Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: Setton on May 14, 2013, 06:08:54 pm
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I'm new to the forum, so sorry if I overstep any bounds.
Some backstory:
Sometime around 2004, my mother got lucky at a casino and netted herself a custom MAME cabinet, I fell in love with it an all was well. Flash forward to this month; I was helping my parents move out of their current house, and I stumbled upon the same cabinet. They said they couldn't take it with them, that they hadn't started it in years, and if I wanted to take it. Naturally, I said yes and took the machine home. The OS wouldn't boot so I reimaged the whole thing (Windows XP) and found that everything was working perfectly, except the control panel.
The problem:
The control panel's P1 (yellow) and P2 (black) are programmed to the same keys, the same issue applies to P3 (green) and P4 (red). I recalled that WinIPAC had been installed on the cabinet at one point, but since I didn't actually build the cabinet I didn't know much about reprogramming them. Also, I couldn't identify what kind of IPACs (if they are IPACs) were in the CP after I opened the thing up. WinIPAC gave me timeout errors but I'm pretty sure this has to do with my ignorance more than anything.
Here's the information I was able to gather, if it helps (sorry if some of this stuff is dumb/obvious, I'm very much out of my element):
- The trackball and spinner connect via USB and register as mice, these have no problems working.
- The CP uses two boards (IPACs?) daisychained together for all of the controls (excluding trackball and spinner, of course)
- The two boards connect via PS/2 and register as a keyboard
- The machine was built sometime around 2003
- P1 and P3 are on a single board, as are P2 and P4, I believe this is why P1 and P2/P3 and P4 have the same output
I'd appreciate any help at all, even if it's just identifying what the boards are.
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Welcome aboard, Setton.
If you're wondering about proper forum decorum, review the rules here (http://arcadecontrols.com/arcade_message_rules.html), but it looks like you're already on the right track. ;D
Your encoders look like the old-style Mini-Pac.
This (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,90691.msg951758.html#msg951758) thread (5th diagram) has a pic of the board and a pinout if you need to chase any wires.
Ultimarc's download page (http://www.ultimarc.com/download.html) has the "legacy" programming utility for pre-2004 I-Pac/J-Pac -- looks like it might work for the Mini-Pac as well. :dunno
IIRC you need to have only one Mini-Pac at a time plugged in while re-programming.
Scott
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Brilliant, this is exactly what I needed to know; I just finished reprogramming the controls and it's working beautifully, as per your direction. I can't possibly thank you enough. ;D