The NEW Build Your Own Arcade Controls
Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: Nitro0602 on June 21, 2025, 11:06:18 am
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So, I did a thread a couple of years ago and got everything working via emulation. However I wanted to build the real thing with real parts. This is my understanding of things, please let me know if I’m missing something.
I was thinking I could build a universal machine and swap out the joystick panels and cartridges as well. The original World Series 99 Arcade cabinet was massive, so I wanted to build something more compact.
I’ll leave pics below as well.
What I think is needed to things work:
-Sega Naomi Game Cartridge and PCB
- Original Joystick Panel of course
-Power Supply Conversion Kit (Hope that works) - how do I add a on/off switch?
-CRT TV with YPBPR TV Inputs (wanted a slim crt as possible, I don’t think they make ones with VGA)
-VGA SCART to YPBPR (hoping that will display somewhat nicely on the CRT)
-Cabinet design with interchangeable joystick panels (I’ll figure that out after lol)
Let me know if this would work? Trying my best to make it somewhat plug and play and swappable for other game cartridges. I’ve never owned this arcade system but read that you can buy cartridges to swap out for different games. I understand I’d also need the joystick panel as well. However main purpose would be for World Series 99 Arcade.
Pictures not uploading, links below:
Cartridge/PCB
https://ebay.us/m/ZGTf7u
Power Supply
https://ebay.us/m/aRRTWR
RGBS VGA to YPBPR Component Converter SCART to YPBPR YCBCR
https://ebay.us/m/r8WqcD
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Something you might want to consider instead of buying the game cartridge is getting a NetDIMM. That's a special cartridge that Sega created for the NAOMI that could be loaded with a game over the network. The communication has been reverse engineered, and it's possible to use a Raspberry Pi to load games. That also allows playing games that were only released on GD-ROM, and games for the Atomiswave. (First result from an eBay search to show what it looks like (https://www.ebay.com/itm/127156299692). It also needs a Zero PIC and replacement BIOS.)
You'll also need to figure out how to interface the controls. The NAOMI uses JVS through the "USB" port. Physically it's a USB port, but electrically it isn't, so never connect an actual USB device to it. It also has Maple bus connectors (the protocol that Dreamcast controllers use, but a different connector), but from what I've read not all games support that. I don't know if World Series 99 does or if you'll need to find a different way to connect. There's also OpenJVS (https://github.com/OpenJVS/OpenJVS) that you can use to hook up various controllers (again using a Raspberry Pi), but it needs the controls hooked up to the Pi over USB so you would need some way to connect it.
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The only thing of your list that makes sense to me is the original control panel. Despite I love CRTs, for a Naomi-only project (and it's 3D graphics and resolutions) you can adopt an LCD (yes, an LCD. Kill me now).
Again: if I was you my attentions would focus on the controller and I would spare the money (and complexity) of adopting the real hardware.
My 2 cents.