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NEED HELP - Nintendo Vs Unisystem (SMB & RBI) to MAME
rolandcs:
First post, first project...Newbie all around. This is a FANTASTIC forum & website. The majority of my google searches have all referenced something from this database!
THE STORY:
I grew up playing RBI baseball with my father. There is a bond between that game & I, that has given me many father/son memories *sniff* *sniff*. Grown up now, my housewarming gift to myself was to purchase an RBI arcade upright. I found a local eBay auction that sufficed, and also included a Super Mario Brothers PCB. Not more than 4 months later, the RBI just stopped working. SMB works just fine, so I know something happened to the RBI PCB. I've kept an I on eBay auctions, quarterarcade.com, but the rarity of the PCB always raised to price more than I would have liked. 2 years later, my poor arcade has been accommodated only by dust bunnies. The victim of neglect. I once again scour the internet for a PCB. Then, a thought hits me. Convert to MAME! I have almost everything I need: The monitor is in great working condition, the cabinet is complete. I even have an old PC sitting around doing nothing. So now you know how I got here.
THE GOAL
I'm only 27, but I value the importance of nostalgia. I do own modern gaming systems, including PS2 & Wii, but even with all the graphics, sound effects & gameplay in our modern world, nothing ever simulated the experience of 8-bit, identical looking, fat men running around the bases. I'd love to keep the arcade intact as much as possible. I want to keep the original two-button controller, original monitor, original sound, original lighting & cabinet. The only thing I want to add is the CPU; not only for more game additions, but for longevity. I feel if I purchase a new PCB, I'm spending just as much $$, but have no idea if it will go bad in a month, year, or what. MAME it is.
THE MONITOR
As I mentioned, I plan on using the monitor equipped in the cabinet. To be honest, I have not wanted to come close to that thing after reading some of the 'high voltage' warnings I've come across, so I can't tell you what size or model it is. I'm fairly certain it is the standard 19" that came with the Unisystems. My first order is to purchase an ArcadeVGA card. I've come across some posts & other guides that give me a pretty good understanding on how to hook the monitor to the PC. Even still, I'm certain from here on out, I'm talking out my a** and honestly would accept any and all advice.
Questions:
1. How do I power the monitor?
THE CONTROLLER
Again, I want to use the original 2-button controller with the system. Now, I've seen guides & posts for making NEW controllers, but I haven't found much in the way of converting an existing one. The only thing I may want to do is add a button(s) for MAME control. I've never used a MAME system and don't know front-to-back how it works, but I'm sure there is the need for a 'home' button, that takes you to the main interface. Unless I could use a combination of buttons. Pressing the Player 1 & Player 2 buttons simultaneously, for example. Again, I'd love to use the controller as is, so any ideas would be more than welcome.
Question:
1. How? I have no idea how to hook the existing controller to a PC.
SOUND
You guessed it. I want to use the supplied audio to hook up to the PC. I have NO CLUE how to do this.
SYSTEM POWER
Right now, the Unisystem is powered by a single plug. Plug it in, everything turns on. I suspect this is how most vintage arcades are powered, but again, that could be the a** talking. With the addition of a PC, I'm sure power is a bit more challenging. I don't want to unplug and take down the PC along with the monitor. When the system is not in use, my ideal setup would be to power down everthing BUT the PC (monitor, marquee, lights, etc.). I would love even MORE, if it was possible to put the PC in sleep mode. And I would be thrilled if all of this was controlled by a single button...easy huh? I've seen posts about the smart strip, but will that accomplish what I'm looking for?
ASTHETICS
Once I can get everything working, I plan on refinishing the cabinet. It's quite dinged up and most of the artwork is missing or damaged.
I thank you all in advance. I'm the living definition of a newbie, so please have patience with me! I will certainly post pictures of my progress!
-E
javeryh:
Welcome to the boards! I'm not sure about how to power your old monitor but you can use an encoder like the ipac or keywiz to connect the controls to your PC. They are very easy to wire up and relatively cheap ($30-$40 or so depending on what you choose to use). I'm also not sure what you mean by "supplied audio" - do you just mean that you want to use the speakers that are already in the cab? If so I imagine all you have to do is splice the two speaker wires from each speaker to the proper plugs for your PC or audio card. You might want to spring for a new set of speakers though. The ones I used on my last cabinet were only $10 brand new and it was a 2.1 set. :cheers:
rolandcs:
--- Quote from: javeryh on March 10, 2008, 04:12:25 pm ---Welcome to the boards! I'm not sure about how to power your old monitor but you can use an encoder like the ipac or keywiz to connect the controls to your PC. They are very easy to wire up and relatively cheap ($30-$40 or so depending on what you choose to use). I'm also not sure what you mean by "supplied audio" - do you just mean that you want to use the speakers that are already in the cab? If so I imagine all you have to do is splice the two speaker wires from each speaker to the proper plugs for your PC or audio card. You might want to spring for a new set of speakers though. The ones I used on my last cabinet were only $10 brand new and it was a 2.1 set. :cheers:
--- End quote ---
Thanks! Yeah, I was thinking of hooking to the original speaker, but it makes a nasty hum, so maybe upgrading wouldn't be a bad idea...especiall for $10. Can I ask where you bought yours from?
javeryh:
--- Quote from: rolandcs on March 10, 2008, 05:40:40 pm ---
--- Quote from: javeryh on March 10, 2008, 04:12:25 pm ---Welcome to the boards! I'm not sure about how to power your old monitor but you can use an encoder like the ipac or keywiz to connect the controls to your PC. They are very easy to wire up and relatively cheap ($30-$40 or so depending on what you choose to use). I'm also not sure what you mean by "supplied audio" - do you just mean that you want to use the speakers that are already in the cab? If so I imagine all you have to do is splice the two speaker wires from each speaker to the proper plugs for your PC or audio card. You might want to spring for a new set of speakers though. The ones I used on my last cabinet were only $10 brand new and it was a 2.1 set. :cheers:
--- End quote ---
Thanks! Yeah, I was thinking of hooking to the original speaker, but it makes a nasty hum, so maybe upgrading wouldn't be a bad idea...especiall for $10. Can I ask where you bought yours from?
--- End quote ---
I got the no name set from CompUSA - I'm not sure they are around anymore but I imagine there are similar options out there... they were $20 originally but marked down to $10 when I bought them. THIS SET from newegg is only $6 so if you look around I'm sure you'll find something...
rolandcs:
Here's where I'm starting
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