keywiz questions

[TheShanMan]

Can you hook up multiple keywiz'es? I may want to add a 2nd for 4 player operation in the future.

Can they drive keyboard led's like the ipac or do I have to buy an ledwiz for that?

How long does loading a key profile (or whatever it's called) take if I don't use the default mame profile?

I was looking at the mini-pacs/ipacs previously but with my swappable panel design I want to use db25 cables, so the db25 version of the keywiz would GREATLY simplify construction. But I'm afraid one of these issues could be deal breakers.

[Tiger-Heli]

Can you hook up multiple keywiz'es? I may want to add a 2nd for 4 player operation in the future.

Not really, but you could use a GP-Wiz or USB I-pac for the second board.

Can they drive keyboard led's like the ipac or do I have to buy an ledwiz for that?

I don't think so unless RandyT added that to later models - it's somewhat over-rated anyway, though.

How long does loading a key profile (or whatever it's called) take if I don't use the default mame profile?

I think it's about 10 seconds on WinXP and about 5 seconds in Win98.  It's long enough to be annoying, but the default profile is very good so not much reason to load a different one (and you can load one at bootup) so for a true cab it would be less annoying (I have a desktop control panel.)

[TheShanMan]

What do you mean "it's somewhat overrated"? I am currently doing it with my keyboard hack because I have a centipede cab with those cone player 1 player 2 led buttons. I definitely want to keep those working. Do you mean having those led's on your panel is overrated or something else?

[Tiger-Heli]

What do you mean "it's somewhat overrated"? I am currently doing it with my keyboard hack because I have a centipede cab with those cone player 1 player 2 led buttons. I definitely want to keep those working. Do you mean having those led's on your panel is overrated or something else?

Technically, I have a prototype KeyWiz that added support for the keyboard LED's, and have the LED's above the start buttons on my panel.

Before I got the panel I really wanted this feature, but unless you hack the MAME source, it only works for something like 16 games and wasn't a big deal to me - just my personal opinion.

OTOH, if it is a big deal to you and you have the skills to do a keyboard hack, you could always hack a USB keyboard and only use it for the keyboard LED's - if your mobo supports USB.

Just a thought.

[TheShanMan]

Good point - I could still use that part of my kb hack.

Does the gp-wiz have any downsides compared to normal kb encoders? It must have SOME disadvantage, right? Other than that I can't get it in a db-25 version? Looking more closely, it looks like I wouldn't be able (out of the box) to use it to work the mame admin (tab) functionality? If so, looks like a good secondary encoder but not primary.

[Fozzy The Bear]

Good point - I could still use that part of my kb hack.
Does the gp-wiz have any downsides compared to normal kb encoders? It must have SOME disadvantage, right? Other than that I can't get it in a db-25 version? Looking more closely, it looks like I wouldn't be able (out of the box) to use it to work the mame admin (tab) functionality? If so, looks like a good secondary encoder but not primary.

It works fine as a primary controler..... It emulates a game pad so you just use a little bit of software called Joy2Key to translate the gamepad buttons to keystrokes.

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

[Tiger-Heli]

Good point - I could still use that part of my kb hack.

The KeyWiz does not have an active PS/2 pass-thru.  So unless you originally hacked a USB keyboard (which is unlikely and not a good idea, or you have 2 PS/2 keyboard ports (don't know of any PC's that do), or you built your own pass-thru - http://arcadecontrols.com/arcade.htm - Stephan Hans links don't work, but might be available on the wayback machine, then no, you can't do that.

Does the gp-wiz have any downsides compared to normal kb encoders? It must have SOME disadvantage, right?

The GP-Wiz is a gamepad encoder - there are no real downsides for MAME (you have to re-program your defaults), a few PC games support gamepads and not keyboard input so it works better for them, the majority of emulators support keyboard input and possibly not re-definable keys, much less gamepad input, so as Fozzy said, for them, you would have to use Joy2Key or RBJoy or similar.

Other than that I can't get it in a db-25 version?

True - but you can cut a DB25 M/F cable and mount it with stand-offs and then connect the bare wires to any encoder you want.  It's a half-hours more work and less robust than the pre-made KeyWiz variant, but otherwise ...

Looking more closely, it looks like I wouldn't be able (out of the box) to use it to work the mame admin (tab) functionality? If so, looks like a good secondary encoder but not primary.

I thought there was a way to do this from the UI, but I didn't see it, however I believe (didn't try) you should be able to just add the following to your mame\cfg\default.cfg file (correct me if I'm wrong):

Code: [Select]

<system name="default">
<input>
<port type="UI_CONFIGURE">
<newseq type="standard">KEYCODE_TAB OR JOYCODE_1_BUTTON11</newseq>
</port>
</input>
</system>
Hope This Helps!!!

[TheShanMan]

Thanks Fozzy and Tiger. I still don't think I'd want it as a primary encoder (I'd rather not rely on extra software). This info helps a lot though. I may have to go with a mini-pac for my primary one (to get led support), and maybe the gp-wiz could be an add-on at some point when I want to add 4 player support (I am thinking of having "lap panels" for the occasions where I want more than 2 players).

[Tiger-Heli]

I still don't think I'd want it as a primary encoder (I'd rather not rely on extra software).

You are only relying on extra software for non-MAME emulators that don't support a gamepad.  (I believe Model2 EmuLator (used to be Nebula) would be one - Project64 might be another, Visual Pinball would likely be a third).

That wouldn't be enough to keep it off the primary encoder list for me, but it's up to you.

[TheShanMan]

OK Tiger - I didn't quite catch that before. Thanks.