Main > Software Forum

MAME 104u5 out - adds multiple mice

<< < (8/15) > >>

Derrick Renaud:

--- Quote from: Farmboy90 on March 14, 2006, 11:31:07 pm ---
--- Quote from: Derrick Renaud on March 14, 2006, 10:22:39 pm ---
Removed -dual_lightgun.  It won't be needed.  Sorry, this means you will have to keep using an older version of MAME until I finish the lightgun support.  It had to go before I can cleanly add the new support.

Still waiting for my Act Labs guns before I can go further.

D.

--- End quote ---

Hey Derrick,

What does this mean for LCD TopGun users?  I am just trying to understnad the impact, so forgive me if if I get some of this incorrect.  

I suppose even with your upcoming light gun fix we will be unaffected?  I mean if we do nothing but upgrade to whatever forthcoming version of mame contains the light gun code, things will work as before.  However if EMS fixes their driver and they get the guns to be reported as mice, then we can drop the GunCon2 drivers, use theirs, use the upcoming mame, and have dual tracking guns?  
ay, if you need someone to test your code with two guns, count me in.  :)

--- End quote ---

Correct, except for 1 small thing.

Act Labs is being a lot more co-operative then EMS.  So my main concern is to get multiple (2+) guns working for them.  If it works for TopGun down the road, then great.

Removing -dual_lightgun will have no affect on you.

In the meantime don't get worked up over it until I get the Act Labs guns and have the code fully tested.  The Act Labs guns should work automatically with the new code in multi-gun mode.

D.

Derrick Renaud:

--- Quote from: Howard_Casto on March 14, 2006, 06:49:26 pm ---not the best method for mame).  And my personal favorite, hooking the wm_input data at a low level, which you can marry with the direct input function to do things exactly as I described... basically linking direct inputs mouse enumeration with the data functions so you can tell which device, not just with device number.  For that matter you can do it just as easily if not easier with rawmouse, but it isn't being done because our dev has decided he knows what's best for us. 

--- End quote ---

I'll try not to stir the pot again much, but let me delve into this closer.

You can not link the DX enumeration with the RAW stuff, because DX does not enumerate mice in XP.  But instead of going on about how wrong everything you state here is, I will pull out what you are trying to get at.

You want to use the GUID.  The device independent number that individually tracks a control device.  First off, this number is valid only for the current install and will change if you have to re-install your OS or change motherboards whatever.  So keep that in mind.

Just using the DeviceDesc is not good enough.  If you have 2 identical mice they will be reported the same.
Mouse 1: Logitech Mouse
Mouse 2: Logitech Mouse

So the only way to do what you say is to use the GUID which is not a userfriendly thing to see.  Think hash code.  And this can change as I mentioned.

Now if we marry the GUID to the selected control, you will still have to set up your controls no different then now.  It is just 6 of one and a half dozen of the other.

Say a person has 2 styles of joystick that he wants to be able to change.  Using GUID he would have to pick the one he wants to use only or setup the controls to use both.  Without using GUID, he just plugs the joystick in and it works as player 1 no matter which joystick he uses.

No matter which way you go about it you have to set up your controls.  GUID is no magical answer, and it will annoy as many people as those who might like it to be used.

So now the cry goes up that says, well we could code it to do both, add all sorts of options, etc.

Well, I'm not interested in coding it, because the current way will work for 99% of the users.  So we leave this where we leave all wondrous ideas.  Code it, and submit it.  Unless something interests someone enough to code it themselves it won't get done.  And before anyone asks, adding a -use_GUID won't fly.

Also remember acessing the mouse GUID is different on XP then other versions of windows.  But not hard to figure out if the coder knows anything about DX and RAW support.

D.

krick:

--- Quote from: Derrick Renaud on March 14, 2006, 11:30:48 pm ---
--- Quote from: rdmustang on March 14, 2006, 11:05:42 pm ---I think Lilwolf's question was "when I plug in the control panel will the mice be detected in the same order every time" since both mice are connected simultaneously.  I have a similar question.. when I power up the computer, will Windows detect both of my mice (2 trackballs) in the same order?  Or will I need to boot windows, then manually connect trackball 1, then manually connect trackball 2?

--- End quote ---
My testing shows they will maintain the order in which they were first installed.  Turning off the computer will not change that.

Only going into safe mode and deleting all mice, then re-installing them will change the order.

Any mouse you remove while power is off or on or change USB port seems to always return to it's initial place in the list.

--- End quote ---


There have been many reports of USB input devices (mainly gamepads) with the same name and ID swapping in windows.

In fact, some of the interface vendors actually offer devices with different USB IDs in case you want to use two (or more) on the same machine...

http://dave.bit2000.com/aki.html
http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=76_81&products_id=234

So it definitely *can* happen.  But no guarantees that it *will*.

This has been discussed quite a bit and there are ways to minimize or eliminate the problem that are lovingly documented by Tigerheli...

http://www.mameworld.net/tigerheli/encoder/main.htm#USB_Device_IDs

Minwah:

--- Quote from: Derrick Renaud on March 14, 2006, 07:56:50 pm ---I have 2 USB mice in the cabinet with the opto-couplers removed.  Each opto-coupler has GND; 5V; IN1, IN2 per axis.  So I re-route GND, 5V, IN1X, IN2X, IN1Y, IN2Y to my control panel.  That way only the optical part is changed and the mouse is never removed from the system.  I use The centronics printer interface connector on the control panel for easy removal.  Actually I use a 50-pin SCSI type, but same diff.

--- End quote ---

Just curious...I have never done this because I was worried unplugging/plugging the optics to a mouse (plugged in with the pc switched on) might be bad, or could damamge the USB port.  I gather since you do it this is not the case, or do you switch off first?

Also, I thought the ordering of device's in XP is alphanumerical based on device name?  I can't really test this atm, so I could well be wrong...

Derrick Renaud:

--- Quote from: Minwah on March 15, 2006, 05:14:41 am ---
--- Quote from: Derrick Renaud on March 14, 2006, 07:56:50 pm ---I have 2 USB mice in the cabinet with the opto-couplers removed.  Each opto-coupler has GND; 5V; IN1, IN2 per axis.  So I re-route GND, 5V, IN1X, IN2X, IN1Y, IN2Y to my control panel.  That way only the optical part is changed and the mouse is never removed from the system.  I use The centronics printer interface connector on the control panel for easy removal.  Actually I use a 50-pin SCSI type, but same diff.

--- End quote ---

Just curious...I have never done this because I was worried unplugging/plugging the optics to a mouse (plugged in with the pc switched on) might be bad, or could damamge the USB port.  I gather since you do it this is not the case, or do you switch off first?

--- End quote ---
No problems changing the optics while powered.  But as always, care sould be taken not to short things out.  Just use a good connector.


--- Quote from: Minwah on March 15, 2006, 05:14:41 am ---Also, I thought the ordering of device's in XP is alphanumerical based on device name?  I can't really test this atm, so I could well be wrong...

--- End quote ---
My tests show that it works as I have described. 2 computers with 2 OS each.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page

Go to full version