Has anyone thought of this?

[cdbrown]

Continuing on with my fetish of having LEDs under all the pushbuttons - I thought it might be helpfull if when starting a game only the buttons that the games use lights up.  This way when having a party or whatever you don't need to be around telling everyone which buttons to use in each game - they will be lit.  Of course I have absolutely no idea on how to do this but it would be pretty cool - I think   - and probably very difficult  

-cdbrown
Maybe just a pipe dream

[COBeav]

That's a pretty neat idea.

[Carsten Carlos]

Sounds pretty cool!

[ErikRuud]

Most generic I/O cards can be programmed using simple character strings.  You could probably use simple BASIC program or sometimes you can even use a DOS command.  

GameLauncher would be ideal for this.  Especially the latest release with the pre and post command options.

[ErikRuud]

Another option for IO cards is Weeder Technology

These IO boards run off the serial port.

[Carsten Carlos]

GameLauncher would be ideal for this.  Especially the latest release with the pre and post command options.

Yep, good idea. Especially the pre & post thing is really smart. That's my thought of how to implement automatic motor rotation, so I only would need to write a little program that deals with this.
I hope he'll be able to make a screensaver some day that starts some MAME-games randomly to see some attract-mode-screens.

[Elkor]

as has been mentioned here before, ArcadeOS supports a serial LCD screen.

this being the case you can setup arcadeos to output your information and you could just construct a circuit that hooks up to the serial port and latches a couple of leads high based on whatever code you come up with

carsten could probably help with that  

[Lilwolf]

I do love the idea.  So hard to explain how to run each game to everyone who comes over.

I could add this to my frontend pretty easy.  As long as I could execute the application with an argument that could describe it.  Through Java, I can only seem to execute win32 applications in 98... 2000 I can run almost anything... kinda sucks....

The interface will be the hard thing.  If you find a good solution I would love to hear it

[mc-escher]

This could likely be done a lot easier than that.

First of all one can logically assume that Player 1 and Player 2 button usage would be the same (give me a counter example... I'm thinking perhaps that driving/flying game)

In any case, in most instances this number is 6.

The parallel port could be used to drive the LED's since it has 8-bit wide data output, you could even make a 1 to
1 mapping. This would use  less external circuitry than multiplexing the outputs (which would give you more flexibility) or caching mutiple bytes to use as light state holders (more flexibility still)

It wouldn't be rocket science to add code to mame to add
up the buttons defined in the driver to come up with a
byte to outprt to the parallel port before starting the
game. (Could possibly even be done in the front end)

Button 1 = 0x1
Button 2 = 0x2
Button 3 = 0x4
Button 4 = 0x8..... etc

This idea has merit. not sure if the

Escher
escher@muppetclan.com

[Scottzilla]

I've been kicking a similar idea around.  I was thinking about using ArcadeOS or some other front end that outputs stuff through the parallel port to control lights for which buttons are used for a specific game, monitor rotation, as well as 4/8 way switching of joysticks (by modifying a J-Stik so it can be electrically switched).  My plan was to use a PIC microcontroller to turn the parallel port output into controll signals for all the lights and motors.  

I'm not sure how much of this I will actually do, but that was the plan anyway.  We'll see how motivated I feel.  So far I just have a monitor and a bunch of guts on my workbench...

[Lilwolf]

I would want it to work on my 4player cabinet.  I might also add a led under the joysticks themselfs.  

but I would want it to handle (if it could).  2 joysticks with 4 buttons each (3 and 4) and 2 joysticks with 7 buttons each (1 and 2)

So a simple parrallel wouldn't work well....

[u_rebelscum]

Coming from the software side, just to complicate things:  How would you handle games that you reassign the buttons you use?  

Example: A four button game on a six-in-a-rectangle buttons control panel usually mapps to a sideways 'L'.  But you remapped the buttons to a square for some games.

To work with this, you would read the .cfg files, or remap the buttons only using the ctrlr\*.ini files and read those files, no?  Or is there a better way?

[Carsten Carlos]

carsten could probably help with that    

Maybe I should change my pseudo to "LED-man" - or, if cdbrown starts his work on the buttons, he should  

How would you handle games that you reassign the buttons you use?

I would export a list with sort-info including how much buttons are used, and take that as default in a .ini for your frontend-extension.
Then you just manipulate the .ini for the games where you've reassigned the buttons - so you've still full control for every game.
Can't be to hard to find a good interface that is already made, but I don't know how much functionalities (at least motor rotation, also need inputs to control the position and to find out which of the swappable control panels is in) I'll need so I haven't looked around for that.

[Frostillicus]

would this interface do the trick? looks to have 24 discrete connections using a pci board. came across it yesterday during some searches.  ordering looks a little weird, though - no secure server.

www.boondog.com

Carsten:  Saw your site, pretty excellent.  Is that rotating monitor mount a manufactured one from somewhere, a kit, from plans, etc? You say you got in on Ebay and I'm intrigued by the picture.  Just wondering if it's available somewhere else. Thanks

[1UP]

Whoa, what have I done?    I think I was one of the people to get this whole "LED in every button" thing started, but I've pretty much abandoned the idea as being un-arcadelike.  I still plan to have LEDs in the start buttons though.  (Sure wish I could find some Atari start buttons to hack!)

Anyway, one of the things I was considering is exactly what you're talking about.  I quickly discarded the notion of lighting the buttons to be used for basically one reason--you first need to create a database of button maps for every friggin game!!!  Also, for my panel, it meant wiring up a LOT of individial wires for the LEDs, and having to interface that.

My new plan is to just use Raging Dragon with something like the BFD skin, and actually make a graphic representing the control setup, that will become a part of each screenshot.  That way, when you select a game in RD, you see not only the marquee and screen for the game, but the joystick and button layout needed for the game.  Of course, this all goes away once you start the game, but it will work better for me since I am using a rotating control panel, and so may be using an entirely different set of controls (yokes, guns, trackballs, trigger sticks) from one game to the next.

But if the LED thing works, it would be great.  Keep us posted as to how it goes!

[SirPoonga]

assume that Player 1 and Player 2 button usage would be the same (give me a counter example... I'm thinking perhaps that driving/flying game)

Yeah, there is a driving game, not sure if in mame though.  One person drives and has a gun, other person just has a gun.

[Carsten Carlos]

I think I was one of the people to get this whole "LED in every button" thing started, but I've pretty much abandoned the idea as being un-arcadelike.

Oh well, yes, there was a long hot thread some time ago, remember this. CDbrown, maybe do a search for LED or something like that, you should be able to find it!

I still plan to have LEDs in the start buttons though.  (Sure wish I could find some Atari start buttons to hack!)

Same to me, but not on all controlpanels - I just got a hour ago a Xevious controlpanel with -you guess what- two black Atari-startbuttons! Pretty expensive on Ebay, but I somehow get used to pay double the price that you in the US have to pay. Especially shipping-costs eat me up!

[cdbrown]

Oh well, yes, there was a long hot thread some time ago, remember this. CDbrown, maybe do a search for LED or something like that, you should be able to find it!

Thats what I did - thats where the fascination began.  Thats also where I got confused somewhat with the ideas being batted around.  But now thanks to Carsten I think I'm on the right track and thinking of crazy ideas such as this thread.

Cheers
-cdbrown

PS Hangin out for the site update Carsten  

[Carsten Carlos]

Carsten:  Saw your site, pretty excellent.  Is that rotating monitor mount a manufactured one from somewhere, a kit, from plans, etc? You say you got in on Ebay and I'm intrigued by the picture.  Just wondering if it's available somewhere else. Thanks  

Yep, its manufactured from or for Quadro-Games -no idea if this company still exists, should be a germany company as far as I know. I fear it's very hard to get this until you get a Quadro-cabinet and rip it apart. Yesterday I set some additional pictures and infos of the mount on my page, you may have a look there!

[Scottzilla]

Keep watching Ebay for Atari start buttons.  There was an auction for them that just ended yesterday.  I also saw a set about a month ago.  They usually end up going for $20-$25 per pair

[neuromancer]

I've been thinking about this lighted buttons to help newbies with games idea. I love the idea of the used buttons lighting up, but I don't think it will help much with the problem at hand, because no one will know what they the buttons do any more than they did before.

Here are two solutions: 1) make 5 x7 cards with holes that are mini control panel overlays, one per each game. With 3000 games, that would take a while to sort through.

2) Draw up the control panel with the buttons labeled, and store them as .png files in the marquees folder. You would only need to make one base drawing of *your* panel, and many games would be the same.

bob

[mc-escher]

Coming from the software side, just to complicate things:  How would you handle games that you reassign the buttons you use?  

Example: A four button game on a six-in-a-rectangle buttons control panel usually mapps to a sideways 'L'.  But you remapped the buttons to a square for some games.

To work with this, you would read the .cfg files, or remap the buttons only using the ctrlr\*.ini files and read those files, no?  Or is there a better way?

I see your point

Let's say that you have the following layout (with mappings in your
encoder)



*  *  *
1  2  3

*  *  *
4  5  6


Normally a 4 button game would be
Button1 => 1
Button2 => 2
Button3 => 3
Button4 => 4

but your change would make it
Button1 => 1
Button2 => 2
Button3 => 4
Button4 => 5

I suppose that since mame would have to be modified anyway
one could make a MAP of the encoders setup (perhaps done in a
config file or default.cfg)

Then when the driver loaded up, it would load the button configs as
part of it's startup. you could just lookup those keypresses in the
map to find out what lights they map to to send the approprate output.

Harder, sure, but yes, my thought didn't consider a geometry change for some games.

[Carsten Carlos]

PS Hangin out for the site update Carsten

Done! Made an extra section regarding LED's. If you need something to know about connecting LED's, take a look at my page under "LED's (how to)". If you are already familiar with it, you probable won't learn much more.

Here are two solutions: 1) make 5 x7 cards with holes that are mini control panel overlays, one per each game. With 3000 games, that would take a while to sort through.

Thought about doing something similar with an TFT-display, but discarded it for many reasons. Wrote that in the "Button Mapping Graphic Display" thread. The idea would have been cool though.

[SirPoonga]

I like this idea.  As reading it I thought to myself, either lighting up the buttons, or putting a small LED near each control and buttons (joystick would have 8, either 8 or 4 light up depending on if 8way or 4way).  I keep track of all the info minus the roms and crcs from the mame -listinfo.  So it isn't hard to find out what controls and how many players and how many buttons.

I was thinking then in my FE to put in a display of what controls are needed.   Unfortunately -listinfo is entirely 100% accurate.  Dotron says trackball.  Since the mame people setup it up that a game has one control system dotron should have said dial/joystick.  But I'd say at least 80% of the games are correct.