Lightgun News- Some News from HAPP

[wbassett]

I spoke to Les at Happ.

I called in reference to R0R3 USB Optical Light Gun Interface Board (http://www.r0r3.com/productsusbopticalgun.htm).  I tried getting ahold of Jack J. McCauley at ROR3 about a half dozen times (not a good sign right there) and he is never at his number and I haven't received a call back from him.

I figured okay, since they list Happ and Happ guns specifically and have them listed as their 'customers', I figured I'd call Happ and see what they had to say about the ULGI.  I got ahold of Les at Happ very easily and quickly. 

In a nutshell... Les said yes he has heard of ROR3 and the ULGI but they haven't received any for testing.

Les was fantastic to talk to and did tell me that they are supposed to be getting an interface from a different company to check out that will allow their arcade guns to be connected directly to a PC.  He sent me some information and it looks pretty good from the overview pdf.

We talked about the current state of guns for MAME and really the biggest problem is we are such a small community that third party companies don't see any money making a PC lightgun just for us MAME users.  I can confirm this sentiment because yesterday I was on the phone with Namco and they flat out were not interested and even said their company does not take product suggestions from outside the company.  I tried explaining I wasn't making a suggestion, rather asking if they had any plans on making a PC compatable light gun and he pretty much said he couldn't discuss anything about whether the company was working on any projects.  In other words, no.

Les and I also talked about some of the issues with the few actual PC lightguns, mainly driver issues, accuracy problems, and durability (some guns just need to be dropped once and that's it, game over).  He agreed that there is a pretty big difference between consumer version guns as compared to commercial arcade guns and reliability and durability is a big factor and one reason why there is such a price difference. 

Basically, with a Happ gun you'll probably have it for life.  (I said that, not Les)  Sure they could break, anything can, but at a public arcade they also get ten fold the use and abuse any of us could possibly give them.

All in all, this is very good news.  The interface will accept multiple guns too (natch... we are after all talking about the real deal here and most real arcade shooters have two guns) as well as

Multiple Video Support
The design supports input from both standard PC VGA connectors and arcade
low/med resolution molex connectors.
The design supports all arcade video resolutions:
•Low Res 320x200 15.75KHz
•Med Res 512x384 24.5 KHz
•Std Res 640x480 31 KHz
•SVGA 800x600 35.1 KHz
•XGA 1024x768 37.5 KHz

Built in Audio Amplifier
The design has a 2 channel stereo amplifier built in.
•Mini Stereo Input Cable (PC Compatible)
•Molex 0.100” Speaker Out Connector
•Integrated heat sink, no fan required
•35W Stereo Amplifier
•Proven circuit design used in over 50,000 units in the coin-op market

Gun Support
The design supports existing off the shelf light guns.
•Molex 8 pin 0.100” Connectors
•Works with Happ & Betson / Imperial Guns &
Rifles
•No Modifications to guns or board required

Input Support
The design supports 24 digital inputs.
•3x Molex 10 pin 0.100” Connectors
•All inputs debounced
•Allows board to be used as only I/O adapter,
connecting coin inputs, start buttons, etc

Output Support
The design supports 8 outputs.
•2x Molex 6 pin 0.100” Connectors
•Supports 5v and 12v outputs
•Works with industry standard coin counters
•Supports guns with built in force feedback solenoids

System Interface
The design uses USB 2.0 HID.
•Standard USB Connector
•Interfaces to system as HID Standard 2 axis,
joysticks
•No Drivers Required
•Works with Linux, Windows and other OS

Power Support
The design uses standard power inputs.
•Logic powered by USB
•PC HDD style input for 12v & 5v power (used for
outputs and audio amplifier
•2 pin Molex 0.156” 24v connector for force feedback power

Firmware Upgradeability
The design uses Cypress PSoC field upgradeable processor.
•Firmware updatable via 5 pin Molex 0.100” input connector

This looks like very good news!

Now keep in mind this isn't something Happ made, it's a different company that is working with Happ.

As I mentioned earlier, we all are excited and enthusiastic about our hobby, but sometimes we forget how small we really are as a community.  The fact that a company is stepping up to work with Happ to try and deliver a product we can use with a PC and Happ's guns, and it's pretty much plug and play... well this is actually incredible news if you ask me.

Some may say the price is too much, but these really are the Ferarris and Holy Grail of light guns that everyone wants.  Only draw back... sorry LCD cab owners, this is CRT only. 

Les did say that it should work with a PC monitor, and I see in the product information it will indeed support up to 1024x768 37.5 KHz.

No price yet, this is basically hot off the presses and I'd really like to thank Les for being so helpful and informative. 

Area51 or Time Crisis anyone and with the real arcade guns? 

[TheShanMan]

At $73.50 for a basic gun from Happ (and even cheaper thru divemaster assuming he'd carry these once the interface board is available), that certainly allows some room for the cost of the interface board given my desired max of $100 per gun (I want 2 of course). Definitely good news!

I've become pretty jaded about light guns for mame though - I subconsciously expect there to be a major drawback of one sort or another. Personally I don't consider the cables to be a drawback - I don't want my kids walking off with the guns! I just wonder what that drawback will be.

Now, I have a vertical monitor that I run at 1024x1280. I'm sure all the lightgun games probably are horizontal, which would be a problem for me if the resolution of the game is anything higher than 800x600. A 1024x768 game would run at 1280x1024 on my monitor, which according to the specs you mention wouldn't fly. Anyone know what the max resolution for lightgun games is?

[wbassett]

I agree Shanman, it's easy to get jaded.

I was pretty impressed with Happ though and their communications and support. 

Les did say these still need to be tested, and he didn't give any prices yet.

If this card can do all on the list, it can also act as a controller interface for some buttons and coin ops, and the 35W amplifier... I can trash my crappy Durabrand 30W amp now!

Shanman, keep in mind you can also build your own gun, Happ sells optic boards too... in fact they sell all the gun guts as well as replacement gun shells or complete units. 

Now we have to see how this baby performs and what the ultimate price will be.

At $73.50 for a basic gun from Happ (and even cheaper thru divemaster assuming he'd carry these once the interface board is available), that certainly allows some room for the cost of the interface board given my desired max of $100 per gun (I want 2 of course). Definitely good news!

Yeah two basic actual arcade guns, $147... as long as this board pans out and is reasonbly priced, this could be right around the price of a two gun ActLabs setup, plus this board can also be used as a controller for other things as well. 

[u_rebelscum]

I wonder what's the other company?

...Multiple Video Support...

Good.

Built in Audio Amplifier...

I don't see a need for us here, but what the hay.

Gun Support
Input Support
Output Support

Good
good
good

System Interface
The design uses USB 2.0 HID.
•Standard USB Connector
•Interfaces to system as HID Standard 2 axis,
joysticks
•Works with Linux, Windows and other OS

good, good, good  (and yes acting as an analog joystick is fine for mame)

•No Drivers Required

Wrong.  Wrong, wrong wrong.  (I hate that above false statement;; makes support so much harder.)

It's market-speak for "Seems like it doesn't require the user to install a driver, since the device uses a standard driver that comes with the OS that installs automatically". 
It needs a driver, period.

Not that this is a reason to not buy it; it's so common that it's almost a required lie market-speak stat to sell to the masses nowadays. [sigh]

[/rant=off]

Power Support
Firmware Upgradeability...

This looks like very good news!

Agree.  I await the product.

In a nutshell... Les said yes he has heard of ROR3 and the ULGI but they haven't received any for testing.

I swear the R0R3 ulgi used to be listed on-line on happs site a long time ago (around when, or just after, XP first came out, IIRC), as well as reselling r0r3's serial ucgi for a lot longer time (happs semi-recently dropped the serial tgci for the current USB ugci).  Happs also used to resell an Optipac-like interface from r0r3, around the same time (wayback); I own one of these.

[TPB]

R0R3 USB Optical Light Gun Interface Board (http://www.r0r3.com/productsusbopticalgun.htm)

I tried getting ahold of Jack J. McCauley at ROR3 about a half dozen times (not a good sign right there) and he is never at his number and I haven't received a call back from him.

I reckon the best option is still the HK-EMS Topgun, together with their upcoming Topgun II.

Don't get your hopes up with ROR3.

You're not the first guy who's unsuccessfully tried to enquire about that product.

I sent an email to R0R3, and they never bothered to respond.

Others have reported the same lack of interest from them.


Possibilities :

** This guy's no longer in business,

** He no longer offers this particular product for sale,

** His customer service is UP SH-IT CREEK,

** He's not interested in retail sales ... he only does "B2B" transactions, ie, bulk quantities to wholesale business customers.

[wbassett]

TPB I don't have any hopes up for ROR3.  After leaving several voice mails with Jack and never getting a reply I got the feeling they didn't care if they sold the ULGI or not, like you said maybe they only sold to other businesses and not private individuals.  After talking to Happ today, I got the impression ROR3 may not even have one ready to sell.  Les said they have been waiting for one to test and even they can't get one.

I'd say they definitely are up the creek.  If it's that hard to get ahold of them for a sale, I'd hate to think what customer support is like if there is a problem.  I'd say option number 2 applies, he no longer offers this product forsale.


u_rebelscum- I didn't ask Happ, but I'd guess after trying to get the UGLI and having no luck, Happ probably removed the listing on their site.  They still sell the UGCI though like you mentioned.

All in all, the lack of response from ROR3 that multiple people have just mentioned, they aren't sending out a very good message.

Here is the interface the other company has-


As far as the HK-EMS TopGun being the best option, they are the only off the shelf option for non-CRT setups.  This new interface still needs testing as well as we have to find out how much it is going to cost.  If the company really is targeting us, the MAME market, then the price should be reasonable, but they also could be pigs about the price knowing they have a unique product... especially if it works and works well.  Let's hope they are reasonable about the price.

Happ guns start at $73.50, and Beston guns start at $69.95.  For the sake of debate, let's go with a hopefull guess the interface will cost no more than $75, and more importantly, it actually does what the company says.  That's  $214 - $222 for a two gun setup with actual arcade guns.  Plus the board can drive your cab's speakers (35W is more than enough for me) and you can connect 24 digital inputs.  Not too shabby... if it works, and if it's around that price range.

Looking at the board, it has a VGA video passthrough like the ActLabs VGA interface, but you only need this one unit to connect two guns, not two at $79.99 each and then you still have to buy the guns, and an IPAQ or other controller interface for the cp. 

Since I don't have an LCD display and am not restricted to just one type of gun, I am definitely interested in this. 

[Timstuff]

This seems like a good option if you are using a genuine arcade monitor, which many people who would actually be using real arcade guns likely would be. However, there's still that unfilled niche for people who are using TVs and LCD monitors, who would like to get their hands on an arcade-quality light gun, but are forced to settle for the likes of the LCD Topgun. That's not a dis against the Topgun, but compared to the real guns that I play House of the Dead, Time Crisis 2, and Jurassic Park with at the arcade, it nowhere near as durable or sturdy feeling, and the kickback is totally weaksauce.

Maybe the ideal solution for someone like me, would be if someone could make a conversion kit for the topgun. If there was a way to open the thing up, put it in a beefier, sturdier, more "arcade-like" casing, and possibly throw in a more powerful motor for the kickback, that would be awesome. I don't know how complicated it'd be to transfer the guts of a Topgun into a new casing (or swapping out the motors, for that matter), but it seems like it'd be a worthy endeavor for any entrepreneur with the resources to do it.

[CheffoJeffo]

This, if it indeed turns out, is the solution that I want -- thanks, wbassett, for the detailed update.

It might be time to change the JAMMA gun cabinet to a MAME gun cabinet ... which is good since I'm bored of Lethal Enforcers and Egg Venture.  The audio amp will come in handy there.

[stan2323]

Gun Support
The design supports existing off the shelf light guns.
•Molex 8 pin 0.100” Connectors
•Works with Happ & Betson / Imperial Guns &
Rifles
•No Modifications to guns or board required

Assuming means it will support the 29 inch pump action shot gun I may be interested in this. 

[northerngames]

Hopefully it can do composite and seperate sync and still work correctly.

[TPB]

wbasset,

This is indeed great news.

Nothing beats the feel or quality of a Genuine Arcade gun.

Les was fantastic to talk to and did tell me that they are supposed to be getting an interface from a different company to check out that will allow their arcade guns to be connected directly to a PC.  He sent me some information and it looks pretty good from the overview pdf.

... link or attachment ?

[Jdurg]

Wow.  This sounds incredible!  It's a gun interface, an audio amplifier, AND a video converter.  So would this device make it so that I wouldn't need to purchase an ArcadeVGA card, but could instead just plug my computer video output into this thing and it would convert it the proper signal for a real Arcade Monitor? 

If that's the case, I see $150 being a VERY reasonable price considering what it does.

[wbassett]

This seems like a good option if you are using a genuine arcade monitor, which many people who would actually be using real arcade guns likely would be. However, there's still that unfilled niche for people who are using TVs and LCD monitors, who would like to get their hands on an arcade-quality light gun, but are forced to settle for the likes of the LCD Topgun. That's not a dis against the Topgun, but compared to the real guns that I play House of the Dead, Time Crisis 2, and Jurassic Park with at the arcade, it nowhere near as durable or sturdy feeling, and the kickback is totally weaksauce.

Maybe the ideal solution for someone like me, would be if someone could make a conversion kit for the topgun. If there was a way to open the thing up, put it in a beefier, sturdier, more "arcade-like" casing, and possibly throw in a more powerful motor for the kickback, that would be awesome. I don't know how complicated it'd be to transfer the guts of a Topgun into a new casing (or swapping out the motors, for that matter), but it seems like it'd be a worthy endeavor for any entrepreneur with the resources to do it.

Tim it will work with a PC monitor too.  Off hand I'd say it wouldn't work with a TV though and we definitely know it won't work with any non-CRT technology.  It still isn't an all in one ultimate solution, and in my personal opinion there really isn't any one setup that is.  Some come close, but each have their pros and cons.

As far as gutting the TopGun and transferring it to a different gun casing, sure anything is possible.  People on this forum pull off the impossible everyday!

The only real weak area of the gun itself in my opinion is the recoil.  It could be a tad heavier just for that 'rugged feel' but you know what?  We really don't want a heavy gun, but like you said a beefy and sturdy gun. Too much heft and you wouldn't want to use it for hours on end. 

When mine wasn't working I did take it apart to see if it was something I could fix, and if I couldn't then I would have gutted it to see what all was in there.  The gun is pretty packed inside.  The circuit board doesn't look cheap and flimsy.  What really makes the TG look a bit cheap is the recoil slide.  If I were EMS I probably would drop the whimpy recoil for a solid body gun with a thumper or rumble pack in it, but before even doing that it still has to perform.    The new drivers sound really good, now if they can do something about those ugly cords on the LED sensor bars!  So yes you probably could transfer it to another gun.  Airsoft would be out unless it were a rifle because the board is bigger than what most pistols have room inside, but... Happcontrols sells arcade gun but keep in mind that is still going to set you back $40 or more.

This board if it pans out will give a viable option and competition to ActLabs, and as I have said in other threads, competition isn't always a bad thing.  The TopGun still doesn't have any commercial competition, so it's up to them to step up to the plate and become the standard they want to be.  They have to keep on their toes because the Wii mote does work and as far as accuracy, the people I have talked to that use it all say it is very accurate.  The number one problem with it right now for Mame is it needs a PC driver.  When that is developed, then there will be another viable option for LCD and all types of monitors.

As far as CRT users, specifically arcade CRTs and PC monitors, this is a very exciting option.

[wbassett]

wbasset,

This is indeed great news.

Nothing beats the feel or quality of a Genuine Arcade gun.

Les was fantastic to talk to and did tell me that they are supposed to be getting an interface from a different company to check out that will allow their arcade guns to be connected directly to a PC.  He sent me some information and it looks pretty good from the overview pdf.

... link or attachment ?

TPB all the information I have right now is what I posted in the first post.  Those are the specs of the new board.  This isn't from ROR3, it is a totally different company.

I transfered all the info directly from the PDF to here, can I put a file attachment here in the forum?  If so I can put the actual PDF up, I just don't know how and didn't know I could.

[wbassett]

Wow.  This sounds incredible!  It's a gun interface, an audio amplifier, AND a video converter.  So would this device make it so that I wouldn't need to purchase an ArcadeVGA card, but could instead just plug my computer video output into this thing and it would convert it the proper signal for a real Arcade Monitor? 

If that's the case, I see $150 being a VERY reasonable price considering what it does.

Honestly I don't know and can't answer that and right now neither can Les because the board still has to be tested and run through its paces.

I interpreted it as the board accepts and passes through the video signal for sync purposes and supports the resolutions listed, but I don't think it converts to different resolutions.  You'd still need a card that supports whatever resolution your monitor uses.  It is nice that in addition to PC standard VGA connectors it also has arcade low/med resolution molex connectors.  Now what would be cool, but I seriously doubt the board does this or could handle it would be if you could plug in a VGA connector from the video card (set to arcade resolution either through native settings or with Powerstip) and then use the molex connector out to the monitor.  My bet is it's VGA to VGA, molex to molex...

We'll know more once we get our hands on one.  IF it does everything it says, it might be a nice little gem especially for someone building a new cab.  It sounds like it basically will handle most (but not all) of the common types of controller inputs in addition to supporting actual arcade light gun hardware.  Everyone has said they wished there was an easy way to connect an actual arcade gun to a MAME system, this may be that ticket.

[divemaster127]

I do stock the basic red & blue happ styles of this gun & I do provide cheaper, several other colors are available, at the moment I do not stock these.  That would be awesome to be able to use these guns on our mame cabs
dm

[Timstuff]

This seems like a good option if you are using a genuine arcade monitor, which many people who would actually be using real arcade guns likely would be. However, there's still that unfilled niche for people who are using TVs and LCD monitors, who would like to get their hands on an arcade-quality light gun, but are forced to settle for the likes of the LCD Topgun. That's not a dis against the Topgun, but compared to the real guns that I play House of the Dead, Time Crisis 2, and Jurassic Park with at the arcade, it nowhere near as durable or sturdy feeling, and the kickback is totally weaksauce.

Maybe the ideal solution for someone like me, would be if someone could make a conversion kit for the topgun. If there was a way to open the thing up, put it in a beefier, sturdier, more "arcade-like" casing, and possibly throw in a more powerful motor for the kickback, that would be awesome. I don't know how complicated it'd be to transfer the guts of a Topgun into a new casing (or swapping out the motors, for that matter), but it seems like it'd be a worthy endeavor for any entrepreneur with the resources to do it.

Tim it will work with a PC monitor too.  Off hand I'd say it wouldn't work with a TV though and we definitely know it won't work with any non-CRT technology.  It still isn't an all in one ultimate solution, and in my personal opinion there really isn't any one setup that is.  Some come close, but each have their pros and cons.

As far as gutting the TopGun and transferring it to a different gun casing, sure anything is possible.  People on this forum pull off the impossible everyday!

The only real weak area of the gun itself in my opinion is the recoil.  It could be a tad heavier just for that 'rugged feel' but you know what?  We really don't want a heavy gun, but like you said a beefy and sturdy gun. Too much heft and you wouldn't want to use it for hours on end. 

When mine wasn't working I did take it apart to see if it was something I could fix, and if I couldn't then I would have gutted it to see what all was in there.  The gun is pretty packed inside.  The circuit board doesn't look cheap and flimsy.  What really makes the TG look a bit cheap is the recoil slide.  If I were EMS I probably would drop the whimpy recoil for a solid body gun with a thumper or rumble pack in it, but before even doing that it still has to perform.    The new drivers sound really good, now if they can do something about those ugly cords on the LED sensor bars!  So yes you probably could transfer it to another gun.  Airsoft would be out unless it were a rifle because the board is bigger than what most pistols have room inside, but... Happcontrols sells arcade gun but keep in mind that is still going to set you back $40 or more.

Out of sheer curiosity, I went to Happ's website and saw that they sell replacement shells for House of the Dead's guns for a pretty reasonable $25. I wonder if there's enough room inside of it to make an LCD Topgun hack plausible?



http://happ.com/amusement/optical/op_guns.htm

[wbassett]

It should fit in there Tim but keep in mind that's $25 per side, so $50 for the complete gun shell.

[TPB]

It should fit in there Tim but keep in mind that's $25 per side, so $50 for the complete gun shell.

No, it's a better deal than that.

There are no separate product numbers for left or right halves, as would have to be the case if they were sold separately.

You get BOTH halves for the $25.78

It is called a "Sega Gun Half Set", and the product description states :

Set includes left and right gun half


http://happ.com/amusement/optical/25355408.htm

[TPB]

As opposed to this gun, which is sold in individual halves.

Accordingly, there's separate product numbers for the left and right gun halves :

http://happ.com/amusement/optical/CTF210100.htm


wbasset, this gun would be more to your liking.   

[wbassett]

It should fit in there Tim but keep in mind that's $25 per side, so $50 for the complete gun shell.

No, it's a better deal than that.

There are no separate product numbers for left or right halves, as would have to be the case if they were sold separately.

You get BOTH halves for the $25.78

It is called a "Sega Gun Half Set", and the product description states :

Set includes left and right gun half


http://happ.com/amusement/optical/25355408.htm

You're right, I miss read that.  Not bad at all then.

[wbassett]

As opposed to this gun, which is sold in individual halves.

Accordingly, there's separate product numbers for the left and right gun halves :

http://happ.com/amusement/optical/CTF210100.htm


wbasset, this gun would be more to your liking.   

Actually these are more to my liking and the most expensive one cost me $30

But yes I do like that style.

[TPB]

From this point on, let's make this thread a "Topgun free zone", and keep it focused on this exciting new interface for Arcade light guns.

There's already plenty of other threads knocking about, for posts specifically related to the Topgun.





As the recently announced Topgun II appears a little underwhelming (just a rebadged Topgun with Vista support), this interface will be much appreciated.

Competition is always healthy, so if this product is a viable alternative for those with CRT displays, then bring it on !!

wbasset ...

Do you know any names (Product Name of the interface board, and the Company Name of those behind it) ?

It'd create a bit more excitement if it had a name, a buzzword of some sort, rather than just referring to it as "the new company's interface board".   

Please keep us updated with any further news !

[wbassett]

If I had a name trust me I would have posted it.  I think the issue is Happ doesn't want to jump the gun, this is new and they have to test it out yet before they put it on their site.  I got the impression the third party company wanted to sell through Happ so I can respect that they don't want to mention the name until they know if it's the real deal or not.

I already told Les as soon as he gets one I want to give it a try myself, so I'm waiting now just like everyone else.

This isn't the ultimate answer for everyone.  It still isn't an LCD or even a TV solution, but for arcade monitor users or PC monitor users this could finally allow us to have a very easy way to interface a real PC light gun into our system.

Has anyone seen the deal on ebay?  http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=360059286358&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=023 10 arcade guns for $103!  Most are probably broken, but there are pistols and shotguns in there, and the replacement parts are pretty cheap.

We really need this interface!

[aljupy]

 

Oh man, I wish they make it LCD/All screens compatible.

Now I can not live without it.

I say it, because I would like a LightGun wich is like a Joystick. So..... Old LightGun games should be very very compatible. HOD1, Vcop, Vcop2, Everything wich joystick would be playable as lightgun.....

Regards

[wbassett]

I sent Les an email for an update and he responded saying they just received the boards they ordered and will be testing them out in a couple of days.  If they pass muster he'll have some more detailed information and I think we will be close to an availability date and price.

[TPB]

wbasset,

Thanks for keeping us posted.   

This product has great potential.

[wbassett]

It sure sounds good, but let's hope it's not too good to be true and ends up having some major issues.

At least they got some boards to test out.  ROR3 never sent Happ anything to evaluate so at at least this is a good sign that there is at least a product this time.

[highlander4]

Are there any updates on when the lightgun interface might be available?

[wbassett]

No no new updates.  I'm disappointed too.  Everything was going great too... good communications, a very interesting sounding product, and then boom... I haven't heard back from Les in weeks now.

[highlander4]

Thanks for the reply.  I already have a gun for my arcade, but would like to have a real arcade gun with the bolt action .

[Shieldwolf]

AMEN TO THAT!
Give me that and a pedal and I'm good to go.

[wbassett]

I'll hit him up again and see where they are at.  They definitely should be done with their testing by now.

[davidrfoley]

http://www.nanotechent.com/opti-gun.php

[davidrfoley]

I spoke to Les at Happ.

I called in reference to R0R3 USB Optical Light Gun Interface Board (http://www.r0r3.com/productsusbopticalgun.htm).  I tried getting ahold of Jack J. McCauley at ROR3 about a half dozen times (not a good sign right there) and he is never at his number and I haven't received a call back from him.

ROR3 had nothing to do with this board or its design.  If you were told that you were misled.  The board is manufactured and sold by NanoTech Entertainment, and Happ is one of the distributors of the board.

[davidrfoley]

Wow.  This sounds incredible!  It's a gun interface, an audio amplifier, AND a video converter.  So would this device make it so that I wouldn't need to purchase an ArcadeVGA card, but could instead just plug my computer video output into this thing and it would convert it the proper signal for a real Arcade Monitor? 

It does not provide video conversion.  The video connectors on the board are simply pass through for the signal so that the board can pick up the sync signals for timing of the gun circuits.

[wbassett]

I spoke to Les at Happ.

I called in reference to R0R3 USB Optical Light Gun Interface Board (http://www.r0r3.com/productsusbopticalgun.htm).  I tried getting ahold of Jack J. McCauley at ROR3 about a half dozen times (not a good sign right there) and he is never at his number and I haven't received a call back from him.

ROR3 had nothing to do with this board or its design.  If you were told that you were misled.  The board is manufactured and sold by NanoTech Entertainment, and Happ is one of the distributors of the board.

Sorry if I wasn't clear...

No I did not mean that ROR3 had anything to do with this new board.  I was saying Happ had a light gun interface listed at one time from ROR3.  I tried repeatedly to contact ROR3 about the interface and never once got a call back nor was Jack ever in his office.  As I stated that was a very bad sign and vibe.  I then called Happ and spoke to them and was informed they never received a board from ROR3 to test so they were pulling it from their site. 

Les at Happ did tell me of this new board and that they do indeed have one and are in the process of testing it out.  I relayed the vast interest that many have and he said when they were done testing he would make one available to me to test and write a review on.  (If you want to send me one to write a review on that would be fantastic and I am more than positive a lot of people are chomping at the bit to find out more about this board and what it can do )

Right now I am waiting to hear back from him as are many others.  This is the board that a lot of us have been waiting for!

Dave maybe you can answer some other questions about it if you don't mind...

The pdf I have lists that this board also has multiple inputs, I am assuming for buttons and sticks.  Does that mean this can act like an interface for our purposes for cp controls?  If so, the 35W amplifer, light gun interface, as well as a CP interface makes this very interesting.

Next question, can you give any details on the sonic board?  Are there currently guns in production for this technology and if so who makes them and any idea of the MSRP?

[Shieldwolf]

200.00 for this and 900.00 for two Time Crisis Guns. Might as well buy Time Crisis machine

[wbassett]

200.00 for this and 900.00 for two Time Crisis Guns. Might as well buy Time Crisis machine

Keep in mind we don't have a real street price on this yet, and you don't have to get $900 guns, you can use the basic arcade guns with this too. 

eBay has arcade guns listed on a regular basis too.

Personally, I'm just waiting for all these interfaces to settle and a viable option finally come out of all this and then I will be retro-fitting the optic boards from into airsoft electric guns.  There is plenty of room inside them and the air pistons provide quite a recoil kick.  In fact my P90 kicks so hard and loud I'll actually have to tame it down. 


A new recoil gun from Happ is $147
http://www.happcontrols.com/amusement/optical/962700xxtc.htm

As far as Time Crisis guns, right now on eBay there are two auctions, one is for three guns and is currently at $188.  The other is for one Time Crisis gun and is at $9.99 right now.  If you keep a sharp eye you can find a good deal and then you'll be wanting an interface to connect it to.

I'm just as interested to hear about the 24 inputs, as in can these be used for player buttons and work with MAME? 

[davidrfoley]

The pdf I have lists that this board also has multiple inputs, I am assuming for buttons and sticks.  Does that mean this can act like an interface for our purposes for cp controls? 

Yes, I designed this board so that it would be the only board required to implement a gun game in an arcade cabinet.  It has 24 general inputs and 8 general outputs, plus 2 force feedback outputs.

Next question, can you give any details on the sonic board?  Are there currently guns in production for this technology and if so who makes them and any idea of the MSRP?

We have released the prototype PCB's for production and are working on the firmware and DSP code.  We are hoping to wrap up the Sonic Gun System very soon.  We already have some major manufaturers waiting for delivery.  Happ has signed up for exclusive distribution rights for the coin-op market, so they will be the only manufacturer in the coin-op space.  NanoTech will be releasing a consumer version of the Sonic Gun System including Guns and Rifles and plan on licensing it to other Consumer distributors.

I have no idea on the MSRP, but the goal was to make it not that much more expsensive than the optical technology.  The sensors costs a little bit more, and four are needed around the screen and one or two in the gun.  There is also a DSP on the board which adds some costs.  Otherwise, the electronics, and plastics are almost identical to the OptiGun solution.  I designed the gun and rifle PCB's to use the same footprint as the current guns so minimal changes to the housings would be required for the Sonic Gun System.