Building a supergun.

[norton9478]

Been twining of building a supergun since I found a bunch of Zelda Dolls in my basement. My have they gotten expensive.

What does everybody use for enconders these days? I guess everything is garbage from china nowdays.
Are the RGB->HDMI any good or do they have a lot of lag/complications?

What about PSU's?

I was thinking of getting a high amperage 12v PSU and then a 12V->5V converter.

 

[Atro]

Just get a real arcade PSU and make it RGB only. Easy as pie. Then, use an external video for the encoding if needed.


You are no longer 12. After your eyes know what RGB looks like, you can't accept anything less.

 

[Neo Alec]

No encoder these days; just RGB. There aren't any good RGB->HDMI solutions other than the well-known external upscalers like the Framemeister, OSSC and Retrotink 5X.

 

[Ajax]

Is there any kind of like BOM, or tutorial or anything for making an RGB only supergun? I also would like to do this. I've got a nice Sigma, but just kinda want something to tinker with.

 

[Neo Alec]

Just put a 470 ohm resistor and a 220uf cap on the sync line.

220uf caps and 250-1Kohm pots on each of the RGB lines.

The resistor/pots go on the console side, with the caps positive side facing console/resistor, negative side facing sync output to TV.

There isn't much else to it. RGB is easy.

Some like to add an RGB amp to attenuate the signals, and there are options for that. Any board with a CXA2075 or THS7374 built in, such as the Omega MVS video upgrade board from Rondo Products, will work.

 

[Gremlin]

If you can solder it up yourself the Minigun Supergun rules. Bought the bare PCB for around $10, got the parts off DigiKey and I was set

Minigun Supergun - An Open Source Supergun

Minigun Supergun - ADVANCED edition An Open Source Arcade Supergun Design goals and considerations: Open sourced Minimalist design Low cost Easy to assemble Safe FEATURES: 2 layer PCB - 110mm x 50mm | minimum 8mil trace width & clearance | 40 vias. Arcade PSU connection via Molex 6 pin...

www.arcade-projects.com

Probably the most cost effective solution out there. As much as I'd like to recommend the HAS who knows how long you might be waiting for one. Power supply is a Meanwell RT65B, great quality and supplies all the voltage I've ever needed. Forget what the total cost was but I'm pretty sure it was less than $150 CAD all said and done.

For the upscaler I've been using a GBS-Control setup, made some custom cables to draw power from the PSU and input RGB directly into the GBS without any adapters. Works well but if I wasn't a cheapskate I'd have just gone with a Retrotink or OSSC. Got a friend to 3D print the shells, been meaning to get nicer ones done

 

[Heinz]

Very nice build, a testament to how easily a supergun can be built. If you can't get your head around the basic circuitry knowledge needed to build one then don't bother.

 

[Atro]

If you can solder it up yourself the Minigun Supergun rules. Bought the bare PCB for around $10, got the parts off DigiKey and I was set

Minigun Supergun - An Open Source Supergun

Minigun Supergun - ADVANCED edition An Open Source Arcade Supergun Design goals and considerations: Open sourced Minimalist design Low cost Easy to assemble Safe FEATURES: 2 layer PCB - 110mm x 50mm | minimum 8mil trace width & clearance | 40 vias. Arcade PSU connection via Molex 6 pin...

www.arcade-projects.com

Probably the most cost effective solution out there. As much as I'd like to recommend the HAS who knows how long you might be waiting for one. Power supply is a Meanwell RT65B, great quality and supplies all the voltage I've ever needed. Forget what the total cost was but I'm pretty sure it was less than $150 CAD all said and done.

For the upscaler I've been using a GBS-Control setup, made some custom cables to draw power from the PSU and input RGB directly into the GBS without any adapters. Works well but if I wasn't a cheapskate I'd have just gone with a Retrotink or OSSC. Got a friend to 3D print the shells, been meaning to get nicer ones done

View attachment 52450

That doesnt look bad at all.

However, Im more of all-in-one boxed kind of supergun guy. Like xian xi design ones. You are always hassle free.

 

[norton9478]

I have built Dozens of superguns in my life.

I'm not looking to build an RGB supergun since I don't have any RGB displays. Technically, it would be an RGB supergun with an external encoder and LM1881.

I haven't put together a gun since the days of Jrok and Neobitz. I just wanted to know what the encoder of choice is these days.

On the PSU side, I'm going for sleek and elegant but still have enough power. .

 

[BIG BEAR]

I'm thinking about building one too!
Can you recommend a good case/container.
I purchased that unit off of the boss and I'm going to prolly get rid of it soon.
BB

 

[hatmoose]

+1 for the Minigun supergun. If you want a good modern supergun most of the other options have a pretty long waiting list.

Like @Gremlin i wanted a HAS, but the waiting list was never-ending so I built my own MiniGun. All the details are in the thread he linked. The one in the pic also has a 4 player adapter and a saturn2neo adapter.

Power supplies are a bit of a pain. Best option I found was the meanwell “RT” series. RT-65a and RT-85a are solid choices. The RT-125a is the best on paper, but they are a proper pain to buy because many suppliers (including Digikey and mouser) stock the old version which has a minimum power draw. For most arcade boards this is not an issue, but the 1-slot NeoGeo MVS is very power efficient and sometimes does not draw enough current to keep the (older model) 125 happy

For a case I used this as my starting point.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3807401
Eventually I had to redraw the whole thing from scratch to get it the way I liked, but it prints really nicely.

 

[norton9478]

Just wanted to bump as my projects are underway.

For power I am using an Xbox 360 PSU (12V x 10+ amps) with one of these inside to supply +5v:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NZSYZRF?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

This allows me to use a sleek, [basically free], powerful supply with a single input.

I might swap the voltage converter to a different project and get one of these:

Amazon.com

Or slightly more fancy:

Amazon.com

 

[Atro]

Dont tell me that you cannot do something clean and tiddy such as this.

I can get the picture of those "kit superguns", but it's far from practical and too clumbersome.

 

[SignOfGoob]

That is pretty nice. It’s amazing to me how chaotic some peoples setups are considering that arcade PCBs aren’t exactly durable.

Mine is built into a rolling 19” equipment rack so it’s not small but everything fits inside, including the PCB, making it sort of half SG and half custom cabinet. It has a power cord and controller ports on the outside as well as all the needed buttons for service etc, and it’s heavy duty enough (rated 700lbs or so I think) to support any CRT. It’s very hard to tip over and highly resistant to spilled beverages or drunks/toddlers.

 

[Shuri]

A modern self contained supergun with an adjustable powersupply would be great. I know there is that one guy from Hong Kong making those big black metal units that are said to be amazing, but the waiting list is pretty crazy.

I'm using a retroelectronik with a Suzo Happ + OSSC and it's been working fine for years, but I won't deny that it looks like a bomb on my desk. I also have a MAS Supernova from back in the days that I use on my so called workbench but let's just say that the video quality from 1998 is brutal. One day I want to modify it to output to a GBS CONTROL but that's a project for another day. I got another retroelectronik supergun driving my sega naomi in a smaller cab with a vga 4:3 happ lcd that's been working fine for years too, and all my other cabs are regular jamma wired cabs with crts.

I'd love to get a self contained unit for my living room, i'm not too interesting in having an arcade powersupply hanging out under the TV, and I've seen people using pico psu and other psus of that type with their supergun, but I'm wondering how exactly it reacts with more power hungry boards like the Naomi. A clean, modern option would be great.

 

[norton9478]

That is pretty nice. It’s amazing to me how chaotic some peoples setups are considering that arcade PCBs aren’t exactly durable.

With the price of PCB's, I'm thinking that it might actually be easier to make the PCB's more durable. Use standoffs and either lexan or hardboard (or even 5mm ply) to put a top and bottom on them. The reason I'd use hardboard is because it is cheaper, easier to work with and far less likely to hold static.

 

[norton9478]

Dont tell me that you cannot do something clean and tiddy such as this.

I can get the picture of those "kit superguns", but it's far from practical and too clumbersome.
View attachment 56196

View attachment 56197

That's a nice design. What kind of case is it?

And what is the pot for?

 

[Atro]

That's a nice design. What kind of case is it?

And what is the pot for?

The case is a Kemo G201 (clear back, instead of full black if it'e the G200).

The pot is for +5v tunning. You have to remove the pot in the PSU and wire a new one for ease of access on the faceplate. You can also add a pot for the sync line. But unless you're dealing with weird sync bootlegs, a 390ohm resistor will do just fine.

 

[norton9478]

Did you use an 1881 to clean the sync??

 

[hatmoose]

Dont tell me that you cannot do something clean and tiddy such as this.

I can get the picture of those "kit superguns", but it's far from practical and too clumbersome.

Looks awesome!

I did a lot of research and soul searching for the power side of mine - eventually settled on a Meanwell RT-125a. All mains wiring was 16AWG silicone, all DC wiring was 18AWG PVC (12v and 5v lines are doubled up for safety). How did you the power in that magnificent beauty?

 

[Atro]

Looks awesome!

I did a lot of research and soul searching for the power side of mine - eventually settled on a Meanwell RT-125a. All mains wiring was 16AWG silicone, all DC wiring was 18AWG PVC (12v and 5v lines are doubled up for safety). How did you the power in that magnificent beauty?

It's an arcade PSU. This one didn't required the external casing for thermal purposes.

You can always get one like these:

Suzo Happ 15 AMP Switching Power Supply Arcade Multicade 8Liner Game +5v +12v -5 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Suzo Happ 15 AMP Switching Power Supply Arcade Multicade 8Liner Game +5v +12v -5 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Plenty of juice, easy to install.