Project : Oh Naomi!

[Malenko]

So remember that Dynaclone I restored?

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,150040.0.html

Welp, couldnt leave well enough alone.This is how she said when we last saw her:


Well now the 25" standard res CRT is pulled, and in goes the 29" Nanao Medium Res


and I had to fit a lot more stuff on that slide out board:

switching power supply, SUN power supply, Capcom I/O board, Naomi Motherboard, Naomi NetDIMM, Pi3

I definitely need to fix the convergence on this monitor!

But first I need to build a more secure mount.


And here are just various title screens after a successful netboot. I plan to shoot a quick video of the loader in action, its pretty neat:
Dynamite Deka EX:


Street Fighter Zero 3 Upper:


Dead or Alive 2 Millennium:


Capcom vs SNK 2000 PRO:


Power Stone 2:


Sega Tetris:


Melty Blood:





And here the mobile webpage menu:

[harveybirdman]

Well the horizontal monitor won't work for Ikaruga, but you need you some Giga Wing 2 in yo life.

[Malenko]

Well the horizontal monitor won't work for Ikaruga, but you need you some Giga Wing 2 in yo life.

I have gigawing 2, just didnt take a picture   Trying to get the monitor mount sorted before I start playing it too much.   You still want Strikers? Might not have a real vert cab after this.

Bonus, AtomisWave2Naomi!

[harveybirdman]

Nah I got Strikers 2 now, and anyway I'm working on finishing my Mame cabinet and restoring my Taito cab because the art for BulletReign is going to take some time (My boy got priorities son!) and I've been meaning to check out GroovyMame for years. 

[Malenko]

got convergence worked out as best I can


Now Im trying to figure out the best way to secure the monitor, then figuring out what controls I want to mount to the panel, I like the sticks in there but it'd be weird to have jap sticks and US buttons.

[DudeRegular]

Monitor looks sick in there man.

[pbj]

I'm here for pictures of your garage walls.

[elvis]

And here the mobile webpage menu:

So I'm a million years out of touch with this stuff, but is this a Naomi netboot thing that you're controlling from your phone?  If so, that's damned cool.

[Malenko]

I'm here for pictures of your garage walls.

You are going to be SO disappointed when I finish the walls in there this spring.

So I'm a million years out of touch with this stuff, but is this a Naomi netboot thing that you're controlling from your phone?  If so, that's damned cool.

Yes, its called PiForce-Web that runs on a Pi, in my case a pi3. The Pi has a built in wireless AP, so you just connect to it, go to any webpage (they all lead to the menu) and pick a game. It can be done with any device that has wifi and a web browser (phone, tablet, laptop,etc)  Its really neat. It can be done with a pi1 or pi2 but requires a specific wireless USB dongle. It also requires you to have a NetDimm for the Naomi running 4.01 and a pic0/nullkey

Pis are pretty ---smurfy--- when it comes to being the guts of a MAME cab, but its fantastic for a simple AP that netboots the Naomi.

https://github.com/dev-tty0/Piforce-Web

[pbj]

What's wrong with a dip switch?

[Malenko]

What's wrong with a dip switch?

I don't understand your question. I have a unibios in my Naomi, so the dips set the region and the video output mode.

[pbj]

What does the web app accomplish?

[BadMouth]

cool stuff. 

I don't play my cab much but when I do, I always play a game of Border Down.

Any plans for a more modern, colorful marquee?
Other changes to the cab?

[Malenko]

What does the web app accomplish?

Don't have to  buy an LCD/input for the Pi, extend the cables to the coin door,open the machine, and select a game. I can just connect to the pi AP and pick a game. Plus its neat.
I could run a network cable out the back of the cab into my switch and manually load a game through the command line on any PC on my network but that doesnt have the "wow" or convenience factor.

cool stuff. 

I don't play my cab much but when I do, I always play a game of Border Down.

Any plans for a more modern, colorful marquee?
Other changes to the cab?

I'm working on art for the marquee, COP, and sides. Do not know how I'm going to do the 6 buttons, the holes are way off where they should be, but might just go with them anyway. The buttons stick out even more because this will be right next to my Multi CPS2 cab

No clip art mashup though!

There are some neat games I've never heard of before like Illvelo and Mamoru-kun wa Norowarete Shimatta!

[pbj]

So, are you using the Pi to provide the ROMs to the Naomi boards?  Type slowly so I can understand.

[Malenko]

So, are you using the Pi to provide the ROMs to the Naomi boards?  Type slowly so I can understand.

Y                        e                                     s



The pi boots a webtool linux image. The netboot webpage only shows the roms that are actually on the SD card (have to match the gamelist.py script). you pick the game, the pi pushes the data to the netdimm via a cross over cable. The webpage is just a replacement for an Adafruit LCD screen.

to rephrase, when you netboot that means you are using the NETwork to BOOT a game. An LCD screen , a piforcewebtools webpage, and batch files all do the same thing. They start "transfer.exe" and load a specific ROM to a netdimm.

Here is how to do it from a PC http://8bitplus.co.uk/projects/netboot-sega-naomi-netdimm/

[pbj]

Seems like that could be handled with a dip switch hooked up to the GPIO pins.  How long does it take to switch games?

[Malenko]

Seems like that could be handled with a dip switch hooked up to the GPIO pins.  How long does it take to switch games?

Not sure how that would be significantly better or different than an Adafruit LCD or how I could load games without having to run a bunch of extra wires and or open a coin door to change games.
The Pi doesn't output any video to the arcade monitor so you need some kind of second screen either LCD or something to see what game you're picking. If you mean some how shorting pins on the GPIO to pick a game, there's over 100, so that'd be a lot of combinations (to memorize).

Games take about a minute or two to load, and you have to load them again when the system is shut down.

! No longer available

This isnt me or my video, BTW.  And the webtools interface on the version of webtools I have is much better.

[pbj]

There's over 100 Naomi games?  Wow, today I learned....

[Malenko]

There's over 100 Naomi games?  Wow, today I learned....

about 130 if you include AtomisWave games, which can boot fine on Naomi

[thomas_surles]

That's pretty sweet. Never heard of doing that before

[n3wt0n]

The netboot idea is really cool to see but I'm most impressed that you shoehorned a 29" monitor into a HS-5 clone cabinet... horizontally!   

I have a HS-5 (or clone - don't know the difference) and currently have a 21" horizontal monitor in it. I have wondered about a 27 but I thought I would have to mount vertically if it would fit at all. Does it seem too close to that size screen?

[Le Chuck]

Yeah, gotta say that this is undeniably awesome. 

[elvis]

Yes, its called PiForce-Web that runs on a Pi, in my case a pi3. The Pi has a built in wireless AP, so you just connect to it, go to any webpage (they all lead to the menu) and pick a game. It can be done with any device that has wifi and a web browser (phone, tablet, laptop,etc)  Its really neat. It can be done with a pi1 or pi2 but requires a specific wireless USB dongle. It also requires you to have a NetDimm for the Naomi running 4.01 and a pic0/nullkey

https://github.com/dev-tty0/Piforce-Web

Well holy crap that's come a long way since I last looked at Naomi gear.  Makes me regret not investing in one all those years ago.

Pis are pretty ---smurfy--- when it comes to being the guts of a MAME cab, but its fantastic for a simple AP that netboots the Naomi.

RPis are fine if you want to emulate 80s games, especially if you're space constrained.  Horses for courses.

But yeah, I agree this project is really cool, and I hope there's more like it in the future for other systems too.

The abundance of cheap, small computers of late, whether it's general purpose things like RPis and Arduino, or a bit more crazy like FPGAs, is all pretty bloody exciting for our hobby.

[Malenko]

RPis are fine if you want to emulate 80s games, especially if you're space constrained.  Horses for courses.

Agreed, but more often than not, someone starts a pi project and has lofty expectations for the hardware.


So, I started by pulling the old 25" standard res monitor:


This is the frame inside, its pretty awesome. Its got 2 plates, and if you want it horizontal you put the plates on top and bottom. if you want the monitor vertical, you put the plates on the sides:


nekkid:

[Malenko]

Built a shelf out of 1" plywood with 1" square dowels for support:


Put it inside (thats what she said?):



The top is framed out but its not needed.......



because the monitor sits flush against the inside back of the cab:

[Locke141]

This is Great.

It's like an Ever drive for a Naomi

[Malenko]

remounted the monitor, theres a 1" square dowel behind the frame and another in front so it wont budge. Painted them black.


Net booted some MvC2 just to make sure I didnt need to degauss from having the electric drill on near it.


This post is for James, the pre-trick or treaters shots. More people than ever stopped in and played a game. Some parents wouldnt let there kids play, some kids made their parents stop playing. Good times.



I turned the pins on, but they were largely unplayed (thank *insert deity here*)
 

BONUS PIC!

[thomas_surles]

Why don't you paint those walls and maybe put some retro carpet down? Or do you plan on putting a care back in there one day?

[Malenko]

Why don't you paint those walls and maybe put some retro carpet down? Or do you plan on putting a car back in there one day?

On the other side of the wall with the marquees and ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- is the basement (above ground) Im in the process off finishing that room and the games will get moved in there. All the drywall work is done except for the bathroom I havent built yet. Its slow goings, Im far more efficient at cab restoration and IT work than I am at handyman stuff. No retro carpet just some nice thin industrial stuffs with beige walls. Its going to be a media room with arcade cabs more than an arcade with a media section.

Big plans, small budgets.

[thomas_surles]

Id like to see a thread when you do the basement.

[Malenko]

Id like to see a thread when you do the basement.

I havent taken many pictures, its a cruel reminder how slow I am.

Here's back when I first moved in:


Maybe I will start a thread, it might motivate me!