pole position shifter advice needed

[dirt]

i have a pole position cab that i am going to mame.I need some advice on which shifter not only works with mame but looks like it belongs on the game. I want the game to look like a "real" pole position when i'm done. I know some of you have done the pole position cab thing and i was looking for some help so i dont just go out buying shifter's that wont fit the game. any suggestions?

dirt

[Tailgunner]

Pole Position's shifter is a simple Hi-Lo shifter as I remember. I have a Pole Position control panel in my parts collection, I'll take my camera to work tommorow and take a couple of reference pictures so you can see what the shifter looks like.

[dirt]

thanks, could you take some detailed pictures of the back of the shifter? i want to see if there is anyway i could modify it so it will only click the microswitch instead of holding it down.that way it would work with mame.


dirt

[JLR2000]

I did mame a bare PP cab, keep in mind that the original shifter held the switch either open or closed.....high or low.  The mame code is written for two buttons, one for high and one for low.  I was lucky enough to have someone give me the source code chages for mame so I could compile a version so that it worked with one switch, in either the open or closed position.

Good Luck

[StephenH]

You may need to build an R/S Flip Flop and two one-shot circuits using a 555 Chip or something.

[Minwah]

I did mame a bare PP cab, keep in mind that the original shifter held the switch either open or closed.....high or low.  The mame code is written for two buttons, one for high and one for low.  I was lucky enough to have someone give me the source code chages for mame so I could compile a version so that it worked with one switch, in either the open or closed position.

I thought in MAME Pole Position's shifting was done with one key (by default [Space] ), the key just toggled hi/low.  But that code change is just what's needed, it sounds as if it would then work the same way as Chase HQ.

I have an old PP shifter - it certainly looks the part, but unfortunately seems to be missing a load of stuff.  The stick itself is in good nick, but it just flops around and there is no microswitch etc  I'll be using a turbo hi-low shifter (Happ type)...

[unclet]

I have a Pole Position shifter I would sell you cheap if you want to go that route.   Let me know.  I believe everything is there.  Think I still have the metal control panel as well.   Actually, the shifter might be still connected to that  now that I think about it.    Anyway, let me know if you are interested before I try to locate it amid all my crap.....

You can PM me here or email me at emailAddrRemoved

[Karman]

I was lucky enough to have someone give me the source code chages for mame so I could compile a version so that it worked with one switch, in either the open or closed position.

Can you share the source code that you used?

[Tailgunner]

Here's the pics.  Front side...

[Tailgunner]

back side...

[Tailgunner]

back side, opposite view. You could add a second microswitch, but as designed the shifter would then either be pressing one switch all the time or the other. The shifter body is hard plastic and somewhat brittle. Modding one would be difficult without breaking it.

[JLR2000]

I did mame a bare PP cab, keep in mind that the original shifter held the switch either open or closed.....high or low.  The mame code is written for two buttons, one for high and one for low.  I was lucky enough to have someone give me the source code chages for mame so I could compile a version so that it worked with one switch, in either the open or closed position.

I thought in MAME Pole Position's shifting was done with one key (by default [Space] ), the key just toggled hi/low.  But that code change is just what's needed, it sounds as if it would then work the same way as Chase HQ.

I have an old PP shifter - it certainly looks the part, but unfortunately seems to be missing a load of stuff.  The stick itself is in good nick, but it just flops around and there is no microswitch etc  I'll be using a turbo hi-low shifter (Happ type)...

Ahhh, that's right Minwah....it is only one button and it toggles....the code change allowed for reading the switch as either "open" or "closed".  Thanks for clarifiying!

[Thenasty]

maybe what ya mean was that you had the code to make it 2 buttons for gear change. This way you can use the JOY/UP, and JOY/DOWN for Hi/Low for the game. It will almost feel like your shifting the stick in a way.  

[JLR2000]

maybe what ya mean was that you had the code to make it 2 buttons for gear change. This way you can use the JOY/UP, and JOY/DOWN for Hi/Low for the game. It will almost feel like your shifting the stick in a way.  

Sorry...I think I've only made this more confusing...Here's an attempt to clarify:
The MAME source today is written for Pole Position to read ONE button for the shifter, (space I think). If you hit the button it toggles between HI/LOW.  The code change I received made MAME read the single button, but instead of toggling, it read if the button was pressed or not(based on the design of the shifter in PP). When closed the change made MAME read it as HI, when open MAME reads it as LOW.  Hope that is clearer.

[Minwah]

Sorry...I think I've only made this more confusing...Here's an attempt to clarify:
The MAME source today is written for Pole Position to read ONE button for the shifter, (space I think). If you hit the button it toggles between HI/LOW.  The code change I received made MAME read the single button, but instead of toggling, it read if the button was pressed or not(based on the design of the shifter in PP). When closed the change made MAME read it as HI, when open MAME reads it as LOW.  Hope that is clearer.

Yep  This is the way ChaseHQ and some others work (I think by default [Shift] is used instead of [Space] tho).

But then there are the games which do use a separate button for each speed, eg OutRun.  I think this uses [Shift] for high and [Space] for low.  Whats the best way to handle these?  Wire up the 'normally closed' contact on the microswitch to a different input to the 'normally open' contact?  Or again make a software change?

[dirt]

well i bought a shifter(thanks unclet). so when it gets here i will see if i can modify it. i think if i reposition the microswitch it might work but i wont really know till i get it in my greasy little hands


dirt

[pocketbikez]

i bought a happ 4-way shifter and currently have it hooked up to a beta driving cab control panel.

chasehq, buggy challenge and other on-off shifter games work with the shifter by mapping the 1st gear switch and shifting inbetween 1st and second gear.

pole position, outrun, turbo, spyhunter and other games work by mapping the 1st and second gear microswitches to the same shift input. shift into 1st gear and its in low, shift into 2nd gear and its in high.

then theres the old games like drag race, super bug, fire truck and some other games that use all 4 gears. mapping each of the 4 gear microswitches works like a charm for these games.

this seems like a good all around general purpose most bang for your buck and control panel space shifter.

[Minwah]

i bought a happ 4-way shifter and currently have it hooked up to a beta driving cab control panel.

chasehq, buggy challenge and other on-off shifter games work with the shifter by mapping the 1st gear switch and shifting inbetween 1st and second gear.

pole position, outrun, turbo, spyhunter and other games work by mapping the 1st and second gear microswitches to the same shift input. shift into 1st gear and its in low, shift into 2nd gear and its in high.

then theres the old games like drag race, super bug, fire truck and some other games that use all 4 gears. mapping each of the 4 gear microswitches works like a charm for these games.

this seems like a good all around general purpose most bang for your buck and control panel space shifter.

Sounds like a good solution, but for some reason I only want a hi/low style shifter.  I'm not too interested in games which have more than just hi/low, and most newer ones can be set to 'auto' if I do want to play them.  I think I just like the simplistic bang up/down action of the hi/low shifters  

[Smack]

Don't bother hacking the shifter. You can make a change to the source.

I've been digging around trying to find it. (I had it on my HD somewhere!) I had used it on my shifter on one of my cabs.

You might want to try the compiling board. I'll keep looking in the meanwhile.

If I remember, you had to change something to like IPF_TOGGLE.?!??  Can't quite remember.

Smack

[JLR2000]

I have it as well, but at home and I'm currently travelling for work for the next 11 days.  Someone was kind enough to provide it to me in the mame compiling forum.  If this link is still active when I get back I can look for the changes and post them.  I have to agree with Smack, don't change the shifter, change the code.

[paigeoliver]

Atari made MANY different controls that used that same basic body.

2- position shifter.
4 position shifter.
2- way joystick (battlezone)
8-way joystick (Red Baron, or maybe this was analog, same body though)
perhaps others.

It seems to me like you could switch some parts around between them to get what you needed. From my own stock of parts I should be able to see if you can marry a 4-way shifter handle (Sprint series, Hard Drivin, and others) with a Battlezone body to get a 2-way return to center shifter.

They all basically work by rolling a marble (or ball bearing) around in a track on the bottom, and then hitting a microswitch.

Or forget going through all that trouble, just get a battlezone stick, they are already kind of "shifter-like", they fit the bezels on Atari driving cabs, and some of them have a button on top.

[dirt]

once again you seem to have the right answer for my not so easy question. thanks paige i will look for a battlezone stick and try to mount my hi/lo handle to it.by the way paige that guy did take the stargate cab so it will go to good use for someone.


dirt

[paigeoliver]

No problem.

My search for a fricking Williams COIN DOOR has produced 2 more stargate cabs, one on ebay that the seller asked me not to win because he didn't want to ship the door and marquee and be stuck with the cabinet (so I didn't bid after I got outbod).

Another one local for $50 that comes with coin door and marquee.

Thinking about taking the local one, but it still doesn't solve my basic problem of not having as many Williams coin doors as Williams cabinets.

[Rocky]

If I remember, you had to change something to like IPF_TOGGLE.?!??  Can't quite remember.

I asked this question in the software forum and got some great help there.

In the driver of the games you want to change, look for that reference to TOGGLE  (actually I think it is IP_TOGGLE)  and remove the "| IP_TOGGLE" and it works just like the original: pressed is high gear, unpressed is low.  

I changed it for Spy Hunter, Pole position and several others.  Outrun uses 2 switches.

Good luck,

Rocky