I Joined the ranks of having an arcade machine today[pics posted]

[SegaAges]

I was randomly on craigslist, and they had a tekken 2 jamma cabinet for 300.

I don't know if it was a good deal or not, but it is my first (and I already have a sega st-v).

I have been going ape shit on tekken 2, and have not had a chance to hook up my st-v, but I joined the ranks of you fellow arcade owners finally.

[otaku]

sweet congrats man (not to bad a price) all the local machines here regardless of what they are go for 300-700 (mostly higher priced) I want one badly-some nice machines to.

[SegaAges]

Yeah, I am still learning as I go as well. Like right now I am trying to figure out if my st-v board is fried or not. If I cut the power, once out of 10 times it will load, I can play for like 5 minutes or so, then it goes back to small green blocks on the screen :(

[SegaAges]

I finally took pics. Sorry that some are fuzzy, I have shaky hands.

My conversion so far with custom marquee
http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/2233/pict0222g.jpg

another view
http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/111/pict0256y.jpg

My competition buttons and joysticks
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/2007/pict0245.jpg

The inside of it:
http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/3092/pict0251p.jpg

[XYXZYZ]

That is a 3KOAM Z-Back you have there, and it's a pretty nice looking one too. Though I think the control panels have a bit too much slope to them...

Is that CP cut for six buttons?

[TheDomesticInstitution]

This CP is a six button-er, but the blue ones don't show very easily in those pictures.

Cool stuff man, it'll be well worth 300 if it's mostly working- provided you are comfortable with work on them. I saw a MK on CL for $300 this weekend. Most arcades around here go for about $300-$700 too. Anyway have fun with it.

[Arcade Antics]

I see 5 buttons per player, 2 blue and 3 black...

[SegaAges]

It was originally a 4 button, and I cut the hole for the 5th button to have 3 across (it used to be 2 on top and 2 on bottom). Since I don't trust my drunk friends, until I get a new cp overlay, I used blue electrical tape to cover the other 2 holes, which look like buttons in the picture.

The metal portion on the back has room for 6 button, but the plexi on the top of the cp was cut for 4, which is why I had to cut a new hole.

There is some discoloration on the right part of the screen, near the bottom, but nothing too noticable.

Eventually when I can afford to get radiant silvergun I will do something with the monitor, but right now, it works just fine (plus I wanted to find a way to make it swivel from vertical to horizontal, but since I only have 1 shmup that I really don't play, I am fine with adjusting the joystick input for now).

[TheDomesticInstitution]

Just out of curiosity how many PCBs to switch out?

[SegaAges]

How many did I switch out, or how many do I own to switch out?
I will answer both.

It came with a Tekken 2 pcb.

The ST-V pcb is cart based, which means that, well, it is cart based. As for games, I have 8 games for ST-V. I tried to hit as many genres as possible until I could afford to start buying more. Fillmore games is going to have some more business with me very soon since they have an awesome array of ST-V games.

[TheDomesticInstitution]

Ok, I understand now- I think. You can use regular PCB's or use the Sega ST-V system, which is cart based like the NEO GEO, sorta. I'm a little new to arcades so I'm learning about the different systems.

[SegaAges]

Here is a picture of the cart to help out with that:

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/5870/pict0254.jpg

Also, I was pretty new to arcades, and still see myself as being new to them, but the more and more I mess with it, the only thing that I am even seeing as being super complex is the monitor. Even the wiring is not bad. There may be alot of wiring, but just following wiring diagrams is easy.

Also, It is fuzzy because I had to zoom in so you could see it, but here is also my volume control that I installed. It is only just a knob on there, but it works perfect and does not look out of place on the machine:
http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/3624/volumecontrol.jpg

The next things I am doing to this conversion:
first thing is a new cp overlay so that I can get rid of the blue electrical tape covering the 2 unused button holes. I still need to find a good design for that. I was thinking of going all white with the ST-V logo in the middle and maybe some VF Characters or something on it, but I have no idea about that.

then I am going to get some custom side art as well (depending on how I do my cp will depend on what the side art is).

then I am going to take my old st-v board (I have 2, 1 working and 1 that seems to have a working cart slot, but the rest is busted), pull the cart connector out, buy a cheap st-v cart, gut it, and put a cart slot on the outside of the cab just to the right of the coin door and also hook up a service and test button there as well.

[TheDomesticInstitution]

Thanks for the pics. I agree, working on them is fun, and I'm not as scared of taking them apart as I was a few months ago. Summer is traditionally slow for the type of work I do, so I don't have a lot of extra money to put into the one cab I do own. I have a cap list saved on Mouser, so I can order the parts I need for my machine once I get paid. I'm chomping at the bit to fix a few small problems, but I have to be patient.

Anyway, Im personally a big fan of pic and progress threads on these things, and enjoy reading through them.

[XYXZYZ]

So, have you considered MAMEing it?

[SegaAges]

MAME in an arcade machine has always been weak sauce in my eyes. If I am doing that, I would just make an arcade style joystick and hook it into my pc (my pc monitor is way better than the arcade monitor I have).

I veer away from roms and emulation unless it is a repro.

No, it has nothing to do with the legality of it, I could care less about that part. I am just a fan of owning the real thing.

[TheDomesticInstitution]

So, have you considered MAMEing it?

Don't dare utter those words over at KLOV.

[namzep]

Don't dare utter those words over at KLOV.
Yeah, you'd have angry, mouth-breathers beating you door down to "save that machine". Even if you don't actually harm it in the process of mameing it (only way to MAME a machine in my eyes).

[TheDomesticInstitution]

Yeah, you'd have angry, mouth-breathers beating you door down to "save that machine". Even if you don't actually harm it in the process of mameing it (only way to MAME a machine in my eyes).

The thing is if you read through the threads over there, it seems there are quite a few MAME players. But, it's one of those dirty little secrets, as no one tells exactly what it is they play MAME on. Reading between the lines, more people over there "MAME" cabs than will actually admit to doing so. That's my opinion anyway.

[namzep]

The thing is if you read through the threads over there, it seems there are quite a few MAME players. But, it's one of those dirty little secrets, as no one tells exactly what it is they play MAME on. Reading between the lines, more people over there "MAME" cabs than will actually admit to doing so. That's my opinion anyway.
From my experience, it's the same on pretty much any arcade related forum. Generally there are a few people who steadfastly refuse to have anything to do with MAME but most only give lip service to disavowing MAME. Personally, I like the idea of having a MAME cab or two but, at the same time, really want original ones, too.

[SegaAges]

From my experience, it's the same on pretty much any arcade related forum. Generally there are a few people who steadfastly refuse to have anything to do with MAME but most only give lip service to disavowing MAME. Personally, I like the idea of having a MAME cab or two but, at the same time, really want original ones, too.


Agreed. I wanted the real deal for mine.

I could care less about people mameing, but I just can't see myself doing it.

I could see myself doing it the other way, and figuring out a way to get a flatscreen monitor hooked to my jamma cab. That would be awesome.

[XYXZYZ]

Don't dare utter those words over at KLOV.

They wouldn't care about someone MAMEing generic Z-Back. If it were a dedicated Atari cabinet from 1982 then they'd flame you into next week.

[MoreEbolaForYou]

agreed on the klov guys. wouldn't care.

[SegaAges]

I might eventually get a mame box, but owning this counts in my head as another sega system (well, it is another sega system).

My next cab after this is going to be a naomi conversion.

After that, I will try to get a "peripheral" one where I have light guns and a steering wheel and stuff, but that is long in the future.

[MoreEbolaForYou]

you looking for any stv games, btw? i have the fighting golden axe game, whatever it's called, winter heat, and decathalon. cheap.

[SegaAges]

I have winter heat, but I am going to send you a PM tomorrow when I get paid.

Besides, look at my name, you know I am always looking for some Sega games.