Pop N Music Hardware? What's inside?

[Faded_Memories]

Someone offerred me a Pop N board. I'm thinking about buying it and building a really nice machine around it. Problem is, I don't know anything about the hardware.

I already have 2 DDRs, a Dance Maniax, Dance Freask, Beatmania Core remix, Keyboard Mania and Para Para Paradise. The Dance freaks is sitting idle in the warehouse so it could be used for parts/amp etc.

Anyone out there seen inside a PopN machine? Or maybe even have one nearby that they can try to talk someone into opening so they can take a pic eh?

Biggest questions are whether they use security carts and flash cards like DDR machines, and what the connectors are like.

Any help much appreciated, and it would mean, ultimately, a kickass game built in a big showcase cabinet in the midwest. (33" monitor, huge control panel)

-faded

[Tomo_kun]

Its either a Bemani System 573 Digital, Bemani FIREBEAT, Bemani FIREBEAT With Hard Drive or Bemani Firebeat with E-Amuse.

check out system16.com
_________________

Cutriss wrote:

FLCL, God of Gods wrote: Uh... so when do we get the porn forum? If you can't find porn on the Internet, you're not trying.

[davidbrit2]

It looks like PNM 1 through 3 use DJ-Main, which is the same hardware as the BM I series.

All the PNM games after that seem to run on some variation of the Firebeat hardware (Beatmania III, Keyboardmania, Para Para Paradise, and the eemall machine itself), though I believe there are slight variations as the series progressed.
_________________
blue moonshine photos

[Faded_Memories]

From system16.com it seems most likely to be the same as in the Keyboard Mania. At least with that one I could figure out and map out the start and test buttons at least, and then probe the rest.

If there is some sort of digitizing of the inputs before the board I might even be able to pull that off, as I have to replace my keyboards on the KBM due to vandalism. (I could wire inidividual buttons to the old keyboard for translation.)

How viable of a project do you guys think this would be?

I worry about the boards missing something like a security cart or dongle, hopefully my source will be able to come up with some pics or detailed parts list for me.

If anyone has any more info or thoughts please keep it coming.

-faded

[Regenesis]

Which Pop'n mix is it? If it's an older one (1-4), I'd have some serious reservations about spending a significant amount of money on the board or the project...the older mixes have very few songs on them, even fewer good songs and they're very, very Japanese. 5 would probably be worth your while and 6-8 would be without question. Needless to say 9-11 would rock even more, but I seriously doubt it'd be one of those.
_________________

[Faded_Memories]

Does anyone here have a contact at Konami that can actually verify any information? Please?

I think that the later model PopNs use the same hardware that is inside Para Para machines. (And Animero uses the same as KBM, except for 1cd and 1dvd drive instead of 2 cds).

Can someone verify?

Now the big question: As operators upgrade to PopN 12, 11 upgrades are coming available. Are they usable? IE, will one of those used Hard-drives function on a different board, or were they coded for specific boards or somehow bound to them upon installation?

I can get my hands on a used #11 Drive and security device, but can I use them?

I am actively looking for a full kit (board, HDD, security) but it might be a long and futile search. I am trying to find out if the used upgrades are a waste of money or not.

Thanks,


-faded

[jbean3535]

OMG! I just realized it was faded that asked this! If you get this Popn' machine working in KC(SJ) we would all be taking trips up there more often!
_________________

[Baka of the Orochi]

I thought 5-8 (and Animelo 2) uses the Cobra hardware (same as Para Para), and 9-12 use another hardware altogether.

But I'm pretty sure you can't just use the same hardware from another older machine. That would be a pretty stupid move of Konami to just use the exact same hardware (beacuse then why can't someone just buy a DMX machine, and swap boards into a DDR machine, esp. since DMX costs a ton cheaper)?

BTW, System 16, for the umpteenth time, has some inaccurate information about some of their hardware (but it's not like he claims to have 100% accurate information anyhow).
_________________

[Tomo_kun]

I thought it was firebeat X_X.

As I understand it, 9-Iroha (12) are on a new hardware, an upgraded version that only runs on one hard drive, and that hardware upgrade kits ended in pop'n 11.
_________________

Cutriss wrote:

FLCL, God of Gods wrote: Uh... so when do we get the porn forum? If you can't find porn on the Internet, you're not trying.

[Baka of the Orochi]

Ah yes that's what it was. My mind doesn't work during the holidays XD
_________________