How can I build a Mame arcade and one hooked up to ps2?

[Teach]

I am just in the planning stages right now.  I want to create an arcade that can be hooked up to both a PC and a Ps2.  Is that possible?  There are all the classic arcade games that I want to play using MaMe, but there are also a bunch of newer games that I would like to play on it that are available through the Playstation 2.  Even if I have to manually open the cabinet to switch the hookups from the pc to the playstation, is this a possible idea?  Any help I could get would be appreciated.  I have just been doing research and I believe I understand how the pc arcade would work alone and how the ps2 alone would work, but trying to throw them both together is confusing me.  Thanks a bunch for any help. 

[Ginsu Victim]

If you hack a PS1 or PS2 controller, you can run your arcade buttons and joystick to it, and then use a Playstation to USB adapter to play it on the PC.

[Jack Burton]

or just buy one of these:

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

[SavannahLion]

or just buy one of these:
http://www.ultimarc.com/psx.html

That would work really well with the old PS/2 KVM switchers. You'll be forced to use a PC with PS/2 ports though.

[Ginsu Victim]

I didn't know they stopped putting PS2 ports on some new PCs. Wow.

[Jack Burton]

yep, didn't think of that.   But, it's not too hard to just go out and buy ps/2 port card for your computer to upgrade it.

[SavannahLion]

I didn't know they stopped putting PS2 ports on some new PCs. Wow.

It came as a bit of a shock to me too when I first bought a laptop without one. More than a few of the boards I've been looking at lack PS/2 as well. It's somewhat annoying since my absolute favorite keyboard of all time probably isn't a USB board.

It's going to get real annoying when the manufacturers figure out they can drop the audio jacks and just use USB expecting the end consumer to buy the adapter.

yep, didn't think of that.   But, it's not too hard to just go out and buy ps/2 port card for your computer to downgrade it.

Corrected   

[Turnarcades]

I built a cabinet just like this for my first machine So here's a few pointers:

- I advise using a TV with S-video input so the PC and PS2 can be plugged in at the same time and you can just change the channel accordingly. You can plug both into a VGA switcher box and run them on a PC monitor, but the picture on PS2 games doesn't look great on a monitor. Just het a good quality TV.
- I hacked genuine PS1 joypads for my project, with the pors accessible behind the coin door so the coul easily be switched between the controller ports on the PS2 and the joypad adapter plugged into my PC.
- Be advised that some games on PS2 may show an error when running a de-shelled/hacked joypad.
- If running this kind of setup, I'd also advise using an i-pac instead of a joypad adapter for connection to the PC. That way you don't have to switch where the joypads are plugged in. I also found that one the joypads had been hacked they had a few lag/ghosting problems when plugged into the joypad adapter so this may be better.
- Choosing a CRT PC means you can use the G-Con guns for games like Time Crisis on the PS2.

[Teach]

Awesome!!! Thanks for all the fast advice.  Quick question about the Ultimarc Playstation Adaptors that I was told about.  So I would hook up the keyboard to the control adapter and that would plug into the playstation as controllers?  Another question.  Can I use the adapter that is found on ebay to convert the ps2 controller to usb?  And if so, how can I connect these to the joysticks that will more than likely be run to a usb cable?