Anybody taken the ultimate leap...... A SuperGun ?

[WCP]

I feel like every step in retro gaming is leading towards a final conclusion.


Peeps start off with a gateway drug like a Super Nintendo or Genesis. Pretty standard fare stuff. Then folks will typically branch out to the less known consoles like TurboGrafx-16 and Atari Jaguar and maybe the 3DO or 32X. Most will get a Saturn and PS1 and N64.

Then, if you really go off the deep end, you graduate to a Neo Geo AES or CMVS.


I think the final journey is to the land of the SuperGun. Why play the Final Fight cartridge on Super Nintendo ? Why not play the actual Arcade PCB ? Seems like so many of the best games on Genesis and Super Nintendo are arcade ports, so why not go directly to the source, and sample that arcade purity ? RGB monitors seem to be more popular than ever among the Retro set, and you can get a SuperGun device that would connect directly to a RGB monitor for the crystal clear video display. The SuperGun also allows you to route the sound to a stereo and you can hook up an arcade type joystick to the thing.

What's not to love ?

Well obviously, the biggest negative is the size of the Arcade PCB's themselves. The things are pretty monsterous, and it's kinda ugly to have a big PCB just sticking out in the middle of your room like that. Also, they aren't exactly cheap. Plus, what about storage ? I've heard that people will get extra large pizza boxes to put their PCB's in. Certainly, if I did jump on the SuperGun bandwagon, I would most likely just have a handful of Arcade PCB's to keep me company, and wouldn't go too crazy in having tons of them, so hopefully that would help out with the storage issue.

Anybody own a SuperGun ? Are they for the faint of heart ? Should newbs think twice ?

If you've never owned a SuperGun, but always wanted one, what has kept you on the sidelines ?

[Bojay1997]

I feel like every step in retro gaming is leading towards a final conclusion.


Peeps start off with a gateway drug like a Super Nintendo or Genesis. Pretty standard fare stuff. Then folks will typically branch out to the less known consoles like TurboGrafx-16 and Atari Jaguar and maybe the 3DO or 32X. Most will get a Saturn and PS1 and N64.

Then, if you really go off the deep end, you graduate to a Neo Geo AES or CMVS.


I think the final journey is to the land of the SuperGun. Why play the Final Fight cartridge on Super Nintendo ? Why not play the actual Arcade PCB ? Seems like so many of the best games on Genesis and Super Nintendo are arcade ports, so why not go directly to the source, and sample that arcade purity ? RGB monitors seem to be more popular than ever among the Retro set, and you can get a SuperGun device that would connect directly to a RGB monitor for the crystal clear video display. The SuperGun also allows you to route the sound to a stereo and you can hook up an arcade type joystick to the thing.

What's not to love ?

Well obviously, the biggest negative is the size of the Arcade PCB's themselves. The things are pretty monsterous, and it's kinda ugly to have a big PCB just sticking out in the middle of your room like that. Also, they aren't exactly cheap. Plus, what about storage ? I've heard that people will get extra large pizza boxes to put their PCB's in. Certainly, if I did jump on the SuperGun bandwagon, I would most likely just have a handful of Arcade PCB's to keep me company, and wouldn't go too crazy in having tons of them, so hopefully that would help out with the storage issue.

Anybody own a SuperGun ? Are they for the faint of heart ? Should newbs think twice ?

If you've never owned a SuperGun, but always wanted one, what has kept you on the sidelines ?

I bought one maybe a decade ago. Ultimately, you'll get to the point where you realize that if you have the space, you can get a really nice Jamma cab with nice speakers and a nice monitor and new joysticks and buttons for not too much more than a supergun. I ended up buying dozens of kits and boards and now I use them in my cabinet.

[JakeM]

Dont kill yourself!

[duo_r]

I got a cab but I needs tons if work and upgrading. I do have a CMVS that I am working in I wouldn't mind a supergun tho. My next project.

[bazariah]

about 15 years ago i was collecting pcbs and had a couple of cabinets, the guy i was working for was debating getting into selling pcbs via our store. as a way to easily test all the product we were going to sell we actually built a supergun over the course of a weekend, suprisingly it worked realy well and it certainly looked awesome on our tv sets (had the image set to three tvs), somebody made usan offer on that supergun so we sold it pretty quick, our intention was to make a few more to sell, but it was one of those things we never got round to.. and when i took over the shop i just added on of my own cabinets anyways.

if you got the space for a coffee table or shelf unit you got room for an arcade cabinet so if an option arises allways buy a cabinet, however if you are limited on space go with a supergun

[SuperSonic]

about 15 years ago i was collecting pcbs and had a couple of cabinets, the guy i was working for was debating getting into selling pcbs via our store. as a way to easily test all the product we were going to sell we actually built a supergun over the course of a weekend, suprisingly it worked realy well and it certainly looked awesome on our tv sets (had the image set to three tvs), somebody made usan offer on that supergun so we sold it pretty quick, our intention was to make a few more to sell, but it was one of those things we never got round to.. and when i took over the shop i just added on of my own cabinets anyways.

if you got the space for a coffee table or shelf unit you got room for an arcade cabinet so if an option arises allways buy a cabinet, however if you are limited on space go with a supergun

Neo geo red cabs are super cheap too. 250-350 usually. A super gun 1 slot board alone costs 80-100

[Ze_ro]

I've often thought about collecting arcade boards, but it's just so impractical... Hell, half the arcade boards I'd want pre-date JAMMA anyways, so it would be even more of a headache.

Screw it, just use MAME.

--Zero

[XYXZYZ]

Yeah, as stated before I'd say a cabinet would be a more ultimate leap than a supergun. If you want to enjoy arcade games at home, go all the way!

[Graham Mitchell]

I've often thought about collecting arcade boards, but it's just so impractical... Hell, half the arcade boards I'd want pre-date JAMMA anyways, so it would be even more of a headache.

Screw it, just use MAME.

--Zero

The pre jamma issue is solvable via adaptors, but it is a headache.

What I find more of a problem is voltage issues. There's something screwy on my vertical astro city and a fair amount of boards are very temperamental, and won't boot most of the time. Tiger heli and Alcon (aka slap fight) give me quite a headache.

Plus I have an ikaruga cart for sega naomi that locks up within a couple minutes every time. I've tried recapping the power supply but it didn't help any of these things.

So, this is just another nice headache of pcb collecting. :)

[Kiddo]

I have an old HGA Supergun lying around. Generally not a preference from what I've heard. I got it cheap on a lucky ebay auction.

My specific one has it's blue color wire borked, so colors do not display right. It otherwise plays games, but it looks unpleasant so I've only used it to test NeoGeo MVS carts.

I'd like to get a better Supergun someday... definitely one that's smaller, and maybe takes controllers from what I already have. Unfortunately I've never gotten a good deal on a Supergun since, and I have no technical ability to build my own or repair the HGA.

[kazuo]

Cabinets are going off the deep end.

Superguns are kids stuff. Easy as long as you don't go with something cheap/jank like a Vogatek when you have no idea what you're doing. It's plug and play. If you can handle putting together a PC, you can handle a SuperGun.

Also, who stores their PCBs in pizza boxes? That's silly. Just use antistatic bubble wrap or pick up some nice boxes from a packaging store. It really isn't that hard.

Also worth nothing not all PCBs are bare circuit boards; many games come in cartridge form (Taito F3, Neo Geo MVS, Sega Naomi), others come in plastic shells (CPS2) and so on. Arcade PCBs can be quite aesthetically pleasing once you get to know them.

Definitely not for the faint of heart, though. I'd look into it more, do more research. I recommend Sigma brand SuperGuns from Japan if you prefer Japanese Arcade parts, or a MAS Systems SuperGun if you prefer American (Happ) Arcade parts.


Plus I have an ikaruga cart for sega naomi that locks up within a couple minutes every time. I've tried recapping the power supply but it didn't help any of these things.

Did you buy this from the Austrian on eBay? I have Ikaruga on GD-ROM (the only way it came officially; the cart the Austrian sells is a bootleg hack) but I've kicked around the idea of buying the cart from him so I don't have to goof around with a GD-ROM setup. What BIOS are you using?

Would be willing to send you a deposit via PP if you're open to sending me the cart to test with my setup. If it's glitchy/buggy I'd rather not waste my time buying it from him.

[SuperSonic]

Cabinets are going off the deep end.

Superguns are kids stuff. Easy as long as you don't go with something cheap/jank like a Vogatek when you have no idea what you're doing. It's plug and play. If you can handle putting together a PC, you can handle a SuperGun.

Also, who stores their PCBs in pizza boxes? That's silly. Just use antistatic bubble wrap or pick up some nice boxes from a packaging store. It really isn't that hard.

Also worth nothing not all PCBs are bare circuit boards; many games come in cartridge form (Taito F3, Neo Geo MVS, Sega Naomi), others come in plastic shells (CPS2) and so on. Arcade PCBs can be quite aesthetically pleasing once you get to know them.

Definitely not for the faint of heart, though. I'd look into it more, do more research. I recommend Sigma brand SuperGuns from Japan if you prefer Japanese Arcade parts, or a MAS Systems SuperGun if you prefer American (Happ) Arcade parts.



Did you buy this from the Austrian on eBay? I have Ikaruga on GD-ROM (the only way it came officially; the cart the Austrian sells is a bootleg hack) but I've kicked around the idea of buying the cart from him so I don't have to goof around with a GD-ROM setup. What BIOS are you using?

Would be willing to send you a deposit via PP if you're open to sending me the cart to test with my setup. If it's glitchy/buggy I'd rather not waste my time buying it from him.

I don't think cabs are going off the deep end if you have the space and you are not moving any time soon. They cost the same price and you get the entire experience

[jammajup]

I mostly Mame myself nowdays but do have 7 cabs and close to a hundered boards,many are faulty so now i have a workbench my next task is to make a test rig / super gun so i can get back into the repair side of things again.I am actually using a Epson CX3200 printer scanner as the case and have basically `gutted` the machine by ripping the prining and scanning mechanisms out of it,next i am going to start by inserting and fixing the arcade psu inside and then wire it to the existing 3-pin mains (kettle) plug in the printer case.

[gameofyou]

I don't have a Supergun, but I have an arcade cabinet with a Sega ST-V arcade board. The nice thing about that arcade board (hardware similar to a Saturn) is that the games come on cartridges, similar to how a Neo Geo MVS works.

Here's a picture I took of it years ago:
http://www.gamingenterprisesinc.com/temp/stv_cab.jpg

I think the cabinet originally used to be Asteroids. It was in rough shape, before I replaced the controls, overlay, and added the marquee.

[Jack_Burton_BYOAC]

I have used a supergun, and I always thought it was rather cumbersome to work with, especially for PCB's that don't have a casing. I've owned cabs as well, but it's turned out to be a pain in the ass to move them around.

Some day I'm going to get around to making a little cabinet for a supergun to run in. Something like an end table that I sit a TV on top of with a door that opens up to reveal the PCB, power supply, and converter board. DB15 connectors can be put in the bottom. Something sort of like this:

http://www.libertyabstract.com/content/uploads/BDSEndTableCabinetEng.jpg

But with only one door, and a slot across the bottom for controls and inputs. Maybe a flip up door like you saw on old floor model televisions.

[WCP]

For some reason, I've just never been that interested in getting a full size cab, or even a smaller one. I've already got one of the best RGB monitors you can buy, and I've got a great sound system that I could hook it up to. I don't have an arcade joystick to use with it though, although I do have an X-Arcade joystick, but I'd probably get a better joystick to use with it.

My only real concern is messing around with voltages and things of that nature. I really wouldn't want to screw around with all of that.

[kazuo]

I don't think cabs are going off the deep end if you have the space and you are not moving any time soon. They cost the same price and you get the entire experience

Vogatek SuperGuns are insanely cheap, less than $50. Add a standard ATX PSU (free in trash cans, probably like $10 for a decent one) and if you pick one up with Genesis or DB15 connectors, you can use any standard gamepad. That's less than a hundred bucks for a working setup, although it isn't pretty. A decent JAMMA cabinet (not a dedicated cab or a conversion) is probably a few hundred bucks. YMMV of course based on what kind of deals you manage to get.

Sigma and MAS Systems SuperGuns definitely cost as much, if not more than many JAMMA cabinets (~$300+), but you're getting what you pay for (quality) and you don't have to deal with CRTs, moving cabinets around, wiring inside the cabinet, etc. It's a trade-off, really. I own several JAMMA cabinets in addition to a SuperGun, and most of the time I opt for the SuperGun since I can sit on my couch and play. ;)

Handling voltages with boards is fairly simple, to be honest. Most boards use ~5v; some use slightly more or slightly less, but a simple adjustment on the PSU's pot will get you sorted out. You can do this using a DMM and a small Philips screwdriver. Takes a few seconds. :) I seldom have to adjust the voltage on my SuperGun unless I am using a MVS board, in which case I need to adjust the voltage slightly (multi-cart MVS boards like a little more power to run reliably, ~5.1v).

Happy to answer any other questions people have about this. I'm far from an expert, but I feel I'm familiar enough and been through enough silliness with SuperGuns and Arcade Cabinets that I can make thoughtful recommendations for beginners. ;)

[T.A.P.]

I had a couple JAMMA cabs and a mess of arcade PCBs a few years back but ended up getting rid of them.

They just take up too much space, and the PCBs themselves are just too fragile (especially if its an expensive game). I was always worried I was going to drop a board or accidentally fry an expensive game. I eventually realized it was just too stressful to keep the stuff around.