Console JAMMAizer! Easily connect home consoles to your JAMMA arcade cabinet.

[RealMFnG]

As an owner of Akishops PS360+ I can say it has console detection issues with non-USB consoles. Works fine with the Xbox 360 and PS3 however. I feel PS360+'s value here is that it allows you to avoid picking up an MC PCB that works with the HD era consoles up to PS3 & XBox360. But then again, PS360+ doesn't work with PS4, XboxOne, PS5, Xbox Series X.

MC Cthulhu and Brook Retro just work for non-USB retro consoles. No need to input button commands on bootup (which don't always work with PS360+). But Arthrimus isn't producing his EZ PCB at this point and MC Cthulhu's are OOS at Paradise. At this point for things to work with the consoles you mentioned, the best combination is: Brook Retro + Brook UFB.

The cool thing is that when you aren't using JAMMAizer, you can always pull your MC PCB's out of JAMMAizer and throw them into your fight sticks.

I am going to do something stupid too. Hook up one of my PS3's via SCART to a CRT cab with JAMMAizer. Kind of silly to hook up an HD-capable console to a low-res display device. But hey, PS3 natively supports 480i and low res cabs display that just fine. I want to see what Super Turbo HD Remix looks like on a CRT cab. I'll be using the Daemonbite Encoder (with my own 2x10 breakout PCB) for that with JAMMAizer. I use Daemonbite with MAME and MiSTer along with JAMMAizer for hooking up these devices to a cab. For 480p, probably the best way to get down to 240p is to use GBS-C. I am learning how to use Diptrace. Want to make a different VGA hat so JAMMAizer can accommodate the MiSTer and RPi. That is going to take a while though.

 

[the_knives]

thanks @meybarra

It is indeed a fascinating idea, but you are of course right about the issue of the screen ratio. Maybe that can be addressed as well, but that is a rabbit hole I am not chasing at this point. Let me first get the Jammaizer up and running!

 

[RealMFnG]

I am curious and it is a small effort to plug the PS3 into the JAMMAizer and a cab. I'll take some snaps.

The Daemonbite Encoder kicks all kinds of ass for the MAME and MiSTer. I made a PCB to break it out to the MC 2x10 form factor. Want to see how it works on the PS3. Cheap too.

 

[the_knives]

At this point for things to work with the consoles you mentioned, the best combination is: Brook Retro + Brook UFB.

The cool thing is that when you aren't using JAMMAizer, you can always pull your MC PCB's out of JAMMAizer and throw them into your fight sticks.

Thanks @RealMFnG , very clear information. Saves me the effort of trying to chase the PS360+.

There is one thing I still don't fully understand after reading all pages of this thread (yes I really did it). This concerns the stacking of the PCBs.

In my case, I want to mainly play PS2 and Xbox 360 games. Thus, as you said, I need the Brook Retro + Brook UFB. As I want to play with a buddy, I need two of each.

Is this where the stacking comes in? How does it work? Do I need to buy something extra to make it work?

 

[the_knives]

I am going to do something stupid too. Hook up one of my PS3's via SCART to a CRT cab with JAMMAizer. Kind of silly to hook up an HD-capable console to a low-res display device. But hey, PS3 natively supports 480i and low res cabs display that just fine. I want to see what Super Turbo HD Remix looks like on a CRT cab. I'll be using the Daemonbite Encoder (with my own 2x10 breakout PCB) for that with JAMMAizer. I use Daemonbite with MAME and MiSTer along with JAMMAizer for hooking up these devices to a cab. For 480p, probably the best way to get down to 240p is to use GBS-C. I am learning how to use Diptrace. Want to make a different VGA hat so JAMMAizer can accommodate the MiSTer and RPi. That is going to take a while though.

Another fascinating project.

You try it out and satisfy your curiosity. We learn from that and perhaps try it as well once you got the kinks ironed out

 

[RealMFnG]

Thanks @RealMFnG , very clear information. Saves me the effort of trying to chase the PS360+.

There is one thing I still don't fully understand after reading all pages of this thread (yes I really did it). This concerns the stacking of the PCBs.

In my case, I want to mainly play PS2 and Xbox 360 games. Thus, as you said, I need the Brook Retro + Brook UFB. As I want to play with a buddy, I need two of each.

Is this where the stacking comes in? How does it work? Do I need to buy something extra to make it work?

Interesting, proposition. Yeah. I suppose it is possible. But there would be a trade off. I don't think it is worth the effort. Even if you went from one console to the other, there would need to be a physical connection and reconnection of audio/video input somewhere. Once you realize that, then you aren't really saving much effort if you stacked MC PCB's. You would have to do this:

• You'd have to find a 2x10 header with longer contact pins so they'd protrude out of the back of the Brook Retro. Unsolder the header that comes with the Brook Retro, solder in the new one.
• Find proper female-male spacer to stack the Brook UFB on top of the Brook Retro, yet still make mating contact to the longer header you fitted into the Brook Retro
• Connect the USB connection between the Brook Retro and UFB
• Always use an RJ45-to-USB cable from the Brook Retro to connect to the XBox360
• And always hold down the proper buttons on boot up if you need to control the PS4 so that the USB connection is routed through the Brook Retro via RJ45-to-USB

Once you make all those solder connections, you'd render it very hard to use the MC PCB's anywhere else. I don't think it is worth the effort, TBH. Easier to just pull the PCB off JAMMAizer when going from non-USB controled consoles, to USB controlled consoles.

 

[West]

T

I am curious and it is a small effort to plug the PS3 into the JAMMAizer and a cab. I'll take some snaps.

The Daemonbite Encoder kicks all kinds of ass for the MAME and MiSTer. I made a PCB to break it out to the MC 2x10 form factor. Want to see how it works on the PS3. Cheap too.

Those Daemonbite Encoder pcbs look dope. Down the line I was definitely thinking of connecting the Jammaizer to a Mister and my only concern was how to connect the controls. Problem solved apparently

You didn’t happen to make any extra of those breakout pcbs, did ya?

 

[RealMFnG]

I got a few of them. Send you a couple. They are wonky in that the USB cord relief holes aren't wide enough to allow a zip tie to be slotted through and are useless. As such, you gotta be careful using them. The USB connector on the Arduino is fastened via SMD and snaps off easy. When soldering in the Arduino, solder the parts side into the the PCB with the USB cable connected when you solder, so you get proper clearance. This was intentional as that USB connector is so weak and snaps off too easily.

 

[West]

I got a few of them. Send you a couple. They are wonky in that the USB cord relief holes aren't wide enough to allow a zip tie to be slotted through and are useless. As such, you gotta be careful using them. The USB connector on the Arduino is fastened via SMD and snaps off easy. When soldering in the Arduino, solder the parts side into the the PCB with the USB cable connected when you solder, so you get proper clearance. This was intentional as that USB connector is so weak and snaps off too easily.

Oh hell yeah. Read your post in the Mister to Jamma thread and this is exactly what I'm looking to do. Thanks for the legwork on it. Seems like a super clean way to go.

 

[the_knives]

For those who plan to use their PS2 with the Jammaizer, it is nice to know that you can force some arcade-type PS2 games to play in 240p to enjoy those lovely scanlines. Also good if you are sensitive to the flickering of 480i.

This can be achieved by hex-editing the PS2 iso. It is super easy to do. Some games which can be forced into 240p include:

Gradius V (USA) (Skip intro or it will crash)
Homura (NTSC-J)
Ibara (JPN)
King of Fighters Neowave (JP)
Mushihimesama (JPN)
Panzer Dragoon (NTSC-U)
Radirgy (NTSC-J)
Raiden III (JPN/PAL)
Rez (NTSC-U)
Shikigami no Shiro II (JPN)
Thunder Force VI (JPN)
Triggerheart Exelica Enhanced (J)
Trizeal (JPN)
XII Stag (NTSC-J/PAL)

Especially cool if you are a shmup nut like me.

For a complete list of compatible games and details on how to perform the Hex edit, see (courtesy Shmups forum):
https://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?t=61532

 

[RealMFnG]

Before Arthrimus produced the JAMMAizer, I dabbled with the THS-series amps base upon info posted by Bob over at retrogb. Here is what Bob says about the installation of this capacitor:

"...................I realize this might seem strange to a beginner, as you’d normally never touch power and ground together. In this installation, the capacitor acts as a “power filter”, ensuring that the voltage running through doesn’t cause interference with the signal."​

I noticed with my dabblings that with the 0.1uf capacitor installed between +5V and GND, noise would be produced on screen. When I removed it, the noise would be greatly reduced.

Back when I was dabbling with this amp and looking at the documentation for all the amps in the series, they are all very similar. Some have a low pass filter, some don't. Some have more channels than others. Some come in different packages. But other than that, schematically, the are all largely the same. JAMMAizer uses a video amp from the Texas Instruments THS-series as well: the THS7375.

I did the Pepsi challenge between JAMMAizer and SCART2ARC 3.0 here. I noted then that SCART2ARC 3.0 edges out JAMMAizer in video quality because on still screens, SCART2ARC 3.0 produces a completely stable image. JAMMAizer has slight a artifact that appears as faint arcs across the screen during still screens. This artifact isn't noticeable on motion screens however.

In any case, as I am putting together a few JAMMAizers, I decided to NOT install that 0.1uf capacitor at C1 on one unit. Plugged it in and viola! Static screens are that much more stable! Not quite as completely clean as SCART2ARC 3.0, but an improvement; at least in my eyes. Probably would only be noticeable to the most discerning of CRT snobs. On these tests, I ran it on an Nanao MS9. Not sure if I noticed this on other monitors.

So if you own a JAMMAizer and feel you see some image noise on static screens, remove C1 with your soldering iron and see what you get (see below). You can always reinstall it.

 

[Ciudadano]

I am making a few right now. Think I have enough parts to make 3 extra at the moment. PM me.

Pmd!

 

[the_knives]

@RealMFnG This is a really good find. Improving upon the Jammaizer's original design.

It does make me wonder why the SCART2ARC 3.0 still has a slight visual edge over the Jammaizer. Any thoughts?

 

[RealMFnG]

@RealMFnG This is a really good find. Improving upon the Jammaizer's original design.

It does make me wonder why the SCART2ARC 3.0 still has a slight visual edge over the Jammaizer. Any thoughts?

SCART2ARC 3.0 enjoys only an ever so slight advantage since it uses a different amp.

After all, when will you ever see a high contrast still image in a console game that is worth playing on an arcade cabinet? I only notice it when I use 240p Test Suite for monitor calibration.

 

[RealMFnG]

For those who plan to use their PS2 with the Jammaizer, it is nice to know that you can force some arcade-type PS2 games to play in 240p to enjoy those lovely scanlines. Also good if you are sensitive to the flickering of 480i.

This can be achieved by hex-editing the PS2 iso. It is super easy to do. Some games which can be forced into 240p include:

Gradius V (USA) (Skip intro or it will crash)
Homura (NTSC-J)
Ibara (JPN)
King of Fighters Neowave (JP)
Mushihimesama (JPN)
Panzer Dragoon (NTSC-U)
Radirgy (NTSC-J)
Raiden III (JPN/PAL)
Rez (NTSC-U)
Shikigami no Shiro II (JPN)
Thunder Force VI (JPN)
Triggerheart Exelica Enhanced (J)
Trizeal (JPN)
XII Stag (NTSC-J/PAL)

Especially cool if you are a shmup nut like me.

For a complete list of compatible games and details on how to perform the Hex edit, see (courtesy Shmups forum):
https://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?t=61532

Geez, just looked at this. Can't be easier. I have to get my PS2 back up and running too. The HDD took a dive, so I am replacing with an SSD.

Also, the prospect of playing PS2 games in 480p via JAMMAizer with GSM is something to experiment with down the line.

@RealMFnG This is a really good find. Improving upon the Jammaizer's original design.

It does make me wonder why the SCART2ARC 3.0 still has a slight visual edge over the Jammaizer. Any thoughts?

Seems this is particularly noticeable with a Dreamcast. It is hardly visible with a PS1. That might be the case with other consoles as well.

 

[nonosto]

I receved my 2 made by @RealMFnG , dont test yet but it's seems exactly same from @Arthrimus , I will compare with my old but I trust it.

 

[RealMFnG]

With all the cold weather here in NorCal, it is a good time to get some projects that have been on the back burner.

Going to trace-route out some wood PCB mounting plates for my Egret II and get a Mega Drive 2 going (great shmups on that console). I have some cheap 3rd party controllers on the way which I'll pad hack. Will make a really short SCART cable. Add an AC plug into Egret II. Everything will be done in a way befitting of an arcade snob. Will make a separate post about it and link back to it here.

 

[RealMFnG]

I receved my 2 made by @RealMFnG , dont test yet but it's seems exactly same from @Arthrimus , I will compare with my old but I trust it.

How'd they go. Do they get your stamp of approval?

 

[RealMFnG]

For those who plan to use their PS2 with the Jammaizer, it is nice to know that you can force some arcade-type PS2 games to play in 240p to enjoy those lovely scanlines. Also good if you are sensitive to the flickering of 480i.

This can be achieved by hex-editing the PS2 iso. It is super easy to do. Some games which can be forced into 240p include:

Gradius V (USA) (Skip intro or it will crash)
Homura (NTSC-J)
Ibara (JPN)
King of Fighters Neowave (JP)
Mushihimesama (JPN)
Panzer Dragoon (NTSC-U)
Radirgy (NTSC-J)
Raiden III (JPN/PAL)
Rez (NTSC-U)
Shikigami no Shiro II (JPN)
Thunder Force VI (JPN)
Triggerheart Exelica Enhanced (J)
Trizeal (JPN)
XII Stag (NTSC-J/PAL)

Especially cool if you are a shmup nut like me.

For a complete list of compatible games and details on how to perform the Hex edit, see (courtesy Shmups forum):
https://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?t=61532

Quite an odyssey to get my PS2 back up and running with FreeMCBoot. But now that it is back up and running, Gradius V in all its 240p scanline glory looks spectacular! And playing it on a cab is the best way to experience the game. I have both the patched and non-patched versionof GV on the same HDD and you can totally notice the difference. But, I suspect everyone's sensitivity to 480i's flicker is going to be different.

But yeah, thanks for the tip. Time to patch all the other ISOs. Scan lines is where it is at!

 

[nonosto]

note that with tri sync crt you can force 480p with PS2 and jammazier, note that rgb scart HQ required like:

https://www.retrogamingcables.co.uk...C-COMPOSITE-SYNC-RGB-SCART-WTH-LIGHT-GUN-PORT

and if you have some console on 1 jammazier you must use multi scart with sync on green.