New Product: TurboTwist 2 - The Ultimate Spinner / Paddle control ! From GGG!

[squirrellydw]

I am all for a lighted top      

[whammoed]

Randy,

still curious about this...I was thinking of plugging in a trackball on this as well...

Yes, but you will need to add a couple of pull-down resistors and you'd be limited to the Z-Axis unless you use a switch to share the X or Y axis.

Pull down resistors?  So the optiwiz used on the spinner is different than the regular optiwiz in some way?  Did you have to modify things a bit to get the encoder to function properly?

[RandyT]

Pull down resistors?  So the optiwiz used on the spinner is different than the regular optiwiz in some way?

Yes.  The included Opti-Wiz is "special" because it has been modified to be more of a dedicated spinner interface to the TurboTwist 2.  A trackball can still be used, but will probably require a resistor between each data line and ground before going to the interface.

RandyT

[shmokes]

this unit is about as high-tech as it gets.. 

 

[vrf]

Anyhow, would you consider shipping to Taiwan?

Try it now.

Thank you!

Order placed. I'll look forward to receiving it.

[markrvp]

Congrats on a great looking product! 

Thanks, but what I really want to know is what you think of the photography   

Top notch.  Great depth and detail.  Very dimensional.  Exactly how you want it. 

[Havok]

Hey... Where's Christian crapping on this thread?

 

[fatfingers]

Hey... Where's Christian crapping on this thread?

Patience my young padowan...


P.S. Cool product!

[GadgetGeek]

Thinking about this from a modular CP perspective.  Is the risk of data loss significant if an extension was created to allow the spinner to be mounted in a removable module and the special edition opti-wiz located in a non-removable portion of the control panel? (ie splicing the data-cable to allow modularity)  Or would I be better off using a USB hub and mounting all the spinner electronics in the removable portion?  I'd prefer not to use the USB hub since windows sometimes likes to do annoying things when mice get unplugged and plugged back in later.  But maybe the spinner/controller doesn't take kindly to hot swapping the data cable?

[postalp123]

Randy,

Seems you're replying to this thread more than email messages... 

Amen, Im still waiting for my Email reply so Ill try here,

Hey Randy! I'm looking to buy the Mini Racer Wheel ONLY, how would I go about that?

Thanks!

[RandyT]

Hey Randy! I'm looking to buy the Mini Racer Wheel ONLY, how would I go about that?

I've not yet decided whether to offer them separately, but I am leaning toward not.  They are specially fitted to the shaft of the TurboTwist 2, and probably won't work with other spinners.

I also have no idea as to whether the construction of other spinners can withstand having the this type of heavy attachment used with them.

RandyT

[postalp123]

Hey Randy! I'm looking to buy the Mini Racer Wheel ONLY, how would I go about that?

I've not yet decided whether to offer them separately, but I am leaning toward not.  They are specially fitted to the shaft of the TurboTwist 2, and probably won't work with other spinners.

Heres my dillema, I have a SS Tornado and dont want to make another redundant $90 purchase.

As far as shaft diameter, I have a drill press and can overcome that obstacle easily enough.

I also have no idea as to whether the construction of other spinners can withstand having the this type of heavy attachment used with them.

I appreciate your concern, but I think I'll be OK, I don't really have children around to go crazy on the wheel, and as per your warning I try this with full knowledge.

Worst case scenario Randy, if it breaks the Tornado, I will simply buy a Turbo Twist 2 to replace it.

Win/Win for you (and me of course)

Make a grown man happy for Xmas, lol.

Thanks!

[postalp123]

Hey Randy! I'm looking to buy the Mini Racer Wheel ONLY, how would I go about that?

I've not yet decided whether to offer them separately, but I am leaning toward not.  They are specially fitted to the shaft of the TurboTwist 2, and probably won't work with other spinners.

Heres my dillema, I have a SS Tornado and dont want to make another redundant $90 purchase.

As far as shaft diameter, I have a drill press and can overcome that obstacle easily enough.

I also have no idea as to whether the construction of other spinners can withstand having the this type of heavy attachment used with them.

I appreciate your concern, but I think I'll be OK, I don't really have children around to go crazy on the wheel, and as per your warning I try this with full knowledge.

Worst case scenario Randy, if it breaks the Tornado, I will simply buy a Turbo Twist 2 to replace it .

Win/Win for you (and me of course  )

Make a grown man happy for Xmas, lol.

Thanks!

[RandyT]

Make a grown man happy for Xmas, lol.

I have limited stock of them on hand, but I'll see what I can do once I get a handle on all the orders. 

RandyT

[Tiger-Heli]

Hey... Where's Christian crapping on this thread?

Patience my young padowan...

LOL   

Incredible product Randy!!!  (I'm errrr, spechless . . .)  (Okay I'm never speechless on a forum, but this is the coolest thing since. . .  since . . .   This is the coolest thing . . . )

You could offer the wheel separately to previous TT 2 purchasers, as I probably won't get one initially, but will probably add one later.

Since I'm into desktop controllers, I'm thinking one of these in a Radio Shack project box would be really cool.  USB, plug and play, and small enough to put on a shelf or in a drawer when not using it.  Something like the one Oscar and I talked about ages ago: http://www.mameworld.net/tigerheli/arcadepanels/oscar_box2.jpg

If you knew you wanted the racing wheel, the box that Twisty-Grip used for their spinners would be a good choice if Radio Shack still offers them: http://arcadecontrols.com/files/Miscellaneous/Twisty-Grip_Spinner.pdf  (the spinner itself wouldn't be worth building at this late date, though).

Thanks for coming out with these.  Great idea.

[RandyT]

this unit is about as high-tech as it gets.. 

 

I meant in the context of arcade spinners.  But you knew that....

Incredible product Randy!!!  (I'm errrr, spechless . . .)  (Okay I'm never speechless on a forum, but this is the coolest thing since. . .  since . . .   This is the coolest thing . . . )
You could offer the wheel separately to previous TT 2 purchasers, as I probably won't get one initially, but will probably add one later.

Thanks for the kind words!  I'll definitely make them available to TT2 purchasers.

RandyT

[Zeppo]

Ok, I've got to ask a stupid question about spinners.

What does the "1200 transitions per revolution" mean?
Is that how many "spokes" are on the encoder wheel, or what?

Thanks.

[squirrellydw]

Thanks Randy.  I see everything shipped, you ROCK!!

[Fozzy The Bear]

What does the "1200 transitions per revolution" mean?
Is that how many "spokes" are on the encoder wheel, or what?

No.... It's how many transitions there are from dark to light and then light to dark as the encoder wheel rotates in front of the opto sensor. Hence how many pulses per revolution the spinner can output.  It also means that you can scale that output more accurately to suit different games.

Randy's new spinner has the highest number of transitions of ANY arcade spinner on the market, now or ever before, and therefore produces the most accurate output.

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

[Zeppo]

ah, so that would mean like 600 spokes with 600 spaces?
Or something like that?

Anyways, I'll probably be ordering one of these spinners with my next paycheck.
Too Cool.

[FunWithFire]

Anyways, I'll probably be ordering one of these spinners with my next paycheck.
Too Cool.

Can you use that paycheck to order me one too? Thanks in advance.

[u_rebelscum]

ah, so that would mean like 600 spokes with 600 spaces?
Or something like that?

300, as there are 4 states/transitions per tooth.  (The four is why the signal the sensors put out is called quadrature.) 


I thought this was asked and answered on the first page:

Randy, since you state it has 1200 transitions per revolution, I assume that you are now using a 300 cpr encoder?  Is that right?

... you are correct. 

[AlanS17]

There's 300 teeth on that tiny lil thing?!? I saw that post, but didn't know what it meant. I know alot about BYOAC, but spinners are most certainly not my specialty.

[FrizzleFried]

...I can't believe it hasn't been asked yet...what is the all-too-overly-advertised-because-it-really-doesn't-mean-squat SPIN TIMES of these suckers?!?!?  With and without weight...

[Tiger-Heli]

...I can't believe it hasn't been asked yet...what is the all-too-overly-advertised-because-it-really-doesn't-mean-squat SPIN TIMES of these suckers?!?!?  With and without weight...

That would depend on how hard you initially spin it . . . 

Randy - I was just curious whether the Opti-Wiz board included with the TT2 still supports mouse buttons.  I compared the initial post pics with the Opti-Wiz pics on GGG, and it looks like the solder points are there, but the pin header has been removed.

Buttons would be nice for a standalone module like I posted earlier, but not a big deal if it doesn't support them.

[RandyT]

Randy - I was just curious whether the Opti-Wiz board included with the TT2 still supports mouse buttons.  I compared the initial post pics with the Opti-Wiz pics on GGG, and it looks like the solder points are there, but the pin header has been removed.

Buttons would be nice for a standalone module like I posted earlier, but not a big deal if it doesn't support them.

Nuts....  I need to take another picture.  Good eye!

The 4-pin header IS still there and it still supports the 3 mouse buttons just fine.  The one in the photos just didn't have it as it was a test unit.  I also neglected to extol that feature in the description, so I'll take care of that as well.

Thanks for the heads up..

...I can't believe it hasn't been asked yet...what is the all-too-overly-advertised-because-it-really-doesn't-mean-squat SPIN TIMES of these suckers?!?!?  With and without weight...

With the ESC, it spins longer than an arcade spinner control needs to, without the ESC , you'll get a few revs.  I'm not going to perpetuate that silliness by saying anything more than that on the subject.

RandyT

[Derrick Renaud]

...I can't believe it hasn't been asked yet...what is the all-too-overly-advertised-because-it-really-doesn't-mean-squat SPIN TIMES of these suckers?!?!?  With and without weight...

With the ESC, it spins longer than an arcade spinner control needs to, without the ESC , you'll get a few revs.  I'm not going to perpetuate that silliness by saying anything more than that on the subject.

RandyT

I agree spin time is over-rated.  It is useless during actual game play.  It is really only to spin crazily on tempest at the end of a level.  Too much weight actually hinders control when reversing directions.

If you made the ESC magnetic, surrounded it with motor windings, then you could selectively short the windings allowing for selective spin times.  Similar to magnetic dampened exercise bikes.

Randy, did you get my p-mail?

D.

[RandyT]

If you made the ESC magnetic, surrounded it with motor windings, then you could selectively short the windings allowing for selective spin times.  Similar to magnetic dampened exercise bikes.

Gave this some thought, but I would be concerned about magnetic fields around monitors and such.  It think it might also induce a "stepped" feel to the control, but I haven't tried it so it might actually work

Randy, did you get my p-mail?

Yes, my apologies to you and others who are waiting for replies.  There has been a flurry of emails in the last few days and things are getting backed up a bit. 

RandyT

[Derrick Renaud]

If you made the ESC magnetic, surrounded it with motor windings, then you could selectively short the windings allowing for selective spin times.  Similar to magnetic dampened exercise bikes.

Gave this some thought, but I would be concerned about magnetic fields around monitors and such.  It think it might also induce a "stepped" feel to the control, but I haven't tried it so it might actually work

RandyT

That's a feature.  It massages your fingers as you play. 

But yes, it does have a stepped/bumpy feel.  From hardly noticeable to bumpy.  Depending on the pattern of windings shorted.  Take a capstain motor from a junk VCR and short the windings for fun.

Of course it would add to the price instead of reducing it as most people would like. 

D.

[quarterback]

If you made the ESC magnetic, surrounded it with motor windings, then you could selectively short the windings allowing for selective spin times.  Similar to magnetic dampened exercise bikes.

 It think it might also induce a "stepped" feel to the control

But yes, it does have a stepped/bumpy feel.  From hardly noticeable to bumpy.  Depending on the pattern of windings shorted. 

Sounds perfect for Ikari Warriors!

[u_rebelscum]

There's 300 teeth on that tiny lil thing?!? I saw that post, but didn't know what it meant. I know alot about BYOAC, but spinners are most certainly not my specialty.

I'm guessing it's probably not the normal "teeth" and "gaps".  I'm guessing etching on a metal cylinder, with sensors detecting the reflected light instead of light that passes through.  But the principal is the same, and it's easier to stick with the well know "teeth" and "gaps".

[Havok]

So where's the exploded view?

 

[Zeppo]

There's 300 teeth on that tiny lil thing?!? I saw that post, but didn't know what it meant. I know alot about BYOAC, but spinners are most certainly not my specialty.

Exactly.
I had seen that too, but no idea what it meant.

Thanks,

[diverdown]

What all those people said up above....


(except the nay sayers)

Snaps to GGG once again

And suffer in everyone elses jocks

cos:

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Please notify me of updates to the products I have selected below:

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My order number was up there in the 3000 i hope thats not how many people bought a spinner before me

[diverdown]

Will the Token-knobs fit on it?



Oh wait.  Never mind.    


Looks AWESOME,  I hope it feels as good as it looks because we need compact spinners out there!

Where would i get my grubby little Australian paws on one of these?

[Santoro]

They were never made, that was my way of busting Randy's hump about it. 

[JustMichael]

Any chance of knobs made from the "electric ice" plastic?

[RandyT]

They were never made, that was my way of busting Randy's hump about it. 

Let's not dwell on the past....they are being made as we speak, but will have a nice rubber inset grip instead of the cold and slippery stainless.

You will love them


RandyT

[Donkey_Kong]

Guess that answers which spinner knob I will choose...SICK!!

[Kremmit]

There's 300 teeth on that tiny lil thing?!? I saw that post, but didn't know what it meant. I know alot about BYOAC, but spinners are most certainly not my specialty.

I'm guessing it's probably not the normal "teeth" and "gaps".  I'm guessing etching on a metal cylinder, with sensors detecting the reflected light instead of light that passes through.  But the principal is the same, and it's easier to stick with the well know "teeth" and "gaps".

I think it's the same as the one Whammoed used on his homemade high-res spinner- it was a little tiny white plastic disc with some super-fine printing making up the "teeth".  I know there was a picture somewhere, but danged if I can find it.  I also suspect it's the same thing that's inside the other new spinner on the market, and I believe the original Razer gaming mice used the same tech as well.  Wave of the future, I guess.