Main > Main Forum

"Dedicated" Mame Cab.

Pages: << < (5/5)

Buddabing:


--- Quote from: Tux on March 25, 2004, 11:12:52 am ---A quick boot and hiding the underlying OS is a high priority on my arcade machine. I've been looking at LinuxBios which sounds perfect for the job. Basically it replaces your computer BIOS stripping out all the legacy crap boasting ultra fast boot times (I believe the record is 4 seconds!) I'm running Linux anyway and after ditching the mainstream distributions and compiling my own system based on 'Linux  from scratch' I achieved a boot to GUI in about 15 seconds. If I able to get LinuxBios working and it does what it says I'll be near to a full boot before my TV shows a picture.

I understand the vast majority here will not be running Linux but it's my understanding it can boot Windows too.

Anyone else have any experience with LinuxBios?

--- End quote ---

I haven't tried it (no time), but I agree that it sounds like the perfect way to hide the fact that there's a PC underneath the hood. I've been subscribed to their list for a while.

Make sure you have a motherboard that is fully working under LinuxBIOS.  ("Stable" according to
the LinuxBIOS status page: http://www.linuxbios.org/status/index.html

I believe you are correct about being able to boot to Windows. I don't know for certain, though.

Make sure you get a "BIOS Savior".  :)

Buddabing

android:


--- Quote from: PacManFan on March 26, 2004, 04:34:01 pm ---I think you mean the ArcadeVGA card. The IPAC is a keyboard emualtor/interface board for controls. I don't have an ArcadeVGA offhand, but I recall reading that it will display the bios screen.

ArcadeOS is different, that's a FE that will run in DOS, and use your plain vanilla video card to generate Arcade frequencies (15khz).

-PMF

--- End quote ---

Nope. I actually meant the J-Pac (not I-Pac, sorry): The ArcadeVGA (I own one) will down-scan everything to 15khz, even the boot screens, so this won't work for hiding them. On the other hand, the JPAC has circuitry that will prevent any damaging frequency output to an arcade monitor (i.e. the boot screens); only when the appropriate program (arcadeOS, game) starts sending 15khz video signal to the monitor by properly reprogramming your regular video card, the IPAC will let the video out through. In other words, the first thing you will see in the monitor is either ArcadeOS (if you use it), or your game. It is all in Andy's site.

--Android

gprime:

too lazy to read this entire thread

but..

what i did was i used an ASUS mylogo mb like someone else mentioned, and then changed my WindowsXP boot logo to the same thing. now when my computer boots, it just shows the logo for a second, blinks to a black screen, and then shows the logo again as it loads. the only problem is that why it's loading you quickly see the login box/cursor on the screen for a second or two before it enter the frontend (i was aiming to completely fool the player :P).



delta88:

I have used the Jpac in conjunction with the arcadeVGA and 3 or 4 differant cabs and it does in fact show the bios screens along with the boot screen. Sometime it will make the bios info wig out and appearchoppy or like its at the wrong res but on another it appeared fine so take your pic it shows the screen :)

rampy:


--- Quote from: android on March 27, 2004, 01:30:27 am ---
--- Quote from: PacManFan on March 26, 2004, 04:34:01 pm ---I think you mean the ArcadeVGA card. The IPAC is a keyboard emualtor/interface board for controls. I don't have an ArcadeVGA offhand, but I recall reading that it will display the bios screen.

ArcadeOS is different, that's a FE that will run in DOS, and use your plain vanilla video card to generate Arcade frequencies (15khz).

-PMF

--- End quote ---

Nope. I actually meant the J-Pac (not I-Pac, sorry): The ArcadeVGA (I own one) will down-scan everything to 15khz, even the boot screens, so this won't work for hiding them. On the other hand, the JPAC has circuitry that will prevent any damaging frequency output to an arcade monitor (i.e. the boot screens); only when the appropriate program (arcadeOS, game) starts sending 15khz video signal to the monitor by properly reprogramming your regular video card, the IPAC will let the video out through. In other words, the first thing you will see in the monitor is either ArcadeOS (if you use it), or your game. It is all in Andy's site.

--Android

--- End quote ---

Have you used the jpac... ?   (and yes of course we've heard of it)  I haven't... but...

IIRC: if you send 30 khz (VGA) through it, it will simply "split" the signal and you'll see you boot screen twice =P ... unless I'm mistaken...  not i'm not knocking it, I just don't think a JPAC will necessarily "hide" the bios screens as you are suggesting...

but i've been wrong before =)

rampy

Pages: << < (5/5)

Go to full version