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| jcroach:
Thanks for your help Tiger-Heli. Your web site was very useful also. Do you have any experience using multiple custom code sets with diferent emulators and MameWah? Can I simply save the different code sets and load them in the appropriate .ini file in MameWah and the I-Pac will be reprogramed? Thanks again. |
| Tiger-Heli:
--- Quote from: jcroach on January 03, 2005, 10:44:14 am ---Thanks for your help Tiger-Heli. Your web site was very useful also. Do you have any experience using multiple custom code sets with diferent emulators and MameWah? Can I simply save the different code sets and load them in the appropriate .ini file in MameWah and the I-Pac will be reprogramed? Thanks again. --- End quote --- Never used MAMEwah, but the author is a regular on this forum. I know you can run "winipac mame.ipc" and the I-PAC will be re-programmed (maybe not exactly as typed), and you could add this to a batch file, but beyond that . . . As mentioned earlier, I would recommend setting you emulator settings to match the defaults. |
| Grasshopper:
--- Quote from: Tiger-Heli on January 03, 2005, 10:18:19 am --- --- Quote from: jcroach on January 03, 2005, 08:32:17 am ---One thing I found interesting about the extra inputs in the I-PAC VE is that there are 8 connectors, but the IPAC Interactive Panel Desinger only recognizes 4 in the panel design mode. It recognizes all 8 in the keycodes mode. Maybe I should check and see if it's looking at 1A and 1B as 1SW7 and 1SW8? Interesting...... --- End quote --- You are correct, 1A and 1B (and 2A and 2B) correspond to SW7 and SW8, it is only 4 added inputs. (32 vs. 28). C and D inputs can only be programmed in the keycodes section of the software. I thought they were programmed to nothing by default, but apparently not. --- End quote --- Interesting. I remember speaking to Andy some time ago, and one of the reasons he gave for the delay in launching the 36 input Minipac was that the current Ipac software could only program up to 32 inputs. Your observations seem to confirm what he was saying. I actually think that 32 inputs is probably enough for most two player panels. However, I don't see why the Ipac couldn't be redesigned so that the Keyboard LEDs are assinged to 3 of the 4 unused inputs. This would avoid the LEDS flashing when you hit the shared buttons, and also the erratic behaviour you apparently get over long cables. It would also be nice if the 4 extra buttons could be used to switch between different programmable codesets. |
| Tiger-Heli:
--- Quote from: Grasshopper on January 03, 2005, 12:59:38 pm ---I remember speaking to Andy some time ago, and one of the reasons he gave for the delay in launching the 36 input Minipac was that the current Ipac software could only program up to 32 inputs. Your observations seem to confirm what he was saying. --- End quote --- Okay, some truth, and some half-truth here. The minipac uses a different chip than the I-PAC and it will get the 36-input version. The software can't program more than 32 inputs, but I don't think that's actually the holdup, I think the firmware needs to be modified, and that is a substantial cost outlay and that will delay introduction, at least until the regular mini-pac's are depleted. --- Quote ---I actually think that 32 inputs is probably enough for most two player panels. However, I don't see why the Ipac couldn't be redesigned so that the Keyboard LEDs are assinged to 3 of the 4 unused inputs. --- End quote --- Well, depends what you mean by unused inputs. You can choose to not use 1B7, 1B8 and 2B7 inputs and make do with a 25 input encoder. You can not use these inputs on a VE and replace them with the C and D inputs and have a 29 input encoder. or a 33 input encoder with the new minipac. But most people buy a 36-input encoder b/c they want 36-inputs. It really doesn't make sense to move them to different inputs (say 1C, 2C and 2D on the VE), b/c then your support documentation has to specify the differences, etc. --- Quote ---This would avoid the LEDS flashing when you hit the shared buttons, and also the erratic behaviour you apparently get over long cables. --- End quote --- It would avoid the LED's flashing, not sure about the erratic behaviour over long cables. --- Quote ---It would also be nice if the 4 extra buttons could be used to switch between different programmable codesets. --- End quote --- You can switch between the default and one programmed codeset with a KeyWiz, but the ability to switch between several with a button press would be interesting. |
| Grasshopper:
By unused inputs, I mean inputs that cannot be programmed using current software. The erratic behaviour over long cables only applies to the three inputs that are shared with an LED. I should point out that I don't actually have any personal experience of this behaviour (I avoided the problem altogether by simply not using the three shared inputs and made do with 25 inputs in total). But I've heard from others on this board and from Andy himself that it can be a problem. I'm not an electronics expert, and I'm sure someone else here can give a better explanation, but I believe it has something to do with capacitance building up in the wires. When an input is read the corresponding LED has to be momentarily switched off (or is it switched on I can't remember?). Capacitance in a long wire can cause the off state to not register fast enough and fools the Ipac into thinking the button has been pressed. |
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