My Classic Gaming setup - I thought I would share

[c0op3r]

I finally got the cabinet I was having built Wednesday  morning, and spent all day (between jobs/clients) getting everything setup and wired in.

 

Its 98% done - Just need a USB to USB C cable for the Wii Hard Drive

 

Other than that everything is setup, you just push the 'Retro Gaming' button on the wall switch to turn on the cabinet, and then turn on the machine you want to use. In the back of the cabinet is a Hydra 8 port SCART switcher that is auto sensing, and that feeds to the OSSC to convert RGB/SCART to HDMI.

 

All the controllers are stored in the drawer at the bottom of the cabinet.

 

Machines in the cabinet:

• Mini Arcade Machine (999 in 1 Jamma) [Top]
• PCEngine w/ SSD3 (can play every game ever for the PCEngine/TurboGrafx16 both card and CD from a Micro SD card
• Sega Saturn so far only a Pseudo Cart but waiting on the Prof Abrasive card
• Sega Dreamcast w/ GDemu like the PCEngine you can play all the games from an SD card only the Optical drive has been removed.
• Sega Genesis w/ Mega SD cart which makes it so you play all Sega/Mega Drive Carts and also the CD games (with no CDrom drive). Machine has what is call the Triple ByPass installed for clean audio and RGB signal.
• Nintendo Wii machine has been modified to output RGB and also hacked so you can play Wii and GameCube games from a USB connected HardDrive. Red Edition 25 Ann. of Super Mario
• Nintendo NES (top loader) w/ NESRGB board installed, top loader NES original only output the video via CoAx cable (Garbage) this on is now modified to display RGB. Also I have a Evercart N8 to play games from SD Card.
• NeoGeo MVS Consolized - RGB output and NeoSD cart to play all games ever produced for the NeoGeo MVS.

 

I picked up Limited Edition Bullet Bill collectible to make the Drawer Handle at the Syracuse Retro Gaming Fest, ripped open the package and drillrd a hole in it, the Nintendo collectors are going to lose their collective minds.

 

I am really proud of how it turned out and works it took about 4 months to get everything collected and together to finish it up and now its time to play games!

Edited December 1, 2019 by c0op3r
Missed a photo

[Cynicaster]

This is a pretty sweet setup.  The main thing that draws me to emulation is the fact that I want to limit the amount of physical "stuff" I have relative to the amount of games I want to be able to play.  With this setup, you have a physical footprint not much larger than an all-emulation setup, but it's all real hardware (except the mini arcade).  Very slick!

 

Needs a 2600, though. 

 

 

[c0op3r]

3 minutes ago, Cynicaster said:

This is a pretty sweet setup.  The main thing that draws me to emulation is the fact that I want to limit the amount of physical "stuff" I have relative to the amount of games I want to be able to play.  With this setup, you have a physical footprint not much larger than an all-emulation setup, but it's all real hardware (except the mini arcade).  Very slick!

 

Needs a 2600, though. 

 

 

First let me say thank you, I too am space limited, I live in a condo (and like it).  I was never one for pure emulation (even though this is getting pretty good with the MiSTer project), and I really do like original hardware.  So with the flash carts (NeoSD, SSD3, Evercart N8 Pro, MegaSD) and now the Optical Emulators (GDemu and Satiator) there is no need to have a massive cart and optical media collection. That is what prompted me to build this display, retro-gaming cabinet.

 

Now of course this journey was not without its trials, originally I thought getting these machines connected for video output was going to be ease, it was not, this required learning all about resolutions and upscaling and then figuring out what to use to handle what I was after.  That all done I started collecting parts, having machines modded, doing some mods myself getting cables and laying out the cabinet.  I commissioned the cabinet being built after providing a basic diagram of what I needed.

 

It took 3 months for the cabinet shop to get it completed, but I digress.

 

So in the end I think it turned out great - I am still working through an issue that the Wii will not trigger the Hydra auto SCART switcher, but I am sure I will get that eventually figured out.

 

I did end up making one change - I ordered the Evercart N8 Famicom Pro, so I took the NES toploader out and installed the Famicom top loader.  I already had both machines and both are already modified for with the NESRGB and NESRGB-IGR mods and use the same SCART cable, I had also already installed a power supply for each machine, so the change out is simply a matter of unplugging one and plug in the other.

 

To your needs a 2600 - I dont see myself really playing any old Atari 2600 games anytime soon, but if I really want to I can install the 2600 emu on the Wii.  I only ever really liked the Activision games and Starpath games for my Atari when I had one as a kid.  

[+cvga]

Wow, that looks great! I love what you did to make everything fit.

[derFunkenstein]

The behind-the-cabinet look is what I love. That's a great setup for your OSSC, power strip, and SCART switch. I just have a mess of cables because I don't even know where to begin with such a setup, but I have a feeling it begins with an automatic SCART switch like the gscartsw like you've got there. 

[c0op3r]

A few other interesting things, in case anyone cares.

 

The mini Arcade machine is one of those JAMMA 999 in 1 board, I took it out of the shell and installed the bare board and the Meanwell power supply in the case, it is using real Sanwa buttons and stick with a full JAMMA harness in the case it does have one of the CGA to VGA adapter board for the screen also in the case.  So again quasi-emulation.

 

If you look at the desk there is a MiST box (I dont know what to call it beside MiST) I use that to emulate my Amiga as is just simpler, but the Amiga 600 is in the desk you can see the power supply and the Mouse, I can easily swap to the real Amiga as it has a ECS VGA board installed.

[newtmonkey]

Very nice!  I especially like your cable management, very clean.

[Scotterpop]

EVERY home should have a “retro gaming” button! ?

 

Nice setup, congrats!

[derFunkenstein]

I keep coming back and looking at these pics, because I really want to do something like this. Instead of the PC Engine, Neo Geo, and NES, I'd have my DE10-Nano, PS1, and PS2. Gonna have to think about how I can replicate this in my home. 

[c0op3r]

33 minutes ago, derFunkenstein said:

I keep coming back and looking at these pics, because I really want to do something like this. Instead of the PC Engine, Neo Geo, and NES, I'd have my DE10-Nano, PS1, and PS2. Gonna have to think about how I can replicate this in my home. 

I take that as a really nice compliment.

 

If you I were doing a DE-10 I would hide it in the false back and remote the controller ports (I think the DE-10 is a little unsightly with the ports all the way around it) or maybe build a completely custom enclosure for the DE-10 to make it look like a 'console'.

[derFunkenstein]

You should! You did an amazing job, which is why I keep coming back.

 

You're definitely correct on the looks, which is why I just use the OTG port with this weird powered USB hub thing. Right now it's hidden on my TV stand, and I'd definitely want to keep it that way. Maybe it could sit on the keyboard shelf. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/TUSITA-Adaptor-Charging-Adapter-Raspberry/dp/B00LTHBCNM/

Edited December 17, 2019 by derFunkenstein

[c0op3r]

I would do something like have a 1 or 2U 1/2 depth case made (or make my own) and create a custom front panel for it with all the ports I wanted to have on it.   I have used these guys in the past: https://www.frontpanelexpress.com/products/front_panels/

 

I would mount the DE-10 in that box (I know there would be a massive amount of extra space but who cares), and have the female jacks on the front of the panel and what ever inputs for network, power and video out on the back.  I would have the logo for each of the machines I cared about engraved in the front above each port.  I know a little about the Mister and I know there is something called a BLISTER box or something like that for the inputs.  I would use that inside the 2U enclosure to connect/interface the actual controllers to the DE-10/Mister. 

[c0op3r]

 

 

So I have been having a hell of a time getting the Wii to trigger the SCART auto-switcher.  The Hydra would almost see it it would pause on the Wii input for a about 2 seconds and then give up, I talked to everyone I could think of about the problem.

 

I talked to:

• Retro-Access (who I got the Wii to SCART for WiiDual) cable from.
• Dan from Black Dog that makes the WiiDual
• Richard from Retro Gaming Cables UK - who I was going to get a cable from, but he spent hours helping me even though he was told I had a cable from Retro-Access, I had told him they were of basically no help, and he still spent massive amounts of time helping me.
• Lotharek - maker of the Hydra
• GComp - maker of the GSCART

GComp was the one that finally figured it out and said that I needed a GSCART 5.2, so I ordered one and replaced the Hydra(which I did not like doing as it was smaller and I liked the design better) but it did sense the Wii and now all 7 machines will trigger the auto-switch.

 

I ordered a surround and 'wall-mount' for the GSCART 5.2 from LaserBear - I will post a new photo once I get that and have it mounted in place.

Edited December 17, 2019 by c0op3r

[StuOhQ]

I love the work you've done to keep your switcher, OSSC, power-strip, etc. hidden. 

 

Goals.

[c0op3r]

I made a few additions and changes, so I figured I would update the tread (I like seeing peoples setups, I hope other do also).

 

Additions:

 

I added a Famicom Disk System to my rack, I know a lot of people dont care for the FDS and magnetic media, but to me it is an important system in the history of the Nintendo as so many things were released first on the FDS (Mario 2[the real one we did not get], Doki Doki Panic[what became our Mario 2], Zelda(s) which original released on disk and had a save to disk feature).  I did get the games I decided to add to the collection with that in mind.  I got:

 

• Doki Doki Panic Yume Kojo (as mentioned above)
• Gyruss (just cause its Cool)
• Legend Of Zelda 1 {again mentioned above}
• Legend Of Zelda 2 {   "           "           "    }
• Metroid (was first released on the Disk System)
• Kid Icarus
• Super Lode Runner (Just cause I like the game)
• Stinger Moero Twinbee (neat game)
• Super Mario Bros 2+1 in One Boxed (Mentioned above but it is also Mario 1 on one side of the disk and Mario 2 on the other) 
• Golf Japan Course Famicom NES Disk System (I got this one as its one of the blue disk with a flap, and it had the system to report high scores back to Nintendo for Prizes)

All the Disk I got are Boxed Complete versions with the instructions (I can post a photo if you want to see them)

 

Yes I know you can play all these on an Everdrive (and I do have that but there is no nostalgia or tangible collectiblity to an Everdrive)  I also got a device called a FDSstick (link) its a simple little USB stick like device that you can put the FDS images on and connect it to the FDS Module instead of the Floppy drive and it completely emulates the physical drive.  Kinda neat.

 

Added LED multi color changing lights behind the systems on each shelf, Amazon has a kit that is like 23$ that has a phone app and interfaces with our Alexa for control - stupid simple touch.

 

A few games, mostly GameCube Originals, Tengen Tetris, and XenoCrisis for the Genesis (still waiting on the NeoGeo Version)

 

Changes:

 

I finally got my smoked translucent case for the Dreamcast, so now it matches the Saturn 'Skeleton' edition.

 

I had to change out my Hydra GSCART switcher, not because there was anything wrong with it, as a matter of fact I hated having to do it, its smaller and less expensive than the GSCART unit, but I was just was completely unable to to get it to work with the Wii with the WiiHDMI installed, See above for some of this story, now I am just waiting on LaserBear to get me the mounting kit/print, so no photos of the back again yet till that arrives.

 

Upgraded the firmware on the OSSC - so now I get the on-screen setting and info - which is really nice.  Also changed the wall-wort for the OSSC out for a USB to barrel as my power strip has USB outputs, so I can save socket space on the power strip.

 

Firmware updates to the MegsSD, and the Everdrive N8 (both Famicom and NES versions)

I also got a Everdrive N8 Pro Famicom - and well it does not like the NESRGB-IGR circuit, after days of experimentation I was finally able to figure out the only way to make it boot is to hold down the RESET button when turning it on to make it work and even then it will cycle through the palettes the whole time - no one seems to know why yet. Video of it happening if you want to see it: LINK

 

Changed the 1TB spinning HD that is attached to the Wii for a 1TB Solid State Unit, less power draw on the Wii's USB port and well I got a really nice deal at BestBuy on Black Friday, so bonus.

[+sixersfan105]

Nicely done! Really neat setup. Enjoy it!

[c0op3r]

Got my LaserBear case/mount today so I got the GSCART 5.2 mounted - so happy.

 

 

[StuOhQ]

This setup is sooo damn clean it makes me jelly! 
 

Just put out a video of my game room/setup:

 

 

My cable management DEFINITELY needs a bit more work lol