Project Taito Pheonix (image warning)

[DYNAGOD]

Well the day has finally arrived,no more looking on enviously at you all as you all make cabinets while i drool on the sidelines.  .  my time has come as my taito egret came in today.

plans so far as as follows:
I have a dell dimension 8100 with Mame .69b loaded, advancemame, dos only, w/ 1.7ghz and 1gb of system ram.
J-pac and Arcade VGA.
I want to replace and keep the jamma harness fully functional.
Complete replacement of the control panel with a large die cut Blue Electro-luminescent sheet backing clear acrylic.
replace entire power section.
replace coin accepter panel, and replace coin mech
paint the base and plastic monitor frame/door. (black,possibly with a flame job if i can find a good custom airbrush guy on the cheap)
replace the overhead light with a hi brite led strip.
and a few other tricks up my sleeve i have yet to finalize but i know your all gonna love...

i just wanted to add also , that this is all your fault..
(who doesn not know i bought this ) i plan on placing the blame squarely on you all 
your all bad ,bad influences.... .lol




 
to begin lets look at what we got today..

the palletizing of the cabinet was ,umm ,how can i put this nicely....creative?!  must be a new technique i wasnt aware of.. the new one and a half, half hanging off pallete technique.   
the unit was hit somewhere in its journey and took at dent and deep gauge to the upper right hand corner caving in the sheet metal and damaging the plastic that surrounds the monitor. I was unable to access the monitor without considerable effort as the door is now way out of allignment... as you can see in the pics, theres an unsightly gap 
theres noticable burn in on the monitor.not bad, but i can see it..looks like it was not a fighting/neo cab, but more likely some sort of quiz game or something due to the pronounced borders.. but i plan on replacing it with a betson 31" so thats a non issue. speaking of burn there are a few cigartette burnins in the cuph olders, but oh well.
I have to admit the Egret is MUCH,MUCH shorter than i imagined..its not small by any means, but it is extremely low to the ground..with the base of the control panel where your knees are supposedly supposed to go coming only a mere 22" or so off the ground.. INCHES! less than 2 feet..it doenst even come up to my knee caps! i might seriously have to consider building a riser for this thing to make it playable.
the control panel needs replacing, the coin mech return does not function, and its missing a lock.
i unfortunetly cannot power up the unit as i dont have a step down converter yet, and it clearly states 100v only.so i cant conclusively say that this is a working cabinet yet.
 it came with a manual, but its all in japanese, so its quite useless.
heres some pics for ya while i go back to scrubbing and cleaning this fiery midget.
 

[NinjaEpisode]

Nice......

Hey regarding the "shortness" of the cab, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the Egrets are actually built to be sit down cabs.  In otherwords, you'd sit on a shortened stool like you'd see in a diner or something that was bolted to the ground to play the game.

They were'nt designed for a standup cab, although a riser would most likely work....

[DYNAGOD]

oh i know...
but its honestly too short to even be a sit down cab..
you would need a stool about 8-12 inches high to sit at this thing..
im 6' tall, I need to get a shot of me trying to crouch next to this midget.
i had no idea the control panel was so low..

[whammoed]

Maybe its meant to be played while kneeling?  

[AmericanDemon]

Actually its meant to be played by me.    So it musta been shipped to the wrong address by mistake.  You can go ahead and forward that too me anytime.  

[ButeLegz-II]

Daamn that's a big monitor! Looks wicked, lotsa personality. Definitely not a stand up cab! I've seen similar in arcades around my town, from memory they've got low, vinyl cushioned two seater type benches to go along with em. You could probably get a panel beater to fix & respray that gash in the metal. For the ciggy burns... I'd cut out some thin sheet rubber or cork board in appropriately sized circles & double side tape them in the 2 top holders. Then again, I'd probably always have a beer in them holders so you wouldn't see 'em anyway!

[DYNAGOD]

Maybe its meant to be played while kneeling?  

yea, its the new sony praystation lol

I like the die cut rubber idea to cover up the ciggy burns.
the area where the dent is , in typical murphys law fashion i cant access the dent form behind to hammer it out, so im going to need to drill a hole,tap it, and thread a bolt into it and pull it out. then just smooth it out by hand.
i hop to get it into paint today, im going to paint the unit black and relpace the blue stripethat surrounds the monitor with a neo geo red stripe.

[JoyMonkey]

Looking good!

My only suggestion is that you reduce the amount of memory in the PC. Even Windows98 and Me have hard times with 1Gb of memory. The DOS memory managers won't know what to do with 1Gb and you'll get better performance with 256Mb or even 128mb of RAM. Make sure you're using DOS 7.1, it has the best DOS support for larger memory (older DOS's only supported a maximum of 64mb)

[DYNAGOD]

thanks for the reminder,ill have to pick up a couple cheap 128mb modules.

im on my way now to go pick up the high gloss black for the cabinet. i shloud have it in the spray booth by 1:00.
ill post up the pics.
that institutional white just isnt doing it for me.
the two chrome plated arms that support the marque are rusted beyond replair. luckily the machien you see behind the cabinet in the pics is the tail end of a YLM 24' 4 axis CNC multi level pipe bender. im going to bend up some stainless replacement arms that will NEVER rust. 

[JoyMonkey]

Wow! I like the Futurama Bender sticker you've got on your bender!
What do you work at?

[DYNAGOD]

im the resident jack of all trades master of none at a precision CNC machine and welding shop.   
I do Computer aided design and manufacturing using solidworks 2005 SP0, i also run the CNC bender,lathes and mills, im also the  IT guy and the webdesigner/webmaster.
im never doing the same thing two days in a row,and thats the way i like it, my mind is always going a million miles a minute.

heres a MS pain idea of what im planning on doing today.

[RayB]

Very nice.
Now who's ass got kicked due to the damage? I didn't realize that "crating" a cabinet meant you just stood it up on a palette with no straps or anything to hold it there...

[DYNAGOD]

i doubt theres anything i can in light of the damage.
no ones gonna take the blame..
just sucks..
noting i can do.

control panel came off very easily.

need to put a 6 button configuration in for all thoes great fighting games.
though im primarily a treasure/cave/psyikyo/atlus/r8zing/etc shmup and SNK fan, i do occasionally like my street fighter.
i also have a ls-30 lying around here that i may have to put in for ikari warriors. ill of course need a rotary interface..
FYI the coin counter was around 27k.

[DYNAGOD]

something else i just realized, there isnt a single vent or fan on this entire unit. if you rubbrized the doors it would be airtight..
alot of heat must build up in that little cab with such a huge monitor in it..
i think im going to need to rectify this.. id like my cab to breathe a little..perhaps one cold air intake with either one or 2 120mm fans near the floor and and the same for hot venting on the top.
airflow is a good thing....and i see none..
no wonder its so clean inside..

[CthulhuLuke]

Two things: first of all: I'M SO FLIPPING JEALOUS!! well I say that with all japanese sit downs, the Egrets are very low but they still rock the casba.  
Second: if you put an american monitor in this thing, if it doesn't have a built in isolation transformer pick up one from bob roberts and just convert this thing to 110v.  I guess if the monitor has a built in voltage thingy like the WG's do then you don't even need to plug it in, but thats just a thought.
   I think one of the reasons they pack these things so tightly together is due to the fact that there is so much smoke in most japanese arcades, the insides of these things would be coated with various residues that could harm the electronics.  By keeping it air tight, you preserve the insides.  Now that its in a smoke free environment *lets hope* you can open it up without any issues.  And another thing, if you're going to add buttons and what not, keep it sanwa.  American sticks wouldn't feel right on a sit down.  the ultimarc J-sticks are sanwas with octagonal bases, along with the joysticks from himura games - http://www.himuragames.com/store_joysticks.php
 - good luck and keep us updated, you can always use www.photobucket.com make a public folder and just link to your photo gallery, might save some of the 56kers

[DYNAGOD]

i want to stay true to the true japanese shmups ,so sanwa it will most likely be..
just not pink

i found my first problem.. the damage is more extensive than i imagined.
i began dissasmebling the cabinet piece by pice and noticed tat the wooden monitor board was freshly damaged, the shock was so much so that the poly wheel on the top that the monitor rotates on had exploded.
i wondered why there where peices of white shards in the bottom of the cab, i even saved them just in case.. now i know where they came from,, my job just got alot more intimidating..
i ll post up pics tonite..

[DYNAGOD]

i kind of like the stripped down look about 3 pics down ..

[CthulhuLuke]

ooo ouch, looks like that cab really took a beating!  btw if you want a translation of that face plate, i'll include it below.  The big red button on the left has characters that are too blurry for me to make them out, but everything else is an easy translation.  

[DYNAGOD]

thanks for the trans
im now quite concernedthat the monitor may be no good..
ifthere was enough force to do that on the top wheel , i hoping the two wheels below are also not smashed as they support the weight of the monitor.. a jolt like that likely did some damage to monitor...  
i can only hope this thing is a tank..
replacing those wheels  is likely going to be next to impossible. luckily i have a lathe department here.. i will fabricate new delrin wheels.

[DYNAGOD]

NEO GEO RED,MMMMMMMM
 
i feel all warm and squishy inside

light is blown.. grrrrr

[froggerman]

It should be no problem to get a new tube for the light if that is what the problem is. You should change the starter at the same time, they are cheap.

Keep the pictures coming!

[ButeLegz-II]

I don't know what I like more... the cab or the workshop! Just wondering what paint you're using for the re-sprays? Car paint... like 2 pack or something?

[DYNAGOD]

could this be used to power up my cab?

http://www.electronickits.com/kit/complete/elec/vek6709.htm

[exibar]

looks like its basically an Infra red switch.  You'll have to have the IR receiver somewhere visable to the remote, just like your TV, but you should be able to turn the whole thing on by remote control with that device :-)

[DYNAGOD]

theres a cutout for an IR port that comes stock in the base of the control panel that is used for.....who knows what...but it is there..i figure i could make some use of it.
be kewl to have a car alrm type thing on my keychain and kick on my cab  

on a painting note, the egret appears to have a vandal/graffiti resistant paint. i began painting the cab and the stuff just rolled off...so i had to wipe it down with a towel and had a horrible mess ..i had to bring it down to bare metal to get any adhesion..

[DYNAGOD]

unrelated but nice..
egret "3" playing what looks like the latest raiden.

 

[NIVO]

hey dyna just curious....you DID have shipping insurance right? I personally wouldnt stand for that, especially with the costs involved. On another note i believe the cab will look great in your scheme. Good Luck to ya.

[DYNAGOD]

1111111111111111111111111

[DYNAGOD]

I don't know what I like more... the cab or the workshop! Just wondering what paint you're using for the re-sprays? Car paint... like 2 pack or something?

for the plastic items im using Fusion Plastic paint.
its bonds very nice!
the metal frame is going to be a black high gloss hard coat. similar to that used on iron railings.

[RayB]

You have much less recourse now that you've taken the cab apart.

 

[DYNAGOD]

nothing thats damaged has been removed.
the only thing ive removed is the three speaker pods,glass, and the plastic bezel,all of which are in good condition.
plus i have quite a grimoire of images from the moment i recieved the cab to thereafter..
not to mention the pics that show the cab not on its original pallete,indicating the "how" this happened.
it was indeed insured for 400$
im certainly oging to take a stab.
i dont know what the cost of the door and monitor internals represents as these parts are irreplacable.



also for the light,i found this..

UPDATE! From Matt Osborn (ozborn@ix.netcom.com): It is an F10T8, which is a 10 watt, 1" diameter, 12" long tube (total length including ends is ~13.5"), with a G13 base (medium bi-pin). Nearly impossible to find in any store, but can be ordered online from http://www.bulbman.com. Current prices are $3.16 for F10T8/CW (Cool White) and $17.37 for F10T8/BLB (Black Light Blue).

http://www.topbulb.com also has a F10T8/CW for $2.25. The black light is kinda cool, but not really worth the money. It looks nice on the "Egret 29" sign but doesn't really illuminate the "Taito" logo. It might look cool with the plastic marquee that goes into the top slot (I don't have one).

The ballast has a setting for 50 and 60Hz. It's set for 50Hz for Japan. You need to move one wire to the 60Hz setting (soldering required). There's a label on the ballast that shows the settings.

And don't forget to pick up a new starter (FG-7P).

http://www.bulbman.com/index.asp?PageAction=PRODSEARCH&txtSearch=f10t8%2Fcw&Page=1

[DYNAGOD]

not to mention my stepdown converter wont be here till the 22'nd, i want to know if the monitor has been destroyed as well before i call.

[DYNAGOD]

well my j-pac and arcadeVGA showed up today from DHL..

crushed to bits...

[gique]

surprise surprise, yet another cabinet arrives from jack tao in shoddy condition....

did you notice when your cab came if the packaging was damaged where that almighty dent was?

I hope youre claiming with the insurance, I sure as heck am with mine.

[SirPeale]

well my j-pac and arcadeVGA showed up today from DHL..

crushed to bits...

I'd really like to know why Andy doesn't ship these in a box.  Mine came in a plastic bag.  Thankfully intact, but doesn't a box make sense?

[JoeB]

Are we talking about the same Arcade-Infinity of LA that was caught selling fake SNK games? (http://www.snkplaymore.jp/information/en_press06.html)

www.arcade-infinity.com seems to be down as well.  Sounds fishy..

[DYNAGOD]

Are we talking about the same Arcade-Infinity of LA that was caught selling fake SNK games? (http://www.snkplaymore.jp/information/en_press06.html)

www.arcade-infinity.com seems to be down as well.  Sounds fishy..

I guess so:
Arcade Infinity, Inc.

[gique]

I just keep hearing bad thing after bad thing about those guys.. countless tales of cabs arriving beaten up,or dangerously wired... incredibly lax communication as soon as youve paid your money,, cabs not matching up with the same old stock pictures they use..

I'm surprised the monitor wasn't screwed after a hit like that, as well as the neon tube...

the overhead speaker on mine was mangled as well as the support bars, and no keys, he tried to charge me $150 for a new speaker/bar setup... then he quickly dropped it to 75 after i complained. i'm still suspicious as i noticed the pictures they mailed me of the one they were going to ship never featured the overhead speaker..... hmmmm

well, if the insurance refund goes through i'm sure i'll end up spending less that I thought in the long run, but it's still a royal pain in the butt to fix all the crap... I spent all day repainting the speakers and surrounds just to get the nicotine stains covered...

there's gotta be a better dealer in the USA, someone could make a killing if they snatched all their potential customers...

*edit* would you be willing to make some more bars for the speaker unit?? i'm loathe to pay that guy any more money...

I'm designing some laser cut alminum 6 button panels to replace the INCREDIBLY bad hack job 6 button mod I paid them $25 to do....... so maybe i could trade ya???

[DYNAGOD]

ill run it by my boss and get a quote for ya on a set of replacement bars..

I'm surprised the monitor wasn't screwed after a hit like that,

i dont know that it does..my stepdown converter arrives tomorrow, and even then ,theres no ground on the cab..
im afraid to plug it in..

[JoeB]

Don't worry about the missing ground.

That's the way it's in Japan.  There's no ground in any outlet!  All outlets in Japan are standard US 2 prong outlets but with a different voltage and different frequency. (50hz vs 60hz).

If this was my cab, I'd rewire the thing for 110v and use a 110v -> 100v iso transformer on the monitor.  It's much cleaner than having an external power converter.

[DYNAGOD]

i don thave a jamma board handy(all i have is a capcom cps2 A- board and a jpac),and my arcade VGA is in pieces..
..is there a way to test the monitor without a game. somekind of jury rigged setup perhaps..
i need to know if this monitor works.

[gique]

I just flicked my egret on without a pcb in, and the monitor sparked into life...

lemme know about that quote! that would be great!!

then again, I wasnt needing a stepdown to run it....

[DYNAGOD]

my stepdown converter did not arrive today, but when it does tomorrow(i hope) i will give that a try..
thought a nice test pattern would be so much better
DAMN YOU DHL!!!  

[gique]

i got that "power on" sound you get when you flick a TV on, and the monitor was lit white, with a few distortion lines.....

[DYNAGOD]

well,
the paint was a total disaster...absolute total loss..
the guy who did it for me let the paint run and managed to kick up dirt from the floor into the paint...
it looks like a runny black mess..
and its high gloss so every imperfection is amplified..
i cant stand to even look at it its so bad..

the arcade gods are frowning on me...
 i can feel them looking down on me from the heavens with deep dissapointment and furious anger for the travesty i have committed....
I have no choice but to stay tonite and strip this thing down to bare metal..and of course the guy used a hardener in the paint ,making my job 3 times harder..
im thinking bare metal with a clearcoat now...

[DYNAGOD]

well heres how far i got tonite...
 

[gique]

Holy crap! you've gone all out!!

I spent 2 days just repainting my screen surround and speaker pods!!

Due to my total lack of observation, I was told there is a custom bike shop a few blocks away from work, so I'm gonna pass by and see if hey can do the bars for me...

[froggerman]

So were you able to get all of your "body work" done on the cabinet? Does the cover open properly now?

[DYNAGOD]

no not yet, i havent gotten to the body work phase yet, but
i intend to now..i was just goping to cover it with paint, but im going bare polished metal now..
im going to have to take the whole door assembly apart and try to reallign everything.i had to cut into the metal frame surrounding it to relieve the tension so i could close it for now.  

i asked about the quote on the bars yesterday and my shop manager said it would cost more than they are worth to you. ..so i think the bike shop might be something to look into to..

[RayB]

I don't understand the painting situation. Why did "the guy" paint it for you unless he knew what he was doing? And if he knew what he was doing, why'd he do such a bad job??

ayyyye

[DYNAGOD]

the guy does great work,he does all our painting here. which is why i had him do it..
but somehow, some way he managed to fug this up..
everyones like:
"keep it in a corner with the lights low no one will notice"
I NOTICE! LOL
i couldnt go to sleep last night knowing that it looked that bad, i had to free it from its dogshit paint job bondage..
getting this cab is a childhood dream come true and im not cutting any corners or settling for anything..
and i sure as hell wasnt goin to leave that runny spotchy mess on there thats for sure.
i put 12 hours into removing that paint last nite.. he used an acrylic hardener that made it hard as nails..
not to mention the brain cells i killed breathing in the dust..
im going to go with a polished metal look and thats it.im done with paint..its left a bad taste in my mouth, no pun intended
 

[DYNAGOD]

stepdown converter arrived today..
i plugged it in and fired her up..
the monitor fired up and i had a rolling set of white lines ,interference pattern,so it looks like i have a working monitor.
the right side center of the screen is notfully saturated(the side it was hit on), but im hoping a half a dozen or so degausings will alleviate that .

 
nice to see it alive!

[JoeB]

I'm going to go out on a limb and ask a really stupid question:

Why did you paint the cab in the first place? that blue on white color looked amazing.

Also, please don't give up on the paint.  I can't imagine how a metallic cab looking as good (or  better) than a nice shiny one.

Then again, that's my preference.    

[RayB]

I can't help but wonder what else is in store for you. Sounds like every step you take you get kicked in the ass.

[DYNAGOD]

the paint was so badly nicotine stained it was ridiculous.
plus i wanted something different..
i think a highly polished metal finish is oging to look sick, right now it just looks like a mess, give a few more days and that thing will look like the alumi-tub from that american hotrod show  

on the softwareside ivebegun to get my pc ready.
loaded up dos 7.1 no prob.
loaded up advance menu,advancemame, advancecab,and arcadeOS, (all not ocnfigured,just put in C:)
i printed out the documenttation from their site and its about 5 inches thick, a little under about 2 reams of paper..or nearly 1000 pages... my eyes just kind of glazed over when looking at it all..

i want to use arcadeOS, but the DOS pci drivers for the audigy card state that they were configured for use with mame, howeverwill not work with arcadeOS..

 

The SBLive.zip archive contains the dos sound card drivers for the Sound Blaster Live! and Sound Blaster Audigy pci cards. The are setup and optimized for MAME, however, they will not work with ArcadeOS.

(got them from http://easymamecab.mameworld.net/html/snddosdr.htm)

 now i dont know if that means it literally wont work with arcadeOS ,which i dont mind,its only a frontend..or it wont work with MAME if i use arcadeOS..which i definetly DO mind..
I want to use arcadeOs as it has a special DAT file created especially for the ArcadeVGA card.
So im not sure what ito do in that regard..
advancmame is so confusing..

[gique]

i asked about the quote on the bars yesterday and my shop manager said it would cost more than they are worth to you. ..so i think the bike shop might be something to look into to..

went to the bike shop.. they said $85 PER BAR !!!!!  

looks like i'm going to have to give jack tao some more ---smurfing--- money...

   

good luck with the polished metal.. it could look truly amazing if done right... i'm keeping mine as is and just restoring it to its original white and blue glory, sadly I don't have access to all the goodness you have, so mine's gonna be a very slow process!!

[JoeB]

Unless your PC is 1Ghz or slower, I'd stick away from DOS.

You have much more "creative freedom" in Windows.  Plus other apps (like DAPHNE!) work only in windows.  You'll notice games load faster and should run a bit faster too (due to the 32bit drivers loading, memory optimization, etc.. that comes part of 32bit love)  

[DYNAGOD]

Unless your PC is 1Ghz or slower, I'd stick away from DOS.

You have much more "creative freedom" in Windows.  Plus other apps (like DAPHNE!) work only in windows.  You'll notice games load faster and should run a bit faster too (due to the 32bit drivers loading, memory optimization, etc.. that comes part of 32bit love)  

I thought DOS = Faster mame performance.
plus there are display issues with using an arcade monitor.
im very confused now..

[Mr. Dude]

DOS does equal faster performance with MAME.  That's why everyone with really old PCs use DOS.  Windows takes up extra resources and such.  Although I do have to agree with JoeB in the fact that if you have a newer PC then it doesn't matter, you'll have plenty more options for programs and games if you have windows installed.    

[whammoed]

according to MAME faq:

quote:

There are now two main versions of MAME, for Windows and DOS. Both are updated at the same time, and are available on this website. Which should you use? Try them both. In most current computers, the Windows version will run better than the DOS version, but there may be incompatabilities, bugs and other unwanted features that don't exhibit in the other version. Chances are, if you can run DirectX applications on your computer, the Windows version will work fine. Ultimately, you must decide which version works best on your system.

[DYNAGOD]

dont have to twist my arm..
my eyes glazed over when peeking at the advance mame documentation.
ive been a emuloader user for ages,and im content to stay that way

[JoeB]

If you use the arcadeVGA card, you never have to worry about tweaking video and video settings.

The hardware takes care of that for you, and you can use the standard regular MAME.

[DYNAGOD]

ok....test drive




there is a problem somewhere..
i hear a very fast ticking sound coming from my switchable power supply next to the degauss etc controls inside the cabinet that coincides with a flicker & jumping movement on the monitor. i am unable to get a stable image..

any ideas....

[JoeB]

Unless you have the ArcadeVGA video card in your PC, your monitor is hitting a refresh rate that is outside its specs.

Never run your real arcade monitor without something that can "protect" your monitor.  e.g. The JPAC has special chip on board to protect your monitor from running outside the spec (I assume it's the case because I can see XP start.. it's after that screen that it goes crazy, right??)

You can run other video cards with special drivers and software tweaks as well.

[SirPeale]

Yup, you're not running @ 15KHz so that explains the unstable image.  Also, you should pull the arcade power supply if you're going to use a PC.

I'm currently haveing problems getting recent versions of DOS Mame to display a 15KHz image.  Windows versions, AFAIK don't display like that.

[DYNAGOD]

im running with a j-pac ,and i have a syn light..
jumpers are set to 15 and 25.
(should have mentioned that)
its so bad that i get a headache after trying to play with it for more than 15 minutes..and that noise really worries me ,especiall that it coinces with the visual disruption..
i will disconnect the powers suppply and see if that helps.

[SirPeale]

The only thing a J-PAC does is cut the signal down if it detects that it is over 15KHz.  That's why you're getting that split image.  Do you have an ArcadeVGA?  Or are you setting your card to 15KHz beforehand?  What OS are you going to run?

[gique]

there is a problem somewhere..
i hear a very fast ticking sound coming from my switchable power supply next to the degauss etc controls inside the cabinet that coincides with a flicker & jumping movement on the monitor. i am unable to get a stable image..

any ideas....

my power supply on the egret i got from AI does the EXACT same thing...WTF??

[DYNAGOD]

there is a problem somewhere..
i hear a very fast ticking sound coming from my switchable power supply next to the degauss etc controls inside the cabinet that coincides with a flicker & jumping movement on the monitor. i am unable to get a stable image..

any ideas....

my power supply on the egret i got from AI does the EXACT same thing...WTF??

yea theres definetly some arcing going on in there, it sounds like a gas grill starter on speed.

i disconnected the molex connections that provide power to it..however the same visual problems continue..

i placed my crushed arcadeVGA card in the computer in the hopes it may do something..

i do get some visual,but...

when i power up i see about 16 bios screens,all garbled and no  text..
windows comes up in 640x480 4 bit..

im am unable to install ther device drivers for the arcade VGA card as it does not see it. i am running in VGA mode only..

when attmepting to install the drivers i get this:

"SEVERE!!
this display driver is not compatible with the diaplay adapter installed on your system"
----------------------------------------------------------

a manual install from safe mode give me a

CODE 10: the device cannot start.
PCI bus 1
Device 0
Function 0

Adapter unavailable
the card is DOA.


IM SO PISSED!!@

[SirPeale]

Take the broken AVGA out of your system.  Putting  a broken card in your system is *not* a good idea.

Put the other card in, and run this:

http://entechtaiwan.net/util/ps.shtm

It should give you a 15KHz signal.

[gique]

Also, you should pull the arcade power supply if you're going to use a PC.

so the power supply isnt needed to power just the monitor???

[SirPeale]

Also, you should pull the arcade power supply if you're going to use a PC.

so the power supply isnt needed to power just the monitor???

Arcade monitors are generally run off mains power, which has been isolated with an isolation transformer.  The power supply converts AC power in to +5v, +12v and -5v for your PCB and coin door lights.

[JoeB]

In fact, it's a REALLY bad idea to run the internal power supply with no board attached!

You have to put a load on the 5v/12v or else you'll blow the power supply.

When people put pc's inside old arcade machines, they pull the old power supply out and build a new one that passes 110v to the monitor.

[DYNAGOD]

ive disonnected the power supply to the switchable psu..
maybe thats why its ticking away like a time bomb and arcing out..there was no load..

id like to pull the whole monitor assembly out of the cab, but there are no instruction in the manual and i can see no means of accomplishing it as there are no visible nuts bolts or screws holding it in.
im also quite leary of the high voltage factor.. so poking around is a scary affair... ive already gotten jolted twice from the monitor controls.
id like to repair the broken carriage wheels for the monitor rotation, and wire a longer switch for the 15 to 25kz jumper that is hidden deep inaccesibly behind the monitor.both of whihc can only be accomplished with the monitor and assembly removed.

not to mention it will make moving this thing up to to my second floor apartment a hell of alot easier without a monitor in it..

Im going to an autobody shop after work tomorrow to see if i can get it painted a nice deep black or metallic silver with a couple coats of clear on top for a reasonable price. i dont trust the guys at my place any longer and after being at work for 4 nights straight till 10:20pm stripping the thing down back to bare metal, i refuse to put my self in a position where i may have to do it again..
ill pay the piper and get it done right.. but again, id like to get the monitor assembly removed..
does anyone know where i can get my hands on a manual for the nanoa monitor?i will post up the complete model number tomorrow when im a work with the cab.iver emailed a few places and ive recieved no reply..

i completely dissasembled my dell and cut apart the sheetemtal frame that the case if constructed of.. i then welded it back together in a much tigher and smaller configuration that i can then screw to the gameboard drawer.
i painted it up today and ill have some pics up tomorrow morning.. it came out  pretty nice..

im trying to keep a positive outlook and continue moving forward despite lacking the one piece of critical hardware i need the most. that damn arcadeVGA card.
ANDY HELP ME!!
id be alot happier and motivated if i could get a game of batrider in on this damn thing


peale i downloaded the program ,but the damn burner in my work pc is down, so i couldnt burn it to load into my cab.ill see if i can get someone at home to burn it.
thanks for the help!  


as far as removing the power supply and replacing it with a 110v..
is there a 110v power supply that uses molex connectors?
i really like the way this 100v switchable psu is setup, its very neat. the use of the molex connectors is a really nice touch and really keeps things tight looking

[JoeB]

When you use a PC inside your acrade machine, there is no point for the internal PSU.

There's a really good article on Bob Rober's web site about "how to build a game".  It shows how to wire a new empty cab.  You should do the same thing (minus the PSU in his picture).  Works great!

As far as getting the arcadeVGA.. it might be a blessing that you don't have it!  This way you can focus on the body and forget about the PC.  If you got it working now, you'd be too distracted!  

[danny_galaga]

wow! you weren't kidding about the warning...
nice looking cab. looks like you might be one of the first here to have to panelbeat their cab during conversion!

[DYNAGOD]

heres the brains


 heres the cab after paint and before i stripped it.. you cant see all the runs..

all the parts went out to chrome last friday.

[GGKoul]

all the parts went out to chrome last friday.

Can't wait to see it completed!

[DYNAGOD]

anyone got a mame.80 zip ?
i cant find on anywhere and the mame archive only goes so far back..
thx

[SirPeale]

Just copy/paste the URL for the zip and change the version number.

[DYNAGOD]

sweet, worked like a charm!
so ill have .69 .80 and .87 running on this machine.
plus zinc,callus,daphne, emu-rage and a few other emus,odds ends and abandonware.
i test drove the brains of this thing last nite on my pc monitor,and everything looks good and stable.


i recieved a new arcadeVGA from Andy at Ultimarc so it looks like im ready to go. just need to get soem damn paint on this thing, get my parts back from chrome and get me some new sanwa controls.
i have leaf switch style sanwa sticks with a 4 and 8 way restrictor plate.and i cannot find them anywhere..anyone got a lead?

[DYNAGOD]

!!Remeber safety first kiddies!!
i got to spend my morning in the emergency room.

i was cutting a piece of 1 1/2 tube with a ninety degree bend in a cold saw with one of the clamps removed to be able to get close to the tangent.
 when the tube reached past the halway point the teeth dug in and geared the pipe and the sharp cut off end right into the bridge of my nose breaking it and cutting open with razor like precision a nice 1 1/2 inch long laceration.
couldnt stop the bleeding and had to take a fun trip to the emergency room.. a tetnus shot,6 needles in the face, and several stitches later.......
nothing like starting out your day by being smashed in the face with a jagged metal pipe and bleeding out like a stuck pig.

im lucky to have an eye...an inch in either direction and i could have changed my forum name to cyclops..

SAFETY FIRST>>

[ChadTower]

YOW YOW YOW

Glad to see you're not permanently injured.

WEAR SOME EFFIN SAFETY GOGGLES FROM NOW ON

[NinjaEpisode]

YOW YOW YOW

Glad to see you're not permanently injured.

WEAR SOME EFFIN SAFETY GOGGLES FROM NOW ON

Sounds like he would've needed a whole friggin Hockey Mask.

[DYNAGOD]

painted it black again,see how it came out tomorrow morning..

[MiKman]

I hope that red under the hood there in the second picture isn't your blood   YIKES! should have been wearing a face sheild when doing that sort of thing.  It's starting to look real nice tho excellent work!

[DYNAGOD]

one step forward two steps back..  
The welding department is directly on the other side of the wall where i work on my cabinet at work.i had the cab on at lunch playing some garou and one of the welders decided to skip lunch and started to use the high frequency welder on the the other side of the wall, frying the computer inside the cabinet....
it bios beeped a shitload of times,the screen went haywire and then nothing..
it wont start ,the power lite comes on,fans spin up, drive spins,the yellow lite on the mobo is on, but it just does nothing..
what a pisser...

[whammoed]

geez, whats next?  hang in there!
BTW, how did the paint turn out?

[DYNAGOD]

paint came out much better than last time, still managed to get a few areas not quite up to spec, but i plan on covering the flats on the base area with grip tape anyways so it will never be seen..i began painting the highlights on the taito raised lettering on the speaker pods, looks very nice im using a water based fat,flat tip marker, so if i screw up i can always take it off..(just happened to be japanese too!! authenticity ) cost me 6 damn bucks at the arts and crafts store!! 6 bucks for a damn marker!!
ive got a intel perl mobo new in the box ive had for awhile now.. i bought at a comp usa midnight madness sale, but the chipset is different than that of the cpu in my dell.so ill have to at the minimum by a new processor..

i took the hood off today and brought it and the control panel home, thats shaves about 30 to 50 lbs off for the final move of the main assembly. ive done all i can at work (and some damage too ).its time to bring it home.. im gonna cardboard up the corners and flats and wrap it with some foam and beg and plead to try and get someone to help me bring it home to my second floor apartment.. i figure at present it weighs about 200-220lbs.
not bad all things considering, but its top heavy as all the weight lies in the monitor.

hopefully all my parts will be back from chrome tomorrow or tuesday  
oh and i get my stiches outta my face on tuesday lol  

[DYNAGOD]

marker didnt cut it...needed something a bit bolder. so i got a sample of some benjamin moore super white.

[AGGIEZ]

marker didnt cut it...needed something a bit bolder. so i got a sample of some benjamin moore super white.

Man I can't wait to see this thing done!

[DYNAGOD]

SITREP:

well the cabinet is finally at home!  i cant tell ya how glad i am for that..it was quite a fiasco getting up the stairs ,but its in and im very happy for that.

thats the good news...
the bad news is the brand new 200gb wd hard drive, and the arcadevga card are junk..im also suspecting the hd controller on the mobo is trash as well.

this will be going on arcadevga card number 3 for this project..

i get
"the display driver is not compatible with the display adapter installed in your system"

The device cannot start Code "10"

even manuall install and safe mode installs will not start the device..
its cooked..fried..toast...kaput...finito..

Sooo,im guess its off to ultimarc to place a new order..
this black cloud has to pass soon...

no red stripe yet, no parts back from chrome, no pod..
and nothing but a whole lot of bsod

[Matt, GoC]

You're almost there.  Don't give up hope.  It's gonna feel awesome when you finally get it done and you get to play on it for the first time in your home.  That's what I'm looking forward to on mine!  Good luck!

-Matt

[froggerman]

Have you had a chance to repair the wheel for the monitor rotation?

[Matt, GoC]

I was just thinking, how could your vid card display anything if it's fried?  I believe I've seen error code 10 on devices on my computer before.  Can you fiddle with any settings like the IRQ or anything?  It could just be the driver got corrupted or something it relies on.

[DYNAGOD]

i have low level accpetance of the device.
bios show an ATI device on IRQ 3
however when i get into windows sys info and go to my irq's there is no such assignment nor anything listed under system info/components/video, the page is blank..
however,despite the fact that it wont assign it an irq or show anythign in video, it still detects it and tries to install it, but if i try to use the drivers provided i get a
"severe"
"the display driver is not compatible with the display adapter installed in your system"
..again if i manually install i get code 10.
evidently windows refuses to give it an irq.
but its still listed in my device manager with an !
im so confused, its not there ,but it is..


ive started with no card in the machine, no cable attached, removed my bios battery and reconfigured..
and i cant reinstall windows with this card in because the resolution the windows installer uses is not compatible with the arcade vga, it shows only half the screen..

what the hell!  

[Matt, GoC]

What windows is this anyway?  XP?  2000?

EDIT:
As far as reinstalling windows goes, doesn't the card have a monitor connection that you can use?  Did you scan your drives to make sure nothing was corrupted during the power surge?

EDIT#2:
How's the nose?

[whammoed]

Hey, at least the cabinet is looking nice.  The black, red, and white look sweet!

[DYNAGOD]

that is a new hard drive with windows xp home.

i tried to install the card in my main computer to see if it was the card. , and now the same symptoms are happening there..and they did..
and now i cannot even reinstall the original card that was installed on the machine, so now i have 2 uselsss computers..
my only geuss is that this card is shorting out the agp slots in the mobos.
now i have 2 dead computers (vga only). the first one was a shitbox dell,but this one is a 2500$ hombuilt monster!! this card is killing pc's


i am unable to uninstall the ATI drivers in either machine either..
these drivers are ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---

RUNDLL
an excepction occured while trying to run c:/windows/system32/atiiiexx.dll,_infoenfguninstallinfffile_rundll-force_restart-flags:0x2010001 -inf_class:Display -clean

nor can i uninstall the ati control panel..

[CthulhuLuke]

Oh man, how many black cats, broken mirrors, and ladders have you been around lately?  Sounds like everything is going bad!  Well anyways, the hardware portion of this project looks freaking amazing!  and I'm glad you're not giving up dude, I respect someone who has all these things go wrong but never gives up.  And you know what, its kind of funny but you actually learn more when EVERYTHING goes wrong than you ever would if everything was plug and play.   PS: well I know everything seems to have gone wrong so far so it probably wouldn't add to the curse, but considering you already have the Jpac which prevents signals above 15hz from getting through so you don't burn out the monitor, you could always try a regular ATI video card and powerstrip instead of the arcadevga.  Oh ps: to reinstall JUST the xp drivers and system files, throw your Windows XP install cd into the computer, click "Install" by pressing enter, then when it finds your Windows XP partition, press "R" for repair, it'll overwrite your drivers/system files but keep everything else including programs, registry info, and all your settings.

[DYNAGOD]

thanks for all the support guys  
the gaming gods are indeed both generous and cruel..
ive decided at this point there is obviously only once course of action to take.. rub the cabinet down with cheetah blood and obtain virgin sacrifices to make peace with the gaming gods by offerings them on the sacred altar of tron

i can see no other way  

[ChadTower]

What a waste of a virgin.  

[Gunstar Hero]

Well, if she would put out we wouldn't have to sacrifice her!

=)

[ChadTower]

Well, if she would put out we wouldn't have to sacrifice her!

=)

Wow, the rare point you just can't argue.

[DYNAGOD]

decided to do away with the idea of using grip tape in place of the old skid plate.
decided the more industrial look of aluminum diamond plate looked better.  i still have to polish this piece up but i like the result so far.




also got my order in for the control panel

2 Seimitsu LS-32

10 buttons:
8------ Sanwa 30mm pushbuttons
(2 red,2 green,2 blue,2 yellow)
2----- 24 mm start buttons (blue)

[simplygriff]

painted it black again,see how it came out tomorrow morning..

This machine is looking f'n sick.  Mad props for going through all the turmoil to put this thing together.  I don't think I could possibly have the patience to do this as much as I would love a japanese cab.  

Quick question:  What is that second game? The first is SamSho 3 right?  Can't wait to see this thing completely finished for ya!
-G

[DYNAGOD]

THX!  
samsho 2 and the other is garou mark of the wolves..
one of SNKs best.
i do love the japanese cabs, i figure who knows best about arcading than than the japanese! especially when shmupping.
theyve made it into a national affair, unlike here in the US where its all but a faded memory, present company excluded..

[simplygriff]

Samsho2.  I should have known that.  I always play with a buddy so I never see the story mode.  And Garou: Mark of the Wolves.  That name keeps popping up to me.  Is that in Mame too?  I thought I saw it...I need to finishconfiguring my box for Neo-Geo Games so I can try that and Last Blade and some of the Fatal Fury's I never tried.  Thanks.
-G

[DYNAGOD]

it occured to me that now that ive disconnected the switchable power supply im going to have no way to power the overhead marqee..
i went out to bulbman.com and bought replacement tubes and starters for that freaky 100watt balast and im only going to be able to use it when im running my jamma games.
im assuming theres a superbrite led solution that can run off the +12v from a pc PSU right?

Also, thanks to the sheep , i went to a custom graphics store and had some recreations made of the instruction cards, marqees,and promotional posters for dragon blaze,battle bakraid and some others.
ill have those by this afternoon. they will be the final touch for the cabinet when i finally get it put back together.. pics to follow tonite when i get em.
my ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- has been at chrome now for 3 1/2 weeks...im starting to get the sinking feeling somethig went wrong..they are the last pieces of the puzzle..

[RayB]

I have zero experience with Japanese cabs, but I do know that other cabs don't power the marquee light off the switching power supply. The switching power supply just puts out 5 and 12 volts for the game board, and maybe the coin door lights, coin meter, etc.

[DYNAGOD]

ooooooh goodies..
sorry for the washed out crappy photography

[AGGIEZ]

Man I can't wait to see the finished product!!!  

I'm jonesing for a Jap cab now....where did you buy this one from??

[DYNAGOD]

arcade infinity, but they are not recomeneded..
condition of the cab was bad, it had been dropped. and another individual whom bought his at the same time from them was smashed when he got it..
if you search further up on this thread you will see they are even named in an injunction from snk playmore for selling bootleg software and hardware..
if you want a japanese cab..find a reputable source..do NOT buy from them.
pretty much no matter where you look or ask ,people will give you negative feedback on them..and for good reason  

[CthulhuLuke]

wow, where did you get the full prints of that art set?  Dragon Blaze is very kick ass!  So how exactly does all that art slap onto the cabinet?  main marquee on the top riser thing, but where do the instruction cards go?

[DYNAGOD]

you can get these materials from the Sheeps cave of shooting site.
http://www.world-of-arcades.com/APPA_Index_137714.htm
theres anything you could want and more there. but beware,download sparingly or you will be banned from the site! your allowed to download all of the contents,just dont do it all at once.. do like a letter a night.

the scans are 200dpi and are actual size full color copies of the originals, i took a few of these to the black and blueprints place and had them printed on some thick glossy paper.

main marqee in the riser pod, and the two instruction cards will be tucked behind the glass in the bezel.
the instructions lower center and the character information on the right hand center. there were japanese and US translations, I opted for the japanese cause it looks so much cooler and after all, it is a japanese cab. slowly im going to print all the games i like from the sheeps site,primarily verical shooters,so i can change my marqee and instruction cards with my games.
plus the full length promotional posters(if available) look sick on the wall behind the cabinet.


 

[DYNAGOD]

more goodies today..
two seimitsu LV-30 leafspring microswtiched 4-8 way sticks and an assortment of sanwa 30mm pushbuttons and 2 start buttons.

[whammoed]

leafspring microswtiched

Um, what's a leafspring microswitch?

[DYNAGOD]

i know, im probobly not decribing it correctly..
theres a leafspring that when pushed by the stick initiates a microswitch..
in a typical leafspring i believe the leafspring IS the switch? correct?
i dunno

in the ultra good news deaprtment my THIRD ArcadeVGA arrived today for this project...
hopefully i will have better luck this time.
im extremely happy it arrived todays, as i can spend the weekend playing..even if my control panel isnt back from chrome..keyboard works for me..

i have two other questions,,
how to start a XP loaded PC by keystroke, and how to modify a coin mech to accept quarters..
any input,links or tips would be greatly appreciated.




 

[JoeB]

i have two other questions,,
how to start a XP loaded PC by keystroke, and how to modify a coin mech to accept quarters..
any input,links or tips would be greatly appreciated.

It depends on your PC.  My PC has a BIOS feature that lets it startup if power is restored.  So I have it all wired to a power bar that it all for me.

As far as the coin mech.. that's easy.  The coin mech is nothing more than a regular sensor just like on your joystick.  Just wire it to the JPAC as button 1 or 2.  

[DYNAGOD]

i mean the coin mech physiaclly.. It only accpets japanese yens which are phsyically smaller than quarters.
i need to find the mechanical adjusment to modify the acceper to take the larger quarters as currency.
at present a quarter simply gets rejected. the Jpac already handles the input from the microswitch appropriately..

 for input devices...
i think im going to uncase one of these and mill out three cutouts on the left hand side of my control panel to accodate it seamlessly.

http://www.cirque.com/products/serial-easy.html
next im going to get an eluminx indiglo black framed keyboard and put it on some ball bearing drawer slides just under the control panel so i can hide it when it in use..

[DYNAGOD]

Well after a weekend of gaming ive come to several conclusions and discovered several issues..

firstly, the monitor is too damn big , or more importantly, the control panel is too damn CLOSE to the monitor..
the way this cab is designed you are sitting so close to the monitor all you can see are scan lines and phosphenes..
im going to have to concoct a spacer of sorts to play this thing without going blind and to actually be far enough away for the triads to blend back into cohesive colors.

secondly.. windows looks like a can of smashed as#holes.
the refresh rate is so low its enough to put someone into a seizure..its headache inducing..and i can only stand to look at it for a few minuted before i have to break out the the excedrin..
in addition screen roatation is not supported and crashes me to a  -1 by -1 pixel resoltion with a blank color depth.
theres some kind of conflict between the windows display properties window and the ATI display properties window.
im simply of the opinion that arcadevga is simply not up to the task of displaying windows competantly or in a manner that is comfortable or appealing to the human eye..
also is windows incessant need to install a second imaginary diaplay adapter each and every time windows is started.
ive disabled the phantom device in the device manager and gotten it to stop the install dialog, but what gives with that?

next the need to adjust the monitor for each and every game I load makes for a big problem..to access the monitor controls i have to open the hood and with the glass installed it weighs about 30-40 lbs. openeing that thing each and every time i choose a different game is just not acceptable...on top of that leaving a game thats been on for an hour or more back to windows results in a complete loss of adjustment,meaning i have to readjust the monitor completely to get the garbled mess back to something useable.
next,even when adjusted fairly well, theres a slight horizontal shake that i just cant seem to fine tune out..the controls for the monitor simply arent fine enough to get rid of it...its almost stroboscopic..
next are the scanlines that run from top to bottom(when playing vertical games they are up and down)..is this normal?? i dont notice it in games like galaga and pac man, but newerl games look bad,the scanlines running up and down are thick and pronounced..maybe again,the monitor is simply just too large..

next, random coin insertions..
this is causing many games to tilt with a "coin error"
ive disconnected the microswitch on the coindoor but it still persisits so the short must be somewhere deeper in the jamma harness. its quite annoying and prevents me from leaving the game in attract mode which invites burn in..
most games simply error out and crash to a "coin error " screen after only a few minutes..

despite all of the negative feedback here, the classic games looked fantastic!! but the sheer number of glaring issues make me wonder if this is a viable project. the image quality of windows and many of the games i had hoped to play on this cab is simply too poor to be considered acceptable. i mean it looks BAD....and windows is nothing less than a painfull stroboscopic heacache inducing mess..
i think PCB's are for me..and that maybe ill come back to mame and arcadevga when the technology catches up a bit..


ABIT IC7-Max3
Intel

[AmericanDemon]

:: drools ::  If the distance to the monitor is an issue...  I could surely take it off you hands.

[RayB]

Ummm, are you using MAME 32 or something? Why would you keep popping back to Windows? Isn't ArcadeVGA designed to directly drive an arcade monitor, and therefore I would assume you should be using DOS MAME... Did you turn on the setting that tells MAME it is in an Arcade cab?

[CthulhuLuke]

have you tried running PowerStrip on this thing?
http://entechtaiwan.net/util/ps.shtm
it has an option for arcade monitors, and you can tell it what Hz to try.  Your monitor might support 30hz and you're running it in 15hz, i believe the arcadevga has a jumper for that.  You're a smart dude so you've probably tried all this before, but its just a thought, usually stroboscopic video is due to a bad refresh rate (I think)

[DYNAGOD]

"Ummm, are you using MAME 32 or something? Why would you keep popping back to Windows?"

no im running regular old mame for windows with emuloader. i was under the impression that an arcadeVGA could handle windows.

" Isn't ArcadeVGA designed to directly drive an arcade monitor, and therefore I would assume you should be using DOS MAME..."
no im running regular mame for windows on an xp home sp2 machine.  i shold be using dos?

"Did you turn on the setting that tells MAME it is in an Arcade cab"
I am using no special command line additions for mame to specify that it is running on an arcade cab.
should i be? and what is that command?

"have you tried running PowerStrip on this thing?"
at your recomendation i did,.when i was inbetween ArcVGA's i gave it a shot. theres even a thread in the video monitor section where i went over it. i found the instructions from several cab owners personal sites but i could not ,no matter how i tried get a viable signal to drive my monitor.
my monitor is a nanao dual res monitor. i beleive it supports 13 and 25khz signals. but to switch between them requires removing the monitor.


UPDATE:
mame087b_dos.zip     N/A     DOS version of MAME 0.87.

there is no dos version of 87 available from mame.net...

[DYNAGOD]

-scanlines / -sl yes/no/horizontal/vertical (default: yes)
Scanlines are small, evenly-spaced, horizontal/vertical blank lines that are typical of real arcade monitors. If you don't
prefer this "authentic" look, turn scanlines off. By default
the scanlines will match the orientation of the game, if you
don't like this you can force either horizontal or vertical
scanlines.
========================================

-monitor X (default: standard)

   Selects the monitor type:

   standard: standard PC monitor
   ntsc:     NTSC monitor
   pal:      PAL monitor
   arcade:   arcade monitor
==========================================


becuase im running an arcade monitor i should be running with

scanlines set to
-scanlines no

monitor set to
-monitor arcade

do i place a comma after each?
ie
-scanlines no,-monitor arcade

[SirPeale]

The '-monitor arcade' option won't work with your setup, because you're using Windows.

However, since you're using the ArcadeVGA it should be outputting @ 15KHz anyway, so no additional settings should be necessary.

[JoeB]

OK.. let me try and help you a bit here.. hope the following makes sense.

The great thing about the ArcadeVGA is that in nativly (i.e. in hardware) supports most of the common arcade PCB resolutions.  This means, you don't have to mess around with scan lines, resolutions and all the other mame settings.

just running mame.exe should be good enough!

That said.. you need to instruct mame what resolution the game should run at.  Do not assume the default is the correct one.  There are lots of tools out there to force MAME into the correct resolution.

Try running the ArcadeVGA MAME resolution tool that's found here:  http://mamewah.mameworld.net/downloads.html

This tool will force the games to play in their ArcadeVGA support resolutions and as close to the real thing as possible.

I think the problem you're running into is that MAME runs at the desktop resolution (640x480) and that will always look like crap.

Try playing some of the Neo Geo games.  They should run at x 240 resolution.  They should look perfectly clean and sharp! (with no refresh problems or sync problems).

Oh.. and you should see the pixels that make up the game.  That's what VGA is all about.. that's the way it was in the arcade.  It's the ultimate thing that people strive for.

The thing about MAME is that it tries to be super accurate in terms of reproduction (things like resolution and refresh rate).  These things work greeat on something like a PC monitor (that can cope with different refresh rates) but fails terrible on things like an Arcade monitor (since refresh rate is something you tune with the vertical hold and other pots on the monitor!)

This is where things like NoNAME MAME come into play.  Check out:

http://www.arcadecontrols.org/yabbse/index.php?board=3;action=display;threadid=10428

It forces mame in 60hz (native arcade monitor refresh rate).

Try it out.. you'll find it better than the standard MAME.

As far as the front end.. I strongly recommend MAMEWAH.  MAMEWAH will work at arcade resolution, rather than windows resolution, so it'll look better.  Also, it's very customizable.  So you can make it look really nice to the point that people will never know there's a PC in there.

There's a lot of tweaking that needs to be done to get it all to work together correctly.. and lots of reading to do.  Hope this gets you started on the right direction.

[DYNAGOD]

as you stated ,neo geo games look like gold, but others, like most of the vertical shmups look like theyve been thru the ringer.
ive started a download flurry and have compiled all the files you recomened and im going to start to try and get it running.,
UPDATE:
noname is a little too old for me.
besed on .074u or somewheres around there..thats sadly too far back for me. dragon blaze didnt have sound back then and a crapload of the 19 series wasnt included yet..
 could it be recompiled with a more recent version?

[whammoed]

Windows will never look good on a cga monitor.  There is no technology to make this better, it is just limited by the monitor, but you want that monitor to display the arcade games correctly.  It will look better on a multisync monitor but not great.   It is only meant to be "useable" by using the arcadeVGA.  BUT, all the 15Khz games should look perfect.  Can you give me an example of a game that you are having trouble looking good?  I would like to test it out on my 15Khz monitor and see what I get.

[DYNAGOD]

as an example..
dodonpachi
its pretty indiciative of the problems im having.
there is what i would desribe as banding. it looks like extremely heavy scanlines running from  top to bottom across the screen.

heres my setting in emuloader.

[whammoed]

Well I can't try it out with your setup but I tried it with advmame 0.87 under linux using a radeon 7000 on a Wells Gardner d9200.  Here is a pic without any tweaking whatsoever.  I just started the game in the correct orientation.  I've never seen it in the arcade but it looked perfect to me.  I think you would get what you wanted out of your setup if you switched out the monitor with either the d9200 or the Kortek multisync.  All the true arcade resolutions plus you can run windows either 640x480 or 800x600 non-interlaced.

hope this helps  

[Gunstar Hero]

I'd try going with a horizontal monitor orientation... the vertical shmups will still look quite BIG, but not so big you have to scan the screen to see everything going on, and Windows will probably look better in that enviornment too.

Seriously, a full on 2 player DoDonPachi game, THAT big and THAT close is gonna cause some headaches, if not flat out seizures!!

[JoeB]

UPDATE:
noname is a little too old for me.
besed on .074u or somewheres around there..thats sadly too far back for me. dragon blaze didnt have sound back then and a crapload of the 19 series wasnt included yet..
 could it be recompiled with a more recent version?

That's not true..

I'm using noname mame 0.83.13 (June 13/2004)

As far as I know, the games that are support after this mame version are mostly proof of concept than anything else (i.e. 3D games that emulate 3DFX style hardware that require 5ghz machines to be playable!)

I'm happy with this version.  No error message, and all the disabled games are enabled.    

[DYNAGOD]

I think you would get what you wanted out of your setup if you switched out the monitor with either the d9200 or the Kortek multisync.

agreed...plus if i plan to fix the rotation wheels im going to have to pull the monitor anyways..its just amoney issue..maybe when taxs come back i can replace the monitor and sell it on ebay to recoop some of the cost. i already know one individual whom bougth an egret without a monitor on ebay for 70$ !!! he was inquiring..

i didint have much luck with the res tool.
after applying resolutions for both horz and veri games i went back and loaded up some vertical games and they were displaying horizontally and quite small .which i can at least day they didnt do before,attempting to display a vertical game horizonatally before res tool resulted in a garbled screen..
so i had to go back in to all the vertical games ini files manually and add no rotate right,hardware stretch, manually set the refresh for 60, and locked all the sync's..

That's not true..

I'm using noname mame 0.83.13 (June 13/2004)

As far as I know, the games that are support after this mame version are mostly proof of concept than anything else (i.e. 3D games that emulate 3DFX style hardware that require 5ghz machines to be playable!)

I'm happy with this version.  No error message, and all the disabled games are enabled.

i must have hit upon a cached soundforge page. the top version was .074u or something like that..
and i have absolutely no interest whatsoever in the 3d games.  if i want to play a game like that ill buy the pcb or load up zinc or one of my consoles. MAME is for raster only for me anyways.

i think its criticial that i get some distance between the control panel and the monitor.

something like this..a good ft away.. i think im going to fabricate a space of sorts, i will have to do some work to keep the coin door functional but i think its doable. this is clearly the most necessary thing that has to be done to improve image quality.







the first thing i notice on your dodonpachi image is that there is no lines running top to bottom across the screen.. yours clearly looks different than mine. fo example the letters in the work "conrinue" are solid, not a series of vertical lines with black spaces between them.

[DYNAGOD]

im having evil,evil thoughts as i sit here at work....
im here holding a electromechanical 18" stroke linear actuator with limit switch for a job we are doing...
My, wouldnt that make opening my 40lb hood a breeze
 
better yet, open by a car alarm switch on a keychain..
i want to make the monitor rotate via a reversible AC motor.
this just sees like th next natural step..
off to ebay to search for used actuators and step motors..

hacking one of these could prove usefull as well.
http://smarthomepro.com/2034.html
a 120v AC switch that can be actuated by IR signals from any source..


jeez saint wasnt kidding when he said "feature creep"

[DYNAGOD]

its DC,but hey
http://www.dclinearactuators.com/item74.htm

[DYNAGOD]

Bad news...

Dear Richard,
The AD-81P Coin Selector is designed as a coin specific unit. There are
no conversion kits available or parts identified to us to change these
units to a different coin/token. If you would like pricing for the US
.25 units, let me know how many you would like. Please give me your
address and I will send you more information on this product.
Best Regards,
Robert G Angell

Gaming Representative
Asahi Seiko USA Inc.
Phone 1-800-859-5353
Fax 1-702-260-6493

Check out our new web page at www.asahiseikousa.com

[mindofone]

This *might* help you out:

http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=949i17%24d18%241%40nnrp1.deja.com



tm

[Grasshopper]

Looks good but I'm a bit puzzled about the position of the footplate. Should it not be under the control panel instead of to the right of the cab?

[DonDrimeXm8]

Looks incredible, DYNAGOD; beautiful looking Egret.  Hope you can resolve all the problems with the resolutions and such...

I'm trying to do some similar work with an Aerocity.  If you don't mind my asking, how did you strip and paint it?  I want to strip mine down next weekend and paint it but really don't know where to start.  I'm thinking of using a sander to strip it and then painting with a roller?  

You had to deal with a lot of crap (and still are) but the cab looks absolutely amazing.

[DYNAGOD]

THankS
i just used a die grinder to remove the paint.
be aware if you hit an area too long youll heat it up too much and cause the sheetmetal to buckle.. i had a small problem with this where the control panel and body meet,so take your time.
the paint is tough as hell,if its the same stuff as the egret. it has some antigraffiti additive as well, and you will have to strip it COMPLETELY before priming or painting...i did not the first time and the primer ran like water  
stripping and painting my cab turned into much more of an undertaking than i could have imagined, unless your paint job is really fubar, id recomend leaving it..
and i dont recomend using a roller, you want to spray the paint on to get a nice smooth finish. either with a gun or as a last resort spray paint..

[RayB]

You spoiled us with your rate of progress before. I'd say you're due for an update now!

[DYNAGOD]

Well, got my parts back from the chroming house..not chromed thought ...they sat there for a month and they never got to them, so i took them back yesterday and mounted them up. just got tired of waiting around and having my progress held up.
the parts in question will rust a little being unprotected ,but i really dont care, ill have to refinish them before i get them chromed again anyways..
 ive got s ---auto-censored---load of ideas , but unfortuently im just at the end of my financial rope at the moment.
so while i wait for the next wave or indulgence, i figured id mount up the speaker pod and put the control panel back on and enjoy some game time..

My grave yard of dead arcade VGA cards for this project..

[whammoed]

take those parts to a powder coater instead of a chromer.  they have powder coat now that looks like chrome.  probably be cheaper and maybe even more durable.

[DYNAGOD]

also, thanks to the miracle of cell division, i have more nuts and bolts than when i started (gotta love having extra parts)

i have to say, the sanwa buttons and seimitsu sticks really reek of poor quality...the buttons are the sloppiest things ive even played with..i dont think these stock japanese parts have long for this cab..i wanted to stick with convention,but i had no idea these parts were so low rent, i was under the impression they were the best..completely unfounded with my observations..
i have a 360 optical w/chrome slik stik bat top , and about 50 assorted happ competition pushbuttons w/cherries. unless these controls really grow on me,and soon, theyre coming out..the sanwa pushbuttons especially, these things are soo sloppy. the return spring is extremely weak so theres no real tactile feedback. i just dont like the feel.

[CthulhuLuke]

also, thanks to the miracle of cell division, i have more nuts and bolts than when i started (gotta love having extra parts)

i have to say, the sanwa buttons and seimitsu sticks really reek of poor quality...the buttons are the sloppiest things ive even played with..i dont think these stock japanese parts have long for this cab..i wanted to stick with convention,but i had no idea these parts were so low rent, i was under the impression they were the best..completely unfounded with my observations..
i have a 360 optical w/chrome slik stik bat top , and about 50 assorted happ competition pushbuttons w/cherries. unless these controls really grow on me,and soon, theyre coming out..the sanwa pushbuttons especially, these things are soo sloppy. the return spring is extremely weak so theres no real tactile feedback. i just dont like the feel.

yeah the sanwa buttons is definitely a feel thing.  They are meant to feel extremely light so you can do very fast rapid presses, which is great for games like Dodonpachi, Street Fighter games, etc. because you're rapidly pressing the buttons the entire game, but if you're playing old school games they really don't feel authentic.  Competition pushbuttons feel fine except they have a smaller surface area unlike the sanwa, however they have built in springs and use cherry switches (the sanwas are just plastic over the japanese switch.)
  - that is a sad graveyard of ArcadeVGAs   this cabinet is definitely a love/hate project I take it.  Keep up the good work

[DYNAGOD]

Yea, im just not feeling them..
maybe theyll grow on me..
i think my biggest problem righ now os th elack of a dedicated pc. the machien i had slated for that job doesnt seem tto work so well since the high frequency welding mishap.. its always beeping from the bios for apparently no reason, and i dont dare put my only good ArcadeVGA card back in it..
so ive hd to keep disconnecting my main Family pc and hooking it up to the cab whenever i want to use it, which is no in the least very convenient.
and asfar as being a love hate project, its all love, its just not loving me back

[DYNAGOD]

i cannot beleive it.. but i have another dead arcadeVGA card on my hands....  
this officially puts the nail in the coffin for me for sometime to come..i had to sell my tornado spinner to buy the last card..
either ive got a bad AGP rail or the last several cards ive gotten were questionable.
to defend the rail, i have3 cards..a gefroce 4 ti4600,MX400 and the arcVGA in question.. i ve placed all three cards in the slot, but the only one that doesnt work anymore is the arcadeVGA..
I keep getting "the drivers do not match the display adapter you have installed on this machine" whenever i try to install the card..
thats 4 cards ,four friggin arcadeVGA cards...
ARRRGGGGGAAAHH kill me  

[Santoro]

I've got to believe that you have a bad power supply or motherboard if you are burning out ArcadeVGAs that fast. If there was that bad of a quality control problem at Ultimarc we'd have been hearing about it here much more frequently.

[DYNAGOD]

that woud be my first guess, but what doesnt fit though is the fact that i have 2 other cards ,both of which have been placed in the same machine both prior and previous to the death of these cards and they still work fine..( i have the ti4600 in now)
perhaps the PSU is crapping out, but whatever amount of variation or fluctuation there is apparently not enought to damage a more modern card if thats indeed the case..
i just put up a post at ultimarcs forums.
 ill send him all of the card back and see if they can be diagnosed somehow...

im at a loss as to how to proceed.
.

[Santoro]

Check the voltage specs of your mobo and the AVGA, maybe there is an incompatibility that is burning them out. Or maybe there is a BIOS setting for your AGP slot that is causing issues?

Have you tried your your AVGAs in other computers?  Maybe they just don't like your mobo but are still 'good?'

Also look for components on the AVGA that are 'burned out.'  (Brown, bubbled, on fire, etc.   )

Too wierd.

[DYNAGOD]

ive tried the cards in another PC.. same result..
the card is not recognized as an Ultimarc ArcadeVGA. only as a display adapter (VGA).. and its uninstallable and non startable..

[Santoro]

If Windows is telling you that it could easily be a driver problem.

What do you mean 'not startable?'  Do you see the BIOS screen?

[DYNAGOD]

if you go to hardware, and go to the device that is clearly the arcadeVGA , and you go to device status, you see "code 10, unable to start device"

ive used cat uninstall, and i am unable to install any new ATI drivers.. i can install any of my geforce card no problem., but the arcadeVGA cards are uninstallabe..
it doesnt recognize it as a ATI card.

[Santoro]

I don't think this is the ArcadeVGA's issue, but a driver issue.  I am 95% sure of that.  You probably have four good cards.

Being that the Arcadevga is a modified ATI card, I probably wouldn't mess with ATI drivers other than Andy's.

Here's what I would do.  If you can scrounge up a spare hard disk, do a fresh windows install with the ArcadeVGA.  then follow these instructions from the Ulitmarc Site:

Windows XP, 2000 and 98.

Start Windows. The Windows screen should be displayed at 640 X 480 interlaced, 16 colours.  

(This is where you described it very colorfully as being ugly)[/i]  

To use the ArcadeVGA built-in modes the ATI driver needs installing. Insert the Ultimarc CD. Run the driver Setup program in the correct folder (98 or XP or 2K). Reboot as prompted. Windows may ask if you want to replace newer files with old.  You MUST choose to replace all the files . After re-boot, install the ATI control panel by running Setup in the "Cpanel" folder on the CD.
Right-click on the desktop, select "properties" and set the colour depth to "32 bit colour".
Blue Screens in XP/2000 Windows XP may try to invoke the built-in Microsoft ATI driver and this will not work with the ArcadeVGA card, and causes a blue-screen error. If you see this, simply re-start and hold down "F8" and choose to start in Safe Mode, then install the ATI driver from the ArcadeVGA CD and re-boot.

I think your existing Windows install is hosed with registry entries that are screwing up the AVGA.

[DYNAGOD]

its not possible to do a windows install with the arcadeVGA..
you boot from the CD and after you hit F8 to agree to the licence agreement the screen cuts in half horizontally so you cannot see anything from the middle of the monitor down..
The arcadeVGA isnt capable of displaying the resolution used by the windows installer.
I would need a detailed step by step set of instruction so i can do it blind...

[DYNAGOD]

from what ive seen to do it blind..(or half blind)

Enter
F8
Esc
D
Enter
L

[Santoro]

Oh yea, I forgot that.  I used the Mobo onboard video to do my install.  As long as you don't install any 3rd party video drivers, you shoud be OK using your other video card to do the install, then do a swap.

[SuperGodX1]

After reading this, I'm wondering what I got myself into when picking up an Egret on ebay from Arcade Infinity.  

The seller had great feedback, even with other cabinets he shipped out...so I'm hoping mine arrives intact.

I definitely don't have as much patience as you have had with your project, DYNAGOD, but I hope it is successful.

BTW, what happened to the site that is hosting the pictures?  It would be nice to see all the images for this worklog.

[DYNAGOD]

 
i had not thought of that!!
i just switched domains...i never even considered the side effect that would have here..
im going to have to create a web album.
ive got so many images,its like having a first child

im curious how your egret arrives as well! definetly keep me posted,.
i think its time to start an egret owners ring
 

[DYNAGOD]

this was a tight fit...
 
finally managed to stuff my pc inside the cramped confines of the cab. there was literally not a 1/32 on any side when i slid it in..i had to "scrape" it in ..thankfully it fit! almost broke my soundcard off at the rail..
i had to cut the rails out that the little pice of MDF that the Jamma boards are supposed to slide into just to make room.

[JoeB]

You sure you got enough circulation in there for air??  Don't want to "burn" your pc!

 

[DYNAGOD]

i definetly need some fans..
i wasnt even able to keep the air cowl that directed air to the CPU on becuase of space constraints..
luckily its only a 1.7ghz, its not a prescott,so heat dissipation shouldnt be too much of an issue..

next hurdle is sound..i have no sound at this point.. need to get a PC speaker setup that doesnt have a subwoofer (no room) .
the Egret has 4 speakers which presents alittle bit of a problem but ill just split a stereo signal between them

[JoeB]

if your cab has speakers in them already, and want a clean install (that will allow you to connect jamma boards later) your best bet is to use the speakers that are there now!

Search for pc speaker hacks..  lots of people have done it.  The gist of it is:

- find cheap pc speakers
- hack the amp + volume/power button out
- connect amp to machine speakers
- mount volume/power in a nice spot

very clean install and sounds great. 

[DYNAGOD]

i need to get some 8 ohm 25 watt shielded 3X6 speakers from http://www.therealbobroberts.com/



the speakers in the cabinet now are so brittle that 2 of them completely disintegrated during the dissasembly of the cab. 

[DYNAGOD]

i bought a pair of cyber acoustic amplified desktop speakers and hacked em open..
the control pod fits clean as an OCD clinic bathroom in the card reader slot on the face of the CP. 

[gique]

great idea! totally forgot about the card slot!

just hacked open some PC speakers and wired the volume controller to the existing egret speakers, slick!! - i might add a headphone socket to the smaller slot soon!

luckily my original speakers are still holding out, i might get some replacements soon.. some BASS would be nice....

[Dave_K.]

Note: PC speakers are typically 4 or 6 ohm, and the speakers in an Egret (or any arcade machine) are normally 8ohm.  The impedence mismatch may wear out the amp (quicker than normal), but more importantly the signal will get attenuated making the sound more tinny or distorted.

I highly recommend the Radio Shack/Optimus/Realistic SA-155 integrated stereo amp. Its very small, and produces almost no heat, and drives 8ohm speakers  They go for about $15-20 on ebay. 

Of course you wouldn't be able to do something cool like Dynagod did with the card slot. 

[DYNAGOD]

the cyber acoustic amplified desktop speakers which i got from radio shack are indeed 8 ohms and match the egrets speakers impedance.
I dremmeled the speakers original control panel and shaped it to match the size of the card reader slot.    
and the CYbers have a an integrated headphone out right on the face, cant really see it in my pic.but its there and functional! great for those late night sessions of dragon blaze
looks very slick..ill get some pics up..
i also went to radio shack and bought some male and female RCA jacks and cut the ends of the speakers and replaced them with the RCA's. female on the speaker ands and male on the jamma harness end.
now i essentially have quick disconnects so i can go back and forth from jamma and PC.
oh and the cyber acoustic has a ultra brite blue, almost ultra violet led, that looks KICK ass when its powered up 

[gique]

Note: PC speakers are typically 4 or 6 ohm, and the speakers in an Egret (or any arcade machine) are normally 8ohm.  The impedence mismatch may wear out the amp (quicker than normal), but more importantly the signal will get attenuated making the sound more tinny or distorted.

hmm will check the old speakers impedance tonight.. hadn't thought o' that

[Dave_K.]

the cyber acoustic amplified desktop speakers which i got from radio shack are indeed 8 ohms and match the egrets speakers impedance.

Hmmm...the radioshack website says they are 4ohm drivers?   
http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=40-1446

I guess if it still sounds fine to you, then who cares.  Having convienent controls at your fingertips is sweet (I have to open the cab door to adjust volume).

[gique]

hey there

regarding your "shimmer" effect - its due to interlacing on the arcade VGA - I made a custom 640x480 front end in MAMEWAH that reduces the effect due to large fonts at careful odd/even positioning of screen elements  - there's some screenshots on my LJ...

my arcade front end boots automatically now so i dont even have to deal with windows anymore, unless i need to rename or copy in new files....

[DYNAGOD]

Im taking offers on this badboy..My work is going down the crapper and i simply dont have the money to finish this the cab i want.

Cab is located in Gloucester,Ma.
Pickup only, i will not consider shipping it..
ill even throw in the PC, minus the drive (no roms)

[elvis]

Looking good!

My only suggestion is that you reduce the amount of memory in the PC. Even Windows98 and Me have hard times with 1Gb of memory. The DOS memory managers won't know what to do with 1Gb and you'll get better performance with 256Mb or even 128mb of RAM. Make sure you're using DOS 7.1, it has the best DOS support for larger memory (older DOS's only supported a maximum of 64mb)

Ah... no.  You won't get "better performance with 256MB".  Any OS in existence that can't fully address all availble memory space will simply ignore it.  You won't be penalised for having extra.  Yes, it would be a waste, but no, it won't hurt.

[Dave_K.]

Im taking offers on this badboy..My work is going down the crapper and i simply dont have the money to finish this the cab i want.

I was wondering what was happening with this project.  Man you went through hell and back!  Gotta chalk a bulk of the expense up to just lessons learned I guess.  You should advertise locally in craigslist or something.

[DYNAGOD]

all dead images painstakingly relinked due to surge in interest. 

[elvis]

all dead images painstakingly relinked due to surge in interest. 

Cheers.  I'm still drooling over big-screen DoDonPachi.  My little 17" cocktail pales in comparison.