Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: 88mph on July 31, 2005, 02:27:15 pm
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Hey there,
I'm putting together a new cab, and I'm using an older serial optipac that I had on the shelf. The optipac was working fine when shelved, and has shown itself to work with the new system. The optipac is wired up to a trackball and the OS is Windows 2000.
My problem is this--sometimes I have a really hard time getting Windows 2000 to recognize the serial optipac. When I first hooked it up, windows recognized a new serial device, and installed the mouse. Everything worked fine. Then, the next time I booted up, no mouse activity. In order to troubleshoot this, I plugged in a USB mouse the next time, and upon boot up, both mice worked. I figured, what the hey, and left the USB mouse plugged in all the time, and the cab worked well for a few weeks in that configuration. Then, I just added another USB device (a GPWiz 49) and all of a sudden the serial mouse isn't working again.
Anyway, is there a way to bulletproof Windows 2K so it always works with a serial mouse, instead of working when it wants to? This has become quite a source of frustration, and I was wondering if anyone else on here has conquered this problem.
I've considered just buying a USB optipac--in retrospect, the time saved would have been well worth it!
Thanks for any help or advice,
88mph
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Depending on how old the optipac is it should be capable of either USB or serial connection, just need the right cable. If it's not, there is still a chance that with a chip swap and new cable it could do USB. Check with Andy @ Ultimarc.
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Well, this one is pretty old, back from the days when they were serial only. I also know that the old serial optipac and the new usb optipac have different sized circuit boards, and I would assume differently designed circuitry. Still, I may bounce the idea off Andy.
-88mph
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Nevermind.. I just bit the bullet and ordered a new USB optipac. No more serial hell for me!
-88mph