Howdy Folks!
This is my first post. I have been interested in making and selling Superguns a few years now.
My first and only supergun was in a shoebox. That was all I had a budget for at the time. The wiring and arcade power supply were inside the shoebox and was an accident waiting to happen.
I started taking jobs that I thought would lead to me learning how to make a nice supergun and get access to equipment. Now I have been doing PCB layouts full time for a over a year. I work at a place with an SMT line. I think it is time to revisit the idea of making a pcb supergun.
The pcb supergun is not a new idea. However, I haven't seen one that I would purchase. There is always something missing. I have seen some nice ones from the Euro guys; but they have SCART connectors and no video encoders for NTSC folks.
Video encoders for arcades are not a new idea either. Neobitz and JROK have been around for years. But, I haven't seen one put on a supergun pcb to make an all-in-one unit.
The pcb superguns I have seen also don't want to deal with the power supply. You will either have an arcade PSU which is scary because of the AC terminals exposed. Or they have a ATX power supply on the carpet with fans spinning.
Here is my vision for my supergun pcb -
1) No harnesses. I do not want wire harnesses. They are expensive and time consuming to construct. I want a JAMMA connect on the pcb that connects directly to the game board.
2) Power is supplied by a laptop brick. The 3.5mm barrel seems somewhat standard. I want between 12 to 24V. The pcb will have regulators onboard; 5V 3A regulator and a 12V 1A regulator. Feedback welcome. Information like is 65W enough? What is a common size connector so the power bricks would be easiest to source. I am trying to make things easier for the user by having a laptop brick but I need to know what is easy to get a hold of that works.
3) Video encoded on the pcb so there doesn't need to be a separate encoder. The encoders I have been looking at are the AD725 which I believe is on JROK. I also considered the ADV7604 which might be more complicated to implement. I would be getting the pcbs from an actual fab house so I am fine with fine pitch leads. My concern is compatibility and programming. Feedback from the community is welcome.
4) ESD protection. I am not sure if game boards have ESD protection or if it is even a concern. Based on the community feedback it can be added or left out.
5) I would like the pcb to have multiple boards butt-soldered or screwed together so it can create its own enclosure out of FR4 if possible. Its just an idea instead of cutting acrylic.
6) DB15 controller ports so Neo-Geo sticks work. Also I need a kick harness input to connect to extra buttons like CPSII.
Using a video encoder has me worried since it adds lag. I am not an electrical engineer or a programmer. I just design pcb layouts. Any advise on encoders is welcome. I have had a heck of a time finding ones that look like they would work for RGB at 15KHz.
I also have not come up with a good way to deal with the amplified sound. I read conflicting information about how complicated a circuit needs to be to send arcade board sound to a TV without blowing speakers.
Feedback is welcome. I am trying to sell the pcbs to you guys so let me know what you look for in a supergun. I feel like the pcb supergun would be the most wallet friendly way to play arcades at home.
This is my first post. I have been interested in making and selling Superguns a few years now.
My first and only supergun was in a shoebox. That was all I had a budget for at the time. The wiring and arcade power supply were inside the shoebox and was an accident waiting to happen.
I started taking jobs that I thought would lead to me learning how to make a nice supergun and get access to equipment. Now I have been doing PCB layouts full time for a over a year. I work at a place with an SMT line. I think it is time to revisit the idea of making a pcb supergun.
The pcb supergun is not a new idea. However, I haven't seen one that I would purchase. There is always something missing. I have seen some nice ones from the Euro guys; but they have SCART connectors and no video encoders for NTSC folks.
Video encoders for arcades are not a new idea either. Neobitz and JROK have been around for years. But, I haven't seen one put on a supergun pcb to make an all-in-one unit.
The pcb superguns I have seen also don't want to deal with the power supply. You will either have an arcade PSU which is scary because of the AC terminals exposed. Or they have a ATX power supply on the carpet with fans spinning.
Here is my vision for my supergun pcb -
1) No harnesses. I do not want wire harnesses. They are expensive and time consuming to construct. I want a JAMMA connect on the pcb that connects directly to the game board.
2) Power is supplied by a laptop brick. The 3.5mm barrel seems somewhat standard. I want between 12 to 24V. The pcb will have regulators onboard; 5V 3A regulator and a 12V 1A regulator. Feedback welcome. Information like is 65W enough? What is a common size connector so the power bricks would be easiest to source. I am trying to make things easier for the user by having a laptop brick but I need to know what is easy to get a hold of that works.
3) Video encoded on the pcb so there doesn't need to be a separate encoder. The encoders I have been looking at are the AD725 which I believe is on JROK. I also considered the ADV7604 which might be more complicated to implement. I would be getting the pcbs from an actual fab house so I am fine with fine pitch leads. My concern is compatibility and programming. Feedback from the community is welcome.
4) ESD protection. I am not sure if game boards have ESD protection or if it is even a concern. Based on the community feedback it can be added or left out.
5) I would like the pcb to have multiple boards butt-soldered or screwed together so it can create its own enclosure out of FR4 if possible. Its just an idea instead of cutting acrylic.
6) DB15 controller ports so Neo-Geo sticks work. Also I need a kick harness input to connect to extra buttons like CPSII.
Using a video encoder has me worried since it adds lag. I am not an electrical engineer or a programmer. I just design pcb layouts. Any advise on encoders is welcome. I have had a heck of a time finding ones that look like they would work for RGB at 15KHz.
I also have not come up with a good way to deal with the amplified sound. I read conflicting information about how complicated a circuit needs to be to send arcade board sound to a TV without blowing speakers.
Feedback is welcome. I am trying to sell the pcbs to you guys so let me know what you look for in a supergun. I feel like the pcb supergun would be the most wallet friendly way to play arcades at home.