Repro lightgun sensors

[ekorz]

anyone selling repro lightgun sensors, or have a pcb designed?

Edit: talking about sensors for Sega gun games that use LED emitters... LCD TV lightgun games.

 

[twistedsymphony]

anyone selling repro lightgun sensors, or have a pcb designed?

I would love to see that but I don't think it will happen. the actual sensor part of that sensor board is some really weird proprietary shit. At one point I spent a few days trying to track down exactly what it was and came up empty handed.

basically the tip of the sensor board has a second PCB soldered in placed at 90 deg and then a tiny (BGA? maybe) chip with a rainbow colored surface that makes up the business end of the sensor, the whole end is then covered by a custom-fit plastic piece to hold it in place, and then the tinted shell to further protect it.

I took some pictures of one of mine with the lens and shield removed:

There is definitely a market for reproduction sensors as these things regularly fetch $150-$200, but good luck sourcing, or even identifying the sensor chip.

 

[Darksoft]

I think that last 2 posts deserve a new thread....

 

[ekorz]

well i'd preorder like 20 of them... you need 10 for a game right?

 

[twistedsymphony]

I think that last 2 posts deserve a new thread....

Agreed... maybe split this post to make a new thread?

well i'd preorder like 20 of them... you need 10 for a game right?

*sigh* no..

everyone seems to get this wrong so don't feel bad ... the sensors are in the guns, so you need 1 per gun. The things that go around the monitor are not sensors, they're just dumb, addressable LEDs. those LED modules go for $10-$20 a piece, and yes you do need 10 of them but they're cheap and easy to find.

 

[ekorz]

Someone should repro the sensors and the led modules. Sell it all as a kit. Confusion averted! Problem solved! Hey @twistedsymphony you could get into plastic molding and print some gun shells too!

 

[twistedsymphony]

Someone should repro the sensors and the led modules. Sell it all as a kit.

You're also forgetting the "gun sense" board and the protection board to make the setup compelte. Not worth repoing either of those, nor the led modules because the part cost alone would be more than you can buy them for used.

Same goes for the gun shells... you can regularly buy them for about $30 a set, heck I think you can still find NOS ones for under $100.

the sensors, yes please, these need a repo, but not any of the rest of it. The sensors die often and they're still being used in new Sega light gun games and even the old light gun games are still popular in the arcade. Repos would sell to more than just collectors, you could sell them to arcade operators too. Though Sega still makes these new so you may also be stepping on some toes.

It also begs the question if they could be repoed why hasn't China done it yet? Something this popular and widespread surely should have attracted the attention of the bootleggers by now.

 

[twistedsymphony]

If you're interested here is the official website for "OMZ" which the company in Japan that developed and manufactures this hardware for Sega: http://ohmic.co.jp/cat/zahyou-01.html

There are other, non-Sega, games that use this hardware also, notably Namco's Time Crisis 4, and Konami's Lethal Enforcer's 3. I'm sure there are others and perhaps even some non-arcade applications.

I also have an old thread on Arcade Controls with pictures of the different boards, links to the various arcade manuals for the games that use them as well as mine and other speculation about how the whole system works: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,149019.0.html

 

[aoiddr]

Just tossing this pie in the sky idea out there...but I'd be interested in whatever would be needed to make the Samba de Amigo games playable with a maraca-like set-up on a Naomi.

 

[rewrite]

I think the whole thing is stepping on toes. Every part that's been talked about is still readily available brand new. A cheaper alternative being made might be a thing, but a straight repro is just bootlegging at this point. Though still very attractive bootlegging.

Not all guns are cheap either, I've seen the big rifles that the newer Ghost Squad use sell used on KLOV for over $300 a piece. And HotD3 shotguns are expensive as well.

The handguns are pretty cheap though. It'd be nice if someone found a cheaper alternative to the recoiling Namco handguns, but that's another discussion entirely.

Just tossing this pie in the sky idea out there...but I'd be interested in whatever would be needed to make the Samba de Amigo games playable with a maraca-like set-up on a Naomi.

I too would like to know what's needed and would be doubly interested in something just being made. I won a cart a while ago for $15 and haven't seen anything related for sale since.

 

[twistedsymphony]

It'd be nice if someone found a cheaper alternative to the recoiling Namco handguns, but that's another discussion entirely.

YAJ. they're up there cheap all the time. I've got 4 of them, in black, and I got them all for less than $30 per complete gun.

they look damn good in black too!

 

[ekorz]

YAJ. they're up there cheap all the time. I've got 4 of them, in black, and I got them all for less than $30 per complete gun.

Nice! I didn't see any when I just did some searches... what section do they get listed under? The Box/Control Panel one? Any search terms that work usually?

Also, just curious do those have a 6 or 8 pin connector on them? I've seen both but my harness needs the 6.

 

[rewrite]

It'd be nice if someone found a cheaper alternative to the recoiling Namco handguns, but that's another discussion entirely.

YAJ. they're up there cheap all the time. I've got 4 of them, in black, and I got them all for less than $30 per complete gun.
they look damn good in black too!

That's a good price. I assume shipping is pretty sizable given their weight though, yeah? Or were they just the gun, no big metal cable?

I've got a pair of pink and blue from a TC3 I parted out that work nicely. Wouldn't mind finding some black ones too though. Will start keeping my eye out for those too!

 

[twistedsymphony]

That's a good price. I assume shipping is pretty sizable given their weight though, yeah? Or were they just the gun, no big metal cable?

yeah shipping for all 4 was about $60 I think and they did include the metal cables.

I mean I've imported more than a few Model 3 boards with metal cages so these guns are light/cheap by comparison

My goal is to eventually mount the Sega IR sensors in these guns but that's a "down the road" part of my gun project.

Also, just curious do those have a 6 or 8 pin connector on them? I've seen both but my harness needs the 6.

no clue, I never even bothered to look since I plan on gutting the original electronics anyway.

I think the whole thing is stepping on toes. Every part that's been talked about is still readily available brand new. A cheaper alternative being made might be a thing, but a straight repro is just bootlegging at this point.

I think first and foremost we need to identify that sensor bit. I mean on that sensor PCB there are some caps, some resistors and some 74 series logic ics, nothing that would easily "die" at the rate these do, which means it's likely the sensor itself that is getting damaged. It's worth trying to find a suitable replacement for repair purposes. That's the lynch pin to the whole thing. A repo isn't happening with it anyway.

 

[rewrite]

I mean on that sensor PCB there are some caps, some resistors and some 74 series logic ics, nothing that would easily "die" at the rate these do

I'd like to think a lot of their dying off has to do with abuse. The sensor sits right at the tip of the gun, and most games the sensor goes into the holster first. Smack the sensor end of the gun on something enough times and it's bound to do something to the sensor.

I bet that's why Namco had those metal things for the end of their guns you could purchase (unless I'm missing some more obvious use than protecting the plastic housing/sensor).

And yeah, that's fair about shipping. I've sent over some stupidly large items in the past too. Even a couple I didn't expect to hit freight sizes...

 

[twistedsymphony]

I'd like to think a lot of their dying off has to do with abuse

no, it's an electrical thing that causes failure. that's why the protect boards exist. they help but it's not enough.

 

[Gakman]

Great topic.
I have some Sega shooting cabinets, and some dead guns (and dead LED). I bought Sega guns to replace every time, but it's so expensive.

 

[twistedsymphony]

I bought Sega guns to replace every time

it's weird but buying whole guns seems cheaper than buying just the sensors.