An I/O controller for virtual pinball machines: accelerometer nudge sensing, analog plunger input, button input encoding, LedWiz compatible output controls, and more.

Dependencies:   mbed FastIO FastPWM USBDevice

Fork of Pinscape_Controller by Mike R

/media/uploads/mjr/pinscape_no_background_small_L7Miwr6.jpg

This is Version 2 of the Pinscape Controller, an I/O controller for virtual pinball machines. (You can find the old version 1 software here.) Pinscape is software for the KL25Z that turns the board into a full-featured I/O controller for virtual pinball, with support for accelerometer-based nudging, a mechanical plunger, button inputs, and feedback device control.

In case you haven't heard of the idea before, a "virtual pinball machine" is basically a video pinball simulator that's built into a real pinball machine body. A TV monitor goes in place of the pinball playfield, and a second TV goes in the backbox to show the backglass artwork. Some cabs also include a third monitor to simulate the DMD (Dot Matrix Display) used for scoring on 1990s machines, or even an original plasma DMD. A computer (usually a Windows PC) is hidden inside the cabinet, running pinball emulation software that displays a life-sized playfield on the main TV. The cabinet has all of the usual buttons, too, so it not only looks like the real thing, but plays like it too. That's a picture of my own machine to the right. On the outside, it's built exactly like a real arcade pinball machine, with the same overall dimensions and all of the standard pinball cabinet trim hardware.

It's possible to buy a pre-built virtual pinball machine, but it also makes a great DIY project. If you have some basic wood-working skills and know your way around PCs, you can build one from scratch. The computer part is just an ordinary Windows PC, and all of the pinball emulation can be built out of free, open-source software. In that spirit, the Pinscape Controller is an open-source software/hardware project that offers a no-compromises, all-in-one control center for all of the unique input/output needs of a virtual pinball cabinet. If you've been thinking about building one of these, but you're not sure how to connect a plunger, flipper buttons, lights, nudge sensor, and whatever else you can think of, this project might be just what you're looking for.

You can find much more information about DIY Pin Cab building in general in the Virtual Cabinet Forum on vpforums.org. Also visit my Pinscape Resources page for more about this project and other virtual pinball projects I'm working on.

Downloads

  • Pinscape Release Builds: This page has download links for all of the Pinscape software. To get started, install and run the Pinscape Config Tool on your Windows computer. It will lead you through the steps for installing the Pinscape firmware on the KL25Z.
  • Config Tool Source Code. The complete C# source code for the config tool. You don't need this to run the tool, but it's available if you want to customize anything or see how it works inside.

Documentation

The new Version 2 Build Guide is now complete! This new version aims to be a complete guide to building a virtual pinball machine, including not only the Pinscape elements but all of the basics, from sourcing parts to building all of the hardware.

You can also refer to the original Hardware Build Guide (PDF), but that's out of date now, since it refers to the old version 1 software, which was rather different (especially when it comes to configuration).

System Requirements

The new Config Tool requires a fairly up-to-date Microsoft .NET installation. If you use Windows Update to keep your system current, you should be fine. A modern version of Internet Explorer (IE) is required, even if you don't use it as your main browser, because the Config Tool uses some system components that Microsoft packages into the IE install set. I test with IE11, so that's known to work. IE8 doesn't work. IE9 and 10 are unknown at this point.

The Windows requirements are only for the config tool. The firmware doesn't care about anything on the Windows side, so if you can make do without the config tool, you can use almost any Windows setup.

Main Features

Plunger: The Pinscape Controller started out as a "mechanical plunger" controller: a device for attaching a real pinball plunger to the video game software so that you could launch the ball the natural way. This is still, of course, a central feature of the project. The software supports several types of sensors: a high-resolution optical sensor (which works by essentially taking pictures of the plunger as it moves); a slide potentiometer (which determines the position via the changing electrical resistance in the pot); a quadrature sensor (which counts bars printed on a special guide rail that it moves along); and an IR distance sensor (which determines the position by sending pulses of light at the plunger and measuring the round-trip travel time). The Build Guide explains how to set up each type of sensor.

Nudging: The KL25Z (the little microcontroller that the software runs on) has a built-in accelerometer. The Pinscape software uses it to sense when you nudge the cabinet, and feeds the acceleration data to the pinball software on the PC. This turns physical nudges into virtual English on the ball. The accelerometer is quite sensitive and accurate, so we can measure the difference between little bumps and hard shoves, and everything in between. The result is natural and immersive.

Buttons: You can wire real pinball buttons to the KL25Z, and the software will translate the buttons into PC input. You have the option to map each button to a keyboard key or joystick button. You can wire up your flipper buttons, Magna Save buttons, Start button, coin slots, operator buttons, and whatever else you need.

Feedback devices: You can also attach "feedback devices" to the KL25Z. Feedback devices are things that create tactile, sound, and lighting effects in sync with the game action. The most popular PC pinball emulators know how to address a wide variety of these devices, and know how to match them to on-screen action in each virtual table. You just need an I/O controller that translates commands from the PC into electrical signals that turn the devices on and off. The Pinscape Controller can do that for you.

Expansion Boards

There are two main ways to run the Pinscape Controller: standalone, or using the "expansion boards".

In the basic standalone setup, you just need the KL25Z, plus whatever buttons, sensors, and feedback devices you want to attach to it. This mode lets you take advantage of everything the software can do, but for some features, you'll have to build some ad hoc external circuitry to interface external devices with the KL25Z. The Build Guide has detailed plans for exactly what you need to build.

The other option is the Pinscape Expansion Boards. The expansion boards are a companion project, which is also totally free and open-source, that provides Printed Circuit Board (PCB) layouts that are designed specifically to work with the Pinscape software. The PCB designs are in the widely used EAGLE format, which many PCB manufacturers can turn directly into physical boards for you. The expansion boards organize all of the external connections more neatly than on the standalone KL25Z, and they add all of the interface circuitry needed for all of the advanced software functions. The big thing they bring to the table is lots of high-power outputs. The boards provide a modular system that lets you add boards to add more outputs. If you opt for the basic core setup, you'll have enough outputs for all of the toys in a really well-equipped cabinet. If your ambitions go beyond merely well-equipped and run to the ridiculously extravagant, just add an extra board or two. The modular design also means that you can add to the system over time.

Expansion Board project page

Update notes

If you have a Pinscape V1 setup already installed, you should be able to switch to the new version pretty seamlessly. There are just a couple of things to be aware of.

First, the "configuration" procedure is completely different in the new version. Way better and way easier, but it's not what you're used to from V1. In V1, you had to edit the project source code and compile your own custom version of the program. No more! With V2, you simply install the standard, pre-compiled .bin file, and select options using the Pinscape Config Tool on Windows.

Second, if you're using the TSL1410R optical sensor for your plunger, there's a chance you'll need to boost your light source's brightness a little bit. The "shutter speed" is faster in this version, which means that it doesn't spend as much time collecting light per frame as before. The software actually does "auto exposure" adaptation on every frame, so the increased shutter speed really shouldn't bother it, but it does require a certain minimum level of contrast, which requires a certain minimal level of lighting. Check the plunger viewer in the setup tool if you have any problems; if the image looks totally dark, try increasing the light level to see if that helps.

New Features

V2 has numerous new features. Here are some of the highlights...

Dynamic configuration: as explained above, configuration is now handled through the Config Tool on Windows. It's no longer necessary to edit the source code or compile your own modified binary.

Improved plunger sensing: the software now reads the TSL1410R optical sensor about 15x faster than it did before. This allows reading the sensor at full resolution (400dpi), about 400 times per second. The faster frame rate makes a big difference in how accurately we can read the plunger position during the fast motion of a release, which allows for more precise position sensing and faster response. The differences aren't dramatic, since the sensing was already pretty good even with the slower V1 scan rate, but you might notice a little better precision in tricky skill shots.

Keyboard keys: button inputs can now be mapped to keyboard keys. The joystick button option is still available as well, of course. Keyboard keys have the advantage of being closer to universal for PC pinball software: some pinball software can be set up to take joystick input, but nearly all PC pinball emulators can take keyboard input, and nearly all of them use the same key mappings.

Local shift button: one physical button can be designed as the local shift button. This works like a Shift button on a keyboard, but with cabinet buttons. It allows each physical button on the cabinet to have two PC keys assigned, one normal and one shifted. Hold down the local shift button, then press another key, and the other key's shifted key mapping is sent to the PC. The shift button can have a regular key mapping of its own as well, so it can do double duty. The shift feature lets you access more functions without cluttering your cabinet with extra buttons. It's especially nice for less frequently used functions like adjusting the volume or activating night mode.

Night mode: the output controller has a new "night mode" option, which lets you turn off all of your noisy devices with a single button, switch, or PC command. You can designate individual ports as noisy or not. Night mode only disables the noisemakers, so you still get the benefit of your flashers, button lights, and other quiet devices. This lets you play late into the night without disturbing your housemates or neighbors.

Gamma correction: you can designate individual output ports for gamma correction. This adjusts the intensity level of an output to make it match the way the human eye perceives brightness, so that fades and color mixes look more natural in lighting devices. You can apply this to individual ports, so that it only affects ports that actually have lights of some kind attached.

IR Remote Control: the controller software can transmit and/or receive IR remote control commands if you attach appropriate parts (an IR LED to send, an IR sensor chip to receive). This can be used to turn on your TV(s) when the system powers on, if they don't turn on automatically, and for any other functions you can think of requiring IR send/receive capabilities. You can assign IR commands to cabinet buttons, so that pressing a button on your cabinet sends a remote control command from the attached IR LED, and you can have the controller generate virtual key presses on your PC in response to received IR commands. If you have the IR sensor attached, the system can use it to learn commands from your existing remotes.

Yet more USB fixes: I've been gradually finding and fixing USB bugs in the mbed library for months now. This version has all of the fixes of the last couple of releases, of course, plus some new ones. It also has a new "last resort" feature, since there always seems to be "just one more" USB bug. The last resort is that you can tell the device to automatically reboot itself if it loses the USB connection and can't restore it within a given time limit.

More Downloads

  • Custom VP builds: I created modified versions of Visual Pinball 9.9 and Physmod5 that you might want to use in combination with this controller. The modified versions have special handling for plunger calibration specific to the Pinscape Controller, as well as some enhancements to the nudge physics. If you're not using the plunger, you might still want it for the nudge improvements. The modified version also works with any other input controller, so you can get the enhanced nudging effects even if you're using a different plunger/nudge kit. The big change in the modified versions is a "filter" for accelerometer input that's designed to make the response to cabinet nudges more realistic. It also makes the response more subdued than in the standard VP, so it's not to everyone's taste. The downloads include both the updated executables and the source code changes, in case you want to merge the changes into your own custom version(s).

    Note! These features are now standard in the official VP releases, so you don't need my custom builds if you're using 9.9.1 or later and/or VP 10. I don't think there's any reason to use my versions instead of the latest official ones, and in fact I'd encourage you to use the official releases since they're more up to date, but I'm leaving my builds available just in case. In the official versions, look for the checkbox "Enable Nudge Filter" in the Keys preferences dialog. My custom versions don't include that checkbox; they just enable the filter unconditionally.
  • Output circuit shopping list: This is a saved shopping cart at mouser.com with the parts needed to build one copy of the high-power output circuit for the LedWiz emulator feature, for use with the standalone KL25Z (that is, without the expansion boards). The quantities in the cart are for one output channel, so if you want N outputs, simply multiply the quantities by the N, with one exception: you only need one ULN2803 transistor array chip for each eight output circuits. If you're using the expansion boards, you won't need any of this, since the boards provide their own high-power outputs.
  • Cary Owens' optical sensor housing: A 3D-printable design for a housing/mounting bracket for the optical plunger sensor, designed by Cary Owens. This makes it easy to mount the sensor.
  • Lemming77's potentiometer mounting bracket and shooter rod connecter: Sketchup designs for 3D-printable parts for mounting a slide potentiometer as the plunger sensor. These were designed for a particular slide potentiometer that used to be available from an Aliexpress.com seller but is no longer listed. You can probably use this design as a starting point for other similar devices; just check the dimensions before committing the design to plastic.

Copyright and License

The Pinscape firmware is copyright 2014, 2021 by Michael J Roberts. It's released under an MIT open-source license. See License.

Warning to VirtuaPin Kit Owners

This software isn't designed as a replacement for the VirtuaPin plunger kit's firmware. If you bought the VirtuaPin kit, I recommend that you don't install this software. The KL25Z can only run one firmware program at a time, so if you install the Pinscape firmware on your KL25Z, it will replace and erase your existing VirtuaPin proprietary firmware. If you do this, the only way to restore your VirtuaPin firmware is to physically ship the KL25Z back to VirtuaPin and ask them to re-flash it. They don't allow you to do this at home, and they don't even allow you to back up your firmware, since they want to protect their proprietary software from copying. For all of these reasons, if you want to run the Pinscape software, I strongly recommend that you buy a "blank" retail KL25Z to use with Pinscape. They only cost about $15 and are available at several online retailers, including Amazon, Mouser, and eBay. The blank retail boards don't come with any proprietary firmware pre-installed, so installing Pinscape won't delete anything that you paid extra for.

With those warnings in mind, if you're absolutely sure that you don't mind permanently erasing your VirtuaPin firmware, it is at least possible to use Pinscape as a replacement for the VirtuaPin firmware. Pinscape uses the same button wiring conventions as the VirtuaPin setup, so you can keep your buttons (although you'll have to update the GPIO pin mappings in the Config Tool to match your physical wiring). As of the June, 2021 firmware, the Vishay VCNL4010 plunger sensor that comes with the VirtuaPin v3 plunger kit is supported, so you can also keep your plunger, if you have that chip. (You should check to be sure that's the sensor chip you have before committing to this route, if keeping the plunger sensor is important to you. The older VirtuaPin plunger kits came with different IR sensors that the Pinscape software doesn't handle.)

Revision:
78:1e00b3fa11af
Parent:
77:0b96f6867312
Child:
79:682ae3171a08
diff -r 0b96f6867312 -r 1e00b3fa11af main.cpp
--- a/main.cpp	Fri Mar 17 22:02:08 2017 +0000
+++ b/main.cpp	Sun Mar 19 05:30:53 2017 +0000
@@ -327,14 +327,10 @@
 // once we set things up, we never delete anything.  This means that we can 
 // allocate memory in bare blocks without any bookkeeping overhead.
 //
-// In addition, we can make a much larger overall pool of memory available
-// in a custom allocator.  The mbed library malloc() seems to have a pool
-// of about 3K to work with, even though there's really about 9K of RAM
-// left over after counting the static writable data and reserving space
-// for a reasonable stack.  I haven't looked at the mbed malloc to see why 
-// they're so stingy, but it appears from empirical testing that we can 
-// create a static array up to about 8K before things get crashy.
-
+// In addition, we can make a larger overall pool of memory available in
+// a custom allocator.  The RTL malloc() seems to have a pool of about 3K 
+// to work with, even though there really seems to be at least 8K left after 
+// reserving a reasonable amount of space for the stack.
 
 // halt with a diagnostic display if we run out of memory
 void HaltOutOfMem()
@@ -350,68 +346,6 @@
     }
 }
 
-#if 0//$$$
-// Memory pool.  We allocate two blocks at fixed addresses: one for
-// the malloc heap, and one for the native stack.  
-//
-// We allocate the stack block at the very top of memory.  This is what 
-// the mbed startup code does anyway, so we don't actually ever move the 
-// stack pointer into this area ourselves.  The point of this block is
-// to reserve space with the linker, so that it won't put any other static
-// data here in this region.
-//
-// The heap block goes just below the stack block.  This is a contiguous 
-// block of bytes from which we allocate blocks for malloc() and 'operator 
-// new' requests.
-//
-// WARNING!  When adding static data, be sure to check the build statistics
-// to ensure that static data fits in the available RAM.  The linker doesn't
-// seem to make such a check on its own, so you might not see an error if
-// added data pushes us past the 16K limit.
-
-// KL25Z address of top of RAM (one byte past end of RAM)
-const uint32_t TOP_OF_RAM = 0x20003000UL;
-
-// malloc pool size
-const size_t XMALLOC_POOL_SIZE = 8*1024;
-
-// stack size
-const size_t XMALLOC_STACK_SIZE = 2*1024;
-
-// figure the fixed locations of the malloc pool and stack: the stack goes
-// at the very top of RAM, and the malloc pool goes just below the stack
-const uint32_t XMALLOC_STACK_BASE = TOP_OF_RAM - XMALLOC_STACK_SIZE;
-const uint32_t XMALLOC_POOL_BASE = XMALLOC_STACK_BASE - XMALLOC_POOL_SIZE;
-
-// allocate the pools - use __attribute__((at)) to give them fixed addresses
-static char xmalloc_stack[XMALLOC_STACK_SIZE] __attribute__((at(XMALLOC_STACK_BASE)));
-static char xmalloc_pool[XMALLOC_POOL_SIZE] __attribute__((at(XMALLOC_POOL_BASE)));
-
-// malloc pool free pointer and space remaining
-static char *xmalloc_nxt = xmalloc_pool;
-static size_t xmalloc_rem = XMALLOC_POOL_SIZE;
-    
-// allocate from our pool
-void *xmalloc(size_t siz)
-{
-    // align to a 4-byte increment
-    siz = (siz + 3) & ~3;
-    
-    // if we're out of memory, halt with a diagnostic display
-    if (siz > xmalloc_rem)
-        HaltOutOfMem();
-
-    // get the next free location from the pool to return   
-    char *ret = xmalloc_nxt;
-    
-    // advance the pool pointer and decrement the remaining size counter
-    xmalloc_nxt += siz;
-    xmalloc_rem -= siz;
-    
-    // return the allocated block
-    return ret;
-};
-#elif 1//$$$
 // For our custom malloc, we take advantage of the known layout of the
 // mbed library memory management.  The mbed library puts all of the
 // static read/write data at the low end of RAM; this includes the
@@ -467,33 +401,6 @@
     
     return ret;
 }
-#else //$$$
-extern char Image$$RW_IRAM1$$ZI$$Limit[]; // linker marker for top of ZI region
-static char *xmalloc_nxt = Image$$RW_IRAM1$$ZI$$Limit;
-const uint32_t xmallocMinStack = 2*1024;
-char *const TopOfRAM = (char *)0x20003000UL;
-uint16_t xmalloc_rem = uint16_t(TopOfRAM - Image$$RW_IRAM1$$ZI$$Limit - xmallocMinStack);
-void *xmalloc(size_t siz)
-{
-    // align to a 4-byte increment
-    siz = (siz + 3) & ~3;
-    
-    // check to ensure we're leaving enough stack free
-    if (xmalloc_nxt + siz > TopOfRAM - xmallocMinStack)
-        HaltOutOfMem();
-        
-    // get the next free location from the pool to return
-    char *ret = xmalloc_nxt;
-    
-    // advance past the allocated memory
-    xmalloc_nxt += siz;
-    xmalloc_rem -= siz;
-    
-    // return the allocated block
-    printf("malloc(%d) -> %lx\r\n", siz, ret);
-    return ret;
-}
-#endif//$$$
 
 // Overload operator new to call our custom malloc.  This ensures that
 // all 'new' allocations throughout the program (including library code)
@@ -1947,7 +1854,23 @@
 // IRConfigSlotToVirtualButton[n] = ir_tx virtual button number for 
 // configuration slot n
 uint8_t IRConfigSlotToVirtualButton[MAX_IR_CODES];
-uint8_t IRAdHocSlot;
+
+// IR transmitter virtual button number for ad hoc IR command.  We allocate 
+// one virtual button for sending ad hoc IR codes, such as through the USB
+// protocol.
+uint8_t IRAdHocBtn;
+
+// Staging area for ad hoc IR commands.  It takes multiple messages
+// to fill out an IR command, so we store the partial command here
+// while waiting for the rest.
+static struct
+{
+    uint8_t protocol;       // protocol ID
+    uint64_t code;          // code
+    uint8_t dittos : 1;     // using dittos?
+    uint8_t ready : 1;      // do we have a code ready to transmit?    
+} IRAdHocCmd;
+    
 
 // IR mode timer.  In normal mode, this is the time since the last
 // command received; we use this to handle commands with timed effects,
@@ -1980,7 +1903,7 @@
 // it's a ditto or just a repeat of the full code.
 IRCommand learnedIRCode;
 
-// IR comkmand received, as a config slot index, 1..MAX_IR_CODES.
+// IR command received, as a config slot index, 1..MAX_IR_CODES.
 // When we receive a command that matches one of our programmed commands, 
 // we note the slot here.  We also reset the IR timer so that we know how 
 // long it's been since the command came in.  This lets us handle commands 
@@ -2001,6 +1924,7 @@
 // distinct key press.  
 uint8_t IRKeyGap = false;
 
+
 // initialize
 void init_IR(Config &cfg, bool &kbKeys)
 {
@@ -2045,7 +1969,7 @@
         
         // allocate an additional virtual button for transmitting ad hoc
         // codes, such as for the "send code" USB API function
-        IRAdHocSlot = nVirtualButtons++;
+        IRAdHocBtn = nVirtualButtons++;
             
         // create the transmitter
         ir_tx = new IRTransmitter(pin, nVirtualButtons);
@@ -2109,264 +2033,285 @@
     }
 }
 
-// Process IR input
+// Process IR input and output
 void process_IR(Config &cfg, USBJoystick &js)
 {
-    // if there's no IR receiver attached, there's nothing to do
-    if (ir_rx == 0)
-        return;
-        
-    // Time out any received command
-    if (IRCommandIn != 0)
+    // check for transmitter tasks, if there's a transmitter
+    if (ir_tx != 0)
     {
-        // Time out inter-key gap mode after 30ms; time out all 
-        // commands after 100ms.
-        uint32_t t = IRTimer.read_us();
-        if (t > 100000)
-            IRCommandIn = 0;
-        else if (t > 30000)
-            IRKeyGap = false;
+        // If we're not currently sending, and an ad hoc IR command
+        // is ready to send, send it.
+        if (!ir_tx->isSending() && IRAdHocCmd.ready)
+        {
+            // program the command into the transmitter virtual button
+            // that we reserved for ad hoc commands
+            ir_tx->programButton(IRAdHocBtn, IRAdHocCmd.protocol,
+                IRAdHocCmd.dittos, IRAdHocCmd.code);
+                
+            // send the command - just pulse the button to send it once
+            ir_tx->pushButton(IRAdHocBtn, true);
+            ir_tx->pushButton(IRAdHocBtn, false);
+            
+            // we've sent the command, so clear the 'ready' flag
+            IRAdHocCmd.ready = false;
+        }
     }
-
-    // Check if we're in learning mode
-    if (IRLearningMode != 0)
+    
+    // check for receiver tasks, if there's a receiver
+    if (ir_rx != 0)
     {
-        // Learning mode.  Read raw inputs from the IR sensor and 
-        // forward them to the PC via USB reports, up to the report
-        // limit.
-        const int nmax = USBJoystick::maxRawIR;
-        uint16_t raw[nmax];
-        int n;
-        for (n = 0 ; n < nmax && ir_rx->processOne(raw[n]) ; ++n) ;
-        
-        // if we read any raw samples, report them
-        if (n != 0)
-            js.reportRawIR(n, raw);
+        // Time out any received command
+        if (IRCommandIn != 0)
+        {
+            // Time out inter-key gap mode after 30ms; time out all 
+            // commands after 100ms.
+            uint32_t t = IRTimer.read_us();
+            if (t > 100000)
+                IRCommandIn = 0;
+            else if (t > 30000)
+                IRKeyGap = false;
+        }
+    
+        // Check if we're in learning mode
+        if (IRLearningMode != 0)
+        {
+            // Learning mode.  Read raw inputs from the IR sensor and 
+            // forward them to the PC via USB reports, up to the report
+            // limit.
+            const int nmax = USBJoystick::maxRawIR;
+            uint16_t raw[nmax];
+            int n;
+            for (n = 0 ; n < nmax && ir_rx->processOne(raw[n]) ; ++n) ;
             
-        // check for a command
-        IRCommand c;
-        if (ir_rx->readCommand(c))
-        {
-            // check the current learning state
-            switch (IRLearningMode)
-            {
-            case 1:
-                // Initial state, waiting for the first decoded command.
-                // This is it.
-                learnedIRCode = c;
+            // if we read any raw samples, report them
+            if (n != 0)
+                js.reportRawIR(n, raw);
                 
-                // Check if we need additional information.  If the
-                // protocol supports dittos, we have to wait for a repeat
-                // to see if the remote actually uses the dittos, since
-                // some implementations of such protocols use the dittos
-                // while others just send repeated full codes.  Otherwise,
-                // all we need is the initial code, so we're done.
-                IRLearningMode = (c.hasDittos ? 2 : 3);
-                break;
+            // check for a command
+            IRCommand c;
+            if (ir_rx->readCommand(c))
+            {
+                // check the current learning state
+                switch (IRLearningMode)
+                {
+                case 1:
+                    // Initial state, waiting for the first decoded command.
+                    // This is it.
+                    learnedIRCode = c;
+                    
+                    // Check if we need additional information.  If the
+                    // protocol supports dittos, we have to wait for a repeat
+                    // to see if the remote actually uses the dittos, since
+                    // some implementations of such protocols use the dittos
+                    // while others just send repeated full codes.  Otherwise,
+                    // all we need is the initial code, so we're done.
+                    IRLearningMode = (c.hasDittos ? 2 : 3);
+                    break;
+                    
+                case 2:
+                    // Code received, awaiting auto-repeat information.  If
+                    // the protocol has dittos, check to see if we got a ditto:
+                    //
+                    // - If we received a ditto in the same protocol as the
+                    //   prior command, the remote uses dittos.
+                    //
+                    // - If we received a repeat of the prior command (not a
+                    //   ditto, but a repeat of the full code), the remote
+                    //   doesn't use dittos even though the protocol supports
+                    //   them.
+                    //
+                    // - Otherwise, it's not an auto-repeat at all, so we
+                    //   can't decide one way or the other on dittos: start
+                    //   over.
+                    if (c.proId == learnedIRCode.proId
+                        && c.hasDittos
+                        && c.ditto)
+                    {
+                        // success - the remote uses dittos
+                        IRLearningMode = 3;
+                    }
+                    else if (c.proId == learnedIRCode.proId
+                        && c.hasDittos
+                        && !c.ditto
+                        && c.code == learnedIRCode.code)
+                    {
+                        // success - it's a repeat of the last code, so
+                        // the remote doesn't use dittos even though the
+                        // protocol supports them
+                        learnedIRCode.hasDittos = false;
+                        IRLearningMode = 3;
+                    }
+                    else
+                    {
+                        // It's not a ditto and not a full repeat of the
+                        // last code, so it's either a new key, or some kind
+                        // of multi-code key encoding that we don't recognize.
+                        // We can't use this code, so start over.
+                        IRLearningMode = 1;
+                    }
+                    break;
+                }
                 
-            case 2:
-                // Code received, awaiting auto-repeat information.  If
-                // the protocol has dittos, check to see if we got a ditto:
-                //
-                // - If we received a ditto in the same protocol as the
-                //   prior command, the remote uses dittos.
-                //
-                // - If we received a repeat of the prior command (not a
-                //   ditto, but a repeat of the full code), the remote
-                //   doesn't use dittos even though the protocol supports
-                //   them.
-                //
-                // - Otherwise, it's not an auto-repeat at all, so we
-                //   can't decide one way or the other on dittos: start
-                //   over.
-                if (c.proId == learnedIRCode.proId
-                    && c.hasDittos
-                    && c.ditto)
+                // If we ended in state 3, we've successfully decoded
+                // the transmission.  Report the decoded data and terminate
+                // learning mode.
+                if (IRLearningMode == 3)
                 {
-                    // success - the remote uses dittos
-                    IRLearningMode = 3;
+                    // figure the flags: 
+                    //   0x02 -> dittos
+                    uint8_t flags = 0;
+                    if (learnedIRCode.hasDittos)
+                        flags |= 0x02;
+                        
+                    // report the code
+                    js.reportIRCode(learnedIRCode.proId, flags, learnedIRCode.code);
+                        
+                    // exit learning mode
+                    IRLearningMode = 0;
                 }
-                else if (c.proId == learnedIRCode.proId
-                    && c.hasDittos
-                    && !c.ditto
-                    && c.code == learnedIRCode.code)
-                {
-                    // success - it's a repeat of the last code, so
-                    // the remote doesn't use dittos even though the
-                    // protocol supports them
-                    learnedIRCode.hasDittos = false;
-                    IRLearningMode = 3;
-                }
-                else
-                {
-                    // It's not a ditto and not a full repeat of the
-                    // last code, so it's either a new key, or some kind
-                    // of multi-code key encoding that we don't recognize.
-                    // We can't use this code, so start over.
-                    IRLearningMode = 1;
-                }
-                break;
             }
             
-            // If we ended in state 3, we've successfully decoded
-            // the transmission.  Report the decoded data and terminate
-            // learning mode.
-            if (IRLearningMode == 3)
+            // time out of IR learning mode if it's been too long
+            if (IRLearningMode != 0 && IRTimer.read_us() > 10000000L)
             {
-                // figure the flags: 
-                //   0x02 -> dittos
-                uint8_t flags = 0;
-                if (learnedIRCode.hasDittos)
-                    flags |= 0x02;
-                    
-                // report the code
-                js.reportIRCode(learnedIRCode.proId, flags, learnedIRCode.code);
-                    
-                // exit learning mode
+                // report the termination by sending a raw IR report with
+                // zero data elements
+                js.reportRawIR(0, 0);
+                
+                
+                // cancel learning mode
                 IRLearningMode = 0;
             }
         }
-        
-        // time out of IR learning mode if it's been too long
-        if (IRLearningMode != 0 && IRTimer.read_us() > 10000000L)
-        {
-            // report the termination by sending a raw IR report with
-            // zero data elements
-            js.reportRawIR(0, 0);
-            
-            
-            // cancel learning mode
-            IRLearningMode = 0;
-        }
-    }
-    else
-    {
-        // Not in learning mode.  We don't care about the raw signals;
-        // just run them through the protocol decoders.
-        ir_rx->process();
-        
-        // Check for decoded commands.  Keep going until all commands
-        // have been read.
-        IRCommand c;
-        while (ir_rx->readCommand(c))
+        else
         {
-            // We received a decoded command.  Determine if it's a repeat,
-            // and if so, try to determine whether it's an auto-repeat (due
-            // to the remote key being held down) or a distinct new press 
-            // on the same key as last time.  The distinction is significant
-            // because it affects the auto-repeat behavior of the PC key
-            // input.  An auto-repeat represents a key being held down on
-            // the remote, which we want to translate to a (virtual) key 
-            // being held down on the PC keyboard; a distinct key press on
-            // the remote translates to a distinct key press on the PC.
-            //
-            // It can only be a repeat if there's a prior command that
-            // hasn't timed out yet, so start by checking for a previous
-            // command.
-            bool repeat = false, autoRepeat = false;
-            if (IRCommandIn != 0)
+            // Not in learning mode.  We don't care about the raw signals;
+            // just run them through the protocol decoders.
+            ir_rx->process();
+            
+            // Check for decoded commands.  Keep going until all commands
+            // have been read.
+            IRCommand c;
+            while (ir_rx->readCommand(c))
             {
-                // We have a command in progress.  Check to see if the
-                // new command is a repeat of the previous command.  Check
-                // first to see if it's a "ditto", which explicitly represents
-                // an auto-repeat of the last command.
-                IRCommandCfg &cmdcfg = cfg.IRCommand[IRCommandIn - 1];
-                if (c.ditto)
+                // We received a decoded command.  Determine if it's a repeat,
+                // and if so, try to determine whether it's an auto-repeat (due
+                // to the remote key being held down) or a distinct new press 
+                // on the same key as last time.  The distinction is significant
+                // because it affects the auto-repeat behavior of the PC key
+                // input.  An auto-repeat represents a key being held down on
+                // the remote, which we want to translate to a (virtual) key 
+                // being held down on the PC keyboard; a distinct key press on
+                // the remote translates to a distinct key press on the PC.
+                //
+                // It can only be a repeat if there's a prior command that
+                // hasn't timed out yet, so start by checking for a previous
+                // command.
+                bool repeat = false, autoRepeat = false;
+                if (IRCommandIn != 0)
                 {
-                    // We received a ditto.  Dittos are always auto-
-                    // repeats, so it's an auto-repeat as long as the
-                    // ditto is in the same protocol as the last command.
-                    // If the ditto is in a new protocol, the ditto can't
-                    // be for the last command we saw, because a ditto
-                    // never changes protocols from its antecedent.  In
-                    // such a case, we must have missed the antecedent
-                    // command and thus don't know what's being repeated.
-                    repeat = autoRepeat = (c.proId == cmdcfg.protocol);
+                    // We have a command in progress.  Check to see if the
+                    // new command is a repeat of the previous command.  Check
+                    // first to see if it's a "ditto", which explicitly represents
+                    // an auto-repeat of the last command.
+                    IRCommandCfg &cmdcfg = cfg.IRCommand[IRCommandIn - 1];
+                    if (c.ditto)
+                    {
+                        // We received a ditto.  Dittos are always auto-
+                        // repeats, so it's an auto-repeat as long as the
+                        // ditto is in the same protocol as the last command.
+                        // If the ditto is in a new protocol, the ditto can't
+                        // be for the last command we saw, because a ditto
+                        // never changes protocols from its antecedent.  In
+                        // such a case, we must have missed the antecedent
+                        // command and thus don't know what's being repeated.
+                        repeat = autoRepeat = (c.proId == cmdcfg.protocol);
+                    }
+                    else
+                    {
+                        // It's not a ditto.  The new command is a repeat if
+                        // it matches the protocol and command code of the 
+                        // prior command.
+                        repeat = (c.proId == cmdcfg.protocol 
+                                  && uint32_t(c.code) == cmdcfg.code.lo
+                                  && uint32_t(c.code >> 32) == cmdcfg.code.hi);
+                                  
+                        // If the command is a repeat, try to determine whether
+                        // it's an auto-repeat or a new press on the same key.
+                        // If the protocol uses dittos, it's definitely a new
+                        // key press, because an auto-repeat would have used a
+                        // ditto.  For a protocol that doesn't use dittos, both
+                        // an auto-repeat and a new key press just send the key
+                        // code again, so we can't tell the difference based on
+                        // that alone.  But if the protocol has a toggle bit, we
+                        // can tell by the toggle bit value: a new key press has
+                        // the opposite toggle value as the last key press, while 
+                        // an auto-repeat has the same toggle.  Note that if the
+                        // protocol doesn't use toggle bits, the toggle value
+                        // will always be the same, so we'll simply always treat
+                        // any repeat as an auto-repeat.  Many protocols simply
+                        // provide no way to distinguish the two, so in such
+                        // cases it's consistent with the native implementations
+                        // to treat any repeat as an auto-repeat.
+                        autoRepeat = 
+                            repeat 
+                            && !(cmdcfg.flags & IRFlagDittos)
+                            && c.toggle == lastIRToggle;
+                    }
+                }
+                
+                // Check to see if it's a repeat of any kind
+                if (repeat)
+                {
+                    // It's a repeat.  If it's not an auto-repeat, it's a
+                    // new distinct key press, so we need to send the PC a
+                    // momentary gap where we're not sending the same key,
+                    // so that the PC also recognizes this as a distinct
+                    // key press event.
+                    if (!autoRepeat)
+                        IRKeyGap = true;
+                        
+                    // restart the key-up timer
+                    IRTimer.reset();
+                }
+                else if (c.ditto)
+                {
+                    // It's a ditto, but not a repeat of the last command.
+                    // But a ditto doesn't contain any information of its own
+                    // on the command being repeated, so given that it's not
+                    // our last command, we can't infer what command the ditto
+                    // is for and thus can't make sense of it.  We have to
+                    // simply ignore it and wait for the sender to start with
+                    // a full command for a new key press.
+                    IRCommandIn = 0;
                 }
                 else
                 {
-                    // It's not a ditto.  The new command is a repeat if
-                    // it matches the protocol and command code of the 
-                    // prior command.
-                    repeat = (c.proId == cmdcfg.protocol 
-                              && uint32_t(c.code) == cmdcfg.code.lo
-                              && uint32_t(c.code >> 32) == cmdcfg.code.hi);
-                              
-                    // If the command is a repeat, try to determine whether
-                    // it's an auto-repeat or a new press on the same key.
-                    // If the protocol uses dittos, it's definitely a new
-                    // key press, because an auto-repeat would have used a
-                    // ditto.  For a protocol that doesn't use dittos, both
-                    // an auto-repeat and a new key press just send the key
-                    // code again, so we can't tell the difference based on
-                    // that alone.  But if the protocol has a toggle bit, we
-                    // can tell by the toggle bit value: a new key press has
-                    // the opposite toggle value as the last key press, while 
-                    // an auto-repeat has the same toggle.  Note that if the
-                    // protocol doesn't use toggle bits, the toggle value
-                    // will always be the same, so we'll simply always treat
-                    // any repeat as an auto-repeat.  Many protocols simply
-                    // provide no way to distinguish the two, so in such
-                    // cases it's consistent with the native implementations
-                    // to treat any repeat as an auto-repeat.
-                    autoRepeat = 
-                        repeat 
-                        && !(cmdcfg.flags & IRFlagDittos)
-                        && c.toggle == lastIRToggle;
-                }
-            }
-            
-            // Check to see if it's a repeat of any kind
-            if (repeat)
-            {
-                // It's a repeat.  If it's not an auto-repeat, it's a
-                // new distinct key press, so we need to send the PC a
-                // momentary gap where we're not sending the same key,
-                // so that the PC also recognizes this as a distinct
-                // key press event.
-                if (!autoRepeat)
-                    IRKeyGap = true;
+                    // It's not a repeat, so the last command is no longer
+                    // in effect (regardless of whether we find a match for
+                    // the new command).
+                    IRCommandIn = 0;
                     
-                // restart the key-up timer
-                IRTimer.reset();
-            }
-            else if (c.ditto)
-            {
-                // It's a ditto, but not a repeat of the last command.
-                // But a ditto doesn't contain any information of its own
-                // on the command being repeated, so given that it's not
-                // our last command, we can't infer what command the ditto
-                // is for and thus can't make sense of it.  We have to
-                // simply ignore it and wait for the sender to start with
-                // a full command for a new key press.
-                IRCommandIn = 0;
-            }
-            else
-            {
-                // It's not a repeat, so the last command is no longer
-                // in effect (regardless of whether we find a match for
-                // the new command).
-                IRCommandIn = 0;
-                
-                // Check to see if we recognize the new command, by
-                // searching for a match in our learned code list.
-                for (int i = 0 ; i < MAX_IR_CODES ; ++i)
-                {
-                    // if the protocol and command code from the code
-                    // list both match the input, it's a match
-                    IRCommandCfg &cmdcfg = cfg.IRCommand[i];
-                    if (cmdcfg.protocol == c.proId 
-                        && cmdcfg.code.lo == uint32_t(c.code)
-                        && cmdcfg.code.hi == uint32_t(c.code >> 32))
+                    // Check to see if we recognize the new command, by
+                    // searching for a match in our learned code list.
+                    for (int i = 0 ; i < MAX_IR_CODES ; ++i)
                     {
-                        // Found it!  Make this the last command, and 
-                        // remember the starting time.
-                        IRCommandIn = i + 1;
-                        lastIRToggle = c.toggle;
-                        IRTimer.reset();
-                        
-                        // no need to keep searching
-                        break;
+                        // if the protocol and command code from the code
+                        // list both match the input, it's a match
+                        IRCommandCfg &cmdcfg = cfg.IRCommand[i];
+                        if (cmdcfg.protocol == c.proId 
+                            && cmdcfg.code.lo == uint32_t(c.code)
+                            && cmdcfg.code.hi == uint32_t(c.code >> 32))
+                        {
+                            // Found it!  Make this the last command, and 
+                            // remember the starting time.
+                            IRCommandIn = i + 1;
+                            lastIRToggle = c.toggle;
+                            IRTimer.reset();
+                            
+                            // no need to keep searching
+                            break;
+                        }
                     }
                 }
             }
@@ -2490,12 +2435,12 @@
 struct
 {
     int8_t index;               // buttonState[] index of shift button; -1 if none
-    uint8_t state : 2;          // current shift state:
+    uint8_t state;              // current state, for "Key OR Shift" mode:
                                 //   0 = not shifted
                                 //   1 = shift button down, no key pressed yet
                                 //   2 = shift button down, key pressed
-    uint8_t pulse : 1;          // sending pulsed keystroke on release
-    uint32_t pulseTime;         // time of start of pulsed keystroke
+                                //   3 = released, sending pulsed keystroke
+    uint32_t pulseTime;         // time remaining in pulsed keystroke (state 3)
 }
 __attribute__((packed)) shiftButton;
 
@@ -2616,7 +2561,7 @@
             // We have to figure the buttonState[] index separately from
             // the config index, because the indices can differ if some
             // config slots are left unused.
-            if (cfg.shiftButton == i+1)
+            if (cfg.shiftButton.idx == i+1)
                 shiftButton.index = bs - buttonState;
                 
             // advance to the next button
@@ -2804,38 +2749,67 @@
     // check the shift button state
     if (shiftButton.index != -1)
     {
+        // get the shift button's physical state object
         ButtonState *sbs = &buttonState[shiftButton.index];
-        switch (shiftButton.state)
+        
+        // figure what to do based on the shift button mode in the config
+        switch (cfg.shiftButton.mode)
         {
         case 0:
-            // Not shifted.  Check if the button is now down: if so,
-            // switch to state 1 (shift button down, no key pressed yet).
-            if (sbs->physState)
-                shiftButton.state = 1;
+        default:
+            // "Shift OR Key" mode.  The shift button doesn't send its key
+            // immediately when pressed.  Instead, we wait to see what 
+            // happens while it's down.  Check the current cycle state.
+            switch (shiftButton.state)
+            {
+            case 0:
+                // Not shifted.  Check if the button is now down: if so,
+                // switch to state 1 (shift button down, no key pressed yet).
+                if (sbs->physState)
+                    shiftButton.state = 1;
+                break;
+                
+            case 1:
+                // Shift button down, no key pressed yet.  If the button is
+                // now up, it counts as an ordinary button press instead of
+                // a shift button press, since the shift function was never
+                // used.  Return to unshifted state and start a timed key 
+                // pulse event.
+                if (!sbs->physState)
+                {
+                    shiftButton.state = 3;
+                    shiftButton.pulseTime = 50000+dt;  // 50 ms left on the key pulse
+                }
+                break;
+                
+            case 2:
+                // Shift button down, other key was pressed.  If the button is
+                // now up, simply clear the shift state without sending a key
+                // press for the shift button itself to the PC.  The shift
+                // function was used, so its ordinary key press function is
+                // suppressed.
+                if (!sbs->physState)
+                    shiftButton.state = 0;
+                break;
+                
+            case 3:
+                // Sending pulsed keystroke.  Deduct the current time interval
+                // from the remaining pulse timer.  End the pulse if the time
+                // has expired.
+                if (shiftButton.pulseTime > dt)
+                    shiftButton.pulseTime -= dt;
+                else
+                    shiftButton.state = 0;
+                break;
+            }
             break;
             
         case 1:
-            // Shift button down, no key pressed yet.  If the button is
-            // now up, it counts as an ordinary button press instead of
-            // a shift button press, since the shift function was never
-            // used.  Return to unshifted state and start a timed key 
-            // pulse event.
-            if (!sbs->physState)
-            {
-                shiftButton.state = 0;
-                shiftButton.pulse = 1;
-                shiftButton.pulseTime = 50000+dt;  // 50 ms left on the key pulse
-            }
-            break;
-            
-        case 2:
-            // Shift button down, other key was pressed.  If the button is
-            // now up, simply clear the shift state without sending a key
-            // press for the shift button itself to the PC.  The shift
-            // function was used, so its ordinary key press function is
-            // suppressed.
-            if (!sbs->physState)
-                shiftButton.state = 0;
+            // "Shift AND Key" mode.  In this mode, the shift button acts
+            // like any other button and sends its mapped key immediately.
+            // The state cycle in this case simply matches the physical
+            // state: ON -> cycle state 1, OFF -> cycle state 0.
+            shiftButton.state = (sbs->physState ? 1 : 0);
             break;
         }
     }
@@ -2853,22 +2827,24 @@
         //   - regular button
         if (shiftButton.index == i)
         {
-            // This is the shift button.  Its logical state for key
-            // reporting purposes is controlled by the shift buttton
-            // pulse timer.  If we're in a pulse, its logical state
-            // is pressed.
-            if (shiftButton.pulse)
+            // This is the shift button.  The logical state handling
+            // depends on the mode.
+            switch (cfg.shiftButton.mode)
             {
-                // deduct the current interval from the pulse time, ending
-                // the pulse if the time has expired
-                if (shiftButton.pulseTime > dt)
-                    shiftButton.pulseTime -= dt;
-                else
-                    shiftButton.pulse = 0;
+            case 0:
+            default:
+                // "Shift OR Key" mode.  The logical state is ON only
+                // during the timed pulse when the key is released, which
+                // is signified by shift button state 3.
+                bs->logState = (shiftButton.state == 3);
+                break;
+                
+            case 1:
+                // "Shif AND Key" mode.  The shift button acts like any
+                // other button, so it's logically on when physically on.
+                bs->logState = bs->physState;
+                break;
             }
-            
-            // the button is logically pressed if we're in a pulse
-            bs->logState = shiftButton.pulse;
         }        
         else if (bs->pulseState != 0)
         {
@@ -2929,19 +2905,24 @@
         }
         
         // Determine if we're going to use the shifted version of the
-        // button.  We're using the shifted version if the shift button
-        // is down AND the button has ANY shifted meaning - a key assignment,
-        // a Night Mode toggle assignment, or an IR code.  If the button 
-        // doesn't have any meaning at all in shifted mode, the base version
-        // of the button applies whether or not the shift button is down.
+        // button.  We're using the shifted version if...
+        // 
+        //  - the shift button is down, AND
+        //  - this button isn't itself the shift button, AND
+        //  - this button has some kind of shifted meaning
         //
-        // Note that the test for Night Mode is a bit tricky.  The shifted
-        // version of the button is the Night Mode toggle if the button matches
-        // the Night Mode button index, AND its flags are set with "toggle
-        // mode ON" (bit 0x02 is on) and "switch mode OFF" (bit 0x01 is off).
-        // That means the button flags & 0x03 must equal 0x02.
+        // A "shifted meaning" means that we have any of the following 
+        // assigned to the shifted version of the button: a key assignment, 
+        // (in typ2,key2), an IR command (in IRCommand2), or Night mode.
+        //
+        // The test for Night Mode is a bit tricky.  The shifted version of 
+        // the button is the Night Mode toggle if the button matches the 
+        // Night Mode button index, AND its flags are set with "toggle mode
+        // ON" (bit 0x02 is on) and "switch mode OFF" (bit 0x01 is off).
+        // So (button flags) & 0x03 must equal 0x02.
         bool useShift = 
             (shiftButton.state != 0
+             && shiftButton.index != i
              && (bc->typ2 != BtnTypeNone
                  || bc->IRCommand2 != 0
                  || (cfg.nightMode.btn == i+1 && (cfg.nightMode.flags & 0x03) == 0x02)));
@@ -2951,7 +2932,7 @@
         // no one has used the shift function yet"), then we've "consumed"
         // the shift button press (so go to shift state 2: "shift button has
         // been used by some other button press that has a shifted meaning").
-        if (useShift && shiftButton.state == 1)
+        if (useShift && shiftButton.state == 1 && bs->logState)
             shiftButton.state = 2;
 
         // carry out any edge effects from buttons changing states
@@ -3438,7 +3419,8 @@
 class Accel
 {
 public:
-    Accel(PinName sda, PinName scl, int i2cAddr, PinName irqPin, int range)
+    Accel(PinName sda, PinName scl, int i2cAddr, PinName irqPin, 
+        int range, int autoCenterMode)
         : mma_(sda, scl, i2cAddr)        
     {
         // remember the interrupt pin assignment
@@ -3446,11 +3428,53 @@
         
         // remember the range
         range_ = range;
+        
+        // set the auto-centering mode
+        setAutoCenterMode(autoCenterMode);
+        
+        // no manual centering request has been received
+        manualCenterRequest_ = false;
 
         // reset and initialize
         reset();
     }
     
+    // Request manual centering.  This applies the trailing average
+    // of recent measurements and applies it as the new center point
+    // as soon as we have enough data.
+    void manualCenterRequest() { manualCenterRequest_ = true; }
+    
+    // set the auto-centering mode
+    void setAutoCenterMode(int mode)
+    {
+        // remember the mode
+        autoCenterMode_ = mode;
+        
+        // Set the time between checks.  We check 5 times over the course
+        // of the centering time, so the check interval is 1/5 of the total.
+        if (mode == 0)
+        {
+            // mode 0 is the old default of 5 seconds, so check every 1s
+            autoCenterCheckTime_ = 1000000;
+        }
+        else if (mode <= 60)
+        {
+            // mode 1-60 means reset after 'mode' seconds; the check
+            // interval is 1/5 of this
+            autoCenterCheckTime_ = mode*200000;
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            // Auto-centering is off, but still gather statistics to apply
+            // when we get a manual centering request.  The check interval
+            // in this case is 1/5 of the total time for the trailing average
+            // we apply for the manual centering.  We want this to be long
+            // enough to smooth out the data, but short enough that it only
+            // includes recent data.
+            autoCenterCheckTime_ = 500000;
+        }
+    }
+    
     void reset()
     {
         // clear the center point
@@ -3512,8 +3536,11 @@
         AccHist *p = accPrv_ + iAccPrv_;
         p->addAvg(ax, ay);
 
-        // check for auto-centering every so often
-        if (tCenter_.read_us() > 1000000)
+        // If we're in auto-centering mode, check for auto-centering
+        // at intervals of 1/5 of the overall time.  If we're not in
+        // auto-centering mode, check anyway at one-second intervals
+        // so that we gather averages for manual centering requests.
+        if (tCenter_.read_us() > autoCenterCheckTime_)
         {
             // add the latest raw sample to the history list
             AccHist *prv = p;
@@ -3523,22 +3550,33 @@
             p = accPrv_ + iAccPrv_;
             p->set(ax, ay, prv);
 
-            // if we have a full complement, check for stability
+            // if we have a full complement, check for auto-centering
             if (nAccPrv_ >= maxAccPrv)
             {
-                // check if we've been stable for all recent samples
+                // Center if:
+                //
+                // - Auto-centering is on, and we've been stable over the
+                //   whole sample period at our spot-check points
+                //
+                // - A manual centering request is pending
+                //
                 static const int accTol = 164*164;  // 1% of range, squared
                 AccHist *p0 = accPrv_;
-                if (p0[0].dsq < accTol
-                    && p0[1].dsq < accTol
-                    && p0[2].dsq < accTol
-                    && p0[3].dsq < accTol
-                    && p0[4].dsq < accTol)
+                if (manualCenterRequest_
+                    || (autoCenterMode_ <= 60
+                        && p0[0].dsq < accTol
+                        && p0[1].dsq < accTol
+                        && p0[2].dsq < accTol
+                        && p0[3].dsq < accTol
+                        && p0[4].dsq < accTol))
                 {
                     // Figure the new calibration point as the average of
                     // the samples over the rest period
                     cx_ = (p0[0].xAvg() + p0[1].xAvg() + p0[2].xAvg() + p0[3].xAvg() + p0[4].xAvg())/5;
                     cy_ = (p0[0].yAvg() + p0[1].yAvg() + p0[2].yAvg() + p0[3].yAvg() + p0[4].yAvg())/5;
+                    
+                    // clear any pending manual centering request
+                    manualCenterRequest_ = false;
                 }
             }
             else
@@ -3609,7 +3647,19 @@
     
     // range (AccelRangeXxx value, from config.h)
     uint8_t range_;
-
+    
+    // auto-center mode: 
+    //   0 = default of 5-second auto-centering
+    //   1-60 = auto-center after this many seconds
+    //   255 = auto-centering off (manual centering only)
+    uint8_t autoCenterMode_;
+    
+    // flag: a manual centering request is pending
+    bool manualCenterRequest_;
+
+    // time in us between auto-centering incremental checks
+    uint32_t autoCenterCheckTime_;
+    
     // atuo-centering timer
     Timer tCenter_;
 
@@ -3625,8 +3675,8 @@
     // cabinet's orientation (e.g., if it gets moved slightly by an
     // especially strong nudge) as well as any systematic drift in the
     // accelerometer measurement bias (e.g., from temperature changes).
-    int iAccPrv_, nAccPrv_;
-    static const int maxAccPrv = 5;
+    uint8_t iAccPrv_, nAccPrv_;
+    static const uint8_t maxAccPrv = 5;
     AccHist accPrv_[maxAccPrv];
     
     // interurupt pin name
@@ -5473,7 +5523,7 @@
 void accelRotate(int &x, int &y)
 {
     int tmp;
-    switch (cfg.orientation)
+    switch (cfg.accel.orientation)
     {
     case OrientationFront:
         tmp = x;
@@ -5559,7 +5609,7 @@
 // Handle an input report from the USB host.  Input reports use our extended
 // LedWiz protocol.
 //
-void handleInputMsg(LedWizMsg &lwm, USBJoystick &js)
+void handleInputMsg(LedWizMsg &lwm, USBJoystick &js, Accel &accel)
 {
     // LedWiz commands come in two varieties:  SBA and PBA.  An
     // SBA is marked by the first byte having value 64 (0x40).  In
@@ -5658,6 +5708,7 @@
                 cfg.plunger.cal.zero, cfg.plunger.cal.max, cfg.plunger.cal.tRelease,
                 nvm.valid(),        // a config is loaded if the config memory block is valid
                 true,               // we support sbx/pbx extensions
+                true,               // we support the new accelerometer settings
                 xmalloc_rem);       // remaining memory size
             break;
             
@@ -5740,6 +5791,29 @@
             // 13 = Send button status report
             reportButtonStatus(js);
             break;
+            
+        case 14:
+            // 14 = manually center the accelerometer
+            accel.manualCenterRequest();
+            break;
+            
+        case 15:
+            // 15 = set up ad hoc IR command, part 1.  Mark the command
+            // as not ready, and save the partial data from the message.
+            IRAdHocCmd.ready = 0;
+            IRAdHocCmd.protocol = data[2];
+            IRAdHocCmd.dittos = (data[3] & IRFlagDittos) != 0;
+            IRAdHocCmd.code = wireUI32(&data[4]);
+            break;
+            
+        case 16:
+            // 16 = send ad hoc IR command, part 2.  Fill in the rest
+            // of the data from the message and mark the command as
+            // ready.  The IR polling routine will send this as soon
+            // as the IR transmitter is free.
+            IRAdHocCmd.code |= (uint64_t(wireUI32(&data[2])) << 32);
+            IRAdHocCmd.ready = 1;
+            break;
         }
     }
     else if (data[0] == 66)
@@ -6077,7 +6151,7 @@
     
     // create the accelerometer object
     Accel accel(MMA8451_SCL_PIN, MMA8451_SDA_PIN, MMA8451_I2C_ADDRESS, 
-        MMA8451_INT_PIN, cfg.accelRange);
+        MMA8451_INT_PIN, cfg.accel.range, cfg.accel.autoCenterTime);
        
     // last accelerometer report, in joystick units (we report the nudge
     // acceleration via the joystick x & y axes, per the VP convention)
@@ -6121,7 +6195,7 @@
         IF_DIAG(int msgCount = 0;) 
         while (js.readLedWizMsg(lwm) && lwt.read_us() < 5000)
         {
-            handleInputMsg(lwm, js);
+            handleInputMsg(lwm, js, accel);
             IF_DIAG(++msgCount;)
         }
         
@@ -6208,10 +6282,8 @@
             // Otherwise, return to the base state without saving anything.
             // If the button is released before we make it to calibration
             // mode, it simply cancels the attempt.
-            diagLED(1,1,1);
             if (calBtnState == 3 && calBtnTimer.read_us() > 15000000)
             {
-                diagLED(0,0,0);
                 // exit calibration mode
                 calBtnState = 0;
                 plungerReader.setCalMode(false);
@@ -6222,7 +6294,6 @@
             }
             else if (calBtnState != 3)
             {
-                diagLED(0,1,1);
                 // didn't make it to calibration mode - cancel the operation
                 calBtnState = 0;
             }