First stick done, but a few problems.

[cowpaste]

I finally finished my controller after stupid Morrowind stole a bunch of my time. Anyway, I went into MAME to set some of the buttons. I used a keyboard hack and I currently have RSHIFT where I want Coin 1 to be. I tried to make set that within MAME, but everytime I pressed the button, I got RSHIFT LSHIFT instead. So I thought I might have wired something wrong. However, even if I wired it wrong, the game should still recognize this button right? It didn't seem to work outside the config menu though. I loaded up Ghostkey to see what was up with that button. It seemed I wired it correctly. I got RSHIFT everytime I pressed the Coin 1 button. Why was I getting RSHIFT LSHIFT in MAME then? I unplugged the stick and hooked up a normal keyboard. I tried pressing RSHIFT on this keyboard. The same thing happened. I got RSHIFT and LSHIFT again. So I figured this is something with MAME. Does anybody know what?

I played around with it for a bit, and I am able to get RSHIFT only if I just keep on trying. It's all very confusing and frustrating.

My second problem is my joystick, which happens to be a happ's super joystick. At first I had it on 4way mode and it was really hard to get those corners. I thought I messed up something or that I need to route the wood. Anyway, after that brief episode of stupidity(which I was able to fix thanks to the super joystick problem thread), I tried it out in Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo. It seems the corners are still kinda screwy. Sometimes I'm pressing forward, but very slightly up and I jump. Sometimes I press UP, Forward and I just jump straight up. It's over sensitive sometimes yet other times it's not.  Is there anyway I can fix this or am I just screwed because I should have gotten a different joystick?


Lastly, I tried loading up Marvel versus Capcom. Now I can't seem to be able to do supers, which requires a fireball motion and at least two buttons btw. I know 100% for sure this is not a ghosting or masking problem. I tried pressing all of my 10 buttons and moving the joystick around in ghostkey, and there is never anything unexpected. It's odd though because I'm still able to do supers sometimes. Most of the time I just get a special move with the same motion. e.g.
I want to do a super fireball with Ryu. I input:
QCF+PPP
Instead of a super, I get a fireball, which requires
QCF+P

Does anyone know why any of this is happening? I'm getting quite depressed right now. I spent all this money on the buttons and joystick and soldering iron and drill bits....and now it seems like I should have just gotten a stupid MAS stick.  

[eightbit]

Keyboard hack not good. Is it possible to try the move your trying to do in the game in a program like ghostkey or something that can record the keystrokes so you can see if it is actually registering what your trying to send.

Supers are good, most reviews I've read rate them as the best. Are you certain you have it back together correctly?

[RandyT]

Just note about Ghostkey.  There are some keys that it doesn't differentiate between right and left.  I don't know off hand if the shift is one of them, but I have definitely seen this.  Try it with a couple of other keyboard feedback programs to be sure.  

RandyT

[Wolf]

FWIW, until my own controller gets completed, I am playing Marvel Vs. Capcom with a keyboard.  I have always had problems with using 2+ keys at the same time to do those supers.  I am pretty sure its not just me either.  I have tried using all different mappings and its just never precise.  I have even tried different keyboards.  I think it may just have to do with keyboard controllers just not being fast/accurate enough (although I am talking out of my bum here, just an unfounded thought).   Anyways, what I have set up in Mame, is I map a separate key to multiple buttons so that I only need to press one key to do those supers.  Example:
My three punch buttons are Insert, Home, Pageup.
I then additionally map player 1 buttons 1 2 and 3 to num 7.  So, when I wanna pull off a super I do QCF-num7.
So, if you have extra buttons on your controller, maybe you can just map them like that.  Granted it does take away from the real-feel though.

Per advice of the wonderful folks here, I have decided to ditch my orginal plan of using a USB keyboard hack for my beta-controller, and instead am going with a sidewinder.  I'll let you know if it works any better for those supers.  For my second stick, I am thinking of trying that new X-Arcade PCB so I have instant PC/Apple/XBOX compatibility.

-Wolf

[eightbit]

I just did a sidewinder hack, I don't think I'll do another one. I did it because I was building a 1 player control panel.

I wrecked the first PCB while soldering it. I had my brother solder the secound PCB. Its not pretty but its working. I don't think it was worth the hassle that was involved plus you lose a lot of functionality. I could have almost bought a Ipac for what it cost me.
$10 - 2 sidewinders $5 each with shipping
$15 - Soldering Iron
$2   - Extra tip
$3   - Solder
$2   - Flux
Total- $32

It took me about 2 hours not including 2 trips to the store (I didn't get flux at first) and 45 minutes at my brothers house. I also burned 2 of my fingers.

[cowpaste]

Keyboard hack not good. Is it possible to try the move your trying to do in the game in a program like ghostkey or something that can record the keystrokes so you can see if it is actually registering what your trying to send.

Supers are good, most reviews I've read rate them as the best. Are you certain you have it back together correctly?

I tried the move several times with Ghostkey. Like I said, I am able to press all my buttons and rotate my joystick in all directions without any ghosting/masking.
I also recently downloaded Keyjammin. It seems to be a really good program especially since some pros made it for a real commercial game. I tested my controller with this, and it works perfectly. There is no problem with ghosting or masking at all! So I'm still so confused why I still can't do supers.

Actually, I know 100% sure that I can press all punch buttons at once and have it register in MAME. Right now I have "Service Mode" set to trigger when I press ALL my punches and kicks as well as Coin 1. It works everytime I try it, so obviously at the very least my punches are able to register together. So I am totally confused as to why I can't do stupid supers.

I also played it MvC on my keyboard before, and I also had problems with it also. Maybe MAME is just more sensitive when it comes to doing stuff in game than stuff set in the menus? i.e. If I set punch1, punch2, and punch3 to menu or something, it will always work, but if I set those buttons to nothing and just use them for supers in the game, MAME requires ultra precision so even having one button pressed VERY slightly before the other makes it not work correctly??? Wouldn't that be something that the ROM specifies though? I don't know. Sadness.

[madk]

I finally finished my controller after stupid Morrowind stole a bunch of my time. Anyway, I went into MAME to set some of the buttons. I used a keyboard hack and I currently have RSHIFT where I want Coin 1 to be. I tried to make set that within MAME, but everytime I pressed the button, I got RSHIFT LSHIFT instead.

You don't have mame paused when you are trying to config the controls do you?  I know that this can cause the RSHIFTLSHIFT thing.  Drove me nuts for a few days till I figured that out.

Hope my $.02 helped out.

-madk

[cowpaste]

OMG. I did have it paused! I bet that's the reason. Thanks so much. I still have that annoying cowpaste-can't-do-supers-in-MvC problem. Hopefully I'll figure that out soon.

[Minwah]

If you have made a desktop controller make sure you are sitting square on to it.  Sounds stupid but it is very easy to accidentally hit a diagonal with a Happ Super - I have a HotRod and sometimes do it if the controller has moved round a bit.  You don't necessarily have to hit half-way between say up & right to get a diagonal <45 degrees (from the direction you want) may trigger the diagonal you don't want.  This is why they really suck for 4-way games.

Not sure if you have a different more technical problem or not... Have you used Supers before?  Maybe you just need a bit of time to get used to it (I did).  I guess you could just check that the actuators (metal lever bit) on the microswitches aren't bent, but they shouldn't be...

As for the 3xpunch supers, not sure.  I can't pull these off every time, sometimes I do the standard fireball.  I expect this is because I'm crap though    It could just be as you say, precise timing is required.

[Wolf]

I just did a sidewinder hack, I don't think I'll do another one. I did it because I was building a 1 player control panel.

I wrecked the first PCB while soldering it. I had my brother solder the secound PCB. Its not pretty but its working. I don't think it was worth the hassle that was involved plus you lose a lot of functionality. I could have almost bought a Ipac for what it cost me.
$10 - 2 sidewinders $5 each with shipping
$15 - Soldering Iron
$2   - Extra tip
$3   - Solder
$2   - Flux
Total- $32

It took me about 2 hours not including 2 trips to the store (I didn't get flux at first) and 45 minutes at my brothers house. I also burned 2 of my fingers.

Eightbit, that would bum me out too.  But I guess ya gotta kind of look at it this way.  You could have bought an X-arcade solo for 99 bucks, which probably isn't too much more than what you spent total on your stick.  But, what would it have gotten you?  Sure, woulda gotten you a fine stick, but without the gained knowledge, experience, blood, sweat, or tears.


-Wolf

[eightbit]

Eightbit, that would bum me out too.  But I guess ya gotta kind of look at it this way.  You could have bought an X-arcade solo for 99 bucks, which probably isn't too much more than what you spent total on your stick.  But, what would it have gotten you?  Sure, woulda gotten you a fine stick, but without the gained knowledge, experience, blood, sweat, or tears.

I'm not bummed it was still super cheap and it works. I have less than $50 invested in the whole cab. It was also a learning experience. I've debated joypad hacks vs. keyboard interfaces many times with many people so I thought I'd give it a try.

The only reasons I can see for joypad hacks is cost and console compatability.

[neuromancer]

I just did a sidewinder hack, I don't think I'll do another one. I did it because I was building a 1 player control panel.

$15 - Soldering Iron
$2   - Extra tip
$3   - Solder
$2   - Flux
Total- $32

You can use the sodering iron, the solder, and the extra tip on future projects, so they don't count. Ask my wife how that works ;-)

You shouldn't use flux on electronics projects. It will eat away the components unless you wash it off. For electronics you should only ever use "rosin core" solder and steel wool, sandpaper, or pencil erasers to clean the components.

Bob

[eightbit]

You can use the sodering iron, the solder, and the extra tip on future projects, so they don't count. Ask my wife how that works ;-)

Yeah I have a garage full of tools that were needed to accomplish one project or another. If you figure in the cost of the tools my daughters changing table cost about $3000.

My favorite line, "Honey I could build that for you if only I had the right tools." Though it rarely works anymore, I think my ratio of big tools vs. completed projects is a little off.

[rampy]

You can use the sodering iron, the solder, and the extra tip on future projects, so they don't count. Ask my wife how that works ;-)

Yeah I have a garage full of tools that were needed to accomplish one project or another. If you figure in the cost of the tools my daughters changing table cost about $3000.

My favorite line, "Honey I could build that for you if only I had the right tools." Though it rarely works anymore, I think my ratio of big tools vs. completed projects is a little off.

Sounds like a "crappy" project =P

rampy

[eightbit]

Sounds like a "crappy" project =P

It wasn't untill just now that I finally get it. When I read your post the first time a few weeks ago I thought you were slamming my changing table project, I didn't get it. Someone linked this thread from another thread and I read it again just now and laughed.

Some days I can be really slow, other days I don't think I move at all...