Intermittent Missed Keys with iPac **Resolved**

[DigDreams]

I recently completed my first cab, and I am using an IPac-2.  I have a small problem, mostly in pinball...  Every once in a while it just "misses" a key press.  I'm not sure if it is happening on other keys, but I notice it on my flipper buttons.

I have tried running separate grounds directly to them, unplugging the pass-thru keyboard, and just about everything else I can think of.  It only happens maybe once every 40 key presses, but it's enough to ruin your pinball game.

If you want to see the wiring, my project thread is:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=54734.0;all

Any ideas on how to correct this?  It's a real pain in the you know what and I am running out of ideas.

- DigDreams

[hypernova]

I had the same problems for awhile.  I ended up changing the programming of the Ipac.  I think somehow either the CTRL or ALT or SHIFT keys somehow interfere with mame (or in your case, pinball) at times.  Mine happened alot more often though...once every 5-10 presses.  When I removed the default programming and changed those keys to "normal" keys (letters/symbols/numbers/etc) everything seemed to work correctly.  Worth a shot. 
This, of course, assumes that the pinball you use utilizes those buttons. 

[hanelyp]

If the game in question responds to ASCII codes from key presses, shift, control, and alt will definately mess things up.  A program using raw keycodes, as recomended for video games, should work fine.

[DigDreams]

Thanks guys.  You are correct, I am using left and right shift for the flippers (defaults).  Which are also dual-mapped.  I will change them to keys and change it in VPinMame and Pro Pinball.

I'll let you know if it works.

Thanks again,

- DigDreams

[DigDreams]

No luck...  I did more testing using notepad.  USB and PS2 yield the same results. 

If I hit keys connected to the ipac 10 times I get either 10, 9 or even 8 key presses some times.  If I hit keys on the keyboard connected to the IPac's pass-thru, I hit 10 keys - I get 10 key presses.

It's not noticable in most of the games I play, but it really kills pinball.

ARGH!

Any more ideas???

- DigDreams

[cdbrown]

Have you considered replacing the microswitches?

[DigDreams]

Have you considered replacing the microswitches?

They are brand new cherry microswitches and it iis happening with ALL of them.

I wrote Andy and he is sending me a new main chip.  He said in May (when I purchased mine) he had a bad batch.  Hopefully that will fix the issue.

- DigDreams

[hypernova]

Only other option is when you checked by using other grounding, did you use grounding that was wired straight into the end?  (i.e.  connect the grounds directly with a ground coming off the pc power supply?)

Are all the grounds in one big loop, or do you have multiple series of loops?

[DigDreams]

Only other option is when you checked by using other grounding, did you use grounding that was wired straight into the end?  (i.e.  connect the grounds directly with a ground coming off the pc power supply?)

Are all the grounds in one big loop, or do you have multiple series of loops?

The I-Pac2 provides a player 1 ground and a player two ground, I used both with two seperate daisy chains.

The problem exists on both player 1 and player 2 keys. 

I tried adding an additional ground wire from the I-Pac2 to the individual buttons, as well as from the end of the daisy chain to the beginning of the daisy chain to make it a full loop.    Nothing made a difference.

Andy at Ultimarc seems pretty sure that I have a bad I-Pac2.  Evidently he had a bad batch of chips in May, and I purchased mine on May 16th.

- DigDreams

[hypernova]

What I was suggesting was, if you have a spare pc power supply plug, run some ground wire to one of the black wires on them, and see if the problem persists.  Also, is the wire go directly from the buttons to the ipac?  Is there anything in between?  (Such as an ethernet cable setup like Doc's modular.)

[DigDreams]

No, the wires go directly from the I-Pac2 to the Button.  Nothing in-between.

- DigDreams

[DefJam]

Hey,

I too have that problem, but in my case I know it has nothing to do with the encoder... I use a toshiba laptop and it clearly misses key strokes once in awhile in visual pinball (using the shift keys).... I read somewhere once that someone else with a Toshiba laptop was having the same problem.

I have been unable to figure out what it is...

Jim

[hanelyp]

...If I hit keys connected to the ipac 10 times I get either 10, 9 or even 8 key presses some times.

Does it make a difference if you press and hold for a moment vs. tapping the buttons?

[DigDreams]

Does it make a difference if you press and hold for a moment vs. tapping the buttons?

Not at all.

[DigDreams]

It was a bad IPac2 chip.  I got my new chip from Andy today, popped it in, and now everything works perfectly.

It even remembered it's programming.  I thought after swapping the chip I would sureley have to re-program it. 

- DigDreams