Windows 7 MAME PC in a Taito Egret 3

A few months ago I picked up a NOS Taito JVS/AMP PCB on a whim, in order to compare it against a Sega v2 JVS to JAMMA and Capcom I/O I was using for a Naomi in my Egret 3. At the time I didn't realise it was specifically designed for installing a Taito Type X into an E3 - however the box label declaring it a Type X I/O made this pretty obvious.

Nice things about it - it's powered entirely over its JAMMA connector, it's smaller than the Sega or Capcom I/O, it has a built in stereo amplifier, and the kick harness + stereo connectors pair up with the cab.

Since it was such an elegant interface and 99% of the software kinks that have dampened my enthusiasm in the past are now worked out, I decided it was worth putting together a cabinet PC with brand new parts. Something that I've been mulling over for years.

Components chosen carefully - the best non-overclocked single thread performing CPU I could find that wasn't outrageously expensive. A Radeon HD 4350 - required for CRT_Emudriver in Windows 7. The cheapest motherboard that would support the CPU - I went with an older chipset as newer ones would give no performance benefit (spend the savings from the motherboard on the processor). I got a good price on a 512GB SSD from a friend - this is what forced the Windows 7 use rather than XP.

The case was an extravagance. I would've liked to have used a Type X case but none were available, and I'd previously enquired about this model. It's an industrial specification wall mount MicroATX case, with a design that puts all the I/O onto the rear. It's particularly expensive - costing almost as much as the rest of the components put together - but I'm very pleased with it. The PC is entirely self contained and mounted on a custom PCB board - the maximum size that can fit into an Egret 3.

Specification

Case: Advantech IPC-5120-30ZBE
CPU: Intel Core i5 4690
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81M-H
RAM: 2x2GB Crucial Ballistix DDR3 1600MHz CL9
GPU: XFX Radeon HD 4350
SSD: Crucial M4 512GB
Tray: Startech 2.5" SATA/SAS to 3.5" SATA Hard Drive Converter
HDD: Western Digital Velociraptor 500GB
I/O: InvZim JVS-PAC
Input: Logitech K400 Wireless Touch Keyboard

Finishing Touches

An old dead wifi card was mutilated into an internal mounting bracket for the JVS-PAC. According to the maker it's possible to attach a USB bracket for this, however I couldn't find any at a sensible price nor with just a single port, so I've stuck with this method.

Short cables were sourced for the SATA data connections and audio (3.5mm to phono). The short VGA and USB A-B cable came with the JVS/AMP PCB kit.

Dug out an old grill-type PCI slot cover. Not for airflow, it's to see if the JVS-PAC LEDs are working without pulling the PC out.

The case has an earth post so I've crimped an earth wire to this that attaches to one of the cabinet PSU cover screws. I don't know whether it's this or the I/O doing the trick but every symptom of dodgy grounding I had with the last PC and Naomi installed in here has gone - no hum from the speakers, no ghosting or noise/shimmering on screen.

Software

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium x64, CRT_Emudriver, GroovyMAME, Attract Mode. It's plenty fast, I've not found anything that I actually want to emulate that doesn't run far in excess of its original speed if not throttled. Considering that this blog normally details Linux installations - why Windows here? Simple, the primary reason is the noticeable input lag when using SDL / GroovyArcade, which can be made practically zero in Windows. Niceties like HyperSync and clrmamepro run without any messing around, and 7 also has benefits over XP beyond just proper SSD support. There's built in bass enhancement and volume equalisation that can be enabled - invaluable with the standard cabinet speakers and MAME not saving volume levels game by game. 7 is currently the best overall option.