Questions regarding DDR cabinets, upgrading & downgrading, etc.

For a while now I've been interested in getting my own DDR cabinet. I have nowhere near the amount of money to get one, but for when I do I want to establish a whole game plan as to how I will approach said investment. I have many doubts that I want to clear up so that once I can buy a cabinet I know exactly what to do. I also want this to be the go-to thread for anyone planning to make a DDR cabinet purchase with any doubts of their own, so I'll list any doubts someone else might have as well. Then I'll edit this post with the answers. Here goes:

True or false: SuperNOVA and SN2 cabinets cannot be downgraded to EXTREME or lower, due to the hardware for older games not fitting in the newer cabinets? If not, what exactly do you need to upgrade an EXTREME cabinet to SuperNOVA 2 and X3 vs. 2ndMIX, and downgrade to 4thMIX PLUS? Am I better off starting off with a 4thMIX PLUS cabinet and upgrading to EXTREME, then SuperNOVA2, then X3 vs 2ndMIX? These are the main games I want my cabinet to run before moving on to any other games.

The idea is to have one game per type of hardware. 4thMIX PLUS for Bemani System 573 Analog, EXTREME for Bemani System 573 Digital, SuperNOVA2 for Bemani Python 2, and X3 vs. 2ndMIX for Bemani PC Type 4. Once I've gotten these I would be able to purchase any DDR game for my cabinet with no need for extra hardware, excluding Dancing Stage Fusion, correct?

In order to have the different types of hardware, would I have to buy conversion kits for both hardware and game, and upgrade kits for just games?

What is included with each game anyways? I'm assuming it is a disc and a cartridge, or do they come with a hard drive too?

Would it be easy to switch between in the groove 2 and StepMania to any other DDR game, or is it too much of a hassle to even bother with?

One last thing, please don't recommend that I just settle for StepMania, because I obviously do not want just that.

I'd also want my cabinet to have a flat-screen. Would this one work as a replacement? http://shop.xgaming.com/products/27-29-inch-makvision-crt-arcade-monitor

If you actually read all this, thanks in advance.

tl;dr: How do I get a DDR cabinet that can play any standard DDR game you throw at it, and how do I switch between those games?

you can't downgrade in the japanese Supernova2 cabinets to System 573 series mainboards due to connector issues. In DDR(1st) cabinets, is possible.

OBJECTION!!!
Japanese DDR Supernova onwards req. e-Amusement card readers. If you upgrade and downgrade any DDR(1st) cabinet, too need PS1 card readers.

System 573 series: 1 or 2 CDs and 1 catridge per game.
Bemani Phyton 2: 1 DVD (2 in US Supernova game), due to HDD included in this mainboard.
Bemani PC: obtains with a HDD.

depends on plugs.

No, too you can use a LCD monitor, but beware if is on Widescreen.

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I suggest taking a look at http://www.ddrfreak.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=79442 for useful information regarding a DDR machine. Downgrading a 573 requires a security lockout chip, but is very much possible.

The System 573 Analog only works with 1st Mix, 2nd, Club Mix, Link versions, etc.
You can take a look at what games work on the System 573 Analog here: http://www.system16.com/hardware.php?id=822
Here's a list of the games that work on the System 573 Digital: http://www.system16.com/hardware.php?id=823

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So if I buy an upgrade kit that would require the hardware be replaced, ie: Upgrading from EXTREME to SuperNOVA, will the upgrade kit come with the hardware I need? (Bemani Python 2) What if I just want SuperNOVA2 and want to skip SuperNOVA, will that one come with the hardware too, or will they just assume I'm upgrading SN1 and just include the game itself with no hardware?

Also, I was under the impression that System 573 Analog was the one that ran pre-5thMIX games, and Digital was for MAX-EXTREME. That was a mistake, and I don't want to play any of the Analog games.

You'd be more likely to find a board with SuperNOVA than SuperNOVA2 secondhand. As far as I'm aware, SN2 was never sold new with the board only, so you would have to find an upgrade kit with a CD and security dongle. Most of the SN2 listings I've seen (on eBay, at least) are in upgraded SN1 cabinets (i.e. with SN1 artwork on the side). As VR0 said, you can't downgrade those cabinets to Extreme, mainly due to the pad hardware being different from the old cabinets.

If you're looking for Python hardware before anything else, see if the board has the "EXT-IO" with it. It's not required for SN1/2 to work, but the sensor check and the lights won't work. The EXT-IO is necessary to use with a Bemani PC.

I wouldn't go with an LCD, Just go for a Normal CRT. Trust me.

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Yeah why get a new larger monitor with less glare and easier connections because it may add 1 frame of visual lag when you can get an obsolete energy hog monitor that weighs 10x more with worse picture quality and less visual lag.

A good LCD monitor is way better than a CRT IMHO, and if you look at all the new dance games they are all made on LCD's.

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It's really only because the games were made with those screens in mind, and most LCD's are widescreen, so in the end you will be getting a smaller widescreen display so that it will fit in the machine, all for a distorted 4:3 image that gets stretched wide to fit the 16:9 display. The only reason I'd use anything other than a CRT, specifically trisync, is if it were the same size and shape as the original monitor used onm the cabinet, which I cannot find.

Speaking of which, why exactly can't this screen be used?http://shop.xgaming.com/products/27-29-inch-makvision-crt-arcade-monitor
It's supposed to be a flat screen replacement for arcade monitors.

LCD > CRT. No amount of nostalgia or 'authenticity' will change that.

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Well it is the OP's machine and he should decide what he wants in his machine.

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If he "should decide what he wants" he wouldn't be asking for help on what he should get. And I was answering the question about the flatscreen CRT. LCDs have much higher picture quality than a CRT. Not prepared for an answer, don't ask the question.

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I will give an internet cookie to anyone who can find me a 29 inch 4:3 shaped LCD/LED display that can be used on a cabinet that originally used a Tri-Sync display.

http://shop.xgaming.com/products/wells-gardner-27-lcd-arcade-monitor-9000-series

First Google search gave a 27-inch. Give it a look-over.

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I'm asking whether I CAN use that display I linked, not whether I SHOULD. I really don't want to use a widescreen display for a game that runs in 4:3 aspect ratio, and the display you linked is widescreen and is for upright games like Pac-Man and whatnot. That's why I'm asking about that particular display that I linked. Really I just want a flat, 29 inch 4:3 display, and I can't find an LCD like that anywhere.

About the display you linked? As long as it supports running at 15kHz, I'd assume it's fine.

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There are tons of 4:3 LCD monitors at my local goodwill, but not 29". I'm sure you can find one but AFAIK everyone dropped 4:3 for widescreen and ultra-widescreens so you'll probably need to check e-bay or goodwill shops.

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