What, no reviews after all the fierce debating that we had? I guess I'll have to be the first then. Hopefully you will find my problems and mistakes helpful. 
INSTALLATION:
Well, no use pussyfooting around this--installation is a beeyotch. I spent well over an hour from taking the board out of the box, and getting it wired up. Randy had mentioned that he recommends using a floppy cable , so I had assumed that it would plug right in to the stick and the board (stupid me, didn't remember the pictures showing either pins, or screw terminals, but not both...) So I fumbled around for a spare cable and cut off the end with the crossover, and went to work.
The floppy cable just provides a connector with proper spacing. It's a dual row connector, so it can't be a simple "plug and go" setup. One could solder wires directly to the points on the board where the pins are attached, but for the solder-phobic, the floppy connector is a simpler alternative.
The wiring scheme is somewhat confusing, not linear at all (2,7,1,8,4,5,3,6.....) I would have expected a more I-Pac like approach where everything followed a linear, easy to follow sequence. It took me 3 attempts to get it right, partially due to the extra confusion of needing to skip every other wire off the floppy cable. This presents a problem in that you need to remember to skip THREE wires when you get to the missing pin. I have a little experience dealing with these types of cables, but I think this is going to be a nightmare for anyone who has not done this before.
There was also some confusion over the orientation of the floppy cable wires. If you plug the uncut end of a floppy cable into the 49-way, the red-marked pin "1" is opposite of the actual pin 1 on the board. So my first wiring attempt was reversed, the second failed to take into consideration that the missing pin needed 3 wires skipped. Third time, I realized that I had started from the red wire, when I should have started from the second wire, so instead of disconnecting everything YET AGAIN, I broke off all the tabs above the joystick pins, and moved the connector up a row. 
Even with an I-Pac, you need to hook the proper wire to the UP terminal if you want UP to work. No difference here. One just needs to work methodically and pay attention to the task at hand.
I need to stress something here. It seems like the brunt of the problem was dealing with the floppy connector, which is not part of the product. It was something that I was able to hook up in about 10 minutes with parts found around the house, which is why it was suggested. The GP-Wiz49 is just an interface. It's up to the user to hook it up to the controls in the way best suited to their individual needs/capabilities:
Here's the diagram from the doc sheet for those who might be interested:
I think a pre-wired cable would be a great accessory to have for this board. It would be great if the board had a pin header for the joystick (laid out so that it will work out of the box with an unmodified floppy cable), and screw terminals for the buttons.
As stated above, the floppy connector is a dual row connector so it's ill-suited for a real solution. It's just something to use if you don't have anything else. Much like cutting the power connectors off an AT power supply for the Williams varieties. However, wiring these is very straightforward. Looking at the diagram above, you just connect a wire from the pin shown on the joystick to the terminal indicated on the chart.
FUNCTION:
The GPWiz 49 did some very strange things in the calibration screen. The crosshairs would jump back to center at each of the cardinal directions (hard L, U, D, R). This was most prominent in 49way, 8way, and 4way, and 2way modes. It did not make any difference in the diagonal mode.
I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt, and tried a few games. The dead zone was present there too. I found Ms.PacMan unplayable in any mode. On the other hand, q*bert played like a dream, even without a square restrictor!
This'll make you cry, but they ALL play like that .....ummm...you still have something wired wrong. The reason that it hops to center is that you are sending an "unrecognized" bit pattern to the controller because your wires are still out of order or one (or more) isn't connected. Also, make sure you aren't messing with the stick when you first give the interface power. The stick needs to be at center position for the auto-detection to work. It does this every time the unit is first given power.
I am hoping that the problems I'm having are due to some bad wiring, but I have to say I am rather disappointed that my first test drive did not go better. This kit is sorely in need of a plug-n-play connector, as there are many opportunities for something to go in the wrong place, and the nuances of the 49-way are beyond me to troubleshoot.
I guess I am having trouble understanding this sentiment. Even with a simple 8-way stick, you need to successfully route the 4 wires to the appropriate switches (and then get them on the correct terminals!) There is no difference here, other than it's just 4 more wires, and no extra terminals to ignore.
I'm going to suggest that you calmly (
) remove everything from everything and start again. You may want to ditch the floppy cable in favor of something less confusing, or if you would like, I'll work with you to make sure you are rigging the floppy cable correctly. The diagram for it has been on my "to-do" list anyway.
The "feel" of the stick is actually kind of nice: it uses no microswitches, so there is no click-clack, and it also uses an old-school rubber grommet rather than a centering spring, so it has a nice mushy feel. The restrictor is round, so there are no discernable corners to contend with. This would seem to make it an ideal all-purpose stick with the correct interface. I am dying to know what I am doing wrong with my setup, because it is a very nice stick!
You don't know the half of it
Wait till you get things hooked up correctly.
It is just screaming for a balltop though...
Like the one in my CP? Oooops, I've said too much....
To summarize: RandyT, HEEEELP! 
I got your email. I'll see if I can get you through it (really, it's not that hard... I hooked up sticks 5 separate times, including a WiIlliams without getting a wire out of place. I think you may have just been a little excited in anticipation of the upcoming coolness
RandyT
well no offense to your hard work at getting it to work, but i'm glad someone else is finding all the bugs before i get around to ordering mine...although it does make me fear connecting two sticks up to two interfaces. good luck, and lets hear the answers randy.
Move along....Nothing to see.....No bugs here.......
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Topic: New Product: 49-Way USB Interface - The GP-Wiz49 with DRS Technology (TM) (Read 136792 times)
