USB device recognition problem - device numbers changing

[diggso]

Hi all, I've got an issue with my usb analog devices (2 spinners and 1 trackball) being recognised in a different order every time the cab boots. In order to get them in the right order I have to quit the frontend and plug them out and in, in the right sequence.
I've seen some similar posts that are from a few years ago, but I haven't seen any solutions. Does anyone have any ideas?
Thanks.

[u_rebelscum]

What encoders (IOW, optipac vs optiwiz vs hack) are the devices using?

Some devices (optiwiz, U-HID) can be assigned an ID #, so windows can tell the difference between them.  If you have three mouse devices with the vendor and product IDs, windows can't tell the difference between them, so whichever yells the first windows sees first will get the lowest ID.  (BTW, this is fine for mice & 99% of the apps out there, since they just let windows group them all together anyway.)

[CrazyKongFan]

Yeah, I notice that with my laptop and my wireless mouse. Sometimes it's "mouse 0", sometimes "mouse 1", or sometimes "mouse 2"...I don't notice it unless I play a game that uses a spinner or wheel (and I use the mouse instead of the keyboard)

[Turnarcades]

I find the device ca also make a difference. Most professional encoders now address the ID problem, but this issue is what made me give up on the LCD TopGuns - just when I have them set up and calibrated, I'd restart and they'd switch ID's, messing up the seamless experience as I have to break the keyboard out to sort it.

[diggso]

In my particular case I'm using the usb versions of the spin-trak and the u-trak, all by Andy (i.e. Ultimark) so they've all got the Ultimarc encoder boards on them. I didn't think this was a question for Andy really, but maybe he can shed some light...
If anyone else has experience in differentiating the Ultimarc peripherals I'd love to hear it....

[u_rebelscum]

In my particular case I'm using the usb versions of the spin-trak and the u-trak, all by Andy (i.e. Ultimark) so they've all got the Ultimarc encoder boards on them. I didn't think this was a question for Andy really, but maybe he can shed some light...
If anyone else has experience in differentiating the Ultimarc peripherals I'd love to hear it....

Talk to Andy.  I'm pretty sure that you can change the IDs, as their encoders are variants of the U-HID nano.

[jasonbar]

I had a similar problem--is there an easy fix besides a brute force re-assigning of affected games?

According to MAME, my Act-Labs guns were "mouse 2 & mouse 3", while my spinners were "mouse 4 & mouse 5".

I removed the pair of Act-Labs guns & installed a pair of EMS TopGun IIs.

The spinners bumped "up" 2 slots & MAME calls them "mouse 2 & mouse 3" now, so all my spinner games will need remapping to look to mouse 2 & 3 instead of 4 & 5.

Any bulk way to fix this all at once?


Thanks,
-Jason

[garwil]

There's an app for USB joysticks that retains the ID number for you. Maybe it'll work for mice (mouses? ).

http://www.wingmanteam.com/latest_software/gadgets.htm#JoyIDs_Utility:

Also, CFG Magician can be used to batch edit cfgs for individual games based on input type, maybe that will help?

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=88948.0

[jasonbar]

Thanks, Garwil.  That joystick ID app seems pretty keen, but I know MAME distinguishes between mice & joysticks.  My old Act-Labs light guns were mice to MAME, as are my 2 spinners.  The absence of the 2 Act-Labs guns (mice) bumped my spinner mouse IDs by 2 spots.


I managed to recover my mouse IDs & don't have to go through every spinner game & reconfigure them.  w00t!

Here's what I did:
1 - shutdown
2 - unplug 2 spinners & plug in 2 guns (LCD TopGun II)
3 - boot
4 - shutdown
5 - plug in 2 spinners
6 - boot

Fixed!  Spinner game that have the default assignments (per my "Input (General)" settings) as well as spinner games that I've over-ridden (Discs of Tron for example), are still good.

I imagine that I probably over-complicated this & put a few too many steps in there, but hey, it works now & if it ain't broke, I ain't gonna mess with it!

Thanks,
-Jason