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x-arcade and ipac?
mcdo15:
Ok...i plan on using X-Acarde contorl panel (my cab will utlize ps2/dreamcast/saturn) and i want to know if i can still make my own buttons (menu, insert coin, etc) and still run x-acarde at the same time....
i also want to add a rollorball ... is that possible..ty
Snarbald:
How about just using the pcb off the x-arcade?
mcdo15:
--- Quote from: Snarbald on June 20, 2004, 02:42:26 am ---How about just using the pcb off the x-arcade?
--- End quote ---
i'm a n00b...can you point me to a good place to look for that....
well that effect when i switch it up for console systems?
is there any type of serial adapter i could use to keep everything pluged in, then when i want to switch systems, i can hit a button to change
Tiger-Heli:
--- Quote from: mcdo15 on June 19, 2004, 11:05:09 pm ---Ok...i plan on using X-Acarde contorl panel (my cab will utlize ps2/dreamcast/saturn) and i want to know if i can still make my own buttons (menu, insert coin, etc) and still run x-acarde at the same time....
i also want to add a rollorball ... is that possible..ty
--- End quote ---
Your question is VERY unclear.
It's not obvious whether you simply want to add extra buttons to your X-Arcade, or whether you want to replace the X-Arcade PCB with an I-PAC, or what.
I'll try to cover the bases here:
The X-Arcade PCB has 4 selectable custom programming options via a rear-panel switch. I don't know for sure if the PCB has any "unused" terminals that you could add extra buttons to. But you could come up with an alternate setting, and relocate the switch, where say P1B1 was TAB, P1B2 was Enter, P1B3 was Tilde, P1B4 was Esc, etc. Then relocate the programming switch and select position 1 for Mame gaming and position 2 for admin functions.
You could gut the X-Arcade, and wire in an I-PAC, but you would lose the ability to use the panel with console games.
You could wire in an I-PAC in parallel (probably in USB mode) to the X-arcade PCB and use the I-PAC for additional admin buttons, but this is an expensive solution and would only work for PC applications.
Trackball question is similar - you need either a mouse hack (www.oscarcontrols.com) or an Opti-Pac to connect it, and only for PC (not console) useage.
whiteraven:
I think I know exactly where you are coming from. I also have an X-arcade 2 player controller and it is wrecking my head whether I should gut it and use the parts for a control panel (4 player) or keep the X-arcade intact and build the base box that it would slot into (2 player). I am using the UAII design btw.
I have already ordered 2 happ competition sticks and a set of competition buttons to replace the lesser quality parts in the x-arcade. I am also considering buying 2 slikstik chrome handel perfect 360 optical joysticks as an upgrade from the competition joysticks, I am doing this mainly because I have read that these sticks willl be good for both fighting and 4 way games.....plus they are shiny :-)
That willl leave me with 2 competition sticks that I wouldn't want to go to waste. I would like to build a bigger control panel and use the upgraded x-arcade parts as player 1 and 2 while using a usb Ipac for the competition sticks and buttons which would serve player 3 and 4. I might also rig up some admin buttons from the ipac (tab, esc, etc)
Then again that was a really good tip about using the switch to change to an "admin mode" and have the x-arcade buttons programmed to esc, tab and so on. The other thing is maybe have a 4 player panel is overkill? It is not that often that you'll get 4 people together how want to play one of the small amount of 4 player games but I am sure that those who have built a 4 player control panel haven't regretted it either.
So I guess what it comes down to is whether the Ipac can co-exist with the x-arcade and if it will be happy only looking after player 3 and 4.
I have given this a lot of thought and I might build a 2 player base and then upgrade to 4 player later (this is an expensive project, in so much debt but it is worth it) but this will affect my choice in a coin door because a 4 player coin door would look stupid with only 2 players and a 2 player coin door would look stupid with 4 players.
Like I mentioned earlier...my head is well and truely...wrecked!