Building a better supergun?

Now that I'm getting back into the MVS I'm also thinking about maybe picking up a few JAMMA boards too, as long as they don't need fancy monitors or trackballs etc..

My existing supergun for the MVS is a bit of a mess inside, making it a pig to diagnose or add new bits and pieces.. but it works well and has the following features:

POWER:

250W PC AT psu (plenty of juice and virtually silent)

INPUT:
JAMMA socket on rear for plugging in loom (wired for MVS Jamma+ [stereo + 4 buttons])
2 x 15way D-sub connectors on front - wired for Neo controllers
Coin 1
Coin 2
Test
Service
Tilt
1P Start
2P Start

OUTPUT:
SCART output with R,G,B,Sync,Ground, Right Audio, Left Audio, Audio ground, +5v
Right + Left audio phonos

The Jamma loom at the moment is a mass of individual wires to another JAMMA socket pushed onto the pcb edge connector.

---------------

Version 2.0.....

Enclosure to PCB connections
I'm thinking about getting a new enclosure and re-doing the loom so that I can use 2 x 25way D-sub connectors at each end for the main JAMMA pins (ie use two fully connected 25-way serial cables), and a seperate 4-core power cable with molex connectors each end for the +5,-5,+12 and ground pins.

These three cables would plug into the back of the enclosure and into a much smaller enclosure (5"x2"?) at the game board end, so that I can make up multiple small enclosures for the different board types or non-jamma games and rewire them to suit, but they always go to the right pins at the 25way serial ports and therefore also in the main enclosure.

I figure it's also worthwhile putting a capcom kick harness connector into the main enclosure... though I believe the wiring in this can change from game to game?

Audio
Headphone socket + volume control
Line-level Left/Right audio phono outs
Possibly integrated speaker(s) if space allows

Input
2 x 15way D-sub connectors for Neo sticks again + additional wiring for further custom 6 button sticks if required (should be enough free pins, right?)
Additional Controller ports? (are >2 player games common?, perhaps not)
Coin 1
Coin 2
P1 Start
P2 Start (+P3 and P4?)
Test
Service
Tilt

Video
RGB Scart + sync, ground and +5v signalling connected
Use line level audio on Scart audio out pins

I also need to make more use of stripboard/prototyping board and socket connectors internally as the current supergun is really, really messy inside now as I've just gone from the jamma connector stright to the buttons, scart socket, power, joysticks, etc.. If I use headers I can unplug them, remove the pcb, add more gadgets etc...

Any further input? What do you have on your supergun/test harness that you couldn't live without, or what features would make your gaming easier?

I'm a big fan of the molex connectors. I highly recommend using them in multiple places (power, joysticks, video etc.).

Oh yeah a power switch for the PSU is very handy also. That way you don't need to unplug the power supply every time you switch the game.

That one slipped me by!

- External on/off power switch

Thought of another couple...

- Reset button (a push-to-break; where would be most suitable: JAMMA ground line perhaps?)
- 9pin D-sub socket for RGB on non-Scart connections (monitors etc.)

Started a thread on the Supergun Repository as this probably belongs there as much as it does here.

http://www.sgrepository.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=41&forum=2

Basically got a list of all the features I want and have found out suppliers, part numbers and prices for all the components... jeez, it's expensive when you add it all up!

nobody else seems to like this, but I always wired up a simple rca style jack connected to a spst on/off switch. I mount the same rca jack on my mvs, pgm, stv, and even soul calibur boards.....then wire them to the two points under the dip where it would pause the game. When I use a supergun, I just use an rca cord and bam, I have a pause feature on a hand full of my games. I also mount these setups on my cabs but just an rca cord to a switch, then I can plug it into the different mb's when they are in a cab.



it's a very simple addition to a supergun.....but you have to mod your mb's too or it's really no good. I love it though. The phone rings or the bathroom calls, I don't have to worry about starting over.

Could you post a quick guide on how to do your pause button mod? It would be super cool for me to have as people keep bugging me when i just get into a game. Eh suck.
Anyways please post it on up!

Drewmantrivia

Drewmantrivia said:

Could you post a quick guide on how to do your pause button mod? It would be super cool for me to have as people keep bugging me when i just get into a game. Eh suck.
Anyways please post it on up!

Drewmantrivia

Click to expand...

well, it's pretty simple. You mount an rca jack on the supergun box and a spst switch. Then connect one point on the switch to the inside point on the rca jack, and the other on the ground spot on the rca switch.

As for on the motherboard, I put an rca jack right on the shell and then wire those two points to the spots on the motherboard under the dip switch that controls "screen freeze/pause/stop" or whatever.

Here's a shot of the cab's cable hooked to a motherboard...









On an STV note, if you are hooking up a game switch button for a 4 slot MVS, use the 2 player side for what would be button 5 on an atomiswave setup. That will pause radiant silvergun, terra diver, and die hard arcade

NGT said:

well, it's pretty simple. You mount an rca jack on the supergun box and a spst switch. Then connect one point on the switch to the inside point on the rca jack, and the other on the ground spot on the rca switch.

As for on the motherboard, I put an rca jack right on the shell and then wire those two points to the spots on the motherboard under the dip switch that controls "screen freeze/pause/stop" or whatever.

Click to expand...

That's a handy tip.

Nice one, and good knowledge.