WOW New LightGUN Info !!! Woot!!! :)

[BASS!]

If someone were to figure out a simple way of modding a wiimote into a new shell then this whole issue would be solved. Mame accepts mouse input, and the wiimote allready has perfectly working mouse drivers. I would love to hack apart a wiimote for my arcade but not if it looks like this:



I have found this though:



So, rip the guts, get an airsoft and install them. I've found tons of resources for cheap airsoft guns to gut, its just, who is going to take this over.

[andressauceda]

Excellent examples of a gun uprightbass360.



OK, about the text of the topgun plugged to the USB it is...

USB not recognized.
one of the USB devises attached to this computer has malfunctioned and Windows does not recognize it.

I plug and unplug in different USB port but the same result came in each one, so my only hope is to try in a different PC so i will in short.

[joshlindem]

Forgive me for not going through all 46 pages of this topic....

But would this gun work in DOS for MAME?  Or it is pretty much a Windows-based thing?

I'm running DOS/ArcadeOS/DMame0.100, and I'm curious if I can do this with my cab

[purpledrillmonkey]

Those wii gun brackets are crap...

This one is not:


a review: http://gear.ign.com/articles/841/841403p1.html

I have 2 of these things and they work great.  Tons of fun for Ghost Squad and Umbrella Chronicles, and im looking to pick up the House of the Dead compilation soon.

[Games001]

Monkey, on what setup are you running these two Wiimote Guns, and what devices/programs/monitors have you used to make it work for you?

How responsive are they, etc?

[AndyWarne]

Hi Andy,
I do not have a clue what it would take to do it, but I would really like to see an interface for the original arcade guns. Is there any possibility of this?

It would be possible but I dont think the result would be all that good for the following reasons:
Arcade guns were never very accurate.
They are generally not very good looking, cheap plastic moldings.
They use old technology.
They would only work with CRT monitors.
They would not be wireless, and would need at least a cable, or even the nasty thick hosepipes used on the original machines which I dont really believe many people would want despite the authenticity.
They are affected by external light.
Its necessary to flash the screen white when the trigger is pulled. I just don't like this.

I suppose the real reason is that I am just like the way the Wii-mote works so much from the technical point of view. It just renders every other method obsolete which is why I have a box with arcade gun parts and other assorted light guns which I will probably never do anything with.

Andy

[Jdurg]

You know Andy, you could always work on creating Wiimote gun housings that would look pretty damned good and wouldn't require any, or much, hacking at all of the Wiimote.  I'm sure that would sell pretty damned well.

[purpledrillmonkey]

Monkey, on what setup are you running these two Wiimote Guns, and what devices/programs/monitors have you used to make it work for you?

How responsive are they, etc?

sorry, guess i should have specified... im just using them for my wii right now. I was just mentioning the bracket itself seeing as some people couldnt find a good one to use in case these ever work in mame

[arbrandes]

Hi there, my first post.  Nice little community you guys have here!

So here's the deal: I just bought the TopGun from play-asia.  I'm going to use it exclusively on a Linux box (it's an HTPC).  What I found out, though, is that Christophe Thibault's (know here as ronaegis) linux driver is no longer available at kaillera.com/topgun/.  Do any of you guys still have it lying around somewhere?

It was called topgun-0.1.tar.gz, if the Wayback Machine is to be trusted (too bad it doesn't archive tarballs too!):

http://web.archive.org/web/20070118173747/http://kaillera.com/topgun/

Thanks a bunch!
Afoldo

[arbrandes]

Waddya know, kaillera.com (and the linux driver) is back up!  Here's the file just in case it goes down again.

[wbassett]

So, rip the guts, get an airsoft and install them. I've found tons of resources for cheap airsoft guns to gut, its just, who is going to take this over.

First...  great site and forum guys!  No fighting or crazy stuff like I see on some other places and the information is top shelf!

The AirSoft idea is cool, but as the owner of several, it could be a bit harder than it seems.  Depending on the type you get, there isn't a lot of room inside them, especially the spring guns.  There are some cheapo (but good looking) electric guns that may work a bit better.

Just wanted to mention that. 

[wbassett]

I bought the LCD Light Gun and then found this forum.  Always seems to be that way doesn't it?    You buy something and then find a site like this!

Anyway, I'm still working with it.  My first impressions when I got it was 'COOL!'  The instructions didn't seem too clear, but I figured how hard could it be to setup?  That was my first error. 

When I first plugged it in, I immediately lost control of my mouse.  The trackball still worked, but the mouse was dead.  I moved things around on the USB hub and the mouse started working.

The next thing I ran into was that it wasn't loading the EMS drivers properly.  (Again I wish I would have found this site first).  I finally got them installed, but I can't see it in the Device manager.  I was able to 'calibrate' the gun to the light strips and all the buttons worked with their little test program and I was able to hit the targets in the other test program provided, but it was anything but accurate.  The test programs they provide are a royal pain to try and exit out of too.

I then fired up Police Trainer, which is what had me excited about this gun and building a MAME console, and nadda.

I couldn't get it to work with any MAME shooter.  I took it upstairs to my other system which is online to try and get it working and found this thread.  I was pretty frustrated at first, the SMOG drivers seem like the way to go, but the early posts all have bad links.  I had to read for a couple hours until I found a good link.  I'll be trying that out in the next day or two and hope it works.

So I'm a bit mixed right now.  The gun looks fantastic, but is a bit on the expensive side and the company doesn't seem to have the best support or firmware.  My impression is it's a bit thrown together and based on that it really should be still in R&D or half the price at least.

I was out at Best Buy and on a whim I picked up Time Crisis 4 and it includes the new Guncon 4 with it.  It is also an LCD setup.  It uses two smaller squares that each have three LEDs.  The LEDs are bigger and even though the units are smaller than the LCD Topgun strips, they are also heavier.

I was a bit concerned since it says it only goes up to a 50" TV and I have a 55" SXRD.  (I didn't try the Guncon 4 with the Mame setup... more on why in a sec...) and it was a breeze.  Once everything was plugged in and the PS3 was fired up, it came right up with a calibration setup.  Everything is explained right on the screen, and you only have to shoot two targets- Upper Left and Lower Right.  I was surprised how easy and simple it was.  I then clicked on the game and was playing...  literally took me less than five minutes.  This baby is responsive and very accurate too and I can report that it works on every inch of my 55" set.

Unfortunately... no PC drivers for the Guncon 4, so I can't test it with MAME.  I looked all over the net for some and nadda.  Looks like one of the guru's here is going to have to do it because this is one bad gun.

My biggest 'beef' with it though aside from lack of PC drivers, is as good as it is, it's just not as cool looking as the Topgun.  It's solid orange and has a controller stuck to the side of it, so it's a bit funky looking.

Also, and this may be something of interest, the Guncon 4 can be much closer to the screen.  IF I could get it working on my MAME cab, which for now has a 21" Trinitron PC monitor in it, I could stand as close as 2.6' away or max distance of 7.6' (as per the user manual).   This is a much better range than the Topgun.

What would be cool is if the LED's from the Guncon 4 could be used with the Topgun since they seem to be much higher quality.

So right now, I have two guns but neither work with my cab.  I looked at the ACT Labs PC guns and their adaper boxes, and quickly came to the realization this is going to be expensive.  The guns are cheap priced at $10 a gun, but whew... that adapter!  $80!  That's $180 for two guns before shipping (granted that's the site cost, could be cheaper elsewhere by a few dollars) and I still don't have a high comfort level that it will work.

I'm going to be trying Smog's drivers for the Topgun, but I am not too keen about how far back it looks like I'll have to stand.  If I can't get the Topgun working, I'll see if I can get it working with the PS3 or 360 and maybe give it to my son and look for other options for my cab.

I understand MAME cabs aren't as mainstream as a game console, but there are a lot of people out there with them.  You'd think someone would have developed a package deal that works out of the box. 

[deoblo85]

i have two topguns and i dont know how they work for  ps2 but for the pc 
(mame) i cant get them to work for ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---!!!!! work on it for four day now man i hope its me because im going to break these damn things the calibrations on a lcd dont work right and im not the only person with this problem...... but i seen it played on xbox and it look pretty good you only need one set of leds for two guns but if someone gets it working for mame please help and post a config!!!!!!!!!!

[arbrandes]

Ok, I whipped up a new version of Chris's Linux driver.  It should now work on newer kernels.  Tested on Ubuntu Gutsy.

[northerngames]

That sharkgun pictured above has to be on the top 10 retardedest creations ever list.

PEGA!!!

[fjl]

lol, retardedest isn't even a word.

[djvj]

Trying to figure out this thread, has anybody been able to get the wiimotes working with mame? If not whats the current limitation, drivers?

[wbassett]

I did some more playing around with my TopGun and it's still a no go.  It seems to work somewhat but not through Mame.  I may have to do a reg sweep for old driver entries.

Question...  On the EMS website they say this will work with the PS3.  For the hell of it I plugged it into my PS3 to see if it would work any better with it and the screen flashes 'Unknown Device Connected".  Has anyone else had this problem or has anyone been able to get their TopGun to work with a PS3?  I'm thinking I may have a bad gun.

I still have some playing around to do, but man... for $60 (Price plus shipping) you'd really expect this to work right out of the box... at least I did!

Oh...  Yes I changed the switch on the bottom of the gun too.  Actually I tried it in both positions...

[aljupy]

Question...  On the EMS website they say this will work with the PS3.  For the hell of it I plugged it into my PS3 to see if it would work any better with it and the screen flashes 'Unknown Device Connected".  Has anyone else had this problem or has anyone been able to get their TopGun to work with a PS3?  I'm thinking I may have a bad gun.

That means that it is compatible With a GUNCON2 GAME in a PS3 . So you need a OLD GUNCON2 game (Like Time Crisis 2 or 3), and a PS3 compatible with PS2 games.

Of course, "TIME CRISIS 4" for PS3 is just GUNCON3 compatible, not TOPGUN.

[wbassett]

Okay thanks for the reply.  That's a normal message then.

Hopefully I can get this working this weekend, I really want to play Police Trainer and a few other games as well.  If I can get this working it also opens the door for using a larger LCD monitor instead of my 21" Trinitron. 

I read through the forum on the EMS website and should have done that before buying this.  8 pages of people having trouble.

[arbrandes]

Well, for the people having trouble, my conclusion about the TopGun is that it is finnicky.  But once you tame it, it works as advertised.  Basically, one should pay a lot of attention to where and in what orientation they place the IR leds, use powered USB hubs if going for the recoil, and finally, discover the best spots to aim for the hardware calibration (which definitely AREN'T at the exact corners of the screen).

That said, me and the wife are very happy using it with MythTV on the living room TV, playing mostly sdlmame games such as Time Crisis, Duck Hunt and Area 51 (need a faster CPU for CarnEvil, though).  Accuracy is good enough to be able to shoot without the laser pointer or on-screen cursors, once we got calibration right (some mame titles need to be calibrated in-game).

All in all, this is a satisfied customer.

[weisshaupt]

I Actually had no issues with 1 gun, it was 2 that gave me trouble... and that was more of a driver/Mame interaction...

I would add the advice of, before doing anything, download the diagnositic driver and have a look around in your room for IR signals the gun can see.. if there are other IR sources besides the sensors the gun is going to be just difficult.

[GreatLamer]

I am also satisfied with the gun - once I figured out how it works. (Hungarians should check the ems-topgun.blogspot.com)

But the other question for the future: Vista 32/64, XP 64 drivers are missing, and no dual lightgun possibility on PC. EMS Topgun looks a good but abandoned product. I don't believe EMS planning Topgun II.

[arbrandes]

But the other question for the future: Vista 32/64, XP 64 drivers are missing

The future is Linux, and since the Linux driver is open-source, we're all set.   They just need to keep manufacturing the gun.

[wbassett]

Well, for the people having trouble, my conclusion about the TopGun is that it is finnicky.  But once you tame it, it works as advertised. 

IF you can 'tame' it.

For those that got it to work, I say great and fantastic.  For the price of the gun with shipping though, it's a mess.

I am a network/electrical engineer by trade, so I know my way around computers and electronics and this isn't ready for prime time in my opinion.

I tried every driver, every combination mentioned on here and on other sites and in the end my Mame cab is down.  It can be fixed no problem, but it'll be extra time wasted since it was all working before and does annoy me.  Why is it down?  From all the un-installs, reinstalls... try this, try that... system restores... eventually my system said enough is enough.

I couldn't even get the LCDImage to load and work properly.

Looking through my digital cam I only saw one IR dot.  Maybe I have bad hardware, and that's the most likely scenario, but when you spend $60 or more on something you expect it to work.  If I had spent $10-$20 on this I wouldn't be too upset because you get what you pay for.  Yes I expected this to work after reading reviews and watching UTube vids of it, everything I bought so far for my cab has worked right out of the box and as advertised except this.

Guy's, I'm not talking about problems in Mame, (although as I mentioned I ended up crashing my cab) this thing just wouldn't work with the company drivers or Smog's.  It did get a bit further with Smog's drivers, but still failed.  To call a spade a spade, there is no reason why this shouldn't work out of the box and with the company's own drivers and setup.  I understand for some it does, but keep in mind for many it doesn't, and that's where the problem is.

I scoured the web and even the company website and as I said in an earlier post, 8 pages of people having problems out of the box.  When a company sends people to a private individuals home grown driver over their own that says volumes and that there are problems.  Even this thread is more about people having problems than successes.  Eventually barring any hardware issues if a person is persistant enough they sometimes get it to work.

Again, for those that got this to work and love it, I applaud you, but in my opinion on doing many HT equipment reviews, and my experience with computers and electronics- This isn't a finished product by no means.  I have seen the PS2 version of this gun and this one looks a lot like a thrown together gun to try and fill a niche and snag some market money.  Sometimes it works for people, a lot of the times it doesn't or it's buggy, and if you step back and are honest, that's really unacceptable today.

I apologize to those that love it, but there are too many bad guns shipped and too many setup problems to really recommend this for everyone.  It's more of a 'if you're lucky' maybe the money you spent will be worth it for a few months. 

I really wanted to like this gun.  It looks good and feels good but just doesn't work for a lot of people, myself included.

Oh, I was looking at my cab before coming upstairs and those wires hanging down in front of the bezel... there really has to be a better way than this.  Who wants a nice cab and then wires dangling all over the place?

Yes I am a bit negative right now, but seeing how well other guns setup and work and all the problems with this one, it's not worth the money. 

Now I will tear it apart and see if I can do something with it.  Personally, I'm not too happy spending $60 plus with shipping for something that's still not even in the beta stage of functionality. 

I'd play with it some more, but now I have to fix my cab, so no more time will be spent on this thing.  BTW, before calling it a night, I fired up my PS3 and Time Crisis 4 and was up and playing in less than five minutes, including calibration.  I spent $70 for the gun and game and it works flawlessly.  It's everything the TopGun should have been right out of the box.

The bottom line is that I fully understand that with Mame there does come a learning curve as well as setup, configuration, and trial and error.   This exceeds any reasonably tweaking in my opinion and as good as the gun looks... buyer beware, it has problems and some guns may work for some people, but that's no guarantee it will work for you.

[arbrandes]

Looking through my digital cam I only saw one IR dot.

Well, there's your problem.  You got defective LEDs.  While you're completely in the right to be pissed off, a DOA is something that happens to all products nowadays, including high-end electronics.  Agreed that in this case it's worse because there's no cost-effective way to RMA the gun.

The point is, defective LEDs and DOAs are not a design flaw per-se.  They're more of a fact-of-life.  As I wrote previously, the gun *does* have some design flaws, specifically the inherent troubles of an IR solution (maybe that's why the Wii uses accelerometers in addition to IR), and the fact that hardware calibration is a bit off.  But for around US$50,00 with shipping, can you show me another gun that doesn't need messing around with video signals (much worse than messing around with USB)?

Also, if Mame is what you play, I strongly recommend you to ditch Windows and use Linux.  I got the TopGun driver working beautifully with sdlmame; you can find it a few posts up.

One other nitpick: $60?  American dollars?  I got mine for less than US$50 including shipping, and that's to Brazil (i.e., about as far from Hong Kong as you can get).

[wbassett]

Looking through my digital cam I only saw one IR dot.

Well, there's your problem.  You got defective LEDs.  While you're completely in the right to be pissed off, a DOA is something that happens to all products nowadays, including high-end electronics.  Agreed that in this case it's worse because there's no cost-effective way to RMA the gun.

The point is, defective LEDs and DOAs are not a design flaw per-se.  They're more of a fact-of-life.  As I wrote previously, the gun *does* have some design flaws, specifically the inherent troubles of an IR solution (maybe that's why the Wii uses accelerometers in addition to IR), and the fact that hardware calibration is a bit off.  But for around US$50,00 with shipping, can you show me another gun that doesn't need messing around with video signals (much worse than messing around with USB)?

Also, if Mame is what you play, I strongly recommend you to ditch Windows and use Linux.  I got the TopGun driver working beautifully with sdlmame; you can find it a few posts up.

One other nitpick: $60?  American dollars?  I got mine for less than US$50 including shipping, and that's to Brazil (i.e., about as far from Hong Kong as you can get).

Oh I totally agree with there aways being a chance of something being DOA.  I've run into this with server and router replacement parts from time to time as well as the occasional electronics replacement part.

It seems there is a much higher percentage of bad guns going out though than there really should be.  That along with the company not having rock solid drivers and setup procedure is what I am talking about as far as this really being a beta stage product. 

I envy those that got their guns to work, but from all the sites I read it doesn't have a very good track record when you look at things as a whole.  I also understand that MAME will take some tweaking too, but when the gun is this difficult to setup right out of the box, it only makes things more complicated.  As I mentioned, the Guncon 3 works flawlessly and sets up in a minute, albiet it only works on the PS3.  That is somewhat how I am gaging the TopGun and there really is no reason it shouldn't be as solid as the Guncon 3.

My advice to people is to make sure you buy from a company that will support the product and if need be take the TopGun back and send a replacement.  Again I really like the look and feel of it, but after several attempts and a ten hour marathon this weekend my gun is a no go, so I can't attest to how well it actually works.

I see a slew of cordless guns out there for the PS2, so it looks like only  a matter of time before they make their way over to the Mame world.  I'll see if I can get replacement LED strips, but still don't like the dangling wire aspect and look.  If it's the only option available, then I'll have to suck it up and accept that. 

[arbrandes]

If it's the only option available, then I'll have to suck it up and accept that.

Which is why this thread is 46 pages long.   I guess we all, even the ones that *got* the gun to work, know that it is imperfect.  But as I said, once and if you tame it, it solves a complicated problem cheaply but in an relatively elegant manner.

There might be, however, an even more elegant solution for Mame, and that is the Wiimote.  I have yet to investigate this fully, but have wanted to hook up a Wiimote to the PC for a long time.  If it works, for the approximate price of an LCD TopGun you get a fully wireless lightgun *that works with LCDs*, albeit with no recoil.  I know there are more than a few working drivers out there, but the question remains if any of them work in absolute mode, i.e., for aiming at the screen.

[wbassett]

arbrandes I've been looking at that too.  One of the uncertainties is will it support two?

One thing that will support two is a Gyration GyroTransport air mouse.

I'm going to try something, most likely it won't work but I'll give it a try... I'm going to try using the LEDs from my Guncon3 since they appear to be much higher quality and construction.  I suspect that the TopGun is looking for a certain pattern though but I'll give it a try.

I haven't gutted the gun nor done anything to damage it but I did do an initial inspection of it.  The slide comes off very easy with no fear of breaking it.  A slightly stronger spring (or stretching it slightly) could give a little more pop to the recoil for those that use recoil.  I did notice with mine that when it recoils it strikes the 'hammer' D Pad quite a bit.  I don't know if this causes any play issues or not, but depending on the game and system I can see where it might.  It's nothing that a light filing won't fix though.

Inside the gun it's packed.  The recoil is done via a gear mechanism and there is a rather significant size circuit board in there too.  The handle grips don't have anything under them except what looks like access to another jewelers screw for opening the main body housing of the gun.  It is surprisingly well engineered (the gun housing and grips I should say which are actually two pieces per side).  This gun looks identical as far as I can tell to the PS2 guncon version, so I doubt EMS made the gun itself, it looks like they just made the electronics and retrofitted them into the housing.

A major step up would be if they dropped the bulky ugly LED setup and went with a gyro system like the Wii mote and Gyration uses.  (Interesting note: Gyration helped develop the tracking system for the Wii mote).  What sets it apart from the Wii mote is it does not require an LED at all, and there are no cords to contend with either.  It comes with an RF dongle and... I called the company and confirmed that you can indeed run two of them on one PC at the same time.  So theoretically since they are a mouse device, they should work fine with Mame. 

That's really how EMS should have gone in my opinion, and yes, this would allow it to work with any display and not just a CRT, plus it should be plug 'n play too.  I've been scouring the net the past couple of weeks and I am seeing some pretty cool looking wireless guns for the PS2 that don't use LED strips...  So maybe EMS will go that route, or hopefully soon we'll see someone release a gun that works on a PC and uses this technology.

[wbassett]

Which is why this thread is 46 pages long.   I guess we all, even the ones that *got* the gun to work, know that it is imperfect.  But as I said, once and if you tame it, it solves a complicated problem cheaply but in an relatively elegant manner.

Sadly I didn't find this site until after my actual build was underway and I had already purchased the TopGun. 

That's why I'm making a link to this forum from the Home Theater site I moderate on.  I am chronicling my cab build over there too and people are starting to take an interest!  It makes perfect sense if you think about it, every movie theater I've been in has at least one or two arcade machines, so for a person setting up a Home Theater, a MAME cab fits in perfect with the decor and feel!

This site and you guys really are amazing and this should be the first place anyone goes before starting a cab project.

[arbrandes]

A major step up would be if they dropped the bulky ugly LED setup and went with a gyro system like the Wii mote and Gyration uses.  (Interesting note: Gyration helped develop the tracking system for the Wii mote).

No can do.  Gyros are not enough for absolute or constrained positioning.  That's the whole reason why a Wiimote also uses IR LEDs.  By the way, my only doubt regarding using the Wiimote as a lightgun on the PC is whether the available drivers support the IR tracking subsystem.

If they don't, this means we only get access to the gyros.  But by their very nature it is next to impossible to extract reliable absolute positioning from them, much as any kind of mouse.  That's why mice suck at substituting for lightguns, another reason why there are so few PC lightgun games.

Trust me, I have a gyro-equipped remote (Gyration's very own Universal Media Center Remote), and even though it's great for web browsing on the TV, Google Earth, and AudioSurf, it absolutely *stinks* as a Mame light gun.  So you might as well give up the idea that you'll be rid of the IR LEDs any time soon, on any platform.

[arbrandes]

Sadly I didn't find this site until after my actual build was underway and I had already purchased the TopGun. 

Which is to say, if you had found the forum beforehand, you would still have bought the TopGun (as I did, simply because there are no alternatives), but would not be so disappointed with its shortcomings.

Enjoy your stay!

[wbassett]

No can do.  Gyros are not enough for absolute or constrained positioning.  That's the whole reason why a Wiimote also uses IR LEDs.  By the way, my only doubt regarding using the Wiimote as a lightgun on the PC is whether the available drivers support the IR tracking subsystem.

I have seen a few people get it working fine as a mouse pointer in Windows, but haven't seen anyone use it for Mame yet. 

If they don't, this means we only get access to the gyros.  But by their very nature it is next to impossible to extract reliable absolute positioning from them, much as any kind of mouse.  That's why mice suck at substituting for lightguns, another reason why there are so few PC lightgun games.

Like I said, I'm still giving them a try but will admit I am frustrated with it.  If nothing works, then I'll play around with it, even if it works like a mouse and isn't exactly like a light gun that would be better than how it is now.  Otherwise it's a $60 laser cat toy

Trust me, I have a gyro-equipped remote (Gyration's very own Universal Media Center Remote), and even though it's great for web browsing on the TV, Google Earth, and AudioSurf, it absolutely *stinks* as a Mame light gun.  So you might as well give up the idea that you'll be rid of the IR LEDs any time soon, on any platform.

Good points.  I was looking at a lot of demo video's about the various air mice available and yes I agree they don't have any constraints and you can point them anywhere and move the mouse, so getting it to track the target with the gun is going to be a problem.

Perhaps a better and more elegant LED solution for the time being.  One thing I keep reading about are LED issues with the TopGun as well as interference from just about anything.  In this respect, and my often made comparison, the Guncon 3 flat out works and works well, so we know this technology can be made stable and robust.

Again, I want to say this to make sure I don't sound argumentative, I really am not trying to be confriontational and I am enjoying this discussion.

In the big scheme of things I can afford the $66 I spent, but am disappointed.  My son was thinking of getting a TopGun too because he thought it was the coolest thing ever, but he works part time minimum wage and $50 or $60 is a big deal to someone like him. 

I tried my gun out on three different systems too, so I am giving it a lot of attempts.  If the Guncon 3 LEDs don't work (which I'm pretty sure they won't), then maybe I'll check on getting some new strips from EMS.  I don't want to put a ton of money in it though and still end up with issues, but I'll go that step and get replacement LEDs before calling my experience a total failure.

[arbrandes]

I am enjoying this discussion.

Me too!

I don't want to put a ton of money in it though and still end up with issues, but I'll go that step and get replacement LEDs before calling my experience a total failure.

When dealing with a niche hobby market (i.e. when you're at the mercy of only a couple of manufacturers), to get things working the way you want you end up spending a good amount of a combination of three things: time, money, and skill.  Usually a lot of two of them, either time and money, or time and skill.  For example, I have just spent 4 months and in excess of US$1500 to assemble my dream computer chair [1], and it is *still* missing some parts.

The same goes for my open-source based home-theater PC, to which the TopGun is connected.  I guess I wasn't too disappointed in the gun because I'm used to spending countless hours having to debug, adjust, and occasionally replace every single component of the system, from the keyboard to the version of Mame.  Damn, I had to rewrite the Linux driver just to get Mame to see the gun!

The point is that at least to me, fiddling and experimenting is just part of the fun.  But that's because I'm willing to commit the (rather meager) time and resources at my disposal.  If you don't have enough time and resources, and are not willing to commit to learning the required skills, then just don't start.

So my advice to your son is this: "Buy your dad's gun once it's working, and let him spend money on getting it up to speed".  My advice to you is this: "Since you're putting up the venture capital, get your son to take the brunt of the fiddling and adjusting."

Oh, and as soon as I scrounge up some more of those precious resources (this is starting to sound like an RTS game), I'm going to tackle the Wiimote idea.  Will post results, naturally.

[1] http://picasaweb.google.com/arbrandes/TexasBallshaker5000

[wbassett]

I am enjoying this discussion.

Me too!

I don't want to put a ton of money in it though and still end up with issues, but I'll go that step and get replacement LEDs before calling my experience a total failure.

So my advice to your son is this: "Buy your dad's gun once it's working, and let him spend money on getting it up to speed".  My advice to you is this: "Since you're putting up the venture capital, get your son to take the brunt of the fiddling and adjusting."

Oh, and as soon as I scrounge up some more of those precious resources (this is starting to sound like an RTS game), I'm going to tackle the Wiimote idea.  Will post results, naturally.

[1] http://picasaweb.google.com/arbrandes/TexasBallshaker5000

No worries on his part, If I get it working reliably I'd give it to him and get another one for myself.

I have to confirm this, but a third party source (doncha just hate those!) said they called Act-Labs and were told to look for a gun that works with LCD, Plasma, and projectors in June or July...  so I'm going to give them a call to try and confirm that.  Looks like something may be coming sooner than we thought.

[z38gm]

I am the third party source (hate me if you wish  ). This is my short correspondence with Act Labs taken from my email.

My question:

I was wondering if any plans for a LCD compatible, MAME Gun was in the works. I would be very interested in such a unit and know many people who would be as well.

Their reply:

Please come back after June to see if we have any success on that.

[danp]

WOW!  This is a heavy thread.  I've read several reviews and am very excited about this product.  I would love to add 2 guns to my cabinet.  I'm sure many of these questions have been answered, but I've been reading this thread for over an hour and thought I'd ask a few questions that jump out at me.

1.) What has been the best source to purchase this item?
2.) Are there any systems this does not run on?  I've read some statements of this gun not working, but it appears to be programming issues.
3.) It appears most people have a lot of headaches until they get their system setup.  I was thinking of adjusting my monitor and all programs to the same resolution (any suggested resolutions?).  Having said that, what thread page might have the best step by step installation steps to get two guns operating at maximum performance?
4.) I know this is programmed under mouse settings, can this be used as a mouse on the desktop to open programs?

This is extremely exciting, when I started my MAME I did not think adding the guns would be realistic.  Again, if any of these questions appear obvious or already stated I apologize! 

[wbassett]

I am the third party source (hate me if you wish  ).

I worded that wrong!  I meant to say doncha just hate those references...  definitely don't hate you z38gm

[GreatLamer]

1.) What has been the best source to purchase this item? - Playasia.com

3.) It appears most people have a lot of headaches until they get their system setup.  I was thinking of adjusting my monitor and all programs to the same resolution (any suggested resolutions?).  Having said that, what thread page might have the best step by step installation steps to get two guns operating at maximum performance? --- Not the resolution the mainpoint but the aspect ratio. For example, I play everything in stretch mode for 16:10, and only one calibration need for this. For example: I play Virtua Cop 2 in 640x400, and mame games (mostly 320x224 originals) stretched for the screen edge.

4.) I know this is programmed under mouse settings, can this be used as a mouse on the desktop to open programs? --- Hard to pull the trigger twice for doubleclicking. Not recommended. Hard to shot twice a 32x32 px area, but possible. Windows not a game

[wbassett]

Being a car enthusiast as well as this hobby and a few others...  A 'light' went off as far as the TopGun!

I mean I still read stellar reviews for this gun, however still read a lot of user complaints too.  It struck me... it's a lot like a Ferrari!  They look good, and when they work, they perform very well and are hot!  However they also can be extremely tempermental and when they don't work they can be a nightmare.

I'm more of a Porsche guy myself having owned and driven several models   They perform extremely well and are much more reliable than a Ferrari.  Unfortunately we don't have a Porsche light gun. 

My advice for the TopGun is buy from a reputable seller that will provide support and exchange it if it is a bad unit.  I'm envious of all you out there that have this gun, got it working, and love it. 

danp I wish you the best of luck and hope you're one of the happy and lucky users.