Tankstick MAX red LED button as a MAME exit key
Useful Answer
On Tankstick MAX, the red LED button can be used as a MAME exit / quit control by treating it as Mouse M3 and running the Xgaming AutoHotkey utility that converts Mouse M3 into the keyboard Esc key.
Use this workflow:
- Run the Xgaming
RED_LED_ESC64AutoHotkey utility. - Leave it running in the background; it normally sits in the Windows system tray.
- In MAME, set
Escas the exit / quit command. This is usually MAME's default. - For a dedicated arcade PC, add the utility to Windows startup so the mapping loads automatically after reboot.
The standard X-Hotkey app may not expose an editable AHK file or obvious right-click configuration menu. For this specific red LED button use case, support directed the customer to use the dedicated Mouse M3-to-Esc utility instead.
For Maximus Arcade, if the exit setting ignores the red LED button directly, map the red LED / Mouse M3 button through the Xgaming utility first, then configure Maximus to use the resulting Esc behavior. One confirmed setup worked after using the newer utility and saving 1+2+3 as an additional exit combo while keeping the original 1+2 combo.
If replacing Tankstick MAX push buttons, Xgaming described the original button style as SuzoHapp-style arcade push buttons. A compatible replacement should fit a 1-1/8" panel hole, include a keeper nut, and use a 0.187" microswitch connector. Support pointed to common SuzoHapp/TwistedQuarter-style arcade buttons with those specs, while still recommending fit and wiring checks before ordering.
Source Context
The customer had installed a Tankstick MAX in a cabinet and wanted the red LED button to exit games in MAME. Support provided the dedicated RED_LED_ESC64 AutoHotkey utility and explained that it maps Mouse M3 to Esc; the customer later confirmed the cabinet was working well. A later Maximus Arcade case confirmed that the newer utility plus an added 1+2+3 exit combo worked while preserving the default 1+2 behavior. Later button-swap questions added that the original push-button style is SuzoHapp-style and that compatible color replacements should use a keeper nut, 0.187" microswitch, and 1-1/8" mounting hole.