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Author Topic: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun  (Read 137748 times)

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Gamemaster86

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #200 on: March 26, 2015, 07:44:24 pm »
Pm'd you gamer83 :-)
« Last Edit: March 27, 2015, 05:41:59 am by Gamemaster86 »

TimeCrisis

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #201 on: March 26, 2015, 08:52:09 pm »
sounds like a near perfect solution, I also like the camoflage design.

however they are hard to get a hold of, are you saying you would retrofit the pelican gun with an aimtrak for a price.

would you say the recoil adds a lot to the experience, or is it something you turn off after a while and see it as a gimmick.

I realise time crisis had recoil in the arcades, but HOTD didn't so it made me think maybe it wasn't as great a feature.

gamer83

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #202 on: March 27, 2015, 03:40:56 pm »
I could retrofit the aimtrak solenoid inside it or use the original solenoid,wired using the schematic in this thread or using a 5v relay.The camo guns in video have the original solenoids in them.

It does add to the expetience,after using happ guns for a while then switching to these,I must say im happy i did because they are great,but i do sometimes turn it off.

TimeCrisis

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #203 on: March 27, 2015, 05:20:57 pm »
hmm, interesting to hear that you turn it off at times.

since those guns are no longer made I will have to focus on trying to get the original namco guns working with aimtrak, but I will keep this in mind and pick one up on eBay UK if it ever turns up, just to at least see what the recoil is like, if I buy this gun could I test the recoil without having a playstation, in other words could i just plug it into the wall and feel the recoil?

also note I am from the UK so buying a US pelican/jolt gun may not be the best option for me.

when you say 'I could retrofit the aimtrak solenoid inside it or use the original solenoid' are you referring to the ultimarc solenoid, as aimtrak never had a solenoid.

i know you said ultimarc solenoid can be as good as namco/pelican, but I ask how can this be when there is not full kick back, the namco solenoids are super expensive to buy in parts and looking with the naked eye the differences between the two they are pretty different in size and power.
« Last Edit: March 27, 2015, 05:23:19 pm by TimeCrisis »

TapeWormInYourGut

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #204 on: March 27, 2015, 08:04:13 pm »
I looked around on ebay for those "real arcade guns" for a while. They are hard to come by, and I never saw them appear even once. I ended up buying a black pair of those "Named" Nacmo knock-offs a few weeks ago, and they finally arrived today. They are actually pretty nice and feel near identical to the official Namco guns. The flex tubing that houses the cables seem a bit lighter though, which I don't mind at all.

I cracked one open to look at the goodies and there is an additional rumble motor in the handle which I was not expecting. It probably takes next to nothing in power,. I will see if I can get some kind of switcher so that I can hook it up to the solenoid circuit. I know zilch about electronics though, so I will be doing a lot of googling beforehand.



Has anyone else de-soldered the camera on the aimtrak? I know the OP did, but I don't think he is around anymore. I want to extend the camera, and it looks like just 6 pins are used even though there are 8 soldering points? ...Is that correct?

TimeCrisis

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #205 on: March 27, 2015, 08:22:01 pm »
there are some on eBay however I don't see them on eBay UK.

anyway I was planning to buy a named one as well because i think it looks awesome in black, its either that or get official blue one here, price is about the same as it will be used, if you had to choose, which would you pick?

so they really feel the same as the official namco ones? did you test the recoil yet to see if it's similar, if so that's great news,

odd about the rotating motor, maybe that's engaged when you are using the machine gun in time crisis 2? I always wondered what the guns in time crisis 2 when it comes to the mahcine gun sections, I think crisis zone used a rotating motor so...
« Last Edit: March 27, 2015, 08:24:09 pm by TimeCrisis »

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #206 on: March 28, 2015, 12:53:59 am »
I haven't had a chance to test out the kickback, but the solenoid looks to be about the same size and takes the same amount of power. They are just magnetized coils, so it will probably be near identical. It may be a few days before I will have it powered to test.

I mentioned this a bit in my last post, but the only downside that I can see between these and a Namco is the "Named" on the side. The metal hose seems a bit lighter as well. The hose is attached to a metal mount in the Namco gun, but not in these "Named" guns. I don't mind because a rumble motor is there instead, and I also don't expect people to try and steal the gun off my cab. The only noticeable difference in shape is at the bottom of the handle. The gun's plastics feel the same and has the same brushed look to it. The quality difference is practically insignificant.

I am sure that I could nitpick somewhere if I had a Namco in my other hand. First party hardware will always be better, even if it is marginal. If I could get a pair of used Namco guns for the same price as these, it would be a tough choice. An official gun is very expensive new, as in, 4 times as much as a "Named" gun. If I bought them used, I could probably get my money back if I ever sold them. It wouldn't be a question of quality, it would be a question of brand and market value. Would you rather have a pair of real official Namco guns, or knockoffs? Would you rather have beaten+painted guns, or a perfect pair of newly dyed guns?

I personally would only buy the Namco guns if they were 25% cheaper. The quality of these "Named" guns are so close, that I would rather have them new than have used Namcos. Again, that is my personal preference, based on what used Namco guns usually look like LOL.

TimeCrisis

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #207 on: March 28, 2015, 02:05:44 am »
okay I will await your review for when you can test the kickback, it may be that they skimped out a bit on the durability of the solenoid, who knows, there must be something to it given the price difference.

the named thing is an issue depending on the buyer, but you can buy namco slides seperately, even in black, but the main positive is getting the named guns in black, i can't get the namco guns in black, and black is the better colour and it is what they have in japanese arcades.

i think the price difference is about £100

http://www.arcadespareparts.com/arcade_parts/shooting_parts.html   £170  (includes import tax)
http://www.happmart.com/Pro_Details.aspx?id=264&px=9&sid=71   £270

typical used price for namco gun in good condision is about £120.
« Last Edit: March 28, 2015, 09:39:59 am by TimeCrisis »

TapeWormInYourGut

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #208 on: March 28, 2015, 09:46:24 am »
Here is an official replacement offered from Suzo-happ. It is somewhere around £600 if you convert it. I am not sure if they carry them on the UK site though.
http://na.suzohapp.com/amusement_products/arcade_game_parts/PB03-03141-00

I would be a bit weary of the Happmart stuff, but that is an insane deal if they are official. They carry black "Named" replacement cases, but only offer the Time Crisis 1/2 guns that you had linked. That is just a bit odd to me.

If you are happy with the used Namco guns, then go for it. My choice was more or less about condition. It is rare to find one in decent condition here in the states. Actually, it is rare to find a set at all.

I am having trouble removing the camera from the aimtrak, but as soon as I do then I can put the gun together and test it.
« Last Edit: March 28, 2015, 09:48:16 am by TapeWormInYourGut »

TimeCrisis

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #209 on: March 28, 2015, 10:42:28 am »
actually if you are in the UK you can buy them direct from UK, official and brand new for £270 here
http://leisureservices.biz/namco.html
I called them up and that was the total price including delivery and VAT.

yes i noticed the replacement cases
http://www.happmart.com/Pro_Details.aspx?id=256&px=1&sid=71
however the price is most certainly wrong, makes me think the site is dodgy or incorrect somehow.

I think it's quite common to spray the guns to make them like in new condition, something to keep in mind in case anyone pixcks up a used one in poor condition, not that I would.

so am I right in saying you plan to put an aimtrak into a NAMED gun, are you planning on using the ultimarc recoil kit to trigger the solenoid?
« Last Edit: March 28, 2015, 02:12:35 pm by TimeCrisis »

gamer83

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #210 on: March 28, 2015, 02:45:42 pm »
Heres some pics to use for comparison,the solenoids and brackets all look very similar if not identical.Namco vs named vs pelican.

TimeCrisis

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #211 on: March 28, 2015, 02:58:20 pm »
that's soo strange though, the pelican was a 3rd party gun used in the PS1 era for home console market use only, it wasn't priced very high as well.

yet the namco guns are 5x the price and are built for arcades, why would Namco charge 5x the price for the same item that can be made at a significantly cheaper price, why would arcade vendors even buy it from namco.

just mentioning the oddity in the situation, I also agree they look the same, although i can only see the last two jpegs, the first two don't show up on my PC even when I download them locally.

do you think it would be easy to change the pelican gun to allow for a UK power supply, do you also think it would be easy to move one of the buttons down to below the trigger button like the http://www.arcadeguns.com/  has?

hmmm, seems arcadeguns.com are releasing a new model that will allow for recoil, not much details are been shown but they will allow it to be mains powered.

* New electronics inside the gun will have a Modular Add-On port to easily add new features such as a Force Feedback Module (Recoil and Vibrate).

* New screw terminals options inside gun allows for separate external power input that can be used to add additional power to recoil.
« Last Edit: March 28, 2015, 06:05:10 pm by TimeCrisis »

gamer83

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #212 on: March 28, 2015, 03:13:12 pm »
I guess i cant repost pics,they are just two photos already posted,the op's gun ,and the second is tapeworms pic.

TapeWormInYourGut

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #213 on: March 29, 2015, 09:05:52 pm »
Well, I spent all day and got everything hooked up, but the solenoid recoil only moved maybe 1/8 inch (~3mm). It worked fine hooked directly to the PSU. I was playing around trying to see if the correct power was getting pushed out of the recoil kit, and I killed my aimtrak. I touched the MOSFET pins with my finger on accident, and now my aimtrak heats up when it is plugged into the USB just by itself.

I wish that I had read that the utility defaulted the recoil strength to 0. I did not change that setting, so I am betting that this was the issue. I didn't realize that it was even a setting until I tried to see if the utility could detect my dead aimtrak.

I will hook up my second aimtrak tomorrow to see if that was the issue. If so, then I will go ahead and order up a replacement. Sort of bummed about that.

TimeCrisis

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #214 on: March 30, 2015, 12:52:30 am »
sorry to hear, seems a lot of people are going to great effort for recoil, should be worth it though.

I sent an E-mail to arcadeguns asking for more information about their new gun which features recoil, I asked if it would be the same solenoid that is in namco/pelican gun, who knows they may be using the same type of solenoid as it does offer mains power.

it may be that the best option is to wait until they start selling the new gun and pick up that one for recoil.

I wonder if ultimarc will respond to arcadeguns new model with their own a pre-build gun with recoil.

abkaz

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #215 on: March 30, 2015, 11:01:59 am »
I have access to a couple of original time crisis guns and I'm considering adding them to a current build. The namco recoil effect makes such a big difference that we'll leave the guns off the project if we can't get them to work. I really appreciate everyone's information and details about their trials and errors!

TimeCrisis

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #216 on: March 30, 2015, 09:16:41 pm »
okay just got back from eric at arcadeguns, hes said this about his solenoid

Our recoil will come in 2 flavors. Our first release is more of a low power force feedback module. It isn't designed for a high powered solenoid and is usb powered. Our second option will use an external power supply and medium sized solenoid. Since our light gun doesn't weigh much, a medium sized solenoid offers more a good amount of force.

so maybe that means the first option is like a rotating motor found in an xbox controller?

TapeWormInYourGut

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #217 on: March 31, 2015, 12:14:31 am »
I extended the camera off of my second aimtrak and fitted it into the gun. My recoil problem was in-fact the software setting. After cranking it up, everything was great. I put it together before grabbing any pictures though. Sometime later this week I will open it again and take some snapshots. Everything was a really tight fit. The recoil is perfect and I am very happy with the hardware. I guess next would be to get the rumble motor to work, but it will take a bit of research to do that.

However, I am having a lot of trouble calibrating the aimtrak. I have a 36" screen, and I am testing about 6" away. The edges of the screen are barely within range. I don't really want to stand back even further, and any closer puts the IR sensors out of range. I'll test on my 19" screen tomorrow and see if it is better.

Also, TimeCrisis, I noticed that the picture on the arcadeguns website is a solid molding for the half. If that is the gun being offered, then I think the recoil will only be similar to Ultimarc's. You are probably right about the rumble motor option.

TimeCrisis

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #218 on: March 31, 2015, 12:25:34 am »
I did ask him if the solenoid would be the same or better than ultimarcs recoil kit, he didn't quite directly answer that but he said the gun is quite light weight and the solenoid provides a strong enough force due to the guns low weight.

also would it really matter if the gun itself slides back and forth when firing, isn't that mostly for looks, as couldn't the same force feedback be done without the gun sliding.

do you feel that the named gun you have is a bit too heavy to hold up after a while, i watched a video review on the pelican and he noted that the gun was very heavy to hold up for extended periods of time.

on screen distance calibration: are you saying you are calibrating 6 inches away from a 36" screen, or 72 inches away from 36" screen?

The closest I can calibrate is 45” away from the screen(this is eye to screen distance), this allows at least 26” between the gun barrel and the IR bar, I do not have my arms crutched up nor full out.

I'd like to sit closer, as currently this means I have to use a 20" 4:3 screen, I would prefer to use a 15" screen but I can't as my viewing distance would be 3x the distance, i'd rather the 2.2x distance of the 20" screen.

TapeWormInYourGut what is the likelyhood of adding a button below the trigger at the same place that arcadeguns has their button (it's where your ring finger naturally rests), I use that as my reload button a lot in games and its the only way I can see myself using a lightgun in my games, i hate the side buttons that were on the guncons as you had to hold the gun with two hands all the time.
« Last Edit: March 31, 2015, 04:01:42 am by TimeCrisis »

TimeCrisis

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #219 on: March 31, 2015, 05:19:38 am »
new information regarding the arcadeguns solenoid

All of the guns will have the same modular port to add recoil inside the gun. When we begin selling the recoil addons, we will offer guns either with or without recoil modules pre installed, and the modules themselves for people who want to add it later.

The recoil electronics modules will be the same for all guns which is an electronics board with a processor and vibrating motor attached. That module can either take a usb powered small solenoid (actual solenoid), or an externally powered larger solenoid. The catch is that the larger solenoid will also require a modified gun shell, different cable (instead of the standard usb cable), an external power supply and separate electronics board outside the gun to connect the power supply and usb cable. The cost goes up with the larger solenoid due to all the the extras that are needed as you can imagine.

To begin with, we will only offer the usb powered option because we do not have all of the parts for the larger solenoid yet. We aren't finished with the smaller recoil at the moment, but are getting closer now that we have our new add on port in our new guns.

The modified gun shells for the larger solenoid won't be bigger in size. We are modifying the existing shells to accommodate the larger cable that is needed for the power recoil. It will be the same gun shells with a larger cutout for the thicker cable.
« Last Edit: March 31, 2015, 10:48:37 am by TimeCrisis »

TimeCrisis

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #220 on: March 31, 2015, 01:07:24 pm »
have you thought on using the EMS LCD topgun and fitting it with an aimtrack, that gun has  a great recoil system, I found it to be pretty powerful and it even has slide kickback, it also uses batteries and I found rechargeable high end batteries to work really well with it.

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #221 on: March 31, 2015, 06:15:31 pm »
The blow-back effect at the top of the guns is aesthetic only, you are right in that respect. I guess that it is about preference. If you just want the feel of the recoil, then an internal recoil is all that is needed. The gun does get a bit heavy due to the large solenoid and mounting bracket, and you are dealing a bit with the gun bouncing a bit from the recoil. A 45 minute game might be a workout on your arm lol. The gun is my guess 1.5 lb with the metal cable hanging. The only place that you can mount a button is within the first inch of the barrel, or on the handle below the trigger (if you take out the rumble motor).

I was 6 feet away from my tv, 72". Sorry, I put the wrong unit mark in my post. I tested it out on a 22" display and it worked perfectly, far better than my TV. I was about 3' away. I played a bit of HotD and it was awesome lol.

I tried to take a video of the recoil with my phone, but the recoil is too quick to capture. I will try to record at a lower resolution, or on a proper camera.

I thought about using the ems topgun, but I definitely wanted something closer to the arcade gun feel.

TapeWormInYourGut

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #222 on: March 31, 2015, 06:43:55 pm »
Here is an mage of my completed mod. As you can see, you would have to mod out the rumble motor if you wanted to put a small button in there. Frankly, I would sooner add a pedal to my cabinet similar to Time Crisis, except a bit smaller.

I took a thin round peace of plastic and cut a hole in it for the aimtrak's camera to peak through. It is then angled up a bit when I mount it.



Here is a vidya of it. It is louder than it does in the video.

« Last Edit: March 31, 2015, 09:10:00 pm by TapeWormInYourGut »

TimeCrisis

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #223 on: April 01, 2015, 01:44:27 am »
oh okay great and I see that when you reload off the screen the recoil does not fire?

as far as the button goes, yeah its mostly for reloading, I don't like shooting outside the screen to reload, I'd much rather press a button or move gun outside screen, but not move gun and then shoot outside screen, see the wii version of HOTD 2 where you just move gun outside screen to reload(it apparently does it this way in the arcades),

'It includes an auto-reload feature that allows players to point their guns off-screen to reload their weapons without pulling the trigger' - wikipedia

that is my perfect solution for it, sadly can't be done with all games, and in that case I just use the button.

so what recoil kit are you using, is it ultimarcs, or your own, I'm not referring to the solenoid, just the electronics.

yeah time crisis 3 is 45 minuets LOL, I prefer to sit while playing light gun games, there were a few sit down cabs made, HOTD 2, confidential mission etc. but yeah for long play sessions sit down is a must I find, so that makes the pedal less desirable, the button below the trigger is perfect as your duck button in time crisis.

I'd rather have the blow back effect but it is just that you mentioned previously that because the arcadeguns.com light gun didn't have a blow back effect that is would not be as powerful as the namco recoil, but in fact we can agree that that is not an accurate assessment as the namco gun can have the same solenoid yet have no blow back effect.

when you describe your viewing distance of 36" away, are you refering to eye level, or your gun barrel level, as i said i can't get closer than 45" away from the screen, (this is eye level with my gun NOT held far out with my hands) this is a real issue for me as I can't use a smaller monitor which is what I want, any advice on sitting closer would be appreciated.

I have another thing to add which I think will make a huge difference in replicating the arcade experience.

Is there is any way to control the number of times the solenoid will fire until the reload button is pressed, so in the case of house of the dead 2 you can set it to 6 bullets, that means for the first 6 bullets the solenoid will fire, after that the solenoid will not trigger when you press the trigger button, once you press the reload button it will reset the counter and you will get 6 more solenoid fire shots.

in the case of time crisis you can make it so that when the reload button is held it allows the solenoid to be fired, otherwise the solenoid will not fire, this would be identical to the arcade (the gun does not recoil when in cover)
 
it would be ideal if it could be user configurable on the software level via a similar interface that is used in the ArcadeGunsProUtility program, if it can’t then maybe it can be done at the hardware level, how to make it user configurable would have to be thought out.
« Last Edit: April 01, 2015, 02:06:47 am by TimeCrisis »

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #224 on: April 01, 2015, 06:35:50 pm »
Here is an mage of my completed mod. As you can see, you would have to mod out the rumble motor if you wanted to put a small button in there. Frankly, I would sooner add a pedal to my cabinet similar to Time Crisis, except a bit smaller.
That looks great! Thanks for the picture. We're working on a couple pedals for our cab. There are a few Time Crisis pedals on ebay, but the shipping is usually as much as the pedal - or more. A leaf switch, torsion spring, and a couple pieces of metal should do the trick... or maybe a cheap bass drum pedal.

TimeCrisis

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #225 on: April 01, 2015, 06:44:42 pm »
I would guess general usb pedals will do the job better than an actual arcade pedal, the arcade pedals are likely built like tanks designed to last years with people with heavy shoes on, not something you would have indoors with people that use socks, I'm guessing it will be too hard to press down on it with socks.

Usually costs about £50 for a time crisis pedal over here,

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NAMCO-TIME-CRISIS-1-or-2-PEDAL-UNIT-USED-WORKING-/160974435239?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item257ad2f3a7

I can only assume you could mod the innards of a usb pedal for pc and put it inside the time crisis pedal.

please note my post here is merely a guess, I don't own the official time crisis pedal, so I would have to give that a go first, which I may do at one point to see how it goes.

TapeWormInYourGut have you thought about trying to get your named/namco gun to work with the guncon3 sensor, that way you could get time crisis 4 working!
« Last Edit: April 01, 2015, 09:32:04 pm by TimeCrisis »

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #226 on: April 02, 2015, 03:41:53 pm »
I got really lucky this weekend. Found 2 NOS Joytech Real Arcade guns on amazon (retail box with pedal). $53 shipped.
Came today. Aimtrak modules should be here tomorrow. Will do a work log thing.

http://imgur.com/a/NAtOu#0

FYI, I did not buy the ultimarc recoil kit. Will be making my own circuit.

abkaz

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #227 on: April 02, 2015, 04:13:33 pm »
Nice find. How strong is the recoil? It looks like it came with a 12V power supply. Don't the Namcos run off of 24V?

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #228 on: April 02, 2015, 04:30:30 pm »
still unsure whether to go down the namco or joytech/pelican 'real arcade light gun' route, is there really next to no difference between them? maybe something outside of the recoil, there is a huge price difference between them which makes me wonder.

h0tw1r3 will you be providing details on how to make my own circuit or will you be selling them seperately, along with basic soldering insturctions so I can then add it to a real arcade light gun?

also what do you think of my guncon 3 idea, maybe you can place the sensor beside the aimtrak sensor.
« Last Edit: April 02, 2015, 04:38:11 pm by TimeCrisis »

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #229 on: April 02, 2015, 04:58:28 pm »
still unsure whether to go down the namco or joytech/pelican 'real arcade light gun' route, is there really next to no difference between them? maybe something outside of the recoil, there is a huge price difference between them which makes me wonder.

I'm curious as well. The only thing that really matters to me is the recoil because the electronics are all going to be AimTrak anyway regardless of whether I start with a namco gun, a Named gun, or a pelican/joytech. So the question is: how much do I want to spend on the recoil? I suspect that the joytech/pelican is weaker since it looks like it only comes with a 12V power supply vs Namco's 24V (and some people have used 36V!). Is the extra recoil strength worth the price premium?

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #230 on: April 02, 2015, 05:15:58 pm »
well I'm guessing it's more the feel and maybe weight of the gun as well, as it has been said namco charge arcade vendors here in the UK £270 for a new namco gun, I can only guess the pelican/joytech gun sold for about £40 back in its day in 1997 or so, so honestly I don't see how they can both offer something even remotely similar based on price, however there is strong evidence to the contrary.

but good find on the voltage, that's at least one thing, but apparently you can feed the pelican gun a 24v voltage?

To quote gamer83

The build quality of the pelican vs namco gun is the same.they are both built like tanks.Some minor changes to the pelican shell to accommodate two buttons and two switches used for the ps1/dreamcast.The original pelican solenoid feels identical to the namco gun,when fed the same 24v current.You wont notice a difference.but the two pelicans that I am modding have bad solenoids,I have two ultimarc solenoid kits that I am using as replacements,the reason I say they are great replacements is because they are alot cheaper than the namco/pelican solenoids,and the aimtrak has a really good recoil effect when,again fed 24v.

seems by that quote that some pelican guns can have bad solenoids, maybe its the fail rate of the solenoids that makes them cheaper than namco guns.

some close ups of the gun

http://www.blood-is-red.de/mw/index.php/Joytech_Real_Arcade_Light_Gun


I'd say my priorities are

recoil - mains powered, strong and preferably with kickback.
feel - gun feels as great as can be, as good as the arcade ones.
looks - gun looks good, either in black or in that grey/black that the real arcade lgiht gun offers, camo also looks cool, don't like and wont accept the pink/blue that non japanenes namco guns offer.
« Last Edit: April 02, 2015, 06:58:39 pm by TimeCrisis »

TapeWormInYourGut

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #231 on: April 02, 2015, 07:51:02 pm »
That looks great! Thanks for the picture. We're working on a couple pedals for our cab. There are a few Time Crisis pedals on ebay, but the shipping is usually as much as the pedal - or more. A leaf switch, torsion spring, and a couple pieces of metal should do the trick... or maybe a cheap bass drum pedal.
Honestly, I think custom is the best way to go. That way you can build a really solid pedal without spending a fortune.

I got really lucky this weekend. Found 2 NOS Joytech Real Arcade guns on amazon (retail box with pedal). $53 shipped.
Came today. Aimtrak modules should be here tomorrow. Will do a work log thing.
Man, that is a nice find and an insane price. I could never find even 1 of those on ebay, let alone 2. Good luck on rolling your own circuit, I honestly had no clue what the OP was talking about so I ended up buying Ultimarc's kit. I am just not tech savy enough. I wish I was though, because I really wanted to hook up the rumble motor to go with the solenoid in my guns.

TimeCrisis, I am not sure what you mean about the guncon 3 sensor. I don't own a ps2/3 if you were referring to those, and the aimtrak should work with any emulator.

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #232 on: April 02, 2015, 08:00:28 pm »
the guncon 3 is a gun that only works with time crisis 4 on the PS3, my meaning was to put the guts of the guncon 3 into the namco/named/pelican gun so you get recoil and can play time crisis 4 on the PS3 with an awesome gun, you will not be using aimtrak at all, its more about using a recoil gun.

TapeWormInYourGut would you be able to offer a simple guide to using the ultimarc kit on an existing pelican or named gun, some other posters here tried to use the ultimarc kit on an namco gun but they had a really hard time, I don't mind taking the job to a shop as well.

so I take it I buy this item and don't use the solenoid, if so did you ask him if they sell them without the solenoid.
http://www.ultimarc.com/recoil.html

for the pedals did you not see my link for only £50 you get the real deal!
« Last Edit: April 02, 2015, 08:11:19 pm by TimeCrisis »

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #233 on: April 02, 2015, 10:29:17 pm »
h0tw1r3 will you be providing details on how to make my own circuit or will you be selling them seperately, along with basic soldering insturctions so I can then add it to a real arcade light gun?

I will definitely share details on the circuit. Once I'm happy with the recoil performance I'll likely use https://oshpark.com/ to have a "real" board fabricated. If there's interest at that time, I'll have a bunch made. Not looking to make any money so it'll be whatever cost is.

Nice find. How strong is the recoil? It looks like it came with a 12V power supply. Don't the Namcos run off of 24V?

Not sure about the recoil yet. They don't power up without a playstation connected (which I do not have).

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #234 on: April 02, 2015, 10:36:47 pm »
okay great, I look forward to buying your board, so would I use that board instead of the ultimarc board, or should I just buy the ultimarc board anyway, not sure which is best.

I can only assume I will need some soldering work to fit your board, It's likely I will be taking this to someone to get done as i don't have the equipment nor skills.

on recoil not working without playstation: that's a shame, I was hoping to buy one and see how well the recoil worked without having to have a playstation.

is there not anyway to test the recoil without the playstation, other than fitting your board of course.

As mentioned previously another poster is using a 24v with the pelican and he says its working identically, I don't know what increasing the voltage requires.

does anyone have any advise on using a UK mains power cord with the named gun, would I not have to switch out some inner parts so it will work with my UK voltages, I can only assume the named gun is setup for US mains power since the price is in USD.

so far my choices are the £50 pelican or the £170 named, hmmm.
« Last Edit: April 02, 2015, 10:45:06 pm by TimeCrisis »

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #235 on: April 04, 2015, 01:27:22 am »
okay seems I'm in luck, someone just listed a real arcade light gun for £31, i checked with him to make sure its a UK 3 pin power lead for the recoil, he said it was so I bought it.

any advice on getting this to work with aimtrak would be much appreciated, I have 2 arcadeguns.com guns so I don't mind taking apart one of them to donate the innards to the real arcade light gun.

woudl also like more information about the voltage, how do I upgrade it to 24v's

time crisis 4 also allows you to plug a second controller to simulate the pedal button,
was thinking on having a guitar hero drum kit with the pedal plugged in as my second controller, then using that pedal as the reload pedal, once tested I was going to take the innards of that pedal and put it in the real time crisis arcade pedal.

but if anyone has any other advice on any mods to make the controller like a pedal that would be helpful, maybe modding some ps3 controller circuit and hooking that up to a pedal, some racing pedal set, or maybe even a standard usb pedal for pc could work.
« Last Edit: April 04, 2015, 01:43:49 am by TimeCrisis »

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #236 on: April 04, 2015, 08:30:53 am »
You are going to need to hook it up similar to the image on page #5 (reply #177). You have to take everything out except the solenoid and replace it with the aimtrak and a recoil board.

If you want 24v, then you will need to get a power supply that outputs 24v at 2 amps. You might be able to find a laptop brick on ebay for cheap.

TimeCrisis

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #237 on: April 04, 2015, 08:41:06 am »
okay, and should I buy the ultimarc recoil kit board or buy one from h0tw1r3, I'm still not sure the difference, I don't think I can make one myself.

so would any search on eBay for '24V AC DC 2A psu' produce the correct PSU I should buy.
for example

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/24V-2A-AC-DC-Adapter-Power-Supply-PSU-2-1mm-x-5-5mm-Jack-lead-2000ma-/321512550121?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4adba42ee9
« Last Edit: April 04, 2015, 09:39:48 am by TimeCrisis »

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #238 on: April 04, 2015, 09:47:50 am »
Yes, that PSU should work. If you know the power socket size of the arcade gun, then you can get a PSU with the same size plug. Otherwise you might need to do some modifications. That one is 5.5mm x 2.5mm, I don't know the gun's socket takes.

You are going to have to ask h0tw1r3 if you want to use his board, or if he still plans on making+selling a few... It won't matter where you get it, as long as it works.

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Re: AimTrak-Converting a Namco Recoil Gun
« Reply #239 on: April 04, 2015, 09:57:30 am »
okay I will measure the gun socket to make sure it will fit before purchasing.

I'll be sure to purchase the ultimarc recoil board as well then, I may contact him and ask him to not include the solenoid as I will not need it, would you agree?

do you think it would be possible to fit the aimtrak and guncon 3 sensor in the one gun, along with trigger and an assigneable button that works for both aimtrak and guncon 3, so in that case when you shoot the gun its like it is using both aimtrak and guncon 3 at the same time, that way whichever I use it (aimtrak or ps3 ) it will always work with the one I am using.
« Last Edit: April 04, 2015, 09:59:38 am by TimeCrisis »