Rany Battikh

Console JAMMAizer by Arthrimus

Arthrimus recently announced, through an Arcade-Projects thread, his latest on-going project,  the Console Jammaizer.

Acquiring (and maintaining) arcade boards nowadays is by no means a walk in the park, so for years cabinet owners have opted for different solutions to take full advantage of their setups like: GroovyMame via ArcadeVGA, Raspberry Pi via Jamma adapters, or even Jamma-modded consoles; and that’s where the highlighted product comes into play.

The Console Jammaizer is mainly an RGB to Jamma pass-through (as in no signal is converted in the process) device that takes in video and audio through Scart then outputs both signals through the Jamma finger to the cabinet’s harness. It doesn’t end here as Arthrimus made this a feature-packed piece of equipment:

  • SCART Input Connector for video and audio.
  • Fully amplified RGB video and mono audio to the JAMMA edge.
  • Sync Stripping for Composite video or Luma sync cables/consoles.
  • Stereo audio out through RCAs for stereo amplified cabinets.
  • Onboard volume control.
  • RGB impedance control for fine tuning with your monitor.
  • Controls are handled through 2x 20 Pin headers compatible with Brook Retro boards, UFB, PS360+, or any other PCB with the matching 20 pin header,
  • Buttons 4-6 available on the JAMMA edge as well as through a CPS2 kick harness plug.
  • Button 6 on the JAMMA edge can be toggled on or off by switch. Only use with cabinets wired for CHAMMA PCBs.
  • External input header for future input options.

For RGBHV capable consoles like the Dreamcast and the Xbox360, Arthrimus also designed a “hat” that plugs into the Jammaizer Ext_In port and feeds a 31Khz video signal into cabinets that have tri-sync monitors installed in them.

Another neat addition to the whole project, is a redesigned MC Cthulhu pcb that conveniently connects to the Jammaizer 20-pin connector and renders the former fully compatible with the latter.

Arthrimus is aiming at 100-150$ as a tentative price point for just the Jammaizer and 20$ for each of the additional boards. This is also an open-source project and the design files are made available on OSHpark for anyone to download or order the board (to be made) itself through the website.

From a gamer’s perspective, enjoying the Saturn’s expansive 2D Fighters and Shmup libraries, for example, in a plug-and-play fashion on a full blown arcade cabinet is nothing short of awesome. Arthrimus will be running an interest check soon so keep an eye on the official thread if you’re interested in integrating a Console Jammaizer into your arcade setup.

The Console Jammaizer official thread: https://www.arcade-projects.com/forums/index.php?thread/10074-console-jammaizer-easily-connect-home-consoles-to-your-jamma-arcade-cabinet/