Arcade Legends 1 conversion questions

[pinlink]

I recently acquired a non-working Arcade Legends 1 arcade machine. The computer in it will currently not boot up. I am wondering if I can swap in a Raspberry Pi running Retro Pi into the cabinet? What would I need in order to make this happen? To get the Arcade Legends running again, I believe I need the Software Recovery CD installed again but I do not have it. These seem impossible to find. Anyone have one I could borrow or buy?

[paigeoliver]

I would fix the computer. In no case should you replace it with a Pi, you will have gone from having a 100 percent legit multigame with real monetary value to a bootleg frameskipping turd. Probably just needs what most old computers need which is either a new power supply or a new CMOS battery.

[keilmillerjr]

I would fix the computer. In no case should you replace it with a Pi, you will have gone from having a 100 percent legit multigame with real monetary value to a bootleg frameskipping turd. Probably just needs what most old computers need which is either a new power supply or a new CMOS battery.

I agree in the fact that it is a spimple fix and I would go that route. But you need to stop downing the rpi every chance you get. It does some things well. It doesn't do everything well. I use it to emulate a single system that it does well. Can it play every n64 game? No. Can it switch resolutions on the fly? Yes, but not every district implemented it yet. It's a work in progress, but it does fit some people's needs.

[pinlink]

Edited the topic title to not only be about converting to Pi or MAME.

Is there a way to test the power supply? I assumed the problem was that I needed to install the recovery software CD which of course I don't have. I have searched for days online and these CDs are no where to be found. Bummer. Anyone have an Arcade Legends 1 software recovery CD that I could buy or just borrow and send back?

[pinlink]

I tested the Power supply with my multimeter and everything was at the correct voltage. But still nothing is displayed on my monitor (in the game or with my computer monitor). I still think I just need to insert the CD and see what happens. Seems impossible to locate though.

[Jstgilstrap]

you get nothing on the screen? Not even able to get into bios?

[paigeoliver]

I would fix the computer. In no case should you replace it with a Pi, you will have gone from having a 100 percent legit multigame with real monetary value to a bootleg frameskipping turd. Probably just needs what most old computers need which is either a new power supply or a new CMOS battery.

I agree in the fact that it is a spimple fix and I would go that route. But you need to stop downing the rpi every chance you get. It does some things well. It doesn't do everything well. I use it to emulate a single system that it does well. Can it play every n64 game? No. Can it switch resolutions on the fly? Yes, but not every district implemented it yet. It's a work in progress, but it does fit some people's needs.

Nope, the pi is another example of the "much worse but easier" trend that has been ruining our hobby for years. People used to build the crap out of some amazing Mame cabinets. Then those 60 in 1 (or X in 1) boards came around and took over a huge portion of the build your own market even though they are just terrible. Bartops began to take off and, bam once again, the real hobby got smaller because it is easier to bash together a little kit then it is to actually use a saw for an hour or two. Now the pi comes along, and quickly takes over the majority of what is left of the community, despite the fact that it is aggressively worse than any PC. They have better software than the x in 1 boards, but the X in 1 boards are way more reliable so I would count them as equal to the pi.

Pi is great for consoles due to more optimized emulators for those consoles, and it runs some individual mame games perfectly, but it should never be the go-to or number one thing you recommend. What I particularly dislike is all the people selling these Pi based systems that are going to eventually corrupt their storage and when it happens they will have no idea how to fix it and the community will have moved onto something else that is probably even worse but easier.

[pinlink]

you get nothing on the screen? Not even able to get into bios?

That is correct! Any ideas?

I took a picture of the inside of the computer. Noticed this amber colored light is lit solid. Not sure if that means anything.

[keilmillerjr]

Use a multimeter and test the computer psu. That is step 1. I'm sure there are guides on YouTube if you search. My mvs was having weird issues with resetting and such. Replacing the psu cost me like 15$ and it resolved my issues. If it's not the psu, we can try next step ideas.

[pinlink]

Use a multimeter and test the computer psu. That is step 1. I'm sure there are guides on YouTube if you search. My mvs was having weird issues with resetting and such. Replacing the psu cost me like 15$ and it resolved my issues. If it's not the psu, we can try next step ideas.

I did test the power supply with a multimeter and everything checked out good. Thanks for any advice on what to try next.

[keilmillerjr]

Use a multimeter and test the computer psu. That is step 1. I'm sure there are guides on YouTube if you search. My mvs was having weird issues with resetting and such. Replacing the psu cost me like 15$ and it resolved my issues. If it's not the psu, we can try next step ideas.

I did test the power supply with a multimeter and everything checked out good. Thanks for any advice on what to try next.

Try reseating the ram? Sometimes that can cause no boot.

Does it have a CMOS battery?

[ark_ader]

I would fix the computer. In no case should you replace it with a Pi, you will have gone from having a 100 percent legit multigame with real monetary value to a bootleg frameskipping turd. Probably just needs what most old computers need which is either a new power supply or a new CMOS battery.

This.  Get a old desktop PC in there and hook it up.  Download the the complete mame set off the internet.  Sounds like a cap has died on the mainboard.

[nitrogen_widget]

That is an off the shelf PC running onboard graphics.

Here is the troubleshooting guide.

http://www.chicago-gaming.com/docs/al_sp.pdf

[pinlink]

I would fix the computer. In no case should you replace it with a Pi, you will have gone from having a 100 percent legit multigame with real monetary value to a bootleg frameskipping turd. Probably just needs what most old computers need which is either a new power supply or a new CMOS battery.

Thanks for all the help so far, guys. I have replaced the battery, tested the power supply, and reseated the Ram but still nothing is displayed on the monitor. Not sure where to go from here.

This.  Get a old desktop PC in there and hook it up.  Download the the complete mame set off the internet.  Sounds like a cap has died on the mainboard.

So you are saying that I could get an old PC, load the MAME games on there, and use all of the same hookups that are in the Arcade Legends now? And that would work, just using all of the same boards and all?

I was also told that the old software CD will do me no good since it will ask for a code that no longer exists. This thing is a pain! You can buy a new hard drive for the Arcade Legends on ebay that comes with more games. I wonder if I just replaced the hard drive if that would do me any good? It's like $150 though.

[SuperGojira2001]

I would fix the computer. In no case should you replace it with a Pi, you will have gone from having a 100 percent legit multigame with real monetary value to a bootleg frameskipping turd. Probably just needs what most old computers need which is either a new power supply or a new CMOS battery.

I agree in the fact that it is a spimple fix and I would go that route. But you need to stop downing the rpi every chance you get. It does some things well. It doesn't do everything well. I use it to emulate a single system that it does well. Can it play every n64 game? No. Can it switch resolutions on the fly? Yes, but not every district implemented it yet. It's a work in progress, but it does fit some people's needs.

Nope, the pi is another example of the "much worse but easier" trend that has been ruining our hobby for years. People used to build the crap out of some amazing Mame cabinets. Then those 60 in 1 (or X in 1) boards came around and took over a huge portion of the build your own market even though they are just terrible. Bartops began to take off and, bam once again, the real hobby got smaller because it is easier to bash together a little kit then it is to actually use a saw for an hour or two. Now the pi comes along, and quickly takes over the majority of what is left of the community, despite the fact that it is aggressively worse than any PC. They have better software than the x in 1 boards, but the X in 1 boards are way more reliable so I would count them as equal to the pi.

Pi is great for consoles due to more optimized emulators for those consoles, and it runs some individual mame games perfectly, but it should never be the go-to or number one thing you recommend. What I particularly dislike is all the people selling these Pi based systems that are going to eventually corrupt their storage and when it happens they will have no idea how to fix it and the community will have moved onto something else that is probably even worse but easier.

I think the Pi is great for small bartops with limited space, and for those who want console games. It's not perfect but for the average person it will play any 2D arcade game fine. However I would definitely get something more powerful for a larger cabinet.

[nitrogen_widget]

I would fix the computer. In no case should you replace it with a Pi, you will have gone from having a 100 percent legit multigame with real monetary value to a bootleg frameskipping turd. Probably just needs what most old computers need which is either a new power supply or a new CMOS battery.

Thanks for all the help so far, guys. I have replaced the battery, tested the power supply, and reseated the Ram but still nothing is displayed on the monitor. Not sure where to go from here.

This.  Get a old desktop PC in there and hook it up.  Download the the complete mame set off the internet.  Sounds like a cap has died on the mainboard.

So you are saying that I could get an old PC, load the MAME games on there, and use all of the same hookups that are in the Arcade Legends now? And that would work, just using all of the same boards and all?

I was also told that the old software CD will do me no good since it will ask for a code that no longer exists. This thing is a pain! You can buy a new hard drive for the Arcade Legends on ebay that comes with more games. I wonder if I just replaced the hard drive if that would do me any good? It's like $150 though.

i've read on other forums some of the original games aren't even available because after because some licenses expired and the roms no longer offered.
Whatever that means.

doc's say it's a p3 in there. take out the HD and put it in another old PC.
Ideally another P3 with the same chip-set, see what it does.
If it's XP it will probably bluescreen.
So boot up in safe mode and go into control panel and unistall all the drivers.
reboot and you should get to a desktop.
maybe.

Otherwise, go with whatever hardware you got laying around.

[pinlink]

OK fixing the computer that is currently in the Arcade Legends is feeling like a lost cause. It could be so many different things wrong with it. The mother board, the ram, the hard drive, etc. The ram is impossible to find as well as any software CD. There is a guy who works on these computers but it would cost an arm and a leg to ship it to and fro.

I would love to be able to just drop an old PC in the there running MAME, NES and SNES games. That's really all I care to play. What would be required to do this? I don't imagine it would be as easy as just hooking up the new PC how the old one was in the Arcade Legends, right?

[SuperGojira2001]

OK fixing the computer that is currently in the Arcade Legends is feeling like a lost cause. It could be so many different things wrong with it. The mother board, the ram, the hard drive, etc. The ram is impossible to find as well as any software CD. There is a guy who works on these computers but it would cost an arm and a leg to ship it to and fro.

I would love to be able to just drop an old PC in the there running MAME, NES and SNES games. That's really all I care to play. What would be required to do this? I don't imagine it would be as easy as just hooking up the new PC how the old one was in the Arcade Legends, right?

Can't see why a new PC wouldn't work. Get a used Core 2 Duo or Quad PC on Craigslist for $40-$50 and give it a shot. I wouldn't bother fixing an old Pentium 3 PC.

[keilmillerjr]

OK fixing the computer that is currently in the Arcade Legends is feeling like a lost cause. It could be so many different things wrong with it. The mother board, the ram, the hard drive, etc. The ram is impossible to find as well as any software CD.

Umm…. No. The manufacture literally sells the parts , and lists the models. You could get replacement parts on eBay for damn cheap. The ram is $8 new on eBay.

http://www.chicago-gaming.com/parts.php?pid=14

As far as the software, Im not sure where to get a replacement. Your hard disk is probably good though because you should at least have bios. I would clone the disk when all is working just as a backup.

Tips;
http://www.chicago-gaming.com/docs/al_sp.pdf

[ark_ader]

I would fix the computer. In no case should you replace it with a Pi, you will have gone from having a 100 percent legit multigame with real monetary value to a bootleg frameskipping turd. Probably just needs what most old computers need which is either a new power supply or a new CMOS battery.

Thanks for all the help so far, guys. I have replaced the battery, tested the power supply, and reseated the Ram but still nothing is displayed on the monitor. Not sure where to go from here.

This.  Get a old desktop PC in there and hook it up.  Download the the complete mame set off the internet.  Sounds like a cap has died on the mainboard.

So you are saying that I could get an old PC, load the MAME games on there, and use all of the same hookups that are in the Arcade Legends now? And that would work, just using all of the same boards and all?

I was also told that the old software CD will do me no good since it will ask for a code that no longer exists. This thing is a pain! You can buy a new hard drive for the Arcade Legends on ebay that comes with more games. I wonder if I just replaced the hard drive if that would do me any good? It's like $150 though.

Yes Just swap the PC out and keep your games CD as a drinks coaster.  Have fun loading that sucker up with all kinds of games. 

[keilmillerjr]

I would fix the computer. In no case should you replace it with a Pi, you will have gone from having a 100 percent legit multigame with real monetary value to a bootleg frameskipping turd. Probably just needs what most old computers need which is either a new power supply or a new CMOS battery.

I agree in the fact that it is a spimple fix and I would go that route. But you need to stop downing the rpi every chance you get. It does some things well. It doesn't do everything well. I use it to emulate a single system that it does well. Can it play every n64 game? No. Can it switch resolutions on the fly? Yes, but not every district implemented it yet. It's a work in progress, but it does fit some people's needs.

Nope, the pi is another example of the "much worse but easier" trend that has been ruining our hobby for years. People used to build the crap out of some amazing Mame cabinets. Then those 60 in 1 (or X in 1) boards came around and took over a huge portion of the build your own market even though they are just terrible. Bartops began to take off and, bam once again, the real hobby got smaller because it is easier to bash together a little kit then it is to actually use a saw for an hour or two. Now the pi comes along, and quickly takes over the majority of what is left of the community, despite the fact that it is aggressively worse than any PC. They have better software than the x in 1 boards, but the X in 1 boards are way more reliable so I would count them as equal to the pi.

Pi is great for consoles due to more optimized emulators for those consoles, and it runs some individual mame games perfectly, but it should never be the go-to or number one thing you recommend. What I particularly dislike is all the people selling these Pi based systems that are going to eventually corrupt their storage and when it happens they will have no idea how to fix it and the community will have moved onto something else that is probably even worse but easier.

SD cards will not corrupt if your not writing to disk. This can be avoiding by read only or shutting down the pi properly. My pi is reliable. Your saying ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- that benchmarks say isn't true, as well as general experience. I feel like I'm arguing with a 4 year old that insists a Toyota pickup was a diesel, when I know they don't even make diesel pickups for USA.

[paigeoliver]

I would fix the computer. In no case should you replace it with a Pi, you will have gone from having a 100 percent legit multigame with real monetary value to a bootleg frameskipping turd. Probably just needs what most old computers need which is either a new power supply or a new CMOS battery.

I agree in the fact that it is a spimple fix and I would go that route. But you need to stop downing the rpi every chance you get. It does some things well. It doesn't do everything well. I use it to emulate a single system that it does well. Can it play every n64 game? No. Can it switch resolutions on the fly? Yes, but not every district implemented it yet. It's a work in progress, but it does fit some people's needs.

Nope, the pi is another example of the "much worse but easier" trend that has been ruining our hobby for years. People used to build the crap out of some amazing Mame cabinets. Then those 60 in 1 (or X in 1) boards came around and took over a huge portion of the build your own market even though they are just terrible. Bartops began to take off and, bam once again, the real hobby got smaller because it is easier to bash together a little kit then it is to actually use a saw for an hour or two. Now the pi comes along, and quickly takes over the majority of what is left of the community, despite the fact that it is aggressively worse than any PC. They have better software than the x in 1 boards, but the X in 1 boards are way more reliable so I would count them as equal to the pi.

Pi is great for consoles due to more optimized emulators for those consoles, and it runs some individual mame games perfectly, but it should never be the go-to or number one thing you recommend. What I particularly dislike is all the people selling these Pi based systems that are going to eventually corrupt their storage and when it happens they will have no idea how to fix it and the community will have moved onto something else that is probably even worse but easier.

SD cards will not corrupt if your not writing to disk. This can be avoiding by read only or shutting down the pi properly. My pi is reliable. Your saying ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- that benchmarks say isn't true, as well as general experience. I feel like I'm arguing with a 4 year old that insists a Toyota pickup was a diesel, when I know they don't even make diesel pickups for USA.

Last I checked the guys working on pi mame had "accidentally" broken the feature that lets you see the framerate and if it is skipping or not. Is that working now?

[paigeoliver]

Saw your benchmarks Keith, I have to say the 3 is much improved. The B and 2 are a joke though. This will slightly alter my position going forward.

[ark_ader]

I would fix the computer. In no case should you replace it with a Pi, you will have gone from having a 100 percent legit multigame with real monetary value to a bootleg frameskipping turd. Probably just needs what most old computers need which is either a new power supply or a new CMOS battery.

I agree in the fact that it is a spimple fix and I would go that route. But you need to stop downing the rpi every chance you get. It does some things well. It doesn't do everything well. I use it to emulate a single system that it does well. Can it play every n64 game? No. Can it switch resolutions on the fly? Yes, but not every district implemented it yet. It's a work in progress, but it does fit some people's needs.

Nope, the pi is another example of the "much worse but easier" trend that has been ruining our hobby for years. People used to build the crap out of some amazing Mame cabinets. Then those 60 in 1 (or X in 1) boards came around and took over a huge portion of the build your own market even though they are just terrible. Bartops began to take off and, bam once again, the real hobby got smaller because it is easier to bash together a little kit then it is to actually use a saw for an hour or two. Now the pi comes along, and quickly takes over the majority of what is left of the community, despite the fact that it is aggressively worse than any PC. They have better software than the x in 1 boards, but the X in 1 boards are way more reliable so I would count them as equal to the pi.

Pi is great for consoles due to more optimized emulators for those consoles, and it runs some individual mame games perfectly, but it should never be the go-to or number one thing you recommend. What I particularly dislike is all the people selling these Pi based systems that are going to eventually corrupt their storage and when it happens they will have no idea how to fix it and the community will have moved onto something else that is probably even worse but easier.

SD cards will not corrupt if your not writing to disk. This can be avoiding by read only or shutting down the pi properly. My pi is reliable. Your saying ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- that benchmarks say isn't true, as well as general experience. I feel like I'm arguing with a 4 year old that insists a Toyota pickup was a diesel, when I know they don't even make diesel pickups for USA.

You can buy a diesel engine and put it in a Toyota, but something tells me would would argue some other topic with a 4 year old. 

The pi is unreliable and can have a FS error on boot if you even look at it funny.  That is why I BACKUP! BACKUP! BACKUP! place all your valuable ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- on a USB drive (or just have it on a SMB server on your network) and leave the sdcard to start up and enable USB booting.  That way you can go through your crap 2gb sdcards without the headache of transferring everything like you would do with a 64gb card.      /rant

[elvis]

The pi is unreliable and can have a FS error on boot if you even look at it funny.

Speaking as someone who uses RPis for real work (not just hobbies or toys), I have no idea what you're talking about.

If you're getting file system errors all the time, you're doing it wrong.  The Pi isn't the problem here.

[pinlink]

OK the plan for this evening is to go buy an old PC to hook up to the Arcade Legends to see if it will display on the monitor. I will just hook up the new PC via VGA connector to the USBlinx board, turn it on and cross my fingers. If the Arcade Legends monitor boots to desktop I will be pretty pumped and start loading up the Roms on the PC. Hopefully the controls on the Arcade Legends will work when I hook it up? Am I missing anything? Thanks again everyone for the help and suggestions on this.

[nitrogen_widget]

OK the plan for this evening is to go buy an old PC to hook up to the Arcade Legends to see if it will display on the monitor. I will just hook up the new PC via VGA connector to the USBlinx board, turn it on and cross my fingers. If the Arcade Legends monitor boots to desktop I will be pretty pumped and start loading up the Roms on the PC. Hopefully the controls on the Arcade Legends will work when I hook it up? Am I missing anything? Thanks again everyone for the help and suggestions on this.

In the repair guide i posted it mentions the controls are plugged into the ps2 port of the PC so it sounds like it uses a standard keyboard encoder.
you will still probably have to configure the controls.
if you get it working fire up notepad then move the controllers and pres the buttons to see what "keys" are being sent to the system.

[pinlink]

On the Arcade Legends computer, there is nothing plugged into the ps2 keyboard port. Just a connector plugged into the mouse port. There are 2 USBs ports, maybe that is what is controlling the control panel? Not sure.

[Drnick]

Where does the cable plugged into the mouse socket go?, The manual said that Mouse is not used at all.

 If the controller comes off of USB and isnt a standard HID USB device then you are almost guaranteed to be going to need some drivers.  You might get lucky though.  Looking at the spare parts it shows the usb interface (USBLINX) as having jamma on the other side.

So you could throw in a new PC and roll your own jamma connector to interface with the controls.  Not gonna be a simple task though. I would try and get the original board back up and running personally. I say this because even if you roll your own jamma how are you getting the VGA to the monitor, It looks like that is all handled by the interface board. so you would need a Jpac or similar really.  Actually a Jpac would be your best bet for a replacement PC because it replaces the USBLinx entirely.

[nitrogen_widget]

That could be your problem.
that mouse port is not to be used.

Only the keyboard port. that connects everything but the trackball.
Trackball is using usb port.

it may not be booting because you have the keyboard plugged into the mouse port.

I think you really should take a look at the troubleshooting guide i posted it isn't that technical and provides some step by step instructions.

[Drnick]

Just as I edited my post Nitrogen_widget put it more eloquently for me

[pinlink]

That could be your problem.
that mouse port is not to be used.

Only the keyboard port. that connects everything but the trackball.
Trackball is using usb port.

it may not be booting because you have the keyboard plugged into the mouse port.

I think you really should take a look at the troubleshooting guide i posted it isn't that technical and provides some step by step instructions.

OK, I will swap it out. But it is not booting when I hook up the ps2 keyboard (to the correct port) and my other monitor either so I don't think that is the problem.

[Drnick]

If all else fails then you can always try this guy

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ultracade-and-Arcade-Legends-computer-repair-and-upgrade-service-/121293747248

[pinlink]

Thanks, I've contacted him. Seems like a nice guy but it would cost me a ton of money just to ship it to him. Then I would have to pay for repair and to ship it back. Would just not make financial sense in the end. This is why I would like to convert it to run MAME, NES, SNES, etc. with an old PC.

[Drnick]

In which case pull everything that is in there (But do not throw it out so when you sell it it can be restored) Put in a Dual/Quad core PC and a Jpac connect everything up and off you go.

Actually you may be able to get away with the current board.  I found some online documentation on it here

http://service.globalvr.com/downloads/ultracade/components/040-USBLNXM-UCT_USBlinx_User_Doc_v02H.pdf

It says that it uses standard windows compatible devices so you should be able to just use it with the new PC. 

[nitrogen_widget]

Just as I edited my post Nitrogen_widget put it more eloquently for me

We posted the same solution at the same time.

[pinlink]

In which case pull everything that is in there (But do not throw it out so when you sell it it can be restored) Put in a Dual/Quad core PC and a Jpac connect everything up and off you go.

Actually you may be able to get away with the current board.  I found some online documentation on it here

http://service.globalvr.com/downloads/ultracade/components/040-USBLNXM-UCT_USBlinx_User_Doc_v02H.pdf

It says that it uses standard windows compatible devices so you should be able to just use it with the new PC.

Looking for PC's on craigslist I found this one that is
HP 4000 Pro SFF.
160gb HDD
4GB RAM
Core2 e7500 2.93 GHz
Windows 10 Pro

Think that could run most MAME, NES, SNES, N64 games? My knowledge of computers is basically zero. Thanks.

[nitrogen_widget]

A core2 with 4GB running win 10?
must of been one of those ninja updates. the poor bastard.

don't pay more than $50 because you will need at least another 2gb of ram.

[Ken Layton]

Have you done the simplest thing to the original computer yet which is to replace the cmos battery?

[keilmillerjr]

On the Arcade Legends computer, there is nothing plugged into the ps2 keyboard port. Just a connector plugged into the mouse port. There are 2 USBs ports, maybe that is what is controlling the control panel? Not sure.

Heres the guide for USBlinx, and it describes how to hook it up: http://service.globalvr.com/downloads/ultracade/components/040-USBLNXM-UCT_USBlinx_User_Doc_v02H.pdf

Documentation says not to use PS/2 when using usb. You have both connected.

Your jumping the gun buying new stuff. Just read the documentation and troubleshoot what you have. Its probably something simple.

Have you done the simplest thing to the original computer yet which is to replace the cmos battery?

^^^^ What he said. It’s a $4 purchase.