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Author Topic: Troubleshooting IPAC 2 on a Raspberry Pi  (Read 3083 times)

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Capeman

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Troubleshooting IPAC 2 on a Raspberry Pi
« on: November 03, 2017, 10:42:59 pm »
Hey guys, looking for a bit of help with an IPAC issue. I searched the forum but couldn't find anything similar, so forgive me if I'm dropping a repeat topic.

I have an IPAC2 that i got from Ultimarc (modern version with usb mini connection) in my bartop arcade. It's connected to 2 sanway JLF's and 17 sanwa pushbuttons, and a Raspberry Pi running Retropie 4.3. IPAC2 is set to keyboard mode, default mame layout (no changes) and updated to the most recent firmware. All of my wiring is standard 22awg wiring designed for arcade buttons with the daisy chained ground cables.

The issue i am having is repeated keystrokes, the IPAC is (intermittently) detecting multiple keystrokes when a direction or button is pressed. Notably one keystroke upon activation of the microswitch, and another input upon release of the microswitch.

I was thinking it was my joysticks, but i also get the double input effect on the pushbuttons also.

I tried various fixes, but nothing seemed to help, including:
- a new USB cable
- different power supplies on the pi (canakit and official raspberry pi branded power supplies)
- removing all other usb devices (i use a usb sound card)
- removing any wires to the IPAC that were not connected to buttons (i had some placeholders)
- reinstalling the wiring of all grounds and connections
- checking all connections were tight
- dismantling and cleaning the sanwa joystick contacts
- trying the IPAC on a different raspberry pi with a different setup of retropie installed

When none of those helped, i tried my IPAC on a windows PC (just in notepad to see if keystrokes would repeat). This was a little better, but i still noticed double inputs on that system also.

At this point I'm thinking its a problem with my IPAC, but i don't know what else to try. Has anyone had a similar issue? Or is my IPAC sounding defective?
« Last Edit: November 03, 2017, 10:54:42 pm by Capeman »

Titchgamer

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Re: Troubleshooting IPAC 2 on a Raspberry Pi
« Reply #1 on: November 04, 2017, 03:59:35 am »
Are your switches etc wired correctly?

I.e. grounds to common and switch wires to the NO contact?

Capeman

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Re: Troubleshooting IPAC 2 on a Raspberry Pi
« Reply #2 on: November 04, 2017, 08:12:26 am »
I believe so. The IPAC has 2 commons on the first screw terminal, which I'm using for the ground wiring. And the JLF's use a pcb and wiring harness, i didn't wire directly to the switches.

AndyWarne

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Re: Troubleshooting IPAC 2 on a Raspberry Pi
« Reply #3 on: November 04, 2017, 12:47:14 pm »
if everything is wired correctly then this would indicate excessively "bouncy" switch contacts.

The I-PAC has a low de-bounce delay to speed up detection of repeated presses of the same button but this can cause doubling-up if the switches are slow acting. The filtering is especially low on switch release because switches dont usually bounce much on release.

We can send firmware with a longer delay if necessary, on recognition of the same key successively activated.

But this type of issue is usually not detrimental in games, which do not respond to individual keypresses as such and its often preferable to leave the delay minimal for best response in games which need repeated presses of the same key.

Does the LED stay lit? That would indicate wiring is correct.

Capeman

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Re: Troubleshooting IPAC 2 on a Raspberry Pi
« Reply #4 on: November 04, 2017, 10:51:58 pm »
Ah i see, this actually makes alot of sense. I get a nice solid LED, so the wiring is fine.

I notice this issue mostly in EmulationStation on retropie, the short debounce delay makes it very difficult to pick games, the menu has no delay so any input is taken no matter how fast it's entered, which probably explains why its constantly skipping down the list 2 entries at a time.

And you are correct, i do not notice the double inputs in-game, it's mostly a menu problem.

If you have a firmware version with a slightly longer debounce rate, i would like to try it to see if it alleviates the game selection problem. I very much appreciate getting an answer from the guys who make the product, that's just awesome! Thanks!
« Last Edit: November 04, 2017, 10:53:36 pm by Capeman »

AndyWarne

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Re: Troubleshooting IPAC 2 on a Raspberry Pi
« Reply #5 on: November 05, 2017, 05:25:11 am »
Can you drop me an email andy@ultimarc.com and I will send it.

radium226

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Re: Troubleshooting IPAC 2 on a Raspberry Pi
« Reply #6 on: November 05, 2017, 05:59:07 pm »
Wow, I registered with the forum just now to ask this same question, and here someone else has already asked it!  So one: hopefully it's solved (I haven't read the entire thread yet) and 2: you're not alone in this issue!

Capeman

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Re: Troubleshooting IPAC 2 on a Raspberry Pi
« Reply #7 on: November 06, 2017, 12:36:51 pm »
Ok, so i installed the updated firmware. The longer debounce delay helped. It basically alleviated double inputs from the pushbuttons, but my joysticks still tend to skip over 2 entries in emulationstation, though alot less than it did before (probably half the time as previously).

As you suggested, i'm attributing it to overly bouncy joysticks, the sanwa JLF's tend to be very loose and when inputs are released i do notice a little bit of wobble upon return.

I ordered 2lb tension spring upgrades on FocusAttack to see if i can get my JLF's to be a little stiffer. I think with the modified firmware and the tweaking to the joystick, this might fix my issue. I'll post back in a few days when my springs arrive and report back.

disgusdad

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Re: Troubleshooting IPAC 2 on a Raspberry Pi
« Reply #8 on: February 03, 2020, 02:00:44 pm »
Sorry for the necro-post but this is an issue I have dealt with more than once. It just currently cropped up again just this week after receiving two new JLF's.
I also noticed the original poster did not follow-up as to whether replacing the springs and actuators helped. I wanted to add my experience with this issue to the post.

While it is a debounce issue, the problem is often the omni switches themselves in the JLF's, often these switches are excessively noisy. Fix is replacement of the affected switches or better yet replace the entire switch board assembly with a more robust solution. (example: Cherry mod).

I received 2 new JLF's this week and one stick has two noisy switches. One switch so bad it made navigation impossible in one direction. Swapped out the switch plate and worked perfect, lower noise, no extra inputs.
Noise is very visible on an ocilloscope but all the switches look noisy so it is difficult to see the threshold where controller translates to an input.

Setup as tested:
2 control panel mockups with I-PAC 2's.
I-PAC 2 firmware 1.44, Switch de-bounce set to Short
Multiple Sanwa JLF-TP-8's, stock springs and actuators, octagon gates. (purchased from reputable online Arcade Shop, not Amazon, be wary of JLF clones).
Test panels running RetroPie 4.4 and Emulation Station 4.7.5. Additional tests on a PC running Python key capture script to log key inputs.

In the bartops I have built (primarily with Sanwa sticks) I had several sticks with ghost inputs, often very bad in one direction, better in the opposite direction. Fine in the others.
Replacing the switches or entire plate has always fixed the problem for me. Another note is that the plate does have a fair amount of flex/movement when joystick is in full deflection, I don't know whether this contributes to the noise, but I have not had ghost issues with modified sticks that remove the switch plate entirely.

I stumbled upon this post and its recommendation to adjust software debounce, which should not be needed if the switches are good.
Hope this may help the next person,
-disgusdad