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An improved JVS-PAC (JVS-PAC 2)

Attached Logs.

View attachment sega+nesicaJ2.txt Sega 837-14572 Board hooked up to the JVS-PAC, and a Nesica RFID reader's J2 plugged into the second port of the Sega board. Pushed Test or Service a couple of times at the end.
View attachment nesicaPortJ1.txt Nesica Reader Only, plugged into the JVS-PAC using port J1.
View attachment nesicaPortJ2.txt Nesica Reader Only, plugged into the JVS-PAC using port J2.

Reader via J1 gets to the JVS-PAC 2 intro screen, briefly shows "Unknown IO OK JVS 0hz", then switches to only showing "JVS-PAC 2", which flickers every few seconds.
Reader via J2 gets to the JVS-PAC 2 intro screen but shows nothing else but the text "JVS-PAC 2" which flickers every few seconds, never gets to the 0hz Unknown ID unlike J1.

No idea why the Sega IO itself doesn't like the J1 port at all, but that has nothing to do with the JVS-PAC.

Board Photo (5V power supply connector P3 is disconnected):
IMG_9867.JPG
 
Thanks for debug output, it reports itself with pretty much no capabilities which confuses the JVS-PAC, so I'll improve the code a bit to handle it better and also improve on the fault handling. For now, disconnect it if you intend to play games with the JVS-PAC :)
 
My real wish would be to get the card reader to act as an input depending on the card ID or something silly like that but that's a very specific and totally unreasonable request to make.
I have one of the older Taito card reader pcbs (but no actual reader) too. I might try plugging that in and seeing what it says. Probably similar to the nesica reader.

Anyway, the JVS-PAC 2 and the Jammafier are amazing products. My entire cabinet setup revolves around the existence of the two devices!
 
adgenet said:
My real wish would be to get the card reader to act as an input depending on the card ID or something silly like that but that's a very specific and totally unreasonable request to make.
I have one of the older Taito card reader pcbs (but no actual reader) too. I might try plugging that in and seeing what it says. Probably similar to the nesica reader.

Anyway, the JVS-PAC 2 and the Jammafier are amazing products. My entire cabinet setup revolves around the existence of the two devices!
Click to expand...
No idea how they work, it only identifies itself as a board capable of driving 8 outputs - normally this is stuff like lamps. If it reports something back to the game, it may do it via proprietary commands.

Firmware updated, doesn't do anything with the RFID card but hopefully it won't crap on itself anymore.

https://irkenlabs.com/jvs-pac2/firmware-update

If you can test with the debug file it would be awesome so I can confirm it's actually working :)
 
Just updated and ran the reader directly from J1 and J2.
Running the Sega IO -> J2 port chain still shows "Unknown IO".
Behavior seems the same as before.

Jammafier acts the same way as the JVS-PAC 2 when connected identically as well (as expected I suppose)
 

Attachments

  • Sega-J2.txt
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  • j1.txt
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  • j2.txt
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Last edited:
Also tried the "old style" card reader pcb I mentioned earlier, but it doesn't seem to do anything at all.
A light blinks on it, but I guess it needs the rest of the hardware (or needs to be sent special commands) before it actually does any communicating.
IMG_9871.JPG
 
@adgenet + sorry for wasting you time, the link in the firmware update page was incorrect, now it actually links to the updated firmware..
Firmware version in OLED should read 2019-06-03

Debug for the other card-reader would also be appreciated :)

I haven't updated the Jammafier firmware yet, but will be easy as it shares JVS code with the JVS-PAC.
 
No problem, re-ran tests.
J1 to JVS Pac correctly identifies the reader. Polling rate is very high.
J2 to JVS Pac does the "JVS PAC 2" text flicker every few seconds and never goes past this.
Sega IO-J2 chain is just like before showing "Unknown IO"

Tried the other card reader board, tried the dip switches in all combinations using port J1 to the JVS-PAC, log attached. JVS-PAC acted like nothing was connected at all.
Maybe I need to use a non-standard USB-A to A cable on J2?

Photo of this pcb:
P1010948.JPG
 

Attachments

  • otherCardIF.txt
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  • Sega-J2.txt
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  • J2.txt
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  • J1.txt
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Thanks! This probably has limited interest, but it's for science

For the nesica thingie, seems J1 is the connector to use in 'game system direction', J2 seems to be for upstream/northbound IO boards.
The polling rate is high (and lying), as the JVS-PAC 2 has really nothing to ask it during the normal cycle and thus skips it.

Since the direction is wrong with J2 directly, it goes into an infinite loop as it electrically looks like there are more IO boards in the chain.

WIth Sega + J2, the rfid board corrupts the JVS traffic as the direction is wrong.

With a bit of luck sega + J1 should work.

The other board doesn't initialize or say anything at all, i.e. as if nothing was connected.
 
You are correct, Sega+J1 works (see log). I was initially under the impression that it wasn't working because the relay that normally clicks on on the Sega board doesn't click in this configuration. Interesting.

I wonder what the deal with the other board is? The traces for the JVS ports on the bottom of the PCB seem to be jumped together. Should I try a bizarro cable? Probably it needs the rest of the hardware and not some hackjob cable...
I've never even seen anybody with a machine with the actual reader bits for this installed. I've only seen it in blurry photos of SF4 location testing.
IMG_9872.JPG
 

Attachments

  • SegaJ1.txt
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Did some more experimenting with that other card reader board.
Tried all sorts of things including using a USB A-A cable both by itself, and chained through the Sega IO. Nothing ever gets spit out to the debug log.
I'm convinced that it simply requires the rest of the hardware to start talking.
 
I just ordered one of these. Want to play steam games on my vewlix. I don’t see a manual anywhere is it stupid simple to setup? Just plug in some usb cables and my controls will show up in windows as keypresses?
 
Geddon said:
I just ordered one of these. Want to play steam games on my vewlix. I don’t see a manual anywhere is it stupid simple to setup? Just plug in some usb cables and my controls will show up in windows as keypresses?
Click to expand...
Can't speak for steam, but you got the other part right - out of the box it maps to standard keys. I have an intention of making it more steam friendly by having it behave like a couple of game pads - but with a kid in the house and a box of scalers screaming for firmware time is a little limited these days.

How the keyboard stuff works:
https://irkenlabs.com/jvs-pac2/keyboard-operation
 
there's a program that makes keyboard behave like an xbox controller, I'm pretty sure I've shared it in this thread works pretty well with xinput games. 5th page
 
A little heads up, I just assembled OLED's on the remaining JVS-PAC 2's that were produced - added to the store, and these will be the last until a new batch is made, which in no cases will be ready until next year.
 
Just got word from the factory that the second run of JVS-PAC 2 pcb's are assembled and will be shipped out shortly, meaning I should have them in stock for sale in 2-3 weeks.
 
Just ordered a JVS-PAC 2. Hoping for the best. Can’t wait for the Jammafier to restock.
 
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