Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum

Main => Lightguns => Topic started by: urbecrisch on September 21, 2007, 09:02:25 am

Title: Lightgun Only Mame CAB
Post by: urbecrisch on September 21, 2007, 09:02:25 am
I'm looking to buy a gun cabinet (hopefully find one tmr at the Milwaukee auction) and use it to play lightgun games only.  What equipment would I need to purchase to get this done?  I've mamed 2 CABS so far but I have not touched any gun CABS.  Would I keep the original Jamma wiring inside and purchase a JPAC, or do I go a different route?  Maybe add a few admin buttons to the CP for navigation?

I just need a little head start and I should be on my way.  Thanks for any feedback/help.

Cheers!
Title: Re: Lightgun Only Mame CAB
Post by: knave on September 21, 2007, 11:18:51 am
I'm curiouse about this too but I'm pretty sure you'd have to get either the act-labs guns or the LCD topgun by EMS. 

I have not heard any mention of making stock arcade guns work with mame...this leads me to believe it doesn't work.

Has no-one made a controller board for the stock guns...It would be pretty cool to get and use a pair of happ pistols.

Please chime in if you are in-the-know.
Title: Re: Lightgun Only Mame CAB
Post by: TOK on September 21, 2007, 01:32:58 pm
Have you considered getting a JAMMA cab using real hardware instead of MAME and just swapping boards?
Seems like all the PC light guns are cheesy.
Title: Re: Lightgun Only Mame CAB
Post by: shardian on September 21, 2007, 01:35:22 pm
Have you considered getting a JAMMA cab using real hardware instead of MAME and just swapping boards?
Seems like all the PC light guns are cheesy.


Yeah, but GOOD jamma gun games are expensive. That is the key. I'm considering converting a generic jamma cab to a police trainer, but just the board is going to run me about $100.
Title: Re: Lightgun Only Mame CAB
Post by: Goz on September 21, 2007, 02:22:04 pm
I was considering doing something similar but it worked out to be too costly with swapping game boards. I instead put in a modded PS2 and run the gun games from hard drive and use GUNCONS. Of course I purchased all of the games (Time Crisis II & III, Dino Stalkers, Vampire Night, Resident Evil Zero Aim, End Game, and a few others). I pop in PS1 Gun Games like Revolution X, Point Blank3, etc.... and change guns.
Title: Re: Lightgun Only Mame CAB
Post by: ahofle on September 21, 2007, 02:55:15 pm
I have not heard any mention of making stock arcade guns work with mame...this leads me to believe it doesn't work.

There are PC interfaces out there, but they are very expensive and to my knowledge no one has volunteered to be a guinea pig yet.

Here's one of them:
http://www.r0r3.com/productsusbopticalgun.htm
Title: Re: Lightgun Only Mame CAB
Post by: urbecrisch on September 21, 2007, 07:22:36 pm
What I was thinking of doing was getting a lightgun game (Area 51 for example).  I thought I could hook up a JPAC with ArcadeVGA and run all of the Mame lightgun games in one cabinet. 

Am I way off here?
Title: Re: Lightgun Only Mame CAB
Post by: shardian on September 21, 2007, 08:18:45 pm
What I was thinking of doing was getting a lightgun game (Area 51 for example).  I thought I could hook up a JPAC with ArcadeVGA and run all of the Mame lightgun games in one cabinet. 

Am I way off here?

IIRC, the TV-out guns will work with an arcade monitor...sort of. I've seen a few people get decent results with an arcade monitor, but they have to turn the contrast way up. Most people simply aren't satisfied with the constant recalibrating, driver updates, etc of light guns in a mame cabinet.
Title: Re: Lightgun Only Mame CAB
Post by: divemaster127 on September 22, 2007, 10:49:20 am
I have been thinking about doing the same thing using jamma with the real arcade guns, the light guns is the 1 weak spot in the mame hardware
dm
Title: Re: Lightgun Only Mame CAB
Post by: knave on September 22, 2007, 01:30:05 pm
Perhaps we need to bug Andy and Randy to make us an optical lightgun controller that will work with the happ guns.   ;D It can be a race...

J/K  :cheers:

Actually I think it will happen eventually just that it seems like it would be expensive to develop.  It's more likely that a better gun will come out...not much more likely however, It depends on if the market is there or not.

Title: Re: Lightgun Only Mame CAB
Post by: weasel-like_animal on September 24, 2007, 10:35:27 am
I just sold a guy two JAMMA light guns, he may still have them if you are interested. PM me if you want his email address. He's located in Manassass VA.
Title: Re: Lightgun Only Mame CAB
Post by: urbecrisch on September 24, 2007, 12:57:29 pm
Thanks for the info, however; I just purchased my first pinball machine at an auction so I'll be tied up with that project for some time.  I'm putting a hold on the Lightgun CAB.