Omega Race Digital Spinner

Omega Race Digital Spinner Installation:

1: Open the control panel and remove the existing analog pot:

Disconnect the union (set screw) that connects the pot shaft to the dial shaft.

Unscrew the thin nut that holds the pot to the support bracket and pull out the pot. Set it aside, maybe tie it to something so it doesn't just hang loose and possibly get into something by accident.

Remove the provided thin nut and lock washer from the ORDS encoder shaft.

Install the ORDS encoder shaft and threaded bushing into the bracket hole where the pot used to be and install the lock washer and thin nut. Make this snug but do not over tighten. You wouldn't want to strip the threads.

Connect the union to join the new encoder shaft to the dial shaft. It is best to place the set screw in the center of the flat area on the encoder shaft. If the set screw is too short, you can rotate the shaft such that the set screw makes contact on the round side, preferably 90 degrees to the flat side, not directly opposite the flat side.

2.0: Fullsize Upright Cab:

For Power : Find the mated 3x2 molex connector pair under the control panel. Unplug that pair. One of these two connectors mates with the ORDS short harness. Plug that one into the short harness. This connection is polarized and so is idiot-proof so there's no wrong way to do it.

For Data: Under the control panel, there is a pair of 1x10 molex sockets that are joined together by a 1x10 male-to-male header pin strip. Unplug the connector that comes from the control panel (short one) and plug it into the header on the ORDS board. Notice that it is keyed and only fits properly one way. Be careful to support the ORDS board while you press on the connector so as to not put any undo stress on the encoder-to-PCB connection. The other connector from that male-to-male header connection, one that is part of a long harness that goes way down to the analog converter board is no longer attached to anything. Tie it up somewhere so it doesn't touch anything while not in use.

2.1: Mini (Caberet) Cab:

For Power: Find the 1x6 connector on the A/G board. Unplug it from the A/G board and plug it into the male-to-male adapter that was supplied with your new ORDS (it ships already plugged into ORDS). Observe the keyed position.

For Data: In the mini cab, the A/G board is mounted directly under the control panel. It has no data extension cable like the fullsize upright has. The data cable goes directly from the A/G board to the CPU board (or its daughterboard). Simply unplug the 1x10 molex connector of the data harness from the A/G board and plug it into the 1x10 header of the ORDS board. Be careful to support the ORDS board while you press on the connector so as to not put any undo stress on the encoder-to-PCB connection.

Note: In the marked up photo below, the "option #2" version of ORDS (having the encoder on a remote PCB) is shown. The standard ORDS (having the encoder on the main PCB) would be mounted on the original pot bracket in the same position as the remote encoder PCB is shown in the photo.

2.2: Cocktail Cab:

For Power: Unfortunately, I have never had direct access to this type of cab so I cannot provide you with a simple ready-to-plug-in power adapter harness. The ORDS will have been supplied with a simple two-position power harness with wire leads. The White/Red lead must be connected to a +5V supply. The Orange lead should be connected to a circuit ground. You should be able to find +5V at one side of the original pot, or at the 1x6 connector of the A/G board, or at the LEDs on the control panel. Also, +5V and ground is always available somewhere on the connectors of the main CPU board since it obviously operates from the main +5V supply. A ground wire is available on one side of any button switch.

There is likely a +5V source on the control panel that has the LED buttons. You may have to run a new wire from this source to the other control panel in order to provide power for the ORDS. Also, consider that the original linear pot on each control panel may have had a +5V source connected to it. You can check this using a voltmeter. In some machines, the pot was connected to the main harness by a 1x2 or 1x3 connector with 2 wires in it. One of the wires should be a +5V supply. Unplug the pot and then measure voltage from each wire to ground. If the connector wire is White/Red, that should be the +5V wire.

For Data: Unfortunately, I can't provide detailed instructions here either. I suspect that the data connection is made in a similar fashion as either the fullsize UR or the Mini. Locate the A/G board. If it is a long way (say 18" to 24") away from the control panel, it's probably connected to the control panel by an extension cable as in the fullsize UR cab. In that case, follow the instructions above for the fullsize UR cabinet. If the A/G board is located very close to the control panel, then it is likely a direct connection similar to the Mini cabinet. In that case, follow the instructions above for the Mini cabinet. Regardless, the bottom line is that the data connector that you are interested in will be a 1x10 molex located at or very near the control panel. The 1x10 connector that plugs into the ORDS must run directly to the main CPU board (or daughterboard) and NOT to the A/G board. Check this connection before powering up the system to prevent possible damage to the ORDS board.

In the case of the cocktail table, the A/G board will have two 1x10 connectors plugged into it. I do not know for sure if 1x10 extensions were used in the cocktail table to bring the 1x10 connection up from the A/G board to each control panel. If you find 1x10 male-to-male adapter plugs anywhere near the control panel, then it has extension cables. If they exist, disconnect them at the male-to-male connector and plug the CPU-side connector into the ORDS header. If there are no extensions, unplug the 1x10 connector from the A/G board and plug it into the ORDS. If you install two ORDS modules, one 1x10 game harness connector will go to each ORDS. If you install only one ORDS, then you will remove only one 1x10 connector from the A/G board (or its extension cable if present).

2.3: Cockpit Cab:

For Power: Unfortunately, I have never had direct access to this type of cab so I cannot guarantee 100% that the power harness supplied with ORDS will fit your game. However,The ORDS will be supplied with a simple two-position power harness with a 2x1 Molex. The White/Red lead must be connected to a +5V supply. The Orange lead should be connected to a circuit ground. There should be a 2x1 Molex connector on the machine harness at the encoder pot. Just unplug the pot and plug the gameside harness into the ORDS power 2x1 connector. You will notice that the 2x1 Molex on the ORDS harness lacks the ground wire. That's okay because the data cable harness provides a ground.

For Data: The A/G board will have one Molex 1x10 connector plugged into it. Remove this connector from the A/G board and plug it directly into the ORDS J2 header. The 1x10 connector that plugs into the ORDS must run directly to the main CPU board (or daughterboard) and NOT to the A/G board.

Someone who previously installed the ORDS in his cockpit machine was kind enough to send me a few photos. I have put together a PDF file to describe the installation in detail.

Download PDF: ORDS_Cockpit_Installation.pdf

3: Close the control panel back up. You are ready to play!

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