CP Harness and ArcadeVGA Questions

[FlashFreak]

Hey everyone, great community, you actually pushed me to buy my first cab, after long reads!

I picked up a Sunset Riders JAMMA+ cab in very good condition for around $300CAN.  It was a steal I couldn't pass up.  It's in fully working condition, the monitor is in GREAT condition with no burn in, and the CP (with the exception of one gummed up joystick) is fully functional - 4 coin slots, hardly a scratch on the plexiglas monitor cover.  Some cigarette burns on the control panel, but I'm getting ready to replace that anyway.

I'm turning it into a MAME cab.  I've got the computer all ready to go, and it has an X800 graphic card in it.  I've been doing some reading on software drivers that will adjust the output to the required 15Khz.

I have an old VGA cable or three lying around and was going to wire it up to the monitor.  But I'm torn.  I don't want to damage the monitor or the PC in the process.

It's a good graphic card, but would I be better off for sheer convenience to go with an ArcadeVGA Card?

It's a JAMMA cab with original wiring (the machine is 2 button, 4 players).  I have the manual for the cab with all the pinouts. For MAME, I'd like to build a loaded CP, with 6 button P1 and P2, and 4 button P3 and P4.  I also want to add a spinner and a track ball.  That seems to me, from what I've read, more than a J-PAC can handle.

One article recommended an ArcadeVGA to J-PAC to JAMMA harness, but am I wrong in  thinking the J-PAC can't handle all those controls?

If so, should I go with an ArcadeVGA and an I-PAC4?  If so, will I then need a custom cable to go from the ArcadeVGA to the arcade monitor?

Sorry guys, just getting into this and I'm a bit confused. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

ff.

[ahofle]

For the sake of simplicity (and considering you are going all out MAME on this), I would just go with the AVGA + IPAC4.  The AVGA will also take care of the VGA boot screens that appear before Windows loads so you won't have to worry about damaging your monitor.  You can get a VGA break out cable from ultimarc too which connects easily from your video card to your arcade monitor.

[CheffoJeffo]

If you want to go 4-player, then you can either use a JPac (for P1 and P2) and IPac-2 (for P3 and P4) or rewire the cabinet and go with an IPac-4. I second the recommendation for the AVGA (and, if you don't go with the JPac, you will need to hack/buy a cable to connect the PC to the monitor).

In either case, you will also need an optical encoder (like the OptiPac) for your spinner/trackball.

If it were me, I would use a JPac, IPac-2, AVGA and OptiPac, but, as ahofle points out, it may just be simpler to rewire the cabinet for an IPac-4 instead of going with the JPac/IPac-2.

[Ummon]

Especially if you're not preserving the jamma feature, it's much less money to make your own breakout cable (seriously simple it is) and run an IPAC 4. Depending on the type (read - brand) of trackball you get, it may already have an encoder.

Unless you go seriously retro or homebrew your spinner will certainly have an encoder. I think the GGG spinner accomodates itself and a slave unit, so you could possibly connect a trackball with no encoder that would share one axis - which is the case in Windows, anyways.

Your card works just fine with soft15. Bios screens can be filtered out easily; my PCIe compatible mobo has integrated, so if I set in the bios to 'PCI/internal VGA', it defaults to the integrated until Windows loads and voila.

[extendedplayarcade]

Especially if you're not preserving the jamma feature, it's much less money to make your own breakout cable (seriously simple it is)

Is that with an arcade VGA card?  Or without?

I been on the fence myself in converting my golden tee to a golden mame and want to hook up my PC to a Arcade Monitor.

I kinda want to do it on the cheap for now to get it to work but then upgrade along the way.  (i am strapped for cash because of my little girl and a new born on the way and in need of a bigger home)

Anyways if you have any link to these hacks that would be awesome

Thanks in advance
Brent
www.extendedplayarcade.com

[Ummon]

Whether using an avga or soft15, you'll need a breakout cable for interface with an arcade monitor. Look in the wiki. It's all there....and whatever ain't is here.

[Axe]

Hey everyone, great community, you actually pushed me to buy my first cab, after long reads!

I picked up a Sunset Riders JAMMA+ cab in very good condition for around $300CAN.  It was a steal I couldn't pass up. 

At least now i know who got the cab i looked at and tried to buy before i got my Showcase!!!!
 

I think you ened up beting me by a few hours...  Looked like a cool cabinet... it would be perfect for Bigger guys like me who want toplay head to head... (a normal SFii cab layout gets tight)

If you aren't preserving jamma, just go with an Ipac...  Use an arcade VGA and the extra amplifier circuit off of Andy's web page...  His J-pac, would work, but you'll have to do some creative wiring (the J-pac does include extra termials for "extra" switches., like extra buttons.) and use multiple interfaces if you want extra controls.

take some pics, and let us know how it goes!!!!

(fellow noob)
dave

[extendedplayarcade]

Whether using an avga or soft15, you'll need a breakout cable for interface with an arcade monitor. Look in the wiki. It's all there....and whatever ain't is here.

I saw one article that showed how to make the cable for an RGB Arcade Monitor.  So you can do this with any graphics DVI Card?  Just have to hack the cable?  Seems like a free lunch? I can't see that it can be that easy. 

But I might be mis-reading it.

Thanks
Brent
www.extendedplayarcade.com

[Thenasty]

You can make your own breakout cable.
Here is the diagram to make one yourself. 4th post down.
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=38228.0

[ahofle]

I saw one article that showed how to make the cable for an RGB Arcade Monitor.  So you can do this with any graphics DVI Card?  Just have to hack the cable?  Seems like a free lunch? I can't see that it can be that easy. 

But I might be mis-reading it.

That's only half the battle.  You also need to get your PC's video card to display 15khz CGA resolutions.  That's what Soft15khz does, but it doesn't work for all video cards.

[ChadTower]

Be careful what cable you choose to make the breakout... I've been trying to make one for a week now from a VGA extension cable and it has gone about as well as playing in traffic.   

[extendedplayarcade]

The more I think about all the head ache it seems to be to use an existing video card.

The Arcade VGA is looking like a bargain.

Arcade VGA into a Jpac to the arcade monitor running 15khz.

Sounds like added cost but seems like a no brainer.  It also seems like it is the easiest way as well.

Anyone else have this set up?  I might have to go this route if and when I convert over my golden tee 99 cabinet. 

Thanks

[Nemss316]

I am also in the process of modding an existing cabinet to MAME. Mine is a two-player TMNT cabinet.

My Jamma Harness has the pinouts for three buttons each for P1 and P2. I have been doing a ton of research on this, and with some help here on the boards, I am just going to get the J-Pac, and wire the extra buttons to that. Then I will just use the ArcadeVGA to the J-Pac, that way I know I don't damage the monitor. And the ArcadeVGA will play all MAME games with no issues. Its a no-brainer for me.

Be sure to post some pics!

[CheffoJeffo]

Sounds like added cost but seems like a no brainer.  It also seems like it is the easiest way as well.

Anyone else have this set up?

It's what I do with mine.

 

[Ummon]

The JPAC, yes, but the arcadeVGA I don't see as a necessity. Isn't one feature of the JPAC to screen out modes your monitor isn't capable of?

[Nemss316]

I havent bought all of my equipment yet, but I heard that the new JPac's negate the reason to get an ArcadeVGA. I will most likely buy one anyway, just to be on the safe side.

[CheffoJeffo]

I heard that the new JPac's negate the reason to get an ArcadeVGA.

Unless Andy added a scan converter (in which case I  , but I don't think he did), you still need to get your VGA card to put out a proper sync signal (and, if you want them, arcade-authentic resolutions).

Isn't one feature of the JPAC to screen out modes your monitor isn't capable of?

Yes, the JPAC will not pass through a signal that isn't in range (or I presume it does because Andy says it does ... I've never tested that feature).

[Nemss316]

I'm still planning on getting the ArcadeVGA and the J-Pac both, just so I can make sure my monitor puts out the correct signal.

I'm guessing the monitor will go to the Jamma board, then from the JPac to the PC via VGA cable?