JAPJAC`s Capcom Power System CHANGER - Definitive Resource:

[SignOfZeta]

Make sure it has accommodations for the Capcom kick harness, and that it takes Neo Geo sticks.

EDIT: Just thought of something. Make sure it has adjustable video, probably individual pots for R, G, and B. Different boards put out radically different levels.

Thanks SoT! Do you have any preferred models? There is so many to choose from, so many that are home-made (which is probably the case with all of them I am guessing), that it's a bit overwhelming.

I've used quite a few from the old days (MAS, GWT, etc) and they all had something about them that sucked. The ones D-Lite made seem pretty nice. It doesn't really matter though. All an SG is is a power supply, a video encoder, and some controllers all wired together. Therefore the most important part is what video encoder it has (JROK and NeoBits are the popular ones now) and the rest is mainly cosmetic. They can easily be hacked and adapted as needed from board to board. The coolest thing about the new stuff is the tiny size.

[SuperDeadite]

Make sure it has accommodations for the Capcom kick harness, and that it takes Neo Geo sticks.

EDIT: Just thought of something. Make sure it has adjustable video, probably individual pots for R, G, and B. Different boards put out radically different levels.

Thanks SoT! Do you have any preferred models? There is so many to choose from, so many that are home-made (which is probably the case with all of them I am guessing), that it's a bit overwhelming.

Expensive to get in the States, but the Japanese units like Sigma's are very well made and sturdy. 

[SignOfZeta]

Sigmas are THE BUSINESS, but they are really hard to find and pricy, from what I've seen.

[SuperDeadite]

Well depends on what you want to pay for them.  In Japan you can buy them brand new for 30,000yen or so.
But then being metal, they weigh a lot, so shipping is quite pricey.  And factor in that Yen-$ exchange rate,
and anyone in the US is gonna have a much lighter wallet.  But very obtainable if one is serious.

[DragonmasterDan]

Damien McFerran and JAPJAC's Capcom Power System CHANGER print feature (appears in the December 2010, issue 84, of Retro Gamer magazine):

I believe this to be the FIRST feature in print on the system in English in the World, ever.

Out now!

Cheers.

In the early- mid 90s, when Street Fighter II was a phenemenon one of the US game mags, probably EGM or GameFan had a letter column about it with pictures. A few stores in the back of game magazines were actually selling them.

Added in edit: The main tip they had for anyone with enough money to buy one was check the boards for Capcom on them, as counterfeit arcade boards were common.

[Mathius]

Make sure it has accommodations for the Capcom kick harness, and that it takes Neo Geo sticks.

EDIT: Just thought of something. Make sure it has adjustable video, probably individual pots for R, G, and B. Different boards put out radically different levels.

Thanks SoT! Do you have any preferred models? There is so many to choose from, so many that are home-made (which is probably the case with all of them I am guessing), that it's a bit overwhelming.

I've used quite a few from the old days (MAS, GWT, etc) and they all had something about them that sucked. The ones D-Lite made seem pretty nice. It doesn't really matter though. All an SG is is a power supply, a video encoder, and some controllers all wired together. Therefore the most important part is what video encoder it has (JROK and NeoBits are the popular ones now) and the rest is mainly cosmetic. They can easily be hacked and adapted as needed from board to board. The coolest thing about the new stuff is the tiny size.

That's the one thing that has surprised me about SGs is their small size.

[SignOfZeta]

Well depends on what you want to pay for them.  In Japan you can buy them brand new for 30,000yen or so.
But then being metal, they weigh a lot, so shipping is quite pricey.  And factor in that Yen-$ exchange rate,
and anyone in the US is gonna have a much lighter wallet.  But very obtainable if one is serious.

Wait, they still make them? I thought they quit ages go. Can you get the dual stick with the SG built in for a price like that?

[SuperDeadite]

They did quit for awhile, but then choose to come back.  Currently there's the AV7000 which has separate controllers,
and is what I have.  There is also the Raijin which is the 2 player all in one unit.  And for the truly extreme fan,
there is also the Boardmaster, which comes equipped with a real Blast City CP.  And can easily be changed to what ever
panel you desire.

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

[SignOfZeta]

Oh, killer.

Is so you have the Σ9000TB sticks? Those things are bad as f*ck.

If shipping wasn't $150 or whatever, I'd possibly pull the trigger on one of these.

Also, does the AV7000 come with a controller for that price? It seems kind of expensive if it doesn't.

[Mathius]

They did quit for awhile, but then choose to come back.  Currently there's the AV7000 which has separate controllers,
and is what I have.  There is also the Raijin which is the 2 player all in one unit.  And for the truly extreme fan,
there is also the Boardmaster, which comes equipped with a real Blast City CP.  And can easily be changed to what ever
panel you desire.

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

Quite sexy! I wish I knew how to work with one of these crazy gizmos.

[SignOfZeta]

You just plug everything in, pretty much. If the game is standard JAMMA (ie: four buttons or less plus Start, 8 direction joystick and coin button, per side) then that's all you have to to. If its something with more buttons there is usually a special extra harness to hook up directly from the PCB to the controllers. If there is an analog controller or something then its kind of on a game by game basis.

[SuperDeadite]

Oh, killer.

Is so you have the Σ9000TB sticks? Those things are bad as f*ck.

If shipping wasn't $150 or whatever, I'd possibly pull the trigger on one of these.

Also, does the AV7000 come with a controller for that price? It seems kind of expensive if it doesn't.

Depends on the store you buy from.  I paid 30,000yen for AV7000 + 1 9000TB Stick + Harness (wired for 5 buttons).
They only include a crappy composite cable though, so you'd want to order an RGB or S-Video cable as well.

[Mathius]

You just plug everything in, pretty much. If the game is standard JAMMA (ie: four buttons or less plus Start, 8 direction joystick and coin button, per side) then that's all you have to to. If its something with more buttons there is usually a special extra harness to hook up directly from the PCB to the controllers. If there is an analog controller or something then its kind of on a game by game basis.

Cool! That doesn't sound too difficult at all! Now all I have to decide is whether to get a CMVS or a SuperGun. Gotta wait until tax-time though.

[SuperDeadite]

A CMVS is stupid.  It's just an MVS with a SuperGun attached to it.  In other words, a supergun that only plays MVS games.  While a separate supergun plays anything.

[SignOfZeta]

True, but it is a lot smaller. A supergun hooked to, for example, a CPS3 is a f*cking huge collection of stuff strewn out all over the place. Those newer CMVSs based on later single slot boards are really compact.