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# ArcadeDOS Introduction

ArcadeDOS is a free system designed for creating, installing, and maintaining arcade computers using FreeDOS as a base. The project was developed with a focus on simplicity, performance, compatibility with older computers, and ease of configuration, offering a complete solution for dedicated arcade machines.

The system uses AdvanceMAME to run games and AdvanceMenu as the main interface, allowing the computer to boot directly into an arcade environment without the need to load modern operating systems or heavy graphical interfaces.

In addition to the arcade environment, ArcadeDOS includes its own tools for system installation, configuration, and maintenance. The SETUPI installer allows you to partition, format, install, and restore ArcadeDOS in an organized manner. After installation, SETUPARCADE offers menus to configure video, audio, keyboard language, controls, system protection, game options, and frontend behavior.

The project supports different types of monitors, including 15 kHz and 25 kHz arcade monitors, 31 kHz VGA CRT monitors, and LCD or LED monitors. It also has options for configuring resolution, vertical synchronization, interlacing, screen orientation, aspect ratio, and other important adjustments for arcade machines.

For controls, ArcadeDOS includes DOSKEY34, a resident driver developed to transform a button matrix connected to the LPT parallel port into keyboard commands. The system allows control of two players, action buttons, tokens, Start, and service functions. The DOSKTEST program is also included to test the button connections and verify the matrix's operation before starting the games.

The SETUPI, SETUPARCADE, DOSKEY34, and DOSKTEST programs were developed in 16-bit DOS C language, and their source code is included with the project. Compilation can be done using Open Watcom C/C++, allowing other users to study, modify, correct, and improve the system.

ArcadeDOS was created as a free, non-commercial community project. Its goal is to preserve the use of old computers in arcade machines, facilitate the assembly of custom arcade machines, and provide an open base for new developments.

Third-party components present in the system remain subject to the licenses and conditions established by their respective authors. ROMs, game BIOS, and other protected content are not part of the original ArcadeDOS code and should only be used when the user has legal authorization.

The system is provided without warranty. Features such as partitioning, disk formatting, video frequency configuration, and electronic circuit assembly should be used with caution, following the project documentation.

Download link: https://archive.org/details/arcade-dos

* I have no affiliation with this project. I simply ran the text through Google translate.

Enclosures will also be available soon, depending on the quality of what I get back from the 3D printers. The first small batch have already been printed to Ond's design and should arrive any day now. I am reluctant to offer them for sale yet until I give them a proper quality check. So here's a deal: if you order a GreenAntz "Sync-off Ant" right now, I will include a free enclosure with the first four orders (I have already received one pre-order, so that leaves three more). Assuming they pass quality check, of course

All free enclosures have been claimed. No more free ones.

Also, they're taking a bit longer than I expected to arrive, which affects everyone.

If you want to order a GreenAntz v2.3 with an enclosure, probably best to wait. Keep monitoring this thread, I will post developments over next for 2-3 weeks.

Apologies to those affected by the delays   

what?

Yup, Cruis'n USA is 2 players only. Cruis'n World and Off Challenge do 4 players.

The network is supposed to be pointing around in a ring, like you described.

Is it possible to get Cruis'n Exotica linked up, now that they got it fixed with the Mame .289 wip that was released?

SailorSat
When I play the original Crusi'n USA everything works fine. If you pick the track Cruis'n USA where you do all the tracks linked up.  The first track does fine. When you get to the second or third track Player 2 just sits there when it says go.  If I pick the tracks indivduallly everything works fine except when you pick Cruis'n the USA.   Is this normal?

Just add that I used the GTX 750ti again, will save the NVIDIA Quadro K420 for another build or testing card

In the above picture there is a extra SSD, cloned my windows install, which I forgot to mention has been running BigBox (Launchbox) for a few years, does make it easier to setup emulators and all the media than Hyperspin, wanted to get my NAS back up and running so like previous builds I robbed the pc again, which explains the amount of holes in the MDF  was looking around on eBay for a replacement, ideally wanted a stepup in performance so was looking for something like a i5 8500 or higher, still in the SFF size, manged to grab this instead -

FUJITSU CELSIUS PC
CORE i5-6500
8GB RAM
256GB SSD
NVIDIA Quadro K420 2GB graphic card (wasn't listed but could see a card installed)
500GB HD (wasn't listed but was plugged in, just needed a format)
Windows 10 pro installed (wasn't listed)

For the grand total of £35.41 delivered 

Never worked with this brand before so took a gamble, the motherboard was none standard like a lot of the newer office PC's but once I dived in it was pretty easy to sort, with the CPU fan/heatsink bolted to the motherboard tray and the GFX being mounted horizontal it was a no brainer, luckily the entire tray and back plate is one unit and slid out of the case, bent some of the pins back then used some flanged 12mm screws to secure and some black tape to cover them in case of a short, had to rearrange the layout and move the speaker sub, instead of cutting the case cables for the power switch/led etc I used some old case cables that I have in my many parts boxes, was quite easy to do.

All in all it took a couple of hours to swap over, had to rearrange the monitor order for some reason in windows, BigBox and change it in MAME only, again easily sorted but just an extra step, benchmarks say the i5 3470 and i5 6500 preform similar but it does seem snappier, guess its the newer board, anyways it's back up and running until i rob it again 

Just thought I'd update my little bartop, as mentioned in the monitor forum from the link above, it was running a Dell 3010 - i5 3470 with 8gb ram and a GTX 750Ti (2gb) as the old i3 was removed to build a basic NAS for testing, which as also been removed to update one of the other bartops I made so used the i5 that was under my TV for the odd gaming session, wasn't used much so was the ideal replacement.

 

Hello,
I have a pretty nice Ninja Gun Kasco but unfortunately missing the gun encoder plate, could you please give me some hint how reproduce it ? Many thanks

You can see two Scans I did of the Encoder Board, on the first page of this Thread.

It was scanned with a Metal Ruler next to it... to make sure that people get the correct Size

You probably want to hand this to a guy that is a professional with CAD... to create the proper File, that you can send
to a PCB company.   Maybe something like  PCBWAY  (I see advertisements for it all the time,  But Ive never used it)

PCBWAY might even do the CAD themselves.. if you send them the Photos.  How Accurate they might be... I couldnt tell you.
Just make sure that you STRESS... that the positions have to be very accurate, as they determine functionality, of your game
being able to Hit the Targets properly.

The PCB is a very simple design... so it theoretically should not cost that much to produce.   And if you are making one...
you might consider making several... and selling the others online.

Being that these are Old machines.. its possible that some of them might have wear
(which is likely why yours is missing.  Parted out for another machines use).

Guys 5 years off the scene. Two cabinets to flash. Get up to the latest version. I'm looking at the releases cuz I can see a pre-release and an official release from 2024. My question is if you're in my position starting over would you go with the official release from 2024 or the pre-release from 2025 pros and cons to both? Thanks in advance

I've been away from the scene for 5 years. I've got two arcade cabinets I want to flash to the latest review arcade ISO. Looking in the repository, I can see that there is a pre-release and official release it from 2024. If you're in my situation and we're going to upgrade, where do you go for the pre-release? Oh, this 2024 release serious question?