Need Jamma Knowledge! Is this legit?

[mcseforsale]

I know nothing about Jamma, but I want to start working on one.  Is this a legit deal?  Are there better kits out there to do, say a bartop?

http://www.a1arcades.com/JAMMA-60-1-ARCADE-KIT-60-IN-1-KIT.htm

AJ

[paigeoliver]

it is legit as far as working goes. however the games are unlicensed and it is running an ancient mame vsrsion and some of the games have poor sound.

[mcseforsale]

So, how does one get a jamma setup working? 

AJ

[BobA]

Just wire up a jamma setup like Bob Roberts shows and plug in the board.  It is so not legit that you are not supposed to post links to these boards although many people use them.

[mcseforsale]

Sorry, BobA.  I've been around for about 4 years, but I've never started searching re:Jamma. I guess I didn't realize what this was all about.

If the XX to 1 boards are illegal, obviously, I don't want one. ....or maybe, I want one just to build a bartop for a buddy.  This will not be for sale, rather gifts.  I just want to know of the XX in 1 boards are trash, or if I can build my best friend a bartop with a XX in 1 board that's worth playing.  I'd hate hiding the guts of a Celeron in a bartop just to play pacman.

Thanks!
AJG

[paigeoliver]

They are no more illegal than any other mame cabinet you build that doesn't have the original hardware to all the games stuffed inside of it. Or as someone else put it, if I can order it from Amazon, get an invoice for it and pay taxes on it, then how illegal can it possibly be.

They are sort of trash and sort of worth it. Install a 4-way joystick and 2 buttons and turn off all the 8 way titles and most of the problems with them vanish. Try to avoid an LCD screen as they look terrible on them. If you can't use an arcade monitor than try an old crt computer monitor and open up the back of the case and turn the focus knob just a teeny bit out of focus (helps to make it look more like it is supposed to).

[CheffoJeffo]

Re: JAMMA set up -- what BobA says -- follow Bob Robert's guide and you are good.

Re: 60-in-1 -- most of what Paige says. I got rid of my vertical MAME machine and replaced it with a 48-in-1 cab for 4-way (and 2-way) games and a 60-in-1 cab for 8-way (and 2-way) and trackball games. There are some annoyances, particularly with some sounds, and the fact that neither board has Blue Print, but was well worth my time and money to make the switch. Those two cabs get played more (by "normal" people) than anything in my home, except for the NeoGeo (which always seems to get the most play, for some unknown reason) and the NAOMI (daughter loves the Sports Jam, again, for some unknown reason).

In my experience, folks here don't hate the xx-in-1 boards for the unlicensed ROMs, but rather for the blatant ripoff of MAME. When I bought my xx-in-1 boards in the past, I made donations to the dumping project and cleared any doubt from my conscience.