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Here is one for the CP gurus!
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RobertBasil:
This is my first cab build and I wanted to do something a little different.

I am going to make 2 mini mame cabs (kind of like minimame but I am building mine from scratch). I am making one for me and one for my wife. And here are my planes (and my problem)

Plans:

I am going to make both Cabs with a single player joystick, trackball and buttons. (Both cabs will have 1 & 2 player start buttons though.)

I am going to control both cabs from one computer. I will be placing the computer in cab #1 and drilling a hole in the back of both cabs so the computer can be used for both cabs with a dual video card to control each monitor.

This way I can place both cabs side by side or even back to back.

Problem:

I want cab #1 to always be player #1 when we are both playing a game together. BUT...

If the wife wants to play a game by herself I don't want her to have to use my cab to do so. I would like to be able to have some type of switch (on the CP) on cab #2 to switch from player #1 (when she is playing alone) and player #2 (when we are both playing the same game together)

I just purchased the Project Arcade book (great book by the way!) and have been searching all through chapter #8 (Using the keyboard connector for Arcade Controls) and chapter #9 (Arcade controls Using the Mouse Connector) and cannot see any way to do this.

I have also searched through this forum with no luck.

Just a warning, I am a database admin and have never soldered anything in my life, so if your answer requires a lot of experience in setting up a CP can you please "dumb it down" a little for me? Like explain exactly what I would need to buy and how to go about setting it up.

I know this is a lot to ask from a newbie. But I really want our cab's to be unique and I am totally lost on how to accomplish what I want to do.

Thanks for any help you can provide!
Generic Eric:
1 player operation on primary cab is simple
1 player operation on secondary cab while primary cab playing a game will require two installations of mame (likely different versions, but shouldn't be a problem with all of the different derivative releases)...


2 player operation will require that display is visible to both players (seemingly axing your back to back idea)  or...
you could use one of the those video splitter adapters...we use a few at work with no apperant degradiatioin to the display.

The cp wiring doesn't seem to be a problem at first glance.

Good luck
RobertBasil:

--- Quote from: generic_eric on June 09, 2004, 11:51:12 pm ---1 player operation on secondary cab while primary cab playing a game will require two installations of mame (likely different versions, but shouldn't be a problem with all of the different derivative releases)...
--- End quote ---

That's not what I need. If the 2nd cab is being used as player #1 then the first cab will not be used at the same time. I only need a switch on the second cab to have it switch from player #2 to player #1 and back again.


--- Quote ---2 player operation will require that display is visible to both players (seemingly axing your back to back idea)  or...
you could use one of the those video splitter adapters...we use a few at work with no apperant degradiatioin to the display.
--- End quote ---

I think you missed the part of my post about using a dual monitor video card. ;)


--- Quote ---The cp wiring doesn't seem to be a problem at first glance.
--- End quote ---

Great! Now all I need to do is for someone to tell me where to start. ;)
Generic Eric:

--- Quote from: RobertBasil on June 10, 2004, 12:08:27 am ---
--- Quote from: generic_eric on June 09, 2004, 11:51:12 pm ---1 player operation on secondary cab while primary cab playing a game will require two installations of mame (likely different versions, but shouldn't be a problem with all of the different derivative releases)...
--- End quote ---

--- Quote ---That's not what I need. If the 2nd cab is being used as player #1 then the first cab will not be used at the same time. I only need a switch on the second cab to have it switch from player #2 to player #1 and back again.

--- End quote ---

Didn't realize that.  She won't want to play a single player game while you are playing one?



--- Quote ---2 player operation will require that display is visible to both players (seemingly axing your back to back idea)  or...
you could use one of the those video splitter adapters...we use a few at work with no apperant degradiatioin to the display.
--- End quote ---

--- Quote ---I think you missed the part of my post about using a dual monitor video card. ;)

--- End quote ---

I saw that.  I wasn't aware that you could set it up so both monitors display the exact same thing is all.

--- Quote ---The cp wiring doesn't seem to be a problem at first glance.
--- End quote ---

Great! Now all I need to do is for someone to tell me where to start. ;)


--- End quote ---

Well, that all depends on the games you want to play, and what controls they require.  Once you explain that, then we can be of more help.
RobertBasil:

--- Quote from: generic_eric on June 09, 2004, 11:51:12 pm ---Didn't realize that.  She won't want to play a single player game while you are playing one?
--- End quote ---

Nope.


--- Quote ---Well, that all depends on the games you want to play, and what controls they require.  Once you explain that, then we can be of more help.

--- End quote ---

On each cab I plan on having 6 buttons, one joystick, one trackball and 1st and 2nd player start buttons.

Can't I just wire up two keyboard hacks on the CP of Cab #2 (one programmed as player #1 and the other programmed as player #2)  and then have a switch on the CP that switches in-between the two?

I just thought of something...

Would I just be able to use one Keyboard hack on the 2nd cab and assign 2 different saved programmed settings (one as player #1 and one as player #2)  to a shift button combo on the CP? I want the wife to be able to switch bettwen player #1 and player #2 without to much trouble.
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