Steering Wheel Control Panel Q

[Minwah]

I have been thinking of designs for my control panels (I plan to have 4 swappable panels), and I hit apon a slight problem.

Basically, I want a panel with a 360deg wheel + hi-lo shifter.  This means I will only have 1 button/key input on the panel.  Now my start buttons and coin inputs will be permanently wired to an IPAC, but I will have no up/down etc. inputs to control the FE.

What do you guys do about this?  I figure I can either put some extra buttons on the CP, or mount some extra buttons somewhere else on the cab (maybe near the start buttons, on a panel between CP & monitor).  Neither of these is really ideal, but I suppose on the CP would be best so not to have un-needed buttons when say the joystick panel is in place.

Any thoughts/suggestions would be great...

[paigeoliver]

Why wouldn't your up down shifter plus start button suffice to control the front end? Up moves the front end up, down moves it down, start starts.

Of course that all depends on what kind of shifter you use. There are analog ones, ones that have a single switch (generally for the UP part), ones with a switch in each position, and ones with a switch in each position and a neutral zone in the middle.

My suggestion is to get one with a switch for up, one for down, and with a neutral zone. If the one you get doesn't come like that, it could easily be modifed.

Adding pedals could make your job a bit easier.

[Minwah]

Thanks for your reply...

I already have the shifter, and it is the type which only has 1 microswitch which is either on or off, so that would not work too well.  But yes, I suppose it would be possible to add another microswitch for the other position, but not so easy to add the neutral zone, since the shifter springs either up or down.

I also plan to add pedals, but the ones I have are both analog.

Perhaps I should just figure how to code mouse/joystick support in my FE!

[Rocky]

I'm currently working on an analog wheel and shifter CP.  

First of all, I haven't even thought about controling the FE    But, I'm doing a spyhunter type wheel so I'll have some input options.

About your shifter, I have a similar model as you do.  I tested using one key (either pressed or not) shifting in different driving games on the keyboard.  I found that this did not work.  So, I hacked the shifter and added a second microswitch.  I plan to hook them to separate inputs on my IPAC and map the controls in MAME to accept either input for the shift command.  I tested this on my keyboard and it worked.

Just something you might want to think about.


Rocky

[shmokes]

Hmm...I had only thought of conrolling Windows on my driving panel (since most the racing games I'm interested in are Windows PC games rather than arcade emulated games.  For this I was going to try to mount one of those $3 translucent trackballs from Outpost.com from a couple months back.

I'm using a steering wheel with six buttons on it, plus paddle shifters so I'd guess I can use those.  I think they can be mapped to keys...maybe.  It's something that I may need to think about too, though.  Are any frontends controllable with a mouse?

[paigeoliver]

Thanks for your reply...

I already have the shifter, and it is the type which only has 1 microswitch which is either on or off, so that would not work too well.  But yes, I suppose it would be possible to add another microswitch for the other position, but not so easy to add the neutral zone, since the shifter springs either up or down.

I also plan to add pedals, but the ones I have are both analog.

Perhaps I should just figure how to code mouse/joystick support in my FE!

Ok. here is what to do to rework your shifter to be up/down + neutral.

Remove the mechanism that makes it snap into up or down. Add a second microswitch in the other position. Install a thick spring in each direction to keep it off of both switches when you are not shifting.


I can make a diagram in photoshop later if you want?

[paigeoliver]

You may also want to be on the lookout for a the joystick to a Space Firebird mini or upright (but not cocktail). They are massive two ways that would fit perfect behind a hi/lo shifter plate.

I had one but I just recently traded it off.

[Beley]

As an alternative to the mechanical modification that paigeoliver sugested you could make a fairly simple electronic circuit make the shifter to act like one with 2 switches or one with 2 switches and a neutral (sort of).  i can make up a circuit diagram if you are interested, but paigeoliver's method might be simpler if you can find the parts

[paigeoliver]

I am such a Goomba sometimes, there was a much simpler solution.

Wire UP to normally open and down to normally closed and then it will send up when up and down when down which should (with the start button), allow you to control the front end. You will have to set a big juicy delay on the front end though, since it will always be sending either up or down.

[Minwah]

Thanks for all the suggestions...

paigeoliver: I had forgot that I could use the NO contact on the microswitch as another input...but I am not sure that I would want one of those inputs to be always on.  As for your modified shifter idea, does this mean that it would be spring loaded into the neutral position?  A photoshop pic would be great if you have time, thanks

shmokes:  I've heard you should be able to map the buttons to keys using a program such as Joy2Key (although I have never tried it).  Some FE's can be controlled using a mouse, but typically the more Windows-looking ones.  I'm not sure about all the ones featured on this site, but MAMEWAH cannot be controlled by mouse atm.

Beley:  How would this circuit idea work?

Rocky:  I see what you mean...I have found there are 3 types of shifter configs in MAME:

1) Key pressed all the time for low gear, release for high (eg Chase HQ)

2) Keypress for low, different keypress for high (eg OutRun)

3) Keypress to toggle high/low (eg Pole Position)

I suppose you have all of those covered, whereas the standard shifter would only work with type 1) I think.

My head is beginning to hurt  

[Minwah]

I just remembered (I think HC suggested this to me a long time ago):

Setting the 'Gear Change' key in type 3) games like PolePos to 2 different keys eg 'Space OR Z' makes the game react like the type 2) games.

So I think I will use 1 microswitch with the NO and NC contacts mapped to 2 separate inputs - this should work well with all driving games.  The only thing now is how to have a neutral zone so it is not constantly scrolling in the FE...

[paigeoliver]

Here is my basic theory of conversion to hi/lo neutral. And yes the springs would keep it in the neutral position.

[Beley]

The circuit idea would work like this , when you shift into high the circuit would "tap" the high button and when you shift onto low it would tap the low button.  Therefore you would never be holding down one of the buttons.  the circuit is called a "one shot" and if fairly simple to build .

however this wont work to control the FE , even though with this circuit the computer thinks it has a neutral position the it is mechanically imposable to repeatedly push the high or low gear button.

However again: you could add to buttons to the CP wired into the shifter to control the FE, i edited the schematic to show that.

[Beley]

Cant seem to change the attachemnt

here it is