Noob questions on arcade cabinet and PCBs

[gundamalpha]

I'm about to get an arcade cabinet with tate'd screen. I've done my research on all those issues relating to it but there are still some questions unanswered, here they are:

1. So can I play all JAMMA games (specifically vert shmups) without problem?
2. Do I need special something to play Naomi games?
3. How to determine whether a PCB is real instead of bootleg?
4. How hard is it to add buttons to the cabinet if it only have 2 holes by default?
5. What would be your choice, tate'd or normal screen, if you can only have one?

Thanks.

[Ed Oscuro]

1. So can I play all JAMMA games (specifically vert shmups) without problem?

I dunno, can you? That's something you should be able to answer (with some exceptions of slightly incompatible JAMMA boards!) by looking at the specifications of the system. It should have JAMMA harness and the correct type of monitor!

2. Do I need special something to play Naomi games?

Another incomplete smart-aleck answer: You need a Naomi system, what else I don't know.

3. How to determine whether a PCB is real instead of bootleg?

4. How hard is it to add buttons to the cabinet if it only have 2 holes by default?

Hard if you can only use your hands and a pickup truck!

5. What would be your choice, tate'd or normal screen, if you can only have one?

Do you like to play your vertical games sideways? If you want to play horizontal format games, you probably want another cabinet. If you want to play medium or high resolution games (medium = Sega System 24, high = newer yet still)

[Alien Soldier]

I'm about to get an arcade cabinet with tate'd screen. I've done my research on all those issues relating to it but there are still some questions unanswered, here they are:

1. So can I play all JAMMA games (specifically vert shmups) without problem?
2. Do I need special something to play Naomi games?
3. How to determine whether a PCB is real instead of bootleg?
4. How hard is it to add buttons to the cabinet if it only have 2 holes by default?
5. What would be your choice, tate'd or normal screen, if you can only have one?

Thanks.

1- Yes as long as your cab is working fine of course.There's a lot of adapter for non-JAMMA games also.
2- If you want to best image possible, you'll want a tri sync monitor for VGA input but the Naomi can output RGB 15 khz also which is compatible with old monitors so it's your choice. You'll also need a IO board if your cab isn't JVS (Capcom IO are the best).
3- Well, the best way is to ask pics of the boards you want. Check the chips, the eproms and the boards closely and search for original logos and stickers on the eproms, etc... Check for solder trace too because you'll find a lot of conversion on ebay. Do a research and compare the pics.
4. It's always depending of your skills, the material and the tools you'll use. It's very easy with the poper tools and skills imo.
5. Tate but you can change the screen orientation depending of the cab you'll get.

[jonny5]

without being silly...shame on you ed

or using more big words to confuse you further

1. you will be able to play most jamma games depending on the power supply and what kind of jamma harness(the thing that connects to the PCB) you have...some are set up for neo geo and other jamma variations...also some PCB's have weird sync rates so depending on your power supply and monitor some stuff might not work but depending on the monitor you will only be able to play lo-res 15 khz games.......which is most shmups other than naomi and such
2. you will need this: http://www.system16.com/hardware.php?id=800 and game cartridges/discs
3. you can check for images and specs here: http://www.klov.com/ if you are unsure of a games authenticity ask the forum
4. well adding the holes for the buttons is relatively easy depending on what the control panel is made of...but you will then have to wire it into the jamma harness.....which is not so easy if you arent good with electrical stuff...also the 2 button thing has me worried that this might not be an actual jamma cab.....as jamma standard is 3 button....but could also be jamma but just wired for 2 button.....you will want at least 3 because a lot of games need 3 buttons
5. depending on the cab you are getting you can switch it back and forth, providing you have a power supply with a degauss circuit and the cab allows for rotating the monitor(most japanese cabs do)

now from the 2 button comment and such i am guessing you are getting an old wooden cab.......i would highly recommend looking for some japanese cab.....much easier to rotate the monitor in most cabs, generally much larger screens, while the cab itself considerably smaller(average height is 5 feet at the top)and they are way more attractive.....and often are in better shape internally...they are meant to be sat at which is much better for playing shmups

do a google image search for 'candy cabs' or check out this thread:

http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?t=18550

this is definitley more of a killercabs question, but the website is gone so this will have to do for now

hope this makes things a bit clearer for you now

[dpful]

1. (assuming the hardware's all proper) No, almost all games come with a screen reverse switch, but some don't, so the screen may be upside down -have to reverse the monitor. It seems that most U.S games have one direction default, and most Japanese have the opposite. (is that true?)

2. Naomi is cart+mobo+jamma interface (if using jamma cab), or all that plus gdrom drive, cables, maybe independent power supply, and dimm board for disk games. I think naomi looks fine on a low res monitor.

3. Either extra huge board with extra small chips + no jamma key or further research and still?? Doesn't matter unless you want to resell it or the boot is bad quality.

4. Easy to add buttons to a cab. Drill hole (need proper tools), solder or crimp button and ground wires (easy wiring), perhaps add wires 3 or 4 directly to the jamma harness if missing. Super easy if you have a nice drill and bit.
The wiring is nothing.

5. For shmups, probably vert. For general collecting, probably hori since there's so many cheap games you'll want- neo geo, old stuff, etc. and by the numbers, you'd probably end up with more hori games. Depends on how big and heavy the monitor is, but I've had lots of older 19" cabs that I would just rotate every once and awhile- it's never impossible with that size.

[kemical]

I'm about to get an arcade cabinet with tate'd screen. I've done my research on all those issues relating to it but there are still some questions unanswered, here they are:

1. So can I play all JAMMA games (specifically vert shmups) without problem?
2. Do I need special something to play Naomi games?
3. How to determine whether a PCB is real instead of bootleg?
4. How hard is it to add buttons to the cabinet if it only have 2 holes by default?
5. What would be your choice, tate'd or normal screen, if you can only have one?

Thanks.

Congrats on the cab.. you can play all jamma games with no problem! You may just need some 5v adjustment requiring a screwdriver, but it is probably already set to a nice tuning.

Keep it vertical IMO....... I've rotated the screens in old wood cabinets before, it isn't difficult but it sure isn't convenient either.


As for bootleg PCB's, I wouldn't worry about it unless you are spending an amount of money that doesn't feel "cheap" to you, but that is just my opinion. Bootlegs tend to look shoddy though, but then again any dirty PCB can look pretty crummy and odd..


Is your cabinet control panel wood? There may already be holes drilled and hiding under the overlay, you can check by looking inside the cabinet, especially if the control panel flips outward. Really though, you can simply use a dremel...

[gundamalpha]

Thanks guys. Yes, I'll be getting an old cab from a local amusement center. I've searching for one for years but no such luck, so I'd be happy just for this. The cabinet usually had games like Raiden, Strikers 1945 and Dodonpachi to play, so I'm pretty sure it's JAMMA compatible. I'm just worried if anything were to happen since I've no idea how to fix anything there and compatibility issues on newer mobos. I'll just give it a try and I'll be very happy if someone could help me out if I run into trouble. Thanks