Console in a dedicated driving cabinet?

[APFelon]

I have a Ridge Racer that is quite dead. I have already spent 30$ to have it looked at by a "professional" (who told me that it's dead... that's 15$ a word for something I already knew). Tos end it to Namco would cost 150$ JUST TO BENCH IT so I figured that it isn't worth the risk of spending big money for no return.

So I am wondering if anyone here has successfully put a console in a dedicated driving cabinet and I would like to know what steps need to be taken. I have Googled it but nothing relevent has come up.

I would like to use the original steering, pedals and shifter. I have already read the documentation in hooking up the monitor, so that isn't a problem...

I am going to console or MAME the thing regardless, but if anyone has done this before, a leg up would be welcome!

TIA

APf

[SNAAKE]

Shouldnt be too hard.Happcontrols steering wheels have only 3 wires(ground,left,right) and so does the madcatz universel streering wheel.So all you have to do is just cut the wires from both steering wheels and match them and it should work.Solder the buttons on the streering wheel PCB(as you would with a gamepad).I suggest you go with xbox cuz xbox racers are just too good to be playing with a pad(burnout3,outrun2,nfsu2,mid night club 3,etc).I am not sure about how you can hook up a standard arcade monitor with xbox but if the monitor is crappy then you get rid of that and invest on a new HDTV(they are not too expensive now a days) or you can buy a vga monitor and x2vga for crystal clear graphic(every single xbox games come to life on a vga monitor)

Hard to explain but I am trying
if I had the space..I would build a racer cab tomorrow !

[gnateye]

im building an upright driving cab with consoles. right now it is a dreamcast with DC steering wheel, but i just got an xbox so im gonna switch to a PS2 wheel and adapters for alll the different consoles. an svid tv and an svid switch. that way i get the best of all driving games. dc has quite a few fun ones, the xbox ones are beautiful and ps2 has a ton.

i'll eventually get some pics of my project up there.

[daywane]

I have not done it myself but the dreamcast can hook up to a arcade monitor with a hack.

[Rip]

I have a complete Dreamcast console setup (including Dreamcast wheel) in a Red Baron cockpit.

http://www.pbase.com/jripley/gameroom

I found having a proper console wheel (with all the correct & labelled buttons) helps keep the cabinet clean instead of a whole bunch of other hacked-in buttons.

I also went with 21" a PC monitor (640x480) and DC2VGA adapter for a much sharper picture.  (you can actually find a 21" PC monitor for less than a 21" TV these days).

Not a 100% arcade feel but the force feedback works well and the sound is great!

[APFelon]

Thanks for the input, gentlemen.

The Ridge Racer I want to convert has a 33" arcade monitor already in it. If I crammed a smaller monitor in the cab, it'd look a little odd.

Ideally, I would like to keep the cabinet as "dedicated" as possible to maintain the arcade game illusion. This might be difficult, as the game has NO external switches outside from the 6-speed shifter.

I am planning to build a loom for it so if the day ever comes that I find a Namco System22 board, I can simply convert it back to Ridge Racer with no hassle.

APf

[Blacksmith]

I've got an empty sit-down San Francisco Rush in my garage now for six monthes now that I want to make into a driver.  I'm not sure which way to go with it either.  A couple friends think I should xbox it.  I think that I'm leaning that way with a mod -chip, but this is all pretty new to me and I'm not too sure about cutting into a new xbox (never having done anything like that) My cab has the original steering wheel, all pedals, and the 4 speed shifter/with reverse.  Sure could use some input myself on the project and would be nice to see somebody elses sit-down cab.

[SNAAKE]

Like I said,you should DEFINETLY xbox your cab cuz burnout3(and revenge which is coming out sep 13) alone is worth the hassle.As for modded xbox,I can mod on then sell it to you and give you all the instructions you need.PM me if you are interested.

Also,if you are familer with hacking gamepads and stuff then you should be able to hack the existing steering wheel you have and use that for xbox easy.Read my post above.

[Minwah]

I am not sure about how you can hook up a standard arcade monitor with xbox

Ultimarc do an AV adaptor, it works really well

[SNAAKE]

This is 15khz standard resolution RGB or . . . . . 

[elvis]

This is 15khz standard resolution RGB or . . . . . 

Yup.  Standard SCART->JAMMA hack with composite sync stripping circuit:
http://www.mameworld.net/pc2jamma/arc_sat4.html

It can be done to almost any modern console that has SCART cables available for them.  I'm using those same circuit diagrams to put my first-generation PSX in my JAMMA cabinet.  Instead of hacking the SCART cable itself, I'll be building a female SCART plug to JAMMA piece, and just plugging any console I please into the cabinet.  (Obviously button inputs will be separate pad hacks per console).

[SNAAKE]

Had no idea xbox even had scart cable.Dont they only work for PAL signal(lower refresh rate or something).This should work


http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Xbox-advanced-HD-AV-Pack-HDTV-surround-sound-SCART_W0QQitemZ8215953296QQcategoryZ41015QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Dave_K.]

Had no idea xbox even had scart cable.Dont they only work for PAL signal(lower refresh rate or something).This should work

Xbox can natively output 15khz RGB via hacking the AV cable.  The Euro Scart is for European Xbox+games which output 50hz refresh...but USA and Japan xbox+games do normal 15khz at 60hz.  That adapter you linked to will work on any region xbox, but be warned its not Japanese RGB/Scart comatible (pins are different).

[Minwah]

Xbox can natively output 15khz RGB via hacking the AV cable.  The Euro Scart is for European Xbox+games which output 50hz refresh...

Euro Xboxes/games can output at 60hz too, just via a setting in the main Xbox config.  Scart (Pal) TV's can almost always accept a 60hz signal (inc NTSC), unless it is a really old/bad TV.

[BombProofPlane]

Thanks for the input, gentlemen.

The Ridge Racer I want to convert has a 33" arcade monitor already in it. If I crammed a smaller monitor in the cab, it'd look a little odd.

Ideally, I would like to keep the cabinet as "dedicated" as possible to maintain the arcade game illusion. This might be difficult, as the game has NO external switches outside from the 6-speed shifter.

I am planning to build a loom for it so if the day ever comes that I find a Namco System22 board, I can simply convert it back to Ridge Racer with no hassle.

APf

Doh so its obviously not the 3 monitor variant.

Forza with three xboxes would really be something.