The NEW Build Your Own Arcade Controls
Main => Driving & Racing Cabinets => Topic started by: deathrow on April 04, 2013, 07:00:02 pm
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Ive done some reading on old threads and have seen that people have managed to cleverly figure out a way to wire up a four way shifter to work with mame etc whilst only using three micro switches.
From what I have seen and learnt from trying this is that there is always a gear selected, even when in Neutral.
Has anyone ever added a fourth micro switch to get around this issue? and if so would you kindly share some pictures and information? :dunno
Thanks :)
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Best way IMO
Sega shifter to USB Pad Hack or Microcontroller Decoder (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0grHZs-vp4#ws)
(go to youtube and read the description)
Before RetroRepair came up with that solution, I mounted a switch upside down above the front switch.
Pics of it in my build thread, but no wiring diagram because the Logitech MOMO I hacked requires it to be wired differently than most.
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Thanks Badmouth.
I had seen that vid but as I have a few of these shifters I was looking more towards using what I have laying around to mod them.
I will take a look in your thread :)
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Sort of off-topic, but in that train of thought, wouldn't be be really easy to make a sega shifter clone via a regular old bat joystick?
You'd probably need a longer shaft and a latching system, but I don't think it'd be terribly hard to modify. The diagonals would be the shift positions of course. For some reason the price of the shifters has really went up... not sure why.
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The 4-way Happ shifters are pretty nice. I have one but don't have it wired to anything anymore. If it was 6 way I'd probably use it. I'm still looking for that Ferrari F355 Happ shifter described in *THIS THJREAD* (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,131278.0.html).
If not I will probably grab their other newer 6 speed shifter.
(http://na.suzohapp.com/images/50/50041440_lrg.jpg)
I'd love to get impressions on it from anyone who might own one first though.
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Like you I'm picky though. I look at that thing and think "well that's not really what I want", which would be ok if it was cheap, but I can think of better options for nearly 100 bucks.
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Sort of off-topic, but in that train of thought, wouldn't be be really easy to make a sega shifter clone via a regular old bat joystick?
You'd probably need a longer shaft and a latching system, but I don't think it'd be terribly hard to modify. The diagonals would be the shift positions of course. For some reason the price of the shifters has really went up... not sure why.
I've actually thought of doing this with a spare x-arcade stick I have.
The Sega shifters have a plastic wheel between first and third and another between second and fourth.
The bottom of the shifter rod travels around the each side of the wheel and feels like it has resistance as it goes around the widest part, then "slips into gear" when it gets past that point.
I was thinking about trying to add small wheels inside the existing x-arcade joystick body so it would require minimal work.
The x-arcade stick even comes with four levered switches that could be mounted to register the gears.
Haven't posted about the idea because it really needs pics/diagrams and I haven't had time to make them.
On the non-cheap side, lately I've been kicking around ideas for what an "ultimate shifter" would consist of.
The best sim racer shifters are over $100 and I think we should be able to build something much better for that price.
I really like the ferrari f355 shift gate, but ferrari looking corvette knobs are much cheaper and have reverse on the right instead, so I'd probably flip it.
(http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcROIeW9ipfepyM_Gex94n6pYNzvyLmNH1CRpJDfIGVeKynWZTTA)
I don't care for how the ferrari shifter sticks up so high above the gate though.
Looks a bit like bob barker's microphone. :lol
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Sort of off-topic, but in that train of thought, wouldn't be be really easy to make a sega shifter clone via a regular old bat joystick?
You'd probably need a longer shaft and a latching system, but I don't think it'd be terribly hard to modify. The diagonals would be the shift positions of course. For some reason the price of the shifters has really went up... not sure why.
I have a few laying around and honestly, I can't get rid of them. Even at like £15 each no one was even a bit interested.
I have two complete GTI Club dashes and pedal sets too, not even a nibble. I suppose they are too reliable :)
That said I did pay like £50 for my Ketz shifters, but pretty sure I paid way over the odds.
Regarding the initial post, you could do what I did with the logic IC in software if you are talking about MAME. Maybe even model 2 if you wanna cause a lot of headaches ;)
The logic IC is the way to go though. They are cheap as chips and not that hard to wire up.
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Arg, double post
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Have you tried selling them here? It might just be that there isn't any UK interest.
Have you ever forgot you bought something? I was out in the storage shed today and found 4 death race steering wheels. I don't have a clue what to do with them, but they are really nice. I think they came with the random parts lot I bought to get speaker grills for my pacman cab. They use the same grills and it was actually cheaper to buy a big lot of junk than to buy them separately.
I think the logic ic idea is the way to go. Mame is very flexible... it can do just about anything, but the problem is next to nothing else is. So you'd get it setup in mame only to discover that your favorite pc game won't work with that sort of setup.
I was looking at the way people make custom h-shifters online and on of the reasons they are so bulky is because they tend to use cabinet latches to hold the shifter. I'm thinking the same thing can be done with a bit of copper wire wrapped in semi-circles. The wire would have just enough flexibility to allow the shaft to squeeze through and you could make your positions much closer together. I might start playing around with prototypes soon.
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Sold a ketz shifter for £15. Not much call for shifters over here.
Have two pairs of Happ pedals and cant give them away lol