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1st timer, newbee question.

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unclet:
I thought another difference between the KeyWiz and Ipac was that the IPAC allows you to have an attached pass-thru keyboard connection active at all times, where the KeyWiz requires the user to flick a switch on the encoder to indicate that the keyboard is now active.    So if I wanted to pull ut my keyboard to press a few keystrokes to change a configuration or something, then I could do this with the IPAC2 no problem, but if I had a KeyWiz then I would first need to lift my control panel up and flick a switch on the encoder module first, then use my keyboard directly (of course when I was done, I would need to flick the switch back).

I think I read this at Tiger-Heli's site somewhere awhile back ... I could be wrong and I apologize if I am, but if so I am sure Tiger-Heli will set me straight ..... :)

Tiger-Heli:

--- Quote from: shardian on March 21, 2007, 12:55:23 pm ---For an average user with a 2 player control panel on their machine:
Forgive me for trying to simplify things for the newbie a little bit.
--- End quote ---

Simplification is great, but by doing so you are also making assumptions which may not be accurate.


--- Quote ---28 inputs or 32 - not truly relevant since most don't use all 28 inputs of the IPAC, and if they do then they more than likely have too many dedicated admin buttons anyways.
--- End quote ---

The I-PAC default is 8 buttons per player and 2 coin and 2 start buttons.  The extra 4 defaults on the KW get you dedicated P (Pause), Esc, Enter, and Tab, which are nice to have since the KW does not store custom codesets, so these inputs would be lost unless you load the KW software to update them to your custom settings.  OTOH, it is also true that you don't NEED 8 buttons per player for arcade games, so you could assign buttons 8 to Pause and Escape, and the I-PAC would remember these settings.


--- Quote ---EEPROM - most people who get an encoder just wire them up according to MAME defaults. Unless you are doing something unique, or trying to put way more emulators than you should on your cabinet the memory version won't be overly important.
--- End quote ---

That is the common thought pattern.  Actually the choice between EEPROM and SDRAM is mainly critical for a desktop CP where you need to have a good default codeset with SDRAM as the encoder will be hot-swapped and will lose it's memory.  With a full cab, you can easily re-program the SDRAM at boot-up so it really doesn't matter.


--- Quote ---USB - in a dedicated cabinet there really isn't a reason to use the usb functionality of the IPAC. The only place this has relevance is in a desktop CP which will be hot swapped on a regular basis.
--- End quote ---

Actually, while USB is a bit more intuitive for a desktop CP, the decision on which to use really comes down to your motherboard ports and whether you have USB or PS/2 available for usage.

Tiger-Heli:

--- Quote from: unclet on March 21, 2007, 01:12:52 pm ---I thought another difference between the KeyWiz and Ipac was that the IPAC allows you to have an attached pass-thru keyboard connection active at all times, where the KeyWiz requires the user to flick a switch on the encoder to indicate that the keyboard is now active.    So if I wanted to pull ut my keyboard to press a few keystrokes to change a configuration or something, then I could do this with the IPAC2 no problem, but if I had a KeyWiz then I would first need to lift my control panel up and flick a switch on the encoder module first, then use my keyboard directly (of course when I was done, I would need to flick the switch back).

--- End quote ---
You are correct.  Personally, I find this fairly highly over-rated - but then again, I feel that way about Shift Functionality and Shardian feels that way about number of inputs, so . . .

First off, I use a desktop CP with my KeyWiz.  It would be nice to have a USB keyboard hooked up, but b/c I use XP, it won't recognize the KW unless I have it or a PS/2 keyboard plugged in at bootup.  So I use a PS/2 keyboard and hot-swap it for the desktop CP.  I could plug the PS/2 keyboard into the KW and flick the switch, but it is just as easy to hot-swap the keyboard back in place of the KW.

If you have a dedicated arcade cab, you could use a PS/2 keyboard with the I-PAC's pass-thru, or you could run your PS/2 keyboard through a USB adapter ($8-ish) with the KW, or use a USB keyboard ($10), or a wireless keyboard ($20-ish).  Or you could just unplug the KW and plug the PS/2 keyboard into the mobo and then replace the KW connection.  Basically, the USB keyboard eats up some, but maybe not all of your cost savings with the KW, but the pass-thru wouldn't be my primary concern.

BobA:
Love the encoder wars but my comment is regarding monitor size.    A 17 inch monitor looks too small in a full size cab.   Consider a bartop if you want the monitor to fit the cab.

Kaytrim:

--- Quote from: BobA on March 21, 2007, 05:11:01 pm ---Love the encoder wars but my comment is regarding monitor size.    A 17 inch monitor looks too small in a full size cab.   Consider a bartop if you want the monitor to fit the cab.

--- End quote ---

17 inch monitors may be a bit big for a bartop cab.  13 and 15 seem to be the standard there.  I do agree that a 17 inch can be a bit small for a full cab.  I plan on a 20-21" computer monitor when I can afford one.

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