[Grubb's] Random Thoughts of the Day

[Potter]

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialBardoc ... permPage=1

[Fluffyumpkins]

[Potter]

omg riot merk someone stole from our channel https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hp ... e=56416D6D

[Merk]

rofl

Coooooooooont

[Merk]

Hey MonMotha, do you think the Minimaid could be used in a little Neo-Geo candy cab that uses JAMMA? What I'd like to do someday is buy a shitty little candy cab, put a minimaid in it, and play MAME games and set it up for on-line play. I know you made special drivers designed specifically for rhythm games but is it feasible that I could set up something like Joy2Key and map the button inputs on the Neo-Geo to keyboard presses?

I think the Minimaid does that already for things like Stepmania, is that right?

[Fluffyumpkins]

I'm interested as well. I know there's some tools like KeyWiz, but I'm not sure if it's common these days.
http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/inde ... cts_id=199

[MonMotha]

It's a bit expensive in that application, but yes it'll work fine. It does support the 4th button on the JAMMA "spare" positions used on Neo Geo. Note that the key mapping is not configurable (this is a firmware limitation, not hardware). It emulates a keyboard, not joystick, so you shouldn't need joy2key or similar.

Note that multi-slot Neo Geos use a slightly non-standard wiring whereas single slots are standard JAMMA. The audio wiring is different and will need somewhat special handling. The rest is mostly compatible. The minimaid does have the slam/tilt switch input wired up, so you should be able to use all 4 coin slots as well as the game select buttons. The test switch, however, will not work since they put it in a position that is reserved on JAMMA and commonly used for unamplified audio. Some connections are available on the board to patch it back up if you really want to, though.

It may or may not be possible to support things like the credit indicator and game specific marquee light controls. I'd have to look at the cabinet wiring to see. At worst, an application-specific expander board could do it, but there's significant NRE in tooling that up in addition to the firmware modifications needed to make it work. Of course, then you also have to hook the emulator to grab the output data and feed it to the IO board.

The Ultimarc JPAC is what most people use for this. It doesn't have nearly as many bells and whistles as the minimaid - in particular the video amp isn't nearly as nice and it's missing all the specialized output features that aren't relevant on most standard games anyway - but is way cheaper. IIRC you have to do a little bit of a wiring hack to get the extra buttons working since they're not hooked up on it. If you're willing to totally convert the cabinet or use an adapter harness, you could use something like a GGG Keywiz, too. There's also a ton of cheap direct-from-china keyboard/joystick/gamepad encoders out there.

[Merk]

What's that cabinet that Ho has in his basement, is that a Neo-Geo candy cab? Because that's the kind of cabinet I would want.

[MonMotha]

He has a Super Neo 29. I have two Neo 29s (the slightly older non-Super variant which I actually like better as they have front glass over the monitor). Ho's is wired JAMMA, IIRC. I think one of mine is JAMMA while the other is Neo Geo multi-slot. They were available in both variants, as far as I can tell, depending on what game board shipped in them.

If you're short on space, there is also a Neo 25, but they seem harder to find and aren't too much smaller.

[Merk]

My God I have wayyyyyy too much space so I can accommodate a large cabinet. That Super Neo 29 with the six-button layout is pretty much exactly what I would want. The single one I could find on eBay is about $800 -- is that a fair price?

[MonMotha]

$800 is not unreasonable if it's clean and in good condition. You're paying something of a premium at that price to get that specific model as it's not too popular, anymore. As usual, if you wait around for a while, you can usually pick one up for less than if you want one "now". I paid ~$500 for each of mine. One was brought to me for $50 since the seller was coming through the area while I had to ship the other from Las Vegas for a few hundred dollars though the purchase price was somewhat less.

Be aware that the monitors, if not replaced, are usually going to be pretty old and worn out. Make sure it's serviceable. Also, these all came from Japan. As you may know, the Japanese smoke like chimneys in a typical arcade, especially back during the era when these cabinets were popular. Expect some staining and even cigarette burn marks. If it hasn't been thoroughly cleaned or has been in a smoking facility in the USA, expect it to reek of tobacco.

If you're intending to play more modern games on it, you might want something newer like an Egret or Windy City. I think the Blast City is from the same era as the Super Neo, but I may be confused. There are certainly other options to the Neo candies. The newer ones will have significantly more capable monitors. The monitors in the Neo candies are manually switched dual-res 15/24k. The more modern ones usually have auto-switching tri-res ones that can be run at 640x480p without any fuss straight from a PC. The more modern ones will cost you more, though. Expect more like $800 for a "deal" and pushing $1000+ for "typical" prices.

[MonMotha]

And here I thought this joke was just for Jews!

https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments ... acon_tree/

[Merk]

lol MonMotha I like that joke and it always makes me think of you.

[MonMotha]

Fluffy's the one who told it to me, except the surrounding context was totally different.

[Merk]

WHAT?

Chad, is this true?