iCade 60-in-1 sound and trackball questions

Ace9921

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I got an iCade 60-in-1 last week(the newer smaller version) and just got a chance to test it for the past few days. I'm really liking this thing. Yes, some games are distorted, but for me, they're listenable. The only one that isn't is 1943, which is an absolute mess even worse than Gyruss(!). This is using the line out on the 3.5mm plug, in case you're wondering(and yes, Gyruss is in full Stereo). I do have a few things I'd like to know before I start building my cabinet and installing the 60-in-1 in it:

1) Is there any way to make the volume of the line out quieter? Or is it a fixed volume?
2) Both trackball connectors work, however, you can't use the Player 1 trackball connector for Player 2's inputs and vice-versa. How can I use a single trackball for both players?
 
1) Doesn't the orange volume pot on the PCB control the volume output of the 3.5mm jack?

2) Usually CON3 is the Player 1 trackball and CON4 is the Player 2 trackball. Is it not working that way?
 
2) Opps, I misread your question. To use ONE trackball for BOTH players, you need to have the game set to Upright 1 Controller. That means you have 1 joystick or trackball that is alternated between users for 2-player games (like Galaga or Centipede). If you want to have 2 joysticks for games like 1942/1943 dual-play, then you either need 2 trackballs also, or you'll need to go into the menu and switch it between Upright 1 Controller (for using the same joystick/trackball) and Upright 2 Controllers (for two joystick dual play games)....
 
1) Doesn't the orange volume pot on the PCB control the volume output of the 3.5mm jack?

I haven't tried it, but I heard it doesn't change anything on the 3.5mm jack. I might be wrong.

2) Opps, I misread your question. To use ONE trackball for BOTH players, you need to have the game set to Upright 1 Controller. That means you have 1 joystick or trackball that is alternated between users for 2-player games (like Galaga or Centipede). If you want to have 2 joysticks for games like 1942/1943 dual-play, then you either need 2 trackballs also, or you'll need to go into the menu and switch it between Upright 1 Controller (for using the same joystick/trackball) and Upright 2 Controllers (for two joystick dual play games)....

Hell. Is there no way to use one trackball on both the Player 1 and Player 2 trackball connectors? Maybe a splitter on the trackball to plug the trackball into both CON3 and CON4? I need this to work with my future cabinet's setup(cocktail cabinet) without having to add an extra trackball or have to go in and out of Test mode: 2 players on the same side of the cabinet with 3 buttons per player and one trackball(I'm not putting 6 'cause I REALLY don't care about fighting games. I'm a Shoot-em-Up guy, and the games I want on the original boards require no more than 3 buttons).
 
Well, it MIGHT work that way (splitting it to both CON3 and CON4) As long as the screens are alternating, then it SHOULD work. Just make sure you only connect one +5 to the trackball, though...
 
Well, it MIGHT work that way (splitting it to both CON3 and CON4) As long as the screens are alternating, then it SHOULD work. Just make sure you only connect one +5 to the trackball, though...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the only game with 2-player cooperative gameplay are 1943 and 1943 Kai. The trackball is for games which originally had a trackball or a spinner(Arkanoid in particular - I've been hooked on that game since I first played it on a beat-up original cab in 2004). Arkanoid is a bit harder to play with a trackball than with a spinner, but it's still great fun. I just wish the sound was less distorted. It doesn't kill the game, but distortion-free sound would have been nice.

When I get my trackball adapter for the iCade(I put together one adapter very quickly just to test the trackball - it's a Betson Imperial trackball in case you're wondering), I'll combine it with my homemade trackball adapter and give it a go.

A bit off-topic, but it's still something I'm curious to know: on older iCades with the socketed EPROM, can you swap out the ROMs between the 60-in-1 and 19-in-1? There are several games on the 19-in-1 I'd like, and there's a local selling one of the older 60-in-1s with the socketed EPROM. Although I don't have the means to burn an EPROM, I could flash the 19-in-1's data to a Flash ROM and adapt the Flash ROM to work in the EPROM's socket should the pinout be different. Are 19-in-1s still in production or have they been discontinued?
 
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Okay, you asked a couple questions:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the only game with 2-player cooperative gameplay are 1943 and 1943 Kai.

Yeah. 1942 isn't cooperative, is it?

The trackball is for games which originally had a trackball or a spinner(Arkanoid in particular - I've been hooked on that game since I first played it on a beat-up original cab in 2004).

That's what it's for, but you can actually play games like Galaga and even Pac-Man with the trackball - although they won't play as easily for most.

When I get my trackball adapter for the iCade(I put together one adapter very quickly just to test the trackball - it's a Betson Imperial trackball in case you're wondering), I'll combine it with my homemade trackball adapter and give it a go.

As I mentioned earlier, if you use the CON3 and CON4 connectors and try to wire the same trackball to both, make sure you don't connect the +5 wire on both. You can use both grounds, but you only need one +5 for the trackball boards.

A bit off-topic, but it's still something I'm curious to know: on older iCades with the socketed EPROM, can you swap out the ROMs between the 60-in-1 and 19-in-1? There are several games on the 19-in-1 I'd like, and there's a local selling one of the older 60-in-1s with the socketed EPROM. Although I don't have the means to burn an EPROM, I could flash the 19-in-1's data to a Flash ROM and adapt the Flash ROM to work in the EPROM's socket should the pinout be different.

From what I remember, the actual game ROMs are not on the socketed chip, so swapping chips will not swap the games.

Are 19-in-1s still in production or have they been discontinued?

As far as I know you can still get them, but they're still pretty expensive compared to the 60's...
 
Yeah. 1942 isn't cooperative, is it?

Nope. 1942 is 2-player competitive(that's what I call games where 2 players don't play at the same time).

That's what it's for, but you can actually play games like Galaga and even Pac-Man with the trackball - although they won't play as easily for most.

I had tried that in 1943 just for fun and it was pretty much impossible to get the plane to move properly.

As I mentioned earlier, if you use the CON3 and CON4 connectors and try to wire the same trackball to both, make sure you don't connect the +5 wire on both. You can use both grounds, but you only need one +5 for the trackball boards.

Like I said, I'll try that out once I get my trackball adapter.

From what I remember, the actual game ROMs are not on the socketed chip, so swapping chips will not swap the games.

Huh... in that case, what does the socketed EPROM contain? Just the software?

As far as I know you can still get them, but they're still pretty expensive compared to the 60's...

I'll keep an eye out for places with the 19-in-1 for sale. Which begs the question: why is the 19-in-1 more expensive than the 60-in-1?

One last 19-in-1 question: what version of Gradius is on the board? The VS. System version or the original Konami Bubble System/GX400 version? If it's the VS. System version, I might pass. Gradius is my favorite game on the 19-in-1, but if the VS. System version was loaded onto the board, I see no reason to get the board since I have an NES I converted into a VS. System motherboard waiting for a Gradius VS. System daughterboard to be fitted on.
 
Huh... in that case, what does the socketed EPROM contain? Just the software?

I dunno. Some other people here have messed with it more than I and probably know. It might just be a boot ROM, or it may contain a stripped down version of MAME to run the game ROMs.


I'll keep an eye out for places with the 19-in-1 for sale. Which begs the question: why is the 19-in-1 more expensive than the 60-in-1?

Mainly because it IS expensive, so people aren't buying many, which means the pirates aren't copying it to get in on the money, which means the price hasn't dropped yet. Remember, the original 39-in-1's, etc were expensive when they first came out, but the popularity and copying brought the price way down.

One last 19-in-1 question: what version of Gradius is on the board? The VS. System version or the original Konami Bubble System/GX400 version? If it's the VS. System version, I might pass. Gradius is my favorite game on the 19-in-1, but if the VS. System version was loaded onto the board, I see no reason to get the board since I have an NES I converted into a VS. System motherboard waiting for a Gradius VS. System daughterboard to be fitted on.

I have no idea. I reviewed the 19-in-1 as to how it works with Arcadeshop's MultiWilliams control panel, but never played Gradius enough to know the difference.

Can you tell by the picture?

Gradius.png
 
Can you tell by the picture?

Gradius.png

That's the Bubble System/GX400 version. HOWEVER, the game selection screen and the instruction booklet shows a screenshot of the VS. System version, which is why I have absolutely no idea which version of Gradius is on the 19-in-1. The screenshot on Jammaboards.com shows the Bubble System/GX400 version, but the 19-in-1's instruction booklet and game selection screen show the VS. System version.

Here's a PDF copy of the 19-in-1's instruction booklet: http://www.excellentcom.net/ClientF...y/Tree/pdf_doc/19_1Manuel_GameList_MG0103.pdf

The screenshot for Gradius is the VS. System version.

I dunno. Some other people here have messed with it more than I and probably know. It might just be a boot ROM, or it may contain a stripped down version of MAME to run the game ROMs.

Do the iCade boards even run MAME? I've noticed imperfections in the iCade which I haven't noticed in MAME, namely sound pitch issues in Namco games, with Xevious being the biggest offender(the music is also a little too fast in Xevious). If there's one thing for sure about the 60-in-1 iCade, any games using FM Synthesis chips sound REALLY heavily downsampled.
 
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Do the iCade boards even run MAME? I've noticed imperfections in the iCade which I haven't noticed in MAME, namely sound pitch issues in Namco games, with Xevious being the biggest offender(the music is also a little too fast in Xevious). If there's one thing for sure about the 60-in-1 iCade, any games using FM Synthesis chips sound REALLY heavily downsampled.

You need to start a new thread about the multigame software so those guys can weigh in. Someone mentioned a while back that it was running a very early version of MAME...
 
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