Stupid noob Mame question

[Purple Tophat]

So while I am in the process of building my ultimate 4 player I picked up a super cheap PC based 2-player MAME cab for only $150. Figured it would be a fun place keeper  until the real deal!

It was working fine until one time on reboot it no longer will exit out of the game you are in and back to the menu when you press both start buttons at the same time. I know it’s a dumb question but can anybody tell me where to go to reset this so it exits back to the menu like it should?

I know…dumb question but I am so bad at software stuff it’s incredible. I can build themed props and set pieces like nobody’s business but I’m so stupid with software stuff!

Help? Thanks!

[Nephasth]

9 years on the forum... you don't qualify for noob questions. Sounds like you just need to edit inputs (tab).

[bobbyb13]

Might need to know more about that entire system of yours but hitting 'escape' on the keyboard setup with that PC is the default exit method.
If the machine used to use a simultaneous 2 key press to escape then it is mapped that way somewhere (and you may have accidentally reset that mapping.)

Is there a fancy frontend used on that cab or is it the default mame ui you are using?

[Purple Tophat]

Haha! Yeah I guess I don’t qualify as a noob but I feel so dumb compared to so many of you guys!

Thanks yeah, I was trying to figure out if this setting would be in Mame itself or if it is part of the front end. It’s a PC running Windows Xp home edition. I can’t tell what front end it is. First thing I’m going to do is I guess try to get back to the desktop and see if I can figure out what front end it is and maybe I can find the setting in there. Can’t seem to attach a video but here is a ---smurfy--- screen cap of the video of the front end. Weird that it would just stop working like that. Everything else is the same as it was. I just can’t exit back to the game list anymore.

I appreciate the help!

[Zebidee]

It was working fine until one time on reboot it no longer will exit out of the game you are in and back to the menu when you press both start buttons at the same time. I know it’s a dumb question but can anybody tell me where to go to reset this so it exits back to the menu like it should?

When this happens, it means one of your button/joystick contacts is being grounded as (or after) you boot the PC. It confuses the keyboard encoder, IPAC or whatever. Solution is usually to go over your joys/buttons/harness to make sure everything looks right, find the stuck button or microswitch, maybe it is a joystick stuck in one direction. Sometimes buttons get stuck, clean them inside with a cloth and isopropyl or methylated spirits, Check all the connections are good and solid.

[TOMMYGUN]

Is second player start, working? to begin with,
i doubt the controlls change by themselves it is probably the microswitch or loose wire or broken wire

[Purple Tophat]

Both start buttons work fine independently. They just no longer work when pressed together to exit out of the game back to the game select screen. So I should try to check every microswitch even with this being the case?

[PL1]

What type of encoder do you have?
- A keyboard/gamepad hybrid like the IPac/Mini-Pac/U-HID.
- A gamepad-only encoder like the ZD encoder.

There are three common approaches to using P1 Start + P2 Start as Exit:
1. "Shifted functions" on the IPac. (works with any program that uses ESC as Exit)
2. "UI Cancel" setting in MAME. (only works in MAME)
3. An external program like the Front End or an AHK script that looks for both buttons being pressed and held for a certain length of time then sends an ESC keystroke. (works with any program that uses ESC as Exit)

If you don't have an IPac, that pretty much rules out approach #1.
- If you do have an IPac, you may need to reprogram it.  It's highly unlikely that the flash memory would get corrupted, but not entirely impossible.

If your system uses approach #2:
- Go into the MAME menu system. (TAB)
- Go to "Input (General)" -- "User Interface" menu.
- Scroll down to "UI Cancel".  It should be mapped to "1 2" instead of the default "ESC", assuming that you have a keyboard encoder.
- To map both buttons to "UI Cancel", press ENTER then press and hold both buttons.

If your system uses approach #3, we'll need to figure out which FE or AHK script was used.   


Scott

[Purple Tophat]

Oh man thank you so much! It uses a Jpac. It’s just a quick press and not holding them down for any length of time, so guessing that would be option 1 or 2. Now I know what to look for so thank you! Also, I had a birthday party for my daughter yesterday and wanted the machine working so I did hook up a keyboard and the escape key did work to exit games so I set it next to the machine and it got us through. Now I can actually troubleshoot it so, many thanks!

Now if I can just find somebody to help me solve the last two problems with my USB2Gun cabinet build I’ll be set to go!!! That one is the dream from the moment I saw Mad Dog McCree at a Truck Stop when it came out.

[PL1]

It uses a Jpac. It’s just a quick press and not holding them down for any length of time, so guessing that would be option 1 or 2.

Yes.  J-Pac shifted functions work like the ones on an I-Pac.
- No keystroke sent when you press Start 1.
- If another button with a shifted function is pressed before you release Start 1, it immediately sends that shifted function keystroke.
- If another button with a shifted function is not pressed before you release Start 1, it sends a "1" keystroke.

A keyboard test program and/or the WinIPAC programming utility should be useful for troubleshooting.
- Normally, I'd recommend using Notepad to test a keyboard encoder, but you're trying to troubleshoot the ESC key.
- BobA uploaded a keyboard test program here or Jon wrote a great one for KADE that's too big to upload as an attachment here, but I can upload it to sendspace.   


Scott

[Zebidee]

99% of time this means a stuck button or joystick contact during boot.

Check all your button/joystick contacts, make sure nothing is stuck or 'closed' during boot. Use a test program or Notepad like Scott suggests to see what buttons aren't responding properly. Check all the contacts, make sure all the buttons and joysticks move freely.

Don't let kids jump on all the buttons/joysticks as you boot the machine - this will confuse the IPAC/JPAC and cause these problems too.