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Author Topic: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games  (Read 126364 times)

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jbserra

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #40 on: February 16, 2015, 11:13:22 am »
Do you really have to rain on my parade?  I'm quite happy with my $5 TOTAL investment and have thoroughly enjoyed this cabinet so far (minus the games not saving with the original "cartridge").  I have also hacked it to play Playstation games.  An upright arcade w/20" flat screen and the full library of playstation1/2 games for $5 is a deal I'd do again!

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #41 on: February 16, 2015, 11:44:03 am »
Jim Gotta Jim, bro. It's a Tenet of this place.
***Build what you dig, bro. Build what you dig.***

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #42 on: February 16, 2015, 12:09:42 pm »
That's cool that you're happy with it.  Onward and upwards.

 :cheers:

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #43 on: March 12, 2015, 05:46:05 pm »
As much as this thread tries to do it looks to still be alive. :)

I've just picked up one of these beauties. Or POS. Whatever the current opinion is. My kids love the darn thing but I think I'm going to make it a cheap/free upgrade until I can afford to build my own machine.

I'm heading to goodwill this weekend to see if any old TVs will work for expanding the screen size. If anyone has any comments on the subject I'd love to hear them. The one I picked up appears to be working very well in spite of its cheap parts.

jbserra

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #44 on: March 26, 2015, 10:26:36 am »
As much as this thread tries to do it looks to still be alive. :)

I've just picked up one of these beauties. Or POS. Whatever the current opinion is. My kids love the darn thing but I think I'm going to make it a cheap/free upgrade until I can afford to build my own machine.

I'm heading to goodwill this weekend to see if any old TVs will work for expanding the screen size. If anyone has any comments on the subject I'd love to hear them. The one I picked up appears to be working very well in spite of its cheap parts.

If you look earlier in this thread, I've mounted a 20" Sony.  Looks great!  I just started the new skin for the front:


The million dollar question for me, does yours store high scores day after day?  Is yours one of the demo floor units?

Thanks and have fun!

andy4sandy

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #45 on: April 03, 2015, 01:47:24 pm »
How can I post pictures? I have modded this thing as well. I have added a 14" TFT monitor, LED lights, Soundbox and a Jamma Board!

jbserra

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #46 on: April 03, 2015, 02:02:10 pm »
I just took the link from my pictures in google.

Ken Layton

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #47 on: April 03, 2015, 06:38:09 pm »
How can I post pictures? I have modded this thing as well. I have added a 14" TFT monitor, LED lights, Soundbox and a Jamma Board!

When you click on reply, there will be a phrase "Attachments and other options" under the reply box. Click on that phrase then you'll see "Attach: Browse" from which you can select pictures to upload from you computer.

andy4sandy

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #48 on: April 13, 2015, 10:21:57 am »
Now 14" TFT / Jamma / LED lights / External speaker in the marquee. Rest button now coin / works very fine.

Thanks to this forum for all the info!

Andy from Good old Germany!!!
(temporary in wonderful USA)

Has anyone ever wired a XBOX 360 to Jamma? If yes how?

« Last Edit: April 13, 2015, 06:45:06 pm by andy4sandy »

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #50 on: April 13, 2015, 12:38:07 pm »
Now with 14 inch TFT, Jamma Board, 30 Watt Speaker, and LEDs. Work fine :-)

andy4sandy

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #51 on: April 13, 2015, 12:38:52 pm »
May the forum gods forgive me, I am knowingly posting to a 4+ year old topic.  But I deem it appropriate in this instance, because the original post by VR Junkie gives the reader many tools to accomplish a specific task, and I want to simply augment that wealth of information with one additional piece, because I think that over time, people will continue to find this topic useful for a very specific purpose - to convert one of those old Target Midway cabs, circa 2006-2007, into a MAME machine.  I think there are still tons of them out there, in varying states of neglect and decrepitude, and with a little know-how and elbow grease, these are much better candidates for Maiming than an original dedicated cab which could be restored instead.  That said, here is my contribution.

This cabinet uses a simple (and seemingly unnecessary) PCB as a go-between from the thicker, color-coded control panel wires to two sets of thin, 15-conductor ribbon cables.  The original post, while providing a great wiring breakout for the wires connected to the actual controls, did not give a clear mapping to the wires of the ribbon cables, which I feel are better suited for wiring to the keyboard encoder.  So for those who want to go the route I went, snipping/ripping/stripping the two ribbon cables and wiring those to the encoder, here is a quick and easy ribbon cable wiring breakout diagram:



Note the lingo for these cabinets, they refer to all the buttons on the control panel (except for Player 1 Start, Player 2 Start and Reset) as "Fire" buttons, hence the terminology "F1" through "F6" above.  I know this additional information will be of use to someone in the future.  For now, I just ask that this topic be allowed to quietly slip back into obscurity.  :)

Thanks for this!!!!

Andy

jbserra

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #52 on: April 16, 2015, 01:24:54 pm »
Now with 14 inch TFT, Jamma Board, 30 Watt Speaker, and LEDs. Work fine :-)

Is your marquee lit as well?

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #53 on: April 16, 2015, 03:27:34 pm »
I just acquired one of these for $20 without even seeing it first.  I already have a MAME Machine, Mini pinball, and a Pacman and figured for $20 I can't loose.  I never knew these existed until now (10 years later), lol.  Anyway, P1 joystick will not go left and the screen is scrunched up toward the bottom, top 20% of screen is blank.  Does the joystick use a normal replaceable microswitch? and does the monitor have controls to adjust the vertical hold like a normal arcade monitor?  If so, are the switches located up front with the volume buttons or do I have to get the TV out and take the cover off?

@jbserra looking good!  :)

jbserra

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #54 on: April 16, 2015, 03:49:35 pm »
I just acquired one of these for $20 without even seeing it first.  I already have a MAME Machine, Mini pinball, and a Pacman and figured for $20 I can't loose.  I never knew these existed until now (10 years later), lol.  Anyway, P1 joystick will not go left and the screen is scrunched up toward the bottom, top 20% of screen is blank.  Does the joystick use a normal replaceable microswitch? and does the monitor have controls to adjust the vertical hold like a normal arcade monitor?  If so, are the switches located up front with the volume buttons or do I have to get the TV out and take the cover off?

@jbserra looking good!  :)

I believe they use normal replaceable microswitches, but if not, I have seen the full joystick swapped out which may be better anyway.

The monitor is a 13" TV with RCA input.  There is channel, volume and menu on the front.  I tried unsuccessfully to guess a code for my universal remote that would allow me into all of the menus, so I had to pull out the tv entirely and push the buttons.  I put an extra hole on the front that lined up with the menu button so I didn't have to take everything apart again.  I could just use a skinny screw driver if I needed it.  But then I swapped the whole TV anyway.  You can have my old tube if you're ever near Milwaukee for a case of Dew :-)

I'm pretty sure there is not a vertical hold unless it's in the menu somewhere or something inside the case.

Bypass the video switcher and try a good RCA straight from the cartridge to the tv to rule out the cable.  Mine was bad when I got it.
« Last Edit: April 16, 2015, 04:05:36 pm by jbserra »

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #55 on: April 17, 2015, 08:21:27 am »
Now with 14 inch TFT, Jamma Board, 30 Watt Speaker, and LEDs. Work fine :-)

Is your marquee lit as well?

No not yet, working on it! But I guess it should be no problem at all!

andy4sandy

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #56 on: April 17, 2015, 08:33:01 am »
Now with 14 inch TFT, Jamma Board, 30 Watt Speaker, and LEDs. Work fine :-)

Is your marquee lit as well?

No not yet, working on it! But I guess it should be no problem at all!

andy4sandy

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #57 on: April 17, 2015, 08:37:37 am »
I just acquired one of these for $20 without even seeing it first.  I already have a MAME Machine, Mini pinball, and a Pacman and figured for $20 I can't loose.  I never knew these existed until now (10 years later), lol.  Anyway, P1 joystick will not go left and the screen is scrunched up toward the bottom, top 20% of screen is blank.  Does the joystick use a normal replaceable microswitch? and does the monitor have controls to adjust the vertical hold like a normal arcade monitor?  If so, are the switches located up front with the volume buttons or do I have to get the TV out and take the cover off?

@jbserra looking good!  :)

I believe they use normal replaceable microswitches, but if not, I have seen the full joystick swapped out which may be better anyway.

I will replace the controls soon - see pictures!



The monitor is a 13" TV with RCA input.  There is channel, volume and menu on the front.  I tried unsuccessfully to guess a code for my universal remote that would allow me into all of the menus, so I had to pull out the tv entirely and push the buttons.  I put an extra hole on the front that lined up with the menu button so I didn't have to take everything apart again.  I could just use a skinny screw driver if I needed it.  But then I swapped the whole TV anyway.  You can have my old tube if you're ever near Milwaukee for a case of Dew :-)

I'm pretty sure there is not a vertical hold unless it's in the menu somewhere or something inside the case.

Bypass the video switcher and try a good RCA straight from the cartridge to the tv to rule out the cable.  Mine was bad when I got it.

andy4sandy

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #58 on: April 17, 2015, 08:38:54 am »
I just acquired one of these for $20 without even seeing it first.  I already have a MAME Machine, Mini pinball, and a Pacman and figured for $20 I can't loose.  I never knew these existed until now (10 years later), lol.  Anyway, P1 joystick will not go left and the screen is scrunched up toward the bottom, top 20% of screen is blank.  Does the joystick use a normal replaceable microswitch? and does the monitor have controls to adjust the vertical hold like a normal arcade monitor?  If so, are the switches located up front with the volume buttons or do I have to get the TV out and take the cover off?

@jbserra looking good!  :)

I believe they use normal replaceable microswitches, but if not, I have seen the full joystick swapped out which may be better anyway.

I will replace the controls soon - see pictures!



The monitor is a 13" TV with RCA input.  There is channel, volume and menu on the front.  I tried unsuccessfully to guess a code for my universal remote that would allow me into all of the menus, so I had to pull out the tv entirely and push the buttons.  I put an extra hole on the front that lined up with the menu button so I didn't have to take everything apart again.  I could just use a skinny screw driver if I needed it.  But then I swapped the whole TV anyway.  You can have my old tube if you're ever near Milwaukee for a case of Dew :-)

I'm pretty sure there is not a vertical hold unless it's in the menu somewhere or something inside the case.

Bypass the video switcher and try a good RCA straight from the cartridge to the tv to rule out the cable.  Mine was bad when I got it.

Ken Layton

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #59 on: April 19, 2015, 01:55:46 am »
The new control panel with genuine arcade joysticks and pushbuttons looks so much better than the original setup. :)

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #60 on: August 04, 2015, 05:34:33 pm »
I have made some changes.
« Last Edit: August 04, 2015, 05:48:03 pm by andy4sandy »

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #61 on: August 04, 2015, 05:35:36 pm »
I have made some changes. Now with LED banner!
« Last Edit: August 04, 2015, 05:47:46 pm by andy4sandy »

jbserra

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #62 on: August 06, 2015, 12:36:11 pm »
Nice touches.  What drives the little LCD?


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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #63 on: August 06, 2015, 03:30:02 pm »
The LED thing is called: USB Programmable LED Scrolling Message Id Badge Red. I bought this on Amazon.
Holds up to 1500 characters, programmable via USB. Fit´s just perfect into the gap where the original game cartridge was sitting.

I guess the cup holder look better at night when the little led glow!

« Last Edit: August 11, 2015, 03:51:21 pm by andy4sandy »

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #64 on: February 01, 2016, 04:52:58 pm »
Hi all, just ran across this thread and was wondering if anyone was still active on it?  I've had one of these Midway Big Electronic Games arcade machines since 2007 (bought used) and just recently it stopped working.  Not sure if the main board went bad or perhaps the monitor.  Was just wondering if any of you had a similar problem that you troubleshooted correctly. 

Before it stopped working, I caught my 4 year old pushing the Reset button over and over forever as only kids will for some reason want to do, so I'm wondering if that messed up the board. 

I took the back of the cabinet off and only had a short time yesterday to start my troubleshooting.  The first thing I did was plug a portable DVD player into the monitor's inputs, but nothing played on the monitor.  That leads me to believe the monitor is bad.  It seems like the speakers are in the monitor as well, so that would explain why no sound is heard even if the picture is bad. 

When I have a chance to get back into it, the next thing I will try is to plug the output from the board into a working TV just to see if the board is working properly.  Anyone have any other suggestions?

One unrelated question I had is if the cartridge is supposed to be able to be pulled out from the front of the machine (above the screen)?  It looks like it should pull out, but I pried on it a little and it did not budge.  I didn't force the issue because I didn't want to break it.  Also, I started loosening the board housing from the backside of the bezel, but it would not come off despite removing the 4 screws holding it against the bezel.  Also, the screws holding the housing together are only accessible from underneath, which is just about impossible without taking the structure of the cabinet apart (I'm wondering if whoever put mine together attached the board housing to the backside of the bezel upside down by accident). 

In any case, if this thread is still active, please let me know if you have any troubleshooting tips!

-James



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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #65 on: February 08, 2016, 06:05:40 pm »
Hi all, just ran across this thread and was wondering if anyone was still active on it?  I've had one of these Midway Big Electronic Games arcade machines since 2007 (bought used) and just recently it stopped working.  Not sure if the main board went bad or perhaps the monitor.  Was just wondering if any of you had a similar problem that you troubleshooted correctly. 

Before it stopped working, I caught my 4 year old pushing the Reset button over and over forever as only kids will for some reason want to do, so I'm wondering if that messed up the board. 

I took the back of the cabinet off and only had a short time yesterday to start my troubleshooting.  The first thing I did was plug a portable DVD player into the monitor's inputs, but nothing played on the monitor.  That leads me to believe the monitor is bad.  It seems like the speakers are in the monitor as well, so that would explain why no sound is heard even if the picture is bad. 

When I have a chance to get back into it, the next thing I will try is to plug the output from the board into a working TV just to see if the board is working properly.  Anyone have any other suggestions?

One unrelated question I had is if the cartridge is supposed to be able to be pulled out from the front of the machine (above the screen)?  It looks like it should pull out, but I pried on it a little and it did not budge.  I didn't force the issue because I didn't want to break it.  Also, I started loosening the board housing from the backside of the bezel, but it would not come off despite removing the 4 screws holding it against the bezel.  Also, the screws holding the housing together are only accessible from underneath, which is just about impossible without taking the structure of the cabinet apart (I'm wondering if whoever put mine together attached the board housing to the backside of the bezel upside down by accident). 

In any case, if this thread is still active, please let me know if you have any troubleshooting tips!

-James

Hey, welcome to the post everyone wants dead ;-)

I have 2 boards so if you end up needing one, let me know.

Your troubleshooting sounds good.  If the TV didn't display an image from the DVD (assuming the tv was on), that may be a bad sign for the TV.  I went out and replaced mine with a 20" sony which is a little big, but fit just about perfect inbetween some existing bracing.  Just moved the board that keeps the TV from sliding out the back, cut a hole for the larger tv case out the back and off to the races.  Well, still working on a new bezel, but game is up and running.

Nothing really comes out easily.  I took a lot apart to get at the TV and the cartridge.  There is a metal clip that holds the cartridge into that holder.  You have to take the screw out of that or possibly pry it up while trying to remove the cartridge.  Not sure why they made it look like you could swap carts but then basically locked it in.

If you have any other questions, just send me a message.

Good luck!

EDIT:
I found these pictures from when I tore it apart:
https://goo.gl/photos/b6qixnPfrZBLPi1RA

I think that is the silver tab under the holder that is keeping the cartridge from pulling out.  You can see a sliver of it in the close up pic.
« Last Edit: February 08, 2016, 06:11:22 pm by jbserra »

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #66 on: February 20, 2016, 01:31:16 am »
Hello everyone, I'm a new owner of a Big Games Konami and Midway machine. The Konami works flawlessly, but I'm having a problem with the Midway which I hope someone here can help me with. The volume buttons on the Midway do not seem to do anything. The unit is very loud and I'm unable to lower the volume.. I wanted to try to manually lower the volume but I'm unsure how to remove the TV from the unit. Any advice on this? What screws need to be removed in order to free the TV? Is any of the wood in the unit glued instead of screwed? I see that a few of you got remotes for the TV. Could a universal remote find the code for this TV and is the remote even able to function with the TV while it is in the cab (is the sensor covered?). I'm hoping that if I get the TV loose there is just a loose connection on the volume buttons.

Edit: This morning I was able to enter the TVs on screen volume setting using a Radio Shack Universal HDTV remote (#15-135).  I had to aim the remote slightly to the right half of the TV and aim very close and down (to get behind the enclosure).The power button and volume button seems to be the only buttons that function on this remote with this TV. I'm very thankful that I was able to lower the volume from it's set volume of 76 down to a more comfortable 20. I would still like to get the volume buttons on the machine working, just because I hate to leave things undone. Any advice on easily accessing behind those buttons? Like I said previously I'm hoping it's just a loose wire. I would also love to access the TVs other settings such as color, contrast, etc like one of the users above me did. Can they be accessed with the official remote? If so, I'd order one right away.

Edit 2: I attempted to order the official remote control for the TV via sales@mybiggames.com but it was returned deliverable. Where are some of you ordering this remote control? I've also contacted TCL North America Customer Support but they said that because the TV was not manufactured in North America, they cannot help me.

Edit 3: I've been able to access all the TV's controls via the Radio Shack Universal Remote Model #15-135. So if you ever need a remote to adjust your setting, and can't find an official one, this is your best bet. Here's what the remote's buttons do:

Firstly, enter 11314 into the remote's program feature (if you need instructions on how to this this, contact me and I'll send you the instructions).
The 'Volume' button adjusts the volume of the set.
The 'CC" button (closed caption button) brings up the TV's settings (pressing the 'Volume'  button here will scroll through other option pages but only the 1st page is needed).
The 'PIP' button (picture in picture button) scrolls down through the settings menu.
The 'Volume' button will then adjust the setting you chose with the 'PIP' button.

I would still like to fix the physical volume buttons on the machine, so I appreciate the knowledge anyone may be able to give me in regards to this.
« Last Edit: February 21, 2016, 08:10:40 pm by livingonwheels »

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #67 on: February 22, 2016, 10:02:39 am »
livingonwheels,

The TV removal requires a lot of disassembly.  It's not horrible, but you have to take a lot of the unit apart if I recall correctly.

The company that built these is long out of business.  There is no way to get a remote from the company anymore.

Thanks for the information on the universal remote.  I had tried a Philips remote and couldn't get the buttons to walk through the menu options so I ended up just drilling a little hole on the front to access the button on the front of the TV (when I was still using it).

I use a remote for turning on the unit and adjusting volume, but I've swapped out the TV at this point for a bigger one.  I never opened the TV, so I'm not sure what would be required to repair the volume.  You could pull it out and find that the button is broken somehow as well.  There is a button on the front bezel of the arcade which pushes a button on the front of the TV.  If they're not being pushed all the way in for some reason, they obviously wouldn't work.  If you get to the tv and the tv volume button doesn't work, then you get to crack open a TV and try your luck and repairing the circuit.  Good luck!

livingonwheels

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #68 on: February 22, 2016, 12:17:46 pm »
You were correct, the buttons on the front of the machine were not touching the TV's volume control. Just out of curiosity I decided to press the volume buttons on the cabinet a little harder than I normally would (slightly bending the enclosure). Well, it was enough for it to make contact with the volume controls on the TV! I suppose now I would consider them working, I just have to press them in a little bit harder. One other note for those who's high scores are not saving: I noticed that if you use the remote to turn off the unit (instead of the button on the side of the cabinet) your high scores will be saved. Now of course that also means the power box and electronic module in the machine is still running (even though the TV is off). Weather or not that is causing wear on the it, I do not know. I suppose it would be like keeping any vintage video game console running 24/7.
« Last Edit: February 22, 2016, 12:19:58 pm by livingonwheels »

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #69 on: February 22, 2016, 12:38:58 pm »
Unfortunately, the games will not save. I've tried 2 boards and neither save even when left powered.  As soon as it goes into demo mode or loads another game, it wipes out the high scores.  I keep hoping I'm wrong, but even the developer confirmed that the mfg didn't opt for the extra ram chip to save games.

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #70 on: February 22, 2016, 03:42:08 pm »
Thanks for the clarification.
« Last Edit: February 22, 2016, 03:51:34 pm by livingonwheels »

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #71 on: February 22, 2016, 04:14:47 pm »
I've gone to a dedicated white board with color print out of the marquees to keep track of high scores :-)

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #72 on: February 23, 2016, 10:46:30 pm »
I have just bought one of these, player 2 up on joystick does not work, the switch Is good, I have check that I have connection all the way to the pcb board. I have a good connection. Not sure what could be wrong as the board itself looks to be good. I have connection to pin 8. What else could be wrong?

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #73 on: February 24, 2016, 11:41:35 am »
I'm not sure there's much left other than a board/chip problem unless the connector for the joystick has something bent or broken. Maybe wire it straight to the board?

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #74 on: February 29, 2016, 07:42:24 pm »
I've encountered an issue with my Big Games Konami machine. The screen on this machine is vertical (as opposed to the Midway screen which is horizontal). A single wavy line has appeared 3/4 down the screen. I've hooked up other video game devices to the monitor (it is a VGA monitor) and they look great, no sign of the wavy line. I've hooked up another power supply to the Konami board and the problem persists. I can't seem to hook the board up to another monitor, because I don't own another vga monitor (yet). I've tried to hook it up to a couple modern Lcds with vga inputs but it says "unsupported" on the screens. I'm hoping to find a cheap vga monitor soon, but I suspect it's the Konami board that is giving me the problem. I've cleaned the board and see no signs of damage. What could be causing this single wavy line on the screen?
« Last Edit: February 29, 2016, 07:45:10 pm by livingonwheels »

jbserra

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #75 on: March 01, 2016, 09:11:46 am »
I'm just shocked the Konami has a VGA connector. They made these systems appear to be cartridge based with an interchangeable cartridge, but apparently the guts are entirely different.  Obviously the monitor orientation is different, but I still thought it was the same little box with different games on the chips.

Hopefully it's not the board. Replacements may not be easy to come by.  The Konami seems to be harder to find.  You could open it up and check for something obvious like a blown capacitor or trace.  Maybe if someone knows which part of the VGA connection controls what you're seeing, you can at least narrow it down to a path.

Good luck!

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #76 on: October 17, 2017, 10:00:02 pm »
Time to revive this old thread once again. No point on wasting a new threat on this nasty little cade. Anyways, I was given one of these and I just started to fiddle with it. The main issue is that the monitor only shows less than half of the screen. So I decided to hook it up to an old lcd tv I had laying around but the picture is just white and distorted. Any ideas on how to get this to work with an lcd tv or Dell monitor? I've attached a picture of what it looks like when attached to the TV.

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #77 on: October 18, 2017, 11:13:47 am »
Is the video direct from the "cartridge"?  I would make sure you're bypassing the switch box to rule that out as an issue.  If you're getting a bad signal direct from the cartridge, then I would think that's implicating the board itself inside the cartridge.  You may have to open it up and see if there's anything obvious, otherwise you may be hunting for a replacement cartridge.

Other options would be to hack an old Playstation 2 controller to the control panel and put in the Midway Classics game disk in the PS2.  Raspberry pi with Retropie would be another option.  The pinout for the control panel is included in this thread.  I've used it to hack in a PS2 controller successfully.

Good luck!

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #78 on: October 18, 2017, 11:21:06 am »
 I plugged it in directly to the box, I think the cartridge box is good because I can see it on the original TLC TV. The problem is that it only shows less than half the screen.
Could you elaborate a little more on the PS2 Raspberry Pi options? Both seem interesting to me.

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Re: Midway Arcade Cabinet by Big Electronic Games
« Reply #79 on: October 18, 2017, 02:44:52 pm »
I tried to find a picture, but I took an old playstation2 controller, took it apart, scratched a little spot on each of the metal under the buttons and soldered a ribbon cable to each location.  The ribbon cable had a floppy drive connector on the other side that actually fit the Control panel edge connector, so I just had to match up the wire on the edge connector to the ps2 controller input using the pin diagrams in this post.  I can slip that edge connector on, plug the hacked controller into the playstation, power up and off I go.

For a Raspberry Pi, you could use the instructions and software from something like this:
http://www.retrobuiltgames.com/diy-kits-shop/arcade-fight-stick-v3/

I happen to have one of those kits, so I would probably just use the Midway buttons/joystick instead of the ones in the fight stick and be off and running.  One potential issue is the Pi is HDMI, so you would need a converter or a different display.  I'm using a 20" Trinitron at the moment which isn't HDMI compatible, so I'd have to either swap it or find a converter.

I'm sure there are other ways to do it too, but that's where I would start.