P2:44 Error?

[DarkStar]

This weekend I'm going to be looking to buy a DDR Extreme machine that is supposedly hardware-complete, however boots to a "P2:44" error of some sort.

I'm curious if anyone knows off-hand what the "P2:44" error indicates? If the machine is complete otherwise, the price is definitely still right for me to still get it.

In regards to bootlegs (which I'm sure this one is), if it is a single-disc install - what is the typical procedure to do a reinstall? Are there any good resources for "replacement" discs?

[Merk]

Congrats, on the (potential) purchase!

For a single disc install you will have to physically toggle on DIP4 on the motherboard (the "573" system as it's generally called) itself. If you take the board out and look at it you will see that there is DIP switch bank near one of the edges of the board. I believe on a 573 it will look like a blue rectangle with tiny switches coming off of it that you can turn off and on. Each switch should be labeled 1, 2, 3, 4 and you will want to turn on the DIP switch labeled #4.

After you do that you just turn the game on and it will go into the install process and you'll install the game. The actually play the game you'll need to toggle DIP4 back off after the install process.


The 573 system will look like this:




As for the P2:44 error -- a quick Google search tells me that that error is related to Playstation 2 hardware (otherwise known as Python2 hardware in the arcade world) which is what DDR ran off of AFTER Extreme came out. Do you have an eBay link or a Craiglist post we can look at to help determine if everything is legit with this machine? Based off of that error that tells me that this machine might be a shitty Namco cabinet that's running a hacked version of Extreme USA or something.


If your intention is to gut this cabinet and put a PC inside of it to play Stepmania then the boot problem is sort of moot but if you're planning on playing official mixes then it will be a good idea to make sure to check what hardware you're actually getting with this cabinet.

[DarkStar]

Thanks for the info! Unfortunately the seller is out of town until the weekend and didn't have a picture of the main system, so I get to see it myself and make a decision to buy then.

I was suspecting it might be Python2 as well when searching for that error... I've heard of the crappy Namco cabinets before, however as far as I'm aware I've never come across one "in-the-wild" before. I'll tread carefully since my intent is to eventually run off of original hardware, but setting up a Stepmania PC isn't out of the question.

[Merk]

You're very welcome.

If push comes to shove you can always buy a 573 and get your hands on a proper DDR Extreme arcade disc (bootleg or otherwise). If you check it out and it is a Namco cabinet then the I'd advise to stay away from buying it since they are kind of junk. The telltale sign of a Namco cabinet is the new arrow design they used:

[Ho]

Namco arcades used those arrows as replacements in genuine Konami DDR cabinets also, so they alone are not a telltale sign of anything. I've never seen one in person, but the pictures of the Namco "crapocabs" that I've seen have had arrows that look more like the Konami originals than the ones you pictured.

I think the monitor bezel design and the decals around the player start buttons are more telling. Also, the marquee and marquee speakers and lights are different...though those are more subtle and not as easy to spot at a glance. The picture you posted looks reasonably like a "genuine" Konami cabinet to me from what little I can see. I'd need to see more of the cabinet to tell for sure.

I couldn't find a picture in a quick search, but here's some video of one of the Namco cabs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKWmBfNerNo

Note the different design around the monitor--especially around the player start buttons. Also note that the arrow panels look relatively "normal".

[Ho]

Here's a second video of the same machine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwd-64l8X80

It's displaying P2:44 on the screen. I have the Python (PS2-based) official hardware running SuperNOVA2 at home. I have never seen an error like this nor ever heard of anyone with this hardware getting it. I'm going to guess that whatever you're looking at is one of these bootleg Namco cabinets. (As far as I know, Namco didn't make these cabinets, they just happened to have bought a bunch of them, so they were seen in Namco arcades.)

[Ho]

In that guy's third video, he actually plays the game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx2xJqtExMk

You can see him coin up the machine and the credit display is in that same huge, blocky font. Again, I've never actually seen one of these machines myself, but all signs point to the machine you're looking at being one of those.

[DarkStar]

This is excellent info, thank you!

I'll definitely keep a lookout for the indications that it's one of these cabs and offer accordingly. As you all suspect, it probably is a Namco cab, so I'll be sure to check the dance platform out in particular as I can always replace the guts in the main cab. I've previously restored a Ms. Pac-Man and I do a lot of electronics engineering, so I'm primarily looking for something more mechanically sound than anything else.

He does state the monitor is functional, if so, that alone is worth quite a bit to me (well, even broken it's still worth a lot since I can usually repair them without much trouble).

I'll take some pictures and let you know what I find out this weekend.

[MonMotha]

Having actually played on a "crap-o-cab" (the ones that Namco had a bunch of, but, to my knowledge, had no real hand in the design of - apparently they got duped into thinking they were real Konami machines), they are TERRIBLE. Barely worth their materials as firewood. You don't want one of them.

Namco also has/had a bunch of real cabinets (mix of Japanese and Korean) that they continually upgraded. They also replaced, even if not broken, most of the arrow panels with those flat colored replacements for reasons I still can't comprehend. Those generally work fine and will have real guts in them.

If you can get a picture of the machine in question, I can tell you immediately if it's a crap-o-cab. They have numerous distinguishing features, but it's hard to communicate all of them. It is, after all, a knock-off clone.

[Ho]

Out of curiosity, would you rate the crapocab better or worse than a US DDR X?

[MonMotha]

The crap-o-cab is decidedly worse. The US DDR X can at least be "played" casually. The crap-o-cabs tend to just flat out stop responding or stick if you do much of anything with them, requiring a stage teardown. Even when working, they're way more finicky than an original US DDR X, let alone one with the "stage upgrades" which were almost universally deployed. The audio was terrible, the monitor was jank, the software was buggy, the lights were a joke, the cabinet (and stage) materials were cheap, and the cabinet artwork was every bit what I'd expect from a cheap bootleg (looks vaguely similar but missing all detail and flair).

[MonMotha]

The 573 system will look like this:

Just FYI, that's actually a DMX 573, not DDR.

Machine P/N 874, extra lights connectors, and no flash card.

[Ho]

If:

a) The cabinet you have been looking at is indeed a Namco "crapocab," and
b) You haven't already bought it

You should consider this one:
http://www.indyddr.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=4272

I don't know anything about the condition of that machine. But, assuming it doesn't have any serious issues (i.e. bad monitor), it is probably worth having over a crapocab in any condition at any price. Obviously, if you do have interest, you should contact the seller and inquire into more specifics. I'm sure you can ask here about what kind of specifics you could ask if that's what you decide to do.

[Merk]

Happy birthday, DarkStar! May you watch a shit load of Tenchi Muyo today.