Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum

Main => Lightguns => Topic started by: GGKoul on February 04, 2004, 12:41:49 pm

Title: Light Gun Question
Post by: GGKoul on February 04, 2004, 12:41:49 pm
Hello All

I'm interested in purchasing a light gun for my mame cab.  And I haven't been able to fine an distinct answer to which light gun I should get that will best with TV.

Can someone please comment one which setup is better?  Either the Act-Labs TV Light gun or hacking a arcade light gun.  Or any other light gun suggestions.

Thanks!
-GGKoul


Title: Re:Light Gun Question
Post by: hulkster on February 04, 2004, 01:00:00 pm
well i dont have a light gun, but from what ive gathered the act labs (although looking like a martian gun) is the best bet.  the others dont have good accuracy, and i dont think you can hack an arcade gun (like one youd buy from happs) or else somebody wouldve already done it.  
Title: Re:Light Gun Question
Post by: LoRDDeVO on February 04, 2004, 01:19:12 pm
Act Labs gun has the best accuracy there are the Super Bio Gun and the PC virtual Gun  the review is here

http://retroblast.com/reviews/lightgun1.html
Title: Re:Light Gun Question
Post by: eightbit on February 04, 2004, 02:03:29 pm
The act-labs tv gun is the only one supported to work with a tv and as far as I know the only one that works with a tv at all, hacked or not. I also have never heard of anyone getting any of the arcade guns to work with a PC regardless of monitor type.

I recently purchased the act-labs tv guns and was trying to get them to work with a 25" tv. I tried 6 different tv's and never got the guns to be accurate. Maybe 1 shot in 5 would hit where you were expecting it. I was limited to 25" because of the cabinet it was going in and there aren't a lot of 25" tv choices.

I tried them with a 27" tv that I was putting into another cabinet project and they work great! The 27" tv was a lot better tv (even though it was cheaper) and that could be what made the difference. So I ended up moving the guns to the other cabinet and am VERY happy with their performance.

Another note as far as I know the act-labs tv version is the only one that claims support for 2 player though I know of reports of people getting some of the other guns to work 2 player using things like mame-analog+.
Title: Re:Light Gun Question
Post by: StephenH on February 04, 2004, 02:14:45 pm
Act-Labs USB TV-Out should work fine for TVs with an S-video or composite in, and S-Video Out Video Card.

Act-Labs PC Version should work fine with PC CRT Monitors, and some arcade monitors when ArcadeVGA and Separate H/V sync wiring is used.
Title: Re:Light Gun Question
Post by: eightbit on February 04, 2004, 02:27:31 pm
Quote from: StephenH on February 04, 2004, 02:14:45 pm
Act-Labs USB TV-Out should work fine for TVs with an S-video or composite in, and S-Video Out Video Card.
All the tv's I tried were using s-video.