Help with connecting PC to arcade CRT please

[Keninem]

I apologize in advance if there's something easy I could have searched for, at this point I'm not even sure what to search for. I've got a JAMMA cabinet with a CRT screen and I've been working on getting a PC ready to run BigBox with MAME on.

A few weeks ago, without knowing the perils of refresh rates, I hooked the PC up using a J-PAC and connecting to the onboard video input via VGA. I got the telltale signs of refresh problems (lines scrolling vertically on the screen). I turned the cab off and did some research into soft15khz and crt emudriver. After doing some reading, I bought a cheap Radeon 4350 on ebay. It came in today and I got it set up while using an LCD monitor. soft15khz didn't seem to work at all, it was all greyed out, and I followed a tutorial as best I could from Calamity for crt emudriver.

A few issues with the tutorial were that I was using Win 10, his instructions were for Win 7. I also don't have a CRT monitor available to dual-monitor while I'm setting this up. Inside the house I have my other PC where my LCD monitor is, and in the garage is where my cab is, so I tried my best, took everything out to the garage to see if it was working and.... nothing. The CRT won't display anything now, not even the vertically scrolling lines. Even if I take the J-PAC's VGA connector and plug it back into the onboard video, still nothing. In a panic I put my PCB of Ultimate MK3 back in, hoping I didn't ruin the CRT. Luckily it came back up fine, so I know the CRT is fine. I took the PC back inside, and hooked it back up to my LCD and once again had no problems at all.

At this point I'm not even sure what to try next.. I appreciate everyone that read this far. Does anyone have any suggestions I can try, or super simple step-by-step instructions for a complete noob to this? If I REALLY have to have a CRT as a second monitor while I configure this, I can see if I can find one in a thrift store tomorrow, but I've just got to think there's an easier way.

Another random question, is GroovyMAME required when using CRT emudriver or is it just the better option?  At this point I'd just like to get something working and then work to optimize it.

[Calamity]

Hi Kenimem,

I'm sorry you bought that HD 4350, probably based on well-meaning but outdated advice around the web. There are much better options these days, specially if you intend to use Windows 10. I'm not even sure if the CRT Emudriver package available for that card (2.0  based on Catalyst 12.6) can even install properly on Windows 10. I know it used to work on 2016's Windows 10 but due to constant upgrades of this OS, it might not work anymore.

Anyway, before trying anything else, let's see if it's a problem with the output you're using. Try connecting the card through the DVI-I connector, using a DVI-VGA adapter. You should at least get a picture during boot (this regardless the output used), and also a picture of Windows desktop when connected to the primary output (DVI-I).

If you get no video at all, I'm afraid you might have fried the J-PAC. This may be caused by improper handling.

[buttersoft]

Right now we have no confirmation he's getting 5kHz though, and with a UEFI Bios, he might not be able to test 640x480 either. Will the J-pac pass resolutions higher than that in any configuration? (And if so, what's its bandwidth limit?)

Keninem, i would advise listening to Calamity first, but perhaps also scanning this guide and seeing what you think - https://www.aussiearcade.com/showthread.php/87668-A-guide-to-connecting-your-Windows-PC-to-an-SD-CRT-TV-PVM-or-Arcade-Monitor

[Calamity]

The J-PAC doesn't black out the video signal, so if there's any video coming out it will show something on the screen.