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Very confussed about adding 2 steering wheels
Walkinshaw:
Hi all,
After reading through pages and pages about steering wheels and how to add them, I'm probably more confused that when I started. I understand on how to add them its just the (many) methods are confusing.
I get to the point where option X looks like the winner and then read on and someone comes up with an option Y and so on and so on. Then at the end of it I'm like combining bits from options X, Y and so on. Too confusing.
What I would like is for a simple answer to my problem.
I have a mame cabinet that I would like to add 2 x 360 degree (Pit Stop type) wheels and gas/brake pedals for both.
I need to know the best method for me to connect these to my machine.
I have a trackball connected to my PS/2 port and am running a J-pac (Was a jamma system). I just want to be able to make 2 control panel tops (1 already has my joysticks, and the second would have the 2 wheels). I would just then swap over the top panel when I wanted to play the old car games.
I have read about the opti pacs, AKI devices, mouse hacks, USB joystick hacks bla bla bla and thats where I think Im confused. I just want to know whats the easiest way for me to connect these up. I plan on playing a lot of Super sprint and Off road racing with my friend. I am using Mame .92 and windows XP but do I need analogue Mame to run with 2 players ?
I plan on getting some Ebayed cheap PC Steering wheels and using the USB Pedals from them for my cabinet, but how do they connect ? I know they go through the USB but is that all ? I just plug them in direct and they show in windows ? or do I need to hack something to get them to work ?
I know I need to make a sensor for the 360 wheels using a USB mouse hack, but do they just plug right into the mouse port ? or do they interface through something.
Someone please advise me on what to use and I think the main problem is what interfaces everything together or is it jsut straight into the PC.
Thanks in advance.
You can probably see how confused I am by just writing this =)
Flinkly:
well, it depends on what kind of wheel you want, 270 or 360 (i think).
for a 360, you can just hook up a wheel like one axis of a mouse, so a mouse hack is the cheapest way to go. see minwahs driving panel and other pole position panels for ideas and details.
as for 270 degree wheels, i have no idea...
u_rebelscum:
Easiest way for 360 degree wheels:
Currrent official mame.
Hack a mouse, optipac, or an oscar mouse interface board. (any of them, I know doesn't help you chose, but the latter two are easier)
Put player one wheel on X axis, player 2 on Y axis.
Map mouse Y axis to player two in mame for those games.
Kremmit:
He says he wants 360 degree wheels, it just gets lost in that post.
Your PC pedals will just plug in to the USB, correct.
The wheels will connect through an Opti-Pac, or a Mouse Hack. It sounds like you're maybe not up for hacking your own mouse, so either buy the Opti-Pac from Ultimarc, or buy a pre-hacked mouse from Oscar Controls.
You will not need Mame Analog+ for two wheels. Each wheel will appear to Windows as one axis of a two-axis mouse.
Flinkly:
sorry, i read the whole post, but lost the 360 degree info. my bad.