jakk hack(excuse my language) pacman microbarcab FINISHED!!!

[briktop11b]

This is what i got so far.

Well its gonna have a 5.6 inch legacy screen that i got for $40. Its not the best screen but for the money it will work. For artwork i am using adhesive backed paper that i will print the sideart, cpo and marquee on. IM painting the cab yellow. Im using would form a tv stand and its a little less than 1/2" thick so i am just gluing the t molding on. IM using arcade buttons but im keeping the joystick because i just love the pacman ball top.ONly one speaker because its mono. IM trying to but a cheap but good quality bartop, so wish me luck. And i dont think im stealing anybodies designs but there are some awesome cabs on this site. Anyway here is a quick design of my cab. The measurements are probably withen 1" of the final size.IM going as small as i can(not pocket galaga small,but bartop small).

[briktop11b]

Oh yeah, the game im using is with pacman, pacman plus, super pacman, and pac and pal.

[leapinlew]

looks good! Good luck. 

[CheffoJeffo]

I really look forward to seeing this as I was cleaning up my shop and found a 6" LCD and JAKKS unit sitting there keeping each other company ...

[briktop11b]

If i can make time this week I'm gonna try to finish it. About my screen, when i play, it almost looks like there is a constant wave that scrolls up. then when its gone at the top, it starts again at the bottom. it distorts the game a little as it rolls through. Its just minor but it is noticeable. The screen was only about $40 but i wonder if it has something to do with the power input or if its just the cheap screen? The input level for the screen says 11-14 V 800 MA max, and I'm using an all in one plug that goes up to 12 V 300ma. The brightness and colors look fine though.?

[richms]

Your powersupply is not enough, and the line you have is called a hum bar, where the 50/60Hz power gets into the video signal.

First, get a decent enough power supply. Look at old laptops, they often have a 13 volt one. Otherwise try it on the molex on a computer to see how it goes (yellow is 12v, black is ground)

Till you have sorted out the under speced power supply its pointless checking the grounds etc between the jakks and the display.

[briktop11b]

So the problem is with the power supply to the screen or the jakks game? If its the screen, i have another varable switch that is 4-12 volts and 1400 MA max. Would that work for the screen?

[DreamCast Kid]

I was wondering how you got the Jakks joystick apart to save the Pacman balltop? I have a few of these and want to make another small stand-up for just pacman. Thanks!

[briktop11b]

That was tricky because i didn't know what was going on under the ball. I first just tried to twist off and it wouldn't budge. Then at the seem of the ball in the middle i figured i could pry the top half off the bottom half. It was a pain to get them loose. A little prying, a little squeezing and finally they came apart. The top half has to come straight off because the metal shaft runs up through it and its got a flat side and the ball is molded with the flat side so you cant twist it off, you just half to get the ball apart and pull the top half straight off.  Now the clear piece will come right out after the top is off. Now the bottom half is still on the shaft. I tried to twist that off. It wouldn't budge. So i thought maybe its glued to the shaft. So i got a mini torch and heated the bottom half of the ball were the shaft goes through. I was pulling and twisting on the ball while i was heating it and it finally came loose. To my suprise the shaft is threaded and it looked as though the ball was glued then screwed onto the shaft. So that's how i removed it. When i replace it I'm going to glue in the ball then place it back on the shaft. Then glue in the top half where the shaft goes and then around the seem to glue the two halves of the balls together. I hope all this makes since. I can try to post pictures if you want.

[DreamCast Kid]

Thanks for the write up! If you have pictures that would be great. I have been trying to figure this out too long, it's time to start building I like your bartop plan, I look forward to seeing progress!

[JamIt]

Looks great!  However, may I ask why not orient the screen vertically?  Maybe there is no vertical option given the hardware you are choosing, and I haven't played the Jakks game, so I was just curious. 

Again, though, the bartop looks great!
--JamIt

[richms]

So the problem is with the power supply to the screen or the jakks game? If its the screen, i have another varable switch that is 4-12 volts and 1400 MA max. Would that work for the screen?

Its not a problem with either, its a problem with trying to run too much off the small one you have.

That other one will be fine since it has more amps available then you are trying to use, so wont fail to hold the voltage up like the one at the moment.

when you are trying it, try it first with the jakks on battery to rule that out as a problem, once that works well then you can try an adapter on that too.

[briktop11b]

Well here it is. Sorry i didn't take a lot of progress pics. It was pretty straight forward , you can probably tell by the photos. The artwork i had printed at kinkos on adhesive backed paper and it turned out great. What surprised me the most was that my finished product turned out just how i designed it. I will probably build some more in the future. Does anybody have one of these plug and play devices? I was wondering about long term use. Here are a few pics of progress and the final product and with a dreamcast for scale.

[leapinlew]

I love it! Nice Job!

 

I may do one of these. How are you powering the Jakks?

[briktop11b]

It was real easy, i found the wires from the battery compartment and just spliced them into a varable voltage plug. Works like a charm. Also whats cool about this is that everything in the cab except the light runs off 12 volts or less. So i could get a lighter adapter and plug it in a vehicle. That will probably never happen but i was just thinking about that.

[leapinlew]

Did the text "Arcade" not fit when it was all said and done?

[briktop11b]

Yeah, i made the marquee area tool small so i left it out.

[richms]

If you are thinking of dropping the 12v down to run the jakks game, check the converter you use has a common ground, there should be no voltage difference between the -ve in and the -ve out of it. If there is then it will short out thru the RCA ground when you hook it up.

Car cellphone chargers are a good cheap source of a switching 12-24v in and 5ish volts out which may be ok to power the jakks game.

edit: and check out a marine/rv shop for a 12v fluro that you could replace the one with to make it light up too when on the road

I hope you still have access to the tuner controls so you can watch tv on it too

[MinerAl]

The Jakks' cab I made for my niece and nephew for Christmas '04 still runs nicely.  I hacked a real joystick to it though, so I can't speak to the Jakks' stick's longevity.  They don't play it every day any more though, but it got some heavy use at first, and still comes out at their parents' parties