New Product - Apache Controls Blackhawk Push/Pull Spinner

[apachecontrols]

Hi all,

Apache Controls is a new company with a new product offering soon to be released in the game market.

A precision engineered Push-Pull Arcade Spinner; a complete new design from the ground up.

The official name is the Apache Controls Blackhawk Push/Pull Spinner.

Detailed pre-release product pictures and additional information is available at our website: www.apachecontrols.com

Here are some specs for those interested in getting a quick-glance at this new product.

• Proudly made in the United States (Design, Engineering, Manufacturing, Distribution)
• Professionally manufactured Stainless Steel and Aluminum Construction
• Anodized high quality smooth black color finish
• Precision Laser Cut Stainless Steel Encoder Wheel for precise controller movement
• Solid stainless steel flywheel for optimal spin rotation
• Stainless Steel Multi-Wave Compression Springs for excellent push/pull movement
• All parts can be assembled & disassembled as needed with standard tools (nothing is glued)
• Professionally manufactured custom made circuit controller which comes in one of two configurations:
  Primary: Optic sensor + Embedded USB Controller Circuit. Plug and play
  ready, no software, drivers or cables needed. PS2 capable with optional converter plug. This is a full Optic board which can be used to drive an additional trackball, multiple spinners, etc. in addition to the Blackhawk.
  Secondary: Optic sensor only (ties directly to other third party Optic board)
• Compatible with nearly all 3rd party devices today: Oscar Controls, Ultimarc Optipac, etc.
• Push/Pull utilizes industry standard Cherry Microswitch design
• Push/Pull is adjustable to fine-tune switch activation for optimal play
• Center stainless steel shaft is adjustable as needed for proper knob height
• Option to include replica Discs of Tron Spinner Knob (Silver, Black, Blue or Red Colors Available)
• Physical profile is small and compact, making it ideal for limited clearance installations
• Mounting can be done on wood or metal any depth
• All mounting hardware is included, no extra bolts or screws needed

RetroBlast is currently in the process of evaluating this product as we speak, and will have a video review available soon: www.retroblast.com

Online ordering will be available on or before July 1st, 2006.

Please let us know if you have any questions or comments.

Thanks,

   AC

Apache Controls, LLC
Honeoye Falls, NY (USA)

ONLINE: www.apachecontrols.com
EMAIL: apachecontrols@hotmail.com

[Havok]

Looks awesome!

Now, when are you going to make a Star Wars repro yoke?

 

[Timoe]

What is the price point?

[Lilwolf]

And are you looking for beta testers?   

price point would be nice... even if its round about (don't care if your off 10-20 bucks... )

[Havok]

Also, can you connect a trackball to the Primary config interface?

[RayB]

If I were you, I would name this device the "Discotron".

[alexandro98]

Taken from your website

# Two circuit controller options - Pick which suites your needs best:

    * Primary Controller - Optic sensor + Embedded USB Controller Circuit. Plug and play ready, no software, drivers or cables needed. PS2 capable with Optional converter plug.
 ....
# Capable of running 2 Blackhawk spinners at once on the same machine
# Capable of running 1 Blackhawk and 1 trackball on the same machine

can you explain exactly what this means?
Does this mean i can hook a trackball into the Blackhawk? so I dont need a encoder?
or Does this mean i can "Daisy chain 2 Blackhawk spinner together?
It uses Usb right, so I should be able to use more than 2 blackhawk spinners right?

also..

# 5 switch buttons built into the board design (Mouse 0 thru Mouse 4)

so say with the new Ultimac joystick and this spinner I can totally eliminate a keyboard encoder totally?

Thanks!

[crashwg]

Well, I must say that your product looks to be very well planned and manufactured.  I am looking forward to the reviews of it and am sure that if it works half as good as it looks I will be sure to buy one as long as the price isn't prohibative.

[apachecontrols]

Hi all,

Let's see if we can help answer some of the recent questions surrounding this new product.

>
> ... when are you going to make a Star Wars repro yoke?
>

Believe it or not, this is under consideration. But at the moment, our resources have been focused on producing the highest quality push/pull spinner the market has ever seen. Our goal at Apache Controls is to produce well engineered, specialized arcade components for customers to enjoy for many years. Owning a product made by our team will make a statement you can be proud of in your cabinet design. Star Wars yokes and other similar products are on the drawing boards, so stay tuned!

>
> ... If I were you, I would name this device the "Discotron".
>

The Blackhawk was made with Discs of Tron in mind, so that isn't a bad idea. With that said, you will also find the spin action on this unit to be superior and work extremely well for all sorts of other games (Tempest, etc.)

>
> ... And are you looking for beta testers?
>

Well, not really.   The Blackhawk has already gone through an extensive research and design phase in order to be certified as an Apache Controls product. In the future, we might consider opening up a beta testing program if there is customer interest.

With that said, the team at Retroblast! will be running a promotion on this product, and there will be 1 lucky customer who will win a fully configured Blackhawk (Primary). Stay tuned to their website for details: www.retroblast.com

>
> ... What is the price point?
>

Pricing is set, and will be announced soon.

At Apache Controls, we've made ever possible effort to maintain reasonable costs when designing and subsequently manufacturing the Blackhawk Push/Pull spinner. In addition, our company firmly believes in the importance of maintaining a solid U.S. based operation; no outsourcing here! The Blackhawk is proudly made in the United States; from Design, Engineering, Manufacturing and subsequent Distribution.

Finally, quality has been a leading factor in differentiating our product with competitors in the industry. Just take a look at the unit on our website to see the difference: www.apachecontrols.com

This is a product which is top notch, and one which customers will be proud to own and use in their designs for years to come.

>
> ... Can you connect a trackball to the Primary config interface
>

Yes.

The Blackhawk primary spinner has a full-featured USB/PS2 Optic board, which can control up to 3 simultaneous Axis of movement (X, Y and Z). Each axis is independently controlled, which translates into no delay on initial movement. This means you can spin various devices connected to it (Blackhawk, Trackball, etc) and the system responds immediately, even after an extended period of no movement. This is a good thing. The primary board also comes standard with terminal blocks on the board, to make it easy for wiring. All you need is a screwdriver and wire. Lastly, the primary controller has 5 onboard mouse/switch inputs (M0-M4)* which are used to drive push and pull actions or other external buttons if desired.

The Blackhawk secondary spinner only contains an Optic board, no USB controller. It requires a 3rd party Optic board to drive it. This can be a Primary Blackhawk or some other device like the Optipac from Ultimarc.

Note that a trackball requires 2 axis of movement, while the Blackhawk only requires 1.

All of this means you have many different potential combinations when using the Primary controller:
  (1) primary Blackhawk and (1) secondary Blackhawk
  (1) primary Blackhawk and (1) Trackball
  (1) primary Blackhawk and (1) 3rd Party Spinner

The Primary Optic board on the Blackhawk spinner was designed to be as flexible as possible, to allow for many different combinations. The result is a single USB connection to your PC and overall cost savings since no additional Optic board is needed.

All of this is detailed in a 15 page product specification document (PDF) which will soon be released.

*Note that MAME emulation (on tests earlier this year) does not support 5 mouse inputs, only 4 (M0-M3). This isn't a big deal, just something to mention in case people wanted 5 buttons for MAME. This could change down the road, and we suspect it will, hence the Blackhawk design comes standard with the M4 button ready.

Let us know if there are additional questions,

Thanks,

AC

Apache Controls, LLC
Honeoye Falls, NY (USA)

ONLINE: www.apachecontrols.com
EMAIL: apachecontrols@hotmail.com

[Buddabing]

*Note that MAME emulation (on tests earlier this year) does not support 5 mouse inputs, only 4 (M0-M3). This isn't a big deal, just something to mention in case people wanted 5 buttons for MAME. This could change down the road, and we suspect it will, hence the Blackhawk design comes standard with the M4 button ready.

I don't think this is correct. It looks to me, from examining the source, that MAME supports 8 mice, each with 8 buttons and 3 axes of movement.

In order to get the last two buttons, you will need a ctrlr file:

Code: [Select]

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<mameconfig version="10">
    <system name="default">
        <input>
            <port type="P1_BUTTON4">
                <newseq type="standard">
                    MOUSECODE_1_BUTTON4
                </newseq>
            </port>
            <port type="P1_BUTTON5">
                <newseq type="standard">
                    MOUSECODE_1_BUTTON5
                </newseq>
            </port>
        </input>
    </system>
</mameconfig>

HTH,
Buddabing

[u_rebelscum]

*Note that MAME emulation (on tests earlier this year) does not support 5 mouse inputs, only 4 (M0-M3). This isn't a big deal, just something to mention in case people wanted 5 buttons for MAME. This could change down the road, and we suspect it will, hence the Blackhawk design comes standard with the M4 button ready.

I don't think this is correct. It looks to me, from examining the source, that MAME supports 8 mice, each with 8 buttons and 3 axes of movement.

ApacheControls is right.

Mame has places for more buttons than it actually polls.  Mame currently polls only the first four mouse buttons.

It's sort of easy, but not totally straight forward, to add more buttons.  Mame can be changed to have five buttons in winXP with a few simple additions, and/or eight buttons in win9x with a couple different changes.  (Mame is using rawinput for winXP, & directInput for win9x.)

[Buddabing]

Yep, Robin, you are right, the OSD code only supports 4 mouse buttons.

Code: [Select]

// add mouse buttons
for (button = 0; button < 4; button++)
{

This really should be changed.

[u_rebelscum]

Yep, Robin, you are right, the OSD code only supports 4 mouse buttons.

Code: [Select]

// add mouse buttons
for (button = 0; button < 4; button++)
{

This really should be changed.

It'll take a little more than that line , but yes.

[Minwah]

This really should be changed.

I'm sure Derrick mentioned a reason why this is the case, and why he wouldn't be changing it any time soon (if ever).

I don't see it as a big deal....there are enough other digital inputs to go round...

[Cananas]

This really should be changed.

I'm sure Derrick mentioned a reason why this is the case, and why he wouldn't be changing it any time soon (if ever).

The main reason it was Mamedev wanted to limit the directx version needed to 3.0. With the new render engine (needs Directx 8 or above), I think it could be implement. I sent the code changes to the mamedevs.

I don't see it as a big deal....there are enough other digital inputs to go round...

Yes, I think is not a big deal, but like it is easy to implement, it could be used to map start and coind to some buttons of the LCDTopGun (you know, you must a few meters away for your monitor and keyboard to play).

[Havok]

Hey Kev - where's the review? Stop playing around and post it!!!