Joystick and buttons not working simultaneously

[Nick81]

I've got a bartop arcade machine that I bought on eBay which is running GameEx. It has 2 zippy joysticks, each with 6 buttons. The problem I am having is that the joysticks don't work simultaneously with the buttons. So if you're playing a platform game for example and are scrolling to the right, when you press a button to jump, fire, etc. it would stop scrolling right. So you have to centre the joystick and then push the joystick to the right again to continue moving.

I'm a complete newbie with arcades and emulators, so I am not sure how to go about fixing this. Can anybody help point me in the right direction?

Thanks in advance.

[Titchgamer]

It could be a few things to be honest.

Do you know how the buttons/joysticks are interfaced with the PC?

It could be a poor quality encoder.

Also do you have the multiple key press option turned off in windows? Sorry forgotten what its actually called :p

[05SRT4]

Post a pic of the guts / encoder

[Nick81]

Hello, thanks for the replies and sorry for the late reply. I have attached a few photos of the back of the controllers and inside the unit.

[Titchgamer]

Well it looks like one of the cheap nasty encoders off ebay.
Ive never brought or used one so I cant comment on if that was ya prob or not.

What I will say (and I apologise to you for this) that is some of the shodyist workmanship I have ever seen on a cab!

Hell even the joysticks aint mounted straight!!

[JDFan]

Ouch - Looks like they used a Keyboard hack for the encoder (hence the Capslock, etc leds) --With a keyboard encoder there is a limit on simultaneous keypresses due to the matrix used for keystrokes - so only a few keys can be pressed at the same time ( IIRC 4 -6 keys is max at a time) so using this for an encoder on a 2 player bartop is ridiculous - to fix it you will need to buy a new encoder and rewire the controls as this is a hardware limitation of the parts they used !

[Titchgamer]

Ide agree with JD here, Buy a decent encoder like a Ipac, rewire that rats nest and mount the joysticks straight!
That would feck me off within seconds playing with a stick that far off!

[Nick81]

Ha, obviously not my best impulse purchase then 

I'll get a new encoder and reposition the joysticks. Other than the Ipac encoder you mentioned, are there any others that you would recommend taking a look at? Is the wiring up a fairly simple job?

Thanks

[Titchgamer]

I always use ipac personally as they are reliable, easy to set up and very customisable.
Plus Ultimarcs customer service is excellent.

Wiring is easy, but with that rats nest may take a while heh!

[Mike A]

Could you post that eBay seller's name? It might help others avoid buying garbage like this. Cheaping out on components is bad enough. That joystick mounting is flat out garbage. I would be afraid to plug in something so poorly constructed. I can imagine what the PSU wiring looks like.

[Mike A]

All of the computer components are dirty. He also sold you a used computer.

[GeoMan]

Is the wiring up a fairly simple job?

Thanks

[ark_ader]

Well it looks like one of the cheap nasty encoders off ebay.
Ive never brought or used one so I cant comment on if that was ya prob or not.

What I will say (and I apologise to you for this) that is some of the shodyist workmanship I have ever seen on a cab!

Hell even the joysticks aint mounted straight!!

Be honest we have seen worse.  Not a bad job, the wiring should be labeled, but I have seen some real rat nest jobs on CPs in the not too distant past.  I give the guy 7/10 and the joys are slightly off but for first try, not too shabby.  Get an encoder off Groovygamegear.com and stay away from Ultimarc products.  Seriously.  Crap encoders are out there but get a decent one off Randy.  Worth every penny. 

[Titchgamer]

Well it looks like one of the cheap nasty encoders off ebay.
Ive never brought or used one so I cant comment on if that was ya prob or not.

What I will say (and I apologise to you for this) that is some of the shodyist workmanship I have ever seen on a cab!

Hell even the joysticks aint mounted straight!!

Be honest we have seen worse.  Not a bad job, the wiring should be labeled, but I have seen some real rat nest jobs on CPs in the not too distant past.  I give the guy 7/10 and the joys are slightly off but for first try, not too shabby.  Get an encoder off Groovygamegear.com and stay away from Ultimarc products.  Seriously.  Crap encoders are out there but get a decent one off Randy.  Worth every penny. 

You pissed??

Unless thats player 3 & 4 of a 4 way panel them stick be way off!!

As for the wiring yeah ive seen worse least its taped I guess.

Still damn shoddy though!

And theres nout wrong with Ultimarc encoders! One of mine is about 10 years old now and still working great!

[barrymossel]

Ha, obviously not my best impulse purchase then 

I'll get a new encoder and reposition the joysticks. Other than the Ipac encoder you mentioned, are there any others that you would recommend taking a look at? Is the wiring up a fairly simple job?

Thanks

The Zero Delay encoders from eBay (China) are working fine for me. Cheap and doing the job!

[ark_ader]

Well it looks like one of the cheap nasty encoders off ebay.
Ive never brought or used one so I cant comment on if that was ya prob or not.

What I will say (and I apologise to you for this) that is some of the shodyist workmanship I have ever seen on a cab!

Hell even the joysticks aint mounted straight!!

Be honest we have seen worse.  Not a bad job, the wiring should be labeled, but I have seen some real rat nest jobs on CPs in the not too distant past.  I give the guy 7/10 and the joys are slightly off but for first try, not too shabby.  Get an encoder off Groovygamegear.com and stay away from Ultimarc products.  Seriously.  Crap encoders are out there but get a decent one off Randy.  Worth every penny. 

You pissed??

Unless thats player 3 & 4 of a 4 way panel them stick be way off!!

As for the wiring yeah ive seen worse least its taped I guess.

Still damn shoddy though!

And theres nout wrong with Ultimarc encoders! One of mine is about 10 years old now and still working great!

It seems like it is you who is pissed off.  Maybe it is your time of the month.  Whatever the reason, we should be giving support and advice in a positive tone.  Sometimes we question intention and direction but it should all be good, and noobs should be treated with respect.  Instead of criticism, show examples on proper technique.  We all learn at different levels, sounding imperial doesn't help.  We have loads of examples, and a shout out to the wiki guys should be able to help.

So let us not be like KLOV and troll people when there are needing help and direction.  Obviously noobs should use the stickies and the search function first, but we all started this hobby and made mistakes, myself included.  If you cannot bring yourself to be civil, there are plenty of troll forums for you to frequent on the internet.

GPWIZ is a far superior product. Hands down.

You have your work cut out for you.

[Titchgamer]

Well it looks like one of the cheap nasty encoders off ebay.
Ive never brought or used one so I cant comment on if that was ya prob or not.

What I will say (and I apologise to you for this) that is some of the shodyist workmanship I have ever seen on a cab!

Hell even the joysticks aint mounted straight!!

Be honest we have seen worse.  Not a bad job, the wiring should be labeled, but I have seen some real rat nest jobs on CPs in the not too distant past.  I give the guy 7/10 and the joys are slightly off but for first try, not too shabby.  Get an encoder off Groovygamegear.com and stay away from Ultimarc products.  Seriously.  Crap encoders are out there but get a decent one off Randy.  Worth every penny. 

You pissed??

Unless thats player 3 & 4 of a 4 way panel them stick be way off!!

As for the wiring yeah ive seen worse least its taped I guess.

Still damn shoddy though!

And theres nout wrong with Ultimarc encoders! One of mine is about 10 years old now and still working great!

It seems like it is you who is pissed off.  Maybe it is your time of the month.  Whatever the reason, we should be giving support and advice in a positive tone.  Sometimes we question intention and direction but it should all be good, and noobs should be treated with respect.  Instead of criticism, show examples on proper technique.  We all learn at different levels, sounding imperial doesn't help.  We have loads of examples, and a shout out to the wiki guys should be able to help.

So let us not be like KLOV and troll people when there are needing help and direction.  Obviously noobs should use the stickies and the search function first, but we all started this hobby and made mistakes, myself included.  If you cannot bring yourself to be civil, there are plenty of troll forums for you to frequent on the internet.

GPWIZ is a far superior product. Hands down.

You have your work cut out for you.

Sorry lord ark your superior intellect did not understand my basic peasant language.

The term "pissed" refers to your mental state after consuming a portion of alcohol.
1 tin of peasants ale would probably have that effect on you totally forgivable by some!

As for trolling the "noob" for his bad workmanship I didnt....

He stated he had purchased it from someone so they are the noob with crap skills not our OP.

However should the OP have any questions or require help I will be happy to assist him of course.

As for the gpwizz, cant comment never used one. Bit expensive for me to import over here when there is a perfectly excellent and reliable thing over here that works as I need it to

Go sleep off the hangover Ark, you will be less grouchy in the morrow :p