stepmania EMSUSB2 power problem

[kuniokun]

I'm having problems with the new EMSUSB2 black device with my pads.
Where can i get drivers or fix this power problem?

Here is what i've posted at the other boards with lots of info:

1=
hey hey!!!!
I just came here to look around for the very same problem and i have found it.
I just got the EMSUSB2 as everyone had recommended and thought it would work prefectly with my pads that came off ebay. i got two ignition 1.0 pads on ebay from plengend2001 about a year ago with the light up leds at the top sheild part of my pad.

I have that problem where if i put two pads and step on them repreatedly... the power goes out. At least on the EMSUSB2 device.. that little red LED light goes out or goes dim... and sometimes it comes back on after i stop stepping. But still then, the pad isn't correctly recognized anymore.
I did get the newest drivers and tried the drivers on the product's disk. They are both the same but i tried them anyway. Those didn't help. They just added the controller pictures in the game options. Reinstalled before putting in the usb device... didn't work(same problem). I read that mini faq someone posted, about turning off the "error detection" and "usb power management" thing. Those didn't work anything. I tried it on my other family computers which are better but for some reason... it didn't even work as well as mine. Buttons were spazzing. Back to my system... when i goto controller options and see the controllers plugged in. i dont see that they are HID controllers but as something else. I think 4 axis blah blah blah. Also.. my usb icon in the bottom right by the time does not show.

BTW,
I got a black version of the EMSUSB2. Could this be the cause? But the one pictured at the store is the regular white one:
http://www.jandaman.com/Merchant2/merchant...Code=ps2emsusb2
Or is it my pads? My pads are the regular ignition 1.0 pads i got off ebay a while ago. A picture can be seen here:
http://levelsix.com/products/playstation2/...uxeDDR_v2.shtml
They light up at the top where the big plastic sheild is. I found if that i play with one pad, it works ok but if i play a hard song with many steps, it sorta lags or sometimes the power will dim or go out of the LED light on the ems.
They work perfectly on my playstation so it's not the pad's fault unless it's becasue they take too much power.
I need to know ASAP please.. because i might have to return the product in time.

Other info about my system is needed:
winxp 700 celeron
32mb card.
using stepmania CVS 7-15-03 build.
anything else? I'm willing to supply becasue i just want help.
thanx so much!


2=
Some more things:
When i play stepmania cvs 7-15-03

I did put ignore on.. do i have to also turn off"auto setup controller config"?
I did that and reconfiged the buttons but still nothing.

When im playing a song on doubles.. for some wierd reason the pads must've put the "end of song fail" option on. I have no idea how this happens but it always happens when i put the pads in. When im playing... power goes out on EMS and arrows dont register... then promptly escapes(goes back)... out of song.. out of selection... to main screen and im sure the pad buttons are spazzing out at the moment. Sure enough... the controllers are not showing on the properties.

Please help out so i can figure out if i have to send the device back for a new one or just get fixed without the hassle.
thanx so much


3=someone else trying to help:
kuniokun, it's very likely that your USB Host Controller isn't supply enough power to both pads. I seen this problem more frequently with integrated USB host controllers. Try to test it out on someone else computer, (the EMS USB2 and dance pads..)


4=
hi, thnx for your fast reply.

I did try on my bros computer... two of them. Which are better than mine in performance.
They dont even recognize the darn things correctly. The buttons just spaz if i press any. Then if i press some more it goes out of power. They keep getting this other error.. something like "device code 10" error. I went to my cousin's computer and it seems to be working ok with a pad a controller.

I'm gonna bring over my ignition 1.0 pads to their house and report what happens.
I think it will be the same with the power outtage.. but if it works.... I'll be sad.

Is there a way to fix the power supply of my "USB host controller"? Where can i get new usb drivers if i need them?


thnx again.

EDIT:
I forgot to add they(cousins) had both XP and winME. It was working with that controller and pad on their XP. I will try both today. thnx.

I have heard of this "change to digital" to restore the controller state.
How do i do this? Do i just plug in my regular psx controllers.. turn off analog button then replug the pads?.. will this do anything?


5=
here is the other info i posted at the other thread(i want to supply as much info need to get this matter over with):
please read my other post in the naki + ems thread here:
http://www.ddrmaniax.net/boards/index.php?...?showtopic=9109

I have the same problem but im trying to supply more info.
Does the person with this problem have the same EMSUSB2 product as me?
I got some "?new?" black version of it from jandaman.com

Im using ignition 1.0 pads from plegend on ebay about a year ago i purchased.
Seems like the power goes out and this is what causes the problem... becasue everything else works.



Thnx so much for your time and effort.
this is frustrating and im beginning to think it's my usb power or a defected EMSUSB2. thanx.

EDIT:
the posts can be seen here originally:
http://www.ddrmaniax.net/boards/index.php?showtopic=9109

thnx!
_________________

Blarg/Phlarg

[azratax]

Something is drawing more power than it is supposed to (to state the obvious)
When i plugged a Radiocrap USB->PSX adapter into a bus-powered hub (kb integrated) which apparently could not supply it with enough power, i got an error message on the screen saying that the device exceeds the amount of power that hub can provide. What does this mean?

It means that a USB device should automatically tell the computer how much power it thinks takes. That this setup exceeds that amount of power is very suspicious.

On your computer: Does it work with two cheapo garbage pads (like those $20 madcatz pads)?

On the pads your using with them lights, do the lights light up only when you hit a step? Prehapse those lights are pushing the power usage up too far.
If it works with a non-lit cheapo pad, i would be keen to open up the two fancy pads and disconnect the lights. Who needs lights on a DDR pad anyway?

The whole thing might also be a marginal adapter - i would test this by connecting the pad along with some other bus powered USB device (ideally, adapter to bus powered hub to comp), and then causing the failure to occur. If the other device does not fail, the adapter cannot supply enough power, and you can complain to the adapter people.
-Az

[kuniokun]

thanks for your reply.

I've made many posts at the ddrmanix.net forums. but...:

the main problem seems to be the power usage of different dancepads.
regular softs pads that dont light up work great on EMS.
ebay ignition 1.0 lightup knockoff pads dont work on EMS(power keeps going out on red LED light).

So it's the power.
Im scared of doing the modding of turning off the lights in the pad.
I am still really suprised ppl have hyped and claim the EMSUSB2 works the greatest. I took their advice and bought it, that's why. And also took their advice on buying those ebay pads!
I AM DEEPLY SUPRISED THAT IT DOESN'T WORK... espeically after taking those two advices of buying DDR hardware(pads, adaptor) and it doesn't work. Very strange to me.


anyway,,....
Do you know about external USB extra slots hardware? that you can buy in the stores? I heard they supply more power because they get power externally.
thanx for your help.
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Blarg/Phlarg

[azratax]

That is odd that the things people reccomended dont play well together. How many people reccomended using them both together in double mode? If many people did, this is very surprising.

I also think that if the problem is the pads, you could have every adapter made and unless it is externally powered, have it never work.

You could definately try using a selfpowered usb hub (selfpowered being the official name for something that has its own external poweresupply).
-Az

[kuniokun]

well.. thanx for being the only one replying here.

I thought i would expect ppl also arguing this.
But... today, im going to get that external USB hub.
Will post results.

thnx
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Blarg/Phlarg

[azratax]

Well, i had the same problem today. Exactly same, only with one pad. Got the $40 Redoctane pad, and it had a whopping 18 LEDs on it. It worked on the Radiocrap adapter (which maps the arrows wrong) but caused the ems adapter to freeze and die with just that one pad. I suspected a power problem. The lable on the back of hte pad stating its power draw at 5mA added to my suspisions - you couldnt light that many LEDs with 100mA, let alone 5.
That they lied about power usage, combined with your report, led me to the conclusion that the problem was power usage. I looked at the bottom of the pad - no warrantee-void-if-removed sticker. So if i open it up, they wont know I voided the warrantee. I do so, and quickly find the wires going to the led (they are real wires, sometimes without so much as insulation on them), and take the soldering iron (wirecutters would work too) to the wire going from the leds to the circuit board.
Put it together, plugged it in, and it worked beautifully, (sans stupid lights)

Conclusions:
The problem is a pad that draws more power than it should on an adapter that supplies less power than it should.
The pad draws that extra power because of the lights.
Since it worked on the Radiocrap adapter, the problem is not the USB power, but the power in the adapter. Thus a self powered hub would propably not solve the problem.
The best solutions would be to either:
a. Gamble on a different adapter working
b. Disconnect the stupid lights.

I think that B is an easier and faster way. The whole procedure took me less than five minutes start to finish.

-Az

[DJzen]

I'm curious, would a metal pad with lighted arrows have these sorts of problems with a self-powered USB hub? I ask for obvious reasons...
_________________

I'm the cat with the whiskers

[nekura]

I personally find it odd that you're having this type of problem. I've played doubles with two IgnitionPads (complete with lights), and have had no problems of the sort.
_________________

ITG Freak

[kuniokun]

Nekura EX:
Do you have the little LED lights on your ignition pads or are they redoctane(which i think dont have those little lights that take lots of power).


azratax:
are you the same guy over at ddrmaniax forum?

The other guy suggested i should take the lights out too and that each light takes so much power than the pad itself.
Regular redoctane ignition pads dont have those lights?... do they? That's probably why some ppl can work it.

Can you post a pic of where the light connections are... and how i should open up the pad carefully?
That would be a big helper.

about the external hub:
they were out of stock of the cheap one.. i might just go ahead and buy one and return after usage even though it's like 40$ out of my pocket.



Thanks for your help, you really considered helping out here azratax.
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Blarg/Phlarg

[kuniokun]

I tryed it out.
I was flustered so i didn't try that external hub thing.

Works pretty well. I can play good. But i haven't played hard songs yet. I noticed playing doubles on a 7 footer song was still kinda bad.
I think the power still is sucked in through the circuits to the main board and into the snipped LEDs.

Well... when im playing... it keeps on enabling "fail at end of song" option even though i never touched it!!!! This is the same thing that happens when the EMS kept running out of power before i snipped them.


So.. i wont be able to get AA if i play a vigirous song on doubles. I think singles is perfectly fine.
The red octane pads,.... do all of them also have the LEDs?



Well... it's good to go!
Thanx and i hope this thread can stop all the confusion.

Two more things ppl can test and report here for even more help:
1.)Does the external usb hub with ac/dc adaptor work on the EMSUSB2 without snipping those LEDs on ignition light up pads?

2.)Does the Blaze printer port adaptor(with two psx connections to only one printer port) work with ignition light up pads without snipping LEDs?


Someone trying these out as an alternative to opening up the pad and reporting here would help out alot and may determine my future purchase of ignition 2.0 pads!!!


everyone have fun and go ddrin'!
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Blarg/Phlarg