JPac or JammaSD and sound amp questions

Everything Emulator related
User avatar
planexcvs
Posts: 29
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:46 am
Location: Las Vegas and Tokyo
eBay: came-hal

JPac or JammaSD and sound amp questions

Post by planexcvs »

I want to setup MAME in a candy cab and have some newbie questions on trying to get sound.

Which is more reliable? J-Pac? or JammaSD?

If I understand correctly, the JammaSD is already wired with a sound amp and that would just need a simple audio jack wire to connect to the PC sound card/board?

For the J-Pac, I would need a sound amp but if I were to use a Sega cab like the Astro City or New Astro, those have their own sound amps right? I would just need to splice and solder connectors into an RCA to jack adapter from the amp to the PC sound card?

Do Egret II cabs usually come with a sound amp?

Or would I be better off getting this Sega sound amp? http://www.giz10p.co.uk/index.php?_a=vi ... ductId=118" and where would the connection for this to the cabinet speakers go?
User avatar
myuniversallove

Re: JPac or JammaSD and sound amp questions

Post by myuniversallove »

Please before asking questions.introduce yourself in the intro topic. thanx

http://forum.arcadeotaku.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=8775"

BTW welcome to the boards
User avatar
planexcvs
Posts: 29
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:46 am
Location: Las Vegas and Tokyo
eBay: came-hal

Re: JPac or JammaSD and sound amp questions

Post by planexcvs »

My apologies. I introduced myself and thanks.
User avatar
Chi
Fire Extinguisher
Posts: 904
Joined: August 18th, 2008, 12:55 am
Location: Croydon, UK
Initials: CHI

Re: JPac or JammaSD and sound amp questions

Post by Chi »

planexcvs wrote:Do Egret II cabs usually come with a sound amp?
Sadly not - they have two different connectors for stereo sound, but in both cases it needs to be amplified stereo. Best bet is to get any old 12V audio amplifier and wire it up - I leave the details of this to other more knowledgeable forum members.
planexcvs wrote:I would just need to splice and solder connectors into an RCA to jack adapter from the amp to the PC sound card?
Not even that - adapters to convert RCA to 3.5mm are very, very common and you can pick one up from most stores that sell audio parts - or eBay.
"TO THE untrained eye Christian Cooper might have been stamping out a small fire " - The Times, 7th Feb, 2004
User avatar
cRacKh0rN
Custom rank pending return
Posts: 1870
Joined: October 13th, 2008, 11:22 am
Location: London
eBay: thecrunchieone
Initials: DAB

Re: JPac or JammaSD and sound amp questions

Post by cRacKh0rN »

I personally hooked the PC up via a jpac, got the amp out of some usb powered speakers and powered the amp via the PC usb. Simple! :)
User avatar
pubjoe
Fosters Political Ambitions
Posts: 9836
Joined: August 19th, 2008, 8:58 am
Location:

Re: JPac or JammaSD and sound amp questions

Post by pubjoe »

I have a jammasd in my egret2. The jammasd's built in amp is very handy, but mono only. If I ever feel I need stereo, I might use a seperate amp for that, but I doubt I'll ever bother, few games use stereo anyway.

The most annoying problem with the jammASD is it doesn't take test and service button signals from the jamma edge, so you'd have to rewire the cab to 'mame only' if you had to have those button functions. ...Or maybe you could add the service inputs from the jamma edge to the spare P1+P2 7th button ports on the jammasd and keep the cab wiring intact?

It also won't work with a passive USB adaptor. "USB convertors" would work but they cost a lot more and lag a lot. So it's PS/2 only.

I just thought it worth warning you of the above niggles. Other than those, it's all good. One really good thing about it is the RCA socket for PS2 lightguns. Let me know if you get this working though as I spent a couple hours trying to 'adapt' the wrong hardware, only got it half working and since gave up. I don't know if the incompatibility was caused by the wrong (ps1 guncon) hardware or that I use windows 64 and the homebrew guncon > PC driver projects seem to be abandoned.

Another good thing about the jammasd is the video amplifier makes games display more authentically imo. It also draws power for this function from the PS/2 port (or it's own power source if necassary) which apparently gives greater stability.

It's a shame about the test/service buttons as it'd have been an easy addition and would have made the jammasd such a clear winner over a jpac in every way (including price) if they worked. It's almost a deal breaker due to it causing another reason to keep a keyboard close to hand.

So in short.

Jammasd pros (over jpac):
  • RCA socket for lightguns.
  • Built in audio amp for jamma mono sound.
  • "Better" video (this is possibly debatable)
  • Cheaper
Cons:
  • No service inputs (without modification).
  • Available as PS/2 only (not really a "con" as PS/2 is usually preferred, but a consideration, especially for me as I originally tried to use a shuttle system with no PS/2 ports)
If you can work around those 2 cons, the jammasd is highly recommended.
Last edited by pubjoe on June 11th, 2010, 7:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
cRacKh0rN
Custom rank pending return
Posts: 1870
Joined: October 13th, 2008, 11:22 am
Location: London
eBay: thecrunchieone
Initials: DAB

Re: JPac or JammaSD and sound amp questions

Post by cRacKh0rN »

Does the JammaSD have additional hookups for additional buttons etc?
User avatar
pubjoe
Fosters Political Ambitions
Posts: 9836
Joined: August 19th, 2008, 8:58 am
Location:

Re: JPac or JammaSD and sound amp questions

Post by pubjoe »

Yes. "v2" has 4 per player (on top of the 4 pp default buttons it gets through the jamma harness).

This easily gives a few left over to be able to connect the 2 service buttons with a mod. But I haven't tried it.
User avatar
cRacKh0rN
Custom rank pending return
Posts: 1870
Joined: October 13th, 2008, 11:22 am
Location: London
eBay: thecrunchieone
Initials: DAB

Re: JPac or JammaSD and sound amp questions

Post by cRacKh0rN »

pubjoe wrote:Yes. "v2" has 4 per player (on top of the 4 pp default buttons it gets through the jamma harness).

This easily gives a few left over to be able to connect the 2 service buttons with a mod. But I haven't tried it.
Sounds good. Is there a PC app to reprogram / map key commands to the buttons?
User avatar
pubjoe
Fosters Political Ambitions
Posts: 9836
Joined: August 19th, 2008, 8:58 am
Location:

Re: JPac or JammaSD and sound amp questions

Post by pubjoe »

Yes, but I wasn't able to use it 6 months ago due to my 64 bit windows (I think). This may have been fixed since, I don't know.

However, I don't know if the software writes to the firmware when you change keys. If it does, the windows 64 problem wouldn't really be a problem if I just update it on a 32-bit machine first.

Are you considering swapping? If so, maybe I've over-hyped it slightly. It's a better option than the jpac if you have the choice, but I don't know if I'd actually buy one to replace a jpac in a setup that's already working fine. The 2 negatives I mentioned were so annoying to me, I almost got rid of it tbh.

If you want it for lightgun games though ...cool!
User avatar
cRacKh0rN
Custom rank pending return
Posts: 1870
Joined: October 13th, 2008, 11:22 am
Location: London
eBay: thecrunchieone
Initials: DAB

Re: JPac or JammaSD and sound amp questions

Post by cRacKh0rN »

pubjoe wrote:Yes, but I wasn't able to use it 6 months ago due to my 64 bit windows (I think). This may have been fixed since, I don't know.

However, I don't know if the software writes to the firmware when you change keys. If it does, the windows 64 problem wouldn't really be a problem if I just update it on a 32-bit machine first.

Are you considering swapping? If so, maybe I've over-hyped it slightly. It's a better option than the jpac if you have the choice, but I don't know if I'd actually buy one to replace a jpac in a setup that's already working fine. The 2 negatives I mentioned were so annoying to me, I almost got rid of it tbh.

If you want it for lightgun games though ...cool!
I am looking for a decent light gun solution that won't cost the earth. Reading your initial post back, it seems that it isn't quite plug and play for this purpose though?
User avatar
emphatic
Breastfeeds when required
Posts: 5865
Joined: April 7th, 2009, 4:14 pm
Location: Alingsås, Sweden
eBay: jorgen_sjolander
Initials: JOR

Re: JPac or JammaSD and sound amp questions

Post by emphatic »

I bought 2.1 Logitech systems for about 20 quid and put it in my EGRET IIs. If you're gonna have a dedicated MAME/console machine I can't recommend it enough. :awe:
User avatar
cRacKh0rN
Custom rank pending return
Posts: 1870
Joined: October 13th, 2008, 11:22 am
Location: London
eBay: thecrunchieone
Initials: DAB

Re: JPac or JammaSD and sound amp questions

Post by cRacKh0rN »

emphatic wrote:I bought 2.1 Logitech systems for about 20 quid and put it in my EGRET IIs. If you're gonna have a dedicated MAME/console machine I can't recommend it enough. :awe:
2.1 Logitechs? Do you have a linky? :awe:
User avatar
emphatic
Breastfeeds when required
Posts: 5865
Joined: April 7th, 2009, 4:14 pm
Location: Alingsås, Sweden
eBay: jorgen_sjolander
Initials: JOR

Re: JPac or JammaSD and sound amp questions

Post by emphatic »

Image

Logitech S220 is what I use. They have a remote (on the cord) with power on/off, volume and headphone output. I keep this in my service door, but it's easy to put this in the control panel (unless you often use headphones when you play).

Edit: To attach the non-sub speakers to an EGRET II, you remove the original speakers from the metal holders (2 Phillips screws on the back) and unplug them from the JST/AMP connectors, then you can squeeze these Logitech ones into that holder and they should stay put due to friction alone. Just add some black cloth behind them or the marquee light will show behind them as they don't quite fill the hole like the stock speakers. Then drop the cable behind the rotate mech and plug into the subwoofer that you keep on the floor of the cabinet. It is very small but gives a competent bottom to any game soundtrack or explosion. I run the bass on the max setting, and it's "just right".

Sorry if this is not what the thread creator is interested in reading. :shh:
User avatar
pubjoe
Fosters Political Ambitions
Posts: 9836
Joined: August 19th, 2008, 8:58 am
Location:

Re: JPac or JammaSD and sound amp questions

Post by pubjoe »

cRacKh0rN wrote:I am looking for a decent light gun solution that won't cost the earth. Reading your initial post back, it seems that it isn't quite plug and play for this purpose though?
It should be okay as long as you have a ps2 guncon (usb). I'm not sure exactly about the drivers working in 64-bit though, (if that's important to you) because I was unable to test with the right guns. I hope to give you a better answer soon though. Just need to sell the guncons and buy some guncon2s.
User avatar
planexcvs
Posts: 29
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:46 am
Location: Las Vegas and Tokyo
eBay: came-hal

Re: JPac or JammaSD and sound amp questions

Post by planexcvs »

Wow. Thanks everyone for all the information.

I think I'll go the logitech route, if I ever do end up finding an Egret II.
birinhos
Please Continue...
Posts: 11
Joined: August 13th, 2010, 9:34 pm
Location:

Re: JPac or JammaSD and sound amp questions

Post by birinhos »

pubjoe wrote: [*]"Better" video (this is possibly debatable)

the jammasd is highly recommended.
Does it really has better video ? I have found more information about J-PAC in the internet. It seams to be more reliable... Dont you think so ?

Do I need any special Video card to connect to J-PAC or JAMMASD ?

and about the number of buttons ? who has more ?

thanks,
Rui
User avatar
cRacKh0rN
Custom rank pending return
Posts: 1870
Joined: October 13th, 2008, 11:22 am
Location: London
eBay: thecrunchieone
Initials: DAB

Re: JPac or JammaSD and sound amp questions

Post by cRacKh0rN »

birinhos wrote:
pubjoe wrote: [*]"Better" video (this is possibly debatable)

the jammasd is highly recommended.
Does it really has better video ? I have found more information about J-PAC in the internet. It seams to be more reliable... Dont you think so ?

Do I need any special Video card to connect to J-PAC or JAMMASD ?

and about the number of buttons ? who has more ?

thanks,
Rui
I have a few j-pacs and have just purchased the JammaASD to test it. The J-pac has been faultless for me.
To get video displaying in your cab you either need to buy an Nvidia card and install a bit of software called Soft15khz or buy an Ultimarc Arcade AVGA card which essentially does the same thing as Soft15khz but with slightly less hassle.

Anyway, I do have a j-pac for sale if you are interested.

Dave
User avatar
cools
Armed Police Buttrider
Posts: 13457
Joined: August 17th, 2008, 4:49 pm
Location: Wales, United Kingdom
eBay: hordarian
Initials: CLS

Re: JPac or JammaSD and sound amp questions

Post by cools »

Not restricted to Nvidia stuff. I'm using an ancient Matrox Mystique PCI
Image
User avatar
pubjoe
Fosters Political Ambitions
Posts: 9836
Joined: August 19th, 2008, 8:58 am
Location:

Re: JPac or JammaSD and sound amp questions

Post by pubjoe »

Yeah. In fact nvidia supports a limited amount of screen modes and series 8 onwards are pretty much incompatible (I think?). Both these problems can be worked around with a dongle though.

Birinhos, I don't know about jammasd's video amp being "better" to be honest. I just read that once ...Something to do with the voltage regulator and the ability for an optional additional power input. I should think it's probably about the same as the jpac.

The jammasd's advantages are the inbuilt sound amp and the RCA socket for lightgun support. Plus price (when I last checked a few months ago).

I could do with double checking this, but I think it takes both player's buttons 1 to 4 (plus start) from the jamma edge, then you can add an aditional 3 (or is that 4?) per player using the screw in connectors on-board.

My only niggle is that it doesn't take the service buttons from the jamma edge, but I'm sure this could be easily modified for mame use by wiring the service and test button contacts on the jsd's jamma edge to player 1's and 2's button 7 connectors, and then configuring p1-7 and p2-7 to F2 and F3.
Post Reply