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Finally got a Dreamcast MGCD up and running in my cab.

BroadwayJose said:
Both platforms share some common titles but there's is much more on DC which were never originally Naomi games but came from different arcade platforms, or were developed for DC specfically and not necessarily arcade.
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This 👆

Dreamcast has lots of Sega Model 2/3, CPS2/3, Neo Geo, and PlayStation ports. Also lots of exclusives like aforementioned Seaman 😉
 
Ideally, I'd definitely would like a real Naomi setup. I might still look into it down the line if it isn't too cost prohibitive. I mainly just wanted to play CvS2 on cabs and this was the cheapest easiest way for me to set it up.

Also, yeah the image definitely doesn't look as clear as the image from my CPS2. Looks slightly blurry with some colour bleeds. Not terrible and definitely playable but I do notice it.
 
This will happen with DC, unfortunately. The 15khz output isn't that clean and I don't think the MGCD board does a great job with the signal. Mostly want to blame the board here, because the PSX variant that exists does produce a nicer image with PSX & PS2 15khz video. I don't necessarily think the DC itself is at fault here, as I get much cleaner 15khz RGB video on the same cabs with other solutions (Jammacon, Jammaizer).

The plus side with DC is 31khz is natively supported (same as Naomi) and tends to look fantastic if your cab has a monitor that can work with it. But then that just eliminates the need for MGCD altogether - it's really designed as an all-in-one 15khz arcade solution.
 
Definitely, especially at 31kHz.

Id love to use the DC as 31 as well, but then I have to worry about padhacks, etc etc etc and since I have the MGCD now.. I think I'm set.
 
This what you were looking for @HornheaDD ?

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Yeah man! If you dont use it (and dont want 10 billion dollars) I'd love to buy it off ya! hit me in PM if you're down.
 
I have one mgcd for dreamcast , but does the mgcd board for playstation 2 can be used since they are almost same board but different sockets ports going to dreamcast? Or move the ic to burn a dreamcast program to one of main chips and change it in a diy dreamcast connect?
 
Honestly, having a tri-sync based cab (like a Blast City) makes for hooking up a Dreamcast very easy and very economical. You can achieve this with simply a VGA adapter. This takes care of the video and audio connection. Most DC owners already such an adapter, so it is not an added expense. Then you need a multi-console controller PCB (maybe two for 2p), or you can use a pad hack. Most people have this already so they can use a fight stick that plays across multiple retro consoles. A little crimp work is required to terminate the button signals from the multi-console PCB to an AMP connector that then plugs into your control panel but it is pretty easy to do (see here for something similar). Then lastly, figuring out how to power AC to the console from within the cab, if you don't want run an AC cord externally to power your console.

The tricky part is if you want to interface a console using the JAMMA edge connector. And so I see why you chose to go with the MGCD. But there are more flexible ways to do this if you want to interface a DC through the JAMMA edge. Those ways are to use JAMMAizer or SCART2ARC30. These options are more expensive but allows for the flexibility to connect consoles beyond a DC to a cab. But they do afford the ability to connect other consoles, a MAME PC, even MiSTer.

You put up a lot of effort to get a DC up and running on a Blast City going the route of MGCD. Noble effort, but there are other ways to do this especially since you are a Blast City owner.
 
Eh, we're on a forum where people go the long way to have a single multi-board to run things. Some people climb mountains because theyre there. The MGCD is completely self contained, and I didnt have to do any padhacks, or modify my cab.

You don't have to do this - but I did.
 
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Oh believe me, I know all about those mountains and have done all manner of tinkering to connect consoles to arcade cabs without mods. I am just saying there are other ways to do it is all.

In any case, you've done it and are happy. That is all that matters.
 
I would be inclined to agree with using alternative solutions if they were actually readily available for purchase. idk anything about SCART2ARC30 but Jammaizer hasn't been an option for many months unless you're building one on your own. And even then you still have to deal with getting additional parts, cables, etc to handle controls, VMU access and A/V out from the console. Not sure what the status of Jammacon is these days either but unless that design was drastically changed since I got mine the same considerations apply with that option also.

All that said, ideally playing DC on a 31khz display is almost objectively the best option. That's why I typically do it myself these days on a Noir clone via VGA box and pad hacks but even for me I prefer something easy to hook up quickly and play for tate games on another cab. DC has plenty of those games and I can't rotate the monitor on my Noir cab so stuff like MGCD will still potentially be useful for me.
 
I can say the cost, ease of setup, and ease of use for MGCD is definitely the most appealing part of the whole process. The only thing that is kind of annoying is having to reset the dip switches for each game. Is there a way for me to just turn off all dip switch settings and allow the game to just boot up and let me run it like a regular Dreamcast? Also the audio by default is not good coming out of the MGCD. But I was able to bypass that via DCDigital install.
 
imfuraisoth said:
I can say the cost, ease of setup, and ease of use for MGCD is definitely the most appealing part of the whole process. The only thing that is kind of annoying is having to reset the dip switches for each game. Is there a way for me to just turn off all dip switch settings and allow the game to just boot up and let me run it like a regular Dreamcast? Also the audio by default is not good coming out of the MGCD. But I was able to bypass that via DCDigital install.
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Yes, there is a specific dip setting. This works on disc based games as well, but it works 100% on a GDEmu Dreamcast.

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Anyone have info on how to fix an MGCD that was burned out by flipping the connector? Or to reproduce the ROM Chips?
 
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