Dedicated Spinner control panel

[Kong Donkowski]

I'm building my first control panel.  My goal is to create a number of compact (but not too small) CPs to use, well really with any MAME device with USB.  Eventually I would like to build a desktop mini-MAME machine similar to my old Vectrex.  Since I really like Tempest, Omega Race and some other spinner games, I'm starting with a dedicated spinner CP.  Coin, start and menu navigation duties will initially be handled by a regular keyboard (and later either built into the mini-machine or put in a dedicated control "block" just for all those non-gameplay functions.)  So I'd like the spinner CP to have one spinner and 4 buttons (because, Star Trek). (Not doing a push-pull spinner or adding a stick, so no Discs of Tron, Mad Planets, etc.  No problem.)

I got a spinner from GroovyGameGear (includes a USB encoder) along with the mouse button harness, but the button harness only supports left, middle, and right mouse buttons. That is to say, only 3 buttons.

How do I get that 4th button?

I could add one of those $10 encoders for just one button of course, or skip the mouse button harness and encode all 4 buttons with the extra encoder, but that's unsatisfying for a bunch of reasons (an extra thing that needs space inside my compact (but not too small  ) CP; it would also have 2 USB cables to plug into the computer (which really bugs me for some reason), probably extra hassles configuring MAME, etc.)

I sure wish the spinner encoder board could handle 5 mouse buttons like most modern mice have now anyway.  It could still be a straightfoward plug and play HID-compatible mouse-like device that way with no extra hassles, wouldn't it?

Any ideas? I just need one analog axis and 4 buttons... (on one board with one USB cable.)

[Zeosstud]

Before I say this, please, I am not in any way what so ever trying to dis GGG and their fantastic products.. But I have a question.

If you had the ultimarc spinner, you could plug it directly into an IPAC2 and then have a ton of buttons and just one USB connection to your PC..

I do not know if this ship has sailed, I am simply saying, it could be a solution depending on what part of your problem bothers you most..

You could also standardize your admin buttons and have them permanently in your small cabinet and then switch out control panels as you desire pretty easily, I personally have my admin buttons connected into a simple network cable and have a female to female connection so I can easily remove my control panel and come up with new layouts, without messing with the admin buttons.

Zeosstud

[PL1]

I just need one analog axis and 4 buttons... (on one board with one USB cable.)

Minor clarification:  A spinner is an optical (mouse) axis, not an analog (potentiometer) axis.

IIRC some people have run into problems using mouse buttons as player buttons.   

Consider looking for (or creating) code for an Arduino composite device on a 32u4 board like the Pro Micro.

A composite mouse and keyboard would be my first choice.
- Some emulators require the ESC key to exit.
- One keyboard-related thing you'll probably want to avoid is using "modifier" keys like CTRL, ALT, and Shift.
-- These MAME defaults were needed back in the ancient keyboard hacking days when "boot protocol" limited you to 6 key presses at a time plus any "modifier" keys.

or

This composite mouse and joystick/gamepad code should do what you want as-is.
- Translates spinner motion to a mouse axis output and player button presses to gamepad button outputs.
- Tandrews is using it as the starting point for the Pole Position cab encoders he's making here.


Scott

[pumaconcolor]

A forum member after my own heart.  Here's my Tempest controller.  I use it on my desktop PC with MAME.  It's a TT2 from GGG, with their Tempest control knob.  I leave it set without friction so it can spin a lot like the original Tempest spinner.  It's in one of those cheap Chinese joystick cases with the lid flipped over.  There's a zero delay encoder inside and a little USB hub so that only one cable comes out the back.  I gave it enough buttons for any arcade spinner game that I know of, but really I just use this for Tempest.

[J_K_M_A_N]

Very nice. I love Tempest. One of my favorites.

J_K_M_A_N

[Zeosstud]

Tempest is awesome.. :-) 

[Kong Donkowski]

Thanks for the replies.

I just need one analog axis and 4 buttons... (on one board with one USB cable.)

Minor clarification:  A spinner is an optical (mouse) axis, not an analog (potentiometer) axis.

Thanks.  You're right, analog is a different beast altogether. I value precise language too.

If you had the ultimarc spinner, you could plug it directly into an IPAC2 and then have a ton of buttons and just one USB connection to your PC..

I do not know if this ship has sailed, I am simply saying, it could be a solution depending on what part of your problem bothers you most..

No ships have sailed.  My budget on this project is pretty flexible.  I've already bought one or more sample pushbuttons from Sanwa, Seimitsu, Suzo/Happ, iL, Crown/Samducksa, Yenox, GGG, etc. plus different microswitches, leaf switches and Micro-leaf style switches (and have several more on the way.)  I'm taking it slow and having fun with it.  (I've played a lot of games of Asteroids with a cardboard box control panel with 5 different style buttons.)   What I did not know was that the i-Pac had optical (not analog ) inputs at all.  I thought the Ultimarc stuff came with their own opti-pac encoder similar to the one that comes with GGG optical devices.  TBH, I find the Ultimarc website annoying for some reason, so I clearly didn't study it well enough.  Maybe, I'll order an ipac and try with my GGG spinner.  That could be a perfect solution.

IIRC some people have run into problems using mouse buttons as player buttons.   

Consider looking for (or creating) code for an Arduino composite device on a 32u4 board like the Pro Micro.

I hope to some day mess around with arduino et al, but today is not yet that day.  Good to know about the mouse buttons though.

You could also standardize your admin buttons and have them permanently in your small cabinet and then switch out control panels as you desire pretty easily, I personally have my admin buttons connected into a simple network cable and have a female to female connection so I can easily remove my control panel and come up with new layouts, without messing with the admin buttons.

Mind blown. While arduino is currently out of scope for me, I have wired two homes with ethernet and even have a partial spool of cat5e and a punch down tool somewhere.  Not sure I'll use it for this build, unless I have problems using multiple USB encoders, but it's a good idea to keep in my back pocket.

It's a TT2 from GGG, with their Tempest control knob.

Tempest rocks.  I like your knob. I noticed you put the spinner on the right (as was done with the original Tempest), whereas most other spinner games put it on the left (like Omega Race).  I'm going to test both ways for fun.  Someday I'm going to write a long thread with all my ergonomic musings.  I've spent way too much time thinking about this stuff. I guess that's what makes it a hobby...

[pumaconcolor]

Yeah the Ultimarc website is a little awkward but it's worth it.  I always click on "Store" near the top and right-click and open new tabs for anything that looks interesting in there.  Don't miss the gold leaf push buttons.

Also I highly recommend the anodized or premium spinner knobs at GGG.  They look and feel great and they're heavy enough that you can then use the spinner without an extra weight below the panel.  Because of this I was able to fit my TT2 into some relatively small joystick cases.

Here's another one I've been fooling around with:

[Mr. Peabody]

Spinner mounting place depends on your handedness. My left hand spins better than it buttons.