJ-45 to Wii cable.

WARNING: Do not connect miniArcade 2.0 to a computer via USB cable and to a console via RJ-45 adapter cable at the same time -- 5v from USB will damage the 3.3v console circuits.

Bruno's firmware recognizes the Wii <==> "RJ-45" connections during boot-up and auto-configures the board to translate arcade control inputs into properly formatted Wii command outputs.


Scott

[DiktatorShadaloo]

...

Thank you very much! it works like a charm. 

[gazz292]

Is there anything that will allow rotary encoders to output keyboard key strokes as a HID keyboard?

they usually seem to be mapped as mice etc,  but i need a few rotary encoders to send A key presses when rotated one way, and D presses when rotated the other, 

i know this can be done with an arduino,  but i really need something with a GUI to program it, as i will need to mess about with the key press duration a lot and it would be a lot easier to use something like kade mapper, freejoy etc, but they all output as gamepads it seems.

[PL1]

Sorry, but none of the KADE series firmwares/GUIs can do that kind of translation from quadrature waveforms to keystrokes.
- I don't recall ever hearing about an encoder or converter program that will do that.   

Your best bet is to use the Arduino Integrated Development Environment (IDE) program to write and upload a sketch that does what you want to do.

Since you will probably be updating that sketch many times during testing, be sure to choose a board that is easy to reprogram.
- Pro Micros are inexpensive, but can sometimes be a pain to reprogram.

Good luck.   


Scott

[gazz292]

awww bum... i thought it may be like this,

I guess people use an encoder to joystick press thing that there are loads of, i.e. freejoy etc,  then use something like joy to key to translate it to keyboard presses.

which i would do, only i'm trying to use it on a PS5, which accepts a HID keyboard or the official controller,  and the simulator only accepts key presses to move the levers... even the controller is just moving the lever for as long as you hold the button down for... same as holding a keyboard key down etc. 

So i need to do it all in hardware.

Got a little stack of arduinos in my box of bits, so it looks like i will be trying to program them again, i do remember the leonardo was a bit of a pain to quickly reprogram too... but i think i will need one of them, or an arduino due... to have the HID output thing that will be seen as a normal keyboard by the PS5.

and as each vehicle in the sim has a different reaction time to the keyboard presses... i will need to switch profiles on the go, oh boy, this is gonna be fun

[PL1]

each vehicle in the sim has a different reaction time to the keyboard presses... i will need to switch profiles on the go, oh boy, this is gonna be fun

For "on the go" profile switching without reprogramming, you could use something like an X-position rotary switch leading to X inputs to select one of X vehicles or button press durations.
- In the program loop read the rotary switch inputs and set the button press duration variable accordingly.




Scott

[amilton355]

Does anyone have the kade miniarcade files? I want to do the project

[PL1]

Does anyone have the kade miniarcade files? I want to do the project

Files re-uploaded to SendSpace and OP updated with this new dowload link.   

https://www.sendspace.com/file/1efzma


Scott

[DiktatorShadaloo]

Does anyone have the kade miniarcade files? I want to do the project

Files re-uploaded to SendSpace and OP updated with this new dowload link.   

https://www.sendspace.com/file/1efzma


Scott

It was deleted again

[PL1]

It was deleted again

SendSpace offers free hosting.  The downside is that it is temporary. (90 days IIRC)

Files re-uploaded and OP updated with this new dowload link.   

https://www.sendspace.com/file/0p4jum


Scott

[_Iz-]

Is there a current download link for this?

[PL1]

Is there a current download link for this?

Re-upped to sendspace and updated link in OP.   

https://www.sendspace.com/file/p46f4y


Scott

[_Iz-]

Thank-you!

[PL1]

Glad to assist.   


Scott

[_Iz-]

I bought a promicro and have it flashed with regular functions.

Is it possible to set the KADE software up like an iPac, so that I don't need a "dedicated" shift button? I'd like to have the player 1 start button act as both shift and player one start. I did not see it mentioned in the docs (or I'm blind)

[PL1]

Is it possible to set the KADE software up like an iPac, so that I don't need a "dedicated" shift button? I'd like to have the player 1 start button act as both shift and player one start. I did not see it mentioned in the docs (or I'm blind)

To do that, the IPac's specific way of working would need to be built into the input handling firmware.
- When P1 Start is pressed, start checking if a button with a shifted function is pressed.
-- If one is pressed before P1 Start is released, then send that keystroke in place of P1 Start.
-- If one is not pressed before P1 Start is released, then send the P1 Start keystroke.

AFAIK the closest you can get to the IPac approach with a KADE is to set up P1 Start as a dedicated single button shifted function using blocking diodes. (yellow + top two diodes)
- While you're holding the P1 Start button, ground is applied to the Shift (D7) port so any other button you press will send the shifted function for that port too.  i.e. pressing yellow and blue at the same time will send keystrokes for P1 Start (yellow) and P1 Coin (green)
- The difference between this approach and the IPac is that this approach will send the P1 Start keystroke every time as soon as you press the button.




Scott
EDIT: Added newer diagram above for 2-tab micro switches.

[_Iz-]

Thanks for the info.

Is the source code for the firmware available so I can attempt the modification?

[PL1]

Is the source code for the firmware available so I can attempt the modification?

AFAIK Bruno (bootsector) never released the KADE miniArcade 2.0 source code.

He hasn't logged on here since December 2018 and didn't respond to several emails since then regarding this project.   


Scott

[_Iz-]

OK, thanks. I had asked about the source code because a comment you made to someone else in this thread back in 2021 made me think it was available.

Guess i’ll use a dedicated shift button or figure something else out

[PL1]

OK, thanks. I had asked about the source code because a comment you made to someone else in this thread back in 2021 made me think it was available.

If you're referring to this post, we were talking about the original KADE encoder here that ran on the old Minimus AVRs.

KADE sources are now made available to the public under open source licensing.
The KADE repository can be found at: https://github.com/kadevice/KADE

Bruno has repositories for some of his projects like XBOXPadMicro and XInputPadMicro on Github, but not for KADE miniArcade 2.0.
https://github.com/bootsector

Guess i’ll use a dedicated shift button or figure something else out

The Pro Micro board that you mentioned earlier has 17 input ports plus the shift port.

How many buttons and which shifted functions do you want?

Depending on your setup, blocking diodes for P1 Start should work fine, especially if you can keep the shifted functions on whatever admin buttons (Start, Coin, Pause, Exit, etc.) are on your system.

If possible, try to limit shifted functions to admin buttons -- less chance of accidently triggering an unintended shifted function during 2-player gameplay.
i.e. P1 Coin as a shifted function of P1 Start and Exit as a shifted function of Pause.

Even if you only have two Start buttons and two Coin buttons, you can get four shifted and three un-shifted outputs from those four buttons.


Scott

[_Iz-]

So, I have never tried any of the AI stuff online until today. I asked google’s gemini to “generate arduino code for a 32u4 to make it act as a keyboard sending mame default player one keys, and include a user defined shift key that is one of the normal buttons that when pressed and released sends its default mame key, but when pressed and held and another button pressed sends an alternate mame key for admin functions”

The results were mind blowing. I’m seriously impressed. Not only did it write code that did exactly what i wanted, but it correctly configured the mame player one defaults and even added the most likely mame admin keys to the shifted functions


 

[PL1]

Uploaded the Windows version of mapper to a new permanent home in this repository on Github.
- Had to split it into three parts using 7-Zip to upload it there.

Direct download link:
https://github.com/PL1-Arcade/KADE_miniArcade_2.0/archive/refs/heads/main.zip


Scott