The Rombox thread.

BanishingFlatsAC · Feb 25, 2016

Stellarola said:
Once you notice the audio latency...you'll be forever changed. Also may want to look into frame_delay and other settings...

Yeah I tweaked frame delay and all that. Todd was a tremendous help.

MtothaJ · Feb 25, 2016

VGA -> Scart cable arrived today and happy to say its working beautifully:

I tried a number of different games incl. Mortal Kombat, Pitfighter and Lethal Enforcers and all look, play and sound excellent.

Obviously this is using an early build of Mame (v.0.111) so it remains to be seen if the shitbox is man enough to run the later builds.

Also since I am at the testing phase, the setup is pretty ghetto so far, since I am running games by via DOS command line and playing on PC keyboard, so next steps will definitely involve rigging up some type of DB15-> USB padhack box and looking into a solution with a decent user interface.

Anyway, really impressed with the possibilities. Its definitely a game changer - I cannot imagine myself going back to any Blue Elf style solutions after this.

geise · Feb 25, 2016

There's also older versions of AdvanceMAME which is made for running on crt's, tv's and arcade monitors. That is another route one can go with older hardware.

BanishingFlatsAC · Feb 25, 2016

MtothaJ said:
VGA -> Scart cable arrived today and happy to say its working beautifully:

View attachment 33452

I tried a number of different games incl. Mortal Kombat, Pitfighter and Lethal Enforcers and all look, play and sound excellent.

Obviously this is using an early build of Mame (v.0.111) so it remains to be seen if the shitbox is man enough to run the later builds.

Also since I am at the testing phase, the setup is pretty ghetto so far, since I am running games by via DOS command line and playing on PC keyboard, so next steps will definitely involve rigging up some type of DB15-> USB padhack box and looking into a solution with a decent user interface.

Anyway, really impressed with the possibilities. Its definitely a game changer - I cannot imagine myself going back to any Blue Elf style solutions after this.

Run UMK3 on it and see how that runs. That used to kill mame on the xbox.

MtothaJ · Feb 25, 2016

DecepticonZero said:
Run UMK3 on it and see how that runs. That used to kill mame on the xbox.

Just installed the newest version of Mame 0.171 and run UMK3 - runs perfectly fine, just the volume levels are a bit low. Not familiar with the newest version of MAME but if there is a way to display framerate I can have a look and report back.
The UI in the latest version makes it a lot easier to load games then dicking around with the command prompt.
Tried quite a few other titles and the only one which had choppy audio and slow down was Lethal Enforcers 2 but it can very well be a bad rom dump - I had to redownload the majority of the roms since the ones I used with the ancient version of MAME which I was previously using did not work with this latest one.
The only problem with the current setup I found is when going back from 15hz to 30hz for Windows all the additional display modes would disappear from Quickres. This is easily solved by removing the graphics card from device manager and rebooting - it loads the drivers right back and once you run soft15hz you get all the modes back.
That said I am probably going to make this machine MAME only since the shitbox isn't good for anything else, so this shouldn't be a problem going forward. I have shared the MAME folder on the shitbox through my home network so I can now easily load roms from my laptop, without having to switch graphic modes.
As for soft15hz and VGA displays - at least on my monitor there doesn't seem to be any risk of damage, it just displays 'signal out of range'. Its seems the real danger is when one would do things the other way around and display the 30hz on the CRT.

BanishingFlatsAC · Feb 25, 2016

MtothaJ said:
Just installed the newest version of Mame 0.171 and run UMK3 - runs perfectly fine, just the volume levels are a bit low. Not familiar with the newest version of MAME but if there is a way to display framerate I can have a look and report back.
The UI in the latest version makes it a lot easier to load games then dicking around with the command prompt.
Tried quite a few other titles and the only one which had choppy audio and slow down was Lethal Enforcers 2 but it can very well be a bad rom dump - I had to redownload the majority of the roms since the ones I used with the ancient version of MAME which I was previously using did not work with this latest one.
The only problem with the current setup I found is when going back from 15hz to 30hz for Windows all the additional display modes would disappear from Quickres. This is easily solved by removing the graphics card from device manager and rebooting - it loads the drivers right back and once you run soft15hz you get all the modes back.
That said I am probably going to make this machine MAME only since the shitbox isn't good for anything else, so this shouldn't be a problem going forward. I have shared the MAME folder on the shitbox through my home network so I can now easily load roms from my laptop, without having to switch graphic modes.
As for soft15hz and VGA displays - at least on my monitor there doesn't seem to be any risk of damage, it just displays 'signal out of range'. Its seems the real danger is when one would do things the other way around and display the 30hz on the CRT.

Start using crt emu driver.

GohanX · Feb 25, 2016

On my Pi MK2 and 3-both have really low volume too, but otherwise work and sound great.

MtothaJ · Feb 26, 2016

In terms of controllers I ordered two zero delay usb encoder boards. The idea will be to wire these up to db15 ports and affix these in a 5.25 inch panel in the pc case. Was for a moment thinking of getting the hori fc4 pads but a pair works out a bit too pricy and in any case i would rather just play on an arcade stick.
I will also want to try dual booting, either from another harddisk or from a particion on the current one. The idea obviously being to either boot for 15hz or 30hz without dicking around with drivers and quick res.
Also question for anyone who has played around with soft15hz - there is the option of switching it on independently for the vga and dvi outputs (primary and secondary). So is it possible to boot up and simultenously have 15hz on one output and 30hz on the other?

PS. Turning ''wait vertical sync'' on fixes the screen tearing in Ghouls :buttrock:

Heinz · Feb 26, 2016

DecepticonZero said:
I'm running groovy mame perfectly fine on a dual core. Groovy mame is no more demanding then normal mame until you add in the scanlines. The video card is there to handle that. Very few games support dual core processing in mame, so one core running at 3ghz is plenty for most games.

I agree that the ASIO build is more taxing for sure, but to be honest zip don't really notice much of a difference. I'm not a big audio guy though, so maybe it's just me.

Good to hear. To be honest I'd be happy if this all ends up better than a Pandora's box 3 :keke:

Talk about setting the bar low!

daithidownunder · Feb 26, 2016

I'd recommend a quad core CPU and minimum 4gb ram. I wouldn't use less than a quad core when I'm building the machines I sell especially if you are using a decent front end.

Sent from my HTC_0PJA10 using Tapatalk

BanishingFlatsAC · Feb 26, 2016

daithidownunder said:
I'd recommend a quad core CPU and minimum 4gb ram. I wouldn't use less than a quad core when I'm building the machines I sell especially if you are using a decent front end.

Sent from my HTC_0PJA10 using Tapatalk

A quad core is overkill. The front ends won't utilize it and neither will mame. If you really need to run blitz, showtime, ect then a brand new model i3 will be plenty. You're gonna want something higher end when you start looking into Naomi and shit like that.

Kid Panda · Feb 26, 2016

So my new mobo and processor came in yesterday. Got it up and running. Will come back on Sunday and do a full eu through of what I have run. So far I am VERY impressed so far.

MtothaJ · Feb 26, 2016

GohanX said:
On my Pi MK2 and 3-both have really low volume too, but otherwise work and sound great.

Hit F2 to enter the service menu, and pump up the volume. Confirm and exit then enjoy the sounds at the proper level

GohanX · Feb 26, 2016

Ah sweet, thanks, I never even tried the service menu. The Pi doesn't save service settings though, that fucker.

MtothaJ · Feb 26, 2016

Guys, by way of an update I added a second HDD to the shitbox and now I can dual boot. Basically cloned the primary disk onto an old 80GB 2.5" Hitachi disk originally from a PS3 which I had laying around and activated soft15h on that. By default the PC boots into Windows 7 in VGA, if you press F12 during boot you can choose the Hitachi drive and boot in 15hz mode.
This is very convenient as you do not have to piss around with loosing video modes when switching between 15hz and VGA and then having to do the whole shuffle with quickres, installing and uninstalling video card drivers and switching soft15hz on and off. On the 15hz disk I have added MAME to the Startup folder, so it basically just boots into MAME right off the bat.
I would also recommend a VGA switcher box, since its very convenient and also acts as an additional safeguard / killswitch to prevent one from feeding the VGA signal to the RGB monitor / TV. That VGA--> Scart cable I posted a link to is also much recommended, since apart from video it also carries sound and has a molex connector, which when connected enables the correct aspect ratio / RGB mode selection on TV's with RGB. Build quality is also top notch.
In terms of hardware, my feeling is that at least for soft 15hz and classic 2D games the setup I have is perfectly sufficient. That said, once I finish figuring everything out I will probably step up to a new PC - in terms of MAME there is the obvious advantage of faster boot times and less sluggish menus etc. and with dual boot you obviously can also use the other disk / partition for regular PC stuff without the hassles of juggling resolutions.

MtothaJ · Feb 27, 2016

This DVD drive isn't going to be playing DVD's anytime soon...

Kid Panda · Mar 1, 2016

Ok so here it is, my little slice of the Rombox pie. After the disaster that was the Quad on a chip design, Iwent with an Intel. My god, DZ was right, this is heads above the better setup. I picked up a Mobo and Processor for about $140 shipped and quickly got to work once it came in.

After installing Win 7 and the CRTemu drivers, it was time to go to work on some Mame. Got it up and running but hit a snag later on and figure out that I needed to run Windows itself at 16 bit color. After this I had a blast. CV1000/SH-3 stuff didn't run full speed which I didn't expect, but man, everything else I threw at it? Flawless.

I decided, hey let's try some Genesis stuff. I grabbed Fusion and added 25% scanlines. Did not disappoint. Was even able to run Sega CD.

Then, I got even more adventurous.... PS1 Emulation, once again, I was blow away. A little disappointed that I couldn't add scanlines, (and no, I'm not going to use ePSXe, I use pSX), but still, R-Type Delta and Raystorm? Yes please!

Even tried some Nes, got it looking good, but it has input lag which bummed me out :/

I cannot stress enough how good this looks, even on my shitty Wei-Ya chassis, all of the emu allowed me to add more contrast which helps the color boost alot. All in all? I am very pleased with what I have and want to build another box just for Vertical Mame stuff.

GIGABYTE GA-H81N Ultra Durable 4 Plus Desktop Motherboard - Intel H81 - $70
Details about Intel Pentium G3258 Haswell Dual-Core 3.2 GHz LGA 1150 - $70
SilverStone SG13B-Q Black Plastic front panel, steel body Computer Case Optional standard PS2(ATX) Power Supply - $41
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL - $40
LOGISYS Computer PS480D 480W ATX12V Power Supply - $21
Hard Drive - ??? I had one sitting around.

EDIT: Looks like VirtuaNES is the best one I have found with minimal input lag. SNESGT looks to be the same way. The scanlines suck on SNESGT though.

BanishingFlatsAC · Mar 2, 2016

Kid Panda said:
Ok so here it is, my little slice of the Rombox pie. After the disaster that was the Quad on a chip design, Iwent with an Intel. My god, DZ was right, this is heads above the better setup. I picked up a Mobo and Processor for about $140 shipped and quickly got to work once it came in.

After installing Win 7 and the CRTemu drivers, it was time to go to work on some Mame. Got it up and running but hit a snag later on and figure out that I needed to run Windows itself at 16 bit color. After this I had a blast. CV1000/SH-3 stuff didn't run full speed which I didn't expect, but man, everything else I threw at it? Flawless.

I decided, hey let's try some Genesis stuff. I grabbed Fusion and added 25% scanlines. Did not disappoint. Was even able to run Sega CD.

Then, I got even more adventurous.... PS1 Emulation, once again, I was blow away. A little disappointed that I couldn't add scanlines, (and no, I'm not going to use ePSXe, I use pSX), but still, R-Type Delta and Raystorm? Yes please!

Even tried some Nes, got it looking good, but it has input lag which bummed me out :/

I cannot stress enough how good this looks, even on my shitty Wei-Ya chassis, all of the emu allowed me to add more contrast which helps the color boost alot. All in all? I am very pleased with what I have and want to build another box just for Vertical Mame stuff.

GIGABYTE GA-H81N Ultra Durable 4 Plus Desktop Motherboard - Intel H81 - $70
Details about Intel Pentium G3258 Haswell Dual-Core 3.2 GHz LGA 1150 - $70
SilverStone SG13B-Q Black Plastic front panel, steel body Computer Case Optional standard PS2(ATX) Power Supply - $41
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL - $40
LOGISYS Computer PS480D 480W ATX12V Power Supply - $21
Hard Drive - ??? I had one sitting around.

EDIT: Looks like VirtuaNES is the best one I have found with minimal input lag. SNESGT looks to be the same way. The scanlines suck on SNESGT though.

I've always used Nester and snes9x. Never had an issue with lag. Chances are if you're lagging you have filters on you don't need. Also, there is a program that will overlay scanlines on Windows itself, so every program will have them and be customizable...I just forget the name

Heinz · Mar 2, 2016

I hate your cheap ass american pricing. I wouldn't be able to get that for $140, not even close.

FilthyRear · Mar 2, 2016

Kid Panda said:
Ok so here it is, my little slice of the Rombox pie. After the disaster that was the Quad on a chip design, Iwent with an Intel. My god, DZ was right, this is heads above the better setup. I picked up a Mobo and Processor for about $140 shipped and quickly got to work once it came in.

After installing Win 7 and the CRTemu drivers, it was time to go to work on some Mame. Got it up and running but hit a snag later on and figure out that I needed to run Windows itself at 16 bit color. After this I had a blast. CV1000/SH-3 stuff didn't run full speed which I didn't expect, but man, everything else I threw at it? Flawless.

I decided, hey let's try some Genesis stuff. I grabbed Fusion and added 25% scanlines. Did not disappoint. Was even able to run Sega CD.

Then, I got even more adventurous.... PS1 Emulation, once again, I was blow away. A little disappointed that I couldn't add scanlines, (and no, I'm not going to use ePSXe, I use pSX), but still, R-Type Delta and Raystorm? Yes please!

Even tried some Nes, got it looking good, but it has input lag which bummed me out :/

I cannot stress enough how good this looks, even on my shitty Wei-Ya chassis, all of the emu allowed me to add more contrast which helps the color boost alot. All in all? I am very pleased with what I have and want to build another box just for Vertical Mame stuff.

GIGABYTE GA-H81N Ultra Durable 4 Plus Desktop Motherboard - Intel H81 - $70
Details about Intel Pentium G3258 Haswell Dual-Core 3.2 GHz LGA 1150 - $70
SilverStone SG13B-Q Black Plastic front panel, steel body Computer Case Optional standard PS2(ATX) Power Supply - $41
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL - $40
LOGISYS Computer PS480D 480W ATX12V Power Supply - $21
Hard Drive - ??? I had one sitting around.

EDIT: Looks like VirtuaNES is the best one I have found with minimal input lag. SNESGT looks to be the same way. The scanlines suck on SNESGT though.

Thats fucking beautiful, man. Can't wait until I can set this up.

blakeb8111 · Mar 2, 2016

Kid Panda said:
Ok so here it is, my little slice of the Rombox pie. After the disaster that was the Quad on a chip design, Iwent with an Intel. My god, DZ was right, this is heads above the better setup. I picked up a Mobo and Processor for about $140 shipped and quickly got to work once it came in.
http://i.imgur.com/YMC7eP6.jpg[/imv
[img]http://i.imgur.com/yLKUEo6.jpg

After installing Win 7 and the CRTemu drivers, it was time to go to work on some Mame. Got it up and running but hit a snag later on and figure out that I needed to run Windows itself at 16 bit color. After this I had a blast. CV1000/SH-3 stuff didn't run full speed which I didn't expect, but man, everything else I threw at it? Flawless.

I decided, hey let's try some Genesis stuff. I grabbed Fusion and added 25% scanlines. Did not disappoint. Was even able to run Sega CD.

Then, I got even more adventurous.... PS1 Emulation, once again, I was blow away. A little disappointed that I couldn't add scanlines, (and no, I'm not going to use ePSXe, I use pSX), but still, R-Type Delta and Raystorm? Yes please!

Even tried some Nes, got it looking good, but it has input lag which bummed me out :/

I cannot stress enough how good this looks, even on my shitty Wei-Ya chassis, all of the emu allowed me to add more contrast which helps the color boost alot. All in all? I am very pleased with what I have and want to build another box just for Vertical Mame stuff.

GIGABYTE GA-H81N Ultra Durable 4 Plus Desktop Motherboard - Intel H81 - $70
Details about Intel Pentium G3258 Haswell Dual-Core 3.2 GHz LGA 1150 - $70
SilverStone SG13B-Q Black Plastic front panel, steel body Computer Case Optional standard PS2(ATX) Power Supply - $41
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL - $40
LOGISYS Computer PS480D 480W ATX12V Power Supply - $21
Hard Drive - ??? I had one sitting around.

EDIT: Looks like VirtuaNES is the best one I have found with minimal input lag. SNESGT looks to be the same way. The scanlines suck on SNESGT though.

Nice job, that looks awesome.

ballzdeepx · Mar 2, 2016

MtothaJ said:
VGA -> Scart cable arrived today and happy to say its working beautifully:

Anyway, really impressed with the possibilities. Its definitely a game changer - I cannot imagine myself going back to any Blue Elf style solutions after this.

Hey MtothaJ
I was considering getting a cable like that after making my own failed.
What I'd like to do is take my existing PC running crtemudrivers @ 15khz, and feed that from the VGA out to a scart to component converter I have to use on a consumer grade crt tv.

I wonder if that would work, I'm tired of using svideo out from the video card, the colors are washed out and the detail could be better.

Stellarola · Mar 2, 2016

Kidpanda, you can run Cave shiz full speed on that setup. Be sure to turn off Speedstep in your BIOS. Also, there can be inconsistencies in framerate depending on which monitor preset you have selected in your MAME.ini. This bug may have been squashed since the last time I checked.

I've run GroovyMAME on multiple computers and running the G3258 worked so much better than my Core2Duo E8400. You may want to consider overclocking the G3258 to 3.5Ghz as well.

Is anyone besides me running the ASIO build of GroovyMAME?

BanishingFlatsAC · Mar 2, 2016

Stellarola said:
Kidpanda, you can run Cave shiz full speed on that setup. Be sure to turn off Speedstep in your BIOS. Also, there can be inconsistencies in framerate depending on which monitor preset you have selected in your MAME.ini. This bug may have been squashed since the last time I checked.

I've run GroovyMAME on multiple computers and running the G3258 worked so much better than my Core2Duo E8400. You may want to consider overclocking the G3258 to 3.5Ghz as well.

Is anyone besides me running the ASIO build of GroovyMAME?

I don't see anything in my BIOS for speedstep...does it go by any other names?

I plan on trying out the ASIO version, but I haven't been able to.

mr_b · Mar 2, 2016

Good to see you guys getting proper mame setups running. It really isn't too difficult and gives damn good results.

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