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Thread: New Arcade Cabinet project Jamma?

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    Default New Arcade Cabinet project Jamma?

    Hi,

    I recently bought a new second hand cabinet with the intention to run a pc and mame (as I've done this before)

    Now that I've got the cabinet home it looks like it is fully setup for JAMMA (photo here: ). I know very little about JAMMA but from my limited reading I'm wondering whether it is as easy as buying a pandora box with jamma and plugging it in??

    I feel like I'm oversimplifying it but i don't want to be ripping out everything that is assumed working for the JAMMA setup if it is this simple?

    I have lots more questions like:
    it has a pc power supply with standard plug already, assuming it could run the pandora jamma box?
    What pandora jamma boxes do people recommend?
    is there anyway i could test the current setup without buying the box?

    if it isn't this simple what would be the process to get something working with the current jamma setup?


    thanks in advance for any help!
    Last edited by metallima; 01-01-21 at 10:42 PM.



Look Here ->
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    Yeah, looks like a JAMMA setup, lots of options out there ...ie;

    With these cabinets, often the display unit can be the hurdle ~ what have you got there? CRT or has it already been converted?

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    thanks for the quick reply!
    yes CRT - not sure if it is the original as i was told it had been serviced. here are some photos of the cab







    So in theory i could literally plug one of these jamma boards in and i'd be good to go? I'm also looking at options to hook up a Pi which im leaning towards now!

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    connecting the PI to a jamma


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    Here I was thinking you might end up having to fight with a near 40yo CRT vdu... and it turns out I didn't know the chinese were making knockoffs =)



    Sticker doesn't belong there, what's the website address it's covering? If whoever is still around, they might have some specs for the unit (could be useful)

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    yep sorry, the sticker definitely doesn't belong there! It fell off the crt during the move so i just placed it there.
    the website it is covering is retrocade.com.au which doesnt exist anymore, but i was thinking the same thing as would have been good to know what it had originally!

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    Do you happen to know if the VDU is functional? I always get a gut feeling when I see a cabinet like this, minus the game controller board, that the display has failed, and that's why you see them like this.

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    Jomac.com.au is the guru on all things arcade related.

    Sent from my VOG-L09 using Tapatalk

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    Honestly i dont. If plugged in it powers up, looks like it will work but i dont think ill know until i try and output something to the monitor. Wish there was an easy way to test!

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    Ok so ive been tracing the wires from the jamma harness and am getting my head around what i need to do...but one thing still confuses me.
    The previous person wired the input power to the jamma harness (12v and 5v) to a molex plug then plugged it into a coin mech setup. Pictures are attached.





    It also looks like the 5v terminates and only the 12v is used.

    Im assuming that given it has a seperate atx power supply the atx supply powered a board that was connected to the jamma harness which in turn meant there was power on the 12v rail? Is that right? I would have thought the jamma 12v pin was power in only?
    Am i right in thinking i should just disconnect the molex and wire it to a jamma power supply?
    Given the setup i can just use the button and won't use the coin mech?
    So confused as to why this is the way it is!?

    Thanks!!

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    That seems correct...coin slot mechs tend to only use 12v, jamma board uses both 5v & 12v rails

    I meant to ask if you'd sussed out the ?why? of the two PSU setups being there...wassat transformer in the corner? 240vac > 120vac step-down? Is the jamma power brick 110vac/60hz in only? Is it dead, Jim? =)

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    Thanks for the reply Jim!!
    I get that the coin mech is 12v only. The thing im confused with is that the 12v from the mech goes directly to the input pin (pin 6) of the jamma harness? Ie...this is where i expect that the 12v from the power supply would be going to pin 6?
    Maybe pin 6 is input and output power?

    Nope, still no idea about why the 2 power supplies!! Im assuming some sort of board that needed power from the atx was plugged in but wish i knew.

    The transformer in the corner has power running into it and then outputting to the crt so im assuming yes a stepdown.

    Ill have a look at the jamma power supply, im hoping its not dead as im intending to reuse it to wire back to jamma standard once i can get my head around the power going to the coin mech!!
    Thanks!!!

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    Quote Originally Posted by metallima View Post
    Thanks for the reply Jim!!

    LOL!...my name isn't Jim =) My words were a joking reference back to the original StarTrek series...




    I think you're merely confusing the 12volt power supply rail, as an 'input' ...which it is, but in power supply parlance it's a 'common rail connection point' on the jamma board...





    You can see on the left of the connector here, the +5(red), +12(yellow), and ground(gray) from the ATX power supply are all commoned - whoever's just used this as a distribution point to feed 12v to the coin mech, no surprises or errors here.

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    haha sorry mate! I should have picked up the 'Bones' Star Trek reference!!!!

    OK i think you are right, I am getting caught up on the supply rail as being an input only. It makes sense that if it isnt just input that i can use it.

    I thought I'd modify the diagram to what it currently is - and what i am proposing to do and would love to know anyone sees any issues before i do it!
    So currently it is this:


    Note that the Jamma harness is getting no power from anywhere and the existing Molex plug with one (thicker) ground goes to the coin mech.

    What i am intending on doing is this:


    I would use the existing wired molex plug (with the one ground) to connect to the PC Powersupply already in the cabinet via a molex to sata converter - this would power the jamma harness.

    I would run a a separate molex plug (again converted from sata connection on power supply) to the coin mech for power. The coin mech is already connected to the pins needed on the jamma board to register the coin.

    Once I've done this i plan to plug in a Pandora DX arcade board and hope it all works!!!

    Appreciate a heads up if there is any blaring problems!!!

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    Ummm .. how was the ATX supply connected into things originally?

    If you just need/want free play and not paid play, you can toggle the coin slot signal off in the pandora

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    This is the problem, i have no idea how the atx power supply was connected. I bought the cabinet and whilst the power supply is bolted into the cabinet not plugged into anything.

    Im guessing it had some sort of game board that was powered directly by atx power supply but only guessing

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    Quote Originally Posted by metallima View Post
    This is the problem, i have no idea how the atx power supply was connected. I bought the cabinet and whilst the power supply is bolted into the cabinet not plugged into anything.

    Im guessing it had some sort of game board that was powered directly by atx power supply but only guessing

    M'kay, get your yoga mat out and form a mental picture along these lines ; I can't really make out the manufacturing date on the sticker that was on the VDU ...that'll be a clue ; whenever it was made, will roughly reflect that state of the chinese art when it came to knockoff jamma machines. There'd really only be a couple of reasons you'd use an ATX PSU ...they're just as plentiful & cheap as a jamma PSU (which are plentiful & cheap anyhow) .. or ...the game board originally fitted to the cabinet was of more modern manufacture, and actually needs the 3.3volt rail the ATX power supplies provide. A daft logic check would be to power-up the Jamma PSU and measure the output voltages and the screw terminals -- if you find them all OK and on voltage, you somewhat surmise Jamma PSU failure wasn't what prompted the inclusion of an ATX PSU -- the ?whatever? replacement gameboard likely mandated that.

    Whatever that board was, may well have had a socket for the 24pin ATX power connector, (or some adapter board or cable to interconnect with the ATX PSU and establish a power-good signal), and some had a 4pin Molex on the same board as a power pass-thru, or you could alternately use the 4pin molex on the PSU (or SATA_power -> 4pin molex) whatever.

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    Quote Originally Posted by metallima View Post
    Once I've done this i plan to plug in a Pandora DX arcade board and hope it all works!!!

    Appreciate a heads up if there is any blaring problems!!!

    I'd be mindful you've no idea what the VDU is capable of -- it may be CGA only, or else VGA only...(or real jamma which is sort of like CGA but not the same)

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    Thanks. Agreed, i suspect it was the addition of some newer board that needed the power but ill test the jamma psu.

    As for the monitor, i saw a manufactured date of 12/2009 somewhere, but i was struggling to get the model number. Ill go to a pc monitor if it gets too difficult 🙂

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    OK just as an update i've muddled my way through to getting it mostly all wired and hooked up a new power supply.
    I flicked the power switch on and almost there, just the monitor isnt playing right. video here:


    I havent tried adjusting anything yet (i can see 3 white adjustment knobs at the back) but thought I'd ask my next lot of questions about the monitor. Is that all that is needed to adjust? or does this look like a more serious issue on the monitor?

    thanks!

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