19" imperial kortek arcade monitor

[mytymaus007]

Im thinking about getting a 19" imperial kortek arcade monitor from http://www.arcadeshop.com/parts.htm#Monitors Has anyone have experience using this monitor with MAME. I eventually want to put it in a cab or cocktail table. Do I need a ArcadeVGA card. Also what cables would i need.

[Jack Burton]

This is really a question for the monitor forum...

However, the answer to your question is not necessarily.

An ArcadeVGA is nice because it will allow you to boot your computer directly into CGA mode.

There are other ways of getting arcade resolutions to a CGA monitor than an arcade VGA.  Most people use a program called Soft 15khz to program their own custom resolutions.  

Another way is to use the program Advancemame.  

I have had some success with using Nvidia's built in control center to program custom res's.  I have heard of others doing the same for ATI cards.  

The main issue you have with these approaches is that the custom resolutions don't kick in til you start into windows.  The simplest solution to get around this is to let your pc boot up blindly, then turn on your monitor to keep from overdriving it.  

It's really just something you have to research and get knowledgeable about.  

As for the cables I'm not sure.  That monitor might have a DB15 connector on it.  If it does all you need is a VGA cable.

If it has a molex connector then you will need a break out cable from ultimarc. 

[DillonFoulds]

You don't -need- to buy the breakout or ArcadeVGA, if you're crafty with a soldering iron and a multimeter (AND SHRINK TUBING!)...

http://pinouts.ru/Video/VGA15_pinout.shtml - Here's the pinouts for a standard vga cable. Wire up the Red, Green, and Blue signals to your monitor, and the Sync (depending on your monitor requirements you'll need horizontal, vertical, or a combination). You should only need one ground to your monitor, from the VGA cable.

Make sure you have a compatible video card, and install Soft 15KHz, and steal follow Andy's guide for MAME configuration from http://ultimarc.com/avgainst.html so that your MAME will output at native resolutions.

That's it that's all!

Unless of course you are awful with any of this stuff. Then you might be in the wrong hobby...