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September 1999
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September 1999
9/27/99 New arcade project
Got an email from Mark about his arcade project today. It's a nice looking full sized arcade cabinet. He's going to send me some new pictures, so it will be a bit before a page is up, but you can see a couple of pictures early (one, two). Thanks Mark :)Jack was kind enough to share his visio stencils he uses to design arcade control panels. Added to the downloads page, or direct from here (166 KB). Visio 4 version. Thanks Jack!If you're interested in the Stick-It, head on over to Insert Coin and take a listen to the latest RetroRadio show. I haven't heard it yet myself, but I understand his opinion is a good one. We're on Stick-It's list for a review copy so when it comes, it'll be posted here :)Remember the new arcade cabinet vendor I mentioned on the 17th? I've gotten some prototype pictures from them, and the stuff looks good :) Stay tuned!I thought I had it all... Joysticks. Buttons. Spinners. Trackballs. Steering wheels. StarWars yokes. MID. MID? Silly me ... I completely overlooked the MID! What's the MID? Why, the Motorcycle Input Device of course! Take a look! This is a motorcyle handle bar contraption with 4 axis' and 4 buttons, throttle, front/rear brakes, clutch, shifter, and more, using real handlebar material and real grips! They're $200, and are extremely limited availability. Take a look :) This link was found at the Control Center. They're the premier joystick site on the net, and if you haven't been there recently, you're missing out!Broke down and bought a PowerRamp Mite today - $21.99 with shipping, when I get it I'll take it apart and let you know what I think :)Of course :)
9/25/99
Finally finished the PowerRamp page. If you have a PowerRamp and have or are thinking of hacking it, you might want to take a look. Comments/critiques of the page welcomed!In case you aren't keeping up with the MAME betas, interesting tidbits for arcade control folks in the last several MAME-32 betas:All told, many changes lately that might benefit custom arcade control builders. Kudos to the MAME team :)
- New support for any number of POVs using DirectInput.
- Added diagonal positions for POV.
- Removed joystick config from UI. Non-analog joystick configuration functionality is now in the MAME set up screens.
- Joystick code now uses additional axes such as rudder, sliders, POV.
- Added multiple monitor display support for Windows 98/Windows 2000. (Now this has some interesting possibilities I think. --- saint)
- Added new joystick controller options in the Controllers Tab. This allows users to map from physical joysticks (and various axes on those joysticks) to MAME's 4 standard joystick inputs.
- Enabled keyboard LED indicators to emulate the 1 player/2 players start lamps. This currently works only in Windows NT.
Got some advice from a couple of folks with experience in the industry on producing artwork for control panels and marquees. Peter E. sent me a writeup from Tom that goes over several methods for producing control panel overlays, and Richard Ragon of HotRod sent me information on how they make marquees for the ArcadePC. Big thanks to all of the above for their willingness to share their expertise!Speaking of HotRod and ArcadePC - some recent news from the Hanaho folks that will interest folks who have purchased or are thinking of purchasing one. From their web site:First, the long awaited HanaHo/Capcom CD-ROM called "Capcom's Coin-op Classic's" is entering the beta test stage, and if everything goes ok, should be released by the end of this month, or the beginning of next month. Everyone who bought a HotRod will/should get their CD-ROMS in the mail soon after. Second, at this moment in time we have no production wait. This means that we have a nice stock pile of HotRod Joysticks so if you order now, there is no wait time to build it, we have them in stock.Good news indeed!There is a ton of good information on the RandyFromm technical department pages - however, all pages are currently down as they renovate the site. ETA to come back up is October. If you're desperate for something, I have offline mirrors - tell me what you're looking for and I'll dig it up. This offer will be rescinded if RandyFromm objects.In addition to those mentioned above, added the following sections: Look for more of this to come! Almost all of these updates came from the message board - thanks everyone!Revamped the diode page, transferring info on diodes from various places around the FAQ to one central page, and adding a couple of links to basic diode theory. Thanks to Jack for a great link for the page!Having only seen horizontal microswitch pushbuttons up close, I kind of assumed the various types of buttons were all the same. Not so - thanks to matt(v) for the info, the controls page has been updated with some pushbutton information!Well, this started as a small update and grew! There are still exciting things to come - stay tuned ... :)9/24/99 Thanks to John & Mike, I have both the LP-24 (52 KB) and KE-24 (91 KB) programs online for downloading. Only useful if you have the encoders, but handy if you lose them or want to see what they're like. Added to the downloads page.Achilles SNES-Pad hack has been officially written up. There's an extra picture that didn't make it into the message board, so take a look :) Thanks Achilles!Got an email from Bilder about his arcade machine, which is at a new location. His is the Dig-Dig conversion. This fixes that bad link and brings us back up to 77 projects now - thanks Bilder!If you've been keeping up on the message board, you've been reading about Andy Geezer's hacks to MAME for optical control support such as spinners. Andy's been doing some great work for those of us building customized arcade controls! OptiMAME now has an official home at MAME-World, with downloads and a nice write-up on how to use it. Thanks to the always informative Retrogames for the info :)Of course!9/22/99 You may have noticed I put up a header page with a logo and a second header page before getting to the main page. This is to address the problem mentioned earlier with people wondering what the heck they'd found with this web site. If you linked to www.arcadecontrols.speedhost.com/arcade.htm then you missed the header pages, and that's fine - you already know what you're doing here. However, if you want a look, try hopping to www.arcadecontrols.speedhost.com instead. Regular visitors will want to bookmark the /arcade.htm address as the header pages are big and slow. Suggestions from people with actual graphics design skills welcomed!Data-mining the message board produces its first results. Posted a big update to the joystick portion of the controls section, adding 7 sub-sections. Many of you who contributed to threads on the message board will find you've been quoted on the message board. Please let me know if you prefer I remove your name and leave it anonymous. Thanks for all the great input everyone! A couple of your comments have wound up on the reviews page as well.Achilles sent me his arcade joystick project, a nice single player SNES-pad hack with a Happ Super-8 joystick. I haven't yet had a chance to HTML'ize it, but Achilles posted it on the message board for all to see :) One of the nice things about his project is that the SNES adapter interface supports up to 5 controllers, leaving him plenty of room for multi-player expansion. That makes 76 projects now! Online HTML version coming soon. Thanks Achilles!Probably the best joystick and other control review site around, The Control Center has moved to a new address. If you haven't visited them, prepare to spend some time as there's a lot to see!I've not yet had a chance to put this together into a page yet, but if you're interested in using two optically controlled devices, such as two spinners, then you absolutely must read the threads on the message board concerning Andy Geezer and his hacks for MAME. Hopefully these hacks will find their way into the offiical MAME source. Per policy, both the modified source and executable are available linked somewhere in the messages. This is only of interest if you are hacking two optical devices (two-player marble madness anyone?). Remember, this is a hacked version of MAME, and there are no guarantees of compatibility or support!MicroSoft has released DirectX 7.0 which is mirrored here. Got an email from someone many of you know, about aI still have a bunch to slug through on the message boards. Possible additions to the FAQ from the message board include just about every section of the FAQ so far. If you don't want to wait for me to get it all digested and processed, I suggest downloading the archive yourself :)
- 2 1/4" Missile Command Trackball (Thanks Jack!)
Once again I've gotten back-logged on my email. Apologies about that, I'm about 100 deep. If you've been waiting for an intelligent reply I will try to get to it this weekend. There are a couple of really cool things coming in the next couple of weeks if they proceed per schedule - stay tuned!
9/17/99
Got an email from someone many of you know, about a new commercial venture selling arcade cabinets. Until this project hits the ready-to-go stage, specifics and names will be kept hidden. HOWEVER - some teasers I couldn't resist passing on:What a great time to be in this hobby!
- These people intend to sell a blank arcade cabinet/control panel combo. You'll get an interchangable control panel, arcade controls, arcade cabinet, and marquee for below $500.
- They will be selling both stand alone arcade control panels and cabinets, or combos.
- Any color you want is offered - granite? They'll offer it.
- Programmable via Hagstrom LP-24, Happ Hardware, US-made, produced by a company that is huge maker of Highend Entertainment centers.
- The person behind this is someone who frequents the message board here.
- Time frame? Look for more to come in the next two weeks if things go well.
The message board has been hacked about in half (150kb). Let me know if it still takes too long to load - I'd like to leave about a month's worth of messages at any one time, but I can do less if it's too much. I've set up a nightly job to zip the entire message board and make it available for download. Usually it'll be a meg or less. Holler at me if it's ever much bigger than a meg! Tons, and I do mean tons, of valuable technical information in the message board, and as I process what I removed I'll be updating various pages of the FAQ. If you're not reading the message board, you're missing a valuable piece of this FAQ. Thanks again all you contributors!I've gotten a few emails with feedback on the step-by-step guide. All excellent comments, much appreciated! Please keep them coming if you have comments. In a week or so I intend to classify the step-by-step guide as "released" instead of beta.Since we've added a emulation support section, I've added an emulation section to the links page. We're *not* becoming an emulation site!Speaking of emulation, did anyone else notice this in the new MAME beta release what's new file?
Source:Does this mean what I think it means? :) You guys on the message board see this?
-------- New input type IPT_PEDAL. [Aaron Giles]
Also, JoseQ's emuviews has an interesting tidbit on his rumor mill that more legal roms may be joining the Capcom agreement with Hanaho, the maker of the HotRod.
Finally, on the emulation front, PKS2000 has some emulation cd-covers that are just awesome. I've asked permission to mirror them, but do visit his site for up to date announcements.
Speaking of Hanaho . . . Bill on the message board found this review of the ArcadePC. Their conclusion? YOu can probably guess . . . :) Thanks Bill!Stop me if you've heard this one before . . . Well, I really thought I had added this one some time ago, but darned if I can find it listed anywhere. With due apologies to the owner for the delayed mention, here is WindDrake's Arcade! It's built based on the RetroCactus arcade cabinet plan, and is still a work in progress :) Added to the examples page. This puts us at 75 projects now!Got an email from Mike: Arcade Warehouse, a business in England, is giving away free arcade cabinets for converting to arcade-pc cabinets. Supply is limited - hit their web site for details. Thanks Mike! Message board readers knew about this a couple of days ago.
Well, wanted to let folks know what was going on. I have finished the step-by-step guide, and consider it to be in beta release now. I would very much appreciate feedback from regulars (and anyone else who wants to of course!) as to 1) it's layout and value, and 2) the contents. Particularly interested in feedback on the controls and interfaces portions.Putting it together, I noticed gaping holes in most of the regular sections. I plan to spend much time over the next while adding/correcting and revamping them. A good bulk of the new content will come from data-mining the message board (which I have started pruning tonight by the way).
I also intend to finally and permanently put a header logo page up. www.arcadecontrols.speedhost.com will bring you to a splash screen, with an animated gif giving a nickel tour as to the purpose of this web site. It's big, but I don't know how to make it any smaller and still maintain some sort of quality. I will make sure to note that you don't have to wait for it to load or finish before you can enter the FAQ. Then you will go to a one pager with an introduction to the FAQ. It's been apparent to me for some time that though I think there's a wealth of information available here, if you're new to the FAQ or just surf in casually there's nothing that adequately explains what it's about and where to start. Between the step-by-step guide and the intro pages, I hope to address that. Comments welcome and encouraged - is this a good idea, or just annoying?
Anyway, regulars will want to bookmark http://www.arcadecontrols.speedhost.com/arcade.htm so you can bypass the startup stuff, although watching it once and going ooh-aah will soothe my ego :)
After these changes, I will consider the FAQ to be complete, but not finished. Complete, in the sense that all the parts that I've felt were deficient will be in some way addressed. Unfinished, in that you people keep coming up with bigger/better ideas on how to do things, and there's always room for good discussions, help, and more projects to share.
*THEN* - I'll start to work on enhancements/additions again, and stop mucking about as much with the look & feel.
Kind of a different update, just thought people might want to know where I was at.
--- saint
Simon's posted an update on his web site with a fix for problems some people were having with N64 controllers and his interface. If you've been having problems, stop on by.According to ActLab's web site, the PowerRamps are sold out. No word if they'll be replenishing them or if they're gone for good. The PowerRamp MITEs are still available at $14.99 though. If you've been thinking of one of these for a project someday, might not be a bad idea to stock up. (No, I get no kickbacks from ActLabs :) ).Colin sent in his arcade joystick project for posting, a Street Fighter layout, keyboard hack featuring a keyboard splitter based off Stephan Hans' design. Pay careful heed to what he says about soldering - if I had known this several years ago I'd have saved myself tons of frustration :) Colin has some nice things to say about the folks who frequent the message board! Thanks Colin - this makes 75 projects now!Brian sent me an update for his project, which now includes a Happ Controls trackball. It looks great, and I defy you to find a more detailed guide to using the Happ trackball. Excellent work Brian, thanks for sharing! :)Well, the message board hit 232kb for the main page not including messages, so I'm starting to weed things out. Captured a 9-10-99 copy of the entire message board for download (1.3 MB).
- Williams arcade 4 player CONTROL PANEL - NOS! (A flat metal blank control panel for 4 players)
- Video Game Joysticks
- NOS Universal Control Panel (Dynamo)
Check this one out! It's a full "blank" control panel with room for 2 trackballs and 1 stick, or 3 sticks, and 22 buttons. Starter kit?
- Wico JOYSTICKS - NEW PAIR! (leaf)
- * NEW * Nintendo Donkey Kong White T-Molding
- * W O W * Joysticks & Buttons - Value Pack
- 4 NOS "Eight Way" Arcade Machine Controllers (leaf)
- Stick-It Emulator Controller Mame, Shark,etc
This should look familiar!
- FREE Time Pilot '84 cabinet (Sunnyvale, CA)
Good day for rotating monitors! Three different examples to look at :)
- First, Mark Jenison, owner of the Mark 13, responded to an email I sent him with a writeup of how he and a buddy created their rotating monitor mount. Their's was the first cabinet I've seen with a rotating monitor.
- Mr. Salty updated his web page with pictures and a write-up of how he created his rotating monitor mount. Very nicely done, excellent pictures!
- See the Rocketcade update below :)
The message board is fairly active right now. There's a bunch of stuff that I'm going to be mining and throwing here and there in the FAQ - but if you don't want to wait for me to get a round-tuit, then head there and see it fresh and live :)Heard from Rocketcade that the site has been updated and the project is near completion - probably this weekend. There are new pictures showing the project in progress, including one that made me jealous of a game running on the U3100 monitor sitting in the partially assembled cabinet. :)Found on ebay... And for anyone in the Clarksville, TN area, there's a bankruptcy auction on September 25th with a bunch of arcade machines. (Please don't hack anything valuable if you get one - if in doubt, ask. They're worth much more intact than modified if they're rare)...Hopefully some work on the various things I've mentioned were on my to do list. Also, two folks have sent me new projects that I'm in the process of html'izing. Also, I picked up an orphan and very beat up Gorf control panel that I'm going to be playing with and will post some pictures of. It's got the same trigger-grip joystick that Tron has. Stay tuned!
At the suggestion of Tom61, a new page debuts at the FAQ to help you get your favorite emulator/game working with your custom arcade controls or console pad hack. It's very much a work in progress, but a beta copy of the page is up for comment and help. Please note - we are not becoming an emulation oriented site. There will never be anything on this site in the grey area of legality such as BIOS images or definitly not ROMS. It's all about the controls, but this is a gap that needed filling. Please take a look at the page, and if you see any gaps you can help fill, let me know.The second place winner of the Arcade2000 contest is Greywolf. He is the winner of one of the first ever classic Arcade emulation packages: Williams Arcade Classics for PC! Congratulations Greywolf :) Look for the recordings he and Dave did to be on the web site in a day or two.I had hoped to have the Newbie FAQ done this weekend, along with some other stuff, but this cold knocked me for a loop. Lots of email to answer in my inbox as well. More. To. Come! :)
The winner of the Atari Arcade Hits #1 CD from the Arcade2000 contest was (drumroll please) . . .Dave Nelson! Congratulations, Dave!
The second place winner, and the prize therefore, will be announced Sunday. See the Arcade 2000 site's news section for details and updates. By the way, you can catch a picture of Andy of Arcade Solutions playing on the Arcade2000 cabinet at the Arcade2000 site :)
I'm sick, and have little else to do but work on the FAQ - icky for me, lucky for you :) I've updated the technical department monitor section, with the addition of these pieces:
- Understanding monitor technology
- Rotating monitors (lot of interest in this lately)
- Cap Kits
Let me know if there's anything else you think belongs there.
JohnIV, of MAME32 fame, has posted a review of his HotRod-SE joystick. His conclusion is a whopping thumbs up! Added to the reviews page.Put in a lot of work on the step-by-step guide today. I'd guess it's about 60% done now. Feedback sorely desired!
9/2/99
. . . to Andy of Arcade Solutions!On or about this weekend, Andy of Arcade Solutions is getting married! Congratulations Andy! If you'd like to join us in wishing him and his bride well, you can fire off a message here!By the way, I also will be lucky enough to get my hands on a customized arcade console from Arcade Solutions, and a review will find its way here as soon as that happens. Being that Andy is a bit, er... pre-occupied for the near future, it may take just a little while :)Found this one on Arcade@Home... The Arcadium Arcade Gaming System by ArcadeWare is available with an impressive, albeit pricey, list of features! It's a 74" tall arcade cabinet with a Pentium computer inside. Right off the bat I'll share that it costs $5999 (yes, that's 6 grand), so it's mostly targeted at businesses and the idle rich! Some of it's impressive features:There's a 30 day money back guarantee (10% restocking fee == $600) with a 1 year warranty. Price does not include tax/shipping/handling. Their web site still shows signs of being new, with several unfinished sections. It's worth a visit even if the price tag scares you away :) Anyone ordering one, please let me know!
- Dual player control panel, 10 buttons per player.
- Trackball and spinner.
- Functionalcoin door.
- 25" VGA monitor.
- 10/100 Ethernet and phone connections.
- Lockable access to PC components (CD-ROM, etc).
- Joystick and USB ports for added components, such as yokes, steering wheels, etc...
- OS: Win98 with ArcadiumOS (their frontend I believe)
- 128 MB RAM, 8.3 gig HD, 40x CD-Rom
- Williams Arcade Classics and Midway Arcade's Greatest Hits bundled with cabinet.
- TRON BOARDSET,PLAYERS PANEL, MARQUEE
- MAS Super nova Joystick/Sidewinder! (Arcade control joystick made from Sidewinder hack)
- Wico JOYSTICKS - NEW PAIR!
- * NEW * Nintendo Donkey Kong White T-Molding (25')
- Williams arcade 4 player CONTROL PANEL - NOS! (metal control panel blank, holes pre-drilled)
- Capcom Joystick, Kick Punch Panel Stickers
More to come! Things on the horizon include possible hands on reviews of not only the Arcade Solutions console but one or two others, some interesting info for arcade monitor hackers, results from the survey here, a good discussion between the gurus of the arcade world on rotating monitors, my PowerRamp page, and...? :) If there's one you'd like to see get higher priority let me know. Dont' hold me to a timetable though, it may be a while!