Frontline controller installed and working

[spidermonkey]

Just had to share the good news. Since the Frontline rotary controller always has 1 or 2 microswitches in the closed position I wired in a small black rocker switch to cut the ground to the controller when I'm not using it. Kind of a pain to configure the controller at first. I turned the dial to a non diagonal position up/down/left/right so that only one microswitch was activated. The switches are adjustable so I loosened that one microswitch and slid it back until it was released like all the others. I then configured it in mame just like a regular joystick entering only left/right/up/down using a small flat screwdriver to activate one switch at a time. Just like a regular joystick the diagonals automaticly work once the L/R/U/D positions are entered. Once finished I slid the one microswitch back into position and tightened it up. The press down fire feature of this controller programs just like a regular push button. The controller works absolutely PERFECT !   Kudos to Birdtales  for supplying the controller. Thanks again.
S.M.

[Birdtales]

Congratulations!

[u_rebelscum]

Glad to hear it worked out!

One thing.  If might have been easier to configure the controller if you used the ctrlr/ini input files.  Learning the ctrlr file layout vs taking apart the controller. *shrug*  Maybe next time, huh?

BTW, http://www.mameworld.net/easyemu/mamecontrolini.htm and docs/ctrlr.txt are the best places to learn about the ctrlr/ini files.

[NIVO]

heya spidermonkey, congrats on the control working out for you. That is a great true classic all the way.

[enemyace]

Frontline! That's the game we used to play at the arcade when I was in gradeschool! I've been trying to think of the name for a long time now. It's an awesome game.

Is it possible to play it using a Tron setup with an 8-way trigger stick and optical spinner?

[spidermonkey]

I'm afraid not Enemyace
Unfortunatly the rotary controller is recognized as an 8-way joystick rather then a dial control in the mame controller setup menu. You could use your tron stick to move and fire but you have to use a second 8-way joystick for aiming the direction of fire. Thats what I did before I got the original rotary controller. Using a joystick to aim feels kind of awkward. Kinda crazy to take up space on my control panel for an oddball controller thats only used on like 3 or 4 games but I had the extra space and its one of my favorites so to me it was worth it.  

[enemyace]

Damn! That game is so much fun. So I guess the spinner is not a spinner at all, it just activates different microswitches when it spins? Does it have eight different switches or just four? Plus one for pressing down, right?

Is there any way you could make a homebrew controller out of an eight position rotary switch? Kinda like 1UP did with the Discs of Tron spinner he made.

[Birdtales]

Damn! That game is so much fun. So I guess the spinner is not a spinner at all, it just activates different microswitches when it spins? Does it have eight different switches or just four? Plus one for pressing down, right?

Is there any way you could make a homebrew controller out of an eight position rotary switch? Kinda like 1UP did with the Discs of Tron spinner he made.

 It has 4 microswitches (5 counting the fire switch) a cam turns on   the shaft and activates switch up then switches up/left, etc.

[CitznFish]

Will frontline work with a standard spinner? It's been a long time since I played the game and hopefully I'll be able to play it again soon..  

[MannyTC]

Spidermonkey, do you have any pics on how you mounted the controller? I have 2 of them here and not quite sure how to do it the best way. Can't seem the get the knobs off either  

[Birdtales]

Can't seem the get the knobs off either  

 The knob was a bit of a pain to remove. It is held on with a roll pin. I had to find a punch the proper size and tap it out.

[kspiff]

Aw, shucks.. I thought I'd get to do one of these first.. that's the same thing I planned to do.. but at least I can rest assured it'll work!

Got any pics?

[spidermonkey]

Thats it dammit ! I just gotta go buy a damn digital camera. Their have been so many pics that I've wanted to post to better explain my ideas and projects over the past year but I never bought a freekin camera. Time to let the moths fly outta my wallet and go buy one this week. By the way MannyTC, it definately wasn't one of the easier controls to install. Especially on a 3/4" control panel. It  was meant to mount on a metal cp but it can and has been done and as soon as I stop being so cheap I'll post some pics with my camera that I have yet to buy.

[kspiff]

LOL.. I have the same predicament, but I just need to go waste another $40 on the damn specialty batteries for mine.. that's my Pachislo money we're talkin' about!

[MannyTC]

These are pics of one of my frontline controllers. Does this look the same as what you guys have? I am still trying to figure out the best way to mount these and how to get the freakin' knob off without breaking the thing!



Kspiff sorry to here about those expensive batteries. Mine takes AA's and that allowed me to get my pachislo!

[spidermonkey]

Yep, same thing. These were used in Frontline, Tin Star and some other western type shooting game that I can't think of right now.

[spidermonkey]

Uhhh oh yeh...Also used on "Wild Western" so your controller could be from any one of these games. All three Taito games use the same controller.

[Chris]

Bob Roberts has two of those controllers for sale for $15 each in his Klearance Korner....

[kspiff]

Woah.. cool Pachislo.. I'm thinking of getting a video slot-type.. I hear those reel-types are getting harder to find.. there was this awesome looking Pac World reel-type Pachislo on ebay a few days ago from Sankyo.. but too rich for my blood (reserve = $250+).

Oh, well.. the best was the old-school Lupin III Pachinko (no slots), but that was a pick-up only auction out of Chicago.

Pinball first or Pachinko/slo? Another hard decision.

EDIT: Woops.. the knob?  I have yet to remove the knob, but will be going back to try again later (when I get around to hacking that particular controller).. mine had the tension pin keeping the knob on which I'd need some kind of narrow tap or insertion/removal tool to mess with.. but the knob and shaft are kept in place by an e-ring.. my plan is to just remove the e-ring (with a small flathead) and leave the knob on the shaft (if I can get it mounted to a plate and reassembled this way -- those springs and bearings are a pain to put back in).  Does anyone know of a specific tool/set for inserting and removing these tension pins?  I see them on a lot of coin doors and specialty controllers..