AXUNWORKS JJ-CBOX REVIEW
by: @djsheep
Things certainly have come a long way over the past couple of decades for home arcade enthusiasts, we've seen some really great superguns hit the market: The HAS and The Minigun are the the two that have the most proven track record and user-base; tried & tested and easily considered the "standard". IMO, the HAS is at the top of the hill with the Minigun below it. Personally, I've only had experience with the Sentinel Supergun which was the project that eventually spawned the open source Minigun. Unfortunately, this was a very short lived device with only a few units making it out of the creators hands before he disappeared and seemingly retired from the arcade community.
Before continuing this review, I think it's important that we differentiate the JJ-CBOX from a regular Supergun. The JJ stands for "Jamma (and) JVS", the two standards it supports, and the CBOX stands for "Control Box", which can be loosely defined as a consolised supergun in a box. These devices are most popular in Japan and a well known device we could compare the JJ-CBOX to would be the Japanese Sigma AV which is a basic JAMMA only supergun with a PSU inside a metal enclosure.
Most other control boxes from Japan are fully enclosed devices that also include 2 sets of sticks and buttons with a host of features depending on the model. The companies who manufactured these units included Pana, Kic's, Vega, Combo AV, etc. I had briefly owned a control box from Japan called "The Boardmaster" which was beautifully built, however the RGB signal out of it was atrociously bad, bright and at dangerous levels for consumer grade equipment, after experiencing all of that first hand, I moved the unit along.
Over the past couple of years, I'd grown to really love the Sentinel, but as I connected all my consoles and systems up for casual and practical use, I was starting to dislike the fact that the Sentinel was realistically just a PCB that hung off a power supply. It was great on a dedicated test bench but not so functional for my current needs. Around the same time I was having this realisation, shit the fan and my Suzo Happ PSU blew up! I tried contacting Suzo in Australia to buy a replacement, but during the COVID-19 madness, they'd shut up shop locally. When hunting around online via the US, I realised the cost of shipping a replacement down under just wasn't worth the money. I thought to myself, why don't I finally bite the bullet and put that PSU money towards what I would now personally consider the "Rolls Royce" of control boxes, the JJ-CBOX by China based creator @Axun.
I'd been watching enviously over the past year, users on the Arcade-Projects forum unboxing and showing off their Axunworks packages and knew that sooner or later I'd have to give in and get my own. After adding all the items that I wanted to my cart, seeing the postage cost, PayPal fees, etc. I was hit with the realism that this wasn't a "cheap" product, but I somewhat grudgingly went ahead and ordered because I use my Supergun quite frequently and I figured that like everything else in life, you've got to pay for quality.
The package took a while for Axun to put together, but this is something that I had anticipated. Never once was I left out the loop when I queried "where is my order" to @drfunk2k who represents Axunworks products on forums and all over the Internet acting as a liaison between Axun and his Western customers.
I believe from the time I ordered to the time I received the package was 6 weeks. Not a great amount of time, but something everyone ordering should keep in mind. These products are built lovingly by hand, individually and then well tested prior to packing and shipping.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The first thing I noticed was how heavy the package was, it totalled over 5kg in weight! The feature packed control box ain't no joke and is a heavy beast to boot. The other thing I noticed after opening the box was how slick and well built the unit was. It looks premium, photos really don't do it justice. I was very happy in hindsight that I opted for the Black PCB too. It's a $30 USD added expense, but I have too many green PCBs floating around my world as it is!
SETTING IT UP
Setup was super simple. The standard power cable included with the unit will work in the US and Japan but not in Australia. I bought the VDE power adapter for $4 USD which meant I could use a regular “kettle” power cord. Axun was thoughtful enough to provide me with a suitable Australian cord in the box to save me hunting around for one, which was a nice little surprise. I also bought the "CBOX Jamma Extension" which I highly recommend. Two cables plug into the back of the JJ-CBOX that provide a nice long JAMMA extension cable with on-board 5v/12v voltmeters.
I currently run all my SCART equipment into a W-Hydra Revised 16-Port switch to two chained PVM monitors. I like to have everything hooked up and ready to play, so I went ahead and ordered a standalone EU SCART cable for the JJ-CBOX from Axun. I haven't opened the cable to look at the build, but I'm sure there won't be any skimping in that regard when compared to the quality of everything else purchased.
After plugging everything in, I grabbed my CPS-2 Multi and fired it up. Straight out the box, the image was slightly too bright so I adjusted it down a notch with the pot on the back of the unit. The 5v was a little too low also, so I adjusted that to my liking. The video output of this thing is second to none with vibrant colours and no interference or apparent issues.
BASIC FEATURE BREAKDOWN
There are 5v and 3.3v adjustment pots on the back of the unit. You can adjust these with a little screwdriver. I suggest grabbing a set of ceramic screwdrivers for this task. There's DB15 (RGBS) and RCA audio outputs that I won't use and haven't tested, but I'm certain they would prove useful for a different user’s setup. The large potentiometer on the back of the unit is used to adjust the RGB brightness level. I have only used this to make minor adjustments thus far, but it's nice to have that functionality to dial up/down brighter/duller games.
Kick harness functionality is simple, plug the harness onto the header directly on the CBOX or extension PCB and then flick the two little switches for buttons 5 & 6 to "EXT". I've tested CPS-1 and CPS-2/3 with no issues. The cables bought from Axunworks were of the highest build quality and reasonably priced too. They were also hand labelled, yet another nice little touch for those who have boxes of random cables and struggle to find the right ones
The ability to use Saturn pads and Sigma sticks alongside the standard DB15 ports is very welcoming. It was handy to be able to grab any variety of sticks or adapters to use with the unit. I’m currently using a MD2NEO adapter with a wireless 8bitdo 2.4GHz M30 pad for Player 1 and an original Saturn pad for Player 2.
There are 3 DIP switches on the unit to toggle continuous fire of B1/2/3. I found this feature very useful whilst using the "STG" control mode where B1/2/3 are mapped to B4/5/6 and then by flipping the DIP switches B1/2/3 are rapid fire whilst retaining the original timings on B4/5/6. There’s also a SNK control mode layout to use with Neo Geo and a button remapping feature that I haven’t had the need to use yet.
3 modes of control rotation can be selected by a switch and indicated by a LED. My setup consists of linked side-by-side TATE and YOKO monitors, I enjoyed this feature a lot more than I anticipated. I played Ikaruga horizontally and Border Down vertically for shits and giggles, but this is more-so a useful addition for those with only a horizontal setup who want to get a few vertical STG games in without having to rotate their monitor.
The "Correction" pots are handy for PCBs that are a little off centre. Simply flick the switch on the back of the unit titled "Correction" and then alter the screen position with the H or V pots on the front of the unit. Flicking the switch back to "H/W Direct" returns it back to standard output.
As standard, there's Test and Service buttons on the back of the unit. After a little bit of time, I've learned where these are and can reach them with no issues with the front of the unit facing me.
JVS / 15KHZ
One of the beautiful features of the JJ-CBOX is its "All-In-One-Unit" design philosophy with the ability to support the two most popular arcade standards. It has a genuine SEGA JVS I/O board built in so that you can play JVS arcade games alongside standard JAMMA boards. Not only that, but the PSU is beefy enough to power JVS setups also! I don't own many JVS games yet, but I do have a couple of Naomi Netboot setups, so I decided to purchase the Naomi 15khz video JAMMA adapter PCB for $18 USD, which after changing DIP1 on the Naomi and connecting the DB15 cable to the adapter, passes through the video signal over the JAMMA edge. From what I understand, this is exactly the same circuit used on the Capcom I/O Board. I also purchased Axuns' custom power cable which draws all the necessary voltages from the JJ-CBOX directly to feed the Naomi (5v, 12v and the elusive 3.3v).
After setting everything up and netbooting a game I got the error, "I/O BD Not Connected". So I went ahead and tried a couple of other USB cables with no luck, and down a testing rabbit hole I went to see if there was anything wrong with my Naomi setups. After trying them both again with my own JVS PCBs, I realised this was an issue with the JJ-CBOX itself.
Honestly, I was a little disappointed. I hit up drfunk2k, and instantly he was onto it. Within a day, I had a direct line to Axun who straight off the bat assured me that regardless of the issue, he would pay for shipping back to China or do whatever to make me happy with the device the way I wanted. He sat with me patiently walking me through tearing down the device, screw by screw, until we figured it out. A cable had come loose during shipping. I soldered it back onto the I/O, put the unit back together and I was in business. JVS works great! I've only got the Naomi to test with, but it runs both Netbooting and 15KHz just fine. I look forward to exploring the JVS world more in the near future thanks to this device.
OVERALL QUALITY
All the cables and accessories that Axun makes are of the highest quality. Also, having now opened the JJ-CBOX and actually looking inside the unit, I gotta say this thing is REALLY well thought out and built with a lot of care. There's no dodgy or cheap wiring in this thing whatsoever. Open areas are protected from interference with foam and the soldering quality is very good. It's some top shelf A-Grade shit and you can definitely tell Axunworks cares about his products and that is worth the price of admission in this day and age IMO.
CONS?
Compared to my Sentinel, there's a bit of a delay when powering on or off. I've gotten too used to hitting the switch on the PSU and having it instantly react. This isn't a big issue though and it’s just something I have to get used to. It's only a second or so until it kicks in and powers on or off.
The JAMMA edge was a bit tight for my liking, but as of this writing Axun has offered customers different choices now. This is a personal preference though; I know some people like a strong grip JAMMA edge. Functionally, there’s nothing wrong with the standard connector that comes with the unit. I’ve just been spoilt by choice over the years.
FINAL THOUGHTS!
Get one. Seriously. It's built like a tank. It will last a long time. The video out from this thing is beautiful and the colours are vibrant and really pop. All the little features I've noted above really make this unit stand out. I think my review speaks for itself. I’m a fan and will be supporting Axunworks products in my arcade journey. This is my device to play games outside of the cabs and will also be my go-to for testing/diagnosing issues with boards going forward.
The level of customer support and service provided shouldn't be scoffed at either. Too many times with independent creators or purchases have I been caught out sending multiple e-mails with no response until a PayPal case is open, at which point I've given up on the product/goods and couldn't give a shit about them nor the seller. The short time that Axun spent with me diagnosing a fault with the JJ-CBOX was very refreshing, and I'm glad to have sorted it out without any added cost to myself or him after seeing how forthcoming he was.
MY PERSONAL SUGGESTIONS FOR NEXT VERSION OF THE JJ-CBOX
1. Built in USB Controller Support (but please keep the Neo Geo, Saturn and Sigma)
2. RCA or 3.5mm audio input for JVS systems/external JAMMA stereo to be passed through the box and then over SCART
3. Add Service & Test buttons to the Extension Cable PCB
4. Bring back the "Coin" button. Some PCBs don't coin up with service, and this is also useful for testing purposes.
5. Add a 3.3v Voltmeter
6. A notch on the RGB dial to indicate default levels
by: @djsheep
Things certainly have come a long way over the past couple of decades for home arcade enthusiasts, we've seen some really great superguns hit the market: The HAS and The Minigun are the the two that have the most proven track record and user-base; tried & tested and easily considered the "standard". IMO, the HAS is at the top of the hill with the Minigun below it. Personally, I've only had experience with the Sentinel Supergun which was the project that eventually spawned the open source Minigun. Unfortunately, this was a very short lived device with only a few units making it out of the creators hands before he disappeared and seemingly retired from the arcade community.
Before continuing this review, I think it's important that we differentiate the JJ-CBOX from a regular Supergun. The JJ stands for "Jamma (and) JVS", the two standards it supports, and the CBOX stands for "Control Box", which can be loosely defined as a consolised supergun in a box. These devices are most popular in Japan and a well known device we could compare the JJ-CBOX to would be the Japanese Sigma AV which is a basic JAMMA only supergun with a PSU inside a metal enclosure.
The Sigma Σ1AV control box from Japan with Σ3TB stick which is coincidentally compatible with the JJ-CBOX
Most other control boxes from Japan are fully enclosed devices that also include 2 sets of sticks and buttons with a host of features depending on the model. The companies who manufactured these units included Pana, Kic's, Vega, Combo AV, etc. I had briefly owned a control box from Japan called "The Boardmaster" which was beautifully built, however the RGB signal out of it was atrociously bad, bright and at dangerous levels for consumer grade equipment, after experiencing all of that first hand, I moved the unit along.
The Boardmaster control box from Japan. Beautiful build quality, but lacking in the quality and safety of its video output
Over the past couple of years, I'd grown to really love the Sentinel, but as I connected all my consoles and systems up for casual and practical use, I was starting to dislike the fact that the Sentinel was realistically just a PCB that hung off a power supply. It was great on a dedicated test bench but not so functional for my current needs. Around the same time I was having this realisation, shit the fan and my Suzo Happ PSU blew up! I tried contacting Suzo in Australia to buy a replacement, but during the COVID-19 madness, they'd shut up shop locally. When hunting around online via the US, I realised the cost of shipping a replacement down under just wasn't worth the money. I thought to myself, why don't I finally bite the bullet and put that PSU money towards what I would now personally consider the "Rolls Royce" of control boxes, the JJ-CBOX by China based creator @Axun.
I'd been watching enviously over the past year, users on the Arcade-Projects forum unboxing and showing off their Axunworks packages and knew that sooner or later I'd have to give in and get my own. After adding all the items that I wanted to my cart, seeing the postage cost, PayPal fees, etc. I was hit with the realism that this wasn't a "cheap" product, but I somewhat grudgingly went ahead and ordered because I use my Supergun quite frequently and I figured that like everything else in life, you've got to pay for quality.
The package took a while for Axun to put together, but this is something that I had anticipated. Never once was I left out the loop when I queried "where is my order" to @drfunk2k who represents Axunworks products on forums and all over the Internet acting as a liaison between Axun and his Western customers.
I believe from the time I ordered to the time I received the package was 6 weeks. Not a great amount of time, but something everyone ordering should keep in mind. These products are built lovingly by hand, individually and then well tested prior to packing and shipping.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The first thing I noticed was how heavy the package was, it totalled over 5kg in weight! The feature packed control box ain't no joke and is a heavy beast to boot. The other thing I noticed after opening the box was how slick and well built the unit was. It looks premium, photos really don't do it justice. I was very happy in hindsight that I opted for the Black PCB too. It's a $30 USD added expense, but I have too many green PCBs floating around my world as it is!
SETTING IT UP
Setup was super simple. The standard power cable included with the unit will work in the US and Japan but not in Australia. I bought the VDE power adapter for $4 USD which meant I could use a regular “kettle” power cord. Axun was thoughtful enough to provide me with a suitable Australian cord in the box to save me hunting around for one, which was a nice little surprise. I also bought the "CBOX Jamma Extension" which I highly recommend. Two cables plug into the back of the JJ-CBOX that provide a nice long JAMMA extension cable with on-board 5v/12v voltmeters.
VDU adapter allows you to connect a regular 'kettle' power cable from your country
The JJ-CBOX Extension cable gives quite a bit of extra legth to the unit, allowing it to be used in a variety of setup scenarios
I currently run all my SCART equipment into a W-Hydra Revised 16-Port switch to two chained PVM monitors. I like to have everything hooked up and ready to play, so I went ahead and ordered a standalone EU SCART cable for the JJ-CBOX from Axun. I haven't opened the cable to look at the build, but I'm sure there won't be any skimping in that regard when compared to the quality of everything else purchased.
After plugging everything in, I grabbed my CPS-2 Multi and fired it up. Straight out the box, the image was slightly too bright so I adjusted it down a notch with the pot on the back of the unit. The 5v was a little too low also, so I adjusted that to my liking. The video output of this thing is second to none with vibrant colours and no interference or apparent issues.
BASIC FEATURE BREAKDOWN
There are 5v and 3.3v adjustment pots on the back of the unit. You can adjust these with a little screwdriver. I suggest grabbing a set of ceramic screwdrivers for this task. There's DB15 (RGBS) and RCA audio outputs that I won't use and haven't tested, but I'm certain they would prove useful for a different user’s setup. The large potentiometer on the back of the unit is used to adjust the RGB brightness level. I have only used this to make minor adjustments thus far, but it's nice to have that functionality to dial up/down brighter/duller games.
Kick harness functionality is simple, plug the harness onto the header directly on the CBOX or extension PCB and then flick the two little switches for buttons 5 & 6 to "EXT". I've tested CPS-1 and CPS-2/3 with no issues. The cables bought from Axunworks were of the highest build quality and reasonably priced too. They were also hand labelled, yet another nice little touch for those who have boxes of random cables and struggle to find the right ones
Using a kick harness with the JJ-CBOX is an easy task
The ability to use Saturn pads and Sigma sticks alongside the standard DB15 ports is very welcoming. It was handy to be able to grab any variety of sticks or adapters to use with the unit. I’m currently using a MD2NEO adapter with a wireless 8bitdo 2.4GHz M30 pad for Player 1 and an original Saturn pad for Player 2.
There are 3 DIP switches on the unit to toggle continuous fire of B1/2/3. I found this feature very useful whilst using the "STG" control mode where B1/2/3 are mapped to B4/5/6 and then by flipping the DIP switches B1/2/3 are rapid fire whilst retaining the original timings on B4/5/6. There’s also a SNK control mode layout to use with Neo Geo and a button remapping feature that I haven’t had the need to use yet.
3 modes of control rotation can be selected by a switch and indicated by a LED. My setup consists of linked side-by-side TATE and YOKO monitors, I enjoyed this feature a lot more than I anticipated. I played Ikaruga horizontally and Border Down vertically for shits and giggles, but this is more-so a useful addition for those with only a horizontal setup who want to get a few vertical STG games in without having to rotate their monitor.
The "Correction" pots are handy for PCBs that are a little off centre. Simply flick the switch on the back of the unit titled "Correction" and then alter the screen position with the H or V pots on the front of the unit. Flicking the switch back to "H/W Direct" returns it back to standard output.
As standard, there's Test and Service buttons on the back of the unit. After a little bit of time, I've learned where these are and can reach them with no issues with the front of the unit facing me.
The front of the unit with handy features for quick access
The back of the unit, with lots of adjustments and ports for a wide variety of arcade functionality
JVS / 15KHZ
One of the beautiful features of the JJ-CBOX is its "All-In-One-Unit" design philosophy with the ability to support the two most popular arcade standards. It has a genuine SEGA JVS I/O board built in so that you can play JVS arcade games alongside standard JAMMA boards. Not only that, but the PSU is beefy enough to power JVS setups also! I don't own many JVS games yet, but I do have a couple of Naomi Netboot setups, so I decided to purchase the Naomi 15khz video JAMMA adapter PCB for $18 USD, which after changing DIP1 on the Naomi and connecting the DB15 cable to the adapter, passes through the video signal over the JAMMA edge. From what I understand, this is exactly the same circuit used on the Capcom I/O Board. I also purchased Axuns' custom power cable which draws all the necessary voltages from the JJ-CBOX directly to feed the Naomi (5v, 12v and the elusive 3.3v).
Axunworks custom Naomi 15KHz pass through PCB
After setting everything up and netbooting a game I got the error, "I/O BD Not Connected". So I went ahead and tried a couple of other USB cables with no luck, and down a testing rabbit hole I went to see if there was anything wrong with my Naomi setups. After trying them both again with my own JVS PCBs, I realised this was an issue with the JJ-CBOX itself.
Honestly, I was a little disappointed. I hit up drfunk2k, and instantly he was onto it. Within a day, I had a direct line to Axun who straight off the bat assured me that regardless of the issue, he would pay for shipping back to China or do whatever to make me happy with the device the way I wanted. He sat with me patiently walking me through tearing down the device, screw by screw, until we figured it out. A cable had come loose during shipping. I soldered it back onto the I/O, put the unit back together and I was in business. JVS works great! I've only got the Naomi to test with, but it runs both Netbooting and 15KHz just fine. I look forward to exploring the JVS world more in the near future thanks to this device.
The Naomi 1 all hooked up. I didn't make the wires look pretty for the photo, but it's definitely a lot less of a rats nest than a conventional setup.
OVERALL QUALITY
All the cables and accessories that Axun makes are of the highest quality. Also, having now opened the JJ-CBOX and actually looking inside the unit, I gotta say this thing is REALLY well thought out and built with a lot of care. There's no dodgy or cheap wiring in this thing whatsoever. Open areas are protected from interference with foam and the soldering quality is very good. It's some top shelf A-Grade shit and you can definitely tell Axunworks cares about his products and that is worth the price of admission in this day and age IMO.
CONS?
Compared to my Sentinel, there's a bit of a delay when powering on or off. I've gotten too used to hitting the switch on the PSU and having it instantly react. This isn't a big issue though and it’s just something I have to get used to. It's only a second or so until it kicks in and powers on or off.
The JAMMA edge was a bit tight for my liking, but as of this writing Axun has offered customers different choices now. This is a personal preference though; I know some people like a strong grip JAMMA edge. Functionally, there’s nothing wrong with the standard connector that comes with the unit. I’ve just been spoilt by choice over the years.
FINAL THOUGHTS!
Get one. Seriously. It's built like a tank. It will last a long time. The video out from this thing is beautiful and the colours are vibrant and really pop. All the little features I've noted above really make this unit stand out. I think my review speaks for itself. I’m a fan and will be supporting Axunworks products in my arcade journey. This is my device to play games outside of the cabs and will also be my go-to for testing/diagnosing issues with boards going forward.
The level of customer support and service provided shouldn't be scoffed at either. Too many times with independent creators or purchases have I been caught out sending multiple e-mails with no response until a PayPal case is open, at which point I've given up on the product/goods and couldn't give a shit about them nor the seller. The short time that Axun spent with me diagnosing a fault with the JJ-CBOX was very refreshing, and I'm glad to have sorted it out without any added cost to myself or him after seeing how forthcoming he was.
MY PERSONAL SUGGESTIONS FOR NEXT VERSION OF THE JJ-CBOX
1. Built in USB Controller Support (but please keep the Neo Geo, Saturn and Sigma)
2. RCA or 3.5mm audio input for JVS systems/external JAMMA stereo to be passed through the box and then over SCART
3. Add Service & Test buttons to the Extension Cable PCB
4. Bring back the "Coin" button. Some PCBs don't coin up with service, and this is also useful for testing purposes.
5. Add a 3.3v Voltmeter
6. A notch on the RGB dial to indicate default levels
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