Dreamcast to cab questions.....

[mo1e]

Hello all basically a few years back i decided to make a cabinet using a dreamcast and a tv. a very kind user sold me some hacked dreamcast pads (haruman) that was soldered and i just needed to wire up my buttons and joysticks. this all worked fine but the project got scrapped due to me moving house.

Anyway i want to re start this project as i really want a dreamcast cabinet, due to the fact the dreamcast can do emulation aswell. But i have a few questions.

1. Is there any way at all to rig a coin op so that i need to insert credit to play on the dreamcast? if so how tricky is this.

2. Is it only the dreamcast dpad that can be hacked or the analogue stick aswell?

3. What amount of players do you guys recomend? i know 2 should be enough but im thinking 4 players for games like virtua tennis?

4. Howmuch does a basic dreamcast cab cost to build including basic joysticks and buttons.

I cant believe i had to get rid of my other build, Even if it was just the control panel

EDIT... would this build be as simple as just building a cabinet, Placing a tv and the dreamcast inside and plugging in the hacked joypads. Or am i being dillusional.

[HaRuMaN]

Yes...  it would be as simple as building a cabinet, putting a TV (or a computer monitor if you use a DC VGA box) in, and plugging in some hacked pads.

1) You could connect the hacked start button to a coin door...  but not sure why you would want to do this.

2) I can hack the D-pad & the analog stick.  However, by hacking the analog stick, it makes it digital.  With all the DC games I have, I have only found one that requires the use of the analog stick (Berserk)

3) Go 2 players... if you ever have more than 2, you can just plug in regular gamepads.

4) That will vary wildly depending on the controls you choose, etc.

[mo1e]

Yeah i have got my eye on a dc vga box at the minute. Not sure how much better the quality is, But i want to use my pc monitor anyway as it is thinner then a standard tv. Also using the vga box i will be able to connect some speakers and a sub to it for inside the cabinet.

The reasoning behind the coin door is more for me. for some reason i want to have to pay to play. kind of a way of saving money i suppose. Im not sure why though.

[HaRuMaN]

Yeah i have got my eye on a dc vga box at the minute. Not sure how much better the quality is, But i want to use my pc monitor anyway as it is thinner then a standard tv. Also using the vga box i will be able to connect some speakers and a sub to it for inside the cabinet.

The reasoning behind the coin door is more for me. for some reason i want to have to pay to play. kind of a way of saving money i suppose. Im not sure why though.

The quality of the VGA box is much better...  especially noticeable on games like Ikaruga.  MVC2 looks a little odd on it, the background is rendered, but the sprites are pixellated.  I have heard of people using a scanline generator (SLG3000) between the VGA box and a computer monitor and getting nice results.

[mo1e]

Damn i found my old buttons and stuff but ive lost the hacks you made me. howmuch are they again? i can send you the controllers. do you live in the uk or us?

[HaRuMaN]

Damn i found my old buttons and stuff but ive lost the hacks you made me. howmuch are they again? i can send you the controllers. do you live in the uk or us?

I'm in the US.  You can send me the controllers.  I'm currently offering a sale for $5 off each hack, so, if you send me the controllers, your cost would be $60 (normally $70) shipped to the US.

Let me know!  

Oh, and the controllers either need to be officials or madcatz.  No astro-pads.  

[Don]

If you're using a CRT TV I'd recommend getting a RGB scart cable. I have one for my Dreamcast and the picture quality is great.

[mo1e]

Damn i found my old buttons and stuff but ive lost the hacks you made me. howmuch are they again? i can send you the controllers. do you live in the uk or us?

I'm in the US.  You can send me the controllers.  I'm currently offering a sale for $5 off each hack, so, if you send me the controllers, your cost would be $60 (normally $70) shipped to the US.

Let me know!  

Oh, and the controllers either need to be officials or madcatz.  No astro-pads.  

Ok i will let you know. I will have to wait until i get paid anyway. how easy is it to hack a pad? i mean i can solder, I do it for a job.

[HaRuMaN]

Damn i found my old buttons and stuff but ive lost the hacks you made me. howmuch are they again? i can send you the controllers. do you live in the uk or us?

I'm in the US.  You can send me the controllers.  I'm currently offering a sale for $5 off each hack, so, if you send me the controllers, your cost would be $60 (normally $70) shipped to the US.

Let me know!  

Oh, and the controllers either need to be officials or madcatz.  No astro-pads.  

Ok i will let you know. I will have to wait until i get paid anyway. how easy is it to hack a pad? i mean i can solder, I do it for a job.

I say it's not hard, but you have to realize that I've done hundreds of padhacks now.

You can follow my tutorial:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=64050.0

It's for an Xbox 360 pad, but the technique is the same.  Ignore the part about the triggers...

Note that the dreamcast controller is common ground, where that tutorial was written for a non-common ground.

[mo1e]

Damn i found my old buttons and stuff but ive lost the hacks you made me. howmuch are they again? i can send you the controllers. do you live in the uk or us?

I'm in the US.  You can send me the controllers.  I'm currently offering a sale for $5 off each hack, so, if you send me the controllers, your cost would be $60 (normally $70) shipped to the US.

Let me know!  


Oh, and the controllers either need to be officials or madcatz.  No astro-pads.  

Ok i will let you know. I will have to wait until i get paid anyway. how easy is it to hack a pad? i mean i can solder, I do it for a job.

I say it's not hard, but you have to realize that I've done hundreds of padhacks now.

You can follow my tutorial:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=64050.0

It's for an Xbox 360 pad, but the technique is the same.  Ignore the part about the triggers...

Note that the dreamcast controller is common ground, where that tutorial was written for a non-common ground.

Ok i have read the tutorial and i have most of that stuff at work, except for the dremel. can i not use something else to expose the copper. Also is the dpad on the dreamcast the same as the one on the xbox. (The little black dots) or is it the same as the buttons on the dreamcast?

[HaRuMaN]

You can use sandpaper, or something similar.  I just found that the Dremel & wire wheel works the best / fastest.

On the DC D-pad, the contacts are the same as the button contacts, so a little bit easier.

[mo1e]

Nice one. thanks for the advice, And if its too hard i will buy some hacks from you.... Now to get designing my cabinet.

Edit. Also how would wiring a coin box to the start button work? I dont want to know how to do it im just wondering how will this make it so i have to pay to play?

[HaRuMaN]

Nice one. thanks for the advice, And if its too hard i will buy some hacks from you.... Now to get designing my cabinet.

Edit. Also how would wiring a coin box to the start button work? I dont want to know how to do it im just wondering how will this make it so i have to pay to play?

Well, it would just make it so you would have to use a coin to "press" the start button.  May not be a good solution.  A coin switch is the same as any other switch, it just has a ground and a signal wire.

[mo1e]

Nice one. thanks for the advice, And if its too hard i will buy some hacks from you.... Now to get designing my cabinet.

Edit. Also how would wiring a coin box to the start button work? I dont want to know how to do it im just wondering how will this make it so i have to pay to play?

Well, it would just make it so you would have to use a coin to "press" the start button.  May not be a good solution.  A coin switch is the same as any other switch, it just has a ground and a signal wire.

I mite just ebay me a coin door, more for optical illusion really. and i can still use it to save money.

[HaRuMaN]

Nice one. thanks for the advice, And if its too hard i will buy some hacks from you.... Now to get designing my cabinet.

Edit. Also how would wiring a coin box to the start button work? I dont want to know how to do it im just wondering how will this make it so i have to pay to play?

Well, it would just make it so you would have to use a coin to "press" the start button.  May not be a good solution.  A coin switch is the same as any other switch, it just has a ground and a signal wire.

I mite just ebay me a coin door, more for optical illusion really. and i can still use it to save money.

I've got a 2 player over / under coin door if you want it... 

[mo1e]

Howmuch. the thing is the postage cost. if you was in uk i would take it in a heartbeat

[HaRuMaN]

Howmuch. the thing is the postage cost. if you was in uk i would take it in a heartbeat

Oh, you're in the UK?  Nevermind, then, the shipping would kill it.   

[Mysterioii]

Nice one. thanks for the advice, And if its too hard i will buy some hacks from you.... Now to get designing my cabinet.

Edit. Also how would wiring a coin box to the start button work? I dont want to know how to do it im just wondering how will this make it so i have to pay to play?

Well, it would just make it so you would have to use a coin to "press" the start button.  May not be a good solution.  A coin switch is the same as any other switch, it just has a ground and a signal wire.

Well if you wanted to get really swanky you could rig up a little circuit where coin drops increment a counter, and an arcade-style start button does nothing when the counter is zero, otherwise it sends the actual start button press for the game and decrements the counter...     It could be done.  Worth the trouble?  Probably not, but might be cool.

[mo1e]

Ok all basically ive decided to make a desktop control panel instead With a monitor on top and speakers. Heres a rough idea of what im trying to do.

Sorry about the crap illustrations as i used paint for these.

I  have a pc desktop table that looks like this


Heres a side view


Heres what i want inside


Heres a rough idea for the control panel


I will be building around the current pc desk using wood and the sega logo will be illuminated


And heres the side. the circle whole featuring the dreamcast logo will also be illuminated



Here it is complete


Thats a rough idea i have been thinking. what do you guys think? and am i trying a little too much here?

[meany]

Just buy a computer desk with a couple of these:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HKT-7300-STICK-CONTROLLER-Sega-Dreamcast-/280852256710?pt=UK_Controllers_Attachments&hash=item41641957c6