My Insane Aracde System Build (Part 3)

With the sticks selected and ordered, it was time to move on to the next most easy thing.   The light guns.  If you search around a lot, you will discover that there are a surprising number of options for light guns out there.   Since I plan to use a CRT monitor, I really wanted the classic optical light guns to go along with it.   However, it seems that those just aren't that easy to get integrated with a build like this.  (Not to say it is impossible, just that it is currently beyond the skills of this newbie.)   So, I looked at what was available, did some research, and found a few sets of guns.

At least one set of guns was wireless.   While this sounds like it would be cool, the thought of keeping batteries in the darn things just sounds like a pain.   And, to keep things as authentic as possible, I really wanted something with a wire hanging, just like it would in the arcade.   So, I eventually narrowed myself down to the Arcade Guns light guns, and the AimTrak gun from Ultimarc.    From what I could find, the Ultimarc AimTrak guns sound like they work really well.   I also liked the option of being able to add a recoil function to them to keep things even more authentic.   However, two things kept me from getting the AimTrak guns.  1) They only had the black ones in stock when I tried to order.   2) Adding the recoil functionality requires soldering skills that are probably beyond mine.

After digging in a bit more, I found that the Arcade Guns light guns actually use the AimTrak internals.   They also had the red and blue kits in stock, which would more closely match what I remember from my arcade days.   On closer look, I also think I like the button positioning on the Arcade Guns units.  So, I went ahead and ordered a set of those.   I also opted to save myself a few bucks by ordering the IR bar without a case.  I plan to install it directly in to my cabinet.

As a quick aside, I spoke to the folks at North Coast Custom Arcades, and was assured that once I get my system all assembled, there will be enough space around the control panel to put the light gun cables through.  But, I'll get to the discussions with them in another post.

Ordering the remaining parts ended up becoming an interesting exercise in finding the controller components I wanted, mixed with pricing, and what was available.   While asking some questions on the Arcade Controls Forum, I discovered that there are multiple ways to "implement" a joystick in a MAME cabinet.   You can wire a stick up to send keyboard codes to your computer, or you can wire it up to look to the machine like a standard USB joystick.   It seems to me that the key difference in which method you want to use is based on how you intend to use the sticks, and if they are analog sticks.   If the sticks are only going to be used for emulators, then it shouldn't matter which method you use.   However, if you are using analog sticks, then key presses won't provide the full sweep of options that you would get from an analog stick.  So, the "correct" answer is largely a matter of what hardware you use, and how you plan to use it.   For my build, I wanted the maximum possible flexibility.   After digging around, I came upon the Ultimarc U-HID controller, which seems to be programmable to allow it to show up as either a joystick, or key presses.  However, it is unclear if it would work with an analog joystick, or even how programmable it is.   But, knowing that I plan to primarily use emulators, I should be fine with whatever it ends up being able to do.

However, one aspect to consider with the controllers is how many devices and switches you need to control.  We know that we have 43 buttons, with one switch each.   We also know that we have 5 sticks.  Each stick is going to have 4 switches for a total of 20 switches.  So, we will have 63 switches plus a track ball and spinner.   Since the U-HID only has 50 controls, we will either need 2 of them, or 1 of them and 1 of something else.   (As I write this, I realized I only ordered 1!  Looks like I need to figure out how to support the remaining 13 switches + track ball and spinner!   More on that later, I guess..)