Sidewinder function keys

[eightbit]

Ok I've found lots of sites on hacking the sidewinder. I think I'm ready for that. None of those sites mentioned how to remap the buttons. Do I need to use a program like "joy to key"? I need to map buttons to coin, start1, esc, enter.

[rampy]

Ok I've found lots of sites on hacking the sidewinder. I think I'm ready for that. None of those sites mentioned how to remap the buttons. Do I need to use a program like "joy to key"? I need to map buttons to coin, start1, esc, enter.

hey eightbit,

I'm assuming you're using MAME....  you would simply just call up the tab menu in game and select the general controls... scroll down to the player 1 up.coin field hit "ENter" and then press the arcade button or sidewinder button (if pre hack) tied to the button on your sidewinder yuou want to map...  and presto chango in that place will appear joystick 1 trigger left (or the like)  

is that what you mean, man?  

If in Windows you can use the annoying sidewinder profile software to make the sidewinder button presses register as specific "keyboard" keypresses (or combos of presses and/or macro sequences  of presses)

let me know if you need me to flesh out more detail ...

I'm gonna fire up my cabinet w/sidewinder hacks and look for more specific instructions to edit in...

rampy


EDIT its 10:03 EST if you're on hop on the chat...

[eightbit]

Hmmm, the sidewinder software that came with it won't load because I'm running XP. I didn't check for an updated driver from microsoft. You can set XP to sidewinder (auto) and it autodectects it. I can test it and calibrate it from the control panel but there is no configuration to remap the buttons.

With the sidewinders default config I can scroll through the games and button 1 enters the game. If I can map getting out of the game to the sidewinder from the in game menu I think I'll be set.

Thanks Rampy  

[hyiu]

yes... you can map those keys..
since you said you're using XP,
I assume you're using Mame32...

go to the tab menu...

escape is like "GUI Quit" or something like that...
(its easy to miss... but its there...)

all those buttons can be mapped to sidewinder...

and you can map multi function to the same button...
(I mapped coin and start to be the same button...
but some old games don't like it... most games are ok...)

if you want to map "quit".... you might want to map it to a multiple key "combo", then it'll less likely to accidently quit while playing....

if you need more details, just let me know...
I'm using SW hack right now....
 

[Searcher7]

Ok I've found lots of sites on hacking the sidewinder. I think I'm ready for that. None of those sites mentioned how to remap the buttons. Do I need to use a program like "joy to key"? I need to map buttons to coin, start1, esc, enter.

Since you "found lots of sites on hacking the sidewinder", can you send me those links? :-)

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

Searcher7@mail.con2.com

[eightbit]

Since you "found lots of sites on hacking the sidewinder", can you send me those links? :-)

Heres a couple-
http://www.mameworld.net/emuadvice/shack.html
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/mussalli/micsidgampad.html
http://www.arcadecontrols.com/arcade_staticx.shtml
http://www.starbase74.com/mame/solder.htm
http://members.cox.net/joysticks/joystick.html
http://www.geocities.com/rogimeister/wiring.html

[rampy]

BTW eightbit,

I didn't realize you were in XP which would be an issue with sidewinder gameport drivers.   But that XP would recognize the joystick OK (but that doesn't help with remapping for emu's that DONT let you remap)

But what I learned in chat last night (enemyace mentioned it I think) that joy->key works with the sidewinders (I had assumed it didn't) and that it is much more lightweight./less resource intensive than the stupid little resident sidewinder profiler software (although I did like the profiling map features of the SW software)

So... yeah... I thoguht I should pass along that info...

rampy

[eightbit]

BTW eightbit,

I didn't realize you were in XP which would be an issue with sidewinder gameport drivers.   But that XP would recognize the joystick OK (but that doesn't help with remapping for emu's that DONT let you remap)

But what I learned in chat last night (enemyace mentioned it I think) that joy->key works with the sidewinders (I had assumed it didn't) and that it is much more lightweight./less resource intensive than the stupid little resident sidewinder profiler software (although I did like the profiling map features of the SW software)

So... yeah... I thoguht I should pass along that info...

rampy

Thanks Rampy, I'm not planning anything more than Mame (at least at the moment). I didn't get a chance to try mapping esc to one of the sidewinder buttons but if that works I won't even need joy to key. This is for a secound smaller cab than my main cab and will only have 1 player controls with a t-stick from ultimarc so that I can play some of the old 4 way stick games with more authenticity than my all in one cab. I'm also building it so that I can get some playing time with my wife hogging my big cab all the time. I'm doing it on the cheap and so far its only cost me the $3 sidewinder and a ultimarc t-stick. Everything else has been built with either free stuff or leftovers I had laying around.

Heres a sneak peek-

[rampy]

nice... I assume it's a conversion i.e. an existing cabinet converted to mame - not scratch built (although it looks like it was a Pacman converted to rally-x now converted to MAME...  ? *shrug*)

Cool looking project. good luck and have fun with that...

BTW how come there isn't a site dedicated to your first machine (or did I miss that?) or even a photo album...

Rampy

[lightspeed]

There is no Profiler software available for gameport versions of the Sidewinder for Win2000/XP (I contacted MS about this a few months ago).


You can either map the bottons in the MAME controls set up, or use joy to key.   USB versions of the Sidewinder Pro do have the Profiler software that will work in XP.

[eightbit]

nice... I assume it's a conversion i.e. an existing cabinet converted to mame - not scratch built (although it looks like it was a Pacman converted to rally-x now converted to MAME...  ? *shrug*)

Cool looking project. good luck and have fun with that...

BTW how come there isn't a site dedicated to your first machine (or did I miss that?) or even a photo album...

Rampy

Its a conversion and it actually was a gutted rally-x when I got it. It was stripped of everything that could be sold and I got it for free. The only thing in it was the PS/wiring harnesses, coin door and the monitor glass. The paint was flaking bad but otherwise it was solid. I removed the coin door and taped off the graphics then attacked it with a belt sander and painted it with some leftoever paint I had from my daughters room. I spent as much time on the coin door as I did on the cab, that was a pain. Please don't attack me for not restoring it, at least I saved what was left from the dumpster.

Hmm, good point on that site thing. I suck at the whole visual web aspect but I should probably slap some pictures and text on a page and put it up. My first cab was actually purchased from Thorn minus his tv and PC. I did some work on it though, making a new control panel with a trackball and making the control panel swappable. Last I checked Thorn still had his site about it up.

[hyiu]

I used XP and Mame32 with gameport sidewinder....

no need to install any software....

all you need is plug it in, and go to ctrlpanel (joystick option there.... I think....)  and select sidewinder and it will detect it correctly....

no need to put that sidewinder driver cd in... cos that is for like older versions or dos versions... etc... (I think...)

and daisy chain will also work... (at least I have 2 on at all times.... and it works perfectly....)

no need for emu key pgrms either if you're using Mame32...
just change it using the tab menu.....
it'll recognize it.... (make sure you turn on joystick input in Mame / option menu....)

the only thing I can't get it to work is Vpinball....

but for Mame32, so far so good.....        

if you need any more details on any particular part, just let me know....

[rampy]

 Please don't attack me for not restoring it, at least I saved what was left from the dumpster.

I'm not the arcade cabinet preservation nazi =P  (although seeing star wars mame cabinets does kinda get my goat a little, admittadly)  sounds reasonable though (I woulda thought it more weird to copy the pac-man cabinet style from scratch and then decorate it with rally-x art... and then mame it)

rampy

[eightbit]

BTW how come there isn't a site dedicated to your first machine (or did I miss that?) or even a photo album...

Due to popular demand (Rampy's) I have put up a page, not a site mind you but a page. More will come soon I promise! As soon as I get a proper site put together I'll submit it to Saint. I missed being the 500th example though that would have been cool.

Anyways I digress here's the site- mame.hower.us