One last hangup on my cab...

[joecitizen]

Is there any way to disallow trackball input from the opposing player when it's not their turn?  As it stands, both of my trackballs register input now and function well except for this one small detail.

I'm using the newer optipac on a cocktail cabinet with a trackball at either end.  The jumpers are set to "serial" and "player 1", and I'm running a serial to usb conversion cable from the connector marked "serial/usb".  Is that the proper thing to do? I had the jumper on usb and I had no input.

I'm running the latest mame build on windows XP with MaLa as a frontend.

Any advice is greatly appreciated... thanks.

-dave

[DaveMMR]

Are you Mame settings listing both trackballs?  If so, hit tab and setup the game so that alternating players use the same trackball. 

2P alternating TB games don't have two trackballs, so the game hardware and therefore Mame doesn't know that it should "turn off" one trackball when the other one should be used.

[krick]

Here's how to fix it...

1) You must use the USB setting to get two independent trackballs with the Opti-PAC.

2) You have to go into the MAME configuration menu and map your trackballs the way you want them to work.  Older versions of MAME were not this way.

[joecitizen]

When I switch the jumper from "serial" to "usb", neither trackball affects the cursor in XP, whereas under "serial", they both do.

Is there a step I'm missing?

I understand configuring the controls under mame config, I guess I just need to figure out how to get the trackballs to send a signal under the usb setting.

[joecitizen]

Under control panel/mouse/hardware...

When the serial jumper is set, I get two listings

1) HID-compliant mouse at loc 0 (my wireless mouse I guess)
2) Standard serial mouse on prolific USB to serial comm port (com3)

When the usb jumper is set, I only get the mouse at loc 0

[krick]

Under control panel/mouse/hardware...

When the serial jumper is set, I get two listings

1) HID-compliant mouse at loc 0 (my wireless mouse I guess)
2) Standard serial mouse on prolific USB to serial comm port (com3)

When the usb jumper is set, I only get the mouse at loc 0

I'm not sure it will show up as a mouse in XP as long as you have another real mouse plugged in.

What do you see in the MAME config menu?  MAME uses the rawmouse API under XP to detect multiple pointing devices.

[joecitizen]

The trackball  x & y, 1 and 2 analog settings both read "n/a".

I tried to set the trackball by hitting "enter" and moving the ball, but no dice.

I wondered if it was a mame.ini setting I was missing?


...also, I'm running a microsoft wireless keyboard/mouse combo on a usb port.
Maybe that could be affecting something.

[krick]

You have...

mouse 1

...in your mame.ini, correct?

If you do, then try unplugging the Opti-PAC and plugging it into a different pair of USB ports.  Windows should re-detect it.

[joecitizen]

Okay, I only have the one serial-to-usb cable.  Do I actually need two of them, one for each serial output jack on the opti-pac?

I thought that both trackballs mapped to the one output if the p1 jumper was set, but I might have misunderstood that.

my mame.ini is set to "mouse 1"

moved the usb from one jack to another, but the trackball is still undetected in mame config.

[krick]

Okay, I only have the one serial-to-usb cable.  Do I actually need two of them, one for each serial output jack on the opti-pac?

I thought that both trackballs mapped to the one output if the p1 jumper was set, but I might have misunderstood that.

my mame.ini is set to "mouse 1"

moved the usb from one jack to another, but the trackball is still undetected in mame config.

You only need one serial-to-USB cable and you hook it up to the connector labeled "serial/USB".  Then you switch the jumper to "USB".

To have independent controls for player1 and player2, you need to set the jumper to "P1+2".  Otherwise, all controls get mapped to player 1.

[joecitizen]

Thanks, that's the configuration I have right now.

I am not getting any recognition with the usb jumper set.  This is where I'm stuck.

[krick]

Ok, just checking dumb stuff now...

Is an Ultimarc serial to USB cable?

Is the cable connected to the correct side?

Did you try plugging it into a different set of USB ports?

Are your trackballs powered?

If all these fail, then I'd email andy@ultimarc and see if he can help.  Maybe the Optipac is defective.

Note that I'm pretty sure that your trackball won't control the windows cursor as long as your have another mouse connected.  However, they should show up in the MAME config menu.

[joecitizen]

It is not an Ultimarc cable.  Maybe that is the problem?

[krick]

It is not an Ultimarc cable.  Maybe that is the problem?

Yep.  I've seen people have problems before with non-Ultimarc cables.  I'm not sure what the pinout is.  What are you using?  Some sort of serial to USB adapter?

[joecitizen]

here's the cable. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16812156008

looks like it is an usb->serial.  I've ordered the proper cable from ultimarc just now, I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks for all your help!

 

[krick]

Yep.  I'm about 99.9% certain it's a cable problem now.  That cable on newegg is some sort of active buffered cable that requires a driver.

[joecitizen]

Got the cable today and installed it.  Solved the problem.

Two player centipede...Yessss!!!!

Thanks so much for your help!

[krick]

Got the cable today and installed it.  Solved the problem.

Two player centipede...Yessss!!!!

Thanks so much for your help!

You meant to say "two player marble madness".  That's the reason for two trackballs.

[joecitizen]

Geez, now you tell me.   

Well, looks like it's time to start planning cab number two then