Tearing my hair out with this #($&#(*^)(&^& light gun

[Smeghead]

I bought this
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=280518657301&Category=139969&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26its%3DI%26otn%3D2#ht_2960wt_1139
I installed and ran this
http://xoomer.virgilio.it/guncon2/
I installed MAMEUI and set lightgun 1 in the mame.ini

The mouse works great in Windows
The mouse works great in the Mame GUI menu
When inside a game, i can navigate the TAB menu with the gun
But it just WILL NOT MF***** well accept any inputs from the gun when i press enter to set something like "P1 Button1"  or "LightGun X Analog"
Its just absolutely WILL NOT work in a game, but works fine in absolutely EVERYTHING else


Even more frustrating, I works FINE in an old version on MAME - like mame32 0.03
All the games work fine with the gun, but the ones I really want to use it with (area51 etc) wont work with that version of MAME!!!!!!

WTF is there anything can I do to get this thing working with a version of mame that can work with the CHD files??

[romshark]

I've never used that type of gun, but getting it to work should be similar to getting Aimtrak to work (since Windows already can see it.) Being a CHD game or not shouldn't have any effect.

Check the settings, and make sure you turn on lightgun input and offscreen reload (and probably mouse input too.) Lightgun input is a separate setting that was added a while back.

Go in the game, and turn on your cursor [tab button]. If the cursor moves, you're all set. If not, use Tab to go into Input (for that game), and change Lightgun X Analog by moving the gun back and forth. Do the same for Y, and your trigger for P1 Button 1.

Sorry if this isn't very good instructions, in a bit of a hurry. Maybe someone else can clarify anything I left out.

[Smeghead]

yeah thats the problem, the light gun input box is always greyed out, although I can make it checked and greyed out by editing the mame.ini
The INput menu doesnt work because although I can navigate the menu WITH THE GUN when I press enter it doesnt 'hear' me waggling the gun to tell it "this is the x axis"
Its totally totally wierd and frustrating     

[Smeghead]

so after 9 hours of fighting it I offically give up

Who has windows XP and a gun that works with the latest Mame?

What type of gun is it? Ill just buy that one

[romshark]

Personally, I use an Ultimarc AimTrak (and there should be kit forms coming in a week or so.) But I fear that, since you have your current guns working in Windows itself, then the same thing will happen again even with new guns.  Hard to say, since the Guncon software appears to be 4 years old, and there's not much mention of MAME on the site.
Sorry I can't be more helpful. Never owned this type of gun.

[Smeghead]

yer
I just want whatever everyone else is using right now that works

[kronic24601]

Problem with AimTrack is that they don't have a shelf solution that you can just plug n-play (at least not yet), Andy is working on it, and I think it will be worth the wait.

I personally modded some old ActLabs guns and did install his kit, which does work pretty well. There still are minor driver issues and settings that have to be flushed out, but once you do things work pretty well.

Personally, I think to-date, the Ultimarc AimTrack is the current BEST solution, although it may still not be the "perfect" solution for those that don't like to tinker (but then again, people like that should stay away from MAME anyway).

EDIT: Andy just the full version should be released nxt week, read up on this thread:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=103021.msg1095971

[smalltownguy]

This has been mentioned before, but it bears mentioning again.

Aimtrak is the best option out there currently. If you can't/wont get it b/c you need to build a gun yourself, then you're in the wrong forum.

BYOAC is for 'build' your own arcade controls, not 'buy' your own arcade controls.

Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox now....

/ 

[bkenobi]

I have a pair of guns like yours working in XP with those drivers (0.9b5 I think).  I don't use the current version of MAME, but it's not that old (maybe a year or so).  I custom compiled MAME to remove the RAW input code (commenting out a single line is all that is required).  Once that is done, you need to set lightgun to 1 and also tell MAME that a lightgun is a lightgun device (default is keyboard I think).  I have never had good luck actually configuring the gun inside MAME though.  I typically set it up so that it has an axis of some kind from the right gun in the field and then edit the .cfg file manually.  The actual code for what MAME is looking for in the .cfg file has changed over time, so you will have to look up the correct values if they aren't being inserted correctly.

If you tell MAME that a lightgun is a mouse, that works too.  The difference is that a lightgun only takes input when you pull the trigger where a mouse takes input at all times that the gun is pointed at the screen.  The setup is similar but I don't remember what needs altering since I don't set it up that way.

Oh, and if you have 2 guns, turn on the dual lightgun option in the mame.ini file. 

[bkenobi]

BYOAC is for 'build' your own arcade controls, not 'buy' your own arcade controls.

That's silly.  You don't really expect people to build their own spinners when they are available at a low price and very good quality today?  What about steering wheels?  How about a Star Wars Yoke?  The concept of BYOAC is really to build something that gives you the arcade experience to whatever level you want.  You shouldn't have to start with sheet metal, wood, and screws to post here.   

[nickynooch]

yer
I just want whatever everyone else is using right now that works

I have the actlabs guns.

[bkenobi]

So then you don't have to turn off the RAW input system to use the guns any more?  That was something that caused a problem since 0.117u1 as I recall.  If you can confirm that, I'll go back and give it an other effort since that will add a few more games I suspect!

[kronic24601]

my Aimtracks seem to work just fine (2) and I never turned off raw input. They are used just like a mouse.

[Smeghead]

I need a way to make mame32 0.83 able to run the latest CHD files or im never going to be able to play Area51 with my guns its seems   

[kronic24601]

You should not need the CHD to run A51. I mean, I guess I never tried the whole game, but I got a few levels in and didn't have the CHD. Perhaps you should just upgrade away from mame 32 ??

[Smeghead]

THATS the problem, any version other than that old one, the gun doesnt work with it??!?
The gun only works with old mame32 0.83

[kronic24601]

I see, I had a similar problem with my original ActLabs guns (silver ones). The Software eventually just outdated the hardware and I was forced to upgrade. It's very possible that you won't be able to get this to work on newer mame builds (just a reality with many of these sorts of things).

Id suggest just dropping the $$ and buying the Ultimarc AimTrack guns or something more current cause your pretty much shooting yourself in the foot with these. Just put your guns back up on Ebay and upgrade.

Or, as an alternative, be stuck with an old version of MAME and a bottle of Tylenol for those headaches  cause this can get a little painful after awhile.

[Lilwolf]

I haven't played with it in ages, but I believe you can get it to work.  Once they changed the mouse input, it now allows you to say that player 1 uses mouse 2 and player 3 uses mouse 3... and you need to state they are light guns.  But I believe it SHOULD work.

1st, ask on the software forum here.
2nd, try mameworld.net forums.

I really should know, but I took my (can't remember the name of the full tracking usb infra) guns that use the same driver off my cab a while ago, and never put them back on.  And I have a new computer since then so I can't even look at the config.

Someone should have this setup still working around here.