Dumb question about joystick / button wiring

[Scotty]

Ok, I pretty much know the answer, but I did 60 hours of overtime last check, and was hallucinating yesterday, so I just need confirmation....    I am putting a very strange control panel together, with a 5 button Asteroids layout, a dedicated diagonal stick for Q*Bert, a cocktail style Taito Space Invaders layout and a pinball plunger with flippers, amongst others.  Question is, to save inputs on the encoder, am I correct in my theory that multiple similar inputs can be wired to the same input?  Example would be fire on the Asteroids panel, with the main fire for the joystick, and left and right on the Asteroids pannel, paired with left and right on the joystick?

[javeryh]

Yes you are correct at least with respect to an iPAC or similar encoder.  No idea how the cheap zero delay "encoders" would work since they get recognized as a controller and not a keyboard..

[Scotty]

I am actually using 2 'built in controllers'.   One is the Zebsboard pinball plunger and the other is the Ultimarc 360 balltop.  17 and 8 inputs respectively.

[Zebidee]

Short answer is it doesn't matter, so long as one of the switches connects the "active" to ground. You would just "daisy chain" the relevant active terminals, in the same way as you do the grounds.

[Scotty]

That is what I figured, just wanted to confirm.  Thank you much for the fast reply.

[PL1]

Ok, I pretty much know the answer, but I did 60 hours of overtime last check, and was hallucinating yesterday, so I just need confirmation....    I am putting a very strange control panel together, with a 5 button Asteroids layout, a dedicated diagonal stick for Q*Bert, a cocktail style Taito Space Invaders layout and a pinball plunger with flippers, amongst others.  Question is, to save inputs on the encoder, am I correct in my theory that multiple similar inputs can be wired to the same input?  Example would be fire on the Asteroids panel, with the main fire for the joystick, and left and right on the Asteroids pannel, paired with left and right on the joystick?

Like Zebidee said, no problem.

Here's an example of an 8-way joystick wired in parallel with a 4-way stick.
- When lines cross, a dot = connected and no dot = not connected.

Yes you are correct at least with respect to an iPAC or similar encoder.  No idea how the cheap zero delay "encoders" would work since they get recognized as a controller and not a keyboard..

The potential problem with several controls per input in a panel with an IPac and a ZD is that the IPacs are "active low" devices (apply daisy-chained ground to the input to trigger the output) and the ZDs are "active high" devices. (apply daisy-chained 5v to the input to trigger the output)

As long as you keep the IPac input controls electrically separate from the ZD input controls, it will work OK.
- Remember what you learned in Ghostbusters, "Don't cross the streams."   


Scott