Ultimarc Update

[AndyWarne]

Its a while since posted any product-related info on here.

But we have been busy! Just a quick summary of a few recent products.

Ultrastik 360 Flight Stick

This was much requested and proved to be very popular so we sold out of the initial production already. More will be in stock in the next few days.
It's a fully analog flight stick with trigger and top button, circular wide-angle restrictor, and fully mappable in an identical way to the standard Ultrastik 360.



Ikari 12-way Rotary Upgrade

This has just been added, it is an upgrade kit for fitting to J-Stik or ServoStik and provides the Ikari Warriors style 12-click rotation which sends one keypress per click.
The keys are fully configurable and gamepad buttons can also be sent. Key pulse length can also be configured.
Full details: http://www.ultimarc.com/12wayrotary.pdf



Aimtrak Bluetooth Upgrade

Last year I spent all year designing two Bluetooth products, the BlueHID (on www.u-hid.com) and BluButton (www.usbbutton.com) and these are products with some unique features such as composite HID device emulation and configuration/firmware upgrade over Bluetooth. They are fully Bluetooth tested and certified.

This effort was fed into the Bluetooth upgrade for Aimtrak, which maintains the same features as the USB version namely direct mouse and joystick emulation, upgradeable firmware and configuration over the air, using the same applucation as the USB version.

Full details of this kit are here: http://www.ultimarc.com/AimtrakBluetooth.pdf

Depending on user feedback we will likely launch complete Bluetooth Aimtrak guns at some future time.

Alongside all of this we are working with a partner on an overdue replacement of our website! This is proving a challenge as I want to maintain all of the large amount of product information which is on our current site and most standard store packages dont doble up as instructional sites very well but we think we have found the solution.

Thanks for reading, look forward to continuing to supply the arcade community!

Andy

[Jimbo]

Thanks Andy, I've bought many bits off you over the years.  Always prompt to dispatch, quick to answer email queries and quality products.

Good luck with the new website.

Cheers

[Titchgamer]

Great work Andy!

I will look into the AT bluetooth thing when I have some cash!

[Mike A]

You just picked up your first dedicated cab. You won't have cash for a very long time.

[AndyWarne]

Speaking of dedicated cabs, I also found time to restore this beauty:

[Titchgamer]

You just picked up your first dedicated cab. You won't have cash for a very long time.

Yeah its gunna be a while lol


Nice Andy

[javeryh]

Speaking of dedicated cabs, I also found time to restore this beauty:

WOW.     This is an absolutely stunning cabinet.  Looks like it came off the assembly line yesterday.

[nitrogen_widget]

Speaking of dedicated cabs, I also found time to restore this beauty:

WOW.     This is an absolutely stunning cabinet.  Looks like it came off the assembly line yesterday.

This.

[Sky25es]

Ikari 12-way Rotary Upgrade

This has just been added, it is an upgrade kit for fitting to J-Stik or ServoStik and provides the Ikari Warriors style 12-click rotation which sends one keypress per click.
The keys are fully configurable and gamepad buttons can also be sent. Key pulse length can also be configured.
Full details: http://www.ultimarc.com/12wayrotary.pdf

Andy. How does it compare to the Happ mechanical rotaries ?
I have two of those in my panel but they're somewhat hard to turn and I don't like the overall feel of the sticks.

[AndyWarne]

Andy. How does it compare to the Happ mechanical rotaries ?
I have two of those in my panel but they're somewhat hard to turn and I don't like the overall feel of the sticks.

They are very similar to the Ikari Warriors original sticks. They are not particularly hard to turn but do have the noticeable detent in each position as thats what the game was designed around. I believe the detent on the Happ sticks is somewhat harder than the original Ikari.

[smass]

Andy. How does it compare to the Happ mechanical rotaries ?
I have two of those in my panel but they're somewhat hard to turn and I don't like the overall feel of the sticks.

They are very similar to the Ikari Warriors original sticks. They are not particularly hard to turn but do have the noticeable detent in each position as thats what the game was designed around. I believe the detent on the Happ sticks is somewhat harder than the original Ikari.

Have you considered offering a joystick ball that is similar in shape to the ls-30?  The shape of the ls-30 top is much less fatigue inducing than a ball top...

[thatpurplestuff]

Hey Andy,

The 12 way rotary upgrade looks awesome!  Wanting to buy a couple for my servostiks, but saw that it comes with a replacement handle that appears to be solid.  Am I correct in assuming this upgrade is not compatible with illuminated balltops?

[Paradroid]

The 12 way rotary upgrade looks awesome!

Agree! This is a great development.

[esoteric_rt]

Andy. How does it compare to the Happ mechanical rotaries ?
I have two of those in my panel but they're somewhat hard to turn and I don't like the overall feel of the sticks.

They are very similar to the Ikari Warriors original sticks. They are not particularly hard to turn but do have the noticeable detent in each position as thats what the game was designed around. I believe the detent on the Happ sticks is somewhat harder than the original Ikari.

Have you considered offering a joystick ball that is similar in shape to the ls-30?  The shape of the ls-30 top is much less fatigue inducing than a ball top...

I agree, id love to be able to build a CP that had LS-30 tops, so it looked the same as the original cabinets but running Mame

[Paradroid]

I agree, id love to be able to build a CP that had LS-30 tops, so it looked the same as the original cabinets but running Mame

That's exactly what I did using refurbished LS-30s! It was quite a mission though: I sourced about 7 LS-30s that were in various states of decay (e.g. bent, rusty, broken, etc.) and mixed-and-matched the parts to get a good pair.

I have a box of spare LS-30 parts now and would be happy to donate a yellow top to someone with the skills to create a reproduction or modification for coupling with Ultimarc sticks.

I'm excited about the Ultimarc offering as LS-30s are actually pretty clunky joysticks. Would be interesting to see if the overall action (8 way and rotation) is a bit smoother.

[AndyWarne]

Hey Andy,

The 12 way rotary upgrade looks awesome!  Wanting to buy a couple for my servostiks, but saw that it comes with a replacement handle that appears to be solid.  Am I correct in assuming this upgrade is not compatible with illuminated balltops?

Unfortunately this is solid only. BTW we do have bat tops for these handles, I will add this info to the instruction sheet. Another point is of course the top needs to be secured to the handle pretty firmly so epoxy or threadlock needed.

[JC]

Great to see these latest updates! Another long-time customer here, just chiming in to say thanks for the good times over the years

[Richardgregory]

Finally....looks like a great flight stick that I've been looking for - thanks.

Is the mounting plate dimensions the same as the Magstick? 

[PL1]

I agree, id love to be able to build a CP that had LS-30 tops, so it looked the same as the original cabinets but running Mame

I have a box of spare LS-30 parts now and would be happy to donate a yellow top to someone with the skills to create a reproduction or modification for coupling with Ultimarc sticks.

I've already built a 3d printable model of the handle in OpenSCAD for the Happ Rotary stick in this thread.



If someone could provide a few key measurements, it would be fairly easy to remix the handle for the Ultimarc stick.
- Shaft diameter
- Distance from the top of the joystick mounting plate to the shoulder at the bottom of the threads
- Length of shaft that is threaded

Also need confirmation that the threads are standard M6 (M6x1mm?) for the correct locknut.


Scott

[Paradroid]

I have a box of spare LS-30 parts now and would be happy to donate a yellow top to someone with the skills to create a reproduction or modification for coupling with Ultimarc sticks.

I've already built a 3d printable model of the handle in OpenSCAD for the Happ Rotary stick in this thread.

Oh, bravo! Nice work.

[AndyWarne]

Finally....looks like a great flight stick that I've been looking for - thanks.

Is the mounting plate dimensions the same as the Magstick?

Yes, same dimensions

[AndyWarne]

If someone could provide a few key measurements, it would be fairly easy to remix the handle for the Ultimarc stick.
- Shaft diameter
- Distance from the top of the joystick mounting plate to the shoulder at the bottom of the threads
- Length of shaft that is threaded

Also need confirmation that the threads are standard M6 (M6x1mm?) for the correct locknut.

Here are the dimensions of the shaft:




Scott

[PL1]

Thanks, Andy.   

That diagram covers pretty much everything except the distance from the mounting plate to the shaft shoulder -- can't calculate the correct handle height without that measurement.   

I'm picturing two versions of the handle.

Version 1:
Like the Happ version, but using a 9mm I.D. x 18mm O.D. x 10mm high shaft collar like this one.
- Easy remix that anyone can do, just change a few variables in OpenSCAD, render, and export an .STL.
- Confirm the variables work with your hardware and printer using LS30_Test_Print.scad then copy those values into LS30_Handle.scad.
-- ShaftHeight (handle line 66) - probably OK as-is
-- ShaftDiameter (test line 17, handle line 69)
-- ShaftCollarHeight (test line 18, handle line 72)
-- ShaftCollarOuterDiameter (test line 19, handle line 75)
- Drill or file a flat spot on the joystick shaft for the shaft collar setscrew.

Version 2:
Removable top like the original handle.
- M6 locknut and maybe a star washer or two to secure the handle to the shaft.
- No shaft mods, just print and assemble.
- No shaft collar so no setscrew hole/cover.   


Scott

[AndyWarne]

The distance is 46mm.

Andy

[PL1]

Thanks again, Andy.   

There's now a handle development and testing thread here.


Scott