Questions that do not deserve a thread

[ryu]

Can the VP30, Lumagen HD Pro or OSSC be used to strip HDCP from a HDMI source?

Just wanted to record PS3 gameplay and noticed it has no option to turn off HDCP.

Nope. Manufacturers of widely distributed video processors can't market products to circumvent industry copy protection measures. You would get sued. Machines that allow you to toggle HDCP simply refuse to process protected content when HDCP is off.

Thanks. I knew letting a friend borrow my PS2 with component cable indefinitely was going to bite me in the back eventually.

[vol.2]

Thanks. I knew letting a friend borrow my PS2 with component cable indefinitely was going to bite me in the back eventually.

You should be able to find an HDCP stripper from ali express without too much difficulty. Just do some searches.

[ryu]

Thanks. I knew letting a friend borrow my PS2 with component cable indefinitely was going to bite me in the back eventually.

You should be able to find an HDCP stripper from ali express without too much difficulty. Just do some searches.

Uh, I just meant I didn't have my component cable available at the moment. I'll get my stuff back in a couple of days now that I have a reason to ask for it. No reason to order anything yet.

[ldeveraux]

Thanks. I knew letting a friend borrow my PS2 with component cable indefinitely was going to bite me in the back eventually.

You should be able to find an HDCP stripper from ali express without too much difficulty. Just do some searches.

Be prepared to order a handful of devices, none of which will likely strip HDCP.

[bobrocks95]

If anyone does need HDCP stripped, check the Tink 4K Discord and simply ask for splitter recommendations for PS3 usage.

[lettuce]

Does anyone know of a HDMI martix/switch that does 4K 120 and has 2 outputs??, am wanting to output to my main display and also my capture card.

Ideally I'm after a device that accepts, VRR, ALLM, HDR etc. I did get a non branded one from Amazon but or though it stated it supported VRR or ALLM and seems to drop the signal for a second or so now and again!

[vol.2]

Does anyone know of a HDMI martix/switch that does 4K 120 and has 2 outputs??, am wanting to output to my main display and also my capture card.

Ideally I'm after a device that accepts, VRR, ALLM, HDR etc. I did get a non branded one from Amazon but or though it stated it supported VRR or ALLM and seems to drop the signal for a second or so now and again!

Extron DA2 HD 4k Plus does HDR, 12-bit color. Not sure how it handles VRR etc, but someone here might have that info.

[lettuce]

Does anyone know of a HDMI martix/switch that does 4K 120 and has 2 outputs??, am wanting to output to my main display and also my capture card.

Ideally I'm after a device that accepts, VRR, ALLM, HDR etc. I did get a non branded one from Amazon but or though it stated it supported VRR or ALLM and seems to drop the signal for a second or so now and again!

Extron DA2 HD 4k Plus does HDR, 12-bit color. Not sure how it handles VRR etc, but someone here might have that info.

Thanks for the link. Thats a bit out of my price range sadly

[Fudoh]

Extron DA2 HD 4k Plus does HDR, 12-bit color. Not sure how it handles VRR etc, but someone here might have that info.

all of Extron's devices are limited to 18gbps at best, so basically HDMI 2.0. That's the standard as of 10 years ago (2013/2014).
Today you're looking at bandwith requirements up to 40 or 48gbps from modern PCs or consoles.

[bobrocks95]

Any recommendations for CD burners, vintage/industrial/good commercial ones? I use an LG combo blu-ray drive right now, but I wonder if I can get better burns with something else. I've got the newer Taiyo Yuden discs which seem to hit 16x at a minimum, and I usually get skipping on PS1 FMVs.

[orange808]

Any recommendations for CD burners, vintage/industrial/good commercial ones?

I use this one. Had no idea a person couldn't buy disks to write below 16x. I'm glad I still have some old ones. I've never had any luck burning game disks at high speeds with any drive.

[vol.2]

I use this one. Had no idea a person couldn't buy disks to write below 16x. I'm glad I still have some old ones. I've never had any luck burning game disks at high speeds with any drive.

There are some specific configurations and brands that seem to work better for specific consoles. I remember when I soft modded my PS2 I found out with some research that there was a certain series of Verbatim discs that seemed to always work right, and so I bought them and they did. It didn't seem to make a lick of difference what speed I used, it was more about the type of disc than anything else.

[bobrocks95]

Any recommendations for CD burners, vintage/industrial/good commercial ones?

I use this one. Had no idea a person couldn't buy disks to write below 16x. I'm glad I still have some old ones. I've never had any luck burning game disks at high speeds with any drive.

Is Nero reporting accurate with the medium's supported write speed? I want to say 16x was the lowest listed, though maybe 8x was doable by the disc but not my drive. I'll have to check again.

[vol.2]

Is Nero reporting accurate with the medium's supported write speed? I want to say 16x was the lowest listed, though maybe 8x was doable by the disc but not my drive. I'll have to check again.

I would use imgburn and not nero for games. Just make sure you don't download the version with a virus in it. I think MajorGeeks has the good one probably.

[bobrocks95]

Any recommendations for CD burners, vintage/industrial/good commercial ones?

I use this one. Had no idea a person couldn't buy disks to write below 16x. I'm glad I still have some old ones. I've never had any luck burning game disks at high speeds with any drive.

Is Nero reporting accurate with the medium's supported write speed? I want to say 16x was the lowest listed, though maybe 8x was doable by the disc but not my drive. I'll have to check again.

I would use imgburn and not nero for games. Just make sure you don't download the version with a virus in it. I think MajorGeeks has the good one probably.

Ah whoops I do have ImgBurn, 2.5.7.0 with the Dreamcast modification.

Here's what it reports, looks like 16x minimum. Don't know for sure if that's a medium limitation or a drive limitation. These are the CMC Pro "Powered by TY Technology" discs.

[vol.2]

Ah whoops I do have ImgBurn, 2.5.7.0 with the Dreamcast modification.

Here's what it reports, looks like 16x minimum. Don't know for sure if that's a medium limitation or a drive limitation. These are the CMC Pro "Powered by TY Technology" discs.

AFAIK, it's got to be a drive limitation. Never heard of a disc that can't do lower speed burns. Should be able to go right down to 1x for anything, but it's slow as molasses.

Pioneer drives have always been solid for me. I believe they can do DVDs down to 1x.

Edit: Nevermind, I did some searching and people do claim that a lot of CD-R's now only support down to 16X. I bought a whole crap load of DVDs and CDs a long time ago and they all do 1X, so I guess I just never thought that would change.

Doing a search for "CD-R 1X" reveals a whole bunch of options on ebay and amazon for 1X-16X discs for very cheap

[bobrocks95]

Ah whoops I do have ImgBurn, 2.5.7.0 with the Dreamcast modification.

Here's what it reports, looks like 16x minimum. Don't know for sure if that's a medium limitation or a drive limitation. These are the CMC Pro "Powered by TY Technology" discs.

AFAIK, it's got to be a drive limitation. Never heard of a disc that can't do lower speed burns. Should be able to go right down to 1x for anything, but it's slow as molasses.

Pioneer drives have always been solid for me. I believe they can do DVDs down to 1x.

Edit: Nevermind, I did some searching and people do claim that a lot of CD-R's now only support down to 16X. I bought a whole crap load of DVDs and CDs a long time ago and they all do 1X, so I guess I just never thought that would change.

Doing a search for "CD-R 1X" reveals a whole bunch of options on ebay and amazon for 1X-16X discs for very cheap

From poking around some niche forums where people at least sound like they know what they're talking about, there's different types of dyes used, and most these days are optimized for faster burns by activating/reacting more quickly to energy from the laser, with the expectation that most people will be burning on a faster speed. I've found my drive actually performs best error-wise on ImgBurn's MAX speed setting, with 16x a close second- 16x seemed to perform better on my actual consoles though.

Not entirely sure I want to start digging around for older CD-Rs if I don't have to, they're not exactly the best format for longevity. I have done tests and the Taiyo Yuden stacks I've got perform much better than other old discs I had burned to previously or found to test with (look at the bottom-left C1 Errors section):

Spoiler

Battle Garegga - 16x burn Taiyo Yuden

Battle Garegga - MAX burn Taiyo Yuden


Guardian Heroes - Memorex

Ys Book I & II - Memorex


Rayman 2 - Dynex (bad sector locked up the reading entirely)


Galaxy Fraulein Yuna - Fujifilm

I guess I just don't know if I'm at diminishing returns and my PSOne's laser is the weakest link here, or if buying a new burner/new media would actually help. Guess it wouldn't hurt to try if anybody can recommend some media- old Verbatim CD-Rs or something? TY's prior to CMC's acquisition? Maybe some other TY series are built for slower burns still?

[vol.2]

From poking around some niche forums where people at least sound like they know what they're talking about, there's different types of dyes used, and most these days are optimized for faster burns by activating/reacting more quickly to energy from the laser, with the expectation that most people will be burning on a faster speed. I've found my drive actually performs best error-wise on ImgBurn's MAX speed setting, with 16x a close second- 16x seemed to perform better on my actual consoles though.

Not entirely sure I want to start digging around for older CD-Rs if I don't have to, they're not exactly the best format for longevity. I have done tests and the Taiyo Yuden stacks I've got perform much better than other old discs I had burned to previously or found to test with (look at the bottom-left C1 Errors section):

That is my experience as well. I've never personally had more luck trying to burn at 1X; I was just trying to help you find what it seemed like you were looking for.

I guess I just don't know if I'm at diminishing returns and my PSOne's laser is the weakest link here, or if buying a new burner/new media would actually help.

It could be, but actually I would be extremely suspicious of your PSOne's surface mount caps. I have yet to encounter a unit that wasn't riddled with bad caps, and the last time I messed with one in more than 10 years ago. In 2024, it needing a recap becomes very likely.

Guess it wouldn't hurt to try if anybody can recommend some media- old Verbatim CD-Rs or something? TY's prior to CMC's acquisition? Maybe some other TY series are built for slower burns still?

Last time I bought CD-Rs I got Verbatim DataLifePlus. They seem to work well for PSX games for me on my Pioneer drive.

I would be most suspicious of the PSOne though (the caps not the laser).

[bobrocks95]

Another question from me- can anyone recommend any very long or large smart power strips? I'd love something with a remote to turn on/off each outlet, if that's a thing at all. Otherwise I may grab this in the future purely for its size and number of outlets- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MT4HQ2

Main reason is I'll be going back to wall warts for everything- will put me around 23 outlets needed to get all my systems plugged in.

Another option could be a rack-mount PDU with individual switches on the front

[Lemnear]

I don't know if I'll ever buy a PCB, I know there are a lot of them in my area because once every bar had at least one... but I don't have the faintest idea of ​​how they work, other than that essentially, that board is the game itself. But then? I know that many on the forum have them.
Is there some kind of guide like "how to build my first arcade cabinet?"
If I hypothetically took one what would be the next step?
I also have no idea how the market works, maybe those I've seen in the area who sell one are unaware of their value, or maybe they cost more... and then what is a bootleg? and what is a "conversion"?
The only thing I have might be a 14" CRT and a 6 button Hori Stick, I think it's an old PC/PS3 "V something" .
I could get bigger CRTs, I've already donated some..
I believe a proper ctr should be 27 inches, upright (right?)
Thanks for your patience.

[Bassa-Bassa]

To simplify, think of a JAMMA PCB like a caseless board with a standard connector which drives everything - video, audio, control inputs, power. So a standard cabinet has a JAMMA connector which leads video to the monitor, audio to the speaker(s) and inputs from the control panel. Non-JAMMA standard features like 6-button games or some stereo signals will use additional connections directly to the PCB.

There are devices (control boxes) which do it all for a home setup with an RGB monitor and specific control panels/controllers.

Nobody with a sane brain will advice you to take the PCB route in this day and age even if you swim in money, though. Maintenance is not easy, PCBs can get really demanding in regards to video and power, telling apart originals from bootlegs requires a lot of knowledge, swapping games is annoying and time-consuming, and fairly good alternatives exist for most games even if you're after CRT and no additional lag gaming.

[Dochartaigh]

I don't know if I'll ever buy a PCB, I know there are a lot of them in my area because once every bar had at least one... but I don't have the faintest idea of ​​how they work, other than that essentially, that board is the game itself. But then? I know that many on the forum have them.
Is there some kind of guide like "how to build my first arcade cabinet?"
If I hypothetically took one what would be the next step?
I also have no idea how the market works, maybe those I've seen in the area who sell one are unaware of their value, or maybe they cost more... and then what is a bootleg? and what is a "conversion"?
The only thing I have might be a 14" CRT and a 6 button Hori Stick, I think it's an old PC/PS3 "V something" .
I could get bigger CRTs, I've already donated some..
I believe a proper ctr should be 27 inches, upright (right?)
Thanks for your patience.

I'm with Bassa-Bassa – if you like the form factor of an arcade cabinet (which are HUGE, heavy, and tbh at my age --unless it's a sit-down candy cab or whatever-- not fun to play standing up at for hours upon hours anymore)... then I would start learning about how to get an emulator up and running, which works on a CRT, including how to wire in proper arcade joysticks and buttons.


Emulation can mean a Windows PC, perhaps with GroovyMAME/arcade, or a SBC (single board computer) like a Raspberry Pi or whatever (lots of options). So start getting used to how those work, and how to emulate arcade ROMS (and others) on them.

Next step would be getting RGB output (or whatever you want) so you can use it on a CRT. CRT Emudriver on PC with a compatible (and pretty cheap) video card can output RGB; or a RGB hat on something like a Raspberry Pi. Get all your video timings down so it's native for the CRT and plays correctly, and looks great.

Final would be a JAMMA type board - or even just regular fightstick controller you wire yourself, so you can get used to how to hookup arcade joysticks and buttons and integrate it with your setup.

After that you'll have pretty much most of the knowledge to setup your own arcade setup - even if it's (at first) on a standalone CRT with separate fightstick... you can then use that knowledge when/if you find a doner arcade cab in your area then put this knowledge to the real test of setting that up!

[Lemnear]

I don't know if I'll ever buy a PCB, I know there are a lot of them in my area because once every bar had at least one... but I don't have the faintest idea of ​​how they work, other than that essentially, that board is the game itself. But then? I know that many on the forum have them.
Is there some kind of guide like "how to build my first arcade cabinet?"
If I hypothetically took one what would be the next step?
I also have no idea how the market works, maybe those I've seen in the area who sell one are unaware of their value, or maybe they cost more... and then what is a bootleg? and what is a "conversion"?
The only thing I have might be a 14" CRT and a 6 button Hori Stick, I think it's an old PC/PS3 "V something" .
I could get bigger CRTs, I've already donated some..
I believe a proper ctr should be 27 inches, upright (right?)
Thanks for your patience.

I'm with Bassa-Bassa – if you like the form factor of an arcade cabinet (which are HUGE, heavy, and tbh at my age --unless it's a sit-down candy cab or whatever-- not fun to play standing up at for hours upon hours anymore)... then I would start learning about how to get an emulator up and running, which works on a CRT, including how to wire in proper arcade joysticks and buttons.


Emulation can mean a Windows PC, perhaps with GroovyMAME/arcade, or a SBC (single board computer) like a Raspberry Pi or whatever (lots of options). So start getting used to how those work, and how to emulate arcade ROMS (and others) on them.

Next step would be getting RGB output (or whatever you want) so you can use it on a CRT. CRT Emudriver on PC with a compatible (and pretty cheap) video card can output RGB; or a RGB hat on something like a Raspberry Pi. Get all your video timings down so it's native for the CRT and plays correctly, and looks great.

Final would be a JAMMA type board - or even just regular fightstick controller you wire yourself, so you can get used to how to hookup arcade joysticks and buttons and integrate it with your setup.

After that you'll have pretty much most of the knowledge to setup your own arcade setup - even if it's (at first) on a standalone CRT with separate fightstick... you can then use that knowledge when/if you find a doner arcade cab in your area then put this knowledge to the real test of setting that up!

Is it basically the core of the whole machine? With video/audio output and controller-stick input?
I could use my "emulation device" on a CTR but the output is HD...
but the fact remains that it would still be an emulation.

Is it more expensive than a PS5? Because in the end if I got a PS5, I would still find myself playing the M2 ports...

I found some original/working PCBs and/or JAMMA, in my area (1943 for €65, USAAF Mustang at 89€, Air Buster for €99, Aero Wings for €130 and Thunder Dragon for €199, even Savage Reign for €19...Metal Slug 2 for €29 etc.)
This seller is near me https://www.ebay.it/sch/i.html?item=135 ... =marco7746
he has very interesting things, but like this there are others, as I was saying, in the area before all the bars had one or more randomly in a corner.

As for maintenance I have no idea, but behind my house there is a specialized electronics component dealer, obviously I wouldn't know where to put my hands though. Why do they get damaged so often?

The "cheap" alternative is a HD to Scart/RGB/Composite converter (by the way, any nice models?).

PS: I have no interest in a cabinet, on the contrary, I like the set-up to be rough and old fashioned.

The other controversial question is whether...there is a REAL difference between an emulation via CTR+Arcade Stick and a real PCB?
I've had some experience with the original arcades and even a real NeoGeo, and yes...maybe there is a noticeable difference, but maybe it's my impression, or maybe it's been a while and I'm remembering wrong.
Now there are some "Pub Arcade" but in the end they are all MAME ...

[Bassa-Bassa]

Settle what you're after first off. Emulation can be indistinguishable from the real thing even for the hardest expert, but not everything has got proper emulation yet (NG has, btw). You might be interested in a few games you're really a fan of and find out that the PCB is still the only flawless way to play it, like, say, Grindseeker, Gratia, or Rabbit.

But if yours is an omnibus approach like the one of 99% of people, the PCB route just won't do as there're many things you won't ever find. Sure, you may combine both, but as they both are stupidly deep rabbit holes, chances are that once you start with emulation and understand the means to make it real good (Groovymame+Mister) you'll soon forget about PCBs (or regret entering that battlefield).

Another factor to settle first is if you prefer (15khz RGB) CRTs or LCDs. Emulation doesn't require much in regards to hardware for neither specially in Europe, but PCBs on LCDs might be again a rabbit hole on its own.

[ldeveraux]

Another question from me- can anyone recommend any very long or large smart power strips? I'd love something with a remote to turn on/off each outlet, if that's a thing at all. Otherwise I may grab this in the future purely for its size and number of outlets- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MT4HQ2

Main reason is I'll be going back to wall warts for everything- will put me around 23 outlets needed to get all my systems plugged in.

Another option could be a rack-mount PDU with individual switches on the front

I have a handful of those 9x individually switched outlet bars, so ~9 devices per bar, each individually switched. I can't remember where I got them, but they hold up well. Similar to these:

www.amazon.com/PDU-Power-Strip-Surge-Pr ... B00BQO5S0G

[SavagePencil]

Another question from me- can anyone recommend any very long or large smart power strips? I'd love something with a remote to turn on/off each outlet, if that's a thing at all. Otherwise I may grab this in the future purely for its size and number of outlets- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MT4HQ2

Main reason is I'll be going back to wall warts for everything- will put me around 23 outlets needed to get all my systems plugged in.

Another option could be a rack-mount PDU with individual switches on the front

I have a handful of those 9x individually switched outlet bars, so ~9 devices per bar, each individually switched. I can't remember where I got them, but they hold up well. Similar to these:

www.amazon.com/PDU-Power-Strip-Surge-Pr ... B00BQO5S0G

What are you using for wall warts? UL-listed short extension cords, or something else?

[bobrocks95]

Another question from me- can anyone recommend any very long or large smart power strips? I'd love something with a remote to turn on/off each outlet, if that's a thing at all. Otherwise I may grab this in the future purely for its size and number of outlets- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MT4HQ2

Main reason is I'll be going back to wall warts for everything- will put me around 23 outlets needed to get all my systems plugged in.

Another option could be a rack-mount PDU with individual switches on the front

I have a handful of those 9x individually switched outlet bars, so ~9 devices per bar, each individually switched. I can't remember where I got them, but they hold up well. Similar to these:

www.amazon.com/PDU-Power-Strip-Surge-Pr ... B00BQO5S0G

What are you using for wall warts? UL-listed short extension cords, or something else?

I have some small ~6 inch extensions that work well that I got from Amazon, beefy and the plugs are tight and secure.

I'm reconsidering the "individually switched" angle myself- I just need way too many outlets and it's going to get hard to manage fast. Going to check the wattage on as many old power bricks as I can, and give Triads a try if they have a big passive draw. Currently considering two of these as I would like some noise filtering and surge protection as well-
https://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-Prote ... B0BV58WG86

[Steven]

Is it basically the core of the whole machine? With video/audio output and controller-stick input?
I could use my "emulation device" on a CTR but the output is HD...
but the fact remains that it would still be an emulation.

Is it more expensive than a PS5? Because in the end if I got a PS5, I would still find myself playing the M2 ports...

I found some original/working PCBs and/or JAMMA, in my area (1943 for €65, USAAF Mustang at 89€, Air Buster for €99, Aero Wings for €130 and Thunder Dragon for €199, even Savage Reign for €19...Metal Slug 2 for €29 etc.)
This seller is near me https://www.ebay.it/sch/i.html?item=135 ... =marco7746
he has very interesting things, but like this there are others, as I was saying, in the area before all the bars had one or more randomly in a corner.

As for maintenance I have no idea, but behind my house there is a specialized electronics component dealer, obviously I wouldn't know where to put my hands though. Why do they get damaged so often?

The "cheap" alternative is a HD to Scart/RGB/Composite converter (by the way, any nice models?).

PS: I have no interest in a cabinet, on the contrary, I like the set-up to be rough and old fashioned.

The other controversial question is whether...there is a REAL difference between an emulation via CTR+Arcade Stick and a real PCB?
I've had some experience with the original arcades and even a real NeoGeo, and yes...maybe there is a noticeable difference, but maybe it's my impression, or maybe it's been a while and I'm remembering wrong.
Now there are some "Pub Arcade" but in the end they are all MAME ...

Considering that Arcade Archives and M2 ShotTriggers are all emulation anyway, it's all the same shit. CRTs are pretty nice, but they aren't necessary anymore because nice modern PC monitors have CRT-like input lag and are way smaller, lighter, more convenient to use, and have sufficient vertical resolutions to make having to rotate them for 3:4 games completely unnecessary (which is really annoying and potentially dangerous without help from someone else if you have a big, heavy 29 inch CRT monitor that weighs ~45 kilos), but if you really wanted to play on a CRT, you could run a PS4/PS5 into a DAC and connect it to a CRT and there you go.

M2 ShotTriggers supposedly stays in sync with the PCBs perfectly and have all sorts of shit that's not on the PCBs, like arrange modes, training modes, new soundtracks, and autofire (lol), so if you're playing M2 ShotTriggers already, you are already playing the best versions of those games. I asked Battle Garegga world record holder Kamui about PS4 Garegga recently and she said that it compares flawlessly to the PCB, so yeah.

[Unseen]

I found some original/working PCBs and/or JAMMA, in my area (1943 for €65, USAAF Mustang at 89€, Air Buster for €99, Aero Wings for €130 and Thunder Dragon for €199, even Savage Reign for €19...Metal Slug 2 for €29 etc.)
This seller is near me https://www.ebay.it/sch/i.html?item=135 ... =marco7746
he has very interesting things, but like this there are others, as I was saying, in the area before all the bars had one or more randomly in a corner.

Some of these listings are Neo Geo MVS cartridges, which is basically the "game as cartridge for a fixed base system" idea that was common in home consoles but as an arcade system, so you would need not just the game but also an MVS to plug it into. The MVS itself has an almost-but-not-quite JAMMA-style edge connector, so you can treat the combination basically like any other JAMMA arcade PCB.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

I don't know if I'll ever buy a PCB, I know there are a lot of them in my area because once every bar had at least one... but I don't have the faintest idea of ​​how they work, other than that essentially, that board is the game itself. But then? I know that many on the forum have them.
Is there some kind of guide like "how to build my first arcade cabinet?"
If I hypothetically took one what would be the next step?
I also have no idea how the market works, maybe those I've seen in the area who sell one are unaware of their value, or maybe they cost more... and then what is a bootleg? and what is a "conversion"?
The only thing I have might be a 14" CRT and a 6 button Hori Stick, I think it's an old PC/PS3 "V something" .
I could get bigger CRTs, I've already donated some..
I believe a proper ctr should be 27 inches, upright (right?)
Thanks for your patience.

I'm with Bassa-Bassa – if you like the form factor of an arcade cabinet (which are HUGE, heavy, and tbh at my age --unless it's a sit-down candy cab or whatever-- not fun to play standing up at for hours upon hours anymore)... then I would start learning about how to get an emulator up and running, which works on a CRT, including how to wire in proper arcade joysticks and buttons.


Emulation can mean a Windows PC, perhaps with GroovyMAME/arcade, or a SBC (single board computer) like a Raspberry Pi or whatever (lots of options). So start getting used to how those work, and how to emulate arcade ROMS (and others) on them.

Next step would be getting RGB output (or whatever you want) so you can use it on a CRT. CRT Emudriver on PC with a compatible (and pretty cheap) video card can output RGB; or a RGB hat on something like a Raspberry Pi. Get all your video timings down so it's native for the CRT and plays correctly, and looks great.

Final would be a JAMMA type board - or even just regular fightstick controller you wire yourself, so you can get used to how to hookup arcade joysticks and buttons and integrate it with your setup.

After that you'll have pretty much most of the knowledge to setup your own arcade setup - even if it's (at first) on a standalone CRT with separate fightstick... you can then use that knowledge when/if you find a doner arcade cab in your area then put this knowledge to the real test of setting that up!

Is it basically the core of the whole machine? With video/audio output and controller-stick input?
I could use my "emulation device" on a CTR but the output is HD...
but the fact remains that it would still be an emulation.

Is it more expensive than a PS5? Because in the end if I got a PS5, I would still find myself playing the M2 ports...

I found some original/working PCBs and/or JAMMA, in my area (1943 for €65, USAAF Mustang at 89€, Air Buster for €99, Aero Wings for €130 and Thunder Dragon for €199, even Savage Reign for €19...Metal Slug 2 for €29 etc.)
This seller is near me https://www.ebay.it/sch/i.html?item=135 ... =marco7746
he has very interesting things, but like this there are others, as I was saying, in the area before all the bars had one or more randomly in a corner.

As for maintenance I have no idea, but behind my house there is a specialized electronics component dealer, obviously I wouldn't know where to put my hands though. Why do they get damaged so often?

The "cheap" alternative is a HD to Scart/RGB/Composite converter (by the way, any nice models?).

PS: I have no interest in a cabinet, on the contrary, I like the set-up to be rough and old fashioned.

The other controversial question is whether...there is a REAL difference between an emulation via CTR+Arcade Stick and a real PCB?
I've had some experience with the original arcades and even a real NeoGeo, and yes...maybe there is a noticeable difference, but maybe it's my impression, or maybe it's been a while and I'm remembering wrong.
Now there are some "Pub Arcade" but in the end they are all MAME ...

When I first delved into arcade jamma pcbs back in 2002, I bought a supergun blind not knowing anything about how play them, maintain them, etc. It was through trial and error that I found the bank of dipswitches + volume trim pot (to adjust the overall volume of sound effects, in-game BGM tunes, etc.) of a typical jamma pcb to adjust the default game settings, enable "Free Play" where applicable (i.e. -- the classic Cave pcb of DoDonpachi doesn't have "Free Play" mode whatsoever but with a burned eprom hack, it's now possible/doable with a real DDP pcb setup).

Another issue in dealing with arcade pcbs is, the potential of "static electricity discharge" to kill a perfectly 100% working pcb -- always wear an "anti-static wrist strap" is the best way to protect those expensive and rare arcade pcbs when handling them.

Nowadays, the best supergun that you can buy would be fellow shmupper RGB's HAS v5.0 with it's cool onboard mini OLED screen showing all sorts of useful information, settings and even has a handy voltameter as well. How cool is that? Of course, a good arcade psu (power supply unit) is crucial and necessary to power up those old arcade pcbs -- the Meanwell psu are highly recommended.

I bought a book on how to build your own arcade cabinet but found it to be too time consuming to buy all the necessary materials and hardware to put one together. It'd be easier to buy a 100% working Japanese candy cab and not have to deal with building one from scratch -- many moons ago, a chance to buy a highly desired Taito Egret II candy cab came up and it "fit the bill" quite nicely in my case.

With a mixture of several superguns + a candy cab, the arcade jamma pcb hobby is quite a fun and awesome way to enjoy playing your favorite classic arcade game titles -- accept no substitutes as it's the "real deal/genuine experience" at it's best. It doesn't get any better than that, folks.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~