Vogatek supergun questions

[Hirolaser]

Hi

I want to play the actual metal slug arcade games at home, so the best and cheapest option seems to be to build a supergun system. I have seen these "vogatek" superguns versions mk IV and Mk 5 which get good reviews. I am based in UK so can use my scart TV for RGB but I'm very new to superguns, so what would be the best version of vogatek to use and how would I connect it up? I also want to wire up my wico joysticks and arcade buttons to it and I know that MVS neogeo games used 4 buttons

Will i need a neogeo MVS motherboard to play the games as well? and what would be the best one to go for? Am I correct in assuming I will need a Jamma harness? I could use my spare PC power supply for the power.

Sorry for the newb questions and thanks for any help and advice. I did try searching but could not find the information I needed

[killersquirel]

I have a vogatek, it works great and you could use the scart to plug it into your tv. You will need a pc power supply for the supergun. If you want to play the metal slug games, you will also need a neo geo mvs board. You don't need any extra jamma adapters because the neo geo mvs board is jamma. Just plug the metal slug cartridge into the mvs board, and then plug the mvs board into the supergun and you're good to go.

If you only want to play neo geo arcade games, then you might think about getting a consolized mvs board. You would then just attach the mvs board to your tv just like any other console.

-mike

[tomwaits]

I'm using a Vogatek too, and have a couple comments to add...

- Vogatek is definitely the cheapest way to get started in MVS/JAMMA. A Vogatek isn't the prettiest solution, but building a CMVS takes some soldering work and possibly case construction. You'd pay a lot more for a CMVS.

- Only the single slot MVS motherboards are JAMMA. There are several variations with different features. You can usually find any version you want within the $50-$80 price range. There's a feature comparison on this site: http://hardmvs.com/html/PCBcompare.htm

Socketed BIOS, stereo sound, and support for the memory card PCB are all nice features. Socketed BIOS is probably most important since you can easily add a unibios and play your MVS games in AES (home console) mode.

- You need a 20-pin ATX style PC power supply for the Vogatek. If you want to play JAMMA PCBs too, you want to confirm it has a -5V signal on pin 18 (usually a white wire). Some JAMMA PCBs need the -5V for audio but it was dropped from the ATX PC spec at some point.

- There's no need for a JAMMA harness or any other wiring. The Mk.4 Vogatek (latest SCART Version) would connect to the MVS motherboard's JAMMA connector and provide ATX power input, SCART RGB output, audio via headphone jack (be sure to use non-powered passive speakers!), and 2 Neo Geo controller ports. You can use standard Neo Geo sticks/NGCD pads, or build your own. Neo Geo controller wiring is VERY simple.

- There are now shady MVS multicarts with massive game counts on a single cartridge. Several versions are available with different game lists and varying compatibility. Separate discussion, but you should probably know that they're out there. ;)

- The Vogatek designer/seller has been unreliable at times. Buying from him directly can have long delays... I'm sending a PM with a UK seller who has a lot of Vogateks available. :)