Upgrading Taito Arcade Bartop with Pi 3

[SuperGojira2001]

Hi! So after probably year of taking a break and researching more, I'm finally setting up an arcade machine!    I bought a Taito Gameroom Classics bartop and it's pretty cool! It's wired with JAMMA, but the power supply I think is missing the -5 and 12 volt as there are no wires coming from the harness in those slots. It also has a small real arcade monitor and controls.

After the many roasts I got from my early posts, I spent many hours setting up a Pi 3 with RetroPie with the intention of putting this in the cabinet. However I am not sure what direction I should go. I love the new ArPiCade JAMMA adapter, but it requires -5 and 12 volts from the power supply. I could replace the power supply, but I'm not sure if the cabinet uses a standard power supply or not. My next option would be to use a JPAC and hook that up to the Pi, but I'm not sure if the JPAC does video/audio through the JAMMA harness.

My final option would be to take out the JAMMA stuff and replace them with Zero Delay encoders, and a GBS 8100 VGA to CGA adapter. However I don't know what to do about audio if I go that route, and I couldn't see any video cables from the monitor.

So if anybody could help me here that would be great! I'm still new to this stuff so be patient and thank you! 

If anybody needs pictures let me know!

[SuperGojira2001]

No replies? 

[paigeoliver]

deleted

[pbj]

I got $50 for the PCB out of that thing.

[paigeoliver]

I will buy your board if you go through with it. I have an empty Taito full size cabinet to put it in.

[CheffoJeffo]

I'm still new to this stuff so be patient and thank you! 

No replies? 

 

Based on previous conversations about the board in question -- it looks like it only requires +5V. Can't say if the PS supplies -5V and +12V without a decent picture. In any event, those pins won't be wired on your harness, so you would need to rewire if you indeed need them.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,78325.0.html

JPac does both video and audio through the harness. NOTE: JAMMA requires amplified audio and there is no amplifier built-in to the JPac.

How about controls? Are you planning to change them (see rewire comment above).

[opt2not]

I'll buy your board. Paying more than pbj 

In all seriousness, if you go the pi route, how exactly are you going to connect the JPAC? From what I remember the JPAC takes vga for video. Does the pi only output hdmi?
You would have to pick up a vga add-on card like the Gert VGA, and configure your display to put out vga through that.

Personally I would go the re-wiring route and add a proper power supply. You will learn what JAMMA is all about, and it gives you the chance to put all that hard work in configuring the pi with your ArPiCade JAMMA.

Give this a read:
http://www.therealbobroberts.net/jh.html

Bob roberts site was a blessing when I first got into the hobby, and it's still a great reference tool. I suggest checking out some of his other pages as well to get familiar with all things arcade related. But the JAMMA page is most relevant to your re-wire.

[SuperGojira2001]

I will buy your board if you go through with it. I have an empty Taito full size cabinet to put it in.

Lol no. I might use it for another project, sorry 

[SuperGojira2001]

I'm still new to this stuff so be patient and thank you! 

No replies? 

 

Based on previous conversations about the board in question -- it looks like it only requires +5V. Can't say if the PS supplies -5V and +12V without a decent picture. In any event, those pins won't be wired on your harness, so you would need to rewire if you indeed need them.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,78325.0.html

JPac does both video and audio through the harness. NOTE: JAMMA requires amplified audio and there is no amplifier built-in to the JPac.

How about controls? Are you planning to change them (see rewire comment above).

I'll take lots of pictures later today of the inside and outside of the cabinet. As for controls I plan to give player 1 6 buttons, and player 2 4 buttons. The ArPiCade supports some type of kick harness, or if I go JPAC it has those screw thingies to add buttons.

[SuperGojira2001]

I'll buy your board. Paying more than pbj 

In all seriousness, if you go the pi route, how exactly are you going to connect the JPAC? From what I remember the JPAC takes vga for video. Does the pi only output hdmi?
You would have to pick up a vga add-on card like the Gert VGA, and configure your display to put out vga through that.

Personally I would go the re-wiring route and add a proper power supply. You will learn what JAMMA is all about, and it gives you the chance to put all that hard work in configuring the pi with your ArPiCade JAMMA.

Give this a read:
http://www.therealbobroberts.net/jh.html

Bob roberts site was a blessing when I first got into the hobby, and it's still a great reference tool. I suggest checking out some of his other pages as well to get familiar with all things arcade related. But the JAMMA page is most relevant to your re-wire.

As for video through the JPAC I'll use a pi-compatible HDMI to VGA adapter. I will be taking pictures later today to see if it would be possible to replace the power supply, or if it already has -5 and +12 volts. I'll definitely give that link a read too, thanks!

[Titchgamer]

I'm still new to this stuff so be patient and thank you! 

No replies? 

 

Based on previous conversations about the board in question -- it looks like it only requires +5V. Can't say if the PS supplies -5V and +12V without a decent picture. In any event, those pins won't be wired on your harness, so you would need to rewire if you indeed need them.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,78325.0.html

JPac does both video and audio through the harness. NOTE: JAMMA requires amplified audio and there is no amplifier built-in to the JPac.

How about controls? Are you planning to change them (see rewire comment above).

I'll take lots of pictures later today of the inside and outside of the cabinet. As for controls I plan to give player 1 6 buttons, and player 2 4 buttons. The ArPiCade supports some type of kick harness, or if I go JPAC it has those screw thingies to add buttons.

Why?

Give p2 6 buttons to for street fighter etc.

[SuperGojira2001]

Why?

Give p2 6 buttons to for street fighter etc.
[/quote]

Only enough room for 2 more buttons on player 2's side.

[Titchgamer]

Why?

Give p2 6 buttons to for street fighter etc.

Only enough room for 2 more buttons on player 2's side.
[/quote]

Fair enough, just googled a pic thats 1 tiny bartop

[SuperGojira2001]

Got some pictures!

Outside:

http://imgur.com/a/qMf4c

Inside:

http://imgur.com/a/QhB6i

JAMMA board and harness (with no -5 or 12 volt wires):

http://imgur.com/a/IyG5H

Power supply:

http://imgur.com/a/rENkm

Monitor:

http://imgur.com/a/xk08u

Speaker:

http://imgur.com/a/gAXJf

Sorry for the Imgur links but ArcadeControls was complaining about the size of the pictures 

[HaRuMaN]

I love how they used that cheap chinese JAMMA harness you see all over eBay in there.  Wow. 

[SuperGojira2001]

I love how they used that cheap chinese JAMMA harness you see all over eBay in there.  Wow.

Ikr 

[SuperGojira2001]

I'm still new to this stuff so be patient and thank you! 

No replies? 

 

Based on previous conversations about the board in question -- it looks like it only requires +5V. Can't say if the PS supplies -5V and +12V without a decent picture. In any event, those pins won't be wired on your harness, so you would need to rewire if you indeed need them.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,78325.0.html

JPac does both video and audio through the harness. NOTE: JAMMA requires amplified audio and there is no amplifier built-in to the JPac.

How about controls? Are you planning to change them (see rewire comment above).

The power supply: http://imgur.com/a/rENkm

[SuperGojira2001]

Wait a minute. If that's a Chinese JAMMA harness, does it mean it uses that "Chinese JAMMA" setup like the Pandora's Box? 

[HaRuMaN]

I doubt it.  It's most likely JAMMA standard. 

[SuperGojira2001]

I doubt it.  It's most likely JAMMA standard.

I hope so 

[opt2not]

The power supply: http://imgur.com/a/rENkm

That looks more like the monitor chassis. Is the JAMMA connector powered from this board??
If so then this would be both the monitor chassis and the PSU? ??

If that's the case, I would for sure install a proper power supply.

[SuperGojira2001]

The power supply: http://imgur.com/a/rENkm

That looks more like the monitor chassis. Is the JAMMA connector powered from this board??
If so then this would be both the monitor chassis and the PSU? ??

If that's the case, I would for sure install a proper power supply.

Yes I believe the monitor and board share the power supply. But how do I know if I can replace it with modding anything?

[opt2not]

Well you can't replace the chassis without replacing the whole monitor. I would install a PSU alongside this and wire the power to the JAMMA loom.
That way you have more serviceable points of failure. Ie if the monitor chassis dies, it doesn't take the other hardware with it.

[SuperGojira2001]

Well you can't replace the chassis without replacing the whole monitor. I would install a PSU alongside this and wire the power to the JAMMA loom.
That way you have more serviceable points of failure. Ie if the monitor chassis dies, it doesn't take the other hardware with it.

Nice idea. I'm a noob so I'm not 100% sure how I would do this though  Also I would need to find a small PSU that can fit in there. The regular black PSU's are kinda large, however a PC ATX PSU would be small enough (and $10 more expensive).

EDIT: I could use an extra PSU just for the -5 and 12 volts instead of completely rewiring the JAMMA harness. That would make more sense tbh. I have some spare ATX PSU's but they're from  pre-built PC's. Might be ok for this...

[opt2not]

I've used this one for my projects:
https://na.suzohapp.com/products/power_supplies/80-0210-00

Size is better than an atx psu because it can lay flatter.

I think for your bartop space you'll want to lay the psu down flat to fit it in, so a proper switching psu would be better.

[SuperGojira2001]

I've used this one for my projects:
https://na.suzohapp.com/products/power_supplies/80-0210-00

Size is better than an atx psu because it can lay flatter.

I think for your bartop space you'll want to lay the psu down flat to fit it in, so a proper switching psu would be better.

Too expensive. If I'm just going to use the 2nd PSU for the -5 and 12 volts I would use an ATX Pico PSU:

http://www.mini-box.com/s.nl/it.A/id.417/.f

These things are SUPER tiny! 

EDIT: Just realized they use an external power brick, maybe not the best idea. Might have to just replace the entire PSU unless if I use one of my old ATX PSU's for -5 and 12 volts  I'm not sure if the PSU in the bartop is a standard PSU with standard wires though. Can someone maybe verify?

[romshark]

I have some experience with the GameRoom Classics bartop (I originally had the SNK Neo-Geo version, before I reused the parts for my TMNT cabinet). I'll help where I can.

It is true that the power supply is built into the monitor chassis board, and only supplies +5 volts. Also, there is no way to adjust the +5 volts the same way you can on a normal Arcade PCB. When I tested my TMNT board on it before, it would sometimes reboot from low power (even with just +5 volts, that game does run. Just with no sound). For your build, I'd be concerned about trying to run a Pi and an audio amplifier off that (may be too much power required).

To get around that, you mentioned you are open to putting in a second power supply. Power the Pi off a USB cell phone charger. If you go with something like the USB speakers I posted in the other topic, use a USB charger with 2 USB ports (to power both the Pi and the speakers).

The "menu" button is wired to the "Tilt" button on the JAMMA harness. So on your Pi, set "t" to return to the game select menu (if that's how it works on a Pi. I haven't tried using a Pi for arcade stuff myself.)

This bartop does not have buttons or wiring for coins, test, or service. You probably want to add those in (probably put test and service inside the back somewhere.) (The original boards were programmed to coin up automatically when pressing start. Kinda wierd to me, but I can see why they did it. Don't want these boards used in a real arcade machine making money on location.)

Good luck with the mod. That is a painfully tiny control panel. Depending on your woodworking skills, you might want to remove the top part, cut off the sides of the bartop where the control panel was, and build on a wider control panel box. Although if you're trying to preserve the original artwork, that might not work well.

-Edit: Are you planning on mostly playing this by yourself, or do you want it 2 player? You might want to think about removing the control panel and replacing it with a 1-player "Street Fighter" layout. Just a thought. If you do, the control panel top is secured with 4 normal screws. The panel itself is just a thin flat rectangle of wood (just 1/4 inch thick, I believe). Should be simple to cut a replacement. Drill holes as desired, maybe add some art, add controls and wire them up, and reinstall the panel.

Also, be very careful with that CRT tube. It's the same exact type I broke last year, and I could not find a replacement tube to save my life. Ended up replacing the whole monitor (tube and chassis board).

[SuperGojira2001]

I have some experience with the GameRoom Classics bartop (I originally had the SNK Neo-Geo version, before I reused the parts for my TMNT cabinet). I'll help where I can.

It is true that the power supply is built into the monitor chassis board, and only supplies +5 volts. Also, there is no way to adjust the +5 volts the same way you can on a normal Arcade PCB. When I tested my TMNT board on it before, it would sometimes reboot from low power (even with just +5 volts, that game does run. Just with no sound). For your build, I'd be concerned about trying to run a Pi and an audio amplifier off that (may be too much power required).

To get around that, you mentioned you are open to putting in a second power supply. Power the Pi off a USB cell phone charger. If you go with something like the USB speakers I posted in the other topic, use a USB charger with 2 USB ports (to power both the Pi and the speakers).

The "menu" button is wired to the "Tilt" button on the JAMMA harness. So on your Pi, set "t" to return to the game select menu (if that's how it works on a Pi. I haven't tried using a Pi for arcade stuff myself.)

This bartop does not have buttons or wiring for coins, test, or service. You probably want to add those in (probably put test and service inside the back somewhere.) (The original boards were programmed to coin up automatically when pressing start. Kinda wierd to me, but I can see why they did it. Don't want these boards used in a real arcade machine making money on location.)

Good luck with the mod. That is a painfully tiny control panel. Depending on your woodworking skills, you might want to remove the top part, cut off the sides of the bartop where the control panel was, and build on a wider control panel box. Although if you're trying to preserve the original artwork, that might not work well.

-Edit: Are you planning on mostly playing this by yourself, or do you want it 2 player? You might want to think about removing the control panel and replacing it with a 1-player "Street Fighter" layout. Just a thought. If you do, the control panel top is secured with 4 normal screws. The panel itself is just a thin flat rectangle of wood (just 1/4 inch thick, I believe). Should be simple to cut a replacement. Drill holes as desired, maybe add some art, add controls and wire them up, and reinstall the panel.

Also, be very careful with that CRT tube. It's the same exact type I broke last year, and I could not find a replacement tube to save my life. Ended up replacing the whole monitor (tube and chassis board).

Yeah I was thinking about saying  JAMMA and just throw in the Pi with USB encoders, a new speaker, and some sort of adapter for RGB video JAMMA cables (which I can't find  ). The idea with the USB speakers and special charger is a great idea. That solves the sound problem, but I'm lost on the video solution. Or If I go with the J-PAC that would be an easy option too with a USB speaker. Although if I use a wall plug for the Pi that still means I'll have 2 wires coming out of the cabinet. I could do some mod where I could solder the power strip to the switch on the back but idk if that would work or be safe.

I would think you can just change they key bindings to whatever you want in MAME. P1/P2 start buttons will act as start and coin button, and also start and select for console games. The "Tilt" button can be used for Tab to change controls.

Yeah I want to keep the original artwork, so I'll just add buttons to make player 1 have 6 buttons, and player 2 have 4 buttons. The only games I end playing 2 player on are Golden Axe and Bubble Bobble so it's fine  I was also thinking of building a trackball box much later on that matches the artwork of the control panel, and have a USB hub or something on the back to plug it in along with a controller.

Also I hope to god my monitor doesn't break  sounds like a huge pain. If that ever happens I would be forced to replace it with a super small CRT PC monitor/TV or a modern monitor.

EDIT: I also emailed Ultimarc and they said the J-PAC doesn't need -5 or 12 volts, in fact it doesn't need any power from the JAMMA harness. The only thing that needs 12 volts is a sound amp,and the Pi needs a PSU so I'll be using 2 PSU's no matter what the  I do  So at this point all I need to worry about is modding it to only have 1 wire come out of the cabinet.

[romshark]

Actually, I'm not sure if a J-Pac will work for getting the video from a Pi to the monitor. The CRT in this bartop is a true 15khz Arcade monitor, so it won't work with a VGA signal. Now, looking through the J-Pac info at Ultimarc, the J-Pac doesn't convert VBA to 15Khz. It's designed to use with an ArcadeVGA card or similar. It does seem to have a "half-screen" mode, but it's not meant for actual game use or anything.

This is a feature of the J-PAC which allows a stable picture to be displayed from a PC running in 31Khz (VGA) mode using a normal VGA card (as opposed to our ArcadeVGA card) on a 15Khz arcade monitor. What actually happens is, as the horizontal sync frequency is divided by two, there are two pictures displayed on the screen side-by-side. This is NOT meant for serious PC application use! It is useful for checking all is well with the boot process. It is usually possible to type in DOS sucessfully for configuration changes etc. A Windows picture (or rather two pictures!) can also be displayed for limited use. Some monitors/VGA cards display this mode better than others.

I hardly have any experience with the Pi, so maybe I'm wrong and it can output 15khz from the HDMI or something (which I doubt, but still, stranger things have happened). But this may bear more looking into.

[SuperGojira2001]

Actually, I'm not sure if a J-Pac will work for getting the video from a Pi to the monitor. The CRT in this bartop is a true 15khz Arcade monitor, so it won't work with a VGA signal. Now, looking through the J-Pac info at Ultimarc, the J-Pac doesn't convert VBA to 15Khz. It's designed to use with an ArcadeVGA card or similar. It does seem to have a "half-screen" mode, but it's not meant for actual game use or anything.

This is a feature of the J-PAC which allows a stable picture to be displayed from a PC running in 31Khz (VGA) mode using a normal VGA card (as opposed to our ArcadeVGA card) on a 15Khz arcade monitor. What actually happens is, as the horizontal sync frequency is divided by two, there are two pictures displayed on the screen side-by-side. This is NOT meant for serious PC application use! It is useful for checking all is well with the boot process. It is usually possible to type in DOS sucessfully for configuration changes etc. A Windows picture (or rather two pictures!) can also be displayed for limited use. Some monitors/VGA cards display this mode better than others.

I hardly have any experience with the Pi, so maybe I'm wrong and it can output 15khz from the HDMI or something (which I doubt, but still, stranger things have happened). But this may bear more looking into.

You can use the J-PAC for video:

Anyways since I have no choice in avoiding a 2nd PSU, I will be going back to my original idea of the ArPiCade and Arcade PSU. I just need to know all of the types of wires and crimps I need for the PSU. Also could solder the AC wires to the wires coming from the monitor PSU to the switch? That would make it super easy to make it have 1 wire coming out of the cabinet.

[SuperGojira2001]

Actually, I'm not sure if a J-Pac will work for getting the video from a Pi to the monitor. The CRT in this bartop is a true 15khz Arcade monitor, so it won't work with a VGA signal. Now, looking through the J-Pac info at Ultimarc, the J-Pac doesn't convert VBA to 15Khz. It's designed to use with an ArcadeVGA card or similar. It does seem to have a "half-screen" mode, but it's not meant for actual game use or anything.

This is a feature of the J-PAC which allows a stable picture to be displayed from a PC running in 31Khz (VGA) mode using a normal VGA card (as opposed to our ArcadeVGA card) on a 15Khz arcade monitor. What actually happens is, as the horizontal sync frequency is divided by two, there are two pictures displayed on the screen side-by-side. This is NOT meant for serious PC application use! It is useful for checking all is well with the boot process. It is usually possible to type in DOS sucessfully for configuration changes etc. A Windows picture (or rather two pictures!) can also be displayed for limited use. Some monitors/VGA cards display this mode better than others.

I hardly have any experience with the Pi, so maybe I'm wrong and it can output 15khz from the HDMI or something (which I doubt, but still, stranger things have happened). But this may bear more looking into.

You can use the J-PAC for video:

Anyways since I have no choice in avoiding a 2nd PSU, I will be going back to my original idea of the ArPiCade and Arcade PSU. I just need to know all of the types of wires and crimps I need for the PSU. Also could I solder the AC wires to the wires coming from the monitor PSU to the switch? That would make it super easy to make it have 1 wire coming out of the cabinet.

[romshark]

Ah, I see. According to the video, the Pi can do the needed 240p output. Very interesting. I might have to give that a try myself.
Electrical wise, depends on what you're comfortable with. Maybe mount a power strip inside, and run the original power cord back into the Bartop, plugged into the strip. Most other ways would require cutting and rewiring the 120 volt line.

[mahuti]

 

Actually, I'm not sure if a J-Pac will work for getting the video from a Pi to the monitor. The CRT in this bartop is a true 15khz Arcade monitor, so it won't work with a VGA signal. Now, looking through the J-Pac info at Ultimarc, the J-Pac doesn't convert VBA to 15Khz. It's designed to use with an ArcadeVGA card or similar. It does seem to have a "half-screen" mode, but it's not meant for actual game use or anything.

Some people have had luck going straight from the J-Pac to an arcade monitor out of the Pi. Others have had less luck. I think it depends somewhat on the monitor. I've seen people with zero issues posting videos of their success and I've seen others with sync and size issues and haze. I'm guessing it's a little bit of a hardware issue and a bit of a user configuration issue. Trial and error...

The Raspberry PI can send 240 over composite now. It also has 240 over HDMI at 60hz. You can see all of the possible outputs here;

(look down the page for HDMI_MODE)
https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/configuration/config-txt/video.md

Personally, I tried a GBS 8100 VGA-CVGA board, but it only outputs 480 so it's not perfect. Also, the controls on that board are useless. Any settings changes you make aren't saved after power loss (turning it off) so any adjustments have to be made using the monitor, or the PI. The unit I have won't run with a 5v power off of my switching power supply and it won't work with a 5v plug that I have either. It will only run with 6v. Not impressed. Other people tried the same board, ripped it out, went straight to the J-Pac and had no issues. I have a J-Pac, but after having it sit around for 10 years, i soldered it all up into a control panel, so I can't test it :-( I'm almost to the point of wanting to rip it out just to try it.

I've heard good things about the Arpicade... but at $140+ it's kinda pricey option if not needed. But I think it's one of those conveniences that might be worth it to take out the trial and error.

However I don't know what to do about audio if I go that route, and I couldn't see any video cables from the monitor.

I use one of these to output audio from the PI (sounds a lot better than the composite output):
https://www.adafruit.com/product/1475 (says out of stock you can get them on amazon)
which plugs into this amp: (needs its own 12v power either directly wired or through an adapter)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0181Z4M4A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I attached a pic of the monitor running on the GBS 8100. The pic shows some banding, but I don't see it in person... probably a moire caused by the camera.

[SuperGojira2001]

Ah, I see. According to the video, the Pi can do the needed 240p output. Very interesting. I might have to give that a try myself.
Electrical wise, depends on what you're comfortable with. Maybe mount a power strip inside, and run the original power cord back into the Bartop, plugged into the strip. Most other ways would require cutting and rewiring the 120 volt line.

I'll probably end up having 2 wires coming out of the cabinet as I would not like to blow up anything 

[SuperGojira2001]

Actually, I'm not sure if a J-Pac will work for getting the video from a Pi to the monitor. The CRT in this bartop is a true 15khz Arcade monitor, so it won't work with a VGA signal. Now, looking through the J-Pac info at Ultimarc, the J-Pac doesn't convert VBA to 15Khz. It's designed to use with an ArcadeVGA card or similar. It does seem to have a "half-screen" mode, but it's not meant for actual game use or anything.

Some people have had luck going straight from the J-Pac to an arcade monitor out of the Pi. Others have had less luck. I think it depends somewhat on the monitor. I've seen people with zero issues posting videos of their success and I've seen others with sync and size issues and haze. I'm guessing it's a little bit of a hardware issue and a bit of a user configuration issue. Trial and error...

The Raspberry PI can send 240 over composite now. It also has 240 over HDMI at 60hz. You can see all of the possible outputs here;

(look down the page for HDMI_MODE)
https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/configuration/config-txt/video.md

Personally, I tried a GBS 8100 VGA-CVGA board, but it only outputs 480 so it's not perfect. Also, the controls on that board are useless. Any settings changes you make aren't saved after power loss (turning it off) so any adjustments have to be made using the monitor, or the PI. The unit I have won't run with a 5v power off of my switching power supply and it won't work with a 5v plug that I have either. It will only run with 6v. Not impressed. Other people tried the same board, ripped it out, went straight to the J-Pac and had no issues. I have a J-Pac, but after having it sit around for 10 years, i soldered it all up into a control panel, so I can't test it :-( I'm almost to the point of wanting to rip it out just to try it.

I've heard good things about the Arpicade... but at $140+ it's kinda pricey option if not needed. But I think it's one of those conveniences that might be worth it to take out the trial and error.

However I don't know what to do about audio if I go that route, and I couldn't see any video cables from the monitor.

I use one of these to output audio from the PI (sounds a lot better than the composite output):
https://www.adafruit.com/product/1475 (says out of stock you can get them on amazon)
which plugs into this amp: (needs its own 12v power either directly wired or through an adapter)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0181Z4M4A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Actually, I'm not sure if a J-Pac will work for getting the video from a Pi to the monitor. The CRT in this bartop is a true 15khz Arcade monitor, so it won't work with a VGA signal. Now, looking through the J-Pac info at Ultimarc, the J-Pac doesn't convert VBA to 15Khz. It's designed to use with an ArcadeVGA card or similar. It does seem to have a "half-screen" mode, but it's not meant for actual game use or anything.

Some people have had luck going straight from the J-Pac to an arcade monitor out of the Pi. Others have had less luck. I think it depends somewhat on the monitor. I've seen people with zero issues posting videos of their success and I've seen others with sync and size issues and haze. I'm guessing it's a little bit of a hardware issue and a bit of a user configuration issue. Trial and error...

The Raspberry PI can send 240 over composite now. It also has 240 over HDMI at 60hz. You can see all of the possible outputs here;

(look down the page for HDMI_MODE)
https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/configuration/config-txt/video.md

Personally, I tried a GBS 8100 VGA-CVGA board, but it only outputs 480 so it's not perfect. Also, the controls on that board are useless. Any settings changes you make aren't saved after power loss (turning it off) so any adjustments have to be made using the monitor, or the PI. The unit I have won't run with a 5v power off of my switching power supply and it won't work with a 5v plug that I have either. It will only run with 6v. Not impressed. Other people tried the same board, ripped it out, went straight to the J-Pac and had no issues. I have a J-Pac, but after having it sit around for 10 years, i soldered it all up into a control panel, so I can't test it :-( I'm almost to the point of wanting to rip it out just to try it.

I've heard good things about the Arpicade... but at $140+ it's kinda pricey option if not needed. But I think it's one of those conveniences that might be worth it to take out the trial and error.

However I don't know what to do about audio if I go that route, and I couldn't see any video cables from the monitor.

I use one of these to output audio from the PI (sounds a lot better than the composite output):
https://www.adafruit.com/product/1475 (says out of stock you can get them on amazon)
which plugs into this amp: (needs its own 12v power either directly wired or through an adapter)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0181Z4M4A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I attached a pic of the monitor running on the GBS 8100. The pic shows some banding, but I don't see it in person... probably a moire caused by the camera.

Thanks for the info. Currently my plan is to pay the $140 for the ArPiCade to avoid any pain and suffering on the Pi's end. I'll have to add a 2nd arcade PSU then drill a hole in the back for a 2nd wire (if I knew what I was doing I would mod it to use 1 wire but I'll probably  something up.)