I-PAC shift function vs. KeyWiz Shazaam Function for Howard C.

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RandyT:

--- Quote from: Tiger-Heli on February 20, 2003, 11:09:19 am ---My idea was to have a button for ESC (wired with your adapter to Shazaam! and P2B5). The problem came if I pressed a different Shazaam! function and also pressed P2B5, the game would exit. If I follow correctly, I could have the software set up so Shazaam! and P2B4, P2B5 AND P2B6 together pressed Escape. But I don't want to press three buttons together to end the game!

Is it possible to use one button with 3 of the adapters wired together to do what you are suggesting?

--- End quote ---

You know, I hadn't thought about that, but I don't see why it wouldn't :)

--- Quote ---Another idea a friend and I were kicking around: what if the Shazaam! key only accepted one input per press and wouldn't read any more inputs until the Shazaam! button was released and pressed again.

Then, using my previous example, you could not press Coin 1 (Shazaam! P1B4) and Coin2 (Shazaam! P2B4) at the same time, but pressing Coin1 and P2B4 would work fine and there would be no way to accidentally exit the game from an unintentionally Shazaam! (Coin1 and P2B5) key combination.

Could this be done in software, or maybe through a jumper on the board (Pins 1-2= multiple Shazaam! presses, Pins 2-3 = single Shazaam! presses), or would the whole board need to be redesigned (and multiple Shazaam! presses disabled) to accomodate this?

--- End quote ---

Jumpers = lost inputs. The KeyWiz was purposely designed to allow multiple simultaneous Shazaaam! keypresses as I feel that this gives the unit the most flexibility. It comes down to a choice between two undesireable aspects.

1) No Blocking (KeyWiz method). No blocking means some things might happen with certain combinations that you don't want. But it also lets any number of keypresses be registered at the same time, which is desireable. There are also options to minimize any issues inherent to this method.

Example: A switch on a coin door is set-up as a "special" switch. You drop a token in while someone is pressing the button with ESC as a secondary. The program exits. Change the exit function to a 2 or 3 button combo, problem solved.

2) Blocking - Blocking can keep undesireable things from happening, but can also keep desireable things from happening. This lets one thing happen and that's it! No options, no flexibility. No "workarounds", nothing. Just blocking. :)

Example: A switch on a coin door is set-up as a "special" switch. You drop a token in while someone is pressing the button with ESC as a secondary. The program doesn't exit, but your token went to never-land without giving you a credit. No solution because the inputs are exclusive.

The only real solution to all of this is to pay twice as much for a controller with more inputs.

RandyT

RandyT:

--- Quote from: Tiger-Heli on February 20, 2003, 11:44:52 am ---What I am asking about is a way to mount one button that only send another button's shifted function, which I thought the adapters will allow.

--- End quote ---

Think of the Shazaaam! feature as a shift key on a keyboard (it's not because it does more, but nonetheless). When the Shazaaam! button, or "special" button with the adapter is pressed, all buttons are temporarily re-mapped to equal their Shazaaam! definitions, until you release the button. That is why only "non-control" functions should be mapped to these. This aspect is the same regardless of the encoder used.

--- Quote ---Followup-Question: Assuming you can have this button mapped to multiple inputs is it possible to do something like this (except RandyT already told me the direction inputs can't be shifted), but. I remap input A to UP and input B to down and connect these to the Joystick switches. Now I assign Shazaam! A and B to Esc. Then I wire my button with adapters to the Joystick UP and Down switches. Since a joystick can't be up and down at the same time, there is no way to accidentally exit the game, but the button will exit. Would this work?

--- End quote ---

If you have 4 control sticks, 2 of them will have Shazaaam! definitions assigned to each of their inputs.

So yes, what you described will work fine! :)

RandyT

Kane:
ok guys, I received my buttons and Keywhiz yesterday and began wiring things up. I will have all of it hooked up tonight and will be posting my reveiw of the Keywhiz first thing in the morning, or before I hit the sack tonight. I am recruiting my daughter to help "torture" test the Keywhiz :)

_Iz-:
Did you get any of the "special Y adapters" with your order? If yes, please include your take on the 1 button shifted combos in your review. And if you wanted to dissect one Y adapter and tell us how they're made that'd be great too! ;) However, I'm reasonably sure the "integrated electronic component" is 2 diodes...

Kane:
I did not get any y adapters as they just became available and I placed my order last Saturday.

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