Encoder options

[ashardin]

I'm working on my 5th mame cabinet.  1 I kept for myself and 3 I built for family and friends.  The first 4 were full sized cabs, this one is different.  I'm going to cram a PC and 9" monitor into a Merit Pit boss shell.  Space is a premium, and I'm only going to have room for 1 player, I'm planning a joystick, 2 (possibly 3, although I'm not sure of the need) player buttons, and a start and coin button.

All of my projects before I have used I-pacs for the keyboard encoder and have been more than happy, I think Andy's product is great.  I think an I-pac is overkill for this project though, plus I am trying to keep my costs at rock buttom as i will probably end up giving this as a gift to my nephews for Christmas.  

I've seen that really cheap encoder on Ebay, but I haven't heard anyone that has had any luck with it.  Also, it needs to be programmable (I'll need to make shortcuts for some keypresses, i.e. escape).

Would the Keywhiz be an a good option?  Any other ones that I am missing?  

Thanks, just trying to plan before I dive headlong into this.

[mattreynolds]

I'm planning a similar project (mini-itx computer and 10" Sony Trinitron monitor in a custom countertop cabinet) and will likely use a MS Sidewinder hack for an encoder.  Cheap, cheap, cheap...  With only one joystick and a few buttons, this will hopefully be perfect.

Matthew

[Captain Rotundo]

I am building boards off the SNES joystick schematics available on this site.  the design works great, and it fun to be a little more hands on in the joystick interface.  Once I get the boards done (sometime this week, I am having a co-worker that knows orcad do a nice layout for me) I am going to patch the linux SNES driver to allow the extra four inputs available this way (If I can, I suspect it will be super easy or not possible (button limits or whatnot).   Either way I will put the patch and board layout on a web page soon.

Not for every one, but I want to be hands on in each aspect of my cab design.... or course I will be buying a video card from andy, I am not about to lay that out

[SirPeale]

I've seen that really cheap encoder on Ebay, but I haven't heard anyone that has had any luck with it.  Also, it needs to be programmable (I'll need to make shortcuts for some keypresses, i.e. escape).

Would the Keywhiz be an a good option?  Any other ones that I am missing?

The encoders you referenced on eBay do work (so they've been reporting, anyway) but I don't know if you'll find any more or not.  Paige Oliver reported the other day that his FINALLY showed up a week after the seller was kicked off eBay, and a month after Paige had given him a negative.  More in the 'Projects Announcements' section, under 'Battlezone Project.'

As for the KeyWiz, it's awesome.

For something this small, you might want to go with a keyboard hack, esp if it doesn't need that many inputs.  My next will be a countertop/bartop, and should have 9 inputs total.  

[paigeoliver]

You don't need programmability. Not with Mame and a good front end. As long as your front end can have the keypresses assigned, then you are golden.