Can a capacitor be added to the keywiz?

[spystyle]

Hello from Maine,

I have happily used the KeyWiz in default mode for a few cabs, and used keyboard hacks for 1 player cabs.

Well I just programmed a KeyWiz for a Gauntlet cab, that is very different than the keywiz default layout. I assumed that the keywiz would permanently become what I programmed it as, but it resets to default whenever power is removed.

I thought mine was broken but some browsing of the forum shows that people have their uploader running at each startup.

*Bummer*

Apparently it forgets at power loss, is it possible to solder a capacitor to the keywiz so it will remember the custom keys all the time?

Thank you,
Craig

[RandyT]

Is it a WIndows based system driving it?  If so, just use the Virtual EEPROM feature.

Email me if you need help setting it up.

RandyT

[spystyle]

Thanks for the reply Randy, and thanks for undercutting the competition with your awesome "keywiz eco 2"

But I was surprised that it didn't remember the custom set once powered off.

I would assume (but I'm not an electronics guy) that if the keywiz remembers the custom set when it has power from the ps2 lugs that a capacitor soldered to a pair of points on the board could keep it powered so the custom set wouldn't have to be re-uploaded every time.

Am I correct?

To answer your question I am using DOS, I added "kwdos c:\a.kwz" to the end of my autoexec.bat, I am still setting up the cab and computer now but I assume it will work.

Cheers,
Craig

[RandyT]

Thanks for the reply Randy, and thanks for undercutting the competition with your awesome "keywiz eco 2"

But I was surprised that it didn't remember the custom set once powered off.

It was a design decision.  EEPROM adds cost, complexity and would make two of the already limited number of inputs unusable.  It's one of those things that very few people really need, so it was omitted to benefit the possible needs of the majority.  A fast uploader app is on the way and includes "stealth" features, so the EEPROM won't be missed at all by Windows users.

I would assume (but I'm not an electronics guy) that if the keywiz remembers the custom set when it has power from the ps2 lugs that a capacitor soldered to a pair of points on the board could keep it powered so the custom set wouldn't have to be re-uploaded every time.

Am I correct?

I would say no. Or at least it wouldn't work for very long.

To answer your question I am using DOS, I added "kwdos c:\a.kwz" to the end of my autoexec.bat, I am still setting up the cab and computer now but I assume it will work.

Most would just change the key assignments in the application, making all of this "moot".  What are you running that doesn't allow this?

RandyT

[spystyle]

MAME 61

I realise that I could have configured the app and just wired everything up as whatever, but it seemed more organised to program the keywiz to use the default MAME keys.

Anyway, no bigD, I have the uploader all set up, all is well.

Cheers,
Craig

[Havok]

use the Virtual EEPROM feature.

Please tell me more about this...

[Tiger-Heli]

MAME 61
I realise that I could have configured the app and just wired everything up as whatever, but it seemed more organised to program the keywiz to use the default MAME keys.

The KeyWiz is always programmed to use the default MAME keys.  (Or did I miss something really obvious again).

[Tiger-Heli]

use the Virtual EEPROM feature.

Please tell me more about this...

From my page:

NOTE: The KeyWiz software can be loaded with a /a (Auto) option which loads the last used codeset, creating a "virtual EEPROM".  To enable this, the default command would be: "c:\keywiz\keywiz_uploader.exe /A"  (without quotes). This should be placed into a shortcut's command line argument and then dropped into the startup folder.

[Havok]

Oh... I thought it was some funky Windows thing that cached the settings somehow. Looks like you still have to run the uploader and wait the same amount of time. (I only have one configuration, so this really doesn't do anything for me)

Can't wait to see the new version...

[Tiger-Heli]

Oh... I thought it was some funky Windows thing that cached the settings somehow. Looks like you still have to run the uploader and wait the same amount of time. (I only have one configuration, so this really doesn't do anything for me)

Can't wait to see the new version...

Not sure if you meant you are using the uploader or if you are using the defualts and just curious.  If you are using it, you might try running the "Stealth" version and probably you wouldn't notice it working and by the time your FE loaded, you'd be ready to play.

[allroy1975]

  A fast uploader app is on the way and includes "stealth" features, so the EEPROM won't be missed at all by Windows users.

This interests me very much.  How "on the way" is it? 

[spystyle]

MAME 61
I realise that I could have configured the app and just wired everything up as whatever, but it seemed more organised to program the keywiz to use the default MAME keys.

The KeyWiz is always programmed to use the default MAME keys.  (Or did I miss something really obvious again).

The KeyWiz default is for 2 player cab, I am using a very different layout as the original Gauntlet CP is 4 player 2 button each. So the MAME default for that cab is different than the KeyWiz default.

Again, thanks to RandyT for an awesome product! In the end the uploader wasn't as much of a drag as I expected - just one line added to the autoexec.bat and 2 files added to the HDD then it's a done deal.

And I discovered that if 32 inputs isn't enough you can configure MAME to use "_ player button 2" (or other)  as "_ player start", this saves 4 inputs. (It also reduces the number of buttons on a CP)

Happy gaming,
Craig

[Havok]

Oh... I thought it was some funky Windows thing that cached the settings somehow. Looks like you still have to run the uploader and wait the same amount of time. (I only have one configuration, so this really doesn't do anything for me)

Can't wait to see the new version...

Not sure if you meant you are using the uploader or if you are using the defualts and just curious.  If you are using it, you might try running the "Stealth" version and probably you wouldn't notice it working and by the time your FE loaded, you'd be ready to play.

I have it wired with the defaults for some options, however I had to remap a couple of keys for my setup that are not available with the defaults. I use the stealth version that fires off AtomicFE, and it works great. Actually, it's really not that bad - my whole system from power off to in the FE is about 40 seconds, but I'm always looking to optimize where I can.