Connecting Old Ipac to Pi3b ~ How?

mortymoose

I build a cabinet about 8 years ago, using an Ipac controller to control a Windows based Mame frontend....

I manually soldered everything and the cabinet worked well.......

Now I want to rip the PC out and replace it with a Raspberry Pi 3b , quieter, smaller and just fun to mess around with...

I have the pi sitting on my desk at work , fiddling around with the config..... and a USB keyboard....

How do I connect the Ipac to the Pi3b if seeing as the Pi has USB connectors and the Ipac has ps2 connectors......?

Will I have to rewire my ipac?

cheers & thanks
M

Riverstorm

It sounds like an older IPAC (pre-2015). You'll need a USB to PS2 cable. It should have come standard with it. If you don't have it around anymore you could purchase one as I would think it should work with any cable with a standard pin-out. It might be a proprietary cable but I doubt it. You could always send an email to Andy at Ultimarc and he'll let you know.

I know some enjoy the challenge and you could make you're own too but I never had much like getting the ground and shielding back on the cable properly and it was shorting out causing my PC to shutdown for lack of a better description. Cables are so cheap it was just easier to buy one.

Once you have the cable it's just a matter of wiring each button and a common "daisy-chain" ground works great.

caver01

@mortymoose I built my project with an IPAC4 from before 2009. It is USB/PS2 compatible because it uses an adapter cable.

I too was using Windows for my orignal arcade (Maximus Arcade front end). I think you'll find that the Pi3 is a very capable replacement!

mortymoose

Thanks guys, Think I will purchase a Usb->Ps2 adaptor. leave the ipac wired as it is, install the RP3 and config input fresh.....

In my existing cab, I left a keyboard inside connecting to the Ipac for any editing that I might needed to do.... so I will try and find an USB keyboard to replace this.....

Also looking at the powerblock to use the GIPO to turn the cab on and off....

Seem's like a hassle , as the old PC worked well, but the fans and the heat generated ruined the experience...

cheers
M

Riverstorm

@mortymoose said in Connecting Old Ipac to Pi3b ~ How?:

Thanks guys, Think I will purchase a Usb->Ps2 adaptor.

I guess I never made the connection but I do have a handful of those old USB to PS2 purple and light green adapters laying around that were used back in the day for keyboard and mice. I wonder if they would do the trick.

In my existing cab, I left a keyboard inside connecting to the Ipac for any editing that I might needed to do.... so I will try and find an USB keyboard to replace this.....

They also work great with a wireless keyboard. I like the type that have the keyboard and glide pad built into one. They also have some nice mini-sized ones that are perfect for that type of thing.