Omega Race replacemetnt boards!

timiskander

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Donor 3 years: 2011-2012, 2017
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Ok.. don't get _too_ excited yet, but my buddy and I are looking for a winter project and are toying with the idea of making replacement OR boards.
These would not try to be exact copies of the board, as that would be silly.. but will be done using modern technologies (much like jrok's multi-williams board).

The questions are:

1 - How many people would be interested in such a beast?
2 - What price range would be acceptable ($150 $200 $250, etc)
3 - Would people want a complete board set, or just the main board
4 - Any inputs as to features, etc...
5 - General thoughts?

Not trying to get rich (we all know how well that works in this hobby!), just looking to exercise our engineer brains and OR is something that definitely needs a replacement board.


cheers
/Tim
 
1 - How many people would be interested in such a beast?

I would.

2 - What price range would be acceptable ($150 $200 $250, etc)

$250 would be max for me...

3 - Would people want a complete board set, or just the main board

Complete would be best but most of us do have working daughter boards
4 - Any inputs as to features, etc...
Working :D
5 - General thoughts?
Good luck. It would be really nice to see this happen
 
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

$150 would be do-able for me. Kids can starve for 2 or 3 days LMAO.
 
Years ago, someone stated this was coming. Was it you? Good luck in your venture. I think you could sell a few of these!
 
These would not try to be exact copies of the board, as that would be silly.. but will be done using modern technologies (much like jrok's multi-williams board).

What a great idea!

1 - How many people would be interested in such a beast? I would be interested!
2 - What price range would be acceptable ($150 $200 $250, etc) $100-$150
3 - Would people want a complete board set, or just the main board I am guessing the main board is the one that fails the most and this one would sell the most (and the one I would be interested in replacing), but more options is always better.
4 - Any inputs as to features, etc... if you are going the JROK route any chance it could be made into a multigame? Not sure what games would be on it, but just a thought.
5 - General thoughts? See above :)
 
Years ago, someone stated this was coming. Was it you? Good luck in your venture. I think you could sell a few of these!

Not me... I've been wanting to make an arcade-related board for some time, but never got one of those round tuit things :shrug:

What a great idea!

1 - How many people would be interested in such a beast? I would be interested!
2 - What price range would be acceptable ($150 $200 $250, etc) $100-$150
$100-$150 might be tough... This hasn't gotten past staring at the schematics yet, but I've gotta believe the HW cost will be in-line with jrok's MW board.

3 - Would people want a complete board set, or just the main board I am guessing the main board is the one that fails the most and this one would sell the most (and the one I would be interested in replacing), but more options is always better.

4 - Any inputs as to features, etc... if you are going the JROK route any chance it could be made into a multigame? Not sure what games would be on it, but just a thought.
Multigame would definitely be cool.. but I don't know of any other Z80 vector games..

5 - General thoughts? See above :)

cheers
/Tim
 
Wow, that'd be so cool if you did this! I'd want a complete board set, since I have no boards right now. I'd say around $200 is fair. Would be good if it was somehow playable on an Asteroids machine (steer with buttons) since there's tons of them around.
 
In order to justify the projected cost of the board, i think you should incorporate the sound board features. That way you can sell as a complete solution, and someone who doesnt have a boardset at all wont have to buy that in addition (and will also presumably use newer components).


Of course im in when they are available.
 
1 - How many people would be interested in such a beast?
- ME!

2 - What price range would be acceptable ($150 $200 $250, etc)
$150-$200

3 - Would people want a complete board set, or just the main board
Complete

4 - Any inputs as to features, etc...
High score save.

5 - General thoughts?
- Hope you do this! It's be awesome to have a reliable board - may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I've always been fond of it. Love those sounds...
 
1 - How many people would be interested in such a beast?
- I would

2 - What price range would be acceptable ($150 $200 $250, etc)
$100-$150

3 - Would people want a complete board set, or just the main board
-Complete plug and play

4 - Any inputs as to features, etc...
-High score save. Buttons as well as spinner.

5 - General thoughts?
- Jamma? Other games using a spinner a few buttons.
 
In order to justify the projected cost of the board, i think you should incorporate the sound board features. That way you can sell as a complete solution, and someone who doesnt have a boardset at all wont have to buy that in addition (and will also presumably use newer components).

Yeah, that actually sounds like a good idea. Maybe both boards on one board, plug and play with high score save!!??
 
I'd like a complete set, high score save, sound and all in one. I think $200 is reasonable, but of course, I'd love it for less than that.
 
This could spare a lot of remaining Omega Race games from being gutted/sold/parted.

You could probably sell a thousand of them at $100.
 
I would love one but PLEASE make a Jamma version if you can. HUnting down all the stuff can get real tough. But thats my take. I know it isnt a purists take, but since no one will see the insides... Well....

(ducks for cover)

PF
 
$100-$150 might be tough... This hasn't gotten past staring at the schematics yet, but I've gotta believe the HW cost will be in-line with jrok's MW board.

If you're going to make any money at it, it's going to cost significantly more... you need a significant amount of analog circuitry for the vector output, and your board size is necessarily larger if you're going to have the original sound board plug into it...

Multigame would definitely be cool.. but I don't know of any other Z80 vector games..
Omega Race hardware is basically Asteroids with a Z80.
 
1 - How many people would be interested in such a beast?
Me

2 - What price range would be acceptable ($150 $200 $250, etc)
Let us know

3 - Would people want a complete board set, or just the main board
Complete set

4 - Any inputs as to features, etc...
Colorized Omega Race, high score save, attract mode sound

5 - General thoughts?
Good luck
 
Years ago, someone stated this was coming. Was it you? Good luck in your venture. I think you could sell a few of these!

It may have been me... not sure.
I had put up a poll on my site waaaay back asking if people wanted me to work on a PP clone or OR clone. They voted for PP.

Which I hope to pick up this month as my lab will be finished next week.

But I would imagine the way to go would be to just implement the whole boardset onto one small PCB. Yeah you could just do the one defective one but you would end up with a huge PCB what is only utilized like 20% (using today's technology).

I say go for it. Then I can take it off my list of "projects I eventually want to get to".
:)
 
Don't forget to include the timed self-destruct battery! :p

Ok in all seriousness I think it's a great idea, although I don't need one myself (although I could some day) I've seen a LOT of OR cabs either get butchered or go to their graves because of that damn suicide battery, you would certainly be doing the collector community a huge service by designing one!

Thoughts:
- The more advantages/enhancements you design into it the higher a price people will be willing to pay, especially if it becomes something worth buying even for people whom already have working boardsets
- One word = FPGA / learn it, love it!

Ideas:
- Pause button option
- Free play, if the original doesn't already have it
- Design it plug & play for original OR cabs but also design and sell a JAMMA and/or Asteroids (or any other compatible cabs) adaptors for it.
- Optional speeded-up gameplay
- The buttons substitution option for the spinner others have mentioned, or maybe compatibility with more reliable/easier to find spinners like Arkanoid or Tempest.
- Compatibility with switcher power supplies, which could be something built into the JAMMA adaptor
- I like the ideas of adding attract mode sounds and color someone mentioned! Although obviously make those optional for people whom want to keep things original, in fact be sure to make ALL enhancements optional for that reason, if one wants they should be able to have it act exactly as an original boardset which will be attractive to the purists out there.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

$150 would be do-able for me. Kids can starve for 2 or 3 days LMAO.


Spoken like a true KLOVer! :D
 
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