Super Guns vs Consolization & Pros and Cons of both
Super Guns
-Pros
Nearly Universal, use just about any Jamma compliant board
Customizeable, you can build your Super Gun to your exact needs if you go the DIY route or have someone to customize the unit for you
many Super Guns (like the Jasen Hicks Super Guns) can be modified again later to add or change features.
Great for boards that lack interchangeable games or the game is permanently built in.
ideal for board colelctors
-Cons
Can be Bulky
Expensive, especially if you buy a pre-made Super gun or Hire someone to build one for you
Does not include arcade board
Consolization
-Pros
Single Compact Unit
Many Consolized boards resemble actual game consoles.
Specialized for your particular game board
Comes with the Arcade board
Often cheaper than Super Guns ( at $600 the Analogue Consolized MVS in its wooden case is the same price or cheaper than some pre-built, high end Super guns).
-Cons
Only supports one arcade board
Can ruin the future use of the Jamma Edge connector
Often Consolization mods are permanent
Only good for boards with interchangeable games (cart or disc)
Can be difficult/impossible to add further modifications
Differences between MVS and standard Jamma (There is a new mod that includes 6 buttons in the Jamma interface that you may want to include)
Issues with Capcom boards
Suicide Battery
Harnesses (Huge variation in quality/cost/easy of installation)
How to wire up controllers
-
direct (from jamma directly to control panel)
Hopefully you have wired up and modified arcade controllers before. Wiring up a Arcade control panel on a arcade cab should be no different.
-
DB 15 (NEO GEO controller port)
Spoiler
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b261/darksakul/Projects/Jamma/db15_laugh_zps1091f82a.png
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b261/darksakul/Projects/Jamma/NeoGeoXLsheet_zps0fc6e4e4.jpg
Show in the images above is both the Neo Geo and Capcom standards for wiring up a controller via DB 15.
In actuality a Cabinet, Test Rig or Super Gun can utilize both standards on one DB 15 connector per player.
-
DB 25(used on some models of super guns)
http://www.assemblergames.com/images/pinoutmas.jpg
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Game controller ports ala converter (examples Undammed USB or Toodles FG Widget converter)
You can Add controller ports to use certain game console controllers
There a number of game controller to jamma converters on the market
I recommend Undammed USB to Jamma converter (PS3/Xbox 360 controls) or Toodles FG Widget converter (PlayStation,Saturn, SNES).
**Video **
RGB formats.
Video Formats CGA,Med Res,VGA ect.
CGA - Color Graphics Adapter (CGA), originally also called the Color/Graphics Adapter or IBM Color/Graphics Monitor Adapter, introduced in 1981, was IBM’s first graphics card and first color display card for the IBM PC. For this reason, it also became the first color computer display standard.
CGA supports a max of 640×200 at 15khz (carrier signal frequency not refresh rate).
EGA- EGA or Enhanced Graphics Adapter exist as a format in between CGA and VGA interns of color space and resolution. Introduced in September 1984 by IBM shortly after (but not exclusively for) its new PC/AT, EGA produces a display of 16 simultaneous colors from a palette of 64 at a resolution of up to 640×350 pixels. The EGA card includes a 16 kB ROM to extend the system BIOS for additional graphics functions, and includes the Motorola MC6845 video address generator as used in the CGA.
Arcade RGB video (not an actual single format)
What most Mid 80s to late 90s Jamma boards operate at, for the purposes of Arcade video and this thread, we ignore the IBM color pallet and focus on the NTSC color space. Electrically compatible with older RGB color monitors. This is almost* the same RGB signal used by Scart and Jpn RGB 21 Pin connectors, as the RGB in scart uses NTSC or PAL color spacing instead of the old IBM 16bit color pallet, and often uses composite video as sync, a sync cleaner is needed to change the composite video over to a pure sync signal for arcade and computer monitors. This is still at the 15 khz carrier frequency. This “format” is usually at 240p, like many of the game consoles in the 80’s and 90’s.
Mid Range
There some Arcade boards that operate at 25 Khz carrier frequency. These games can often display at a higher resolution than most 15 khz game boards.
VGA - Video Graphics Array (VGA) refers specifically to the display hardware first introduced with the IBM PS/2 line of computers in 1987, but through its widespread adoption has also come to mean either an analog computer display standard, the 15-pin D-subminiature VGA connector or the 640x480 resolution itself. While this resolution was superseded in the personal computer market in the 1990s, mobile devices have only caught up in the last few years. For our purposes we focus on the analog display standard.
For our purposes we will ignore the original IBM VGA color space and resolution and focus on the hardware instead.
VGA can support resolutions from 640x480 to 2,562 × 2,050 (for reference 1080p is at 1920x1080 or 2.1 megapixel) So yes VGA can easily support HD resolutions.
VGA is typically broadcast at a 31 khz carrier frequency unless specially modified VGA cards are used to broadcast at the 15khz frequency.
Full-Range 15Khz - 31Khz multi-scan arcade monitors.
There are some arcade and boardcast industry monitors that can accept the full range of carrier frequencies of 15 khz to 31khz with no issues. Very nice and very expensive, highly sought after by colelctors for its quality and flexibility.
Attenuation
Sometimes the provided RGB video is too bright (or dim) for your monitor or display.
It becomes necessary to add a resistor to each of the color lines on the output video.
While its difficult to find the exact resistor values, adjustable resistors called potentiometers are used
the video attenuation pots for my own super gun, one pot for each color Red, Green and Blue
Boost (capacitors)
When the color too dim, capacitors are used to brighten up each of the color lines.
Taking a clue from how various game consoles has there scart cables wired (predominantly PlayStation and SNES) a 220u capacitor on each color like will brighten up these signals.
My own capacitors are not in the picture above as they are already wired inside the scart connector.
Often the Capacitor is too bright so a combination of Capacitors and Pots are used to get the right brightness of each color line.
Video connections (ANALOG)
Not everyone has (or has access to) a 15khz RGB Monitor So here a working list of video connectors. In order of worst to best
RF or Radio Frequency: RF is common with older game consoles that uses a RF switch or RF cable to attach a game console to a Television via it’s antenna connection
typically 480i or 576i
Composite video(1 channel) is an analog video transmission (no audio) that carries standard definition video typically at 480i or 576i resolution. Home Composite connection are often a Yellow RCA Plug, often paired with a mono audio or stereo audio connectors.
typically 480i or 576i
S-Video: commonly known as S-Video, Super-Video and Y/C. By separating Black/White from color, S-video offers better quality than Composite. S-video usually uses a mini-din connector typically 480i or 576i
Component video: Component video is a video signal that has been split into two or more component channels.
When used without any other qualifications the term component video usually refers to analog YPBPR component video with sync on luma.
- YPBPR: The most common of Component Video, Supports 480i to 1080p and above. Similar to S-video videom but far superior, Component is separated to Chroma and luma. For home use Componet typically uses 3 RCA plugs, commercial/industrial use uses BNC connectors. In Japan the D-terminal connector is sometimes used.
- RGBS (Red, Green, Blue composite Sync) used in CGA, EGA, Scat and other connector formats typical uses a max of 480i or 576i for resolution but RGBS is often held superior to YPBPR as YPBPR is a compressed format while RGBS is a uncompressed or lossless format.
- RGBHV (Red, Green, Blue, Horizontal,Vertical) Typically used in for VGA and normally uses a DE-15 connector. See the VGA entry above for more info.
Digital Formats
DVI
HDMI
DisplayPort
Upscalling
On many modern TVs, most arcade boards will either look quite terrible or not at all.
The topic of RGB 240p is so big and so board, it would be it’s own thread. Fortunately one exist on Tech Talk.
MY ANALOG A/V SETUP - 240P GOODNESS
There is also some really good info on deinterlacing and upscallers on Hazard City, Retro RGB and Videogame Perfection
Audio
Attenuation
Too often Jamma boards have their sound boosted to Speaker level, which is too high for Super Gun use.
Attenuation of the audio lines will get the signal to “Line” level and now over power or blow out your home entertainment speakers.
Jasen hicks sells a pre-made Attenuation board for Audio.
(Mono vs Stereo)
**Power **
WARNING: DO NOT MIX MAINS AC VOLTAGE WITH THE LOWER DC VOLTAGE AT ANY TIME
Jamma side
If you haven’t notice Arcade Hardware usually runs on the following voltages
+5 Volts are for normal board functions,
+12 volts is used often for sound amplification, lamps/lights and the Coin mech. Many boards will not function without +12 volts, other will function after some minor mods.
-5 Volts are for a dedicated ground for the return 5 volts on certain (usually older) Jamma Boards, not having this -5 volts can fry older boards ram chips.
Jamma boards do not require the +3.3 volts supplied by ATX power Supplies
Now if you haven’t purchase a high quality prewired harness, you would want to use thicker gauge wire for your power lines.
18 or larger gauge (smaller number) wire should be used.
Typically a Jamma harness have two -5 volt lines, two +12 volt lines and four +5 volt lines.
These lines are tied together and typically you have the option of running one of the extra power lines to other parts of your cab, super gun or test rig to power other sub-systems.
Such as (For example) if you have a video converter that needs 5 volts, you can tap the 5 volts from the power Supply or the Jamma harness
If your board is not getting enough power, you would want to use more lines as the additional wire provides less resistance and you get less voltage drop.
Voltage drop is what you get when running longer lengths of wire, as all wire provides resistance lowering the voltage on the receiving end of that power line.
Some older boards are very particular on their +5 volt lines, so a voltage adjuster is used (present on Arcade PSU) is used to get the +5 volt line to a level which the board can operate without frying the board it self.
Some of these older boards are very power hungry, so you mite have to adjust your +5 line up higher. A Volt meter or a Multi-meter is required for this.
On ATX Power Supplies you have to build your own adjuster, either by modding the +5 voltage rail or stepping down from the +12 volt rail.
Power Supply Unit side.
If you are using a In-Line Arcade Power Supply (or a modded ATX power Supply) this can get dicey.
What ever you do, do not mix up the voltage lines.
DC
Make sure your +5 volts are going to your +5 rail, your +12 goes to your +12 rail, -5 volts goes to -5 volts rail, and so on.
AC (Keep in mind I am using US standards for terminology)
You should have a Hot, Neutral and a Earth Ground.
Although AC current don’t have a polarity by definition, by wiring standards it does.
Hot is your Supply line, neutral is your return voltage (ground and neutral are very similar in definition) Earth Ground has nothing to do with the ground for the rest of your arcade. The earth ground line goes to the Earth it self, hence why it is called earth ground.
This is a safety precaution in house hold MAINS wiring. If there ever a short in the hot and neutral lines you can trip a circuit breaker, blow a fuse or worst cause a fire. What the Earth ground does is provide a return for this voltage and reduce the risk electrical fires.
In Wiring up your Power Supply, you want to use thicker wire, minimum gauge of 18, I used 14 gauge from the socket where the power cord plugs into going over to the In-line power Supply.
ATX to Jamma hack
Important thing is is to Jumper 14 with a ground (Pin 13 is a good spot)
You can clip off the molex ends and wire them directly to Jamma or you can put together a ATX receptacle with a Matching ATX connector with a break out board
I prefer the later as you always want to build your projects where you can easily take them apart.
For specially power hungry set ups with ATX, you can use the additional power connectors (such as the Fan and HDD power connectors to run various sub systems)
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=85360.0
http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?225262-Why-won-t-my-ATX-PSU-work-with-my-MVS
Ground
Grounding is very important. make sure your Arcade Power Supply has a Earth Ground, On your AC voltage side of the Power Supply, you should have the Power Supply connected to a power cable that has 3 prongs.
In the US it is the middle round prong.
You also want every component group grounded, you want your monitor, marquee lights, coin mech, any metal panels and the sound (if applicable) tied to the DC voltage ground.
For DC voltage ground you can ground from the Jamma harness or the Power Supply.
