OK suppose someone like me has or is planning on getting 2 arcade/candy cabs and running them side by side for fighting games. What is the proper method for splitting and and running the video/audio to the second cab? Running the control panel wires should easy enough, But I’m guessing you need some sorta booster to split the video?
Steve
Nothing special needed unless I guess the video signal is really weak. All you need is a fingerboard and edge connectors in the master cabinet (with the gameboard) wired to a fingerboard in the slave cabinet. Both Sanwa and Seimitsu sell ready-made cables for versus linking.
hey is there a link for it. I’m very intrested
Depending on what are in those cabs, your probably gonna want to use an op-amp made for video to splice off the second video connection. The reason being to the game your playing, it sees the multiple arcade monitors termination as two resistors in parrallel, which means the overall termination is a lower impedance than required by the video standard. This will cause the game to have to use more current for the video, and also each monitor will recieve a smaller signal. This is definitly not good for your games, and could potentially burn out the video on certain boards.
Thanks for the info… you are correct, simply splitting the video doesn’t work properly (atleast with CPS-2). What is an “op-amp” ? How do I get one? What do VS cabs use?
Thanks,
Steve
There are to my knowledge no extra video circuitry on the VS cables made by Sanwa or Seimitsu so they should not be needed. I’ve been using a Seimitsu cable to link 3rd Strike across two Astro City cabinets with no problems at all, CPS2 works just fine as well.
Interesting… When I try to simply split the video to 2 monitors the picture darkens considerably on the second monitor. Where can I get this Seimisu cable that splits the video?
Steve
This is what you want, it has three op-amps in a single package, and they are rated to do video. To use them youll want to hook each of the op amps up as a non-inverting amplifier as shown here:
Third circuit down, for resistor values R1 and R2 you will use a value of 1k ohm. Where it says V-out you will connect a 75 ohm resistor and then connect the other side of the resistor to your second monitor. The V-in will be the video output of the arcade board. Do this for each of the colors, and for the composite sync line you can merely splice it between the boards. To save a buck you can prolly get a free sample from analog devices. Also, if you want another example of how to wire it consult the application circuit on page 12 of this manual:
http://www.analog.com/static/imported-files/data_sheets/AD725.pdf
Finally, if your cabinet does not supply -5v your going to need a single supply rail to rail op amp to produce the desired results, in this case a AD8054 or two AD8052’s would do the trick.
http://www.analog.com/static/imported-files/data_sheets/AD8051_8052_8054.pdf
Good luck.
Oh one other thing, during my building of a super gun i noticed that 3s and mvc2 output video at much higher voltages than say super turbo. That might explain why your having no issues connecting a 3s board to multiple monitors, mayhem.
Wow thanks for all the info, but I was hoping that I could just buy something that would do all that for me. I don’t have the time or the technical expertise to make this thing. Surely there is something you can buy and plug and play this thing into a jamma cab.
Steve
It really isnt alot of work, solder a chip to a experimenter board, solder on 9 resistors, connect wires… your done.
this is from Mayhem:
I don’t know of anyone who has them as regular inventory, but Akihabara Shop can special order them for you. I’ve ordered the Seimitsu version from them in the past and it works fine with 3rd Strike across two Astro City cabinets, though you’ll have to split the kick harness manually.
“SF-2 match-up for harness” (6th from top)
http://www.seimitsu.co.jp/harness/index.htm
Sanwa CHS-TS2
http://sanwa-d.co.jp/p_panel.htm
That definitely helps. The links are down and so is AkihabaraShop.jp, but at least I know what to look for now. Thanks a ton!
*edit: whoops, posted in the wrong thread. Didn’t mean to update this one.