Probably been asked before --- PS\2 or USB Ipac?

[Hoagie_one]

Gonna need to get one soon.  Just gonna be a two player cab.  Whats the pro's\Con's?

And if I add an Opti-pac later, ps\2 or USB?

[Lilwolf]

Optipac is easy... go USB all the way...

why?  Then you can get 2 trackballs running under analog mame in 98.  It only works with USB.

As for the ipac.  It isn't as important.  Just a question about how you want to deal with it.  USB is nice because of plug n play... More of a convience factor.  But both get good reviews so I wouldn't feel bad about either one.  

[AlanS17]

For the Ipac I'd recommend the PS2. USB may be "plug and play" but PS2 is standard. You can't always "plug and play" the USB in DOS. Plus you don't have to worry about drivers or anything. It's totally reliable. USB still makes me nervous sometimes. (I know. I'm wierd. Don't tell me.)

For the Opti-pac, though, go USB cuz of what was mentioned earlier. (2 trackballs/spinners)

[Hoagie_one]

how many games require multiple trackballs\spinners?

[MinerAl]

I'd say go USB for both.  You can connect them both to one mini-hub in your CP and have only one wire from the CP to the computer.  With a little care you could probably have a USB jack on the back of the CP, for that cool "no wires" look when it's not in use.

Also allows you to do some USB-console adapter magic.

The USB standard works with a bunch of platforms, and some Wintel computers are starting to appear without PS2 jacks.

Unless you are in a DOS only environment, or on an older machine without USB, go for USB.

[rampy]

I vote for ps/2 version of ipac... for percieved performance reasons (real or imaginary)... also the DOS compatibility mentioned earlier (although it's less off an issue if you.. uh.. don't run dos )

(or key wiz wich is ps/2)

I also like ps/2 because it frees up a USB port so I don't HAVE to get an extra hub (but I'll need one eventually so it's nearly a moot point)


*shrug*
Rampy

[Hoagie_one]

NEW QUESTION

Keywiz or Ipac?

[rampy]

NEW QUESTION

Keywiz or Ipac?

Well.. to me... it comes down to... how cheap are you (and are you handy with soldering iron)  AND are you going to be buying other stuff from ultimarc anyways therefore the "extra" savings from domestic shipping (assuming US resident) is nullified...

I use a key wiz and am happy with it... but if I was going to be ordering j-sticks/Avga card/etc etc and need a keyboard encoder I'd bundle in the ipac at the same time...

*shrug*

YMMV,

rampy

[Tiger-Heli]

NEW QUESTION

Keywiz or Ipac?

Well.. to me... it comes down to... how cheap are you (and are you handy with soldering iron)  AND are you going to be buying other stuff from ultimarc anyways therefore the "extra" savings from domestic shipping (assuming US resident) is nullified...

I use a key wiz and am happy with it... but if I was going to be ordering j-sticks/Avga card/etc etc and need a keyboard encoder I'd bundle in the ipac at the same time...

*shrug*

YMMV,

rampy

Soldering iron not required unless you go with the KeyWiz Eco model.  The KeyWiz Standard is still less expensive than the I-Pac and has screw terminals.

In response to the initial question - USB is limited to about 14 or 16 simultaneous inputs, PS/2 is unlimited.  More than enough, but. . .  I also have heard of people having problems with the I-Pac in USB mode and never in PS/2, FWIW.

Multiple trackballs/spinnners - tons if you count two or 3 player driving games, plus Marble Madness, CABAL, Rampart, Blasteroids, Atari Football, Atari Soccer, Warlords (4), . . . tons . . .

Regarding KeyWiz vs. I-PAC, the main issue is do you need a Keyboard pass-thru or want keyboard LED's on your CP.  If so, go with the I-Pac.  If not, the KeyWiz offers 4 more inputs at a lower cost (assuming domestic shipping in the U.S.)

Other differences - I slightly prefer the KeyWiz software, but either one is easy to use and easy to program.  KeyWiz is smaller, if space is an issue.  Shift key functionality is different between them.  Overall, I think the KeyWiz has a better implementation of this feature, but I don't care much for shift keys anyway.

KeyWiz uses SDRAM.  I-PAC uses EEPROM.  SDRAM is infinitely re-writeable, whereas EEPROM is limited to something like 100,000 or 1,000,000 writes (I've seen both numbers quoted).  So if you load 10 code sets a day, your I-PAC may wear out in 10 years, while your KeyWiz will still be going strong.  Seriously, though, what this means is this - KeyWiz does not store alternate settings in memory - so if you want to use a different set of codes than the default, with the KeyWiz, you have to load the different set each time you start the cab (from the autoexec.bat).  With the I-PAC, you just re-program the EEPROM and you're done.  OTOH, if you use games and emulators other than MAME on your cab, the KeyWiz will load alternate codesets faster than the I-PAC (at least in theory).

Also, I would consider multiple OSCAR $9 USB interfaces over the opti-pac, but that's kindof a toss-up.  The KeyWiz does have a +5V output, so you can hook an Opti-pac to it.  (And the USB opti-pac may not need an external +5V.

[Hoagie_one]

wow, that was quite a bit of info

[Tiger-Heli]

wow, that was quite a bit of info

Yeah, sorry, but it's not all apples to apples!

[Hoagie_one]

wow, that was quite a bit of info

Yeah, sorry, but it's not all apples to apples!

Dont appologize, I appreciate teh info.  I'll have to sort it all out to see what im gonna need

[Tiger-Heli]

wow, that was quite a bit of info

Yeah, sorry, but it's not all apples to apples!

Dont appologize, I appreciate teh info.  I'll have to sort it all out to see what im gonna need

Forgot to mention, RandyT is working on an add-on board which will control LED's and there are some issues with the I-PAC's LED handling, if that matters to you.

[Hoagie_one]

Also, I would consider multiple OSCAR $9 USB interfaces over the opti-pac, but that's kindof a toss-up.  The KeyWiz does have a +5V output, so you can hook an Opti-pac to it.  (And the USB opti-pac may not need an external +5V.

But does Oscar's USB control only work for one item? The optipac can have like 2 trackballs and 2 spinners.  

[Tiger-Heli]

Also, I would consider multiple OSCAR $9 USB interfaces over the opti-pac, but that's kindof a toss-up.  The KeyWiz does have a +5V output, so you can hook an Opti-pac to it.  (And the USB opti-pac may not need an external +5V.

But does Oscar's USB control only work for one item? The optipac can have like 2 trackballs and 2 spinners.  

Well, I said it was a toss-up.  Theoretically Oscar's control only works for one item, but it also only costs 1/4 of the opti-pac's price.

Also OSCAR has a circuit here http://www.oscarcontrols.com/DPDTswitch.shtml for running a spinner and tracball from the same control.  (And I think you could wire it up without the switch if you weren't worrried about bumping one control and messing up the other one.)  So, you could get 2 spinners and 2 trackball from 2 OSCAR interfaces.

The Opti-pac has the advantage that it will automatically switch to the active device, but with one OSCAR interface per device, you could have up to eight devices (actually eight mice, so 16 spinners or 8 trackballs) connected simultaneously and use Analog + to assign them to the proper players.  (in Win '98).

Depends on what you want.  Personally, I want portable trackballs and spinners that I can hook to any USB computer, so OSCAR's interface works better for me.  But with a genuine cab, this is less of an issue.

[Hoagie_one]

I may have to write Oscar with some questions

[Tiger-Heli]

I may have to write Oscar with some questions

Sure thing, he's helpful and easy to deal with.

[rampy]

NEW QUESTION

Keywiz or Ipac?

Well.. to me... it comes down to... how cheap are you (and are you handy with soldering iron)  

Soldering iron not required unless you go with the KeyWiz Eco model.  The KeyWiz Standard is still less expensive than the I-Pac and has screw terminals.

Yeah I know, and good point... I was just trying to illustrate the bottom price you could achieve if you were handy with a soldering iron (the econo version of key wiz)

If you compare the standard key wiz on sticker price to the ipac/2 ps/2 it's only $5.05 more for the ipac (before shipping)

*shrug* I don't even know what my point is (besides being contentious..) I know the middle tier key wiz doesn't need soldering it's the one in my cabinet...  but thanks for clarifying for hoagster.

who pissered in my wheaties this morning?
 
Rampy

BTW good comparison Tiger-Heli...  

FWIW a key wiz has 32 inputs where as the ipac/2 has 28 (and the ipac/4 has 56 but that's a tangerine compared to the apples and oranges we are currently comparing)

[Tiger-Heli]

If you compare the standard key wiz on sticker price to the ipac/2 ps/2 it's only $5.05 more for the ipac (before shipping)

And if you need your computer for being a computer (not a MAME cab), the KeyWiz Standard with a USB keyboard ends up exactly the same price as an I-PAC (with shipping).  But I don't know what my point is here either . . .

BTW good comparison Tiger-Heli...  
FWIW a key wiz has 32 inputs where as the ipac/2 has 28

Thanks.  That actually ended up being the deciding factor for me.  It's only four more inputs, but with some clever tricks (both in the hardware and in MAME), the KeyWiz can handle four player 3-button games quite nicely, while the I-PAC cannot.

[rampy]

Just to screw with hoagie some more... what about the mk64 encoder?  It would be good if you ever planned on using mechanical rotary sticks i.e. ikari warriors sticks =P

rampy

[Tiger-Heli]

Just to screw with hoagie some more... what about the mk64 encoder?  It would be good if you ever planned on using mechanical rotary sticks i.e. ikari warriors sticks =P

rampy

Yeah, I didn't mention it, because I put it in the class with the Tangerines (I-PAC/4).  It's about the same price as the I-PAC/4 and you could buy an I-PAC/2 or KeyWiz and Druin's interface for the same price, but you wouldn't have as many inputs as the MK64.

[Lilwolf]

Definately consider the MK64!  The rotary joysticks support is GREAT!  Having all the extra leads is also great if you have a 4 player cab.

[Tiger-Heli]

Definately consider the MK64!  The rotary joysticks support is GREAT!  Having all the extra leads is also great if you have a 4 player cab.

Hey, Lilwolf:

Just for general knowledge (on my part), I know the MK64 support requires six inputs per stick (not sure how).  So does that mean you have 52 inputs with two SNK sticks, or can the MK64 inputs do "dual duty",  I.E. could an MK64 input be used for both the SNK stick and some other button?

[nighthawk2099]

  WOW !!!!!!!!!  

My head is spinning from all this Info flying around......

lol

[Xochi]

I thought the only difference between the USB and PS/2 was the cable? i.e. The base hardware is the same.

Anyway, I went with I-PAC PS/2 for the standardization/DOS benefits. USB I/O devices can confuse some boxes with screwball BIOSes. Heck, my DELL P4 that came with a USB mouse still gets confused about whether it exists or not in Win2K safe mode.  Thankfully I didn't get a USB KB too. Plus, I'm a cheapskate.

[Tiger-Heli]

I thought the only difference between the USB and PS/2 was the cable? i.e. The base hardware is the same.

Base hardware is the same, but drivers and firmware is not, AFAIK (which isn't far)!