I've used tons of IPACs and JPACs with great success, but I haven't had any luck with the Xin-Mo on RPi or Windows 10. The drivers install, but it doesn't send the correct keystrokes.
Appreciate the videos 👍 I purchased an EG starters zero delay usb encoder kit that came with 2 sanwa sticks and 16 led micro switch buttons, its been working great with Mame and hyperspin. But I was looking to play Ikari warriors and saw that Ultimarc has an Ikari warriors upgrade kit. Do you think that kit would work with a generic usb encoder? Thanks
Led buttons have to be powered by a separate 5V or 12V connection depending on the type of buttons you have. If you are looking for an encoder that will power the leds and translate your inputs you will have to upgrade to the Ultimate I\O board from Ultimarc. You can use the ipac2 still and also buy a led controller from Ultimarc as well and it will pretty much do the same thing with 2 boards instead of one. If you have static leds all you need is power to them that can be split off from your power supply directly.
Quick question: 12 buttons isnt enough for what i want to do, so is there one of those that has more button inputs for a single player? I want to be able to put 2 joysticks, 12 "regular" buttons, and a lot more button inputs for hotkey shortcuts. Is that even possible for the retropie?
The ipac 2 has 24 inputs that can also be doubled up to give you 48 in total if needed. For joystick you should double wire them only using 4 ports on the ipac for each player. Then there are 8 buttons per player that can be used for actions. To get the extra button option people set one button as a "shift" function and the press another button at the same time to work as whatever action you want such as "pause" etc. You only need 6 buttons for most games that will run on a raspberry pi so you can have 4 buttons that work without the "shift" feature for something like power or volume control.
@@theultimateninja If you need 3 joysticks to all control the same functions eg: Left, Right, Up & Down, then you would wire all 3 of each microswitch locations of each joystick to the same input on the iPac so that they act as one. This will mean that "Left on each joystick will move left for player 1. In this case it would be called triple wiring. Anyone looking to have multiple joysticks or Joystick types eg: 8 way, 4 Way and 360 will have to do this. It also applies to pushbuttons as well, just in case you need more than one button to have the same function.
You cannot connect a spinner or trackball to an ipac 4. You would connect them directly to your computer via USB, so if you are using the ultimarc versions you will have to buy the USB adapter with them.
Dolphin is considered the best overall for ratings but I have always used SuperGCube myself, as for controllers, you would be best to find a USB universal controller. Logitec sells a nice one that I have used in the past, it's worth a look.
Hello retro team I have a question Can the 4 player I pac encoder be used on the retro pie interface and can the buttons and joystick mapping be setup direct from the retro pie interface directly to configure on the setup option . Or would I have to setup the controls via the iPac program Thankyou kindly if you could help me out Cool tutorial my friend 🙌
All ipacs are pre-mapped and set in stone. All it is is a mini keyboard with only a few specific keys that are recognized in mame. Yes retropie will recognize it and you can map your buttons on its interface without hassle.
i want to make an arcade stick just for pc, but here they only sell the 2 players xin-mo...can i use it just for 1 player? i know USB Zero Delay but the intup delay its way bigger than the xin-mo
thanks for the video...the information you gave was very helpful but i do have one question. is their a way you can program the ESC key to a button from the encoders to leave certain emulators.
I had some bad time in mame using 2 the same joystick boards. Now i want a ipac board . But i wonder how many buttons and joystick moves can be executed at the same time...
This is a older video and I realize I'm grasping at straws here but if I plugged any of this into a raspberry pi 4 could I get duel analog sticks with 12 buttons working in a handheld
Do you have any info on the Juyao JY-02 2Player encoder? It looks almost exactly like the 2P Xin-mo but with 22 pins per side and it has a PS home button. Does the single player Xin-mo have PS home button? Also, I was curious if the Juyao/Xin-mo work as Legacy controllers for PS4 games that have it, like SFV? And if they suffer from 8 min timeout like some other controllers/boards?
lastcall170 is because Raspberry Pi doesn't like the 2 player side of a XIN MO, you have to write a kernel code for it to stay connected/recognized as plugged in. It has been a well know issue since retropie was released and they never fixed it so I'm guessing it is a design flaw writing the 2 pl XIN MO. We always recommend an IPac 2 for a 2 player setup.
I have an ipac board but can't get the 2 player going. It will only let me get player 1 or player 2 to configure on raspberry pi. Now it only it comes up as keyboard
Raspberry Pi has a settings and options area where you can change the option to set for multiple keyboards, try setting to yes. Other than that we do not offer support on the software side of things.
I'm going to purchase the 2 player IPac encoder and I was wondering where I could find the software to map the controls. Does the software come with the encoder?
Hi mate. I have an old JAMMA cabinet that i am going to 'gut' and want to install a RspberryPi based set up. Is all I need a wiring kit and an Ipac to connect to my existing buttons?
krbcrwlr there is no real wiring kit for the IPac 2, we sell 1 metre wire lengths with the .187 standard connector on them if you like. so yes, other than that all you need is the IPac 2 encoder to connect to your controls.
the bigger ones have individual grounding pins, when using a smaller board you would "daisy-chain" all of the grounding pins together and use a common ground. In case you aren't sure what that means ground = pin that current goes *to* daisy-chain = wiring all grounds together and to a part of the circuit
We have sold the Howler boards in the past but they were still in the development stages so they had a few issues. I haven't physically used one in about 2 years but I know they have made some significant changes so it is on our list to carry again. As for the differences between the two, it comes down to personal preference. Either one would replace your ipac board and both of these are around the same price Howler from Wolfware Tecnologies: Dedicated to MAME and Hyperspin setups allowing for buttons and joysticks to lite up when active for a specific game (Very Cool) Universal for all types of inputs for buttons, trackballs and spinners. (some cutting/modifying of original cables and their connectors needed. Not plug and play) Very large, this is the biggest encoder I have ever come across and takes up a lot of space. Comes with board only, software is downloadable from Wolfware technologies website. (Involved setup but very straight forward) Canadian Company out of Calgary, Alberta (Nice to support Local. For us anyway) Ultimate I/O form ultimarc: Works with any front end Solid board that is tried tested and true Comes with pin-outs and harnesses to go to all your buttons, no connections to the board needed. Only compatible with other Ultimarc products. (Spintrak Spinner, Utrak Trackball, etc) All connected with 1 USB out Compatible with LED Blinky which will work like the Howler. (Downloadable software from Ultimarc, involved but straight forward) Half the size of the Howler These are just some quick differences but it comes down to the decision of being tied down to Ultimarc products so you can utilize the full capability of the Ultimate I/O. You can mix and match other products with this but the LED controller will not work with them unless you do some splicing and fancy wiring. It can be done, but if your looking for plug and play with Ultimarc products, this is the set up for you. The Howler will work with anything you plug into it, you just have to manually program the buttons or connections in the program provided. You will also have to cut all the ends off of your Trackballs and Spinners to connect them to the board if you wanted to or obviously you could also just use the USB they come with and use up more ports on your computer. You can just connect the LED portion separately. If you are very specific about using diferent brands of products and have a few different types, this is the setup you will benefit most from.
very nice video and always infomative. quick question, do i need the i pac or can i just connect my joysticks and buttons to RPI3 GPIO pins? do some config in the terminal to map the GPIO`s, i know the i pac would then take all the strain in terms of no laggs etc,,, great video, keep up the good work
Theoretically that would work but it would be a direct mapping setup. You would not be able to remap or delegate button configurations. Also might not work for a 2 player setup.
Hi, I want to do a two player set up with two joysticks and 7 buttons for each player, a flight stick & spinner and a trackball, which encoder would work best?
I would suggest a pair of Xin-Mo 2 Player Control USB Arcade Encoders, but keep the trackball and flight stick as separate usb connections. I made my control bezel the standard width with 2 players (6 buttons each) plus a trackball (that uses player 1's buttons). But I made my bezel removable so I can swap-in one with a steering wheel, etc.
hi, i recently picked up a USB encoder from ebay and went ham on a IKEA table. all went find but i put player 1 and player 2 much too far apart and the included cables (2 pin board plug things) are too short. trying to find extenders but no idea on the correct name of the connector pin. any idea?
just grab some cheap low-gauge "bell" wire from home depot or a radio shack. You could even use old phone cord. I solder my connections, but you could just twist and tape to extend them.
I want to build a arcade panel with 4 players, each having a joystick, insert coin and start button along with 8 LED buttons, along with a track ball, spinner, 2 light guns and have anther 11 buttons for function such as lift click, right click, enter, shift, pinball, etc So which would you recommend for me I was thing to uses the i-pac 4 with anther board not sure if that's possible. could you please let me know your recommendations. the plan is to use this for MAME and retro consoles
The ipac 2 does not support LEDs, you would have to go with an led controller along side your ipac2. I would use a PACDrive from Ultimarc if you are already familiar with their products.
I have the pc's power supply providing power for LEDs for the coin door. You could do the same for the button leds. Look fot he yellow/orange/red/black wires that come from the power supply in the pc. You likely will have an extra device power plug (for an additional harddrive, floppy, or cd). Just cut the end off (or buy a female end an wire it) to provide 12 volts (yellow or orange & black for ground) or provide 5 volts (red & black for ground).
I would say the lag is the same as they are the same manufacturer and base coding on the chipset. The main difference is that the mini pac is programmable for the buttons where the ipac 2 is set to specific key strokes. The best encoder for arcades by far is the ipac series.
Tiago Fernandes The XIN MO has minor lag, barely noticeable, depends how picky you are. If your playing modern fighting games you may notice it. IPac 2 does not have that issue, you get what you pay for.
Retro Active Arcade while the joystick of xbox one and the real hori, both have delay for current fighting games or is still better the PCB IPAC, I mean, IPAC is better than Joystick of Xbox one and real hori? I mean the input lag!
So are Xin-Mo and I-PAC compatible with the Switch, funny that Xin-Mo works for PlayStation because I hooked it up via a converter to my Switch and detected nothing.
@@enrico759 there isn't one that I know of, they are not made for that type of application. They are encoders that translate keystrokes of a keyboard into game button presses. What are you trying to do? There are converters by Brook that work for converting controllers from one game console to another such as XBox controller to PS4 consoles.
@Retro Active Arcade Convert a Donkey Kong panel into a Switch arcade stick, I think a Brooks Universal Encoder might work from what I found, could be mistaken
There is no such thing as a dual joystick 1 player but if you want more than 1 joystick for any player you just have to double wire amount joystick to the pl side.
@@JustinFrost302 technically it is the same thing so you can double wire any button to as many connections you want. They will all work at the same time though, meaning, the throttle and joystick would be linked together. If you want to change the default configuration you will have to use some unused buttons on your encoder and map your buttons in mame or the emulator for using to work with your specific setup.
@@RetroactivearcadeCa the two player encoder can you set the 2nd player side to be used as the 1 player side, giving the 1st player more axis and buttons?
@@hassansardar6649 Honestly it depends on your application, if you are using a Raspberry Pi you will have to use 2 x Zero Delay encoders as Retro Pi doesn't like the 2 Player Xin Mo's and will not always recognize the 2 Player side. The Xin Mo is way higher quality but the Zero Delay provides 5V off the board where the Xin Mo does not. Both recognize as a game controller so the game play is the same, only some setups will experience a possible "lag" that is almost not noticeable at all from the Xin Mo.
So my question is PC fighting games. There is not one of the new pc fighting games ( Mortal Kombat X, Tekken 7, Street Fighter 4 or Street Fighter 5, Killer Instinct, Etc ) that allow you to map more than one player to a keyboard. You have to have a keyboard and one USB type controller. So I just finished the physical build on a four-player arcade and I can't use the iPad 4 because it's still going to be seen as maps on the keyboard, correct? I ended up purchasing four separate generic USB to joystick encoders from China. I have had nothing but trouble with them this far. Is there anything that can be done with the iPad 4 for modern fighting games? Thanks guys!
iwonderifthisislegal I need a bit more info on what you ar et connecting to? Are you trying to connect directly to a playstation or xbox? Or are you connecting to PC only? If you are connecting to a console the only thing that will work is brook during boards x 4 if to a PC you should be able to use the ipac4 and program/ assign your buttons properly.
Retro Active Arcade: So I'm connecting to a PC buddy. If you try to play any PC fighters, you have to have 2 gamepads to play, or a gamepad and a keyboard. If you try and map player 1 and player 2 on a keyboard, the game will not allow you. The keyboard is always setup for player one. So I'm asking if you use the ipac4 ( I'm saying the four because I am building a 4 player arcade...but you could use the two as an example as well )...to set up on an arcade build... PC only, it still is emulating the keyboard inputs, right? If so, then you still will not be able to play any modern fighting games with it. Have you guys tested this out? Like if you buy Injustice from Steam. Install it on your PC using the ipac2 or ipac4...and try to assign controls for both player 1 and 2...will it let you?
Ok, I see now. Your not using an emulator to run Steam games so there is nothing to configure the inputs on an i-Pac 4. You would need 4 separate Xin Mo's or Zero Delay encoders to do this as they are recognized as arcade controllers by windows/Mac and not as a Keyboard input. Your best bet is the Xin Mo, DO NOT USE the 2 Player Xin Mo's, use 4 single ones for a 4 player setup.
Retro Active Arcade: firstly...dude, you're bad ass for helping me out with this🤘🏽👍🏽. So I'm going to use launchbox for the front end for the all emulated games. That will just run everything from retroarch. The steam games will have their exe files started from launchbox...but still the games will be ran without any other emulation. So I think the 4 player games to be emulated ( all MAME stuff and maybe a few other retro systems )....as long as the zero delay boards I got are not crap. I really just wanted to see the ipac4. So the xen-mo's....you said you can't or don't want to do 4 of them, right? I'm asking because the zero delay encoders I got are super cheap feeling.
Zero Delay boards are garbage, Xin Mo's are the way to go if you need a game controller setting. They also work with the retroarch and launchbox so you can configure the button inputs properly. The iPac 4 will work with all the emulator stuff perfectly but you will have a hell of a time with steam. Go with 4 x Xin Mo single players.
A general encoder will not work with Xbox or Playstation properly. You would have to get a Brooks Ultimate Fighting Board 4-in-1 to do that. We carry them on our website as well.
sometimes kbe fails to work in mame .screen turns white . especially when ,coin or other very quickly. have to restart pc / mame or test buttons in a document then it usually works again any ideas people?
I have had some instances of mame get "wonky". Usually from accidentally assigning a key that has been earmarked for something else. doubling-up keys/buttons for multiple functions seems to trip it up sometimes. Try having MAME reset back to factory (under options) and reassign your keys to see if that helps. Other things that come to mind are the video emulation you are using. Under the Options/advanced tab, play with the video options for direct draw, or disable it altogether.
If you are planning on doing emulation, I wouldn't recommend ultimarc at all. Take 2 zero delay usb encoders from bosega and you are ready to go, for 12 euros, shipping worldwide.
Whichever controls-to-USB encoder type you use, have extras on-hand as they only live for less than 1000 hours of "on" time (just over 1 month)... Not "use" time, just having power. So keep in mind that leaving your arcade system "on" will shorten the lifespan of these converters.
Let me elaborate. I have two gaming systems, both MS windows-based. Both utilize multiple encoders (one main one for main controls for players 1 & 2 including coin-in and game start. Another for auxiliary buttons for pinball, a trackball, etc). Both systems kill their encoders after about a month of leaving them on. The way they die is strange.. not all at once. Usually, I'll lose some buttons first.... or en entire joystick is no longer detected. Once they are gone though, they are gone. attaching to another computer does not revive them. I suppose we could say something in my two gaming systems is killing these. But that seems unlikely to me. The chips never get hot. One one system, I've gone through 5 encoders... the other has gone through 2. Has anyone else had these encoders fail over time?
The I-PAC interfaces we supply do not fail in this way and I suspect other suppliers are just as reliable. If failures are occurring something external is causing it. If these are I-PAC boards an email to us at Ultimarc will be the first step towards locating the cause.
On my last build, I replaced two failed i-pac controllers. They both died slowly... one of the joysticks always went first. then buttons. eventually, the whole thing. I had one for the main controls, and another for aux buttons (tilt, pinball launch, coin-in, etc)... When I rebuilt the system, I used only 1 i-pac and I have to say that it has remained stable since. I am hoping that the trouble i had was either related to the vendor I first got them from, or that they have an interaction issue and only 1 per system should be used. I've gone back to see if the old ones that I had removed previously would work again (possinly an over-loaded on-board capacitor), but no, they still do not function. but like I said, using juts on i-pac in the system seems tobe working and has lived twice as long than any other I have used in the past. finger crossed.
do i have to use xpadder for this or is their other ways of going about this. i'm new to this kinda thing so i am just trying to understand it all.. i have a zero delay encoder i don't have a ipac .thank you for responding to my post :)
The Zero Delay will register its controls as Joy 1. Depending on what software you are using, you can map the buttons to correspond with whichever commands you'd like in MAME.
Your videos deserve much more mention
Hello. Do you have a wiring diagram for the Ultimate I/O board?
I've used tons of IPACs and JPACs with great success, but I haven't had any luck with the Xin-Mo on RPi or Windows 10. The drivers install, but it doesn't send the correct keystrokes.
How would I emulate a mouse click on a USB cord?
On ipac 4 for rasberry pi is it plug and play? Or is there drivers or configuration that has to be done?
Ipac 2 and 4 are just plug and play for windows, Mac and Linux. You will just have to .ap your buttons normally in retro pi software.
Thanks for all the videos u upload, extremely helpful!!!
Can they be used with rotary encoders?
are they all compatible with any kinds of joysticks?
Appreciate the videos 👍
I purchased an EG starters zero delay usb encoder kit that came with 2 sanwa sticks and 16 led micro switch buttons, its been working great with Mame and hyperspin. But I was looking to play Ikari warriors and saw that Ultimarc has an Ikari warriors upgrade kit. Do you think that kit would work with a generic usb encoder?
Thanks
i have i-pac2 i cant use led buittons..........which pack its for led buttons?
Led buttons have to be powered by a separate 5V or 12V connection depending on the type of buttons you have. If you are looking for an encoder that will power the leds and translate your inputs you will have to upgrade to the Ultimate I\O board from Ultimarc. You can use the ipac2 still and also buy a led controller from Ultimarc as well and it will pretty much do the same thing with 2 boards instead of one. If you have static leds all you need is power to them that can be split off from your power supply directly.
Quick question: 12 buttons isnt enough for what i want to do, so is there one of those that has more button inputs for a single player? I want to be able to put 2 joysticks, 12 "regular" buttons, and a lot more button inputs for hotkey shortcuts. Is that even possible for the retropie?
The ipac 2 has 24 inputs that can also be doubled up to give you 48 in total if needed. For joystick you should double wire them only using 4 ports on the ipac for each player. Then there are 8 buttons per player that can be used for actions. To get the extra button option people set one button as a "shift" function and the press another button at the same time to work as whatever action you want such as "pause" etc. You only need 6 buttons for most games that will run on a raspberry pi so you can have 4 buttons that work without the "shift" feature for something like power or volume control.
@@RetroactivearcadeCa What I need is to have 3 joysticks for player one to mimic a modern controller. Can't seem to figure it out
@@theultimateninja If you need 3 joysticks to all control the same functions eg: Left, Right, Up & Down, then you would wire all 3 of each microswitch locations of each joystick to the same input on the iPac so that they act as one. This will mean that "Left on each joystick will move left for player 1. In this case it would be called triple wiring. Anyone looking to have multiple joysticks or Joystick types eg: 8 way, 4 Way and 360 will have to do this. It also applies to pushbuttons as well, just in case you need more than one button to have the same function.
so If I set up my own controls, my pc would see it as a usb game controer/joypad/joystick?
Just a question, when using an ipac 4, how do you wire a trackball or a spinner off of it? Or do I use a different encoder all together? Great vid 👍
You cannot connect a spinner or trackball to an ipac 4. You would connect them directly to your computer via USB, so if you are using the ultimarc versions you will have to buy the USB adapter with them.
Retro Active Arcade thank you 👍
What would you recomend for a gamecube emulator. Which controller/encoder.
Dolphin is considered the best overall for ratings but I have always used SuperGCube myself, as for controllers, you would be best to find a USB universal controller. Logitec sells a nice one that I have used in the past, it's worth a look.
Hello retro team I have a question
Can the 4 player I pac encoder be used on the retro pie interface and can the buttons and joystick mapping be setup direct from the retro pie interface directly to configure on the setup option .
Or would I have to setup the controls via the iPac program
Thankyou kindly if you could help me out
Cool tutorial my friend 🙌
All ipacs are pre-mapped and set in stone. All it is is a mini keyboard with only a few specific keys that are recognized in mame. Yes retropie will recognize it and you can map your buttons on its interface without hassle.
Champion Thankyou for the reply
I usually get the Chinese budget Encoder and don’t get me wrong they work cool but it will be good to try this one out
i want to make an arcade stick just for pc, but here they only sell the 2 players xin-mo...can i use it just for 1 player? i know USB Zero Delay but the intup delay its way bigger than the xin-mo
Yes you can just use the Player 1 side for a fight stick
thanks for the video...the information you gave was very helpful but i do have one question. is their a way you can program the ESC key to a button from the encoders to leave certain emulators.
+Jashon Moore It depends on which encoder you're using. Which emulators are you referencing?
Very informative video. Learned something new
Do you have a part number for the connectors on both ends?
What do you mean buy connectors on both ends? and for which product please.
I had some bad time in mame using 2 the same joystick boards. Now i want a ipac board . But i wonder how many buttons and joystick moves can be executed at the same time...
This is a older video and I realize I'm grasping at straws here but if I plugged any of this into a raspberry pi 4 could I get duel analog sticks with 12 buttons working in a handheld
Yes, all these encoders will work with a raspberry pi. The on you are looking for is an ipac2.
Do you have any info on the Juyao JY-02 2Player encoder? It looks almost exactly like the 2P Xin-mo but with 22 pins per side and it has a PS home button. Does the single player Xin-mo have PS home button?
Also, I was curious if the Juyao/Xin-mo work as Legacy controllers for PS4 games that have it, like SFV? And if they suffer from 8 min timeout like some other controllers/boards?
Great video very informative.
this encoders can be used in a retro pie? with the model 3 have 4 USB ports
My xemo 2 player encoders keep failing within a few days. I'm hooked into a rapberrypi3 with hyperpie. Any ideas why?
lastcall170 is because Raspberry Pi doesn't like the 2 player side of a XIN MO, you have to write a kernel code for it to stay connected/recognized as plugged in. It has been a well know issue since retropie was released and they never fixed it so I'm guessing it is a design flaw writing the 2 pl XIN MO. We always recommend an IPac 2 for a 2 player setup.
can use 2 2 player boards on 1 Pi to make it 4 players?
I have an ipac board but can't get the 2 player going. It will only let me get player 1 or player 2 to configure on raspberry pi. Now it only it comes up as keyboard
Raspberry Pi has a settings and options area where you can change the option to set for multiple keyboards, try setting to yes. Other than that we do not offer support on the software side of things.
I'm going to purchase the 2 player IPac encoder and I was wondering where I could find the software to map the controls. Does the software come with the encoder?
This is a direct link to the Ultimarc Developers Download page: www.ultimarc.com/programming.html
Hi mate. I have an old JAMMA cabinet that i am going to 'gut' and want to install a RspberryPi based set up.
Is all I need a wiring kit and an Ipac to connect to my existing buttons?
krbcrwlr there is no real wiring kit for the IPac 2, we sell 1 metre wire lengths with the .187 standard connector on them if you like. so yes, other than that all you need is the IPac 2 encoder to connect to your controls.
With the 4 bigger ones, one button goes on the 2 pins. How do the pins with one button to one pin on the two smaller ones?
the bigger ones have individual grounding pins, when using a smaller board you would "daisy-chain" all of the grounding pins together and use a common ground.
In case you aren't sure what that means ground = pin that current goes *to*
daisy-chain = wiring all grounds together and to a part of the circuit
For a noob which encoders do you suggest for a four player setup using hyperspin?
I-pac 4 for sure!
what do you think on the wolf board from kickstart?
they are like the ultimate board from what I have seen
already have a 2 player ipac
We have sold the Howler boards in the past but they were still in the development stages so they had a few issues. I haven't physically used one in about 2 years but I know they have made some significant changes so it is on our list to carry again. As for the differences between the two, it comes down to personal preference. Either one would replace your ipac board and both of these are around the same price
Howler from Wolfware Tecnologies:
Dedicated to MAME and Hyperspin setups allowing for buttons and joysticks to lite up when active for a specific game (Very Cool)
Universal for all types of inputs for buttons, trackballs and spinners. (some cutting/modifying of original cables and their connectors needed. Not plug and play)
Very large, this is the biggest encoder I have ever come across and takes up a lot of space.
Comes with board only, software is downloadable from Wolfware technologies website. (Involved setup but very straight forward)
Canadian Company out of Calgary, Alberta (Nice to support Local. For us anyway)
Ultimate I/O form ultimarc:
Works with any front end
Solid board that is tried tested and true
Comes with pin-outs and harnesses to go to all your buttons, no connections to the board needed.
Only compatible with other Ultimarc products. (Spintrak Spinner, Utrak Trackball, etc)
All connected with 1 USB out
Compatible with LED Blinky which will work like the Howler. (Downloadable software from Ultimarc, involved but straight forward)
Half the size of the Howler
These are just some quick differences but it comes down to the decision of being tied down to Ultimarc products so you can utilize the full capability of the Ultimate I/O. You can mix and match other products with this but the LED controller will not work with them unless you do some splicing and fancy wiring. It can be done, but if your looking for plug and play with Ultimarc products, this is the set up for you.
The Howler will work with anything you plug into it, you just have to manually program the buttons or connections in the program provided. You will also have to cut all the ends off of your Trackballs and Spinners to connect them to the board if you wanted to or obviously you could also just use the USB they come with and use up more ports on your computer. You can just connect the LED portion separately. If you are very specific about using diferent brands of products and have a few different types, this is the setup you will benefit most from.
very nice video and always infomative. quick question,
do i need the i pac or can i just connect my joysticks and buttons to RPI3 GPIO pins? do some config in the terminal to map the GPIO`s, i know the i pac would then take all the strain in terms of no laggs etc,,, great video, keep up the good work
Theoretically that would work but it would be a direct mapping setup. You would not be able to remap or delegate button configurations. Also might not work for a 2 player setup.
Hi, I want to do a two player set up with two joysticks and 7 buttons for each player, a flight stick & spinner and a trackball, which encoder would work best?
I would suggest a pair of Xin-Mo 2 Player Control USB Arcade Encoders, but keep the trackball and flight stick as separate usb connections. I made my control bezel the standard width with 2 players (6 buttons each) plus a trackball (that uses player 1's buttons). But I made my bezel removable so I can swap-in one with a steering wheel, etc.
hi, i recently picked up a USB encoder from ebay and went ham on a IKEA table. all went find but i put player 1 and player 2 much too far apart and the included cables (2 pin board plug things) are too short. trying to find extenders but no idea on the correct name of the connector pin. any idea?
just grab some cheap low-gauge "bell" wire from home depot or a radio shack. You could even use old phone cord. I solder my connections, but you could just twist and tape to extend them.
What board.. do you suggest sir for xbox 1st gen..
The only board you can use for modern consoles is a Brooks Fighting Board.
I want to build a arcade panel with 4 players, each having a joystick, insert coin and start button along with 8 LED buttons, along with a track ball, spinner, 2 light guns and have anther 11 buttons for function such as lift click, right click, enter, shift, pinball, etc So which would you recommend for me I was thing to uses the i-pac 4 with anther board not sure if that's possible. could you please let me know your recommendations. the plan is to use this for MAME and retro consoles
Did you find an answer? I also want to have 8 buttons for players 3 & 4 along with function buttons, But I just can’t figure out how to do it.
Are we able to hookup led buttong and joysticks with the ipac 2?
The ipac 2 does not support LEDs, you would have to go with an led controller along side your ipac2. I would use a PACDrive from Ultimarc if you are already familiar with their products.
To be clear, the ipac2 is just for buttons and joysticks. Just connect to the microswitches, it doesn't provide power for LED's.
I have the pc's power supply providing power for LEDs for the coin door. You could do the same for the button leds. Look fot he yellow/orange/red/black wires that come from the power supply in the pc. You likely will have an extra device power plug (for an additional harddrive, floppy, or cd). Just cut the end off (or buy a female end an wire it) to provide 12 volts (yellow or orange & black for ground) or provide 5 volts (red & black for ground).
Hello Can you tell what input lag is between mini ipac vs ipac 2.4 and which of the above encoders has the lowest lag ?
I would say the lag is the same as they are the same manufacturer and base coding on the chipset. The main difference is that the mini pac is programmable for the buttons where the ipac 2 is set to specific key strokes. The best encoder for arcades by far is the ipac series.
Hello i got minipac and i have problem how plug coin acceptor 4 this pcb and Pc, this is my 1 Arcade cab and im green plis help :(
what is the link to the mini pac ??????????
retroactivearcade.ca/products/mini-pac-standard
@@RetroactivearcadeCa how do you wire it up and how it works
Hi, do you have the input lag of all pcbs? I would like to know the input lag of xin mo in particular.
Tiago Fernandes The XIN MO has minor lag, barely noticeable, depends how picky you are. If your playing modern fighting games you may notice it. IPac 2 does not have that issue, you get what you pay for.
Retro Active Arcade while the joystick of xbox one and the real hori, both have delay for current fighting games or is still better the PCB IPAC, I mean, IPAC is better than Joystick of Xbox one and real hori? I mean the input lag!
Tiago Fernandes horizontal sticks are better than XIN MO or iPac, you can use brook fighting boards, they are the best for no lag.
Retro Active Arcade OK Bro, but are Brook boards even faster than the Xbox Joystick one?
Tiago Fernandes The specs and other customers say so. I've never had a complaint about them yet.
So are Xin-Mo and I-PAC compatible with the Switch, funny that Xin-Mo works for PlayStation because I hooked it up via a converter to my Switch and detected nothing.
I am sorry but it is only compatible with Playstation 2 and 3. It will not work with anything else other than a computer.
What encoders could I use to detect a Nintendo switch?
@@enrico759 there isn't one that I know of, they are not made for that type of application. They are encoders that translate keystrokes of a keyboard into game button presses. What are you trying to do? There are converters by Brook that work for converting controllers from one game console to another such as XBox controller to PS4 consoles.
@Retro Active Arcade Convert a Donkey Kong panel into a Switch arcade stick, I think a Brooks Universal Encoder might work from what I found, could be mistaken
@@enrico759 You will have to research that on the Brooks website or contact them about that as an option. I don't want to give you misinformation.
is there one with dual joysticks for one player
There is no such thing as a dual joystick 1 player but if you want more than 1 joystick for any player you just have to double wire amount joystick to the pl side.
@@RetroactivearcadeCawhat about a joystick and throttle one?
@@JustinFrost302 technically it is the same thing so you can double wire any button to as many connections you want. They will all work at the same time though, meaning, the throttle and joystick would be linked together. If you want to change the default configuration you will have to use some unused buttons on your encoder and map your buttons in mame or the emulator for using to work with your specific setup.
@@RetroactivearcadeCaI'm using a Zero Delay USB Encoder
@@RetroactivearcadeCa the two player encoder can you set the 2nd player side to be used as the 1 player side, giving the 1st player more axis and buttons?
excellent Video were can I download the drawings thks , subbed
you can find all our videos and wiring diagrams on our website at the link provided.
retroactivearcade.ca/videos-tutorials/
Many thanks . I'm in the middle of building my first Bartop just got the wiring to do.
good luck, let me know if you need anything else.
I'm pretty handy with PCS and stuff just wiring is new to me . thanks anyway.
For more information on all of our arcade parts, cabinets, kits and pricing, please visit our webpage at:
www.retroactivearcade.ca
How many per player button we can get from zimo 2 player
8 for each player
@@RetroactivearcadeCa Which you prefer zimo 2 player or 2 zero delay encoders
@@hassansardar6649 Honestly it depends on your application, if you are using a Raspberry Pi you will have to use 2 x Zero Delay encoders as Retro Pi doesn't like the 2 Player Xin Mo's and will not always recognize the 2 Player side. The Xin Mo is way higher quality but the Zero Delay provides 5V off the board where the Xin Mo does not. Both recognize as a game controller so the game play is the same, only some setups will experience a possible "lag" that is almost not noticeable at all from the Xin Mo.
@@RetroactivearcadeCa I want to use for pc and ps4 with 10 buttons each player which one i should buy ?
@@hassansardar6649 Go with the Xin Mo, it will mimic the PS4 controller the best.
So my question is PC fighting games. There is not one of the new pc fighting games ( Mortal Kombat X, Tekken 7, Street Fighter 4 or Street Fighter 5, Killer Instinct, Etc ) that allow you to map more than one player to a keyboard. You have to have a keyboard and one USB type controller. So I just finished the physical build on a four-player arcade and I can't use the iPad 4 because it's still going to be seen as maps on the keyboard, correct? I ended up purchasing four separate generic USB to joystick encoders from China. I have had nothing but trouble with them this far. Is there anything that can be done with the iPad 4 for modern fighting games?
Thanks guys!
iwonderifthisislegal I need a bit more info on what you ar et connecting to? Are you trying to connect directly to a playstation or xbox? Or are you connecting to PC only? If you are connecting to a console the only thing that will work is brook during boards x 4 if to a PC you should be able to use the ipac4 and program/ assign your buttons properly.
Retro Active Arcade: So I'm connecting to a PC buddy. If you try to play any PC fighters, you have to have 2 gamepads to play, or a gamepad and a keyboard. If you try and map player 1 and player 2 on a keyboard, the game will not allow you. The keyboard is always setup for player one. So I'm asking if you use the ipac4 ( I'm saying the four because I am building a 4 player arcade...but you could use the two as an example as well )...to set up on an arcade build... PC only, it still is emulating the keyboard inputs, right? If so, then you still will not be able to play any modern fighting games with it. Have you guys tested this out? Like if you buy Injustice from Steam. Install it on your PC using the ipac2 or ipac4...and try to assign controls for both player 1 and 2...will it let you?
Ok, I see now. Your not using an emulator to run Steam games so there is nothing to configure the inputs on an i-Pac 4. You would need 4 separate Xin Mo's or Zero Delay encoders to do this as they are recognized as arcade controllers by windows/Mac and not as a Keyboard input. Your best bet is the Xin Mo, DO NOT USE the 2 Player Xin Mo's, use 4 single ones for a 4 player setup.
Retro Active Arcade: firstly...dude, you're bad ass for helping me out with this🤘🏽👍🏽. So I'm going to use launchbox for the front end for the all emulated games. That will just run everything from retroarch. The steam games will have their exe files started from launchbox...but still the games will be ran without any other emulation. So I think the 4 player games to be emulated ( all MAME stuff and maybe a few other retro systems )....as long as the zero delay boards I got are not crap. I really just wanted to see the ipac4. So the xen-mo's....you said you can't or don't want to do 4 of them, right? I'm asking because the zero delay encoders I got are super cheap feeling.
Zero Delay boards are garbage, Xin Mo's are the way to go if you need a game controller setting. They also work with the retroarch and launchbox so you can configure the button inputs properly. The iPac 4 will work with all the emulator stuff perfectly but you will have a hell of a time with steam. Go with 4 x Xin Mo single players.
wil the USB Encoder work with the original xbox ?
A general encoder will not work with Xbox or Playstation properly. You would have to get a Brooks Ultimate Fighting Board 4-in-1 to do that. We carry them on our website as well.
Auto-Detects PS3, PS4, XBOX360, XBOXONE, & PC ( what about original xbox
scroeffie The Akishop 360 will work for the original Xbox.
akishop-customs.com/PS360.html
can be connected ipac ultimate + this akishop 360 same time because i got PC, ps3,ps4 xbox360
I would like to have everything hooked ??
sometimes kbe fails to work in mame .screen turns white . especially when ,coin or other very quickly. have to restart pc / mame or test buttons in a document then it usually works again any ideas people?
I have had some instances of mame get "wonky". Usually from accidentally assigning a key that has been earmarked for something else. doubling-up keys/buttons for multiple functions seems to trip it up sometimes. Try having MAME reset back to factory (under options) and reassign your keys to see if that helps. Other things that come to mind are the video emulation you are using. Under the Options/advanced tab, play with the video options for direct draw, or disable it altogether.
Nice!
If you are planning on doing emulation, I wouldn't recommend ultimarc at all.
Take 2 zero delay usb encoders from bosega and you are ready to go, for 12 euros, shipping worldwide.
stickievidz awesome just bouht that one
Xin-Mo worked perfect for me on Windows 10
Yes it does, thank you.
If it works in 10 could it possibly work on Windows 7?
Whichever controls-to-USB encoder type you use, have extras on-hand as they only live for less than 1000 hours of "on" time (just over 1 month)... Not "use" time, just having power. So keep in mind that leaving your arcade system "on" will shorten the lifespan of these converters.
Let me elaborate. I have two gaming systems, both MS windows-based. Both utilize multiple encoders (one main one for main controls for players 1 & 2 including coin-in and game start. Another for auxiliary buttons for pinball, a trackball, etc). Both systems kill their encoders after about a month of leaving them on. The way they die is strange.. not all at once. Usually, I'll lose some buttons first.... or en entire joystick is no longer detected. Once they are gone though, they are gone. attaching to another computer does not revive them. I suppose we could say something in my two gaming systems is killing these. But that seems unlikely to me. The chips never get hot. One one system, I've gone through 5 encoders... the other has gone through 2. Has anyone else had these encoders fail over time?
The I-PAC interfaces we supply do not fail in this way and I suspect other suppliers are just as reliable. If failures are occurring something external is causing it. If these are I-PAC boards an email to us at Ultimarc will be the first step towards locating the cause.
On my last build, I replaced two failed i-pac controllers. They both died slowly... one of the joysticks always went first. then buttons. eventually, the whole thing. I had one for the main controls, and another for aux buttons (tilt, pinball launch, coin-in, etc)... When I rebuilt the system, I used only 1 i-pac and I have to say that it has remained stable since. I am hoping that the trouble i had was either related to the vendor I first got them from, or that they have an interaction issue and only 1 per system should be used. I've gone back to see if the old ones that I had removed previously would work again (possinly an over-loaded on-board capacitor), but no, they still do not function. but like I said, using juts on i-pac in the system seems tobe working and has lived twice as long than any other I have used in the past. finger crossed.
nes,snes,gen,nulldc,n64
You can map buttons to whatever keystroke you want, including ESC.
do i have to use xpadder for this or is their other ways of going about this. i'm new to this kinda thing so i am just trying to understand it all.. i have a zero delay encoder i don't have a ipac .thank you for responding to my post :)
The Zero Delay will register its controls as Joy 1. Depending on what software you are using, you can map the buttons to correspond with whichever commands you'd like in MAME.