Posted by Tripps on August 23, 1999 at 09:38:02:
Hello, could someone help me out with Gravis Xterminator problems. I am working on
my second control panel. For the first one (now defunct) I hacked a Gravis Firebird. It
worked great - just like a keyboard encoder. Unfortunately I physically damaged the
circuit board attempting to use it in my current project. Anyway, about three days ago I
purchased an Xterminator because it appeared from the packaging that it was completely
programmable like the Firebird was, and could be used to run emulators as well as other
games.
My problems are this. First, I cant get the @#&*$!!! thing to work with any game. I
decided to try to test the unit before hacking it up so that I could be sure that it works.
So far I have been able to install it and run the diagnostics both in the included software
and in WIN98, and it seems to work....BUT.... I can't fugure out how to get it to work
with MAME (or anything else for that matter). I have read the entire online help manual
and have been to the Gravis website several times, all to no avail. I must be brain
damaged.
Could someone please post or E-mail me with detailed instructions on how to use this
thing? I know how to assign keyboard functions to the controller using the Keyset
Manager, I just can't get it to work beyond that point. I especially want it to work with
MAME, Retrocade and the Williams and Atari arcade software packages.
Also, when I hacked the Firebird, I simply soldered the control panel buttons and leaf
style joystick contacts directly to the Firebird PC board. I was then able to assign any
keyboard function to any input on the Firebird. For example, it was not necessary to
make sure that the joystick contacts went directly to the directional inputs on the Firebird,
because any Firebird input could be assigned any keyboard function, just like a decicated
encoder. Does the Xterminator work like this as well? And, is it easy to hack? Could
someone who has hacked it post any tips/advice?
I am now weighing the options of hacking the Xterminator or ordering a Hagstrom
programmable encoder. What is the opinion of someone who has hacked the
Xterminator on this?
Thanks! Bruce Millar -- E-Mail: Millarlaw@hotmail.com