RiddledTV's 2Way Jamma Switcher

[@Kage5868]

Cadillacs and dinosaurs such a fun beatem up, love playing it in the arcades growing up

[@ScarletSprites]

It really is a great game that people kind of forgot about in favor of Final Fight.

[@riddledtv]

Thanks for reviewing my switcher. Someone pointed me to your video today. You're really gifted at making "easy to view" videos. I agree that my female Jamma connectors are tight. I found it to be the better option compared to connectors that are loose and sometimes make weak connections. I do find them a bit easier to install if you insert one corner of the Jamma connector on FIRST and THEN rotate/push the opposite corner into place, kind of like closing a door.

[@riddledtv]

I'd also be happy to make some custom switchers for you with the black female Jamma connectors (that have the chinese writing on them) if you'd like. Please just reach out to me at the email address from my website.

[@ScarletSprites]

Thanks Jim! I agree that I’ve found “closing the door” the best way to attach the connector to the boards. Thanks for making great products for original hardware. I’m sure I’ll be reaching out again soon. Since doing this video I’ve used your MK kit and bought another setup for some Midway sports boards. Everything has worked out great.

[@Smoot1000]

I was literally looking at these things a week ago and was a little hesitant to pull the trigger just because the website has next to zero information on how they work that I could find. Getting to see them in action really helps!

[@ScarletSprites]

It’s pretty seamless. I did see a few people post and comment on them in the past so that helped ease my mind.

[@SherringtonBun]

Very informational video. You should send this video to RiddleTV about the tight JAMMA edge connector.

[@ScarletSprites]

I think he’s aware of it based on some other comments. Sounds like he opted to go that route as opposed to something loose that he was concerned may fall off. Nothing is falling off with this connector, that’s for sure.

[@SherringtonBun]

@@ScarletSprites Haha ya looks like it. Robot grip.

[@MobCat_]

The clicking sound is from the power relays on the switcher. It's kinda like a light switch that can be controlled by something else. So yes, The arcade pcbs are not powered up until the relays switch on, until then they are physically disconnected from power. Main relay looks like that big black box, but looks like there might be relays for other voltages..

[@ScarletSprites]

Yeah, it seems like a good design. I was just surprised you could actually hear it so profoundly inside of the cabinet.

[@PabstOban]

I think when you are talking about buying a switcher for a cabinet and 2 or 4 PCB's... when you start adding up all the costs of whats "in the box", a $100-200 investment to not have to tamper with it every time you want to play a different game is a small price to pay. You made the right choice.

[@ScarletSprites]

For sure with Smash TV. Just wanted to set it and forget it. If I can get the Konami thing figured out (swapping 3P and 4P controls too) then that might be an end of year possibility. Too many other projects on deck currently. It’s about to be warm and I need to get as much cabinet body work done as I can. Weird how the weather in PA dictates my arcade priorities.

[@rollinsgi]

I’ve got RiddleTV switchers as well and love them. All of them are super tight you have to push it on from a corner and then roll it the rest of the way on. I think he recommends ‘loosening’ them by pushing them on and off a spare board.

[@ScarletSprites]

I think that’s how I ended up getting Total Carnage on, but I still needed to clip the sides to make it happen. Great product though.

[@spazda_mx5]

I think I'd throw the money in for the 8 way myself, but I'm lazy and would rarely swap between boards if it was any kind of hassle :)

[@ScarletSprites]

Usually if it’s just me I only swap the harness and then I play in the 2P spot. It’s more annoying when friends are over and it’s the harness and then 3P and 4P controls.

[@jonniefast]

imagine what a fully populated 8-way looks like 😵‍💫

[@Kage5868]

Jamma switcher such a cool idea, perfect with pcbs with multicart

[@Lu50516]

Nice, finally took the jump. I got 2 way and the 6way switcher. The connectors are tight, I found if you go at a certain angle they slide on easier.

[@ScarletSprites]

The 6way looks like a monster. Really cool to hear you have that running. I’d need to get that 2P/3P condenser for the Konami. Probably closer to a $300 investment as opposed to $200. Not sure that’s happening, at least not right now.

[@20BobbyDigital]

@@ScarletSprites a lot of $ for sure but totally worth the price. The product is top notch. Being able to seamlessly switch multiple 4P games really comes off even better than expected. I Will also say that Jim is one in a million, he lives his business. He answers questions and concerns almost instantly and even provides follow ups. I have his 4P switcher, his 2 way switcher and now working on using a switcher and auxiliary board to make a multi light gun cabinet in my lethal enforcers cabinet.

[@saschareuter3952]

Nice, I got the 8-way JAMMA switch from Jim about 2 years ago. Posted my review on arcade projects back then. I have it loaded up with 8 shmup boards in one of my TATE cabs :) My only gripe is that the edge connectors are an extremely tight fit, as you mentioned as well. To not paraphrase Jim, here's his answer on the issue: "There's a pretty wide range of boards out there, and I'm currently erring on the side of "too tight" so that the connector simply can't slip off by accident." .. I'd be more than happy to pay for 8 new connector boards should he ever release less tight ones.

[@ScarletSprites]

I’m with you on that. Man, I was just concerned about how hard it was to push and make that connection happen. Really didn’t want to warp or crack solder joints on the boards (or worse). Clipping it helped but it just seemed a little insane how difficult that was.

[@josephgrondin9081]

I have a 6 way and all my slots were super tight as well. I was able to get my extender harnesses to plug in by starting one end in then rocking it into the other. Once installed though it works great.

[@ScarletSprites]

Agreed, a little pain up front but no issues after its all connected up.

[@Evercade_Effect]

Great video and glad it worked out for you with the switcher. While that 6 switcher looks very useful, some times it's tough to justify the cost.

[@ScarletSprites]

Thanks man. Yeah this is just a tough one for sure on the Konami. I see the value in the product but will have to stick with manual swaps for now.

[@HornHeaDD]

As I was wondering about the MiSTercade - you answered my question lol. Nice! I might have to get one of these so I can put the MiSTercade and RGBPi, or MGCD in! (or Primal rage whenever I actually take possession of it)

[@edlowry1]

Great video, I totally agree on the jamma loom, they are always short and have that silly video connector no one uses. Custom connectors etc. Nice that only one board is powered with this solution, 👌

[@bananonymouslastname5693]

Man, this just reminds me of the stuff I need to fix or have fixed. I need to re-cap my Sunset Riders cabinet monitor, my Ninja Baseball Batman pcb is on the fritz, my Street Fighter II C-board is messed up, and my backup 1-slot pcb has a Z80 error... I wish I still had a good repair guy around to help with the stuff that's over my head.

[@chelnov1988]

I have the Mortal Kombat EZ Switcher Kit and I love it on my MK even though I'm not planning of having more than 3 games. Love It!! The JAMMA harnesses are a hit or miss on ebay. I decided to make my own. Its time consuming but well worth it :) Usually when a game resets its because of the power supply unable to provide sufficient power.

[@ScarletSprites]

I’ve also read that the thin wiring (sometimes really cheap aluminum) isn’t able to provide the proper amps and that that is what causes boards not to be able to get what they need. I guess the cheap harnesses are fine for the all in one solutions but not so much older demanding hardware.

[@chelnov1988]

@@ScarletSprites - One thing that I noticed when power supplies do not provide enough power is that the resets many times happen when the sound gets too loud. keep your ear open for that. As for the harness I heard the same thing. The power cables should be copper and a low gauge. you can always replace just those in the jamma Harness. I love the brand Plusivo. for what you are saying it doesnt appear to be any problems with the pcb itself is a power delivery issue. as an advice you could try to measure the voltage in the pcb, I dont mean check the power in the switching power supply with you voltmeter I mean use your meter to measure voltage in the pcb itself.

[@snkfightfan0187]

I don't currently own a Jamma switcher but if I had a similar set up like you have on that Konami cab, I would definitely buy one.

[@ScarletSprites]

Yeah, I’m going to have to pace my purchases now that I have four machines to work on in queue. Those will inevitably need parts, caps, art, etc. I think the goal is to get everything running and then circle back and hit the nice to haves like a switcher on the Konami.

[@TheShibbybear]

Thanks for showing off your experience with this JAMMA switcher. I’ve tried a few models (from China) and have had very mixed, and mostly disappointing results. Being in a public environment I need a switcher which keeps power to each board at all times (to save wear and tear), however while I initially had some luck, I since haven’t been able to get the setup working again (either one game is not seen or the switch itself stops working to change games). I’d love to hear if anyone has had any success with a switcher that maintains power to each board...

[@ScarletSprites]

Oh that’s interesting that you want power to both boards. I guess people constantly flipping it back and forth and what not probably isn’t great. For home use it seems fine. Hope you find what you’re looking for.

[@stephenh3153]

@@ScarletSprites Yeah, I'd be really worried about someone hammering away on the 'Switch Games' button, even if placed a little out of the way, and causing all kinds of load on the original PCBs. But I just haven't received any reliable results from the switchers where both boards are powered...

[@jonnyesper6698]

Thanks for doing this video Joe .You talked about the riddled tv switchers on a live stream once and was curious them .Might have to take the plunge and get one(Only a 2 way) as the shipping from the US to Australia is a killer . For me to get a 4 way switcher,might have to morgage my house :-)

[@ScarletSprites]

Haha, yeah I hear you. The six way switcher with extensions would cost me a lot. Alternatively I could build a little shelf systems to plug them in without the need for extensions but that’s also time and money. I’d still need the 3P and 4P condenser board too. Any way you look at it, it’s not cheap.

[@jonnyesper6698]

@@ScarletSprites So true ... money and time 😏

[@kenmys]

Lots to say on this. Firstly I had all sorts of problems with my Die Hard trash can cab like yours and ended up replacing the absolute trash Jamma harness that was in it with one sourced from twistedquarter website. They have one that is pretty beefy and has all the connectors populated at the ends. Yes these JAMMA connectors have a deathgrip, the twistedquarter one is damned difficult to get on and no joke was tearing some of the gold plated finish on the connector pins of the board I was putting it on. They take some time to loosen up. Secondly I was just eyeballing riddledtv's MK 8way switcher! It's pretty darn expensive ($300!) but I have a dedicated MK cabinet with all 4 boards in there (more to come) and having an easy way to swap between the games would be nice. My only concern is if I will have to change the position of V and H when the games change but I guess you have to do that anyways on some boards. I've only heard good things about the switchers he makes but it is a daunting wiring undertaking!

[@ScarletSprites]

The package for the 6 way with the condenser board for 3P/4P is $300. It’s cool as hell and made really well. I just don’t know if it’s $300 cool…yet.

[@arcadeerik2603]

I use Jim Riddles switcher in my Donkey Kong cabinet, between DK/DK jr (Mikes arcade, modded board) and DK3. Works perfect. I had a couple questions about switcher and Jim got back to me right away with some great info. Congrats on the switcher will be buying one soon for an Arkanoid cabinet. 4 games on a switcher is a bit pricy, IMO.

[@ScarletSprites]

Yeah, and I’m not complaining about the price. It’s a niche product for a small market of people, I get it. It has to be worth his time. I’m glad the product exists. One of his extenders was late coming to me and he apologized and sent an extra part to me for free. Definitely customer service oriented and seems like a nice guy.

[@atrain818]

Yeah the Nintendo switcher that Jim makes is awsum. I have it in my DK, running DK & JR. I have the highscore save D2K daughterboard as well. It's a tight fit, but once installed, works great. And yeah, Jim is a very customer friendly guy. I think his prices are just fine. He has to make a profit. Plus he includes shipping.

[@nickmadsen2572]

I have a 3 of those 2 way switchers, and 1 8 way. Jim Riddle is awesome, and his products are quality. Have fun playing both games on your Smash with ease.

[@ScarletSprites]

I didn’t even look to really see if there is something for Konami that swaps the 3P and 4P controls. I may eventually want something like that for Hangtime/NBA Jam/Open Ice

[@nickmadsen2572]

@@ScarletSprites he makes one but you will have to add player 1 and player 2 start buttons. I mounted mine underneath the control panel, but I’m sure you can have them load in side the cab if you don’t want to go the route I did.

[@nickmadsen2572]

@@ScarletSprites he makes a condenser board that will work for those games. I needed them for my MK games and KI due to the 3 added buttons for both players.

[@acatalano212]

@@ScarletSprites He has a condenser board kit for the 4 players titles. He even put together a matrix so you know how to map all the output pins. But then your in the $300 range for everything. Was thinking of doing this for my Showtime cab and add tutles, simpsons and open ice, but the thought of switching my 49-way sticks to 8-way makes me queasy. lol

[@ScarletSprites]

@@acatalano212 I agree, I wouldn’t do that. Blitz/Showtime play differently with the 8ways. Removing the opticals really robs those titles of something they were intended to have.

[@Riz2336]

Cool, seems like you finished up Smash TV. That would have been fun if arcade operators put multiple games on dedicated cabinets in arcades back in the day haha

[@ScarletSprites]

Hell, I’ve seen some odd modern day setups with Pandoras and even A1Ups with card readers. But yes, back in the day it would have been cool to see…SNK realized that. 😉

[@KoncadeGaming]

The blue Jamma edge was definitely too tight for any board, had to cut the sides but that in itself is risky as when you plug in the board it the pins can missalign so you have to be careful. I ordered 2 standard black generic Jamma connectors from eBay, the ones with the writing on them and replaced the blue connectors. Works perfect now, be careful when removing the blue connector as the PCB traces are very thin and you can rip out the traces but these can be easily restored. I like this product but don't understand why he would use the blue problematic connectors rather than the generic black ones which are far superior and don't have a problem.

[@ScarletSprites]

I’m with you on this. That last sentence is a good summary.

[@tomaslopez9999]

Thanks for making this video. It's very useful.

[@MattyMosArcade]

Check your voltages at the rom chips themselves, the one furthest from the edge connector. The power supply may read 5v, but you may only have 4.5v at the roms. This is common. Good luck!

[@MattyMosArcade]

Midway boards like the supply at 5.1-5.3v.

[@ScarletSprites]

Yep, that’s how I measure. My Smash TV won’t even boot unless it’s closer to 5.1. Just a tough board and at some point I’m going to have to accept that the issues aren’t the cabinet but the board itself.

[@MattyMosArcade]

@@ScarletSprites Buck Hunters want 5.1-5.3v too. Thirsty!! 😆

[@acatalano212]

Glad to see you up and running with the switcher. Did you have to make any monitor adjustments when changing games? That was the one thing thats been keeping me from pulling the trigger on this.

[@ScarletSprites]

No, no monitor adjustments needed. It’s probably helpful that they’re both Midway boards. Even when doing manual swaps I know I often have to readjust the monitor settings to re-center the picture.

[@therexershow]

Very good feature that the other board shuts off , some of them don’t do that.

[@ScarletSprites]

Yeah, definitely helpful. I’m pretty pleased with this overall.

[@tiger8559]

My only thought is check the -5v line on your power supply. Smash TV needs it, Total Carnage doesn’t.

[@ScarletSprites]

Yeah, it was doing this even with the old power supply too unfortunately. It's less intermittent now, but still an issue. At some point I may just have to admit it's the main board.

[@alanburnell3566]

Definitely do the Konami stuff…TMNT, Sunset Riders, TMNT in Time, X-Men--all in one cab!

[@gettin_lit6594]

for $100 and it relieves a headache it seems worth it to me.

[@ScarletSprites]

That’s pretty much the video summary in one sentence.

[@christianjonker8181]

What is the solution for Konami cabs not having p1 p2 buttons? Can you change the switch game button?

[@ScarletSprites]

You have to remove the P1 and P2 jumpers on the board and then wire inputs from the buttons you want to use to those pins.

[@christianjonker8181]

@@ScarletSprites thanks, good to know.

[@Drinkabeerandplayagameofficial]

It’s crazy how every new piece of pin connector tech always has a death grip. The blinking light win always worries me. Still, this looks pretty nice

[@ScarletSprites]

It’s funny, that’s the first thing I thought of when trying to get this on.

[@jonniefast]

a few of the everdrive carts (turbo) run a bit chunky as well & arent technically designed to be removed repeatedly - i guess id rather have it snug than questionably loose but some pcb are quite rare so its worth noting

[@lucifer1978b]

Will this switcher work for a CPS2, CPS3 multi setup in a Dynamo showcase Cabinet?

[@ScarletSprites]

Yes, you would need to add his kick harness condenser to pair with it though in order to get your kick buttons working.

[@mikehannon9832]

Do they make something like this that works with Arcade1up pcbs?

[@ScarletSprites]

I think your best bet is to just mod the 1Up. No need for a switcher.

[@nathanbias9839]

Will the switcher be able to share the kick harness for player 3 & 4? Because that would suck having to move them around

[@ScarletSprites]

You need an additional board for that. The whole package is like $300 for everything. It’s…a lot

[@OutdatedReferences]

@@ScarletSprites Yikes

[@jonniefast]

i dont have enough jammaboards to populate a way switcher lmao finding the appropriate connectors (kick harness) etc can be a deep dive- i have this janky one that is irreplaceable as its "slightly modified" off the jamma standard 🙃 it looks like someone from my early electronics classes tacked soldered wires directly to the pins lol

[@jonniefast]

glad you got everything working, a 2-way is a reasonable investment; anything more than that seems like adding way too many points of failure +small runs and rare parts make for a potential nightmare down the road when you need to replace stuff 🤘

[@ScarletSprites]

I’ve always been annoyed that the damn kick harnesses were never standardized across companies. Even Capcom switched things up from CPS1 to CPS2. Wild West as far as a lot of arcade stuff went.

[@brianyu8413]

How does the Switcher work with games that require a kick harness? Can you plug a CPS2 Kick into the Switcher then out to each pcb? Or do you need to make a CPS2 splitter the runs to each pcb?

[@ScarletSprites]

There is a separate condenser board for this purpose. Similarly, another board for 3P and 4P games if you needed that as well.

[@brianyu8413]

@@ScarletSprites awesome. Thanks for the info!

[@1adizzle125]

Was looking at the same option for my cps2 cab but jeez! that's dang near $300-$400 with switcher, kick button condenser and jamma extenders. Yikes!

[@ScarletSprites]

@@1adizzle125 That’s why I still manually switch on the Konami cabinet.

[@Emceemur]

High tech shizzzz. I’ve gotta get on my arcade grind too. Machines need some love so lets sell some bangers off and fund projects! This was very interesting. Fascinating even. #RealStuff

[@KoncadeGaming]

Has anyone got stereo working on these via the 4 pin header input and output on the switcher? I disconnected the speakers from the Jamma cab, and wired both to the switcher stereo out, wired stereo in for board 1 can only get sound on 1 speaker, tried different stereo modded boards same result, anyone got this working correctly?

[@JeffersonTaylor1978]

2:54

[@ScarletSprites]

Didn’t edit it out afterall. The people need to know.

[@JeffersonTaylor1978]

@@ScarletSprites Mantra of mantras.

[@pimsbury5155]

SUPER DODGEBALL RULEZ!

[@ScarletSprites]

Hah, I forgot that was loaded up in the background!

[@bubbadmatt8124]

Does it work with kick harnesses?

[@ScarletSprites]

His site lists a few adapter boards that accommodate those as well as 3P and 4P controls. There is a Mortal Kombat specific switcher he has listed as well.

[@Charlie-Cat.]

Looks interesting Scarlet. I'm not as tech savvy as you and the many other members on your channel. So sadly, I don't have much to say. But I do find it intriguing to say the least, and I like it bro. 8^0 Anthony..

[@ScarletSprites]

Thanks man. Yeah it’s really just the ability to switch between those two games on one cabinet. Nothing too fancy today. It’s very convenient though to not have to open the back up and manually swap.

[@therealdjbaldhead_mixtapes8522]

Can you use with Pc and neo geo regular hardware?

[@ScarletSprites]

It has to be Jamma compliant. So if you use a single slot Neo Geo board you’re good to go. If using a multi slot board you’d want something like JNX’s Big Red adapter.

[@therealdjbaldhead_mixtapes8522]

@@ScarletSprites thanks so much

[@therealdjbaldhead_mixtapes8522]

@@ScarletSprites single slot

[@RetroRalph]

I'm having Smash TV flashbacks, not good ones either. I swear that board is just the most temperamental board EVER! Great video dude! "Populate that Bitch".... LMAO!!!

[@ScarletSprites]

I genuinely want a new board to test for my own peace of mind. This is getting ridiculous.

[@billyelliotx]

If you have the convenience, you'll switch more often. Think if you had to physically disconnect and reconnect for every game on MiSTer, how many games would you play? Seems a no brainer if you already have thousands of dollars of PCBs inside a cabinet to spend a couple hundred bucks switching between them. That being said, was that edge on the connector not beveled? You could always push the pins in as well to relieve the stress vs cutting the edges as well for a more elegant solution. It's probably not an issue if you don't constantly remove the boards, but having it that stiff seems you could damage a board edge potentially. More so how hard it looked you were pressing on the MiSTer.

[@ScarletSprites]

Looks like one other comment so far that said they experienced the same regarding the connection being tight. Sounds like Jim said there was concern about it being too loose and falling off so he went the other way with it. Definitely not falling off with the current connector. Kind of wild how difficult it is to get on. Actually the extender was attached to the main pcb for shipping purposes and even that was a real b*tch to remove just to set the whole thing up. I initially second guessed myself and thought it had been soldered on and that it wasn’t even the extender.

[@billyelliotx]

@@ScarletSprites just add that to inconsistency of JAMMA connector, not just harness, quality. Granted the connector wasn't really designed to be constantly swapped, just made to have a common connector. Would have made sense to have a locking mechanism like PC GPUs slots. But even more to the point to get a switcher if you're constantly swapping boards, just less wear and tear on the contacts. But if you look at them like game cartridge wear and tear, super tight isn't always a good thing. If connectors falling off is an issue, I'd guess that's only boards with JAMMA down or on its side and a cabinet being moved a lot? You could do a stress test of a tight connector on a bad JAMMA edge just to see how much damage a super tight connector would have. But not just the JAMMA edge, but I'd see you could stress and crack solder joints of the connector as well. Worst case you try to remove it and snap off the JAMMA edge.

[@Pitbull0669]

I have 3 of these in my cabs lol love them

[@ScarletSprites]

I definitely get the appeal. The convenience factor is great. Have you used them with Konami games? I didn’t really look into if there is a board that swaps the 3P and 4P controls.

[@Pitbull0669]

@@ScarletSprites Yea in one of my old cabs I used the 6 way switcher Its a little pain just from cable stand point but they slid right on with no prob same with my Mylstar stuff

[@davidcarmichael4006]

How often do you switch between Konami boards? If frequently then yes

[@ScarletSprites]

Yeah, that’s another good point. I usually swap the game every two weeks or so. It’s generally when people are over and they hear me say Simpsons or TMNT is also in there that they want it swapped. I could keep my mouth shut and save $200.

[@lucifer1978b]

yes spent the money do it

[@dbnpoldermans4120]

I recently saw a post a in whatsapp groupchat. A guy was selling a 6 jamma switcher for about 50 bucks. HE linked to the original website and they are like 99 bucks. Not sure what brand it is, but you can get them cheap now. EDIT: AH, ok you have that same site I think. Looks familiar

[@ScarletSprites]

Yeah sometimes people resell them cheaper at times. I've heard some spotty things about older ones and I think there are a few clones out there. I think I'd want to be sure it were one of Jim's at this point.

[@KING_KONK]

You should just do a fund raising live stream in your basement where u just play arcade games until you raise $250 of donations to buy the 4 way jamma switcher and it should be named “ide buy that for a dollar” and everyone will pay u

[@ScarletSprites]

Haha, I like the branding of this already. So many catchphrases that could be tossed out for different milestones. I’d need a sound board with all the Smash TV speech ready to go for different events.

[@KING_KONK]

@@ScarletSprites Hahahaha yes

[@6vibe150]

Not worth it for $200 to switch between 4 boards.

[@ScarletSprites]

Kind of where I ended up.