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All prices in USD. SHIPPING COST CHANGE for US shipments: Orders up to $50 is $30 shipping. Up to $100 is $20 and up to $150 is $10. Over $150 is free for most items. No tariff cost to US. Confirm shipping cost at Checkout. Order ship times vary between 1 day and 4+ weeks depending on product(s) ordered.
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PC Upgrade for Ridge Racer, OutRun, F&F and Racing Cabs

INSTALLING your RACING PC upgrade

Our games list page is here:

http://pc-rr-games-list.buystuffarcades.com/

F&F: http://pc-ff-games-list.buystuffarcades.com/

 

This guide assumes you have our gaming box mod kit already installed. If not, you want to fist visit that install page:

RR/OutRun: https://RRencoder.buystuffarcades.com/

Fast&Furious: https://FFencoder.buystuffarcades.com/

For a full install video by Billy Woods with lots of extra info, see bottom of page.

 

Step 1: If you have the plastic shell on the back of your control deck still, you will need to remove the control deck and remove the plastic shell. We no longer suggest keeping the shell in place, so extract the cables from it and discard it. The CPT (Voltage regulator) is NOT used with the PC, so that can be removed or just left in place.

Step 2: Check if you have the long or short USB C cable attached to your encoder board. Originally, we shipped a short USB cable to reach the gaming box. Since the PC will be located further away, you will need a longer USB cable. (F&F all have long cables.)

Step 3: The Mini PC can be located on the bottom of the cab base, or if using our mount, on the side of the cab. Our mount is supplied with 4 machine screws to attach to the bottom of the Mini PC, and 4 wood screws to then attach to the side or bottom of your cab.

Step 4: If you need a longer USB cable, use the cable supplied with your kit. You'll need to carefully unplug the USB C end from the encoder board and plug the longer cable in it's place. Be careful not to pull on the USB C cable or you could dislodge the encoder board chip, or worse, damage the USB C connector. Plug the USB into one of the Mini PC USB ports. It doesn't matter which one.

Step 5: Move the USB, HDMI and audio cables from the Gaming Box to the Mini PC. The HDMI cable only fits in one place. If your Mini PC ships with a HDMI adapter, plug into the adapter. The audio cable plugs into the front of the Mini PC audio port closest to the front USB port. There are lots of USB ports on the Mini PC. (For F&F, it's easiest to move the audio cable from the HDMI board to the PC.)

Step 6: If using our Auto Powerbar, you will be plugging the A1up AC adapter into the Master Power port. Plug the Mini PC AC adapter into one of the "green" ports and then you can use the Control Deck power switch. If you are using your own powerbar, plug the Mini PC into that and use the powerbar switch to turn the arcade on and off. NOTE: Auto Powerbar will not work with the Dell 2007fp screen; just use a normal power bar in that case. If using the Pixelcade or LCD Marquee instead of the stock marquee, you will likely need to power the Pixelcade with a Y-splitter off the monitor power.

This same powerbar is used in our Racing Cab PC. You MUST have the marquee turning on with the deck power button and that AC adapter plugged into the White port. Use a Y splitter cable to power the marquee with the same adapter as the Racing Deck.

If you are confused about how the Auto Power works, then this video might help you understand it HERE.

Step 7: Flip the power switch and it should boot up. This video shows the basic controls for our new interface.

Step 8: Ensure Gas Pedal mode is set to Right Trigger. If you are upgrading from a Gaming Box, you will likely need to change modes. On RR/OutRun, hold START and A when you plug in the Encoder Board USB cable. On F&F, hold Y & X. You should feel 2 rumbles. Full details are on our https://cheatsheet.buystuffarcades.com/ page or watch this video: (F&F: http://ffcheatsheet.buystuffarcades.com/)

Step 9: The Settings Menu. Watch this video for all the details. NEW Our current update has added more features to the Settings and Config Menu. Notably, we now have a WIFI connection option in the Settings Menu. It requires plugging in a keyboard, but should be very easy to use.

Step 10: Shut down: Please be sure to shut down the PC properly. On RR/OutRun, you will hit the B Button until the Shutdown menu appears. On F&F, use the COIN Button. After the PC is shutdown, then turn the power switch off. If using our Auto Power bar, you must wait 30 seconds before turning the power switch back on and then the PC will boot back up with your arcade.

Update System: Check for updates regularly. Easiest to plug in Ethernet to update, but if you need to use WIFI, see the WIFI Settings Menu option or if that fails, the #9 Settings video above to configure it.

Networking Configuration: Connecting PCs to our pre-configured Router is best via Ethernet cables. We do not recommend WIFI. You can also connect an ethernet cable from your home router to our Router uplink port (Blue Port) to get internet access on all connected PCs. If you cannot reach an ethernet cable between your home router and our pre-configured router, then a Powerline adapter is a good solution to check out: https://amzn.to/43ABe0E

Follow this video to auto configure the PCs and our Networking Router for up to 4 players.   

LCD Marquee Configuration: To install the LCD Marquee, follow these video instructions precisely:

 

TIPS:

Encoder board adjustments stay adjusted until changed again or the computer is turned off. They are NOT per game adjustments.

1. Deadzone Adjustment - Some games do not have adequate deadzone adjustment built in, so if you find you have to turn the wheel a little too much before the car starts to turn, then use our encoder board Deadzone adjustment. Hold Start + hit Shifter Up. (Or Shifter Down to increase deadzone.)

2. Sensitivity Adjustment: Always adjust Deadzone FIRST. If the vehicle is responding quickly enough, but the steering is too fast or slow to control, then adjust the sensitivity. Hold Start + B + hit Shifter Up to decrease and down to increase Sensitivity.

Trouble shooting:

1. Don't have sound: If you have the audio cable plugged into the front audio port of the mini PC (audio jack closest to the USB port) and the other end plugged into your amp or amped speakers, then you should be hearing sound. Make sure the volume is up - hit X while holding the Shifter Down for digital volume (RR/OutRun only when Config Menu is on). You can try switching the audio cable from the PC to the HDMI board if yours has an audio out port. It's a good idea to test the cable and speakers with another sound device like a phone or laptop. Otherwise, watch the Settings Menu Video above to learn how to turn on the Config Menu and get to the Windows Sound Control panel and see if it is somehow set to the wrong configuration. For F&F sound connection help, you can visit this video.

2. Pedals not correct: Make sure to watch the video above in Step 8. Also consult our cheatsheet.buystuffarcades.com page. In short, Pedal mode must be Right Trigger and Pedals may need to be calibrated.

3. Screen sometimes gets stuck/frozen on the menus: Hit A + B + Coin to regain window focus. Holding down the Coin Button for 3 seconds, or holding down Coin and Start for 6 seconds are two other ways to get back if programs crash or cause problems.

4. I clicked on a Network game and it is now stuck trying to find the other network machine. Try holding Start and Coin for 6 seconds to force quit the program. Avoid Network games if you are not networked to another PC or Gaming Box. We do have an option in the Settings Menu to turn the Network Games List off to avoid that issue.

5. Doesn't turn on when I flip the power switch. First check all the connections are correct. If using our auto powerbar, make sure everything is plugged in the correctly labelled outlets. (See picture above.) The Mini PC is supposed to turn on automatically whenever power is restored. The first thing to check if it's not working properly is to plug the PC into a live outlet and observe if it is powering up. If it is not, then please contact us for assistance. Otherwise, ensure the powerbar is set to "low" and plug everything back in. For the auto powerbar to trigger, there needs to be sufficient amp draw on the main arcade power. The screen and marquee will usually provide enough draw - make sure both are connected. Pixelcades replacing the marquee should be Y-splitter connected to the monitor power. If you are still having trouble, contact us.

6. System boots up but eventually gives an error saying the "J:drive" is not found. Please contact us for assistance.

7. Can not get the button mode to change for the Top Deck. If your encoder board firmware is too old, it may need to be upgraded to have the PC Button move feature. To check, confirm whether you have the Deadzone Adjust feature - Start and Shifter. If not, you need to upgrade your firmware or swap your encoder board. Details for both are here: https://www.buystuffarcades.com/products/rr-outrun-encoder-board-swap

 

Full install video by Billy Woods: