U360 Dead Zone

[Visitor Q]

Should I increase the dead zone on my U360 via the windows game controller panel or using the map software for the U360?

[Todd H]

Use the map software.

[Visitor Q]

Ok, thanks.

I am not 100% sure how to do it but I think I can figure it out. I use the same software as I set the IDs with, correct?

[Todd H]

Yep.

[Ginsu Victim]

The Ultramap software handles the digital deadzone. (Just increase the dead space on your maps)

For analog, you need to increase the dead zone in your mame.ini

[Visitor Q]

The Ultramap software handles the digital deadzone. (Just increase the dead space on your maps)

For analog, you need to increase the dead zone in your mame.ini

Well I am using the joystick for everything and it is sat to analog. I need to increase it as a whole so that it centers correctly.

[TheShanMan]

If you have calibrated your joystick with Windows, you need to go back there and reset it to clear out the calibration. U360's self-calibrate when they power up (you have to leave joysticks centered when powering up), and any calibration Windows applies will throw off the overall calibration.

Andy has told me this so you can trust me.

[Neverending Project]

If you have calibrated your joystick with Windows, you need to go back there and reset it to clear out the calibration. U360's self-calibrate when they power up (you have to leave joysticks centered when powering up), and any calibration Windows applies will throw off the overall calibration.

Andy has told me this so you can trust me.

And I can say from experience that if your kids happen to be fiddling with the joysticks as the PC is booting, they will calibrate themselves all wonky, and, say for example, wreak all kinds of havoc on your front-end menus until they are re-plugged in. 

[Ginsu Victim]

If you have calibrated your joystick with Windows, you need to go back there and reset it to clear out the calibration. U360's self-calibrate when they power up (you have to leave joysticks centered when powering up), and any calibration Windows applies will throw off the overall calibration.

Andy has told me this so you can trust me.

And I can say from experience that if your kids happen to be fiddling with the joysticks as the PC is booting, they will calibrate themselves all wonky, and, say for example, wreak all kinds of havoc on your front-end menus until they are re-plugged in. 

Yeah, definitely don't touch the stick when the system is booting. It will calibrate itself all wrong.

[Visitor Q]

Does the dead zone stick after you set it even when they are powered off?

[TheShanMan]

You're asking about the configuration that you apply with ultramap? Yes, it is retained.

[Visitor Q]

I'll have to do a little searching but I am not even 100% how to do this. All I need to do is increase the dead zone just a tad so that the joystick centers correctly when it is in the home position.

[Ginsu Victim]

Make sure to clarify, though. You mean analog dead zone. Have you tried asking Andy?

Digital's easy, but you want analog and other than adjusting it in MAME, I don't know about an overall setting.

[Visitor Q]

I just want to increase the overal dead zone, like you do with a joystick in Xpadder so to say if anyone has done that.

[u_rebelscum]

The Ultramap software handles the digital deadzone. (Just increase the dead space on your maps)

For analog, you need to increase the dead zone in your mame.ini

Err, you can make you own map, with all squares (but the middle) set to analog, and the middle set to "center" (the '+' symbol).  If you want a bigger dead zone, you can make the middle 9 squares '+', or you hand edit the map file and increase the size of the middle row/colume (shrinking the rest).

With most FEs, you can apply the "bigdeadzone" map you made on exiting a game, and the required map on starting a game.

[Ginsu Victim]

Oh, you can alter analog maps?!? If that's so, there's your answer Visitor Q.

Leave it to u_rebelscum to finally come in and set things straight.

[AndyWarne]

If the stick is off-center when in analog mode, and Windows calibration is set to default, its worth making sure the stick has not been dropped/bent, by checking the procedure using the LED at the bottom of the page: http://www.ultimarc.com/ultrastik_inst.html
If its too far physically off-center, the built-in calibration will "give up" rather than trying to assign a huge offset which would affect the travel of the stick.
Andy

[Visitor Q]

If the stick is off-center when in analog mode, and Windows calibration is set to default, its worth making sure the stick has not been dropped/bent, by checking the procedure using the LED at the bottom of the page: http://www.ultimarc.com/ultrastik_inst.html
If its too far physically off-center, the built-in calibration will "give up" rather than trying to assign a huge offset which would affect the travel of the stick.
Andy

I will look at it again tonight but as far as I recall, the center is off ever so slightly. The problem I was running into was once I used it, when setting up controls to another game it would think that it was pressing to one side because there is no dead zone (I think). From what I saw if the joystick is stuck ever so slightly or pressed ever so slightly in one direction it registers. I need to make the dead zone bigger so I don't have to center the stick or try to center the stick after ever use. This is only an issue when configuring new emulators.

Do you see where I am coming from? With the software Xpadder you can increase or decrease the dead zone by making the circle bigger or smaller around the center point of the joystick as to when it starts to register a key press, that is all I want to do. It's not that I go into Mame or any other emulator and it starts moving in whatever direction, all my problems are configuring my emulators and not playing them.

[Visitor Q]

See attached picture... You can see that my player 1 is a little off center, I did not touch it at all on boot up or there after.

Is this normal?

[AndyWarne]

If you have not moved the stick at all right from power-on then this is not normal. Can you do the LED check procedure I mentioned above and email me with the results.

Andy

[Visitor Q]

If you have not moved the stick at all right from power-on then this is not normal. Can you do the LED check procedure I mentioned above and email me with the results.

Andy

I did not touch the stick on power up, infact I have my FE load on startup. This picture is after I exited the FE, never touching the joystick. I also never sat anything in windows control panel but I will hit default just to be 100% sure.

I will do the LED test tonight when I get in from work and email you there right after.

Question, is the LED monitored from the bottom of the joystick? Do I need to unassembled anything on the joystick itself to view this? The joysticks were installed on my CP when I bought it from Mameroon so I am sorry if I am asking basic questions but I did not physically install these myself. They should have the long shafts installed with them, hard springs and restrictor plate (circular). I did tell the U360 map program that the res. plate is installed before and updated the stick.

Thanks.

[Visitor Q]

Can anyone help me with this just incase Andy does not get back to me until tomorrow?




“Troubleshooting Calibration Problems (not centering)
The Ultrastik 360 self-calibrates but if there is some problem which has put the offset too far out, this will fail.

To check, do the following:

First make sure that the device has not been calibrated in Windows. To do this go to Control Panel, Game Controllers.
Click on the device and "Properties"
On the "settings" tab,  click on "reset to default".

Make sure an analog map is downloaded to the stick

If the stick is still not centering correctly, check the LED.
First, switch the LED to the Y axis by moving full-travel up or down. Then observe the LED. The flashes of the LED should be shortest when the stick is centered in the up-down direction.
Then switch the LED to the X axis by moving full-travel left or right. Again the flashes should be shortest in the center.

If the LED is not behaving correctly, this can be caused by bent PCB mounting brackets or some other alignment problem. Email for assistance if required.”




Where is the LED viewable from, the bottom of the joystick? Is this like a red LED light or something?

Sorry if this are somewhat simple questions but I have not viewed the joysticks from the bottom before with them turned on and I want to try and gather as much information as I can prior to looking at this tonight.

Thanks Guys.

[Ginsu Victim]

My second player controller is always off-center, but my magnet doesn't sit flush either. It's always crooked.

[Visitor Q]

My second player controller is always off-center, but my magnet doesn't sit flush either. It's always crooked.

shrug... All I know is Andy said the above (with my setup) is not correct, you can read his statement for yourself, just scroll up.

The problem I have is when I go to assign key presses to emulators; the emulator already thinks I am pressing in a direction because the joystick is off center. I can center is manually with my hand but the moment I press it in another direction it becomes off center again.

I just want to make sure I provide Andy with the correct information so we can properly address my issue. I have read over his site several times and it may be come apparent when I look at it but he has no mention of where these LEDs are. I assume the bottom of the joystick since there is nothing visible like this from the top.

[Ginsu Victim]

I was just stating that I had a problem as well, but I don't really use the analog on stick two anyway.

[Ginsu Victim]

no mention of where these LEDs are. I assume the bottom of the joystick since there is nothing visible like this from the top.

On the PCB. It flashes yellow/green.

[Visitor Q]

no mention of where these LEDs are. I assume the bottom of the joystick since there is nothing visible like this from the top.

On the PCB. It flashes yellow/green.

PCB?

[Ginsu Victim]

The printed circuit board that attaches to the bottom of the joystick.

[Visitor Q]

I was just stating that I had a problem as well, but I don't really use the analog on stick two anyway.

No Problem...

Hmmmm... Well maybe there is away we can both correct ours then, I mean if that matters to you. You can see my second one seems to line up just fine but I guess I should give it a shake and see how it centers too.

[Visitor Q]

The printed circuit board that attaches to the bottom of the joystick.

Ahhhh... Ok. Then that must be what he is looking for then. I never looked at these from the bottom before with them plugged in. Thank you for that information.

So he must want me to watch those LEDs as to how they flash when I move the joystick up/ down and fron left/ right.

[Ginsu Victim]

I mean if that matters to you

meh....it's not an issue for me. I mentioned the magnet thing just to see if you might have the same problem.

[Ginsu Victim]

So he must want me to watch those LEDs as to how they flash when I move the joystick up/ down and fron left/ right.

Yup...

[Visitor Q]

Wellllllllllllllllll... I'll check it all out tonight and report back. This is going to be top priority when I get in the door as I want to get this corrected.

[Visitor Q]

When I move both of my U360 up and down the light gets faster in both the up and down position. When it is centered it flashes a little but seems to flash better after it sits for a second in the center, sometimes it seems like it is not flashing at all. When I move the both U360s left or right it does not flash at all in either the left or right position, only in the center position.

I see only a green light flash and I looked for anything else with the lights off, no other color.



In the video when you see no LED light the stick is either in the left or right position.

[Ummon]

Here's all what I've been talking about:

[Visitor Q]

This video is unavailable. 

[Ummon]

 Was still processing. Now it is...or at least it plays for me.

[Visitor Q]

Watching Now.

ps. Check your PMs.

[Visitor Q]

That is interesting. I have never had mine stick like that. 

Only problem I am really running into is the off center but I do also have that play in my sticks like your do.

[AndyWarne]

Jason,

The videos don’t really answer the question about the test I suggest doing.

What you need to look at the the LED behaviour when the stick is not moved anywhere, ie centered.

So, if you move it , once , to full X travel (left or right) to activate the LED, then leave it centered, the LED should flash with short flashes. The question is, if you then move the stick very sligtly off center, against spring pressure, can you get the LED to flash with even shorter flashes? The shortest flashes should be within the "play" zone in the center of the travel.

Then repeat the above for the Y axis.

Andy