2 Questions

Friz · Post by **Friz** » Sat May 23, 2009 5:15 pm

Hi, I'm new here and was hoping someone could tell me 2 things.

1- What exactly is a PCB and how do you use it?

2- I was reading through the "7th Top 25 Shmups of All Time" thread and was wondering if the results got posted somewhere, or how long does it usually take for the results to be posted, if they aren't already?

- Thanks

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Sat May 23, 2009 5:36 pm

Welcome Friz to Shmups.org site,

I'll gladly answer your first question:

A PCB is a shorten term for Printed Circuit Board, hence the PCB initials.

You would use a PCB just like a normal console game cartridge and just plug it into a 56-pinout standard Jamma harness (that is assuming if said PCB is standard Jamma class anyways -- there are several different classes of Jamma standards these days) and plug the supergun into a analog CRT-based RGB monitor, a regular old school CRT-based NTSC (or PAL-based one if you reside in Europe) TV monitor setup or if you have a CRT-based SVGA PC monitor (in conjunction with an upscan convertor device like the XRGB-2) depending on the various video outputs that are coming out from the supergun.

What is a supergun you might ask?

It's basically the inside guts of an arcade cabinet setup all rolled into a smaller and more compact box with it's own power supply unit (PSU), plug in your favorite D-pad or arcade joystick controller to play your favorite arcade PCB games like it was meant to be. ^_~

Here's an example of a PCB based supergun setup courtesy of fellow shmupper rolins: http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?t=22462

If the said supergun has outputs for RGB, Component Video, S-Video and/or Composite Video, then it will be easier to choose whichever video output best suits your needs. Power up the said supergun, hit the Coin-up/Credit buttons to simulate the act of inserting a credit and press the Start button to begin an arcade game session. When you're finished, just simply power-down the supergun and respective monitor for another future gaming session.

Buying a supergun can be used as a stepping stone to graduate to the cool Japanese candy cabinets like the Taito Egret II and others. Once you get your feet wet delving into the world of arcade PCBs, it's a lifelong hobby that you'll enjoy if you grew up playing arcade games from your youth. ^_~

I suggest trying out Mame/Mame32 emulation and various arcade roms to see what would pique your interest in determining what arcade PCBs to buy if you do decide to buy a supergun setup later on.

Just out of curiosity, what are your favorite classic arcade games and/or shmup titles that you wish to play at home, Friz?

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

incognoscente · Post by **incognoscente** » Sat May 23, 2009 7:42 pm

Welcome, Friz!

The results for this year's Top 25 have not been posted just yet. I'm currently waiting on the last few replies to my clarification notices, and after that I will need one or two afternoons to get the results formatted and posted. I would like to have the results up within the next few days but cannot make any promises at this time.

In the meantime, you may wish to look at the results from previous years if you have not already:
6th Annual Top 25 Results: through 2007
5th Annual Top 25 Results: through 2006
4th Annual Top 25 Results: through 2005
3rd Annual Top 25 Results: through 2004
2nd Annual Top 25 Results: through 2003
Inaugural Top 25 Results: through 2002

Friz · Post by **Friz** » Sun May 24, 2009 9:08 am

@incognoscente - Thanks for the reply

@PC Engine Fan X! - Thanks for your detailed reply also. I was mainly wondering if that's what you could use to play the Japanese Shmups here in America. (Things like DoDonPachi & Death Smiles).

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Sun May 24, 2009 9:32 am

Glad to hear that PCB/supergun intro was helpful to you, Friz. Now that you mention the two Cave PCBs of Dodonpachi and Death Smiles, they'd work just fine on a supergun setup. It is recommended to get a supergun with an arcade power supply unit but a PC based ATX PSU would work just fine also.

I asume that you're quite familiar with the classic Cave arcade shmups roms on Mame/mame32 then, Friz?

There are some custom made Mame to Jamma rigs that some folks have done on their candy cabs using the appropiate hardware/software combination. That is another alternate method to playing your favorite old school arcade game titles to take into consider as well. ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

Friz · Post by **Friz** » Sun May 24, 2009 10:41 am

Yes, I'm familiar with all the Shmups out there. Would you happen to know a price for the whole basic setup + game (for the cheaper models)?

- Thanks

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Sun May 24, 2009 4:34 pm

Prices for a supergun can vary from cheap-ass to the best that $$$ can buy:

Low-end supergun like MAK supergun (Multi Arcade Konsole) from eBay seller vogatek is priced at $135 and up depending on what features you want.

Medium-end superguns like a Matt Ross supergun is cool if you can pick it up for $150-$250. Very well built from the ground up and functions quite solidly. The ones that Mr. Ross made had built-in speakers so there is no need to buy another set of passive powered speakers anyways. I also have the instruction manual for a Matt Ross supergun if you'd need it. Unfortunately, he doesn't make them anymore and is retired from the supergun making business. And it's nice to see his supergun creations still in use after all these years. Yes, I'm got a Matt Ross supergun special myself -- well worth the $$$ spent to get one. ^_~

High-end superguns -- if money is no object, then why not settle for a Japanese made crafted Sigma supergun. Fellow shmupper GaijinPunch can get one for you as he resides in Japan. Just PM him. I've conducted business with GP on several occasions...they all went down smooth without any hassle. Look under the Hardware listing for the prices that GP charges for a Sigma setup: http://www.gamengai.com/forsale.php

Here's some more important info regarding Cave's classic Dodonpachi PCB from The Sheep's World of Arcades site: http://www.world-of-arcades.net/Cave/Do ... npachi.htm

You can even d/l cool DDP artwork & related arcade paperworks from WOA site as well...perfectly compliments a barebones DDP PCB purchase to make it complete. ^_~

If you settle for an International Ver. Dodonpachi PCB, it will certainly be cheaper than if you were to buy a Japanese Ver. DDP PCB. Other than the all-English language text for both loops 1 & 2 ending stories, they are both the same in terms of gameplay, graphics, etc. I spent $250+ for an Int. ver. DDP PCB off of eBay many moons ago. You can upgrade it to a Japanese version off of The Sheep's World of Arcades site by d/l the zipped file here: http://www.world-of-arcades.net/Cave/Do ... isions.htm

The Hobby Roms site can burn the DDP region rom for you if you don't have an Eprom burner yourself...just select "Eprom Programming Request" listing on the site: http://www.hobbyroms.com/videogames.html You would then just have to provide the zipped up DDP region file to Hobby Roms & the rest will be taken care of. ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

Friz · Post by **Friz** » Mon May 25, 2009 12:28 am

Thanks for all your help! Much appreciated

kemical · Post by **kemical** » Mon May 25, 2009 1:33 am

where did the name Supergun originate?
I've always wondered that...
it sounds kind of like it may have been a Japanese cool sounding name for marketing hardware to play arcade games in the 80s??
Or is it maybe derived from the electron gun in arcade monitors?

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Mon May 25, 2009 5:12 pm

kemical wrote:where did the name Supergun originate?
I've always wondered that...
it sounds kind of like it may have been a Japanese cool sounding name for marketing hardware to play arcade games in the 80s??
Or is it maybe derived from the electron gun in arcade monitors?

The first time I saw the word "supergun" mentioned in an ad that listed in classified section of GamePro & EGM for a business called Dragon Video that sold arcade PCBs and Super Guns. This was back in the early 1990s. ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

professor ganson · Post by **professor ganson** » Mon May 25, 2009 5:26 pm

A PCB (in the more specific usage here) is a largish, fragile, (usually) expensive hardware/software combo-- an ideal toy for the arcade fanatic with some extra cash.