Converter Sega Model 3 to JAMMAThe first thing i made was to build a converter to make my cabinet being JAMMA-compatible. Yes, remember i bought my cabinet without paying attention to that point and then i had to proove myself it was still a feasible project, so i started with the thing that were making of my cabinet different of a standard mame machine project. A friend of mine gave me for testing purpose his own computer with an arcade VGA and a JPAC.
After few searches on the internet, i found out documents that would help me a lot, like the Sega Model 3 pinout.
Sega Model 3 pinoutI checked the CN2 connector of my own Sega Model 3 and it was mostly the same and for the VIRTUA on 2. Thus combined with the JAMMA connector pinout, i knew it wouldn't be that difficult to build my converter. Also i wanted to build my converter without destroying the existing working system (i could have soldered the existing strings on the JPAC but i wanted my converter to be removable if i wanted to play the original virtua striker game later on)... So i bought the parts needed for it:
a female JAMMA connector
a unknown-name part, bought in an electronic shop. I'll call that a male pin-connector ^^Finally, i made some soldering work. The JAMMA female connector is linked to 3 male pin connectors: one for the controls, one for the video and the last one for the ground. I also had to solder an audio jack connector to a small male pin connector, it will be used to send directly the audio signal from the computer to the speakers of the cabinet. I found a lot of videos on internet, this one was particulary helpfull
The result was quite satisfying. I never soldered before and even if it was somehow difficult to touch the right things and not the others, even if the connections were most of the time not resistant at all... at the end, after few hours (yes it took some time though, i never done that i said ^^), the converter was working almost flawlessly upon my own surprise: all controls were working except one button (string was not connected anymore, probably the connection broke while manipulating the converter) and the coin door (in an extra-confident period i connected also the coin door lock pin... i just cut this string and it started working ^^), video was just fine, and the sound was working from time to time (just another string that desoldered itself during a manipulation, i guess).
Here you can see the converter connected (i don't want to unconnect or move it too much now, it's too risky 'cause strings may desolder themselves again) and the audio connector i made:
JAMMA - Model 3 connector
audio connector
audio connectorSo after this step, i could already play using the old control panel to games installed on my friend's pc. How nice is that ?
