MAK Strike - First Impressions and a Couple Questions

[NoAffinity]

I just got my MAK Strike, and I gotta say I love it. I replaced a retroelektronic, and the MS is worth every bit of the additional price point. The RE produced interference in the SCART output. All things equal, the interference is gone with the MS. That alone is worth the extra $30, imho. Overall build quality is high, and I got the acrylic case as well, which is pretty sleek.

Now for the questions:
1) On thing that is a little less impressive on the MS is the voltage readout display. It is constantly cycling between the readout (i.e. the displayed value, like 5.05), and a line across the screen (---). Is this normal, and is there a way to get it to display constantly without the lines cycling?
https://drive.google.com/open?id=11kjpU ... sltyWW9pFU
2) Does anyone know if the RCA audio connectors are inputs or outputs? I am really hoping they are inputs, for injecting stereo into the SCART output.

[Michael Ikonomidis]

1) My unit does this as well, I don't know of any way to change it
2) They're outputs, same as what goes out SCART cable

[NoAffinity]

1) My unit does this as well, I don't know of any way to change it
2) They're outputs, same as what goes out SCART cable

Got it, thanks!

I'm wondering why the designers of various superguns dont include stereo inputs, to get stereo from game boards that output separate from the jamma connector, and get it into the scart cable. Maybe theres more to it than simply routing L and R audio inputs to the appropriate pins of the scart output?

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[Michael Ikonomidis]

Not sure what your setup is like, but in my case I have a SCART switch, which then goes to SCART to BNC adapter which outputs the sound on two RCA plugs.

If you have something like this, you can route the RCA plugs into a switch box which is used only for audio. Another input (s) on this switch box could be for the sound being output from the arcade pcb (s) that don't output it through SCART.

[NoAffinity]

Not sure what your setup is like, but in my case I have a SCART switch, which then goes to SCART to BNC adapter which outputs the sound on two RCA plugs.

If you have something like this, you can route the RCA plugs into a switch box which is used only for audio. Another input (s) on this switch box could be for the sound being output from the arcade pcb (s) that don't output it through SCART.

Yeah, I've got at least one option for running cables to an input ahead of the TV, but it would just be much more convenient to do it all right there at ther supergun and game board.

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[strygo]

My Jasen's Customs SuperGun had this precise limitation related to stereo audio. I was able to work around it by getting a JAMMA bridge that sits between the JAMMA connector on the board (say CPS-2) and the SuperGun's connector. This allows me to feed stereo into the SuperGun (which then is routed out of the SuperGun via its 8 pin din). As you can guess, it's clunky.

The HAS SuperGun solves for this nicely - it supports audio over its 8 pin din, but it also outputs it via a 3.5mm jack when connected. This provides flexibility, since with the right cable, you can either take audio from the HAS or from the board directly. Here's such a cable: https://retro-access.com/collections/ne ... ade-boards

My biggest beef with the HAS is that it lacks an all-in-one container for everything. Its build quality is robust, but it feels out of place in my setup with the unit, power supply and board strewn everywhere.

[NoAffinity]

Thanks for the info, Strygo.

So, here's some additional information about the composition of the video outputs from the Mak Strike, which some may find useful. The information was provided by arcadeforge, and the below response by rama is coming from the GBS8200/8220 project thread, but thought it would be good included here too, for posterity. And, also a question which doesn't seem suitable for that thread.

from arcadeforge:
My question was: Is it 0.7Vpp and AC coupled?

The answer I received: we just put resistors for sync and switch mode. RGB has a 1k Pot and can be regulated. AV Mode and 4:3 is set.

Okay, that tells me a little.
It's probably not AC coupled and the level is not normalized to 0.7Vpp.
You're supposed to dial in your preferred brightness by using the pots on the supergun.

The AC coupling (using 220uF or more e-caps) is not strictly necessary.
It depends on the source amplifier design and the target input stage.
The GBS AC couples directly before the signals enter the IC, so it is protected in all cases.

I would just get a test picture from any of those arcade games test modes and then adjust the potentiometers for maximum brightness without clipping.
It won't be exactly 0.7Vpp, but then again, nothing really is with these retro machines.
(Early SNES often output 0.5Vpp or so, giving a very dull look.)

Edit:
"AV Mode and 4:3 is set" << These are SCART options. They're set to signal 4:3 instead of 16:9 and I suppose he meant to say "RGB mode" instead of AV (Composite Video).

So, considering 4:3 force SCART output and OSSC compatibility, would this explain why 4x and 5x modes on the OSSC, with 320x240 optimized, produces a 16:9 output? This may be an even deeper question, and require consideration of the screen (TCL 49s405).