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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: mahen on November 28, 2011, 10:21:01 AM
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Hi everyone !
To people using the Lyra 2 1200 keyboard adapter : when it is connected, is it possible to use the internal Amiga keyboard at the same time as an external PS2 keyboard ?
Indeed, I would like to use the Lyra 2 adapter to "catch" the keys signals and map some keys which are frequently used in games to some X-Arcade buttons (like shift keys to the side buttons for flippers etc.)
Cheers !
Mahen
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Hi everyone !
To people using the Lyra 2 1200 keyboard adapter : when it is connected, is it possible to use the internal Amiga keyboard at the same time as an external PS2 keyboard ?
Indeed, I would like to use the Lyra 2 adapter to "catch" the keys signals and map some keys which are frequently used in games to some X-Arcade buttons (like shift keys to the side buttons for flippers etc.)
Cheers !
Mahen
Yes, PS2 and amiga keyborad work at the same time :)
Espen
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Cool ! One more question ;-) Does it fit in a "desktop" A1200 ? (that is to say, not in a tower)
Thanks :)
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Jepp it does. And with a Inidivision :)
Espen
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Perfect, exactly what I need, then :) Thanks !
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Would you mind elaborating a bit as to what you intend to do with X-Arcade? It sounds very interesting. Thx!
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Well, this is incredibly easy, as I don't know anything about electronics :)
I have a dual X-Arcade stick (but it would be even better with a Tank Stick to add mouse support).
1) I will sacrifice 2 Amiga pads and connect each microswitch (simple "on off" mechanism) to each direction / button on the PCB. I will also map the "up" direction to one button, which will make it easier to jump in platformers games. I may also use one more button for the autofire feature which is built into my pad.
2) I would also like to add a Lyra 2 to my A1200, which will enable me to get PS2 keyboard signals. Then I need to find an adapter or use a keyboard matrix to get the signals for keys frequently used in games. (like "shift" for pinball games ; F1 F2 ; space, enter, tab etc.) and then connect them to the relevant joystick buttons.
(on the X-Arcade dual stick there are 8 buttons per player + start for each player + 2 flips on the sides for flippers).
Well, I'm pretty sure it can be done, but I'm open to any piece of advice / suggestion. Especially, how to do it properly and in a clean way. (3 cables will have to be used to connect the X-A to the Amiga)
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So, in a nut shell you will be hard wiring certain keyboard keys to the button and joystick contacts. For example, you would map the arrow keys to their respective directions on the X-Arcade joystick, correct?
If that is your plan, it sounds rather strait forward and simple, but a TON of soldering! The only thing about this is that you'd be stuck if required keystrokes changed from one game to another.
I know there are different keymaps that you can swap out in Workbench for things like French, USA, etc. types of keyboards. It might be worth looking into a profile program that you can run before starting your game to remap certain keys to make the best use of the X-arcade.
This would make so if one game uses the ESC key to pull up the menu and another game uses the "P" key, you could just switch the mapping and away you go!
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Yes, that's the idea, except : all directions and 2-4 buttons would be taken from Amiga gamepads (but 1, but 2, autofire, up direction) and the rest from the keyboard. The point is to play regular games (that is to say, games which won't take into account the selected system keymap and will directly access the joysticks), but have additional buttons in case the game needs some keys as well, to prevent gameplay interruptions.
Thanks for the advice !