hacking happs controls to a wireless gamepad

[J-Rod]

Okay, I am thinking about maybe trying to make a wireless box of true arcade controls to hook to my J-rcade.

I would guess that I can buy a wireless gamepad, gut the controller and wire that to the happs controls, and hack apart the end that connects to the PC, and wiring those contacts to the encoder. Of course it would entail alot of multimeter work methinks, but it seems viable. Do any of you know anyone that tried this? Comments or critiques are welcome.

[markrvp]

On your J-rcade box, is the VGA card in the motherboard?  I notice there is no AGP board installed?

[J-Rod]

Yes, video is onboard.

[NoOne=NBA=]

I would guess that I can buy a wireless gamepad, gut the controller and wire that to the happs controls, and hack apart the end that connects to the PC, and wiring those contacts to the encoder.

Probably not, but you shouldn't NEED to anyway.

The end that connects to the computer will most likely be a USB connector.
That will make the encoder unnecessary.
You should just need to hook the controls up to the guts of the gamepad, and use it AS a gamepad.

The only potential problem I see with this setup is that the gamepad may not like being stuffed into a box, and your signal strength may suffer.

[J-Rod]

If's it's an RF signal, then no. Obviously if it's infrared it would have to be mounted so that it could beam. But yeah, duh. I didn't even think about the fact that the USB end wouldn't need to be hooked to an encoder, I shouldn't post after too many Crown and Cokes...  I think I will have to just buy an RF wireless gamepad and give it a go. Thanks for the input.

[NoOne=NBA=]

If's it's an RF signal, then no.

Even if it's an RF signal you will likely see a weaker connection.
It may or may not be enough to cause the gamepad to malfunction at a given distance/direction/orientation however.

I had to move my wireless mouse receiver around a few times in my cab before I could get a decent signal to it from less than 2 ft. away.
I think the monitor was interfering with the signal, as nearly as I can tell.
I actually had to move it so that the monitor was in between the mouse and receiver to get a signal with it.
When they were both on the same side of the monitor, and just over a foot apart, I wasn't getting connection.

At work, I had to put my boss' wireless receiver up on his desk near the monitor because I couldn't get a signal to it when it was sitting on top of the computer (which is on the floor next to his desk, and only about 3 feet from where the mouse was being used on the desk).

[J-Rod]

I get about 6'-8' from the wireless keyboard/mouse in my box, less when the batteries are getting low. I would guess they come in all sorts, my wireless pad for the Gamecube gives me like 12' easy, even when the cube is inside a cabinet. Maybe I'll try to find one advertised as really strong, and if I have to make an extension for the antenna portion, that's the kind of thing I can play with once I have some hardware apart.

[mark shaker]

I have a 4-player control panel currently using an I-Pac controller.  I would love to get rid of the USB cable linking it to the PC.

I was thinking of hacking a wireless keyboard, as some are available with a range of 100 feet.

But ... I'm worried about ghosting issues.

Does anyone know of either:
   1) A wireless keyboard that doesn't use a matrix?
   2) Any gadget that will convert any USB device into a wireless device? 

I know that they make wireless usb printservers. Why not a device that makes any usb 1.1 device wireless?

   - Mark

[NoOne=NBA=]

I get about 6'-8' from the wireless keyboard/mouse in my box.

I do NOW, but I wasn't when the receiver was on the other side of my cabinet--even though that put it physically closer to the mouse.