isolation transformer for Arcade Monitor?

[Nailz]

Ok, with all of your fine help, I have decided to go the ArcadeVGA route and get myself an Arcade monitor.  Oscar kindly pointed out one place that sells 19" monitors fairly cheap:  http://www.arcadeshop.com/parts.htm#Monitors

I noticed they said an isolation transformer was not required...  So my question is, if I get a different type of monitor, what do I do about this isolation transformer?

I have to admit, I was stupidly thinking, I would buy an arcade monitor, hack the cable so it will plug into the Arcade VGA card per ultimarc, and then just plug the monitor into a socket.  I have now figured out this isn't going to work, so my next question is, how does it work to get power to an arcade monitor?  This isolation transformer is somehow the key to it all or am I missing something else?  Do I need a J-Pac?

I just want to make sure I have it all figured out in my head before I go off and start buying things and find out I need more.  I have been doing a bunch of reading and not finding much or I am just looking in the wrong places.

Thanks as always.

[SNAAAKE]

it has built in isolation transformer thats all..lot of monitors do(MOST).

say..polo 25" monitors have em built in.you buy an ac plug or hack your own..the ac connecter should look somethin like this..

[Nailz]

Ok, so most newer monitors these days have isolation transformers?  Would these?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=13718&item=3211324388

Also, as far as power goes, you are saying I can just pick up a typical AC power cord?  Not sure what you are showing me in that picture, there are more than a few connectors it appears.  Thanks.

[SNAAAKE]

it should have..did you do a check on the model #?
ask the seller if its built in or how you power up the monitor.

you cut open a computer power cord then inside you will see yellow,green,and blue wire..

Now i cant remember which is which..like live,netural,ground.ask someone here about which is what and get like 3 molex pin and stick it in the 3 pin connection and your monitor will power up(its my way or the highway...LOL).
That is exactly what i did with my k7400 model but i cant remember which wire was what..like green,blue,yellow when i cut open the AC cord.I went to my local arcade and the guy there knew which color stands for what(live,ground and netural).

[Shadowfire]

Are you building a cocktail cabinet?  Becuase those are only 13" monitors.

[Nailz]

Yes, I am going for a cocktail cab.  I was looking at 19" and 13" and those 13" seemed like a really smoking deal so I was leaning in that direction....

[Nailz]

If anyone one knows what wires go where on the molex connector that would be awesome.  Another questiont hough.. shouldn't the monitor come with a power cable or am I just making crazy assumptions here?  

[SNAAAKE]

why dont ya ask the seller..NORMALLY they are supposed to give you a cable..wells garnder dont and i didnt even know..no one told me that you actually gotta buy it seperate..so i did the hack..you can start a new thread or something..i can tell you tomorrow..i know someone who knows about this..

[Nailz]

Cool, thanks.  And I did just send them off a message asking about power cables right before I saw your reply.    Hopefully they will provide the cable and I will have no worries.

[Nailz]

So the guy replied and said they were just plug and play with Arcade games....  what the hell does that mean?  I guess I would have to hack a power cable then?  Is it that big of a deal to do?

[SNAAAKE]

its nothing..once you get your monitor,it says on the 3 pin which is which..like there is a letter next to each connection..

1 says L,other says N and the blank one is ground..by then i will find out about ac cord power cable thing...like which colored wire stands for what..post a new message and ask someone here...someone must know..RIGHT?

[max]

Hy sirs ! I am new to this forum but I went trough the same problem as you Nailz w/ a polo mtc 9000 Hantarex monitor (it's indeed the common monitor in europe).
So i had to power it like that :
* Ac main > electrical filter > isolation transformer and then to the connector  ! That is the all point you have to know what corresponds tou your pins

*ok you go from the ac plug w/ 3 wires (green yellow is the earth, black and blue don't matter as it is alternative power)

*you go through the filter (please visit purple Mame web site http://mame.how.to ) and then through the isolation transformer.

*Good now you usually have +/- 10 % 128V  to power your monitor and sometimes 220v for the degauss ...

*forget the earth as it has been soldered to the filter !

Mine works great w/ that configuration but you should find interesting ressources on the purple mame web site
good luck

[paigeoliver]

Isolation transformers are not that hard to come by. They have them at my local weirdo electronics place.

Any serious collector has probably got several spares laying around, simply from stripping old games.

Ask on this board, I'll bet a ton of people have them still in the bottom of their cabinet, even though they moved up to PC monitor, or TV.

Safety note. Only the newest arcade monitors go without a transformer. I have never actually encountered one of them anywhere besides on a web page for sale as new. Plug in an old monitor without one, and you blow it up.

Ask on the rec.games.video.arcade.collecting newsgroup. Someone local will probably have one you can come over and buy. With any luck you can get the piece of wood that holds the transformer, plug and fuses all in one go. Already wired up, ready for your monitor.