Newbie Info Page

Here's some common questions and answers to them (updated 4/15/13).

Q: I'm interested in finding the PCB/motherboard for the game, XX. What do I need to play it?
A: If the game you want is JAMMA, then you'll need either a JAMMA compatible, full sized arcade cabinet to plug it into, or you'll need what's called a SuperGun. If the game isn't JAMMA, you'll either need a cabinet that is already wired for that game specifically or other games with the same pinout. For instance, you could plug a Jungle King PCB into an Elevator Action cabinet and it will play just fine because the pinouts are the same. Otherwise, you'll have to make an adapter.

Any JAMMA game will plug into any JAMMA cabinet. You only need to pay attention to monitor orientation, and any custom controls (wheels, trackballs, extra buttons, etc.)

I don't sell SuperGuns, cabinets or adapters.

Q: Where can I get a JAMMA cabinet.
A: Look in your phone book under Amusement Devices, or browse the newsgroup rec.game.video.arcade.collecting, rec.games.video.arcade.marketplace, check eBay's Arcade category, KLOV's forums or better yet, build your own arcade cabinet!! (click here)!

Q: Where can I get a Super Gun?
A: You can build your own.
If you don't want to build your own, you can buy a pre-made one, but that's less fun. Great Western Trading has a SuperGun. www.gwtrading.com.

Q: How can I hook up a JAMMA board to my T.V.?
A: The Super Gun above will output to a TV. If you're handy with soldering and wiring, and want to roll your own, James Rowan sells a VERY nice RGB->composite/s-video scan converter for $75. The image quality is much nicer than most others and it is compatible with more games. www.jrok.com. If you are lucky enough to be living in a part of the world where you have a "SCART" connector on your TV, you're in business. You can connect arcade games right up to that with no special hardware other than the right connector.

Q: I've seen references to SF2's board as "JAMMA+". Is this just notation, or a different standard than "JAMMA"?
A: The "+" means it's JAMMA, but there's something extra. In this case, it's an extra connector for the extra buttons that Street Fighter 2 uses. Standard JAMMA is one stick and three buttons per player. You can still plug in any JAMMA game into a Street Fighter 2 cabinet, and the extra buttons will do nothing. If you plug a Street Fighter 2 PCB into a standard JAMMA cabinet, you won't be able to kick, since there will be no buttons for kicking. Smash TV would be another JAMMA+ game. Instead of buttons to fire, it uses another joystick for firing. If you plug a Smash TV PCB into a JAMMA cabinet, you could play, but you'd only be able to fire in three directions, and you could possibly crash the game by telling it to fire in opposite directions at the same time.

Q: How does "monitor orientation" affect which boards I could insert, if at all?
A: If you plug a Vertical game into a Horizontal cabinet, the picture will be sideways. You can easily tell what kind of monitor you have in your cabinet just by looking at it. If the monitor is wider than it is tall, it's Horizontal. If it's taller than it is wide, it's Vertical. TV's are horizontal, so if you want to play vertical games on your TV, you have to turn your TV sideways. Some TV's don't like having this done, and their colors will go all wonky. If this happens, just turn the TV back and it'll get better after a few minutes. Try a different TV.

Q: How do I convert XX game to Jamma.
A: Check out http://arcarc.xmission.com/ for some good info. I've also heard that this site sells jamma adapters for certain games. I've never bought one. Again, I'm not affiliated in any way.

Q: Who else do you know that sells arcade stuff?
A: I've dealt with a ton of great people who also buy, sell and trade games and PCB's. Check out my links page in the points of interest below.


Did I leave out any questions that are burning in your mind?
email me: [email protected].

Other points of interest:
• Stuff for sale
• Stuff I'm looking for
• My collection
• Screen shots of arcade games
• Classic Arcade Game Artwork (CAGA)
• The Dead Battery Society
• Random information I've gathered
• link page

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