JAMMA2PC

[penjuin]

I have seen many PC2JAMMA adapters, but are there any that let you connect a JAMMA game to your PC? I was thinking something along the lines of a rom dumper, but i just want it to come up on the screen, not dump, and a rom dumper might not be too legal.

[krick]

Why do you need a PC?

[penjuin]

im building a cab with a pc so i can play newer games as well

[krick]

If you mean that you want to be able to swap beween a MAME PC *and* real arcade JAMMA boards in the same JAMMA cabinet, then you probably want a Multi-JAMMA or Double-JAMMA adapter...

http://www.multigame.com/jamma.html

http://www.mikesarcade.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?action=link&sku=DBLJAMMA

[penjuin]

I don't think im understood so ill reclassify.

Im building a cabinet using instructions from project arcade ie computer, monitor, ipac4,custom controls. I am not going to go and buy a cabinet and plug in a new jamma game. I wish to somehow plug the game into the pc inside and (possibly using special software) have it show up on the monitor (the replacement for the arcade screen) and have the controls that i have built work with the game. I have searched around and can't find much, so if anyone could help it would be great.

[krick]

...I wish to somehow plug the game into the pc inside and (possibly using special software) have it show up on the monitor (the replacement for the arcade screen) and have the controls that i have built work with the game. I have searched around and can't find much...

You aren't finding much because it can't be done the way you want.  There is no "special software".

If you don't have a JAMMA cabinet with an arcade monitor, the only thing you *might* be able to do is feed the video output from the JAMMA game through some sort of converter that will output VGA so you can display it on your computer monitor.  Then you'd have to make a custom harness to connect the JAMMA connector on the JAMMA game to your I-PAC4.  Nothing will ever connect to your PC.

If you really want to play both MAME and newer JAMMA games on your cabinet at the same time, you need to have a JAMMA wired cabinet and an arcade monitor combined with some sort of JAMMA switching device like the Multi-JAMMA I mentioned.

Then you'd have to change your PC configuration to make it compatible with JAMMA input and output.  This usually means an ArcadeVGA video card combined with a J-PAC encoder/JAMMA interface card.

[penjuin]

ok thanks i get it now. Maybe one day ill have a go at the converter one day

[paigeoliver]

Also, a "rom dumper" is perfectly legal. An EPROM is simply media, just like a floppy disk. You can order reader/programmers from many different vendors.

[penjuin]

...Nothing will ever connect to your PC...

I believe you are wrong krick. but first, can anyone help me with these few questions about jamma?

• Is a JAMMA board self contained, that is, has its own processor, video encoder, etc?
• Are JAMMA connectors analog (bar the video)?

I think the answers to these questions are both yes, but i just want to make sure. The reason i want to know is [if these questions are both yes] that there may be a relatively simple way to connect a jamma card to a pc and use any keyboard controls (including kbrd encoder controls) that you have specified. Im gonna need a bit o help though

[Thenasty]

I'm confused to whats going on here but here is what i will say.

JAMMA is like an IDE CABLE
When Games are made, they make the connections JAMMA to make everything easier to connect and disconnect for another game. Just like if you swap an IDE HARD DRIVE, you use the same CABLE(JAMMA).
Games are like the HARD DRIVES, they make it so you can use that same setup(JAMMA) in your cabinet.

When game are made, it is a COMPLETE BOARD, it works by itself just provide a power supply and a monitor and of course the JOYSTICKS and BUTTONS. It has its own VIDEO CONTROLLER, ENCODER for the CONTROLS(I don't want to call it Keyboard Encoder) etc...

Now my question is, Why do you want to connect the JAMMA BOARD to a PC ? it already works by itself. If your intentions is to usee a VGA Monitor for your JAMMA BOARDS, then find a converter RGB to VGA. Why not just use a TV ? there is an encoder RGB to NTSC.

[penjuin]

See, i dont have a jamma cabinet, and i kind of made it my goal to connect a jamma card to a pc. it is rather confusing to build a jamma cabinet, and i would get a lot beter boasting rights .

My idea is to build a harness with an rgb->vga connector and a speaker plug for the speaker inputs, and using a parrallel port and transistor combo to stimulate button presses.

[Thenasty]

My idea is to build a harness with an rgb->vga connector and a speaker plug for the speaker inputs, and using a parrallel port and transistor combo to stimulate button presses.

This is where you confuse me. Whats the point of doing all that ?
Why not just use a TV or Arcade Monitor and build a small Control Panel, put the joysticks and buttons in, plug it in and your set.

[RayB]

Penjuin, the part you're not getting is that a JAMMA game board is like a complete self-contained computer. It has sound output, video output, etc. Like a computer, it needs a power supply. It also needs controls, which are interfaced to it via the JAMMA harness (harness is just a connector with wires going out to all the controls, the power supply, the monitor, etc).

So, you see, what you're describing is connecting one kind of "computer" to another computer. And the answer is, you can't do it.

You can output the video to your PC monitor, yes, but an RGB to VGA converter is expensive. And connecting a keyboard to a JAMMA board? Can't do it.

If it HAS to run on your PC then use MAME!

[penjuin]

ok.

I understand that a jamma board is a self contained computer, and obviously a pc is a self contained computer. the sole reason for doing this is bragging rights, so im not gonna get too involved. the thing is, i am stimulating a network environment. that is, i can connect a mac to a pc, if i can get them to talk the same language.

imagine that my computer is like a network server and the jamma card is like a laptop with a usb external parrallel port. My server has a monitor and a parrallel port and a control panel.

imagine that my parrallel cable (one strand) were to join up with a base of a transistor, with the collector being ground, and the emitter being, say, 1P button one. when a pulse of electricity goes down one of the wires in the cable (the one that is linked to the player 1 transistor) it hits the base of the transistor and allows electricity to flow through, connecting the collector with the emmiter, just like pressing a microswitch, and activating a buttonpress, therefore telling the jamma board that player one's button was pressed. this action can be mimic for all buttons and joysticks. I can write software in visual basic to do this thing when you press [insert what player one button one keystroke generates]. then after connecting all of that, several ways exist of getting the right power to it, ie molex, gameport or even standalone. then the rgb adapter could be plugged into a tv, tv card or monitor. same with the sound. this could all be done on a pcb and hooked up to a jamma harness, making the pc appear the the jamma card as just a harness, yet it would be so much more powerful and configurable.

jamma pin out {http://www.coin.demon.co.uk/jamma.htm}

If anything is not understood then i will elaborate

[Mameotron]

Uhhh...

Ok, if you want bragging rights, knock yourself out.

[penjuin]

thanks for the help!

[quarterback]

just like pressing a microswitch, and activating a buttonpress, therefore telling the jamma board that player one's button was pressed. this action can be mimic for all buttons and joysticks. I can write software in visual basic to do this thing when you press [insert what player one button one keystroke generates].

So, instead of hooking up a control panel (buttons, joystick etc) to a Jamma board, you want to hook up your PC to a Jamma board.

[penjuin]

i like to go away from the pack

EDIT: dw bout it, ill just keep it to myself

[Goz]

 ill just keep it to myself

Thanks

[Thenasty]

ill just keep it to myself

This is the only thing that made sense to me. 
Its got to be the smartest solution so far 

[SirPeale]

I'll third the motion.  I see what your'e trying to do, and hey, if you want to, more power to you.  But it'll be your little secret.

[AmericanDemon]

I can kinda see it.  If he wasnt building a cabinet.  So you have your PC set up and a personal controller for the desktop.  Now he has MAME.  But he wants to play Metal Slug 5 (NOT EMULAYED).  So he attaches his handy dandy PCB to his nifty adapter and through probably a video capture card he can display the game on his monitor and using a joystick or his keyboard control the game. 

This wouldnt be hard honestly.  If you want to talk about the idea you can message me.

[Goz]

Supergun

[paigeoliver]

Exactly what sort of bragging rights would one gain by doing this?  I mean it IS possible, but it will cost more than any JAMMA cabinet, the results will be a lot worse.

An RGB to NTSC conversion board will need to be fed to a TV in card. That will handle the video.

The JAMMA sound can simply be fed to the audio in on the computer.

You will need an arcade power supply.

Now, get ready to BEND OVER. TO deal with the switches you will need one of MANY industrial control boards capable of remotely operating switches. There are tons of them, and none of them are cheap.

So for around $1000 you will be able to play a jamma board on your computer, it will look crappy and the controls might have lag, but you will have BRAGGING RIGHTS.

[penjuin]

What is supergun?

anyways...
Being a bit sceptical are we paigeoliver?

• rgb->tv adapter = $95
• arcade power supply (5v and 12v) can easily be ripped from my power supply at home = $0
• Already have a tv card = $0
• Sound just goes in = $1 (for cabling and plugs)
• I can easily build a remote control switch pcb, ive done it before = $20(ive seen commercial ones here in australia for $35 anyway)
• Harness wiring kit = $30

Looks like our total has ballooned to... what?!? only $146!?! I think you overestimated a slight bit

I think you are aiming at a more complex switchboard type thing. if you pulse electricity down a parrallel port onto a transistor, it acts just like a switch.

PS
Thanks for the support AmericanDemon, but sadly (or maybe not ), ms5 is emulated. I cant find the link anymore, but there was once a hacked version of neorageX i downloaded that was hacked specifically for ms5. Even though i don't have ms5, i thought id get it for a time like this, so if you want it, pm me.

[Goz]

Metal Slug 4 and 5 have been emulated for some time, but not supported by MAME (not the std release). MAME+ plays these as well as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon 2003, and a couple other cool games.

A Super gun is a JAMMA to TV setup. Think of it as turning any JAMMA board into a home game console. Eliminate your desire to pump JAMMA into your computer, it's silly for the most part and as Paige stated, it would likely not look very good. You can however build or buy a supergun and play any JAMMA game on your TV. As most of us here realize, you can buy a JAMMA cab cheaper than you can buy or even build a supergun or what you are describing.  I'm not knocking your desire to build JAMMA playable via PC, but it doesn't sound very appealing to me, but hey it is for you.

Build it for $146 and show off to the world   

-Goz

[paigeoliver]

I just SOLD a fully working JAMMA cabinet with monitor, PCB, joysticks and the whole deal for less money than that. And I sold it for more than I bought it for.

Like I said, it is a way to spend too much money and get subpar results.

Oh, and I wouldn't count on trying to power a JAMMA board and your PC off the same power supply at once. Some boards (especially older ones) can eat a lot of juice.

[penjuin]

i kinda got discouraged by u guyz and found a dude near me that sells cheap jamma cabs so im gonna nab one off him instead

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