couple or arcade monitor and joystick questions

[sunnywala]

Hey Guys!

First off, I'd like to thank all of the people who contribute to this sight and provide their knowledge for others to learn from...(this is def one of the best forums i've visited)

Well here it goes...

4 Weeks ago, I started a hunt for a street fighter arcade machine...

3 Weeks ago I discovered this wonderful project called "Mame" and that changed everything...

I've been snooping around here since...
after countless hours a reading and a number of complaints from the wife(she has no idea how long this project will last hehehe)

Yesterday I bought a Wrestlemania Arcade Cabinet
its in great shape, has a 25" WG monitor and everything else works great

My plan is to almost gut the cabinet...
replace t-molding, etc, etc...
The only thing I plan to use is the monitor and the cab

ok so a couple of questions:

in order to use the monitor I will need a arcadevga card, correct?
do i NEED a jpac? or will an iPac work just fine?
the reason I ask: some of my reading suggested that the Hz can ruin the monitor and the jpac prevents this from happening...


I've been considering buying the u360(especially after readings posts from people switching from mag sticks to u360s

are the u360s the BEST joysticks?
If I am ordering the u360 joysticks, should I get the USB version or the the one that wires to a "pac"?
I would like everything to hook up and run very easily...I'm a techie so if there are any hitches I will eventually figure it out(hopefully)

for info purposes I am planing on having around 25 buttons plus the joysticks

Thats it for now!

[ubiquityman]

It depends on the games you want to play.
If you want compatibility with a wide range of games, then the U360 is hands down the best choice IMHO in terms of convenience.

If you are wanting to play just one game (say Defender), then you are best to get the proper restrictor plate with a microswitch joystick.
It depends on the game.
IMO:   Sinistar - U360.  SFII - microswitch Joystcik.  Pacman - Microswitch Joystick, Gauntlet - either.

The advantage of the U360 is not that it's a better joystick for any one specific game -- it generally is not.
The advantage of the U360 is the convenience of not having to mess with joystick mappings and restrictor plates.
It's a pretty huge convenience IMO.

Another advantage of the U360 is when using it as an accelerator for driving games.  It's analog so it's not just on/off.

[Kangum]

Just wanted to say when your doing your gutting and all that be very careful of the monitor. It holds a charge after its unplugged. It wont give you a little shock or knock you on your butt. if mishandled it can do a jolt enough to stop your heart. so be really careful and search for monitor discharge info while your researching. There are things you dont touch. hehe.

[ubiquityman]

btw, you might want to tell us whether you plan to have 1, 2, or 4 joysticks.  spinners? trackball?
hard to comment on some of this w/o knowing what else you need to hook up.

[sunnywala]

Wow... sorry I havent responded sooner... Thanks for the help guys

I didnt get to touch the cabinet till yesterday...

I exchanged emails with divemaster yesterday also...
With his advice I ended up ordering exactly what I thought I would.
ArcadeVGA and iPac2
2 U360s, round restrictor plates and stiffer springs...
and of course waaay to many buttons

I think this will be a descent setup for now...

I dont plan on removing the monitor and thanks for the advice!
I read up on discharging the monitor in case I need to...



cant figure out what to do with the keyboard and mouse
 I was looking at this...
http://cgi.ebay.com/EFO-Wired-USB-Mini-Handheld-Keyboard-Mouse-Touchpad_W0QQitemZ300405588263QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPCA_Mice_Trackballs?hash=item45f1918127

Here are some pics of the new obsession
It was originally a NBA Jam cabinet
Stupid monitor bolts are ugly... just not sure if its worth the effort to get rid of them...
sides will get full vinyl anyways

[kalarcana]

Any update on your build?  Did you decide to keep the monitor bolts or lose them?



Rick