Posted by c0nsumer on 16, 2000 at 5:52 PM:
In Reply to: the only why to get some one to read you message is have it at the top i guss ... sorry about reposting but i am want to order this stuff soon posted by qbus on 16, 2000 at 4:27 PM:
I don't think Happ makes a serial port interface for their joysticks and such. Also, I've read through the manual for the USB controller and I don't recall any mention of it only supporting one input at a time. In fact, these devices are used in some of the newish PC-based games on the market.* I don't think Happ would be dumb enough to make a product that doesn't allow the user to do somthing like press the gas pedal and steer at the same time. I was looking into this controller, it's about the same price as a KE72-T, especially once you figure in the wire, connectors, keyboard cables, etc. What put me off was the fact that USB doesn't work under DOS. I imagine it'd work fine in Windows, but Windows brings up issues with the performance of Mame. Linux (or *BSD) would be fine, but I want an ArcadeOS-like front end and proper drivers, and I'm not a programmer. You probebly would be best off getting a KE72-T and using it to control everything. If you want multiple spinner/trackball devices, I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to come up with a simple relay (maybe even software controlled?) to switch +5v between the various devices, acting as a select switch.
* I know for a fact that Hydro Thunder and Off-Road Thunder are PC-based. Not sure if it uses the Happ UCGI controller, but if you get a chance to see inside of them there is an ATX form factor industrial chassis in there with some dongles keep the game from being pirated.
-Steve