Star Wars yoke to MAME

[mac622]

Hello All,

Relative newbie here so please take it easy on me if I'm asking redundant, previously asked/answered questions.  

I'm in the finishing stages of putting together my standard MAME cabinet and control panel (CP) and now want to concentrate on building a few of the modular CP's I had envisioned and finally have the parts for - Star Wars yoke CP and driving CP utilizing a Pole Position wheel, shifter and pedal.  

My first question is - what is the best way to interface the Star Wars yoke with MAME?  

My current cp set-up utilizes an Ultimarc I-Pac and Opti-Pac for the interface so I would like to leverage the utility of either/both of the interfaces as well for the Star Wars yoke.   However, I'm not sure this can be done since the yoke's steering mech's are analog controlled (pots) and not digitally controlled (optical encoders)?    Any thoughts/suggestions ?  

My second questions coincides with the first in that I'm looking for a way(s) to interface my analog Pole Position gas pedal with MAME?

Your thoughts, comments and suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Ian

If possible please reply directly to: imcclayNOSPAM@bear.com

(please remove "NOSPAM" from my address before sending)

Cheers!    

[eightbit]

Here is an excellent link to wheel and pedal hacking-
http://www.gunpowder.freeserve.co.uk/wheels/

[Brax]

1UP has a nice page on hacking a Microsoft Dual Strike to use with his Star Wars yoke.

http://1uparcade.com/project-swyoke.html

[Smittydc]

I've got a stun-runner yoke and a dual strike control I bought -- but now I don't think I'll ever get around to building it.  let me know if you're interested and I'll give you a decent price for the both for saving me the trouble of ebay'ing them.

[Birdtales]

I've got a stun-runner yoke and a dual strike control I bought -- but now I don't think I'll ever get around to building it.  let me know if you're interested and I'll give you a decent price for the both for saving me the trouble of ebay'ing them.

Let me know how much. I may be interested. Email me at bryan@birdtales.com

[eightbit]

Is the stun runner yoke the same as a star wars yoke?

Can a road blasters yoke be hacked to be a star wars yoke?

[JLR2000]

Eightbit-

I think Stunrunner and StarWars yokes are interchangeable....but the Roadblasters only had horizontal control (left/right), not vertical (up/down).  I can't remember which axis is which....hope this makes sense.

This is based on information I've read here on the board, someone please correct me if I'm mistaken.

Thanks.

[The Man]

I've got a stun-runner yoke and a dual strike control I bought -- but now I don't think I'll ever get around to building it.  let me know if you're interested and I'll give you a decent price for the both for saving me the trouble of ebay'ing them.

Let me know too spinrfal@xmission.com

[Minwah]

Eightbit-

I think Stunrunner and StarWars yokes are interchangeable....but the Roadblasters only had horizontal control (left/right), not vertical (up/down).  I can't remember which axis is which....hope this makes sense.

This is based on information I've read here on the board, someone please correct me if I'm mistaken.

Thanks.

I think you are thinking of the RoadBlasters controller - this only has the left/right (X) axis.  I am pretty sure that STUN Runner has both X & Y axis (how do you spell the plurel of axis?) - the Y axis is used to aim the weapon.

As you suspect, you cannot use the Opti-Pac for pot-based controllers (only optic based stuff) - so go with 1UP's dual strike hack.

You may need to hack your gas pedal to a dual strike to if it is an original arcade (5k pots) one.  Or you could change the pot to a 100k one and connect it to a gamport as described at the wheel/pedal site in eightbit's reply.

Good luck!

[Brax]

I've got a stun-runner yoke and a dual strike control I bought -- but now I don't think I'll ever get around to building it.  let me know if you're interested and I'll give you a decent price for the both for saving me the trouble of ebay'ing them.

You have a PM

[Tiger-Heli]

Is the stun runner yoke the same as a star wars yoke?

Can a road blasters yoke be hacked to be a star wars yoke?

Q1 - Pretty sure the Stun Runner yoke does not have thumb buttons.

Q2 - No - No vertical axis!

[eightbit]

Is the stun runner yoke the same as a star wars yoke?

Can a road blasters yoke be hacked to be a star wars yoke?

Q1 - Pretty sure the Stun Runner yoke does not have thumb buttons.

Q2 - No - No vertical axis!

But it looks similar, I just wondered if anyone had tried to hack thumb buttons and a vertical axis into it. Its got to be easy to do that than to build a twisty grip.

[Tiger-Heli]

Is the stun runner yoke the same as a star wars yoke?

Can a road blasters yoke be hacked to be a star wars yoke?

Q1 - Pretty sure the Stun Runner yoke does not have thumb buttons.

Q2 - No - No vertical axis!

But it looks similar, I just wondered if anyone had tried to hack thumb buttons and a vertical axis into it. Its got to be easy to do that than to build a twisty grip.

Hacking thumb buttons should be doable, maybe.

If you think hacking a vertical axis with the related gearing etc. is easier than building a twitygrip, please let me know how you did it and how it comes out.

[eightbit]

Hacking thumb buttons should be doable, maybe.

If you think hacking a vertical axis with the related gearing etc. is easier than building a twitygrip, please let me know how you did it and how it comes out.

Not that it would necessarily easier for the gearing but it would be easier because you have a shell to start with.

I have not seen a road blasters wheel in years. I have no idea how they are constructed. Maybe its not physically possible to make that axis turn. I have a chance at buying a sitdown roadblasters cab and am debating whether it has potential. The game is also a candidate for restoration, I'm just not sure I want to invest the money that would take just for roadblasters.

Oh, yeah then there is the issue of getting it into my basement.

[The Man]

I think you are thinking of the RoadBlasters controller - this only has the left/right (X) axis.  I am pretty sure that STUN Runner has both X & Y axis (how do you spell the plurel of axis?) - the Y axis is used to aim the weapon.

As you suspect, you cannot use the Opti-Pac for pot-based controllers (only optic based stuff) - so go with 1UP's dual strike hack.

You may need to hack your gas pedal to a dual strike to if it is an original arcade (5k pots) one.  Or you could change the pot to a 100k one and connect it to a gamport as described at the wheel/pedal site in eightbit's reply.

Good luck!

Road Blaster uses optical controls for the X-axis and the Star Wars series and S.T.U.N. Runner use pot

[Tiger-Heli]

Road Blaster uses optical controls for the X-axis and the Star Wars series and S.T.U.N. Runner use pot?s for the X and Y-axis.

Thanks, I always forget about that!!!!

[Minwah]

Hacking thumb buttons should be doable, maybe.

If you think hacking a vertical axis with the related gearing etc. is easier than building a twitygrip, please let me know how you did it and how it comes out.

Not that it would necessarily easier for the gearing but it would be easier because you have a shell to start with.

I have not seen a road blasters wheel in years. I have no idea how they are constructed. Maybe its not physically possible to make that axis turn. I have a chance at buying a sitdown roadblasters cab and am debating whether it has potential. The game is also a candidate for restoration, I'm just not sure I want to invest the money that would take just for roadblasters.

Oh, yeah then there is the issue of getting it into my basement.

I've got a RoadBlasters controller:  The bit that would be the Y-Axis is welded to the main box at two points - It may be possible to break these welds and add gears etc. but it wouldn't be particularly easy.

Yes the RB controller is optical, but I am trying to add a pot to it as well so that I can play other 'stick' or 'paddle' driving games.  I need to find somewhere to get some gears tho, anyone know where I could try ??

[Tiger-Heli]

I need to find somewhere to get some gears tho, anyone know where I could try ??

Maybe a hobby shop for Radio Control car parts?

[mac622]

Here is an excellent link to wheel and pedal hacking-
http://www.gunpowder.freeserve.co.uk/wheels/

You're right, this was a really cool website and I got a few good ideas there so thanks you for posting the url.  Unfortunately, it didn't address the issue of interfacing either control with MAME.  

Thanks anyway  

[The Man]

You're right, this was a really cool website and I got a few good ideas there so thanks you for posting the url.  Unfortunately, it didn't address the issue of interfacing either control with MAME.  

Thanks anyway  

The site gives you all the information on how to create a driving wheel and pedal interface for your pc.  If it interfaces with your pc it will interface with MAME.

[Rocky]

Mac622,

You won't be able to use an optipac or ipac to interface a starwars yoke.  You will need to interface it with a usb or gameport joystick device.  There are some good examples on this site.

As far as the pole position wheel, it acts like a spinner, so you can use the optipac.  I'm not sure about the pedal in pole position. I think MAME interprets it as a key press instead of analog.  If it is analog, you'll need a usb or gameport hack to interface it. shifter is keypresses (use ipac)

More than likely, you can do the pole position with your existing stuff, but not the star wars yoke.

** apologies for your thread being hijacked. That happens when you mention a star wars yoke, it makes them go crazy **


Rocky

[wee beastie]

correct me if I'm wrong, but Stun Runner and SW yoke are NOT plug and play interchangeable.  Stun Runner had the gun in the normally down position.  Therefore, a stun runner yoke doesn't "center" like SW yoke, it just pulls the handles down.  So, you'll have to add a spring for centering and recalibrate the pots.  Also, no thumb switch on the Stun Runner yoke.  

Minor difference, the handles are shaped different.  This, obviously, does not inhibit it's function, though.

[Tiger-Heli]

correct me if I'm wrong, but Stun Runner and SW yoke are NOT plug and play interchangeable.  Stun Runner had the gun in the normally down position.  Therefore, a stun runner yoke doesn't "center" like SW yoke, it just pulls the handles down.  So, you'll have to add a spring for centering and recalibrate the pots.  Also, no thumb switch on the Stun Runner yoke.  

Minor difference, the handles are shaped different.  This, obviously, does not inhibit it's function, though.

That may well be accurate, I never played Stun Runner in the arcades, I was just going by pictures which did not show the thumb buttons.

[kspiff]

Hm.. I had a Stun Runner yoke which I used for spare parts (in the end it was too beat up) and actually it does have thumb triggers.  The only interchangeable parts between the 2 are the handles (and maybe some small components like shafts, screws, gears).

Also, the yoke did stay centered (physically).  It seems that many of these yokes have broken X-axis springs, though, especially the usual ebay fare.

[unclet]

OK...I know this is long, but I really tried explain what I am after and it seems you people are dealing with the same topic (ie: connecting multiple axis to the gameport).  Will you please read and help me out......thanks a lot!

<message below>

In the site http://www.gunpowder.freeserve.co.uk/wheels/wiring.htm,
I read about connecting a gas/brake two pedal assembly either in a single-axis (figure 1) or dual-axis (figure 2).  I am getting two gas/brake pedal assemblies (ie: 4 pedals in total) so do you think I could connect one gas/brake assembly in a single-axis format using "J1Y" using pins 6 and 9 (like figure 1) and then connect the second gas/brake assembly in a dual-axis format using "J2X" and "J2Y" using pins 11 and 13?  Also, I hope to attach my 4-speed shifter (ie: 4 microswitches) to pins 2, 7, 10 and 14 (ie: Btn0, Btn1, Btn2 and Btn3 respectively).  Also, my steering wheel potentiometer will attach to pins 1 and 3 (as stated in figure 1).

Regarding my pedals....I am not trying to get two players to play at the same time.  Basically, I know some games call for three pedals (ie: Race Drivin', Hard Drivin', etc..) so I wanted to have at least 3 pedals.  I found a deal on two gas/brake virtua racing pedal sets which I am going to purchase so this gives me 4 pedals in all.  After reading the informarion at the website listed above, it seems like some games call for single-axis and some dual-axis so I want to have both type sets.  The website shows how to connect two pedals to a switch to allow for single-axis and dual-axis within one gas/brake pedal set, but since I am getting two gas/brake pedal sets anyway, it seems I would not need the switch.  I could simply wire one pair of pedals to be single-axis and the other as dual-axis so I could use the one pair to play the games which call for single-axis games and the other pair to play dual-axis games.  For the games which call for three pedals, I would believe (but PLEASE CONFIRM) that I could use one set of pedals plus only one pedal from the second set (ie: I could use the dual-axis set plus one pedal from the single-axis set (or vice versa)).

My question is will all of my pedals and buttons be interpreted by Mame32 successfully using the pin configurations stated above?  I mean will Mame somehow be able to allow me to play driving games with my pedals by getting inputs in either of the J1Y J2X and J2Y pins?  Obviously I want to make sure Mame32 will work before I  go through this effort....

I was going to hack two mice to for spinners in Mame32 but I found out that Mame32 could not intepret the Y-axis mouse input so I only made one spinner hack for the X-axis.  I am not sure whether this same concern (ie: Mame32 not register Y-axis input) is a problem for gameport input.....In my description above, I would be utilizing the J1X and J1Y inputs of the gameport.  Please help me figure whether this stuff will work before I buy all my driving assembly parts....

Thanks
UncleT

[Tiger-Heli]

OK...I know this is long, but I really tried explain what I am after and it seems you people are dealing with the same topic (ie: connecting multiple axis to the gameport).  Will you please read and help me out......thanks a lot!

I am planning to do the same thing with pedals, so yes, I am pretty sure it will work.  (I am planning on using a USB wheel, and only running the pedals through the gameport, but no big deal).  I think all arcade games were dual axis (i.e. gas on X, brake on Y, but MAME will work with a single axis setup, and/or you might want to keep the single/dual switch as an option as most PC games expect this.

I think you can assign any joystick axis to any key using ctlr.ini files in standard MAMEW (I don't use MAME32).  I'm sure you can do what you want (and the spinner thing also) using MAME32 Analog Plus from http://www.urebelscum.speedhost.com/

FWIW!

[unclet]

I can not use Mame Analog+ since I have Win2000 but I would like to stay with Mame32 anyway.   I am purcahsing two sets of gas/brake pedal assemblies.   I wanted to connect one set as single-axis and the other set as dual-axis, but was unsure whether Mame32 would recognize joystickX and joystickY inputs from the gameport.  I know Mame32 can not distinguish spinner mouse hack inputs from the Y-axis via USB, but was not sure whether it could handle X and Y inputs from tyhe gameport correctly.  

I guess if people make these Star Wars yokes and interface through the gameport then I believe those use X-axis and Y-axis inputs right....so if the yoke works for people then my configuration should as well???

[Tiger-Heli]

I can not use Mame Analog+ since I have Win2000 but I would like to stay with Mame32 anyway.   I am purcahsing two sets of gas/brake pedal assemblies.   I wanted to connect one set as single-axis and the other set as dual-axis, but was unsure whether Mame32 would recognize joystickX and joystickY inputs from the gameport.  I know Mame32 can not distinguish spinner mouse hack inputs from the Y-axis via USB, but was not sure whether it could handle X and Y inputs from tyhe gameport correctly.  

I guess if people make these Star Wars yokes and interface through the gameport then I believe those use X-axis and Y-axis inputs right....so if the yoke works for people then my configuration should as well???

Two points:  USB with MAME Analog+ will not work under Win2000, but I am not sure about the gameport parts of it.  You could E-mail UrebelScum about this.  Or you could just test it out with a couple of PC flightsticks ($2 a lot of places) and a joystick splitter cable.

Point 2: I am not sure whether Star Wars yoke work in MAME b/c the Star Wars driver is looking for left/right on the Joystick X-axis and up/down on the Joystick Y-axis, or whether this is configurable in MAME and this determines whether your pedals will work.  IIRC, you can assign a joystick axis to any input, using the .ini files or the "Inputs this game" menu, but I am not certain of this._

[The Man]

I can not use Mame Analog+ since I have Win2000 but I would like to stay with Mame32 anyway.   I am purcahsing two sets of gas/brake pedal assemblies.   I wanted to connect one set as single-axis and the other set as dual-axis, but was unsure whether Mame32 would recognize joystickX and joystickY inputs from the gameport.  I know Mame32 can not distinguish spinner mouse hack inputs from the Y-axis via USB, but was not sure whether it could handle X and Y inputs from tyhe gameport correctly.  

I guess if people make these Star Wars yokes and interface through the gameport then I believe those use X-axis and Y-axis inputs right....so if the yoke works for people then my configuration should as well???

Yes.  This is my understanding and what I got to work; 4 axis 2 button (never tried), 3 axis 4 buttons (never tried) and 2 axis 6 buttons (working).  This is all from the standard 15pin game port on the soundcard or expansion card.  I could be wrong on this, but this is my understanding of it.

I don't think a special driver is required, if you can't see the particular driver in the Gaming Options (gaming devices) you can always use the 'Add' feature.

Hope this helps.
TM