I've been trying to make a custom arcade cabinet from the ground up, case and even a custom PC setup, but before I do any of that, I wanted to also grab and get up and running a NAOMI setup so I can switch between the two. But, unfortunately, I am totally new to arcade stuff, but I'm not technologically challenged obviously. I just am not very sure what all things I DEFINITELY need for sure to get the NAOMI running. I heard stuff about maybe not needing an I/O because of the USB port, I've heard you don't need to use I/O converter stuff for playing on a TV if you use the VGA on a flat screen or computer monitor, I've heard stuff about the Capcom I/O powering itself, etc etc etc. There's so many components for different situations but no one has really made any helpful guide for someone new to this stuff, so here I am. I have nothing but a NAOMI board at the moment. No game PCB/ROMs, no DIMM, no Net DIMM, no GD-ROM, no PSU, no I/O, and no control panel (which I was going to make myself from an MC Cthulhu if possible or use a Dreamcast to NAOMI adapter). I'm also kinda on a budget, so I'm wondering about the cheapest, easiest way to get this up and running sooner rather than later. I plan on getting a Net DIMM for netbooting so I don't need to worry about constantly buying assloads of roms, but for now I'm okay with just a rom board. So, in short, what is the minimal setup for the NAOMI, and how do I go about putting it together? I'm especially confused about the PSU situation and the VGA stuff.
When it comes to Naomi there are several ways to do it. If you get a Capcom I/O board you can power it over the JAMMA edge connector since the Capcom converts the power to the proper 3.3v that the board needs but standard jamma lacks. No matter what, you need an I/O board as most games will either not boot or error on startup without one. A dreamcast to Naomi adapter will only work with a few games and only if you system has Japanese bios. Of the games I have only a handful support the dreamcast controller through the cn7/cn6 so it will not work for the vast majority of games. Of the many games I own, only the following will work with a dreamcast controller: Capcom vs SNK, Cannon Spike, Marvel Vs Capcom, Project Justice, Street Fighter Zero 3 Upper and Movile Suit Gundam Federation VS Zeon. (all of those need Japanese region bios (except for gundam) to work with the controller) Typing of the Dead and Lupin III The Typing will work with a keyboard connected to those ports in any region. With my setup I have a Naomi 2 wired to a standard Sega JVS to Jamma I/O type 1 and the system connected to a sun JVS power supply. Unlike what some people say, a Capcom I/o is not required for 6 buttons, most others will work just fine.
If you can't find/ don't know where to find a Sun PSU for the board, what's a great alternative? Also I got NO frickin' clue how the connectors business for the PSU to the board works and how you would need to change it or whatever. I also take it that with the Capcom I/O you just plug the PSU into it instead? Does the Capcom I/O need special connectors too for the PSU?
I've been trying on & off to make my Naomi 1 & Naomi 2 work for the last several weeks, (finally, after having bought them a few years ago), and arrived to the point that they boot, and that the netdimm can access the network. (I still have to try the python script to netboot, or connect a controller to the io board, but that shouldn't be a problem) - For the PSU: I bought a cheap ATX PSU, the Corsair VS350. Both Naomi 1 & 2 boot with it. I've measured the current draw: with a ROM cart: 12V: 0.2 A, 5V: 1.7 A, 3.3V: 2.4 A with a Netdimm connected however, the 3.3V needs a lot more: 4.3 A I still have to finalize my ATX -> Naomi converter cable (I'm using crodile clips for now), so check google as there are a lot of pages explaining what you need - For the VGA: a VGA cable directly from the NAOMI to your VGA monitor is ok, that's all I use. - IO Board: Like Gamemaster14XIV wrote, you'll need one, otherwise your game will just show a screen saying that the IO board is missing. Without IO board however, you still can access the system menu of the NAOMI, and let it check the roms on your cart game. You have several possibilities, depending on what you want / have in your cabinet. If you have a Jamma cabinet, you might prefer a converter IO board JVS -> Jamma (Type 1 or 2) If you don't have a Jamma cabinet, you might prefer just a IO board (Type 1 837-13551, Type 2 837-13844 or Type 3 837-14572) I haven't tried the Capcom one. I think older games might have compatibility issues with newer types, or I haven't found their compatibility mode dip switches yet. Those 3 are the starting elements to see if your Naomi & cart game works, and to see the cart game running the intro/demo screen. After that you can start checking what bios eprom your Naomi has, buy a net dimm, replacement fans, a controller, ...
The good news about the NAOMI I got, the seller on eBay personally flashed the EEPROM of the buyer's choice, so I chose EPR21578H - Export. It was the one that the person who wrote a guide for netbooting used, so I went with it. It was really cool that the seller did that! Just in case I may have chosen poorly, though, is export different from Japan and will it not allow those dreamcast adapters to work? Also, it won't really fit well into this thread, but it's more advice rather than asking to buy one, where's the BEST places to find a net dimm board? I don't think I found any on eBay when I checked yesterday or the day before.
As far as bios go, you will need a Japanese bios for the few games that support the dreamcast controllers. Plus certain games such as Street Fighter Zero 3 Upper requite Japanese bios to even run. I highly recommend Arcade Mod Bios from arcademodbios.com as you can switch regions with just the flip of a switch. I would highly recommend against the whole modded atx power supply route as some of them can supply the proper voltages but a JVS arcade power supply has adjustable +5v and are more likely to hold up better for arcade equipment as that is what they are made for. SUN JVS or Naomi (they are called both by people) are the best from what I have been told but any JVS PSU should do. When hooking up a Capcom I/O converter, you just need to power the Jamma edge connector on the I/O board, a cable from it connects to the front of the Naomi providing it power. Standard Sega JVS to Jamma I/O boards are a lot cheaper but you will need a JVS power supply with one of those. To run the Naomi in VGA mode (what a pc monitor or most HDTV's with pc input support) you just need to switch dip switch 1 on the filter board off and it will work fine. The primary place you will see netdimms show up is ebay. Sadly they are not cheap as you will end up spending as much if not more for the netdimm as you did for the Naomi itself. On occasion people on arcade forums like klov or arcade otaku sell them. Found this picture of a Capcom I/O connected to a Naomi 1 that might help,
Arcademodbios is a pretty.... unique website. Do they just do services... or.... sell the stuff? Or am I just gonna have to buy a whole new Naomi board with that mod in it???? That website isn't really set up very well. Also, what would you do if you're not making a JAMMA cab at all and just trying to have things kinda be straightforward when they're wired together? I'm planning on having a normal PC in there too and all the arcade stuff is mostly just software side aside from the MC Cthulhu. I'd assume I wouldn't want the Capcom I/O for that, right? Or is it possible to still power the Naomi without having the Capcom I/O go through the JAMMA harness to do it all? I'm pretty sorry for all these questions, I'm just kinda wanting to make sure I get EVERYTHING cleared up. It's not like I have a setup to mess with and learn from, yanno. I do appreciate everyone's help though!
Somewhere on arcademodbios he has an email address, you just email him and order the mod bios chip. It does take a few weeks for it to come in but its worth it. The email in his order list is arcademodbios@gmx.net. Just send him a message saying you want a mod bios chip for Naomi 1 with your zip code and he will send you an estimated price with shipping. Once you get it all you have to do is pull the old bios out and put the mod bios chip in its place. The cheapest way to go is to get a Sega JVS to Jamma I/O Type 1, cheap jamma harness, and wire up your controls with that. There are ways of wiring the I/O right off of the board or jvs power supply making you not need a jamma power supply at all. When wiring controls I recommend neo geo controllers as they are really straight forward since its one wire per button.
