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Building a supergun

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Posts

  • yalborapyalborap Registered User regular
    I was thinking more like either bartop cabs, or these:

    neogeominiarcade540x405.jpg

    Or even this:

    youtubeworldssmallestsp.jpg

  • TheSonicRetardTheSonicRetard Registered User regular
    My supernova is out for delivery

    s.png

  • TheSonicRetardTheSonicRetard Registered User regular
    yalborap wrote:
    I was thinking more like either bartop cabs, or these:

    neogeominiarcade540x405.jpg

    Or even this:

    youtubeworldssmallestsp.jpg

    Those tiny cabs are incredibly cool. I assume they're using the system-on-a-chip design for the Megadrive one above?

    I don't have any experience with these, unfortunately. They seem like a wicked project to undertake - they look like intensely more powerful version of the Arcade Jr. cabinets from the 1970's which companies like Mattel and Nintendo used to sell.

  • TheSonicRetardTheSonicRetard Registered User regular
    Well they shipped it to my parents place instead of mine, but my parents only live across town. I'm here right now testing it out, and damn the thing is cool. Loud too, I need to disconnect the internal speaker. Ill post pics in a few hours.

  • TheSonicRetardTheSonicRetard Registered User regular
    So after hearing many horror stories about how the MAS Supernova is typically shipped to other purchasers, I was worried that I'd receive damaged sticks or other problems. Luckily, I was pleasantly suprised to find that my package had been split into two very well packed boxes. MAS actually went out and built wooden frames to hold everything in place in the boxes so everything arrived in prestine condition.

    u6phw.jpg

    The joysticks are not as high quality as the one I built myself for my arcade machine above, but they are still quality, more so than, say, an X-Arcade controller. They might not look like it, but these joysticks are huge. A tad bit bigger than an NES, and they are very, very heavy. They have rubber feet on the bottom, and overall they feel great - they don't feel like they'll give out any time soon.

    The sides are painted wood, and there is black t-molding around the entire stick, making it feel like a real arcade panel. However, the face of the stick is covered with a glossy sticker instead of Formica or plexiglass like my cabinet. Despite that, everything feels good.

    Veydd.jpg

    The unit itself looks slightly different from most other supernovas - the top is brown instead of white like normal, but I don't really mind. The actual unit isn't as big as I was expecting - I guess exposure to gigantic boards like Primal Rage made me expect the thing would be huge. Rather, it is the exact same shape as a CPS2, which makes playing CPS2 games on the thing look great. The actual jamma harness itself is way quality. I've never seen anybody comment on it before, but it's easily the best jamma harness I've ever used. Better than the harness I ordered from Jammaboards.com, better than the harness on my MKV, just great all around. It fits snug with the arcade board and is very easy to put on and off, and it's very clear which way it goes on.

    This supernova has 2 buttons not normally on a supernova. First, there is a switch which sets the supernova to output via RGB/VGA instead of RCA/S-video, a custom mod I had put in. Second, this supernova actually has a test switch, which most do not. This is awesome, because test switches are what you press to activate the options screen on most arcade boards.

    YxXC2.jpg

    The front of the unit is bare bones minimal. Just 2 32-pin controller ports, and that's it. The power switch (it's an actual switch) is in the back. As you can see, a CPS2 board fits great ontop of the supernova.

    5w8II.jpg

    The bottom of the unit actually has a speaker built in. I actually don't like this - the speaker is extremely loud, to the point where I'd worry that my neighbors would get upset. Luckily, the supernova opens with just 4 screws, and it was a 5 minute job to snip off one of the contacts on the speaker, thus muting it. Beyond the speaker, there is a stereo RCA connection on the unit so you can connect it to your tv, and some boards, like the CPS2, actually have stereo RCA jacks built into them.

    ERhAr.jpg

    Of course, this is the real meat and potatoes of the supernova, actually running a game. Here my Supernova is outputting to an HDTV via the VGA port. The camera makes it look worse than it is - the picture is actually great.

    wYU9i.jpg

    And outputting to a normal SD tv. It, of course, looks just like it did in the arcades. This thing is awesome.

    I have a night of Marvel vs Capcom 2, Primal Rage, Mortal Kombat, and Aliens vs Predator ahead of me, I just needed to post my impressions. It's been a few months since I first ventured out to bring actual, real arcade greatness into my home, and this is the end of my journey. I shelled out a lot of money in the end, but I can't express how happy I am with the result. If anyone is a hardcore collector and thinking about jumping into the supergun scene, I whole heartedly recommend the MAS supernova. Great investment.

  • AoiAoi Registered User regular
    Aoi wrote:
    So I'm kind of curious. When it comes to the CPS2 boards, if you take a game like Dungeons and Dragons that only used (if I remember right) four buttons, would you be able to use it with the Vogatek MkV board without any problems/modifications? I've been toying with the idea of getting that particular supergun in particular, and the two things I've really been wanting it for is an MVS board, and the Capcom D&D titles.

    Sorry for the long delay before reply, I only now just saw this post.

    NO! That actually won't work. See, the Jamma standard only supports 3 buttons, plus start, which is the reason the Sega Genesis had 3 buttons (it was built for arcade ports, after all). Now, when Jamma was being decided, the Neo Geo MVS was also in development, so they introduced this special version of Jamma known as Jamma+, which includes an unused pin for Neo Geo games. A standard jamma harness is not the same as a Neo Geo Jamma+ harness.

    That said, the 4 button on the jamma harness was ONLY used by the Neo Geo. Later, as 5-button (Mortal Kombat) and 6-button (Capcom) games came about, they released what are known as kick harnesses to wire up buttons 4-6. Button 4, in this case, is NOT wired up via the Jamma+ harness. Confusingly, games which use kick harnesses are said to also be Jamma+, but they're not the same as the Neo Geo MVS jamma+.

    Realistically, however, there are only 2 kick harnesses you'll ever need. You'll need a Midway MK3 kick harness if you ever want to get into mortal kombat, killer instinct, etc, and you'll need a CPS2 kick harness if you ever want to play capcom games. There are a few, very special kick harnesses for specific games (like MK1, or all CPS3 games) but for the most part, those two kick harnesses will get you through gaming.

    that said, Sega is actually awesome in this regard because, to this day, their standard arcade stuff is still made with strict Jamma guidelines. 3 buttons will get you through almost every sega game ever, save the few that use steering wheels, track balls, or other special controllers. Being the undisputed king of arcade all time, they pretty much are the poster boy for Jamma.

    Speaking of the board you're talking about, I actually have the MK V. It's a good board, and if you read this thread, it was what I was going to build my whole supergun around before I had a Supernova fall into my lap. If you know how arcade buttons work, it's a snap to wire up additional buttons for CPS2 games, and in fact, you can even build your own kick harness if you know what you're doing. If you'd like, I could go into more detail about the MK V. From what I've found, it's one of the best pieces of beginner supergun hardware out there. It comes highly recommended on Assembler for people looking for their first go at getting a supergun.

    The best supergun out there at the moment seems to be the Sigma, however. They build large, metal super guns which look like arcade control panels from a candy cab, 2 players, and are said to be extreme quality. I went with a supernova because they were pretty much the first commercial supergun, and the dude who is making mine is the actual former owner of the company who is building it from scratch, so I can add in custom parts (I added a VGA output board, CPS2, MK, and CPS3 kick harnesses, and customized the colors on my controllers).

    Thanks for the reply!

    Interesting to see how the Neo Geo Jamma+ standard is a bit off. I wondered about that when I heard a lot of standard Superguns had a problem with Neo Geo MVS boards. It makes sense now.

    I've almost jumped on that Vogatek V supergun a few times on Ebay, but the damned price keeps going up, and the price on MVS boards is all over the place. I've looked into some of the more expensive Superguns, but I've kinda realized at this point, I'm looking for a window into cheap Neo Geo collecting, and I'm not looking for a big cabinet in my place right now, so this seemed like the best/cheapest way to do it, with the option of expanding on what I collect later.

    So I guess what I'm saying in the longest winded way possible, yes, please tell me more about the Vogatek you have. First off, right out of the box, if I never go beyond standard Jamma boards and Neo Geo, how functional will that tiny board be for me stock? How difficult would it be to wire up a kick harness for a CPS 2?

    And congrats on finally getting your new Supergun, that thing looks like an utter beast.

  • TheSonicRetardTheSonicRetard Registered User regular
    I'm actually right about to go to sleep (driving to Austin tomorrow for the Texas game) but I tell you what - if you're willing to pay shipping, the MKV is all yours. I don't need it any more. I'll fill you in with more details later, but you probably won't find a better offer than that.

  • AoiAoi Registered User regular
    Wow, that would be appreciated as hell.

  • TheSonicRetardTheSonicRetard Registered User regular
    No prob bob, it's of no use to me anymore. I'd rather someone toy around with it rather than it sit in my closet, collecting dust. I'll send you details tomorrow.

  • ViscountalphaViscountalpha The pen is mightier than the sword http://youtu.be/G_sBOsh-vyIRegistered User regular
    Dangit TSR. You're making me crave one of those MAS superguns.

  • TheSonicRetardTheSonicRetard Registered User regular
    Dangit TSR. You're making me crave one of those MAS superguns.

    It's pretty freaking cool. I've been trying to build a quick rounded library of arcade games so I can justify playing the thing. In the 90's, arcades became overwhelmed with fighting games, so I'm trying to make sure I don't get bogged down with fighters. I picked up the 3 best fighting games from the glory days of the arcade (Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo, Mortal Kombat 2, and Marvel Vs Capcom) but I've been looking for more beat 'em ups and platformers.

    I really want to get my hands on some solid shmups. I've been looking for Fantasy Zone and a Fantasy Zone Jamma conversion kit since the moment I decided to get a supergun, and I'd love, say, Thunderforce AC.

    But yeah, about the MAS Supernova - I've been very pleased with it so far. Dealing with the person who built it was also an enjoyable experience, he was professional and well spoken. Much praise for this Supergun experience. It was, overall, a much smoother effort to get arcade boards running on my TV than the other topic I've been running about getting a PAL CD32 on my TV.

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