Anyone turned a racing cabinet into an emulation racing cabinet?

[purbeast]

While maybe not apples to apples since i don't know the size of other racing games, I installed an lcd in my crusin, it was a 31.5 (i looked up it up on my ebay purchases) and i had to remove the case, cut it back on both sides and then reinstall the case.
If you reinstall the plastic monitor bezel, honestly it looks just fine.

I would have preferred to keep the crt, but it was necked before i owned it and i wasn't investing that kind of time and money on it.

I'm a bit confused as to what bezel and case you are referring to, if you mean on the LCD itself or the cabinet you put it in.

Also do you have any pics?

I will just have to take measurements and stuff before so I can figure out what kind can fit in there. I saw a video where he put in like a 25" or so and that definitely seemed a bit smaller than I would have thought. I did like how it was mounted though, with a clamp mount that clamped to the cabinet and a pole just stuck up that the LCD mounted to.

 

[jcar302]

I'm a bit confused as to what bezel and case you are referring to, if you mean on the LCD itself or the cabinet you put it in.

Also do you have any pics?

I will just have to take measurements and stuff before so I can figure out what kind can fit in there. I saw a video where he put in like a 25" or so and that definitely seemed a bit smaller than I would have thought. I did like how it was mounted though, with a clamp mount that clamped to the cabinet and a pole just stuck up that the LCD mounted to.

Just the typical plastic shroud on monitors in almost every game. The curves in the shroud almost give the illusion that the monitor is curved (in person at least).
I'll take some pics later, for some reason i can longer post pics unless I'm making a post, goto attach from camera and physically take the pic at that time. Keep in mind i used that $25 video converter then reset the monitor to 4:3.

 

[Asteroids]

While maybe not apples to apples since i don't know the size of other racing games, I installed an lcd in my crusin, it was a 31.5 (i looked up it up on my ebay purchases) and i had to remove the case, cut it back on both sides and then reinstall the case.
If you reinstall the plastic monitor bezel, honestly it looks just fine.

I would have preferred to keep the crt, but it was necked before i owned it and i wasn't investing that kind of time and money on it.

I have a curved monitor , it barley fit

 

[Asteroids]

Do you have any pics with the monitor turned on? And do you have a link to that foam board stuff you used? That is something that concerns me to be honest - how it looks with the LCD in there. I saw a post on here where someone added plexi to the bezel to give it a curved look for the glass and protection of the LCD which looked decent but yours also looks nice.

How did you fit a 33" LCD in there? Was it originally a 27" CRT in there?

It had no monitor when I got it it probably was a 27" crt , I got the cab for $60
I'm using a curved lcd it barley fit , and I got smoke glass cut for the front I wanted it to still have that arcade look and I use the foam board as a bezel and just tape it in place from the back , i set the steering wheel to the same hight as my car from my lap so it don't feel weird ,
The picture has a lot of glair from the window , I'll take another picture at night , my phone camera had a fingerprint also

 

[mrdonut]

Turning my light gun cabinet into a light gun emulation machine has now kind of intrigued me to possibly doing the same with my Rush 2049 cabinets, or at least looking into it for one of them and experimenting with it. They hardly get any play right now from me or my kids but if I turned them into a multi-racer cabinet with modern racers as well, I could see that changing, especially if I had games on there they see in Dave and Busters.

My buddy pointed me to this thread here on reddit

Apparently there is this PWM2M2 board that can be used in tandem with the real arcade hardware, to interface with a PC. It looks a bit involved to make it work but it could also be super clean if it interfaces with a PC with factory controls. What I would have to do at this point though, which hurts, is put an LCD in there. However I would be sure IF i went that route, that I could go back to all original hardware if I wanted to. But if I was able to get modern racers working on there, then I would need a higher res than what I have in there right now anyways, and those games are meant for 16:9 HD monitors anyways.

So just curious - has anyone gone this route before? If so, did you like the project and how did it turn out? Did you use original hardware or did you just get a PC wheel/pedals and go with that?

I to would like to do a car racing game into a MAME setup. Like an old TURBO cabaret would be sweet, or a an OUTRUN? My last project I did not car racing but motorcycle racing. I bought a trashed SEGA HANG-ON from a KLOV member before I was in this group, forgot his name. He is in western ma. He asked $200, but offered it to me for only $180 when I got there. Very cool guy. The electronics were trashed. I decided to MAME it with a windows mini-PC, and A-Pac encoder board. I didn't realize how hard it would be to get the pots to work with the encoder and windows software. I got it to work, but not fully. There are 3 pots (throttle, steering, and break). Basically acts like a volume knob. Best game on it is PaperBoy. Plays surprisingly good. I added a fire button tom the left handle for paper throws. The base was fired, I had to rebuild the base with fresh plywood. Also rebuild the throttle. And add lightning to the marquee, speed dials, and coins. Added and AMP with volume knob to the original speaker. And a Dell 19" 5:4 LCD. I can play a good amount of motorcycle games, but mostly stick to Hang-On & PaperBoy.

 

[Griffin]

Not a conversion but I did build a PC/MAME/Console emulator driving rig. I wouldn't want to try and convert arcade hardware to such a rig, even using a Thrustmaster wheel and pedal set for PC proved difficult. So many different variations from game to game when it comes to dead zones, steering curves, rotation amounts etc.

It's a fun rig and as it has a reasonably high powered PC in it I can play everything from Outrun to Forza Horizon on it, I think I ended up with about 60 games that worked well after being dialed in.

 

[purbeast]

View attachment 825942

Not a conversion but I did build a PC/MAME/Console emulator driving rig. I wouldn't want to try and convert arcade hardware to such a rig, even using a Thrustmaster wheel and pedal set for PC proved difficult. So many different variations from game to game when it comes to dead zones, steering curves, rotation amounts etc.

It's a fun rig and as it has a reasonably high powered PC in it I can play everything from Outrun to Forza Horizon on it, I think I ended up with about 60 games that worked well after being dialed in.

That is awesome man, nice!

I'm waiting on my hardware to do mine. I ordered 2 sets. It's going to allow me to plug in the harnesses from the arcade hardware directly into a board that will directly interface with the PC.

It's basically plug and play so it shouldn't be too hard to do I'm hoping, and even if there is stuff that I have to do, I'm up for the challenge and enjoy that stuff.

The main issue I am having right now is figuring out which monitor to use and have it look halfway decent with the stock Rush 2049 blue bezels that go around the monitor.

 

[Raiden128]

24" 16:10 monitor w/raw thrills io emulator for ffb and controls

32" monitor w/A-pac

 

[purbeast]

24" 16:10 monitor w/raw thrills io emulator for ffb and controls View attachment 827325

32" monitor w/A-pacView attachment 827324

I believe that F&F cabinet is basically the same dimensions as Rush 2049 if I'm not mistaken, like that bezel looks nearly identical. Was the CRT in there before a 27" monitor?

Also did you make some kind of special interior bezel because that nearly looks stock. Good job on that.

With that 16:10 monitor do you know the response time by any chance? And do you notice any ghosting?

 

[Raiden128]

I believe that F&F cabinet is basically the same dimensions as Rush 2049 if I'm not mistaken, like that bezel looks nearly identical. Was the CRT in there before a 27" monitor?

Also did you make some kind of special interior bezel because that nearly looks stock. Good job on that.

With that 16:10 monitor do you know the response time by any chance? And do you notice any ghosting?

Yes it had a 27" monitor and I improvised a bezel using black poster board. I believe it's 4 ms and I haven't noticed any ghosting. I saw someone on YouTube squeeze a 25" into theirs.

 

[purbeast]

Yes it had a 27" monitor and I improvised a bezel using black poster board. I believe it's 4 ms and I haven't noticed any ghosting. I saw someone on YouTube squeeze a 25" into theirs.

Yeah man I like how clean yours looks I wasn't even thinking going smaller than like 27" bit after seeing yours that may be the way to go.

I don't think there are even 25" 16:10 panels are there? Or was it a 27" 16:9 screen?

Also is it on a stand or do you have it mounted to like a pole or something behind it?

 

[Raiden128]

Yeah man I like how clean yours looks I wasn't even thinking going smaller than like 27" bit after seeing yours that may be the way to go.

I don't think there are even 25" 16:10 panels are there? Or was it a 27" 16:9 screen?

Also is it on a stand or do you have it mounted to like a pole or something behind it?

The 25"s are uncommon but they're out there. 27"s are wider than the bezel so you'll lose some picture.

 

[purbeast]

The 25"s are uncommon but they're out there. 27"s are wider than the bezel so you'll lose some picture.

I was just doing some googling and came across 2:

Asus VW266H
Samsung T260

These are 25.5" and the dimensions make me think that the screen would basically fill the entire area pretty flush. It's kind of hard to measure the bezel with the curved monitor in there to get it super precise, but ballpark it looks like that could be a perfect fit basically. I need to find if the specs I've seen are the measurements of the screen or of the full unit with bezel.

 

[purbeast]

@Raiden128 thank you for bringing that to my attention. I have been contacting people on FB and CL who have those Asus 25.5" 16:10 monitors and I have already purchased one and am in talks with 2-3 other people who I can hopefully get 1 of them to ship it to me.

The measurements look like it's basically going to be nearly flush with the 27" 4:3 monitor in there and MAYBE the sides will be cut off in 16:9 games by like VERY little, like I'm talking like 1/4" or so. I'll have to wait until I get them and put them behind the bezel to actually see, but from the specs, it's going to be a solid fit. It looks like this is going to be the best of both worlds for 4:3 and 16:9 content.

My laptop is 16:10 sized and I was checking some content on youtube to see how 4:3 and 16:9 stuff looks and the bars are pretty damn minimal.

 

[Raiden128]

@Raiden128 thank you for bringing that to my attention. I have been contacting people on FB and CL who have those Asus 25.5" 16:10 monitors and I have already purchased one and am in talks with 2-3 other people who I can hopefully get 1 of them to ship it to me.

The measurements look like it's basically going to be nearly flush with the 27" 4:3 monitor in there and MAYBE the sides will be cut off in 16:9 games by like VERY little, like I'm talking like 1/4" or so. I'll have to wait until I get them and put them behind the bezel to actually see, but from the specs, it's going to be a solid fit. It looks like this is going to be the best of both worlds for 4:3 and 16:9 content.

My laptop is 16:10 sized and I was checking some content on youtube to see how 4:3 and 16:9 stuff looks and the bars are pretty damn minimal.

View attachment 828039

View attachment 828040

Just glad I could help!

 

[vintagegamer]

@OP I tried with a Monaco GP cab and a PC. It was functional, but any press images of it would end up in the multicade hall of shame thread, today.

 

[DC3]

I can't really tell what all is going on other than seeing that board there.

I was talking to the guy who makes the Universal Force Feedback board yesterday and the developer that works with him and I am probably going that route. It is a plug and play solution.

I will need that board, and then there is are 2 addon boards that I need with it.

One is the PWM2HAPP which basically allows me to plug in the Happ motor in the Rush 2049 cabinet directly to the board, and then a specific Rush 2049 adapter that will allow me to plug all of the Rush 2049 cables directly to the board. The price of all this is $230, which seems pretty fair to me.

Then on top of that I'll need a PC and an LCD monitor if I want to run modern games, which I am going to do.

I priced everything out and it'll be around $700ish for everything, per cabinet if I do both of em, which if I got one running I'd do the other for sure.

Here is the board:

View attachment 816681

That taller part on the right side is the PWM2HAPP add on that will allow my motor to be plug/play. Then where you see the "Speed Up" thing on the top left, that is the "add on" board specific to that game that allows for plug/play for it, and they make a specific one for Rush 2049 as well.

So where can we acquire the PWM2HAPP board from? I cannot seem to find it. I essentially have the same project. I connected my Rush 2049 to a windows 11 PC using a jammed to PC board and U-HID for the original hardware.

I got the steering working ok and the pedals (except for clutch, but am far as I know it doesn't really do much?) But without the FFB from the motor it just doesn't feel right. Haven't worked on the project in awhile since it got frustrating. I mostly just played the Rush games and Outrun

 

[purbeast]

So where can we acquire the PWM2HAPP board from? I cannot seem to find it. I essentially have the same project. I connected my Rush 2049 to a windows 11 PC using a jammed to PC board and U-HID for the original hardware.

I got the steering working ok and the pedals (except for clutch, but am far as I know it doesn't really do much?) But without the FFB from the motor it just doesn't feel right. Haven't worked on the project in awhile since it got frustrating. I mostly just played the Rush games and Outrun

I contacted the creator/producer of the board on the arcade project forums. His name is Aganyte. Here's his profile.

Aganyte

www.arcade-projects.com

And then after talking with him, he got me in touch with another guy named Seb Arcade who uses Facebook Messenger and is also on Discord. I've been chatting with him on both. They actually have an arcade group as well that is specific to all of this on Facebook. They are located in France but speak good enough English that they can communicate the details.

After talking with and him giving me the details and everything I needed, in order to get on the list I had to pay upfront. This was back in like mid May, and I was told that mine would be in the late July run. So I still don't have mine yet and should have them hopefully in early august. The only thing I did not pay for upfront was the shipping, which he will tell me the cost once it's ready to go.

I ended up ordering 6 boards (3 for each machine - ) and then he also sells preloaded hard drives ready to go that are all configured, and he even sells a linked mode version, so I got 2 of those as well.

The 3 boards needed are the UFFB, PMW2HAPP, and a Rush 2049 addon board.

 

[purbeast]

Got my first 25.5" ASUS monitor today. I don't think there is a better for for an LCD unless you are going with a Unico than this one though. Horizontally it is the PERFECT fit, like it fits to nearly the exact measurement. I'll need to add like 1.5" of black posterboard to the top/bottom to hide the bezel/gaps, but it's less than I would be doing if I had a 16:9 monitor. So this at least gives me kind of the both of best worlds when it comes to 4:3 and 16:9 racing games. The response time on this is 2ms too so I shouldn't have to worry about ghosting.

I may try to get it mounted this week if I have time or on the weekend and will post pics back after doing that. I am going to be mounting it in a more secure way than the desk pole mount because I don't want to worry about any kind of wobble so I'm going to mount it to a piece of wood going across the cabinet.

 

[Griffin]

If you are going to be using a PC to drive this rig then you can create a custom 4:3 resolution which will sit in the middle of your screen, this allows you to go 'full screen' with your games and have them be restricted to that 4:3 area.

I did this on a quirky MAME cab that I built using a 52" TV on it's side and masking off the areas that don't show the play area, rotating the windows desktop and creating a custom 4:3 resolution.