wiring controls help needed

[Cobratracker]

OK i have a four player cabinet with 8 direction joysticks. Each player has 2 buttons currently. I would like to add 4 buttons to player one and player 2 for a total of six buttons for 2 players. I would also like to add a
3rd button for players 3 and 4. I realize a keywiz or Ipac will work, but I need to series some controls together. If someone could help me figure these control schematics out I would be forever grateful.

CURRENTLY

1st start             2nd start             3rd start          4th start

8 dir joy 1 2       8 dir joy 1 2         8 dir joy 1 2      8 direction joy 1 2


WANTED!!!.....
1st start               3rd start                   4th start              2nd start

8 dir joy 1 2 3      8 dir joy  1 2 3     8 dir joy  1 2 3        8 dir joy 1 2 3
              4 5 6                                                                              4 5 6
 
escape  shift  pause must also be added for mame to work properly I guess? Guys I am just looking for some tips as to how I can double up controls with a keywiz or an Ipac! basically what buttons can share an output and stuff like that!!!
                       

[sirwoogie]

For a 4 player CP, the "Wanted" layout you have is pretty much bare bones for player input. There's not much potential there to "double-up" at all. Commonly on the iPAC, Player1 and Player2 starts are the shift keys.

Do you already own a keyboard encoder? If not, then the iPAC⁴ will do you just fine with plenty of inputs to spare.

You should have functions for at least pause and escape. These can be mapped to any shift sequence you want, or a fresh set of buttons if you wish. That's personal preference. There's plenty of reference material in this forum for cp wiring. I suggest making good use of the search function. That's how most of us started in the first place.

[REBIRTH]

For a 4 player CP, the "Wanted" layout you have is pretty much bare bones for player input. There's not much potential there to "double-up" at all.

I agree, in fact with that wanted layout there isn't one control you can double up.  The IPAC (and I assume keyWhiz) will allow you to double up anything that won't ever be used at the same time - like if you have an 8 way player 1 joystick and a 4 way play 1 joystick, where you would only ever use 1 at a time.  The "wanted" configuration, all those inputs could be used at the same time, so no way to double anything up.  But as woogie said, the iPAC4 could do that fine.

[Tiger-Heli]

OK i have a four player cabinet with 8 direction joysticks. Each player has 2 buttons currently. I would like to add 4 buttons to player one and player 2 for a total of six buttons for 2 players. I would also like to add a
3rd button for players 3 and 4. I realize a keywiz or Ipac will work, but I need to series some controls together. If someone could help me figure these control schematics out I would be forever grateful.

CURRENTLY

1st start             2nd start             3rd start          4th start

8 dir joy 1 2       8 dir joy 1 2         8 dir joy 1 2      8 direction joy 1 2


WANTED!!!.....
1st start               3rd start                   4th start              2nd start

8 dir joy 1 2 3      8 dir joy  1 2 3     8 dir joy  1 2 3        8 dir joy 1 2 3
              4 5 6                                                                              4 5 6
 
escape  shift  pause must also be added for mame to work properly I guess? Guys I am just looking for some tips as to how I can double up controls with a keywiz or an Ipac! basically what buttons can share an output and stuff like that!!!
                       

Basically you want a 4-player 3-buttton layout with coin and start keys.  28-inputs plus Pause and Escape plus 8 coin.  Can't be done with anything but an I-PAC/4 or KeyWiz, but can be done with a KeyWiz if you don't mind shifted coin and start inputs. (RandyT's adapters or diodes).

Here's how you wire the KeyWiz:

Terminals 1U,1L,1R,1D,2U,2R,2L,2D - Joysticks 1 and 2, as expected.
Terminal 1 - P1B1
Terminal 2 - P1B2
Terminal 3 - P1B3
Terminal 4 - P1B4
Terminal 5 - P1B5, P4B2
Terminal 6 - P1B6, P4B3
Terminal 7 - P4 Left (optional P1B7)
Terminal 8 - P3B3 (optional P1 B8)
Terminal A - P2B1
Terminal B - P2B2
Terminal C - P2B3
Terminal D - P2B4, P4B1
Terminal E - P2B5, P4Up
Terminal F - P2B6, P4Down
Terminal G - P4 Right (optional P2B7)
Terminal H - P3B2 (optional P2B8)
Terminal I - P3Up
Terminal J - P3Down
Terminal K - Pause
Terminal L - P3Left
Terminal M - P3Right
Terminal N - Unused (F10, or Enter, or Tilde, or Tab, "if" you wanted)
Terminal O - P3B1
Terminal P - Esc (quit)

Terminal SS4 - Stealth-Shift 4 (4 and Shazaaam! wired to one button with diodes) - Start 1
Terminal SS5 - Coin 1
Terminal SS6 - Start 3
Terminal SS7 - Coin 3
Terminal SSD - Start 2
Terminal SSE - Coin 2
Terminal SSF - Start 4
Terminal SSG - Coin 4

With this layout you can play 2-player SF games or 3-player 3-button games NO conflicts (unless someone bumps the Player 4 joystick. . .)  4-Player 3-button games are no problem unless the P1 and P2 players start mashing the 4-6 buttons.  You'll need to have some kind of honor system or control who uses those sticks, or you could wire a swithch to swap grounds between the sets of buttons.

The other drawback is the Coin buttons - when a Stealth Shifted button is activated, all other buttons are shifted, so the joystick inputs are briefly disabled, and you could end up with an extra credit registering instead of an action button, or vice versa, but I've tried to minimize this.  Should rarely be a problem and not a game stopper even if it did occur.

Not a bad compromise for a 4-player 3-button panel from a $36 encoder and some diodes.

[sirwoogie]

Or pony up some more cashola and avoid the problem altogether by going with the IPAC4.

I look at it this way: If I'm building a machine that going to cost me some money, and I want it done right without a bunch of hacks, I'm not going to be a cheap bastard.

On the other hand, if money is tight, and/or you want a bit more of a DIY solution, what TH said is definitely right on.