Pandora's Box

[EssexMame]

Hi
Anyone got a Pandora's box 4S/5S/others? Seems to be a 2 player/6 button setup for Street Fighter play especially.

If so, what is the difference between editions? Even those listed as 5S have 999/1299 games, different buttons/layout/artwork etc. Which edition is better? Do any have a trackball?

Not sure of the legality of the 999 or so games but they are at least all joystick games (no OutRun etc.) so would work with the stick well.

[EssexMame]

Found this: http://bootleggames.wikia.com/wiki/Pandora%27s_Box
Seems they are bootleg boards. Some contained trackball/spinners but the board doesn't support them so don't expect the

I want a 2 player/6 button (or 2 controllers?) arcade control panel basically. A trackball/spinner a bonus (I like Arkanoid, some trackball games like Golden Tee)

Not worried about a game board etc. particularly, will just use the control panel on PC/Pi. Any suggestions? Like the XArcade I suppose but a lot of those items don't seem to be available.

Venom Arcade Fight stick perhaps?

[Malenko]

it gets super tricky with the naming/numbering on the bootlegs, especially when there are bootlegs of bootlegs.

I had a King of Air board, turns out Pandora's box is select-able by holding down certain keys on power up. Hardware wise the 3 through 4S are all the same A13 chip based board, some 5s are the A13 some have a different chip.  Some 3s and 4s have protection from copying and altering, so the bootleg is actually the better choice.

Jamma plus has a lot of info:
http://www.jammaplus.co.uk/forum/forum_topics.asp?FID=67&title=pandoras-box

They even have images to run different emulators (like console ones) (but no ROMs PL1, so dont ---smurfing--- moderate this post). I learned a ton of ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- by browsing there.

[Titchgamer]

Ide forget all the “pre made” stuff and build your own.

It will be much better!

I to love arkanoid and play it through mame on a pc using a spinner.

[Drnick]

Essexmame,  Don't do it,  you won't be happy with the controls or anything.  Much better to make your own control box,  The joysticks and buttons that come on those Pandora boxes are often the cheapest that you can get. Knocking up a 60cm x 20cm box shouldn't take too long to build,  throw a pair of printed slagcoin joystick/Button templates on there and drill the holes.  Bingo. I bet it could be done in an afternoon.

Although if you are just going to use the box and put your own joysticks etc in there then to save box building time you could go for it. (In which case it doesn't really matter what box you pick)   

[EssexMame]

Ok, good advice, thanks. I do already have the joysticks (magstik 4/8 way switch? and a regular magstik), buttons and iPac for the cab I've never built so perhaps I should just do the CP from that cab design! I had not done that as I knew I'd play the games and never build the cab but as I've not anyway perhaps I need to get some controls at least.

Since going to the Carnaby St pop-up arcade I realised even more how different playing on the arcade controls and a keyboard or xbox controller etc is. Track & Field I simply can't go as fast as I can with the arcade buttons! As good a reason as any to set it up/play it properly.

Who knows, a bit of woodwork skill on the CP might give me a boost to build the actual cab!!

[Titchgamer]

There you go, you have everything you need (bar the wood) to build a CP.

Have fun!