Hello everyone! I have an idea but I need advice on it as I'm new to arcade hardware. I recently saw a movie with a friend and in the theater, they had my favorite arcade cabinet: Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga Class of 81. After playing Ms. Pac-Man and the hidden Pac-Man on it, I decided I want to get one and consolize it. I did some research into the board and found that it's a JAMMA board. Instead of making a home console for just this board, I decided to turn it into a universal JAMMA home console. By doing this, I can exchange each board like a cartridge system every time I wanted to play a different game. Heck, I could even turn each board into a giant cartridge. It would need the following: - A custom wooden case - European SCART connector outputting RGBS (wired for C-Sync) and stereo/dual mono audio - VGA Connector for games that use RGBHV or CGA - An ATX power supply (how many watts should I use?) - A custom controller (with start button and pause button on the controller) - Select Number of Players button - Insert Coin button - 2 controller ports wired for Neo Geo AES controllers. - Game select button (for boards like this) - An awesome name I only plan on getting this one board at the moment so I have a few questions about it.Will I need more just the main game board or does it require more boards? Does it use RGBS or RGBHV? If it is RGBHV, will it be VGA-compatible or CGA? Has anyone here done this before with this particular arcade board? What are the DIP switch settings for it? And now for the questions about the JAMMA console part. What will I need? The only info I can find is telling me to get a standard PC ATX power supply, a JAMMA harness, parts for a custom joystick, and a way to hook it up to the TV/Monitor. I would like some pinouts for JAMMA VGA connectors in the event I get a JAMMA game that uses RGBHV or CGA. How much would all of the required parts cost in USD (minus the game board)? This project is just in the planning stages right now and I probably won't be able to start on it until the beginning of next year. I'm just trying to get on idea on what I will need and what I need to do to make this project happen. Any and all help would be highly appreciated!
A universal JAMMA home console is called a "supergun". It's quite easy to make, you have a lot of tutorials on the net; use the keyword "supergun" to find them.
Ms. Pac-Man isn't JAMMA. It's convertible to JAMMA, though. You're better off using a proper arcade PSU rather than ATX. They're only about $20, sometimes less. If you want to use it on an American TV, why use SCART? It's standard RGB, you're not going to get it working on VGA. You need an RGB monitor like a broadcast monitor or an Amiga monitor. Or convert it to s-video. Only you can say how much it will cost. Not cheap, especially with s-video output. $200 or so? You won't be making giant cartridges, as every board is a different size and has the connector in different places. It would be a HUGE cartridge that accommodated any board - and hugely expensive. Plus some of them like ventilation.
I've heard of superguns before. I'll look into them. I'm not using a Ms. Pac-Man board. The board I'm going to use is the Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga - Class of 1981 arcade board. It was released in 2000 to celebrate 20 years of the two games. From what I've seen online it's a JAMMA board. If it isn't, how can I convert it to JAMMA? I'll get one of those PSUs then. Is there a good brand you would recommend for under $20? I'm going to use SCART because I have a SCART to HDMI converter that accepts RGBS. I was going to add the VGA connector for future-proofing. If I get a board that outputs RGBHV or CGA, I can use it with the VGA port and a CGA to VGA converter. My TV doesn't have an S-Video input. I was kinda joking on the cartridge thing. I think I'll make a case for each game board and turn the JAMMA console part into something that you just plug in to the box. Something like a laptop docking station but smaller. I also plan on getting a 1 slot MVS.
It is JAMMA. All shops sell the same Chinese Arcade PSU which is OK. As long as you use HDMI in the end, you are future proof. Something you just plug in to the box is a supergun. ;-) Anyway, be careful with cases. For the supergun itself, it's OK as long as you keep some airflow for the PSU. But as for the games, they can get hot fast and putting them in case can reduce their lifespan drastically. The best thing you can do, and that myself and most other serious arcade collectors do, is to have cases to keep the boards protected when unused, but always use them uncased. If they are hot, let them cool down before putting them back into their cases. Also, when storing arcade boards, store them vertically. Same problem than with vinyl LPs or LDs, vertical position is the only way to ensure they don't bend on themselves.
I hate the word Supergun. It's another Americanism - like Band-Aid for plasters (sticky bandages) or Coke for any cola drink. Yup, people use it - but it's really just the first brand name for the device. It doesn't describe it well.... plus it could cause issues in customs! lol Absolutely - any Chinese PSU is good enough. You can get them from Suzo Happ or eBay (or wherever). They're better because you can adjust the 5 volt supply... and you don't have to mess about shorting pins! Just use HDMI - don't bother with VGA. No JAMMA board will support it. Those that do are later machines and usually don't run off a JAMMA PSU, so you'll be using them differently anyway. Oh right, that board. It's good enough JAMMA, but just remember there are extra buttons on the connector. Wire it as per the manual and you'll be fine. My friend has a Chinese cabinet that has a plastic tray that slides out. You attach your game board to it. Pretty nifty. We wanted to get more trays so his boards were ready to go, but couldn't find them.
Just looked at the superguns on eBay and I rather build a custom JAMMA console instead. Ok, so I'll go with an arcade PSU instead of ATX. Is this one good enough? http://www.ebay.com/itm/16A-Arcade-...679?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35dc9d62e7 Where can I get this board's manual? I plan on buying the main board but I'm not familiar with the inside of this cabinet. Does it need more boards or will it run fine with just the main board? If JAMMA boards aren't going to use RGBHV or CGA, I'll just use a SCART socket and leave out the VGA connector. My next question will be about the display. Do I need to mount my TV on its side or will the game display on a horizontal screen? As for cooling, I thought about putting vents and PC fans inside both the JAMMA console and the main board's case. Wish there was a way to liquid cool it...
Yes, I'm sure you'll be able to play games with your Min Dong The board is everything. Google will find you the manual. When you're playing a vertical game, you need to rotate your display, yes. You don't need to liquid cool it, that's just stupidity (even on PCs, IMHO). Make sure there's adequate ventilation and use a fan if you wish.
Detailed instructions on how to build a Supergun are here: Jamma-Nation-X tutorials. PDF file is available for download at the bottom of the page. Study the guide and familiarize yourself with the Jamma harness pinouts. The Instructions also include parts needed. I built my Supergun off of these instructions. As to the power supply that was recommended, yes ... that is what you want to use, but I would recommend you buy one with a digital voltage display. It's important that your board receives the correct amount of voltage. Here is an example of one: Power Supply w/Digital Display. Owner's manual can be found here: Ms Pac Man/Galaga. As for an enclosure .... a suggestion; I used a computer tower that had built-in fans. The arcade power supply allows you to connect anything requiring 12 volts. The fans on my computer case run off of 12 volts.
Is Min Dong a good brand? Ok, so I just need the main board then. I've seen sellers online selling a small red PCB that has a JAMMA connector on it. They list it as a "logic board". I assume this is the main board? The ones they sell look like this. That may be hard since I use a 32 inch Samsung HDTV for everything except the DC and my old PC. Do they make wall mounts for 32 inch HDTVs that let you rotate the TV 90 degrees? I can't seem to find any online or at stores. If not, I guess I could swap the TV between two mounts: a vertical wall mount for vertical games and the base it came with for everything else. I thought liquid cooling was great for PCs? Even if they made one for arcade boards, I probably wouldn't get it. I'm going to put two fans in each case and vents on the back top, bottom, left side, and right side. I have some extra 12V 8cm PC fans that would be perfect for this. Thank you for the PDFs. These will definitely come in handy. As for the hidden text about the case, I thought about a PC tower but came into a problem. I have since decided to get a 1 slot MVS board as well as the previously mentioned Namco board. Swapping MVS games would require me to open the case every time I wanted to play a different MVS game. That Namco board looks quite small from the pictures. If it is small enough, I could always mount that board in a 5.25 inch drive bay. After putting up the poll, I've been seriously considering making a RGBS to Composite Video/S-Video encoder. It would be an external box that plugs into the SCART socket. For the Namco board, I'll put the game-specific buttons on the case. That would probably be the game select buttons and maybe the player select button? I would like a reset button for the games. If this is possible, I'll put one on the JAMMA console unit. I think I'll come up with a rough sketch of the case and separate JAMMA console unit later today. By rough sketch, I mean auto shapes in PowerPoint. Since I'm going to use Neo Geo hardware, I figured I should use Neo Geo AES controllers. Which one would be best to use? The Neo Geo Pro controllers I've seen on eBay look nice. Would those work with the Namco board and the MVS? How many controller ports will I need for the MVS?
I have both the Neo Geo AES and Pro controllers. I would suggest the AES sticks - they feel better and have a larger footprint making them more stable if your holding the stick on your lap. If you want a good stick and can afford it, get a HORI NEO GEO fighting stick. Yes .... these sticks will work with your PCBs, just wire the game ports as outlined in the PDF file for a NEO GEO pinout. Jamma PCBs have the option for two players; so, if you want to play with someone else ... you will need two controller ports. Review the PDF file, it does cover those details.
They're all probably made in the same factory. No, of course it's not a good brand... or you'd have heard of it! It could be branded Fu Kin Shite and it'd be the same product It'll work. If you want a guaranteed product, buy from Suzo Happ. They probably just rebadge Chinese PSUs, but at least you know they'll still be there in a year. http://na.suzohapp.com/amusement_products/power_supplies/80-0064-00 PC cases are metal, so you want to be wary of them. Putting your PCBs on something conductive isn't a great idea! Make sure they're on stand-offs, at least. The idea with Superguns is that the board doesn't go inside something - if you wanna do that, you might as well get an arcade cabinet. You probably won't get a bracket that rotates. I wouldn't use a widescreen television - get an old broadcast/Amiga monitor. I don't like LCD for arcade gaming at all. You might as well just run an emulator on your PC if you're going to do that. There are only two Neo Geo controllers - the pad or the joystick. Third party ones are few and far between. Stick's always nicer for arcade. Hori is going to be better than SNK, yes - or build your own. Water cooling is terrible for PCs. It's putting water inside an electric device. That's asking for trouble. As safeguarded as it may be, there's still a chance it MIGHT leak. There may be a warranty issue with the CPU if it's a non-approved cooler. And it's pointless - you can air cool and there's no reason to overclock a PC nowadays. If you really feel that you have to swing your dick about by having a higher benchmark score, knock yourself out.
I couldn't even find the hori sticks on eBay. I asked about the multiple controller ports since I heard some games had more than two players. Not sure if those games are JAMMA boards or a custom board. I'll go with that PSU you linked. I'll avoid a PC case and make a custom case out of wood. A custom JAMMA cabinet is something I would like to get one day, but I have no room for it in my current house. Sadly, LCD is all I have. I want to get one of the Amiga monitors but I'm unsure of which one is the best for something like this. I remember reading that the Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga - Class of 1981 cabinet has an LCD screen in it. Can anyone here with that cabinet confirm this? I'll go with both the AES stick (the larger one) and the gamepad. A custom controller is something I want to build but it seems expensive. Would it be cheaper than buying an AES stick? I'll avoid water cooling. No sense in overclocking the arcade boards or my PC.
JAMMA only allows two joysticks. If a game supports more than two players, it'll be via a custom additional harness and each game is different. There were only like 10 or so Amiga monitors. One with an RGB port. Only you can answer how expensive something will be. What are you using for sticks? What are you using for buttons? You really need to research parts before you start. I seem to remember Neo Geo controller ports being slightly different from the normal D-connectors, but I can't remember if it's an issue for the port or the joystick connector. Probably the latter - which is fine. Again - do you research on that one to be sure.
I should of elaborated on what I built. I used plexiglass sheeting to mount it to the PC case's mounting screws (used for the motherboard); then, I mounted the MVS PCB with offset feet onto the plexiglass sheeting. I used plexiglass extensively on the case as you can see from the pics below. I would love a full cabinet, but do not have the space in my entertainment room...so, I built this compact cabinet for lack of a better description. Cosmetically its not done, I have some trim work to do and add a cover for the speaker. I would like to add a marquee as well. I've been working on this often-on for the past 4-5 years.
Cool. Yeah, easier if you're just using a single (cartridge-based) system and can permanently mount it. Not the best thing for switching JAMMA boards
Wow that thing is cool. Hopefully mine will turn out great. Since the case is going to be wood, how should I add custom logos? Should I use paint or glue printed labels to it?
I would do it by printing out what you want, cutting it and then gluing it onto where ever you want it to go then you using a clear coat over that. Not the best way of doing it but probably the cheapest
For any custom images, I would suggest using skinit.com. You can upload your own custom art and they will print it on a quality vinyl sticker. I've used them for a cover on a 17" laptop that I had. The size of the image will be limited to the products that they offers skins for. If you want to add any lettering, I would suggest using vinyl sticker letters; do Google search for that.
Ok, I think I'll do that. I'll take a look at their site. I forgot to mention that my SCART to HDMI converter acts just like European TVs. If it doesn't have 1-3V on Pin 16, it defaults to Composite Video mode and I won't get RGB. How can I get 1-3V on Pin 16? Should I wire +5V to a 75ohm resistor? EDIT: Removed line that said "or -5V" because SCART pinout diagrams show it's +5V.
