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tengugurl

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Hi everyone!
I just got my first candy cab from KC this week and it's a lovely Vewlix C.
It was wired for Taito X2 but, it's missing the X2 PC but it has everything else present.

I am looking to make this Jamma compatible without having to splice into the wires (Never doing that again, just never looks original after you have heat wrap/ different wires).

This particular cab has a Fast I/O Amp PCB with what looks to be a Jamma header.
For the life of me, I am unable to find a useful pinout: https://wiki.arcadeotaku.com/w/JVS#Taito_Fast_I.2FO_PCB -> this is as close as I can get but seeing as I don't have a X2 PC, I really don't have a way to test the pins on the Jamma-ish connector.

Is there a way to hijack the I/O Jamma edge and use it with a Jamma harness? (E.g 5v+,12v+,GND,-5v)

I have seen a lot of posts that range from:
1) Fast I/O is garbage! Get a JVS and become a civilized member of society
2) Just make it Jamma compatible by wiring to the buttons and use the internal strip plugs for 5v+ (Assuming its a Neo Geo MVS)
3) Why would you do that? -its made for modern games
4) Get a Jammafaier and make it connect to a million other add ons to make the ultimate ultramegazord

I'd be content finding a solid 5v+, GND, and 12v+ source on a JST-NH adapter: https://wiki.arcadeotaku.com/w/File:Jst-nh.jpg
But I think I am missing mine as it was rather gutted


Just a fellow arcade enthusiast looking to get some fun gaming on her new machine without destroying the cab and or having to buy a Jammafier (Out of stock)

Thanks <3
Tengu
 
Personally I would buy a TTX2 and TTX3 and get some games on it unless you want JAMMA because there is some other games that you want to play with this cab
 
So many things to discuss here, too many infact...
I'll try to answer as best I can and if you need further details you can ask.
It was wired for Taito X2 but, it's missing the X2 PC but it has everything else present.
Everything else? To use a Jammafier you'll need a JVS IO in the control panel and a JVS PSU in the bottom of the cab.
Do you have these?

JVS IO
yYUFX7I.png

JVS PSU
SHUPoer.jpg

This particular cab has a Fast I/O Amp PCB with what looks to be a Jamma header.
Fast IO is only usesful for X2/3/etc bases systems, it will not be useful whatsoever in wiring for Jamma.
Is there a way to hijack the I/O Jamma edge and use it with a Jamma harness? (E.g 5v+,12v+,GND,-5v)
Well the easy answer is NO.
The most expanded answer, power is covered by PSU, even IF you have the JVS PSU you'll never get -5v out of it directly (requires other hardware).
What you are seeing and thinking is a jamma edge that carrys power is actually part of the Fast IO so it can be used with other legacy/jamma cabs to gain Fast IO.

ie Taito sells the same Fast IO PCB to people who own a E2 for example, so they can plug it into the Jamma edge of their cab and run a X based system.
 
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Hey jassin000!

Thanks for your reply.

1) Using a Jammafier - dang unfortunatley I do not have a JVS PSU in the bottom of the cab nor a JVS IO. (So that option is out..dang!)
2) Fast IO only X2/3 etc.. - darn! Okay, I was hoping I could power the IO and maybe steal some of it's 5v+, 12v+ for an MVS maybe or potentially CPS2
3) -5v requires different hardware - All good, I'd need an old suzo happ PSU or something for that it seems. (Worth a shot)

Do you know of any remnant cables that would give me a solid 12v+ or 5v+ and GND? (Like the JST adapter or any other?) --> I could multimeter trace it out but I am curious if there is a good connector I could buy an opposite pronged cable for that so I may power my Jamma harness.

Nuts... Ik lol
I might get a X2 or X3 someday but I am broke from buying this and a blast city lol working with what I have right now
 
I can totally help you get that cab setup for Jamma, but its a very complex setup.
The official Jamma kit from Taito made this a somewhat easier/straight forward affair, however it still required the JVS PSU.

Now that this kit has been discontinued (and remaining kits selling for 650$+) I recommend you setup with a Jammafier.
This is my current Jammaifier based setup...
9ROYYUo.jpg


You will need the following hardware...
  • JVS IO
  • JVS PSU
  • Jammafier (optional Jamma extender, if you can reach/connect without one you can skip this part)
  • device to lower the raw video output of the Jammafier (I use a home made solution I call the Jassifier, this however has said to be unsafe, the trisync helper might be of use but I don't personally like how it works)
  • OSSC
  • iScan DVDO (VP30/50/50Pro)
If all this sounds expensive to you... IT IS!
My setup I've valued at almost 5k$ in parts alone.

The results I think are worth it...
Kl6SomO.jpg


Thats the real RomStar licensed Bubble Bobble PCB, zero emulation!
A Taito PCB inside a Taito cab, to me... It just don't get much better than that. :love:
 
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Such an awesome setup, you are right, the results definitely seem worth the price.
Super neat that you have a Bubble Bobble PCB in there! (One of my favorite games)

I might do that in the long run but for now, get a cheapy 5v,12v Arcade PSU from Aliexpress and use a strip plug in the cab.
Just to get something in the cab for now.

No joke, I have a Neo Geo Mini inside the cab right now. lol
Xzibit meme anyone?
 
I might do that in the long run but for now, get a cheapy 5v,12v Arcade PSU from Aliexpress and use a strip plug in the cab.
I'm not an electrician, let me just get that out of the way first...
But if you look at the way an original Wei Ya PSU (the official VLX PSU) is wired into the cab, the ground line IS shared.
PrjeSIF.jpg


The B1 connector above, single black (DC ground) wire connects into the cabs DC ground (J2 is JVS of course and the molex looking connector gos into the Wei Ya).

Maybe someone who can explain why this is the case will pop in and break it down.
All I can tell you is DC ground from the PSU is connected to DC ground in the cab (not earth ground mind you DC).

Failure to do this seems to cause a shit load of noise on the monitor, I don't know if their are any other negative side effects.
What I'm suggesting is IF you use another PSU you should connect DC ground from it into your B1 connector inside the cab.
 
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ahh smart idea.
I saw this wire and was like "this might work especially if yellow = 12v+ and red = 5v+ like most arcade PSUs. "
I might just have to be super careful and multi-meter that out to find out what the ratings are for those pinouts.

I can post back on here for anyone interested
 
I might do that in the long run but for now, get a cheapy 5v,12v Arcade PSU from Aliexpress and use a strip plug in the cab.
I'm not an electrician, let me just get that out of the way first...But if you look at the way an original Wei Ya PSU (the official VLX PSU) is wired into the cab, the ground line IS shared.
PrjeSIF.jpg


The B1 connector above, single black (DC ground) wire connects into the cabs DC ground (J2 is JVS of course and the molex looking connector gos into the Wei Ya).

Maybe someone who can explain why this is the case will pop in and break it down.
All I can tell you is DC ground from the PSU is connected to DC ground in the cab (not earth ground mind you DC).

Failure to do this seems to cause a shit load of noise on the monitor, I don't know if their are any other negative side effects.
What I'm suggesting is IF you use another PSU you should connect DC ground from it into your B1 connector inside the cab.
Hard to tell without looking at it but from what you're describing it sounds like the DC power supply 0V/-VE rail is tied to the cab chassis like it is on a car whereby the entire chassis is effectively the negative terminal of your battery (power supply). The issue with the monitor is probably caused by a ground loop, again a similar problem on cars with stereo systems.
 
I can't speak too much about it, because it's not my project... But I am aware of a solution coming (hopefully in the near future) that should make every VLX owner who wants to run Jamma boards very happy/excited.
 
The main problem with the vewlix is the expensive Taito JVS IO, and the EOL JAMMA kit.
What I ended up doing was buy a Sega JVS IO and rewire the controls for it. There is now a kit that enables connecting the Taito CP harness to Sega IOs that didn't exist back when I did this that I would recommend (https://arthrimus.com/product/vewlix-sega-i-o-adapter-kit/). That said, if you are comfortable doing it, it can be cheaper and easier to customize if you do your own wiring or if you have a specific JVS IO you want to use.
JVSIO.JPG

To run JAMMA boards with the JVS IO, I use a Jammafier.

For video from JAMMA boards, I use a GBS scaler running the gbscontrol software, which is a significant improvement over just running it stock. Other video options would be vastly superior products like the Retroscaler A1 and OSSC. JVS games like the Taito Type X and such can just run straight to your monitor without a scaler.

While the Jammafier is truly an amazing product and my favorite arcade-related purchase to date, in hindsight, for IO, since I went through the trouble of rewiring anyway, I should have instead rewired the cabinet for JAMMA, and then use one of the plentiful JAMMA-JVS IOs (sega, capcom, or whatever else) for running JVS. Comes out cheaper this way as you don't need a Jammafier.
Purists will object to the rewire method, and I absolutely understand and respect that position, but if you plan it well, you can simply remove the stock wiring harness and keep it in storage, and adapt yours in its place without cutting or damaging any of the factory setup, allowing the factory configuration to be easily restored in the future if desired.

Basically the end goal IMO is to somehow get a fully functional JAMMA connector in the cabinet somewhere. This lets you run JVS games with a JVS IO (don't forget you need 3.3V power for JVS too though), FAST IO with the FAST IO board, and JAMMA boards.
 
That is great news @ Jamma becoming easier to do sometime soon!

Side question,
I cleaned my exhaust fan really well (It was caked in dust and grime) but the bloody thing is still super loud.
I am thinking of replacing it with a corsair silent fan or something along that line.

I have peeked around the wiring while I was cleaning the cab but, I didn't see a fan disconnect like one would expect in a computer (2prong or 3 prong).
I will have a closer look today but, does anyone know if there is one or has anyone replaced a fan in their Vewlix.

The one I am speaking of is on the bottom of the cab back left side. (Exhaust fan)

I don't want to go cutting and soldering a new disconnect on there (Want to leave it stock-ish with the option of going back)

Thanks so much!
 
does anyone know if there is one or has anyone replaced a fan in their Vewlix
I believe @Derick2k replaced his fans, far as I'm aware they are just 12v two wires (power/ground).
You can use three prong fans, the 3rd is speed control which is not needed here.
 
does anyone know if there is one or has anyone replaced a fan in their Vewlix
I believe @Derick2k replaced his fans, far as I'm aware they are just 12v two wires (power/ground).You can use three prong fans, the 3rd is speed control which is not needed here.
Yup, 12v 120mm case fans should work. I got he noctuas 2k & 3K rpms ones, the industrial type. The 3Krpm were almost as loud as the stock fan, the 2K much quieter, so used those.
 
Oh nice!
But was there a quick disconnect to plug the new fan in or was it cut/solder in?

I am not home so I can't look more closely... wish though!
 
Where is/was this?
I thought KC had one... But it was incomplete (just scaler and harness no interconnect).
I'm sure they are long gone now (even partial).
@Derick2k 's for a good chunk more than that.
Yea he is a buddy so I didn't want to call him out for price gouging :whistling:

@invzim 's Jammafier is the best way to get controls now days, for scalers I still like the OSSC... But as Zim points out the Retro A1 is better than Taito's own offering.
Basically the only reason to go official today as I see it is the fact its official Taito made (better solutions exist now).
 
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I sold 2 of my kits and kinda still regret it.

The weak link in all of this will always be the scaler. Since they are not meant for arcade boards, with the exception of the taito one which handles every major system like a champ, the failure will always be with the individual arcade boards because of the damn sync.

Heres the way I break it down.

Taito Jamma kit, great for the major systems it supports, connectivity is all there done. Its official for the vewlix, no hacking finding mounting locations etc...

Retro Scaler A1 - Not really meant for LCDs but for CRTs, but show a lot of promise, I think if @invzim improves on it maybe it will become THE product ( along with the jammafier) to answer the call for jamma pcbs on lcds.

OSSC is amazing for what it does, but again it was not intended for arcade boards. OMG, all the freaking settings to setup are insane. Yeah I like being able to fine tune, etc...but damn.

I wish I could merge all 3 devices into one, upgrade it to 4K handling, accepts and correct all sync issues :D

But, Im still experimenting, ordered a freesync lg 32ud59-b to use as a test case with the OSSC to see if all boards that I have will sync.
 
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