Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum

Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: bollwerk on February 16, 2018, 11:41:09 pm

Title: Is there a single control board that can do all of this?
Post by: bollwerk on February 16, 2018, 11:41:09 pm

I am thinking about building (or having built, more accurately) a single player control panel with the following items:
Happ mechanical rotary joystick on left
8-way "flight stick" with trigger and thumb buttons on the right
buttons in the middle
push/pull spinner somewhere between the joysticks

I realize I can use 2-3 control boards (such as ultimarc's ipac2 and rotary interface - not sure if a push/pull spinner is fully supported by the ipac2 though).
However, since this is a controller that will sit on my lap and be connected to a RPi3 across the room, a single USB cable would be ideal.
Is there any single control board that can do all this, or will I just have to deal with having more than 1 cable? (or use a powered usb hub inside the controller, but that means 2 wires minimum anyway)

Thanks.

Title: Re: Is there a single control board that can do all of this?
Post by: PL1 on February 17, 2018, 04:09:52 pm

First step is to list each type of input for all of the desired controls:

Happ mechanical rotary joystick
- 4 microswitch inputs
- rotary encoder inputs

8-way "flight stick" with trigger and thumb buttons
- 6 or 7 microswitch inputs

buttons (6 player buttons + Coin + Start + Exit + Pause?)
- 10 microswitch inputs

push/pull spinner
- 2 microswitch inputs for push/pull
- 5v, ground, and 2 data lines for the spinner
---------------
Totals:

23 microswitch inputs
1 set of optical inputs
1 set of rotary inputs
----------------
If you want a single encoder board that can handle all of those inputs, check out the Ultimarc U-HID (http://www.u-hid.com/home/index.php).

There is an "App Note AN1001 (http://www.u-hid.com/appnotes/AN1001.pdf)" PDF mentioned here (http://www.u-hid.com/home/cms.php?page_id=8) and in the U-HID manual that is supposed to show how to connect the rotary joystick inputs, but the link is 404.   :dunno
(Just PM'd Andy to let him know that link is broken)

Another option is to use two encoders and an un-powered hub.

  Rotary and microswitch inputs:
- A Leonardo Micro Arduino running the KADE miniArcade 2.0 firmware (configure as a keyboard-style encoder)
- GGG GP-Wiz40 (http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=76_81&products_id=235) (gamepad-style encoder)

  Optical inputs:
- A Leonardo Pro Micro Arduino running StefanBurger's Illuminated spinner firmware
- GGG Opti-Wiz (http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=76_85&products_id=260)

    or

Another possible two-encoder combination is an IPac for microswitches/optical and a Leonardo Pro Micro Arduino running the KADE miniArcade 2.0 firmware for rotary.

Regardless of the encoder(s)/hub you select, you can use a Neutrik NAUSB-W-B feedthru for single cable connection from the controller to the RasPi3.
- Turn the feedthru barrel so the A connector for the U-HID or hub is on the inside.
- That puts the B connector on the outside allowing you to use a single USB A-B cable to connect the controller to the RasPi3.

(http://www.neutrik.com/website/uploads/images/08/660x/nausb-w-b.jpg?v=2)


Scott

Title: Re: Is there a single control board that can do all of this?
Post by: AndyWarne on February 18, 2018, 07:22:18 am

Quote from: PL1 on February 17, 2018, 04:09:52 pm

There is an "App Note AN1001 (http://www.u-hid.com/appnotes/AN1001.pdf)" PDF mentioned here (http://www.u-hid.com/home/cms.php?page_id=8) and in the U-HID manual that is supposed to show how to connect the rotary joystick inputs, but the link is 404.   :dunno
(Just PM'd Andy to let him know that link is broken)

This is back up now, thanks.

Title: Re: Is there a single control board that can do all of this?
Post by: bollwerk on February 18, 2018, 08:57:14 pm

Thanks SO much. Exactly what I was looking for.