Looking to hook a PS2 up to a cab, options?

[drunkninja24]

I have a PS2 that I'd like to hook up to my Astro City (Nanao MS9) to play PS2 shmups on. But what's the most ideal way of connecting it?

I see the Ultimarc PS2-Arcade monitor adapters here:
http://www.ultimarc.com/psx.html

Though I've heard mixed things about them. My main question is: does it support non-interlaced games or does it interlace everything?

I was also thinking of trying this and connecting it to my Emotia:
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?s ... d=50583461

Not sure if it'd work with a PS2 though.

Third option I guess would be to hack a SCART cable, but does the PS2 have a dedicated sync line or would I need an LM1881 circuit?

[Jack_from_BYOAC]

The ultimarc adapter will work but you will need to turn up the contrast and brightness of your screen a little.

It does both interlaced and progressive modes. Interlaced is RGBS and progressive is RGsB.

[ASK]

Third option I guess would be to hack a SCART cable, but does the PS2 have a dedicated sync line or would I need an LM1881 circuit?

That was my solution for my Blast City. The LM1881 circuit is pretty simple. Other option is to wait for viletim to make his board available (~$100) and use that.

[emphatic]

If that cable works with a PS2, I would go with that through the Emotia. No fiddling with pots, and perfect colors. I have the Ultimarc cable, and I never got all of the reds working (some are visible, and some aren't oddly enough).

[Jockel]

i've gone the jpac route and it's working quite nicely.
however a few times the controls didn't react. but thats really rare.
picture's awesome on my astro city, nothing to complain about.

[antron]

get in on this:
http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=28069

then buy a ps2 arcade stick that uses common ground and real arcade parts (because it uses real wires) and take the PCB out. screw those wires into the adapter. done. or you could hack a pad (harder)

[ASK]

you could hack a pad (harder)

If you can find the right one, psone pads are dead simple, no soldering required (I got lucky with that), and would be much cheaper than breaking up a stick with real parts.

[drunkninja24]

you could hack a pad (harder)

If you can find the right one, psone pads are dead simple, no soldering required (I got lucky with that), and would be much cheaper than breaking up a stick with real parts.

I've already hacked a couple PSone pads for the cab, and since there's PS1/2 controller adapters for all the systems I want to use in the cab (360, PS2, DC, Saturn), it works pretty well.

And yeah, I'm definitely considering those SCART adapters.

[antron]

And yeah, I'm definitely considering those SCART adapters.

no question. all consoles suffer the same problem on my Nanao MS8, black levels change with what's on the screen at the time. viletim expalins why in his product thread, and how he solves it.

[emphatic]

And yeah, I'm definitely considering those SCART adapters.

no question. all consoles suffer the same problem on my Nanao MS8, black levels change with what's on the screen at the time. viletim expalins why in his product thread, and how he solves it.

Doesn't his response also say that the success rate of that solution does differ from setup to setup (especially for PS2, due to sync on green)? Don't get me wrong, the whole small-form-factor-all-in-one solution is great, but I don't think it is as compatible as the Extron fed with a VGA signal. I'd sure like to be proven wrong though.

[antron]

And yeah, I'm definitely considering those SCART adapters.

no question. all consoles suffer the same problem on my Nanao MS8, black levels change with what's on the screen at the time. viletim expalins why in his product thread, and how he solves it.

Doesn't his response also say that the success rate of that solution does differ from setup to setup (especially for PS2, due to sync on green)? Don't get me wrong, the whole small-form-factor-all-in-one solution is great, but I don't think it is as compatible as the Extron fed with a VGA signal. I'd sure like to be proven wrong though.

I just read through his posts and didn't see that. also, the PS2 doesn't put sync on green when in low res mode.

[elvis]

All these expensive arcade adaptors leave me shaking my head.

I bought a PS2 RGB/SCART cable for $5, and a JAMMA fingerboard for $7. Around $2 in components (a few 220uF caps and a 75ohm resistor) and a soldering iron, and I've got my PS2 in a cabinet. Controls are hacked in to two old all-digital PSOne controllers.

Piece of cake.

Why people are spending >$80 when you can do it for <$15, I have no idea.

[emphatic]

Why people are spending >$80 when you can do it for <$15, I have no idea.

You could make a fortune selling those!

[antron]

Why people are spending >$80 when you can do it for <$15, I have no idea.

I did exactly what you did too. I convinced myself for a while that it looks good, but it really doesn't on my egret 29 monitor. Something about a clamp circuit, that arcade monitors lack. Same goes for my Saturn and PS1. But they look great on my trisync.

[neorichieb1971]

People just like a professional solution. By your analogy would you make your own washing machine?

[elvis]

People just like a professional solution. By your analogy would you make your own washing machine?

Poor analogy. The work required to make your own washing machine is substantially greater than the 20 minute soldering job to make a RGB/SCART to JAMMA converter.

I get that some people are time and/or skill poor (I have three kids and two jobs, so time isn't a luxury for me either). But I'd hazard a guess that if you have the skills to own and maintain an arcade cabinet, you probably have the basic skills required to do this hack. Rocket science it ain't.

I did exactly what you did too. I convinced myself for a while that it looks good, but it really doesn't on my egret 29 monitor. Something about a clamp circuit, that arcade monitors lack. Same goes for my Saturn and PS1. But they look great on my trisync.

I have heard of the clamp circuit issues, but never experienced it. I currently have two arcade monitors, one less than 3 years old ("Megalo City" Chinese knock-off cab and monitor), and one about 15-20 years old (LAI lowboy cab with Kortek chassis). Neither has the "video clamp" problem mentioned. The older of the two monitors has a manual switch for composite video versus composite sync, whereas the newer monitor simply autodetects this and compensates.

I guess if you have a REALLY old RGB monitor missing most of the technology present in monitors over the last 20 years, then yes, an $80 adaptor is a smarter solution than buying a whole new monitor (or going through the pains of building your own video clamp, which isn't anywhere nearly as trivial as a SCART hack). If, however, you're an average candy-cab owning mook like me, the $15 solution works just fine.

I'm honestly surprised your Egret has the problem mentioned. Is it the original Nanao monitor and chassis? Or has it been replaced at some point?

[antron]

I'm honestly surprised your Egret has the problem mentioned. Is it the original Nanao monitor and chassis? Or has it been replaced at some point?

It's the original, MS8. It's seen some use, replacing the chassis and possibly the tube might not have been a bad idea. My monitor that has no problems is a newer Kortek.

[viletim]

Doesn't his response also say that the success rate of that solution does differ from setup to setup (especially for PS2, due to sync on green)? Don't get me wrong, the whole small-form-factor-all-in-one solution is great, but I don't think it is as compatible as the Extron fed with a VGA signal. I'd sure like to be proven wrong though.

Not at all, you must have misunderstood. My adapter will make the video from any RGB game console electricaly identical to the video from an arcade PCB. This eliminates the monitor's "extra features" as a variable. Compatibility is the name of the game!

All these expensive arcade adaptors leave me shaking my head.

I bought a PS2 RGB/SCART cable for $5, and a JAMMA fingerboard for $7. Around $2 in components (a few 220uF caps and a 75ohm resistor) and a soldering iron, and I've got my PS2 in a cabinet. Controls are hacked in to two old all-digital PSOne controllers.

Piece of cake.

Why people are spending >$80 when you can do it for <$15, I have no idea.

I agree that a simple sync separator circuit and a bit of adjusting is all some monitors need. It's well worth attempting first if you want to save money. Results are inconsistant, however, which is why I (or anybody else it seems) would not produce such a simple adapter.

I have heard of the clamp circuit issues, but never experienced it. I currently have two arcade monitors, one less than 3 years old ("Megalo City" Chinese knock-off cab and monitor), and one about 15-20 years old (LAI lowboy cab with Kortek chassis). Neither has the "video clamp" problem mentioned. The older of the two monitors has a manual switch for composite video versus composite sync, whereas the newer monitor simply autodetects this and compensates.

Interesting! You have two different monitors which will sync from a composite video signal. That leads me to beleive that your monitors are actually designed to accept 75 ohm (RGB SCART, etc) video. There certainly arn't any arcade PCBs which output composite video that I'm aware of. I wonder how common this is...

You don't even need a sync separator in this case, only some wire.

I guess if you have a REALLY old RGB monitor missing most of the technology present in monitors over the last 20 years, then yes, an $80 adaptor is a smarter solution than buying a whole new monitor (or going through the pains of building your own video clamp, which isn't anywhere nearly as trivial as a SCART hack). If, however, you're an average candy-cab owning mook like me, the $15 solution works just fine.

When I bought my arcade cabinet (Lowboy) a couple of years ago, it had a Toei Musen brand monitor inside which looks about 30 years old. There's a sticker on the chassis from a arcade repair shop listing repairs done to the monitor - it's dated 25/10/06. There's still a few crusty old monitors in service out there...

[elvis]

Interesting! You have two different monitors which will sync from a composite video signal. That leads me to beleive that your monitors are actually designed to accept 75 ohm (RGB SCART, etc) video. There certainly arn't any arcade PCBs which output composite video that I'm aware of. I wonder how common this is...

You don't even need a sync separator in this case, only some wire.

I did initially build a LM1881N based sync separator for the Kortek. It was only a few months later when I was closely inspecting the chassis that I saw the switch on the board, and had a chuckle to myself as it would have saved some time and effort. I removed the sync separator circuit and tested, and sure enough it worked fine.

One thing to remember of course is that many arcade parts manufacturers dabble in other markets (not surprising, given the low volume of arcade machines compared to things like TVs and special monitors). Nanao, for instance, make a wide range of specialist high-quality broadcast monitors, both CRT and LCD (I've run into a few of these contracting to film visual effects studios). Similarly Kortek do all sorts of work for TV manufacturers, poker machine companies, broadcast monitors, etc. It's not surprising that they make their PCBs fairly generic and customise by component addition/removal.

As for arcades - older PCBs certainly stick to RGBS or RGBHV. New stuff however can get weird. I know a lot of the newer Bemani gear often outputs S-Video (I've seen cabinets built by operators which use standard TVs!). Poker machines are another one that can do weird things, from what I hear from a few monitor repair guys. It wouldn't surprise me if including a built in sync stripper is just a way for monitor/chassis manufacturers to ensure their gear can be used anywhere.

What I do know is that it made my setup a whole lot easier and cheaper.

[edit] Have a look at this unit. It's very similar to mine:

http://www.jomac.net.au/images/Chassis/ ... 0KTX26.JPG

Notice on the left hand side the two switches, one labelled "COM HS". That's the one on mine that allows switching between composite video and composite sync. I think the board in the image also requires you to manually select composite or separate H/V sync.

A lot of the other Kortek units on Jomac's site seem to have a similar switch on the chassis.