griffin powermate "hack"

[Bluedeath]

OK guys this is the easyest hack in then known universe, but i will not be responsible if someone destroys his beloved (and overpriced) powermate.

I bought a couple of powermates on eBay at 8$ per unit  to do some testing, the problem was that the unit is designed to limit free spin.
The solution that I've found is to pull the knob out and remove the small "donut" of foam beneath it.
Now it spins more freely (real spinners remain something different, but is better than noting) plus is possible to put the "donut" back in place for the normal use (but the knob is not designate to be popped off and on again multiple time do i wont suggest this) if you do so please remember to put the "velvet" side up.

The knob of my unit was not glued and i have no reason to believe that this isn't the standard  but usual if you break something or hurt yourself I will not be responsible for that.

PS the software installation is a pain in the a## be aware

[Level42]

I'd like a Powermate for about that price.....you're finished testing ?

[shardian]

No doubt. I'll take one at that price. 

[Bluedeath]

arkanoid  (I, II) and tron worked relly good

super sprint and pole position are decent

the testing (except arkanoid I) have been made without altering the analog parameters of MAME I think that better result can be achieved with some tweak.

[ahofle]

I'm confused...I thought the Powermate was a potentiometer device, not an optical one.  You have it freely spinning 360 degrees?

[Level42]

It would nearly be a crime if that thing would be a simple pot !

[Bluedeath]

Is a simple encoder (don't know if mechanical or optical), i think that further mod can make it more reliable for gaming purposes.

[mark shaker]

Is a simple encoder (don't know if mechanical or optical), i think that further mod can make it more reliable for gaming purposes.

Are you sure?

I have a Powermate on my cab to use as a volume control. When a game is actually playing it takes up to 30 seconds between the time the control is turned, and the volume is changed. Thar's a heck of a lag time.

Is anyone actually using a PowerMate as a game controller?

   - Mark

[Bluedeath]

Me  , works fine and non lag.

[Texasmame]

See this thread:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=141.0

[u_rebelscum]

I have a Powermate on my cab to use as a volume control. When a game is actually playing it takes up to 30 seconds between the time the control is turned, and the volume is changed. Thar's a heck of a lag time.

That's not a fair comparison.  Mame asks for "exclusive" rights to the mice.  AFAIK, this means the data stream goes: mouse (PM) --> driver (speed, accel, ect) --> mame --> driver (convert to volume I/O) --> OS volume (yes, through the driver).  Getting out of mame is much slower than getting into it (unless paused) since mame is asking for exclusive use of the mouse and doesn't expect to need to share.

You can test it if you want since you have one, but to be accurate set the PM driver to output the mouse axis (and normal mouse button if you want to test that too), instead of the volume or any other fancy convertion.

[mark shaker]

Robin,

Thank you for the explanation.

I think that I will stick to my Tornado spinners as a gaming controller, but I do have one question:

Is there any way to speed-up the PowerMate's responce time as a volume control while a game is playing, without adversely affecting MAME?

At the moment, I have to pause the game to adjust the volume, which turns into a trial-and-error process.

   - Mark

[Bluedeath]

Robin,

Thank you for the explanation.

I think that I will stick to my Tornado spinners as a gaming controller, but I do have one question:

Is there any way to speed-up the PowerMate's responce time as a volume control while a game is playing, without adversely affecting MAME?

At the moment, I have to pause the game to adjust the volume, which turns into a trial-and-error process.

   - Mark

What on whar HW are you running the SW?