Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum

Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: Level42 on August 17, 2005, 04:21:32 am

Title: Servo controlled 4/8 way switching...?
Post by: Level42 on August 17, 2005, 04:21:32 am

While my nephew was demonstrating his new electric remote car, I got the following idea:

Did anybody think of making the 4/8 way ring that selects the mode on your joystick movable via a servo ??

Like the Omni stick prodigy but then completely hidden in your cab and controlled by a switch, or a button combination or even better, make a front-end hack that automaticaly sets the stick in the correct mode for the chosen game  ;D ;D ;D

I hear some of you say: lot of work, hard to do, lots of space....but this IS the Build Your Own Arcade controls forum isnt it ? I think it fits nicely in the rotatable monitor line, so there must be a way to do this...

Title: Re: Servo controlled 4/8 way switching...?
Post by: Tiger-Heli on August 17, 2005, 09:01:25 am

Been discussed before.  Should be completely doable and much more expensive than buying a GP-Wiz49 and 49-way joystick, unless you just HAVE to have a very short throw joystick.

Title: Re: Servo controlled 4/8 way switching...?
Post by: AlanS17 on August 17, 2005, 09:09:58 am

Well there is a difference. One offers true physical restriction and one doesn't. It seems simple enough in concept, but a true pain in the butt in application. I know I don't havr that kind of patience.

Title: Re: Servo controlled 4/8 way switching...?
Post by: Minwah on August 17, 2005, 10:09:19 am

I think someone did it with a J-Stik, or at least tried to.

I like the idea, I'd love to have automatic switching on my J-Stik.  On the other hand I would probably rather manually switch than figure out how the hell to do it  :D

Title: Re: Servo controlled 4/8 way switching...?
Post by: Stingray on August 17, 2005, 11:59:56 am

Quote from: Minwah on August 17, 2005, 10:09:19 am

I like the idea, I'd love to have automatic switching on my J-Stik.  On the other hand I would probably rather manually switch than figure out how the hell to do it  :D

My sentements exactly. Although it would be neat, it takes about half a second to switch my Omnistick, it would take me months to engineer and build something to do it for me. Having said that, if someone decides to give it a go, do post pics.

-S

Title: Re: Servo controlled 4/8 way switching...?
Post by: Level42 on August 17, 2005, 12:27:27 pm

Ha, yeah, all very true but it was just an idea that struck me, hand't seen it here before (still pretty new to this forum :) ) and didn't search for it either, since I guess I didn't expect someone to have actualy done it.

O well, maybe when we retire ?

Title: Re: Servo controlled 4/8 way switching...?
Post by: ErikRuud on August 18, 2005, 11:17:26 am

Something like this (http://www.phidgets.com/index.php?module=pncommerce&func=itemview&KID=112437806512.106.254.66&IID=30) would make it really easy to do.


The big question is how strong of a servo would it take.  They get pretty expensive as the torque goes up.