Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum

Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: numbnutz48 on October 01, 2009, 07:43:55 pm

Title: To spin or not to Spin
Post by: numbnutz48 on October 01, 2009, 07:43:55 pm
I am a big fan of Tron and of the sprint driving game. My question is, are those two games worth installing a spinner in my cabinet. Secondly, if i do, what is a good all around spinner (no pun intended)?

I have an IPAC 4 player interface if that makes a difference
Title: Re: To spin or not to Spin
Post by: Ginsu Victim on October 01, 2009, 07:48:57 pm
Don't forget Tempest, Arkanoid, and Cameltry.

I made my own spinner out of an optical mouse, a hard drive bearing, and a few other odds and ends. It works great and only cost me under $10.
Title: Re: To spin or not to Spin
Post by: numbnutz48 on October 01, 2009, 08:05:02 pm
forgot about tempest, that game was the bomb. Do you know how easy a store bought spinner would connect with an IPAC. i'm not real technical when it come to this stuff.
Title: Re: To spin or not to Spin
Post by: Encryptor on October 01, 2009, 08:58:03 pm
You don't hook a spinner to an IPAC. You need a different interface. You need an Optipac from Ultimarc or a OptiWiz from groovygamegear. Or you could invest in a TT2 spinner from groovygamegear which has the interface built in and you can also hook a trackball to it. There is also the Spintrak from Ultimarc.


Encryptor
Title: Re: To spin or not to Spin
Post by: Endaar on October 01, 2009, 10:25:40 pm
If you're a big fan of a game that requires a spinner, then I think you've answered your own question. Personally I've got a TT2 which works great, but I'm not sure having a spinner was worth it for me.

Endaar
Title: Re: To spin or not to Spin
Post by: numbnutz48 on October 01, 2009, 11:17:14 pm
wanna sell me your spinner?? :laugh:
Title: Re: To spin or not to Spin
Post by: severdhed on October 01, 2009, 11:20:14 pm
i made a spinner out of a mouse and hard drive, and it worked great.  however, even though i enjoy tempest and cameltry, and even arkanoid...i found that i just didnt use it very much.  i ended up removing it during a panel revision, and i havent missed it.  i still play cameltry sometimes, using my trackball, it works just fine.
Title: Re: To spin or not to Spin
Post by: Epyx on October 01, 2009, 11:44:58 pm
I have the TT2 as well and for me it was worth it. Its great for a lot of driving games as well or games like Ironman Super Off Road. Plus Typhoon 2001 for the PC is worth it alone for the spinner..great Tempest remake.
Title: Re: To spin or not to Spin
Post by: vidmouse on October 02, 2009, 12:41:56 am
The spinner was the last thing i put on my cab, mostly because it took me
awhile to come up with the right parts for the mouse hack.  I ended up using
an old VCR head instead of a harddrive, but the principle's the same.

I had done a mousehack earlier for my trackball and had been "getting by"
using the trackball's x direction for spinner games, but now that I have
my homemade spinner I'd NEVER go back --- what a BIG difference--- gives
 my cab a whole new life and I'm constantly playing it more and more.

One of my favorites is "Crater Raider".

And there are several "Sprint" type games... Badlands, Super Sprint,
Championship Sprint, etc et c....

Star Trek has also been much fun.

The biggest discovery has been how much of a Tempest fan I have
become... never got into this game as a kid but I love it now and so
do my kids.  My son and daughter even work together on it (one spins
while the other shoots).