Main > Main Forum

Mini-PAC to spinner wiring problem FIXED!

Pages: (1/4) > >>

Paladin:

Before I bug Andy, can anyone here tell me what's wrong with my Mini-PAC to original Atari Tempest spinner wiring?

Current setup:
Mini-PAC power connector J2 has pins 2(5v) and 6(gnd) routed to Atari optic board.
Mini-PAC button connector J1 has pins 33,34 routed to Atari optic board.

Mini-PAC button connector J1 has pins 21(1sw1), 22(1sw2) and 2(gnd) routed to two microswitch buttons.
Mini-PAC connected to PC via 10' USB male to male (shortest I could find) with green USB to PS2 converter.

Symptoms:
No error flashes from Mini-PAC, one flash then steady light.  Both microswitch buttons work fine.
Checking voltages on the Atari optic board with one end of multimeter on the ground pin shows 5 volts on all 3 other pins.

I put the same optic board into a PS2 mouse hack trackball, and it worked fine.  I get 5 volts between the 5v and ground pins, and the voltage on the signal wires swung up and down as I spun the ball - topping out at about 1v.  I plug the trackball into the Mini-PAC and get the same 5v on all pins.

Is it something simple?  Wrong ground wire?  A trace that needs to be cut on the Mini-PAC?  Are the planets misaligned?

Someone help me out so I don't have to bother Andy!



BobA:

My error in logic.    I was thinking you are PS/2 connected but your adapter has to be on the minipac end to connect the ps/2 to a USB cord.   Is your minipac being recognized as a USB device?  I could not find any info on changing from active hi to active lo like on the optipac so I am not sure how the minipac handles it.

Maybe the easiest would be to email Andy.

Kremmit:

I don't believe the Mini can be switched from active-hi to active-low, if  remember right, it only supports one- darned if I can remember which.  But if it works with Happ and Betson trackballs, it ought to work with a Tempest optic.

Have you tried using pins 35 and 36 instead of pins 33 and 34?  Those are the trackball inputs.  If your spinner works there, then you know it's either the wiring to the spinner pins, or the MiniPac itself.

Paladin:

The model I have doesn't have any jumpers on it, so I'm assuming it's all automatic.  I also didn't mention that I bought the board only version, so I'm using an IDE ribbon cable for wiring.  I checked continuity to make sure I'm on pins 33 and 34.

I think the Mini-PAC is supposed to use the same LED codes as the I-PAC, so when I get one flash then steady it should be in USB mode.  For PS2 mode it should flash twice.

Kremmit, I was going to try the trackball inputs just as you suggest if nobody found an obvious flaw in my setup.  If nobody has any other ideas I'll give that a shot later tonight.

Paladin:

Well, no luck using trackball pins 35 and 36.  I'll email Andy and see what he says.

Pages: (1/4) > >>

Go to full version