Existing light guns with arcade crt monitor

[Tallman]

I'm converting a cabinet that already has two light guns in it.  Plan on using an arcade CRT.  Is there a way to incorporate the existing light guns with Mame?

[bkenobi]

Yes and no and yes.

Yes - You could try the product that Happ sells that is supposed to convert a standard light gun to a pc using a CRT.  They are expensive and no one has tried them.  Or, there's another one that I've read about that's supposed to do the same but from another guy who has scammed people so I won't recommend that one.

No - you can't simply plug in the gun directly into the PC and have it work.  There is no DIY converter circuit that you can build either.  The gun will only work with an arcade board other than using the above suggestion.

Yes - if you gut the gun, you could install AimTrak's in them and be good to go.  This is only using the case though, so it's not really what you are asking for...

[Tallman]

Thanks for the info.

Sounds like it might be better to sell the guns and buy something designed to work with Mame...

[runawayabc123]

I had the mame light gun "party" around 07 or so and bought the top gun light guns (it with either that or act labs at the time) for $100 for a pair.  I got them to work, but they sucked.  The trianglation was ok at best.  Had to recalibrate all of the time and if you moved, it mucked it up.  Couldn't get too close.  yada yada yada. 

I broke down after finding a cheap leathal enforcers board and just bought light gun pcb after light gun pcb.  They all work and great.  I don't know that I ever recalibrated a gun, ever.  I did have the video sync die on a rapid fire board, but I didn't like that game much and don't feel it as much of a loss. 

Anyway, for the accuracy demands of some of the more demanding gun games (vs the shoot-em-ups), it just wasn't there.  Maybe the stuff today is better?  (Even the arcade trianglation today sucks in my opinion)  You just aren't shooting from a fixed point. 

So, I know where you are right now and I went the other way.  Not saying you shouldn't do it.  Not saying it won't work.  Just that I failed. 

But then again, I don't want another person buying up light gun pcbs... so maybe this IS the better way.     (You also get to play all of the games across mfgs, that are ported... I get to play all games in the jamma land or I get to rewire.) 

I still do mame... just not for light guns. 

[bkenobi]

I have never owned a JAMMA board let alone a JAMMA gun board.  I can say that the GunCon2 setup I have is good, but not perfect.  If I were trying to recreate a system perfectly, I would not go with guncon's simply because they lose accuracy at the edge.  If you just want to play some gun games here and there, you should be fine with most choices.

Basically, if your goal is arcade perfect, NO option will likely work perfectly.  If you want to have fun with some games and accept there will be limitations, there are several choices.

[sarge]

Yes - You could try the product that Happ sells that is supposed to convert a standard light gun to a pc using a CRT.  They are expensive and no one has tried them. 

Where do I find this?