another one for your review

[NY_in_TX]

I think I learned the most from seeing what others have done or not done.  So I'm putting this up so you can see I what I came up with in a SERIOUSLY hacked together project.

First off this project started as an exercise to learn.  I knew absolutly nothing about arcade games, other than I knew I like them.  I got an old Track and Field with the trackballs in BAD shape.  No PCB, No Monitor...50 bucks.  I figured I got 2 wico trackballs and a coindoor so I did alright...well

one thing lead to another and I ended up converting the whole cab.  It was the style with the side pieces that came way out, they kinda blocked the view from the sides so off they came.  So now I have a Lusid kinda shaped cab.  My working skills are mediocre at best, but I have good intentions

So here's what I came up with some good some so-so...

*4 player CP (mainly 4 joys for my favorite game SMASH TV, but I figured if they are there might as well slap some button on there, the orientation of the buttons actually makes for okay 4 player spacing)
*hacked PC trackball with custom 8 ball insert
*2 Thrustmaster Nascar wheels hacked to 360 spin and to Wico Trackball optics and hooked up via Oscar's trackball mouse interface
*20" Monitor
* and an IPAC4 keeping it all straight

total cost with a donated 1ghz computer was about 250.  Half the controls are x-gaming and half are Happs.  Like I said I am using this project to learn,and learn I did.  SMASH TV and Driving games like Off Road and Super Sprint were my main motivations, and I figured if I was going to have that CP...why not experiment with different setups.

anyways that's that, I couldn't have done it without the help of the great people on this list.  

NY (Oh yeah this computer I am on is notorious for not letting my upload pictures to message boards, if it doesn't get through I will find a way to post)

[NY_in_TX]

Try this guys...sorry

http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/nylanan%40sbcglobal.net/lst?.dir=/wrexbox

oh and I forgot.  We were messing aroudn trying to figure out a marquee and the track and field was in bad shape..a wreck if you will.  Plus I'm an Xbox guy.....wrexbox

my graphics made me the marquee, among others that will not be made public

[SirPoonga]

Wow, I just can't get that link to link, I tried modifying it a couple of different way, but the many weird characters in it the url tag barfs on, sorry people, you'll have to copy and paste the link.


I like the steering wheels.

[NY_in_TX]

yeah, the link is kinda tricky...it's the stupid @ they put in there.

I've never been able to post pics to message boards, no clue why.  If anyone wants to pull them off the site and repost feel free.  

Thanks for props on the wheels.  I was trying to figure out a way to get them on there, but take them away when not in use.   Probably the hack job I'm most happy with.  a friend of mine and I were joking about playing Ikari warriors using our knees to spin the wheels to aim....could be a new challenge

[planetjay]

You have to cut and paste that URL. YabbSE doesn't like the "@". I can't believe I.E. even takes it. As I recall I.E. used to ignore everything before the "@". That was how people used to make URLs that appeared to be from CNN, etc.

[CitznFish]

will this work?

URL encoded the '@' sign.  @=%40


Need more info on the steering wheels! Do the hubs poke you when playing other games? Are those 270 wheels? I think they are. Where are the gas and brake? Buttons, or foot pedals below? looks like a killer set-up to me.

[NY_in_TX]

CitznFish that is it!  Thanks.  

The wheel are 270 thrustmasters that I hacked to be free spinning.  A couple of mintes with the old dremel.  

The posts stick out about 2 inches and do not even get in the way.  The steering wheels just slip on and off, I don't even use the set screw.  Just click on and click off.  I used the optics from the old wico trackballsand believe it or not the actual trackball rollers fit EXACTLY into the center of the steering wheel center column.   so that was pretty

ny

[TheTick]

The 8-ball is sweet in the black panel. Now, I'm kind of ticked that I have a Happs 3" high lip trackball arriving Monday (White ball).

The Happs 8 ball should fit in a 2 1/4" track ball assembly. <sigh> Oh, well.

Make sure the images you are posting are much less than 250KB. I tried posting one at 150kb and it didn't work. Did a GIF at 640x480 (less than 70k) and it worked fine.

[TheTick]

Rest of his pics.... (resized)

[TheTick]

2 more after this

[TheTick]

1 more after this

[TheTick]

Last one.... man I hate yahoo

[CitznFish]

CitznFish that is it!  Thanks.  

The wheel are 270 thrustmasters that I hacked to be free spinning.  A couple of mintes with the old dremel.  

The posts stick out about 2 inches and do not even get in the way.  The steering wheels just slip on and off, I don't even use the set screw.  Just click on and click off.  I used the optics from the old wico trackballsand believe it or not the actual trackball rollers fit EXACTLY into the center of the steering wheel center column.   so that was pretty

ny

I am seriously considering adding this to my cab. I love that idea.  Now how are you doing throttle and brake?

[NY_in_TX]

The throttle and brake are currently just mapped to buttons on each players side.  So it's kinda awkward, but you get real good at spinning and stopping the wheel with one hand, but you do that anyway for Off-Road and the nitros.  I have both sets of pedal assemblies from each Thrustmaster wheel and I was going to get in there with some microswitches and just hack them into the pedals.  

TheTick - big thanks for posting the pics!

ny