Can someone explain how to wire these buttons?!

[chairmonkey4406]

Can anyone please explain to me how to wire arcade buttons to a keyboard? I need to wire each button to each (most) of the buttons on the keyboard, but I have no idea how. Thanks for anyone that is willing to help

[Shawn]

Can anyone please explain to me how to wire arcade buttons to a keyboard? I need to wire each button to each (most) of the buttons on the keyboard, but I have no idea how. Thanks for anyone that is willing to help

1013042[/snapback]

 

 

there are 2 contact lines for each key, where there are 2 leads coming out of the microswitch take the bottom one and solder a wire to it and run it to one of the contacts on the keyboard. Now the lead on the microswitch that is by it's self on the switch, run a wire from it to the other contact on the keyboard contacts your working with. Should work fine. repeat about 100 times for each other key and your good

 

EDIT: Here is a quick diagram for you. Keep in mind it's 2 AM and not pretty but it is proper.

 

 

Edited February 5, 2006 by Shawn Sr.

[chairmonkey4406]

Ahh, thanks a lot. That's what I was thinking, I just wanted to ask to make sure that would work before trashing a keyboard

[Paranoid]

Can anyone please explain to me how to wire arcade buttons to a keyboard? I need to wire each button to each (most) of the buttons on the keyboard, but I have no idea how. Thanks for anyone that is willing to help

1013042[/snapback]

 

 

there are 2 contact lines for each key, where there are 2 leads coming out of the microswitch take the bottom one and solder a wire to it and run it to one of the contacts on the keyboard. Now the lead on the microswitch that is by it's self on the switch, run a wire from it to the other contact on the keyboard contacts your working with. Should work fine. repeat about 100 times for each other key and your good

 

EDIT: Here is a quick diagram for you. Keep in mind it's 2 AM and not pretty but it is proper.

 

 

1013058[/snapback]

 

Depending on what he is looking for, isn't wiring directly to key input going to cause problems with most emulators? Like buffer overflow and dropped input and things of this ilk?

 

Isn't that what products like this...

 

http://www.ultimarc.com/ipac1.html

 

 

and the X-Arcade joystick address? From what I've seen, almost everyone in the MAME community who has built a control panel or cabinet has used a solution like this... or rigged USB controllers as input for an arcade control panel (like this guy did, originally)

 

http://www.russprince.com/cabinet/

 

But I can't think of one example I've come across where someone wired controls directly to a keyboard. I just always assumed because a direct-to-keyboard job was not accurate enough. Russ Prince also switched from his USB joystick control panel to one using the IPAC interface... which just seems to further confirm that USB or direct-to-keyboard isn't ideal.

[Lord Helmet]

I built my cab using the ipac. It's a much easier fix than wiring buttons up to a keyboard. I guess it depends on how may buttons you want.

 

My cab has 2 joysticks, and 12 buttons (6 for each player) as well as a coin-in button and player 1 player 2 start buttons. That's 23 microswitches...so I bought an iPac. I also like that I can still use the keyboard when I need to.

Edited February 9, 2006 by Lord Helmet

[Shawn]

 

1013058[/snapback]

 

Depending on what he is looking for, isn't wiring directly to key input going to cause problems with most emulators? Like buffer overflow and dropped input and things of this ilk?

 

 

No he should be fine with what I pictured out.

[+remowilliams]

Can anyone please explain to me how to wire arcade buttons to a keyboard? I need to wire each button to each (most) of the buttons on the keyboard, but I have no idea how. Thanks for anyone that is willing to help

1013042[/snapback]

You probably do not want to use a keyboard for this. Due to the matrix encoders they use, you will most likely have issues with simultaneous inputs.

 

As an example - certain input combinations for player one (like moving diagonally and firing) will cause player two to be unable to move in some direction or possibly fire.