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shingouki2

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Not sure if this should be here, someone can move it for me if i'ts in the wrong place, but I was having trouble getting my CPS2 machine to show up on my Gonbes converter. I have that black china harness with the video pins already connected to a molex connector that plugs right into the Gonbes. When I turn everything on, no source. CPS2 turns on, fan's spinning, my undamned decoders are green when I plug something in, everything appears to be wired correctly, but no output. I don't even hear audio from the CPS 2 board, which is plugged directly into the VGA to HDMI converter. Any suggestions? Should I cut the molex off and connect the jamma harness to the wires that came with my gonbes? Is there a certain setting I need to set my gonbes too? On another note, I don't think the auto select on the gonbes is working since pressing that button does nothing.
 
I think I might know what the problem is, power supply is rated for 5 amps, cps2 + gonbes = 5.4 amps. I don't think enough current is getting to the board. Now I have to find a 2 amp ac to dc power adapter to test.
 
how-to-setup.jpg



These things are shitty but if you really must use one...

Not sure if this should be here, someone can move it for me if i'ts in the wrong place
I would think monitor tech would be better, but the categories on this forum can be fuzzy at times. This certainly isn't a project you're "showcasing" though :D


I have that black china harness with the video pins already connected to a molex connector that plugs right into the Gonbes.
Some detailed pictures of this setup would go a long way, I don't trust china harnesses until I've personally verified that they're wired correctly, and even then only as a temporary measure as the quality often leaves a lot to be desired.

Have you verified that the video pins on the JAMMA edge are routed to the correct pins on the Gonbes? have you verified that the power pins on the JAMMA edge are routed to the correct pins on the Gonbes?
When I turn everything on, no source. CPS2 turns on, fan's spinning, my undamned decoders are green when I plug something in, everything appears to be wired correctly, but no output.
Are you getting LEDs on the Gonbes? does your display recognize that there is something attached just not outputting an image or does it not recognize any device at all? Does the on-screen display options for the gonebes appear?
I don't even hear audio from the CPS 2 board, which is plugged directly into the VGA to HDMI converter
I'm not sure I understand what you're saying but Audio does not travel through the VGA connector. That's what the Red and White RCA ports on your CPS2 are for. If your HDMI converter supports audio then you should be running a cable from these ports directly to the audio input port on your converter. Audio doesn't/shouldn't pass through the Gonbes at all. If this is how you've got it hooked up and you're not getting audio out (not even faint audio) then there's a chance you're not getting video because your CPS2 isn't actually booting up.

I think I might know what the problem is, power supply is rated for 5 amps, cps2 + gonbes = 5.4 amps. I don't think enough current is getting to the board. Now I have to find a 2 amp ac to dc power adapter to test.
I don't think your current draw would be a problem. I think CPS2 uses less than 3A and the Gonbes shouldn't be more than 1. unless your PSU is severely underrated. If you're voltages are stable then it's probably not a current draw problem, if they're dipping or you have to turn it up when both devices are attached that's a good sign that you're hitting the current draw limit.

What are your voltages at?
 
Well if I post a picture I'll be "showing" XD. Once I upload a picture somewhere I'll post it. My research was telling me CPS 2 uses 3.4 amps. Gonbes will put it to 5.4 + the undamned decoders. I just unplugged my decoders to see if that would save some current. When I went to auto look for the source and I got a pink screen. So I do think it's a current issue. If you have a better board that goes to VGA (Or straight to HDMI) I'll gladly switch it out.
Edit got the picture in. I'm using a pico power supply. 5V, 5A, I have it plugged into an ATX Benchtop so I can plug the Jamma Harness into it without modifying anything.
 

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it's a rats nest but it looks like everything is hooked up except audio.

I believe a pink screen on the Gonbes is indicative of an incorrect clamp value... I know 25KHz games it should be Clamp st=54 Clamp sp=61 but for 15KHz games (like CPS2) I should be higher maybe 94 and 96?

If you have a better board that goes to VGA (Or straight to HDMI) I'll gladly switch it out.
XRGB, Framemeister, OSSC, Taito JAMMA Converter are all better options.

Rather than building the converter into your supergun I'd look at getting a solid RGB to HDMI converter for your display and then simply have your supergun output to an RGB SCART or similar connector. That way if you want to run say an RGB Modded NES it will plug right in, or you could even get an RGB Switcher for a number of classic consoles. Similarly if you ever went the RGB CRT route your supergun would work with that as well.

Still have some unanswered questions though...

Have you verified that the video pins on the JAMMA edge are routed to the correct pins on the Gonbes? have you verified that the power pins on the JAMMA edge are routed to the correct pins on the Gonbes?
Are you getting LEDs on the Gonbes?
does your display recognize that there is something attached just not outputting an image or does it not recognize any device at all?
Does the on-screen display options for the gonebes appear?
What are your voltages at?
 
I can do scart to hdmi I guess, but VGA + the stereo ports on the CPS2 board would plug nicely into the VGA to HDMI converter I have on hand. So I went with that route.

"Does the on-screen display options for the gonebes appear?"
Yes they do. I've been switching between the different options and resolutions. Sometimes switching resolutions gives me a green screen or some garbled graphics. It's the Gonbes that's telling me I have no input. Not the T.V.

"Have you verified that the video pins on the JAMMA edge are routed to the correct pins on the Gonbes? have you verified that the power pins on the JAMMA edge are routed to the correct pins on the Gonbes?"
Yes. The Jamma harness came with its video cables crimped into a molex connector. That connector has the appropriate housing on the gonbes, it's plugged into there.

I was looking at my power supply. It's a mini ITX pico power supply, 2v and 6A. It's plugged into an ATX benchtop (That red thing in the picture). The benchtop has fuses for 5A. None of them have blown so I'm not sure if more than 5A is coming off the rails. I guess I can take a look now.

Edit: It looks like roughly 0.02A is being drawn by the Jamma harness to the board. That's not enough to power it. I wonder why that's happening. 5v reads about right and the 12v is a little higher. Never mind, I was reading the current wrong, it was set to AC. When I set it to DC, the power supply shut off when I went to measure.
 
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you want to shoot for between 5.05 and 5.10V at the JAMMA Edge connector with everything plugged in. the 12V power doesn't matter.
 
Yeah it's at 5.08, so it's fine. The problem is when I went to measure the current it shut off the power supply. The multimeter was too much of a load apparently. I'm getting a dedicated power supply tomorrow for the gonbes and I'm going to see if they have 6A fuses for the benchtop I picked up. The benchtop has 5A fuses. It might be causing issues.
 
if anything your fuse is too high. it's supposed to blow at the rated current, and if you're able to draw enough that it causes a shut-down without blowing the fuse then obviously the current capacity is less than 5A.


So it sounds like the Gonbes is getting enough power and it's video output is working.

have you tried adjusting the clamp values on the Gonbes to see if that gets you a signal from the CPS2?
 
if anything your fuse is too high. it's supposed to blow at the rated current, and if you're able to draw enough that it causes a shut-down without blowing the fuse then obviously the current capacity is less than 5A.


So it sounds like the Gonbes is getting enough power and it's video output is working.

have you tried adjusting the clamp values on the Gonbes to see if that gets you a signal from the CPS2?
Wouldn't that mean I need a higher rated fuse? I was looking to put in 6A fuses to see if that works? I'm not quite sure how to change the clamp values. Would I have to use the 3 potentiometers?
 
Wouldn't that mean I need a higher rated fuse? I was looking to put in 6A fuses to see if that works?
I question if you understand how a fuse works. a Fuse doesn't limit current, it's a safety feature... it allows 100% of the current to flow until it hit the specified limit, then it blows and needs to be replaced. if your current fuse didn't blow then a replacement fuse with a higher rating will be no different in terms of how your electronics are functioning.


I'm not quite sure how to change the clamp values.
they're adjusted through the on-screen menu.
 
XRGB, Framemeister, OSSC, Taito JAMMA Converter are all better options.
I am familiar with all those options except for the Taito Jamma Converter - what does this look like and what does it convert from/to? I am also looking to take a 31 kHz signal from a Naomi to convert to a HD display and possibly a 25 kHz signal from a Model 3 to the same display (HD LED monitor). Is the Taito Jamma converter an easier or "cheaper" alternative to the others listed?
 
I am familiar with all those options except for the Taito Jamma Converter - what does this look like and what does it convert from/to?
13178.jpg

The "Scan PCB" that's part of Taito's official JAMMA kit for the Vewlix, it takes in various 15KHz signals and upscales to HD over VGA. @jassin000 is a better person to ask about them as he owns one.

EDIT: here's a better picture...
40338.jpg


The kit is expensive (~$600 I think) but I've seen just the PCB pop up used on YAJ for under $100 from time to time.
 
The Taito scaler is good at what it does, and has pre-settings with the best/compatible settings already dialed in (with the exception of brightness).

I1CNQ7h.jpg


That is where the Taito scaler supports ends unfortunately... If you don't have a pre-setting, chances are the board WON'T WORK period!

B2viGSC.jpg


The Taito always outputs 640x480, regardless of the source...
It CANNOT draw scanlines, however this is easily corrected (and compatible due to the 640x480 output) with the addition of a SLG3000 (scanline generator).

Some quick non-working mentions include:
  • Bubble Bobble (Romstar)
  • Life Force (Konami)
  • R-Type (Irem)
  • Buster Bros. (Mitchell/Capcom)
  • Mortal Kombat (Midway)
If you buy the kit from Taito, yup with exchange and fees/stuff it's like 500$+.
I would be hesitant about buying just the board, as you'd have to hack up the connectors (pinouts/inputs below).

xVYZFrk.jpg


It wants 3.3v and ground for power as well (so it plays best with a JVS PSU and not an actual JAMMA PSU).

Ranking the above mentioned scalers from best to worst when using a CPS2 as the source:
  1. OSSC
  2. Taito*
  3. Framemeister*
  4. Gonbes
* Special notes about these two, the Framemeister looks slightly better when compared with the Taito.
The Taito however is much faster (I believe closer to the 1~2ms of the OSSC) and because of pre-settings requires zero configuration.
 
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I give up. I'm gonna buy an arcade PSU. The voltage is dropping to 4.3ish V when the CPS2 is plugged in and I can't get a current reading from the 5V rail for whatever reason. Any suggestions for a small arcade PSU or will an ATX power supply be decent enough?
 
I've never liked the Pico PSUs personally. People seem to be using them all over the place but I hear of lots of people having voltage issues with them and I don't trust that these things wont start going up in flames once the components on them start dying out.

You can get ATX PSUs for cheap/free Typical JAMMA Arcade PSUs are fairly cheap too and they're adjustable which is necessary for some PCBs that like their voltages a little higher or lower. but they can be more cumbersome to wire since they use screw terminals... then again that looks like what you're doing anyway, so maybe it will work out better for you.

Something like this will probably work well for your application:
http://www.twistedquarter.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=521_523&products_id=1940
 
I've never liked the Pico PSUs personally. People seem to be using them all over the place but I hear of lots of people having voltage issues with them and I don't trust that these things wont start going up in flames once the components on them start dying out.

You can get ATX PSUs for cheap/free Typical JAMMA Arcade PSUs are fairly cheap too and they're adjustable which is necessary for some PCBs that like their voltages a little higher or lower. but they can be more cumbersome to wire since they use screw terminals... then again that looks like what you're doing anyway, so maybe it will work out better for you.

Something like this will probably work well for your application:
http://www.twistedquarter.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=521_523&products_id=1940
What's the best way to wire them to the ac outlet? I'd like this to be on a switch.
 
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