Advice on Supergun...?

consolidated*dan · 05-17-2008

Firstly...as this is my first post, i'd like to say hello to everyone on the forum. I have just found this place and i hope to share and gain lots of information throughout my time here. It looks like you have a good community here and i look forward to reading the back posts.

I was after a new Supergun after my cheap 12 year old Supergun finally kicked the bucket last week. I've been looking at the Pana Twin, Blast City, Sigma Raijin etc and was wondering what you think is the best Supergun?

Also, are they any good builders on this forum...i remember a few years ago d-lite and supergoose from other forums being good? Anyone know if they are still around and who else would you recommend?

Cheers,

Dan

**GaijinPunch** · 05-17-2008

Sigma. Either Raijin or AV7000/9000TB based on your needs. Pricey, but worth it. If you search shmups's hardware section you can find tons of info.

**retro** · 05-17-2008

Where are you based? If you're in Europe, building an RGB 'gun is simplicity in itself. In the USA, you'll probably need a decent S-Video circuit, so go with a decent brand. Yeah, Sigma are pretty good.

Still, if you have the space and money, you can't go wrong with a Japanese cab, say a Neo Candy or a Sega Aero City or Astro City.

**MottZilla** · 05-17-2008

If you're in USA you could do the smart thing and buy a RGB monitor and avoid NTSC video. You could build your own Supergun very easily if you have some fingers on your hand. You can pretty much buy parts and crimp everything together. Though you'll need some wood working skills or someone to help you with that or something..

But building a Supergun is easy. Curious, what happened to the old Supergun? Did it burst into flames? If not, whatever is wrong with it should be fixable so why not look into that first?

**thamasha69** · 05-17-2008

I just got my first supergun a bit ago - Sigma Raijin. I searched for a year and was able to score one for $335 shipped. I don't have experience with other brands, but the Sigma is built like a tank and works a charm. The sticks and buttons feel great and picture quality is decent even though all I have is a ntsc tv and composite video. I almost bought a cab for waaaay cheaper but I did not have the space. I have no regrets with the purchase.

consolidated*dan · 05-17-2008

Thanks for the input guys.

I'm in the UK...does this mean it would be both easier and cheaper to build my own SG? I'm guessing i wouldn't need an Encoder if i'm using the pure RGB signal?

I've seen alot of guides on the net regards to building my own SG, which would you say is the best?

I would ideally like to find a builder to put a real nice one together for me as i have a complete lack of equipment to build my own...do you know anyone who builds them? If needs be, i'd buy the equipment needed to build my own if i couldn't find someone to build it.

My old SG had a built in ATX power supply and one day the fan on the PSU stopped spinning and the whole thing just quit and started smoking. I'm not too bothered about fixing it as it wasn't ideal and cost me next to nothing.

Cheers,

Dan

**GaijinPunch** · 05-17-2008

If you're in USA you could do the smart thing and buy a RGB monitor and avoid NTSC video.

It's still NTSC. ;)

I would ideally like to find a builder to put a real nice one together for me as i have a complete lack of equipment to build my own...

This is probably a bit cheaper than buying a Sigma (shipping from Japan sucks the value out of these) but you need to find a well known builder. That's generally enough for me to not bother. The Sigma's also come with nice pin out charts on the video & controller ports.

**MottZilla** · 05-17-2008

Ok, avoid Composite and S-Video. :p

Your old SG, why not just pickup a new ATX power supply? If they connected it with a female socket you should be able to do a straight swap very easily.

You could checkout this guy: http://www.vogatek.com/

Basically you plug in a regular ATX power supply, a MegaDrive controller, SCART RGB cable, and headphone cable and you have a supergun. Obviously it's limited and not the prettiest thing. But it's cheap and works. If you only need 3 buttons it should be alright. If you need more buttons it would be possible to get a MegaDrive 6 button controller modified with a kick harness type of thing. Also if you were playing NeoGeo you could just plug into the PCB rather than the Supergun.

consolidated*dan · 05-18-2008

Originally Posted by MottZilla

Ok, avoid Composite and S-Video. :p

Your old SG, why not just pickup a new ATX power supply? If they connected it with a female socket you should be able to do a straight swap very easily.

You could checkout this guy: http://www.vogatek.com/

Basically you plug in a regular ATX power supply, a MegaDrive controller, SCART RGB cable, and headphone cable and you have a supergun. Obviously it's limited and not the prettiest thing. But it's cheap and works. If you only need 3 buttons it should be alright. If you need more buttons it would be possible to get a MegaDrive 6 button controller modified with a kick harness type of thing. Also if you were playing NeoGeo you could just plug into the PCB rather than the Supergun.

Thats seems a real good, simple solution, but i was kinda after something with all the bells n whistles like player/credit/test buttons and to be able to connect it upto Atomiswave, Naomi etc.

**GaijinPunch** · 05-18-2008

There are harnesses to connect to specific kinds of boards. Or you can make them on your own. As for player, credit, and test buttons...they're all part of the Jamma standard... you simply need to map them. Most professional guns have insert credit and start buttons mapped to the controller. For a Sigma, you need a small button on your harness for the test menu.

**Midnight Milkshake** · 05-19-2008

Sorry to use this thread, but i'll ask about the same thing; what about the Blast City?:

http://www.mak-jp.com/ctrbox.html

I am considering to buy it on my next trip to Japan; I know that the Sigmas are good, but I prefer the aesthetic and the button layout.

**ASSEMbler** · 05-19-2008

we have a whole damn forum for posts like this.

**Jamtex** · 05-19-2008

Should I be the first to point out we do have a arcade specific forum if you scroll down to the bottom of the main page? Although Assembler beat me by seconds. And then promptly moved the post...

As for that supergun, it's a tad big / expensive. Still does look fantastic in the flesh. :)

**GaijinPunch** · 05-20-2008

My guess is that the Blast City uses Sanwa parts, while I know that the Sigmas definitely use Seimitsu.

And in defense of the OP, the Arcade/Supergun forum is WAAAAY at the bottom... below quite a few low-traffic forums. Might be time for consolidation, although I know that's a pain.