So what was the answer?

[Shieldwolf]

ok my cp has

4 joysticks 8way
1 joystick 4 way
45 buttons
1 trackball
1 spinner
which encoder should i go with? Obviously my 1 4way can be on the same encode as one of the 8player joysticks, but that's still a lot of encoding I'm going to need.
also does it matter if the encoder is ps/2 or usb? Typically I woud say usb is better but what about in this case

I'm thinking the Hangstrom is my only choice and ideas would really help me out. Thanks in advance

[crashdmj]

I am also doing a 4 player CP and will be using an Ipac (52 input) with a PS2 connection. There was a recent post about whether PS2 or USB is better....I got the impression it didnt matter and so I will be using PS2 so that my USB port is open for any other devices i decide to use. Good luck
Derek

[Aceldamor]

I was under the impression that USB could only handle a limited amount of simul keystrokes at one time....which means any fighter that you might play with your buddies means some keystrokes may not be sent in the heat of battle and button mashing.

I posed the same question a while ago in another fourm and that is what I was told.

I went with PS2 and haven't had a problem

[said7]

I dont think it matters PS2 or USB. I use the PS2 because my keboard is USB.

[jerryjanis]

I was under the impression that USB could only handle a limited amount of simul keystrokes at one time....which means any fighter that you might play with your buddies means some keystrokes may not be sent in the heat of battle and button mashing.

I believe that USB keyboards are limited to registering 6 simultaneous keypresses as a part of the USB keyboard standard or something.  It is NOT a limitation on USB in general and the USB IPac does NOT suffer from any such limitation....  Which means any fighter that you might play should work fine with USB (unless it's interfaced via a single USB keyboard hack).

If I connect 2 USB keyboards, then the number of simultaneous keypresses that I can get is valid for both keyboards which doubles the number of simultaneous keypresses that I can get.

My current control panel uses USB keyboard hacks (several of them).  Basically for every 6 buttons that I add, I have to add another keyboard hack.

[Apollo]

Why do you have 45 buttons?
Do you have a mock up of your CP that you can show us?
45 buttons is WAY too many apart from anything your control panel will look ridiculous ( no offense ).
Are you aware that the IPAC supports a shift function? If you use the IPAC shift function then you don't need the KE72, and you don't need all those buttos. You can use an IPAC4. You are going to need two encoders though, unless you are doing some kind of hack ( not recommended ). You need to get an Optipac as well for your spinner/trackball.

[Shieldwolf]

I don't have a mock up, but if you look at this

http://www.runriot.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/arcade/
I really like this setup. Now add a 3rd and 4th player with six buttons each and a player and credit button as well

[GSXRMovistar]

shieldwolf, I'm glad you like my cp.  

Question though, do you really need a 4-player cab? How often you you think you will have another 3 people there to play on it with and will it always be 4-player games that you all play?

I thought about this when putting my together a decided that the bext option would be to set up a 2-player panel and have two additional gamepads that can be used if needed.

Not only will this save space but also work and more importantly cost!

Good luck with your build.

[Lilwolf]

A few notes...

1) dont' forget about the MK64.  Great encoder and it has SNK rotary support built in.

2) USB is JUST AS GOOD as the ps2 version.  The USB keyboards suck for hacking, because the spec says that they only need to have 6 buttons pressed at once...  But Ipacs got around this.  So don't worry about that...

If this was a real problem, NOBODY would use the USB version!

[Shieldwolf]

Yeah I really liked how anybody could play on GXRs control panel. As far as a need for four players I work for activision and have LAN partys every week so yeah 4 players is a must. Finally as far as cost. I already bought the joysticks and such so it too late  

Which encoder should I get

It Breaks down to this
track ball with its 4 buttons
 4 way joystick its two buttons and the spinner
 4 emulation buttons
 3 buttons used for pinball
 4  eight way joysticks and at the most ever 34 buttons
 3 buttons for pinball
I think that basically breaks it down into individual games

Any suggestions besides less buttons would help. I might lose the 4 emulation buttons but that still leaves me a lot of buttons