making a Pop'n/IIDX machine

[lgolem]

IIDX anyone??

Well anyways, Daniel emptied out this cabinet and I decided I would take it and wire up my Jap PS2 so I can have a IIDX / Pop N Music cabinet....the only problem is I dunno how to get the video to work (Ho or Brandon should have some idea for this perdiciment) I looked at the back of the monitor and it has no VGA port at all it seems...unless it is hidden.

those red plugins seem to be the video input but I am not 100% sure....any idea on what to do to get my cabinet working?

[MonMotha]

Arcade monitors don't accept VGA for the most part (unless it's a multisync). Fortunately, PS2s don't output VGA, either. The video from a PS2 is standard def (unless the game supports progressive scan, which none of the Bemani titles do), which is exactly what an arcade monitor wants. The classic thing to do is to get yourself a SCART cable, chop the end off, and use an LM1881/EL1881 to recover composite sync from the CVBS line, then hook the whole lot of it up to the arcade monitor. You'll have to set the component output in the PS2 shell to RGB instead of YPbPr otherwise everything will be very, very green.

You will need to make sure it's a standard res monitor. If it's a medium res, it's pretty much useless for this purpose.

The PS2 outputs 0.7Vpp signals, while most arcade monitors expect 2-5Vpp. You can sometimes get it suitably set up with just the controls available, but sometimes you need a video amp. These aren't hard to acquire. Without knowing the model of the monitor I can't tell you if that's required.

The red connector there most likely is the video input. It looks like a 0.1" Amp MTA type IDC connector. Those connectors aren't that hard to come by - Digi-Key/Mouser are easy places to buy them online, or MAI Prime Parts on Michigan Rd. in Indianapolis should have them.

Seeing as how you have a JAMMA cabinet, it might be easier to get yourself a JAMMA fingerboard and use the existing harness.

Also, make sure you're careful when working with monitors. There's about 25kV in there that can bite you if you're really stupid, ~600V floating around all over the place (and much more exposed than the 25kV anode), and lots of directly line coupled things elsewhere that can easily kill you.

[lgolem]

so I get one of these and take my ps2 a/v cables and then what?? Do I have to pick up a pair of component video cords (the red/blue/green) cables...this is where I am lost. I see the 5 spot I am supposed to sodder wires at...just don't know what to sodder there.

[MonMotha]

Grab a cheap PS2 SCART cable off the internet, clip the end off, strip it back, and you'll get some wires. Orange is Red, Green is Green, Blue is Blue, Black is ground, and yellow is CVBS. There's also a brown wire (on mine, this one might vary some) that is 5V from the PS2, or you can grab 5V off JAMMA. Use that as power for an LM1881 (the circuit in the datasheet works fine) to recover composite sync from the CVBS line. That's enough to get most monitors happy enough to display something.

I recommend getting one with a "GUNCON" outlet so that you can have RCAs for audio. If you don't get one of those, white is left audio, and red is right audio.

[lgolem]

Use that as power for an LM1881 (the circuit in the datasheet works fine) to recover composite sync from the CVBS line.

I understand absolutely everything you have said and I am ready to do it except one thing.....I don't know what that is....or where I can get one if I have to get one.

[Amp Divorax]

Fortunately, PS2s don't output VGA, either.

If that's true then explain this and the fact that Sony used to have a VGA adaptor available at one point?

[sam]

Fortunately, PS2s don't output VGA, either.

If that's true then explain this and the fact that Sony used to have a VGA adaptor available at one point?

it's a transcoder...ps2 can't output a vga signal unless you get the linux kit

[MonMotha]

The PS2 is *capable* of outputting VGA natively. 480p effectively IS VGA. Therefore, any game which utilitzes the progressive scan functionality will output "VGA". The PS2 Linux kit did this as well, but had some additional stuff to support true sync on green. No external scalers or "transcoders" were involved as far as I'm aware.

The issue with progressive RGB output from the PS2 is that it disables the CVBS line (since it is useless), and doesn't correctly insert sync on any of the video lines. This means that while you have video, it has no timing information. When the component outputs are in YPbPr mode, it puts correct sync information on the luminance line.

Most PS2 games (include the entire Bemani line) do not support progressive scan and therefore output SD 480i. I would not be surprised if it is possible to "trick" the game into running progressive in most cases.

To answer the question as to what an LM1881 is, it's a chip made by National Semiconductor (Intersil makes a functionally identical part under the part number EL1881) which strips sync from a video line with embedded sync (such as CVBS) and outputs good composite sync at TTL levels. It also has a vertical sync output, which you can use with the composite sync to get full separate H/V sync (which is what I do to work around a sync separation bug in my monitor). The datasheet for the part has a "typical application circuit" which works fine. You can probably get some free samples from National, or you can buy the LM1881 from Digi-Key, or the EL1881 (slightly cheaper) from Mouser (no minimum order).

[lgolem]

Ok I orderded the Jamma Finger Board and the EL1881. I have to wait a bit before ordering the Scart cable...I am like 5$ short on that...and I found these at Wal Mart for 20$

and the orignally cost 70$ so I picked up one and I am going to mount them to the cabient (and in the cabinet for the sub woofer obivously) in replacement of the old speaker system, since the old speaker and amp is pretty much junk.

[Amp Divorax]

The PS2 is *capable* of outputting VGA natively. 480p effectively IS VGA. Therefore, any game which utilitzes the progressive scan functionality will output "VGA". The PS2 Linux kit did this as well, but had some additional stuff to support true sync on green. No external scalers or "transcoders" were involved as far as I'm aware.

Most PS2 games (include the entire Bemani line) do not support progressive scan and therefore output SD 480i. I would not be surprised if it is possible to "trick" the game into running progressive in most cases.

Actually, Xploder's HDTV Player sets games to use monitor resolutions and 480p. I know this to be true as I use it to play IIDX 9th style, 10th style, US, and RED on my TV. (Happy Sky has a timing offset so using the software for it is unnecessary on my TV.)

On another note, I've actually been looking into making my own component cables for the Sega Dreamcast since it does have VGA capabilities and therefore could probably pull off a 480p signal.

[MonMotha]

I would not be surprised if it is possible to "trick" the game into running progressive in most cases.

Actually, Xploder's HDTV Player sets games to use monitor resolutions and 480p.

Isn't that what I said?

Also, how much are you being compensated to constantly endorse this product?


Additionally also, 480p and VGA really are pretty much the same thing. VESA intentionally did that back when they set the VGA spec: basically, you take NTSC timings and remove the interlace aspect from it. I can go bring up my VESA GTF spreadsheet and compare to the ATSC spec, if you like (I'm guessing they differ only in blanking intervals and possibly by a few lines in vertical total), but they're close enough that they should pretty much always be compatible. So yes, you can get 480p out of a Dreamcast (albeit in RGB, not YPbPr, but that's just a colorspace difference). Of course, all that's pointless in this case since most arcade monitors support SD (480i) only.

[Amp Divorax]

Isn't that what I said?

Also, how much are you being compensated to constantly endorse this product?

No it wasn't, I was replying to you saying that you wouldn't be surprised if there would be a way to trick IIDX games to go 480p and saying that it IS possible. Also, I don't mention Xploder THAT much on here.

Anyway, back to main topic. lgolem, are going to do any particular customizations on the cabinet to reflect it's use for Bemani?

[lgolem]

lgolem, are going to do any particular customizations on the cabinet to reflect it's use for Bemani?

Pretty much I am planning on making either a bracket (or a new top with recessed spots) to hold the beatmania controller still since nothing sucks more than when your beatmania controller slides in mid game...epecially when you are trying a new song or difficulty.

[lgolem]

Ok...so I have most of my supplies and I was checking things out....My monitor says it has 2 sync inputs....V and H (assuming that means Vertical and Horrizontal) and I was just seeing if this is normal and if the Jamma spits it or something of that manner....should I just continue to do what was said earlier and hope it works?

[lgolem]

Monitor is shit...have to discharge it and remove it...probably just going to push a TV or Computer monitor in there.

Beatmania US killed it.