Help Needed - Volume Control

[thatitalian]

Does anybody have any instructions on how to wire up volume controls to allow control from the control panel. Ideally I would like a twist volume control to turn volum up and down.

The speakers I am using are Pionner car ones wired up to creative inspire 2.1 pc system.

I am racking my brains trying to find help

[brock.sampson]

You could set the volume at a suitable level and then install this app and adjust the volume with a spinner or trackball.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=69901.0

[thatitalian]

Ill give it a whirl as soon as I get home! I think I will set some push buttons as controls (one button for up another for down). I hope it works!

Thanks for the post and help!!!

[thatitalian]

I tried this, but its not what i am really after to be honest. It is good though that you can use the buttons to control, but there are some issues with the program (as you can read in the post).

I was thinking more on the line did anyone know/have instructions on how to wire up a volume control (like you see on so many CP's).

Also I have tried to look for Vol Control knobs and can only find wall ones. Does anyone know where I could get a decent (small) control from?

Thanks!

[Ginsu Victim]

Cabvol is great. What don't you like about it?
I have it setup to where I can hold pause in a game and press up/down to adjust the volume, or I hold pause and turn my spinner. Works wonderfully.

[thatitalian]

It's not that I don't like it! It is a very good app and idea! It works fine, had a few problems with it but very minor! I just wanted a volume adjuster on the CP.

However, I did not know about holding the buton down and using the joystick! How did you do that? Through the config menu?

[Encryptor]

Here see if this is what you're looking for. It looks very simple.


http://mirrors.arcadecontrols.com/OscarControls/volume/index.shtml

Encryptor

[pmc]

Here see if this is what you're looking for. It looks very simple.

http://mirrors.arcadecontrols.com/OscarControls/volume/index.shtml

This was the tutorial that I followed to wire up a set of powered speakers. But I didn't need to add a new pot. I just extended the shaft on the existing pot and pushed it through a hole in the speaker panel under my marquee. Then I added a new knob.

I think that those Creative speakers you have use an inline volume control. I'm not sure how that control works so you might want to open it up and find out. You can probably splice something inline or replace the existing volume control with a pot and then mount the replacement to your cabinet.

If you get some technical information on how that volume control works and how to hack it, please post it. I have a second set of speakers in my cabinet that also use one of those inline volume controls and I eventually want to wire them altogether. I stand to learn from your experience.

-pmc

[MazzMn]

Cabvol is great. What don't you like about it?

I agree Cabvol is great, I set it up based on this thread. ....
but (you knew it was coming)

but if I tweak the volume inside of Mame, when I come back out to Game Launcer, the volume is loud again (if I tweak outside of mame that is ok)...Does Mame try to reset the volume on exit? Did I accidentally map the predefined mame volume keys so I am double adjusting in mame? Are there ghosts chasing me?
Anyone seen this before I waste game playing time debugging?
thanks once again folks
Mazz

[Ginsu Victim]

Do you mean you're using Cabvol while in MAME, or MAME's own volume control?

[MazzMn]

Do you mean you're using Cabvol while in MAME, or MAME's own volume control?

I'm using cabvol while in mame (configed to hold the coin1 button down and use player1 start to lower volume and player two to increase volume)
This is on Windows 2000 with gamelauncher FE
I debugged a bit on a different machine with xp and I found that this works ok with mame32 FE
I spent time to figure out where the mame volume is (previously was not using that)

so it must be something dorky on my win2000 box, I'll have to go debug/test there a bit more
thanks

[MazzMn]

I found the problem lies within GameLauncher (I am using mame32 on xp and gamelauncher on win 2000).
So cabvol actually does change the volume but then GameLauncher has it's own effect on sound...seems to up the sound as it starts...then when in mame we are back to the system sound levels...exit back out to gamelauncher and we are loud again....for now I changed the gamelauncher config file to have lower sound levels...but it would be nice if it just left the sound alone.
Peaking at a gamelauncher forum, but no luck thus far.

[thatitalian]

Thanks for the help on this.

I decided to go with using CabVol and have volume hotkey on the CP for the volume. Seemed like a more convinient way a having volum control from the CP.

greta little app, so thatnks to the creator ahofle on this!

[Zebidee]

Adding a real volume pot is much simpler if you know how.  I think a volume pot looks more professional, and works more reliably across different platforms (even if you add a game PCB instead of a computer).  I've done it for many cabs, most of which I have sold to happy people.  Even better, there is no need to stuff around with software - although I think that ahofle's solution is elegant too, and he deserves kudos for that

To save repeating myself, there are some examples of what I've done on this thread:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=72178.0

Of particular interest would be the wiring diagram.

[Ginsu Victim]

A volume pot is fine, but I simply hold a button and turn the spinner. No need for a volume pot.

As for "stuffing around with software", you just tell it "this buttton does this, this does this...done" and set it to minimize when it starts, and drop it in startup.

[Zebidee]

Like I said, ahofle's software solution is elegant and deserves kudos.  So is mine.  The software solution is software dependant, and you have to press a button to make it work.  Mine doesn't need a button to be pressed.  It is intuitive, and anyone can operate it without being told how to.  Each to their own.

[Ginsu Victim]

You don't HAVE to press a button. A hot key is an option.
I just have it setup that way.

As for being told how, I have a very nice instruction card on my bezel.

I will be changing out the speakers soon, though, and will have an independent volume knob that doesn't rely on software.

I'm definitely NOT arguing against volume knobs, it's just nice to know we have options.   

[javeryh]

I'm going to give CabVol a shot... I've been wondering how to deal with the volume levels across various games and this seems perfect.  Now I just have to think of a good configuration.  I'm thinking pause as the hot key and up and down on the joystick as the volume control (I don't have a spinner or trackball).

[Ginsu Victim]

I was using pause plus the joystick, but didn't like the fact that I was always pausing games and couldn't hear the volume changes. Not sure what your best option would be.

[javeryh]

I was using pause plus the joystick, but didn't like the fact that I was always pausing games and couldn't hear the volume changes. Not sure what your best option would be.

Ahhh... good point!  Maybe I'll map it to P1 Start or something... I'll figure it out (I hope).   

[Zebidee]

All this talk about CabVol has made me think of a good application for my current setup, which will solve a few minor problems.

My various cabs, with their volume pots, are all packed up at the moment for reasons discussed elsewhere in this forum.

So I've got an arcade PC setup outputting 15khz RGB video to a 27" SCART TV.  It's not in a cab.  I don't even have a joystick (yet) to play games with.  However, we (as in the family & my neighbourhood kids) are using it mostly to watch movies on!  Just play them from AVI or ISO over the home network.  It's also good for certain non-arcade games (the neighbourhood kids keep coming back and want to play "Dora the Explorer" in 27" RGB spendour).  But I hate having to get up and tweak the volume knob on the stereo.  And, even though the mouse is right in front of me, I don't like taking my movies off fullscreen to find the volume slider.

CabVol could be the solution!  Setup hotkeys (eg V+arrows) to adjust the volume ..... no need to minimise movies or get off my GFA (Great Fat Ar$e).  I can also see similar applications for CabVol once I setup a Slikstik-style arcade control "box" to play my arcade games with (that is on the drawing board now).  I can't see an easy way of putting a volume pot onto a plug-in control box, but CabVol would work great!

I still like volume pots for cabs though.  There is something elegant in their simplicity, I think.  Small learning curve, but well worth climbing.