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Your setup sounds pretty amazing and thanks for the link.. At this point I have like 13 games setup in matching BigBox installs and whomever is racing just have to talk to each other.. :-)

Customcade,   You have to create that file as shown in the video. Most people use this to stop mame from switching the controller id's and setting individual controls for peripherals.
 This portion is for controller id order (yours will be different):
<mameconfig version="10">
        <system name="default">
                <input>
                        <mapdevice device="PNP0F03" controller="MOUSECODE_1" />
                        <mapdevice device="PID_0060" controller="MOUSECODE_2" />
                        <mapdevice device="PID_1601" controller="GUNCODE_1" />
                        <mapdevice device="PID_1602" controller="GUNCODE_2" />                     
                        <mapdevice device="XInput Player 1" controller="JOYCODE_1" />
                        <mapdevice device="XInput Player 2" controller="JOYCODE_2" />                                 
                  <mapdevice device="XInput Player 3" controller="JOYCODE_3" />
                  <mapdevice device="XInput Player 4" controller="JOYCODE_4" />
                  <mapdevice device="ATRAK Device #1" controller="JOYCODE_5" />
                        <mapdevice device="ATRAK Device #2" controller="JOYCODE_6" />

       <!-- 1 trackball
            2 spinner
            3 Aimtrak 1
            4 Aimtrak 2
            5 xbox 360 1
            6 xbox 360 2           
       7 xbox 360 2
       8 xbox 360 2
       9 aimtrak buttons 1
           10 aimtrak buttons 2 -->

Wow flynnb,
You're wiring looks amazing! Thought I had a bit of OCD   I've recently put together a Retrobat system which works best in xinput mode. May end up building a bartop with it and was wondering how you like the Pacto Tech 4000T.  My original cab works in Dinput for the arcade sticks/buttons and also works with gamepads thru Joy2key mainly for the kids and newer stuff.  Would the Pacto work for us older guys and our mame games but also disconnect and reconnect the gamepads for the newer games. Setting up the original arcade for both Dinput and Xinput was a challenge and I'm hoping only using Xinput will make things easier this go round. Thanks, Marty

I'm going to install a KVM between the pedestal and cabinet so I can "link" them for 3/4 player games and dual stick per player games.

I'd love to hear your plan on making this work.   I've thought about it a lot, but never quite got all the pieces sorted out.

I bench tested the KVM.  I was using a  dual monitor HDMI KVM, and had two matching 27 inch monitors and 2 matching 1080x360 marque screens.  I found I had to add amplified HDMI splitters on the "master" system before the KVM.  Other than that it all seemed to work.  I had to make sure the "slave" system was exited to the front end before switching over to 4 player mode, otherwise MAME had problems when it switched back to 2 player.

I was originally going for 2 cabinets with identical monitors, but now that I switched to a pedestal I need to check that it still works with the TV and a monitor.  I don't think it will be a problem as long as they are the same resolution and refresh rates.

I haven't worked out the software side yet.  I think I'm just going to use big box and 2 instances of MAME, one prefering 2 player roms and one preferring 4 player.  Then do the rest by editing game list.

So...

System 1 --> HDMI Splitter

HDMI Splitter 1a --> System 1 Screen 1
HDMI Splitter 1b--> KVM Input 1 Screen 1

HDMI Splitter 2a --> System 1 Screen 1
HDMI Splitter 2b--> KVM input 1 Screen 2

System 2 --> KVM Input 2  (both screens)

KVM Output --> System 2 (both screens)

Is that right?   

Then USB inputs/outputs as needed. 

The only thing I think you'd need is to remap your System 2 control encoder to be players 3/4 on System 1.   Ultimarc Ipacs can do this via command line.   Not sure what you're using. 

That was pretty close to what I was thinking up, but never though to use the HDMI splitters.   Good idea!   Thanks for sharing.

I'm going to install a KVM between the pedestal and cabinet so I can "link" them for 3/4 player games and dual stick per player games.

I'd love to hear your plan on making this work.   I've thought about it a lot, but never quite got all the pieces sorted out.

I bench tested the KVM.  I was using a  dual monitor HDMI KVM, and had two matching 27 inch monitors and 2 matching 1080x360 marque screens.  I found I had to add amplified HDMI splitters on the "master" system before the KVM.  Other than that it all seemed to work.  I had to make sure the "slave" system was exited to the front end before switching over to 4 player mode, otherwise MAME had problems when it switched back to 2 player.

I was originally going for 2 cabinets with identical monitors, but now that I switched to a pedestal I need to check that it still works with the TV and a monitor.  I don't think it will be a problem as long as they are the same resolution and refresh rates.

I haven't worked out the software side yet.  I think I'm just going to use big box and 2 instances of MAME, one prefering 2 player roms and one preferring 4 player.  Then do the rest by editing game list.

okay i created an account here for the sole reason of attempting to ask for help in this thread since it really is the only resource available for this stuff (especially now since the h2seq website seems to be down for the count), but after fiddling with h2seq for another hour i figured out how to get the program working on m2emu with my driving force GT, and since i'm already here + maybe someone out there is in my exact same situation, i want to just get my setup out there. i didn't try the FFB plugin mentioned here as i had no clue how a teknoparrot FFB plugin would allow me to use sequential shifting in a model 2 emulator, but maybe i'm screwing something up in that regard or missing something obvious.

h2seq absolutely hates my DFGT. neither the joystick test nor the program itself ever recognized the standalone wheel, for some reason. it wouldn't even let me use joy2key, which makes no damn sense because i could use my down/up arrows to shift in-game, but i couldn't use the sequential shifter which was mapped to said down/up arrows to do anything, even with joy2key itself recognizing my inputs. but for some god forsaken reason, having an xbox 360 pad connected allows me to use my joy2key setup just fine (this is using the stock microsoft drivers for the 360 pad).

so, to sum it up: kept all of the settings in the config.ini completely stock. used joy2key to bind my seq shifter to the down/up arrows respectively, then in m2emu did all the usual setup, binded everything except the gears which were set to the stock IKOL binds, and as long as i have an xbox 360 controller connected to my PC, it seems to work well. sucks that somehow, i need to have AA batteries on standby to play daytona USA of all games.

i've been fiddling with this crap for what feels like ages, both today and a few months ago when i couldn't figure it out. i hate this stupid hobby 

if you had read the thick colored info at the top of the readme in github that there is still a lot to do, your questions would answer themselves.

About the circuit diagram for the Arduino: If you had taken a look at the .ino you might have noticed that I use the internal resistors. Yes, that actually works and you can read about it here: https://docs.arduino.cc/tutorials/generic/digital-input-pullup/

And on the subject of USB: There are such nice little USB hubs with soldering pads that are just a few millimeters in size and fit into the light housing.... I don't know how else you imagine the thing?
 Well, find another topic where you can try to badmouth what's on offer, you don't have to use it or read anything about it if you don't like it.

-sigh-

You say you need a 3d printer, but you don't provide STLs (or even links to reference STLs in the usual places).
You say you need a webcam, but you don't provide a reference model (this has been tested with blah hardware).

You did provide the Arduino sketch, so that was cool.

Your wiring diagram didn't mention the resistors normally used when connecting buttons to an arduino.   So I was left with questions there. 
Your solution appears to require running two separate usb cables from the 'gun' to the PC, one for the arduino, the other for the webcam.  Little clunky.   But since you don't even have a reference build, I guess you hold the camera in one hand, then the ardunio and buttons in the other? 

Good luck with your project.   

Hello @Fursphere
I don't think I have to justify myself to you here. You can read the source code to deduce for yourself what is better or worse than your preferred lightgun.

If a moderator reads this:
The forum is dead and the only thing you can do here is justify yourself to some randoms from the internet. You are welcome to delete this thread. I'm not putting any more work into it.
Thanks for the great forum you offer here.

These are my ideas so far:
4player beatem up 8way joystick with 3 buttons covering xmen, simpsons, sunset riders, pusnisher, Cadillacs and dinosaurs ect
2 player vs fighting 8way joystick with 6 buttons for street fighter and mortal combat ect.
1 player rotary 2 button for tempest and arkanoid
1 player dual stick 4way for robotron and?
1 or 2 player driving wheel
1 player track ball for Centipede golden tee
Dual light gun for area51 and revolutionx

I have two near identical cabinets I've built, difference is one has a trackball, other has a spinner.  This is because I got tired of spending money when I was ordering parts.   

For 4 player games, you can use Retroarch w/ FBNeo to get Players 1 & 2 running on Cab #1, then #3 and #4 on Cab #2 w/ Netplay. 

I currently have Sanwa JLF sticks in both cabs with octagon restricters.  This is good enough for me for 4-way joystick games.  I am going to swap out the joysticks in Cab #2 for Sanwa JLW sticks with Ultimarc's 12 position rotary joystick encoders though, because I have some weird obsession with Heavy Barrel that I can't kick.  Cab #1 will keep the JLF sticks. 

For driving games....    I built a twin sit down driving cabinet.  So I can't help you save money there.   

Lastly - twin-stick games.   Smash TV for example. 

I'm going to build a stand alone control panel with dual twin-sticks for two player Smash TV / Total Carnage / etc games.   This goes down a crazy road, because you end up looking for sticks with buttons too.  There are a lot of variations.  (no buttons, 1 button per stick, 2 buttons per stick.. etc).   I think I can make a clip-on style bracket where I can temporary hang the twin stick box off the front of one of my cabs and USB connect it when needed, then set it aside when I don't.   

Also, a lot of twin stick games used leaf button joysticks, and feel weird with micro-switch sticks.  So..   how 'pure' do you wanna get?   Because its gets complicated and expensive.