NaoNetPi Project

[KyRol]

Main objective of NaoNetPi Project is to delivery completely painless use of PiForceTools. Project is dedicated to NAOMI Universal Cabinet with NAOMI 2 board and Net DIMM setup. Optional accessory here is card reader integrated with some control panels, like Tekken 5 one. Below standard features. As minimum RPi Zero with wifi dongle is required:

• Game checksum validation
• Remote game management - upload, download, erase, checksum control, repository of pictures and game names, support of file headers. These features will allow users to avoid headaches. UI will become more feature rich and user friendly.
• Software region patching - patching games at Raspberry Pi side (if possible) in order to change the region.
• Raspberry Pi ZERO with wifi dongle support
• Mainly focused to work with GL-AR150 router powered by OpenWRT which is even cheaper than stock RPi model B
• Safe shutdown procedure and restart sequence for both - NAOMI 2 and RPi.
• SRAM management (upload, download, erase, checksum control) via web app or RPi with VGA. Possibility to store multiple files and behaviour planning (i.e. loading previously stored SRAM state or resetting SRAM states within some period of time).
• QR Code & vCard support
• Constant global settings
• Game loading schedule
• World record ranking based upon SRAM & QR Code features

Below optional features. All of them require custom designed PCB

• Mainly focused to work with Raspberry Pi 3 Compute Module
• Raspberry Pi/Zero connected directly through VGA
• Control panel (stick and buttons) connected directly to both RPi and NAOMI 2
• Raspberry Pi based software stack - extra toolkit, Kodi, perhaps emulators.
• Hardware region swap - jumpers connected with custom designed PCB. Control over web app and RPi with VGA and control panel.
• Raspberry Pi based game selection screen while no coins inserted and no buttons with sticks touched after some period of time
• Online Versus Play

Crazy ambitious - maybe never implemented!

• Card reader support

Disadvantage of this solution is external PCB. In order to split connections between both - an Arcade board and Raspberry Pi, I have to create custom designed PCB. Another common disadvantage of these readers is fact, that they use some crazy, proprietary cards which are uncommon. Cards itself aren't funny because they have limited life - they existence is over after 50 or 500 use cases. The cards are extremely inaccessible on aftermarket and if they are available, they are crazy expensive. Therefore maybe exist a need to rebuild reader alone from scratch basing on i.e. Arduino & RFID. Either way I can't see how these readers collecting the dust. I have intention to sniff connection, collect information about data flow and data itself and think about it. I feel that behind this is something easy, something what operates as serial communication does.


These are only my thoughts at the moment. What do you think? It should exist? I am open for various ideas from community. Post below your own feature requests. However it does not means that all request will ever be implemented as well as this project will ever exist.

 

[obcd]

WinterIsComing, a member on this forum has designed a cardreader emulator based upon arduino.
To my knowledge, the cardreaders are not rf id based but use magnetic strips and thermal printing.
Their interface is rs232 (v24?)

The JVS uses RS485 which is basically a bus. It's easy to connect another receiver to that bus and sniff the traffic on it.
That way, you can detect key presses and joystick moves without much cabling hassle.
Such a setup will not interfere with the original timings either (it will not add any additional delay)

 

[deibit]

I have already a pi1 with display and all the naomi games on sd. What's the benefit of your approach?

 

[KyRol]

WinterIsComing, a member on this forum has designed a cardreader emulator based upon arduino.

Interesting. Is it public available or not? Is it related rather with Initial D or Virtua Fighter? I would rather to work with VF. Nevermind. I found that fairly easy. Thanx.

To my knowledge, the cardreaders are not rf id based but use magnetic strips and thermal printing.

That's true but due the prices of original cards and their availability I think about modification. It maybe RFID, it maybe NFC, for sure it have to be something crazy cheap and widely available. That's what I mean.

Their interface is rs232 (v24?)

By looking at connection diagram it's true. So at first seems to be fairly easy to work with that. But it maybe only honey pot and nothing more. I have to collect an equipment and data sheets and diagrams to go to further with this.

The JVS uses RS485 which is basically a bus.

I know that, I saw that at github. It does not looks complicated. Besides KVM/VGA switch I have other device on my mind to mod it with an ICs. Some things becomes so easy to be more and more involved and motivated...

 

[KyRol]

What's the benefit of your approach?

If you operate your cab at home and your devices to wireless communication with NAOMI aren't discharded - it's no drama. But if you have plans at some stage to put such machine in some place where it have to do the money, then maybe such projects, thoughts and features does matter.