Taito WGP Deluxe motor control

[graeflicher]

Hello,
I am thinking about purchasing a Taito WGP Deluxe cabinet. I don't know much about its condition except what can be seen from the images. I would like convert it to PC while keeping the original hardware and be able to restore it to its original state if needed. As far as I know the steering is done with the handlebar and the bikes body is tilted acordingly. Is there any chance to control the motor with an arduino (or something simmilar to WM2HAPP, PWM2M2, etc..).

I could not find a manual for the deluxe version and don't know what kind of motor/controlboard is built in. Does anyone have experience with this machine?

Thanks!

[baritonomarchetto]

Never seen a deluxe in person, but I own an upright and remember me playing the (again, upright) game in my local game room in 1989, if that does matter
If the bike movement works like you said (actuation as a function of wheel position) it is certainly doable with a microcontroller board.
Replacing factory motors and driver boards would be a big problem. Sourcing info about this cabinet (wirings) could be difficult.
Not a first time project, if you ask me

[graeflicher]

I think the tilt is actually controlled by the game, not directly by the potentiometer. Either way, i would use a arduino to do some calculations on the needed tilt. Like read the potentiometer, calculate the current and needed angle, etc...I also hope to get some telemetry data from modern games, but thats just an idea. I think i could get the arduino part working but i am not experienced with motor control.


I reworked 2 cruisin world cabinets and one twin Victory Lap which turned out fine. Back then i was using PWM2HAPP, and honestly, all the work was already done by the developers of PWM2HAPP and Backforce-Feeder. It was just plugging some cables. What they have done is far beyond from my skills. Having said that, i don't think i would be able to do it wihout an existing project i could build upon. I was hoping that the motor build in was similar to the force feedback motors found in other cabinets and that i might be able to reuse existing solutions.
Unfortunately, would see the motor only after buying the cabinet.

[baritonomarchetto]

You have a couple of other things to consider before buying that cabinet:
1 - I don't think outputs are hooked in MAME for that game. This makes a 1:1 motor output match impossible
2 - as I recently said to another user, you will end limited in games choices. The inertia of bike cabinets makes games harder. How your specific cabinet works (and I am referring to the automatic tilting) will probably make it even more niche, and limited in games number
That cabinet is fascinating and the convertion could give you lots of satisfaction, don't get me wrong, but you run the risk to put it in a corner after all that work. Which is what I almost always do, but that's me

[graeflicher]

I actually read your post about inertia problems before finding the offer:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,167804.msg1767002.html#msg1767002
That was the main reason why this particular cabinet seemed interesting. It is a sit-on but the steering is done with the handlebar. Since you don't need to move your body mass I hope that inertia is less of a problem.

I guess most games don't output the needed motor commands or tilt angle. I would try to get the potentiometer value of the steeringwheel. Thats at least some indicator how much tilt would be needed. If available, one could also try to put some speed data in there and increase or decrease the angle with more or less speed.

I put most of my machines in a corner after finishing them, thats OK. It will be my last buy for the next years, since there is no more space for other cabinets. So it would be OK if this project needs a while to be finished. It would just be nice to know if it actually can be finished or somebody made something simillar.

[baritonomarchetto]

I think you will have a lot of fun with this project. Please, keep us posted if you buy it, especially with cabinet details and pics

[graeflicher]

Unfortunately the project ended before it even started. I was writing with the seller and something did not seem right. Maybe i am mistaken, but I had a bad feeling and would have needed to pay in advance. Would have been a nice project, though 

[baritonomarchetto]

Just out of curiosity: how much was he asking for the cabinet?

[graeflicher]

Starting price was 800€, went down to 600€. The seller then asked an extra of 200$ for shipping. It's 350km, so that would have been OK. I think he might also have offered 500€ + 200€ but I am not sure, tough. The communication was kind of difficult.
Location is Austria.