How do y'all deal with games that require a separate coin slot/button for P2?

[quarterback]

My machine has a single coin mech hooked up (I do have 4) and a button mapped to "5" so you can either plop in the quarters or just hit the button.   But a freind was over and cranked up Gauntlet the other day and I realized that in order for 2 people to play, I needed to hit the "6" button on my keyboard for 2 of us to play.

Likewise, I was playing Rampage last night and realized that just hitting the player-2 button didn't work even though I had 10 credits.

So, do people have separate credit buttons hooked up for each player for games like these that require a distinct 'quarter input' for individual players?   I have no issue hooking up a 2nd coin mech for the 2nd player, but it seems like there could be some confusion in other games that don't require such things.

Is there some easy way around this or are multiple 'credit' buttons/coin slots the way people do it?
Thanks

[SOAPboy]

i just used multi credit buttons because well, i knew one or two random games would end up causing issues when people came over.. you "could" i suppose, set up the coin mech to both player 1 and 2.. but then yeah, i dunno.. ignore me..

[millercentral]

Another option is to map the start button to insert a coin in the appropriate slot as well...

[Tiger-Heli]

So, do people have separate credit buttons hooked up for each player for games like these that require a distinct 'quarter input' for individual players?

I do, I think most others do.

I have no issue hooking up a 2nd coin mech for the 2nd player, but it seems like there could be some confusion in other games that don't require such things.

Nope, most single player or alternating games  had two slots in case one broke.  MAME correctly emulates this, so no confusion.

[quarterback]

Nope, most single player or alternating games

[DrewKaree]

If your CP overhangs, what about putting one underneath there, hidden, unless you absolutely need it?  It'd be the only thing you'd ever use it for, but it'd be there out of site and useless except to the right game?

[testicle187]

Another option is to map the start button to insert a coin in the appropriate slot as well...

Yes, but this doesn't work on games like Double Dragon.  It just loads it with credits and cannot start.  I think Galaga doesn't work like this either.

[EndTwist]

Can't you just map the Coin 2 button to 5 (so both Coin 1 and Coin 2 are set as the 5 key)? I've done this for numerous games, and this way it loads up credits for both players using only 1 slot/button/whatever.

[Tiger-Heli]

Can't you just map the Coin 2 button to 5 (so both Coin 1 and Coin 2 are set as the 5 key)? I've done this for numerous games, and this way it loads up credits for both players using only 1 slot/button/whatever.

I think if you do this then you never finish the game in Gauntlet b/c it is constantly waiting for player 2 to press Start.

[daveg2000]

Yeah.. I was thinking about this same issue.
I am working on a 4plyr panel, but only have 2 coin slots.

I was going to wire the 2 coin slots as '5' and '6' respectively,
then realized that there aren't a whole lot of 2plyr games out
there that required coins in a Plyr1 or Plyr2 slot.
There are a few but not many.

So, I ended up wiring both coins to work as '5', and then
have the Credit button for each player on the panel.
(mostly for 4 plyr games, simpsons, turtles, etc...)

I cant really see a way to eliminate all the credit buttons on the
ctrl panel unless you have the same # of coin slots as you have
'Players' on the control panel.

[markb]

I have single coin slot that has space for 2 microswitches in sequence, I set one for player 1 (5) and the other for player 2 (6) however in most games it simply adds 2 credits. Also I have some administration buttons which act as the 2 credit buttons.
 

[diverdown]

 
Bump...



I have a 4 player machine with 1 coin slot.

I have been trying to get it to work with games like simpsons turtles etc.  Using the ipac4 i assigned credit 2,3,4 to button 5. But this didnt work.  I tried jumping coin1 in ipac to coin 2,3,4 ... No Luck

Do I really need to add three buttons to the console?  I like the idea of putting them under the overhang or around the back, but would like to solve the problem without drilling any more holes.


Also for some games like 1943 1 coin slot is enough to select 1 or two players. Surely dedicated tmnt machines didn't have 4 coin slots.... or did they....... in the 80s I wasn't worried as dad put the coins in


Any one solve this issue?

[quarterback]

Well that's a freakin' blast from the past!  I didn't even remember asking this question

Surely dedicated tmnt machines didn't have 4 coin slots.... or did they

I don't remember TMNT per se, but yeah, games that were set up like this (where people could join in during game play or were simultaneous 4-player games) did in fact have 4 coin slots.

In fact, my cab was originally a wrestling game called "The Main Event" and has four over/under coin doors.  I've never spent any time investigating before pulling out the PCB, but I'm pretty sure the reason it had 4 coin doors was specifically for this reason.


To answer your overall question.... hmmm... I don't know     For me, my cabs are both 2-player setups, so I just hooked up two coin doors and mapped one to "5" and the other to "6".   

[NightGod]

Could always assign coin buttons to the shift functions of other keys-say, the P2, P3 and P4 start buttons if you want to avoid adding more holes.

[Tiger-Heli]

Many games had a two-player varient that would let you select any of the four players, if you only had two coin slots.

If you wanted to make it work with the minimum number of added buttons, see: http://www.mameworld.net/tigerheli/encoder/startkey.htm

[Lutus]

What voltage input does each "input signal" on the ipac require?

Here is what I was thinking...

You put in a coin (can work for 4 players as well)

The coin trigger switch is wired to a relay.  This relay then sends four seperate signals of the correct line voltage to the four P1,P2,P3,P4 inputs on the ipac.

Therefore, you put in a coin and every player gets "1 credit".  How does that sound?

Get me the spec of the line voltage and I will draw up a circuit with the correct relay and part numbers and such.  (bored at work obviously)


EDIT:  Actually thinking it over again there is an even easier way, if the ipac input requires 5V.  Let me take a look at ultimarc's website...

EDIT2:  Now I understand how the Ipac works, the signal is present from the ipac itself and when the switch is thrown the ipac outputs through the switch to ground.

[Lutus]

So, wiring all the coin credits through the same coin door switch doesn't work??

[Ayrk]

I dealt with this just last night.

I have a Mini-pac so all I did was tell it that Shift and the first Player 2 button pressed the 6 key. Worked like a charm.

[Tiger-Heli]

Therefore, you put in a coin and every player gets "1 credit".  How does that sound?

Lousy for guantlet or TMNT - You put a coin and everyone gets a credit and it will sit there and wait for all four players to press start, and if you only have two players, you have to kill off players 3 and 4 at the start and every time you want to continue.

[Lutus]

Excellent point, another switch (hidden throw switchs) could be implemented to tell the machine how many players you have and this way will award the correct number of credits.

This diagram shows three additional SPST switches that can be hidden inside the coin door.  Let's say you wanted to play some 3-player TMNT this is what you would do.

Open the coin door (or hide them wherever) flip the "player 2" and the "player 3" switch.  Now when you coin up the 2nd and 3rd player will also receive credits but the 4th player will NOT. 

In this way you could configure it to any number of players for any game "on the fly" with one coin!

[_) (V) (-)]

Couldn't you just connect 2 wires to a single 'credit' switch?

Then when you put in a quarter or pressed the credit button, the switch would just trigger both wires, one each for the 5 & 6 keyboard mappings.

I'd think the single player games would end up getting 2 credits for each button press, but so what?

[Tiger-Heli]

I'd think the single player games would end up getting 2 credits for each button press, but so what?

See reply #18.

[yugffuts]

My cab has 4 coin slot's.  It was originally a TMNT.  I put 4 buttons on my panel, on the front panel for coins.  So, if the crappy pic below is a SIDE view of my control panel, I have 1 buttons below each of the 4 players on the panel, where the X is.  This is designed so the buttons are below the panel overhang if it is flipped open.  Works great, and the buttons do not "clutter" the CP.

---------
        |
        |X
        |
 

[Tiger-Heli]

This is designed so the buttons are below the panel overhang if it is flipped open.  Works great, and the buttons do not "clutter" the CP.

Another alternative I like is to wire the buttons to the coin reject switches.

[yugffuts]

Yea, my panel is still "preliminary", but fully functional.  When I finalize the design, and recut & finish the panel properly, I plan to wire to the coin slots.  But for now it's working, and sometimes working=finished.

The way I have it now would work for someone with only 2 coin slots, though.

[desertsand2ktj]

I just hacked my coin mechs like this:



When the coin-reject button is pressed on the door it closes the switch.  Just add another imput on your encoder.  The other good option if your encoder supports it (my MK-40 for eorns ago does) is to create a macro for the P1 start button which would add credits.  I like the coin-door hack because it allows me to keep the mechs functional but still have the option of adding credits for games that don't support "free-play".

My little door hack required a 3mm machine screw and nut and keeps the mech completely operational.  So far so good.  I know I'm likely not the first person to do this.