The Rombox thread.

So is this like a HTPC, but it boots to MAME or Hyperspin on startup?

that G3258 I would think would be perfect, it's a single core, and most that stuff was designed with single core in mind. I built a similar PC for my brothers last year with that same exact processor, and it even ran dark souls flawless. You might need to tone hyperspin down though.

There are options to set your CPU in windows to only utilize one core, that might help depending on the game.

greedostick said:

So is this like a HTPC, but it boots to MAME or Hyperspin on startup?

that G3258 I would think would be perfect, it's a single core, and most that stuff was designed with single core in mind. I built a similar PC for my brothers last year with that same exact processor, and it even ran dark souls flawless. You might need to tone hyperspin down though.

There are options to set your CPU in windows to only utilize one core, that might help depending on the game.

Click to expand...

You're gonna want a dual core, one to handle mame and the other to handle the background processes of Windows.

DecepticonZero said:

You're gonna want a Raspberry Pi

Click to expand...

greedostick said:

So is this like a HTPC, but it boots to MAME or Hyperspin on startup?

that G3258 I would think would be perfect, it's a single core, and most that stuff was designed with single core in mind. I built a similar PC for my brothers last year with that same exact processor, and it even ran dark souls flawless. You might need to tone hyperspin down though.

There are options to set your CPU in windows to only utilize one core, that might help depending on the game.

Click to expand...

This box and thread is really just for a Rombox. My purpose was to run it in a cab and all the other emus I have thrown on there were just icing on the cake. I need to fid a front end I like that lets me add whatever emu I want to use on it. After that, boom, I'm done.

Kid Panda said:

This box and thread is really just for a Rombox. My purpose was to run it in a cab and all the other emus I have thrown on there were just icing on the cake. I need to fid a front end I like that lets me add whatever emu I want to use on it. After that, boom, I'm done.

Click to expand...

For PC Engine you can't beat 'Ootake'. You'll need to set it up before getting it to run correctly, but it supports auto resolution switching. This allows all native 15Khz resolutions to be utilized (256x224, 336x224, 512x224, etc.). It needs some tweaking, but it's the best one I've used for this purpose. I played through Rondo in it's entirety via Ootake on one of my PVMs a couple years ago. Low input lag too if sync is setup properly. I'll try to post my settings...

ballzdeepx said:

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.

Click to expand...

Hi Ballz,
I am sure that would work out fine. As for the cable, you could make your own fairly easily.
From the information I recieved from the seller, in terms of wiring up the sync all he is doing is attaching h and v sync by a 1k ohm resistor to pin 20 of the scart. I did not attempt to build one myself as initially I thought you needed to build a complicated circuit and I did not want to experiment and screw up my monitor in the process.
This particular cable is nice since you also get sound and the aspect ratio switching (which you probably dont need so you can get the version without this feature and save a few bucks) and the cable length is pretty generous too.

Managed to get my 3ghz core2duo running groovymame with framedelay 9. Seems to be running no different and smooth as far as I can see. I set my resolution to 640x480 59hz 32bit colour but I get a scrambled screen once booted. I'm thinking I need to be 60hz or higher for the 31khz mode on my Nanao MS-2930 to sync properly?

At this stage I just want to get the basic VGA going so I can configure Arcade OSD and select the resolution I want while its in the cabinet. Also what resolution would be best to select in Arcade OSD for 15khz? 320x240 ?

greedostick said:

So is this like a HTPC, but it boots to MAME or Hyperspin on startup?

that G3258 I would think would be perfect, it's a single core, and most that stuff was designed with single core in mind.

Click to expand...

G3258 is actually a dual core processor.

EDIT: On the subject of hardware I will be ditching the shitbox soon as I just ordered a new PC:

CPU: Intel Pentium G4400 2x3.3 GHz BOX LGA 1151
MOBO: ASUS Z170M-PLUS LGA 1151
RAM: Kingston HyperX Fury DDR4 16GB 2666Hz XMP CL15
HDD: Samsung SSD Evo 850 250GB
Case: Corsair Carbide 300R
PSU: Be Quiet Pure Power 600W

Obviously this is not solely with the intention of running MAME, will be seeking to upgrade the CPU and get a GPU later on.

MtothaJ said:

Hi Ballz,
I am sure that would work out fine. As for the cable, you could make your own fairly easily.
From the information I recieved from the seller, in terms of wiring up the sync all he is doing is attaching h and v sync by a 1k ohm resistor to pin 20 of the scart. I did not attempt to build one myself as initially I thought you needed to build a complicated circuit and I did not want to experiment and screw up my monitor in the process.
This particular cable is nice since you also get sound and the aspect ratio switching (which you probably dont need so you can get the version without this feature and save a few bucks) and the cable length is pretty generous too.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the update.
I don't suppose there is any way to open up your scart hood and see whats in there,
I'm not having luck with this home made cable sadly. I wonder if there is a 1k resistor on each line of H & V and then its joined on pin 20. I'm also curious if they bridged pins 8 and 16 with a resistor.

Thanks again!

Edit* I actually got it working, here's what I did if anyone ever wants to go from a PC running crt video drivers at 15khz to a consumer grade tv like a sony trinitron etc that has component video inputs running at 240p/480i, through a scart to component converter like the CVS287

This image was helpful, and in the end all I needed was to wire up the following lines right to a male VGA connector with solder cups on the back
I did this to reduce issues with hacking up vga cables that have the grounds, and all the shielding etc that can cause issues if not perfect.


VGA Adapter Side
RGB lines (no video grounds) on their respective pins (1,2,3)
H & V on their respective pins (13,14)

Male Scart Adapter Side
RGB lines on their respective pins (15,11,7)
H&V lines joined to a single 1k ohm resistor and then connected to pin 20 for sync
Bridge pins 8 and 16 with a 100ohm resistor (this might not be needed but I left it in there)

One last thing I had to do was ensure in the ATI drivers that "composite sync" was turned off. This is special to the the CVS287 I believe as if I go straight to a PVM, I actually need to have that setting enabled or it won't stop blinking.

I use this now for my dedicated vertical 27inch Trinitron and I'm super happy at the results compared to svideo. Thanks for the idea of the 1k ohm resistor MtothaJ, it actually got me back to figuring this out.

ballzdeepx said:

Thanks for the update.
I don't suppose there is any way to open up your scart hood and see whats in there,
I'm not having luck with this home made cable sadly. I wonder if there is a 1k resistor on each line of H & V and then its joined on pin 20. I'm also curious if they bridged pins 8 and 16 with a resistor.

Thanks again!

Edit* I actually got it working, here's what I did if anyone ever wants to go from a PC running crt video drivers at 15khz to a consumer grade tv like a sony trinitron etc that has component video inputs running at 240p/480i, through a scart to component converter like the CVS287

This image was helpful, and in the end all I needed was to wire up the following lines right to a male VGA connector with solder cups on the back
I did this to reduce issues with hacking up vga cables that have the grounds, and all the shielding etc that can cause issues if not perfect.

VGA Adapter Side
RGB lines (no video grounds) on their respective pins (1,2,3)
H & V on their respective pins (13,14)

Male Scart Adapter Side
RGB lines on their respective pins (15,11,7)
H&V lines joined to a single 1k ohm resistor and then connected to pin 20 for sync
Bridge pins 8 and 16 with a 100ohm resistor (this might not be needed but I left it in there)

One last thing I had to do was ensure in the ATI drivers that "composite sync" was turned off. This is special to the the CVS287 I believe as if I go straight to a PVM, I actually need to have that setting enabled or it won't stop blinking.

I use this now for my dedicated vertical 27inch Trinitron and I'm super happy at the results compared to svideo. Thanks for the idea of the 1k ohm resistor MtothaJ, it actually got me back to figuring this out.

Click to expand...

Glad you got it working, there is simply no comparison to svideo in terms of image quality and clarity.
Just to confirm I checked under the hood and my cable is wired exactly as per your diagram.
Regarding pins 8 and 16 since you are in the US you can ignore these pins and leave them unconnected - only useful if you have a Euro-spec RGB TV, then it would automaticaly select the input channel to RGB and aspect ratio upon powering on. On a PVM / BVM one makes that selection manually on the monitor.

GohanX said:

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

Click to expand...

Dunno if this is the problem you are experiencing, but after you hit F2 to enter the service menu, you actually need to hit F2 again before doing your adjustments, otherwise the game will not let you save giving a 'Diagnostic switch is closed' error message. Give it a try.

As for new developments - I just hooked up a PS3 controller to my shitbox, installed the Motioninjoy drivers and can now use that to play. Feels pretty awesome to use the pad and not the keyboard

EDIT: solved it, was using the ini file from the regular Mame and not GroovyMame.

Guys, could really use your help here:

I went about installing GroovyMAME ASIO on my new PC today and just need a final bit of assistance to get everything to work.
Basically ASIO sound is working fine and CRTEmu drivers are installed (I have a HD 5450 so followed the official guide: http://geedorah.com/eiusdemmodi/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=1052#p1052).
Desktop is displaying on the BVM fine in 480p, but when I launch a game instead of getting the correct horizontal resolution it is really stretched out. This is the command prompt info:



It seems that my horizontal res is not being scaled correctly.
When trying this on a standard VGA monitor, the scaling is working fine:



Any help on this would be much appreciated - spent the whole day trying to crack this thing and while its probably something trivial I really need some support here.

Hardware wise, is there any real benefit of swapping out the HD5450 card for say a HD7850?
HD7850 is confirmed working with CRTEmu 2.0 so kind of wondering if there is anything to gain in terms of the GroovyMAME experience by upgrading the GPU.
One potentially negative aspect could be fan noise vs the HD5450 which is a passively cooled card.

I'll be attempting a groovymame setup with these specs. Mainly to play CPS 1,2 and NEO games. Hopefully i can share results soon. I want to set this up on my PVM, using my supergun (vega jr.) and hopefully output the video to a PC monitor, and set up streaming for it as well

EDIT: So should i use a JPAC or a JAMMAASD? I have a JNX atlast board, and im not sure if i can use the kick harness connector on that, rather than the screw terminals on the JPAC. Also for sound i just connect my speakers (3.5mm jack) to the 3.5mm jack on my supergun. So i shouldn't have to be concerned with the JPAC not having sound?

ntel core 2 quad 2.4ghz
4 gb ram
ATI radeon HD 3800

MtothaJ said:

Hardware wise, is there any real benefit of swapping out the HD5450 card for say a HD7850?
HD7850 is confirmed working with CRTEmu 2.0 so kind of wondering if there is anything to gain in terms of the GroovyMAME experience by upgrading the GPU.
One potentially negative aspect could be fan noise vs the HD5450 which is a passively cooled card.

Click to expand...

Will certainly help those 3D titles!

Any of you guys consider using, or have set up groovy arcade via linux? I just got a old PC from my brother and may consider setting it up. Was wondering if anyone had experience with it

munchiaz said:

Any of you guys consider using, or have set up groovy arcade via linux? I just got a old PC from my brother and may consider setting it up. Was wondering if anyone had experience with it

Click to expand...

I have.

It's not bad, however the Windows version is better with lower control and audio lag.

Not sure if anyone can help with this. I have a windows 7 box, and i set up CRTemu, and connected my PVM, and I'm not getting the desired results. i took some pictures of the current setup



Pic of PVM RGB cables:
http://imgur.com/GWAgFXn


pic of monitor setting:
http://imgur.com/oVxCO6z

Is it capable of displaying a 480i image? That looks like a 480p image that a PVM can't sync correctly.

GohanX said:

Is it capable of displaying a 480i image? That looks like a 480p image that a PVM can't sync correctly.

Click to expand...

Im really not to sure. Ive been trying to search for an answer with no dice. But i did setup CRT emu, and i thought VMMaker was there to fix that issue. All i know is this shit is making my head spin. Ive also come across a device called UMSA VGA to SCART converter, that seems like it could assist in getting my PC connected to my PVM. I'll have to read more on that as well

munchiaz said:

Not sure if anyone can help with this. I have a windows 7 box, and i set up CRTemu, and connected my PVM, and I'm not getting the desired results. i took some pictures of the current setup

View attachment 37056

Pic of PVM RGB cables:
http://imgur.com/GWAgFXn


pic of monitor setting:
http://imgur.com/oVxCO6z

Click to expand...

Are you combining vsync and hysync through 1k ohm resistors?

MtothaJ said:

Are you combining vsync and hysync through 1k ohm resistors?

Click to expand...

No, im just using one of those RCA splitters I posted a picture of the back of my PVM with the cables, heres what im using for vsync and hysync

http://imgur.com/MpOng8m

munchiaz said:

No, im just using one of those RCA splitters I posted a picture of the back of my PVM with the cables, heres what im using for vsync and hysync

http://imgur.com/MpOng8m

Click to expand...

In general a Y splitter should not be used as a combiner since you are effectivly shorting both lines. I would try to open up that splitter and add the two resistors in there.

The other thing is the monitor settings - does the 30hz from your pic pertain to your standard vga display or the PVM? The Pvm should be getting a 15hz signal. Assuming you are not stretching the desktop over the two monitors, the moment you enable EDID in vmaker your vga display should go blank / display an input signal out of range message.

MtothaJ said:

In general a Y splitter should not be used as a combiner since you are effectivly shorting both lines. I would try to open up that splitter and add the two resistors in there.

The other thing is the monitor settings - does the 30hz from your pic pertain to your standard vga display or the PVM? The Pvm should be getting a 15hz signal. Assuming you are not stretching the desktop over the two monitors, the moment you enable EDID in vmaker your vga display should go blank / display an input signal out of range message.

Click to expand...

I was using 2 monitors, 1 being a HDMI monitor, and the other was set up for the PVM. it was set to 30hz interlaced, which from my understanding is 15hz. Would you happen to have a diagram for adding the 1k ohm resistors, or is there a splitter that offers this out of the box?

munchiaz said:

Would you happen to have a diagram for adding the 1k ohm resistors, or is there a splitter that offers this out of the box?

Click to expand...

If you were to mod the splitter it would go something like this:



Alternatively, a diagram for a vga -> scart cable is in this thread, with the resistors in the scart plug hood.