I'm not sure how to mount the monitor vertically. It had been flipped to horizontal, but I want to flip it back. I've had a hard time deciphering the hacked up wiring job, and I've had to disconnect and reconnect quite a few wires to see what was going on. I'd like to remount the monitor, plug in the board and fire it up to see what happens. Assuming things kind of work, I'll take it back apart to clean up the cabinet and repaint. But first, I have to figure out this monitor mounting problem. Pics below...







The back of the monitor, from the top. The L hinges don't match up with the holes of the cabinet. The bottom of the monitor is basically fixed, since its screwed into the original bottom mount.






This is a closeup of the L hinge. I think this is the part that isn't right, but it looks like is should work. If you look at the bottom bracket and line up the top bracket, it seems like this is how it would have to mount. But the original cabinet holes suggest this isn't the method.





This is the original bottom bracket. From what I can tell, it has never been moved, so this should not be a variable that I need to change.

Another New Toy

I bought another game. This was insanely cheap. Lunch for Travis and I was almost as much as the game (Gatti Land).

I found this game on Craigslist - Lee Trevino's Fighting Golf. The seller sent me a picture, which looked like a decent shape dedicated cabinet. I didn't really want this game, but, it is Jamma and the price was right, so I called the guy and went to pick it up.

The picture did not match reality. In some ways worse, in some ways better. The cabinet was in fairly rough condition, and didn't look right. Something was up with the monitor and bezel, and the whole game leans a bit. But it looked familiar.

I walked around it, trying to figure it out, when I saw the Nintendo badge on the back, and the cabinet model number. I was almost positive this cabinet originally housed a Donkey Kong.

I started really noticing the blue paint peeking out from underneath Lee Trevino's side art, the I noticed the cabinet shape and speaker location, and everything started to click.

I confirmed by googling the cabinet model number. The day started as "how can we make Lee Trevino better?", but ended in "How could Lee Trevino murder Donkey Kong?".

So now, I have a rough Nintendo cabinet with a Lee Trevino board, control panel, and marquee. There doesn't seem to be much of Donkey Kong left that I can salvage. The monitor and power supply look pretty old and might be original, but, I doubt it, and even if they are, that hardly justifies a DK restoration. So, I'm torn about what to do. For now, everything stays as it is until I can get a plan, and some advice.

Is this a Jamma or Neo Geo harness?

I can't really tell which type of harness this is. I know there is a difference in the pin out, maybe you can't tell from the harness.














Update: I figured out the Select Game button issue. It is pin 26. It is connected and makes it up to the control panel, but isn't connected to anything. I'll have to drill a small hole and add a button, but, should be fairly straight forward.

Pictures of my new project

The coin door, open, showing the operator controls.



















The operator controls. The credit button works, the test button and volume knob don't seem to do anything. I can get to Test Mode by powering off and flipping Dip Switch 1. In Test Mode, the test button does not register. All other buttons do (except for the game select, which does not seem to be wired). There does not seem to be a test for the volume knob.















The MVS2 board.















The MVS2 wiring harness. From what I can tell, it is a real neo geo harness, not a modified Jamma adapter. I'm 16% confident that I'm right about this.















The control panel. I know it is ugly, I'm working on it. Those black spots are caps, this used to have 6 buttons. I'd really like for it to have 6 buttons again, it's kind of ugly with the caps. Plus, I'd like to play Street Fighter 2.

So it begins....

I bought an arcade machine, and it doesn't work properly. It works, but not the way it should. I'm starting this blog in an effort to document the project. Hopefully, I won't electrocute myself in the process.