Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Arcade Collecting => Miscellaneous Arcade Talk => Topic started by: cnsf on May 20, 2015, 02:07:48 pm
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I'd like to add a real Q*bert knocker to my cabinet but have found very little current information on how to get it done and need some help. Here is what I bought and know (I'm also not a newbie by any means and have already done a lot of research on this - I'm not a programmer, though): 1) bought Q*bert knocker assembly from Twisty Arcade 2) bought PACDRIVE from Ultimarc. I know I need to get MAME to send a LED signal to the PACDRIVE to trigger the solenoid. I know I can hook up either a 12V (from the PSU) or 5V (from the PACDRIVE) to the solenoid, but not sure which is the right one. The ground comes from the USB connection in the PACDRIVE. I know I can run LEDUTIL.exe at Windows Startup (using Windows 7 Ultimate) to get a message from MAME "knocker0", but not sure what LED is triggered by that or if I need other software to pick that up and remap it to an LED.
Any help in creating a step-by-step for this would be very much appreciated.
My cab is at http://www.notrica.com (http://www.notrica.com). I will be adding a 45 degree angled joystick between the P1 buttons and the spinner to play Q*bert and Congo Bongo. The knocker would just make the cab truly awesome. (Lightguns already added btw and had to swap out the monitor for an LCD to get them to work).
Thanks in advance!
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First off, what voltage is that solenoid?
If it's a standard pinball knocker like the original Q-Bert's used, it'll be 43V.
I don't know PACDRIVE well enough to know if it can handle 43V.
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You will need a relay and an additional power supply for the knocker.
It has been done by other here at the forum, so just search and you will find some examples.