mame +coin door = only registering 50% of the time

[aaron]

i have a happs over/under coin door, and for some reason it doesnt always register a quarter has been entered in mame games. sometimes i have to press #3 on the keyboard, then the next time it actually does register when i drop a coin in, it seems very very intermitant, i opened up notepad and tested the switch and everytime i put a quarter in it shows the #3 (which i have set to coin 1) however.... sometimes it doubles, and does 33, could this be causing the problem? the keyboard encoder im using is from a hotrod joystick, anyone have similar issues? does the i-pac have problems with double hits such as the hotrod does (im guessing hotrod is just too dam sensitive)... if thats the case i'll definitly just pick up an ipac

[BobA]

I think the double key press is inherent in the Hotrod.  I have experienced it using notepad but had the game work fine.  Don't know why you would miss a coin input because the side buttons on my Hotrod always seem to work fine.

I heard that one of the cures of the double key stroke was to disconnect any keyboard that is plugged into the Hotrod.  This seems to work on some systems.  I like my Hotrod but would prefer if it had and ipac inside. Sounds like the X-arcade?

Bob

[PCC]

The problem isn't the HotRod.  Check how you wired the Happs coin door.  The post are laid out just like the pushbuttons, but you can't wire it that way.

The notepad issue is due to the HotRod, but you won't have problems with coins in MAME.

[gnateye]

can you elaborate on that?

"the coin switches ar ethe same but cant be wire dthe same"?

[PCC]

The connection posts on a coin mech's switch look similar to a pushbutton's switch.  However, the coin mech's normally open and normally closed posts are in different positions compared to the microswitch pushbutton's posts.

You'll get strange results if you wire the coin door's switches like a pushbutton.

[LLinRac]

so how exactly do you wire it up? I have tyhe exact same problem!

[PCC]

If I remember right, the Normally Closed (NC) and Normally Open (NO) posts are reversed on the Happ coin switches (relative to the pushbutton microswitches).  The common post is on the side.  It should be wired to the Common (COM) and NO posts.

[Dr. Jay]

PCC is right.  This same problem has come up two or three times before. Happs microswitches N/C and N/O are reverse from regular microswitches.  The easiest way to explain how to fix it is to look really close at the happs and make sure you wire the ground and the N/O (normally open) prongs.  

That's all there was to the problem for the other posts.  Good luck.

[mc-escher]

just change your 25 cent labels to 50 cent labels and it's all fixed!

[aaron]

i love you guys! thats worked PERFECT. i feel like such a dork now for not noticing... ug...