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Author Topic: Upgrading the Namco 5 in 1  (Read 10113 times)

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Galaxian_Namco

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Upgrading the Namco 5 in 1
« on: January 14, 2005, 05:38:14 pm »
My love for Arcade games has grown, and failure with Mame has led me to the purchase of one of those Namco 5 in 1 Plug and Play TV games. They are actually a pretty good purchase, but I feel the controls could be better. I want to use actual arcade controls, and I was thinking that I could make my own little wood box cabinet with happ arcade controls. I believe this would work, and I was even going to hook up an adapter instead of the battery situation. I want more real arcade feel, and more console like durability.
Problem 1:
Not sure if this would work at all
Problem 2:
The first Pac-Man 5-in-1 game is less obvious of how one must take it apart. The Ms. Pac-Man one is pretty straightforward, but the Pac-Man one I can't figure out.

I'm not sure if anyone owns one of these, or if anyone has tried this yet. Any help would be much appreciated.


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Re: Upgrading the Namco 5 in 1
« Reply #1 on: January 14, 2005, 05:44:02 pm »
What kind of "failure with MAME"?
Post your problem, and maybe someone here can help you out. The time you waste messing with that Jaxx game is better spent figuring MAME out.


Galaxian_Namco

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Re: Upgrading the Namco 5 in 1
« Reply #2 on: January 14, 2005, 05:46:03 pm »
The Jaxx thing isn't all that bad. Its pretty convenient.
I'm trying to use MacMAME, and the sample ROMS on MAME.NET won't even work.
Though.. I guess I got frustrated pretty quickly

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Re: Upgrading the Namco 5 in 1
« Reply #3 on: January 14, 2005, 05:56:50 pm »
The screws for the pac-man are on the sides near the corners under the stickers (both sides)... once you take the screws out pop off the yellow sides......then pull out the white tabs.....and now it will come apart :D replacing the buttons and joystick look fairly easy to do....

if you search around in some of the bar top threads someone mentions on how to add a power adapter to it. I do remember them stating you need to keep the led for it


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Re: Upgrading the Namco 5 in 1
« Reply #4 on: January 14, 2005, 05:59:20 pm »
I plan on builcing something similar, only using more than one of the units in the box. I havent taken mine apart yet but from what I could tell the yellow plastic parts on the side have to come off first. And because your puting it in something else anyways I't wont matter if you break the case at all, just keep safe the stuff inside and youre fine. but it should be fairly easy to do, the insides are just microswitches hooked up to the board. (or at least thats what the mrs. pacman one was like.)
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Re: Upgrading the Namco 5 in 1
« Reply #5 on: January 14, 2005, 06:02:09 pm »
Have you tried a large hammer?
I'm betting that would disassemble it pretty quickly.

Seriously though, have you tried the MacMAME Board for help?

As far as getting the Jakk's thing up and running, you just basically need to get it apart, and then wire the new controls in where the old ones were.

It's pretty straight-forward once you get into it.

Galaxian_Namco

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Re: Upgrading the Namco 5 in 1
« Reply #6 on: January 14, 2005, 06:03:15 pm »
I was planning on combining the Pacman and Ms. Pacman boards together and have a switch to select which board but the turning for the Pole Position game prevented me. The Joystick on the Ms. Pacman has that weird turning feature.

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Re: Upgrading the Namco 5 in 1
« Reply #7 on: January 14, 2005, 06:07:49 pm »
I was planning on combining the Pacman and Ms. Pacman boards together and have a switch to select which board but the turning for the Pole Position game prevented me. The Joystick on the Ms. Pacman has that weird turning feature.
heres what i'm doin if this helps any.  Ill be using a t-stick for the main joystick hooked up to all the boards I'm putting in it. for the pole position controls I intend on taking that joystick that comes with the mrs pac and cutting it shorter and throwing a spinner knob on it. I'm not shure what i'm going to do yet for the atari paddle yet as I have yet to buy them and see how they work. most likley it will be replacing the handle on them with a spinner handle.
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Re: Upgrading the Namco 5 in 1
« Reply #8 on: January 14, 2005, 06:14:06 pm »
here's about where the screws are:


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Re: Upgrading the Namco 5 in 1
« Reply #9 on: January 14, 2005, 06:25:48 pm »
Yeah - im making a bartop with one of those namco units too. Its a pritty easy hack. But your right though, the stock stick that it comes with is pritty flimsy and deffently need replacing. You also need a power pack that give a 6V output, at around 500ma (thats what I used anyway with no prob's).

Not sure if you need the LED in there for it to work, but I kept it in there, just so its all still drawing and using the same amount of current as the origonal.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you need some help with plans for the box, ive got some here on paper, but I could scan them in for you.
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Re: Upgrading the Namco 5 in 1
« Reply #10 on: January 14, 2005, 06:38:05 pm »
according to someones post I read about a mont ago you do need to keep the led in there.
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Re: Upgrading the Namco 5 in 1
« Reply #11 on: January 14, 2005, 06:56:03 pm »
Do a search for messages around the first week of December.  Several people posted links and pictures of bar top machines made from the 5-in-1s.  Apparently, they are pretty well labeled on the inside.

Galaxian_Namco

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Re: Upgrading the Namco 5 in 1
« Reply #12 on: January 14, 2005, 07:27:24 pm »
I believe that if I take the LED out it should work fine. I think people are saying that you have to keep it in because of the connection, but technically one could just make the connection by soldering and take out the led. Even though, I'll probably just leave it in.

Also, are there any other plug and play TV games things besides the ones that Jaxx makes?

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Re: Upgrading the Namco 5 in 1
« Reply #13 on: January 14, 2005, 07:30:45 pm »
An LED is a diode.  Making a straight connection that allows current to flow in both directions might not work, depending on how the POWER light is connectd to the POWER supply. 

Wouldn't it be as easy to solder the LED in place as to solder the wores together?

Steve

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Re: Upgrading the Namco 5 in 1
« Reply #14 on: January 14, 2005, 09:15:19 pm »
Yeah, I just left it in there, better safe than sorry. Only things that changed were that I put a blue MCA stick on it and a  blue HAPPS button for fire. I changed the power switch too, just to a bigger one so its not as fiddly to turn on and off.

I like the Idea of including the second Jaks board in the same bartop though, gives you even more games.

Would be easy to wire it up with connection blocks I reckon. Make a switchable system to change boards/controlls.

If anyone gets one of these things going, make sure you post back. Ive got a lot of projects on the drawing board at the moment, so it will be a few months till I can attempt this.

LD
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Re: Upgrading the Namco 5 in 1
« Reply #15 on: January 15, 2005, 12:12:34 am »
I believe that if I take the LED out it should work fine.

At least one person has reported that removing the LED will cause the game to NOT work.
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Re: Upgrading the Namco 5 in 1
« Reply #16 on: January 15, 2005, 02:58:11 am »
I believe that if I take the LED out it should work fine.

At least one person has reported that removing the LED will cause the game to NOT work.
I've done three cabs using the original Jakks Namco 5-in-1, and they all required the LED to be in the circuit. Without it, the video has distorted video with rolling horizontal lines.
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Re: Upgrading the Namco 5 in 1
« Reply #17 on: January 15, 2005, 07:52:38 pm »
for the pole position controls I intend on taking that joystick that comes with the mrs pac and cutting it shorter and throwing a spinner knob on it.

that sounds like a good idea
« Last Edit: January 15, 2005, 07:54:27 pm by missioncontrol »

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Re: Upgrading the Namco 5 in 1
« Reply #18 on: January 17, 2005, 02:51:56 pm »
I like the Idea of including the second Jaks board in the same bartop though, gives you even more games.

Would be easy to wire it up with connection blocks I reckon. Make a switchable system to change boards/controlls.

If anyone gets one of these things going, make sure you post back. Ive got a lot of projects on the drawing board at the moment, so it will be a few months till I can attempt this.
I'll be starting one in about a month, using  the pac man, mrs pac, atari, atari paddle and activision boards. I also want to make it so I can add boards to it later, like the capcom one their site is saying they will be releasing eventually. Mine is going to still be a plug and play though. sorry no monitor.
for the pole position controls I intend on taking that joystick that comes with the mrs pac and cutting it shorter and throwing a spinner knob on it.

that sounds like a good idea
Oh, it is. It is. I'm a genius, and I am crimminally insane.
And when I finish this project I will laugh my meniachle laugh.
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« Last Edit: January 17, 2005, 02:58:59 pm by Shape D. »
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Re: Upgrading the Namco 5 in 1
« Reply #19 on: January 17, 2005, 04:46:45 pm »
I'll be starting one in about a month, using the pac man, mrs pac, atari, atari paddle and activision boards.

DAMN! how you gonna get them all in there? Two I can understand, but all of em in one box is a bit of over kill dont you think?
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Re: Upgrading the Namco 5 in 1
« Reply #20 on: January 17, 2005, 05:03:35 pm »
The boards themselves are fairly small, sence I am not building a bartop size of the cp won't matter. I'm guessing It will be somewhat large though, due to a lid on it.  I haven't figured it all out yet but it will be sweet. I hope. Or else I'll be wasting about  $125.
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Re: Upgrading the Namco 5 in 1
« Reply #21 on: January 17, 2005, 07:35:28 pm »
Well, best of luck. I hope you can get it to work, it would be a sweet cab. In a month or so im going to be having a go at a similar thing.

I will post once I start, you do the same thing. Would be good to work with you on this project.
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Re: Upgrading the Namco 5 in 1
« Reply #22 on: January 23, 2005, 03:51:28 pm »
I just have to say - how cool is the web!!!  I was playing my Namco 5-in-1 with a friend yesterday and we almost threw it against the wall because our scores were completely limited by the crappy joy stick.  I was psyched to find this board.

Between my friend and I were pretty smart, but have no experience at all when it comes to building arcade controls.

Is anyone willing to give or sell detailed plans with how-to instructions and recommendations on parts to buy?  I would be eternally grateful. YOu can email me junk_mail77@yahoo.com

Thanks everyone!