Main Restorations Software Audio/Jukebox/MP3 Everything Else Buy/Sell/Trade
Project Announcements Monitor/Video GroovyMAME Merit/JVL Touchscreen Meet Up Retail Vendors
Driving & Racing Woodworking Software Support Forums Consoles Project Arcade Reviews
Automated Projects Artwork Frontend Support Forums Pinball Forum Discussion Old Boards
Raspberry Pi & Dev Board controls.dat Linux Miscellaneous Arcade Wiki Discussion Old Archives
Lightguns Arcade1Up Try the site in https mode Site News

Unread posts | New Replies | Recent posts | Rules | Chatroom | Wiki | File Repository | RSS | Submit news

  

Author Topic: question about controls  (Read 1293 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Polokus

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 9
  • Last login:May 09, 2003, 01:04:50 pm
  • I want my own arcade controls!
question about controls
« on: April 02, 2003, 05:32:08 am »
I just bought a cabinet and i want to use the origenal controls to use for mame. Now my question is what are my options to connect those to the pc, without an encoder.

Reason for this question is that i don't have a visa and it would be very difficult that way to order an encoder :(

thx in advance
"Computer games don't affect kids; I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic music."

radiator

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 347
  • Last login:April 18, 2013, 07:14:43 pm
  • SFA OK!
    • :: verticalcircle ::
Re:question about controls
« Reply #1 on: April 02, 2003, 07:00:39 am »
...keyboard hack...

is it a case of "I have the money for an encoder, but no Visa card"?
where abouts do you live?

*m
When the Germans bombed the British, the British ducked.
When the British bombed the Germans, the Germans ducked.
When the Americans started bombing, everyone ducked!

Tiger-Heli

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 5447
  • Last login:January 03, 2018, 02:19:23 pm
  • Ron Howard? . . . er, I mean . . . Run, Coward!!!
    • Tiger-Heli
Re:question about controls
« Reply #2 on: April 02, 2003, 07:10:05 am »
I just bought a cabinet and i want to use the origenal controls to use for mame. Now my question is what are my options to connect those to the pc, without an encoder.

Reason for this question is that i don't have a visa and it would be very difficult that way to order an encoder :(

thx in advance

Easiest option would be to use a J-PAC, but that's about as complicated as buying an encoder.

Next option would be hacking a USB joystick (if you can solder decently).  (Wal-Mart sells a hackable one and check other posts in this forum).

Hacking a keyboard would be another (non-recommended) option.  See http://www.mameworld.net/emuadvice/keyhack2.html if you want to go this way.

Simplest would be wiring directly to the gameport, but you're limited to 4 buttons and 4 analog axes.  (Maybe you can wire buttons to the axes inputs for a total of 8 inputs?)
See here for description of how to do this: http://www.gunpowder.freeserve.co.uk/wheels/wiring.htm
It's not what you take when you leave this world behind you, it's what you leave behind you when you go. - R. Travis.
When all is said and done, generally much more is SAID than DONE.

neuromancer

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 446
  • Last login:May 10, 2006, 04:26:57 pm
  • Can I Play?
Re:question about controls
« Reply #3 on: April 02, 2003, 09:41:46 am »
I've hacked both keyboards and gamepads. The gamepads both took longer, are less functional, and cost more, but the differences arent' that great.

If I were in your situation and I wanted to interface a one or two joystick panel to a PC, I would use a keyboard hack. Especially if you can find an old IBM AT style keyboard in a thrift shop for $2. I can send you the encoder matrix and save you the time of figguring that part out.

The mameworld link in a previous post is mandatory reading before trying a keyboard hack.

Bob

Tiger-Heli

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 5447
  • Last login:January 03, 2018, 02:19:23 pm
  • Ron Howard? . . . er, I mean . . . Run, Coward!!!
    • Tiger-Heli
Re:question about controls
« Reply #4 on: April 02, 2003, 09:52:25 am »
I can send you the encoder matrix and save you the time of figguring that part out.
Been my experience that the matrix might not be the same even for the same model keyboard unless they use the exact same encoder chip.

That's a good starting point, but I would want to verify the matrix before assuming it would work.
It's not what you take when you leave this world behind you, it's what you leave behind you when you go. - R. Travis.
When all is said and done, generally much more is SAID than DONE.

Polokus

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 9
  • Last login:May 09, 2003, 01:04:50 pm
  • I want my own arcade controls!
Re:question about controls
« Reply #5 on: April 02, 2003, 11:58:13 am »
thx for the replies guy's. I live in belgium and i have seen on the ipac site and its all done with visa :(

i still have an old keyboard from my previous pc, so i would concider using that. Tiger-heli say's it not recommended.

so what would be the best thing to do keyboard or gamepad hack ?

thx
"Computer games don't affect kids; I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic music."

Tiger-Heli

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 5447
  • Last login:January 03, 2018, 02:19:23 pm
  • Ron Howard? . . . er, I mean . . . Run, Coward!!!
    • Tiger-Heli
Re:question about controls
« Reply #6 on: April 02, 2003, 12:09:22 pm »
thx for the replies guy's. I live in belgium and i have seen on the ipac site and its all done with visa :(

i still have an old keyboard from my previous pc, so i would concider using that. Tiger-heli say's it not recommended.

so what would be the best thing to do keyboard or gamepad hack ?

thx
I-PAC takes PayPal too, although I've never used it.  If you're in Belgium, I would definitely e-mail andy@ultimarc.com and see what you can arrange.  I would guess you could send him a check and he would send the unit once it clears.  No worries dealing with Andy, he won't take your money and run.

If you don't want to do this, it's kindof a toss-up - The gamepad hack is generally easier soldering, but more costly and less available keys, but works with most programs.  The keyboard hack will work, but you have to choose what keys to use carefully and you won't be able to re-assign keys later.  It's not a problem in MAME b/c you can assign any key to any input, but it could be bad in other emulators.

My 2 cents.
It's not what you take when you leave this world behind you, it's what you leave behind you when you go. - R. Travis.
When all is said and done, generally much more is SAID than DONE.

Polokus

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 9
  • Last login:May 09, 2003, 01:04:50 pm
  • I want my own arcade controls!
Re:question about controls
« Reply #7 on: April 02, 2003, 12:54:15 pm »
i just e-mailed andy  ;D

And if this fails i will use the keyboard hack, i will only run mame on the cabinet :)
"Computer games don't affect kids; I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic music."