I-pac vs J-pac (input and help)

[whatzcrackn]

Hi, all its me again with more questions.

[CheffoJeffo]

JPac supports 5 additional inputs per player over JAMMA. These inputs are wired directly between the JPac and your buttons, exactly as if you had an IPac, so in essence you would be making your won kick harness (e.g. you don't need to buy one).

If you already have a JAMMA cabinet, then using the JPac is rather helpful vis-a-vis wiring the monitor up, since it is already wired to the JAMMA harness and the JPac has a VGA port to connect to your video card. You will, however, have an issue with sound as JAMMA expects amplified sound and the JPac doesn't have an onboard amplifier (but, if you use an amplified sound card, then great).

http://www.ultimarc.com/jpac1.html

Cheers.

[thebrownshow]

I've got a Dynamo cab and I went the J-Pac route.  Essentially all I needed to get it working was to setup the PC, install the ArcadeVGA card, connect it to the J-pac, and turn on the cabinet.  Hack a set of amplified speakers and you should be all set, provided your controls are wired to your JAMMA harness correctly.

Everything, including your coin door, should work.

And like CheffoJeffo said, then all you need to do is wire up any ADDITIONAL buttons to the J-Pac in exactly the same manner as you'd wire an I-Pac. 

I'd strongly suggest the J-Pac route just so you don't have to alter the existing harness.  At any point, you could swap out the J-Pac for a JAMMA board. 

[whatzcrackn]

Okay all that makes sense.

[thebrownshow]

Well the JAMMA standard is a "standard" -- so just trace the wires from the edge connector to whatever they're connected to, and that'll answer your wiring question real quick.

If you haven't found out about it already, Bob Roberts' page is full of great info:


How To Wire A Jamma Harness
Jamma Plus

[whatzcrackn]

THX again.  I will check it out.  I just see all these wires and dont know what they are for 

THX again!!

[RayB]

You can Ebay those rotational controllers, and recoup a few bucks.

[whatzcrackn]

but will a regular joystick work?

[CheffoJeffo]

but will regular a joystick work?

If you want to use the IW joys with your PC, you will need an additional encoder beyond the IPac/JPac -- the rotational controls are not part of the JAMMA standard (so you will have an extra harness running from the joys to the PCB).

Cheers.

[whatzcrackn]

but will regular a joystick work?

If you want to use the IW joys with your PC, you will need an additional encoder beyond the IPac/JPac -- the rotational controls are not part of the JAMMA standard (so you will have an extra harness running from the joys to the PCB).

Cheers.

What IW joys?  I want to use the perfect 360 set-up?  I was not sure if the Ikkari sticks were a different setup.  I am realy not interested in those joys.

Thx again.

[CheffoJeffo]

Ikari Warriors use rotary sticks -- in addition to the 8 way direcitonal movement, the handles rotate, which in turn rotates the player. It is the rotational aspect that is beyond the JAMMA specification.

If you want to use Perfect 360's, then you don't need to worry about the rotary sticks that you'll be removing from the Ikari Warriors cabinet and, as RayB suggests, you can sell them to recoup some $$$. They have been a popular item on eBay in the past.

Cheers.

[whatzcrackn]

THX for the reply.  The control panel was gutted, so the buttons and joys have to be bought.  No money to earn 

good ideal though.

[Spaz Monkey]

I have a piggyback question.  I have an arcade cabinet with arcade monitor.  Currently, everything is hooked up to my CPS 2 "a" board.  If I want to connect my computer to play MAME, don't I have to use the j-pac and arcadevga?  (Glossing over the wiring problems of using the monitor, but not the CPS.)