hooking pc to 2 cabinets

[dev]

I convinced a guy to sell me 2 cabinets(with moniters mounted in horizontal and vertical positions) for around $300. They both are jamma cabinets. I want to stick a pc in between them and run them both. I have a few questions will 2 jpacs(control wise) work if hooked to the pc at the same time and will the video signal be to weak if run threw a vga switch box. Also I have never used arcade os, will it be a nightmare switching between both moniters if possible. Doe's anyone with experience think this will work, or am I on crack.

[SirPoonga]

or am I on crack.

I don;t know anything about the answer, but I think you are still on crack...

[ArcadEd]

I don't know how much I can help.  I do know there used to be a product that allowed you to run two desktops at the same time via one computer.  It ran through a network cable, you just needed Monitor. Mouse and keyboard for the client.  It would act as if you had two computers.  I would suspect you would want a pretty powerful computer if you wanted to this, but the technology is out there, at least it was about 3 years ago.  should be better by now.

[dev]

I just want to use one cabinet at a time. I can't build a rotating cabinet for this cheap. One cabinet has the moniter horizontally and the other vertically.

[nipsmg]

Well if all you're trying to do is run vertical on one cabinet and horizontal on the other, there are plenty of monitor switches out there..  Just set the switch to one side for horizonal and one side for vertical.. As far as the IPAC Splitting goes, I'm really not sure.. As far as I know, Keyboard signals start to degrade on a wire over 6 feet long.. (It may be even less for all I know, I'm not sure), so if they're going to be right next to each other, it might be ok.. The wiring will definitely be interesting, but I don't see why you couldn't do it.. (You may want to pump the wires through some kind of signal amplifier, but I'm not sure exactly what you'd use)l..

Sorry if this reply is kind of vague.. When I'm awake tomorrow (AND SOBER) I might be able to actually point you to some products..

--NipsMG

[dev]

The jpac has a signal amplifier. For the controls, I was wondering if you can hook 2 keyboards(2 ipacs) to a computer, kind of like the way you do 2 mice.  I want to hook the j-pac up to 2 usbs or ps2 ports and not use a splitter. Will the computer regognize 2 keyboards and if so will they do the same commands (I really wish i had 2 keyboards). If I have to split the controls, I will go the rotating moniter route.

[1UP]

Shoulda just got a bigger horizontal monitor.

[Shane]

crackhead  
it doesnt seem to far fetched but it would be easier(cheaper probley) to build a new comp for about 300$ and run that on mame  

[dev]

I like the bigger moniter cabinet idea. Does anyone no of an older cabinet(before 1990) with a 25 or bigger. I need something I can fit threw the door of my apartment. Building a cabinet is not an option I have without hassle. I can look around the arcades(I deal with) warehouses for something but I allready have for like a half hour a place.

[darkmanx]

i believe you can use 2 jpacs at once, i know you can use 2 ipacs so i would assume it works for all of them. i would go to thier site and ask, but i know for a fact you can use 2 ipacs.

[Lilwolf]

What would be cool is to get two VGA cards and windows dual monitor support.  Then have mame twice, once in each monitor.

but it would be cheaper, faster and everything to build a second computer.  BTW, things you don't need.  Case, Floppy/CDrom, ect.  But make sure to add a network connection so you can link them and have easier configuration.

[daywane]

with my video card I can have both the monitor and TV on at same time. so why could you not use jpac on horizontal cab and joystick hack on vertical? or am I missing a part of the question? seems  Ez enough to me .  just flip a tv or monitor on its side. use the horizontal as main veiw and when a vertical game is wanted just start it on horizontal and side step over to vertical . of course have mame set up to flip the game.

I am still worhing on my 1st cab so I know nothing, but its seems ez enough to me.

[RacerX]

I use my PC as both a regular PC and I use it to power my MAME cabinet, which sits next to my computer desk.  All I did was use an ordinary VGA splitter cable and run one cable to the monitor in the cabinet and the other to the monitor on my computer desk.  The only time there is any degradation of the video is when both monitors are on at the same time, and even then it's not bad.

I use a Hagstrom LE24 programmable keyboard incoder with a keyboard pass-through to run the controls on the cabinet, and I plug my keyboard into that.

It's not exactly what you are trying to do, but it's similar.

[RandyT]

What you need is something called a KVM switch.  You will also need two keyboard encoders for your controls.  The KVM switch switches the Keyboard, Mouse and VGA Monitor with the push of a button and can be had for about $70.

RandyT

[OSCAR]

What you need is something called a KVM switch.

[RandyT]

Hey Randy (or anyone...),

Do you know of a source for KVM's that work "backwards" like this?

[OSCAR]

Damnit!