Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: luke1 on October 30, 2018, 11:11:29 pm
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So i have a Gameelf 1162 in 1 board and I purchased a Turbotwist 2 spinner from GroovyGameGear.com that I'd like to connect to it. The board has a trackball port that I plan to wire the spinner to just through the X+ and X- pins (and the +5v and gnd pins).
The question I have is that the TT2 spinner came soldered to an Optiwiz 3 board. Rather than cut the cable between the spinner in the board, I'd rather just use the pins from the board, but I can't tell which pins are which. I have found diagrams for the original optiwiz online which would be easy, but this one has just pins labeled 1-20. I am hoping to find out where the +5v, gnd, X-, and x+ are on the board. I can't find this anywhere! Can anyone help?
An image of the board is attached but here's the link in case the picture doesn't post (I always have trouble with the pictures)
https://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=260
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It won't work. To power the spinner, you would need to apply power to the PCB, which would also power the MCU, which will interfere with the signals. You would effectively have two controllers fighting each other to deal with the same device at the same time. To do this would require modification to the PCB, which would destroy it's functionality. Adding the appropriate connectors to the cable is a much better option. You can contact me for the spinner wire functions.
That said, the pinout for the PCB is as follows:
(https://www.groovygamegear.com/images/OWIZ3PO.jpg)
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(https://www.groovygamegear.com/images/OWIZ3PO.jpg)
Looks like X and Y are the defaults for trackball and Smart-X is the default for spinner, with the MCU either selecting between trackball X-axis inputs and spinner X-axis inputs based on which is active or converting both pairs of inputs to mouse movements and adding them, right?
Scott
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Looks like X and Y are the defaults for trackball and Smart-X is the default for spinner, with the MCU either selecting between trackball X-axis inputs and spinner X-axis inputs based on which is active or converting both pairs of inputs to mouse movements and adding them, right?
Not exactly. The Smart-X is a switched X-Axis, based on a simple, but deliberate user action which locks it to that device until the same action is performed on the other device. It is not something which would be accidentally activated. It can be used for a spinner, or the X-Axis of a trackball. The latter case would be if connecting a trackball to the TurboTwist2 Spinner interface, as the Master configuration for the spinner is always on the main X-Axis, and active upon power-up. A typical Opti-Wiz3 installation might have a trackball on the main X and Y axes, and some other optical control(s) on the Smart-X and/or Z-Axis.
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The Smart-X is a switched X-Axis, based on a simple, but deliberate user action which locks it to that device until the same action is performed on the other device.
OK. . . . What is this simple but deliberate user action?
Scott
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A deliberate and decisive spin to the right on the dormant controller will activate the Smart-X on that controller, which then will lock out and prevent interference from the other, until the same deliberate action is performed on it. There is an intelligent algorithm in my code which can discern this deliberate action, while ignoring bumps, vibration, etc. in order to prevent unintentional switching.
This only comes into play when a user has a trackball connected to their TurboTwist 2 spinner interface (the new version with Opti-Wiz 3 technology.) This has several advantages: Efficiency - the interface only uses a single device report for multiple controls, Cost - an extra interface for a trackball is not necessary, and Ease-of-Configuration - the X-axis mapping is always the same, regardless of whether it is a spinner or trackball game, and no need for extra command line options to keep both controls from being active simultaneously.
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Thanks for the info. ;D
Scott