This is absolutely huge for what it could do for ST at tournaments. Finally we would have the ability to play the standard arcade hardware, without the (pleasant) inconvienience of a cab, not having to decide on which console port is second best, and people can use their own sticks.
What are you looking at price wise? I’m most interested in one personally, I have a couple of friends who may want one each, and I’d possibly buy another 1 or 2 to use at tournaments depending on cost.
Lag is the same as before, well under a frame. Price is still looking to be in the $400 range. I was hoping to have these ready in October, which is still possible, but as with most things in life, it ain’t over till it’s over
Sorry for the lack of updates. Spent the last few weeks trying to solve a noise issue on the composite video. Went down a few different paths to no avail. Gonna try one more thing before I tell people to just deal with it Making nice progress on my milling jig for modifying the cases. Without this, this project would not be feasible. So much time goes into modifying the case and this will provide both speed and repeatability.
I plan on ordering some prototype boards for the DIY USB host kits in the next couple weeks. Also got another big surprise I’m working on for the ST scene
-ud
I’m still interested in one personally and you can put me on your “definite to buy” list, but I didn’t realise it was going to cost what it does; so I can’t speak on behalf of my friends wanting them now, or buying extras for tournaments
Just don’t want to raise your hopes falsely. Sorry
Maybe I’ll be better positioned in the new year to consider one dedicated for tournaments, but I still have to buy a couple of ST boards too. Did you plan on leaving a couple of DB15 connections in there somewhere as well as USB? I’m modding a couple of my TE sticks for direct button output, so then I would have that option.
Also would it be possible to have component output too? I notice such video conversion boards exist on ebay and what not, but don’t know if you have enough space to include it. Component would be used for streaming/capture, so it would be really useful. Maybe if both outputs can be active at the same time, I could use RGB scart for the video output and component for capture, that way we avoid capture lag. Would VGA output be possible too, or am I being too ambitious now with space?
Also a surprise for the ST scene? As if this wasn’t a surprise enough, I can’t imagine what it could be.
Edit
I asked if it was possible to include a VGA connector, but that’s basically because my current setup is a flat CRT monitor (no 15khz though!) and seperate speakers. I suppose at this point we are moving away from your “off the shelf” design and it would mean that it needs a VGA upscaler, which introduces lag…
I’ll think about it. Maybe I’ll just get a CRT TV to take to events
Hey dont forget me ! I am on the definte to buy list as well, I saw you at this years evo, couldnt get my hands on this, but the guys I talked to, said it was awesome !
Yeah I am one of the friends zero1 talked about
Would shipping to germany or france be possible ?
I think most of those questions have been answered earlier in the thread but I’ll bite
As much as component would be nice, it would still be low resolution (240p), which a lot of displays/equipment can’t even work with. I’m sticking with composite, s-video, and RGB because it gives the basics for people to do whatever they like. The guy who wants to run s-video isn’t going to be too keen on paying an extra $75 for a (laggy) VGA output. But the guy who is hard core about it will think nothing of buying a nice upscaler to run his Playstation SCART cable to.
In short I see the ideal tourney setup as:
UD-CPS2
|
S-Video
|
Distribution Amplifier (see video FAQ in OP)
| |
S-Video S-Video
| |
CRT Capture setup
Sure, RGB is great and all but the amount of additional gear you need to run to fully utilize it is borderline silly.
Yup, international shipping will definitely be available.
-ud
Hmm ok, I guess if you are offering RGB scart output, that I could get a PS AV cable and splice in some cables going to a component converter/upscaler, so I’ll have RGB scart and component output for capture.
Just one thing; what format is the CPS2 video in? I thought the output was progressive, but I made a JAMMA>Scart cable yesterday with nothing special (just a few resistors) and my interlaced CRT TV accepts it fine. I thought it would have thrown a fit, feeding a progressive signal via Scart?
As long as by hacking up a Playstation AV cable, I can get a progressive signal to send to an upscaler/converter, as your design currently stands (not sure if the AV board you are using makes the scart signal interlaced or not), then we are good.
Would it cost much more/be much trouble to put some DB15 in for direct controls in addition to your front mounted USB?
I just looked across my room at the sorry mess of wires that is my first attempt at a supergun. I’m desperate to get my hands on this now!
You might be able to get away with that but I would recommend running a PS SCART cable (by the way, not all SCART cables have the RGB lines) through a powered SCART splitter and then off to your transcoder, upscaler, etc.
My guess is that your TV is ok with 240p. The converter I’m using does nothing to the RGB signals other than buffer them after I drop the voltage down.
Yeah, it actually would be a pain. The beauty of this project is that I’m going to be able to do every console the same and really have a smooth production flow. Something custom like that (as simple as it seems) brings things to a full stop to try and figure out the best strategy. Only reason I would go that route would be if there were substantial input lag on the USB and there isn’t.
Would you consider replacing the fan with something near silent? I have no issues with doing this to a stock board, but I’m just cautious in case I knock something out of place on the modded board as I assume it will be pretty cramped inside by the time you are finished.
A lot of people are saying good things about the Papst 612FL
I did a crap-ton of research on this about a year ago. I’ve picked out a few candidates and yes, I will be replacing the stock fans with something much more quiet, just not sure exactly which model yet. Papst 612FL is nice, but cost about 3 or 4x other fans. Sunon recently put out some comparable units, which I have some samples of, just need to do some more hands on testing and compare with a few other models. Also consider that quiet == less air flow, so my ultimate goal is not silence.
-ud
Yeah that’s always the problem. That said, fan design has improved a bit since these were made and I think that you should be able to get a similar airflow volume with much less noise now, so you won’t be losing any cooling ability.
The trouble is knowing how much airflow the OEM fans manage. I may open my board up when my torx bits arrive and see if I can dig anything up, but I bet the model is so old that even if I can find it, there won’t be that kind of information available for it.
From what I’ve seen, technology hasn’t advanced much in the way of that particular type of fan. I’m sure other fan type designs have been created, but I haven’t seen much improvement in that old form factor.
I have all that information archived. Did a lot of data sheet studies a while back. One of the things that people don’t realize is that as a fan wears out it becomes exceedingly loud, much louder than the data sheet from the factory specifies. So, you can’t just look at two lists of specs and pick the true winner. You need to check the build quality, do some of your own testing, etc… There are websites dedicated to cooling fan reviews for PC’s, but unfortunately, you won’t find nearly as much info for this size fan as you will for the larger ones.
-ud
The Papst one is incredibly quiet and pretty easy to install. Here’s a video of my CPS2 running with it (my breathing is louder, LOL): [media=youtube]YDw2e91Y5nM[/media]
Making nice progress on my milling jig for modifying the cases. Without this, this project would not be feasible. So much time goes into modifying the case and this will provide both speed and repeatability.
