new cabinet - 2 questions i-pac or minipac and 2P coin slot

[toffee]

thanks to all for this board - been learning a lot by lurking...

I have taken the plunge and just bought a generic jamma cabinet, and plan on using for a MAME conversion. The monitor is faulty, so I intend to go the PC Monitor route (I have a 19" one spare), and strip out all the Jamma stuff. It is a standard 2 joys/4 buttons per player/ 1/2 p start button.

The decision I have is between the I-PAC and the minipac....

The wiring is already in place for the controls, so I guess I could just cut&strip the wires at the loom and wire directly into the I-PAC. Or I could rip everything out and use the minipac & wiring harness to connect to the control panel with fresh cable.

I have no immediate plans for a spinner or trackball, but you know how these things go, I may well do in the future.

Any recommendations for me to choose between the I-Pac or Minipac? There doesn

[crashwg]

How are the wires attached to the controls?  If they are simply attached with spade connectors (that's what they're called right???) I would go with the minipac.  But if they are soldered I'd go with the I-PAC.  Oh wait, it also depend on the size of the connectors as there are different sizes.

[toffee]

yeah - they are the right spade connectors, and they are not soldered, so I went for the minipac. thanks.

any ideas about the 2P coin with only one slot q?

[hunky_artist]

I like you, have been learning a LOT by lurking, and I'm going to build my first cab starting in a couple of months.

Whats the difference between an Ipac and a minipac though? I've only just heard of this minipac.... thanks

[toffee]

minipac details here:

http://www.ultimarc.com/minipacUK.html

its a lot like an i-pac, but has the capacity to take trackball/spinner inputs and if you use the harness, cabling will be a breeze. Reckon it will take around 15 mins, instead of the hours it would have taken stripping, cutting, crimping etc.

stripped out all the jamma stuff last night and cleaned it all up. need to mount the monitor this weekend, then fit the minipac when it arrives. PC is all setup and ready.....should be up and running by the middle of next week. woo-hoo!