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Ipac2 VS. Ipac4
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RandyT:

--- Quote from: Zakk on February 01, 2006, 06:41:56 pm ---I can't fault your pricing on the opti-wiz of course, I'd just like it somehow incorporated into one board.  Is there a way to merge the two, with separate cpu's?  Even if not, I don't know as if it would be that big a strain on the system to share...I mean you would never really 'tax' the system, since you would never be using 2 joysticks, 5 buttons, the trackball and spinner all at exactly the same time (even on a 2 player board).  Am I way off in this?

--- End quote ---

Well, even on just a plain optical interface, the code is checking for changes while inside the transmit routines just to keep everything tight.  Just using 1 key on a device acting like a USB keyboard is going to cause it to assemble the multiple keyboard packets which it needs to complete the transaction.  This overhead is even worse if it's part of a combination device.  I'd rather not take the chance and possibly have backspin or other issues that I can't explain.

There's also the added benefit of having PS/2 compatibility with 1 device each.

And for USB, just throw an inexpensive 4 port hub inside the panel and run a faceplate to the exterior for the extra 2 ports.  This will give your customers a nice feature for easily hooking up gamepads or whathaveyou.

RandyT

cholin:
Why wouldn't you just up the model of the chip?  Pull off something like the minipac?

I personally have never used any of your products, and actually havent used the minipac I orderred last year either, but one of the major things that sold it was that it can handle the trackball and the keyboard together.  It might be considerred stealing someone else's market, but if you offerred a combination device it would probably do very well since alot of people are anal about sticking to one company...

I got a question for you... do you code the chips yourself?
RandyT:

--- Quote from: cholin on February 02, 2006, 12:00:13 am ---Why wouldn't you just up the model of the chip?  Pull off something like the minipac?

--- End quote ---

Here's a little trivia for you.  The little processor in the Opti-Wiz uses the exact same processor core, at the exact same speed as the device you just mentioned.  It just has less memory and less I/O pins.  I dedicate all of it resources to handling the 3 axes, because that is all I feel it should be tasked with to do the job properly.  Do you know how quickly a device must be able to scan and process the readings from a rapidly spun, high-resolution encoder wheel to keep from seeing things like backspin?

Personally, I would rather offer less expensive devices with hardware dedicated to the one task for which it was designed than try to make one chip try to do everything.  It's a philosophy not everyone shares, but that's the thing about philosophies.


--- Quote ---I got a question for you... do you code the chips yourself?

--- End quote ---

[sarcasm]
No, the cleaning lady does it between taking out the garbage and scrubbing the toilets.  We get her to do the soldering on her lunch break......
[/sarcasm]

Of course I do.  I also write the software to support it, design the circuit boards, source the components, solder, manage the web store, create the logos and the graphics, handle customer support and try to convey information I have learned in the last 20+ years doing these kinds of things to the good folks on these forums.

Tell me, was there a reason for this question?

RandyT
mahuti:
I certainly like the low cost of the Opti-wiz. I like the idea of cheaper, less all-in-one encoders, for me anyway.
Tiger-Heli:

--- Quote from: RandyT on February 02, 2006, 12:49:07 am ---Personally, I would rather offer less expensive devices with hardware dedicated to the one task for which it was designed than try to make one chip try to do everything.  It's a philosophy not everyone shares, but that's the thing about philosophies.

--- End quote ---
I agree with this. . .  I don't see the point in adding another model line, or paying for a trackball interface for a joystick/buttons panel, or vice versa.

--- Quote ---I got a question for you... do you code the chips yourself?

--- End quote ---

--- Quote ---Tell me, was there a reason for this question?

--- End quote ---
I can't speak for Cholin (even though I am, but then again, I'm also RandyT according to some members of the board), but I took it as simple curiosity.  Not everyone here will know whether the chips have to be programmed or if they come pre-programmed and you just pick out one that will do what you need and then design a board and connector layouts and mount it together.
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