Since I’ve built Half-Shell, my number of real arcade PCBs has over doubled. Trust me, playing them on my cabinet, with the CRT, controls, coin door, ect. is still very awesome.
However, the need to be able to run the games outside the cabinet is growing. I have boards that need some repair, and working on them at the cabinet isn’t cutting it. Even with a JAMMA extension loom, there’s no table to work on, and the lighting isn’t very good.
While I don’t see myself playing my arcade boards on a large modern TV (beyond the novelty of it), I could use it to play the games at my friends houses (it’s easier than bringing a whole cabinet). It would also allow me to record or stream real arcade PCBs with my PC.
Working on the JammaPC (a Windows PC with a Jamma connector) would be easier too. The way I built it, the DVI port is near impossible to get a cable into (and I think since flashing the ATOM-15 edited BIOS, the DVI port isn’t working anyway). So CGA out the JAMMA edge is the only way to get an image. With this testing rig, I could work on it, and leave a real game in my cabinet.
So, I’ve been gathering parts to build a self-contained, “portable” (still required AC power) testing rig. The plan is to have everything to run a game in it, but have connectors for external displays, sound systems, and controllers.
Thus, the portable arcade testing rig / Supergun, now named project Voyager, has started. I came up with the name while at work (and thinking of Star Trek shows, but “Enterprise” doesn’t seem to fit this project.)
The First Testing RigThis build is not my first attempt at a “Supergun” device. Back in 2009, I made a small, crappy box for testing JAMMA PCBs.
Featuring a cheap LCD screen (originally designed to snap on to a Nintendo GameCube, making it more portable), the display is washed out if not looking at it at the perfect angle. It even had a row of pixels not working before I re-purposed it for this project. Video is converted by a Jrok Encoder, allowing for composite, component, and S-Video out. Sticking out near the bottom, the Jrok has a composite cable running back inside to the LCD, but could be disconnected to make way for an external display. Sound was limited to a small speaker that stopped working, and I never bothered to fix it.
Powering the whole thing was an old PC power supply. Meaning it had no adjustable +5 volts, and no -5 volts. The mess of pushbuttons on the top allowed for complete navigation in game service, mimicking Test, coin buttons, Service, P1 joystick directions, start, and first 3 action buttons, plus P2 start and action button 1. The P2 buttons were included for service menus that needed them (example “press P1 and P2 Start to exit”). The mess of pushbuttons was not meant for actual gameplay. The side offers 2 15-pin connectors for hooking up external controllers (using my controller pinout), as well as a single coin counter for both players.
This box never worked very well and collected dust over the years. Parts will be scavenged for the new testing unit.
Part 0: Gathering the major componentsSome of the parts I already have, but there were a few key things I needed. I started with the LCD. Purchased last year, I went with a
VSDisplay 13.3” IPS LCD, with a resolution of 1920 x 1080, purchased off Amazon. This board takes both VGA and HDMI inputs. I know it's widescreen, but I think it still suits my needs at an acceptable price.
(Don’t mind the red text at the bottom. It’s printed on the protective film that’s still on the screen).
Amazingly, I was testing it with the Naomi (which can output 31 or 15 Khz), and the LCD worked with both settings. I then tried it with my Simpsons board and the LCD worked directly with it.
I do still plan on having convertor boards for external displays anyway, so I do plan to use one for the LCD. The specs for the controller on Amazon don’t mention 15 Khz or CGA, so I don’t want to rely on that working with every game.
I picked up some thin speakers. They’re actually made by the same company as the LCD, and designed to plug into the LCD controller. I plan to hook the speakers up differently though (so I don’t have to use an on screen display to adjust the volume.)
I also picked up a CGA to HDMI convertor. So in total I have the Jrok (outputs composite, component, and S-Video), a CGA to VGA convertor, and a CGA to HDMI convertor. For this project, I decided to use the VGA and HDMI boards, as those are the displays I’d more likely use when working on boards. HDMI would also work with my Elgato video capture unit. I may still have a way to use the Jrok plugged in as an external unit to this setup, but the HDMI and VGA boards will be built in.
I looked for a case big enough for the LCD, and deep enough for the JAMMA power supply. I found this at Harbor Freight. I probably could have saved money by ordering online, but I wanted to get going on this project. The case just felt right anyway. The grey panels are screwed in and can be removed, making modifications a lot easier.
Oddly enough, I didn’t even realize the case name was “Voyager” until after I came up with the project name. I came up with that name separately, while thinking of the portability of this setup.
Before doing anything, I cut some cardboard the same size is the case innards. I then figured out a rough layout of the major components. Things are still subject to change at this state, and I realize I forgot things like the audio amplifier. Also little things, like the LCD will be centered, the speakers will be one on each side of the LCD, and the VGA / LCD boards will be lined up better. Still, I now had a plan. Oh, the empty space on the bottom one is for holding the controllers and the JAMMA harness.