Ipac ultimate issues

[Biz101782]

I just finished a 4 player build.  Came out great.  It's my first time using the ultimarc board.  I keep having issues with player 4 set up.  I have been troubleshooting for over 2 weeks.  Now as of today, one oof the switches isn't being recognized on player 3.  Player 1 and 2 work perfect.

The question is: could I just leave as is and get a new smaller ipac board for player 3 and 4? 

Anyone else have these types of issues with the ipac ultimate board?  Could the board just be malfunctioning?  Or could I update the software?

Thanks for advice or any input.

[PL1]

I keep having issues with player 4 set up.  I have been troubleshooting for over 2 weeks.

Can you be more specific?

What are the issues you're running into?  Wiring?  Re-programming the IPac?

What have you done for troubleshooting?

Do you have a multimeter and know how to do continuity and voltage checks?

Now as of today, one oof the switches isn't being recognized on player 3.

I assume that means the switch was working before, so it's not a case of having the wires connected to the NC (Normally Closed) and COM (Common) tabs instead of the NO (Normally Open) and COM tabs, right?

Which switch is it?

Is it the last switch on the ground daisy chain? (might be a bad crimp or break in the daisy chain)

Can you short the IPac input to ground and trigger the output? (could be a bad switch or a bad/loose connection or a damaged wire)

The question is: could I just leave as is and get a new smaller ipac board for player 3 and 4? 

Let's define the problem before leaping to that solution.   

Or could I update the software?

I really doubt that a firmware update will help.


Scott

[Biz101782]

Thanks for all the feedback. Here is a general recap of the issue.

On the 4 player connectors.  The switch irth either stick and there are 3 that just don't recognized.

I checked all the switches, wires, etc.....really all the buttons and switches work fine.
The issue is when I get to programming player 4.  Either the board isn't recognizing the switch or it gets stuck on the number I enter.  And once it's stuck the only way is to unplug the USB.

If the 4 player connector is plugged in while I try to configure the panel, then the swich sticks.  When I unplug the 4 player connector, the issue still happens.  I have to unplug the USB to reset the whole thing. 

But if the 4 player connector is unplugged and then I replug in the USB, everything works fine

I played the arcade a bit last with the 4 player connector unplugged (so I just abondoned the 4 player control) and everything worked well.  On the 1st a s 2nd player connectors.  For some random reason now one switch on the 3rd player panel isn't being recognized at all as an input

[bobbyb13]

It sounds like you have a short somewhere.

Have you used a multimeter to troubleshoot yet (as Scott suggested?)
Without doing that you will not be abel to find out what is really malfunctioning.

You will be wasting your time otherwise.

Order of failure is usually:

Wiring is bad
A switch is bad
The interface board is bad

[Zebidee]

Thanks for all the feedback. Here is a general recap of the issue.

On the 4 player connectors.  The switch irth either stick and there are 3 that just don't recognized.

I checked all the switches, wires, etc.....really all the buttons and switches work fine.
The issue is when I get to programming player 4.  Either the board isn't recognizing the switch or it gets stuck on the number I enter.  And once it's stuck the only way is to unplug the USB.

If the 4 player connector is plugged in while I try to configure the panel, then the swich sticks.  When I unplug the 4 player connector, the issue still happens.  I have to unplug the USB to reset the whole thing. 

But if the 4 player connector is unplugged and then I replug in the USB, everything works fine

I played the arcade a bit last with the 4 player connector unplugged (so I just abondoned the 4 player control) and everything worked well.  On the 1st a s 2nd player connectors.  For some random reason now one switch on the 3rd player panel isn't being recognized at all as an input

Your problem is almost certainly one or more stuck buttons or switches ("shorts"), or a loose connection. If the IPAC has any shorts during bootup/connection/programming then it will cause these issues.

The shorts can be difficult to track down, but the IPAC software utility can help. Stuck buttons/switches won't cycle on/off properly on the GUI.

Invest $15-20 and get a cheap digital multimeter (DMM) from your local electronics or hardware store. Ask the clerk how to do continuity tests with it - Or just read the instructions. Get one that goes "BEEP" when checking continuity. A DMM is pretty-much essential for diagnosing problems with your cab, so will be money well spent.

[Biz101782]

Thanks for all the advice.  My gut still tells me it's the board.  I just ordered a meter to check the wires just in case.

The further troubleshooting I did.....I swapped out the wires to other connectors on the board.  The switches work when I do this, so all fingers point to the board being fault.  I can confirm the wires are good and the switches aren't stuck. 

I went ahead and ordered another 32 pin ipac anyway just on case,