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Where to buy "KeyWiz"?

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Chris:


--- Quote from: Dougmeister on May 27, 2004, 01:34:25 pm ---Wow... that was quick.  Thanks.

1) Is it just as good as the IPAC?

2) Why buy it?  Will it save me hours upon hours of aggravation or what?

--- End quote ---
1) The KeyWiz doesn't support LED's. Otherwise, they're both excellent products.

2) My keyboard hack works very well and was dirt cheap.  That said, I'd probably never do it again for a signifigant amount of inputs.  If you don't love to solder, don't even try.

maraxle:

I love my KeyWiz.  I haven't used an IPAC, though, so I can't compare them.  It is so easy to use.  The only thing you might not like is the hard switch to turn on the keyboard port.  I understand the reasoning for it (to improve performance), and it doesn't bother me since I rarely have to plug in a keyboard, but others might not like it.

Tiger-Heli:


--- Quote from: Dougmeister on May 27, 2004, 01:34:25 pm ---Wow... that was quick.  Thanks.

1) Is it just as good as the IPAC?

2) Why buy it?  Will it save me hours upon hours of aggravation or what?

--- End quote ---
You can search the boards for comparisions, but basically -

KeyWiz supports 32 inputs, I-PAC supports 28.
KeyWiz has a more flexible shift (Shazaaam!) function.
I-PAC has USB support.
I-PAC has keyboard LED support
I-PAC has an automatic keyboard pass-thru, Keywiz has a switch to select between arcade controls and keyboard.
I-PAC remembers memory settings (if not using defaults), KeyWiz must have custom settings loaded from software (run the KeyWiz app at boot-up).

Beyond that, they do the same things -

As far as why either one if better than a keyboard hack - see
http://www.mameworld.net/emuadvice/keyhack2.html

but basically, a keyboard hack is limited to at most 20 (16 with some tricks, usually) non-ghosting inputs.  These will not match the MAME defaults, and cannot be reprogramed for different applications.  Also wiring is more difficult, and apart from the time and effort involved, there is a very real possibility of frying your computer if you aren't experienced at soldering.  

Dougmeister:

Thank you all very much.

You've convinced me to go w/ the KeyWiz.

What about that eBay auction I listed up above?  Are those good prices for 2 joysticks and 20 buttons ($20 + $8 shipping)?

Tiger-Heli:


--- Quote from: Dougmeister on May 27, 2004, 01:47:21 pm ---3) That's a good price, right?

--- End quote ---
It's the same price as their website, and they aren't up to the quality of Happ Controls, but they're not bad, and it's hard to say $20 for 2 joys and 20 buttons is a bad deal regardless.

--- Quote ---4) For a novice with some help from a more talented friend , how much time should be estimated for a keyboard hack?  A few hours?

--- End quote ---
Depending on your skill-set and that of the talented friend, the KeyWiz Eco for $26.95 (?) has all the feature of the KeyWiz MAX (except maybe the keyboard pass-thru, and just requires you to solder your own components to the board.).

If you're dead-set on hacking a keyboard - following the guide I linked to above, expect about 1.5 hours for mapping out the matrix, 1 hour for choosing keys, and probably 1-2 hours for soldering (never got beyond choosing the keys myself). And 1-2 hours for wiring to controls.

Cost will be around $10-15 too if you have to buy wire, solder, and terminal strips (which I would recommend doing).

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