exA-Arcadia

Coin-operated games and arcades.
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Unknownsou
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Re: exA-Arcadia

Post by Unknownsou »

Nomax wrote: October 3rd, 2021, 11:56 pm
MrJBRPG wrote: October 3rd, 2021, 10:52 pmIf I have a bigger room with more space, I could get an arcade cabinet to store an Exa Arcadia.
An arcade cabinet is not required to play exA-Arcadia. You could also plug the system to your TV or PC monitor via HDMI and use a JVS to USB converter for controls ( http://redsuns.be/#exausb ) ;-)
That thing did play a role in my decision to buy the exa. The hardware is a lot more convenient for me if I can easily hook it up to a computer monitor or TV and have the thing just *work* with USB sticks. Having to fiddle with a supergun to accomplish that is kind of a nuisance (and obviously, I realize that none of this is really the intended use case.)
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Re: exA-Arcadia

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Having enjoyed the original Vritra, I am pleased to report Hexa is now completely reworked/re-balanced and superb. It's like a new game and I can see why it has been getting such good feedback with the rebalancing and additional content/levels/modes/music/stage branching/2 players ..

'Online' score ranking is cool, maybe this feature should be rolled out to future Exa games?

I've also been enjoying the input I/O response of the system, it really does 'feel' fast.

The only thing to report after testing a few different setups is that with a Capcom Jamma I/O you need to wait a few seconds after power on until the Exa beeps to say hello, before turning on the I/O or it won't be detected and you will reach the 'I/O error screen'. I assume it's part of the JVS standard as I have seen similar behaviour elsewhere but once you are on an 'I/O error screen' you have to restart the Exa for it to re-detect the I/O, I guess so an operator knows something went wrong in the event of an intermitant issue.

I did also once have a hang on the 'glowing' screen, when exiting to the menu manually when I had set 'auto quit' to menu after 5 minutes off in the Vritra Hexa game menu settings. The game had been in attract mode for about 1 hour before hand. It's quite possible I knocked something as I was fiddling around in the cabinet at the time. I guess when operating a single game, most people will have turned the main menu off in the first place.

Question for those in the UK where we are at 230v, I've supplied a IEC/power cable with a 5 amp fuse , does that sound about right? interested to know what others opted for. Thanks.
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Re: exA-Arcadia

Post by buffi »

jimmerd wrote: October 4th, 2021, 2:03 pm Question for those in the UK where we are at 230v, I've supplied a IEC/power cable with a 5 amp fuse , does that sound about right? interested to know what others opted for. Thanks.
I'm in another 230V EU Country and I just use a cheap power cable from some old PC. Works fine
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Re: exA-Arcadia

Post by MrJBRPG »

Nomax wrote: October 3rd, 2021, 11:56 pm
MrJBRPG wrote: October 3rd, 2021, 10:52 pmIf I have a bigger room with more space, I could get an arcade cabinet to store an Exa Arcadia.
An arcade cabinet is not required to play exA-Arcadia. You could also plug the system to your TV or PC monitor via HDMI and use a JVS to USB converter for controls ( http://redsuns.be/#exausb ) ;-)
I do see that the item is available for Japan and Europe, but is there a way the rest of the world can buy this, like USA and otherwise? That may be a nice solution for the time being.
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Re: exA-Arcadia

Post by Unknownsou »

MrJBRPG wrote: October 4th, 2021, 5:39 pm
Nomax wrote: October 3rd, 2021, 11:56 pm
MrJBRPG wrote: October 3rd, 2021, 10:52 pmIf I have a bigger room with more space, I could get an arcade cabinet to store an Exa Arcadia.
An arcade cabinet is not required to play exA-Arcadia. You could also plug the system to your TV or PC monitor via HDMI and use a JVS to USB converter for controls ( http://redsuns.be/#exausb ) ;-)
I do see that the item is available for Japan and Europe, but is there a way the rest of the world can buy this, like USA and otherwise? That may be a nice solution for the time being.
Redsuns is figuring out the cost to ship to me in the US right now, so I'd put my money on "yes".

Pretty sure it's just the EXA and games they can't export.
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Re: exA-Arcadia

Post by kazuo »

You can use the usual JP->USA proxy to buy one from KVC Lab in Japan, but note that they are currently OOS:
https://kvclab.com/shop/shopdetail.html ... A-US&sort=
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Re: exA-Arcadia

Post by nem »

jimmerd wrote: October 4th, 2021, 2:03 pmI did also once have a hang on the 'glowing' screen, when exiting to the menu manually when I had set 'auto quit' to menu after 5 minutes off in the Vritra Hexa game menu settings.
It happened to me too. It's an issue, but a rare one.
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Re: exA-Arcadia

Post by Shou »

jimmerd wrote: October 4th, 2021, 2:03 pm The only thing to report after testing a few different setups is that with a Capcom Jamma I/O you need to wait a few seconds after power on until the Exa beeps to say hello, before turning on the I/O or it won't be detected and you will reach the 'I/O error screen'. I assume it's part of the JVS standard as I have seen similar behaviour elsewhere but once you are on an 'I/O error screen' you have to restart the Exa for it to re-detect the I/O, I guess so an operator knows something went wrong in the event of an intermitant issue.

I did also once have a hang on the 'glowing' screen, when exiting to the menu manually when I had set 'auto quit' to menu after 5 minutes off in the Vritra Hexa game menu settings. The game had been in attract mode for about 1 hour before hand. It's quite possible I knocked something as I was fiddling around in the cabinet at the time. I guess when operating a single game, most people will have turned the main menu off in the first place.
We don't recommend the Capcom IO due to the extra frame of lag caused by its frame buffer.
Do check that the +5v to the IO board is not fluctuating and above 5v. Any kind of brown out will cause an IO Error.

Same thing for nem on the Vewlix, check that the +12v going to the Taito JVS IO is enough.

We have seen this issue in Japan where the older Vewlix cabs especially are not outputting enough on the +12v and the IO board is not able to respond 100%.
After cleaning and using a multi meter, it is a quick fix.
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Re: exA-Arcadia

Post by nem »

The Wei-Ya doesn't power the IO in a Vewlix. There's a separate PSU for that, a TDK-Lambda VS75B-12.

Anyway, I have replaced mine with a Mean Well for 230V use and the voltages are correct. It's not the issue.
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Re: exA-Arcadia

Post by jimmerd »

Shou wrote:
We don't recommend the Capcom IO due to the extra frame of lag caused by its frame buffer.
Do check that the +5v to the IO board is not fluctuating and above 5v. Any kind of brown out will cause an IO Error.
Thank-You.

I read the I/O recommendations in the manual and will be using JVS cabinet under normal operation or go for an EXA-IO when in stock.

Shall double check the cabinet voltage.
buffi wrote: October 4th, 2021, 5:18 pm
jimmerd wrote: October 4th, 2021, 2:03 pm Question for those in the UK where we are at 230v, I've supplied a IEC/power cable with a 5 amp fuse , does that sound about right? interested to know what others opted for. Thanks.
I'm in another 230V EU Country and I just use a cheap power cable from some old PC. Works fine
Thanks! yes I would normally do the same as you, but felt it was worth checking for brand new hardware 8-) probably a bit over the top..

The PSU is a decent specification and no doubt has some built in protection, for countries that also have a fuse in the end of the power cable i'd seen 6 amp mentioned on one third-party site for Exa. I wonder about the consumption rating of the system given it is a custom device. Generally I find 5 amp fuse's in the plug for a regular desktop PC'.
I would assume that a EXA can be expected to draw more than 3 amps so that would be too low a fuse rating and could blow unnecessarily under normal operation and equally 12 amp would be more that expected for it to try and consume.


I should point out the system really is plug and play in a JVS equipped arcade cabinet and the system ships with all the cables you need, I was just experimenting with some older machines.
Last edited by jimmerd on October 5th, 2021, 6:05 pm, edited 5 times in total.
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Re: exA-Arcadia

Post by MrJBRPG »

kazuo wrote: October 5th, 2021, 6:07 am You can use the usual JP->USA proxy to buy one from KVC Lab in Japan, but note that they are currently OOS:
https://kvclab.com/shop/shopdetail.html ... A-US&sort=
Thanks, and I will pretty much wait until the thing is officially available in the USA for selling or that I somehow happen to take a chance to visit Japan one day.

Otherwise, I will pretty much take my time to construct or find a small arcade cabinet to fit the Exa Arcadia.

@Shou Do you have any other recommendations besides the Mellow JVS to USB (MP07-IONA-US) alternatives for those who like to show their arcade hardware to visitors?
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Re: exA-Arcadia

Post by SuperPang »

Bought myself a birthday present.

Really good fun.
One minor gripe is that most of the character sprites are still 16:9 in 480p mode. I'd still rather play it on a CRT though, and I'll let the developer off as he had a lot of work to do: https://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.p ... 3#p1467113
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Re: exA-Arcadia

Post by geotrig »

Looks great 8-)
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Re: exA-Arcadia

Post by jase »

Oh nice! This is next on my exA Want list. :awe:
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Re: exA-Arcadia

Post by Unknownsou »

And as luck would have it, the JVS to USB adapter is sold out, as is the JAMMA I/O board if I wanted to use that instead. So, looks like it'll be a while before I get to play the thing. I guess I can admire the nondescript black box in the meantime.
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Re: exA-Arcadia

Post by RandomRetro »

Super Battle Princess Madelyn exA is definitely the best version of this title! Definitely recommend it for those who can find it on location. I haven't played it on a CRT, so thanks for the insight and pics @SuperPang
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Re: exA-Arcadia

Post by arcnl »

I don't really see what's wrong with the player sprites. I don't really know the game either but it looks fine to me. What is it supposed to look like?
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Re: exA-Arcadia

Post by goatboy »

arcnl wrote: October 11th, 2021, 4:34 pm I don't really see what's wrong with the player sprites. I don't really know the game either but it looks fine to me. What is it supposed to look like?
Since Battle Princess is designed for 16:9 and the sprites are still the same aspect in 480p I suspect they just made the playfield a tad smaller in this mode (398 to 320px). I would do the same when converting modern games to 4:3 as it's less hassle.
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Re: exA-Arcadia

Post by SuperPang »

Pretty sure thats what happened. It really doesn't bother me and the game still looks better on a CRT than an LCD IMO. I'm just glad that Exa stipulate 480p as a requirement and the developer put the effort in for what will be a very small minority of customers. I'm actually choosing low res games over titles like Vritra for my NNC setup. I'll get that one when I have a Yoko Vewlix setup.
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Re: exA-Arcadia

Post by Grinning Cat »

Unknownsou wrote: October 11th, 2021, 12:35 am And as luck would have it, the JVS to USB adapter is sold out, as is the JAMMA I/O board if I wanted to use that instead. So, looks like it'll be a while before I get to play the thing. I guess I can admire the nondescript black box in the meantime.
I'm convinced they're making the JVS to USB adapter in batches of about five (either that, or they're as in demand as PS5s and Nvidia GPUs :lol: ).

I had a stock alert from KVC lab at just before 3.30am, saying they had more in. Ordered one within ten minutes, as I was actually still awake :oops: And by about 5am-ish I had an email from FromJapan, cancelling my order, as they'd already sold out again :(
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