Jamma Tester (Pics)

[BobA]

Thought I would post pics of my jamma tester just for interest.   Not big enough for the projects section.

It is built in a 8 inch W 3.5 inch H 5.5 inch D Handibox

The largest part of the box is a Vss 001 power supply from Sony 5V 7A, -5V 1A, +12V 1A

It has service. test, tilt and power switches on the front and 3 DB 15 connectors on the back to connect modified gamepads or
a button/joystick tester and an RGB monitor.  The RGB monitor is an Applecolor 12 inch RGB. A speaker is also mounted
in the box.

Total Cost to build including getting the Apple monitor at a Goodwill Shop approx  $100.

[Witchboard]

That's compact.  How hot does it get when used extensively?

[BobA]

Just warm enough to know it is on.  The case has vent holes all arount the back of the top cover and the supply is vented and where it sits in the metal case it transfers heat to the case where the vent holes on one side are blocked due to the mounting.

[Level42]

I gotta build me something like this. Very nice but I'd like to include a tiny monitor. There are really small TV sets for camp-site use here that have SCART so those would be ideal.....

I'd also need adapters to go to non-jamma boards.

[BobA]

I do have a 12 inch RGB monitor that I use but it connects separately to keep the box small. 

[Rocky]

Nice work!

[pointdablame]

Very cool little project.  Nice Job!

[Level42]

I do have a 12 inch RGB monitor that I use but it connects separately to keep the box small. 

Yeah, the small TV's I meant are even smaller, 20 cm (Less than 10"). That could all be built into one box and still be rather small I guess.

[BobA]

I do have a 12 inch RGB monitor that I use but it connects separately to keep the box small. 

Yeah, the small TV's I meant are even smaller, 20 cm (Less than 10"). That could all be built into one box and still be rather small I guess.

I would like a 7 or 8 inch LCD setup to use as a monitor.  It would be a great match for the Jamma tester and setting up CCTV.. Maybe the LCD from a broken portable  DVD player could be used with the proper mods.

[BobA]

Rocky, Pointdablame

Thanks Guys.

[Witchboard]

I used one of those PS1 LCD's in my JAMMA test rig.  Works great.

[BobA]

Is a mod required for that or is there a way for direct RGB and sync on the PS1 LCD?

[Witchboard]

Here's the tutorial I used.  Just ran the sync and colors as they show them.

http://www.bit-tech.net/modding/2004/07/07/psone_lcd/1.html

[knave]

So does that mean that regular LCDs cam be moded to accept jamma video signals? 

[BobA]

Not yet.  Instructions are for the specific PS1 LCD only.   More small lcd displays are probably hackable but someone has to do the basic work to figure them out.

[Level42]

Well, it will be close to impossible to use a "regular" LCD unless it has RGB analogue inputs, which is very very rarely the case.

LCD's are controlled totaly different then CRT's. LCD's don't require the syncing signals, since there is no electron-beam to move over the screen. The individual pixels are simply controlled directly, much like adressing a location in a memory.

[knave]

Well, it will be close to impossible to use a "regular" LCD unless it has RGB analogue inputs...

So does this mean that the newer LCD TV's with component inputs (RGB) could be modded to work as an arcade monitor?

[ChadTower]

Component is not RGB.

[horseboy]

Many of the smaller lcd screens can be modded for RGB input, most notably, the PSone screen.

[ChadTower]

Probably because they were designed to potentially be directly connected to a console.

[horseboy]

Some of the third party GameCube and Xbox screens used the exact same lcd as the PSone screen, so there is a plethora of cheap screens out there that can be used for this purpose.

[horseboy]

whoops

[ChadTower]

Ocean State Job Lots carries a small GC version for something like $50... no idea if that's current rate but it's there.

[Level42]

Probably because they were designed to potentially be directly connected to a console.

Exactly. There is (extra) conversion electronics required to transform the RGB and sync signals into somthing a BARE LCD understands.... I was talking loose-naked-bare LCD's here.

50 bucks is not bad to hack one of these babies....

[knave]

Component is not RGB.

Doesn't it use Red green and blue colors?



AH!...A little research and it turns out it's both, But since I was thinking of the consumer standard which is not RGB I am corrected. 

Definition of: component video

A video color format that maintains the three YUV video signals in three separate channels. Component video provides a sharper image than composite video and S-video. See YUV, composite video and S-video.

Analog Component Video
Component video may refer to "analog" component video (YPbPr), especially with regard to the Y, Pb and Pr cable connectors on devices such as DVD players, set-top boxes, receivers and TVs. See YPbPr.

Digital Component Video
Component video may refer to "digital" component video (YCbCr), which is the norm for tape formats such as MiniDV, DV and Digital Betacam. Digital component video (YCbCr) is also natively supported by many nonlinear video editing programs (NLEs). See YCbCr and chroma subsampling.

RGB: Digital or Analog
Sometimes, component video refers to RGB signals rather than YUV. It may refer to "digital" RGB, which is the native graphics format in the computer, and it is supported by all nonlinear video editing programs (NLEs).

Component video may also refer to "analog" RGB, especially with regard to a three-cable RGB attachment to a studio monitor or high-end video camera. See YUV.