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Long time lurker, first time poster! Can anyone recommend me a good supergun to start out with?

Capitalistix

Capitalistix

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Florida
Hello all! Im a Floridian and been a gamer since I can remember, but now Im excited to get more into PCBs and arcade gaming in general. Ive dabbled in cabs and PCBs it in the past but never committed so to speak to a setup. Im about to purchase my first home, so I figure now is a good time to really dive in! Ive mostly always been a console gamer and collector. I play everything I have though, so Im not THAT kind of collector. In the past I have rescued and fixed up a Sega Blast City cab over the span of ten years (shoulda never sold it) Had a New Net City, a DK and my first cab ever was a dumpster fire Dynamo 19" cab that I eventuallly fixed up and turned into an Altered Beast (one of my favorite games). THis was all bouncing back and forth between apartments, my parents house, trying to finish two degrees etc. So I never had the time or permanent home for these big guys.

I recently saved up and purchased a nice BVM to make its new home in my new home, and finally would like to have a real nice supergun setup going.

On that note, can anyone recommend me any really nice superguns? My best friend has a HAS (which hes had for 6 years but still hasnt fully setup lol) and it seems nice, but I woulf prefer something a little more...meatier? Maybe full featured? I liked the aesthetic of superguns of old, things that take multiple different kinds of controllers for example. Ive seen Axunworks ones and they look really cool to me. Can anyone vouch for them? Being able to use both Saturn and Neo Geo controllers is a huge plus for me, personally.
 
Hello and welcome!

I can vouch for the axunworks box. It can do JAMMA, JVS, autofire buttons, button remapping, kick harness support, has a built in power supply with voltmeter, adjustable 5v and 3.3v, and it's very well made. The accessories are excellent as well, especially the JAMMA extender with voltmeter. The HAS is also very well respected though I haven't used one personally. I think either one would suit your needs very well, though if you're going to do anything JVS (like Naomi) I would go for the Axunworks box.

As for controllers, any supergun with Neo Geo ports will allow you to use the Undamned USB decoders, which will allow you to use almost any USB arcade stick/controller you want with the setup. I can personally vouch for them as well.
 
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Hi welcome! Maybe check yahoo Japan for a Vega 9000dx. I bought one awhile back for the control panel and seems to be a quality build. Shipping cost was a bit rough though!
 
Welcome!

In my opinion, the only modern SuperGuns worth considering are:

HAS - available from @RGB
MiniGun - available from @GeeDee
AxunWorks JJ-CBOX - available from @drfunk2k
Parsec

If you can find one used, older SuperGuns that work great include:

JNX
Sigma

Everything else should be avoided due to potentially poor electrical engineering and/or inconsistent quality control. Misbehaving SuperGuns have been known to damage controllers and the upscaler or CRT they're connected to. Examples of what to avoid include the Behar Bros, Retroelectronik, Windy City and pretty much everything on AliExpress.

Also, you'll want to purchase and use an arcade power supply with your SuperGun, not a PC ATX power supply. Arcade power supplies have a dial on them to adjust the power on the 5.0V supply rail. Some boards draw more power than others - ie. a tiny Cave shump PCB draws much less power than an Irem M72 triple-stack PCB. When you swap a game board, you'll want to adjust the power supply to 5.0V to match the current draw of the game.
 
ShootTheCore said:
Welcome!

In my opinion, the only modern SuperGuns worth considering are:

HAS - available from @RGB
MiniGun - available from @GeeDee
AxunWorks JJ-CBOX - available from @drfunk2k
Parsec

If you can find one used, older SuperGuns that work great include:

JNX
Sigma
Click to expand...
Pana SuperGuns are real solid contenders for older ones too.
 
Let me preface by saying that I own and love a Pana Twin MP-92. The problem with this and most of the older Japanese superguns (which are otherwise fully awesome) is independent RGB controls. I have a Sigma AV-5000 that has a proper 3-gang pot for RGB levels, but this is an outlier and even others in that AV series don't have this. Manually adjusting gain for R,G, and B sucks on something like a supergun that you're presumably tying to use like a console, swapping boards regularly. It's also kinda hard to access the +5V adjust on these, unless you know how to add your own panel mount pot for it. If I were you OP, I'd get a HAS as a first supergun, and then get a cool Japanese supergun as a secondary unit

I can't think of any features the HAS lacks compared to other superguns. They're pretty simple devices in the end, and the button remapping/autofire setup on the HAS is second to none.
 
dos said:
I can't think of any features the HAS lacks compared to other superguns. They're pretty simple devices in the end, and the button remapping/autofire setup on the HAS is second to none.
Click to expand...
I loved my HAS, it really was a perfect device/tool for the job (of playing arcade PCBs on TVs/PVMs).
I only sold it because I'm firmly planted in cab ownership land these days.
 
If you want a great supergun, look no further than Sigma AV7000 with 9000TB controller. It is built like a tank, the controller is the absolute best, and it handles all PCBs (300+) I have thrown at it hooked up to PVM monitor.(including finicky refresh rate like Seibu's Raiden and alike).
 
I'm partial to Pana superguns, they have amazing buttons too.

1658301511630.png
 
Welcome! Sounds like you are well on your way to arcade awesomeness with a BVM, MVS and of course Saturn (where all the best Capcom ports landed).

I joined Arcade projects about 2 years with exactly the same questions - and exactly the same hardware! It's been an awesome ride.

For "modern" super guns your options are
1) HAS - you'll need to obsessively stalk @RGB until he sells more of them
2) Axunworks - you'll need to be prepared to wait, the wait could be a little while
3) Minigun - you'll need to make your own, or find someone to make one for you

For classic Japanese stuff there are so many options -I'd love one of those classic mahjong ones, buttons and switches all over the show :)

Lots of great advice already above, you've come to the right place
 
64MK said:
I'm partial to Pana superguns, they have amazing buttons too.
Click to expand...
I would suggest avoiding superguns like the Pana and Sigma BECAUSE they feature built-in joysticks.
You can build/buy nice supergun sticks featuring the SAME Semitsu buttons, you'll also have the option for adapters like the fantastic Saturn pads.
 
jassin000 said:
I would suggest avoiding superguns like the Pana and Sigma BECAUSE they feature built-in joysticks.
You can build/buy nice supergun sticks featuring the SAME Semitsu buttons, you'll also have the option for adapters like the fantastic Saturn pads.
Click to expand...
Minor thing but you can't get the buttons in the Pana anywhere, and they are some of the best arcade buttons ever made.

Edit: Not saying this is a reason to get a Pana as a first supergun, it's not. Just facts that it has some crazy good buttons that are no longer sold as far as I know
 
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One thing nobody seems to bring up about like all Japanese superguns except something like Boardmaster or Vega 9000 is the LS-32s are screwed directly into the panel without a mounting bracket/plate setup. This makes them way too tall imo. Nothing that can't be fixed with some kind of spacer, but still kinda annoying to me
 
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