Ultimarc Aim-trak User manual



AimTrakSetupGuide
http://www.ultimarc.comPage1

http://www.ultimarc.comPage2
TableofContents
..............................................................................................................................1
Table of Contents..................................................................................................2
1Installation......................................................................................................3
1.1 Hardware Installation and Initial Setup ...................................................3
1.2 Software Installation and Advanced Setup.............................................5
2MAME Configuration....................................................................................11
2.1 Understanding Reload in MAME ..........................................................16
2.2 Game Specific Settings ........................................................................17
3Troubleshooting...........................................................................................23
3.1 Hardware/Software Troubleshooting ....................................................23
3.2 MAME Configuration Troubleshooting..................................................25








Thanks to Carlos Javier Cuevas Muñoz and others for valuable input to this guide.

Installation
1.1 HardwareInstallationandInitialSetup

TheUltimarcAimTrakLightGunscomeready‐to‐use.Initialset‐upisassimpleas
pluggingtheUSBcomponentsintoyourcomputerandcalibrating.

1) PlugtheLightGunintoanavailableUSBportonyourcomputer.



NOTE:IfyouwillbeinstallingmorethatoneLightGun,performthese
stepswithonlyoneinstalledatatime.YouwillneedtochangetheDevice
IDtobeabletousemorethanoneLightGun(AdvancedSetup).
2) PlugtheLEDstripintoanavailableUSBportandplaceitcenteredaboveyour
monitor.Forbestresults,thestripshouldbecenteredleft‐to‐rightandasclose
tothetopofthepicturescreenaspossible.
TheremaynotbeenoughpoweravailableonapassiveUSBhub(suchasaport
onakeyboardorun‐poweredUSBhub),souseaportonthebackofyour
computer,oraUSBhubthathasit’sownpowercable.

3) Asaninitialcheck,pointthegunatthescreenwiththetipofthegunabout2to
3feet(60to100cm)fromthescreen.Thecursorshouldmoveasyoumovethe
gun.


NOTE:Thecursormaynotmoveallthewaytotheedgesofthescreen,or
maynottrackpreciselywithyourmovementyet.Youstillneedtoperform
aninitialcalibration
(
Ste
p
4
)
.
4) Calibration–ThisshouldbedonewhileholdingtheLightGuninyournormal
“shooting”position.Ifyouintendtolookthroughthegun‐sightswhenplaying
youmustdothiswhencalibrating.Likewise,ifyou“shootfromthehip”you
mustdothiswhencalibratingaswell.
http://www.ultimarc.comPage3




NOTE:Thegunmustbeheldverticallyduringthisprocessotherwise
itwillfail.
•Holdthetriggerfor5seconds(thisvaluecanbechanged,seeAdvanced
Setup)
•Themousecursorwilleventuallystarttomoveandcometorest,
pointingatalocationnearthetopleftcornerofthescreen,andbeginto
flash.AimtheLightGunatthecursorandpullthetriggeragain.The
timingisnotimportantasthecursorisonlyanindicator.Theaimisthe
onlyimportantfactor.
•Thecursorwillthenpointtoalocationnearthetoprightcorner.Aimat
thecursorandpullthetrigger.
•Thecursorwillthenpointneartheloweredgeofthescreen.Aimatthis
pointandpullthetrigger.Notethepositiontoaimisoffsettotheleftof
thescreencenterline.

Ifanyoftheabovestepsfails,thecursorwillcontinuetopointatthe
requiredlocationandnotadvancetothenextstage.Ifthiscontinuestobe
thecaseyoumightneedtoinstalltheconfigurationsoftwaretodiagnosethe
problem(seeAdvancedSetup).

5) Re‐checkyourmousecursorasyoupointtheLightGunatthescreeninyour
normalshootingstyle.Thecursorshouldtrackyourmovementsveryclosely.
http://www.ultimarc.comPage4

1.2 SoftwareInstallationandAdvancedSetup

TheConfigurationUtilitycanbedownloadedfromtheUltimarcwebsite.Thecurrentlink
isatthefootofthepage:http://www.ultimarc.com/aimtrak.html.
Itisnotrequiredfornormaloperationorforcalibration.Itisonlyneededtochangethe
defaultvaluesandbuttonassignments,ortoassistwithtroubleshootingyourdevices.
Youwillneedthisutilityifusingmorethanonegun,toassignanewIDtotheadditional
guns.


NOTE:Thesoftware
requirestheMicrosoft
.NETruntimetobe
installedonthePC.

1) DeviceIDDrop‐Down
Thisisusedtoselectthedevicebeingaccessed,fromonetofour.See“Change
DeviceID”forinformationonassigningnewDeviceIDs.
2) CalibrateButton
Thisbuttonhasthesameeffectasholdingthetriggerfor5seconds.Itinitiates
thecalibrationprocess(seeInitialSetup).
3) ApplyChangesButton
Thismustbeclickedtoapplyanychangesmadeintheabovesettings.
4) FirmwareVersion
DisplaysthecurrentfirmwareinstalledintheAimTrak.
http://www.ultimarc.comPage5

CONFIGURATIONTAB




NOTE:Aftermakinganychangestothesettingsbelow,theAPPLYCHANGESbutton
mustbeclickedforthechangestobesaved
1) Tilt/ZCorrectionSetting
These3checkboxesdefinethewaythegunrespondstobeingtiltedleft/right.

•OFF:Thissettingdisablesalltiltfunctionality.Thismeansthecursorwill
movewhenthegunistilted.Thisshouldbeusedonlyfor"airmouse"or
otherun‐calibratedapplications.Itgivesthesmoothestcursormovement
butisnotaccurateto"lineofsight".ItmightalsobeusefulinLightGun
applicationswhichhaveavisible"cross‐hair"targetwhichdoesnotrequire
anyvisualaimofthegun.
•INTELLIGENT:Thissettingcompensatesfortiltbyaveragingandthen
applyingthecompensationwhenitdecidesisthebestmomenttodoso.This
meansthecursormaytemporarilyloseaccuracywhenthegunistilted
left/rightbutinnormalgamingusethisisnotanissue.
•CONTINUOUS:Thissettingcausestiltcompensationtobeconstantlyapplied.
Thismayresultinaslightlychoppiercursorthantheabovetwosettings.This
http://www.ultimarc.comPage6

http://www.ultimarc.comPage7
isnotanissuewhenthecursorisnotvisible,whichisinmostgaming
situations.

NOTE:Regardlessoftheabove,thegunwillnotfunctionreliablyifexcessively
tiltedleft/right.

2) IRGainSetting
Thissettingcontrolsthe"brightness"oftheinternalIRsensor.Normallythiscan
beleftalonebecausethegainisautomaticallyset,butyoucandisableautomatic
gaincontrolbycheckingtheDisablecheckbox.Whenautomaticgaincontrolis
disabled,youcansetthegaintooneof5valueswiththeslider.
Thereareveryfewsituationswhereyoumayneedtodothis,butonesuch
configurationmightbewheretheLEDstripislocatedbehindatintedglass
screen.Inthiscasethegainmightneedtobeincreased.IftheDisablecheckbox
ischecked,thesliderstillfunctionsbutwillbeover‐riddenduringuse.Inauto
modetheslidermovesonitsown.

3) DisableAutoGainCheckbox
Thischeckboxisusedtodisabletheautomaticgain,soacustomsettingcanbe
applied(seeIRGainSettingabove).

4) SetCalDefaultsButton
Thisbuttonisusedtorestorethedefaultvaluesforcalibration.

5) ButtonAssignments
Thesedrop‐downsallowconfigurationofthetriggerandotherconnected
buttons.Eachcanbeassignedasamouseleftorrightbutton,oragamepad
button.Everybuttonhastwopossibleassignments,anon‐screenandoff‐screen
setting.Off‐screenwouldnormallybeusedfor“off‐screenreload”.
Eachbuttonhasan“EnableCal”checkboxwhich,whenchecked,allowsthis
buttontoinitiatecalibrationwhenhelddown.

6) TriggerCalibrationDelay
Thissliderdefineshowlongthetrigger(orotherbuttonswith“EnableCal”
checked)needstobeheldtostartthecalibrationprocess.


SensorViewCheckTab


ThisdisplayshowstheInfra‐RedLEDasseenbythesensor.Notethatthisshowstheraw
uncalibrateddisplaysowillnotcorrespondtocursorlocationonthescreen.

ThisscreenisusedtocheckiftheLEDbarisinalocationwhichcanalwaysbeseenby
thegun,inallaimingdirections.

Thisdisplaycanbeusedtodeterminewhycalibrationisfailing.Youcanstartthe
calibrationprocessfromthiswindow.Whenyouaimattheflashingcursoreachtime,
checkthedisplayaswell.Ifthereddotisnotvisible,calibrationwillfail.Youcanmove
thegunslightlytofindwhichdirectiontheerrorlies.

Failuretocalibrateisusuallycausedbyeitherbeingtooclose,oranobscuredorfaint
LEDsignal.Thisdisplaywillhelptoidentifytheproblem.
http://www.ultimarc.comPage8

ChangeDeviceIDTab


OnthiswindowyoucanchangetheIDofthedevicetoone,two,threeorfour.Thisis
requiredtobedoneifyouhavemorethanonedeviceconnected.Afterthedeviceisre‐
assigned,itwill"disappear"fromthePCforafewsecondsandre‐appearasanew
devicewithitsnewID.

Thistabisalsousedtoupgradefirmware.

UpgradingFirmware

•Click"UpgradeFirmware"then"OK".
•ThePCwilldetectanewUSBdeviceandadriverwillbeautomaticallyinstalled.
•Theupgradeprogramwillstart.Clickon"SelectFirmwareFile"andnavigateto
theUFWfile.Thiswillnormallybecontainedintheinstallfolderoftheprogram.
•Thefirmwareshoulddownload.
•Afterdownload,thedevicewillreset.Youshouldsee"Devicenotfound"onthe
bottomline.Thedeviceshouldnowbebackinnormaloperatingmode.
http://www.ultimarc.comPage9

ShowDataTab


Thisscreenisnormallyonlyusedforsupportpurposes.

CalData

Thissectiondisplaysvariousunchangingdatawhichisdatastoredasaresultofrunning
acalibrationprocess.Itisrefreshedevery5secondsbutshouldnotnormallychange
aftertheinitialreadorcalibration.

DynamicData

ThissectiondisplaysdatareadfromthedevicesuchasXandYlocation.Thisisusedfor
troubleshootingandsupportpurposes.Thisiscontinuallyupdated.

Thissectionalsocontainsadisplayofanyerrorsencounteredduringacalibration
process.
http://www.ultimarc.comPage10

1MAMEConfiguration
Thefollowingsectionwilldiscussgamespecificconfigurationsandsettings.Additional
informationcanalsobefoundbysearchingtheBYOACforums:
http://forums.arcadecontrols.comorontheBYOACwiki:
http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com.

NotethatMAMEversion0.131u1includedthreeimportantfixesforlightgunsupportso
usethisversionorlater.Someoftheinformationinthissectionwillbeincorrectfor
earlierMAMEversions.
YourPCseestheAimTrakLightGunasanordinarymouseinputdevice,anddepending
onhowyouhaveassignedyourbuttonsabove,thebuttonsareseenaseitherordinary
mouseorjoystickinputdevicebuttons.AlthoughtheWindowsoperatingsystemwill
onlyrecognizeonemouseintheWindowsenvironment,itwillappearasifthereare
twomousecursorsonyourdesktopiftherearetwoLightGunsinstalled.
WerecommendthatforMAMEusage,thetriggerisconfiguredasfollows:

OnScreen: MouseLeft
OffScreen: MouseRight



NOTE:EachAimTrakwillneeditsownuniqueDeviceID.SeeChangeDeviceIDTab
in Section 1.2 above for more information.
OncetheMAMEsettingsfile(INIfile)isconfiguredcorrectly,MAMEwillrecognizethe
AimTrakdeviceasaLightGun.ItwillalsocorrectlyidentifymultipleLightGunsas
separateinputdevices.

ToenabletheAimTrakLightGun(s)inMAME,editthefollowinglinesinyourmame.ini
fileasshown(thesearethelinesthatapplytotheLightGunconfiguration):

#
# CORE INPUT OPTIONS
#
joystick 1
lightgun 1
offscreen_reload 1

http://www.ultimarc.comPage11



NOTE:Ifyoudonothavethemame.inifileinyourMAMEdirectory,youcantellMAMEto
createthefilepopulatedwithMAMEdefaultvaluesbytypingthefollowingcommandina
CommandPromptWindow:mame -cc
MAMEassignsnumberstoinputdevicesbasedontheWindowsdeviceID(which
Windowsassignsinorderofinitialconnection)soyouwillalsoneedtoconfigureMAME
byassigningyourAimTrakLightGunstothecorrectPlayer1(andPlayer2)Inputs.There
aretwowaystodothis:

PrimaryMethod

1) LaunchMAMEwithanyROM:mame robby

2) PresstheTabkey(defaultkey)tobringuptheMAMEConfigMenu

3) UsetheUp/Downarrows(orjoystick)tomovetheselection,andpresstheEnter
key(defaultkey)toselectInput(general)


4) UsetheUp/Downarrows(orjoystick)tomovetheselection,andpresstheEnter
keytoselectPlayer1Controls


5) UsetheUp/Downarrows(orjoystick)tomovetotheLightgunXAnaloginput,
butbeforeyouselectitmakesureyouholdtheLightGunsteadyandpointitat
yourscreen.
http://www.ultimarc.comPage12



6) PresstheEnterkeytoselecttheLightgunXAnalogmenuitemandmoveyour
AimTrakLightGunsteadilytotheright,inahorizontalmotion.

7) Thisshouldassign“GUN#X”totheLightgunXAnaloginputwhere#isthe
numberassignedtoyourAimTrakbyMAME.If“GUN#XorGUN#Y”isassigned
instead,tryagainbutkeepthemotionoftheLightGunashorizontalaspossible.
MovethemenuselectionupthendownagaintoLightgunXAnalogandrepeat
step6.Ifyouarestillhavingdifficulty,trytheAlternateMethodbelow.

8) Repeatsteps5and6fortheLightgunYAnaloginput,usingaverticalmovement
insteadofhorizontal.

9) TheAnalogDecandAnalogIncinputscanbeassignedto“None”forbothXand
Y.Dothisbyselectingthem(Enterkey)andthenpressingEscape.

10) IfyouhavetwoAimTrakLightGunsinstalled,repeatsteps4through9abovewith
yoursecondLightGun,selectingPlayer2Controlsinsteadinstep4.

11) MovethemenuuptoP1Button1.Thisshouldbeassignedbydefaultasshown:

TheAimTrakLightGuntriggerwillbeseenbyMAMEas“Joy#Button0”,butit
maynotbe“Joy1Button0”asinthedefault.

12) PresstheEnterkeytoselectP1Button1andthenpressthetriggeronthe
AimTrakLightGun.
NOTE:Thetriggercanbeassignedtodifferentbuttonswhenaimedonandoff
thescreen.MakesureyoupointtheLightGunatthescreenwhenyouassignthis
input.
http://www.ultimarc.comPage13

http://www.ultimarc.comPage14
NOTE:The“Joy#Button0”assignedtoyourAimTrakmaynotmatchthe“GUN#”
assignedabove.
InordertokeepP1Button1assignedtoyournormalbuttonassignmentalso,
presstheEnterkeyagain(withoutmovingthemenuselection)andpresstheCtrl
keyorButton1onyourcontrolpanel.ThiswillassignthembothasaBOOLEAN
OR:“KbdCtrlorJoy#Button0”.

13) Repeatstep12forP1Button2,usingthesecondbuttonontheAimTrakLight
Gun.

Showing/HidingCrosshairs

MAMEcandisplayanaimingcrosshairforeachlightgun,evenifagamedidnot
originallyhaveone.Itispersonalpreferencewhetheryouleavethemonorturnthem
off.

TochangethecrosshairsettinginMAME:
1) PresstheTabkey(defaultkey)tobringuptheMAMEConfigMenu

2) UsetheUp/Downarrows(orjoystick)tomovetheselection,andpresstheEnter
key(defaultkey)toselectCrosshairOptions.

NOTE:ThismenuitemwillonlyappearforgunsrecognizedbyMAMEaslightgun
games.

3) ChangethesettingbyselectingP1Visibility.

Auto:Thecrosshairisonwhenbeingmoved,andwilldisappearafterthetime
setintheVisibleDelay.
On:Thecrosshairisonallthetime.
Off:Thecrosshairisoffallthetime.

Eachplayer(ifthegameallowsmorethanonesimultaneousplayer)hastheir
owncrosshairsetting.Thesesettingswillbesavedforthisgame,andmaybeset
independentlyforotherlightgungames.
http://www.ultimarc.comPage15

http://www.ultimarc.comPage16
1.1 UnderstandingReloadinMAME
ThereismorethanonemethodtoreloadbyshootingoffscreeninMAME.
Some(butunfortunatelynotall)gamesreloadbyshootingat0,MAX(iethelowerleft
corner),butthefollowingmethodworksforallgames:
Buttons set to:
Trigger On Screen Mouse Left
Trigger Off Screen Mouse Right

Inmame.ini:
Joystick 1
lightgun 1
offscreen_reload 1
Howitworks:
•WhenyoupointtheAimTrakoffscreen,thegunsetsthepointerto0,MAX.(left‐
bottomofthescreen).
•Ifyoufirethen,youarepressingMouseRightat(0,MAX).
•ThemajorityoflightgunsgamesinMAMEthatneedtoshootoffscreen,
understandthatfiringattheedgeofthescreenis“shootingoffscreen”.
•Becauseoffscreen‐reloadisenabled,MAMEunderstandsthatpressingMouse
Rightisthesameaspointingthecursorto(0,MAX)andthenpressingMouse
Left.
•Thegamereloads.

http://www.ultimarc.comPage17
1.2 GameSpecificSettings

The"Notes"referringtocontrolssuchas"servicemode","testswitch"etcreferto
theoriginalarcadecabinet,notyourhardware.Thesecontrolsareemulatedby
MAMEaskeystrokes.

LightgunGames–1Button

Key:
Gamehasadditionalin‐gamecalibrationsettingsthatcanbeaccessedbypressingF2
duringagame.Itmaynotbenecessarytocalibratein‐game,unlessotherwise
noted.
Gamemayrequireyoutoholddownthetriggerforauto‐fire.Thiswillcausethe
AimTrakcalibrationroutinetoinvokeafter5seconds,unlessyouchangethetimeor
disablecalibrationforthisbuttonasshownabove(AdvancedSettings).
ÂGamerequiresyoutoshootoff‐screentoreloadyourweapon.

GameNameromnameKeyNotes
Area51area51Â
Bang!bang
Bronxbronx  
BubbleTroublebubbletrFrommamedev.org:HoldService19thenpressF2toenter
ServiceMode.Shootatthetargetsitshowsusingthe
crosshair.Afteryou'veshotthetarget,pressService19again
tomoveontothenextone.Onceyoufinishedandhave
returnedtothestartagain,hitF2.
Catch‐22catch22  
Cheyennecheyenne  
Chiller chiller  
ClayPigeon claypign  
Combat combat  
Crackshot cracksht  
CritterCrushercritcrsh  Frommamedev.org:After'ERRORONCARTRIDGE'press9
(SERVICEKey)andthenF2(TEST)togetintotheTESTMENU.
Select'SYSTEMASSIGNMENTS'withSERVICEandpressTEST
toproceed,thenset'CABINETTYPE'to1P(oneplayer)and
EXITthetestmenu.
Crossbow crossbow  
DesertGun desertgu  
DuckHuntPc_duckh  
EggVenture eggventr  
GhostHunter ghoshuntPressingF2willenteraservicemenu,buttheremaybeabug
whereyoucannotexittheservicemenu
GhoulPanicghlpanic

http://www.ultimarc.comPage18
Golly!Ghost!gollyghoFrommamedev.org:HoldService1(9)thenpressF2toenter
ServiceMode.Shootatthetargetsitshowsusingthe
crosshair.Afteryou'veshotthetarget,pressService1(9)
againtomoveontothenextone.Onceyoufinishedandhave
returnedtothestartagain,hitF2.
GunBulletgunbuletw
Hitn’Misshitnmiss
Hogan'sAlleyPc_hgaly
InvasioninvasnabReloadbyfiringatrightedgeofscreen
LethalEnforcerslethalenÂFrommamedev.org:Thefirsttimeyourunthegame,the
gamemightcomplainwiththemessage:VersionErroror
similar.YoumustholddowntheTestswitchF2andthenalso
hitF3toresetthemachine.Afterashortwait,contining[sic]
toholdF2,thegameshouldsay“EEPROMINITIALIZE
COMPLETE”.
LethalJusticelethaljÂ
LordofGunlordgunÂ
Lucky&WildluckywldFrommamedev.org:PressF2,thenpressService19twice.
Shootatthetargetsitshowsusingthecrosshair.Onceyou
finished,pressF2.
MaximumForcemaxforceÂ
N.Y.Captornycaptor
NightStockerNstocker
OneShotOneKilloneshot
PointBlankptblank
PointBlank2ptblank2
PoliceTrainerpolicetr
RailChaserchase
RapidFireRapidfir
RoadRunnerroadrunm
Sharpshootersshooter
ShootingMastershtngmste
TickeeTickatstickee
TripleHunttriplhntFrommamedev.org:Thefirsttimeyourunthegame,itwill
say'AIMGUNATSQUAREANDFIRE'.Calibrateyourgunand
assuretheServiceModeDIPisOFF.Restart.
Tut’sTombtutstomb
Vs.DuckHuntduckhunt
Vs.Freedom
Force
vsfdf
Vs.Gumshoevsgshoe
Vs.Hogan’sAlleyhogalley
WhoDunitwhodunit

http://www.ultimarc.comPage19
WildGunmanPc_wgnmn
ZeroPointzeropnt
ZeroPoint2zeropnt2


http://www.ultimarc.comPage20
LightgunGames–2ormoreButtons

Key:
Gamehasadditionalin‐gamecalibrationsettingsthatcanbeaccessedbypressingF2
duringagame.Itmaynotbenecessarytocalibratein‐game,unlessotherwise
noted.
Gamemayrequireyoutoholddownthetriggerforauto‐fire.Thiswillcausethe
AimTrakcalibrationroutinetoinvokeafter5seconds,unlessyouchangethetimeor
disablecalibrationforthisbuttonasshownabove(AdvancedSettings).
ÂGamerequiresyoutoshootoff‐screentoreloadyourweapon.TheTriggershouldbe
assignedthesamebuttonforOnScreenandOffScreen(seeAdvancedSetupabove).
dButton2isrequiredtoreloadtheguninthegame.

GameNameromnameKeyNotes
BeastBustersbbustersFrommamedev.org:Forthegametoworkproperly,you
needtocalibrateALL3guns!Ifyoutrytodoonlyone,as
themanualstates,theepromhasinvalidgundataandthe
screengoblackafterrebooting.Fireatindicatedspotswith
P1,P2andP3controls.Onlythenwillapropereprombe
made.
BornToFightborntofi
CarnEvilcarnevildRequiresin‐gamecalibrationthroughtheF2setupmenu
beforeitwillworkcorrectly.Itshouldonlyberequiredthe
firsttimeyourunthegame.
CryptKillercryptklrd
DeerHunting
USA
deerhuntdReloadrequiredbeforeeveryshot.
DragonGundragngun
Golgo13Golgo13
Golgo13Kiseki
noDandou
G13knd
GunBustergunbustr
JudgeDreddjdreddÂ
LaserGhostlghost
LethalEnforcers2le2
Â
Frommamedev.org:Thefirsttimeyourunthegame,you
mustperformthetypicalKonamiF2+F3procedureto
properlyinitializetheEEPROM.Theproblemisthisgame
doesnotcurrentlygiveanytypesoffeedbackliketheother
Konamigames(duetovideoproblems).SimplyholdF2
down,hitF3‐continuingtoholdF2foracoupleofseconds
tomakesureittakes.Shortlythereafter,youshouldseea
testpatternonscreensignifyingitworked.
LineofFireloffire
MechanizedAttackmechatt
MobilSuitGundam
FinalShooting
gdfsGointoDipswitchesandchange"LightGunCalibration"to
On.Makesurethat"Controls"issetto"LightGun".Reset