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Main => Driving & Racing Cabinets => Topic started by: tandrews on February 15, 2017, 05:27:33 pm

Title: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: tandrews on February 15, 2017, 05:27:33 pm
I have a Cruisin USA I got for a decent price and was thinking of converting it to a MAME cab.

I have two steering wheels, I have a momo steering wheel (this one: http://itc.ua/img/dpk/2001/12/ (http://itc.ua/img/dpk/2001/12/)!momo_baranka.jpg)

I should be able to hack in the steering wheel, but my primary concern was the pedals.

I know they make a USB adapter, but finding is the hard part. Anyone got one they'd sell? I'd be happy to buy it.

I've browsed the forum, but was hoping for some general advice.
Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: gdonovan on February 15, 2017, 09:09:34 pm
I'll be watching this thread, I'm going to be doing the same thing with a Pole Position cabinet.
Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: baritonomarchetto on February 16, 2017, 12:46:18 am
Do not hack a pc wheel for your cab (expecially for MAME), or you will loose the arcade feeling (arcade wheels are high quality components with respect to pc wheels): use the genuine wheel of the cabinet instead. Requires some tikering, but it's worth it.
As for pedals: they are nothing more than  microswitches or potentiometers so, again, interface the genuine arcade component to the pc with an "arcade" commercial product (expensive BUT perfectly working) or arduino (cheap AND perfectly working)
Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: Mike A on February 16, 2017, 07:54:07 am
What's the point of using an arcade cabinet if you are going to just hack it up and slap a PC wheel on it? Just get one of those racing chairs. They are more suited to what you want to accomplish.
Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: tandrews on February 16, 2017, 09:33:52 am
buy an APAC , wire in the pots from the wheel and pedals.   run radio, start, camera, and shifter inputs to the non analog ports of the APAC.

Push button, receive bacon.

This works out of the box? I don't need to swap the pots or anything? Know of a guide for this?

Ultimarc says the A-PAC was replaced with "U-HID" ???
Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: PL1 on February 16, 2017, 10:16:59 am
buy an APAC , wire in the pots from the wheel and pedals.   run radio, start, camera, and shifter inputs to the non analog ports of the APAC.

Push button, receive bacon.

This works out of the box? I don't need to swap the pots or anything? Know of a guide for this?

Ultimarc says the A-PAC was replaced with "U-HID" ???
U-HIDs are newer and more flexible, but Ultimarc still has the A-Pac on their store page here (http://www.ultimarc.com/store/section.php?xSec=2&xPage=1).

Pots are just 3-tab voltage dividers.

5v and ground on tabs 1 and 3.

"Wiper" (variable voltage) on tab 2 goes to the analog input.

If it's moving the wrong way, swap 5v and ground.

From the Ultimarc A-Pac (http://www.ultimarc.com/a-pac.html) page:

(http://www.ultimarc.com/images/apac_step1.jpg)


Scott
Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: tandrews on February 16, 2017, 01:24:57 pm
I read somewhere about needing to put caps on the connection to the A-Pac? that the v2 board didn't require it?

I should be good ordering the board from them right? I'll also order the lightgun...cause why not?

buy an APAC , wire in the pots from the wheel and pedals.   run radio, start, camera, and shifter inputs to the non analog ports of the APAC.

Push button, receive bacon.

This works out of the box? I don't need to swap the pots or anything? Know of a guide for this?

Ultimarc says the A-PAC was replaced with "U-HID" ???
U-HIDs are newer and more flexible, but Ultimarc still has the A-Pac on their store page here (http://www.ultimarc.com/store/section.php?xSec=2&xPage=1).

Pots are just 3-tab voltage dividers.

5v and ground on tabs 1 and 3.

"Wiper" (variable voltage) on tab 2 goes to the analog input.

If it's moving the wrong way, swap 5v and ground.

From the Ultimarc A-Pac (http://www.ultimarc.com/a-pac.html) page:

(http://www.ultimarc.com/images/apac_step1.jpg)


Scott
Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: SailorSat on February 16, 2017, 05:36:15 pm
The original Boardset still there? You could use the original Force Feedback
Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: tandrews on February 16, 2017, 08:40:59 pm
Yeah original board set is there. I can't find the USB adapter. Any help would be great
Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: tandrews on February 19, 2017, 10:41:31 pm
Please? Beyond the rare hard to find Global VR board, is there another way to retain the FFB? References please?
Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: SailorSat on February 19, 2017, 10:47:28 pm
Well - In theorie an Arduino should be enough to keep the FFB working - However I have only done it with sega drive boards, not the midway ones.
Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: Howard_Casto on February 20, 2017, 01:04:14 am
I remember trying to hook up FFB for Crusin' back in the day.  Sega FF sort of makes sense but midway junk is weird to say the least. 
Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: rocomat on November 28, 2017, 07:16:57 pm
Do not hack a pc wheel for your cab (expecially for MAME), or you will loose the arcade feeling...

Sure if you want to use a "normal" PC wheel, but this Logitech MOMO 1. Version is high quality with real leather and a lot of metal. And for mame play all the buttons are very helpful. I will get mine in 2 days and will be convert it to the Cruisn USA / Offroad Challenge cabinet.

Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: rocomat on November 28, 2017, 07:47:53 pm
I got the pedals work with A-Pac. Tested with chase HQ.

Trick is to connect brake pot to P1 and gas to P2 side, or reversed. A red (5V) wire must go each pot (not one onnected to both!).
because the A-pac can handle only one pot on each Player side for up/down (Y axis). Ground can be connected to one pot, then to the other, but you must use a wire from p1 ground to P2 ground at A-pac.

left/ right (X axis) is for the steering wheel.

Calibrate each seperatly in windows. Don' care about that in windows the pots go always down at the y axis.


Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: aevans0001 on December 30, 2019, 11:47:05 pm
@Tandrews, Did you ever finish your conersion?  I just picked up a driver and looking for some support for converting the controllers over with the force feedback still intact.  Thanks for the read
Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: Eduardoml on December 31, 2019, 11:55:13 am
I did a conversion of a OffRoad Challenge to MAME, the cab is practically the same as Cruisin USA/Cruisin World, I used the originals Happ parts, steering wheel, FFB motor, gear box and everything, I just had to change the steering wheel potentiometer to a encoder (can be any encoder even from printer I used the E6B2-CWZ6C) and the pedals potentiometers from 5k to 10k ohms. To interface the wheel, pedals and buttons I used an Arduino Leonardo and a driver BTS7960 to control the FFB, I followed this guide: https://www.kaskus.co.id/show_post/5879c1b9ded770e7728b456c/1326/- .https://s.kaskus.id/images/2017/01/14/5699902_20170114123442.png

Everything works great, its perfect to play old 90's arcade racer games with FFB thanks to Boomslang and his team with their excellent work. To play new games is very good, but its limited to 270 degrees, the steering wheel has a physical lock, maybe its possible to remove the lock and use the steering wheel up to 2160 degrees which is better for games like Euro Truck, Asseto Corsa, but I'm too lazy to take everything apart and try.

Its also possible to interface the cab sound system, the two speakers and subwoofer with a cheap chinese 2.1 amplifier board, and the lights in the buttons with an Arduino Uno and Mamehooker and some relays.
Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: baritonomarchetto on January 01, 2020, 04:05:37 am
Just a note: Arduino can handle 5K ohm potentiometers with no problems, so it's not required to replace the 3 potentiometers ;)
Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: Howard_Casto on January 01, 2020, 01:26:47 pm
Yeah these little guys are pretty robust in terms of what they can accurately read.  You'd be surprised. 
Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: Eduardoml on January 03, 2020, 06:06:51 pm
Just a note: Arduino can handle 5K ohm potentiometers with no problems, so it's not required to replace the 3 potentiometers ;)

You're right, one of my pots was failing and it was producing crazy results, so I thought they were incompatible with the project, because the guide specified it as the 10k, so yesterday I checked the pot and saw that it was bad, cleaned it and it it went back to normal, it was just more complicated to calibrate, but now it is better because the 10k potentiometers I used (the most common and cheapest one that exist) did not fit perfectly and sometimes loosened up a little and I had to fix and adjust again, compared to the original potentiometers that fit perfectly, so much better to use the original potentiometers.
Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: aevans0001 on September 28, 2020, 07:23:37 pm
I did a conversion of a OffRoad Challenge to MAME, the cab is practically the same as Cruisin USA/Cruisin World, I used the originals Happ parts, steering wheel, FFB motor, gear box and everything, I just had to change the steering wheel potentiometer to a encoder (can be any encoder even from printer I used the E6B2-CWZ6C) and the pedals potentiometers from 5k to 10k ohms. To interface the wheel, pedals and buttons I used an Arduino Leonardo and a driver BTS7960 to control the FFB, I followed this guide: https://www.kaskus.co.id/show_post/5879c1b9ded770e7728b456c/1326/- .https://s.kaskus.id/images/2017/01/14/5699902_20170114123442.png

Everything works great, its perfect to play old 90's arcade racer games with FFB thanks to Boomslang and his team with their excellent work. To play new games is very good, but its limited to 270 degrees, the steering wheel has a physical lock, maybe its possible to remove the lock and use the steering wheel up to 2160 degrees which is better for games like Euro Truck, Asseto Corsa, but I'm too lazy to take everything apart and try.

Its also possible to interface the cab sound system, the two speakers and subwoofer with a cheap chinese 2.1 amplifier board, and the lights in the buttons with an Arduino Uno and Mamehooker and some relays.


@Eduardoml Wow thanks for the great help.  Things have moved VERY VERY slowly in the form of progress on the driver (none).  Looking at getting it done now though.  So as I understand it all i need is the encoder, an Arduino Leonardo, and then follow the guide above.

Sounds easy, too easy.  Is this the encoder you used for $38?  https://www.amazon.com/Incremental-E6B2-CWZ6C-Diameter-Open-Collector-General-Purpose/dp/B084Z3PSQ7/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=E6B2-CWZ6C&qid=1601335105&sr=8-1

Also do I need headers on my Arduino

And What boards did you use to use the sound system.. Thanks in advance
Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: Eduardoml on September 29, 2020, 07:13:02 pm
I used an omron E6B2-CWZ6C with 1000p/r, I don't know if makes diference, or if the driver calibrates everything, but this worked fine for me.
For the sound system I used a board like this:

(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/0T0AAOSwEwpecJyi/s-l1600.jpg)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-Power-Sub-woofer-Speaker-Amplifiers-Board-Audio-Amplification-Module-New/233530252094?_trkparms=aid%3D1110012%26algo%3DSPLICE.SOIPOST%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D228187%26meid%3D8c9550dd96b84d75ac562fb5bb573221%26pid%3D100008%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D233537327901%26itm%3D233530252094%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DPromotedSellersOtherItemsV2&_trksid=p2047675.c100008.m2219

 just screw the wires from the speaker and subwoofer to the corresponding terminals and add a 12 volt power supply and the 3.5mm audio from the PC audio output.
Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: aevans0001 on September 30, 2020, 12:09:16 pm
Ok so my question i guess is what is difference between environmental that is$40  and the one that is $400?  Both say 1000.  

and this one is $400

[url]https://www.amazon.com/s?k=E6B2-CWZ6C+1000P%2FR&ref=nb_sb_noss]https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083JMD92S/?coliid=I1TNZ953KULPVQ&colid=NDHHUJYL3RQQ&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it[url]

and this one is $400

[url]https://www.amazon.com/s?k=E6B2-CWZ6C+1000P%2FR&ref=nb_sb_noss (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083JMD92S/?coliid=I1TNZ953KULPVQ&colid=NDHHUJYL3RQQ&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it[url)

Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: Eduardoml on September 30, 2020, 05:00:00 pm
Wow how expensive this encoder was, last year i paid less than $ 30, i bought it from ebay maybe it's cheaper there, in any case i think you can use any encoder, it's a matter of trial and error. There are people who use printer encoders, don't get stuck in a specific model, I like this type of encoder, because basically you only need to unscrew the original potentiometer from the steering wheel and screw the encoder in place.
Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: aevans0001 on October 02, 2020, 05:59:48 pm
@Eduardoml

A new wrinkle.  My FFB motor is 37v doh.  #14-8039 Midway.  Do you think this would work? 

https://smile.amazon.com/RioRand-7-80V-Motor-Controller-Switch/dp/B071NQ5G71/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=High+Power+Double+DC+Stepper+Motor+Driver+Module+Board+H-Bridge+PWM+for+Smart+Car+Arduino+supply+voltage+37&qid=1601675685&s=hi&sr=1-1
Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: Eduardoml on October 02, 2020, 08:41:40 pm
My FFB motor is 90v, but I use a BTS7960b as PWM h-Bridge with a 24v power supply, and there was no noticeable weakening, I don't know if it is necessary to use a power supply and a stronger pwm.
Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: aevans0001 on October 02, 2020, 10:11:32 pm
Awesome thanks
Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: aevans0001 on October 03, 2020, 06:37:51 pm
@Eduardoml

Did you rewire your speakers for left and right or just front and back?  I just realized the 2 in the seats are wired the same and also the 2 above the screen are wired the same.  The subs are wired separately.

I have pretty much traced my wires down.

-----UPDATE---

i got the speakers all working.  I used left for front right for seat speakers and sub for both.  They sound good!
 
Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: Eduardoml on October 10, 2020, 08:59:16 pm
My cab has only two speakers below the marquee and a subwoofer, I forgot some cabs have seat speakers , i think you did right, I glad it worked.   :)
Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: aevans0001 on October 11, 2020, 10:46:58 pm
@Eduardoml

Another Question

How did you get your leds to connect, and extra buttons?  There seems to be only buttons available for 4 gears and 5 buttons.  This machine has 6 + 4 in coin tray + Coin Mechanism + Leds on 8 Of them.

Also what is the use of the Z toggle? 

While your at it, if it is not too much of a hassle can you tell me how this encoder should be hooked up?  Does it need voltage?
Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: Eduardoml on October 16, 2020, 07:40:55 pm
For the leds I used Mamehook with an arduino and with a board with 8 relays that I had left here, unfortunately I don't remember how I made the Arduino sketche, the 9 buttons were enough for me, because I configured the Radio button to give credits and that satisfied me. If I'm not mistaken in the original project, there is the possibility of placing 4 additional buttons on the unused analog outputs using resistors, I tried it 2 times without success, the new buttons went crazy.

The z toggle turns the steering wheel on and off, useful for making settings. When there is a problem, use the z-toggle to reset the wheel.

If I remember correctly to connect the encoder, there are 4 wires, 1 on the gnd and 1 on the 5v of the Arduino Leonardo and the other 2 on the analog ports A0 and A1 if the direction is reversed, just invert the wires.
Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: aevans0001 on October 20, 2020, 11:54:15 pm
@Eduardoml

Ok,  my encoder finally arrived.   Here are some pics.
Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: aevans0001 on October 21, 2020, 01:52:05 am
Ok So I got it to work I believe.  Can you check your setup and tell me if this is correct.  Use wheel config the arrow is moving.  How did you support your encoder so the base of the encoder stays in the same place and doesn't twist?

I installed the 1k resistors.

Just wanted to mention.  I decided to follow the below drawing.  It made more sense and now I have all my buttons working.  He also offers an expanded firmware if using an stm32 opposed to the leonardo.

The firmware seems rock solid, and th controls are working great.  The only thing left i think is the force feedback. Here is the link to the facebook page https://www.facebook.com/EMCDeveloper
 
Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: aevans0001 on November 08, 2020, 04:09:21 pm
Ok so I was looking for a way to separate the roms for Racing and flying games.  This way I would save a lot of space on my racers and it would only learn in the right games.   I couldn't find one, so i made a simple batch file using a website and the controls.ini found in the mame directory "folders". 

01. Download categories.ini from http://www.progettosnaps.net/support/
02. Unzip and copy to .\mame\folders
03. Open categories.ini in favorite text editor, i use notepad++
04. click view menu and fold all
05. delete all sections except racing, driving, flying
06. delete flying shooter veritical and horizontal
07. copy all rom names to the website https://pinetools.com/add-text-each-line
08. In the text at the beginning box add copy"
09. In the text at the end box add .*" c:\racing
10. Hit execute, this creates each line to say for example copy "crusnexo.*" c:\racing
11. Copy each line on website to a new text file.
12.  add the following lines to the begging of text file
    a.  md c:\racing
    b. cd \
    c. cd \games\launchbox\games\arcade    (put in your path to all your roms)
13.  Save txt file as a bat file
14. Run new bat file


This method is far from perfect. But at least it seperates out all of the joystick games that I have 0 use for.  I would like to have a couple of the spinner games on it.  I have gotten APB to respond decently to the 270 degree wheel, but with a little more work I maybe able to get it.  The verison of mame this file is based on is November 2020 .266
Title: Re: Converting a Cruisin USA to MAME
Post by: aevans0001 on November 25, 2020, 11:20:37 pm
Ok so I have a new question.  Can I have 2 STMF1 or STM32F4 boards on my pc , using 2 steering wheels?