What is the cardboard box around the PCB?

[rbbauer00]

I'm restoring a Simpsons Cab.  It's my first arcade cabinet to ever own and I'm learning as I go.  Around the PCB is a cardboard box that is white on the inside and silver on the outside.  I assume it was some sort of shielding for the PCB.  I've tried to search this forum and Google, but cannot find any reference at all to this.

The one in my cabinet has been torn open and the front of it is almost completely gone.  The underside is still intact, though.

-What is this box?
-Do I need it, and if so, do I need to replace it or use the existing one as is?

[paigeoliver]

You don't need it. It was a government required shield against interference that the equipment wasn't capable of causing in the first place. You rarely see them because end users were not required to keep them. Same reason old boards used to be mounted in metal cages.

[rbbauer00]

Gosh, where would we be without the FCC?

Thanks for the help!