IPAC to Console converters?

[Doctor Nick]

The only recent arcade games that I can get for the PC are Guilty Gear XX and the ones emulated in Chankast, and those run pretty slow. So, I was looking into hooking up my PS2 to the mame cabinet. I've been looking around, and the only thing close I've found are the X-arcade adapters. Is there anything out there, or is there anyway I can hack together something for this?

[abrannan]

The only recent arcade games that I can get for the PC are Guilty Gear XX and the ones emulated in Chankast, and those run pretty slow. So, I was looking into hooking up my PS2 to the mame cabinet. I've been looking around, and the only thing close I've found are the X-arcade adapters. Is there anything out there, or is there anyway I can hack together something for this?

<Obi Wan Voice.>Search the Forums, Luke.</Obi Wan)

There's a lot fo topics here about how to hook up PCs and Consoles in your cab.  Do a little reading, make the decision on what path you want to take, and come back and ask clarifying questions.

[Doctor Nick]

I did. I can't do DC2JAmma, and I don't want to do the RJ-25 hack.

[Dave_K.]

I don't believe there is any ipac to playstation2 solution out there.  But there was someone on the board here who found a "total control" playstation to dreamcast adapater that accepted keyboard input with a special "joystick emulation mode".  So in theory you could hook up 1 player side to a dreamcast through ipac.

Other than that, you will have to hack it yourself via connectors (this is what abrannan aluded to by searching the forums).  Been discussed to death.  The goal is to isolate the ipac from your control panel with connectors that can then also be hacked to PS2 pads.

[Dave_K.]

Well well, looks like there might be a solution after all.

http://www.arcadecontrols.org/yabbse/index.php?board=15;action=display;threadid=25380

[Doctor Nick]

Well well, looks like there might be a solution after all.

http://www.arcadecontrols.org/yabbse/index.php?board=15;action=display;threadid=25380

yeah, I just saw that. But it's only for one player. :/

[Doctor Nick]

Well well, looks like there might be a solution after all.

http://www.arcadecontrols.org/yabbse/index.php?board=15;action=display;threadid=25380

yeah, I just saw that. But it's only for one player. :/

Hmm. would there be anyway to split the signal from the keyboard to two ports simultaneously?

[Doctor Nick]

Yes, there is! Yes!

[clanggedin]

All someone would need to do is allow a keyboard as input in an Xbox version of Mame. You should then be able to at least run a 4 player mame cp with this adapter because it would be treated as a keyboard.

As for other games, you would probably need seperate ipacs for each controller input and seperate convertors.

[Dave_K.]

I wouldn't jump for joy just yet.  It looks specialized for FPS shooters.  I don't know if it allows full "joystick emulation" through the keyboard interface.  We will just have to wait and see when it comes out.

[Grasshopper]

I think the ability to use the X-Arcade adapters with an Ipac (or equivalent) would be the holy grail for many of us here.

I've spent literally hours scouring the internet to see if anyone has managed to do it. Unfortunately, so far I've found absolutely nothing.

I also emailed X-arcade and they weren't much help. The guy who replied (who was obviously a salesman with no technical knowledge) suggested that the solution to my problem was to buy an X-arcade!

What we need is for someone who already owns an X-arcade adapter to be brave enough to try connecting it to an Ipac. You'd obviously have to hack a cable as the adapters don't use the standard mini din connectors. I think that as long as the voltage and ground pins were connected correctly you probably wouldn't do any damage.

[mcdo15]

why don't u just hack a controller (psx) buy a ps2 to usb adapter (10 bucks) and you got your self a ps2 cp (i did this)
i plan on buying dreamcast converter in the near future once cab is almost done

[Grasshopper]

why don't u just hack a controller (psx) buy a ps2 to usb adapter (10 bucks) and you got your self a ps2 cp (i did this)
i plan on buying dreamcast converter in the near future once cab is almost done

A lot of people have done exactly what you describe and it's not a bad solution.

However there are two downsides:

First of all you lose the programmability of the Ipac.

Secondly, you have to use USB on your PC. This means you are limited to using a fairly modern PC (unless you buy a separate USB card) and more importanly many operating systems (including some versions of Windows) have poor or non-existent USB support.

[Dave_K.]

why don't u just hack a controller (psx) buy a ps2 to usb adapter (10 bucks) and you got your self a ps2 cp (i did this)
i plan on buying dreamcast converter in the near future once cab is almost done

I agree this is the normal (best) approach.  But I guess a lot of people who are asking don't have the skills to hack pads, and want a plug and play solution for their already ipac enabled cabs.

[mcdo15]

why don't u just hack a controller (psx) buy a ps2 to usb adapter (10 bucks) and you got your self a ps2 cp (i did this)
i plan on buying dreamcast converter in the near future once cab is almost done

A lot of people have done exactly what you describe and it's not a bad solution.

However there are two downsides:

First of all you lose the programmability of the Ipac.

Secondly, you have to use USB on your PC. This means you are limited to using a fairly modern PC (unless you buy a separate USB card) and more importanly many operating systems (including some versions of Windows) have poor or non-existent USB support.

i have an ipac also... i have  a 4 way and some other fuctions that the ipac is doing...i am using usb and i have not lost my settings.. .
IPAC VE loses it's settings...

i can't help ya with operating systems.. XP works fine for me.

[Doctor Nick]

I'm going to get a couple of those SmartJoy thingers and solder together some keyboard wire. Thanks, guys.

dot dot dot

They aren't rationing sentences. You don't have to create massive run-ons.

[rchadd]

ultimarc have new product enabling connection of ipac to xbox

think that ps2 version is also on the way