Dance MANIAX UpdatE

If you found this page you must be interested in installing the Dance Maniax Update into your arcade cabinet. This version of the game is fan created to run on Windows and has many more songs than the official releases. This page will continue to be updated as more people install the game and report any troubleshooting experience.

Let’s review what components make the game work in an original arcade cabinet:

1. PC with AMD graphics card

2. JPAC (link)

3. Lighting PCB (link)

Configure the computer

Prepare the computer

The least expensive way to upgrade a cabinet is to use an old Dell Optiplex. Purchasing used systems can include a valid Windows 7 key sticker on the case. It should possible to configure the system using Windows 10, but has not been tested at this time.

There are many helpful resources for preparing a computer to be installed in an arcade cabinet. Andy at Death By Audio Arcade posted a comprehensive guide for Windows 10 (link).

Pro Tip: Before moving the computer to the arcade cabinet enable (and test!) Remote Desktop. This will save a lot of time when configuring the display as you will be able to manage the computer even if nothing is displayed.

Outputting to CRT

To output to the CRT an AMD graphics card will be needed. We will be using CRT Emudriver 2.0 for this. At the time of writing this the forum the instructions were hosted on appears to be down.. thankfully the Wayback Machine has the page archived and the links are posted below.

The Psychic Drive DMX cabinet has an HD 6450 which can be found for under $30, be sure to look for one that includes the optional VGA adapter cable. Listings without this cable often do not have the headers installed for it. If you do not wish to buy used here is the cheapest similar model on Newegg (link).

If you wish to use a newer AMD card than listed below additional research will be required, do not use the download link below if not using the listed cards below. Disclaimer: not every card has been tested with Dance Maniax Update.

Supported AMD GPU Series:

HD 5000, HD 6000, HD 7000-7600, HD 8000-8400, R5 235X, R5 235, R5 230, R5 220

Instruction link: Installing CRT Emudriver 2.0

Google Drive link: CRT Emudriver 2.0

Note: Please follow the instructions exactly, the game will not launch if the desktop is not set to 640x480 via EDID.

Installing the game

The code for the update can be found here: GitHub

The original post has very detailed instructions to install the game. The steps for making the game output to CRT have changed as graphics card hardware has evolved.

Here is a link to the Note on Facebook with the installation instructions: Dance Maniax Update

Note: For fullscreen go into your Dance Maniax Update folder, and find the item that says "fullscreen.option" - click on that, rename it, remove the .option (period option) so it just says "fullscreen".

Note: If you have issues with the computer showing notifications or interrupting the game there was an update to solve this. Create a blank file named "nominimize" in the root folder.

Installing the JPAC

For game input we will be using the JPAC. The JPAC connects to the USB port of your computer and to the JAMMA harness inside the cabinet. Pay attention to the orientation of your JAMMA harness.

Download and install the software: JPAC Product Page

Refer to the guide to configure the button mappings.

Note: The sensors will not work unless your 5V power supply is working. This is documented in the guide as well but you may need to install jumper wire between segments of the JAMMA harness to complete the circuit.

Note: Button 5 for each player requires use of the screw terminals on the JPAC, this is documented in the guide but for reference they are Player 1 pin 26 and Player 2 pin AD.

Installing the Light PCb

The Light PCB connects to the 5 JST cables without any modification to your cabinet. All 3 orb light cables have 10 pin connectors and the PCB is labelled to match: Red, White, and Orange. The tab on the JST connector should be lined up with the text. The remaining 2 cables are different sizes and are labeled for Menu and Spotlights.

Every Light PCB will be tested in the Psychic Drive DMX cabinet before shipping. Because of this the Arduino Mega will arrive preprogrammed, simply connect it to your computer via the provided USB cable.

Link to the Arduino Mega code: Light PCB Sketch

Download and install the Arduino software: Arduino IDE

Confirm that the Arduino Mega is present in Device Manager.

Launch the game! During the startup sequence the game automatically checks for the Light PCB and JPAC.

Note: The lights use the 12v power supply in your cabinet. The Light PCB only sends the signal to turn them off or on.