Rapid Trigger Firmware Fixes and Sales Resumption

Rapid Trigger Firmware Fixes and Sales Resumption

We fixed the rapid trigger firmware and resumed sales. In this update, we switched from the conventional linear method to LUT-based correction and added an automatic correction feature.

In addition to conventional temperature management, automatic correction detects small changes in the play environment and makes adjustments as needed. This improvement is intended to reduce changes in operating feel caused by differences or changes in the environment.

How are small movements read as inputs?

Rapid Trigger buttons detect how far they are pressed using magnetism, and switch input according to the pressing or returning movement. The firmware running on the dedicated PCB processes these detected values.

With magnetic position detection, the distance moved and the change in the detected value are not necessarily proportional. How this relationship is converted is key to reading movement.［1］

LUT uses a table of corresponding values

Which value should correspond to a detected value? LUT (Look-Up Table, or lookup table) stores these pairings in a table and looks up the required value.

When used for correction, it represents the relationship: “For this input value, use this corrected value.” One feature is that it can handle relationships that do not fit a single straight line as value-by-value mappings.［2］

The process of looking up a corresponding value in the LUT table using an input value. Conceptual diagram with one row of the table highlighted in red.
Figure 1: The basic idea behind LUT. Input and output values are listed in a table and looked up as needed.

How does it differ from the conventional linear method?

The linear method approximates the relationship between input and output values with a straight line. The idea is that when the input value changes by a certain amount, the converted value also changes by a certain amount.

If the actual characteristic is also close to a straight line, this conversion fits well. However, if the relationship forms a curve, there will be a deviation from the straight line. Even if the beginning and end match, the intermediate points may not match in the same way.

Top: an example of a characteristic shown as a curve and its deviation from the straight line used for linear conversion. Bottom: the concept of placing multiple LUT values along the same characteristic. Conceptual diagram; does not show measured values.
Figure 2: The difference between the linear method, which approximates with a straight line, and the LUT method, which looks up corresponding values. The curve and points are for illustration and do not represent measured product data or the actual number of table entries.

The LUT method can reflect characteristics that cannot be fully represented by a straight line by assigning a corresponding value to each input value. In this update, we incorporated this approach into the correction process to control switch operation more accurately.

Automatic correction for small environmental changes, in addition to temperature management

Along with refining the value mappings, we also reviewed how the system responds to changes in the environment during play. We added an automatic correction feature to the conventional temperature management.

The system detects small changes in the play environment and makes adjustments as needed in response. We expanded the conventional system, which managed temperature only, to also respond to differences and changes in the operating environment.

An automatic correction feature has been added to conventional temperature management to detect small changes in the play environment. Conceptual diagram showing an improvement intended to reduce changes in operating feel caused by the environment.
Figure 3: Automatic correction for small changes in the play environment has been added while temperature management continues.

LUT is “how values are converted,” and automatic correction is “how to respond when the environment changes.” Combining these 2 approaches makes it possible to reduce changes in input response caused by environmental changes.

Helps preserve the familiar feel of input

Input is activated when the button is pressed and released when it returns. This improvement aims to help preserve that feel even when the environment changes. We have improved the firmware that supports the fine movements of rapid trigger through LUT-based correction and the automatic correction feature.

This update concerns configurations using the Rapid Trigger Button and Dedicated PCB Set, as well as the J2A rapid trigger version.

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