Need Advice: Makivision 27/29" Tri Mode - MAME + CRT EmuDriver?

[haldir]

Hi Everyone,

I am hoping I could get some help/clarification. After about 15 years, I am finally able to build a dream MAME cabinet. The only problem is that Arcade CRTs became a lot harder to come by.

I originally was looking at Makivision 27/29 SVGA as it didn't have analog adjustments when switching from game to game. However, those are long gone and now only the Makivision 27/29 Tri-Mode is still in production.

The monitor for my cabinet is the biggest thing for me, as the original resolution and refresh rate is amazing! I currently am using a borrowed Sony PVM 1953 with an old ATI card running CRT Emudriver and running games at native hz/resolution.

My questions:

• Is it possible in anyway to use the Makivision 27/29 Tri Mode with MAME, where it can automatically switch resolution and refresh on the fly without having to manually adjust using the analogs on the monitor? Be it hardware, software help? I would plan on using the AMD/CRT EmuDriver combo through VGA on the Makivision Monitor.
• Is the MakiVision the best option for a 27/29 CRT at this point for a cabinet? (I would rather purchase a brand new monitor if possible)

Thank you all for any advice or help, I sincerely appreciate it.

[lilshawn]

Is the MakiVision the best option for a 27/29 CRT at this point for a cabinet? (I would rather purchase a brand new monitor if possible)

at this point in time, what you can get is going to be what you can get. you don't exactly have a choice much anymore, as CRT tubes have been out of production for years now. once they dry up that will be it. you want one, you better get it.

Honestly, I'm surprised suzohapp manages to continue to get stock to sell, I was under the assumption (and last I heard from them) was they had a stash of monitors for warranty exchange purpose and that was it.

[haldir]

Thank you very much for the reply! 

I agree, but I read that monitor can’t switch resolution and/or vert/horizontal scale without using the physical pots. Which would be tough for MAME as I’d have to manually adjust between each game.

Is that true? Or is there a way around that ?

Thanks ! 

[buttersoft]

Horizontal sizing and positioning adjustments in GroovyMAME are more important than vertical ones, and can be done in ArcadeOSD and in mame.ini. ArcadeOSD comes with the crt_emudriver package.

crt_range0  15625-15750, 49.50-65.00, 2.000, 4.700, 8.000, 0.064, 0.192, 1.024, 0, 0, 192, 288, 448, 576

That's the range line from the Generic15 preset for VMM - VMM is also included with the driver. Horizontal timings are in bold, vertical are underlined.

For horizontal adjustments, after setting any dials/pots or service menu adjustments, the three values of H-front-porch, H-sync-pulse, and H-back-porch are used to adjust the right side, centering, and left-side of the image, respectively (as above). Or anyway that's close enough for now. Play with all three until you get the picture sized/positioned the way you want. Adjusting the modeline in ArcadeOSD, then saving it when you're happy, sets it for Windows, but GM grabs any mode and recalculates it based on the crt_range lines in mame.ini. So you need to transfer any changes into that file, or to any machine.ini like neogeo.ini or specific game.ini files, if you want a particular game to show up a different way to others. You can in theory just setup your modelines again with VMM and an adjusted monitor preset, but i prefer the ini's for tweaking.

Vertical adjustments should not be needed anywhere near as often. Sadly they cannot generally be made in software, and will require manual or service menu changes. What you can do is get tricky with GM - so use a mode like 240p for a 224p game, and do not stretch it, which will leave 8 blank lines at the top and 8 at the bottom. You set the physical geometry once, as a compromise weighted by your favourites, and leave it.

If the monitor isn't auto-switching you'll have a switch to flick between 15/24/31kHz modes, as you said. However, 99% of old arcade games are 15kHz - actually 15.6-16.2kHz but that range is described as 15kHz in general. If you're doing it on a PVM-1953 you're using 15kHz and nothing but. And games with higher scanrates are often 3D/polygon games, and scaling those away from native res is not a crime it's only a misdemeanor They look fine.

I've heard very mixed reports on the Makvisions, but mostly negatives. Better would be to RGB hack a consumer CRT TV, though it will be 15kHz only.There's a thread about RGB modding in the Hardware section on the Shmups forum, if you need pointers. Another option might be to join an arcade group on FB or similar and see about buying a used Arcade monitor.

[haldir]

Thank you both for these amazing replies!

I really don't want to play anything past 2003-ish on my arcade, and will definitely go CRT. I will try to avoid the Makivision based upon what you said buttersoft.


RGB Mod to the CRT shouldn't be good bad as I have a tech who could do it for me, I just need to find the right TV that still has a good tube on it.


Thanks again!

[buttersoft]

I will swear blind CAlamity used to say that vertical porches made no difference, but now it seems you can do stuff with them as well. Possibly not as flexible as horizontal adjustments, but better than nothing:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,159464.msg1677118.html#msg1677118