The NEW Build Your Own Arcade Controls

Main => Monitor/Video Forum => Topic started by: LaC on December 10, 2023, 04:54:46 pm

Title: ArcadeVGA Died, now what?
Post by: LaC on December 10, 2023, 04:54:46 pm
I have a MAME machine setup with ArcadeVGA (and other Ultimarc products) to a WG 27D9204 mulitsync monitor. It was output most of all the proper resolutions etc.  Has been great for all this time.  Well now the video card just died, and they don't make them any more.  It's running on an old PC I've had hooked up for around 10 years.
I would love to just swap out with a replacement card, but they seem hard to come by.

I'm curious though what are people doing these days to run MAME to a multisync arcade monitor with all the proper resolutions.   Possibly with RetroPie?




Title: Re: ArcadeVGA Died, now what?
Post by: Zebidee on December 10, 2023, 10:54:33 pm
Is your old AVGA card AGP or PCIe?
Title: Re: ArcadeVGA Died, now what?
Post by: LaC on December 11, 2023, 12:10:54 am
PCIe
Title: Re: ArcadeVGA Died, now what?
Post by: LaC on December 11, 2023, 12:50:12 pm
Is your old AVGA card AGP or PCIe?

Did you have one to sell or something?
Title: Re: ArcadeVGA Died, now what?
Post by: Zebidee on December 11, 2023, 12:52:43 pm
I have one PCIe ArcadeVGA left. It is the ArcadeVGA "version 2". It was working last time I checked (when I carefully stored it).

It has VGA, DVI-I and a small round port like an s-video DIN but with 7 pins. This is a TV-out carries s-video, composite and component video signal output for SDTV (https://pinoutguide.com/Video/svideo_7pin_pinout.shtml).

Label at back reads "ATI Radeon HD2400PRO 256M 64BIT DDR2 PCIE".

Drivers are still available from Ultimarc. (http://www.ultimarc2.com/avgadrivers.html)

Honest disclosure, I don't use it these days because, like many people, I can use a relatively more modern video card with CRT_emudriver to get similar or even better results. This is likely why Andy doesn't sell them anymore. I don't even need the component video out because these days I can get better quality YPbPr through my GreenAntz transcoders anyway. Though it is nice to have composite and svideo there.

Having 15khz from boot automatically is very nice, though it is possible to flash many CRT_emudriver compatible cards to be 15khz from boot also. One advantage for ArcadeVGA is it makes it easy to display a splash screen while loading Windows in Win7+, this remains awkward to do with other cards.

Nonetheless, the PCIe versions of ArcadeVGA (vs older AGP) remain in hot demand as obviously compatible with modern computers.

If you'd like to make an offer, please PM me :D
Title: Re: ArcadeVGA Died, now what?
Post by: LaC on December 11, 2023, 11:43:54 pm
Considering mine just died and is in perfect condition with very little use, I'm pretty sure I want to go down a different route.  I will look into the CRT_emudriver, that sounds like the way to go.
I'm surprised there isn't a simpler solution through something like a retropie.

I have one PCIe ArcadeVGA left. It is the ArcadeVGA "version 2". It was working last time I checked (when I carefully stored it).

It has VGA, DVI-I and a small round port like an s-video DIN but with 7 pins. This is a TV-out carries s-video, composite and component video signal output for SDTV (https://pinoutguide.com/Video/svideo_7pin_pinout.shtml).

Label at back reads "ATI Radeon HD2400PRO 256M 64BIT DDR2 PCIE".

Drivers are still available from Ultimarc. (http://www.ultimarc2.com/avgadrivers.html)

Honest disclosure, I don't use it these days because, like many people, I can use a relatively more modern video card with CRT_emudriver to get similar or even better results. This is likely why Andy doesn't sell them anymore. I don't even need the component video out because these days I can get better quality YPbPr through my GreenAntz transcoders anyway. Though it is nice to have composite and svideo there.

Having 15khz from boot automatically is very nice, though it is possible to flash many CRT_emudriver compatible cards to be 15khz from boot also. One advantage for ArcadeVGA is it makes it easy to display a splash screen while loading Windows in Win7+, this remains awkward to do with other cards.

Nonetheless, the PCIe versions of ArcadeVGA (vs older AGP) remain in hot demand as obviously compatible with modern computers.

If you'd like to make an offer, please PM me :D
Title: Re: ArcadeVGA Died, now what?
Post by: Zebidee on December 12, 2023, 02:38:01 am
If you into linux, you might want to look a Batocera and GroovyArcade (a kind-of fork from Groovymame/CRT_emulator) as linux-based arcade installs for CRTs from portable media like USB. I've never used them myself but believe it is not that hard, and there are retropie installs designed for CRTs too. I just did a quick search and found useful hits on all of these.

You should try your luck over at the retropie forums or the "Raspberry Pi & Dev Board" (http://newforum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/board,57.0.html) here. Links to the subforums are near top of page. This is the "Monitor/Video" subforum, which is mostly focused on technical repair and support for monitors rather than software platforms.


Considering mine just died and is in perfect condition with very little use, I'm pretty sure I want to go down a different route.  I will look into the CRT_emudriver, that sounds like the way to go.
I'm surprised there isn't a simpler solution through something like a retropie.