One PC, two cabinets? Possible? How?

[Apollo]

If I wanted to run 2 cabs ( 1 19" horizontal and 1 19" vertical ) from 1 PC how would I do it? Or better still how would you do it? Ideas?
I want to use ArcadeVGA and IPAC ( x2? ) if that helps. Has anyone done this before?
I realise you couldn't use them at the same time but that's not a problem.

[HeadRusch]

If I had to do it, i wouldn't......I'd simply buy another motherboard/cpu/ram/videocard/hd/cdrom for the 2nd box.

Remember, vertical monitor games are essentially old games.......you can buy a 1Ghz combo and all the essentials above for like $200 bucks or so.......you dont need a 4Ghz cpu to play any vertical games.

[Apollo]

Yeah you are right. However I am trying to be a total tight ass lol. VERY limited budget thanks to my wife not really understanding why I have to have an arcade machine "taking up space" in the first place lol.
I'm sure it must have been done before, am I missing any obvious MAJOR problems? Because at first sight it seems like a reasonable way to go.

[SirPoonga]

There would be no easy way to do it with arcade monitors.  with pc monitors, easy as pie.  Just use a kvm.  Linksys makes a great home one for two pcs.

[anthony691]

There would be no easy way to do it with arcade monitors.  with pc monitors, easy as pie.  Just use a kvm.  Linksys makes a great home one for two pcs.

ONE PC, TWO cabs! I don't see how a KVM could help you here...

[shmokes]

There are things that act sort of opposite KVM.  The folks at Maximum PC got one a couple years ago so they could test monitors as objectively as possible.  If you think about it there would be quite a few legitimate purposes, like displaying the same image on multiple screens on a tradeshow floor, for example.  I'll try to figure out what it's called.

[Hoagie_one]

you could use the ipac 4 player model and cinfigure player 1-2 for one cab and player 3-4 for the other cab, then you need a two monitor video card, or two separate video cards.  Then you gotta configure it somehow to run different instances of mame and to display in teh monitor somehow.  I'd ahve no idea how to do it.  Might be cheaper just to get a POS computer off ebay to run cab2

[anthony691]

There are things that act sort of opposite KVM.  The folks at Maximum PC got one a couple years ago so they could test monitors as objectively as possible.  If you think about it there would be quite a few legitimate purposes, like displaying the same image on multiple screens on a tradeshow floor, for example.  I'll try to figure out what it's called.

Hmm... I am sort of in the market for such a thing... if anyone has one, I would trade for a 4-port belkin KVM w/ cables and some cash if needed.

[shmokes]

Here's an example:

http://www.kvms.com/vga_splitters/2_port_vga_splitters.asp

[anthony691]

Wow, I actually have a VGA Switch... now how would I do controls?

I have a computer on one side of my basement, how bad would signal loss be?

So now I just need one for controls...

[Magnet_Eye]

If all you want is to be able to play vertical and horizontal, why not have a rotating monitor? or use a 25" monitor so the vertical games are close to actual size?

just some thoughts.


-Oh, I just had a brain fart. Remember those Vs. Cabinets with two monitors in them, what if you had a cab like that with one horz and one vert monitor? that would be cool!  

[shmokes]

The controls would be easy.  Just make two control panels (one in each cabinet) but wire them both to the same relative spots on the Ipac, i.e., player 1 start button on Control Panel 1 is wired to the same spot on the Ipac as the player 1 start button on Control Panel 2, etc.

A wiring block would make this easier/cleaner, as pictured in this thread:

http://www.arcadecontrols.org/yabbse/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=7920

As far as video signal loss I think it depends on the splitter.  Black Box makes some high quality ones that claim that you can put your displays 300 feet from the splitter before there is noticable video quality loss.

[Apollo]

If all you want is to be able to play vertical and horizontal, why not have a rotating monitor? or use a 25" monitor so the vertical games are close to actual size?

just some thoughts.


-Oh, I just had a brain fart. Remember those Vs. Cabinets with two monitors in them, what if you had a cab like that with one horz and one vert monitor? that would be cool!  

I think you are right, in the weekend I found a working Street Fighter cab with 25" monitor for NZ$450 ( approx US$210 ). I think I'm gonna get it. Now what to do with my other cab that I spent so long sanding and priming, oh well. Anyone in the Waikato in New Zealand want a free cab with glass bezel and duel coin mech?