Questions about the IPAC and OPTIPAC

[JC10001]

Hello,

I'm new to this forum so first I'd like to introduce myself.  My name is JC and like many of you I am starting to fullfill my dream of having my own arcade cab.

I'm learning all of this stuff step by step.  So far I have purchased a hollowed out Jamma cabinet that was used for Capcom games like Marvel Vs Capcom 2.  I got it for $125 which I thought was a good deal since I want to use the Capcom style layout and it will save me some time.

I also have a spare PC ready to go (an Athalon 1Ghz w/ 256 mb of ram), and a 25 inch television.

My only real issue are the controls.  I know a little about the IPAC and OPTIPAC but I wanted to make sure I understood exactly how they worked before I bought them.  Its my understanding that the wires from the controls plug into the sockets of the IPAC and then the IPAC plugs into the USB port of the PC - where it mimmics a keyboard.  Is this correct?

My next question is about the OptiPac.  Does the OptiPac also support joysticks and buttons or is it soley for spinners and track balls?  Would I need to purchase an Ipac and OptiPac for both?

Thanks for the help guys.  I hope to have pics of the work in progress in a week or so.

Take care,

JC

[Silverwind]

Your correct..

You will wire all of the buttons/joysticks to the I-PAC..

the terminals on the I-PAC are labeled.. "Player 1 start", "Player 1 button 1" Etc..

so you wire each button to the corresponding terminal on the I-PAC.. and then the I-PAC plugs into your PC either via USB or PS/2 and it emulates keyboard strokes..

as far as the optipac goes.. I have not done much in that arena..

[1UP]

The Optipac only handles 2 buttons, it's primarily just to interface optical devices (spinner, trackball etc.)  You'll need the Ipac for any joysticks and buttons.

Also, I'm not sure, but I think the 2 buttons function as mouse buttons thru the Optipac.

[JC10001]

Wow, super fast replies.  Thanks guys.  I really appreciate it.

JC

[cdbrown]

Welcome JC to the world of BYOAC, I hope you enjoy your stay and post lots of pics along the way.

IPAC - you wire the microswitches of the buttons and joysticks to the IPAC, this is then translated to keystrokes which the computer can understand.  As Silverwind stated the IPAC is nicely labelled so you don't have to spend too much time configuring things.  Of course you can ignore the labels and reconfigure everything later.  If you want to have buttons allocated for pause esc tab etc then these will need to be configured.  I believe there is a simple program from ultimarc which updates the chip on the IPAC.

OptiPAC - used for optical devices, basically anything with an encoder wheel and optics can be connected to the optipac.  A joystick such as the Happs Optical Rotary connects to the IPAC and the OptiPAC.

Get an IPAC to suit your requirements - IPAC2 for 2 players and IPAC4 for 4 (tricky hey).  They basically allow for credit, start, directions and 8 buttons for each player.  Spinners, trackballs and optical rotary joys can be connected to the optipac.  Some are straight forward (Oscar spinners for the optipac) others may require new optics but aparently thats easy (ultimarc has instructions).

Good luck and let us know how you go.

Cheers
-cdbrown

[Smittydc]

Also, I'm not sure, but I think the 2 buttons function as mouse buttons thru the Optipac.

Yep, that's how it works.

[menace]

if you truly want to enjoy the BYOAC experience (and save a few bucks ) you could get the Ipac and skip the optipac and HACK your own controls from mice .  Using a little creativity (as well as numerous questions posted here) you can control 2 or more "optical" devices per player.  I admit it isn't nearly as easy but its alot of fun!  I am way more proud of my home built spinner/steering wheel than any thing else on my mame machine!--just my .02

Since you have a jamma cabinet you could also buy the jpac (if there is a jamma adapter in the cab already, or you can install your own) I went this route and installation was truly plug and play. just another thought

Welcome aboard!

[eightbit]

Don't go Jpac unless your planning an arcade monitor and want to make your cabinet Jamma compliant. You probably don't have the Jamma harness and you don't want to be restricted by the Jamma standards unless you want to restore your cabinet and play real arcade PCB's on it. I'd recomend researching that one further and you'll understand what I'm talking about.