Anyone here collect Arcade Machines or Pinball?

[twistedsymphony]

Originally Posted by KnightOfTruth

...The only major decision I've yet to finalize regarding the CP is whether I want to emulate N64 on it with the arcade controls (as I'm sure you may know this typically requires extra buttons) or just use the interface panel that I'll have on the front to plug in some n64 controllers and leave it strictly playable via that. (still haven't finished the front-end side of showing which CP layouts to be used yet for the n64 emulator). If I stick with the "controller only" option it should free up some space to let me either shrink the panel slightly or give a bit more room for arms and elbows and all that Just haven't resolved yet whether anyone would actually want to play N64 games with arcade controls or not...

I feel the thing about arcade machine is the experience of playing on hardware that is 100% dedicated in every way shape or form to playing a specific game and only that game. With this in mind when I consider MAME or Multi-cade setups I think about where the line needs to be drawn before you've lost that "dedicated" feel.

For instance I'm currently building a Fit It Felix Jr cabinet that will also be a MAME cabinet, Fix it Felix Jr has a 4-way ball top, 2 action buttons and 2 start buttons as well as a Vertical 19" CRT Arcade monitor, so that is 100% of what the controls will be, nothing extra, nothing more. When I put games into MAME I'm only loading on games that work within that control scheme (eg: Donkey Kong, Galaxian, Pac Man, etc.) Basically ONLY games designed for a vertical monitor, 2 or 4 way joystick, 1 player at a time, and 0-2 action buttons.

It might seem limiting but there are still 100s of classic games that fit within that setup, and the experience of playing them will still be very close if not exactly like playing them on an original, dedicated, machine.

As for the N64 ports... personally, I would avoid adding ports for normal controllers, I don't see people wanting to stand up in front of the machine holding a controller playing, especially when they could just as easily be playing on a larger TV while sitting on a comfy couch just a short distance away. I guess I don't really get the idea of playing console style games on an arcade cabinet.

Originally Posted by kittychloe

So I managed to pick up a jamma machine for $206 After I figure out how to get it here...

It has a coin op that isn't hooked up so I need to know how to do that

Some terms...
The "coin door" is the door that holds all of the parts related to accepting currency. The "coin slot" is where you put your money,
it rolls down a "coin chute" and drops into the "coin mechanism" (or "coin mech") which is what validates whether the coin will drop past the "coin switch" into the "coin box" or get rejected into the "coin return"

So I'm suspecting that the coin switch isn't hooked up... that's super easy, it's just a ground wire and a signal wire, just like any button that the player uses on the control panel. For home use this probably isn't even necessary as most games can be setup for "free play" so no coins needed.

Originally Posted by kittychloe

I also need a new jamma card as the current one is http://www.twobits.com/60/
I plan to install something more fun like a brawler or fighter

Those "X in 1" JAMMA PCBs blow, they're basically just a cheap computer running MAME, and most of them don't receive any substantial testing so they run like dog poo...

"JAMMA" stands for "Japanese Arcade Machine Manufacturers Association" and it's basically just the name of the connector that plugs into the PCB ("Printed Circuit Board" aka the "game board"/brains/etc.) The connector is just a standard shape and pin layout and covers "everything" the PCB needs, so it's just 1 connector




This came about because early on every game would use different style connectors so you had to re-wire the whole machine if you wanted to put a different game in it... with JAMMA all the arcade companies got together and agreed on a standard way to do things so that you could easily swap games.

Because it came about in the mid-80s there are Some draw backs due to short-slightness:
1. it only supports up to 1 speaker (aka Mono audio)
2. it only supports up to 2 players
3. it only supports up to 3 action buttons per player
4. it doesn't support light guns or steering wheels or other non-standard controls)

Because of this games that require more buttons or more speakers or other style controls will often have extra connectors IN ADDITION to the JAMMA connector to handle that stuff.

So, for instance Most 6 button fighters use an extra connector called a "JAMMA+" connector or a "Kick Harness" which adds the 6 extra kick buttons necessary for both players.

The best setup is to buy a real arcade JAMMA PCB and just plug it in and enjoy it... they do make "JAMMA Switchers" for people who want to run multiple JAMMA boards on a single cabinet without having to swap them out all the time.

If you do decide to go the MAME route, then I would recommend buying a J-PAC and hooking it up to a PC running HypeSpin as your interface.

Originally Posted by kittychloe

The last 2 issues though might be harder

First the screen has on and off blurring issues, I assume a loose cable
The second is that it was built with a three stick set up, I'm not sure if it better to leave one set covered or get a new plate and install a 4th stick and buttons

blurring issues are most likely due to a failing "flyback" this is the big black component on the "monitor chassis" (this is the name for the monitor's circuit board) with the big thick wire that attaches to the tube. If you have some basic soldering skills a new one usually costs about $30-$40 (USD). It's probably also a good idea to "cap the monitor" or "do a cap kit" this basically means desoldering all of the capacitors (the little metal cylinder things) and soldering on new ones... a lot of people sell "cap kits" that include all the parts you need for about $10-$15 (though you'll need to figure out which make and model your monitor is so you order the right kit). Basically capacitors wear out, they'll get bloated and start to leak and generally don't work so well after a while.

I cap the monitor on everyone of my arcade machines "whether they need it or not"... if it's more than 10 or 15 years old, it's probably due.

If all of this seems too much for you there are a number of people who do CRT Chassis rebuilds and repairs for around $75-$150 depending on the monitor that that usually includes all parts and return shipping. A quick search turned this up for Australia: http://www.jomac.net.au/mon.htm

Originally Posted by kittychloe

Also I know nothing about jamma boards and this one has a vertical alignment, would this mean the monitor is locked to vertical cards or can I just put a horizontal card in adjust something to play properly?

Some games use vertical monitors usually classics like Donkey, Kong, Space Invaders, Pac Man etc are all designed to work on a vertical monitor. The only modern games that still use that layout are SHUMPS like Ikaruga or Espagaulda

Generally rotating the monitor is pretty simple but it varies from cabinet to cabinet. You'll need to take the glass off in front of the monitor, and there are probably 4 big bolts holding the monitor frame to the cabinet... unbolt these, pull the monitor out, rotate it, and put it back in. get someone to help you though... those monitors are heavy as hell.